#core update 2023

[searchengineexplorer]

https://searchengineexplorer.blogspot.com/2023/09/google-wraps-up-august-2023-core-update.html

Google Wraps Up August 2023 Core Update: What It Means for You

Google has officially completed the rollout of its August 2023 Core Update. This marks the second core update of the year, with the process commencing on August 22, 2023, and concluding 16 days later on September 7, 2023.

This Core updates impacting the website rankings.💡 Analyze data for improvements.🔍 Stay informed for online success. 📈 SEO experts to assess the impact.

[gwenhaechana]

◌ ₊ 🥤 ⋆ ࣪

◌ ₊ 🛹 ⋆ ࣪

　↷　 my 　 　✧ 　love　　 ⋎　 know　 　⁺

[alchemiclee]

✨️ dreamcatcher core aesthetic ✨️

°•~☆○☆●☆○☆●☆○~•°

🐰minjicore

🐥boracore

🐺siyeoncore

🐱handongcore

🐶yoohyeoncore

🐼yubincore

🦊gahyeoncore

stole from my own twitter thread from 2020

[digitalpreeyam]

Google constantly updates its search algorithm to improve user experience and provide the most relevant results. These updates range from minor tweaks to major changes that significantly impact website rankings. Google’s primary goal is to enhance search accuracy, combat spam, and prioritize high-quality content.

Key updates like Panda, Penguin, Hummingbird, RankBrain, BERT, and Helpful Content Update have reshaped SEO strategies over the years. In recent times, Google’s focus has shifted towards AI-driven search, E-E-A-T (Experience, Expertise, Authoritativeness, Trustworthiness), and Core Web Vitals for better page experience.

For SEOs and businesses, staying updated on algorithm changes is crucial to maintaining online visibility. Regularly monitoring Google Search Console, following SEO best practices, and focusing on user-centric content can help websites adapt effectively. As Google continues evolving, those who prioritize quality content, user experience, and ethical SEO strategies will stay ahead in the search game. 

[pebblegalaxy]

Decoding Google's 2023 Core Updates: Enhancing Search Quality and Relevance

Decoding Google's 2023 Core Updates: Enhancing Search Quality and Relevance #Googlealgorithms #GoogleCoreupdates #SEO #Searchrankings #Websiteoptimization #Google

In the dynamic realm of online presence, staying ahead of the curve requires a keen understanding of Google’s ever-evolving algorithms. The year 2023 witnessed a series of pivotal shifts as Google rolled out four core updates, each a force shaping the landscape of search rankings. From March to November, these updates not only reflected Google’s commitment to enhancing search quality but also…

[ioninks]

Google's October 2023 Core Update: What You Need to Know

Google has recently completed the rollout of its October 2023 Core Update, marking the third core update of the year. This update commenced on October 5, 2023, following closely on the heels of the October 2023 spam update, and it concluded on October 19, 2023. The rollout spanned approximately 14 days, and its impact has been felt across the digital landscape.

Notable Volatility

This October 2023 Core Update has been notable for the significant volatility it introduced. Similar to previous core updates, many websites experienced fluctuations in their rankings, leading to a flurry of discussions and concerns within the SEO community. While we await comprehensive data analysis, it's worth noting that this update coincided with another major update, making it challenging to pinpoint the exact cause of the ranking changes.

Ranking Movement

Observations suggest that the update triggered substantial movements in search rankings, with notable fluctuations occurring between October 10 and October 12. Similar trends were observed over the following weekend. However, it's important to clarify that these observations are anecdotal and not based on comprehensive data analysis from authoritative sources.

Why You Should Care?

Google algorithm updates, including core updates like this one, have a significant impact on websites' performance in search results. Whether your website experiences positive or negative changes in rankings, the effects can ripple through your organic traffic, conversions, and revenue. Being aware of these updates is crucial for brands, businesses, and organizations that rely on their online presence.

Understanding when Google rolls out updates allows you to assess whether any changes in your site's performance are a result of alterations you made or adjustments in Google's ranking algorithm. This knowledge is vital for making informed decisions about your digital strategy.

What to Do if Your Site Is Affected?

If your website is negatively impacted by a core update, Google has provided guidance in the past:

No Specific Recovery Actions: There are no specific actions to take to recover from a rankings drop following a core update. A decline in rankings does not necessarily signal that something is inherently wrong with your webpages.

Consider Questions: Google recommends considering a list of questions if your site is hit by a core update. These questions can help you assess your content and user experience to identify areas that may need improvement.

Expect Recovery with Subsequent Updates: Google notes that while some recovery may occur between core updates, the most significant changes typically happen after another core update.

In conclusion, Google's October 2023 Core Update has left a significant mark on the search landscape. With notable volatility and ranking movements, it's essential for website owners and SEO professionals to closely monitor their site's performance and be prepared to adapt their strategies accordingly. Remember that core updates are a regular part of Google's algorithm evolution, and understanding their impact is key to maintaining a strong online presence.

[dutechsolution]

Google’s Core Update of October 2023 Rollout Is Now Complete

Google's October 2023 Core Update has rolled out, and it's a game-changer! Stay at the forefront of the digital race with enhanced SEO strategies. Boost your website's rankings, organic traffic, and online presence. Our expert team at Dutech Solutions is here to help you navigate these updates seamlessly. With a proven track record and tailored strategies, we ensure your success. Don't miss out on the opportunity to shine in the digital landscape. Embrace the future of SEO today! Discover more at https://dutechsolution.com/googles-core-update-of-october-2023-rollout-is-now-complete/. Your digital triumph awaits!

[buzztagmedia]

Google's Algorithm: What's New in 2023

The year 2023 has brought about significant changes in Google's algorithm, with a focus on providing more relevant and valuable results to users. One of the key updates is the October Core Update, which aims to uncover hidden gems of information from hard-to-find sources across the web, including forum threads and blogs. This means that businesses and content creators need to ensure their content is not only high-quality but also easily discoverable by Google's content system.

In response to these changes, website owners should consider several essential strategies to adapt to Google's evolving algorithm:

Content Quality: Emphasize the creation of high-quality, informative, and valuable content that addresses the needs and interests of your target audience.

Search Intent: Align your content with user search intent. Understand what users are looking for and create content that directly addresses their queries.

User Experience: Optimize your website for a better user experience, including faster loading times and mobile-friendliness.

Link Building: Build authoritative backlinks to your website, which can enhance your website's credibility and authority.

Monitoring and Analysis: Regularly monitor your website's performance, analyze the impact of algorithm updates, and adjust your strategies accordingly.

In conclusion, Google's algorithm updates for 2023, particularly the October Core Update, emphasize the importance of quality content, user experience, and search intent. Adapting to these changes is essential for businesses and website owners looking to maintain or improve their online presence. Staying informed about these updates and making necessary adjustments is the key to success in the ever-evolving world of digital marketing.

[4seohelp]

Google Algorithm Updates 2023: August Broad Core Update

Google announced on August 22, 2023 that it has rolled out a broad core algorithm update. This is the second broad core update of 2023, following the March 2023 update. Broad core updates are changes to Google’s search algorithm that are designed to improve the quality of search results. They are not targeted at any specific websites or pages, but rather aim to reward websites that provide…

[searchengineexplorer]

The "August 2023 SEO Core Update" by Google revamped ranking algorithms, emphasizing content quality, user experience, and mobile-friendliness. It led to ranking shifts across industries. Adapting with high-quality content, mobile optimization, and diverse backlinks is key to sustaining online presence.

[122de2f3f]

Google Releases March 2023 Broad Core Update

what is Google Releases March 2023 Broad Core Update

As an AI language model, I do not have access to future information. However, as of my knowledge cutoff date of September 2021, there was no information available about a Google Releases March 2023 Broad Core Update. Google releases several broad core updates every year that are designed to improve the relevance and quality of search results for users.

[mostlysignssomeportents]

How lock-in hurts design

Berliners: Otherland has added a second date (Jan 28) for my book-talk after the first one sold out - book now!

If you've ever read about design, you've probably encountered the idea of "paving the desire path." A "desire path" is an erosion path created by people departing from the official walkway and taking their own route. The story goes that smart campus planners don't fight the desire paths laid down by students; they pave them, formalizing the route that their constituents have voted for with their feet.

Desire paths aren't always great (Wikipedia notes that "desire paths sometimes cut through sensitive habitats and exclusion zones, threatening wildlife and park security"), but in the context of design, a desire path is a way that users communicate with designers, creating a feedback loop between those two groups. The designers make a product, the users use it in ways that surprise the designer, and the designer integrates all that into a new revision of the product.

This method is widely heralded as a means of "co-innovating" between users and companies. Designers who practice the method are lauded for their humility, their willingness to learn from their users. Tech history is strewn with examples of successful paved desire-paths.

Take John Deere. While today the company is notorious for its war on its customers (via its opposition to right to repair), Deere was once a leader in co-innovation, dispatching roving field engineers to visit farms and learn how farmers had modified their tractors. The best of these modifications would then be worked into the next round of tractor designs, in a virtuous cycle:

https://securityledger.com/2019/03/opinion-my-grandfathers-john-deere-would-support-our-right-to-repair/

But this pattern is even more pronounced in the digital world, because it's much easier to update a digital service than it is to update all the tractors in the field, especially if that service is cloud-based, meaning you can modify the back-end everyone is instantly updated. The most celebrated example of this co-creation is Twitter, whose users created a host of its core features.

Retweets, for example, were a user creation. Users who saw something they liked on the service would type "RT" and paste the text and the link into a new tweet composition window. Same for quote-tweets: users copied the URL for a tweet and pasted it in below their own commentary. Twitter designers observed this user innovation and formalized it, turning it into part of Twitter's core feature-set.

Companies are obsessed with discovering digital desire paths. They pay fortunes for analytics software to produce maps of how their users interact with their services, run focus groups, even embed sneaky screen-recording software into their web-pages:

https://www.wired.com/story/the-dark-side-of-replay-sessions-that-record-your-every-move-online/

This relentless surveillance of users is pursued in the name of making things better for them: let us spy on you and we'll figure out where your pain-points and friction are coming from, and remove those. We all win!

But this impulse is a world apart from the humility and respect implied by co-innovation. The constant, nonconsensual observation of users has more to do with controlling users than learning from them.

That is, after all, the ethos of modern technology: the more control a company can exert over its users ,the more value it can transfer from those users to its shareholders. That's the key to enshittification, the ubiquitous platform decay that has degraded virtually all the technology we use, making it worse every day:

https://pluralistic.net/2023/02/19/twiddler/

When you are seeking to control users, the desire paths they create are all too frequently a means to wrestling control back from you. Take advertising: every time a service makes its ads more obnoxious and invasive, it creates an incentive for its users to search for "how do I install an ad-blocker":

https://www.eff.org/deeplinks/2019/07/adblocking-how-about-nah

More than half of all web-users have installed ad-blockers. It's the largest consumer boycott in human history:

https://doc.searls.com/2023/11/11/how-is-the-worlds-biggest-boycott-doing/

But zero app users have installed ad-blockers, because reverse-engineering an app requires that you bypass its encryption, triggering liability under Section 1201 of the Digital Millennium Copyright Act. This law provides for a $500,000 fine and a 5-year prison sentence for "circumvention" of access controls:

https://pluralistic.net/2024/01/12/youre-holding-it-wrong/#if-dishwashers-were-iphones

Beyond that, modifying an app creates liability under copyright, trademark, patent, trade secrets, noncompete, nondisclosure and so on. It's what Jay Freeman calls "felony contempt of business model":

https://locusmag.com/2020/09/cory-doctorow-ip/

This is why services are so horny to drive you to install their app rather using their websites: they are trying to get you to do something that, given your druthers, you would prefer not to do. They want to force you to exit through the gift shop, you want to carve a desire path straight to the parking lot. Apps let them mobilize the law to literally criminalize those desire paths.

An app is just a web-page wrapped in enough IP to make it a felony to block ads in it (or do anything else that wrestles value back from a company). Apps are web-pages where everything not forbidden is mandatory.

Seen in this light, an app is a way to wage war on desire paths, to abandon the cooperative model for co-innovation in favor of the adversarial model of user control and extraction.

Corporate apologists like to claim that the proliferation of apps proves that users like them. Neoliberal economists love the idea that business as usual represents a "revealed preference." This is an intellectually unserious tautology: "you do this, so you must like it":

https://boingboing.net/2024/01/22/hp-ceo-says-customers-are-a-bad-investment-unless-they-can-be-made-to-buy-companys-drm-ink-cartridges.html

Calling an action where no alternatives are permissible a "preference" or a "choice" is a cheap trick – especially when considered against the "preferences" that reveal themselves when a real choice is possible. Take commercial surveillance: when Apple gave Ios users a choice about being spied on – a one-click opt of of app-based surveillance – 96% of users choice no spying:

https://arstechnica.com/gadgets/2021/05/96-of-us-users-opt-out-of-app-tracking-in-ios-14-5-analytics-find/

But then Apple started spying on those very same users that had opted out of spying by Facebook and other Apple competitors:

https://pluralistic.net/2022/11/14/luxury-surveillance/#liar-liar

Neoclassical economists aren't just obsessed with revealed preferences – they also love to bandy about the idea of "moral hazard": economic arrangements that tempt people to be dishonest. This is typically applied to the public ("consumers" in the contemptuous parlance of econospeak). But apps are pure moral hazard – for corporations. The ability to prohibit desire paths – and literally imprison rivals who help your users thwart those prohibitions – is too tempting for companies to resist.

The fact that the majority of web users block ads reveals a strong preference for not being spied on ("users just want relevant ads" is such an obvious lie that doesn't merit any serious discussion):

https://www.iccl.ie/news/82-of-the-irish-public-wants-big-techs-toxic-algorithms-switched-off/

Giant companies attained their scale by learning from their users, not by thwarting them. The person using technology always knows something about what they need to do and how they want to do it that the designers can never anticipate. This is especially true of people who are unlike those designers – people who live on the other side of the world, or the other side of the economic divide, or whose bodies don't work the way that the designers' bodies do:

https://pluralistic.net/2022/10/20/benevolent-dictators/#felony-contempt-of-business-model

Apps – and other technologies that are locked down so their users can be locked in – are the height of technological arrogance. They embody a belief that users are to be told, not heard. If a user wants to do something that the designer didn't anticipate, that's the user's fault:

https://www.wired.com/2010/06/iphone-4-holding-it-wrong/

Corporate enthusiasm for prohibiting you from reconfiguring the tools you use to suit your needs is a declaration of the end of history. "Sure," John Deere execs say, "we once learned from farmers by observing how they modified their tractors. But today's farmers are so much stupider and we are so much smarter that we have nothing to learn from them anymore."

Spying on your users to control them is a poor substitute asking your users their permission to learn from them. Without technological self-determination, preferences can't be revealed. Without the right to seize the means of computation, the desire paths never emerge, leaving designers in the dark about what users really want.

Our policymakers swear loyalty to "innovation" but when corporations ask for the right to decide who can innovate and how, they fall all over themselves to create laws that let companies punish users for the crime of contempt of business-model.

I'm Kickstarting the audiobook for The Bezzle, the sequel to Red Team Blues, narrated by @wilwheaton! You can pre-order the audiobook and ebook, DRM free, as well as the hardcover, signed or unsigned. There's also bundles with Red Team Blues in ebook, audio or paperback.

If you'd like an essay-formatted version of this post to read or share, here's a link to it on pluralistic.net, my surveillance-free, ad-free, tracker-free blog:

https://pluralistic.net/2024/01/24/everything-not-mandatory/#is-prohibited

Image: Belem (modified) https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Desire_path_%2819811581366%29.jpg

CC BY 2.0 https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0/deed.en

[keeterz]

Time to make an updated post on the Guilty Gear artwork I've made up to this point!

First things, gotta include Bridget and Elphelt since these were made this year in 2023. Baiken, Testement, and Giovanna were done back in 2022. I think I'd like to do a Jack-O illustration at some point, and a friend of mine wants to help fund a Ramlethal print, so those might be coming up in the future at some point.

I've made some updates to the chibis as well to include a handful of the male cast! A few noteworthy mentions include an Axl that was inspired by an animation that my friend DoovadHohdan made, a Potemkin that works as a Pot Buster when you use it as a sticker on another sticker, as well as the husbandos in general being paired with plushies of their partners (well, missing Nago and Elphelt because that wasn't a thing at the time)

A little after the Elphelt illustration I also made an Elphelt chibi as well! This one will be double-sided once I convert it to a charm~

Finally, a sneak peak at something that isn't Strive related...well, not yet, at least (maybe). Here's a value comp for an ABA illustration I'm working on based on her Accent Core design! Hoping she makes it into Strive at some point.

I might want to explore doing some Accent Core related artwork in the future. Accent Core is a lot closer to the point of when I first got into the series in my middle school/highschool days, and there are some designs from the older games that are still hecking rad. Plus the music is awesome :D

It's kind of funny; I have to confess that I actually don't play Strive. Truth be told, the GGST movement and limited combo structure never clicked with me when the game first came out (and I was always more of a 3D fighter guy for gameplay with games like Tekken and Soul Calibur). And even though I am pretty sure I would actually thoroughly enjoy playing I-No and Elphelt with the season 3 changes, I just don't really do as much gaming these days since I'm more enamored with making art (and a few other things like biking). Plus I'm kind of just waiting for Tekken 8 at this point (dear god I hope the online is good just this one time god).

But as an artist? You bet your butt I hecking love coming back to Guilty Gear. I've been a fan of the series since the early 2000s (back when I stumbled across an abandonware PC version of Guilty Gear X and became sold on the series). The characters from this series check a lot of boxes for things I love to draw, from the way they are designed and all of their classic rock references all the way down to their zany personalities and backstories. And I feel like Guilty Gear is really special in this regard for me. Even though I'd rather play other fighting games (like Tekken or maybe even SF6), Guilty Gear is probably the one fighting game fandom I want to do art of the most.

If you are a Guilty Gear fan stumbling across this art collection post, hope you are enjoying the art! I will enjoy the series vicariously through you as I get back to working on some Tekken 8 artwork for Frosty Faustings, lmao. And if you're someone who is new to the series, give Strive a try! It's neat and the characters are great.

[suzuran777]

Upcoming BL game releases (2025 edition)

I was originally going to post this a bit earlier in January, but maybe it's good I had to postpone it because we got a few new announcements recently from some well-known BL game developers (Parade and Tennenouji). The release date of Ooe part 2 was also revealed and the game is scheduled to be released at the end of next month, so I think there are quite some new things to look forward to this year.

I also decided to include some more doujin game titles this time, as well as some games which are still in development, but the status is currently unknown. Sadly BL game magazine Cool-B has ended its publication, so I hope that the game developers will continue updating their own social media pages and blogs instead.

Now available ↓

Re;quartz Reido Nintendo Switch version (Re;quartz零度) Publisher: B-cluster Release date: February 27, 2025 (available now!)

Fully voiced Switch port of Re;quartz Reido, which was originally released in 2020. This plot focuses on a time loop murder mystery story, in which an organization tries to hunt down people with supernatural powers. The original game was already all-ages, so unlike most BL game Switch ports I don't think any of the content was cut. The Switch version also updated the background art and added some new after-scenarios that are not in the original game. Sadly the English localization of the PC version was cancelled, so you will not be able to play any version of this in English.

Friendly Lab Unlock () ; English version Publisher: Tennenouji Release date: March 14, 2025 (available now!)

I was surprised to suddenly see this, but the English version of Friendly Lab which was announced in May 2023 was released today! You play the role of a researcher who’s conducting a gentle experiment on two test subjects, who both experience memory loss. It's available on DLsite, which is also the company that localized the game. I hope that the English version of Tennenouji's other game, Luckydog1, will also be released at some point, though that one's being localized by MangaGamer.

2025 release date ↓

Ooe part 2 (大穢後編) Publisher: Adelta Release date: April 19, 2025

Second half of the 18+ BL game Ooe which was released in October 2024. Closed circle murder mystery story which takes place during Japan’s post-war era (1955). The new blog post mentions that if you already purchased part 1, you can download the complete edition for free once part 2 releases, which includes all routes. It's also already confirmed that this game will be translated, though there is currently no information who's in charge of the localization.

Tokyo Gentou/ Tokyo Phantasmagoria (東京幻燈) Publisher: Procyon (new BL branch of Orbit/CORE) Release date: 2025

The story takes place in a future in which humans live together with different lifeforms, who started appearing after a certain incident in 1996. The artist is Carnelian who's known for other BLVN titles such as Messiah and Fanatica. It has been 17 years since they last worked on a BLVN project (Messiah's fandisc) so I am really happy to see them working on a new project! The game's age rating is also 18+.

Ani Asobi (兄遊び) Publisher: Tennenouji Release date: Spring 2025

Tennenouji's new 18+ BL project which was first announced in the final issue of Cool-B which was released in January. This game focuses on two main characters, a younger brother (whose face is covered in the official art for some reason), and an older brother. In the Cool-B interview Yura mentions that this game won't have any comedic scenes, so it looks like the plot will be quite serious. The theme of the game focuses on ''humillation''.

lesson Publisher: Parade Release date: June 2025

Parade also announced their new project earlier this year, which is their fourth game "lesson". They also already launched the official website on Valentine's Day. The story focuses on protagonist Kento, who's struggling to stay out of trouble after growing up in a harsh environment. One day he gets caught in a motorcycle accident and he wakes up in the hospital, where he meets a man called Takafumi. The website mentions is that most of the 18+ scenes are consensual, but the story itself does include heavy themes. It looks like it's going to have quite some branching routes/endings too.

Seraphim Spiral -Shounen no Ori- Re-master Publisher: B Works Release date: 2025

Fully voiced remaster of Seraphim Spiral, an all-ages BL game which was originally released in 2001. Story focuses on protagonist Kugami Akito, a transfer student who had to drop out of his previous school after a certain incident. I've played a lot of older BL visual novels but I haven't actually played this one, so maybe I'll get a chance to play it now!

Nie no Machi Iromusubi Switch/Steam version (贄の町-いろむすび-) Developer: Zombilica Release date: May 22, 2025

This is the fandisc of the game Nie no Machi, which was ported to the Nintendo Switch and Steam last year. The original game is 18+, but the console versions are usually all-ages or 17+, so if you want the full experience the PC version might be better. Heads up that the Steam version is the same as the Switch version, so that version won't include the 18+ scenes either. I do hope the PC version of the first game and fandisc will get localized some day, as right now only the ''sfw'' version is translated.

Kawatare no Youyuu (彼���の溶融) Developer: Tedopoyo Release date: 2025

BL game by doujin game creator Tedopoyo, who has released two other BL projects in the past (Boku no Saiai no and Shuuen Ouse). Focuses on protagonist Atori who's described to have violent tendencies. We don't know a lot about the game yet, but you can follow the developer for any updates.

Collision x Collision Developer: Gintou Release date: 2025

18+ visual novel by doujin group Gintou. They've released a lot of all-ages BL titles in the past, but recently they also started making 18+ works. I don't know super much about this game developer, but you can check updates here on their Twitter account.

Hen'ai Necromanticism (偏愛ネクロマンチシズム) Developer: Aikawa Nemu Release date: was 2024 but I think it's 2025 now

18+ BL game about vampires in modern day Tokyo. This one caught my attention because the theme song is sung by Itou Kanako, and Watanabe Kazuhiro is credited for the ending song. Both are well-known in the BL visual novel industry as they also sung the opening/ending songs for many of the Nitro Chiral games. You can check out the opening PV here! Apparently you can choose if you want the characters to be a top/bottom/switch which is something you don't often see in BL visual novels anymore, so I think this could be interesting.

New projects of which the release date is currently unknown ↓

New MadaLabo 18+ project Developer: MadaLabo/MadaKubo Release date: Unknown

A teaser for this was originally posted on Togo Mito's Twitter account (who's the writer and artist) in 2022, but a few new illustrations were posted on the MadaLabo account and in Cool-B recently. Not a lot of information is known about this game yet, but the protagonist is once again a top. In the final issue of Cool-B Togo Mito also mentioned how some might think his games are ''repetitive'' because the themes are often similar, but he will keep creating things he likes. In the past he created games like Hadaka Shitsuji and Kanja S no Kyuusai (or Patient S).

Kikai Densen (奇怪伝染) Developer: Kikyudo Release date: Unknown

18+ Mystery x BL novel game project. The story focuses on honor student Seiji who takes out his daily frustrations on his classmate Toshiyuki. As a result of the bullying, Toshiyuki decides to end his own life, however he returns as some kind of supernatural being. Now a monster, he decides to make Seiji's life a living hell. Promoted as a ''male ryona'' game, it's aready confirmed that it will include some heavy themes such as gore/rape. You can follow any updates on their Twitter account.

OUROBOROS if: CRAZY FOR YOU Developer: saiaku_exe Release date: Unknown

Protagonist Chuni suddenly gets trapped in the world of a gal game and is trying to find his way out. ''If I ignore all the heroines in this game and focus only on my childhood friend (boy) Mayumu, I should be able to return to my original world.'' The official page mentions that you can experience the despair of being surrounded by cute girls, but you can only romance the other boy character lol. This one also already has a Steam page which you can check out here.

Love it Hunter! Publisher: Equal Life Laboratory Release date: Was 2023 but currently unknown

Futuristic/Biopunk 18+ BL game in which humanity was saved by new technological developments while on the verge of extinction. There haven't been many updates recently, but they did publish a new illustration in Cool-B in January, so I think the project is still alive. A trial version of it was released in 2021 which seemed promising.

Psychic Eclipse code:green Publisher: C-Garden NEXT-B Release date: Was 2024 but currently unknown

A sequel of the original Psychic Eclipse game released in 2021. Takes place in a world in which humans developed psychic abilities. I liked the first game so I’m curious how they will continue the story. The official account is still actively posting updates, so I hope they will be able to release it this year.

Projects of which the status is currently unknown ↓

Cage -remake- Publisher: LOVE&DESTROY Release date: Unknown

This will be a complete remake of two older 18+ BL games (CAGE OPEN & CAGE CLOSE). Protagonist Konno is forced to play a mysterious “game” together with 8 other participants. They haven't really posted any updates for some time now, and a year ago they announced the hiatus of one of the writers, so since then there haven't been any updates. This project was crowdfunded so I do hope it will get released one day.

Caricature Camera Publisher: LOVE&DESTROY Release date: Unknown

New 18+ LOVE&DESTROY title, though they haven't updated the website for a couple of years now (I think they were busy working on the CAGE remake and its crowdfunding). The story focuses on protagonist Shinobu Kamo, who receives a job offer from a mysterious person after recently losing his previous job.

Akechi to Iu Otoko - A Danshaku-tei Satsujin Jiken (明智と謂ふ男 A男爵邸殺人事件) Publisher: Holicworks Release date: Unknown

New Holicworks project which is a collaboration with Animate Games. I decided to include this but I'm not sure if it's really BL because the original announcement didn't mention it, but I do think it's rated all-ages. Other than releasing the original teaser video and some extra images, they haven't posted any other information about it since their original announcement in 2022.

Suito wa Hakumei (水都は薄明) Publisher: Holicworks Release date: Unknown

New 18+ Holicworks title about a city which is permanently enveloped in twilight. I also wrote a short blog post about this one if you want to read more about it. The developer hasn't published any information about this project on their website for years, so honestly I'm not sure what will happen to it.

[beesmygod]

in an astounding twist of fate, im looking into what is actually going on with google adsense. they're in hot fucking water right now actually.

this summer, an enormous and scathing review by adalytics (an independent media research website) came out criticizing google for a myriad of things which could be politely summed up as "fraud". we're talking like. theye were taking money to serve ads on pages that got 0 views regularly. thats not what people pay for lol.

as a result google mysteriously issued some refunds (""credits"", because "refunds" sounds bad) but insists it was all normal. adexchanger has a summary of an adage.com article

Google vehemently denies the report’s findings and that the credits are in any way related. “Issuing credits to advertisers is not uncommon,” a Google spokesperson says, adding that “Adalytics used a flawed methodology to make wildly inaccurate claims about GVP.”

so over the last four or so months, google has been making core updates to its adsense network with, apparently, very little warning to the people using it. and everyone's numbers tanked. hard. oct 2023 appears to have been esp brutal. both the search engine journal and lily ray from amsive, apparently a huge name in marketing, released reports that are completely nuts. the lily ray one is esp detailed and has a timeline of updates

73% of overall respondents indicated that they have seen their Google Discover traffic drop to 0 during the past 3 months. Among websites that lost Discover traffic, the most common complaints were dramatic traffic declines; dropping to 0 impressions and clicks; extreme percentage decreases in clicks ranging from 50-99%, and massive losses in revenue from AdSense and other ad networks.

50 to 99%?! yeah that's a small sample size but that's a fucking hell of a swing and a trend.

according to the search engine journal google appears to be saying "well, we''ll see what we can do" the same way that you would say "let me look in the back" when you know full and well its not in the back. like this reads to me as "them's the breaks". which is uhh. i think a really big problem.