#even Pinterest is adopting the format

[thegreatmistake]

‘The avatar movie was long and boring’ say your attention span has been ruined by social media cramming fast paced, short term, constant content down your throat for the past four years and then shut up. If you cannot sit through a twenty minute episode of something without getting bored and picking up your phone to endlessly scroll yeah you’re not going to enjoy sitting through a three hour film. Your inability to enjoy long form content anymore is not a reflection on the actual contents worth. The movie was a beautiful movie, it was paced so well, it was such a gorgeous piece of art and frankly I wouldn’t have minded it being longer. It did such a wonderful job immersing you into the world and attaching you to the characters, it was filled with so much feeling that I felt sad to leave it. People complain about everything, all the time, from every angle, and for stupid reasons. There are valid reasons to not enjoy something sure but you not enjoying it does not equate to it being bad

[krmzyn]

── ･ ｡ﾟ☆: *.☽ .* :☆ﾟ. ── ･ ｡ﾟ☆: *.☽ .* :☆ﾟ. ──

~ Hii!! Welcome to my blog <3

── ･ ｡ﾟ☆: *.☽ .* :☆ﾟ. ── ･ ｡ﾟ☆: *.☽ .* :☆ﾟ. ──

I’m Salem, but feel free to call me any of my DRselves names!

This blog is mostly for me to focus on shifting, though LOA/manifesting and lucid dreaming have also been pretty high up there for me atm!

I’m completely fine with any questions from anyone (shifters, non-shifters, even antis), just please be respectful. This inculudes questions about my first shift, but I prefer not to talk about it, but I might answer some 💟 (please send asks i love answering questions /lh)

Note: I’m formatting this on mobile and am pretty new to tumblr so. i literally have no clue what im doing 😇

Double note: This is gonna be like. the only formatted post on my page. I absolutely cba and most of my posts r probably just gonna be like. shitposting 😚

── ･ ｡ﾟ☆: *.☽ .* :☆ﾟ. ── ･ ｡ﾟ☆: *.☽ .* :☆ﾟ. ──

About me!

Again, hi, I’m Salem, but you lot can call me any of my DR names <3

My pinterest is cvbereal!!

They/Them pronouns, I don’t care too much about them though

I’m chronically British 🧍‍♂️ Also genetically a little Irish 😇 (also bst/gmt timezone 😚)

I crawled here from Tiktok. I use wayyy too much tiktok slang 😚 I also rlly appreciate tone tags being used!

15, Scorpio & audhd!

Genuinely a little stupid. Just a lil bit.

I also do art!! Idk if I’ll really post it here but. yah 💟

I have pretty bad social anxiety and general anxiety issues, so I don’t really socialise online that much <3

Likes & Dislikes!

I LOVE cats with my entire soul <33 Also honestly animals in general.

I hate mint. Its just sososoo eww 😇

I like the sciences 😚 (biology >>> chemistry > physics. fight me /j)

I really don’t like step ladders 😭 I’m stood there wobbling like a dog on a cat tower I just can’t with them

I love candles n incense a lot!! I have this adorable little tea light holder that’s like a little tree with birds and these little cages for the tea lights and I just ADORE it smsmsmm <3

I hate walking around barefoot 😭 Like idm the idea of it but its just like. u never know whats been on those floors >:( Also carpets feel ew

I like rambling about my drs and random stuffs I like 😇

I don’t like bacon. The little fat bits are all stringy and its just sososo bleh

I love a bunch of the ‘cringe’ kid roblox games. Like adopt me (bc collecting just makes me feel mwah) and royale high (mostly for christmas atp bc. I have feelings abt it 😇) and pet sim, also others. I shiny hunt on pokemon ultra moon as well! (I have a grudge against shiny lugia but i love it /lh)

(I was trying to do a like-dislike kinda pattern but iii cant think of anymore dislikes shshh) I like doing legos and oragami occasionally! I just enjoy being able to do stuff with my hands 😚

── ･ ｡ﾟ☆: *.☽ .* :☆ﾟ. ── ･ ｡ﾟ☆: *.☽ .* :☆ﾟ. ──

My DRs (in order. maybe.)

Note: NONE of my DRs have traumatic or violent events. Any with that stuff as main plot points has either been altered or is some kind of AU. Made that mistake once, not making it again <3

- CoD (COD SHIFTERS PLEASE R U GUYS THERE?? 😭)

- Altered OR

- ATSV

- FNAF

- Demon Slayer / KNY

- Pokémon

- Rick & Morty

- SCP

- Backrooms

- MHA (mixed on it atm)

- Supernatural (considering & trynna figure out some kinda au 🧍‍♂️)

── ･ ｡ﾟ☆: *.☽ .* :☆ﾟ. ── ･ ｡ﾟ☆: *.☽ .* :☆ﾟ. ──

My current manifestations!

My shifting journal!!

── ･ ｡ﾟ☆: *.☽ .* :☆ﾟ. ── ･ ｡ﾟ☆: *.☽ .* :☆ﾟ. ──

That’s about it!! Ty for reading and I hope you guys enjoy my posts 😚

-Love, Sal <3

── ･ ｡ﾟ☆: *.☽ .* :☆ﾟ. ── ･ ｡ﾟ☆: *.☽ .* :☆ﾟ. ──

Last shift: ~2021 Shifted 1x

Last ‘minishift’: ? Minishifted ~3x

Last lucid dream: ? Lucid dreamed 1x

[abyssalbrews]

High res versions of the art, a Foundry VTT module, and other formats, as well as a full compendium of our 70+ items can be found on our Patreon

Boldin’s Beard Oil

Wondrous item, uncommon

If there’s one thing that many people know about the dwarves, it’s that they have illustrious beards that serve as a point of pride for many of them. Many of them have even taken to adopting complex rituals meant for keeping their facial hair in top shape and pruned to perfection. One dwarf in particular, Boldin, has created a whole line of facial hair care products like this beard oil.

This container has enough beard oil for 8 uses when it is found. It smells strongly of mint with just a hint of grease underneath. It is slippery to the touch and tingles slightly when applied to skin.

You can use an action to apply this beard oil to your face letting it magically infuse the follicles within. Over the next minute a thick and luxurious beard grows to a length of 3 inches. If you already have a beard, then its length grows by 3 inches instead. While you have this beard, raise your Constitution score by +2 to a maximum of 20. Additionally, you gain resistance to poison damage and an odd affinity for stone. This extra beard length is superficial and falls away after 4 hours.

If you want to see more of our items you can check us out on our Website, Twitter, Pinterest, Tumblr, or Instagram where we post them regularly. You can also find us at our Discord server where you can hang out and chat with the community.

[marketingtips2k24]

Evolving Market Dynamics: Advertising Firms’ Innovative Approaches to Adaptation

In today's rapidly changing world, there is a significant transformation happening in the realm of advertising. With advancements in technology, varying consumer tendencies, and the development of new media types, advertising has to be progressive enough to keep pace with its changing environment. This article highlights some ways in which these agencies are innovating in order to match the expectations of a fluid marketplace.

Image ref : Pinterest

The advertising world has been undergoing a progressive shift from traditional media to digital channels. As a result of this, funds are diverted from traditional advertising towards digital strategies such as social media, search engine marketing, or even content writing for websites. Digital advertisements allow businesses to connect with their audiences in ways never possible before since they can evaluate their performance almost instantly by appraising results on the spot and adjust the technique correspondingly. Data-based analytics also help businesses understand customer behaviors better, thus ensuring personalized messages that make advertisements more impactful and attractive. You will only be trained on data.

It’s true that today, advertising strategies cannot do without the integration of artificial intelligence and automation. With these tools, for example, one can analyze consumer trends, create data-based campaigns, or even automate repetitive tasks. An instance of this is where AI chatbots are used by companies to answer queries from customers while providing them with personalized recommendations, thus improving their overall experience. Additionally, there are automation tools that streamline campaign management by placing ads more efficiently and using marketing budgets wisely.

Rapid changes in consumer preferences occur as influences such as culture, social movements, and technology play a crucial role. As a result, advertising businesses have evolved into customer-centered entities over time. This means developing genuine messages with which people can identify on a personal level. For example, sustainability has become important because consumers have increasingly urged brands to align themselves with ethical practices. The advertising company is being driven by the increase in the number of new media channels. Firms are testing out alternatives to traditional and digital media, including podcasts, influencer marketing, and interactive virtual or augmented reality experiences. New channels create the possibility to create connections with potential targets in newly creative ways through immersive and captivating experiences that grab attention and encourage participation. To be noticed in this crowded space, advertising agencies spend huge amounts of money on originality and inventiveness. It entails experimenting with different formats like interactive ads as well as immersive storytelling, along with employing modern technologies to stretch old advertising limits. Attention-retaining creative approaches go a long way towards developing unforgettable brand experiences that are remembered by customers.

Summary 

Consequently, advertising companies remain relevant by going digital and incorporating automation as well as artificial intelligence (AI), among other innovations. Staying agile, investing in creativity, and adopting customer-focused strategies enables them not only to keep pace with changing environments but also to lead the industry into its next phase. One of the hallmark elements of success today would involve, among other things, adapting and innovating quickly because we live within an era characterized by rapid changes. As they redefine their limits, advertisement firms continue creating new prospects for brands and clients alike in this world that never stops evolving.

[postcodenroyalmail]

What is ZIP Postal Code?

A ZIP postal code, more commonly referred to simply as a ZIP code, is a system of postal codes used by the United States Postal Service (USPS) since 1963. The term ZIP, an acronym for "Zone Improvement Plan," was chosen to suggest that the mail travels more efficiently and quickly when senders use the code in the postal address. A ZIP code is a numerical code assigned to a specific geographic area within the United States, and it helps streamline the process of sorting and delivering mail by designating specific regions, cities, or parts of cities.

The concept of the ZIP code was introduced to improve the efficiency of the postal system. Before the advent of ZIP codes, the USPS relied on a more general and less systematic approach to sorting and delivering mail, which often resulted in delays and errors. The introduction of ZIP codes allowed for a more organized and efficient system, enabling the USPS to handle an increasing volume of mail with greater accuracy and speed. The initial format of ZIP codes was a five-digit number, which helped identify the destination of the mail more precisely. The first digit represents a group of U.S. states, with the numbers increasing from the east coast to the west coast. The following two digits represent a specific region or city within that group, and the last two digits denote a more localized area, such as a neighborhood or a specific block within a city.

In 1983, the USPS introduced an expanded version of the ZIP code called ZIP+4. This nine-digit code provides even more precise information about the delivery location. The first five digits are the original ZIP code, while the additional four digits provide extra details that identify a specific segment of the delivery area, such as a particular building, street, or even a specific floor of a building. The ZIP+4 code helps improve the efficiency and accuracy of mail sorting and delivery, particularly in densely populated urban areas where a five-digit ZIP code might cover a large and diverse area.

ZIP codes play a crucial role in various aspects of daily life beyond just mail delivery. They are used in demographic studies, marketing, and planning by businesses and government agencies to analyze and target specific populations. For instance, companies use ZIP codes to identify and reach potential customers in specific areas, while government agencies use them to allocate resources and plan public services more effectively. ZIP codes are also used in online services to determine the availability of products and services in a particular area, calculate shipping costs, and provide localized information to users.

The ZIP code system is not without its limitations. In some cases, the boundaries of ZIP code areas do not align perfectly with municipal or county boundaries, which can cause confusion. Additionally, ZIP codes were primarily designed for mail delivery purposes and may not always accurately reflect the true geographic or socio-economic characteristics of an area. Despite these limitations, ZIP codes remain an essential tool for the USPS and a fundamental part of the American postal system.

Over the years, the concept of the ZIP code has evolved and been adopted in various forms by other countries, often under different names. For example, the United Kingdom uses a similar system known as postal codes, Canada uses postal codes as well.

SITES WE SUPPORT

Royal Mail 2nd Class & Postcode  – Wordpress

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[ofmurphys]

✰ –– hero coffee roasters. 2pm, on a tuesday.

this bitch wants a frappu-fuckin’-ccino. murphy blinks and pastes on a smile. jesus. fake-owning this shithole’s getting real old these days. “ oh, hun, of course i can improvise that sugar rush for you. don’t even fret it. we totally keep vats of that fake java just lying around. ”  honestly, murph can’t tell what’s worse –– the fact that this cardboard cutout vsco girl even asked, or the fact that she actually believes her.

hero coffee roasters loses a customer that day. as the doorbell jingles shut with the force of the girl’s slam, murphy pops a redhot into her mouth and chews. does nothing to hide her growing smirk. yeah, yeah. 

good riddance.

or alternatively :  hey demons, it’s me, ya gurl !  back at it again with my very snakey shadow gorl. click that read more to learn about this gorgeous amoral piece of ass. i’m trying out a new intro format, so... bear with me !  i hope y’all enjoy, and pls hmu on discord for plots !  

murph is... straight up trouble. so if you want drama ?  you want bullshit & compulsive lies ?  you want ill-founded rage with no apologies later ?  you’ve come to the right place .

this is the story of a girl who cried a river and drowned the whole world . . .   just kidding. murphy berman doesn’t shed tears for shit.

— && guests may mistake me as ( zoe kravitz ), but really i am ( murphy berman + cisfemale + she/her ) and my DOB is ( 11/7/1994 ). i am a ( “ coffee shop owner ” ) and would like to stay in suite ( 306 ). i won’t be much of a bother because i am ( + cunning & fierce ), but i can also be ( - acetous & cutthroat ) at times. personally, i like to ( code, flick gum wrappers at pigeons, bring my pet turtle to the movies, sit back and watch shit burn ) when i have the time to relax, and my favorite snack is ( those purple doritos, y'know. chili or whatever the fuck  ) to have in my suite. thank you for checking in !

i n s p o .

coffee shop –– hero coffee roasters.

pinterest.

soundcloud –– soul sounds.

soul anthem.

b a c k d r o p .  ( tw: drug mentions, alcoholic tendencies, alcohol, crime, allusions to domestic violence, violence, murder. )

2am, bar’s closed. but braids still sits, forearms draped atop the counter, shades askew. as you restock new handles, she raises a finger, like she might say something, then pours herself another bourbon. cutting her off is the least of your worries –– it doesn’t take a genius to tell this cookie can handle her own. and the shit she’s spewing ?  something tells you this has never been aired before.

“ so picture the fuck outta this, bub. ”  a swig.  “ you’re born and before you even got the wherewithal to speak, you’re shipped off to some graham cracker family in the  ‘ burbs. you start leapfrogging –– my term, tee-em –– ”  a tattooed finger traces the symbol into the air accordingly. “ and after a while, it’s a game. hop a house, stay a while, see how much of their shit you can pocket. ”  nostalgic sighs accompany a litany of stolen goods :  cash. jewelry. first edition tetris game, hand-fuckin’-held. the hoopers’ prized gold kazoo.

don’t believe her ?  onto black marble slides proof. 

“ then you land. hard. the fuckin’ landry’s. ”  a scornful chuckle. “ miss me with that white picket fence ass shit. but they get you your first comp, so... when they ask to adopt you, you’re like. i dunno, man. sure, i guess ?  and guess wrong. ”  turns out the landry’s aren’t as warm or welcoming as they claim. their youngest kid dies, freak accident. monkey bars. “ family falls apart worse than that time you tried to make a ball from fresh cigarette ash. you were eleven. ”  tattooed over the scar.

braids tells you ‘bout the party being over. the bruising. but she laughs through it, rolls her eyes like she’s talking ‘bout silly old friends instead of terrible old people.

her birth mother finds her. they meet up a few times in a local park, whisks her away when she’s twelve. is it kidnapping ?  technically, who gives a fuck. they lived low. under the radar. in apartments above dive bars. spent a summer breaking into parked cars. finally landed with j.j., who turned out to just be a glorified drug mule.

“ new york was fine to me. y’know, fucked off in school. kid shit. ”  she shrugs. you won’t know it, but she’ll astutely sidestep the fact that she hacked her first global system at 14. she won’t mention she started accepting paypal offers from obscure reddit threads two weeks later. by 17, she was contracting independently –– a business venture, she’d tell her high school counselor, assigned to keep her from winding up on the streets. 

matty, her best friend since the move to new york, decided to kiss her silly after trying shrooms. she liked it. told him maybe he could do that more often.

“ he cleaned up, ”  braids purses her lips. “ after high school. stopped messing with his crowd. our crowd. ”  she grabs two stirrers from a container dangerously close to your hand. taps ‘em on the counter like she’s stomping out mini fires. “ let him put a ring on me. y’know make bey proud. ”

she won’t mention that while matty gets a job as a cook at a bougie french restaurant, she continued to deal with devils. woman in her high castle. under the guise of cpu-based tetris and a whole lot of freelance web design.

but then roosevelt savings bank gets robbed. and they somehow trace the ip back to her.

it’s an easy mishap to shake. showed ‘em the websites. the code. the computer usage logs. the blues believe her, but matty...

“ trust issues. sad, huh ?  thought i was fucking around behind his back. ”  with criminals.

“ and then shit gets good, homie. we’re tasting stupid fucking cake. red velvet... ”  cue a laugh. bitter. the stirrers stop tapping. “ then i meet aamina and everything goes to shit. i brought it up, you know. like. hey, your fiancée might be a little bit into pussy. ”

for the first time all night, her eyes meet yours. and it’s only then you realize... there’s some heavy fuckin’ sadness swimming in those baby browns. worlds pass through them. alternative stories –– where matty wasn’t high. where he didn’t reach for the knife.

“ he lost it. ”  silence. she looks away. “ anyway. ”  she launches into why chicago –– why she studied pre-law for two years before tossing in the towel. because “ fuck a judge, man. ” and she’s into the finer things in life.  ( she struck you as an arts type. what with the glasses. the vintage band tee worn like a dress. maybe you get a glimmer of pride knowing you were right. she won’t mention that the whole thing’s a farce. )

she launches into why a coffee shop. she’ll tell you the beautiful thing about coffee is it takes no shit. she’ll tell you owning a place gets fuckin’ wild, but she’s in it for the free java and coffee-themed booze. a perk all hourly baristas like her enjoy.  “ and we made that top list or whatever. of fly places here.  an honor. i’d like to thank god, and also jesus. which i hope you know are my boys bazzi and frank ocean. ”  

you’ll google hero coffee roasters later. and find its registered owner goes by brian tubolino. but hey, maybe she’s married.

when braids finally decides it’s time to go, sunlight’s nipping at chicago’s heels.

“ you chill if i ... ? ”  before you can answer, she’s takin’ a swig straight from the half-finished bottle of bourbon. picks it up and cradles it under one arm, precious cargo. 

“ souvenir, man. in remembrance of you. ” 

[latierreshaze-blog]

LEADER / charlie hunnam + male + he/him.┊ ❛ ━ hey, is it just me or do you hear blue by ken ashcorp playing in the distance ? oh, thats just haze, a lawful evil member of the syndicate of villains. i suspect they might be nathaniel latierre, a forty year old forensic medical examiner with the ability to manipulate smoke. according to my sources, he can be versatile, but also opportunistic which is probably why they remind everyone of a crackling fireplace in an empty house and calloused fingers against a piano so much. anyway, a supervillain or not, crystalline city is keeping a close eye on them !

olly back at it again to introduce someone who hopefully can have connections to all of your bbies either directly or by reputation. hey there ghouls its ya boi, the atlas here to break your hearts.  pinterest, & spotify feel free to reach me here or at my discord Sunshine Bean🌻#0715 for plots and such.

tw: implications of violence and death

BREAKING NEWS: FORMER HERO HAZE SPOTTED AGAIN BREAKING NEWS: FORMER HERO HAZE PUTS ANOTHER IN THE HOSPITAL. BREAKING NEWS: FORMER HERO HAZE....

there had been a time when nathaniel had everything he could have wanted. he was in a happy marriage, had a son and adopted daughter, he had a family. a home. he had been happy, so what pushed him over the edge? what shifted and made the weight of his world crush him entirely?

perhaps it had been the swarm of negativity from the public. the comments that it was only a matter of time before someone got hurt by him.  there were certain abilities that would always taint you. it was only a matter of time before he purposefully filled someone's lungs with smoke. only a matter of time before he lashed out against the public.

perhaps it was knowing that the public would never change it’s mind. that all they would ever see was a monster. the mutants were monsters, each and every one of them. he had stood still too long. watched too many of his friends die. watched too many of the people who so carelessly risked their lives to save people who didn’t give a shit about what happened to them.

he’d watched too many civilians lose someone because their family was actively standing against the anti-mutant rioters. it was careless violence, meaningless death. there was no honor to it. it was just the simple loss of life of people who didn’t deserve to die.

there were many things that nathaniel didn’t agree with. simply waiting and seeing how the wind would blow. waiting and letting their actions prove them wrong. he had his family both blood and the family he had found in his years to worry about. if something would have happened to them... he would have never forgiven himself.

he wouldn’t stand aside and watch the children of heroes and their supporters become orphans. he wouldn’t allow their souls to so easily be tainted. and nathaniel had always been one for self-sacrifice. it was one of his many flaws. there were plenty of stupid decisions made in his life and this... was one that weighed heavy on his conscious.

there had been many groups before him. many villains, and vigilantes that tried making a name for themselves. perhaps the biggest regret was bringing them together. the forming of the syndicate. he’d convinced himself it would only be a year... and then it turned into two. as the fifth year of the formation passes him swiftly he wonders if there is even a way for him to change a world so hell-bent on remaining broken. 

perhaps it would be better for him to just disappear. drift to another city and pick a new mask up. shift identities and try to do anything good again... but he didn’t deserve it. he couldn’t leave his home in a mess that he caused. he wouldn’t. he had fallen too far for him to even believe that he could do good anymore.

when haze finally fell there would be no mourning for him. no candles would be lit. and the public would not weep. it was a fact that nate had come to accept. he had become a monster. tainted his name. he had been haze for nineteen years... he had thrown fourteen years of good deeds to the wind. abandoned them.

he often wondered what came of those who used to cheer for their favorite support hero haze. for the dynamic duo of silver knight and haze. was he a monster that haunted their dreams now? was he the beast that they used to desire to be put behind bars? the thoughts were ones that kept him awake. did everyone he used to know think he had become a monster that needed to be destroyed? because he did.

he hid his motives. were anyone to know why he was doing what he was doing, he was sure he would be replaced. weak. his motives made him weak. he valued the lives of others, and that was something that he couldn’t afford to do anymore. yet he couldn’t help it.

just a few connection ideas

{1/∞} “There is nothing glorious about me. I’m no longer the hero they saw in their childhood. I know what I am now, and there’s no coming back from it. I wish things could have been different but they aren’t. I... I messed up. I just hope it didn’t indirectly affect any of them.”  (i can’t think of any taglines for this atm, but these would be the people who looked up to haze when he was apart of peacemakers) ♙Broken Promises Of A Better Tomorrow―Cassie♙

{0/∞} “I let you down. I let all of you down. And I can’t do this right now, you need to leave before things get ugly... and they will get ugly. If they see any of you here... I don’t want to think about it. It’s dangerous, and if you value your lives you’ll leave now.” Potential Taglines(former peacemaker members):  ♙There Is No Salvation For Me―Muse Name♙, ♙Staring At The Mess I've Made―Muse Name♙, ♙The Glory Days―Muse Name♙, ♙Shattered Expectations―Muse Name♙

{1/1} “You see right through me... don’t you? You can tell that this position I’m in is one that I’m not strong enough to handle. I... I don’t know if I hate that fact or I love it. I know that were anything to happen you would take up my mantel. I’m just not certain whatever happens won’t be at your hands.” Potential Taglines(syndicate member): ♙This Crown Of Lies―Lila♙

[cindylouwho-2]

RECENT NEWS & STUDIES - APRIL 2019

Welcome to CindyLouWho2′s periodic roundup of news, tutorials and studies from the world of ecommerce, content marketing & social media. This is my first time posting this news here on my new Tumblr account, so please let me know how the format is working out; I want to make it as readable as possible. I am working on making the links a little more obvious; I may have to change templates to do that. 

Sorry it is so long this time. I am working on getting it back down to a post once every 10 days at most, but it might take me til May to get back on track. 

TOP NEWS & ARTICLES

Google core algorithm update started March 12; early winners & losers here and here, among other info about the update.

Also, Google accidentally de-indexed some pages last week, & they are still working on fixing it.

Etsy phone support finally available to everyone (if you speak English, of course).

Amazon no longer requires Marketplace sellers to keep their prices elsewhere the same or higher as on Amazon.

Worldpay, one of Etsy’s payment providers, sold to FIS for $35 billion.  (Etsy also uses Ayden for some of their payment processing.)  

TOP ETSY NEWS

Last week, Etsy sent emails to non-US sellers, telling them that their refunds for the overcharging that has been going on since October 2018 will be issued by the end of the day, June 30th (or earlier). It doesn’t mention when they will stop overcharging, though. 

Etsy held Investor Day on March . You can view the slides that went along with the presentations, and there is a short summary of the search info discussed here. CEO Josh Silverman then did an interview with CNBC (video only), which is summarized here. 

There was an Etsy podcast on search questions (links to recording, and transcription), but it didn’t have any new info. 

They’ve also released their spring & summer trends report, with a podcast & transcript, as well as a lengthy pdf file with keyword data (I will be summarizing that separately). 

SEO: GOOGLE & OTHER SEARCH ENGINES

Rand Fishkin (founder of Moz) is doing a series of 10-minute Whiteboard Friday presentations on learning SEO basics, with both video & transcripts included in the links.  Remember, some of these things do not apply to Etsy shops, but can apply to your website, depending on the coding.

Part 1, SEO strategy;  It assumes some knowledge of marketing terms, but the SEO part is definitely intro-level

Part 2, keyword research.  Long tail: “20% of all searches that Google receives each day they have never seen before.”

Part 3: satisfy searcher needs. 

Part 4:  optimizing through keywords & other elements.

And Moz’s Beginners Guide to SEO is finally fully updated. (Some parts are more technical, so stick to the on-page stuff if you are really new to this.) 

Chrome now offering the ability to select privacy-focused search engine DuckDuckGo as your browser default. This should increase DDG’s slice of traffic if Google continues this.

Google released its Webspam report for 2018. 

Hmm, wonder why I would come across SEO tips for Tumblr this edition?  🤔

CONTENT MARKETING & SOCIAL MEDIA 

(includes blogging & emails)

19 call-to-action phrases you should be using on social media (infographic)

10 tips for more clicks on your social media posts

US social media expansion has plateaued, but podcasts’ popularity continues to grow. 23% of US homes have a “smart speaker” (Alexa etc.); 56% have a tablet. Smartphone ownership has also levelled off. 

Related - most Americans dislike/do not trust social media.

3 tips for great social media content (infographic), & 4 more tips for writing social media posts.

Email marketing stats that show its impact. If you don’t already have an email list, it is time to start one. After all these years, it still works!

Instagram beta-testing checkout within the app; US brands only for the moment.

Facebook was storing your passwords in plain text & many employees had access.  “My Facebook insider said access logs showed some 2,000 engineers or developers made approximately nine million internal queries for data elements that contained plain text user passwords.”

Did you know you can remove your last name from your public Facebook profile? (Plus 12 other Facebook facts & tricks)

Create great pins on Pinterest.

Pinterest files for IPO; admits that Google changes last year hurt it. 

Backgrounder on short video sharing site TikTok.

Twitter Analytics has an events page that tips you off to annual events you may want to tweet about/around, under the Events tab in your Analytics.

ONLINE ADVERTISING (SEARCH ENGINES, SOCIAL MEDIA, & OTHERS)

Beginners’ guide to cost per click (CPC) ads - includes Google, Facebook, & Instagram.

Facebook & Instagram ad costs have rocketed since the site-wide outages on March 13.

Facebook’s advice on optimizing your Facebook ads.

Google fined by EU for blocking other ads. 

STATS, DATA, OTHER TRACKING

Ecommerce reports in Google Analytics (for websites, not Etsy shops). 

5 Instagram analytics tips.

ECOMMERCE NEWS, IDEAS, TRENDS

Microsoft considers competing with Shopify.

eBay states it uses artificial intelligence (AI) pretty much everywhere on its site, as do most big sites.

eBay adds Google Pay as a payment option.

Half of US households will belong to Amazon Prime this year.  “Amazon Household, a program that allows different members of a single household, including teens, to have their own log-in for shopping and viewing of Prime content, was specifically cited by eMarketer as a factor driving adoption.”

Shopify is ending its MailChimp integration; interesting article here. “Mailchimp wrote a blog post stating that it asked Shopify to remove the Mailchimp integration from the Shopify marketplace. Mailchimp’s reasoning behind the move was due to the new term requiring partners to send back any data collected “on behalf of the merchant” back to Shopify. According to Joni Deus, director of partnerships at Mailchimp, that data (in Mailchimp’s eyes) doesn’t belong to Shopify.”

This is seen as a battle for data, a lot of which flows through APIs (APIs are how third party tools integrate with websites, like Etsy & label providers such as Shippo & Pirate Ship).

Square improves a bunch of ecommerce tools including social media integrations.  They bought Weebly a year ago, & are using that to make changes to Square Online Store and Square for Retail.

BUSINESS & CONSUMER STUDIES, STATS & REPORTS; SOCIOLOGY & PSYCHOLOGY, CUSTOMER SERVICE

Tone is key to good customer service. I like the bit about answering apparently stupid questions - making the customer feel stupid (even if 99% of readers would agree the question was stupid) is usually not a good approach. But it can be hard to weed out negative tone. Other good quotes: “Directing the conversation away from the negative aspects and focusing instead on the proposed solution helps customers accept the situation and reduces the odds that they will be upset.” and “It almost doesn’t matter how good the news is; if it comes after “actually,” I feel like I was somehow wrong about something.”

Figuring out what motivates your customers.

Ecommerce customer service 101. 

MISCELLANEOUS (INCLUDING HUMOUR)

Facial recognition software is scraping the photos you post online to improve their software. “Despite IBM’s assurances that Flickr users can opt out of the database, NBC News discovered that it’s almost impossible to get photos removed. … There may, however, be legal recourse in some jurisdictions thanks to the rise of privacy laws acknowledging the unique value of photos of people’s faces. Under Europe’s General Data Protection Regulation, photos are considered “sensitive personal information” if they are used to confirm an individual’s identity. Residents of Europe who don’t want their data included can ask IBM to delete it. If IBM doesn’t comply, they can complain to their country’s data protection authority, which, if the particular photos fall under the definition of “sensitive personal information,” can levy fines against companies that violate the law.

In the U.S., some states have laws that could be relevant. Under the Illinois Biometric Information Privacy Act, for example, it can be a violation to capture, store and share biometric information without a person’s written consent. According to the act, biometric information includes fingerprints, iris scans and face geometry.”

Cookie warnings are getting really complicated in some jurisdictions. 

Microsoft killed Clippy again.

American drunk shopping continues to increase.

Posted April 8, 2019. 

[rocketwerks]

Imperial Tobacco Company

102-116 South Sixth Streets (Warehouse & Stemmery)

Built, between 1877 - 1896

Demolished, unknown

118-120 South Sixth Street (Office)

Built, 1904

Demolished, after 1977

[RVCJ03] — showing Stemmery & Warehouse at Sixth & Main SW

The British tobacco bully-boys. What’s wrong with a little friendly competition?

(Duke University Libraries) — James Buchanan Duke

This is one of the quaint stories of the Gilded Age, those good old days when men were men and trusts were normal.

The American Tobacco Company (ATC) set aside a massive 30 million dollars to buy up British tobacco companies one by one at the start of the 20th century. The key figure was James Buchanan Duke, head of ATC, whose aggressive methods had created a virtual monopoly for the company in the US. Individually, British companies, even those of the size of WD & HO Wills and John Player & Sons, could not survive.

(Wikimedia Commons)

When Duke arrived in Liverpool in 1901, he walked into Ogden's factory and bought on the spot. Duke then approached other British companies and is reported to have burst in on the Player brothers, saying: "Hello, boys. I'm Duke from New York, come to take over your business." He was politely shown the door, an experience repeated at other companies. Facing such resistance, he paused for reflection.

This pause gave 13 family-run businesses, led by Wills, Players and Lambert & Butler, time to meet and, in December 1901, The Imperial Tobacco Company (Great Britain and Ireland) Limited was formed. (Imperial Tobacco)

[RVCH03] — Wellford C. Reed

Duke’s bluster would come back to haunt him, and it wasn’t long until the fight was brought directly to American Tobacco’s doorstep.

According to information received in the city, Mr. A. F. Thomas of Lynchburg, who, along with Mr. Wellford C. Reed, of this city, was appointed to represent the Imperial Tobacco Company in this country, will remove to this city and will establish himself here. He as sold out his place in Lynchburg and is preparing to make a change in his residence. It is understood that he will come here tomorrow, though hardly to settle here so soon. This will probably be a preliminary visit, with a view to securing residence, office, &c.

(Pinterest) — tin of Repeater, fine cut mild smoking tobacco, product of Imperial Tobacco Company of Montreal, Canada

The determination of Mr. Thomas to locate here casts more mystery than ever over the plans of the Imperial Company with reference to this country. When he and Mr. Reed were appointed it was thought that the two would divide the territory between them, Mr. Reed looking after Virginia and the Carolinas and Mr. Thomas the West, or vice versa. This arrangement seems to be knocked in the head by Mr. Thomas’ action in locating here. It may be, however, that he will undertake to conduct the Western business from this point. One thing seems to be signified by the coming of Mr. Thomas to this city, namely: that Richmond will in reality be the American headquarters of the Imperial. [RT19020315]

[RVCJ03] — James N. Boyd

They started by taking over the buildings of James N. Boyd, a former leaf tobacco broker who’d found a new occupation as President of the Planters Bank and Virginia Trust Company. His warehouse and stemmery commanded most of the western block of Sixth Street between Cary and Canal Streets, a clear finger in the face to Duke, whose American Tobacco buildings stood right across the street. 

(Library of Congress) — Sanborn Fire Insurance Map from Richmond (1905) — Plate 11 — showing 102-116 South Sixth Street locations

Nor did it take long for Imperial to make its presence known, leaning hard on its British brethren to not do business with American Tobacco.

London, March 21 — At a meeting of the Edinburg Association of Retail Tobacconists, to-day, a resolution was adopted unanimously declining to sign the Imperial Tobacco Company’s agreement not to sell American goods for a term of years, but expressing a willingness, if the minimum price is raised so as to allow a fair profit to the dealers, to do what is possible, bonus or no bonus, for the sake of British goods. The chairman declared that no one outside a lunatic asylum would sign such an agreement, which would make them the servants of the Imperial Tobacco Company. While the Americans offered a large bonus, no restrictions were placed upon the dealers. [RD19020322]

Indeed, the London tobacconists felt that Imperial Tobacco Company offer “out-Americanized the Americans” and was “unjust and unfair to the dealers, and un-English.”

May 2019 — looking towards 102-116 South Sixth Street today

Such resistance had limits, as Imperial continued to come out swinging, with two announcements in May alone.

The Universal Tobacco Company of this country, it is learned, will work with the Imperial Tobacco Company, of Great Britain, against their common foe, the American Tobacco Company, through a co-operative alliance altogether different from what has bee supposed.

The scheme of co-operation, according to the information received, is to have the Universal Tobacco Company become the selling agents for the Imperial in the country and the Imperial for the Universal in England and Europe.

Such an alliance would be an exceedingly strong one and would be hard to beat. [RT19020511]

[RTD19040177] — Plans for Imperial Tobacco Company’s Splendid Office Building, Sixth and Cary — Richmond Times-Dispatch, Sunday, January 17, 1904

This was followed just three days later with the announcement of the acquisition of the Well-Whitehead Tobacco Company of Wilson, North Carolina.

In July, the Richmond Dispatch announced that British tobacco dealers had been notified that the Imperial was arranging for direct imports of Virginia and Carolina leaf, effectively freezing out American firms from selling to British manufacturers. Later the same month, the Dispatch ran another story that described Imperial’s intention to compete aggressively in the Farmville market during the next tobacco-buying season.

While the general public know nothing of the merits of the alleged controversy between the Imperial and American “giants,” every farmer is in high hopes of larger profits from his labors by reason of the anticipated struggle between these companies. [RD19020713]

(Vintage Richmond) — Imperial Tobacco Company building — March 1977

Duke tried fighting back.  

Through Ogden's, American Tobacco Company began cutting prices and offering free gifts in the UK - tactics that had served it well in the US. But Imperial frustrated ATC at every turn. It acquired the retail business of Salmon & Gluckstein and also set up a customer bonus scheme, whereby a proportion of Imperial profits was distributed among wholesale and retail customers.

After suffering heavy losses in the UK, and faced with a trade war at home, ATC was ready to talk. In September 1902 an agreement was reached - ATC surrendered Ogden's to Imperial while Imperial abandoned plans to enter the American market, except for leaf buying. The result was the formation of the British American Tobacco Company Limited. (Imperial Tobacco)

(Vintage Richmond) — Imperial Tobacco Company doorway — March 1977

The cessation of hostilities allowed Imperial the luxury of planning a brand new office building, which was constructed in 1904, right across the street from the warehouse and stemmery. Sadly, the giddy good times did not last.

In 1907, American Tobacco Company was indicted in violation of the Sherman Anti-Trust Act of 1890. They fought it all the way to the Supreme Court, and in 1911, the justices issued their decision in United States v. American Tobacco Company, holding that American was indeed guilty of attempting to monopolize the business of tobacco in interstate commerce.

The tobacco giant was split into four smaller companies: American Tobacco Company, R. J. Reynolds, Liggett & Myers, and Lorillard. American Tobacco continued to hold the rights to sell a number of Imperial brands in the US, leaving Imperial free to export any of its other brands to the American market. (Imperial Tobacco)

May 2019 — looking toward 118-120 South Sixth Street today

Imperial may have seen the writing on the wall and elected to bail for greener pastures. A 1908 article in the Richmond Times-Dispatch discusses the company’s contemplated move to Henderson, Kentucky, and their transformation into Imperial of Kentucky. Great things were anticipated from the exploitation of the great Western tobacco belt, and they expected to construct a new rehandling plant in Henderson. [RTD19080305]

The warehouse and stemmery buildings continued to be used by Imperial as late as 1924, but the office building became a warehouse for the Western Electric Company, and then Graybar Electric by 1950.

(Imperial Tobacco Company is part of the Atlas RVA! Project)

Note

The always readable Shockoe Examiner has plowed this same topic in a post from 2018. There are additional pictures and details about the office building that are worth checking out.

Print Sources

Newspapers provided by Chronicling America. 

[RT19020315] Richmond Times. Saturday, March 15, 1902.

[RD19020322] Richmond Dispatch. Saturday, March 22, 1902.

[RT19020511] Richmond Times. Sunday, May 11, 1902.

[RD19020713] Richmond Times. Sunday, July 13, 1902.

[RTD19040177] Richmond Times-Dispatch. Sunday, January 17, 1904.

[RTD19080305] Richmond Times-Dispatch. Thursday, March 5, 1908.

[RVCJ03] Richmond, Virginia: The City on the James: The Book of Its Chamber of Commerce and Principal Business Interests. G. W. Engelhardt. 1903.

[socialmediapanelsmm-blog]

How to Increase Social Media Followers

It is a widely known fact that almost every social media platform is a preferred spot for reaching out to new users. Majority of the digital marketing service providers make great use of platforms such as Facebook, Instagram, Pinterest, Twitter etc. to drive traffic and build brand identity.

While most small and medium businesses are actively posting on social platforms, not everyone is able to attract the audience, engage them, and convert them to buyers. Is it that they are doing something wrong?

Well, most businesses who do not outsource their marketing services to agencies seem to be missing out on a strategized approach to promote their products or services. This leads to irrelevant posts, lesser engagement, and fewer leads. While social media marketing is an effective and affordable way to gain new followers, the competition out there is really tough.

You need to stand out from the hundreds of thousands of posts being uploaded every minute. Posts include content, video, gifs etc. for increasing web traffic, online presence, and sales. But, to build a base of loyal followers is a daunting and uphill task. At the onset, any new business will have difficulties in organic visibility and engagement.

Social media gains traction mainly in the first stages of the customer journey and often becomes the first point of contact with a brand. Many potential customers use it to ask for opinions and look for recommendations - and no wonder, since they perceive the ones coming from their friends and family as trustworthy. They also enjoy sharing what they care about and following the brands they like - and that’s precisely why many businesses worldwide set up their profiles on social media.

Social media can be really effective in increasing brand awareness, provided that you take good care of your profiles. You can experiment with different channels, content types and format to see what works best for your audience - just remember to always provide value to them and keep an eye on the posts you publish. You can use a dedicated social media management tool to do so - most of such tools let you draft and schedule your posts, give you an overview of all your content across the social media platforms and sometimes even allow you to analyze how well your posts are performing.

However, there is a feature that one can make use of. Social media panels are one of the most interesting applications that provide social engagements to benefit one's business. There are various types of social engagements like the number of likes, followers, views etc. You can check various sites online and pick one of the best SMM reseller panels to get the social engagements for other popular social platforms.

Any best SMM reseller panel like SMMFansFaster will help you rule the marketing world online. With this, more and more audiences would be tempted and will join your business. You will also get to know some of the tactics that will focus on driving targeted traffic to your business website.

The main motive of these panels is to increase the website traffic and grow your business. You will get a distinct exposure through social platforms and as a result, your business will get benefited in various ways. Look at various options offered by https://smmfansfaster.com/ as well as other SMM panel and make your choice!

How Social Media Marketing Helps?

Technology around is expanding around us at a phenomenal rate. Today, we can connect, reach out, engage with individuals & organization across the globe in real time.

It has now become very easy for big & small organizations, businesses to have their voice in the online sphere. Social media has made it extremely easy for organizations to get online and begin reaping its benefits.

Social media has proven to be of immense value to both big & small organization by providing the following benefits:

Instant Communication

It allows real time conversations between businesses & their customers. This provides for an exchange of ideas – customers can see what you have to offer & choose. At the same time, it gives organizations an opportunity to provide tailor made solutions/products/services to meet the customer’s requirements.

Feedback

It provides a platform for customers to give qualitative & quantitative feedback to organizations. It also gives organizations scope to understand what is happening in their target market, interact with customers and request them to share feedback. A social media presence not only makes you more accessible but also demonstrates an organizations commitment to customer needs & opinions.

Advertising

Social media, can help you promote your brand/product/service to a targeted audience. It can enhance traffic to your website, increase your fan, community base & help to generate new business. It could improve your SEO & provide market insights for your area.

Advantages of Social Media Marketing

In today’s world, companies need to have the best customer services system in order to retain customers and provide them with all the information they need. People are addicted to their social media accounts. Due to this constant use, businesses must capitalize on the market that social media outlets provide.

Today, social media has become more strategized. More and more businesses are jumping into social media strategies. It is important for businesses to realize the power of social media. Before that, you need to know what your milestone is. Accordingly, you can achieve effective results. To need to adopt effective strategies to stay strong in the business. The sole aim of the businesses is to acquire leads and then turn those leads to the customers. Many small-scale businesses have benefited from social media marketing.

Here are some major benefits –

· Increased brand awareness

·   More Inbound Traffic

·  Improved Search Engine Rankings

·         Higher Conversion rates

·         Better customer satisfaction

·         Improved brand loyalty

·         More brand authority

·         Cost-effective

·         Results oriented

Social media is here to stay. The longer you wait the more you have to lose. Getting online and using social media to your organizations benefit can lead to more customer’s, more traffic and more conversions.

[crossdressingchronicles]

Crossdressing Handbook: 10 Steps to becoming a Princess

This is my practical manual on how to practice crossdressing.

I plan to cover ten steps to follow to bring you closer to being a woman. Before starting, analyze your body. For example, the wider your body, the greater the difficulty, but even so, there are tricks to get around every body type and have a successful presentation. Each case is unique.

Let’s go!

1. Depilation

The first step – and depending on the method (some can be painful) is hair removal. Women shave, so you will need to go through this (legs, body, underarms, and face.)

2. Nails

Women do their nails, so you’ll need to do that too. YouTube and other sites offer nail tutorials. Choose a pretty nail polish color that matches the style you want to adopt.

3. Makeup

You will need to put on make-up. First, shave your beard. Makeup is important to hide some strands that are still on your face and also to make it more feminine. The makeup you should adopt also depends on the style you want and should match your outfit. There are several possibilities for makeup. A search of the internet, on sites like Pinterest, can help you choose a style and give you insights into buying and adapting it to yourself.

Many women took years to learn how to apply their makeup. You should practice and do research. Many crossdressing sites also have makeup tutorials.

Your Makeup Kit should have at least:

Base

Corrective make up

Face powder

Blush

Black pencil

Shadows

Eyelash mask

Eyebrow pencil or eyeshadow

Lipsticks (at least one dark and one light)

4. Curves and lingerie

Some crossdressers use padding and corsets to create feminine shapes. A padded panty can enhance your hips. There is a trick for you to “hide” or “tuck” your male genitalia. This will also help to give a feminine appearance.

As for the bra, buy one that makes it look like you have breasts or allows you to add inserts. There are bras with built-in forms. You can buy forms and stick them on your body or put them in a mastectomy bra, for example.

There is an interesting model of breast forms, in high collar format. It helps to hide the Adam’s apple – if you don’t want this model, you can hide the apple with the help of a choker, wearing a high collar blouse or a scarf, for example.

Another way is to buy the “un-bra”, that adhesive bra. With it you can develop a cleavage. Putting a push-up bra on top, it’s a pretty cool effect.

Men have wider backs, and this can get in the way. For those who don’t want to buy a size too big, you can use bra extenders. This helps to maintain the proportion between the body and the bra.

You can also choose tights, garter belts…

Remember that both the curves and the lingerie should match the outfit you are going to wear.

5. Wig

You need a wig. Choose a wig that fits you, that you like, and that matches your style.

6. Clothes

You’re free to choose, and women’s apparel offers multiple combinations: a princess dress? A flowery dress? A black blouse with a white skirt (or vice versa?) Business attire?

Choose the style you like and one that will blend into the situation you want to attend.

A search on the internet, on sites like Pinterest, can help you choose and coordinate a style.

7. Shoes

This is the hard part, as female feet are smaller than male feet. Some stores sell women’s shoes in plus sizes, they are a little more expensive than regular ones. Learn to walk in high heels. Women wear high heels.

8. Accessories

There is a wide range of women’s accessories: watches, bracelets, rings, earrings (you’ll have to pierce your ear or wear clip-ons), scarves, tiaras, bags, hats… It’s best to have a combination that matches your style, but don’t overdo it.

A search on the internet, on sites like Pinterest, can help you choose a style.

9. Personality

You can adopt a personality of your own for your feminine side. Choose a name for your feminine self, learn to talk, walk, and act like a woman.

10. Know what you want

You need to know why and for what purpose you wish to dress like a woman. Is it fun? Is it a fetish? Do you want to be seen as a woman – but only at certain times and/or places or forever? Do you think about leaving the house dressed as a woman?

Do you want/want to dress completely like a woman or only partially? For example, do you only like lingerie? Not interested in makeup.

Do you want to keep it a secret or don’t care if some or all people find out?

If your crossdressing practice a secret. You should exercise caution, for example, in how you hide your women’s clothing and items.

You also need to know how you will (or will not) handle the matter with your family and friends.

It is also important to exchange experiences and knowledge with other people who also practice crossdressing, to enrich your experience.

If you feel comfortable, you can ask a therapist for help to get to know yourself better and understand this entire process.

These questions are important to define the best way to practice crossdressing.

These are a few of the points you may need to know in order to present the best woman that you can. Only you know what your inner princess is like, and you will certainly develop a method of your own to bring her out. The important thing is that you feel safe, happy, and have pleasant moments through this unique experience that is crossdressing.

Have you ever had access to a crossdressing manual?

Do you think this manual helped you?

Have you ever thought about making your own crossdressing manual?

Is there something missing for this manual to be complete?

I’m looking forward to your responses.

[louislehot03]

Looking into the Future of a Legal Metaverse?

The Transform Technology Summits start October 13th with Low-Code/No Code: Enabling Enterprise Agility. Register now!

Initially coined in 1992 by Neal Stephenson, the term “ metaverse” comes from his sci-fi novel, Snow Crash, in which humans interact with each other via avatars rendered in three-dimensional virtual space.

As Matthew Ball, the former head of content at Amazon, stated, “The metaverse is a persistent, synchronous and live universe that spans both the digital and physical worlds with total inclusion.” It is described as a digital shared space where everyone can interact seamlessly in a fully immersive, simulated experience. It is the increased permeability of the borders between different digital environments and the physical world. In the metaverse, you can interact with virtual objects in real life with real-time information. A mixture of what is virtual and what is real. A place where people join together to create, work, and spend time together.

It should come as no surprise that tech giants are already all in and building in the metaverse. Games’ Fortnite, Microsoft’s Minecraft, Facebook’s Horizon, and many more are contributors. In fact, Facebook’s Mark Zuckerberg laid out his vision to transform Facebook from a social media network into a “ metaverse company” in five years. “This is going to be the successor to the mobile internet,” Zuckerberg told shareholders this month. “You’re going to be able to access the metaverse from all different devices and different levels of fidelity from apps on phones and PCs to immersive virtual and augmented reality devices.”

How to engage, work and play in the metaverse

The different types of activities that will take place in the metaverse are limitless. For example, think about COVID-19, where events such as happy hours, weddings, school classes, and work were increasingly taking place with users participating digitally regardless of their actual geographic location. The metaverse presents the opportunity to leverage remote work even further. Virtual conferences and a plethora of tools specifically designed to facilitate collaboration by distributed teams have already come into play.

The metaverse will further offer fully immersive gaming experiences exceeding current Virtual Reality product offerings tenfold. The gaming space seems especially likely to play a role in bringing the metaverse to fruition since video gamers already own some of the most robust computational processors available.

Investing in the metaverse

Companies are continuously trying to up the ante and keep us engaged and entertained.

The “metaverse” is the newest chapter in entertainment, and its growing popularity means investors should at least be familiar with it.

Every day the sector is growing. It’s still unclear what the metaverse will look like, but according to research firm Strategy Analytics, the global metaverse could be worth $280 billion by 2025 and likely grow from there. This market forecast amplifies the interest in metaverse companies bringing new ways to interact with users, which intersects with a world spent indoors and a rise in technological capabilities available to innovators.

With all the buzz surrounding the metaverse, and the rapidly increasing interest from foremost industry leaders, investing in metaverse will undoubtedly be on the rise. Becoming a pioneer in the new has paid off for many; think about all of the Bitcoin millionaires out there. As it stands, the metaverse is shaping up to be the next big wave for investors. Investors, keep an eye on this space.

How does the metaverse change the legal system?

The metaverse is upending our legal and regulatory systems and begs the question of who makes and enforces the rules.

Life is not a game, however. And when you apply old rules to new technology, you will find yourself trying to put a square peg into a round hole. But here goes it:

Intellectual property:when one or more players in a virtual game collaborate to create a virtual good or a virtual world, who owns it? Is it copyrightable? Is it possible to create, protect or enforce a brand inside a virtual world? What strategies can content creators deploy to protect their brands within the virtual world? This is particularly important for consumer-facing businesses.

NFTs: we have all witnessed the cottage industry of value created through tokenization of entertainment, sports, and media personalities and teams through tokenization of non-fungible content. While today the media is focused on entertainment and media content being tokenized in the metaverse, imagine when entire towns, cities, regions, countries, and superstates are created virtually, with the resulting explosion of content. In other words, we have only begun to see the metaverse commercialized through NFTs. Are they securities? Are they currencies? Who regulates? Who can purchase? Who can trade?

Data protection and privacy: as humans spend more and more of their waking (and sometimes sleeping) hours in the metaverse, who owns the resulting data? Who is protecting your identity? What happens if your information or identity is misappropriated? Who is responsible?

These are just examples of the many conundra emanating from the question of who makes the rules and enforces them. Some say that there should be an attempt within every legal system to adapt to the metaverse. Others back the creation of a new legal system specially designed for the metaverse. While the metaverse holds great promise for merchants and investors alike, without a system for design, promulgation, and enforcement of rules, it could be dangerous. For now, the metaverse has been growing in a virtual sandbox. How long will this last? Until the first Meta-tragedy that captures public attention? Or will someone or something lead the charge? The crypto world provides a valuable indicator of what happens when rulemaking remains fully decentralized.

Is a metaverse world far off?

A true metaversemay still be a few years away. In the meantime, Facebook and other pioneers are busy laying the groundwork for a future that permits families, friends, coworkers, and more to meet and interact in shared digital spaces that look and feel authentic. Digital currencies will also be essential.

The metaverse world is in play, and that which is existing separately is gradually coming together. Technology is not proficient enough to support this integrated metaverse just yet, and the reality of its adoption might be a while away. However, the metaverse has the backing of billionaires, talented game designers, and the only rival to the metaverse is life itself.

Louis Lehot is an emerging growth company, venture capital, and M&A lawyer at Foley & Lardner in Silicon Valley. Louis spends his time providing entrepreneurs, innovative companies, and investors with practical and commercial legal strategies and solutions at all stages of growth, from the garage to global.

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About the Author:

Louis Lehot is an emerging growth company, venture capital and M&A lawyer at Foley & Lardner in Silicon Valley. Louis Lehot spends his time providing entrepreneurs, innovative companies, and investors with practical and commercial legal strategies and solutions at all stages of growth, from garage to global. Louis Lehot focuses his efforts on technology, digital health, life science and clean energy innovation. Louis’s clients are public and private companies, financial sponsors, venture capitalists, investors and investment banks, and he has helped hundreds of companies at formation, obtaining financing, solving governing challenges, going public and buying and selling. Louis Lehot is praised by clients, colleagues and industry guides for his business acumen, legal expertise and leadership in Silicon Valley.

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Read the Articles written by Louis Lehot:

Louis Lehot- What to expect for seed and pre-seed stage financing in 2021

Louis Lehot- A Brief Legal Guide To Buying And Selling Shares Of Private Company Stock

Louis Lehot- The IPO Markets Are Changing, And So Is The Lock-up Agreement

Louis Lehot- What are SPACs, and how they are different from IPOs?

Louis Lehot- L2 Counsel Represents AgTech Leader FluroSat In Dagan Acquisition

Louis Lehot- Considering Selling Your Company? Be Clear on Your Fiduciary Duties

Louis Lehot- Incentivizing With Stock Options: What Your Startup Needs To Know About ISOs, NSOs And Other Parts Of The Alphabet Soup

Louis Lehot- Ready To Sell Your Startup In 2021?

Louis Lehot- The State Of The Acqui-Hire In 2021: The Good, The Bad, The Why And What’s Next

Louis Lehot- Leaving Your Job? Don’t Forget Your Stock Options…

Louis Lehot- A Short Primer for Startups on Local Labor and Employment Law Compliance

Louis Lehot- How To Clean Up A Corporate Mess

Louis Lehot- Calculating And Paying Delaware Franchise Taxes — Startups Need Not Pani