#feel free to use the template and format the same as this one

[noodlesarecheese]

So Watcher is launching a Dropout (it's not called Dropout but they're clearly using the same template format platform thing idk what it's called, and the same pricing structure), and the reaction so far has been wildly different than what I remember from Dropout's launch. I was curious about why that was or if I was just misremembering the Dropout launch, so I went back to the Dropout launch video to compare them and I think I can see where some of the difference is coming from.

If you want to make the comparison yourself: Watcher's Video, Dropout's Video.

I wanna clarify first though that this isn't a knock against Watcher or the fans who are reacting one way or another or anything like that, I genuinely am just fascinated with how different the reactions are to what seems to be the same business decision. This also isn't a 'wow watcher sucks and dropout is so much better' I'm just using them for comparison because they did the same thing with different results. ALSO this isn't about the business decision itself, just the presentation! Disclaimers out of the way, here's the analysis.

Title and Thumbnail So the Watcher.tv announcement video is titled "Goodbye Youtube" and the thumbnail is Ryan, Shane, and Steven sitting on a couch looking serious, with a dark background. That really makes it seem like they're quitting (which, ok, they are quitting youtube but not quitting quitting). Viewers are already primed to be upset, and it's easier to go from upset to angry than upset to excited, curious, or neutral.

Compare to the dropout announcement video: "How the Internet is Ruining Comedy" - inline with other collegehumor video titles, might make you curious. Thumbnail - Big News! with Sam smiling and a bright background. We know its big news, but he looks happy, and the exclamation point let's us know they want us to be excited. Viewers are primed to be curious and excited.

Tone The Watcher announcement has 2 main tones. The first half is very sentimental, almost sad or wistful at times, and while there are parts that veer into pride at achievements, it's mostly bittersweet and sentimental. The second half is a bit more uplifting, but still quite serious. It reminded me of a tech announcement, like when they introduce the new iphone or something like that. Very professional, sleek, and serious, which isn't automatically a bad thing! But I do think that's not the vibe a decently-sized chunk of the audience expected or wanted. Many people watch Watcher for the cast's dynamic with each other, humor, and the more relaxed/conversational/friendly feel that most of the series have.

Compare to dropout - excited and comedic tone. Still professional, but also fits the expectations of the viewers. People watch collegehumor for the humor (it was in the name, after all). They also poke a bit of fun at themselves, which lightens the mood, shows self-awareness, and alleviates some of the bad feelings about paywalling.

Focus The Watcher announcement focuses a lot on the creative journey of the cast and company, as well as how this move will benefit them. Which isn't a bad thing, that's actually quite interesting! The problem here, I think, is actually more about what isn't here - a solid explanation of how this will also benefit the viewers and why the viewers should be excited. There's a brief description of one new show, and the promise that existing shows will get an upgrade, but we weren't given many specific details about how they'll be improved, and there's only one new show to tempt us into subscribing. Some people will be excited for that, some people won't, and some people will be excited but not enough to subscribe. Having 2 or 3 series (even if it's 1 fleshed out plus a few teasers of what's in production or what is being planned) plus some more details about how existing shows will be improved would've helped. Without that, it really does seem like it'll just be the same stuff viewers were getting for free, but now paywalled, rather than new and exciting stuff. That makes a big difference. I think with the fans not getting as much focus, this also led to some (accidental, I hope) hurt feelings. Based on what I've seen from fan reactions, all the talk about hitting the peak of what they can do on youtube and wanting more, translated for many people to 'youtube isn't enough' which became 'you (the current viewers) aren't enough.' Which I don't think was their intent! But I also don't think fans are wrong for feeling hurt by that.

Compare to dropout: They clearly explain how the move will benefit fans, and reassure viewers that existing content will stay where it is, and only new content will be behind the paywall. (Watcher clarified this too, but in a comment. It's not in the video itself, which is a huge problem.) They include clips of several new (at the time) series that would be premiering on dropout, including things that specifically could not be made on youtube (due to weed, violence, and sexual humor), so the reason for the shift is clear to the audience.

Advertisers Both videos contain the sentiment that being monetarily successful on youtube means working to appease the advertisers, and that over time what the advertisers want and what the creators want drifts further and further apart, putting strain on the creators.

However, I think the message gets lost a bit in the Watcher vid. Instead, it leaves viewers with the idea that the main problem is just ads are annoying instead of advertisers putting constraints on content. I'm not even sure what the specific constraints are for watcher, because they didn't give any examples. And the focus on ads being annoying leaves viewers frustrated because people typically either don't mind ads or they already have an ad blocker.

Timing and Size Okay, this isn't exactly about presentation, but it is still a factor that impacts perception so I'm tackling it. And I'm actually going to do dropout first. CollegeHumor launched dropout in September 2018. Pre-pandemic, but also pre-Sam Reich as CEO. The company was still owned by IAC. It was a Company, and while it wasn't huge it wasn't tiny either. So launching dropout was a Company Decision, a Business Strategy. Some people were upset about, but it wasn't a personal betrayal (generally, anyways). If I remember correctly, this was also not a high point for the company. They kinda needed dropout to do well to keep things running smoothly (which is why they shut it down and sold it to Sam just 1 1/2ish years later), so the sudden shift made sense.

Watcher Entertainment is a company, but it doesn't feel like one. Ryan, Shane, and Steven own and operate things, but they're also the faces, and they're youtubers. Which makes every business decision they make feel more personal to viewers, especially those who have been watching for a long time. They've also seemingly been doing well on youtube, which makes it more difficult for viewers to understand why the sudden change is happening now. They do talk a bit about it, about the company expanding and wanting to do things that advertisers don't like (which I've already covered). However, mostly the choice to start a streaming platform is framed as 'the next big step' without much clarification on why it's the next big step. Plus, it's post-pandemic, and a lot of people are still struggling financially with the ripple effects of that. Yes, $6 isn't a wild amount of money, but there have been some months where $5 absolutely meant the difference between paying all my bills or not, and I know I'm not the only one. This, coupled with a lack of clarity about why exactly they're doing this, leads to fans feeling hurt, betrayed, bitter, and frustrated.

Now, presentation and framing isn't everything. No matter how perfect your announcement is, some people are still going to be upset. It's a big change, of course people will be upset! But I do think a more careful presentation would've alleviated some of the hurt and anger that fans are feeling. While I do think a lot of the reaction we're seeing is due to the decision, I think (based on what I've seen) that some of it is also based on the poor communication in the video itself, and that could've been avoided!

So I'm gonna get a little speculative and describe what I would've done. In this hypothetical, they've decided to launch the streaming service and brought me on just for the announcement.

Firstly, switch the title out. If they're married to Goodbye Youtube then add a (and hello...?) after so it's at least obvious they aren't fully quitting. The dark color scheme of the thumbnail fits their regular vibe, but they want everyone to be excited so they should look excited. Next, let's lighten the tone up. Being proud of what they've done so far is great, but we don't need the sentimental music and bittersweetness. Remember, the goal is to get viewers excited about what come's next - so let's focus on what actually comes next! Talk about specific show plans and mention why they wouldn't work on youtube. Then, take some time to reassure the fans. Predict a few likely worries and address them in the video. Acknowledge that it's a big change, that it will take time to get used to, and that not everyone will be onboard, and let the fans know that it's ok if they aren't onboard.

Like I said, this wouldn't fix everything. There are a few differences in between dropout and watcher that don't have anything to do with presentation. Dropout launched with primarily new shows rather than new seasons of existing shows, and they continued uploading to youtube relatively regularly in addition to the content behind the paywall, which I do think went a long way to keeping fans happy. At this point it's unclear if watcher will do either of those or not. But, while I don't think it would fix everything, I do think improved communication in the announcement would've helped.

[stagkingswife]

Take Notes Like Stag Part 2: Unrecorded Entity Note Taking Exercise

Part 1: Spirit Encounters Part 3: Spell "Lab Notes" The early stages of developing a relationship with an unrecorded entity can be frustrating and confusing for many people.  The most commonly recommended first steps for getting to know a new entity are research and reading the entities myths and those don’t apply to a completely unrecorded entity and only help so far for an entity whose general type may be recorded in myth and folklore, but not them in specific.  My general advice for getting to know an unrecorded entity of any kind is to take it slow and get to know them the same way you would get to know a new person in your life.  Ask them about themselves every time you communicate with them, and keep track of each encounter using the format in part 1 - pay attention to themes, symbols, imagery, anything that you notice starts to repeat across multiple encounters.  Once you feel like something might be a defining feature or factor of the entity, something fixed that you’re sure of, make note of it and you can then run this exercise.  For this exercise you’ll need a few sheets of paper, a writing implement, the information you’ve been gathering, and a form of divination.  Yes/no forms of divination is fine for this, but something with more nuance is preferred and will give you more detailed answers in later steps. 

Review your existing notes on this entity and find a defining feature of the entity, this can be something that’s been repeated often enough in your notes on your earlier encounters to become a pattern, or something that’s happened less often but was experienced very strongly.  You’re the judge in this step of what is important enough to single out for this exercise, you can always do it again with something else if one iteration of it doesn’t prove fruitful.  

Get your paper and writing tool and write your feature in the center of the page.  Then create a brainstorming web of free associations with anything and everything that comes to mind springing from the starting point. Add as many spokes to the web and layers to each spoke as you can think of and fit.  

There are no wrong answers in this step - this isn’t you telling the entity they are associated with any of the things in the web, you’re making a list of things to ask them about.  

(If you’ve never made or heard of a brainstorming web before here’s a link to a template)

Then go through each item on the web with your divination tool for confirmation or denial from the entity of the association. -- Yes/No divination can give you a yay/nay on an association, “Yes, this is associated with me” or “No, this is not associated with me.”  But a more nuanced form of divination can unlock ones you didn’t think of with “no, but…” or “yes, and…” type answers.  For instance if you started with the center word of “harvest” because you had the indication that the entity was associated with the harvest and from there you branched out to “grain.” You used your tarot cards to confirm “grain” and you pull the Three of Cups, which is a very harvest-y card so you could take that as a yes, but the guide book for your deck specifically mentions fruits and vegetables instead of grains.  You can then follow up on fruits and vegetables vs grains to see if the entity strongly favors one over the other.

Record your results in your ongoing notes for this entity.  Remember:

An example: When I was working on Returning my pantheon of unrecorded entities, The Forgotten Ones, I would get to know an entity organically through divination conversation, dreams, Otherworldly visits, etc. for maybe a few months before I had enough fixed points of data that I thought it was was worth going through this exercise.  Then I would take an afternoon or an evening and run it multiple times for each data point I had, once through for a symbol that had appeared multiple times, once for a theme that the entity consistently used, once for an animal that they had shown a preference for, once for a flower they favored for offerings, etc.  I like to do this exercise in a trance, to add a little oomph to what is basically word association, but that’s not strictly necessary.  My goddess Brona, when I started working on her one of the few things I knew about her was that she was an entity that existed in the in betweens. Because she was so strongly liminal, so intrinsically neither here nor there I had trouble pin down more details on her even as I became very close to her.  So I ran this exercise on the word “liminal” before I had gathered much else for her.  Here is a sample of that map for her, that I just made for this post, so it’s all things that I know are associated with her - I can’t find my original, and at this point it’s hard to think of incorrect examples.

[writingquestionsanswered]

I've seen across the web multiples tips for outlining/plotting when you have ADHD, however, I feel like I kinda have the opposite problem: I'm autistic and I always feel a big need of minimum surprises, doing things methodically and planning ahead of time, but my stories don't quite flow and I may need to work a non-forced pantser mindset, so if you gave me any advice on how to embrace a less outlined writing, I'd be eternally grateful.

Middle Ground Between Planning and Pantsing

It sounds like you need a middle ground between planning and pantsing, but it may take some trial and error to find one that works for you. Here are some possibilities, though:

1 - Do a Beginning to End Summary - Most of the time when people talk about outlining a story, this is what they're talking about. Just doing an in-depth beginning to end summary. However, you can adjust the depth of your summary to suit your needs, which makes it a great tool for when you need something with just the right balance of planning and spontaneity to fit your unique set of needs. Try free writing a summary of the story as though you were explaining it to someone else. Talk about as much of what's going to happen as you know or can flesh out as you go. Just having this in hand when you write can be helpful. If you find you need more structure, you can go into more detail. If you find you need less, you can pull back.

2 - Use a Story Structure Template - I've found that 90% of the time when writers struggle with planning vs pantsing and/or outlining, it's because they don't have a good understanding of how stories work and how they're generally structured. How stories work and how they're structured does depend on the type of story you're writing, but outside of experimental or deeply literary stories, most stories do have some sort of structure. You can learn more about plot and story structure, along with suggestions for story structure templates, in my Plot & Story Structure master list of posts.

3 - Do a Scene List - I'm mostly a planner, but I have to be careful not to let myself get bogged down with too much planning and too many details. So, for me, the best middle ground between planning and pantsing has been scene lists. I love scene lists because they're such a straightforward road map to your story, while at the same time having the depth flexibility of a beginning to end summary. You can put in as much or as little detail as you want. A scene list can be a just a list of scene titles that just let you know what's going on in the scene, like: Scene 1 - Hunting with Gale. Scene 2 - The Reaping. Or, you can do a brief or in-depth summary of what happens in each scene. Or you can even do what I do, which is a fairly extensive data table containing things like when and where the scene takes place, who's in it, plot point, summary, etc.

4 - Do Chapter Summaries - If you prefer not to break your story down into scenes, you can do chapter summaries instead. Like a scene list, this can be as light or in-depth as a scene list, from a list of chapter titles or working titles that suggest what happens, to in-depth summaries of what happens in each chapter.

5 - Do a Timeline - Timelines are kind of like scene lists in that they break your story down into important events/moments, and you can choose how deep to go. There are a also a lot of different formats you can use for a timeline, but you might want to start out by doing an old-fashioned line drawn on paper, then mark in the most important events. From there, you can start filling in the next most important events, then the slightly less most important, zooming in as much as you want to.

I hope something here will work for you!

•••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••

I’ve been writing seriously for over 30 years and love to share what I’ve learned. Have a writing question? My inbox is always open!

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[jebewonmorelike]

✰⋆⁺ Steal Your Heart Masterlist ⁺⋆✰

Masterlist for Steal Your Heart; an interactive fanfiction game in which the reader (no pronouns used) and the other nine members of AU ZB1 gain special powers to help defeat your vicious company-- and find adventure, fun, friendship, and love* along the way. Based on the game Persona 5, but no knowledge of the game is required for reading. All ages welcome; PG-13+ themes (specific warnings in introduction post and on individual chapters).

*Collect points during the game to determine your love interest (alternate endings for each member) at the end of the game!

*** Please locate the Resources section for the Game Score Sheet before beginning the game! (or click link above)

⁺⋆✰ Welcome, Player (Start Here)

I expect all chapters to be approx. 2k words; trying my best to condense my writing so I'll try to hold myself to it. Edit: I'm a big, fat liar.

⁺⋆✰ Part One: The Fool ✰⋆⁺ The Beginning

⁺⋆✰ Part Two: Chariot ✰⋆⁺ Kim Gyuvin

⁺⋆✰ Part Three: The Lovers ✰⋆⁺ Kim Jiwoong

⁺⋆✰ Part Four: The Magician ✰⋆⁺ Han Yujin

⁺⋆✰ Part Five: The Emperor ✰⋆⁺ Shen Ricky

⁺⋆✰ Part Six: Justice ✰⋆⁺ Seok Matthew

⁺⋆✰ Part Seven: Faith ✰⋆⁺ Kim Taerae

⁺⋆✰ Part Eight: The Hermit ✰⋆⁺ Park Gunwook

⁺⋆✰ Part Nine: The Empress ✰⋆⁺ Sung Hanbin

⁺⋆✰ Part Ten: The Priestess ✰⋆⁺ Zhang Hao

⁺⋆✰ Part Eleven: The Finale ✰⋆⁺ Alternate Endings

⁺⋆✰ Game Score Sheet Template

You will want to keep track of the points you earn for each ZB1 member each chapter: this will determine your alternate ending! Whichever member you've received the most points for will end up as your love interest at the end of the finale chapter. Don't want to end up with a love interest? No worries! Just sit back and enjoy the story. :) *Also, feel free to read any ending you want after you finish the game! It's just meant to be fun.

Disclaimer regarding Yujin: Yujin, the fictional character, is 18 in this story. This AU ZB1 is just a bit older than their actual ages! I will be writing an alternate ending for those who end up getting the most points for Yujin. I will only state this once: I will be writing this ending in the same way that adult writers write real young adult fiction novels. This will be written merely for enjoyment of young Yujin fans and does not in any way, shape, or form reflect the personal thoughts or beliefs of the author. It will be an age appropriate excerpt written about a fictional character and remain just that: fiction. Thank you for reading, understanding, and being respectful!

If people enjoy this style of fanfic (interactive/game format), I will definitely consider doing more <3

・゜゜ . . * ✧･ﾟ・ ✧･ﾟ: ・゜゜・．

⁺⋆✰ Masterpost of All Character Profiles

[nocturnalazure]

📩 Simblr question of the day: Do you have a process for making your simblr posts?

answer in whatever way is most comfortable for you and feel free to share this SQOTD around, make sure to use the hashtag SQOTD and tag me in separate posts ~ 💛

This question was contributed by an anon in @simblr-question-of-the-day !

Thank you so much for your ask, Anon! ❤️

I gotta say, I had first understood the question at a very basic level. 😅 How do I make a post? Well...

I queue my stuff almost immediately and I keep a few character asks and reblogs for the times when I don't have any story content to post, but I don't like having too many drafts (like, "it's right there, I have to poooooost iiiiiit 🤪").

Story posts get published between 2pm and 4pm CET, at the pace of about 2 to 4 posts per day.

The rest (photo shoots, character asks and rambles, etc) gets published either at around the same time of day or whenever I feel like it.

But now, I see that other people have answered this question by explaining their creative process. So I thought I would also explain mine (haven't I done this before?). My process is quite similar to @kimmiessimmies, but I do things in a different order.

Timeline

I have a timeline and a very messy one! It used to be only in my head, then in a Word document, and now it's finally in an Excel sheet. It includes detailed ideas about the next scenes, where I'm going to shoot them, which characters are going to be involved, some lines that I absolutely need to use, and broader musings on where the story is going within a time frame of about 8,000 years.

It's a beast that's alive and constantly mutating.

2. Set up

Setting up a scene is easy prep work. If I don't have one in mind yet, I roam about some neighborhoods for a nice shooting location. I make sure that everything is in place for the next scenes: dressing up Sims, adding some story-related decor items, looking up CC if I miss something important, making sure I got all the characters I need in the same household and teleporting them on the lot I'm going to shoot in.

3. Pose selection / Shooting

Whenever I can summon enough energy and inspiration, I go in game and the first thing I do is pre-select some poses for the scene I need to shoot according to my timeline. From there, I go with the flow. I need to be hyperfocused because I'm in total improv mode. I use several poses in different angles. Sometimes a specific pose/expression gives me new ideas and I go in a different direction than what I had planned. Sometimes I cannot find the exact pose/expression I want and I have to work around that. Sometimes I'm inspired, sometimes I'm not. Very often, the game crashes and I get very upset.

The dialogues start taking shape while I'm shooting.

4. Picture selection / Writing

When I have enough screenshots to write at least one scene (although I generally wait to have several scenes ready), I start writing and make a prayer to my muse that I'll remember the dialogues I had in mind while shooting. That part is both the best and the worst. The best because I can really get "in the zone", and the worst because I easily have writer's block and get stupidly stuck on a line.

Through this whole process, I use Comic Life. I select a pic, smash it into my story template, select a speech bubble and start typing. Rinse and repeat. I sometimes rewrite entire parts, changing the order of the pics. I use about 40% of the shots I take. I do very little editing, only to correct clipping or lighting. Once I feel like I have enough pics to make an update (about 150-200 - I often have to repeat steps 3 and 4 until I'm satisfied), I export everything from Comic Life in jpg format. My husband is my proof-reader. I hate re-reading my own shit at this stage because it's smeared with my tears and blood and I just want it out.

5. Posting on Tumblr

Next I prepare the Tumblr posts, adding tags and scheduling everything. I post a preview, usually a day before the queue starts. Maybe I should leave some more time between preview and first post, but I'm too impatient to wait. IT.MUST.BE.OUT.

6. Posting on WordPress

I used to prepare the WP draft post at the same time as the Tumblr scheduling, with a date set for publication on the day of the last Tumblr posts. I don't do that anymore because I make minor edits all the frigging time and I then need to update both my Tumblr queue AND my WP draft. So I prepare my WP post once my Tumblr queue has almost run out. Since I use my WP mostly for myself, to keep some sort of table of content, it wouldn't be a big deal if I ever forgot to publish and was a few days late.

Voilà!

Like I said, a lot in common with my fellow Sims storytellers but in a slightly different order! I hadn't intended to write a whole essay, yet here we are. 🙃 Apologies, I'll shut up now. 🤐

Thank you again for the ask, Nonny!

[heich0e]

I asked a while back about binding your work Percolate in to a book. And I wanted to share because we finished!! My elderly neighbor Carol is er was a book binder/restored book for a job and is now a hobby for her so she helped me! She helped me format it correctly, and buy the correct paper, and helped me print it all from the comfort of my home So it was a lot. (Well the cover we took to our local printing company to have printed out on fancy matte paper) I wanted to share it with you because it means so much to me to have this work of art in my hands, to physically hold it and love it! I’ve already started reading it again while sipping on my not Tea (hot water lemon and honey) sitting in front of my large window cuddle in a cozy fuzzy blanket. So thank you from the bottom of my heart for taking time to write this amazing work of art and sharing it. Thank you 💕

(I will say we did chest just a little bit we used a template for the cover and the free vector images carol has for making covers. Because I can’t draw I tried and it was bad haha! )

i would like to preface this by letting you know that when i saw this ask for the first time i immediately burst into tears, so if the following is a bit dramatic at least you have that bit of context.

i felt a lot of things all at once, i think, seeing you hold Percolate in your hands. first was just a kind of dumbstruck amazement that it existed in a real, physical, tangible way somewhere out there in the big wide world. next was a sense of pride that it was something i had written. and third was just this deep, unending sense of gratitude and appreciation for you (and sweet Carol.)

i remember writing Percolate curled up on my couch or in my bed, trying to find the right words to tell the story; listening to music while i edited a chapter and wondering if anyone was even going to like it; how nauseated i would feel each time i posted an update until someone finally left a comment saying they enjoyed it, and the rush of satisfaction that would follow; and the 16 pages of looseleaf paper that i had first scrawled the plot onto when the idea struck me, and used as an outline until the very last chapter.

i sometimes forget about Percolate, so many years on. i'm not as active in the AOT fandom. i don't celebrate the big milestones it hits anymore in the same way i used to. the numbers (while something i am of course incredibly grateful for) have lost their meaning a little bit, i think, in the grand scheme of things. 77,640 hits is a lot of times to have been clicked on. 2,825 kudos means that there are almost three thousand people out there who found my story and liked something in it enough to let me know. and this one hard copy of the fic, that you worked hard to make with your hands, means that someone cared about the thing i made enough to want to treasure it. that's something so special to me that i can't begin to say.

this silly story--my story, that used to be just some thoughts in my head and now is real on your bookshelf--was an absolute honour to share with you, and it's as much yours as it is mine now. thank you so much for sending me these photos of your hard work, and thank you for loving the story. i hope it makes you happy for a long time!!

[marclef]

As the creator of the current Fakey mod, I can tell you from experience if you're using the most common character template you'll have the same outdated issues I have where dialogue from updates made after the template was made will be defaulted, otherwise please tell me what you're using because I've been wanting to fix him for forever and it's my main focus so I can't fix other issues.

OH MY GOD WAIT YOU’RE THE ONE WHO MADE THE PEPPINO? MOD?? IT IS AN HONOR MY FRIEND, I’VE HAD A WONDERFUL TIME USING IT IN MY FRIENDS’ GAMES 🤗🤗

… *ahem*. but uhhhh anyways, it’s actually really simple to add missing dialogue in! and i guess this goes for anyone else trying to make a DST mod at this point…

the easiest way to add the newer lines in would be to copy the bases in from another character’s most updated dialogue file, for me i just use Wilson’s since he’s the most generic. all the scripts and everything can be found in the game’s databundles, hopefully that’s specific enough since i’m not home right now to show specifics.

after that, you’d drag the newer dialogues into the LUA file where they belong, generally the newer stuff is at the end of the dialogue file, making sure that the format is correct and everything. i don’t think the file cares about specifically WHERE the dialogue is, considering different characters have them differently, but just make sure stuff’s grouped correctly. otherwise, it should work just fine! an easy way to tell if it worked is to run the mod with these changes, and if the game DOESN’T crash when trying to run it, it should be fine!

and if you want/need any other specific help, feel free to ask me, i’ve made a couple other character mods before and it’s a lot of fun!! hopefully this helps at least a bit though, and well, hopefully you’ll end up liking my Fakey mod once it’s done as well (i’m trying to make sure it’s different enough that it’s unique!) 😁❤️

[dullweapons]

If you could give a single piece of advice to new people in the roleplay community, what would it be?

i see you've sent this to a few others nonny : twiliae's post is v good & so is puxrlunae's . i haven't seen others on my dash at the time of writing ( tho i can guess other ppl have been asked but idk lol ) but imma try not to duplicate what they said but / shrug

i'd recommend learning when you do need to stay in your own lane & have some critical thinking . don't push yourself into drama cause the rpc says you just have to stay informed & don't believe everything you see . i've seen a callout where they screamed that the person the callout was about was transphobic cause they used the wrong pronoun for a muse ..........in a whole roleplay where they than used the correct pronoun & it was simply a mistype in one or two places . but the callout post highlighted the wrong pronoun use to make sure you believed them & not the would-be offender & people are quick to the gun . this wasn't in the zelda rpc nor any connected one & was years ago so i don't remember anything beyond it was so shitty to bend the truth . like maybe english was their second language so they got confused or forgot or maybe someone writes the same muse with different pronouns ?? idk

sometimes it's better to just turn around & go back to writing ur little doll kissing ur friends doll lol

this is why my rules states this :

i do read the callout posts but i reserve the right to my own opinion that may differ from yours . please do not come to me if someone i am writing with has a callout post unless they have done something illegal ( child grooming , abuse , major harm , ect )

it's not so much my own opinion in the way of " oh i don't think what they did was wrong ✨ " & more of " does this callout have any weight ? " & sometimes i find that no , no it does not .

beyond that idk ... write for urself , be nice to others . you don't have to have fancy graphics to special formatting you just need to follow common courtesy . you want fun questions & starters you gotta also send them to others . tag ur triggers . don't reblog threads if they aren't for you & enjoy your time here because its a hobby !! don't stress if you feel like your writing isn't the best ⸺ you will only improve the more you write & soon you'll find yourself writing some really sexy threads with amazing friends <;3

also !!!!! you can find resource blogs that have posts about what you need to know or what might be helpful if you're super new & find xkit weird ( i had such a hard time figuring out xkit vs new xkit vs xkit rewritten omg but resource blogs helped a lot ) or don't get what reblog karma is or other little things like that . some even have templates for free or good prices ! i'll list a few that i follow & use still :

poohsources , rpclefairy , soulrph , & plenty more are here ! just search some tags like rp resources , rph , carrd templates , ect ! you're bound to find the help ur looking for !

anyway this isn't a single thing !!!!!!! i just went off !!!!! i event trimmed some of the advice cause it was repeating what other ppl said but oops lol hope this helps !!!

[natolesims]

SIMS TAG

@memoirsofasim tagged me ages ago! Thank you so much :')) I'll tag @reality-refuge @pink-chevalier @lizillasimming @rillabrooke @pixel-bloom @falsetochild and @queeniecook! Feel free to ignore, you know ittt

What’s your favourite sims death? 

Drowning. It's classic ;)

Alpha CC or Maxis Match?

Maxis match! I do like how cool alpha looks on renders and CAS edits, but since I'm an avid player I have a hard time looking at super realistic stuff in the rest of the mm world features and sims.

Do you cheat when your sims gain weight? 

Nah. If I picture them being worried about their image/health, I try to make them lose weight or become fit with in-game features (mods included).

Do you use move objects? 

Yup!

Favorite mod?

UI cheats!

First expansion/game/stuff pack you got? 

Seasons

Do you pronounce “live mode” like aLIVE or LIVing? 

Like the second one, hehe.

Who’s your favorite sim that you’ve made? 

Most of my story sims have a special spot in my wrinkly heart because I play with them so often and I become attached, but some of my special favourites are Yellow, Grumpy, Wes, Maleficent (still not seen), Annie and Plum.

Have you made a simself? 

Yup, but I've never really played with it. I don't know, not my thing I guess.

What sim traits do you give yourself? 

Paranoid (I'm always worrying about my entire existence), glutton, clumsy, creative, loves outdoors, loves animals, socially awkward.

Which is your favorite EA hair color? Brown, tbh.

Favorite EA hair? 

The short bob that was recently added in a sims delivery! The one with it's roots dyed.

Favorite life stage? 

Toddlerhood (?). They're soft and squishy and cute and-

Are you a builder or are you in it for the gameplay? I actually enjoy both a lot! I'm not a great builder, but since I learnt a thing or two I'm more than happy to make builds/houses that fit my gameplay better!

Are you a CC creator?

Uuuhhh I've done a few conversions, poses and recolors, but no. I consider fully myself a storyteller

Do you have any simblr friends/a sim squad? 

I've never been a friend squad kind of person but I do have some mutuals I consider as friends!

What’s your favorite game? 

TS4 (please don't shoot me)

Do you have any sims merch?

Ño, but I'm opening a crochet ETSY shop soon and I plan to make some, huehuehue

Do you have a YouTube for sims?

Nooo, I'm shy. Maybe I'll give it a try as soon as I move out on my own.

How has your “sim style” changed throughout your years of playing?

I think I kind of managed to beat the same face syndrome most of my sims had the first years I played the game (I didn't join simblr then), and I definitely found a pair of skins and details that I use consistenly on my simmies, so they look less wonky. Since I also embraced MM CC and vanilla items, most of them look more in sync with the game visuals.

What’s your Origin ID?

Rubispinus

Who’s your favorite CC creator? 

Pyxis, simmandy, sentate, and littlebowbub. Of course there are tons more, but they are the first in line and I hoard everything they create, hehe.

How long have you had a simblr? 

Since late 2020 

How do you edit your pictures? 

My GShade preset does almost all the work, honestly. For story posts, I plop the pics in a PS template I made and add the captions, and for the gameplay posts I also have another templates that fit my other format. I add some text, stickers or overlays, run topaz clean and boom. I use ezgif.com for the gifs :D

What expansion/game/stuff pack do you want next? 

Something medieval or pirate related, or some other occults like fairies and zombies. Honestly I'll take anything that'll add gameplay features. (I would also like a pack refresh for the mermaids, they suuuuck)

What expansion/game/stuff pack is your favorite so far? 

It's a tie between jungle adventure and paranormal stuff!

[phantomdoodler]

I, for one, have never been a person who consistently focuses on the same activities for months on end. I need novelty. I need variety. I need a wrapped meme that doesn't make me feel like I didn't do anything worthwhile if I didn't finish several polished illustrations to choose from every month.

So last year I made a YEAR OF HOBBIES template! I wanted something that could work for all kinds of activities both on the author and the audience side of things. Because you can't have one without the other! I don't know about you, but I am not built for constant output all year round. The periods in between when I'm absorbing the world around me are just as important!

If you want to try it out for yourself, I've uploaded the template in a few different formats here. (There's also one without month labels if you'd rather ditch the calendar format or even just use it for things you want to try next year.)

The questions are listed in plain text here.

Feel free to edit the template or completely remake it - this is about finding ways to celebrate personal growth in our own unique little ways! You don't need to credit me or anything, but I'd love to see what you make if you do ⭐︎

[fandomsideworks]

Dreamwidth Fanfiction Community Recommendations #5

allbingo (All Bingo)

via the community’s profile:

This community provides a space for creative people to share their work, using bingo cards for inspiration.  Post about your own work and enjoy what other people are creating. Game Parameters Signups: Always open.  Get a card or use one assigned by any other bingo fest.  Read the rules. Posting: Always open.  Post works in your own venue and link them in this community.  You can call bingo on any card you have from any fest or round.  See the posting template. Fills: All formats are welcome including art, crafts, fiction, meta, music, photography, poetry, etc.  Original and transformative works are both acceptable, across all fandoms.  There are no size requirements for this community, although if you're using another bingo fest's card, they may have their own rules.  You can do all kinds of fun things with your bingo card.   Marketing: You do not have to post everything you create in order to call bingo, because some people will want to sell their original work.  If something is available for sponsorship, you can mention that in your post.  It is recommended that you have at least one work visible to the public in each bingo that you post here, just so folks can see some of your work. AO3 Collection Visit the Allbingo collection over on the AO3 archive of transformative works.  Any item created as a fill for a square in creative bingo for this community, which fits into AO3 posting parameters, is eligible for inclusion in the collection.   You may add your own works or browse those submitted by other community members. Announcements: If you are hosting a fest in another bingo community, you may post here to advertise activities, open/close dates, rule posts, public cards, prompt lists, etc.  You may also link to resources in this community if you find them useful for yours.  Cross-traffic and signal boosting are heartily encouraged!   Crossposts: Feel free to crosspost whatever is relevant.  For example, if you want to post about a bingo fest, you could do that here, in your own blog, and in a fandom-specific community.  Generally, posting to your blog and one community tends to be safe; posting to unrelated communities is safe; but posting to multiple communities with overlapping topics risks the same people seeing the same post over and over again.  So figure one or at most two bingo communities, and then whatever else might be relevant to your topic.

[songoftrillium]

NEW Werewolf Template!

Dead Mountain is a chronicle that pulls narrative and mechanics from every edition of Werewolf: the Apocalypse put to print. When trying to select which format best represented my vision for this game I came to the realization that consistently throughout my tenure as a Storyteller, every edition held equal esteem at my table. The narratives between one edition and another were always coherent enough that I could grab an older module and the players wouldn't see a difference between that and something new. I see 5th edition, and I feel the exact same about it as I do the editions I currently utilize.

This is not your typical Werewolf: the Apocalypse setting. I couldn't pick a template that works for me best. While every edition had elements I loved in its design, their templates all were close to what I like, but even back when they were new felt 'off'. And so, I took it upon myself to make a new template. Make no mistake, this is not the new edition of Werewolf: the Apocalypse that's coming this August, but something of my own creation. I am also not in any way representing any official entities associated with Paradox, Renegade, Onyx Path, or White Wolf. This will be coming as a release on Storyteller's Vault this Halloween, and will be available marketed under the Werewolf: the Apocalypse 20th Anniversary Edition. With that said, let's take a peek!

First of all, the cover is a Black Dog template format for guides. I chose this for one because it gives me a lot of real estate for artwork, while also making space for my new 1st edition-inspired wood frame! This frame is free to anyone that wants to use it with credit; send me a PM!

This template's core design is inspired by the creation of spore prints; the result of placing a mushroom cap, or a piece of mushroom gill, onto a flat surface and protect it from air currents. The spores will gradually rain down from the fungus and deposit themselves onto the paper, leaving an imprint of itself forever. This message in the design is an echo of the location's fungal spirit, but also the enduring nature of Werewolf: the Apocalypse, something that cannot ever be truly destroyed in a way that matters.

if you've ever picked up an old water damaged photograph, or a piece of damp paper thats spent too long in a bag, you know what decomposing paper looks like. I wanted this series to have a feeling like it was constantly being slowly eaten at and reclaimed by nature, as though this book itself were something discovered in nature.

You may have noticed by now there are some small variances between the pages. The reason for this is simple: I'm not using traditional desktop publishing software. I am in fact producing this entire project on next to no budget, and am using the free software suite, Gnu Image Manipulation Program (GIMP) which astonishingly has it's own desktop publishing tools built-in. While the creation of this template and setting up all the margins and guides has been a punishingly intricate procedure, the template itself is extremely straightforward to use, and allows me an incredibly breadth of tools to personalize each and every page with little to no effort. This chronicle is an expression of love, both in it's subjectmatter and presentation.

A huge advantage of utilizing GIMP software is the implementation of layers, allowing me to create fixed templates with graphical masks that add texture and color temperature to all the images used, without having to do anything to alter the composition of the image itself! This means any monochrome artwork can instantly meld into the theme without having to compromise the integrity of the original!

This is the first time I've every attempted graphical design to this degree. While I did study some art and color theory in college, none of it touched a computer screen in the classroom. Producing this template as a first time go has been extremely fun and rewarding, and I think that it will carry over a ton of personality of the world for your enjoyment. If you like what you see, let me know in the tags! I may release this template for free, should anyone have the desire to produce their own Dead Mountain modules in the future.

[iernbone]

#𝐈𝐄𝐑𝐍𝐁𝐎𝐍𝐄: an independent, mid-low activity blog for Artoirel de Fortemps of the FFXIV series, as written by Tao (  they/them, 20  ) Spoilers present and tagged. Pinned template from apocalypseresources. Mobile rules under the cut:

01.  This is an independent, private blog for Artoirel de Fortemps, as portrayed by Tao. Activity may or may not be sporadic due to the fact that I am a full time student working on finishing a degree for a particularly difficult major, so please bear with me in the meantime if my replies both IC and OOC are slow. I’m not ignoring, you, I promise. Also, though this blog is largely canon-compliant, there are still areas where my portrayal is canon divergent, which I have made note of on this page here. There will be Endwalker spoilers present, so read at your discretion!

02.  This blog’s portrayal is largely framed in context of the Heavensward expansion, and therefore may contain triggering content such as war, blood, death, religion, genocide, racism, and xenophobia. Spoilers will also be present for all expansions, so I strongly recommend that you do not follow this blog unless you have finished up to the Heavensward expansion at the very least, and I still advise discretion if you haven’t finished the rest of the expansions. All spoilers and triggers will be tagged to the best of my abilities, but please let me know if I miss anything or need to tag anything in particular for you and I will accommodate you as best as I am able. Note that if you post untagged triggering content in excess, I will most likely softblock you, and if you state on your blog that you will post untagged triggering content, I am not likely to follow you in the first place. I will curate my dashboard according to my comfort, and it is my hope that you do the same.

03.  I follow based on interest for writing or the passion people have for their muses, and while I am not strict about interacting if I do follow you, I will softblock if I see that there is no potential for interaction at all. I encourage people to reach out to plot with me if they want to write with me, especially if you are a WoL blog and you would like a different relationship with Artoirel other than the one he has with the WoL in canon. Otherwise, I default to Artoirel treating the WoL as a close friend and sibling that he holds in high regard, as he does in the latter half of Heavensward and beyond.

04.  Artoirel is quite a reserved character who, quite frankly, does not have much interest in romancing or being romanced by others. As such, shipping won’t be present very much on this blog. That isn’t to say that shipping is out of the question entirely, but if you want to ship, I urge you to reach out to me OOC beforehand. Do note however that I completely refuse to write incest, and I will not be shipping with minors.

05.  Please do not heavily format posts in replies to me, as I have a difficult time reading it. Bolding and italicizing here and there is fine with me, but I will most likely reach out to you if you use double small font or lettering that is too lightly colored.

06.  Feel free to message me anytime if you have questions, or just want to chat. If we’re mutuals, you can also ask for my discord contact, where I am more readily available than I am here! I can’t promise that I will always respond in a timely manner, but I will try to get back to you as soon as I am able.

Thank you for reading, and I hope we can interact soon!

[cindylouwho-2]

RECENT NEWS, RESOURCES AND STUDIES, Mid-October 2022

Welcome to my latest summary of the top news, studies and helpful resources for ecommerce (including Etsy), social media, marketing and SEO, compiled since my last update at the end of August. (Yes, it has been that long - sorry! I’m definitely struggling to keep up with the informational blogging and still keep my business running.)

You can always follow me on Twitter to get more timely important news, especially about Etsy and general ecommerce/SEO/tech.

TOP NEWS & ARTICLES 

Top news story is Etsy imposing new return policies on sellers as of October 31. The good news is that you can have different return policies for different listings, and they no longer allow returns on digital items, but sellers are free to refund those if they feel it is appropriate. It’s still possible to disallow all returns where that is legal (i.e., not on sales to the EU or UK.) There is a bulk edit option to apply the new return policies to listings. Other parts of this have brought mixed reactions at best. Things to note:

For older shops, the ability to write text in the Returns section of policies will be removed. If you never accepted the Etsy template for returns and only have written return policies, the Returns section of your policies will be removed Oct. 31 and you will not have any return policies (leaving you in violation of Etsy rules, and ineligible for seller protection and other benefits). At the time I am writing this, you can still update written sections on the old Sell on Etsy app, and even restore your old policies there if you accepted the brand new ones already. It is not clear whether or not the other sections of written policies will vanish October 31, as some have upgraded yet still have the old sections, while others do not. Etsy only states that written return policies will be removed, not the others, but that is not what is happening to all shops consistently.

If a shop already uses simplified Etsy policies or has the old returns template, Etsy will convert it to the new policy template on Oct. 31. There have been many errors in Etsy transferring listings to the new format, including adding a 30 return limit when the shop previously had shorter limits, and marking all made-to-order as not eligible for returns. Make sure you check these before they go live.

The new template is extremely short, and does not have the previous options to refuse returns on custom or other types of items, so if a shop has a listing with both customized and regular variations, there is no way to have two different policies for items in the same listing. Etsy’s suggestion to add this distinction to your FAQ’s, descriptions and your message to buyers won’t work in some jurisdictions, as only the legal policy and contract will matter. Etsy Support have given mixed responses to whether or not they will consider your FAQ section to be legal policies, so assume the FAQs aren’t policies unless they are legally required for a particular transaction. (e.g., if a particular law applies to an order but that law can’t be included in Etsy’s new limited policy section).

7 days is the shortest return window, and 90 days the longest.

The new template no longer separates a buyer notifying you they want to return from their actual deadline for returning, but the wording is “Buyer must contact me and ship item back within…” so contact is required. Etsy’s legal policy also says that “[i]Items that are returned without a return agreement” are not eligible for purchase protection. However, this means that the new returns policy template does not comply with EU and UK law; Etsy again states you can add things to your FAQs, and doesn’t seem overly concerned about this and other issues regarding EU and UK selling law. Any sellers concerned about the legality of the new template options should contact the relevant authorities in their jurisdiction, or seek legal advice there. 

It is not clear if sellers who accept returns must also refund the full initial shipping cost, except where required (e.g., EU and UK). Again, Etsy Support is not providing consistent answers. The template does state that “[b]uyer is responsible for return shipping costs and any loss in value if an item isn't returned in original condition.” [my emphasis] There are also questions about restocking fees. Note that if a buyer and seller come to an agreement on returns through Etsy messages, the seller must honour it, so you likely won’t be able to enforce restocking and non-refund of the initial shipping unless you mention this in the communications about the return. I use a snippet/saved reply for all return requests so I don’t forget anything important.

ETSY NEWS 

Etsy is testing integrating printing and framing services with digital download art for US buyers (shops can be from any country). Note that only some US buyers will have this option; it's random. Etsy says you can flag reviews that are "only about Printify or Shutterfly" and Etsy will consider removing them, but be aware they tend to be very picky about what gets removed. If someone says "disappointed in the art and the frame", you are likely out of luck. Forum discussion thread is here. 

The site has had recent issues with 2-factor authentication (2FA), so here is my periodic reminder that you can regenerate new backup codes here, just in case your phone is lost or Etsy isn’t sending the texts correctly. Keep that code in a safe place! 2FA can help prevent your shop being taken over by hackers who rip off Etsy buyers, as happened to this seller. I tweeted some screenshots of reviews of another hacked shop; Etsy let this go on 19 days before closing it. 

All of Etsy’s features and nudges for the holiday season are linked on one page here, but experienced sellers can likely limit their reading to:

the site wide sale dates (Oct 24 to Nov 17 for early birds, Nov. 18-30 Cyber Week, with the 18th being the app only); discounts must be at least 20% off for the slim chance at being promoted by Etsy

the holiday trends report (includes a list of key days in November and December, as well as the search terms with the biggest recent increases) There is also a media/buyer article on holiday trends.

the trends podcast with trend critiques [link to podcast and proper transcript]

Shipping deadlines and surcharge information (as always, check with your carrier to verify these dates)

The Etsy Up Holiday workshops are all on YouTube (links to other sessions below the video) with bad auto generated transcripts that make a mockery of accessibility. They mostly are old news and fluff, so don’t feel like you missed much if you skipped them. The session on SEO for Google is here. They neglect to mention that it is also not worth spending a ton of time on Google SEO in Etsy shops any more because Etsy gutted the coding on shop home pages in particular so that Market pages and other Etsy-focussed results would rank better. (The one exception to this is Google Images, due to Google changes, not Etsy changes.) One good point I often mention to people: don’t share the sub-domain link for your shop online (e.g., cindylouwho2.etsy.com); always use the real link to your shop: https://www.etsy.com/shop/cindylouwho2 Otherwise, it’s not worth an hour of your time. 

Plaid complaints continue, with some US sellers not wanting to use the verification service to reverify their bank accounts, while others are trying really hard but just can’t make it work. If you can’t or won’t reverify within your 30 day deadline, the Indie Sellers Guild put out an article on what happens next. TL;DR it seems Etsy isn’t suspending shops right away yet; they are just suspending shop deposits for those who miss the 30 day deadline. 

The Canadian tax issues also continue, as does pressure from sellers. The Globe and Mail covered the “add the tax to your listing prices” angle here. 

Etsy has new guides for shops offering children’s items for sale. While this will likely be helpful for some sellers, it could also signal that Etsy is about to enforce some rules and regulations more strictly. There is a virtual event on the topic October 24th. 

Etsy is rolling out sustainability attributes, but only a limited number are available at this time, and like other attributes, not all of them will be available for all items. 

Etsy officially confirmed that the live chat options are mostly for Star Sellers, in a post that mostly reports on past changes to the program. The only thing worth looking forward to is a more flexible auto reply for messages, currently in beta-testing, that will be available to everyone. 

Etsy extended bill payments and Star Seller status by one month for those dealing with the aftermath of Hurricane Ian, but apparently did nothing for those affected by Hurricane Fiona, including those who have been without power on Prince Edward Island for over 3 weeks and counting. 

Last edition, I mentioned that the group behind the Etsy “strike” earlier this year is now called the Indie Sellers Guild. They picked up more media coverage in Mashable, The Verge, and TheStreet, and that last one shows that investors are still interested. In related news, some sellers involved in the strike are trying to build an ecommerce co-op marketplace for artisans. 

CEO Josh Silverman is still touting how prices on Etsy haven’t changed for buyers despite inflation elsewhere. “So Etsy sellers on average have raised their price by about 8% over the past 5 years cumulatively and have given back about 8% in price in the form of discounting to consumers with the result that their actual price is flat, meaning relative to the market, the value on Etsy has gotten better and better.” And the value for Etsy and Silverman, too, given that the company raised our fees several times during that 5 years, and Silverman got a huge stock bonus that he is slowly cashing out every 2 weeks. He did add “there may be an opportunity for us to help coach [sellers] on how to set better pricing.” I guess that is where this new article on pricing came from. Sadly, it pushes discounting and site-wide sales, not making a healthy profit off of your wares. 

SEO: GOOGLE & OTHER SEARCH ENGINES 

Google’s Helpful Content Update continued to roll out until September 9. Here’s another overview of it, and a humorous overview, saying it might not have been that helpful. 

Almost as soon as that update finished, the September Core Update started, on September 12, taking 2 weeks to complete. It seems to have been milder than some previous core algorithm updates. 

A lot of on-page SEO is about making things easier for your readers as well. Here are 25 tips for doing both. 

Goodbye to Webmaster Guidelines, and hello to the new Google Search Essentials. Google claims they are streamlined and updated, with spam policies replacing the old “Quality Guidelines”. 

How long should your titles be for Google? This study says you probably can safely go over the usual 60 characters when the page demands it, even though “Google wants shorter titles in SERPs”.

While meta descriptions aren’t a Google ranking factor, they still often get used in Google search results. Here’s how to make them better. 

My favourite keyword tool, Keywords Everywhere, now has a backlink checker [text and video link] Like all backlink checkers, it misses some things, but it also found some I didn't know about, especially when I check links for individual pages. It’s part of their free tool as well! [If you have never used Keywords Everywhere and would like to try the paid tools, this link gives both you and me 20% more credits on your first purchase there. So yes, I get a benefit too, but this is a tool I truly believe in and have been recommending for years. I only use the $10 worth of credits in a year, as that gives you a lot of keywords. Feel free to sign up without clicking my link, though!]

Catch up on Google search news for September here [video with topic time index, and links to text].

SOCIAL MEDIA - All Aspects, By Site

Facebook (includes relevant general news from Meta) If you used Meta’s newsletter platform Bulletin, it’s time to find a new site, as they are shutting down by early next year. 

Facebook and Instagram are both losing engagement, with TikTok gaining the most from this. 

You can now hide likes on Facebook. As this article points out, “For many brands, turning off like counts on Facebook is a great way to encourage your audience to judge the content objectively. This is particularly helpful for brands that are just starting to grow their presence on the platform.”

Facebook changed Pages, supposedly to help smaller businesses connect with their target markets. 

Instagram Shopping on Instagram is being downgraded soon, and of course video is still being pushed. 

Instagram is testing the ability to add multiple links to your profile, instead of just one link.

LinkedIn LinkedIn will soon introduce a post-scheduling option from within the site. Currently, you need to use third-party apps to schedule posts. 

If you use advertising on LInkedIn, you will want to learn about matched audiences. 

Snapchat Snapchat is really struggling, but still aims to have 450 million active daily users by the end of 2023. 

Copying BeReal, Snap added a dual camera option.  TikTok TikTok wants to have its own fulfillment network with warehouses similar to “Fulfilled by Amazon”.  “According to the job postings, TikTok is looking to build an "international e-commerce fulfillment system" that will include international warehousing, customs clearings and supply chain systems that support domestic e-commerce efforts in the U.S. and cross-border e-commerce efforts. The systems will eventually perform parcel consolidation, along with transporting goods from one stage to the next and managing free returns.”

Because all big sites want to be just like the others, TikTok now allows users to post photos. You can even add music! 

Twitter Twitter is testing an edit button for real this time. Edits will be possible for half an hour, and visitors can click to see the original. Right now the testing is limited, with Twitter Blue subscribers added in early October. Wired provided some more analysis [soft paywall] “People may well capture an image of a pre-edited tweet that still lives on through resharing on the platform—potentially eclipsing the reach of any corrected tweet. Another issue—one no platform can solve—is that any fix to correct information only exists on the platform itself: Many users will have already seen the original, incorrect tweet and will never see a corrected version.”

If you reset your Twitter password since 2020, check to make sure you didn’t stay logged in on some devices. They claim it was a bug. 

Oh yeah, you probably know that the Musk-Twitter deal is apparently back on. That doesn't necessarily mean it will go through. 

YouTube YouTube Shorts will be eligible for the Partner Program (ad revenue) in 2023, although creators of Shorts will get a smaller cut than the full-length video makers.

Your engagement rate is an important metric on YouTube - here’s how to improve it. 

ECOMMERCE NEWS, IDEAS, TRENDS (minus social media)

General Ecommerce app installs slowed down in the first part of 2022, dropping compared to the same time in 2021.

Amazon Fall Prime Day didn’t turn out to be a big holiday shopping event, with “necessities” being the main purchases, and sales were likely down from July Prime Day. Amazon is still planning on hiring another 150,000 people in the US to handle the holiday season.

Amazon Prime’s 2-day shipping isn’t as consistent as it used to be, and Amazon isn’t even offering it on products in some areas now. “Freese ran an experiment in August to test Prime delivery promises in all 39 counties in Washington state. He found that in a third of the counties, 13 in total, Prime orders would take either four or five business days to arrive. (He chose a random residential address in the biggest city or town in each county.) These orders still carried a Prime badge on the checkout page, but had the simple branding of “FREE delivery” rather than any mention of “two-day” or “next-day” shipping….[a spokesperson] denied the possibility that Amazon had stopped offering two-day Prime shipping to some parts of the US where it was previously available, despite some customers having that very complaint. Amazon’s website says that “nearly all addresses in the contiguous US” qualify for two-day Prime shipping.”

BigCommerce BigCommerce partnered with SheerID, a novel verification engine which can confirm a shopper’s qualifications for special discounts. For example, you could set up a special offer for US military members, or students at certain universities, and SheerID will confirm the buyer is eligible. Is this the next big thing in marketing?

The last big thing in marketing - buy now, pay later - has also come to BigCommerce, in the form of Affirm. 

BigCommerce sites will now be able to take payment in various types of crypto currencies. 

eBay eBay has expanded their Promoted Listings to the top 4 positions in search, and something like 100 slots on the listing pages. 

There will be a new international shipping hub in Chicago, and unlike the Global Shipping Program, this one will be for eBay only. 

If you don’t want to buy ads to be seen on eBay, make sure the first 3 words in your title are the important ones. eBay provided more information on how search works in a recent presentation.

eBay has followed Amazon and is getting rid of its Shopify app that allows integration between the two sites. The last day is December 31 2022. Note there are other apps available, but most if not all cost money. 

Sellers in areas affected by Hurricane Ian and Fiona are getting their seller performance protected from issues caused. 

Poshmark Poshmark ran an in-person seller meeting September 29-30. The CEO claimed they will be reversing search algorithm changes made earlier this year, among other news. 

The big news they didn’t mention is that Poshmark was later sold to Naver, a South Korean company with multiple sites including in ecommerce. Resale markets are still a big deal.

Shopify You can offer “Buy with Prime” from Amazon as a payment option on Shopify, but Shopify really doesn’t want you to. Adding the code makes this message pop up: ““You have a code snippet on your storefront that violates Shopify’s Terms of Service. This script removes Shopify’s ability to protect your store against fraudulent orders, could steal customer data and may cause customers to be charged the wrong amount.” 

Shopify has introduced a portable payment terminal in the US called POS Go [paywall; Business Insider]. It’s part of a line of products to keep brick and mortar selling connected with Shopify sites. 

Walmart Walmart’s “Be Your Own Model” uses photos of you to show you how clothes in their stores will look, and it covers over a quarter million items. The company did not respond to questions on how they are going to safeguard those semi-dressed photos, though. 

Walmart’s ecommerce business is slowing, so they are laying off warehouse workers. 

All Other Marketplaces Mercari is raising its per transaction payment processing fee to 50 cents from 30 cents as of November 1, 2022. 

Reverb payment processing fees are going up for both “preferred sellers” and all others as of October 27. Since they blamed the fee increase on credit card fee increases, it will be interesting to see what happens on Etsy’s other 3 marketplaces. 

Payment Processing Buy-now-pay-later darling Klarna is losing money at a faster pace than before. They blame “rapid international expansion, higher credit losses in new markets, and rising staff costs”.

Shipping Canada Post customers with Solutions for Small Business accounts can get 1 free package to both Canada and the US each Tuesday in October. Note you have to use Snap Ship for the free labels. 

The Royal Mail strikes continue; the next dates announced are October 20th and 25th. The company recently announced they will be dropping 10,000 jobs in the next year, most of them through layoffs. 

This neighbourhood [video and text] in Indianapolis isn’t getting their mail very often, and the response from USPS seems to indicate that short staffing is the problem. 

Something to watch for: UPS employees may strike next year; contract negotiations are expected to be tough. This would have a huge effect on the supply chain as well as just normal consumer purchases. 

(CONTENT) MARKETING (includes blogging, emails, and strategies) 

What is content marketing? Here’s everything you need to know. [article is long, and is more directed at companies with staff than at the average microbusiness]

ONLINE ADVERTISING (NOT SOCIAL MEDIA OR ECOMMERCE SITES)

Online advertising, especially search advertising, continues to grow. 

Some people have noticed chat buttons on Google Shopping pages. It’s not clear if this is a rollout or just a test. 

It’s now easier to exclude your Google ads from some types of sites and content. 

Microsoft has several new ad updates this month, including 66 new markets.

STATS, DATA, TRACKING 

If you aren’t already using it, here’s how to set up and get basic info from the Google Keyword Planner. 

More differences in Google Analytics 4 - attribution works differently. UTM still exists but is broader. 

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

US ecommerce spending is projected to be up 2.5% this year, to almost $210 billion. A survey found that close to 50% of Gen Z and Millennial shoppers plan on buying holiday items using buy now, pay later. Another survey reports that 25% of consumers will buy used items to cut back on costs this year. 

Product descriptions are crucial to getting the sale, despite some large sites’ unpopular habit of hiding them. There are well-known and researched elements you should be including wherever possible. This one is definitely worth reading, even if you know some of it or think it is all mostly obvious; they include good stats too. 

The decoy effect applied to pricing and product lines teaches you to add an extra price point to maximize sales of your preferred product. 

People really do want sustainable products. A survey reported that “[o]ver two-thirds of consumer respondents said they are willing to pay at least 10% more while two-thirds of retailers stated that shoppers would pay no more.” Of course, the truth may be somewhere in between. “American shoppers consider product sustainability more important than a brand name” was another interesting finding. 

IMAGES, VIDEO, GRAPHIC DESIGN, & FREE ONLINE TOOLS

Looking to create your logo but don’t know where to begin? Check out 16 free sites for logo creation. 

Also, here are some web design tools including free fonts.

MISCELLANEOUS 

Looking for a new email and like your privacy? Duck Duck Go’s new email service is now in beta. 

Here are 20 search operators to narrow your Google searches.

[bringslife]

ㅤ                he brings the storm in his wake ...

indie  ,   mutually exclusive ,  novelizations &    canon  compliant , with possible divergences      +       headcanon    based    portrayal    of    bbc doctor who's   fifteenth regeneration of the doctor. carrd tracklist blogroll pinterest

inspired themes: i bring life , the last of your kind , loneliness , running , your fears coming to life , the need for adventure , abandonment , loss , maybe i'm the bad luck , found family , laughing hard , moving on - onwards and upwards , not dealing with trauma

001.

no drama, dont pressure for replies, no vague blogging. don't be a dick, don’t follow if you don’t plan on interacting with me. you can reblog from me but don't use me as a resource. activity may be somewhat low as i have a full-time job, life outside of rp & other blogs i want to try to be active on, this blog will be the one i plan on being the most active on however.

002.

racists, homophobes, transphobes, antisemites, islamophobes etc are not welcome here. i will block in those circumstances. dark themes may be present as they relate to my muse: death, war, depictions of ptsd, grief, please be advised. i have no issues writing darker themes, however, i will not write or interact with those who write rape, incest, pedophilia.

003.

i would love to establish dynamics, whether it be romantic, antagonistic, platonic, etc. however i reserve the right to be selective. shipping or dynamics may require plotting or interaction beforehand. the likeliness of writing smut is low but not completely impossible. i am open to fade-to black & plots with kissing. i have been in the mood to try writing it again but i am a little rusty.

004.

i will be wholeheartedly staying true to canon wrt the timeless child arc & won't budge on it (insp from both 13s & 15s runs with possible headcanons) it is an arc that i enjoyed from both different runs. that & it's hugely important to 15's arc this season, specifically with his connection to ruby.

005.

on the doctor's sexuality / gender & more on shipping: i don't have a set sexuality for the doctor, i think the doctor is queer for sure, and this version is less asexual compared to some of the other doctors. that said, i don't think the doctor thinks about labels for themselves or considers them much outside of understanding they are important to other people (humans in particular). the doctor's interests wrt romantic and sexual also changes when their face changes. the doctor goes by both they / them & he / him pronouns. i will be very interested in shipping. however, despite this regeneration of the doctor being more flirty, more open, i do think it will still be difficult in a lot of the same ways with the other versions of the doctors. the doctor wants wants wants to fix himself to someone like 13 did with yaz but in a lot of ways he's still very hesitant because of how much it will hurt when he loses them. he's also still grieving river. so as flirty and more open as the doctor is, he may also be frustrating lol.

006.

i prefer at least one paragraph threads, but it's not necessary. the best way to write with me is by sending memes or plotting. i generally do not do starters and will rarely like starter calls. i personally don't use much formatting when it comes to replies, it's made it easier to write and feels better. at the most, i sometimes use icons and sometimes will use small text but that will be extremely rare. feel free to format however you like.

007.

psd: a combination of venuscommissions , phantomsources & calisources. screen caps: ordinariumsresources icon template: ariapsds edits/gifs are made by me.

[yueliie]

⭑.ᐟ 𝗥𝗨𝗟𝗘𝗦

ᯓ ᡣ𐭩 asks & interaction in general are always welcome, you can ramble away in my inbox cuz me too, share your ideas, tell me your day and so on... I love to talk a lot. however, please never vent in my inbox, i'm no professional nor am i your free therapist. unfortunately for you, i'm just a normal person trying to survive.

ᯓ ᡣ𐭩 please don't offer unnecessary criticism. i know my english isn't perfect, but i only writes for fun... well unless i ask for it, so keep it to yourself if you don't like it then don't read, simple. on that note, feel free to block me if you feel that strongly against me, any hateful messages or asks will be deleted.

ᯓ ᡣ𐭩 please don't send me hate messages, my blog may be sfw but that does not means that I cannot being friends with the owners of nsfw blogs, I just won't reblog their nsfw posts but slightly suggestive is okay. I would only block the person in question if they are proved to be problematic, that's all.

ᯓ ᡣ𐭩 please make sure to read my dni and rules which is here before requesting.

ᯓ ᡣ𐭩 feel free to check queue to see my upcoming works.

⭑.ᐟ 𝗥𝗘𝗤𝗨𝗘𝗦𝗧

ᯓ ᡣ𐭩 i will write — oneshots, headcanons, drabbles, fluff, angst, yandere, hurt/comfort, aus, any gender for the reader.

ᯓ ᡣ𐭩 i will not write — smut/nsfw or anything suggestive, a lot of characters in kny are like still in their teens, I don't feel comfortable writing them even if it's an adult character. This rules also applied for wind breaker simply because... I'm too much of a wimp to do nsfw really.

ᯓ ᡣ𐭩 who i will write for — almost everyone! all i'm asking for a character with a distinct personality then it's should be no problems for me to write for them.

ᯓ ᡣ𐭩 please only request one at a time, I really don't want someone to cheat their way through by requesting two fics by using anon.

ᯓ ᡣ𐭩 please specify what you will be requesting by putting separate and not are big difference. also, don't just give me "character x reader" i need more than that and don't forget to mention what gender (reader) or otherwise I will just assumed based on your request.

ᯓ ᡣ𐭩 for my multiple characters format, 4 characters max because of aesthetic purposes... I tend to write long since it's an odd mix of headcanons + scenarios format so thank you for your understanding.

ᯓ ᡣ𐭩 when requesting from the alphabet template, make sure you only pick 4 or 5 letters only, gn reader only because I don't want to write the same scenario to change the gender, sorry.

🫧 back : here ,, 💦 next : here