#google search how do i find a plug no social media no talking to people i don't know

[francisforever2014]

been having a craving to smoke a joint even thought i don't even like it that much..... i just have such a nice patio and the nights have been so gorjus i'm like wowwww this and a blunt >>>>

[goofballproximitysurveyor]

I drew this, please stop reposting it without credit!

a sort of indulgent rant :P

[original post as proof]

Since the wider internet is talking about plagiarism I think it's a good time to start talking about art theft/uncredited reposting/etc. as well and I'm particularly going to talk about my experience with it.

Before I say anything else I want to say please don't harass people who may not have a good grasp on internet etiquette! (and please assume that is the case unless someone has intentionally plagiarized/stolen people's work and credited it as their own) That is not what I'm asking you to do and for future reference if someone was excessively rude to you in calling out that you reposted my things I did not endorse that behavior. I do encourage calling out when you see people reposting art and linking back to the original work but I do not encourage harassment. On a similar note, this isn't meant to make anyone feel bad or guilty for not having a good grasp on this particular thing. This is just me explaining how it makes me feel and hopefully get people to understand why it's so hurtful so they don't do it in the future, and maybe they get to me explaining it nicely before other people explain it not-so-nicely LOL.

Some reasons why I personally don't like it when people repost my art even if this particular post is a shitpost and not something I put a whole lot of effort into:

(This list is definitely independent/fanartist-centric, I'm not really claiming this to be anything but that.)

Images get edited and distorted as the meme chain goes on, I have seen this end up with artists feeling like their art that they put a lot of effort into like all that work was a joke. Which, evidently is pretty disrespectful

In a personal anecdote, I have seen people say really rude things about me and the Blazblue community on Tumblr while reposting my things (art and otherwise) on twitter and other social media sites. It's really hurtful that people will disrespect me and my friends while using the bits and pieces they like.

Additionally, not everyone on the internet is familiar with common English-speaking internet terminology and etiquette. What may seem like a compliment or neutral statement for you may be rude to them. Generally speaking, a lot of Japanese artists take great offense to their work being reposted in any way whatsoever. ESPECIALLY if you didn't ask beforehand. People have privated or deleted works or entire accounts over this.

It takes away attention from the artist, and this isn't just people complaining about their art not getting enough likes/reblogs online. I have had my commissions open for months with next to no attention toward it and have periodically given up on promoting, with that in mind I grow more bitter about the fact that my only work that regularly gets attention isn't even representative of my current work but also isn't even attached to my name.

There are a lot more reasons, but it really is just a matter of respecting people who make the content you like and crediting people who make things you like.

If you see art that might be fanart and want to find the original source so you can either share it in a server, ask the artist permission to use it somewhere else, or sort of vigilante credit it for somewhere else, here's some places you can easily reverse search for images or find the artist who drew them (hint: if a work has been deleted it's good practice to still credit the artist)

SauceNAO - especially good for fanart since it's a curation of popular Japanese and western image sharing sites. Works best with full images. Found my art on pixiv and deviantART.

Google Image Search - Unreliable, may work with popular artwork but will probably struggle to find it otherwise, very rarely found my artwork. But probably your better bet for heavily cropped images at least to find the full image and then plug it in sauceNAO

But even then the best practice is if you don't know the source don't repost it until you've found it, and always reblog/retweet/what have you from the original artist before considering reposting it on your own account. Be strict and insistent on asking if people know the source of art they are reposting especially in discord servers and online spaces where it's commonly done.

[shadowbrightshine]

My mom, who is in her 40s came into my room asking me about a tag she saw on a romance book sale. "Tail play" She doesn't really read romance but she was looking for paranormal fiction and she does like werewolves and they all seemed to be there. Also she was looking for one of her favorite authors and hoped one or two of her books would be onsale.

This led into a really interesting conversation. See my mom is a strong Christian, and I am too. I'm a monsterlover, and a furry. (ace and sex repulsed but I do read kink focused smut because the lead up is usually much better than normal stuff.) and she was obsessed with Vampires as a teenager.

So people aren't annoyed by the length.

She says she looked up most of them, and she figured out the rest. But one, the tail one she didn't get any results from Google searches and figured I, the self proclaimed monster lover and the one who she knows has more adult friends than she has might know what Tail play is. (I use a lot more social media and have a bunch of close friends on an 18+ server, so nice to just have other adults around. I like hanging with my other teen friends but it's nice to have a break.)

She thought it might be like butt plugs, which could be, but she mentioned it was the paranormal section and I explained it's a very popular thing to make the tail an eroginous zone. It can be used well, or used as a lazy way to get a character in the mood without trying. (I actually learned about it from gacha videos when I was 14, but I didn't know that wasn't a real animal thing for a bit so I avoided touching dogs tails so they wouldn't get mad at me lmao)

She doesn't read smut, and doesn't even really like romance. At least not when it's the focus, so when she was looking around she ran unprepared into the bottom bin romance 'trash' and actual romance trash. She was shocked by all the noncon, and she said she felt a bit sick even just reading some of the descriptions of the stories. We talked about the Fantasy but also that it's weird. It's odd that so many romance books marketed to young adults feature noncon and straight up rape.

Sometimes it feels like an excuse for lazy writers to ignore any chemistry because they can just force the sex scenes. Which is. Not good.

She also stumbled upon omegaverse and I explained it to her. I don't read it myself, I respect the place it has in internet history and fandom culture but I've never liked the alpha beta omega stuff, even before the Alpha Male Bros tm came a crawling, begging for scraps of coolness. She didn't like it. She also prefers more women in her stories and omegaverse by default is mostly men.

But one of the big things to me, was when she was talking about the possessiveness in a ton of werewolf fiction. She didn't like how everything seemed to only cater to the desire to be required to stay and to be owned. To be dominated. She says she's always preferred what little romance she reads to be more equal. Which, to me isn't surprising due to how my mom is, but may to the idea of a strong protestant Christian many have in their head.

I explained it's a very popular trope. Personally? I'm 50/50 on it. I'm up for a little "be mine" and "you're all mine" but it's just so overpowering. It's hard to find the werewolf as the sub, or without the power play.

Mom and I ended up talking about our various reader woes, her in the Christian fiction and general fiction world, and I in the fanfiction and fandom world. And the monsterfiction community.

We both spoiled ourselves by reading really good books, or for me fanfiction, and good books because my father is a Sci fi buff and has a massive collection of some beautiful stories. And also I'm autistic and if I don't think a story is good near the start I can't finish it. I can't hate read anything.

My mom and I bonded over something I didn't expect, the lead up. Mom enjoys tasteful scenes, or as she says "closed door" or fade to black sex scenes. We both love the romantic tension when written well. That's why I tend to seek out kink stuff. The lead up is more necessary. But I've never really enjoyed the sex part of smut.

And worse sometimes people stop trying during the sex scenes. Like the writing quality drops because "why try the people reading already got excited, they know what to do."

I personally love reading sexual tension, I love the kissing and the rubbing and the wanting. I love reading about the hot and bothered. But I don't like reading about genitals and I never have. Kink, especially those with unusual eroginous zones tend to focus more on that. Also monster fiction, if it is with really weird monsters, will use unique situations and open up to some amazing writing. I even skim past the actual sex scenes half the time. But if you write good lead up, I'll probably give it a look.

Mom has started to develop the "pickiness" some of us fandom lovers have as she gets older, and we bonded over the wish for more of specific things without being able to find it. Me with empty tags, her with genre issues.

Because the best stuff is hard to categorize, which is cool. But it sucks! Because it's really hard to categorize and find more of. We make it work.

But I think it was a really interesting conversation.

[speed-seo]

Micro-Moments: Your Secret Weapon for Winning at Digital Marketing

Scroll, tap, scroll. That's us - looking for whatever we need in the moment. Need the best taco spot nearby? Grab phone, search, tap, get tacos. These I-want-it-NOW moments are called "micro-moments." And they're a goldmine for marketers who know how to grab them. Think about it... People turn to their phones to satisfy needs as they happen: - "Fix this kitchen faucet leak NOW!" - "Where can I rent a cabin this weekend?" - "Is this pain serious or nah?" In these micro-moments, we want quick answers. Not tomorrow, not in an hour - RIGHT NOW. So creating fast, snackable info for micro-moments is 🔑. But how? Image by LinkedIn Know Your Audience's Micro-Moments Get in their shoes! 👟 What info are they searching for? 👟 When do they need it most? 👟 Where are they looking? Research helps you guess their micro-moments so you can be there ASAP. Use Intent-Focused Keyword Research Plug keywords into tools like Google's Keyword Planner to see: - Monthly searches for that term - Related long-tail keyword ideas This reveals micro-moment intent and search trends. Tap Into Data Analytics Your website and social media analytics offer a goldmine of micro-moment clues: ✅ Traffic sources/landing pages show where people come from ✅ Location data reveals where searches happen ✅ Times/days of peak traffic indicate when intent is highest See what questions they're asking and pain points they have. Survey Existing Customers Ask them directly about their pain points and moments of need on your website, social posts, emails, and pop-up surveys. Questions to ask: - What problems/questions do you have before purchasing our product? - Why did you choose our brand over competitors? - When during the day do you typically research or shop online? Map Their Customer Journey Trace your typical customer's full journey. From initial research to final purchase and beyond, think about what they might need at each stage. This reveals potential micro-moments. For example, someone wanting to repair a device might: - Google "how to fix broken phone" - Watch a "replace iPhone screen" YouTube tutorial - Search "iPhone screen repair shops near me" - Visit your website for prices and availability - Book an appointment online Now you can create info to assist at each step! Check Out Related Searches Search for relevant keywords on Google and scroll down to "Related searches." This shows other questions people ask around a topic. If you sell gym equipment, "best home gym equipment" related searches could be: - Are treadmills worth it for home use? - How much space do I need for a home gym? - Can I finance home gym equipment? These become ideas for micro-moment content! Pro Tip: Look at search questions and map their journey for more clues. Satisfy Their Micro-Moment Needs Give them EXACTLY what they want in that moment: ⛔️ Don't make them work for it ✅ Do make it crazy easy to take action Create stuff like: - ⏱️ Short videos - 📰 Blog posts with lists/steps - 📱 Easy access on mobile Optimize EVERY piece of content to fit a micro-moment. Focus on Solving Their Problem Don't sell. TEACH and help! Give practical info to address exactly what they need right then. If someone wants to know how to treat a sprained ankle ASAP, provide first aid tips, not product pitches. Speak Their Language Use words and phrases they actually search for. If your audience says "damaged skin" not "skin lesions," write content accordingly. Give Clear Calls-to-Action "Click here to download the checklist," "Find a clinic near you," "Call now for a free quote." Make it obvious what to do next. Format Content for Quick Scanning - Use short paragraphs & bullet points - Add bold headings & subheadings - Break up text with images/video - Include captions explaining visuals - Link to related content Make it Ultra-Conversational Write like you're talking to a real person. Avoid formal, stiff language. Use contractions, emotions, humor - whatever fits your brand voice. Optimize for Mobile First Huge chunks of text don't cut it on phones! Make content easily consumable: - Short, scannable paragraphs - Minimum pinching/zooming - Buttons big enough to tap easily - Accessible drop-down menus Include Engaging Visuals Pictures, gifs, illustrations, infographics, slideshares, interactive elements. Use visual storytelling to inform and hook readers. Step-by-Step: Create the Perfect Micro-Content Follow this proven process: - Identify a target micro-moment and intent - Research keywords people search in that moment - Craft a highly specific, benefit-driven headline - Lead with the most important info/action step - Use concise paragraphs, bullet points, captions - Add visuals to explain and engage - Make scanning easy with formatting and highlighting - Close with a specific CTA based on intent - Promote to reach people at the right time - Analyze performance and refine Useful Micro-Content Tools - Headline analyzers to optimize for clicks - Readability checkers to improve scannability - Snippet optimization to stand out in search - Image creators like Canva for visuals - Stock media to add engaging photos/videos Tools that can help you create amazing micro-content: CategoryToolsHeadline & Title OptimizationCoSchedule Headline Analyzer, Upworthy Headline Generator, BuzzSumo Headline AnalyzerReadabilityHemingway App, Grammarly, Readable.comImages & GraphicsCanva, Piktochart, Adobe Spark, SnappaVideo CreationInVideo, Biteable, Adobe Spark Video, AnimotoGIFsGiphy, Gifmaker, KapwingSocial Media ManagementBuffer, Hootsuite, Sprout Social, SendibleAnalyticsGoogle Analytics, Sprout Social Analytics, Facebook Analytics, BuzzSumoSEO OptimizationYoast SEO, MozBar, SEMrush Page Optimization, SerpStat Snippet Tool Having the right micro-content creation and optimization tools can save time and energy while also enhancing the quality of your real-time content. Let me know if you have any other favorite micro-content tools I should check out! Micro-content example: How to Do a DIY Phone Screen Repair Cracked screens happen to the best of us. But phone repairs can be expensive. Luckily, you can fix a cracked iPhone or Android screen at home for less. Here are the step-by-step instructions: With the right parts, some patience, and these tips, you can save money and time by DIYing it. [/article> Formatting your micro-content for quick consumption is crucial. Promote Your Micro-Moment Content You created amazing content...but will people see it in time? Get it in front of them RIGHT as they have a need: 🔎 SEO helps them find it when searching 📣 Social media ads target micro-moments 📧 Email subscribers contextually relevant content Optimize for SEO - Include target keywords in headlines, text, alt text, URLs. - Localize content with city names, zip codes, etc. - Publish location-specific content on relevant pages. - Research keywords for each micro-moment topic - Optimize pages/posts for those terms - Include location/time modifiers people search Someone may search "oil change near me this weekend." Are you there? Case Study One of our clients, a law firm increased mobile conversions 300% optimizing location pages for "injury lawyer Limassol," "personal injury attorney Limassol," etc. Retarget Site Visitors - 87% of website visitors aren't ready to convert at first. - Retargeting grabs their attention as they visit other sites. - Display relevant ads, offers, or content they already showed interest in. Send Contextual Push Notifications Timing is everything. Notify mobile app users with: - Cart abandonment reminders - Relevant offers when they're nearby - Appointment confirmations - Order updates - Recommendations based on past purchases Personalize push message content to each user. Satisfying micro-moments wins trust and conversions. Are you ready to grab them? Let me know your favorite micro-moment marketing tips below! Run Social Ads During Key Times - Identify high-intent times based on past analytics. - When do most people book appointments or buy certain products? - Target social ads to reach them RIGHT then. Send Triggered Emails - Segment your email list based on: - Recent purchases - Page views - Abandoned carts - Send hyper-targeted content based on their micro-moment Retarget Site Visitors Use pixels or cookies to track website visitors. Then retarget them with related ads as they visit other sites. For example, retarget "how to fix drywall" page visitors with DIY tips across the web. Personalize Website Experiences with Micro-Moments - Greet return visitors by name - Recommend products based on past purchases - Show content relevant to their location The more tailored to each micro-moment, the better! Monitor Performance See which micro-moment content resonates most. Find out: - Where is it getting the most traffic from? - What times/days perform best? - Which keywords and ad placements work? Keep fine-tuning to maximize your reach! Satisfying micro-moments wins trust and conversions. Are you ready to grab them? Let me know your favorite micro-moment marketing tips below! Read the full article

[foyil420-blog]

WordPress Plug-Ins / What Are They?

Hello GmaKelly here to talk about WordPress Plug-ins. There are a gazillion Plug-ins that do all kinds of things automating this and that.  These are the Plug-ins I'm currently using on this site.  I'm this will need to be updated, possibly Monthly.  So....... WordPress Plug-Ins - What are They? A WordPress plugin is a piece of software that adds new features or functionality to a WordPress website. Plug-Ins can do amazing things to and for your Website.  There are plug-ins to do and automate pretty much everything you need to keep your Website functioning and accessible.  All you have to do is Install and Activate. You use WordPress Plug-ins for: - SEO - Security - Social media integration - Forms - Ecommerce - Analytics - And much more! Plug-Ins I Currently Use: Keep in mind this site is still fairly new, so there may be more to add or maybe take away.  We'll see what pans out and I'll keep you updated. Accelerated Mobile Pages (AMP) -  Google AMP Project.  Makes your Website faster for Mobile visitors. AIO SEO - All in One SEO Original to WordPress since 2007, Over 3 Million users.  Helps your website rank higher in Search Engines. Aweber for WordPress - Email Marketing, Landing Pages, Forms, Lists, Funnels.  Automate and increase Traffic. Bing Webmaster URL Submission- Allows submission to Bing Webmaster Tools (Bing and Yahoo) Blog2Social -Manually or Auto post to Social Media Platforms (see my Review) Canva - Use full features of Canva in Edit Screen. Elementor - Block Editor, Drag & Drop Past or Post Create or Edit Google Analytics - Monster Insights - 3 Million Users, Most popular Google Analytics Plug-In for WordPress.  How People find & use your Website. Google Sitemap XML - Create a Sitemap for Search Engines to Crawl IndexNow - Shares all posts & pages (create, update, delete) to Search Engines without need to register or verify site. Kraken Image Optimizer - World's Most Advanced Image Optimization Solution.  Optimize WordPress images. Lara's Google Analytics (GA4) - GA4 Dashboard pTypeConverter - Convert Pages to Posts and visa versa Site Kit by Google - Everything Google. This is a complete list of what I'm using today on this site.  Nothing shady happening here, lol.  I recommend these few Plug-Ins at the very least to get your site up and running with ease.  My site is not a E-Commerce site so I don't have any monitization Plug-Ins. Other Plug-Ins Obviously, there are 1,000's more that I could sift thru and probably add or replace one here or there.  There are other Plug-Ins that I would definitely use if the circumstance called for it. WooCommerce - Monetized sites.  Comes with a whole suite of Plug-in for Social Media Platforms and all the necessary forms and pages you need for monitization.   Facebook, Packing Slips, Storefronts, Carts, Paypal, etc. WordPress  has many conveniences built into it including Landing Pages, WPForms, WPCodes, etc. As you know, I'm still learning, On the Job Training, and I'm still listening to every bit of advice and information I can get from Articles and Videos.  If your part of a Program, it more than likely has a list of Plug-Ins they recommend, if not, they should have a Chat room where you can ask questions and get advice. Keep in Mind that not all Plug-Ins are Good Plug-Ins for Your Site A few months ago I installed a particular Plug-In, I honestly don't remember the name,  but it lockced up my site.  Thank God for the Best Site Support in history, it was fixed quickly.  But still causes us to pause, and reminds us to review everything  you do. Your Theme can cause a Plug-In to flip out. or the other way around.   I installed a Plug-In that my Theme was not compatible with.  Of course I didn't know that till I did it. So on the soft side:  Mine was fixed within 30 minutes or less.  So if you have good Site Support no Problem. Final Thoughts As with everything Online or in the world, research the plug-ins and/or consult an expert.  Even with the best advice and research things can still go wrong, be sure to back up your site before  making any major changes. I hoped you found this Post helpful, and educational in a few of the WordPress Plug-Ins.  As I said these are the Plug-Ins that I currently use.  Each change to your Site creates a new piece of the Vision  you have of your success.  Plug-Ins are big part of that. If you have questions or comments or maybe your own Plug-In suggestion, please leave it below.  I'm looking forward to having a conversation with you. Thank you for sharing your time with me. GmaKelly Read the full article

[financialsecrets]

WordPress Plug-Ins / What Are They?

Hello GmaKelly here to talk about WordPress Plug-ins. There are a gazillion Plug-ins that do all kinds of things automating this and that.  These are the Plug-ins I'm currently using on this site.  I'm this will need to be updated, possibly Monthly.  So....... WordPress Plug-Ins - What are They? A WordPress plugin is a piece of software that adds new features or functionality to a WordPress website. Plug-Ins can do amazing things to and for your Website.  There are plug-ins to do and automate pretty much everything you need to keep your Website functioning and accessible.  All you have to do is Install and Activate. You use WordPress Plug-ins for: - SEO - Security - Social media integration - Forms - Ecommerce - Analytics - And much more! Plug-Ins I Currently Use: Keep in mind this site is still fairly new, so there may be more to add or maybe take away.  We'll see what pans out and I'll keep you updated. Accelerated Mobile Pages (AMP) -  Google AMP Project.  Makes your Website faster for Mobile visitors. AIO SEO - All in One SEO Original to WordPress since 2007, Over 3 Million users.  Helps your website rank higher in Search Engines. Aweber for WordPress - Email Marketing, Landing Pages, Forms, Lists, Funnels.  Automate and increase Traffic. Bing Webmaster URL Submission- Allows submission to Bing Webmaster Tools (Bing and Yahoo) Blog2Social -Manually or Auto post to Social Media Platforms (see my Review) Canva - Use full features of Canva in Edit Screen. Elementor - Block Editor, Drag & Drop Past or Post Create or Edit Google Analytics - Monster Insights - 3 Million Users, Most popular Google Analytics Plug-In for WordPress.  How People find & use your Website. Google Sitemap XML - Create a Sitemap for Search Engines to Crawl IndexNow - Shares all posts & pages (create, update, delete) to Search Engines without need to register or verify site. Kraken Image Optimizer - World's Most Advanced Image Optimization Solution.  Optimize WordPress images. Lara's Google Analytics (GA4) - GA4 Dashboard pTypeConverter - Convert Pages to Posts and visa versa Site Kit by Google - Everything Google. This is a complete list of what I'm using today on this site.  Nothing shady happening here, lol.  I recommend these few Plug-Ins at the very least to get your site up and running with ease.  My site is not a E-Commerce site so I don't have any monitization Plug-Ins. Other Plug-Ins Obviously, there are 1,000's more that I could sift thru and probably add or replace one here or there.  There are other Plug-Ins that I would definitely use if the circumstance called for it. WooCommerce - Monetized sites.  Comes with a whole suite of Plug-in for Social Media Platforms and all the necessary forms and pages you need for monitization.   Facebook, Packing Slips, Storefronts, Carts, Paypal, etc. WordPress  has many conveniences built into it including Landing Pages, WPForms, WPCodes, etc. As you know, I'm still learning, On the Job Training, and I'm still listening to every bit of advice and information I can get from Articles and Videos.  If your part of a Program, it more than likely has a list of Plug-Ins they recommend, if not, they should have a Chat room where you can ask questions and get advice. Keep in Mind that not all Plug-Ins are Good Plug-Ins for Your Site A few months ago I installed a particular Plug-In, I honestly don't remember the name,  but it lockced up my site.  Thank God for the Best Site Support in history, it was fixed quickly.  But still causes us to pause, and reminds us to review everything  you do. Your Theme can cause a Plug-In to flip out. or the other way around.   I installed a Plug-In that my Theme was not compatible with.  Of course I didn't know that till I did it. So on the soft side:  Mine was fixed within 30 minutes or less.  So if you have good Site Support no Problem. Final Thoughts As with everything Online or in the world, research the plug-ins and/or consult an expert.  Even with the best advice and research things can still go wrong, be sure to back up your site before  making any major changes. I hoped you found this Post helpful, and educational in a few of the WordPress Plug-Ins.  As I said these are the Plug-Ins that I currently use.  Each change to your Site creates a new piece of the Vision  you have of your success.  Plug-Ins are big part of that. If you have questions or comments or maybe your own Plug-In suggestion, please leave it below.  I'm looking forward to having a conversation with you. Thank you for sharing your time with me. GmaKelly Read the full article

[calvinsmovingcompanyblog-blog]

How to Use SEO for Your Local Plumbing Service

SEO, or Search Engine Optimization, can be used to dramatically increase the visibility of your local plumbing service and website in search engine results. This article will show you how to use SEO to take full advantage of this powerful marketing strategy. You’ll discover what benefits it can provide, the types of on-page optimization to focus on, and much more! Let’s get started!

 What is SEO?

SEO stands for Search Engine Optimization and it is the process of getting your business found on search engines. You can do this by making sure you have a website that has your keywords in the title, description, and URL. You should also optimize all content on your site with keywords and use social media to let people know about your site. If you want more information about how to use SEO for your local plumbing service, contact our team today!

 What are the benefits of using SEO for my plumbing business?

SEO stands for Search Engine Optimization. It is a process of increasing the number of visitors to your website by getting it higher on search engine result pages (SERPS). The benefits of using SEO are numerous and include increased website traffic, improved customer retention, and better brand awareness. Having a site that ranks well will also make it easier for you to keep in touch with clients, as they can find you more easily. Most importantly, ranking high in SERPS positions your company as an authority figure in your field. This visibility will help generate new business through word-of-mouth advertising and referrals.

 What are some tips for using SEO?

There are many ways to use SEO for Plumbers for your business, from deciding what keywords you want customers searching on, to optimizing your website so that search engines can find it and rank it well. To make the most of your efforts, start with a keyword list. This is a list of all the words and phrases related to your business that someone might type into a search engine. For example, if you own a car dealership in Houston and wanted people who are looking for cars in Houston or used cars in Houston or dealerships in Houston - you would put those three phrases on your keyword list. Once you have compiled your list of key phrases, plug them into an online keyword tool like Google's Keyword Tool.

 What are some common mistakes made with SEO?

Search engine optimization is the process of improving your website's visibility in search engine results. This involves bringing more visitors to your site, which will make you more money. However, there are some common mistakes made with SEO that can cost you customers and money. Here are some of the most common ones:

-The biggest mistake made by many businesses is not using social media platforms like Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram as a way to promote their business. People spend a lot of time on these websites and if you're not using them as a marketing tool, you're losing out on potential customers! Instead of just talking about your business on Facebook or tweeting every few hours, create posts around holidays and other special occasions when people will be spending more time on their phones or computers.

 How can I get started with SEO for my plumbing business?

Start by doing a Google search on how to use SEO. A quick search will give you plenty of ideas and resources that can get you started. From there, use the following steps:

1) Identify keywords that customers might be searching for in your industry. Consider what words they might enter into a search engine like Google or Bing when looking for products and services like yours. This is called keyword research. It's important to understand customer intent so you don't waste time targeting irrelevant terms.

2) Create content using these keywords with a focus on your target audience's needs and wants. The most successful content helps answer questions about what people want from their plumbing service provider, as well as show them why you're the best company for the job. In other words, it sells! And that means more leads and more revenue for your business. That's where we come in. Our team provides quality plumbing SEO services across the US, including here in Florida, which has some of the most competitive markets nationwide. Contact us today if you need help getting started with plumbing SEO to bring more leads and revenue into your business!

 ATTRACT MORE CUSTOMERS

Your customers are online and looking for your services. If they can't find you, they will go somewhere else. Search engine optimization is the process of making sure that your website shows up when someone searches for your company name or product. The more people who find you through a search engine like Google, the more customers you'll have. That's where we come in. We help plumbing businesses like yours take advantage of local search so their businesses grow faster. You don't need plumbing seo? You do now! Contact us today and we'll get you started with local seo service in usa at competitive prices

[mr-entj]

Top 3 career networking mistakes college students make

Combined with the following asks:

Hi Mr. ENTJ. I found your excellent “top 3 job hunting mistakes” post really insightful. Could you do another post for everyone’s worst nightmare aka professional networking with strangers? Tips and tricks you recommend would be much appreciated!

Dos and dont’s of networking for someone who is entering college? I cann’t stress how this blog helps me with my anxieties about joining the job market especially in this screwed up Covid situation. You’re really a blessing and I hope you know that

Hello Mr. ENTJ. What are some annoying things you would recommend we NOT do while we are networking because I have this constant fear I’m being annoying and bothering people when I want to talk to them so I’d like to avoid doing these as well. Thank you

Related answers:

Tag: networking

Top 3 job hunting mistakes college students make

Resume and Cover Letter Guide

Job interview tips

Job hunting 101

1. They only start networking when they need something

Now why would this be a problem? Allow me to demonstrate:

“Hi! My name is Mr. ENTJ. I know we just met, you don’t know much about me, and we have absolutely no relationship but GIVE ME A REFERRAL BECAUSE I DESPERATELY NEED A JOB. THANKS.”

Newsflash: People don’t enjoy being used and they can see right through this behavior. If you network for the purpose of getting something out of someone, then you’re doing it wrong, because you’ve given them no incentive to help due to the simple fact you have nothing to offer them in return. If you do choose to treat networking as a business transaction, then at least have relevant skills, experience, networks, and tangible benefits to provide. 

Otherwise, networking should be done nonstop throughout your college career and the rest of your life-- it’s not a one-time event that you buy a ticket to attend. The family you’re related to, the people you go to school with, the professors you learn from, the TAs and staff you interact with, the colleagues you work beside, the managers you report to, the clients you serve, and the friends of friends of friends you come in contact with-- these are all part of your network. Manage your personal brand by building a reputation for excellence because every interaction contributes (or subtracts) to that. Remember that real life interactions with people, creating real memories, and building real bonds are infinitely more powerful than anything the internet can ever artificially create. Build, invest, and nurture your network in real life-- it will serve you well beyond your professional career.

Key Takeaway: Start early, build relationships organically and naturally, and go into networking with the intent of gaining knowledge and building bonds so that you can be happy even if you get nothing out of it.

2. They treat other people like search engines 

This generation grew up with Google, Yahoo, and Bing where questions can be typed in and answers are spit out in 1 second flat. This dynamic has severely damaged the concept of hustling-- many people don’t know how to search, scrap, and grind to get what they want anymore because they expect that something or someone will hand them the answer. It can make people lazy, inept, and borderline entitled. The first question I ask someone when they want something from me is this: “What has your research already told you? What work have you already invested into your problem?” Before you ask someone a question, be ready to explain what you’ve already done to deserve the answer. Be specific about your goals, well-researched with your information, and deliberate in your interactions with other people while networking to avoid wasting their time. This conveys that you’re serious about your goals and motivated to achieve them.

Additionally, make sure you ask the right questions. Here’s the one thing I drill into the head of every student I advise: The most valuable type of information that networking and personal relationships can give you is what you can’t find on the internet. Don’t ask people basic searchable questions like “How do I become a software engineer?” This is a waste of time. Ask them instead about their personal experiences, their challenges, their tips and tricks, their pearls of wisdom, tough lessons, and the things that surprised them along their journey. These are things you won’t find on the internet and that will give you the greatest advantage. If it’s searchable on the internet, then everyone will know it but if it’s only discoverable through private conversations, then only you and few others may know it. Don’t treat people like search engines, treat them like individuals who can provide a wealth of knowledge through their personal experiences. 

Key Takeaway: Subject matter experts are here to supplement your knowledge, not provide it because they’re not paid professors. Make it as easy as possible for people to tell you what you want to know by looking for the answers first and then asking them things that can’t be easily found on the internet.

3. They don’t maintain the relationship

Self-explanatory. Don’t let relationships go cold or else you risk making mistake #1. 

The easiest way to keep in touch with people is social media and with the current state of the world everyone is more plugged into the internet now than they’ve ever been before. You don’t need to inundate someone with constant communication but a comment here, a like there, a group message occasionally, a congratulations from time to time, and a happy birthday at least once a year helps stay engaged with people in your network. 

Key Takeaway: Keep in touch. That’s it. That’s the message.

[thestarcried]

starting tonight i will no longer be using tumblr

the history of thestarcried

it has been a ride. i remember first being hooked onto reblogging and searching my interests on this site back in middle school. it fueled my emo phase, that’s for sure. i ‘navigated’ the site under my name (which is like a bad thing to do. never do that lol. i even made the domain of my account my semi-full name. do NOT do that, youngings.) 

a couple years later, i created a multi-fandom account for anime and made some amazing mutuals, learned more about editing, and discovered some breathtaking art. this era, i went under plenty of names ranging from cielkane, noya(something) [i honestly don’t remember at all] and i still have itobio saved... hopefully no one will want it because i’m too lazy to give it up.  

then i went under vvons and itsmolstar. vvons was an era alright...

i also learned a tiny bit of coding without thinking about it because of how the HMTL works for our blogs. another couple years later, i deactivated that account as well as my other accounts (or changed the username) and started this one where i freely posted and reblogged what i liked: no theme, no niche, just whatever. basically, i went full circle to what i did when i first started minus reposting googled images without any artists’ consent... hey, middle school me didn’t know any better!

reason for staying

i initially wanted to leave back in 2018. i even made a huge post at the end of 2017 talking about leaving that you can find here; i stayed just for the sake of having a site that didn’t take itself so seriously. a dear friend of mine also told me that he had an account so i thought tumblr would be an interesting medium to get to know him better.

ironically, i think tumblr is the closet of social media: you hide away into your real self and express things you wouldn’t normally express on twitter or instagram because not many, if anyone at all, know of your tumblr account. i say this through my own experiences.

reason for dipping

being inactive and only hopping on every once in a blue moon is a sign that i should drop this site. plus, having too many social media accounts isn’t healthy (more or less). i realized that if i don’t feel an urge to check tumblr like i do for other apps, then i should leave.

however, i’m not going to deactivate. that way, anything that was posted on this “blog,” including this message can remain on here. i will remove links that lead to my other social media for the sake of privacy but will keep some pictures. (kind of goes against the privacy claim but whatever. it’s on the internet, it’s there forever anyways.)

acknowledgements

i’m not sure who among my mutuals on here still use this but i will mention some of them. i greatly appreciate the following people:

james (@gaymiscreant) - we genuinely became friends because of tumblr and that idea is just wild to me. we still need to meet up!! when it is safe to do so, yes pleaseee. i still have that birthaday painting i made for you like a couple years ago. :}x we’ll be moving our friendship onto ig... vardan (@atwubis) - we actually know each other irl so this isn’t goodbye but it was really fun sharing posts with you... even though you did most of that because i was never on. it’s nice to be thought of when looking at something. i love you, friend viria (@viria) - we’re not mutuals but your art is AMAZING @birdsons - for you’re funny and aesthetic posts. we never talked but i remember just admiring you for the longest tiime.

there are those from my anime blog days who i either don’t know their urls or they don’t use tumblr anymore but that includes tania and carmen - two wonderful people who i couldn’t believe were my mutuals. (like i was mutuals with people with thousands of followers... i couldn’t get passed 300 if i remember) <- plug that in the “reason for dipping” because numbers really didn’t matter. luckily i outgrew that.

just like i outgrew this site.

it’s time to FLY.

take care of yourselves and never settle or compromise who you are. for anyone. not even yourself. you are loved; you are important; and you matter.

((p.s. feel free to roam on my blog for the music. thestarcried.tumblr.com/tagged/music or the wikiplayer i have attached to my blog aha.))

[hazthediv]

Here’s to New Friendships

Hey guys! So I received this request like a year ago or something on my main blog but I wasn’t taking requests at the moment so I never wrote anything... but yeah hope you enjoy!

*The picture is not mine, I found it on google

Request:  Can you write a Harrison X reader? The reader is a new roommate to a friend of Harrison. He first meets the reader at a coffee shops where she introduces herself, because she's new in town. Later in the day he goes to his friends place unaware of that she's his new roommate. He starts to talk about her to him and she comes out of her room and listens to him talking about her with his back turned against her, you can continue from there. Thx!<3

Requested by: @my-unique-mind

Word Count: 2.3K

Warnings: An awkward meeting and some alcohol consumption

-

The rain’s splattering on the coffee shop’s windows was the most soothing thing you had experienced in the last few days. Moving to London had been a tough decision but so thrilling at the same time. You loved London. Everything about it: the people, the architecture, the life of the city… but you didn’t have much friends. Yet. You planned on making friends, lots of them. Where you came from you had been a loner with only two or three friends from work but that was over. It was time to open up to the world and make some real friendships. Not that fictional characters weren’t good friends but whatever…

Your name was called and you moved to get your coffee. The cup was warm, the cold in your fingers finally going away as you looked around the room to find an empty table. Only to realize there wasn’t any of them.

You began walking towards the door but when the rain doubled up you decided to wait until it calmed before going outside. You turned back around to search for a place, hoping maybe someone would be kind enough to let you sit with them. Your eyes landed on a handsome guy, about your age, who was sitting alone at a table for two, a laptop in front of him.

You took a deep breath, trying to find the courage to go sit next to the guy. That’s when his eyes looked up from his laptop and you could feel your heart stopping in your chest. Never in your life had you seen such a striking gaze.

You looked down to your coffee cup, taking a sip, trying to act as if you hadn’t been caught staring. When your gaze trailed back to the guy, you noticed he had resumed his attention on his laptop. It was now or never.

You hesitantly began walking towards his table, mentally rehearsing what you would tell him. Only to realize then that didn’t have a single clue as to what to say. But it was too late, you were now next to his table and he was looking up at you.

“Hey there”, he said, a smile softly spreading on his lips.

“Uh, hi”, you replied, blush creeping its way on your cheeks as you stuttered the rest of your sentence. “Do you… uh you… do you mind if I… I sit here?”

The guy raised his brows. “I’m sorry, what?”

“Can I sit here?” you asked, this time not stuttering. “There isn’t any other free place so…”

“Yeah, of course.”

He smiled as you nodded and sat down, resting your cup on the table. You took your phone from your pocket, hesitating between asking him his name or to just ignore him. You could feel his burning stare on you though, so you figured you should strike a conversation.

“So uh, what are you up to?” you enquired, looking up to meet his gaze.

He glanced at his computer. “Just reading the script of my new movie.”

Your eyes went round as you realized what that meant. “Oh! You’re an actor.”

The guy chuckled. “Well, yeah, I am.”

Your curiosity was piqued. “Have I seen you in something?”

The guy took a sip of his own drink, shaking his head no. “I doubt you did, I haven’t been in anything big yet.”

“Oh”, you let out. “But you’ve been cast in a new movie? That’s good news.”

“Yeah! It’s actually a bigger role for once, I’m really happy I got the part.”

“What is it?” you enquired, taking a sip of your coffee which was still a little too hot to be drunk but you didn’t mind the burning. It made you forget how his gaze was burning in yours right now.

“Unfortunately, I can’t talk about it”, the guy admitted.

“And yet you’re reading the script in a public space.”

He laughed, the sound sending shivers down your spine. An awkward silence grew between the two of you and you looked down at your coffee.

“So, new here?” he enquired.

You nodded, a chuckle falling from your lips. “What gave it away?”

“I recognize pretty much everyone that comes to this coffee shop”, the guy explained. “Didn’t recognize you.”

“Well, I moved here just a couple of days ago”, you said.

“Oh, you did! Where from?”

“Manchester.”                    

Another silence grew as both of you took sips from your coffees. The guy than spoke again.

“And what’s bringing you to London?”

You thought about it for a moment, not really knowing the answer. “I don’t know, I’ve always wanted to come to London and uh… I just decided to give it a shot.”

“You made a good decision, London’s fun”, the guy smiled. He glanced at his computer for a moment and then his gaze found yours again. “Actually, I have to go but it was really nice meeting you.”

Your heart sank a little in your chest as you watched him get up. “Uh, yeah, nice meeting you too.”

“I’ll see you around?” he asked as he put his laptop in his backpack.

“Of course”, you answered, your smile finding its way back on your lips.

“Lovely.”

You watched the guy leave, only realizing then that you hadn’t asked him what his name was. Crap.

You finished your coffee as you scrolled through your social media, the guy still on your mind. He was handsome, definitely really handsome, and you couldn’t believe that you had had the courage to actually speak to him. And he had said that he would see you around, so that was a good sign, right?

When your coffee was finished, you returned the cup to the barista and then made your way outside, where it still was raining but not as much as before. You watched your feet as you walked, shivering when a cold gush of wind caught in your hair. You were lucky the walk to your flat wasn’t a long one or else you’d have turned to a block of ice before getting there.

“Hey, I’m back!” you yelled from the hall as you took off your shoes.

Your roommate, Tuwaine, walked out of his room. “Took a shower in the streets, I see.”

“Shut up, T”, you laughed. “It’s raining.”

You moved to your room, knowing you had to change if you didn’t want to catch a cold.

“Hey, some mates are coming later tonight, we’re thinking about going clubbing, wanna come?” Tuwaine yelled from somewhere else in the flat.

That was the perfect occasion to make some friends. “Yeah, of course!” you yelled back.

If you were to go clubbing, you had to take a shower. You foraged through one of the boxes you hadn’t unpacked yet, knowing your “clubbing” clothes were in there somewhere. You found a pink crop-top with a low V-neck, your favourite actually, and a smile stretched your lips. This was going to be perfect.

You grabbed a pair of black leggings too and then went through your underwear box to find something somewhat sexy just in case you were to maybe meet someone special. You then made your way to the bathroom, taking a long warm shower to suppress the cold you had been feeling from walking in the rain. When you stepped out of the shower, you could hear some muffled talking from somewhere else in the flat, most likely from the living room.

You got dressed, walking the short distance to your room before putting some make-up on. You wanted to be your best self when you’d meet Tuwaine’s friends. Once you were done, you plugged in your phone so it’d be fully charged when you’d leave and you walked out of your room.

You made your way to the kitchen, the voices you had heard earlier becoming louder as you were closer to the living room. You could clearly hear what they were saying now. You warmed up some leftovers as you inadvertently listened to the conversation.

“So I was reading the script and I saw this girl standing alone”, a male voice said, somewhat familiar.

“Was she hot?” another familiar voice asked.

“Shut up, Tom, let Haz speak”, Tuwaine said.

“Sorry, sorry”, the second voice, probably Tom, replied.

“So”, the first voice resumed. “I didn’t really look at the girl but like not even a minute later she came up to me and asked if she could sit with me. It was kinda really awkward but we talked a little. She seemed nice but I had to go so I didn’t really get to talk to her a lot. It’s only when I left that I realized I didn’t even ask for...”

The beeping of the microwave brought you back to reality and you stopped listening to the conversation, taking the meal out of the microwave instead. You burned your hand on the plate so you put it down on the counter, rinsing your hand with cold water to make the stinging of the burn go away.

“Y/n!” Tuwaine’s voice yelled from the living room. “Come ‘ere.”

You noticed an opened beer pack on the table and you realized that Tuwaine and his mates had already begun drinking. You took a beer and grabbed the plate and a fork before making your way to the living room.

“I’m telling you, she was really pretty but…” the first voice was saying but he stopped when you walked in.

It was the guy from the coffee shop. And he had been talking about you. You stopped in your tracks, your mind going blank as your gaze got caught up in the guy’s gaze.

“So, this is Y/n, my new roommate”, Tuwaine said. “Y/n, this is Tom and uh, this is Haz.”

There was a moment of silence until you looked away from the guy from the coffee shop, Haz, to look at the other guy, who was none other than Spider-Man. Better known as Tom Holland.

“Hey guys”, you said as you felt your cheeks burning.

This was a lot to take in. You knew Tuwaine was friends with Tom and Haz, he had talked about them before. Never in a million years would you have thought that Tuwaine was going to invite you on a night out with them.

Your eyes trailed back to the guy from the coffee shop, who had a pink tint on his cheeks.

“Hey, Y/n”, he finally said. “Nice to actually know your name now.”

Tuwaine and Tom turned to look at Haz, their brows knit together.

“What did you just say?” Tom enquired.

“Wait”, Tuwaine said at the same time. “Y/n’s the girl from the coffee shop?” he asked.

Haz chuckled, nodding. “Didn’t know she was your roommate.”

“No way”, Tom said and he burst out laughing. “She probably heard everything you just said…”

Haz hit Tom on the arm as his cheeks turned a dark shade of red. “Shut up, you dickhead.”

The guys playfully started fighting and you sat down on the only empty couch, which was the loveseat your grand-parents had given you when they had learned that you were finally moving out of your parents’ house.

You started eating, your plate monopolizing your attention as you didn’t want to look up at the guys who were now talking about something else but you weren’t following the conversation at all.

You opened your beer, taking a sip and finally you were able to relax a little. You looked up from your plate to catch Haz’s gaze and your cheeks burned but you didn’t look away. You smiled gently and Haz smiled back as his own cheeks turned red.

Actually, you were happy that he was here. Because now you knew his name and you even were going to go out with him. Here’s to new friendships, right?

Later that night, somewhere between 1 and 2 am, you found yourself sitting alone next to Haz. The night had been fun, really, but Tuwaine had thrown up a little earlier and Tom and he had left to go to the bathroom and hadn’t come back yet.

“Didn’t expect to see you at Tuwaine’s”, Haz said, his pretty eyes finding yours.

“Me neither”, you laughed. “Was kinda startling to see you sitting in my living room.”

His laugh echoed in your ears, a sound so beautiful you made it your mission to make him laugh as much as possible.

“I was shook too”, he admitted. “You look great, by the way.”

You turned into a blushing mess as you looked down at the empty drink you had been holding for the last fifteen minutes. “Oh uh, thanks, you too actually.”

Haz chuckled. “Need a refill?”

You looked up at him and he was already looking at you and his eyes were so pretty and was he leaning to kiss you or was that just you?

Your eyes fluttered close as his face got closer to you and when his lips touched yours, it was like a firework had ignited in your heart. He cupped your cheek gently, kissing you softly. You kissed him back. His lips tasted of alcohol and of something sweeter, something like honey.

He deepened the kiss and you boldly bit at his bottom lips. He let out a soft grunt and suddenly, you became very aware of his hand on your thigh. When had it gotten there?

“Get a room”, Tom yelled as he came back from the bathroom to the sight of th two of you kissing.

You and Haz pulled away and you tried to catch your breath as Haz mumbled something about Tom being a div.

For the rest of the night, whenever you and Haz were alone your lips found his as he pulled you closer. Each time that gained you a snarky remark from Tom or Tuwaine but you didn’t mind, not one bit. Haz was the sweetest thing you had tasted in your whole life and you sure as hell weren’t going to stop.

Here’s to new friendships, right?

-

Hope you enjoyed! Leave some feedback or a request of your own here!

I’m going to start a taglist for the fics/requests I post on here so shoot me an ask if want to be on it! I’m tagging some people to make sure it doesn’t go unnoticed!

@h-osterfield | @stealth-spiderr | @hazhasmycoffee | @hazownsmyass | @the-quackson-claxon | @starksparker | @madmadmilk | @hollandroos

[skookworks]

Gallery: Delta Green

Most of my RPG illustration work has been for Call of Cthulhu related projects. That’s the result of intention and good luck and accident.

The Intention part happened in the year 2000. I submitted some illustrations to the Delta Green website. Delta Green was a Call of Cthulhu RPG set in modern times – the late 199os. Most CoC games are set in the 1920s/1930s, the time the original stories were written and set. I discovered Delta Green in 1999 when I working at Half Price Books. I was the buyer when a customer sold us his collection of RPG manuals. In the buy was Delta Green and its sequel Delta Green: Countdown. I bought those books for myself. I loved the ideas behind the setting. It updated the Cthulhu Mythos for the late Twentieth Century in ways that surprised and delighted me. It created a means and a reason for investigators to, well, investigate the horrors from beyond.

I’d wanted to illustrate RPGs but didn’t have much of a portfolio of examples to show. I found the Delta Green site early the next year. I don’t think it had a way to send submissions and I don’t think they were asking for any. What it did have was a way to submit fan art and writing. So I worked up three illustrations (see the follow gallery) and submitted them. They got posted. No one from Delta Green contacted me.

Oh well.

Two years later those illustrations got me work at The Black Seal. But that’s another post.

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The original photoshop files of these illustrations are, possibly, residing on an old back up drive. It’s formated for Mac and I currently use a PC so I haven’t tried plugging it in. A lot of the work I did in the first ten years of this century was done on a Mac. The art always started as graphite and ink on paper and then had photoshop magic applied to it. I’ve got the original drawings in big metal flat files but the art that got published looks different.

Earlier this year I realized that I’d sent most of those illustrations to the editors and publishers via email and I’ve never deleted any personal emails. So I’ve tracked down a lot of that older art and will be showing it in future galleries. I found the two black and white illustrations in the above gallery in my emails.

The first three images, however, I couldn’t locate in my gmail archive. AOL has long since deleted all my old emals. At first they didn’t appear to be on the current Delta Green site but, after doing some obsessive google searching and some sort of back door poking around on DG I found them in an archive. Huzzah!

Story Seed #54 The Time Line AntiDefense League

There are a lot of stories that feature some sort of organization whose mission is to defend the “correct” timeline, to make sure that history works itself out the way that it is “supposed to”. Bleah. How about an organization whose mission is to create timelines where history works itself out in the best ways for the most people?

Recommendation

Beeple. This person’s art started showing up in my tumblr feed, shared by other folks I followed. It was weird and creepy so I subscribed to his feed. He posts an image a day, every day.

Also, the Growing Up / Overnight Kickstarter concludes on the 30th. If you’ve been putting off backing it. please jump in.

Local News

Last week, in one of our stand up meetings at USPS, we were reminded that we, the letter carriers were not supposed to talk to the press. That if a member of the press attempted to engage us in conversation we were to refer him/her to management. Also, while we were in uniform, we were not to engage in political discussions with anyone lest they assume that our views represented those of the USPS. We were also to be careful not to express politcal opinions on social media in such a way as to lead people to believe that our views represented those of the USPS.

Sigh.

To be clear, anything I write here about my job at USPS is just my experience and my opinion. I like to assume that those of you who read these newsletters recognize this but, on the off chance you don’t, I AM NOT A REPRESENTATIVE OF THE POST OFFICE. I’m just a guy who works there. In my opinion, the USPS can’t actually have an opinion since it’s an organization. Organizations are not people. The people in charge of organizations may claim that their opinion represents the opinion of the organization but that’s just a fiction.

Anyway.

The most interesting part about the day job right now is that I have a new T6. USPS delivers mail six days a week. Regular carriers work and deliver theri route five days a week. A T6 is the person who delivers the route on the regular carrier’s day off. My last T6 had medical issues that prevented them from delivering my route on a regular basis. My new T6 is healthy and detail oriented. More detail oriented than I am, actually. And that’s good. It means I’m updating labels in mailboxes and doing maintenance on my route that I’d let slide. I keep most of my customer changes in my head. Having another person who has to regularly work my route reminds me that I should communicate customer changes in clear, written methods. It’s only polite.

We’ve also moved our start time from 7 am to 7:30 am. I’m not a fan but I’m adjusting.

I’ve left my alarm at 4 am. I get up. Drink coffee Write. Do computer art or make products in either my Zazzle or my Redbubble stores. I’ve updated my various websites to include a “store” page with links to each. This week I spent most of my store time working on an Oz Squad collection for Zazzle. Oz Squad is Steve Ahlquist’s creature but, as a fan and sometime collaborator, I try to find ways to keep the brand active.

Oz Squad Land of Oz

by Skookworks

In the evenings, once we’ve finished dinner and our spot of television, I work on physical art. Right now I’m doing pirate sketches. More about that when the project can be talked about publically.

Thank you for dropping by. Remember that life has always been insane. Look out for yourself and your friends. That’s where sanity and security dwells.

See you next week!

Tuesday Night Party Club #34 Gallery: Delta Green Most of my RPG illustration work has been for Call of Cthulhu related projects.

[volkovprvncezz]

Small Business Marketing Ideas Tips and Tools

When you consider marketing you consider advertising blocks on sites and billboards or television. These are the conventional methods because they are effective and you may see results fast. You can also eliminate money fast in the event you make a mistake. 

As a small business you want to get organized and keep track of your successes and failures and set budgets so. Knowing where the holes on your boat are often permits you to plug them. Free forms of advertisements such as getting your website to the top of Google using SEO can be quite lucrative but take a whole lot of time and effort to accomplish, so have to be considered very carefully. 

Obviously your whole plan requires careful attention, but lengthy projects can occasionally meet shipwreck before conclusion and become useless. You can not afford to sink months into a project only to need to pull the budget out of it and transfer it to something else because then it is a sunk cost that you are not likely to see a return. 

Tips and Ideas: Divide test. By testing two distinct copies of a similar site, alternating each hour or day, you can see which one is more successful. There are some people who claim this is the trick to marketing and I concur that it ranks right up there. 

Give people a reason to talk about you. Just having a fantastic product won't suffice . It must be unusual and remarkable to make people speak. Doing work in the area can give people in the community reason to speak and get the papers to take notice. 

Obviously events like this have to be ready and relevant people contacted ahead, so that you may cause a buzz. Write an authoritative source that individuals can download on the topic which will assist with your clients tasks and then inform a site you're giving it away for free if they'll link to it or review it.

If the site is large enough and has enough customers you may cover them to review it. Users on the internet enjoy seeking information. Your source will help build trust. The more you are able to interact with your online visitors the better, you need to discover their problems so that you can help resolve them. 

You will need to make that discussion as easy as possible, because people are in the click mindset you can not expect them to complete lengthy forms. I have seen people who have contact emails in their websites, but 90 percent of people won't bother to figure out exactly what they would like to write let alone actually send the email.

You have got to fill out as much as possible for these people so that it becomes as close to simply clicking on a button as possible. Tools: Like every market marketing was touched by the computing motion. Drawing advertisements can now be accelerated with tools like Adobe Photoshop. 

What does this mean to your small business however. Marketing is a massive topic that also influences product choice and design. It is made of components each of which has tools that permit you to accelerate the procedure. One of the things you will probably find helpful is a subscription to a keyword research tool to permit you to find out what your potential clients are looking for and in what quantity.

Small Business Advertising Ideas - Tips to Advertise Your Small Business For Free

Promotion is one of the important components of any business - large or small. Of course, in case you've got a small business, or you're just starting, it is also possible to adjust your advertising to just how much your business can cater. 

Of course, it's also sensible to begin with free ways to market your business. Really, there are ways to promote your business without price, thus if you're still beginning, you can benefit from these advertising ideas at no cost. 

If you're searching for small business advertising ideas where you can market your business at no cost, here are some suggestions that you may consider. Proceed to the internet. 

Yes, it could be tricky to market for free in newspapers or tv, but you can do lots of things to market your small business online. Really, if you know what to do, then you can market your business online with no price. 

Here are the lists of what you can do:

- Create a free website for your business. You can actually register for a free site online and begin talking about your business, provide information to the audiences and market your product. 

- Exchange links with other sites which are related to your business. For those who have a house staging business, you may want to join and exchange links with sites about real estate or interior decoration. If you are making wedding invitations, swap links with sites with wedding niches. 

- Compose general information articles about the business that you're in. If you're into wedding invitations, you can write articles about wedding preparations or wedding etiquettes. You may then submit these into article submission sites which permit you to set the links of your site. 

- Use social networking websites. Social networking sites are popular nowadays and they also provide a fantastic opportunity to produce a page for your business and make it possible for you to create a group that could be your potential customers. Indeed, this social media wave nowadays can be great sources of small business advertising ideas also. 

- Introduce your business in forums. People online love to see forums because these are often great avenues to talk about anything and everything under the sun. From gadgets to forums, relationships are often a free service where you can register and begin to go over with other online readers. If you can provide other good inputs, it is simple to present to them your business also. 

[foyil420-blog]

WordPress Plug-Ins / What Are They?

Hello GmaKelly here to talk about WordPress Plug-ins. There are a gazillion Plug-ins that do all kinds of things automating this and that.  These are the Plug-ins I'm currently using on this site.  I'm this will need to be updated, possibly Monthly.  So....... WordPress Plug-Ins - What are They? A WordPress plugin is a piece of software that adds new features or functionality to a WordPress website. Plug-Ins can do amazing things to and for your Website.  There are plug-ins to do and automate pretty much everything you need to keep your Website functioning and accessible.  All you have to do is Install and Activate. You use WordPress Plug-ins for: - SEO - Security - Social media integration - Forms - Ecommerce - Analytics - And much more! Plug-Ins I Currently Use: Keep in mind this site is still fairly new, so there may be more to add or maybe take away.  We'll see what pans out and I'll keep you updated. Accelerated Mobile Pages (AMP) -  Google AMP Project.  Makes your Website faster for Mobile visitors. AIO SEO - All in One SEO Original to WordPress since 2007, Over 3 Million users.  Helps your website rank higher in Search Engines. Aweber for WordPress - Email Marketing, Landing Pages, Forms, Lists, Funnels.  Automate and increase Traffic. Bing Webmaster URL Submission- Allows submission to Bing Webmaster Tools (Bing and Yahoo) Blog2Social -Manually or Auto post to Social Media Platforms (see my Review) Canva - Use full features of Canva in Edit Screen. Elementor - Block Editor, Drag & Drop Past or Post Create or Edit Google Analytics - Monster Insights - 3 Million Users, Most popular Google Analytics Plug-In for WordPress.  How People find & use your Website. Google Sitemap XML - Create a Sitemap for Search Engines to Crawl IndexNow - Shares all posts & pages (create, update, delete) to Search Engines without need to register or verify site. Kraken Image Optimizer - World's Most Advanced Image Optimization Solution.  Optimize WordPress images. Lara's Google Analytics (GA4) - GA4 Dashboard pTypeConverter - Convert Pages to Posts and visa versa Site Kit by Google - Everything Google. This is a complete list of what I'm using today on this site.  Nothing shady happening here, lol.  I recommend these few Plug-Ins at the very least to get your site up and running with ease.  My site is not a E-Commerce site so I don't have any monitization Plug-Ins. Other Plug-Ins Obviously, there are 1,000's more that I could sift thru and probably add or replace one here or there.  There are other Plug-Ins that I would definitely use if the circumstance called for it. WooCommerce - Monetized sites.  Comes with a whole suite of Plug-in for Social Media Platforms and all the necessary forms and pages you need for monitization.   Facebook, Packing Slips, Storefronts, Carts, Paypal, etc. WordPress  has many conveniences built into it including Landing Pages, WPForms, WPCodes, etc. As you know, I'm still learning, On the Job Training, and I'm still listening to every bit of advice and information I can get from Articles and Videos.  If your part of a Program, it more than likely has a list of Plug-Ins they recommend, if not, they should have a Chat room where you can ask questions and get advice. Keep in Mind that not all Plug-Ins are Good Plug-Ins for Your Site A few months ago I installed a particular Plug-In, I honestly don't remember the name,  but it lockced up my site.  Thank God for the Best Site Support in history, it was fixed quickly.  But still causes us to pause, and reminds us to review everything  you do. Your Theme can cause a Plug-In to flip out. or the other way around.   I installed a Plug-In that my Theme was not compatible with.  Of course I didn't know that till I did it. So on the soft side:  Mine was fixed within 30 minutes or less.  So if you have good Site Support no Problem. Final Thoughts As with everything Online or in the world, research the plug-ins and/or consult an expert.  Even with the best advice and research things can still go wrong, be sure to back up your site before  making any major changes. I hoped you found this Post helpful, and educational in a few of the WordPress Plug-Ins.  As I said these are the Plug-Ins that I currently use.  Each change to your Site creates a new piece of the Vision  you have of your success.  Plug-Ins are big part of that. If you have questions or comments or maybe your own Plug-In suggestion, please leave it below.  I'm looking forward to having a conversation with you. Thank you for sharing your time with me. GmaKelly Read the full article

[financialsecrets]

WordPress Plug-Ins / What Are They?

Hello GmaKelly here to talk about WordPress Plug-ins. There are a gazillion Plug-ins that do all kinds of things automating this and that.  These are the Plug-ins I'm currently using on this site.  I'm this will need to be updated, possibly Monthly.  So....... WordPress Plug-Ins - What are They? A WordPress plugin is a piece of software that adds new features or functionality to a WordPress website. Plug-Ins can do amazing things to and for your Website.  There are plug-ins to do and automate pretty much everything you need to keep your Website functioning and accessible.  All you have to do is Install and Activate. You use WordPress Plug-ins for: - SEO - Security - Social media integration - Forms - Ecommerce - Analytics - And much more! Plug-Ins I Currently Use: Keep in mind this site is still fairly new, so there may be more to add or maybe take away.  We'll see what pans out and I'll keep you updated. Accelerated Mobile Pages (AMP) -  Google AMP Project.  Makes your Website faster for Mobile visitors. AIO SEO - All in One SEO Original to WordPress since 2007, Over 3 Million users.  Helps your website rank higher in Search Engines. Aweber for WordPress - Email Marketing, Landing Pages, Forms, Lists, Funnels.  Automate and increase Traffic. Bing Webmaster URL Submission- Allows submission to Bing Webmaster Tools (Bing and Yahoo) Blog2Social -Manually or Auto post to Social Media Platforms (see my Review) Canva - Use full features of Canva in Edit Screen. Elementor - Block Editor, Drag & Drop Past or Post Create or Edit Google Analytics - Monster Insights - 3 Million Users, Most popular Google Analytics Plug-In for WordPress.  How People find & use your Website. Google Sitemap XML - Create a Sitemap for Search Engines to Crawl IndexNow - Shares all posts & pages (create, update, delete) to Search Engines without need to register or verify site. Kraken Image Optimizer - World's Most Advanced Image Optimization Solution.  Optimize WordPress images. Lara's Google Analytics (GA4) - GA4 Dashboard pTypeConverter - Convert Pages to Posts and visa versa Site Kit by Google - Everything Google. This is a complete list of what I'm using today on this site.  Nothing shady happening here, lol.  I recommend these few Plug-Ins at the very least to get your site up and running with ease.  My site is not a E-Commerce site so I don't have any monitization Plug-Ins. Other Plug-Ins Obviously, there are 1,000's more that I could sift thru and probably add or replace one here or there.  There are other Plug-Ins that I would definitely use if the circumstance called for it. WooCommerce - Monetized sites.  Comes with a whole suite of Plug-in for Social Media Platforms and all the necessary forms and pages you need for monitization.   Facebook, Packing Slips, Storefronts, Carts, Paypal, etc. WordPress  has many conveniences built into it including Landing Pages, WPForms, WPCodes, etc. As you know, I'm still learning, On the Job Training, and I'm still listening to every bit of advice and information I can get from Articles and Videos.  If your part of a Program, it more than likely has a list of Plug-Ins they recommend, if not, they should have a Chat room where you can ask questions and get advice. Keep in Mind that not all Plug-Ins are Good Plug-Ins for Your Site A few months ago I installed a particular Plug-In, I honestly don't remember the name,  but it lockced up my site.  Thank God for the Best Site Support in history, it was fixed quickly.  But still causes us to pause, and reminds us to review everything  you do. Your Theme can cause a Plug-In to flip out. or the other way around.   I installed a Plug-In that my Theme was not compatible with.  Of course I didn't know that till I did it. So on the soft side:  Mine was fixed within 30 minutes or less.  So if you have good Site Support no Problem. Final Thoughts As with everything Online or in the world, research the plug-ins and/or consult an expert.  Even with the best advice and research things can still go wrong, be sure to back up your site before  making any major changes. I hoped you found this Post helpful, and educational in a few of the WordPress Plug-Ins.  As I said these are the Plug-Ins that I currently use.  Each change to your Site creates a new piece of the Vision  you have of your success.  Plug-Ins are big part of that. If you have questions or comments or maybe your own Plug-In suggestion, please leave it below.  I'm looking forward to having a conversation with you. Thank you for sharing your time with me. GmaKelly Read the full article

[knadire]

Art Theft Committed by CreepypastaDotCom and Chilling Tales for Dark Nights

Hey everybody. I just wanted to tell an important story to anyone out there that’s an artist or a fan of horror media. In the wake of the mess last weekend surrounding Twitter account @RareHorror failing to attribute art they reposted to the creator and having a massive and embarrassing meltdown (which you can read more about here, language warning: http://www.pajiba.com/film_reviews/rare-horrors-twitter-meltdown-ignites-debate-over-artist-rights.php), I want to share a similar experience I’ve been having. It’s going to contain some disturbing (but fake) Photoshops and paintings so I’m sorry in advance if this sort of thing upsets you.

 So about a month ago, while talking with some friends, one of them drew my attention to how the Twitter page for CreepypastaDotCom was tweeting out about a story on their main website using an image that looked a little familiar. There was no credit to be found. After a little digging we realized that it was the work of a rather well known, found footage-style artist who goes by SlimeySwampGhost, which many of us were familiar with. After discovering this, we collectively began filling their comments section with remarks about this lack of attribution. SlimeySwampGhost himself eventually asked for credit.

After a full day with no further response from CreepypastaDotCom, I decided to scroll deeper. I discovered that for the past few months, ALL their Twitter content was made up of uncredited artwork. Every post contained an excerpt, a link to the story it was from, a handful of hashtags, and an uncredited piece of artwork. Through this, I found another account called Chilling Tales for Dark Nights. They themselves are a horror audio drama/narration channel I’ve known about for a while. Not only did they have posts identical to those made on CreepypastaDotCom’s Twitter page, but they had made even MORE promoting their podcasts, audio recordings, and YouTube videos, still using artwork that they had no ownership of.

I want to put it into perspective how much of a profit these websites are making. If you visit CreepypastaDotCom (which I do not recommend), it is filled to bursting with ads. Their most recent story, which is only 1500 words long, contains four standard and one video ad to the right, a banner across the side and bottom, and three built right into the story, between every four paragraphs or so. I have seen an even higher number on longer stories. Though not an exact number, the site Worth of Web estimates that nearly 10 000 people visit CreepypastaDotCom and it earns nearly $150 USD daily. Though their site’s lack of ads is a little less apparent in its source of income, Chilling Tales for Dark Nights offers a subscription service starting at $5 USD a month and capping at $79.99 a year, locking many of their stories and recordings behind a paywall . On top of this, Social Blade estimates their channel earning between $144 and $2.3K USD monthly. These are not small groups making a mistake; these are large companies making the active decision to omit credit, at times going out of their way to do so.

So, I decided to spend a free afternoon going on a little crusade of using a combination of Google Images and other backwards image searching services to find and credit nearly ALL of the art they reposted in their respective comments section.

The most disturbing cases I’ve seen are:

-a few artists that I was able to tag directly that stated that they hadn’t permitted them to use their art nor was it free for anyone to repost or use (at bare minimum without credit)

-multiple artists who were selling the piece they used or others as a print

-several drawings that had logos, names, signatures or watermarks cropped out of the image to even further remove credit

-a handful of concept art from indie games

The most disgusting one I found was an advertisement featured on both Twitter feeds for a book on Amazon by K Banning Kellum. Attached to this was a piece that I discovered was hand painted by François Baranger for a crowdfunded book, cropping out the full resolution to hide the space where the text was meant to be placed. They were using art from an unrelated book to advertise another. Both Banning and Baranger have made statements asking that the advert be taken down.

It took a few hours before I heard any word from either of them. CreepypastaDotCom initially excused all this to Twitter’s word count, citing that their Facebook page properly attributed the specific artist I was referring to (which they mentioned was a “friend” of theirs). I pointed out that though yes, they did credit that very specific artist on that other social media, they failed to do so with a good majority of the art they were sharing, and that they had no issue adding an additional tweet to that chain after I mentioned it but still to none of the others.

Both pages did eventually remove all of the incriminating posts, but not before blocking me immediately after this interaction.

I had this on the back of my mind until a month later, when I decided to check up on both of them after the RareHorror incident occurred. When plugging their most recent text-based stories they began using (what I hope to be) stock photographs, and most of CreepypastaDotCom’s Facebook feed now consists of memes. But all of the images that they had removed on Twitter had not ben touched on this social media page, and I also discovered an Instagram page for Chilling Tales doing the same thing. While going about making similar remarks on these respective pages, I recognized the watermark of Omega Black, who’s work was stolen by them before, directly used in a thumbnail for their podcast, which is one of the ones currently hidden behind their paywall. In fact, a majority of their recent thumbnails on their website, as well as on YouTube, have art done by other people that they have not credited. They only credit the artists that they commission art from, which they can, have, and CONTINUE to do. I have made efforts to properly attribute and ask that they remove these images as many places as I have been able.

In the middle of writing this, CreepypastaDotCom has removed ONLY the post about post about K Banning’s book, leaving up everything else, and has banned me from commenting on their Facebook page any further. Chilling Tales yet to make any sort of statement about this behaviour. Since posting this to Facebook, I have now been officially blocked on both Chilling Tales for Dark Nights and CreepypastaDotCom on there, as well as CTFDN's Instagram. The posts that got the most negative feedback over theft (belong to Francois and OmegaBlack respectively) have all been completely removed, BUT all the others are still there. All my comments linking back to their respective portfolios, ArtStations and DeviantART profiles have been wiped clean and they are left uncredited once more.

In the end I just want this sort of thing to end. It’s not right that these pages are piggybacking off of the artwork of others to generate more interest and clicks, to earn a profit that the original creators will not see a cent of. As an artist myself who has had their art mistaken for free clipart in the past I can’t image what it must be like to have your work used on a much larger scale. So if anyone from the CreepypastaDotCom or Chilling Tales for Dark Nights team is reading this, please consider removing all these. It’s neither legally nor morally right.

If anyone following me is able to, I ask that you consider addressing all this yourselves on your social media of choice. I don’t want any outright harassment, but it seems like as with most large corporations, a large group of people expressing their dissatisfaction is the only way to incite any change. As only one person there’s only so much I’ve been able to do.

Any artists following me should be extremely cautious of who is using your art and for what purpose. If this is happening to anyone I know personally I’ve got your back and I’ll do everything I can to get it removed or appropriately attributed.

If you intend on doing anything like Chilling Tales in the future, even tangentially related, the Creepypasta Wiki is a better while still expansive resource for stories. Here are also some resources you can use for royalty free or public domain photographs and images:

https://pixabay.com/

https://unsplash.com/

https://stocksnap.io/

https://www.pexels.com/

If you want to use art that you like, at least ask permission first. The worst they can say is no, and no response is NOT approval. Credit the artist, and Google Images is not a source.

Below is a list of all the artists I was able to find who’s work has been stolen and left unattributed. It is not completely comprehensive since backwards image searching only goes so far, and as only one person I have only been able to track their posts back to the beginning of January due to their absolutely massive backlog of images.

https://www.deviantart.com/drfaustusau

https://www.facebook.com/creepypastadotcom/photos/a.1890769041170011/2331644373749140/?type=3&theater

 Gary Pullin

https://www.facebook.com/creepypastadotcom/photos/a.1890769041170011/2330164767230434/?type=3&theater

 Joe Webb

https://www.facebook.com/creepypastadotcom/photos/a.1890769041170011/2329562920623952/?type=3&theater

 https://www.deviantart.com/jflaxman

https://www.facebook.com/creepypastadotcom/photos/a.1890769041170011/2328831980697046/?type=3&theater

 *https://www.deviantart.com/koidl

https://www.facebook.com/creepypastadotcom/photos/a.1890769041170011/2326650480915196/?type=3&theater

https://www.facebook.com/creepypastadotcom/photos/a.1890769041170011/2326647174248860/?type=3&theater

https://www.instagram.com/p/BsnqEW_lpsc/

  https://www.deviantart.com/almanegra

https://www.facebook.com/creepypastadotcom/photos/a.1890769041170011/2326866630893581/?type=3&theater

https://www.facebook.com/chillingtalesfordarknights/photos/a.684108731608990/2445654418787737/?type=3&theater

https://www.instagram.com/p/BxYy84xFsc6/

 Masahiro Sawada

https://www.facebook.com/creepypastadotcom/photos/a.1890769041170011/2324896661090578/?type=3&theater

 https://www.deviantart.com/daverapoza

https://www.facebook.com/creepypastadotcom/photos/a.1890769041170011/2324062071174037/?type=3&theater

 https://www.deviantart.com/chromattix

https://www.facebook.com/creepypastadotcom/photos/a.1890769041170011/2324881584425419/?type=3&theater

https://www.facebook.com/chillingtalesfordarknights/photos/a.684108731608990/2440420665977779/?type=3&theater

 Emil Melmoth

https://www.facebook.com/creepypastadotcom/photos/a.1890769041170011/2322323768014534/?type=3&theater

 https://www.deviantart.com/kumpan/

https://www.facebook.com/creepypastadotcom/photos/a.1890769041170011/2322322098014701/?type=3&theater

https://www.facebook.com/chillingtalesfordarknights/photos/a.684108731608990/2433247106695135/?type=3&theater

 https://www.deviantart.com/jasonedmiston

https://www.facebook.com/creepypastadotcom/photos/a.1955865917993656/2313320382248206/?type=3&theater

 https://www.deviantart.com/panchecco/

https://www.facebook.com/creepypastadotcom/photos/a.1890769041170011/2290413431205568/?type=3&theater

https://www.facebook.com/chillingtalesfordarknights/photos/a.684108731608990/2349352058417974/?type=3&theater

https://www.facebook.com/chillingtalesfordarknights/photos/a.684108731608990/2294791423874038/?type=3&theater

https://www.facebook.com/chillingtalesfordarknights/photos/a.684108731608990/2255315011155013/?type=3&theater

  https://www.deviantart.com/loish

https://www.facebook.com/creepypastadotcom/photos/a.1890769041170011/2286125321634379/?type=3&theater

https://www.facebook.com/chillingtalesfordarknights/photos/a.684108731608990/2338187819534398/?type=3&theater

 Ares Dragonis

https://www.facebook.com/creepypastadotcom/photos/a.1890769041170011/2284644478449130/?type=3&theater

 Matteo Ascente

https://www.facebook.com/creepypastadotcom/photos/a.1890769041170011/2282149892031922/?type=3&theater

https://www.facebook.com/chillingtalesfordarknights/photos/a.684108731608990/2327855437234303/?type=3&theater

 Klaus Wittmann

https://www.facebook.com/creepypastadotcom/photos/a.1890769041170011/2274267342820177/?type=3&theater

https://www.facebook.com/chillingtalesfordarknights/photos/a.684108731608990/2307437519276095/?type=3&theater

 Miklós Ligeti

https://www.facebook.com/creepypastadotcom/photos/a.1890769041170011/2272191189694459/?type=3&theater

https://www.facebook.com/chillingtalesfordarknights/photos/a.684108731608990/2302082193144961/?type=3&theater

https://www.facebook.com/chillingtalesfordarknights/photos/a.684108731608990/2442398692446643/?type=3&theater

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KiT77ezGfzY

 Eric Felten

https://www.facebook.com/creepypastadotcom/photos/a.1890769041170011/2271754523071459/?type=3&theater

https://www.facebook.com/chillingtalesfordarknights/photos/a.684108731608990/2301019089917938/?type=3&theater

 Jay Zhou

https://www.facebook.com/creepypastadotcom/photos/a.1890769041170011/2268483903398521/?type=3&theater

https://www.facebook.com/chillingtalesfordarknights/photos/a.684108731608990/2292754607411053/?type=3&theater

 https://www.deviantart.com/danielgrzeszkiewicz

https://www.facebook.com/creepypastadotcom/photos/a.1890769041170011/2265915273655384/?type=3&theater

https://www.facebook.com/chillingtalesfordarknights/photos/a.684108731608990/2286888337997680/?type=3&theater

 https://www.deviantart.com/nrjin

https://www.facebook.com/creepypastadotcom/photos/a.1890769041170011/2260490967531148/?type=3&theater

 Alex Monge

https://www.facebook.com/chillingtalesfordarknights/photos/a.684108731608990/2354560677897112/?type=3&theater

https://www.instagram.com/p/BvIqWUTl76c/

 OmegaBlack

https://www.facebook.com/chillingtalesfordarknights/photos/a.684108731608990/2433720263314486/?type=3&theater

 https://www.deviantart.com/dloliver

https://www.facebook.com/chillingtalesfordarknights/photos/a.684108731608990/2414995095187003/?type=3&theater

 Fernando Acosta

https://www.facebook.com/chillingtalesfordarknights/photos/a.684108731608990/2262643733755474/?type=3&theater

https://www.instagram.com/p/Bss96BaFaC1/

 Pedro Silvia

https://www.facebook.com/chillingtalesfordarknights/photos/a.684108731608990/2238916129461568/?type=3&theater

https://www.instagram.com/p/BsEgbuqFJRD/

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xVeESsQbBl4

 https://www.deviantart.com/dominikbroniek/

https://www.facebook.com/chillingtalesfordarknights/photos/a.684108731608990/2458696254150220/?type=3&theater

https://www.instagram.com/p/BxsD7zXli7y/

https://audioboom.com/posts/7265417-the-art-of-imitation-chilling-tales-for-dark-nights

 https://www.deviantart.com/eemeling

https://www.facebook.com/chillingtalesfordarknights/photos/a.684108731608990/2454194474600398/?type=3&theater

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=t_zvU9u1epc

 https://www.deviantart.com/s-caruso

https://www.facebook.com/chillingtalesfordarknights/photos/a.684108731608990/2346953118657868/?type=3&theater

https://www.instagram.com/p/Bu7Wkr1FseL/

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4jae1pm4ui0

 Dario Puggioni

https://www.facebook.com/chillingtalesfordarknights/photos/a.684108731608990/2326173137402533/?type=3&theater

https://www.instagram.com/p/BuWnJ93lLjp/

https://youtu.be/kaLO87La0q0

 Clint Nitkev

https://www.facebook.com/chillingtalesfordarknights/photos/a.684108731608990/2309484632404717/?type=3&theater

https://www.instagram.com/p/Bt7iHxDlFzm/

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=97ZFM1EyBFQ

 https://www.deviantart.com/emerald-depths

https://www.facebook.com/chillingtalesfordarknights/photos/a.684108731608990/2273329246020256/?type=3&theater

https://www.instagram.com/p/Bs_DQ9nlKMe/

 Blaz Porenta

https://www.facebook.com/chillingtalesfordarknights/photos/a.684108731608990/2249680588385122/?type=3&theater

https://www.instagram.com/p/BsWkhdDldGI/

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Kd0o6Lfac9o

 https://www.deviantart.com/jflaxman/

https://www.facebook.com/chillingtalesfordarknights/photos/a.684108731608990/2244718002214714/?type=3&theater

https://www.instagram.com/p/BsOEvcVleCu/

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2qOOCS49RVM

[jonwongton]

KCON NY 2019 Recap

Wow I was actually in New York for four days and four nights. When I first saw the fromis_9 KCON NY announcement I knew there was no way I wasn't going to go. It looks like they made some great memories in NY/LA and I wanted a part of the fun too. Plus I wanted to avoid some of the regret I had last year in that I didn't go to KCON LA 2018. I already got super invested in them through June/July but I don't think I was emotionally ready/mature enough to go on a solo trip like this by myself.

Friday, July 5th

So to start out my trip, my flight to Newark was delayed for four hours. At least at the airport, I met the most beautiful family and got to play with their kids for a couple hours. The kids went boy girl boy where the youngest boy was causing trouble (literally me since I’m the third child), and the girl had no concept of stranger danger so she told me a wide assortment of TMIs about her family. The lady sitting next to me (Annie!) on the flight was also the sweetest soul imaginable, so we chatted for a couple hours before both watching Crazy Rich Asians (I admittedly cried at the ending).

I arrived after 9pm (no chance for early check-in or Klub KCON though I didn't want to dance with 16 year olds anyways), and I get anxious af when I'm in a foreign place without knowing exactly where I'm going, so I mass googled/kept asking for strangers for help to get to Manhattan. After I got settled into my hotel, Maya met me outside we went to Times Square! I'm so glad she came out and saw me that night because 1) I haven't seen her since summer of maybe 2016? so I missed her a ton 2) I literally had no idea how the NY subway worked before she told me 3) I wanted to go Times Square at night and 4) I wouldn't have wanted to go alone. We caught up on literally everything and I went to bed pretty late considering I wanted to check-in early to sell my A1 artist engagement pack.

and our “first date” pose because we were standing so damn far from each other:

Saturday, July 6th

I got up at 6am EDT (so 3am PDT aka rip), and rushed over to the Javits Convention Center to get in line. I brought like literally nothing because I was afraid you couldn't bring food in or they'd throw away my hydroflask. As it turns it, the staff didn't care at all, and there was hardly any line. After checking in, I got my A1 artist engagement pack ($150) which had an AB6IX high touch, a TXT audience pass, and an SF9 audience pass. 

I almost panicked because I didn't know how popular AB6IX was, and if I had gotten ATEEZ/TXT I literally would have made at least a $100 net profit. I sat in line with some new people before I summoned enough courage to go into the artist engagement mob. Almost immediately, a girl ran up to me and asked me if I wanted to sell my hi-touch. I wanted to gauge the "market price" a bit more because I was still early af, but since I was still kinda panicking, I sold it to her for $100 and her SF9 audience pass. I looked around and that's when I figured out all the girls were trying to trade their hi-touches for the groups they wanted and all the guys were trying to buy their IZ ONE/(G)-IDLE hi-touches (the only two girl groups doing an artist engagement since Everglow couldn't attend and fromis_9 wasn't doing one). For the eight groups there, I'm pretty sure the market price went something alone the lines of

ATEEZ >>>>>>>> TXT = IZ ONE >> (G)-IDLE = The Boyz >>> SF9 = AB6IX >>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>> VeriVery

where the ">" shows the relative difference between each group. I thought TXT would be up with ATEEZ but I was clearly wrong. That's why I was pretty happy to get the AB6IX hi-touch off my hands. VeriVery hi-touches were being sold for $20 and people were throwing away their audience passes. I heard someone bought an ATEEZ hi-touch for $550 lmao.

I sold my AB6IX hi-touch, sat back in line with my new friends, and traded my TXT audience pass for an ATEEZ audience pass based on my sense of how popular each group was. I made another lap around the mob and a girl bought my ATEEZ audience pass almost instantly for $40. I made another lap maybe ten minutes later and sold one of my SF9 audience passes for $30 (I'm pretty sure I ripped her off on this one really hard but oh well). I couldn't find a buyer for my other SF9 audience pass so I decided to hold onto it until tomorrow since that's when their artist engagement would be. At this point, I was already +$20 in profit and I still had an audience pass leftover.

All the trading chaos settled at around 8:45am, but the convention didn't start until 11am. I just talked with some 16/17 year olds that were ridiculously into ATEEZ and other boy groups (surprisingly not NUEST or Seventeen).

I was one of the first into the convention and I made a full lap to scout around before picking something to do. The Toyota booth snatched me first and when I told them I was legit gonna get a 2020 Camry they were !!! and made me play their game. You had to search the Corolla for four QR codes, and take selfies with the filter that's prompted after scanning it in 90 seconds. The iPad they gave me glitched the fuck out so I only got three done. They gave me a "The Boyz Meet and Greet" pass which would allow me to go to the front of the line when they made a "surprise visit" at the Toyota booth. I was being a nice guy and told some The Boyz fan about it nearby, so the girl did it, succeeded, and won a fucking IZ ONE hi-touch >.> (people were selling that for $150 minimum...) so yes I'm salty as hell.

At the official merchandise line, if you bought more than $100 of stuff, they'd give you a special merchandise voucher. If you took that voucher to the KCON Star Square, played the game they had every hour and won, you'd get a chance to meet a "surprise artist". There were some official fromis_9 slogan towels for sale for $25, but I decided not to buy it right then and there in case they wanted one big purchase totaling $100. But my dumbass was wrong and the slogan towels sold out 30 minutes later and to this day I still don't have one (they're beautiful). I was also too slow to pre-order it when I bought my convention pass because they closed the presale.

I did some social media sellout booths, wrote some fromis_9 support on the "message to your idols" board, and realized there was nothing to do after that.

I just stood at the Toyota booth where they'd play an entire song and anyone that knew the dance would go up and do it (note they played the ENTIRE song and not just the chorus so for songs that weren't super popular, the stage was empty for a solid two minutes each time). I was only there for maybe 20 minutes, but they played Love Bomb and to my surprise, 4 Walls (which I haven't heard in ages).

I walked around aimlessly for another hour before I realized I hadn't eaten anything for the whole day. I got some really overpriced convention food and sat with some girls I met in line because I was pretty lonely at that point. They were from Chicago and were also there just for ATEEZ. We talked for a bit before they went to line up at MSG for the concert, so I walked around aimlessly for another 45 minutes before I went to one of the panels.

The panel was "The difference between American and KPOP" and Andreas Oberg (wrote Young and Free by Xiumin and Mark, one of my favorite station tracks) and David Amber (wrote Love Bomb, Heart Shaker, Yes or Yes, and Love Bug) were there! The third guy on the panel was pretty annoying, but I'm super interested in how these guys come up with these songs and they shed a ton of insight about it. 

They talked about how most successful kpop songs now are actually a combination of multiple melodies put together, which supposedly make the song more interesting. For their particular styles, they try not to repeat the melody between choruses because that would bore the listener and try to have super catchy parts of the song or even the chorus start the track. Something else I found out which was super interesting is how they tailored certain songs for certain companies and groups. Andreas said SM gave him a ton of freedom, but when JYP asked for a song from David, he needed to make the verses long enough for each member to sing (aka Twice needs more lines since there are nine members) and add in rapping parts if the group had a rapper. They had a Q&A section at the end where two people kinda pissed me off since they went up to the mic and made shameless plugs saying how much they adored Andreas/David and were aspiring song writers like them. I actually summoned the courage myself and asked the panel a few questions:

Do you have a good sense of whether a song you wrote will become super popular?

How do you feel about songs that you are very proud of writing that don't become popular, maybe because it was given to a group that isn't that popular?

Do you think composers deserve more credit for making groups popular? The example I used is Blackpink is SUPER popular but their entire soud is almost exclusively produced by Teddy, which almost no one knows about.

I thought they gave me really insightful responses too:

A little bit, but once the song is produced, it's in the hands of the company to promote it with the artist and the choreography.

They're sometimes really sad about songs they create that don't make it big, and Andreas told me he was very fond of Young & Free

David said it's fine the way it is now. The example he used is with movies where the actors/actresses will get all the credit + make the movie famous, but a huge part of the production of the movie is because of the director, who rarely gets any attention.

I walked around aimlessly for another thirty minutes before standing at the KCON Dance Studio to watch the random play dance. I always saw the youtube videos of them so I wanted to see it in person myself. It turns out there was a cluster fuck of people there and we kept getting pushed back so far I couldn't see anything. Two guys in line next to me had Fun Factory albums and fromis_9 posters, so I decided to strike up a conversation with them. It turns out they were also huge flovers AND buddies, so we ditched the random play dance and talked for half an hour about our overall love for kpop. They were also New York locals, and they said they would take me under their wing for the rest of the weekend T_T. We met up with one of the guy's aunts and head to ktown since it was within walking distance, the convention closed at 6, and they wanted something to eat before the concert started at 8.

I took the 순두부 짬뽕 I ordered back to my hotel and ate it while watching the live stream since I only bought a Sunday ticket. On the way back, I also stopped by a store called Koryo Bookstore which sold kpop stuff. I couldn't find any GFriend/fromis_9 stuff I wanted, so I bought a Harry potter book in Korean to practice before going back. The concert livestream was okay, and it felt even shorter because IZ ONE got an extra stage, which I presume was supposed to fill in for Everglow. I lost my shit when NUEST performed Love Paint and Look though because those songs changed my life summer 2016 (they almost made me wish I went). I was still kinda disappointed in them because they had a ton of fans, but they gave off the vibe they only came to NY just to do the concert and leave. I tried sleeping early but as I crawled into bed, I got a fromis_9 vlive notification and I kinda had to watch it in case they spoiled the activities of tomorrow. I saw on twitter they actually arrived on SATURDAY and just toured New York, so obviously there was no way they could be at Saturday's convention. I spammed in chat if they'd have a pinky promise event for maybe 15 minutes but they never saw the comment. I didn't hear any spoilers so I just went to bed tired af since I got like no sleep in the past two days.

Sunday, July 7th

I woke up pretty late on Sunday and bought an expensive ass fancy bagel before getting to the convention center, though I could hardly eat it since I have literally zero appetite when I’m in a foreign place.

I bought the official fromis_9 jersey to match my two buddies just so everyone would know we were flovers at first sight. I also finally took out my Saerom sign and carried it around the convention center. We watched the Sunday opening ceremony and met up with a third guy (a Wiz One) while we waited for the fromis_9 fanclub meeting at 1:30.

I also found a lady willing to buy my SF9 audience pass for $15, which is ridiculous because I saw people giving it away for free at this point.

The fanclub meeting was really interesting. I instantly locked eyes with a girl that had a Saerom sign and we took a few pictures.

We played bingo with a lot of the squares consisting of fromis_9 memes, and two kahoot games where we had to guess which member it was (the pictures were ridiculous) and name the song after only hearing 1 second of it. At the very end, we did the Love Bomb and Fun! fanchants, but it was nearly impossible doing them without already knowing them if you could read romanized hanguel fast enough. I still screamed my heart out though (seriously).

There was nothing interesting left on the schedule, so we walked around before deciding to go to the (G)-IDLE fanclub meeting as well. I missed most of it because I met up with the girl that printed the banners, but there was a really entertaining random play dance at the end. On the way to get the banners, I met the girl that had the Saerom sign during the fromis_9 fan meeting, so we chatted a bit and exchanged numbers (she was here just for fromis_9 and she came from SWEDEN, so I thought we could bond over that). We closed out the day by going to the "2019 Year of Girl Groups" panel. 

The panel was really boring, one of the members kept swearing, and they just talked about which girl groups they thought were the most influential in the kpop scene. Personally, I thought the SNSD/f(x) answers were meaningful since Gee shook the world and f(x)'s weird sound + Amber broke down a lot of stereotypes at the time, but some of the Twice answers in the group were a huge stretch. Two fans kept talking about how much Twice meant to them and while that's great and all, I think the rest of the audience felt the same way as I did. At the end, they forgot to give away their prizes, so they basically asked us to walk up and convince the audience why we should get the prize. I walked up and told them I was disappointed I came all the way from California just to see fromis_9 but still didn’t get the chance to. That won me this:

It was like 5:30pm after the panel ended, so we (five of us total) went to ktown to get chicken and hype ourselves up for the concert. They were playing Chung Ha and so many other not as popular girl groups (Weki Meki, Gugudan, Cherry Bullet) that we ended up talking about that for the entire time.

We all split up after we got to Madison Square Garden (I had P1, the group of three had P2, one guy had P3) and had maybe five minutes before the concert started because we showed up so late. 

We were all super sad that they started with fromis_9 instead of one of the other boy groups, but I fanchanted and danced my heart out during all the songs.

The people in my section were huge mood killers though. I was sitting in the Chase preferred section, so I feel like the people in that section either a) had their parents use their credit card to buy their tickets or b) got the tickets handed out at some event and weren't even invested in kpop. The two girls to my life were there for seventeen and got on their feet at the end, but the two girls to the right of me sat down and were on their phones for the whole concert.

I got so lucky during the concert. VeriVery covered 24K magic, AB6IX covered Attention, and SF9 covered Love Shot, all songs which I know and love. And a word about Seventeen's stage. I was clearly at KCON for fromis_9, but I also LOVE Seventeen. I didn't pay much attention to their most recent comeback home though since it was a much slower song. However, EVERY SEVENTEEN SONG THEY PERFORMED I ACTUALLY KNEW. They started with 숨이차 which I knew but was indifferent to, but then we got Good To Me, Adore U, AND 아주 Nice. The stadium was freaking shaking during 아주 Nice and when they came back for the surprise encore I think the entire crowd and I died.

I met up with my friends after outside the venue, but three of them had to leave because they had work the next day (locals). I was ready to go back to my hotel content with the concert but disappointed overall, but Sweden girl texted me and told me to meet up with all the other flovers we were with. I met the moderators of the fan club meeting and like ten people that were huge fans and traveled as far as I did here for fromis_9. None of us were tired so we went to ktown to hang out. We talked for two hours over girl groups, fromis_9, guessing each other's biases, and learning our own backstories + age. Like where were these people during the actual convention. Apparently they all knew each other, but because I don't have a twitter, instagram, or am on discord, I was the reason I couldn't be found. I invited Sweden girl to do touristy crap with me on Monday/Tuesday because our flights on Tuesday were at like the same time, but one of the guys there tipped us off for the fromis_9 flash mob happening tomorrow at Washington Square Park at 2:30pm. I personally didn't give a shit about touristy stuff and I only felt obligated to do it because I was in New York, but I clearly only came this far for kpop. We decided to meet up for lunch at like 11am and we all went our separate ways.

Monday, July 8th

We all met up at Chipotle and sat around talking about more kpop stuff.

It was raining surprisingly hard in the morning, so we were all praying the event didn't get canceled. We walked over to Washington Square Park at 1pm and camped out there full of anxiety. I’ll type up what happened at the flash mob in a different post, but in summary, it was the best day of our lives. A ton of flovers had flights to catch, so Sweden girl and got milk tea and just held our hands crying over the event we saw. We rewatched the videos like 15 times (not kidding), took the subway to the Statue of Liberty, took the subway BACK to Washington Square Park because we missed some closure pictures, and then went to Central Park to take more pictures, all while lugging around my silly Saerom sign.

Our heads were in the clouds the entire day so we just sat on a rock and watched the sunset. She met up with a friend from Michigan while I got Halal guys and went back to my hotel room super emotional over the days events.

My dumbass put too much of the red sauce in it which was spicy as HELL so I couldn’t even eat much of it.

Tuesday, July 9th

I woke up late because I wanted to stretch out the best day of my life (yesterday) for as long as possible, and Sweden girl convinced me to go to the airport to say bye to fromis_9 before our flight. I was late as hell, but I booked my ass over to JFK and got to see (G)-IDLE and IZ ONE at the airport (I have videos, not pictures). At the end of the day, fromis_9 wasn't even leaving New York that day so apparently the twitter source was wrong. I wasn't too disappointed though given Monday's events, so I said my good-byes to my partner-in-crime from the weekend and booked my ass to Newark (I was almost late for my flight because New York rush hour, will never underestimate again).

---

All in all, I give KCON a solid 3/10, but my overall trip was a 12.4/10 because of what happened at Washington Square Park. KCON has much better, ethical ways to suck the money dry out of the fans that are willing to pay. They announce the artist engagement schedule AFTER selling the packs, which baited so many Nuest and Seventeen fans. The layout of the convention was absolutely fucking awful too. They put the Toyota booth dance stage, the KCON stage, the cover stage, and the KCON dance stage fairly close to each other so the music was playing over each other, and the other half of the room had empty booths full of cosmetic products and studying in Korea which has an appeal to like 10% of the people there. They also checked our wristbands when moving between rooms in the convention center, which makes no sense since we needed our wristband to enter the Javits Convention Center period. And in general, there was nothing to do "long term" so so many people were walking around bored like me. The lines for the stuff that could actually be done were ridiculously long (maybe 25-30 minute waits for the free food but that's long enough to miss an entire panel/engagement). The cherry on the cake is they announced the KCON LA lineup today without any teasers (no consistency?) and almost every single artist that went to KCON NY is going to KCON LA. I personally trust KCON LA a bit more to not fuck up everything as bad as KCON NY, but it still feels pretty unethical considering how many of us flew ridiculous distances to NY just for the same line up.

I'm not the biggest fan of New York either. The city is super crowded, smells awful, and I don't feel safe on the streets at all (and I'm a guy). One redeeming quality is that the people that I met were unbelievably nice. I probably asked for directions eight times and every time, I got the most helpful/friendly response. An old white man even saw how I confused I looked an approached me asking exactly how he could help me get to where I wanted to go.

At least now, I think I have the confidence to plan my own solo trip to a faraway place. This was a fun one.

I hope we answered your promise Saerom!