#if you use the TikTok app make sure to give the creator a like on that platform!

[joycrispy]

[timeofsilence]

Hello everyone. I'm making this post because in light of the tiktok ban on Jan.19th, I have made the decision to move back to tumblr which I held for over 10 years since May 2011 to make and post witchy content because tumblr was one of the first and older witchcraft community that I remember even years before the invention of tiktok. Witchtok community is greatly missed like there's a hole in my heart. I had been on witchtok for 3 years and to watch go and wither is devasting not only to me, but the content creators and their channels go through the same. Not many is not sure where to go other than having youtube, instagram, facebook as options. I didn't like rednote (also known as Xiaohongshu) since I can't identify myself with the community at all, and only wish all the best and good luck to those who choose to use if if they can successfully integrate with the Chinese community there if they understand that any discussion of witchcraft, pagan religion, or practice and selling of the occult and spiritual service is actually illegal and heavily censored on the app because it's heavily monitered by the Chinese Government. Also if you're neurotypical, autism, neurotypical or part of the lgbtqia+community, rednote is not the right app for so many different reasons. And I'm saying this as an American born Chinese-Thai who felt...weird and out of place and I knew red note isn't the right app for me. I have been pagan polythestic for ten years. I had been claimed by the deities and I served them as an oracle to do readings and divination to those who come to my etsy shop. I worked with the Greek, the Celtic, kemetic, the Infernal divine for such a long time, they're like my spiritual family. I have so much to say, but with tikok going to be gone this upcoming weekend, this is exhausting and I'm waiting for news if we get an extension of 270 days to give tiktok more time. But that said, I'm writing this because I want witchtok to know that tumblr is a good place to express your faith and thought on paganism freely without fear of being banned or censorship. If you came from witchtok or a witchtok refugee, please know on tumblr and youtube you can rebuild your community all over.

I'm going to make a few fixes to my blog, but I'm opening up the asks feature and chat again, so witches come and talk to me, and I'll be more than happy to assist in this transition

[crazymuffin1]

more or less the full tiktok situation

okay so im not tinfoil hatting because its pretty obvious when you think about it

2020 trump wants tiktok banned im pretty sure the people who overlooked the whole spiel thought that there wasnt anything wrong with it and it and continued on as normal

then for some curious reason the stupidest most tech incompetent people of the congress are part of the hearing with classics such as asking the ceo 10 different ways of "are you chinese" making the viewer think that the next question is going to be whether or not the CEO has ever eaten chinese food. there are of course the other classics (and these are all real questions) "does tiktok read your brainwaves when you put on headphones" "does it record your eyes dilating to figure out what videos to boost via the algorithm" "does tiktok access your home wi-fi network" "are you chinese" "if you turn on airplane mode while in a plane, can tiktok talk to the plane"

im not making this up. these are real actual questions. its not word for word but im not changing the meaning of the questions it really was that bad

then of course beause they took the dumbest people in the congress they made a rule that basically boils down to "apps from countries we dont like have to be owned by america" (so we can censor it) (this is while also being racist towards china and yknow being all 'china censorship bad!')

now there hasnt been an official announcement of tiktok having been bought, BUT!

while it was down for americans, these messages appeared

message 1 ID: Sorry, Tiktok isn't available right now A law banning TikTok has been enacted in the U.S. Unfortunately, that means you can't use TikTok for now. We are fortunate that President Trump has indicated that he will work with us on a solution to reinstate TikTok once he takes office. Please stay tuned! End ID oh yeah the same trump that got it banned in the first place, right? about 15 hours later the app is up again

Message 2 ID: Welcome Back! Thanks for your patience and support. As a result of President Trump's efforts, TikTok is back in the U.S.! You can continue to create, share, and discover all the things you love on TikTok End ID.

heres the part where you gotta put the clues together! the tiktok page of the tiktok CEO no longer has "CEO of tiktok" on his profile

facebook/instagram is all of a sudden having popups of "link to tiktok" and an official tiktok page too. if youre on tiktok you get an add facebook friends promo (this hasnt happened to everyone yet, rolling out feature)

convicted felon donald trump is holding his inauguration indoors, probably because last time he got all pissy that the crowd size was small, but you cant take aerials indoors and indoors have limited seats anyway(maybe as a last fuck you, tiktok will once again reserve a bunch of seats that are left empty? oh please do that!). also its easier to check for weapons and not have snipers when indoors, which is important when first lady elon musk is going to be there, and his fellow oligarch mark zuckerberg is also going to be there. theyre reaaal scared of the snipers since their egos are so big they become an easy target!

but we all know the drill by now. "saving" tiktok is just a failed way to make the younger generation like him. even if he set it up and everyone on tiktok knows. its also a way to make people overlook whatever this weeks war crime is going to be. probably the mass deportation. forgot to add this thing but facebook recently removed fact checkers so tiktok is probably going to have even more (worse) misinformation

TL;DR facebook is going to announce they bought tiktok any day now and give the glory to trump even though he is the reason it was banned in the first place

also as a bonus on the last day, a lot of influencers and stuff like that were having the "since we're all getting banned anyway" moment so a lot of them said stuff like "i never used the products i promoted" "i hated collabing with this creator" "i was never xyz" people who did masked thirst traps (male presenting) were women all along. and then 15 hours later theyre unbanned and have to be like... yep...so that just happened.

anyway tiktok was one of the last few places people got news that werent completely filtered through the right wing lens of whoever owned the newspaper. even if there was a lot of misinfo. think of the ceo shooter and think of how the media portrayed it vs the people. "rich man is murdered in cold blood by some vile monster. he was very beloved" vs "this guy is a vile human being who is responsible for millions of deaths, and he was finally killed"

[sosobol]

Ok, my american mutuals, let me give you some adivice. I know the next 4 years will be hard, but one thing you have to understand is this: Trump and his lackeys are trying to exhaust you, scare you and make sure you are spending your energy worring on social media and not on real activism. So here are 4 tips to not get bug down in the next 4 years:

1. If the algorithm hurst you, it doesn't deserves you: Listen, I know it feels like that if you are not monitoring social media constantly you may be missing important information, but let's face it, social media trives on making you emotional, so they won’t give you useful info, they will give you info that make you feel scared and that makes you feel as if you have to monitor social media constantly. And that is not even considering the fact that at least some of the owners of those social medias are ready to sell themselves (and you) to the Felony Carrot. So my adivice is limit how much time you spend on social media with algorithm to 1 hour per day max or, if even that is making you to stressed, delete those apps all together. Believe me, I did the deleting thing and it helped wonders with my anxiety. Also, if possible (I know some of you are creators and can't do that, sorry), delete Twitter (aka X) and Tiktok, those places are about to become way worst eco chambers and they are clearly supporting Musk and Trump.

2. Check the facutalty rating and who owns the news outlet you consume: Like I said, social is a terrible place to get your new, but not all oficial news outlets are created equaly. Make sure you know what bias the media you consume has and what people are profiting of showing you A or B news. Also, I fully admite this may be paranoia, but I don't use google to check this stuff, only because I don't really trust google to be umbias, since it has my research history, in my case I enter in a annonimus browser and go to duckduckgo.com , but if you have an better idea of a search engine, please feel free to share.

3. Trump, Musk and their minions trive in Gretesque spectacle, don't let them distract you: Listen I know that a lot of what Musk, Trump and their tugs say is appallingly, and I know this fire up their base, BUT let's face, I lot of the things they say is to distract us from the things they do. Pay more attention to knews about actions they are doing that could actually affect the country (signing laws, executive orders, apointing or fireing people, etc) them to those outrageus stums the do to "own the libs". Also pay attention on what otger groups are making to stop the meaningful action the Felony Orange and his sycophants are doing.

4. VOTE ON THE MID TERMS: Trump has the majorety on congress now, but this may change if the Americans elegible to vote care enough. And, belive me, the presedent need congressional approval for a lot of stuff, but, most importantly, he need it to pass laws and polices. Trump losing the majority may not make things go magically better, but it will throw a big wrench in his ability to act on his worst impulses.

With all that said: stay safe. Stay strong. Protect yourself. Protects your community.

I love you all

[cowboyera]

2/17/2024

so, I wonder if any among you have been noticing that i have been more active on here lately. While part of that is intentional, i think most of it is related to the fact that I am giving up Instagram for Lent. Am i catholic? no. am i Christian? maybe, I'm not sure. not really. still, I am giving up Instagram for Lent, which sounds enormously silly to say. I think this will be good for me, and in fact it already has been good for me. I am the kind of person who can't handle shortform content when it is constantly available to them, and I would like if i haven't found myself of Y**T*b* shorts from time to time since them. still, the compulsion to pick up my phone and scroll in order to numb my brain and distract myself is definitely fading, and it has only been a few days.

Because of the way my brain functions and also my work situation, it makes sense that I still spend quite a bit of time on my fucking phone. (although my screentime has decreased by about 2 hours.) as a result, I am spending more time on other apps, tumblr being the main one to pick up the slack. its been good! despite all of its problems (most of which are probably not going away anytime soon), i do feel like it is designed in a way that is less addictive and more enriching than other apps. There is no way to "reblog" an Instagram reel, and even likes feel kind of meaningless since most of what is on there is just reposted from other sites and disconnected from the original creator, and you can't even go back and look at your old likes. Being on tumblr has more of a community feel to it, and even if I am mostly just reblogging I get the enriching feeling of feeling more like a curator/creator.

I deleted tiktok about a year ago? since then, i have occasionally gotten back on to make videos or check on friends, but never for more than maybe 24 hours. While other copycat short form platforms can be a timesuck, there is something so fucking lobotomizing about tiktok itself. literally get brain horrors anytime i use it now, and i highly highly recommend doing what you can to make the switch if you still use it. I think more people around my age (21) are seeing that and reducing their interaction. Its kind of sad sometimes to not constantly be aware of what is trending, but there is also a kind of bliss in not constantly being aware of what is trending :)

[thatwolfarrow]

So, shit hit the fan with the platform you were publishing your work to.

 Lately it’s felt like there aren’t any reliable places for creators to share their work and that the whole internet is going up in flames. Well...you’re right. It is. And it’s squarely because the egos of the rich and power hungry are rearing their ugly heads. But, that’s no reason for you to stop trying to get your work out in the world.

So here’s 3 essential tips for artists/creators trying to regroup and build their presence on other sites

1). HAVE A BUSINESS EMAIL

This will be your most reliable form of contact online and should be your go to when it comes to contacting you about your work. Even if you use methods like Google Forms, Ko-Fi, or any sort of external site to take commissions, it’ll always be a good idea to have an email like this as a backup especially now with so many sites being hostile to creators.

2). CAST AS WIDE OF A NET AS POSSIBLE.

If your work is on multiple sites, it's that much more likely people will see your work. Apps like Postybirb and sites like Buffer can help with this immensely. Since they let you post your work to multiple sites at once. And this doesn’t just extend to image hosting sites. Posting links to your work in discord and Reddit servers, and posting your timelapses on Youtube and TikTok can all help to build your presence. You shouldn’t be relying on a single algorithm to boost your work. You must become your own advertiser. Finally, and most importantly,

3). MAKE SURE YOU HAVE A WEBSITE OR CENTRAL HUB.

In the current state of the net, it’s more important than ever for people to know where they can find you. You probably already have a linktree or Carrd if you’re a creator, and while those work best as a way to let people know where people can find your work on different sites, having a full website of your own would be ideal. Since you can have a one stop shop for people to see all of your creations and updates about things like your work schedule, commissions availability, events you’re travelling to, TOS and Pricing changes, and so on. Having your own website also gives you much more flexibility compared to simply publishing your work to a social media site. If you’re working on a long form story, like a web comic or mixed media narrative, you can tailor your website to the needs of your story instead of having to create something with the parameters of another site in mind. I cannot make any promises about where the internet will go over even the coming few months, I just hope that, with these tips, creators won’t take too much of a hit as for them to be unable to sustain themselves in their endeavors. Because their work is more than just the sites they post to, let alone their followings.

[yonemurishiroku]

I think another thing to note is that a lot of the TSATS negativity stems mainly from users on tumblr. I’ve been on twitter & Tik tok and the reaction seems to be overwhelmingly positive. Like the first few days the book came out, seeing tumblr reactions versus other platforms was literally like night and day. I’ve even seen some ppl say they cried a lot or that it’s their fav PJO book! (Which is a surprising but whatever 😭) I have seen some criticisms on the other platforms, sometimes about the writing quality or OOC-ness or being underwhelming, but it still wasn’t all terribly negative. The only place I’ve seen VERY VERY harsh vitriol is on here, and I’m not sure why. personally I thought TSATS was okay and I have my own criticisms, but honestly I have that with every PJO-verse book. Imo some of the takes I’ve seen here are valid, but some are also really really mean and honestly a tad overdramatic, but idk why or what it is about tumblr. I think I’ll stay away from here for a while when chalice comes out.

This ask is from May 18th, I'm so sorry for the delayed replies. 😭😭😭 It got caught in a mess for quite a while aksdkdakj---

Ok. So.

You're saying that most of the negative reviews come from Tumblr whereas TikTok and Twitter give mostly good feedback. I think I can offer a few explanations about this.

Tl,dr:

Tumblr allows long posts, whereas Twitter and TikTok have a length-wise limit to their content.

Tumblr is more fandom-centered, a much more suitable place to rant in a book of a franchise.

Tumblr has a different approach, which enables different types of posts to come across you, unlike Twitter.

(Please keep in mind that I don't use TikTok, so most of this would be assumptions based on my limited knowledge about the platform. I have a Twitter account though)

Now. The first point is quite clear. Tumblr doesn't have any limitations to whatever you post on the site (or at least that limit exceeds normal people's capacity of writing/reading per post ajsdhakjdhak), which enables you to give long, complicated, detailed essays on a certain topic.

Which is the best fit if you want to criticize something.

Because unlike complimenting something, when you criticize it, you'd need to give a reason for how and why it is bad (in your opinion). To compliment something, you might just need to say simple things like "OMG I LOVE IT" "This is so adorable I might cry" etc...

Adding to that: sometimes it's just easier to list what you dislike, you know? 🤣🤣🤣 I mean. When you hate something, you'd find it very easy to focus on its flaws to dissect, which results in many rants. Whereas when you love something, you just... love it. Not mentioning sometimes you can find it hard to articulate said love.

In Twitter's case: Twitter has a character limit, which hinders people's need to rant. This appears unsuitable when you want to rant about st in dissatisfaction. Although, it'd be pretty good if you're overwhelmed with love and want to flood the complimenting post with memes.

Yes, there're people writing a whole long ass thread on Twitter. But again, with Tumblr alr providing a function, it's understandable which one would prefer.

TikTok, in addition to having a length cap on their videos - which acts roughly the same as Twitter's character limit, allows only video format. This is just a hypothesis, but I suspect people might be discouraged by the idea of making, filming, and editing a video about something they don't like - rather than just... writing it down. I find the second choice much easier.

Similar to the above, Tumblr is more fandom-centered. The app is literally advertised as for Fandoms and Creators.

When you want to share an opinion on a certain topic, you'd go for those who at least have a semblance of whatever you're talking about, right?

Tumblr is created for fandoms and has its own tag system. This makes it easier when you're targeting a certain group of enjoyers. I doubt that Twitter and TikTok, while having their own tagging systems, would be more effective than Tumblr. (Ppl on Twt rarely use tags when it comes to fandoms......)

Different approaches.

Tumblr, as far as I know, filters content by tag. Which means that if you look into the The sun and the star tag, you'd see everything related to it. If you like something from it, chances are you'd get recommended another post in said tag, regardless of what it is about. Including conflicting opinions.

On Twitter, on the other hand, if you want to see a certain topic, chances are you'd need to:

1/ Follow someone who's active on said topic. Generally, you would go for someone you like/ share some of your sentiments/ you vibe with to follow right? Hence, chances are they would share the same view as you.

2/ Search for the tag. But I doubt people would use tag for this book.

3/ Search for any other keywords. This runs the risk of missing content, which might or might not include the criticizing post.

Of course: This^^ relies heavily on my predictions and assumptions of your engagement. It might not apply that well.

All in all, it all comes down to whether and where people choose to express themselves. I have a Twitter and a Tumblr, and I choose to deliver most of my PJO content on Tumblr. 🤷‍♀️🤷‍♀️ You don't see me criticizing on Twt, but I'm def there.

About Chalice though, I don't think you need to worry lol. TSATS has its problems because it focuses on already controversial topics and is put on a pedestal before release, so people tend to be more extreme. Chalice, on the other hand, afaik, is about another average quest by Percy? It's not that... extreme, I mean, and there's hardly and complicated plot. I think of it more as a side story, really. So maybe you don't have to worry that much? lol i do hope so. 😂😂

[bakerstreet-and-beyond]

Hey please be careful in sharing things like this because a number of these things folks are claiming you can't search/get flagged since the Ban you very much still can search and or were things that were already being flagged for review BEFORE the 19th ...

Like- did we all forget talking about this over a year ago when there was a decrease in Pro-Palestine content due to outside suppression on the app or when real time Lives of fighting in Ukraine were being taken down? There's a reason why people on TikTok were using 🍉 and 🌻 instead of the flag or actually naming the countries.

Also the majority of negative comments being flagged about these awful people is because it contains the word "Fuck" which on Tumblr y'all've been dunking on how on TikTok you couldn't/can't say, "Fuck" "Kill" "Sex" "Die" etc in comments and descriptions for YEARS... Literally if you put those words in as tags, descriptions, captions or comments you get flagged; We've known this for A WHILE.

They took 170 MILLION users offline and then back, some issues people are reporting are literally growing pains of putting the servers in weird limbo life support after taking them down (technically the app is STILL banned) like the Live Feature needing about 24hrs to come back online and quality being nuked.

Certain users are missing or aren't uploading anymore because they deleted the app not because they are "Banned", which still since the app itself IS STILL technically banned, you can't re-download in the app store currently. We all thought it was the end and some actually deleted their accounts the day of because of how sure folks thought it was over.

Also the primary editing software people use for TikTok, Capcut, isn't back either because of this purgatory the app is in so people can't even make the videos they normally make too.

Under the cut here the actual results when you type in those terms into TikTok search and what I saw for Lives literally 48 hours ago

When Lives Feature came back on literally the first Live I got on my FYP was for a MLK Day parade and it was someone zooming in on a sign a little girl was holding that said "This is the Kings day, NOT his" followed by the next Live got was a gentleman walking around his neighborhood speaking in Spanish about how he's been up all morning checking out suspicious trucks in his neighborhood worried that they may be undercover ICE vans. Next Live I saw was someone talking about how no one can see her live and yet there was 5,000 people watching 🧍🏻the next video I literally got was a Luigi Update; unfortunately I didn't realize I should've taken screenshots of all this but also,

I'm in the US and not using a VPN, here are my results for the following as of 1/22/25:

The Radio Station only comes up as a banner at the top suggesting the account but, all the results are tho what you'd expect

These videos also are still here,

And this is what you get for searching "Fascism"

And our boi is still very much here

I hit my photo limit, but I implore you to type those terms in that supposedly have "no results anymore" and see they very much do and or realize that some things have already been removed well before the 19th

I really think letting us purposely spread that the app is now overly censored and the Meta buyout rumours is a tactic to further divide us. I really think, right now at least, the only thing they had to do was put "Thank You Donald Trump" in the return message, without having to actually change anything else, and then let folks go wild with the accusations, rumors, and conspiracies so then we all turn on the app ourselves and thus we won't cry about it being gone or that it gives us some falsely created moral high ground for deleting it/not using it anymore/etc and again will keep us more divided than together.

Literally this is destabilization tactics our government uses on other countries and it's own communities...

Thankfully there are creators on there who are also pointing this out as well as, just look at the comments on this post and you will see that others are saying, again in the US without a VPN you can still search these things in the post above.

It doesn't excuse the other fuckery definitely happening by any means but, they are letting us destroy ourselves and the 3rd space we created where we were the most united we've been on a platform in a while. They know how to push our buttons and we're all being played.

Already seeing people on tiktok saying “I still hate trump but he ate with this one” like … babes … you just got propagandized … that’s literally exactly what he created this situation in the hopes you would say …

[thedemiurgeisstupid]

I open up twitter in my weekly check-in of how things are going with my friends and I see people reporting the transition from tiktok to rednote, another tiktok-like app. On one hand I think this is completely plausible and people are that stupid; on the other hand I kind of think it's botting from third parties to get more people to go onto an app that may or may not have more security risks. Like no way a nobody app suddenly has all of these people talking about it on one day and going viral in the app store... out of all the other social media alternatives? Really?

I can see some content creators doing it to tap an untapped market but literally everyone was expecting instagram reels to take over as an alternative. Highly sus imho

I also understand that the primary reason why tiktok is being banned is because of the suspicion of data-leaking from the American people to a chinese owned company. While I don't think it's real because of how many people have disproved it (while older lawmakers don't understand how a microwave works) I do think people forget how tiktok has been used as a propaganda machine (ToT)

Also for some reason but I like how nobody assumes that the United States is pumping their own form of propaganda to other countries and their social media like China and Russia. Like let's be real.

Also my examples of tiktok being a propaganda machine is like how a crazy uptick in the creation of russian bot accounts being made prior to the US elections and how tiktok has been exposed for pushing anti-natalist content to western feeds and pro-natalist content to chinese feeds. (Like tiktok showing a lot more men and women being politically divided, how having children is horrible for your body, etc;)

ASSUMING there is an actual large amount of people who do prefer chinese social medias for hating the west...while I can completely understand the people who have a deep hatred for the United states government I don't understand like why China lol. China and the United States are cut from the same cloth of being a modern superpower and have a multitude of social and political policies that are completely incompatible to younger western social attitudes. (Islamophobia, Homophobia, traditional view of women and bodies, etc;) I sure hope some people don't view it as good guys vs. bad guys but 2 bad people fighting for control over a group of people, I don't judge people who are more compatible with Chinese culture and want to assimilate but I hope you don't do treason for all the wrong reasons.

Not to show off but I do feel like being an immigrant gives me the chance to explore this more grey and complex topic because while I do fine the US to be incredibly flawed I don't want to lose power to China... In this side of history I don't choose the right side because there is none, I choose this side because it fits me politically and socially.

The fact that some people think China growing so fast because of natural superiority makes me lol... they have really poor building regulations as well as worker rights... they ignore the cries of farmers (kinda similar to america!) and they also fake so many stories of sympathizing with their people and their rights for their own land. Although I can list out so many problems with the US government as well lololol

Unrelated tangent I feel like US companies are barely... american lol. I feel like so many companies like facebook would love to move their facilities to China for the cheap labor but the regulations of kissing the government's ass is a big hurdle haha. Mark Zuckerberg sells data to foreign governments like selling lemonade, like this phenomena isn't even seen with just the US but also seen with the EU

In conclusion: ughghghghgh whyyyyyyyyy

[hashtagloveloses]

i know that everyone is blaming gen z and alpha and calling them stupid for this, but it actually isn’t their fault:

1) google has gotten demonstrably worse, ON PURPOSE in the last few years. not just because of AI, but how it changes your searches to make more money and is almost all sponsored or SEO-gamed results, plus google and facebook’s now over a decade long dismantling of journalism of all kinds, has led to this. so people of all ages are finding it less useful and finding it hard to parse accurate answers.

2) it’s a bit of a misnomer to say they aren’t using google at all - gen z, gen alpha, and other generations are using YOUTUBE, owned by Google parent company Alphabet, more than ever before, because despite its many issues and decline, it remains accessible in most countries, unblocked on most networks, and easy to use. TikTok may still be on the rise, but YouTube remains a homepage for a lot of people in the way Google used to be.

3) They’re using Tiktok (and IG despite it not really working well) more like a search engine because the app is molding itself and PROMPTING them to. every video has the search bar at the top with a suggested search term that the app generated through scanning keywords said in the video, caption, and comments. every comment section on popular video has a feature where if a phrase or word is said a lot, it turns it into a suggested search a user can click on and go directly to from the comments. Creators are learning search-engine optimization strategy because the app is prioritizing videos for monetization that are longer and follow common SEO practices (this is to compete with YouTube - TikTok wants more long videos and streaming to make it more like YouTube, and YouTube bolstered YouTube shorts to make it more like TikTok).

4) Creators of all kinds - for fun, for education, for anything, who may have written on a blog in the past are turning to making SEO-friendly video on any of these platforms, also, because Google (and the social platforms that used to bring click traffic like Twitter and Facebook) are so broken that they can’t reach people easily (nor sustainably) that way. That goes for everyone from journalists to food bloggers. So which platform are you gonna use? Google, where your results are AI generated or sponsored garbage you can barely trust or that it’s hard to parse, or TikTok, where sure there’s some sponsored stuff but it clearly says when it is (bc legally, influencers HAVE to), and there’s a person’s face giving you advice?

It’s a similar principle to why Reddit has always been a better place for answers when searching than whatever you find on Google - you have real people (or at least the semblance of real people) giving you personal advice, that is informally peer reviewed through comments, thread replies, etc.

5) As we know, Gen Z and younger are not being taught computing skills. I’m a millennial. I was TAUGHT how to use a search engine. I was TAUGHT how to use a database. Many younger people, now even adults, were not only not taught because older generations assumed they’d just pick it up, but the platforms and devices they grew up using actively DISCOURAGE developing the skills to figure it out.

By the sheer fact that I am a millennial who grew up with a new device and platform almost every year, my brain is wired to figure out change with technology. But a lot of younger people grew up with the same platforms, now firmly entrenched, that do not want the user to leave to use google or click a link to someone’s website, because that’s less ad revenue, so they’ve created user interfaces and experiences that discourage leaving the platform, and discourage creators from leading people off of it for additional info.

Schools in a lot of countries, especially the US where they are underfunded, are leaning on tablets instead of full computers, where your only access to the internet is limited to curated app experiences, and discouraged from exploration on the wider internet because it is “bad and unsafe.” If you’re actively prevented from Googling, or never taught, or have apps that provide the info instead, why would you ever do it? How would you learn?

This is not to say that TikTok is good or perfect or the things found there are always accurate or people aren’t responsible for their own ongoing education sometimes. But we shouldn’t be surprised at any of this. It wouldn’t necessarily be a bad thing if all of this wasn’t to sell us more shit, either. But it’s always to sell us more shit - whether on Google or Tiktok.

Also this is ironic given the original post is a screenshot of a tweet from Pop Base, an engagement farm account that basically steals headlines from real outlets and takes all the engagement, not linking to any original reporting or even the source sometimes. It’s literally a part of what created this problem.

[ID: A tweet by Popbase that reads, "Nearly half of Gen Z is using TikTok and Instagram as a search engine instead of Google, new data shows.". Below the tweet is a pic of a poorly drawn Goomba from Super Mario Bros with text below him that reads "are you out of your fucking mind".]

[gdt-agency]

How To Run TikTok Ads For Your Shopify Store Wisely?

This 6-step guide is the ultimate roadmap to running TikTok ads effectively for your Shopify store. If you're serious about boosting conversions with TikTok ads for your Shopify products, stick with it till the end.

Step 1: Create a new campaign

I find starting a TikTok Ads campaign pretty easy. You just go to TikTok For Business using this link: Advertising on TikTok | TikTok Ads. However, making sure your Shopify products match well with the campaign requires a good understanding of all the campaign components.

These techniques will give you clear steps to create and launch a TikTok advertising campaign tailored for Shopify products.

Step 2: Determine your ad objective

Not all the advertising goals you find on TikTok are a good fit for the products you're selling. What really matters is how well they work for Shopify products. Based on my experience in optimizing ads for online stores, I suggest focusing on just three main goals:

Traffic: If you've got a Shopify store set up with products ready to go, you want to drive more people to your website. Increasing website traffic is a smart way to get more customers interested in buying what you offer.

Conversions: This is the top pick for advertising products online. With advancements in AI, TikTok can help you target and show ads to people who are most likely to make a purchase.

Brand awareness: When selling products on Shopify, it's crucial that your audience understands your brand and sees it positively. When customers know your brand, they're more likely to choose your products when making a purchase.

Step 3: Choose the right ad format

Unlike the Ad Objective, the Ad Format determines how your ads will look to TikTok users. Here are five types of ads that I highly recommend, especially for Shopify and other e-commerce websites:

In-feed ads: These are video ads that pop up while users scroll through their "For You" feed. They grab attention with creative and interesting video content.

TopView ads: These video ads are the first thing users see when they open the TikTok app. They make a strong impression and instantly capture the user's attention.

Branded hashtag challenge: This involves encouraging users to create TikTok videos using specific hashtags provided by your brand. It's great for boosting brand awareness and reaching a large audience.

Branded effect: These are augmented reality (AR) effects or filters created by your brand for users to use in their TikTok videos. They promote interaction and catch users' attention.

Spark ads: These ads leverage TikTok videos created by other users to promote your brand's products or services. It helps build trust and engages users through user-generated content.

Step 4: Research viral ad content on TikTok

It's crucial to keep an eye on trending content when you're running TikTok ads. Why? Because if your videos aren't trending, they won't be very effective.

What exactly is trending advertising content? It's content that's getting a lot of attention from TikTok users. If your content is trending, it'll have lots of interactions, views, and maybe even some impressive growth metrics.

You can check out the TikTok Creative Center to discover new trending content in your country. It also suggests popular hashtags for you to use.

So, it's important to stay updated on trending content, see what interests TikTok users, and then try to create your own trending content.

Step 5: Explore untapped content that can be trending

When you're looking for fresh content, it means you're also checking out what your competitors are up to, as I mentioned earlier but want to emphasize. This is because when you're running Google Ads, you might hit roadblocks and run out of ideas.

During those times, it's helpful to look at what's working well on TikTok. That's where the TikTok Creative Center comes in handy. It's a free tool TikTok offers to advertisers and content creators on the platform.

Step 6: Adhere to TikTok Ads Policies

Following TikTok Ads Policies ensures your Google Ads run smoothly, without errors, and leads to better conversions.

Just imagine if your TikTok Ads account gets suspended for violating their policies. Starting from scratch would be a huge setback.

That's why I recommend going for a TikTok agency account for rent from GDT Agency. Many businesses and advertisers use this solution to scale their ads and overcome bans and restrictions on the platform.

With a TikTok Agency Account, you can advertise with unlimited features.

You won't have trouble using a large budget or scaling your TikTok Ads. Plus, we always offer incentives for new customers. Feel free to reach out to us for immediate support.

For more advanced strategies on running TikTok ads for Shopify, we highly advise you read this thorough guide:

[hawkeyedubai]

In today's digital era, social media has made it possible for a business to interact with their followers & customers like never before! A potent tool to constantly update the followers about the latest news regarding your business, social media has made it possible to reach thousands of people easily using proper strategies.

Whether it's a new product launch, an exciting collaboration, or even a giveaway, it acts as an essential tool for building & nurturing brand-customer relationships and also marketing your goods & services to a targeted set of audience. Let's learn more about how to use social media in building and maintaining relationships with customers.

Role of Social Media in Building Customer Relationships

Social media has tremendously transformed the way businesses engage with their audience. Gone are the days when you had to wait for days for a reply from a brand. Nowadays, anyone can directly reach out to any brand and get their queries resolved instantly. Let's explore how brands are leveraging the power of social media to improve Customer Relationship Management aka CRM.

Continuous Communication: One of the key aspects of social media is the ability to interact with the audience on a more personal level and that too quickly. It has opened a direct channel of communication, making it easier to educate customers about their deals, services, and offers or even solve issues such as delayed shipment, product replacement, etc.

A lot of brands have also set up automated message bots so that no message in the DMs goes unanswered.

Suggestions Taken Seriously: Since anyone can reach out to the brand directly, it has become easier for any customer to give their feedback to a brand- whether it's regarding a product, service, or general feedback regarding something.

For example, a customer seeking to buy hair care products specifically for Alopecia, can reach out to their go-to hair care brand and suggest it directly. Not only that, consumers are becoming more aware of what they want (or don't want) in their products and are constantly reaching out to brands with their suggestions on how to improve their products or how to make them more inclusive!

Easy Sharing And Collaborating: Since social media has made it possible to share anything within seconds, it makes a consumer feel special when brands share/repost their posts and reels to their official social media accounts. After all, who doesn't want to grab the attention of a brand and potentially reach a wider set of audience?!

Another option is to do a collaborative post that appears on both the creators as well as the brand's page- benefiting both parties at once.

Easy Selling And Visibility: A lot of social media platforms, such as TikTok and Instagram have enabled the 'shop' option where the (potential) customer can easily shop for what they're looking for, without leaving the app to complete their purchases.

It has not only improved the shopping experience but has given a platform to an array of small businesses that might've been struggling to find the right set of audience.

As a result, more brands are gaining visibility and finding new customers.

Exclusive Offers: The idea of 'exclusivity' always seems alluring. Interactive ideas such as offering an exclusive discount to the 'first ten commentators' on a social blog post or offering an additional discount if you 'share the post of your story' etc. will encourage the followers to partake in your brand's activities and also improve the overall engagement.

Interact More: Whenever you're talking to a customer, be it privately or in the comment section, make sure to 'personalise' the message; use their name as it makes them feel special and doesn't feel like a robotic automated reply. Using relevant emojis also helps deliver the right tone of the message and keeps the conversation lighthearted.

Whether you're a brand or an established business, harness the power of social media to build a more personal relationship with your customers as it will help benefit your business in the long run.

If you are looking for Best Digital Marketing Agency in Dubai, then contact Hawk Eye LLC- a leading performance marketing agency based in Dubai.

[hawk-ecommerce]

Role of Social Media in Building Customer Relationships

In today's digital era, social media has made it possible for a business to interact with their followers & customers like never before! A potent tool to constantly update the followers about the latest news regarding your business, social media has made it possible to reach thousands of people easily using proper strategies. 

Whether it's a new product launch, an exciting collaboration, or even a giveaway, it acts as an essential tool for building & nurturing brand-customer relationships and also marketing your goods & services to a targeted set of audience. Let's learn more about how to use social media in building and maintaining relationships with customers.

Role of Social Media in Building Customer Relationships

Social media has tremendously transformed the way businesses engage with their audience. Gone are the days when you had to wait for days for a reply from a brand. Nowadays, anyone can directly reach out to any brand and get their queries resolved instantly. Let's explore how brands are leveraging the power of social media to improve Customer Relationship Management aka CRM.

Continuous Communication: One of the key aspects of social media is the ability to interact with the audience on a more personal level and that too quickly. It has opened a direct channel of communication, making it easier to educate customers about their deals, services, and offers or even solve issues such as delayed shipment, product replacement, etc.

A lot of brands have also set up automated message bots so that no message in the DMs goes unanswered.

Suggestions Taken Seriously: Since anyone can reach out to the brand directly, it has become easier for any customer to give their feedback to a brand- whether it's regarding a product, service, or general feedback regarding something. 

For example, a customer seeking to buy hair care products specifically for Alopecia, can reach out to their go-to hair care brand and suggest it directly. Not only that, consumers are becoming more aware of what they want (or don't want) in their products and are constantly reaching out to brands with their suggestions on how to improve their products or how to make them more inclusive!

Easy Sharing And Collaborating: Since social media has made it possible to share anything within seconds, it makes a consumer feel special when brands share/repost their posts and reels to their official social media accounts. After all, who doesn't want to grab the attention of a brand and potentially reach a wider set of audience?!

Another option is to do a collaborative post that appears on both the creators as well as the brand's page- benefiting both parties at once.

Easy Selling And Visibility: A lot of social media platforms, such as TikTok and Instagram have enabled the 'shop' option where the (potential) customer can easily shop for what they're looking for, without leaving the app to complete their purchases. 

It has not only improved the shopping experience but has given a platform to an array of small businesses that might've been struggling to find the right set of audience. 

As a result, more brands are gaining visibility and finding new customers.

Exclusive Offers: The idea of 'exclusivity' always seems alluring. Interactive ideas such as offering an exclusive discount to the 'first ten commentators' on a social blog post or offering an additional discount if you 'share the post of your story' etc. will encourage the followers to partake in your brand's activities and also improve the overall engagement.

Interact More: Whenever you're talking to a customer, be it privately or in the comment section, make sure to 'personalise' the message; use their name as it makes them feel special and doesn't feel like a robotic automated reply. Using relevant emojis also helps deliver the right tone of the message and keeps the conversation lighthearted.

Whether you're a brand or an established business, harness the power of social media to build a more personal relationship with your customers as it will help benefit your business in the long run.

[sarahboyerdigiexpert]

From Desktop to Spotlight: A Step-by-Step Guide to Going Live on TikTok

In the ever-evolving social media landscape, TikTok has emerged as a powerful platform for content creators and influencers to connect with their audience. One of the most engaging features on TikTok is going live, allowing users to interact with their followers in real time, answer questions, and showcase their talent. If you're eager to take the leap and start going live on TikTok, you've come to the right place. This step-by-step guide will walk you through the process, from setting up your account to engaging with your viewers effectively.

Set Up Your TikTok Account

Before you can go live on TikTok, you must have a TikTok account. If you're not already on the platform, follow these simple steps to create your account:

Download the TikTok app: TikTok is available on iOS and Android devices. Visit your device's app store and download the TikTok app.

Sign up: Open the app and click "Sign Up" or "Login." You can create an account using your phone number and email address or by linking your existing social media profiles like Facebook or Google.

Customize your profile: Choose a username and picture representing you or your brand. Write a catchy bio to introduce yourself to potential viewers.

Get Familiar with TikTok's Live Feature

Once your account is set up, becoming familiar with TikTok's live feature is essential. To access it:

Open the TikTok app.

Tap the "+" button at the bottom center of the screen to create a new video.

Swipe left until you find the "LIVE" option.

Tap on "LIVE" to access the live broadcasting screen.

Meeting the Requirements

Before you can go live, TikTok has a few requirements you need to meet:

Your account must be at least one week old.

You need to have at least 1,000 followers.

Ensure your account is in good standing without any recent violations of TikTok's community guidelines.

If you meet these requirements, congratulations! You're ready to go live.

Plan Your Live Session

Going live on TikTok is not just about randomly hitting the "Go Live" button. To make the most out of your live session, it's essential to plan:

Choose a specific time and date for your live session. This allows you to promote it in advance and ensure your followers know when to tune in.

Prepare the content you want to share during the live session. It could be a Q&A session, a tutorial, a behind-the-scenes look, or simply you showcasing your talent.

Make sure you have a stable internet connection. A weak or unstable connection can disrupt your live session and frustrate viewers.

Promote Your Live Session

Building anticipation and excitement among your followers is crucial to a successful live session. Here's how you can promote it:

Create a teaser video: Record a short video announcing your upcoming live session. Mention the date and time, and use popular TikTok hashtags to increase visibility.

Post countdowns: Leading up to the live session, create posts or stories reminding your followers about the event. You can use TikTok's built-in countdown sticker to add a timer to your videos.

Collaborate with other TikTok creators: Partner with creators to cross-promote your live session on their profiles, broadening your reach.

Go Live!

Now that you've prepared and promoted your live session, it's time to go live on TikTok. Here's how you can start your live broadcast:

Open the TikTok app.

Tap on the "+" button to create a new video.

Swipe left to access the "LIVE" option.

Add a catchy title to your live session. It should be engaging and give viewers a reason to join.

Set your privacy settings: Make your live session visible to everyone or limit it to your friends or specific users.

Tap the "Go Live" button, and you're on air!

Engage with Your Viewers

Engaging with your viewers is crucial during your live session to make it an interactive experience. Here are some tips:

Greet viewers by name: Welcome your viewers personally as they join your live session. Mention their usernames to create a sense of connection.

Read and respond to comments: Encourage viewers to ask questions or leave comments and respond in real-time. This creates a dynamic and engaging atmosphere.

Use TikTok's interactive features: You can use features like "Gifts" and "Stickers" to interact with your viewers. Viewers can send virtual gifts as a token of appreciation, and you can thank them for their support.

Showcase your talent or content: Remember the primary purpose of your live session. Whether you're a musician, a chef, a dancer, or a comedian, showcase your talent and provide value to your audience.

Wrap Up Your Live Session

When it's time to end your live session, don't just abruptly stop the broadcast. Follow these steps:

Thank your viewers for joining. Express your gratitude for their time and participation.

Promote future live sessions: Let your viewers know when they can expect your next live session, creating anticipation for the future.

Save your live video: TikTok allows you to save your live video to your profile, so viewers who missed it can watch it later.

Analyze and Improve

After your live session, take some time to analyze its performance:

Review viewer comments and feedback: Understand what worked well and what could be improved in your next live session.

Analyze your viewer count: Pay attention to when your live session had the highest number of viewers. This can help you choose the optimal times for future broadcasts.

Learn from successful creators: Follow successful TikTok creators who regularly go live and see what strategies and techniques they use.

Going live on TikTok is an exciting way to connect with your audience and build a loyal fan base. Following the steps outlined in this guide, you can set up your account, meet the requirements, plan and promote your live session, engage with your viewers, and continuously improve your live streaming experience. Consistency and authenticity are crucial to building a solid presence on TikTok, so keep experimenting, having fun, and connecting with your audience. Now, it's your turn to step into the spotlight and shine on TikTok!

[onlygirlasia]

5 Tips to Get More Subscribers/Fans on OnlyGirlsAsia

Welcome to the world of content creation where creativity and connection collide! Whether you’re a passionate vlogger, an insightful blogger, an artistic photographer, or a trendsetting influencer, one of your ultimate goals is likely to attract a thriving subscriber base. In this digital realm, subscribers are more than just numbers — they’re your community, your supporters, and your audience.

To get a glimpse of our community, OnlyGirlsAsia.com is a global social platform exclusively created for Asian girls to share exclusive content with fans. It is a subscription-based content service that gives creators a chance to earn money by sharing their photos and videos with designated fees. This kind of platform is renowned among millennials and Gen-Z since the pandemic started in 2020. So, if you’re ready to amplify your subscriber count and watch your content kingdom grow, you’re in the right place. In the following paragraphs, we’ll unveil a treasure trove of tips that will help you unlock the secret pathways to getting more subscribers and establishing a loyal fan base that’s hungry for your next creation.

Post Daily:In today’s internet technology, people who post on a daily basis have a greater chance of gaining more followers/subscribers. There are systematic rules to follow to pull organic audiences and most social media sites are constantly updating their algorithms. What changed last year may be applied this year, and vice versa.

Engage with Your Followers: Your bread and butter is your followers so make sure you treat them with utmost importance. They can support you all the way to any endeavors you want to venture but keep in mind that one wrong step can make them go away in a snap. Create a safe space for them to connect with you. Post some polls or Q&As that can make you understand more of their desires and opinions for your content. Even if you only have 10 followers as a start, if you constantly engage with them, they will make you feel like royalty.

Maximize Your other Social Media Accounts: In this generation, most people have accounts on different social media apps. If you want to blend in with the hip trends and surround yourself with like-minded individuals, having different social accounts across the internet is the key. It will unlock new engagements to your other social site and gain a ton of organic followers. So if you have TikTok, Instagram, Facebook, X (formerly known as Twitter), or Threads, use them to your advantage. Invite your followers from other sites to see what’s happening on your OnlyGirlsAsia account.

Collaborate with Other Content Creators:It’s all over YouTube or Tiktok, a collaboration between two creators brings synergy that’s beneficial to both accounts. Regardless if you only have less than a hundred followers or your collaborator has more, either way, you will gain additional subscribers for sure. In line with this tactic, it allows both parties to build a network, extend your reach and expose you to a new fan base.

Make Your Profile Exciting: Creating an exciting profile requires a mixture of your personality, creativity, and authenticity. One way to attract potential subscribers is to make sure that your profile has a well-written description of what they should expect from you. Put there what kind of entertainment you offer and make sure to pin some of your best content on the top. One best example is Saori Kiyomi, her profile stands out because of her creativity and aesthetic and people want to subscribe to her premium to see more of her.

Become a Creator and Be the Next Internet Sensation!

We all dream to conquer the world through social media platforms. You just have to take a leap, create powerful content and be the next hotshot creator. Here at OnlyGirlsAsia, you can earn up to 80% with your daily content and get verified as a creator in just 15 minutes or less. Build your earnings and sign up now!

[madhukumarc]

What is Electronic Marketing?

Electronic marketing [or e-marketing], also known as digital marketing, is a strategic approach to promoting products or services using digital channels such as the internet, mobile devices, social media, search engines, email and others. 

It involves leveraging various digital technologies and platforms to reach a wider audience, targeted audience, build brand awareness, drive traffic, generate leads, and sales.

In today's digital age, electronic marketing has become an essential component of any successful business strategy. 

With the increasing reliance on technology and the internet, companies need to adapt and embrace digital marketing to stay competitive in the market.

Let's go deeper to provide you with more details. 

Electronic Marketing: 

There are several key components of electronic marketing that work together to achieve the desired results: 

1. Search Engine Optimization (SEO): 

SEO is the process of optimizing a website's content and structure to rank higher in search engine results pages (SERPs). 

By improving your website's visibility on search engines like Google, you can attract more organic traffic and increase your chances of reaching potential customers.

“Whether you are a business owner, marketer, or content creator, investing time in learning SEO can help you achieve your online goals and improve the performance of your website” – Semrush

2. Pay-Per-Click (PPC) Advertising: 

PPC advertising allows businesses to display ads on search engine results pages or other websites and pay only when a user clicks on their ad. 

This method provides immediate visibility and can be highly targeted, allowing businesses to reach their desired audience effectively.

“If you’re working hard on SEO, but are still looking for an extra boost, consider PPC advertising” – HubSpot

3. Social Media Marketing: 

Social media platforms like Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, LinkedIn, TikTok, and YouTube offer a unique opportunity for businesses to connect and engage with their target audience. 

Through strategic content creation, community management, and paid advertising, businesses can build brand loyalty, drive website traffic, and generate leads and sales.

Do you know? - As per the Meltwater’s Digital 2023 April Global Statshot Report, internet users from across the world spend time on social media with an average daily time of 2 hours and 24 minutes.

“A very significant 89% of marketers use Facebook (followed by Instagram at 80%). Forty-five percent of marketers claim Facebook is their most important social platform” – 2023 Social Media Marketing Industry Report

4. Content Marketing: 

Content is king in the digital world. 

Creating valuable and relevant content that educates or entertains your audience can help build trust, establish thought leadership, and drive organic traffic to your website. 

Content marketing includes blogging, e-books, videos [vlogs], podcasts, infographics, email newsletters, and more.

“Content marketing is one of the best investments your business can make because a successful content hub is a gift that keeps giving” – Search Engine Land

5. Email Marketing: 

Email marketing is a powerful channel for nurturing leads and maintaining customer relationships. 

By sending personalized and targeted emails to your subscribers, you can promote your products or services, provide valuable information, and drive conversions.

"Since relevance is the name of the game in email marketing, making sure you’re sending content that is valuable to your subscribers is extremely important" - The DailyZoo Newsletter

6. Mobile Marketing: 

With the increasing use of smartphones, mobile marketing has gained significant importance. 

It involves optimizing websites for mobile devices, creating mobile apps, and leveraging SMS or MMS marketing to reach consumers on their mobile devices.

“As per the Meltwater’s Digital 2023 April Global Statshot Report, the share of web traffic by devices is as follows: mobile phones (57.16%), laptops and desktop computers (40.79%), and tablets (2.02%)”

7. Analytics and Reporting: 

To measure the effectiveness of your electronic marketing efforts, it's crucial to track and analyze key metrics using tools like Google Analytics and other analytics tools. 

By understanding user behavior, conversion rates, and other data points, you can make data-driven decisions to optimize your marketing campaigns further.

“AI makes data analysis, insights generation and even predictive analytics easier. Your data and reporting will evolve to a significantly new level of sophistication without too much effort or cost” - MarTech

e-marketing offers numerous benefits for businesses of all sizes. It provides a cost-effective way to reach a wider audience compared to traditional marketing methods. 

It allows for precise targeting and personalization, ensuring that your message reaches the right people at the right time. 

It also provides real-time feedback and insights that enable businesses to make data-driven decisions for continuous improvement.

Types of Marketing Campaigns: 

“We’re going to move into a territory where automation, machine learning, and artificial intelligence will prevail over the rest, seeking maximum personalization in ads” - Elena Ferreras, Wink [Channable Email]

In conclusion, electronic marketing is a comprehensive strategy that leverages various digital channels to promote products or services effectively. 

By combining SEO, PPC advertising, social media marketing, content marketing, email marketing, mobile marketing, and analytics, businesses can achieve their marketing goals in today's digital landscape, though all marketing channels are not necessary for every business. 

Here's related information that you may als ofind helpful – Internet Business FAQs, and answers.