#like its relevant and a key aspect of what we are doing as receptions are key and it is paired with not solely receptions based analysis

[poetryqueer]

one of my only spelling errors in my dissertation feedback being one use of lowercase g in reference to the Christian God and getting back "It is common practice (perhaps problematic in this context!) to capitalise ‘god’ in Christian contexts" can be something so special

[aboveallarescuer]

Dany considering, threatening to take and/or taking violent measures

As I was rereading ASOIAF, I made it my goal to compile all* the book passages demonstrating either certain key attributes of Daenerys Targaryen (e.g. that she's compassionate and smart) or aspects of hers that are usually overstated (e.g. that she's ambitious and prophecy-driven).  Doing such a task may seem exaggerated, but I'd argue it's not, for many, many misconceptions about Dany have become widespread in light of the show's final season's events (and even before).

It must be acknowledged that it can be tricky to reference, say, ADWD passages to counter-argument how she was depicted in season eight (which allegedly follows ADOS events). Dany will have had plenty of character development in the span of two books. However, whatever happens to Dany in the next two books, I would argue that there is more than enough material to conclude that her show counterpart was made to fall for flaws that she (for the most part) never had and actions that she (for the most part) would never take. (and that's not even considering the double standards and the contradictions with what had been shown from show!Dany up until then, but that's obviously out of the scope of these lists)

Another objection to the purpose of these lists is that Game of Thrones is different from A Song of Ice and Fire and should be analyzed on its own, which is a fair point. However, the show is also an adaptation of these books, which begs the questions: why did they change Dany's character? Why did they overfocus on negative traits of hers or depicted them as negative when they weren't supposed to be or gave her negative traits that were never hers to begin with? Another fact that undermines the show=/=books argument is that most people think that the show's ending will be the books', albeit only in broad strokes and in different circumstances. As a result, people's perception of Dany is inevitably influenced by the show, which is a shame.

I hope these lists can be useful for whoever wants to find book passages to defend (or even simply explore different facets of) Dany's character in metas or conversations.

*Well, at least all the passages that I could find in her chapters, which is no guarantee that the effort was perfectly executed, but I did my best.

Also, people could interpret certain passages differently and then come up with a different collection of passages if they ever attempted to make one, so I'm not saying that this list is completely objective (nor that there could ever be one).

Also, some passages have been cut short according to whether they were, IMO, relevant to the specific topic of the list they're in, so the context surrounding them may not always be clear (always read the books and use asearchoficeandfire). Many of them appear in different lists, sometimes fully referenced, sometimes not.

I listed the passages back to front because I felt doing so highlighted Dany's evolution better.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

To justify the existence of this list, let's see examples of widespread opinions that I feel misrepresent Daenerys Targaryen:

It's just time that we acknowledge that Daenerys' behavior over the past few seasons has been more of someone with an overinflated ego and an limitless sense of entitlement than that of a ruler with the well-being of their subjects and land in mind. If I can really spill the tea, she's acting a lot like the Mad King as well as Cersei, who's currently acting all type of the fool on the Iron Throne. Violence may be a necessary evil, but like...do we really have to burn everybody alive? Is that really what we want for Westeros? (x)

~

[S]he’d rather slaughter her enemies than use them to her advantage. Sure, sometimes you need a good slaughter, but you have to be willing to try diplomacy, too. (x)

~

The issue isn’t whether it’s better if the slave cities remained slave cities — it goes without saying, that’s reprehensible. But her most striking moments ruling Meereen are quite sadistic in nature. In season four, when the Meereenese crucify slave children as a threat to Dany, she responds by crucifying an equal number of noblemen once she takes over the city, despite Ser Barristan’s pleas for mercy; “I will answer injustice with justice,” she coolly responds. Revisiting that scene, it’s pretty disturbing. What starts out as a moment of joyous liberation — and the slaves chanting “Mhysa!” her way — ends with the anguished screams of the newly crucified Meereenese across the city.

Fast forward to season five, when Ser Barristan is unceremoniously murdered in an alley by the Sons of the Harpy, Dany rounds up Meereen’s elected leaders to interrogate them and find out who among them could be a secret Harpy. To establish she’s not fucking around, she picks one of them at random to be burned alive and subsequently eaten by two of her dragons. She’s not just content with her decision; despite not getting any answers, Dany’s entranced by the sight of her dragons and the burning fire.

Dany’s fascination with fire — not to mention her nonchalant attitude toward violence — bears an uncomfortable resemblance to her father, the “Mad King” Aerys Targaryen. (x)

Are Dany's acts of violence supposed to make you wonder if she's going to "burn everybody alive"? Are her acts of violence "quite sadistic in nature"? Does she feel "entranced by the sight of her dragons and the burning fire" and has a "fascination with fire"?

I would argue GRRM has written a character who only chooses violence either for humanitarian reasons or for political goals (which are often intertwined), and even in the latter case, she seeks to avoid collateral damage (ASOS Dany III, ASOS Dany IV). She's not immune to acting on vengeance, but so far it's always been motivated by the injustices perpetrated upon others (ASOS Dany VI, ADWD Dany II); you can argue that "harsh justice", as she puts it, is not justice, but you can't argue that she's doing it for them. The one exception to this is her burning of Mirri Maz Duur, but even then, it is not because she is "sadistic", she explicitly recognizes the futility of vengeance. She kills her because she needs her life for the ritual that culminates with the birth of the dragons. You could argue Mirri didn't deserve it, but Mirri also killed her child and left Drogo in a comatose state. And she lives in a society that largely normalizes violence. Dany's entire characterization must be taken into consideration.

With that in mind, there is no textual evidence to suggest she will decide to burn every noncombatant she can find because she was unhappy about their reception. None. She fights to be queen because she wants to protect the ones who can't protect themselves and it is her duty towards her lost family. She carries unbearable guilt over her mistakes (or ramifications that had nothing to do with her). She treats her achievements and inheritances as a duty rather than as something that elevates her beyond others. She wants a home for herself and peace for everyone.

I should also add that the list about the moments showcasing her empathy and compassion is more than four times bigger than this one. One can argue I'm being biased, but it says something that passages showing instances when she does take violent measures would not fill a whole list. I also had to look for moments when she considers or threatens to in order to fill this one. And even then, her positive aspects greatly surpass her "negative" ones. Why would GRRM focus so much more on her sympathy towards others rather than on her ruthlessness? Must be because Daenerys Targaryen is ultimately meant to be a sympathetic character who is not supposed to turn into a mass murderer of her own volition, ever.

A Dance with Dragons

ADWD Daenerys VIII

The hall rang to Yunkish laughter, Yunkish songs, Yunkish prayers. Dancers danced; musicians played queer tunes with bells and squeaks and bladders; singers sang ancient love songs in the incomprehensible tongue of Old Ghis. Wine flowed—not the thin pale stuff of Slaver’s Bay but rich sweet vintages from the Arbor and dreamwine from Qarth, flavored with strange spices. The Yunkai’i had come at King Hizdahr’s invitation, to sign the peace and witness the rebirth of Meereen’s far-famed fighting pits. Her noble husband had opened the Great Pyramid to fete them.

I hate this, thought Daenerys Targaryen. How did this happen, that I am drinking and smiling with men I’d sooner flay?

~

“You don’t never want to trust a sellsword, m’lady.”

“I have learned that much. One day I must be sure to thank you for the lesson.”

~

“Is there some man in the Second Sons who might be persuaded to … remove … Brown Ben?”

“As Daario Naharis once removed the other captains of the Stormcrows?” The old knight looked uncomfortable. “Perhaps. I would not know, Your Grace.”

No, she thought, you are too honest and too honorable. “If not, the Yunkai’i employ three other companies.”

“Rogues and cutthroats, scum of a hundred battlefields,” Ser Barristan warned, “with captains full as treacherous as Plumm.”

“I am only a young girl and know little of such things, but it seems to me that we want them to be treacherous. Once, you’ll recall, I convinced the Second Sons and Stormcrows to join us.”

“If Your Grace wishes a privy word with Gylo Rhegan or the Tattered Prince, I could bring them up to your apartments.”

“This is not the time. Too many eyes, too many ears. Their absence would be noted even if you could separate them discreetly from the Yunkai’i. We must find some quieter way of reaching out to them … not tonight, but soon.”

“As you command. Though I fear this is not a task for which I am well suited. In King’s Landing work of this sort was left to Lord Littlefinger or the Spider. We old knights are simple men, only good for fighting.” He patted his sword hilt.

“Our prisoners,” suggested Dany. “The Westerosi who came over from the Windblown with the three Dornishmen. We still have them in cells, do we not? Use them.”

“Free them, you mean? Is that wise? They were sent here to worm their way into your trust, so they might betray Your Grace at the first chance.”

“Then they failed. I do not trust them. I will never trust them.” If truth be told, Dany was forgetting how to trust. “We can still use them. One was a woman. Meris. Send her back, as a … a gesture of my regard. If their captain is a clever man, he will understand.”

“The woman is the worst of all.”

“All the better.” Dany considered a moment. “We should sound out the Long Lances too. And the Company of the Cat.”

“Bloodbeard.” Ser Barristan’s frown deepened. “If it please Your Grace, we want no part of him. Your Grace is too young to remember the Ninepenny Kings, but this Bloodbeard is cut from the same savage cloth. There is no honor in him, only hunger … for gold, for glory, for blood.”

“You know more of such men than me, ser.” If Bloodbeard might be truly the most dishonorable and greedy of the sellswords, he might be the easiest to sway, but she was loath to go against Ser Barristan’s counsel in such matters. “Do as you think best. But do it soon. If Hizdahr’s peace should break, I want to be ready. I do not trust the slavers.” I do not trust my husband. “They will turn on us at the first sign of weakness.”

“The Yunkai’i grow weaker as well. The bloody flux has taken hold amongst the Tolosi, it is said, and spread across the river to the third Ghiscari legion.”

The pale mare. Daenerys sighed. Quaithe warned me of the pale mare’s coming. She told me of the Dornish prince as well, the sun’s son. She told me much and more, but all in riddles. “I cannot rely on plague to save me from my enemies. Set Pretty Meris free. At once.”

ADWD Daenerys VI

“If we should wed by Westerosi rites …”

“The gods of Ghis would deem it no true union.” Galazza Galare’s face was hidden behind a veil of green silk. Only her eyes showed, green and wise and sad. “In the eyes of the city you would be the noble Hizdahr’s concubine, not his lawful wedded wife. Your children would be bastards. Your Worship must marry Hizdahr in the Temple of the Graces, with all the nobility of Meereen on hand to bear witness to your union.”

Get the heads of all the noble houses out of their pyramids on some pretext, Daario had said. The dragon’s words are fire and blood. Dany pushed the thought aside. It was not worthy of her. “As you wish,” she sighed.

~

Dany filled his wine cup again, wanting nothing so much as to pour the flagon over his head and drown his complacent smile.

~

She wanted to scream, to gnash her teeth and tear her clothes and beat upon the floor. Instead she said, “Close the gates. Will you make me say it thrice?” They were her children, but she could not help them now.

ADWD Daenerys IV

“The Shavepate has ways of finding the truth.”

“I do not doubt that Skahaz would soon have me confessing. A day with him, and I will be one of the Harpy’s Sons. Two days, and I will be the Harpy. Three, and it will turn out I slew your father too, back in the Sunset Kingdoms when I was yet a boy. Then he will impale me on a stake and you can watch me die … but afterward the killings will go on.”

ADWD Daenerys III

“The Wise Masters should follow their example. I spared Yunkai before, but I will not make that mistake again. If they should dare attack me, this time I shall raze their Yellow City to the ground.”

~

“Have you forgotten? I have dragons.” [...]

“My dragons have grown, my shoulders have not. They range far afield, hunting.” Hazzea, forgive me. She wondered how much Xaro knew, what whispers he had heard. “Ask the Good Masters of Astapor about my dragons if you doubt them.” I saw a slaver’s eyes melt and go running down his cheeks.

~

Westeros. Home. But if she left, what would happen to her city? Meereen was never your city, her brother’s voice seemed to whisper. Your cities are across the sea. Your Seven Kingdoms, where your enemies await you. You were born to serve them blood and fire.

~

“Xaro Xhoan Daxos does not threaten. He promises.”

Her sadness turned to fury. “And I promise you that if you are not gone before the sun comes up, we will learn how well a liar’s tears can quench dragonfire. Leave me, Xaro. Quickly.”

ADWD Daenerys II

Mercy, thought Dany. They will have the dragon’s mercy. “Skahaz, I have changed my mind. Question the man sharply.”

“I could. Or I could question the daughters sharply whilst the father looks on. That will wring some names from him.”

“Do as you think best, but bring me names.” Her fury was a fire in her belly.

~

She was the blood of the dragon. She could kill the Sons of the Harpy, and the sons of the sons, and the sons of the sons of the sons. But a dragon could not feed a hungry child nor help a dying woman’s pain. And who would ever dare to love a dragon?

~

She sniffed suspiciously at Reznak mo Reznak. I could command the Shavepate to arrest him and put him to the question. Would that forestall the prophecy? Or would some other betrayer take his place?

ADWD Daenerys I

Dany said a silent prayer that somewhere one of the Harpy’s Sons was dying even now, clutching at his belly and writhing in pain.

~

Daenerys pushed her hair back. “Find these cowards for me. Find them, so that I might teach the Harpy’s Sons what it means to wake the dragon.”

~

She had not forgotten the slave children the Great Masters had nailed up along the road from Yunkai. They had numbered one hundred sixty-three, a child every mile, nailed to mileposts with one arm outstretched to point her way. After Meereen had fallen, Dany had nailed up a like number of Great Masters. Swarms of flies had attended their slow dying, and the stench had lingered long in the plaza. Yet some days she feared that she had not gone far enough. These Meereenese were a sly and stubborn people who resisted her at every turn.

~

“...Women do not forget. Women do not forgive.”

No, Dany thought, and the Usurper’s dogs will learn that, when I return to Westeros.

~

There were times when Dany wondered if that razor might not be better saved for Reznak’s throat. He was a useful man, but she liked him little and trusted him less. The Undying of Qarth had told her she would be thrice betrayed. Mirri Maz Duur had been the first, Ser Jorah the second. Would Reznak be the third? The Shavepate? Daario? Or will it be someone I would never suspect, Ser Barristan or Grey Worm or Missandei?

A Storm of Swords

ASOS Daenerys VI

“I want your leaders,” Dany told them. “Give them up, and the rest of you shall be spared.”

“How many?” one old woman had asked, sobbing. “How many must you have to spare us?”

“One hundred and sixty-three,” she answered.

She had them nailed to wooden posts around the plaza, each man pointing at the next. The anger was fierce and hot inside her when she gave the command; it made her feel like an avenging dragon. But later, when she passed the men dying on the posts, when she heard their moans and smelled their bowels and blood ...

Dany put the glass aside, frowning. It was just. It was. I did it for the children.

~

Dany remembered the horror she had felt when she had seen the Plaza of Punishment in Astapor. I made a horror just as great, but surely they deserved it. Harsh justice is still justice.

~

“Do not ever presume to touch me again, or to speak my name. You have until dawn to collect your things and leave this city. If you’re found in Meereen past break of day, I will have Strong Belwas twist your head off. I will. Believe that.”

ASOS Daenerys V

Worst of all, they had nailed a slave child up on every milepost along the coast road from Yunkai, nailed them up still living with their entrails hanging out and one arm always outstretched to point the way to Meereen. [...] “I will see them,” she said. “I will see every one, and count them, and look upon their faces. And I will remember.”

ASOS Daenerys IV

“I say, you are mad.”

“Am I?” Dany shrugged, and said, “Dracarys.”

The dragons answered. Rhaegal hissed and smoked, Viserion snapped, and Drogon spat swirling red-black flame. It touched the drape of Grazdan’s tokar, and the silk caught in half a heartbeat. Golden marks spilled across the carpets as the envoy stumbled over the chest, shouting curses and beating at his arm until Whitebeard flung a flagon of water over him to douse the flames. “You swore I should have safe conduct! “ the Yunkish envoy wailed.

“Do all the Yunkai’i whine so over a singed tokar? I shall buy you a new one ... if you deliver up your slaves within three days. Elsewise, Drogon shall give you a warmer kiss.”

ASOS Daenerys III

“He will not come,” Kraznys said.

“There is a reason. A dragon is no slave.” And Dany swept the lash down as hard as she could across the slaver’s face. Kraznys screamed and staggered back, the blood running red down his cheeks into his perfumed beard. The harpy’s fingers had torn his features half to pieces with one slash, but she did not pause to contemplate the ruin. “Drogon,” she sang out loudly, sweetly, all her fear forgotten. “Dracarys.”

The black dragon spread his wings and roared.

[...] “Unsullied!” Dany galloped before them, her silver-gold braid flying behind her, her bell chiming with every stride. “Slay the Good Masters, slay the soldiers, slay every man who wears a tokar or holds a whip, but harm no child under twelve, and strike the chains off every slave you see.” She raised the harpy’s fingers in the air ... and then she flung the scourge aside. “Freedom!” she sang out. “Dracarys! Dracarys!”

“Dracarys!” they shouted back, the sweetest word she’d ever heard. “Dracarys! Dracarys!” And all around them slavers ran and sobbed and begged and died, and the dusty air was filled with spears and fire.

ASOS Daenerys I

[“]The warlocks said the second treason would be for gold. What does Illyrio Mopatis love more than gold?”

“His skin.” Across the cabin Drogon stirred restlessly, steam rising from his snout. “Mirri Maz Duur betrayed me. I burned her for it.”

A Clash of Kings

ACOK Daenerys III

“I mean to sail to Westeros, and drink the wine of vengeance from the skull of the Usurper.”

[...] “Will nothing turn you from this madness?”

“Nothing,” she said, wishing she was as certain as she sounded.

A Game of Thrones

AGOT Daenerys X

“I am tired of the maegi’s braying,” Dany told Jhogo. He took his whip to her, and after that the godswife kept silent.

~

As she climbed down off the pyre, she noticed Mirri Maz Duur watching her. “You are mad,” the godswife said hoarsely.

“Is it so far from madness to wisdom?” Dany asked. “Ser Jorah, take this maegi and bind her to the pyre.”

“To the ... my queen, no, hear me ...”

“Do as I say.” Still he hesitated, until her anger flared. “You swore to obey me, whatever might come. Rakharo, help him.”

[...] “I thank you, Mirri Maz Duur,” she said, “for the lessons you have taught me.”

“You will not hear me scream,” Mirri responded as the oil dripped from her hair and soaked her clothing.

“I will,” Dany said, “but it is not your screams I want, only your life. I remember what you told me. Only death can pay for life.”

AGOT Daenerys IX

“Eroeh?” asked Dany, remembering the frightened child she had saved outside the city of the Lamb Men.

“Mago seized her, who is Khal Jhaqo’s bloodrider now,” said Jhogo. “He mounted her high and low and gave her to his khal, and Jhaqo gave her to his other bloodriders. They were six. When they were done with her, they cut her throat.”

“It was her fate, Khaleesi,” said Aggo.


If I look back I am lost. “It was a cruel fate,” Dany said, “yet not so cruel as Mago’s will be. I promise you that, by the old gods and the new, by the lamb god and the horse god and every god that lives. I swear it by the Mother of Mountains and the Womb of the World. Before I am done with them, Mago and Ko Jhaqo will plead for the mercy they showed Eroeh.”

The Dothraki exchanged uncertain glances. “Khaleesi,” the handmaid Irri explained, as if to a child, “Jhaqo is a khal now, with twenty thousand riders at his back.”

She lifted her head. “And I am Daenerys Stormhorn, Daenerys of House Targaryen, of the blood of Aegon the Conqueror and Maegor the Cruel and old Valyria before them. I am the dragon’s daughter, and I swear to you, these men will die screaming. Now bring me to Khal Drogo.”

~

Dany called out for the men of her khas and bid them take Mirri Maz Duur and bind her hand and foot, but the maegi smiled at her as they carried her off, as if they shared a secret. A word, and Dany could have her head off ... yet then what would she have? A head? If life was worthless, what was death?

AGOT Daenerys VIII

“You do not command me, Khaleesi,” Qotho said.

“Find Mirri Maz Duur,” she told him. The godswife would be walking among the other Lamb Men, in the long column of slaves. “Bring her to me, with her chest.”

Qotho glared down at her, his eyes hard as flint. “The maegi.” He spat. “This I will not do.”

“You will,” Dany said, “or when Drogo wakes, he will hear why you defied me.”

~

Eroeh stared fearfully at Drogo where he lay. “He dies,” she whispered.

Dany slapped her. “The khal cannot die. He is the father of the stallion who mounts the world. His hair has never been cut. He still wears the bells his father gave him.”

“Khaleesi,” Jhiqui said, “he fell from his horse.”

Trembling, her eyes full of sudden tears, Dany turned away from them.

~

Only a horse, Dany thought. If she could buy Drogo’s life with the death of a horse, she would pay a thousand times over.

~

She caught him by the shoulder, but Qotho shoved her aside. Dany fell to her knees, crossing her arms over her belly to protect the child within. “Stop him,” she commanded her khas, “kill him.”

AGOT Daenerys VII

“I will not have her harmed,” Dany said. “I claim her. Do as I command you, or Khal Drogo will know the reason why.”

AGOT Daenerys VI

“You will drink,” Dany said, cold as ice. “Empty the cup, or I will tell them to hold you down while Ser Jorah pours the whole cask down your throat.”

~

His khalasar left Vaes Dothrak two days later, striking south and west across the plains. Khal Drogo led them on his great red stallion, with Daenerys beside him on her silver. The wineseller hurried behind them, naked, on foot, chained at throat and wrists. His chains were fastened to the halter of Dany’s silver. As she rode, he ran after her, barefoot and stumbling. No harm would come to him ... so long as he kept up.

AGOT Daenerys IV

“I am the Lord of the Seven Kingdoms, not some grass-stained savage with bells in his hair,” Viserys spat back at her. He grabbed her arm. “You forget yourself, slut. Do you think that big belly will protect you if you wake the dragon?”

His fingers dug into her arm painfully and for an instant Dany felt like a child again, quailing in the face of his rage. She reached out with her other hand and grabbed the first thing she touched, the belt she’d hoped to give him, a heavy chain of ornate bronze medallions. She swung it with all her strength.

It caught him full in the face. Viserys let go of her. Blood ran down his cheek where the edge of one of the medallions had sliced it open. “You are the one who forgets himself,” Dany said to him. “Didn’t you learn anything that day in the grass? Leave me now, before I summon my khas to drag you out. And pray that Khal Drogo does not hear of this, or he will cut open your belly and feed you your own entrails.”

[cornyregans]

Adapting Shakespeare to Sims: A Midsummer Night’s Resolution

Essay Word Count: 1,520 Thank You Word Count: 97 Total Word Count: 1,617

  Now that I have addressed how the scenarios at the Capp Manor and Monty Ranch parallel key scenes from Romeo & Juliet, I believe now is a good time to take a look at what goes down when you first play the Summerdream family. The Summerdreams are a family of four in Veronaville consisting of lovers Titania and Oberon, and their adopted children, Puck and Bottom. By looking at these four names you can deduce that all of these sims draw inspiration from characters from Shakespeare’s A Midsummer Night’s Dream, in fact, their last name pretty much spells it out. As a result, we can easily deduce which Shakespeare play we should look at in order to dissect the scenario presented to us at the Summerdream home.

Shakespeare’s Original Play

  Like other comedies of the time, both by Shakespeare and by his contemporaries, A Midsummer Night’s Dream implements tropes such as love triangles, mistaken identities, use of stock characters, family tensions without deaths, and a group of interwoven plot-lines that manage to fit together by the play’s conclusion. That being said, arguably the most important aspect in identifying a comedy is whether or not it ends happily. In this particular case, A Midsummer Night’s Dream not only manages to deliver on what could be seen as a “feel-good” ending, but Shakespeare goes the extra mile by including a triple wedding for good measure.

  Now that we’ve gotten the genre of A Midsummer Night’s Dream out of the way, let’s take a look at the relevant characters. First, we’ll go over the four characters who lend their names to the Summerdream family. Oberon and Titania are the King and Queen of the Fairies, Puck is Oberon’s servant, and Bottom is a weaver who ends up as Titania’s lover due to a magical love drug. 

  The fairy plot kicks into gear because Titania refuses to let Oberon make her newly adopted changeling child into either a servant or soldier. This disagreement leads to a quarrel between the two, and eventually, Oberon calls on Puck in order to help him in both acquiring the changeling child and humiliating Titania. To achieve both of these goals, Oberon has Puck acquire a particular flower that, when its nectar applied to a person’s eyelids, causes them to fall in love with the first living thing they see. In Titania’s case, the first thing she sees after being exposed to the nectar is Nick Bottom with the head of an ass (the donkey kind).

  In addition to the fairy plot, there is also a bit of a love quadrangle surrounding four young Athenian nobles: Lysander, Hermia, Demetrius, and Helena. Basically, Lysander and Hermia are in love with one another, yet Hermia also has a suitor in the form of Demetrius, who is in turn loved by Hermia’s best friend Helena. The two plots are intertwined when Puck is ordered by Oberon to sprinkle the flower’s nectar onto Demetrius’ eyelids so he’ll fall in love with Helena. However, Oberon’s instructions only specify to Puck that he is meant to sprinkle the nectar on the eyelids of a “young Athenian man,” this results in Puck mistakenly believing Lysander to be the man Oberon mentioned. After Puck sprinkles the nectar on Lysander’s eyelids, he ends up falling in love with Helena, while Helena in love with Demetrius, Demetrius in love with Hermia, and Hermia in love with Lysander. 

  Later on in the play, Oberon sees that Demetrius is still following Hermia around. As a result, he personally sprinkles the nectar on Demetrius’ eyes and has Puck fetch Helena so Demetrius will fall in love with her. This results in Demetrius falling in love with Helena upon waking up. Now both men are in love with Helena, Helena only loves Demetrius, and Hermia is still in love with Lysander.

  The plotline of the Athenian lovers is ultimately resolved when Puck sprinkles the nectar on Lysander’s eyelids causing him to fall in love with Hermia again; however, he does not do the same to Demetrius, who ends the play still in love with Helena. As for the fairy plot, Oberon does end up reversing the spell on Titania once he gets the changeling child he wanted. 

  The play ends with the triple wedding of Lysander and Hermia, Demetrius and Helena, and Duke Theseus and Amazon Queen Hippolyta. Bottom and his fellow workmen perform a so-bad-its-good version of Pyramus & Thisbe at the reception, and Oberon, Titania, and Puck hop from marriage bed to marriage bed to bless all three of the couples. Finally, Puck addresses the audience with a soliloquy before the curtain call, apologizing to anyone that may have been offended by the fairy magic.

The Veronaville Version

  While the core aspects of the storyline are largely left intact, there are quite a few differences between Shakespeare’s original play and the version presented to us in The Sims 2. 

  In terms of the love quadrangle formed by the Athenian youths, only Hermia’s name and role remain relatively unchanged. Veronaville’s Hermia Capp has reciprocated crushes on both Puck Summerdream and Mercutio Monty; however, a look at her wants and relationship panel should you play the Capp Manor before the Summerdream family will show she’s more interested in the former. Hermia’s cousin Miranda Capp also has a crush on Mercutio, but unlike Hermia’s case, Miranda’s feelings are unrequited.

  The scene that is set up at the Summerdream house is meant to mirror the play’s romantic resolution. Puck and Hermia are situated next to each other upon entering the lot, with the tutorial pushing you to initiate their first kiss. Should you comply, the two will have their first kiss and subsequently be caught “cheating” by a jealous Mercutio. 

  Given Miranda’s absence at the party, this scenario doesn’t end up placing Mercutio and Miranda together à la Demetrius and Helena. That being said, a look at either sim’s relationship panel upon first playing their households shows that they already have a good rapport with one another. As a result, should you decide to pair them together, it’s very easy for Mercutio to reciprocate Miranda’s affections with minimal effort.

  Oberon and Titania’s role in this specific scenario is more akin to that of Theseus and Hippolyta than that of the characters they’re named after. Much like Lysander/Hermia and Demetrius/Helena, Theseus and Hippolyta also marry at the end of the play. However, since the other two couples are paralleled by teenagers, Theseus/Hippolyta (or in this case, Oberon/Titania) are the only ones who can end up tying the knot at this party. Though they are unable to marry without mods, you can also have Puck and Hermia go steady during the party as well should you choose to do so, which is basically the teenage equivalent in The Sims 2.

  A look at Titania’s wants panel upon first playing the Summerdream family shows that she wants to get engaged to Oberon, while Oberon wants to marry Titania. Their wants, combined with the wedding arch outside of the house, implies that the player should have them marry during the party. In fact, complying with these wants should raise the party’s score exponentially, which will, in turn, fulfill Puck’s want to have a great party.

  Finally, the party’s ultimate resolution may serve as a parallel to A Midsummer Night’s Dream’s play-within-a-play. As I mentioned while going over the plot, Bottom and his fellow workmen end up performing a so-bad-its-good version of Pyramus & Thisbe to celebrate the marriages of all three couples. By taking the in-universe reactions of Pyramus & Thisbe into account, the festivities at the Summerdream house could be bad, like the overall quality of the play, or good, like the unintentional humor the characters get out of watching it.

Final Thoughts

  As I stated the companion piece about the scenes from Romeo & Juliet, Veronaville contains many shout-outs to the works of William Shakespeare. While the names of the premade sims are the most obvious examples, the scenarios in place when first playing the Capp Manor, Monty Ranch, and the Summerdream household also fit into this category despite being more subtle. For the record, I first read A Midsummer Night’s Dream during my freshman year of high school for fun, and then in my sophomore year, it was required reading for my English class; That being said, much like with Romeo & Juliet, the similarities between A Midsummer Night’s Dream and tutorial at the Summerdream party weren’t made clear to me until last year while I was thinking about potential essay topics.

  While I’ve finished going over the Maxis-made scenarios in each of Veronaville’s occupied lots, there is still much I haven’t had the chance to cover yet. All of the sims inhabiting these lots, along with those in the sim bin, manage to parallel Shakespeare in a variety of other areas. Of course, some of these instances might be more obvious to you than others depending on your knowledge of Shakespeare canon, but I hope this essay was informative to you either way.

  Thank you so much for reading this piece on the events at Puck Summerdream’s party. While both of this weekend’s entries are on the shorter side, I do plan on posting some longer pieces soon (though I can’t say when due to my indecisiveness).

  I’m still debating on next weekend’s essay. I may post the essay I mentioned in a previous post about Capp family inheritance, but I haven’t made a final decision yet. But regardless of what I end up putting up here next, I sincerely hope you enjoyed what I had to offer this weekend.

[i-am-the-entertainer]

RevieWBY: Volume 6

This has been stated so many times, but Volume 5 was bad. Okay, it wasn’t terrible, like I don’t feel offended by it being bad (unlike certain folks), but looking back on it I don’t have anything to say to really defend it as something Rooster Teeth should have talked up as much as they did at the time. It had some good things going for it, but the amount of problems it had in terms of animation and writing really put a sour taste in everyone’s mouth. So for Volume 6 to deal with all that fallout, it was going to have to do a lot. And to their credit, CRWBY accepted the criticism in stride, and actively worked to make Volume 6 something that people who despised Volume 5 might enjoy.

Still, one had to go into this season with the understanding that some people were never going to be completely satisfied with whatever CRWBY did. Because at the end of the day, the RWBY that Rooster Teeth currently makes is not Monty Oum’s show anymore. No, this isn’t saying CRWBY is in any way disrespecting his legacy, it’s just Monty Oum had a certain method to running the show that only he could really get away with: epic fight scenes, suddenly throwing giant curveballs into the series’ mythology, taking vital time away from storytelling so the fights looked cool. I mean, there are people who criticize the show for doing that now when they didn’t give two shits when Monty did it, because Monty did it in a manner that somehow worked. I don’t know how he did it, but he did, and, well, he’s not here to do it, and there’s no way even a huge animation team can collectively do things like him. And they shouldn’t: if they can use a better industry standard animation engine than Poser, than the fact that Monty Oum didn’t like animating with Maya shouldn’t stop them.

Blah blah blah...this is all about FNDM reception. What did I think of Volume 6?

Well...

Focus

In my mid-volume review I cited this as Volume 6′s strongest aspect, and as far as I can tell this remains the case. By focusing our hero storyline on one group and for the most part the villain storylines on only a few characters who were paired off, Volume 6 effectively told a story that didn’t force the viewers to juggle multiple things and find some semblance of a continuing story. Everything happened linearly and the whole thing made for a more enjoyable watch overall.

Tone

Building off of that renewed focus, this volume felt like it had more of a consistent tone that lasted from beginning to end. RWBY markets itself as an anime show and uses a lot of that anime-style of humor (slapstick and comedically exaggerated emotions), but honestly it’s always played fast and loose with using that humor in a way that doesn’t feel out of place. In this volume it was more consistently used, and that’s largely thanks to the nailed down focus that allowed character interactions to utilize the humor in a natural way. Ruby and Maria Calavera were especially good sources for humor.

Now, things did get a little more screwball when Cordovin came into the mix, but it was interesting seeing CRWBY take that humor to a logical extreme for the first time in a while (not since the Beacon years). It interrupted the tone for a bit, but not in a manner that overall changed the genre this show is going for.

Animation

Beautiful. The improved production pipeline that we’ve heard about really came through. These episodes were the best they’ve ever looked, minus a few errors here and there, showing just how amazing RWBY can look when you give the animators time to add their own touches. There was some really great fight animation to boot: none of the fights this volume felt awkward, and you could tell the animators had a lot of fun.

Worldbuilding/Storytelling

It feels weird saying that Volume 6 did a better job with worldbuilding than Volume 4, which took place on four different continents and traveled across one, and Volume 5, which took place on two different continents and featured the second major skirmish between the villains and the heroes. I think this has to do with just how well it was integrated into the story: insight into the world came at points where the story needed it and when the viewers wanted it. Nothing ever felt like a massive info dump better suited World of Remnant; where there was just too much information delivered that wasn’t relevant to what was happening in the show. Volumes 4 and 5 had this same problem with establishing the world, often telling us too much in a way that just didn’t feel natural to the story. With Volume 6, almost every chapter up until the final Argus arc included some form of that insight:

Chapter 1 showed us how ordinary civilians deal with traveling through Grimm territory––the steps they take to protect themselves

Chapter 2 showed us some aspects of the Mistral criminal underground, not telling us too much about it but suggesting it was much larger than what Cinder encountered.

Chapter 3 showed us...so many things.

Chapter 4 offered a sense of the stakes RWBY faced in relation to all of Remnant.

Chapter 5 and 6 gave us a glimpse at another form of non-city life in Remnant.

Chapter 7 introduced us to Argus, my favorite of all the Remnant cities we’ve seen; plus a glimpse into the life of the silver-eyed warriors; and a more representative depiction of what domestic life is like in Remnant

Chapter 8 told us what Atlas personnel who aren’t Ironwood or Winter are like, plus the long-awaited insight into how the silver eyes work.

Chapter 9 shows something of the effect the Battle of Beacon, and by extension Pyrrha’s death, had outside of our core group.

Things kind of teeter off with the finale arc, but that’s because worldbuilding became a little less important to what was going on. This is kind of a stretch, but the mech fight and the arrival of the Grimm in Argus give us an idea of how large non-capital cities defend themselves without just spelling everything out.

All in all, this volume delivered on some impressive worldbuilding, probably the best the series has had in a while. It wasn’t massive info dumps unless it needed to be (e.g. Chapter 3), and it offered just enough for other important things like the storytelling and the action to still be in the forefront.

Characters

Volume 5, despite the fact it involved the major reunion of Team RWBY after two volumes, felt like it was simply putting the main characters through situations without those situations really doing anything to develop them or define them as anything beyond what we already knew. Some characters fared better on the development front, namely Yang, but others, especially Ruby, just seemed to be along for the ride without us getting any insight into them. This is where the writing issue that came from separating everyone starting with Volume 4 really came to a head: too many different characters with their own story to cover, and sometimes those stories just didn’t do much for the character beyond existing as a situation they were in.

Volume 6 feels like the refutal of that, and that mostly has to do with the fact that we’re not juggling so many storylines anymore. When a major event happens to the heroes, everyone gets affected at the same time. The train crashes? DEVELOPMENT! Jinn’s story? DEVELOPMENT AND INSIGHT! Snowstorm? INSIGHT! The Apathy? DEVELOPMENT! Telling team JNR about Jinn’s story? DEVELOPMENT! Adam ambushes Blake and Yang for the first time since Volume 3? DEVELOPMENT! WITH A HEALTHY DOSAGE OF ANGST!

Surprisingly, the same thing is happening to two of our favorite villains, Mercury and Emerald: even though they only really appeared in three chapters this Volume, we actually got a surprising chance to see how their defeat at the Battle of Haven affected them, and their increasingly strong misgivings about working for Salem. We get more of an idea of them as people rather than Cinder’s blind followers, understanding why they stuck with such an evil person for so long. It’s the most we’ve learned about them since Volume 3, and we didn’t even need lengthy flashbacks.

Even Adam got some more insight. RWBY has been following the path that Adam was an abusive ex-boyfriend for quite a while now, but there was always this underlying thought that he got into the White Fang business for a seemingly noble cause. The problem was the show hadn’t depicted how he got from Point A to Point B. The Adam Character Short offered us some of that much needed insight, putting some of his actions up to this point in a new context, even if it was set-up for clearing up some things so they could get rid of him.

Of course, there are still exceptions to characters getting character development, and honestly they’re kind of glaring ones. Oscar’s development arc, where he came to accept he was his own person, completely happened offscreen (for reasons that I’ve brought up before and will reiterate in the final section), robbing us of really witnessing his growth as a person. I enjoyed some of the stuff Cinder did this volume, especially her escape from the vault and her fight with Neo. But honestly she continues to be a pretty bland villain with little hints at her motivations for being such a terrible person: the Battle of Haven was such an utter defeat for her there needed to be some form of consequence that would’ve affected her character while also telling us more about her. Maybe it would’ve been her strategizing her revenge, which would’ve gotten more insight into how she thinks as a master planner. Instead, we get her leaving the vault, more or less going back to what she used to do but in a more low-key setting, fighting with Neo, plotting with Neo, and leaving with Neo. It felt more like “Hey, she’s alive, and here’s what she’s doing,” which while I appreciate it feels kind of a waste of time if you’re not doing anything with her beyond that. Honestly, a post-credits reveal that she was alive and then a pre-Volume 7 character short detailing how she made it to Atlas that covered her and Neo’s entire storyline this volume would’ve been more helpful.

Before I go on to my most major critique of this volume, I need to address the two Goliaths in the room.

Adam

I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again: they needed to get rid of Adam. The way things have been going, there was only so much more you could do with his character before he became a nuisance that was overstaying his welcome. I understand people wanted some deeper insight into him, but the fact was he was never introduced to be a major villain to anyone beyond Blake and later Yang. They could’ve had him have a thing against Weiss, but they didn’t, they focused the time that would’ve made him a major villain for everyone else on making people like Roman and Cinder and Salem the big villains. They decided on the path of abusive ex-boyfriend a very long time ago, and if you hadn’t figured that out after the Adam Character Short I honestly think you were being willfully ignorant to what’s been building up.

The best I can say is that Adam and his history is a missed opportunity for some pretty interesting storytelling and worldbuilding, but the fact remains: it is not his story that they want to tell, it is not his show. It may make something interesting to think about, but Adam’s story is supplementary, and works better in supplementary material, a la character shorts and maybe mangas.

Jaune

Y’all need to quit it with the “Hrrr drr Jaune took up time again moan moan Miles Luna is self indulgent” talk, he barely did anything this volume beyond Chapter 9 and having a sister that the whole fandom loved.

Pacing

This...this is where Volume 6 ran into trouble.

Overall, from the season premiere to the finale arc, this was probably the best-paced season of RWBY we’ve ever had. Major story events happened right when we needed them, and for the most part they didn’t drag out story arcs for any longer than they needed to be.

Well...until they reached Argus, that is.

At face value, a lot happened in the final couple of chapters. Chapter 8 gave us Maria explaining the silver eyes, Chapter 9 had the scene with Pyrrha’s statue and the mysterious Red-Haired Woman (I’ll headcanon whatever I want about who she is, Jen Brown) Chapter 10 started the Cordovin fight, Chapter 11 reinforced Blake and Yang’s partnership, Chapter 12 killed Adam, and Chapter 13 had Ruby finally use her silver eye powers to defeat a Grimm and they made it to Atlas. Yeah, it was a pretty eventful set of episodes.

So then why did it feel like it dragged? Here are a couple reasons that I’ve identified.

1. The Cordovin Battle sidelined story arcs for too long

I’ve said this before, and I’ll say it again: the finale arc should not have been split up like that over so many episodes. It afforded us some pretty well-animated fights, some of the best the series has ever had, but the volume hadn’t been relying on that action to keep up the forward momentum, but on actually telling the stories of these characters. I get the need for CRWBY to prove that they can do well-animated fights, but as I’ve come to accept action should never take precedence over storytelling (I know, that’s hard to swallow when parts of the fndm spends hours complaining about how Monty’s not animating the fights anymore). And it’s clear to me in this final arc put emphasis on the action over the momentum of the story, bringing the actually pretty good storytelling the volume had had up to that point to a grinding halt.

Now, historically RWBY fights have delayed telling stories, but it’s never been for too long, at most maybe two chapters? But if you spend three chapters on a single fight, thereby devoting three weeks of your viewers’ time to high-octane action, people are gonna notice that the story is basically going nowhere.

What could’ve made this less of a problem? Well, perhaps establishing Cordovin earlier and making her less of a buffoon would’ve eased my hatred of this arc. Volume 6 lacks a clear antagonist for the story, but the way Cordovin was treated as a big deal in this final battle made it seem like she was taking up that role, except we didn’t even see her until the final half of the volume, and in her debut we couldn’t take her seriously as a villain, much less an antagonist, because of the pure comedy they used in her intro. There needed to be something about her at least a few episodes early––take this with a grain of salt because I think following JNR in Argus would’ve killed the balanced pacing of the first half of the volume (and just made the Jaune haters apoplectic), but maybe a few quick scenes of JNR arriving in Argus and getting rejected by her would’ve been helpful. Or honestly easing off on the comedy of her intro. Such a one-note character who we are primed to not take seriously isn’t interesting as a major force, so identifying her as a more threatening roadblock for the heroes would’ve made the stakes of the final fight a little more...present.

2. Important storylines got trimmed for time’s sake and weren’t addressed properly.

@hypeathon (whose excellent production analyses for this Volume are well worth a read) identified a tweet Miles made back in October, prior to the premiere and most likely when they were finishing storyboards, about “killing your darlings.” For those unaware and who may have severely misinterpreted that comment, “killing your darlings” is when writers have to sacrifice something they love or want to do so that the story works better. The timeliness of this tweet (after they would’ve finished the script but before they’d wrapped on storyboards and voice acting for the final episodes) suggests the writers’ room had to cut a lot of material from Volume 6 (what Miles called a massacre of darlings), most likely due to production limits or not having enough time to cover them.

Think about it: the story from Chapters 1-7 was really good: everything was properly spaced out, the scripts felt polished, there was a balance of action and comedy and legit storytelling, the good pacing lasted longer than it ever has within a single volume.

Then we hit Chapter 8 and suddenly it all changes: storylines don’t get the proper time devoted to them, arcs come to a screeching halt due to the big fight. Unlike previous volumes, where the imbalance was pretty much the entire volume, there’s actually a clear point right in the middle of this volume where things suddenly took a turn for the worse. And the fact is, some of the problems with the story in the final arc suddenly make more sense if you accept that time that would’ve been devoted to it got sidelined in this “purge”: Qrow’s alcoholism suddenly getting brushed aside after Chapter 9 hopefully to be addressed next volume, Oscar disappearing and all his development happening offscreen, Adam’s completely unsubtle return after only a vague hint in Chapter 1 that would’ve been stronger if he’d kept popping up in Argus. I’d even go so far to say the odd pacing of the final few chapters could easily have been the result of the writing team not being able to devote a single chapter to such a grand fight, so they needed to stretch it out so CRWBY could actually animate it within reasonable deadlines, which meant sacrificing time for those arcs that so desperately needed development.

So what overall is gonna fix RWBY’s pacing in the future? Well, I think at the moment the show is too ambitious. If it wants to keep to a reasonable production schedule, they need to control the scale of their finales so that it can be completed without needing to sacrifice other storylines. If it wants to hold onto that ambition and make the finales as grand as they want it to be to do their boy Monty proud, then they absolutely need to delay the actual release of the volume so they can put in the proper amount of time to both the story and animation. And I don’t think anyone would mind waiting a little longer for Volume 7 if it meant this show got the care and attention it needs to tell the story it clearly wants to tell.

Conclusions

Evaluating Volume 6 is impossible without evaluating what came before it. RWBY was never a perfect show, but when you lose someone who was responsible for the show’s popularity in the first place and have to change how it’s made to make up for his absence, there’s going to be backlash. Backlash from the fans, and, uh, backlash from inside the company. The fact is, people are never going to be satisfied with the RWBY that Rooster Teeth makes today, and Rooster Teeth is never going to push out a RWBY that will make everyone happy. All they can really do is keep moving forward.

And move forward they did. Despite my problems with the finale, Volume 6 was good. I’ve always been sort of ambivalent about the show (I was drawn to it by my brother shortly before Monty’s death and have been watching it out of respect for him and the company as creative artists), and even if I thought some of RWBY’s critics were being too harsh (or seriously needed to find something better to do), I didn’t find Volumes 4 and 5 enjoyable enough that I felt like defending them. But guys, Volume 6 did something amazing: it made RWBY fun to watch again. Focused, consistent, and compelling storytelling plus gradually eased-in worldbuilding made for a story that I could follow along without having to juggle so many different plots. Improvements in the overall animation made things nice to look at and when fights happened they were always entertaining, never making me cringe or grimace, always making me think “Hell yeah, beat the shit out of them!” Just like I felt back in the old days of the show.

I feel as though what’s holding RWBY back at this point, however, is adhering to the production schedule that its old vision called for in making its current vision. And it honestly cannot keep doing that. RWBY is a show trying to reach grand heights, and its rushed production timelines and lost story arcs are keeping it tethered to the ground. Yet I can’t help but say: Volume 6 is RWBY at its finest so far. It can’t fix the problems that previous volumes have had, but it builds on the void those problems left to build a story that makes this show feel like something worth following once more.

So, I can safely say I’ll be following along when RWBY returns for Volume 7...hopefully later rather than sooner (again, it needs a better production schedule).

[senzacaponecoda]

an overview of minimalism without trees, I guess, idk. this is poorly written

It inherits the basic model of how language functions: Generation goes like, semantics ships off some structure to syntax, which then builds a structure it ships off to phonology. Reception goes the other way; phonology deconstructs a string and syntax reconstructs a syntactic structure with those pieces, which is then sent to semantics to interpret. It's a very very basic assumption about how language might work. It's also probably wrong, but it seems like no one who criticises UG actually attacks this. It's also probably not really important for the big picture.

So Minimalism advances a theory that words have syntactic features, some of them are "uninterpreted", which is just jargon meaning they need to be checked by an interpretable answer to the feature. (It's standard to write an uninterpretable feature like uFeature:). But it works key and lock style. uN: needs N, for example. The vast majority of these are pretty straightforward in any theory of grammar: Nouns have the Noun (N) feature, and can have person features, number features, gender features, etc.

There are no trees. We use trees to represent what's going on, but we don't need to. The trees don't exist. It's the same as if you were doing math problems like [(3+4)*12/(8-2)] you could draw a tree from the / to the divisor phrase and the dividend phrase and branch to the product phrases, the addition phrase, etc. Or you could go ground up and record each step the function takes, PEMDAS and Left to Right precedence makes the record something like

+, 4 => +4

3, +4 => 3+4

3+4, ) => 3+4)

(, 3+4) => (3+4)

>> *, 12 => *12

(3+4), *12 => (3+4)*12

>> >> -, 2 => -2

>> >> 8, -2 => 8-2

>> 8-2, ) => 8-2)

>> (, 8-2) => (8-2)

>> /, (8-2) => /(8-2)

(3+4)*12, /(8-2) => (3+4)*12/(8-2)

What Minimalism is really all about is the function merge, which works basically like the implied function above. It's sort of concatenation with some extra features. Merge takes two arguments, checks features, does some copy and paste stuff in some circumstances, and projects upwards until it stops at a CP.

Taking an extremely basic sentence, John loves Mary

We start from the semantics of that, Loves(john,mary). Another way to write that involves theory from thematic roles, which can be generalized to actors (agents, forces) and undergoers (everything else)

love: <Actor___Undergoer>

Active/Stative head initial languages tend to show the undergoers to the left of the verb. In fact many languages without overt active/stative alignment tend to show non-actor predicates (unergative) in a V-N sort of order, such as Spanish.

And in fact, there's a lot to motivate arguments that functions, which transform their arguments and return different information depending on what's fed into them, primarily and only concern their 'undergoer'.

double is a function which takes one number and returns twice it. double(7) returns 14.

If we add an agent to it, let's say Mark, nothing fundamentally changes. double(Mark, 7) still returns 14. There's very little we can do with double that could make whatever the agent is matter, but if we change 7, things matter; double(Mary, 7) => 14, double(Mark,8) => 16 (!), double(Mark, Mary) => ???

For these reasons we tend to treat a semantic verb and its undergoer as having a tight, closely related relationship. And for this reason we think that verbs with actor roles have a low level causative layer to them. This is why we consider voice.

So,

love: <Actor___Undergoer>

compare

is loved <___Undergoer>

(we can also consider semantically relevant aspect similarly)

loves [generically, habitually or gnomically]: <Actor___>

So, AT THIS POINT ALL WE'VE DONE IS SEMANTICS. Not Minimalism. Other theories of syntax can accept this, and hop off to do their thing here.

Minimalism takes

love: <Actor___Undergoer>

love: <john___mary>

john

mary

as well as other semantically relevant info

and pulls the syntactic units corresponding to the semantics.

love (non-generic): [V, uInflection:, uD:]

CAUS (weird causative thing): [v, uD:, uV* (it's a strong feature)]

john: [N, Masculine, 3rd person]

DET: [D, Singular, uPerson, uGender]

mary: [N, Feminine, 3rd person]

DET: [D, Singular, uPerson, uGender]

GNOMIC (tense): [T, Gnomic, Extended Projection Principle *, uPhi:, uClause: ]

etc

So it builds the Undergoer Phrase:

DET, mary => Ø,mary [D, S, uP:3, uG:F]

merges with the V:

love, [Ø,mary] => love,Ø,mary [V, uInflection:, uD:D]

and the lexically causative thing:

Ø, [love,[ø,mary]] => [Ø,love,[t, [Ø,mary]]] [v, uInflection:, uD:, uV:V*]

Strong features need the thing it merges with to be copied next to them in order to fully merge. I don't actually know why the causative thing in English is said to do this since it's basically always invisible, but I think the V and v having a closer relationship than cousin nodes enables something with allowing on-the-fly lexical derivatives to work.

The cut-and-paste function leaves a trace (t) which has apparently been shown to exist in psycholinguistics as a millisecond, almost imperceptable pause. I don't feel like tracking down a citation.

The causative thingy isn't satisfied so it projects a v' layer that can generate the actor's Determiner phrase. This is sort of like a function calling a second instance of itself, everything else build stays in memory. I don't really remember why it does this now instead of waiting until everything else is done.

Ø, john => Ø, john [D, 3MS]

Ø,john, [Ø,love,[[Ø,mary]]] => [[Ø,john],[Ø,love,[t, [Ø,mary]]]] [v, uInflection:, uD:D]

It could be that this layer mergers from the otherside, so we might expect an intermediate *love mary john word order instead of john love mary. That's fine.

It merges with an Aspect layer I'm leaving off because it's empty. Then the tense layer.

[[Ø,john],Ø,[t,[Ø,loves,[t, [Ø,mary]]]]] [v, uInflection:Gnomic,3MS]

[[Ø,john],Ø,[t,[Ø,loves,[t, [Ø,mary]]]]] [T, EPP*, uPhi:3MS, uC:]

The EPP is this phenomenon where it seems basically all languages need a subject of some kind, and a subject that is raised out of its environment. Active Stative languages are kind of an exception to this, their EPP is assumed to be weak. But this lifts the DP [ø,john] out of its spot to the left.

Phi features are just jargon for noun features. The T copies them from the subject and this particular T can pass them down along with its gnomic feature to the verb (verb doesn't have to raise).

The T also has a nominative feature that it can pass to the subject DP. Null case in English is accusative. "He wants him to love Mary" happens because the T for the him love mary phrase lacks a case feature but still raises the him out of the clause to be next to the T (to). If the 3M DPs were coindexed, by the way, wants would raise the him out of the TP again to agree with its own EPP and get the nom feature, so we'd see "He wants to love Mary". It's just case isn't usually relevant for English. This is also why we say things like "it's me" instead of "it is I/it am I" - we're a marked nominative.

Last it merges with a null complementizer that gives the clause the declarative feature.

Another

Iohannes Mariam amat

ama- <DP__DP>

mariam [D, 3FS, uCase:]

ama- [V, uD:, uInfl]

mariam ama- : [V, uInfl:, uCase:]

mariam ama- : [v, uD:, uInfl:, uCase:]

iohannem mariam ama- : [v, uInfl:, uC:, uC:]

(A)

iohannes mariam amat : [T, EPP*, uInfl:[Pres, uPhi:3MS], uC:Nom, uC:Ø, uClause:Dec]

(NB: Latin probably was marked nominative too because it had the same quirky subject stuff, but you could say that the verb amare has an Accusative feature it assigns to Maria)

German

Der Johann hat die Maria geliebt.

Maria [N, 3S, uInfl:]

d- [D, uN:, uNum:, uPerson:, uCase:, Ø-Infl]

die- Maria [D, uP:3, uG:F, uNum:S, uCase:, uInfl:Ø]

lieb- [V, uD, Acc, uInfl:]

die Maria lieb [V, uD:D, uCase:Acc, uInfl:]

der- johann [D, 3MS, uCase:]

der- johann die Maria lieb- [v, uInfl:, uCase:]

hab- [T, EPP*, uPhi, uClause, Nom, Participle]

der johann die Maria geliebt hat [T, EPP*, uPhi:3MS, uClause:, uInfl:Participle, uCase:Nom]

Ø [C, Decl, uFocus*, uT*]

hat der johann die Maria geliebt [C, uClause:Decl, uFoc:D, uT*:]

Der Johann hat die Maria geliebt [C, uT:T]

Note how most Cs in German stop the focus and the T from raising, thus V2 word order from a default SOV.

[thetaplowgroup]

How do some people start so many startups?

One of the key factors behind an organization’s success are its people. Your employees are your organization’s backbone. Without the right people for the job, even the greatest product or idea will not translate into success. This is where Global Executive Search Services come into play. They help you find the right people for the job and ensure you build together something meaningful & phenomenal. Some of the key factors you should keep in mind while conducting Global Executive Search are: -

Highlight Your Company’s Code of Conduct People who work for you need to relate to your code of conduct and their value system should be in line with it. It is not just about impressing customers or having a few good annual ratings. Your employees are your representatives in the real world and should stand for the same things you do. Once you are clear about the larger picture, have a fair idea of the work environment you’re aiming for, core values of the organization, you can go ahead and hire global management consultants to help you find people who are in line with your vision.

Review Behavioral Aspects Sure, degrees and experience play a key role in the interviewing process, but one should never underestimate attitude and their behavior. It is essential to have a workforce that has the right skillset as well as mindset to help you overcome all possible obstacles and challenges. While conducting Global Executive Search, one should always seek answers to relevant questions like - Where do they see themselves in 5 years? What are their short term as well as long term goals? What has been their biggest risk so far? Answers to such thought-provoking questions will help you determine if the person is right for the job.

Have Specific Requirements When you are conducting interviews and building your workforce, you should be crystal clear on the job description. One should carefully develop roles and know their importance towards the company’s growth. Having well thought out job specifications and descriptions helps you focus your search and find the right person for the job more efficiently.

Don’t Delay Finding the perfect candidate can be an excruciatingly hard task and long process. So, once you are sure they are right for the job, act quickly, don’t drag your feet. Chances are, they probably have enticing offers from other organizations too. All the time you spend contemplating and pondering could potentially cost you your perfect asset.

Businesses, be it big or small, are largely dependent on people behind the products or services being offered. Running a successful organization is not a one man’s job, no matter how great you might be in all the roles. Hence, it is imperative to hire people who are as passionate about your business as you and serve as its ride or die. The employees’ passion, enthusiasm, and loyalty is what drives an organization to success. Forming the right team can be a taxing process. So, take as much time as you need, put in the work, and build yourself a workforce comprising of gifted, dedicated individuals who will help you construct the perfect organization.

Our global executive search consultants will ensure that the right positions are filled by the right leaders. We are committed to finding the best fit for your organization. It is essential to hire the best talent for each executive position to pave the way for the phenomenal growth of your organization. If you are looking to fill global executive positions, then look no further than our world-class results-driven global executive search services

If you genuinely want to evolve & keep testing your limits, you must place yourself in an environment where you are constantly learning. For an organization to compete in today’s market and have a fair shot at winning, it needs to have a phenomenal leadership and constantly invest in their current as well as prospective leaders. This is where our training program comes into play. It focuses on developing & enhancing the most important of skillsets for your company’s best. We have spent years of research and devoured CEO recruiters experience to ensure we can provide the candidates with the best learning experience.

Our CEO training program focuses on polishing your leadership expertise, improving your management capabilities, and making you more accessible and receptive to your team. The program ensures that your decision-making skills and ability to resolve conflicts in an effective manner are at par with the best in the industry. Furthermore, we help you present your A game every time you encounter a challenge. A good leader should not only be at the top of his game but also needs to establish that all his teammates are too.

Our CEO training program promises to help you become a trendsetter capable of driving change and warrant that the company is reaching new heights constantly. In our CEO certification, apart from training you on how to communicate direction, drive innovation, and bring about change, we also focus on your personal leadership traits that ensure you are the most suitable leader of tomorrow.

1. Advancing Your Emotional Quotient A lot of CEO recruiters make the mistake of not paying enough attention to Emotional Quotient during the selection process. EQ is significantly more important than a lot of other factors such as IQ, technical skill etc. A well-developed EQ is what differentiates you from your peers. If you cannot channel and compartmentalize your own emotions, you will end up letting out the frustration on your employees. First you lead yourself, then you lead your team and organization towards success.

2. Building The Dream Team Ambitious, driven, and passionate individuals who understand & cater to the organization’s needs are essential for organizational success. Teamwork makes the dreamwork, after all. We help you build skills that enable you to build and lead a strong team of achievers.

3. Safeguarding Accountability and Productivity Communication and accountability go hand in hand when creating a healthy work environment. As a leader, you need to be an excellent communicator and ensure that your team is on the same page as you when it comes to goals and responsibilities. Having an approachable attitude is key to building a healthy relationship with your employees, but at the same time you need to be stern and hold them accountable, demand timely results for the organization to truly progress.

Our CEO certification will equip you to lead your organization in a coherent manner and ensure that you and your employees’ flourish.

At The Taplow Group we help you source the best-fit for your organization’s leadership through our executive search consultants. To know more about our services like leadership coaching, professional hiring, management consulting, reach out to us at www.taplowgroup.com

[lawrencekliebert]

How to Sell Digital Magazine Subscriptions Online Globally

Digital books and magazines are steadily increasing in popularity. As of writing of this article, digital books and magazines account for 11% of total publishing circulation revenue. As the COVID-19 forces more people to adapt to digital life, they are finding that they can easily subscribe to great content online.

  The current climate is an excellent opportunity for those who are interested in learning how to sell magazine subscriptions online. In this article, we will discuss how to sell magazines online, on Amazon, and on Shopify.

  Online content distribution is accessible

As a self-published author, selling your magazines online has never been easier. Apart from the multitude of platforms and marketplaces that make this achievable, you can also sell your content directly, by cutting-off the middleman and distributing it yourself. By publishing online via FlipBook or PressPad, for example, you can entirely control the creation of your content and retain 100% of the profits.

With an estimated 3.9 billion people using email services today, delivering content to your customers has never been easier. Publishing online eliminates a lot of overhead costs, so it may be a good idea to offer your current print subscribers limited complimentary digital access to encourage them to make the switch!

  Tune your pricing strategy to acquire customers

When it comes to pricing your digital magazine, you’ll want to first experiment with a few tactics, testing which of these your audience is receptive to. An entry promotion or even trial versions accessible for free to early adopters can help you acquire an initial pool of customers.

If your magazine was previously offered in print version, you don’t necessarily have to add a significant discount to entice subscribers to switch over. You can even maintain the same price, but offer an increase in value by providing extra articles or features for those digital subscribers. Furthermore, offering sample subscriptions or free trials is infinitely cheaper in digital mode. Plus, it also gives you the opportunity to gather some usage data which will help you refine the offering in time to best suit audience needs.

  Expand your reach to grow a user-base

Selling magazines online also has the benefit of reaching a larger audience. Whereas printed magazines are more difficult to mail to far-off locations, digital magazines have no boundaries.

When your magazine branches to the digital world, you can uncover new markets and audiences. You can also convert more sales by engaging with prospects via an email marketing campaign. Consumers are more likely to engage in an impulse buy when they know they can immediately receive what they paid for rather than wait for it to be delivered.

To grow a strong user base, experiment with email campaigns, segmenting your audience depending on their consumption preferences. Don’t be afraid to play around with different call-to-actions, set up an email schedule so you can send your inbox updates in a paced manner, and follow-up with leads depending on how they react to your initial campaigns.

  Selling magazine subscriptions on popular platforms

Selling magazines online can be done through a variety of platforms. Generally, it’s recommended that online magazines have their own app that can be downloaded in the Apple or GPlay stores.

There are other eCommerce websites that can help to sell your magazine as well. Selling magazines on Amazon and selling magazines on Shopify are both great options to reach a larger audience.

  How to sell magazine subscriptions on Amazon

One of the benefits of selling magazines on Amazon is how you can leverage their technology to target a specific audience. By using their “supported placement” feature, editors can select certain articles of theirs to be featured for a specific amount of time. Amazon has some fairly strict guidelines regarding content approval, so it’s important to use your highest quality pieces if your magazine decides to do this.

Like Facebook, Amazon customizes recommendations based on user’s behavior, which can be an invaluable tool when selling magazine subscriptions online. Of course, Amazon also spearheaded the trend of the digital-book with the invention of their Kindle gadget, so this platform is a natural fit for online magazine sales.

    By selling magazines on Amazon, you have the opportunity to place your magazine in front of a new audience that may be very interested in your publication. For example, if your magazine is about interior decorating, Amazon might place your magazine as a customized recommendation for a user who has been searching for home decor items. Be sure to include a preview of your magazine on your Amazon listing so you can show interested prospects the value of your publication and increase their likelihood of subscribing.

  You can also boost visibility when selling magazines online by including your publication on Amazon’s “Listmania” and “So You’d Like To … “ forums. Without paying a dime, you can create a Listmania of products related to your magazine’s genre and, of course, include your magazine on the list of must-haves for those interested in the topic. HubSpot reports that an estimated 70% of companies are increasing investment in online content creation, so keep in mind your Amazon promotional content won’t be without competition.

Using the Amazon customer interested in home decor as an option, you can choose one of your best articles from your magazine for your Listmania content. If your magazine just published an excellent article about Swedish-inspired modern furniture, you can search Amazon for pieces of furniture, bookcases, vases, bedspreads and throw pillows that follow this trend.

    Alongside these articles from Amazon, you can include your magazine as a “must have” for those who are interested in this type of design. You’ve added value to your magazine by creating an easy shopping list for your prospect, and perhaps convinced someone to subscribe who would have never considered a digital magazine before. Making sure that your details page on Amazon is optimized is key for exposure. It’s important that prospects see that your magazine is the established authority in your industry. It’s essential to include highly relevant keywords in your description that will guide internet users to your online magazine.

An eye-catching cover image, as well as a relevant description for your online magazine, is important to succeed when selling online magazines on Amazon. To adjust any of these aspects, you’ll need to know your magazine’s ASIN number (a 10-digit alphanumeric code that Amazon uses to identify your magazine).

  Can you sell magazine subscriptions on Shopify?

Shopify is one of the most popular eCommerce platforms out there. Can you sell magazines on Shopify just like any other product? The answer is yes. The only thing you need to do is decide which platform you’d like to use to deliver the digital version of your magazine, and enlist the help of a software that will allow subscribers to pay for your service in a variety of ways, like 2Checkout.

With Shopify, you can customize the look and layout of your store, keep track of purchases, and assure your customers of 24/7 customer service and support. For those who are not tech-savvy, Shopify offers a variety of templates to create a professional-looking online store. However, if you are a web design guru, Shopify gives its users 100% control over the HTML and CSS of their online store, so you can go all out with customizations and enhancements. In order to sell digital magazine subscriptions on the platform, you may also need to install an app so you can manage your digital products, as the platform is, at its core, developed for the sale of physical goods.

  Keep in mind, though, that you may need a legal entity as well to sell on the platform. While Shopify allows individual sellers or sole proprietors to use its platform, for financial compliance and tax purposes having a legal entity established greatly simplifies things. Don’t forget to also choose a payment platform for your new Shopify store. It’s essential that the payment platform you choose allows you to accept multiple payment methods including PayPal, that it can use geo-location to translate payment instructions depending on where your subscribers are, and that it provides a quick-loading, seamless payment experience for subscribers.

After all, the ability to allow readers to quickly subscribe and access your digital magazine is key in your selling efforts. If your app or payment processing software is slow to load, complicated to use or not compatible with different devices, it could cost you dearly.

  Selling magazine subscriptions online: low-cost, effective and environmentally friendly

Selling magazine subscriptions online is a great way to tie in your publication with any online marketing campaigns you are engaging in, especially if they involve social media! Selling subscription magazines on Amazon and selling magazines on Shopify are both great ways to attract and retain younger consumers, some of whom are too young to have experience with printed magazines.

  People these days are rarely separated from their computers or phones, so it’s a great opportunity for your existing subscribers to become more engaged with your magazine. As the publishing industry adapts to digitalization, it’s important for your magazine to be at the forefront of trends. Encouraging subscribers to read magazines digitally will also help you to better understand their behavior and adapt your content accordingly to increase customer retention and engagement. It’s a win for both you and your subscribers!

  Did you know you can use the rich tool set provided by 2Checkout Subscription Billing to forge closer relationships with your customers? Our powerful subscription management and recurring billing solution allows you to offer customers the frictionless, no-hassle experience they demand.

  The post How to Sell Digital Magazine Subscriptions Online Globally appeared first on The 2Checkout Blog| Articles on eCommerce, Payments, CRO and more.

How to Sell Digital Magazine Subscriptions Online Globally published first on https://mrlavishdesign.tumblr.com/

[donald-clemons]

How to Sell Digital Magazine Subscriptions Online Globally

Digital books and magazines are steadily increasing in popularity. As of writing of this article, digital books and magazines account for 11% of total publishing circulation revenue. As the COVID-19 forces more people to adapt to digital life, they are finding that they can easily subscribe to great content online.

  The current climate is an excellent opportunity for those who are interested in learning how to sell magazine subscriptions online. In this article, we will discuss how to sell magazines online, on Amazon, and on Shopify.

  Online content distribution is accessible

As a self-published author, selling your magazines online has never been easier. Apart from the multitude of platforms and marketplaces that make this achievable, you can also sell your content directly, by cutting-off the middleman and distributing it yourself. By publishing online via FlipBook or PressPad, for example, you can entirely control the creation of your content and retain 100% of the profits.

With an estimated 3.9 billion people using email services today, delivering content to your customers has never been easier. Publishing online eliminates a lot of overhead costs, so it may be a good idea to offer your current print subscribers limited complimentary digital access to encourage them to make the switch!

  Tune your pricing strategy to acquire customers

When it comes to pricing your digital magazine, you’ll want to first experiment with a few tactics, testing which of these your audience is receptive to. An entry promotion or even trial versions accessible for free to early adopters can help you acquire an initial pool of customers.

If your magazine was previously offered in print version, you don’t necessarily have to add a significant discount to entice subscribers to switch over. You can even maintain the same price, but offer an increase in value by providing extra articles or features for those digital subscribers. Furthermore, offering sample subscriptions or free trials is infinitely cheaper in digital mode. Plus, it also gives you the opportunity to gather some usage data which will help you refine the offering in time to best suit audience needs.

  Expand your reach to grow a user-base

Selling magazines online also has the benefit of reaching a larger audience. Whereas printed magazines are more difficult to mail to far-off locations, digital magazines have no boundaries.

When your magazine branches to the digital world, you can uncover new markets and audiences. You can also convert more sales by engaging with prospects via an email marketing campaign. Consumers are more likely to engage in an impulse buy when they know they can immediately receive what they paid for rather than wait for it to be delivered.

To grow a strong user base, experiment with email campaigns, segmenting your audience depending on their consumption preferences. Don’t be afraid to play around with different call-to-actions, set up an email schedule so you can send your inbox updates in a paced manner, and follow-up with leads depending on how they react to your initial campaigns.

  Selling magazine subscriptions on popular platforms

Selling magazines online can be done through a variety of platforms. Generally, it’s recommended that online magazines have their own app that can be downloaded in the Apple or GPlay stores.

There are other eCommerce websites that can help to sell your magazine as well. Selling magazines on Amazon and selling magazines on Shopify are both great options to reach a larger audience.

  How to sell magazine subscriptions on Amazon

One of the benefits of selling magazines on Amazon is how you can leverage their technology to target a specific audience. By using their “supported placement” feature, editors can select certain articles of theirs to be featured for a specific amount of time. Amazon has some fairly strict guidelines regarding content approval, so it’s important to use your highest quality pieces if your magazine decides to do this.

Like Facebook, Amazon customizes recommendations based on user’s behavior, which can be an invaluable tool when selling magazine subscriptions online. Of course, Amazon also spearheaded the trend of the digital-book with the invention of their Kindle gadget, so this platform is a natural fit for online magazine sales.

    By selling magazines on Amazon, you have the opportunity to place your magazine in front of a new audience that may be very interested in your publication. For example, if your magazine is about interior decorating, Amazon might place your magazine as a customized recommendation for a user who has been searching for home decor items. Be sure to include a preview of your magazine on your Amazon listing so you can show interested prospects the value of your publication and increase their likelihood of subscribing.

  You can also boost visibility when selling magazines online by including your publication on Amazon’s “Listmania” and “So You’d Like To … “ forums. Without paying a dime, you can create a Listmania of products related to your magazine’s genre and, of course, include your magazine on the list of must-haves for those interested in the topic. HubSpot reports that an estimated 70% of companies are increasing investment in online content creation, so keep in mind your Amazon promotional content won’t be without competition.

Using the Amazon customer interested in home decor as an option, you can choose one of your best articles from your magazine for your Listmania content. If your magazine just published an excellent article about Swedish-inspired modern furniture, you can search Amazon for pieces of furniture, bookcases, vases, bedspreads and throw pillows that follow this trend.

    Alongside these articles from Amazon, you can include your magazine as a “must have” for those who are interested in this type of design. You’ve added value to your magazine by creating an easy shopping list for your prospect, and perhaps convinced someone to subscribe who would have never considered a digital magazine before. Making sure that your details page on Amazon is optimized is key for exposure. It’s important that prospects see that your magazine is the established authority in your industry. It’s essential to include highly relevant keywords in your description that will guide internet users to your online magazine.

An eye-catching cover image, as well as a relevant description for your online magazine, is important to succeed when selling online magazines on Amazon. To adjust any of these aspects, you’ll need to know your magazine’s ASIN number (a 10-digit alphanumeric code that Amazon uses to identify your magazine).

  Can you sell magazine subscriptions on Shopify?

Shopify is one of the most popular eCommerce platforms out there. Can you sell magazines on Shopify just like any other product? The answer is yes. The only thing you need to do is decide which platform you’d like to use to deliver the digital version of your magazine, and enlist the help of a software that will allow subscribers to pay for your service in a variety of ways, like 2Checkout.

With Shopify, you can customize the look and layout of your store, keep track of purchases, and assure your customers of 24/7 customer service and support. For those who are not tech-savvy, Shopify offers a variety of templates to create a professional-looking online store. However, if you are a web design guru, Shopify gives its users 100% control over the HTML and CSS of their online store, so you can go all out with customizations and enhancements. In order to sell digital magazine subscriptions on the platform, you may also need to install an app so you can manage your digital products, as the platform is, at its core, developed for the sale of physical goods.

  Keep in mind, though, that you may need a legal entity as well to sell on the platform. While Shopify allows individual sellers or sole proprietors to use its platform, for financial compliance and tax purposes having a legal entity established greatly simplifies things. Don’t forget to also choose a payment platform for your new Shopify store. It’s essential that the payment platform you choose allows you to accept multiple payment methods including PayPal, that it can use geo-location to translate payment instructions depending on where your subscribers are, and that it provides a quick-loading, seamless payment experience for subscribers.

After all, the ability to allow readers to quickly subscribe and access your digital magazine is key in your selling efforts. If your app or payment processing software is slow to load, complicated to use or not compatible with different devices, it could cost you dearly.

  Selling magazine subscriptions online: low-cost, effective and environmentally friendly

Selling magazine subscriptions online is a great way to tie in your publication with any online marketing campaigns you are engaging in, especially if they involve social media! Selling subscription magazines on Amazon and selling magazines on Shopify are both great ways to attract and retain younger consumers, some of whom are too young to have experience with printed magazines.

  People these days are rarely separated from their computers or phones, so it’s a great opportunity for your existing subscribers to become more engaged with your magazine. As the publishing industry adapts to digitalization, it’s important for your magazine to be at the forefront of trends. Encouraging subscribers to read magazines digitally will also help you to better understand their behavior and adapt your content accordingly to increase customer retention and engagement. It’s a win for both you and your subscribers!

  Did you know you can use the rich tool set provided by 2Checkout Subscription Billing to forge closer relationships with your customers? Our powerful subscription management and recurring billing solution allows you to offer customers the frictionless, no-hassle experience they demand.

  The post How to Sell Digital Magazine Subscriptions Online Globally appeared first on The 2Checkout Blog| Articles on eCommerce, Payments, CRO and more.

How to Sell Digital Magazine Subscriptions Online Globally published first on https://yousweetluxury.weebly.com/

[achillesqp570]

Is Mediaboxhd Making Me Rich?

10 Functions That Make an Actually Wonderful Mobile Application

Around half of the orders put online are done on mobile apps. Most mobile apps are incorporated with Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and also various other social media websites for bigger advertising and marketing protection.

Many applications are additionally offered for mobile devices and also also some Televisions. To recap, a mobile application is an item of software application that runs on smartphones as well as tablets. Opera Mobile Store is a system independent app shop for iOS, Java, BlackBerry OS, Symbian, iphone, as well as Windows Mobile, as well as Android based smart phones.

- ADS BY GOOGLE.

If you intend to build a successful application, you need to choose the ideal modern technology. Every mobile application service version has its downsides and also advantages. To pick the one that fits your requirements, it is good to begin with assessing what your rivals are doing.

You can most likely to our Mobile Application web page to download them totally free. There are many various other independent app shops for Android devices. Windows Phone Store was presented by Microsoft for its Windows Phone system, which was released in October 2010.

If you intend to be sure that the updates you introduce to your application are relevant for individuals, just base your decision on data. Examine that information as well as respond to it as early as you can. Bear in mind that every year Apple and Google update their operating systems. In some cases it might imply rotating some features or transforming assumptions regarding your application. As an example, including a small (from Google's point of view) function like showing rate traps in Google Maps made apps focusing exclusively on that quite redundant.

User-Centered Layout: Refine as well as Advantages.

What is Mobile Apps write about them?

On average, app design time will vary between 2 to 3 weeks for a simple app and can go up to around 9 to 10 weeks for a complex news app with many features.

Mobile app development is the act or procedure through which a mobile application is developed for smart phones, such as personal electronic assistants, enterprise mobile phones or electronic aides. Mobile application growth has actually been continuously expanding, in jobs and also profits developed. A 2013 analyst record approximates there are 529,000 straight app economic climate tasks within the EU then 28 participants (including the UK), 60 percent of which are mobile app programmers.

What are the top mobile app development trends in 2020?

Apps are actual applications that are downloaded and installed on your mobile device, rather than being rendered within a browser. The app may pull content and data from the Internet, in similar fashion to a website, or it may download the content so that it can be accessed without an Internet connection.

Some companies provide apps as a different method to provide material with particular benefits over a main internet site. For example, mobile application users (like website visitors) do not wish to scroll sideways to see message, images, or interactive touch factors, neither do they wish to have a hard time reading little message. An added consideration for mobile app designers is the touch user interface common to smart phones. Numerous mobile applications have matching programs indicated to run on desktop computers.

Who created mobile apps?

A successful app combines three aspects in a smart way: market, user and the product itself. All these factors need to work together to give users a unique value, great usability, and good performance. Accessibility is the last but not least key feature of a successful mobile app.

. Believe it or otherwise, this does discourage people from downloading your application. From a customer experience point of view, simply having a clean, mobile receptive web site may be useful. Individuals are familiar with the interface, know what to expect and also how to operate, and also there remains a comfy detach between the user tool and also your web site. They are able to obtain their info in the least invasive way feasible.

Kinds of Applications.

The application market is continuously expanding, we anticipate to see a step-up in a number of assaults against mobile devices themselves. So, you should establish your next application with application safety and security in mind. While these concerns mostly influence Android-based applications, there has actually been an instance in point for apple iphone apps also. Normally and particularly, outcome getting away, permission controls, input validation, as well as canonicalization must be meticulously analyzed.

Call us for more appointment and also advice on establishing your iphone and android app. Every single established application is having some or the various other blunders adhered to by third party device assimilation. These technicalities in growth not just affect smart device tools but, likewise damages customer's individual data and info on a hefty scale.

# 3 Google and/or Apple Approval for Circulation.

There are likewise specific style concerns many thanks to applications inability to look in the same way on various platforms. Amazon Appstore is a different application shop for the Android os. It was opened up in March 2011 and also since June 2015, the application store has virtually 334,000 apps.

[marketingmane]

Preface

Welcome to probably the best guide to UI UX design on the internet. This carefully crafted piece will answer all your queries with regards to user interface design, and user experience design.

We can educate our readers about UI UX design because this is what we do. We work with reputable clients, across the world, providing them with seamless UI UX design solutions. Whether you are a beginner or an expert, this guide benefits everyone.

Looking for a smart re-branded website design to attract more leads? What about user-friendly mobile app design? Call +91 750 620 3013 or write to support@kodework.com, for getting in touch with our team of experienced web developers.

Let’s get down to it!

1. Introduction

Readers who search for a guide to UI UX design, don’t even know what separates the two. We hope to keep these UI UX definitions, processes and principles, concise.

This post won’t cover questions such as,

“What does colour purity mean  in UI design?”

“How does a UI developer work?”

“What does motion UI design mean?”

“Why is schedule UI design mean?”

We will cover all the above-mentioned questions on Kodework’s subsequent posts.

In case, you wish to pursue UI/UX designing as a profession, this UI UX blog post will come in handy. We would love to gain some feedback from you as to how we can make this post better.

Feel free to communicate with us in the comments below. We are a bunch of passionate, UI/UX professionals who build interactive and compelling UI/UX designs.

So, let’s get started.

2. What is ‘User Interface’ or ‘UI’ design?

An ‘interface’ is an interaction between two systems. So, a ‘user interface’ is an interaction between a system and a user.

Two common types of UIs or user interfaces exist:

One is a Command Line Interface (CLI) – that contains only text, which is mostly worked upon by programmers.

The other is a Graphical User Interface (GUI), which includes menus, icons, windows, and engaging imagery. As this is a UI/UX design blog post, we will stick primarily to GUI and its principles.

‘User Interface Design’ is a method or discipline wherein user interfaces are designed for software and machines. This UI software designed could be for mobile devices, home appliances, electronics and of course, computers.

UI design focuses on fostering excellent user experience, through aesthetics, responsiveness, and usability. Typography and colours are the essential pillars of UI design. UI design combines visual design (look and feel) and interaction design (usability).

“A user interface is like a joke. If you have to explain it, it’s not that good”

– Martin LeBlanc

2.1 What does a UI designer do?

A UI designer takes care of the interface and how it reflects your brand’s identity. This reflection is visible on any of Kodework’s website designs. The look-and-feel, the style quotient and the use of colours will be according to your company’s brand guidelines.

These are then converted to UI elements. There can be instances when a UI designer and a UX designer are the same people.

A UI designer’s job is to break down hard-to-understand design structures to a format that is convenient to the end-user. Both UX and UI designers work together in providing the user with a flawless web experience. UI designers must first understand the goal and objectives of the design. Making use of their skills, they need to then create engaging mobile UI or web applications for the user. Translating user objectives to functionalities is what a UI designer does best.

A top UI design agency employs a dedicated team of UI designers who apply their analytical minds. From product development until the design goes live, every process is catered to systematically. Take, for example, the design process at Kodework, which is probably the best UI design agency in India. Why do we call ourselves the best? It’s because we work on multiple projects in parallel, wherein each project is carefully attended to by a dedicated UI/UX team.

Our UI design specialists engage with our clients to gather essential project information. Our UI design experts then get a high-level understanding of the requirement. This is then used to create a UI design plan. This final UI/UX design solution is provided to a satisfied client.

2.2 What are the primary UI design components?

To keep things simple, we are only focusing on the five key UI design components.

1. Visual Design

In simple words, visual design makes the design more appealing and engaging. This is accomplished by engaging your website or app’s audience with conceptual art or web-based design.

Again, simplifying further, visual design makes the UX better with the help of layouts, space management, photography, and illustrations.

2. Colours

Colours are quintessential in UI design. Why? Because we are receptive to colours. We have a mental association with meanings and emotions.

Branding is heavily benefited when choosing colours. Colours help associate a UI design to your brand.

3. Graphic Design

User interface design benefits greatly from graphic design. This is because graphic design is majorly responsible for combining motion graphics, images, and text.

Graphic design hinges on brand guidelines. A graphic designer produces great visuals, keeping in mind what the user would find appealing.

4. Mockup

A mockup is a full-size model of your UI design. It is an excellent design element because it allows the design to be promoted and evaluated. Mockups are based heavily on visual details.

5. Typography

It’s the driving force in all aspects of communication art. Typography is a science that aims to deliver an easily readable copy for your readers. Excellent typography should:

Be structured in an understandable hierarchy

Work in various sizes

Be compatible with different letter-forms

Kodework UI Tip: Avoid excessive scrolling. A user has other things to do.

2.3 What are the different UI prototypes?

The interaction between a user and an interface is simulated via software prototyping. Discussing UI software prototypes are important because they come with a list of digital tools.

We will get into a list of the best UI prototyping tools in another blog post. For now, all you need to know are the most important UI software prototypes.

1. Paper UI prototyping

Paper prototyping involves sketches that are made on paper, during the ideation stage of UI design. The design team communicates with each other and all possible ideas are sketched on a paper.

2. Low-fidelity UI prototyping

Unlike high-fidelity prototyping, this one is a much rawer representation of ideas. They are rough representations of concepts that are perceived during early design processes.

Design teams use this prototyping software to validate early concepts in the design process.

3. High-fidelity UI prototyping

Also called Interactive Prototyping, it is a computer-based prototyping process that requires specialized resources and skills. It provides the closest resemblance to the final version in terms of detailing.

4. Rapid UI prototyping

This prototyping process must slot in-between Low and High-fidelity prototyping. It is based on user research, with UI designers quickly iterating solutions to solve a problem.

The high number of digital prototyping tools for user research allows it to solve problems rapidly.

5. HTML UI prototyping

This prototype is developed using HTML (Hyper-text Markup Language). It is minimal in appearance, with no style choices.

As it is already code-written, it enters into the UI design coding stage faster.

2.4 What are some key UI principles?

Most UI design tutorials won’t cover this important UI aspect. A good UI designer will always follow the following 6 key user interface design principles:

1. Structured

Every UI design model must be recognizable, consistent and clear. Similar design aspects should always resemble one another. The unrelated aspects should be separated.

2. Simple

The UI design must make common tasks look easy. The design must communicate clearly in the user’s language. Shortcuts, if provided in the design, should be cleverly related to longer procedures.

3. Reusable

The UI design should always reuse internal and external components well. Consistency should be maintained with purpose and not just for convenience.

4. Flexible

UI designs should be flexible enough to avoid misuse and mistakes.

5. Visible

There should be no redundant information visible on UI designs. Options, if provided, shouldn’t stick out like a sore thumb.

6. Feedback

All relevant actions provided over the design must be informed to the user. Errors or exceptions must be displayed clearly.

2.5 What are some useful UI design techniques?

Before we look at what are some useful UI techniques, we need to understand that a UI technique is a combination of software and hardware elements. They provide a way for users to get a task accomplished. The examples for this are pressing a key, mouse gestures, clicking a button or activating speech commands.

We won’t cover every technique out there but do mention some important ones.

1. Keyboard shortcuts

UI designers work on making interactive and responsive user interfaces. A great way to use this technique is via navigation or keyboard shortcuts. This allows users to easily get their work done while improving workflow.

2. Advertising features

Sometimes you need to do more than just present a user with a landing page. UI designers always try to outline every application feature. This can be smartly incorporated through a ‘help’ section of the website or application. Not all users would know about every feature on your website. These tips within the application itself will help.

3. Colour-coded content

Using a colour-coded list makes perfect sense. An application UI design could require you to show files, tasks or messages over the home page. If all these items are shown together in one list, it might look confusing. Colour coding helps users to visually distinguish between elements.

Simply place the text label within a coloured box. The choice of colour should not be random. It should be one colour assigned to each function or list.

4. Sign-up forms

The longer a sign-up form, the more time and effort a visitor exerts. A UI design with a quick signing up process speeds up user on-boarding. A UI designer must remove any wanted elements from the form. The optional details can be taken out later.

2.6 What is a UI flow or UI process?

Every UI process consists of 6 key stages or phases. They are:

1. UI design strategy

Nothing beats formulating an initial UI strategy. It prepares the foundation for brand guiding principles and gauging the vision of the website/app. The goals of the project are set. Success measurement and overall project road-map are formulated at this stage.

2. UI design research

Also referred to as the discovery stage, the research phase is not fixed for all projects. A major project will include an exhaustive research process. A smaller project will only make use of surveys or interviews as research activities.

The research phase is also at times skipped to cut down on project run time.

3. UI design analysis

The design analysis phase makes use of data insights from the research phase. These insights help UI designers to focus on capturing and organizing key UI design areas.

4. UI design phase

The design phase combines inputs from UI/UX team members. Ideas and assumptions are validated through an iterative cycle. User feedback, collected from previous phases, aid a UI designer to refine and repeat them.

These ideas can be worked on either through wireframes or paper prototypes.

5. UI production phase

This phase includes the creation of content and digital assets. This version is then validated via user testing sessions. UI designers then need to share the vision of the project with developers to bring the design to a seamlessly workable state.

3. What is user experience or UX design?

UX or User Interface design is the process of creating systems, services or products that provide a meaningful experience to its users. UX combines aspects of usability, function, branding, and design itself. Also included are aspects of product ownership and human-computer interaction.

A fantastic UX design helps users to accomplish their goals when browsing through your website or mobile application. It does not just focus on usability but also user efficiency and user moods. UX design is heavily user-centred, which means the type of UX design is based on the type of user.

A UX designer’s role is challenging, complex and multi-faceted. They aim to connect business goals to user needs. This is done via testing and refinement of the product/application.

3.1 What does a UX designer do?

A UX designer looks after users who would normally be your website leads. The UX designer’s job is to help improve the company or agency’s overall business metrics. Some of these metrics include improving CTR and getting conversions.

A UX designer must focus on creating personas, creating interactive prototypes, indulge in user research and create wireframes. The research being conducted then yields a working structure, which helps layout engaging user stories to tell.

A UX designer must likewise, also look at how to prevent users from bouncing off of your website. A UX designer should have a thorough understanding of user psychology and user behaviour. Also, he/she must analyze business patterns and have a command over interface ergonomics.

UX designers think of the ‘what’, ‘why’ and ‘how’ of the design.

The ‘what’, looks at what a user can do via the web or app design. The questions that a UX designer needs to address include:

What are some of the key features of your design?

What is the user looking for on your website or application?

The ‘why’ covers user motivation. It includes answering to queries posed, such as:

Why does the user relate to your app or web design?

Will users spend a lot of time learning or understanding the design?

Are all the design features offered necessary to the user?

Finally, the ‘how’ of the design addresses design aesthetics and accessibility. Generally, UX designers start by addressing the ‘why’. This is followed by focusing on the ‘what’ and the ‘how’ of the design. The questions that need addressing here are:

How must the content be placed over the website or application?

How easy is the navigation? Is it too confusing or lengthy?

“A problem well stated is a problem half solved”

– Charles Kettering

3.2 What are the key UX design principles?

Any UX design objective can be completed if the following 6 user experience design principles are followed:

1. Visual design

This includes the design elements such as look and feel, colours, and overall visual representation

2. Interaction design

Here, the design flow is facilitated based on user tasks. Every aspect of how the user is interacting with the functionality is looked at.

3. Information design

How can the information on your design be understood by the user? Is the information displayed in the right order? These questions get answered here

4. Functional design

Every detail with regards to UX design functionality is defined here. These functional specifications must be presented based on user needs.

5. User needs

There are user derived goals that are identified via user research.

6. Design objectives

There could different objectives for UX design. Sometimes the goal of the website or application could be the generation of leads or a creative outlet altogether.

3.3 What are the stages/phases in a UX design process?

The UX design process for a web application is different compared to that of Android UI design. Despite this, the 8 most commonly followed UX design process stages are:

1. UX requirement gathering

In this phase, a list of functional requirements is prepared. This stage commences right after a communicative discovery session with a client is completed.

2. UX task analysis

A design analysis is conducted which will indicate if the design is capable of performing its tasks or not.

3. UX information architecture

This stage covers the information flow through the UI design. During the information architecture phase, we choose what visualization technique to use, the UI interaction style that is needed and select a design pattern.

4. UX prototyping stage

Here, the development of interactive screens, prototypes, wireframes, and mockups takes place.

5. UX usability check

This stage allows UI designers to evaluate prototypes, which will otherwise not be tested on users. It is a stage of heuristic evaluation, cognitive and pluralistic walkthrough.

6. UX usability testing

This UI design testing phase allows designers to find out what a viewer will perceive. This is the phase where several user tasks are tested to check for any errors or problems.

7. UX graphical UI design

The final look and feel of the UI design are conceived at this stage. The various aspects of illustration, photography, typography and problem-solving are tested to decide on the final elements.

8. UX software maintenance

This phase begins after the deployment of the design. Any system upgrades, software bug fixes or changes in features are checked for.

Diff between UI & UX Design – CareerFoundry

3.4 Is UI design greater than UX design?

If you haven’t skipped through the above sections, then you probably know the answer already. However, we will let web developer Dain Miller answer this for you…

“UI is the saddle, the stirrups, and the reign, while UX is the feeling you get while riding the horse”

So, essentially both are crucial. You can find hundreds of examples where one is better than the other, and yet the application or website is great. Just imagine how good the end product would be if both UI and UX are built strongly?

About

Kodework

Kodework is India’s top UI UX design company. Our team of experienced UI/UX designers work with clients all over the world to simplify human-screen interactions. We pride ourselves on delivering seamless user interface design, user experience design, mobile UI design, dashboard design and web design.

When it comes to employing the best UI UX designers in the country, Kodework leads the way. We are the top company for career growth. For our clients, we deliver business growth & brand building via UX UI prototyping tools, design techniques, adopting the latest UI/UX trends and turning UI/UX needs to successful case studies.

The Kodework UI UX blog covers topics, such as UI UX prototyping, usability, architecture, interaction, process, research, styles, news, trends, tips, strategies, successful case studies etc.

Kodework works with Nordic Intent, Creometric, Ninestack and Fathamster Studio to serve B2B, B2C and B2E customers’ needs.

[sempiternalsandpitturtle]

6 hotel video marketing strategies to try

Video is consistently rated as one of the most effective types of content marketing by consumers and businesses alike. It’s a highly effective medium whether you want to raise product awareness, highlight employee stories or create a brand identity – video content can be utilised for just about any marketing goal.

Using video for hotel marketing

The hospitality industry, in particular, can leverage video marketing to a high degree. Want to show off a stunning new hotel? Video can take would-be guests on a virtual reality tour of the grounds and services. Want to create a brand aesthetic of luxury and comfort? VIdeo is perfect for conveying such qualities. Want to engage a target audience? Video captured by users can be shared on your social platforms to spotlight the customer experience.

Video is a versatile content form, and it has a fundamental place in the media marketing mix of any company in the travel and hospitality sector.

Don’t know where to start with a video strategy for your hotel? Or are you unsure of what new forms of video content to add and where to distribute them?

Worry not, as we’ve got the answers you need to harness the power of video in content marketing.

Video basics for hospitality marketing

Before we get to the examples of top-performing visual content, let’s discuss the nitty gritty of establishing a video marketing strategy for your hospitality business.

It is crucial to plan ahead of time because a lot goes into the video production process. While your marketing creative team might be able to ideate, write and publish a quality blog fairly quickly, video takes script writing, location scouting, equipment, lots of hands and extensive editing. That’s not to say blog writing is easy, but to demonstrate the time and effort required to produce a high-quality video.

Let’s explore some of the things you need to keep in mind when creating your video marketing strategy:

Always have a concrete strategy or underlying goal behind the video or series of video. Such content can accomplish many different things, but be sure to focus your campaign on a small set of objectives and target audience. Every conceptual aspect of your strategy will have an impact on the actual video production. If your motive is to raise brand awareness, messaging and set aesthetics will matter more; if you’re looking to educate consumers, an explainer video with functional instructions or tours is more suitable.

Maintain a video calendar like you would an editorial calendar. This ensures you can keep track of every video project and in which phase of production it is in (e.g., script writing, live filming, post production editing).

If you don’t have in-house video production talent, that means either hiring the expertise or a service provider. Be sure that your choice matches your long-term video goals: If you’re a scaling motel chain, hiring the talent now might make sense; whereas small businesses (like a single bed and breakfast resort on a country estate) may want to work with an external video team.

Be sure to think about distribution well in advance of publishing. Some platforms work better than others, depending on the video type and length. Social media, for instance, is perfect for one- or two-minute videos, or previews of longer videos. If you have an employee interview or full tour, house that on a landing page on your website (as this will matter for search engine optimisation). And be sure to upload everything to YouTube or Vimeo.

Now that we’ve brushed up on the basics of video, let’s examine some of the top video marketing strategies for travel and hospitality companies to try.

1. User-generated content

User-generated content (UGC as it’s sometimes abbreviated) is a highly efficient and effective visual content type. Not only can a hotel business get excellent video of real-life guests walking into their rooms for the first time or using the pool, but they do so without requiring additional labor to get the footage. Video content creation becomes a whole lot easier when you can outsource that task to users armed with a smartphone of their own.

UGC works so well because it’s essentially word-of-mouth marketing in video format. And if there’s one source of recommendations that consumers always trust, it’s family and friends. User content often resonates with audiences because it presents a trusted peer voice so that your viewers might feel like it’s really them gazing from the balcony of the room or enjoying the spa amenities of a resort.

  View this post on Instagram

  Whale, hello there. Look who decided to join our canoe tour this Halloween morning!

@jimmyy3fa #fsmaui

A post shared by Four Seasons Maui (@fsmaui) on Oct 31, 2019 at 4:50pm PDT

Or in the case of this example from Four Seasons Maui, your audience might imagine themselves up close with a whale while canoeing. This gem of user-generated content demonstrates the magic of sharing the real experiences of your customers. Encourage guests to use a hashtag while enjoying their stay, and always remember to ask for consent if you want to use their content.

2. Employee spotlight

Not all video marketing is about product; it’s important to have collateral that conveys your cultural identity as a business. This humanisation is key to a social media presence, and there’s no better source of stories, personas and brand ambassadors than your workforce.

Employee interviews and spotlights make for terrific videos. Viewers get to know the company through employees who personify corporate mission and ideals, while workers also appreciate the recognition and the opportunity. These videos can take different forms, whether you want a one-on-one interview that digs into a personal anecdote or a broader approach that spotlights multiple employees, perhaps by asking them all the same question.

This YouTube video from Kimpton Hotels & Restaurants is an example of doing the employee spotlight right. Each employee has a personality quirk or interest that viewers can relate to, and also displays the diversity of employee backgrounds and identities. Questions like “What’s your superpower?” and “How does work allow you to be you?” can really bring out powerful, evocative stories that build your brand awareness and customer trust.

3. Brand marketing

Hotels are just as much destinations as they are lodging providers. Amenities are typically a big part of the package, and any visual content you create should really play up those themes. Brand-forward videos that tie the hotel into the identity and attractions of its location are a sure bet to convey your messaging.

Hotels want to make their brand name synonymous with travel, comfort, leisure, excitement and delight. This applies whether they’re located in a capital city, major metro area, island chain or country/wilderness estate. Success in doing so depends on a video that can bring the sights, sounds and stories of the destination to life.

This “Dare to Discover” video ad from The W in Amman, Jordan ticks all those boxes. The artistic effort plays on the cultural tradition and history of the country, while also showing the viewer what nightlife and fun can be had.

4. Virtual reality tour

Just about every traveller has a horror story of a room that was too good to be true. Whether duped by pictures or a description, cautious customers will want to be sure the room is everything you say it to be.

Videos can help you tackle that concern by filming tours of the grounds and rooms. A short video can document the styles of suites, the pool, the gym, the dining hall, the reception area and all other elements of the facility that guests should know about.

Best Western took this video approach a step further when it launched 360, virtual reality-assisted YouTube videos for nearly 2,000 properties. Working with Google to capture 1.7 million photos of its locations, Best Western allows customers to tour the exact hotel that they are considering. Controls in the YouTube video allow viewers to pan up, down and around to get the full picture before making a choice.

5. Event recap

Hotels often host charity events, networking meets, business conventions, trade conferences and other organisational/social functions. Neglecting to show that side of operations in content can lead to a serious gap in video marketing strategy.

Sometimes, these events just aren’t all that sexy. An annual gathering of regional optometrists doesn’t exactly scream quality content, so you’ll need to pick and choose your moments to capture. That means planning in advance to have the filming talent on-hand, as well as an editing crew to turn around on a tight schedule: You don’t want to lose relevance, and thus social shares or impressions.

  View this post on Instagram

  Keeping your Sunday extra fabulous with some stunning highlights one from incredible event, @prideluxofficial. @brideluxofficial @splentoapp #pridelux #prideluxxshangrilalondon #sundaygood #keepitfabulous #shangrilalondon #shangrilalondontheshard #weekendmood #sunnylondon #viewsfordays #wedding #weddinginspo

A post shared by Shangri-La Hotel, London (@shangrilalondon) on Sep 15, 2019 at 7:18am PDT

This Instagram video from Shangri-La Hotel, London is a perfect encapsulation of effective event recap. The professional visuals immerse the viewer in theme, while the soundtrack and an event soundbyte also support the video.

6. Behind the scenes

Video is great for giving customers a glimpse behind the curtain. It can help build a brand identity of thought leadership, innovation, transparency or excellence.

View this post on Instagram

We’re transforming the way you connect. That’s why we’ve designed our studios to give you an innovative space to meet.

A post shared by Sheraton Hotels & Resorts (@sheratonhotels) on Dec 10, 2019 at 8:30am PST

View this post on Instagram

We created our community table with you in mind. Whether it’s working during the day, or a cocktail before dinner – we have stylish, intuitive spaces for you to connect and unwind.

A post shared by Sheraton Hotels & Resorts (@sheratonhotels) on Dec 2, 2019 at 6:08pm PST

View this post on Instagram

Every detail was designed to be perfect for our guests. “Watch how we’re transforming to make it easier for you to connect, focus, and explore.”

A post shared by Sheraton Hotels & Resorts (@sheratonhotels) on Nov 15, 2019 at 5:22pm PST

Sheraton Hotels pulls this off with a series of social videos that quickly explore how the business is designing spaces for business productivity and personal comfort. The visuals show the spaces in action being utilised in different ways, while also containing some explanation from multidisciplinary experts in the business. Explaining how designers found the optimal height for a community table can really illustrate a datapoint in an educative and engaging way.

Remember the basics of video production

There’s a lot of room to get creative with hotel video marketing. However, no strategy can succeed without following the best practices of video production. Talent hiring, resourcing and messaging – as well as distribution – should all factor into the decision-making.

Have a favorite example of hotel video content? Share it in the comments below!

from http://bit.ly/388dn8r

[oscar-randle-bct]

Reflection

The team

If I was to briefly summarize the effectiveness of our group – We were able to coordinate ourselves well and delivered a successful project in a eustressful, satisfactory and enjoyable manor. That being said, our overall project planning and organization was slack and could have led to a better and more developed outcome. Tim and Simon were overall enthusiastic and great to work with.

Semester outcome and going forward

We have emerged from this semester with a researched, strong and practical technological innovation to address an inconvenient problem. We worked to combine separate technologies into a new and unique design, creating our functions, UI and branding by researching existing artifacts and applications with specific features and reengineering them for our purposes. Where these feats are concerned – I personally think we have addressed the relevant aspects of our learning requirements quite well. Particularly concerning the implementation of unconventional/challenging ideas and the reformulation of ideas and methods to generate an innovative design using technology.

Overall, I think our research and documentation could have been better. Our blogging/update habits varied in discipline from bi-weekly updates to monthly updates. So un-ideally, some of our documentation is recap and retrospective rather than current. Having said this, our team was always working. The documentation we do have, while potentially less in quantity is more solid in quality than any other project I have worked on. I believe that concentrated, relevant and useful documentation suits the needs of this paper better than torrents of dispersed, irrelevant commentary to fill up space on our blog pages would.

I consider this to be the most promising, useful and interesting outcome I have been a part of in this degree. Based on our research, I genuinely think Easy Stems could have a place in the audio production industry.

This being said, our design is undoubtedly far from perfect. Compared to industry levels, the scope of our research, data collection and design abilities are minimal. This limits our level of clarity and conceptual robustness to some degree. I look forward to testing the concept on a grander scale and ironing out any kinks.

During open studio - the general reception was overwhelmingly positive. One possible failing of our display method was the lack of self-explanation in the slide show. To understand the product - the visitors had to either read our written explanation or hear us speak.

However this actually worked in our favor – We got a better chance to interact with people and an interesting discovery emerged - one thing that repetitively caught people’s attention was the image of FL Studios on the last slide. I ended up speaking with a variety of beat-makers and musicians who approached our table after seeing its recognizable UI. All commented on Easy Stems’ potential merit, usefulness and application to their personal work – Some even went to retrieve friends so they could see. It was uplifting to see our target demographic interacting so positively with our concept. Marketing with DAW imagery rather than just with our plugin is a key lesson for the future.

When considering the future – what I would like to do is review our work, examine business logistics and assess our options. I predict this assessment will result in us either refining the concept to a greater degree next semester, starting to build the product next semester or framing our current work for industry pitching/presentation and approaching an established company with the idea.

Conclusive statement

I am pleased with this semester from an academic perspective but grading aside, I consider this semester to be a big success. We are proud of our work and I feel excited to continue involvement with Easy Stems beyond the scope of the semester. In my experience this is uncommon within undergraduate work. I credit this to our eustressful team dynamic and our overall confidence in our concept. I look forward to seeing where Easy Stems can go and the connections it might bring myself and my team.

[scondren-blog1]

Social media has numerous bridal makeup tips for brides for their D-day, but one tends to get confused on what to follow and what not. But, when experts are there to guide you, it becomes easy. Isn’t it?

Bridal Makeup Artists are magicians that work wonders on the wedding day for every bride- to -be. Therefore, choosing a bridal makeup artist is one of the most important decisions you will be making. Accordingly, we are sure that you would not want to make any mistakes with your bridal makeup look also because your wedding photographs last a lifetime. Therefore, we spoke to some of the leading makeup artists in the industry to get some amazing bridal makeup tips for brides that no one tells you about. Believe it or not, but these bridal makeup tips from famous bridal makeup artists will not only help you for your bridal makeup but for your post wedding looks as well.

So, let’s get started with some amazing bridal makeup tips for brides that no one tells you about (but, we will tell you!):

1. Healthy Skin Is The Best Foundation

The best and the most obvious bridal makeup tip that any bride-to-be will ever receive is that follow a proper skin care regime for healthy and glowing skin. It is highly advisable to follow a consistent and good day and night skincare routine at least 6 to 8 months before your wedding day. Most of the senior pro artists at Bobbi Brown advice that a good skincare regime “Will help with how makeup looks and stays onto the skin throughout the wedding day”.

Image Courtesy: Jasmeet Kapany

Most of the bridal makeup artists also advice, not to try out anything experimental close to the wedding day. In fact, leading bridal makeup artist Shagun Gupta, tells us that brides-to-be, “should not experiment with any fancy facials close to the wedding day”.

We have also found you the best Organic Skincare Brands and Products to check out for healthy skin and hair.

2. Grooming Tips

One thing every bride-to-be must keep in mind is, not to leave any grooming things for the last moment like threading and waxing as it can leave rashes or redness on the skin. So, it is best to get your grooming done at least a week prior to the wedding, to give your skin ample time to recover.

Image Courtesy: Jasmeet Kapany

Here are some tips to you must know before going for brazilian waxing.

3. Be The Best Version Of Yourself: Opt For Minimalistic & Natural Bridal Makeup

OTT and dramatic makeup is so passe. Unanimously, most bridal makeup artists recommend to go for simple, minimalistic and natural bridal makeup.  Ace celebrity makeup artist Ojas Rajani suggests that brides-to-be should keep their bridal look soft and real, by choosing a natural bridal look. This is the biggest bridal makeup trend which is being followed all over the world.

Image Courtesy: Ojas Rajani

Infact, Shagun Gupta, advises her brides that experimenting with loud eyeshadow or lip shades is not recommended at all, for the wedding day. The biggest bridal makeup trend, which is definitely here to stay, is keeping the look fresh just like most brides all over the world. According to her, “It’s the broad smile and confidence which makes everything fall in place. A bride need not wear red lips just because it is her wedding day, certainly not if she is not comfortable wearing bright red lips.”

Image Courtesy: Shagun Gupta

Here are some great YouTube channels you must follow for makeup tutorials.

4. Prep Your Skin Prior To The Application Of Bridal Makeup

Celebrity makeup artist, Puja Taluja, tells us “Before the application of bridal make up starts, apply a cooling refreshing pack or mask, which helps in brightening the skin, closing the pores and pumping up the face”. The fundamental key for a smooth application is to wash, cleanse and moisturise before the makeup starts.

Image Courtesy: Puja Taluja

5. Hire A Bridal Makeup Artist Who Understands You Well

Bridal makeup artist, Shagun Gupta, gives the most sound and relevant advice. She recommends that finding a bridal makeup artist that suits and understand a bride-to-be, is far more important than anything else. She says,  “Don’t hire someone because they’re lesser than your budget, or someone just because they’re famous. Hire someone whose work you like because your bridal makeup look is the most important aspect of your wedding day”.

Image Courtesy: Shagun Gupta

Also, check out Questions You Should Ask Your Makeup Artist, before hiring one.

6. Waterproof Mascara For Your Happy Tears

Wedding day is full of emotions, you will have a lot of happy tears in your eyes and for that you need a waterproof mascara which doesn’t spill over your face and spoil your wedding pictures. Here are some amazing mascara brands that you can trust on.

Image Courtesy:Ojas Rajani

7. Choosing Your Foundation

Bridal makeup artists all over the world reveal that the single most important bridal makeup tip for brides is choosing and finding the right shade of foundation and using the correct priming products.  Puja Taluja reveals that “As the climate in our country is very extreme and it can get super hot, it is important for summer brides to prep the skin with an anti-shine water resistant primer like Becca’s Ever Matte Poreless Priming Perfector and to use a lightweight mattifying foundation like the Chanel Velvet Foundation or Georgio Armani light foundation as it gives a flawless look to the skin without getting heavy or cakey and feels light on the skin too and doesn’t melt away in summers”.

Image Courtesy:Ojas Rajani

Bridal makeup artist Jasmeet Kapany recommends to use your own creams and primers for the wedding look, which will help smoothen your skin and makeup application.

8. Proper Conditioning For Your Hair

It’s not just the face that needs all the attention on the wedding day. Brides-to-be, make sure you are treating your hair well before the wedding. And, for that you must go for deep conditioning hair masks regularly before the wedding. For girls who have dry hair must go for DIY hair packs that can make your hair smooth, may be banana pack or egg pack. Its tried and tested, it works!

Image Courtesy:Ojas Rajani

Check out hairstyles to give you a glam look at your reception.

9. Bridal Makeup Tips For Fuller Lips

Thin lips? We understand no lipstick looks good when your lips are thin, but we have got your back. We know a way to make your lips fuller and you can do it by using a skin colored lip liner and extend your natural lip line make sure not to go overboard with it, stick to ‘less is more’. Use shimmer on the center of the lower lip which creates an illusion of fuller lips. Thank us later!

Image Courtesy: Jasmeet Kapany

10. Keep Up The Brow Game

Make sure your brows are just perfect and not overdone. Never fill your brows with black use brown to make them look natural. So, the best way is, to use eye shadow or pencil and make it even with the eyebrow brush.

Image Courtesy: Puja Taluja

  We felt these are some makeup tips for brides that no one will tell except for the experts and hope we were able to convey it to you in the best way possible. As promised we will bring you more and more makeup tips for your D-day that will help you glow, in your wedding photos. Do let us know your reviews about these tips and anything more you want the world needs to know about makeup.

The post Bridal Makeup Tips For Brides That No One Tells You About appeared first on ShaadiWish.

[hkvoyage]

Fic: Butterfly Wings - Chapter 42 - Epilogue - Complete

Story summary A fashion blog started at University launched Blaine Anderson’s fortune and fame. As Vogue’s new editor-in-chief, he is struggling to find an original angle for an upcoming issue. Kurt Hummel has recently arrived in New York City after finishing high school, and is having no luck building a musical theater career, so he decides to explore another passion of his: fashion. He applies for an internship at Vogue, and Isabelle sees in him the perfect fresh face to liven up the magazine, and convinces him to try out as a model. Kurt meets Blaine, and in spite of their 10-year age difference, sparks fly. Can they overcome misunderstandings and sabotage to find their happily-ever-after? Klaine model AU. Rating for this chapter: General (overall story is mature) Word count for this chapter: 5,679 Can also be read on A03 / FF Masterpost is here. The fantastic artwork produced by Cassie at CC-Graphics can be here.   Thank you to the amazing @lilyvandersteen for the beta work and support. ***** “If you want a happy ending, that depends, of course, on where you stop your story” - Orson Welles

Seven Years Later

“Kurt, you’re not going to believe this. I just got off the phone with Matt Bomer. He wants to commission two bracelets for his and Simon Halls’ wedding anniversary. He said that money was no object.” “When’s their anniversary?” “In May.” “That sounds doable, Tina. As a matter of fact, I’ve been tinkering away at a new design. I’ll send you a preliminary sample next week. Tell Matt that his anniversary bracelet will be part of my new line, but he’ll be the first one – after Blaine, of course – to have the limited-edition bracelet in precious metals. How’s everything else going?” “Our back order will keep the factory going for the next three months. The Pride bracelets are still selling like hotcakes. I’m getting all the quarterly figures together for when you and Blaine visit in two weeks’ time, and I think you’ll be very happy.” After discussing forecasted silver prices and the inferior jewelry findings recently delivered from China, they end their call. After graduating FIT, Kurt had decided to start a jewelry business labeled ‘Buckeye Designs’ and sold brooches on Etsy. His dad thought he had named the business after his favorite Ohio football team. Only Blaine knew the real reason for the name – after all, it’s Kurt’s favorite butterfly. On their wedding day, Kurt surprised Blaine with a bracelet using differently colored precious metals to create a rainbow. Blaine was thrilled with it, but refused to take off his silicone rainbow wristband, and he now proudly wears both. Blaine urged him to sell his version of the rainbow bracelet on his Etsy site. Once Neil Patrick Harris and David Burtka bought them, and the bracelets were noticed in a Vogue photo spread, it became an instant bestseller. The demand was so great that Kurt couldn’t keep up. After discussing it with Blaine, he called Tina to enlist her help. Tina immediately quit her job at Vogue – she wasn’t happy there once Blaine had left. She established a workshop in Long Island and ran the company, and it now has its own website and also sells through Amazon. This allows Kurt to focus on creating designs and infusing capital when it’s needed. It also means that Kurt can work anywhere he wishes and set his own hours. It works perfectly into Kurt’s life. Kurt looks at the clock on the workshop’s wall and starts tidying up his area. He’s finishing earlier than usual, but tonight is very special. He walks to the tiny store front and covers the display cabinets. The shop is tucked away in a little back street in Key West’s historical district. It’s one of those places you need to know about, otherwise you’ll miss it. The only reason Kurt keeps the shop is so that he can see people’s reactions to his work first-hand without them knowing he’s the designer. Kurt sends a text to Blaine saying that he’s on his way home and asking whether he should pick up anything. In record time, Kurt receives a reply: Nothing needed except you. Hurry up! I miss you <3 <3 <3. Kurt smiles at the text, wondering how he got so lucky with Blaine. Even after seven or so years together, his heart races at the thought of going home to his sweet Blaine. Kurt locks the front door to his store and peeks into the window display of the art gallery next door. His chest bursts with pride when he sees a few of Blaine’s photos on display. They certainly have fun exploring the Florida Keys and knocking things off their bucket list. Blaine’s passion for photography is still strong and he continues to be inspired by the vibrant colors of Florida’s subtropics. “Kurt! Buena suerte (good luck). Toda la familia (the whole family) will be watching tonight,” the local Cuban cigar and bar owner shouts as he passes by. “Gracias, Martín. I’m keeping my fingers crossed.” Kurt loves that he knows all the local shop owners in the area and that they’re supportive of Blaine and himself. Sexual orientation isn’t relevant in Key West, and the LBGT community seamlessly blends into all aspects of the island’s laid-back lifestyle. When Kurt was finishing his associate’s degree at FIT, Blaine took a one-month job in Miami as a back-up musician for Jason Derulo’s latest album. At the end of the month, Kurt flew to Florida for a long weekend in Key West. They fell in love with the island and the lifestyle, and decided to move there once Kurt graduated. Kurt crosses the street and heads into Kermit’s Bakery. After a thorough taste-testing throughout Key West, leaving no shop or restaurant untouched – and Blaine groaned when there were semi-finals and finals – Kurt reached the verdict that Kermit’s has the very best key lime pie. Kurt had always thought that cheesecake was the best thing on earth, but now he knows better. The rich tangy key lime filling with the crispy base now holds the number one spot. The best part is that Blaine’s lips pucker with every tart bite that he takes, and Kurt knows exactly what to do with those puckered lips – kiss them senseless. Kurt purchases the key lime pie, hoping that the Anderson-Hummel household will have something to celebrate tonight. Kurt walks the few blocks to Mallory Square, the main plaza and the tourists’ focus for the famous Key West sunsets. He walks past El Meson de Pepe, where he and Blaine are the kings of the dance floor every Tuesday on salsa night. Pepe himself jokes that he could charge people to watch them move their hips together. Kurt walks on board the small old ferry and takes a seat on the wooden bench. It’s a three-minute ferry ride home. When they first arrived in Key West, they rented a house in the historical district, but found the island too busy. Blaine had been nervous around so many tourists with cameras. After house hunting in the area, they found the perfect lot on Sunset Island. The 27-acre island is only 500 yards away from Key West, but it feels like another world. There are fifty private homes and one exclusive resort on the island with strict access controls. They purchased a vacant lot on the waterfront and then spent a year building their dream house. As the ferry approaches Sunset Island, Kurt can make out two silhouettes on the dock. When it finally anchors, Kurt races off to be with his family. “Papa! Papa! Daddy said we could visit the butterflies on Saturday!” Kurt feels stubby arms wrap around his legs. Kurt rolls his eyes fondly at Blaine and groans “Not again” before giving him a kiss. Blaine laughs as he takes Kurt’s messenger bag and the key lime pie. “You know you like the butterflies.” Kurt picks up three-year-old Lizzie and tosses her in the air before kissing her. Since the first time they held her, minutes after she was born, she has been the central focus of their lives. When they were looking for a surrogate mother, Rachel had insisted that she wanted to carry their children. They will always be indebted to her for giving them Lizzie and the baby due next month. They get into their golf cart – no cars are allowed on the island. Blaine drives and Lizzie sits on Kurt’s lap. “Tell me the wedding story. Pleaasse, Papa,” Lizzy pleads. Kurt smiles and gives Lizzy a gentle squeeze. Even though he has told the story countless times, she never tires of hearing it. “There was a special area on the beach set up for us, and our closest friends and family. I walked down a white carpet that was covered in rose petals. At the end of the path was a special pagoda covered with flowers, where I saw your Daddy waiting for me. He looked like Prince Charming, wearing a black tux. His hair…” “I know! I know! Grandpa said stuff. Nana cried. You and Daddy kissed. Now get to the good part!” Blaine chuckles, “That was the good part, angel.” Kurt presses a lingering kiss to Blaine’s cheek and whispers, “No, the good part was later that night. Maybe I can give you a refresher course this evening?” “Come on, Papa. Stop kissing Daddy!” “When Daddy and I kissed, hundreds of butterflies were released into the air. They fluttered around us and then flew towards the sun.” Lizzy lets out a big sigh. “I wanna wedding like that. Only I’m gonna be a princess and wear glass slippers. And I’m gonna ride a white horse into a castle.” Blaine stops the golf cart in front of their house and lifts Lizzy from Kurt’s lap. He opens the white picket gate and says, “Come on, princess. Go inside and wash your hands. It’s almost time to eat.” When Kurt joins him on the veranda, Blaine pulls him into his arms and gives him a kiss that he can feel down to his toes. When Blaine finally releases Kurt, he murmurs, “I expect the advanced and intensive refresher course.” They giggle as they enter the reception area. The two-story house is light and airy, with honey-colored wooden floors and ceiling fans throughout. Blaine’s baby grand piano is situated in what is usually used as a formal dining area. Kurt had wanted to make the guest cottage in the backyard Blaine’s special music room, but Blaine had insisted he wanted to play the piano and still be around his family. Amy now lives in the guest cottage, giving them the privacy they need at night for refresher courses. “Dinner will be ready in five minutes,” Amy shouts from the kitchen. She had moved with them to Key West when they built their house. They now have someone come to clean twice a week, allowing Amy to help with Lizzy and keep the Anderson-Hummel household humming along. Even though it’s February, it’s plenty warm enough to eat outside on the patio. Kurt and Blaine have a simple meal of conch chowder and salad, while Lizzy eats chicken fingers, carrots and peas. “I don’t wanna eat yucky veggies!” Lizzy protests as she pushes the plate away from her and pouts. “Come on, sugar plum,” Blaine coos. “Veggies are good for you.” Blaine starts singing as he pushes the plate back towards Lizzie. Grab a plate and add some peas Then a carrot and a broccoli Take a bite, chew it around Lovely taste, crunchy sound Eat your vegetables they’re so much fun to munch! Kurt smiles as he watches Blaine sing and Lizzie quite happily eats all the vegetables on her plate. It’s a well-tuned dance that they play every mealtime. Blaine is about to go into the music studio as Mr. Healthy and record a children’s album. He has composed songs about pancakes, snappy beans, sweetie corn, table manners and the like. Blaine certainly has a way with children, and is very happy staying at home with Lizzy during the day. Whilst Kurt needs to go to a separate and quiet space to be his most creative, his husband is the opposite. Blaine takes inspiration from the little things in their daily life and squeezes in song writing during naptime and weekends. This perfectly suits Kurt – after all, he has a regular tea party with Lizzie on Sunday mornings, complete with scones and cucumber sandwiches (with the crusts removed, of course). After dinner, Kurt gives Lizzy her bath. She has bubbles, color bath drops and rubber toys. It’s almost impossible to get her out, and usually Kurt loves this one-on-one time each day. But tonight, Kurt is working to a strict timetable. He goes through the usual routine, but he does not give in to Lizzy’s pleas for an extra goodnight song. When Lizzy’s eyes shut and her breathing evens out, Kurt adjusts the covers and gives her a peck on the forehead. Kurt quietly leaves her room, closing the door very slowly, and joins Blaine and Amy in the main living area. The large flat-screen TV is turned on to the Grammy Awards. “You’ve got the DVR going?” Kurt asks, plopping down next to Blaine on the sofa. Amy nods and whispers, “Shhh! They’re showing the interview with Rachel when she walked down the red carpet.” Kurt sees a heavily pregnant Rachel discussing her return to Funny Girl after she delivers the baby. “God, Blaine. Rachel’s so huge and there’s still a month to go. Do you think she’s going to have twins?” “That’s not what the scans say, but I would love to have two babies that look like you,” Blaine replies. Blaine is Lizzie’s biological father - it’s so obvious with her curls and hazel eyes. They initially agreed that they would have two children, one sired from each of them. Recently, Blaine has been begging to adopt an older child, someone who could benefit from their love. They agreed to put the discussion on the backburner until their second child is one year old. Kurt knows that eventually they will have a family full of children. The Grammy broadcast returns to the stage. LL Cool J and Ed Sheeran are announcing nominations. LL Cool J rips open the envelope, “And the song of the year is ‘You Move Me’, composed by BK Viceroy.” Kurt leaps into Blaine’s lap, kissing him all over his face, chanting, “You did it! You did it! Oh my god! I’m married to a Grammy winner!” Before they can get carried away, they look back at the TV. Marley Rose is walking onto the stage to accept the award. BK Viceroy asked me to accept this award on his behalf. Personally, it’s been an incredible journey to go from a jazz nightclub singer to performing the song of the year. BK Viceroy is the most talented songwriter I know and composes songs that anyone who’s in love – or wants to be – can really connect with. BK wishes me to thank the love of his live, the inspiration for the song, the inspiration for his everything. BK and I are collaborating on our next album, so watch this space. Thank you. Kurt’s eyes tear up listening to Marley Rose’s acceptance speech. “You know that the song was written about you.” Kurt nods his head, but that doesn’t stop the tears from flowing. ***** One month later “Don’t you cry, my sweet Tracy Michael. Papa and I are going to take care of you and love you until the end of time,” Blaine coos, cradling the newborn baby in his arms. He and Kurt took him from the hospital yesterday, and they’re staying in a self-catering apartment in New York City for another two days. Blaine’s mother has taken Lizzy to Alice’s Tea Cup for afternoon tea, and Kurt is catching up on his sleep in the bedroom. “You’re a real natural,” Michael comments, who’s in the kitchenette preparing the bottle. “I love being a dad, but honestly, I couldn’t do it without Kurt. He keeps me grounded. While I throw myself into the moment, Kurt reminds me about what matters in our lives.” Michael hands Blaine the bottle, which Tracy greedily latches onto. “I’ve always been proud of your accomplishments - at Dalton, Harvard and Vogue. The Grammy award proves that you can do anything that you set your mind to. But honestly, Blaine, seeing you in a loving marriage… watching you raise children… well, that’s in an entirely different league. I wish I could have been the same sort of father.” “Hey, that’s not true. Look at us now. Sometimes a struggle is necessary before really connecting. God knows, that’s the way it was with Kurt.” Blaine takes a good hard look at his father. SONY Records donating a percentage of the sales proceeds from his songs to the Monarch Foundation has allowed them to move along at record speed. After the sixth Monarch House was opened, Michael quit his job at the insurance company. He’s now the chairman of the Foundation and overseas operations in nineteen locations. There are plans to open a Monarch House in Tate, Georgia – the first presence in the South. Michael has been inspirational to other parents of LBGT kids, telling his story of finally accepting Blaine for who he really is. “Hey, Dad…. Once Lizzy and Tracy get older, I’m sure that they’re going to throw a curve ball or two at Kurt and me. Some things that we’re not prepared for and don’t know how to deal with. Could I come to you for advice?” “Yeah, I’d like that. I have learnt a few tricks over the past seven years.” ***** They arrived back in Key West two days ago, and Blaine is relieved that the flight went so well, with Tracy sleeping the full three hours. Lizzie now wants to be a flight attendant, with glass slippers and a tiara, of course. After feeding Tracy, Blaine lays him down gently in the crib set up in the nursery. Even though Blaine had wanted to have the crib in their bedroom, Kurt wouldn’t hear of it. He claimed he needs his beauty sleep and their down time alone. Blaine couldn’t say no to that. Blaine heads to the patio and sits in the lounge chair, and just as his eyes start drooping, his phone starts ringing. “Congratulations, man. How’s my godson doing?” “Tracy is gorgeous, Sam. He has Kurt’s beautiful blue eyes. I pray each night that his eyes won’t change color over the next few months. He mainly sleeps, eats and poops - but that’s how it is the first few weeks.” “Getting much sleep?” “Enough. Amy takes the day shift, Kurt the evenings, and I’m on from midnight till 6 a.m. We’re managing.” “Well, tonight, when you do the midnight feed, you’ve got look at the new story that JiffyFeels started.” “A new story?” Blaine asks. “There’s only one chapter posted so far. Biffy is a shy nerd who gets bullied in high school and works at the local bakery on weekends. Jamie’s a bad boy, and when he gets out of juvie, he’s transferred to the same high school. Jamie’s openly gay, and when he goes to his first class, he sits down next to Biffy and hits on him. Biffy is shocked and brushes off his comments, but secretly he thinks that Jamie is hot. The story’s rated explicit, so I’m sure stuff will go down pretty soon.” “I’ll read it tonight.” “During the 3 a.m. feed, you can read the new one-shot by KrianFeels. It’s 20,000 words and it’s epic. They’ve got this superhero fantasy thing going on in the bedroom, but it’s got a twist. Brian is dressed up as the superhero and is tied to the bed and Kevin is the evil one, having his wicked way with Brian. He…” “Enough, Sam! Don’t spoil it for me. I’m not sure this is the sort of thing I should be reading with a newborn baby in my arms.” “Dude, relax! Don’t you know that Tracy can’t read yet?” Blaine rolls his eyes, because the problem is that certain parts of his body would get far too interested when he’s reading. Even though he and Sam haven’t lived in the same place for years, they still manage to remain close. “So tell me, Sam, how’s the filming going?” “It’s really happening! Everything’s on schedule. Mark September 6th in your calendar – that’s when the pilot is going to air.” Sam’s Surfs!Up webcomic now has over a million followers. When Sam had attended the Swarm Con convention last year, a production company offered a substantial amount for the TV rights. It is now being filmed in LA, and Sam is the lead story advisor. After finishing the phone conversation with Sam, Blaine shouts for Amy and Kurt to come join him. “Two updates, Amy? Where do you find the time?” “For the past couple of weeks, I’ve been a writing ninja. I knew I’d be busy when Tracy arrived. I posted them when Rachel went into the hospital.” “I can’t believe that Sam hasn’t guessed yet that you are both KrianFeels and JiffyFeels,” Blaine remarks. “Don’t tell him, Blaine!” Kurt shrieks. “Naw, there’s no fun in that,” Blaine chuckles. “A superhero bedroom fantasy one-shot?” “Kurt had a stroke of genius to replace the eye mask with a blindfold.” Blaine gives Kurt a pointed look. Kurt blushes and shrugs behind Amy’s back. Once Kurt had found out that Amy was posting smutty fanfic, he volunteered to be her beta. Whenever Blaine finds the two of them in the kitchen, whispering and giggling, he knows that they’re brainstorming new story ideas. It has certainly kept things interesting in the bedroom. Once Tracy starts sleeping through the night, Blaine knows for sure that Nightbird will rise again. ***** Blaine is panting as he enters the house after his run on the beach. He goes to the kitchen and Amy hands him the power smoothie she’s just finished making. “All good here?” “I put down wee Tracy for his morning nap ten minutes ago. I’ll pick up Lizzy from preschool in a couple of hours.” Blaine nods and heads to the patio to cool down and drink his smoothie. As a man in his late thirties, he knows how important it is to keep fit and healthy. Blaine wants to be with his family for a very long time. It was easy to replace morning runs in Central Park with runs along the beach. He keeps up with yoga, which Kurt very much approves of. Now that the ocean is at end of their back garden, Blaine enjoys swimming as well. Blaine admires the lantana shrubs in the garden that are in bloom with red and yellow flowers. Kurt planted them years ago because they attract butterflies. The pool and Jacuzzi look very tempting, but Blaine discards the idea of jumping in. He’ll wait until Lizzie comes home and they can have a swim together after lunch. It’s been challenging to combine parenthood with his songwriting, but he wouldn’t have it any other way. While some of his friends tease him about being a househusband, Blaine wants to be home while their children are still young. Blaine had really enjoyed recording the Mr. Healthy children’s album while they were in New York City, waiting for Tracy to be born. Blaine decided long ago that his music career was going to be spent behind the scenes writing songs for others. The royalties are more than enough to keep them in the lifestyle they want, with regular savings tucked away for retirement and college funds. Blaine writes songs under a pseudonym – he doesn’t want fame or media attention. However, when he came up with the idea of creating a Mr. Healthy album to help parents with fussy eaters, he couldn’t resist singing the songs himself. Lizzy would have been so disappointed if he hadn’t. Blaine mulls over the Skype conversation he’ll have next week with the music producers. He’s looked at their proposals for a tie-in TV program, and it’s a very interesting idea. Blaine is thinking of setting up a production company and hiring someone to create the show. He thinks that Sebastian Smythe might be the perfect person for the job. After his truce with Sebastian, Blaine meets him for lunch whenever he and Kurt are in New York City for Buckeye Design’s quarterly board meetings. Sebastian is still a very generous patron of the Monarch Foundation. Blaine now understands better how he ticks, ever since Sebastian told him how he was outed the summer before high school. Sebastian has said many times that the editor-in-chief job at Elle isn’t as interesting now as it was when Blaine headed up Vogue. Sebastian doesn’t have it in him to keep up a serious rivalry with Isabelle Wright. Maybe moving into television is exactly what Sebastian needs. Sure, he has no experience, but Sebastian is smart and will soon pick it up. His business acumen will help keep the concept on the right path. Blaine chuckles when he thinks that Sebastian has gone through every hot gay male model from New York City to Milan. Maybe hot gay actors will be his next challenge. In whichever direction Mr. Healthy goes, Blaine will make sure that it somehow includes his brother. Cooper met Cassie when she was an extra on The Young and Restless. Within six months, they were married and expecting their first child. Cooper quit the show when their second daughter was born. Cooper’s on-screen wife murdered his character, and it was epic. She served him a strawberry milkshake full of sedatives before bludgeoning him to death with his golf clubs. She then rolled his body up in a carpet and had it placed in their storeroom in their Park Avenue complex. Cooper’s dramatic death scene won him a Daytime Emmy Award. Cooper capitalized on this fame and opened up an acting school in LA, where he gives master classes. He supplements his income by doing voice-overs for Doritos. Blaine is sure that Cooper can supply students to audition for the Mr. Healthy show, as long as they don’t do too much pointing. ***** As Blaine reads the latest Vogue issue, he glances over from time to time at Lizzy cooing at Tracy, who’s in the baby swing. Blaine likes the direction Vogue is going under Isabelle’s leadership – the magazine now has a blend of fashion and thought-provoking stories. “Hey, bud. Can I get you anything?” Burt asks, as he enters the living room. “No, I’m good. Come have a seat,” Blaine replies. Burt arrived yesterday to spend time with his grandchildren. He retired from politics three years ago. Burt still works at the garage, but has given Timmy more responsibilities, allowing him to visit them often. Burt says that Key West is good for his heart. While Kurt thinks that his dad means his medical condition, Blaine knows that Burt means that they’re food for his soul. “Have you heard from Bentley recently?” Blaine asks. “Yeah, we’re headed to Lake Superior in June for our annual fishing trip. It’s the perfect time of year to catch trout and salmon.” When Blaine and Kurt had moved to Key West, Isabelle quickly snapped up Bentley to be her personal driver. “Next year, you two must have your annual fishing trip in Key West. You need to check out deep sea fishing. I want a stuffed marlin hanging outside the guest cottage.” When Blaine hears a ping, he grabs his phone and quickly swipes across the screen, eager to read the text message. I’ll be home in an hour. Can’t wait until you’re back in my arms again - K xxxx Blaine smiles at his phone, knowing that the four kisses are for each person in their family. Over the years, Kurt has become quite the master at cheesy texts. Blaine looks lovingly at his screensaver, which is a photo of him, Kurt, Lizzy, and Tracy the first day they returned to Key West. He snaps out of it when he hears Burt clear his throat. “That was Kurt. He’ll be home in an hour. We usually meet him at the dock, if you want to join us.” “How about I stay here with Lizzy and Tracy, and you go on your own? Maybe take the boat out and enjoy the sunset.” “Are you sure?” “Amy and I will be fine holding down the fort. Go spend some time on your own with Kurt.” Blaine jumps up and nods, before running to their bedroom. He wants to look his best for Kurt. He takes a quick shower and uses a little hair product to tame the curls. He puts on his favorite board shorts and the Surfs!Up T-shirt that Sam gave him last Christmas. It’s a size too small, so it clings to his upper body - Blaine loves how Kurt’s eyes darken when he wears it. He pulls out some clothes for Kurt to wear during their sunset sail, knowing that he won’t want to wrinkle his work clothes. When Blaine returns downstairs, Amy has an ice-chest ready for him. Blaine peeps inside and sees drinks and little containers filled with finger food. He then takes a deep breath to tell Lizzy the evening plans. “Hey, angel. I’m going to meet Papa by myself at the dock today.” Lizzy looks up from her coloring book. “Grandpa told me. We’re gonna play Chutes and Ladders, and then have a special picnic in the backyard. You and Papa aren’t invited.” Blaine chuckles and silently mouths ‘thank you’ to Burt. Blaine grabs two beach towels and drives the golf cart to the main dock. Blaine glances at the time on his phone – there’s still ten minutes before the ferry arrives. Blaine reflects upon their decision to build a house on Sunset Island. When they decided to marry, Kurt had wanted to renovate a large house in the historical district of Key West. However, Blaine wasn’t comfortable with living so close to all the tourists. It would have only been a matter of time before fans would have found out where they live, so Blaine suggested that they look for a place at one of the other Keys. If Kurt had still been the way he was the year they met, he would have assumed that Blaine wasn’t happy with their relationship and was getting cold feet about the marriage, and Kurt would have fled to Lima or far-off lands. Thankfully, Kurt has changed and matured over the years, so he took the time to find out why Blaine felt that way. Kurt came up with the perfect solution of building a house on Sunset Island – it gave Blaine a sense of security, but allowed them to enjoy the Key West lifestyle as well. When they signed the deed to the vacant lot, Blaine knew that they could work through anything. There have been discussions about whether to send Lizzy to private or public school (Kurt won that one – Lizzy’s already on the list for the best private education), and how to keep their careers in check so they don’t rule their lives. What makes their day-to-day marriage work is their commitment to figure things out together. As the ferry is getting closer to the island, Blaine feels butterflies in his stomach. When he sees Kurt leaves the ferry, Blaine’s breath hitches at the beauty before his eyes. Kurt looks incredible and effortlessly sexy in his dress trousers and short-sleeved shirt. There’s a scarf draped around his neck, secured by one of his signature brooches. When Kurt smiles at him, a warm tingly feeling flows through Blaine’s body. There is so much caring and love in Kurt’s eyes. Kurt wraps his arms around him and pulls him in tight, and Blaine’s arms immediately clutch onto Kurt. Blaine can feel Kurt rub his back gently as he nuzzles closer into Kurt’s neck. Blaine sighs, feeling as if he were the one who had just arrived home. When Blaine tries to nibble that spot that gets Kurt feeling good, Kurt pulls back. “Where’s the rest of the welcome committee?” “Your dad and Lizzy are having a special picnic in the backyard. Amy’s looking after Tracy in the house. I’m on strict orders not to come home for at least a couple of hours. Let’s take the boat out to watch the sunset.” “God, that sounds so freaking good. I miss our alone time together.” Blaine drives the golf cart to the private dock where they moor their 17’ sailboat. Blaine plans to go to the Ft Lauderdale Boat Show next year to buy a bigger model that will accommodate their growing family. As Blaine makes the safety checks, Kurt artfully changes into his swim trunks beneath the beach towel. When Kurt pulls on his rash guard swim shirt, Blaine’s eyes rake over his body, loving how it fits so snugly. Kurt is still very careful about protecting his skin from the sun, but has loosened up significantly since they moved to Key West. Blaine loves the freckles that now grace Kurt’s face – they’re like sun kisses for each happy time they’ve had together. Blaine pulls up the anchor and starts the engine until they are a few minutes away from shore. He then hoists the masts up, kicks off the engine and sails towards nearby Wisteria Island. Blaine shares the details of his day and what he did with the children. Kurt confirms that he signed up Lizzy for the summer dance program during his lunchtime. Kurt excitedly talks about the new café that is opening up one street over from his workshop, and Blaine makes a mental note to reserve a table for two on its grand opening day. When the boat reaches the little hidden bay at Wisteria Island, Blaine drops the anchor and hoists down the sails. Blaine pours the mojitos into two plastic tumblers, and Kurt spreads out the food nibblies. Kurt kicks his feet up and scooches along the cushioned bench so that his back hits the end, and opens up his arms. Blaine immediately sits in front of him with their feet tangled together along the bench. He loves it when Kurt holds him like this. “I love you,” Kurt whispers. “I love you too, husband… papa of our children… lover… best friend,” Blaine replies. “When I was younger, I had thought that New York City was the only place for me. But now, I’m living my personal teenage dream,” Kurt sighs. Blaine squeezes Kurt’s arms that are wrapped around him. He’s living his dream as well, and life is good… Life is perfect. Blaine looks at the red burning sun as it sinks into the sea. For all the gay bashers, rivals, spies, and especially the paparazzi… They can’t touch them or what they have. *fin* Author notes Author notes Song Blaine sings to Lizzy at dinner – ‘Eat Your Vegetables’ by Little Baby Bum. 

Nine months, 42 chapters, 210k words later… and the story is now completed.  This story has been an incredible journey, for Blaine and Kurt, and myself. There will be no sequel to this story. I believe I’ve left Kurt and Blaine in a very happy place. However, I’m open to writing one-shots so please give me any ideas you might have. 

Hopefully, I’ve given you many hours of enjoyment reading this story. Please take a minute or two to let me know what you think in a review. Whether you’ve read the Epilogue ten minutes after I posted it or ten plus years later, I’ll read it. If you decide to reblog’, it will also bring a huge smile to my face. 

Before I wrote this story, I thought this was my one and only Klaine fic, so I went for the long multi-chapter story with my favorite elements included. Go big or go home was my motto! It turns out, I have another Klaine fic to tell – a Downton Abbey inspired AU. If you’re interested, follow me as a writer to get a notification for ‘Westerville Abbey’. I’ll start drafting it next month and won’t post the first chapter until the story is fully drafted. I promise that you won’t need to have watched Downton Abbey to enjoy this historical AU set in the 1910s in Britain. Look out for it sometime this summer. 

Thank you to @lilyvandersteen for her beta work, Cassie @cc-graphics for the fic artwork, @sunshineoptimismandangels for giving me the encouragement to write this fic at the start, and @lady--divine for politely answering  random questions and reviewing my first smut scene. I also thank every single person who left a review or messaged me. Your words of encouragement and constructive feedback helped to keep me motivated and wake up early on Saturday mornings to post a new chapter.    

[usjobsfinder]

Associate Marketing Manager - Sweet Earth - Oakland, USA

Nestlé USA is making its mark on the Modern Food Movement! Our Sweet Earth brand – one of the fastest growing vegetarian and vegan food brands in the country – is on the brink of greatness, and we need the right people to take us to the next level. With demand for plant-based and alternative meat at an all-time high, we’re continuing to lead the ‘battle of the burgers’ with nutritious and great-tasting products that our consumers love. But we can’t do it without you – we’re looking for top-tier talent with an entrepreneurial spirit and passion for results to build on the momentum and elevate Sweet Earth to “mega brand” status.

Backed by Nestlé USA, best known for brands like Stouffer’s, Nesquik, Toll House, Lean Cuisine, and Häagen-Dazs, Sweet Earth enjoys the best of two worlds – a dynamic and collaborative small-company spirit, and the scale of the world’s largest food and beverage company. Our team is strategically located in Northern California, based within a lively and renowned gastronomic and agricultural scene. Our Moss Landing campus is home to our internal Culinary team, and our Plant Protein Center of Excellence, allowing for cutting-edge food research and innovation.

Across our organization, we’re creating a workplace where collaboration is essential, courage is rewarded, speed is expected, and agility is the norm to delight our consumers every single day. Join us on our journey to take the Modern Food Movement to new heights.

POSITION SUMMARY:

The Associate Marketing Manager’s role is to drive the performance, equity, and share of our brands by activating distinctive consumer insights. In this role, you will support the Sweet Earth brand team’s pursuit of insights that enable the team to know its consumer deeply and build engaging brand experiences while supporting the Manager in setting communications and innovation strategies. You will interact with agency partners in support of strategy, planning and implementation. This role supports a brand’s innovation activities by collaborating with sales, shopper marketing, operations, product development and finance on various generating demand.

PRIMARY RESPONSIBILITIES:

Insights

Use consumer and marketplace data and trends to support developing a deeper understanding of the demographics, psychographics, and behavioral drivers of the brand’s consumer or a particular consumer segment.

Dive into demand landscape for the consumer/brand by utilization of digital insight tools

Manage brand projects and assignments in a way that demonstrates an understanding of key consumer insights and an ability to activate them in relevant communications and innovation activities.

Support the brand’s need to identify and understand what the brand stands for in the hearts and minds of consumers including brand identity, essence, vision, mission and core values to drive relevant communications and innovation.

Leverage data, trends and support from Manager, Shopper Marketing and Market Research to help build a robust and actionable learning plan to address knowledge gaps in consumer, brand, product, business and marketplace learnings.

Consumer Communication

Manage consumer communications projects that develop a creative territory that brings the brand to life and enables effective consumer communication with a digital and social first approach

Assist in identifying optimal engagement strategy and campaign structure to reach consumers when and where they are most receptive.

Lead initiatives in the communication plan around specific touchpoints or consumer targets including agency and cross-functional team management, strategy, planning, execution and results measurement.

Demonstrate the ability to manage projects on time and on budget as well and demonstrate decision-making abilities around investment alternatives that mitigate risk and maximize return.

Planning

Leverages brand, consumer and marketplace data and trends to support Manager in developing an annual marketing communications plan to closely align the efforts of Marketing and Sales to generate optimal demand for the brand

Prepare, present and sell-in aspects of the brand plan to management, cross-functional partners and external stakeholders.

Assists in creating the annual communications plan including recommended touchpoint plan, activation/implementation plan, stewardship and measurement

Support Manager in implementing a 3-year consumer centric brand plan to drive and/or sustain long-term brand health including equity, awareness and engagement.

Qualifications

REQUIREMENTS AND MINIMUM EDUCATION:

BS/BA in Marketing or related field; MBA preferred

2+ years Brand Marketing experience. Strong preference for Consumer Goods (CPG) exposure

Experience leading marketing communication projects including digital and media strategies

Strong drive for results including: strong leadership, decision-making and analytical skills, effective communication skills, ability to think strategically, self-motivation, and a passion for the consumer

Experience partnering with cross-functional teams and agency partners

Experience developing strategic brand/product plans, such as communication campaigns and commercialization strategies

Ability to influence and lead others, including those outside of the Marketing function

Passion for identifying consumer insights and transforming them into significant product and marketing innovation

Ability to translate critical thinking into strong business results

Deep understanding of key P&L drivers

Quantitative strength in analyzing data and synthesizing learning into insights and action

PREFERRED EXPERIENCE:

Plant-based food experience is a plus

Experience within a smaller, entrepreneurial environment

Strong sense of urgency, even when managing initiatives with long lead times

Adaptability and flexibility to meet changing priorities and adjust to different management styles

#LI-MS1

Job Marketing/Brand Management

source https://usjobsfinder.com/en/associate-marketing-manager-sweet-earth/908

[racheljhaydentx]

PPC 101: How Does Pay-Per-Click Work and Why Do You Need It?

PPC (pay-per-click) is one of the busiest business highways of the internet.

It plays a vital role in any winsome digital marketing strategy, applicable across the entire buyer journey. And if you’re already wondering “wait, how does pay per click work at all”, fret not.

Simply put, you essentially buy visibility with almost immediate effect.

This visibility, albeit not organic, can be nothing short of a game-changer. According to Wordstream, 64% of people click on ads when looking for products and services online. This figure speaks volumes about the efficiency of PPC.

The only problem is there’s a lot of ground to cover, from defining a budget and timeline to finding the audience. The good news is others have been where you are now and left a trail of proven methods.

We’ve compiled a comprehensive guide on this prominent strategy and what it can do for you. So, let’s examine what’s happening under the hood.

How Does Pay Per Click Work?

In a nutshell, PPC is a form of online advertising, similar to pay-per-impression or pay-per-view.

Its defining trait is the intended interaction brands seek to initiate: a click (on an ad).  As such, PPC is just one facet of modern marketing. If nothing else, there are other noteworthy strategies with an amazing track record.

Achieving higher organic ranking is a prime illustration, an objective associated with a heap of benefits. Apart from advantages, however, one also has to mind the drawbacks. It takes a lot of hands-on experience and time to actually bring in traffic with SEO tactics.

And this is precisely where PPC comes into play.

It’s geared toward specialized and time-sensitive campaigns. You could, for instance, conquer a new geographic market and directly chip away at the competition. This is possible to accomplish in a fraction of the time it takes to execute alternative online strategies.

What is more, getting to the forefront of search or social media has profound implications. Believe it or not, whopping 98% of users choose a business featured on the first page of results. This is just one example of how PPC adds value to organizations.

Supporting Pillar of Online Presence

But, it’s important to underline PPC isn’t overly effective as a sole approach.

It best works in a well-established context of advanced analytics, business goals, and other online tactics, such as SEO.

This is to say it’s great for supplementing these activities and filling in the gaps.  In concrete terms, you could start building awareness of your new offerings with ads right away. Then, it makes sense to get into SEO in order to take your digital strategy to new heights.

This integrative approach levels the playing field somewhat. It empowers you to gain a foothold in the sector already occupied by other players.

Therefore, you should be careful not to go all-in just chasing short-term avail.

Effects of strategies like content marketing and SEO accumulate over time and make a huge difference in the long run.

Google’s Pay-to-Play Proposition

PPC encompasses various platforms and mediums.

The two main types of ads we can distinguish from are Google Ads and Social Media Ads.

In the case of former, you pay the search engine giant to list ads to your side or offerings. These ads have a prominent place in search engine result pages (SERP), appearing every time a related query occurs. When a user clicks on the ad, you need to pay the agreed-upon Cost per Click (CPC).

Notice there are several types of Google Ads:

Search Ads: displayed above or beside search results

Local Search Ads: a subset of Search Ads with a local focus

Display Ads: text messages and banners that exist across the digital ecosystem

Pre-Roll Ads: a form of video advertising on platforms like YouTube

Remarketing: targets people who have visited your site or another piece of digital real estate

In general, Google Ads are a major pathway to online prominence for one reason. They have an unparalleled reach, spanning around 98% of the web.

Social Advertising

When it comes to social ads, they have a more limited scope.

On the other hand, the main thing they have going for them is a superior level of audience refinement.  Also, we should emphasize social ads vary in format quite a bit.

Single images and videos are quite common across popular networks. It seems people are much more attracted to ads with visual flair than text-only counterparts.

A real behemoth in this advertising landscape is Facebook, which has the largest base of monthly active users. Facebook also owns Instagram, so there’s smooth integration between the two platforms. You can hardly go wrong firing on all cylinders there.

However, this isn’t to say Facebook is a one-size-fits-all solution. If you’re in a B2B sector, you’re better off investing in PPC on LinkedIn. There are some other less-obvious choices with niche appeal as well.

A Numbers Game

The key priority in the early, planning stage is to set up a sound budget.

Here, there are no hard rules except one: you only pay for the clicks you receive. When the budget runs dry, your ads can no longer be displayed. This is rather self-explanatory, but designing the budget is all but.

One useful tip is to always scope out budgets of your competitors. This puts things in perspective and helps you navigate the financial waters. Besides, keyword price in some cases (Google Ads) fluctuates based on demand for them.

There’s one often-misunderstood financial aspect of PPC we have to address here.

Namely, having a budget in place is no guarantee that your ads will appear on people’s screens. Ad placement hinges on an automated auction process. The winner pays the exact amount needed to outrank the next advertiser on the list.

Hence, like it or not, you cannot simply pay to ensure your ads come on top. Most networks want to award highest-quality ads not the highest bidder per se. This is why they have parameters like Quality Score.

Venturing Off the Beaten Path

Note that there are some caveats linked to specific types of ads.

For instance, Display Ads allow you to opt for the CPC model, but also cost-per-thousand-impression (CPM) and cost-per-acquisition (CPA).

A Boost Post feature on Facebook is an interesting example as well. It enables you to essentially turn a post into an ad for the audience you select.

Similarly, LinkedIn boasts Sponsored Content. It pops up in news feed, provided that you cover CPC or CPM costs and outpace the competition. One great advantage of this tactic is heightened audience engagement.

The takeaway is to be smart about choosing the platform for deploying ads. Seek to utilize their user-friendly features and pre-set options. At the same time, don’t forgo customization because you would do yourself a big disservice.

Google Adwords, for example, runs campaigns the full extent of the Google Network. The reach is undoubtedly a great selling point, but it comes at a price. Google Display Network, in particular, can deplete constrained budgets quickly.

Opting out of it could be a great decision, which lets you continue fueling campaigns. The lesson is to remain in full control of your campaigns.

Hitting the Bull’s Eye

Getting the ads in front of internet users is just the first step on a long journey.

The tricky part is getting people to click on them and harnessing the full potential of PPC campaigns. What you have to do in order to make it happen is to target with laser-like precision.

The first thing to do is to establish clear goals for your PPC campaigns. They usually involve a shorter time-frame and narrow intent. Some common objectives are obtaining a certain number of impressions, page visits, and ad clicks, as well as generating leads and conversions.

Upon getting your priorities straight, you must also decide which audience to target.

Advertisers tend to calibrate their campaigns according to multifarious criteria: geo-location, topics, interests, demographics, native language, etc. In the case of remarketing, they narrow the focus down to people who’ve expressed interest in their brand, products, or services.

As for B2B companies, they may want to keep an eye on job titles, skills, brands, etc. The list of possibilities goes on.

The Key to Success

Furthermore, it’s always a good idea to identify commonalities between audience members.

The same goes for assembling and assessing buyer personas— semi-fictional profiles of your ideal customers. The higher the relevance of ads is the better reception they’re going to find.

Moreover, you want to leverage the option to group ads together. This move can pay dividends provided you also segment the audience smartly.

Once that is sorted out, start writing killer ad copy that speaks the language that resonates with the audience.

Then, proceed to select the right keywords that will trigger ad deployment. In other words, stick to phrases your potential customers are likely to browse.

Keywords should be two things: high-volume and industry-specific. But, know things are ever set in stone. You’ll have to grow and revamp your list over time to stay abreast of shifting requirements.

Oh, and take advantage of amazing keyword research tools in the league of Keyword Planner. There are also premium packages for businesses willing to allocate some funds.

Ways of Capitalizing on PPC

While crafting ad campaigns, never lose sight of the user experience (UX).

Avoid putting people off by selling too aggressively or pitching the wrong products/services. Success hinges on your ability to solve problems and cater to real wants and needs.

Bear in mind it’s also necessary to think about what happens after the click. You can steer use behavior toward favorable outcomes with a direct call-to-action (CTA). If you want to drive traffic to your landing pages, make sure they are well-optimized for conversions and filled with compelling content.

Speaking of which, you should find a way to balance the conversion process with visibility. These two aspects shape the impact of your PPC activities and bring us back to complementary strategies in the league of SEO.

Tracking for Good Measure

In this day and age, “set and forget” mentality doesn’t take you very far.

You’re much better off engaging in ongoing optimization, measurement, and management. These processes are easier to see through when your campaigns are thoughtfully structured ahead of time. But, it goes without saying you must possess sufficient organizational bandwidth to keep up.

Most notably, you need to figure out how to track your activities based on key performance indicators (KPIs). They allow you to uncover both inefficiencies and efficiencies.

So, use them to closely monitor the activity and traffic stemming from your PPC ads. Discover top-performing ads, as well as those that are falling shy of set goals.  Put together a list of ads in need of rework and optimization.

You might have to pause or cancel some expensive ads in order to conserve resources.

As you can see, PPC is a demanding, time-consuming endeavor. There are so many moving parts that need to fall together in a seamless fashion.

On a brighter note, you can always go down the outsourcing path.

You basically let professionals do the heavy lifting and you focus on what you do the best. Done right, this approach maximizes the return on investment (ROI) and propels you toward your goals.

It’s a clear win-win!

PPC Your Way to Online Greatness

PPC is gaining traction left and right and spending is on the rise across industries.

But, you shouldn’t rush jumping on the bandwagon before testing the waters first. This tactic is fairly easy to implement, but difficult to master.

Deployment, in particular, is a complex process that calls for the good management and constant optimization. Simply casting the widest possible net doesn’t cut it, especially in terms of cost-effectiveness.

So, understand how does pay per click work and how it fits the big picture, your overall digital marketing strategy. Assess the level of competition and validate your own ideas.

Determine a budget, choose the advertising platform, and aim at a specific target audience. Cherry-pick your keywords and polish the copy. Measure the factors that play into your success and optimize accordingly.

Get in touch with us if you require help implementing SEO into your marketing stack. It’s time to kick your game into overdrive and reach customers it matters the most.

from Riserr Marketing https://riserr.com/ppc-101-how-does-pay-per-click-work-and-why-do-you-need-it/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=ppc-101-how-does-pay-per-click-work-and-why-do-you-need-it from Riserr https://riserr1.tumblr.com/post/190165141616