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rycewrites · 6 years ago

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lookism rant #1

so... it’s spring break. and i’ve spent the entire break doing what any smart ap student would do: ignoring my five looming ap tests and draining my phone battery by looking at webtoons and instagram. since most of my favorite webtoons are on hiatus, i have resolved to rereading my favorites, and one that i’ve reread the most so far is lookism. as spring break comes to a finish in two days, i decided to get my life back on track and instead of simply rereading the comic, i will rant about my most and least favorite characters starting with the fandom’s all-time favorite character (yes, if you check the wiki for lookism there is a poll and it is fact that he is the majority’s favorite), jay hong/hong jae yeol. (also, note that these are my opinions so if you disagree with them don’t be offended but i would be happy to hear other people’s opinions on the webtoon! please comment who would be on your list because i need to talk to more people who read lookism!)

top favorite characters~

1. jay hong/hong jae yeol:

let’s just list off reasons why everyone loves him: he is well-dressed (even plans out other people’s outfits), generous (gives daniel literally everything he wants), selfless (he fricking took in enu’s pups even though he is scared of dogs), RICH (main reason for kouji’s admiration), strong (manz uses his systema well), and CAN RIDE A MOTORCYCLE (yes, i love a man who can ride a bike). he may not be the most dynamic character, but his static puppy status makes it impossible for me to put him lower on this list. we honestly don’t know that much about his backstory and i am super curious about why his family relationships are so strained (except with his sister, joy). for now, he remains a mystery, but like an attractive mystery. overall, me -> ( ･_･)♡

2. zach lee/lee jin sung:

honestly hated this boi in the beginning because he was a big bully to daniel, but he has been through some SERIOUS character development. mira was a big part in this but i feel like overall his morals have changed so much even when mira isn’t around. he does still fight often, but now it’s not meaningless violence as he uses his boxing skills to defend his friends (ex: defending johan during the god dogs arc).

i also hated his eyebrows and hair in the beginning of the comic but like that’s personal preference. however, in the last few episodes, his hair looks SO GOOD (reference image above).

he is second on my list of favorite characters because i feel that his development throughout the story has been the most dynamic. he not only changed mentally as he overlooks lookism more (ex: he is not only friends with big daniel but also little daniel) but also physically as he doesn’t simply depend on his inherent talent for boxing but actually goes back and trains again in order to get better (to defend mira >.<)

in the future, i hope to see more development with his relationship with mira and his friends because i hold a lot of high hopes for this boi! ♥‿♥

3. vasco/lee eun tae/tabasco:

BIG CUTIE ENERGY ♥╣[-_-]╠♥! first off, he may not have as much long-term development over the course of the story like zach, but we do see a lot of his development with his own arc and bullying story. he was always a pure boi and his inherent innocence creates a discrepancy with his appearance which makes him more endearing in my opinion. the idea of lookism is very apparent in his character because most people look at him and see him as a gangster or someone very intimidating, but in reality his personality and mindset are very innocent (showing another way that you shouldn’t judge a book by its cover). i honestly LOVED the scene in the god dogs arc in which he defended zach and daniel joins in because that friendship is GOLDEN. i love how he always strives to be stronger and more powerful to defeat the evil in the world because it shows that he truly cares about the weaker people and those impacted by lookism. in my opinion, i think that vasco and zach will end up being the most powerful in the story (but that’s my opinion)

4. mira kim/kim mi jin:

pure! cute! sweet! moral! (✿ ♥‿♥)! mira is just an all-around great gal that makes it impossible for me to find flaws with. although she isn’t super major in terms of daniel’s story, she does impact zach significantly and makes him a better person. like she is the sole reason that zach has become a character that i truly admire and like. (although she did think that daniel was the r-word when he tried hitting on her in the beginning of the story. but throughout the story we see that she isn’t really a person to judge people on looks and stuff as we see that she gives jasmine the benefit of the doubt even after the vasco fiasco)

5. yena/eli jang’s (jang hyun’s) daughter:

honestly too cute for words. like the episodes where zach and mira find her are my favorites so i just wanted to include her in my favorite character list. also, she seems to be a character that really impacts other characters (zach and eli really changed for her ಥ_ಥ)

least favorite characters~

park ji ho:

always doing dumb things and making it harder for the people around him. he tries too hard to be a part of the popular group and as zach said, he doesn’t really think of them as friends because he just thinks about what the benefits are for hanging out with daniel and co. i think we all went from being tolerant of jiho in the beginning and then hating him at the end. i especially hated how he kept blaming other people and yet not accepting when people were being friendly. especially during the fake bank account arc, he just brushed off daniel when he asked jiho if he wanted to go to the convenience store then jiho goes running back to daniel and his friends when he realizes his mistake. overall, -123912830/10.

2. james gong:

don’t even know where to start with this punk. very violent for very little reason! i know i stated before that i hate jiho but i still felt kinda bad for him when he realized that james had sold the bank account he made for him. just overall a very intimidating character that hurt zach (ﾉಥ益ಥ）ﾉ ┻━┻

3. jasmine huh:

needs to get her shit(ake) together. first off, she almost got vasco expelled from the school because of her lies. like big! red! flag! it seems that she really doesn’t care about other people (except james) and is willing to put so many other people at risk to save her own behind. also, i hate how she uses other people. like how she uses mira to make money when mira didn’t do anything wrong ヾ(ﾟдﾟ)ﾉ. i hope she one day realizes that her lies are gonna hurt so many other people and then herself.

4. heemin kim/zeus/creepy dude from the boot camp arc:

sexual assault is a big no in this household. i hate how he thinks that being handsome can defend him of his crimes! also, he broke zach’s arms which made me FLIP OUT. LIKE HOW DO YOU DARE TO HARM MY BOXER BOI. he also attacked mira, an actual angel ლ(ﾟдﾟლ). words can’t describe how much i hate this man but numbers can -> 0/10

5. logan lee/lee tae sung:

big bully energy. he needs to lay his hands off of everyone (especially zoe!). blackmail? big no go in this household. he also dumped his plate of food on mira? BIG NO GO! he needs to get his life together and realize that people don’t hate him because he’s “ugly,” it’s because he has THE WORST PERSONALITY!

6. strong contenders for least favorite: stalker girl, animal cruelty cat mom/hoarder, zoe’s stalker

characters that i need more information about to form stronger opinions about~

vin jin/jin ho bin:

dislike him because he abused enu but also want to know more about him. big bully energy but i feel like he has a deep backstory behind him so i want to know more. why did he quite judo? why does he wear sunglasses? hope he gets over his superiority complex and changes because i feel like he has a lot of potential.

2. eli jang/jang hyun:

so far, very cute and strong is all i have to say about him. also, he is a good dad like that scene where he put out that god dog’s cigarette? MAJOR PROPS TO YOU ELI. i’m very curious about his backstory as well because it seems that he was a contender for gun’s successor but he changed drastically to take care of yena. i also just love a man with good hair sooo…

3. jong gun + joon goo:

i want to know more about these two! like what’s their backstory? why did gun create the 4 big crews? why was goo sent to the juvenile detention center before? (look at vasco’s bullying arc for reference) why did gun leave goo alone with the money collection? overall very mysterious and i want to learn more.

random characters that just deserve appreciation~

crystal choi/choi soo jung:

we stan a strong female character. however, i don’t like how she is immediately prejudiced against handsome men in the beginning of her appearance. i think over time she’ll realize that her prejudice isn’t right and her experience as someone who has to deal with lookism doesn’t justify her immediate judgements. however, we need more female fighters in this story so she is a big yes.

2. duke pyeon:

WE STAN A MAN WHO FOLLOWS HIS DREAMS DESPITE BEING BULLIED AND JUDGED. yes, we stan.

3. daniel park/park hyung suk:

honestly, he’s a great character and all, but i don’t know if he could ever reach favorite character status. i just have a mindset that makes me unable to pick the protagonist as a favorite character because i feel like they are sometimes created specifically to just bring the story together. don’t get me wrong, he’s a great person, defends his friends, and doesn’t fight for no reason, but i feel like there isn’t anything super special about his personality (other than the fact that he has two bodies but like so does crystal). he also looks like kim seokjin in his new body which is a big plus.

4. inu/enu + inu/enu’s pups:

i love dogs

5. mary kim/idk her korean name someone help me:

strong female character? i think yes. honestly such a fav. she doesn’t take sh*t from vin jin and i honestly want to know more about her character and background. *spoiler alert* i read ahead in the korean version and saw that she can beat people up too so like… she’s a bada**.

6. kouji:

as a person interested in computer science, I STAN. i also love a man with good hair. his cocky personality is sometimes off-putting but honestly his confidence is endearing at times. also we both love money!

7. jace park/park bum jae:

during vasco’s bullying story, i was so sad when he left vasco, but i love how he realized that he should’ve been a better friend and has stuck with vasco after all of this time. also love how he listens to vasco and tries to make him happy even when he knows that vasco does some silly things (like planting durian seeds in korea)

8. zoe park/park ha neul:

i love her development! she still fights with herself over whether she should like big daniel or small daniel, which displays her internal conflict with lookism. over time she has stopped judging people solely on their appearance and she is even able to distinguish between daniel and his cousin! (in my opinion, if daniel doesn’t end up with jay he better end up with zoe instead)

9. daniel’s (hyung suk’s) mother:

ICON! WE NEED TO APPRECIATE OUR PARENTS MORE! I AM A BIG STAN! SHE WORKS HARD FOR DANIEL AND IT BREAKS MY HEART WHEN DANIEL DOESN’T REALIZE!

10. song johan:

deserved better. he was just trying to help his mom which makes him so pure! but i feel like he should realize that he has friends (zach and mira) that could help him get through his problems! overall, want to see more of him and i hope he develops even more.

#lookism #daniel park #crystal choi #zach lee #vasco #jay hong #kouji #johan #webtoon #zoe park #logan lee #jace park #mary kim #vin jin #eli jang #james gong #mira kim

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austinpanda · 5 years ago

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Bangor Bound - 2

I dedicated most of last week to being uncomfortably hot, feeling nauseated from stress, and listening to the Red Hot Chili Peppers album ‘Stadium Arcadium’ over and over. The stress was especially vexing. The focus of most of this anxiety has been: our new living arrangements. We need to find an apartment (or house, or mobile home) in Bangor or within 20 miles or so, and we need to do it from here in Austin. Can’t just pop up to Bangor for an afternoon. It would cost roughly $400 to fly there. This would seem to make it impossible, since you have to physically be there, at some point, to sign the lease, do you not? Well...we sign shit electronically all the time. And even if the internet hadn’t been invented yet, people do this every day, don’t they? They move to a different state, because of reasons, and by the time they land in the new location, they’ve already got a home to move into, despite never having been there. It must be possible.

Plus, and I don’t care to be private when it comes to how much money I have, since it ain’t much, we planned and saved for two years now. Zach and I are the perfect tenants. We’re quiet. We’re tidy. (In short, we’re homos.) We’re beyond punctual with our rent. We are reassuringly doughy honkies, and according to one of my two credit cards, I have a credit score north of 770. (I don’t know why, but I do.) And, frankly, I have enough retirement savings that if I wanted to turn it into cash (a monumentally bad idea) I could pay for several year’s lease all at once. I ain’t gonna, but the point it, I can! Landlords should be lining up to take my damn money. We’re paying about $1050 a month here now, and our lease is up on Halloween. We want to land in Bangor with a place to move into, and we want it for $850 per month OR LESS.

I’ve already found a few things that were desirable, for one reason or another. Here’s something that’s always been a fantasy of mine, and I have no idea where it comes from: I’ve always liked the idea of living over a business, near the center of a small town. You know how they’ll have “Bob’s Feed ‘n’ Seed” on the bottom floor, and above that, apartments. I always thought it would be beyond awesome, if not downright heavenly, to live above a 24-hour diner. Or a used bookstore. I found one apartment, super cheap, and it was right above an antique store. How fucking perfect and rustic and quaint and lovely is that shit!? Unfortunately for us, the “super cheap” part of the apartment had good cause; it wasn’t much of an apartment. It was, I believe, $625 a month for a really shoddy, slapped-together living space. Now we could take something like that and sex it up real good, so to speak, and make it wonderful. But I’d rather have a non-shitty apartment and make THAT ONE wonderful instead.

Next week will be my last week at Progressive. Finally, it seems as though they’ll definitely have enough “fun” stuff for me to work on all week. I assume, when Friday is over, nothing will happen, and I’ll just kind of sniffle my way out to my car and leave. Possibly hand my security badge to someone on my way out. Possibly throw a handful of dookie at a supervisor I hate. (Probably not. Despite my work angst, most of the supes there are sweet as pie.) And that’s okay. I won’t expect them to reward or recognize me in any way, and I won’t hold it against them that they’re a bunch of yucky insurance professionals, and I am not. If you can’t go for happy, you can at least go for detente.

Moving. Jesus, the idea of moving everything I own, while towing my car, and transporting one kitty with us, over three days, with about 11 hours of driving per day, is giving me much to think about. Gotta make sure I know how to secure the car to the trailer so it doesn’t come off. Must do that without fail. Gotta take the kitty to the vet, and find a polite, well-intentioned way of asking the vet what kind of knock-out drops I can purchase so my cat stays asleep (or at least not in a panic) for the duration of the trip. Worried whether the kitty can avoid going to the bathroom for that long. Do I stop at a rest stop and attempt to put the kitty into the litter box, which I assume will be in the trunk of the car I’m towing? Something tells me that won’t work. The cat will say, “Fuck dat,” and try to escape. Then again, if I’ve dosed him on kitty Spanish Fly, perhaps it won’t be an issue? So much to think about!

Something has taken me a while to figure out, and it’s this: I have a few personal reasons for wanting to move to a frigid state of my choosing and seeing how comfy I feel there, but one of the biggest reasons I’m doing this is for Zach. There’s so much about Austin that makes him uncomfortable, mostly having to do with how crowded everything is, and how dangerous the traffic has become. We want to have bikes and ride them, but there’s no place to do so that isn’t jam-packed with traffic and people. It’s never quiet here, and it’s never dark enough to see any but the brightest stars. Zach has never seen the Milky Way. When we move to Maine, we’re not just going to have snow, but northern lights, and lighthouses, and Acadia National Park, and puffins. PUFFINS, for chrissakes. As always, I’m terrified, but the part of me that genuinely wants to go and fuck with some puffins is really excited too.

Oh, the thing about Zach: the fact that I can do this, in part, for Zach, to help provide something he needs, the fact that I can do it as an expression of my love and support for him, actually makes it easier to do. Everything about this is against my nature, but if I’m doing it for at least one altruistic reason, then...maybe it’s something I can be proud of. I’m also curious, in a dispassionate way, about what will become of my big ol’ over-thinky brain when I’m no longer employed. That’s going to feel a lot like jumping out of an airplane, I think. Suddenly, it becomes really, really, really, really important how well you prepared for that moment, because either the ‘chute opens and you live, or...something less than that.

This week’s diary of the move is kind of all over the place, I know. Austin, Texas, to Bangor, Maine. 33 hours, 2,200 miles, three days. $1,500 for the U-haul, extra $200 for the car carrier. X number of hours we can keep the cat asleep. First month’s rent plus security deposit. 88 inches of snow per year on average. Got about $11,000 in savings between the two of us, and counting down.

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onlinemarketinghelp · 5 years ago

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5 Free Marketing Channels You Should Prioritize in 2019 http://bit.ly/2ZxuMUj

Which marketing channel should you use?

You don’t want to get this wrong.

A good marketing channel will work with you to grow your business. A bad one can work against you.

And time is of the essence.

When your marketing budget is close to zero, you can’t afford to waste what little time you have on a dead-end marketing channel.

So, which marketing channel should you choose and which ones are most suited to you and your business.

Read on to learn more about five free digital marketing channels worth exploring in 2019.

What are Marketing Channels?

Marketing channels are platforms, tools, and strategies that businesses use to communicate with their target market in an effort to sell their products or services.

For example, you might use Facebook advertising to promote your new line of women’s clothing. Or you might hand out flyers to promote your next pop-up store.

There are countless types of marketing channels in 2019.

However, in this article, we’re going to focus solely on five free digital marketing channels.

Why Focus on Digital Marketing Channels?

Before digital marketing channels became widely available, businesses would usually have to spend money on advertising, promotions, and sponsorships.

In other words, you needed money to make money. Today things are different.

Free digital marketing channels can be harnessed by anyone with a computer, an internet connection, and a passion to succeed.

Take social media.

Never before could the average Joe communicate with the world’s population. Using social media marketing channels, anyone can grow a following and build a business with just a few bucks.

What’s more, digital marketing channels are easy to scale.

Regardless of whether it reaches 10 people or 10,000 people, it still only takes a few minutes to create a social media post.

So which free digital marketing channels are available in 2019?

A Complete List of Free Digital Marketing Channels in 2019

Before we explore five free digital marketing channels in depth, here’s a complete list of free digital marketing channels in 2019, along with links to learn more about each of them.

Owned Digital Marketing Channels

Your website

Your blog

Email marketing

Social Media Marketing Channels

Facebook

Instagram

YouTube

Twitter

Snapchat

Quora

Organic Search Engine Marketing Channels

Google Search

YouTube

Bing

Other Digital Marketing Channels

Influencer marketing

Tinder (guerilla marketing)

Podcasting

5 Free Digital Marketing Channels You Should Prioritize in 2019

Here is a rundown of five types of marketing channels in 2019 that you can use to grow your business – for free.

First up?

1. Social Media Marketing

Social media is the perfect digital marketing channel for scrappy entrepreneurs looking to start a business.

It’s free, it’s powerful, and when done right, can effectively drive sales.

A massive 79 percent of the U.S. population uses social media and the opportunity available is incredible.

For example, Instagram has grown to more than one billion monthly active users.

Plus, more than half of Instagram’s users visit the platform at least once per day and 70 percent of Instagram users actually want to consume content from brands.

So how can you succeed with social media marketing?

Social Media Marketing Tips

1. Choose the Best Social Media Platform for Your Brand

There are tons of social media platforms in 2019, but not all are created equal.

Some social media platforms are more suited to people with certain demographic or psychographic characteristics.

For example, Instagram tends to be better for Millennials, Snapchat is great for marketing to Generation Z, and LinkedIn is usually better for business-to-business marketing.

In fact, 92 percent of B2B marketers prefer to use LinkedIn over all other platforms.

So do some research to ensure that you choose the best social media platform to connect with your target audience.

2. Prioritize Relationships over Sales

It might sound counter-productive, but the way to sell more is to focus on relationships, not the sales themselves.

This is because, at its core, social media marketing is relationship marketing. The time for the hard-sell is further down the sales funnel.

Social media marketing is all about the long-term.

The idea is to develop a genuine connection with your target audience over time. This way, you’ll build a following of loyal customers and advocates who regularly purchase your products and promote your brand.

Do it right and it will pay off handsomely – for example, repeat customers spend 67 percent more than new customers.

3. Be Consistent

Relationships take time, so consistency is vital.

You have to show up and develop an intimate, authentic brand presence that your followers enjoy interacting with on a regular basis.

This is why we post around two or three posts per day on Oberlo’s Facebook page.

Plus, this is another reason to choose just a handful of social media platforms to focus on.

If you try to use them all, it’s likely that you’ll spread yourself too thin and find it difficult to maintain an effective social media schedule.

2. Influencer Marketing

There are many social media influencers that will partner with you to promote your products or services to their loyal and engaged followers.

It’s an effective way to get your products in front of your target market.

But why does it work so well?

Influencer marketing harnesses a powerful social phenomenon called “social proof.” This refers to the fact that people are heavily influenced by others’ opinions, actions, and recommendations.

Other commonly used forms of social proof are product reviews, testimonials, and case studies.

There are six key types of influencer marketing campaigns:

Sponsored content

Product and content collaborations

Reviews

Competitions and giveaways

“Takeovers” on your platforms

Long-term ambassadors

Many larger influencers will expect you to pay them a fee in exchange for promotion.

However, plenty of smaller influencers will happily promote your products if you offer them freebies or promote their account in return.

So what should you bear in mind when using this marketing channel?

Influencer Marketing Tips

1. Make Sure you do Your Research

The whole point of influencer marketing is to expose your products to your target audience through someone they trust who will… well, influence them to buy from you.

Success depends on two things.

First, are their followers your exact target market? In other words, there’s no point partnering with a beauty influencer to sell mountain bike gear.

Secondly, how engaged are their followers? Sure, they might have 100,000 followers, but how many likes and comments do they get? You want diehard fans, not vaguely interested people.

2. Stick to Micro-Influencers

Micro-influencers typically have between 5,000 and 50,000 followers.

Compared to the big-hitters, micro-influencers are easier to connect with, are less likely to demand large fees, and are actually more effective than big-name celebrities.

This is because they tend to have stronger relationships with their followers.

3. Get Proactive and Reach Out

“Start with a direct Instagram message,” says Zach Benson, Founder of Assistagram.

“Just let them know that you’re interested in working together. Keep your DM short, clear, and conversational. Include the relevant accounts, a direct request, and your trade.”

Here’s one of the messages Benson has used in the past:

4. Develop Long-term Relationships

Long-term influencer partnerships can be incredibly powerful. Most brands call these influencers ambassadors.

Gymshark has a page on its website dedicated to promoting their ambassadors.

3. Content Marketing

Content marketing is the process of creating, publishing, and distributing content to attract and engage your target audience.

(This article you’re reading is content marketing!)

Plus, there are tons of different types of content that you can create for free, such as:

Videos

Blog posts

Images

GIFs

Infographics

Case studies

Ebooks

White papers

Podcasts

Content marketing can be incredibly effective.

One study found that it can cost 62 percent less than traditional marketing and generate three times as many leads.

Content marketing is also a large part of social media marketing and search engine optimization (SEO).

So, how can you get started with content marketing?

Content Marketing Tips

1. Focus on Value

The content you create must be interesting and engaging.

Think about content that entertains your target audience or teaches them something new that they care about.

For example, hair extension brand Luxy Hair often creates video tutorials for their audience.

With more than 3.2 million YouTube subscribers and over 465 million views, it seems to be working!

2. Repurpose Content for Different Channels

Creating great content takes time.

Thankfully, you don’t always need to create content from scratch. Instead, you can repurpose every long piece of content into many other pieces of content.

This is a great way to get more out of each piece of content you create.

For example, say you write a long-form blog post for your website, you could repurpose it into:

Long-form video for YouTube

Video snippets for Instagram, Facebook, Snapchat, and Twitter

Shorter social media posts for Facebook

Each of Luxy Hair’s video tutorials is also turned into a blog post for their website.

3. Invest in the Long-Term

It can take time to gain traction with content marketing.

Just like with social media marketing, to succeed, you must consistently create and publish quality content.

4. Search Engine Optimization

Search engine optimization (SEO) is the process of trying to rank high in the search engine results pages (SERPs). The idea is to expose your website or content to people interested in your niche.

Like any effective marketing strategy, SEO takes time and effort.

However, when you consider that Google receives more than 74,000 searches per second, it’s well worth the effort!

For example, when you search “dropshipping” on Google, Shopify pops up as the first result – they’ve also claimed Google’s featurd snippet.

Plus, in the image below, you can see that an average of 450,000 people are searching this term each month – that’s a lot of free exposure and traffic!

Although there are plenty of alternative search engines, Google rules the roost with 78.23 percent of the worldwide search engine market share.

So how can you get started with SEO?

Search Engine Optimization Tips

1. Research Effective Keywords

There are many different aspects to a successful SEO strategy. However, a good place to start is with keywords.

Keywords are the way in which Google indexes your website and content, and how searchers find it. In the example above, the Shopify webpage has been optimized for the keyword “dropshipping.”

You can use tools like Chrome extension Keywords Everywhere to find keywords with a substantial flow of traffic.

You can also use content research tools like Buzzsumo to find topics that are popular with your target audience.

2. Optimize Your Website and Content for these Keywords

Once you have a set of keywords that your target audience is searching for, you need to create content and web pages around them.

For blog content, you can use an online tool like SEO Review Tools, Yoast, or SEMrush to help.

Shopify makes it easy to optimize your webpages for SEO – check out this guide on how to add keywords to your website.

3. Continually Refresh and Update Old Content

Google prioritizes up-to-date content.

This makes sense – up-to-date content is likely to be more relevant to searchers.

So, as your content ages, it helps to go back and update it. Just remove the outdated parts, add any new relevant information, and optimize the keywords.

Although you can’t update parts of a podcast or YouTube video, you can revisit popular topics in new content to ensure that you always have relevant content available.

5. Email Marketing

Email marketing is one of the oldest forms of internet marketing. And although it might not be as cool as it once was, it still has a huge return on investment.

One of the best things about this marketing channel is that you’re in control. This means that it’s unaffected by third-party developments, such as social media algorithms.

There are tons of different types of email marketing campaigns you can use to grow your business, including:

Send a follow-up email to consumers who abandon their shopping carts

Nurture new subscribers with a welcome sequence

Promote new products

Share discounts, offers, and giveaways

Follow-up with new customers to land repeat sales

Ask for reviews and gather feedback

Re-engage inactive subscribers to land repeat sales

So how can you get started with email marketing?

Email Marketing Tips

1. Create a Compelling Lead Magnet

Think of a lead magnet like bait.

This is often some sort of premium content or a discount designed to attract new leads that you can nurture into customers.

Here’s an example from jewelry brand Biko in which website visitors can sign up to receive $15 off their first order.

2. Segment Your Email List

Email list segmentation is a way to carve up your subscriber list into groups.

This allows you to send different emails to different groups of people. In other words, you can strategically target subscribers at different stages of the buyer’s journey.

Email list segmentation is incredibly effective.

In fact, the Direct Marketing Association found that 77 percent of email marketing ROI comes from segmented, targeted, and triggered campaigns.

Check our full guide on email list segmentation to get started.

3. Use Email Templates

Writing incredible emails from scratch can take time – especially if you’ve never written an email campaign before.

Instead, get started with some effective email marketing templates.

Summary

You don’t need tons of money to start a successful business.

Thanks to these free marketing channels, it’s possible for anyone with a computer, wifi, and some elbow grease to start an online business.

Here’s a summary of the key takeaways from each marketing channel:

Social Media Marketing

Choose a few social media platforms so you don’t spread yourself too thin.

Make sure a large portion of your target audience spends time interacting on these sites.

Prioritize relationships over sales.

Be consistent with your social media schedule.

Influencer Marketing

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Which marketing channels are you currently using to promote your business? Let us know in the comments below!

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http://bit.ly/2WFUi7V June 14, 2019 at 07:01AM http://bit.ly/2F8IDIK

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bwayneedsmorememes · 8 years ago

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Rhode Island Act I

Ok so I told you I practically already had one written! So this musical is based off the music from one of my personal favorite bands The Front Bottoms! If you haven’t heard their music before I suggest you check it out they are really cool. When a song comes up I will write the name for the song and attach the link to a playlist i’ve made on spotify of all the songs. So yay! Before I continue let me say the title could change it’s just the song that 1. starts off the show and 2. is very important is called Rhode Island so that is what I am going with! Plus this is kinda long so I’m sorry.

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Act I

The show opens and onstage the set is “set” up to look like a rock concert is going on onstage. The lead singer of the band’s name is Mike Stewart (remember him he is the main character). Basically, while he’s onstage he opens the show by giving a monologue about how this night is very important because 5 years ago that very day he was at a Christmas Party with his best friends. That party was very important because it started an era of his life that still affects him to that day. He also says in that speech, that he wrote a song for these friends and what he feels about them and that this very concert is the first night anyone is going to hear that song. During his performance of this song a freeze frame of that before mentioned party appears and when each character is mentioned in the song a spotlight flashes on them. For example the characters are Zach Jenson, Corinne Mckenna, Amora Koi, and Tiffany “Tiff” Hankins. When the “bike trip from Rhode Island” line is sang a spotlight appears on Zach, when “Amora cut her hair...” line is sang a spotlight appears on Amora (yet her hair is still long since at the time of this party he hasn’t left yet), when the “Casanova just can’t turn the charm on” line is sang a spotline appears on Tiff, when the “in the frame” and “catch her breath” lines are sang a spotlight appears on Corinne, and lastly when the “Everything your feeling is common” line is sang a spotlight shines on the actor who plays younger Mike. During the song, the concert scene is melting away, even though older Mike is the one singing, until the main focus and attention is on the party flashback/freeze frame {Btw here is the link to the playlist with all the songs.The names of the songs will be put in braces like this, so here is Rhode Island: https://open.spotify.com/user/bwayneedsmorememes/playlist/3AtrqpEmyAOVlnjTGrENUO } . Then the scene unfreezes and the whole rest of the show is played out as if it is a large flashback. The scene is a very lively party with main focus point on the friend group in the middle. One of the characters (most likely Corinne) is in a somewhat bad mood, so the character Zach takes it upon himself to cheer her up by telling her to let loose and also telling her about stupid decisions he has made in the past. (Zach’s character comes off as a little bit insane, imagine him as a cross between Rich from Be More Chill and JD from Heathers) But this scene is basically them partying. {The Beers} Throughout the night they are all getting pretty drunk until the two characters, Mike and Corinne, who have been shown to not like each other very much (but they have the same friends so they are forced to hang out) are hanging out together. They are both very drunk but it is very awkward between the two of them and the audience can sense the tension. But after bringing it up they both have a conversation about how awkward it is but they use a lot of metaphors since, like I said, they are very drunk. {Awkward Conversations } The party scene ends and the set changes to somewhere on a college campus (oh yeah btw this whole show takes place on a college) where Tiff and Mike are hanging out. Tiff admits to liking Mike but Mike turns her down saying that it’s just a phase and that he can’t handle being in a relationship at the moment. {HELP } The next part is shown in Corinne’s pov. She basically has a soliloquy talking to the audience about what she plans on doing with her life and about traveling the world and stuff. In the song it explains that she plans on leaving soon but in reality she is doubting whether she can do it or not and is just waiting until college is over. [Maps} Towards the end of the song Mike comes in as if he heard what she was saying and they get in a fight over her leaving. He says that if she leaves their whole friend group would fall apart and she storms off. The next scene takes place later that day when Corinne, Amora, and Tiff are hanging out at a bar. They are describing their plans on what they are going to do when college ends. Zach comes in and the girls ask him about his plans he says he’s not quite sure but lists off some of his ideas. During the song he points out other people at the bar when they are mentioned in the song. {Tighten Up } The next couple scenes are just montages of time passing. The group hanging out as friends, fights between Corinne and Mike, and Tiff slowly convincing Mike to date her. It is also shown that Corinne and Mike’s arguments are turning into jokes rather then actual fights and you can kinda see feelings starting to develop between the two of them. This all takes place during the song (Tighten Up). During one of said arguments between Mike and Corinne, Mike admits that he will probably never like Tiff the way she likes him, but you can tell he is starting to grow tired of ignoring her advancements so he finally gives in to Tiff and says he will date her. When Corinne finds out about this she gets confused, angry, and jealous but she doesn’t know why, so she starts to ignore Mike. This gets Mike very frustrated because although he claims he hates her, he enjoys arguing with her and he doesn’t like that it went away. At another party scene the friend group, excluding Corinne, convince Mike to go onstage and sing a song for them (knowing of course that his dream is to be a musician). In this song he gets out all of his drunken frustrations towards the whole Corinne situation. {Legit Tattoo Gun } After he is done performing Corinne, knowing it was about her, confronts him. After a large argument about it Mike confesses that he likes her. Corinne, obviously not expecting this, still doesn’t want to admit her feelings says that she still hates him and she runs off. This next song is sang as a duet split stage (because they are in two different locations) and it is them both saying that they don’t care what the other thinks although they finally admit they do {The Plan } Mike getting angry and being very drunk storms off and drives home. Since he is very drunk and angry he, as a result, gets into a car crash.

End of Act I

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So yeah I know that was very long but I really wanted to put this idea somewhere. I don’t expect very many people to even read all of that (or any really) but if you did and are mad at me at putting that twist/ cliff hanger at the end just know that I am very sorry and that I already have Act II planned out I just didn’t want to post it all at once. So yeah I hope you enjoyed it and look out for Act II.

P.S. I know some of the songs don’t fit perfectly but I tried my hardest to make it work. Plus, the whole idea I got for Corinne and Mike’s relationship was from a Hp fanfic I read called Getting it Right about Rose and Scorpius, so if their relationships seem a lot alike that is why. If you want to read that story, the link is right here: https://www.fanfiction.net/s/4493053/1/Getting-it-Right Also, if some of the links don’t work then just tell me, I’m sorry if the link situation is confusing!

Thanks for reading! :)

#musicals #thefrontbottoms #tfb #jukebox #broadway #ideas #spotify

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survivemiddleearth · 6 years ago

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Episode 1: “Hobbits, we gonna slay this all the way to Isengard.” -JG

I’m back and better than ever!

Heylo! Who loves a pre-game confessional oh we do! I cannot wait for this season to be honest. I am finishing a season as we speak being in the final 3 so the adrenaline rush and hype is so real. I am a not a super fan of LOTR but I do love and enjoy the the stories. I read the books when I was in second grade and the saw the movies for the first time in 7th grade. My goal is to be like Frodo in this game, make myself known when it's really important and needed, then disappear when I am not, why make a target on myself when I don't need to. Hopefully the power of the ring won't consume and something wild happens.... eeks here goes nothing, FOR MIDDLE EARTH!

Ahh fuck Johnny is in this game he's gonna betray me I know it fml I just wanna win an org how hard omfg

This is my first org in 5 months and honestly I forget how to play. I'm just gonna do whatever and I do how I do, but I'm not gonna be scared to yeet people out of here.

Part of my strategy is to try and be social to everyone in the beginning. I want to try and have a conversation with everyone on my tribe as soon as possible and try to gain a slight favor so people think I have something to contribute to them if we happen to lose the first immunity challenge and go to tribal

First confession of a new game is always a lot. I haven’t played since…March? Maybe even earlier than that. And if you know me, you know there’s been a lot of drama surrounding me since then, so I’m definitely nervous to be back in the saddle and playing again. Pre-merge queen. Basically, on my tribe, I feel…neutral to nervous. I have Dylan R, who is my ORG child, so I should be able to work with him fairly easily. I’ve also hosted Eric, which could be good if he weren’t friends with so many people who don’t like me. Same boat with Vi. I’m hoping I can kind of work both of them to my side, but it might not be possible and I may just have to rely on Dylan keeping me in the loop. There’s also a newbie, which is usually a good sign. Finally, we have Johnny. I FEEL like Johnny has an issue with me from something, but I’m not 100% sure. I love reaching a point in my life where I can’t remember who hates me and why, but, hey, that’s running and destroying the biggest ORG series since Mains for you. As for the other tribes……..yikes on a bike. Aside from Zach, JG, and Stephen (more of my sons), we’re fairly stacked with people who would cut my throat without a second thought. Drew has seen me play before and we had a, uh, messy relationship in that game. I’m certain Sammy still hates me from Lago and also from The Drama since he’s friends with the core few people who hate me. Nick I don’t know, but he has “skinny” in his bio as a positive which means we probably won’t get along, plus he came from tengaged which can be a yikes. Crow I hosted for like three seconds in Emathia, so maybe he’ll have mercy on me. Dennis I think hates me from the Athena stuff. Bodhi I think hates me, and I’m not wild about him either. Roxy I know hates me but I don’t have any idea why since we’ve never spoken. Probably just more Athena Stuff. Hopefully I make merge with JG. That’s going to be my big hope for this season. Well. Idol hunting is going to be my lifeblood. Wish me luck, unless you hate me like everyone else.

So Drew in this game? Kill me with an axe right now. What the fuck is JG doing here? I'm finished, I was going to play nice but THREE zwooper people are on my tribe. MESS.

Small tribe, which means riskier tribals early on but its easier to get to know everyone. So far Roxy and.. dnn??? I like (I’ll check the cast reveal for what we should be calling dnn). JG and Sammy I know from other games, I feel I can trust JG a little, we’ll see. Sammy I don’t know I like to give people clean slates but almost every game we’ve been in he’s gone straight for me. Bodhi hasnt messaged me back yet :/

Hello ! Welcome to my first confession. Excited to exist. I haven’t met everyone in the tribe yet but I am playing with my old host so that’s funny. I don’t really have any interesting things to say so just. Hello. The first immunity challenge is one that I really didn’t do well in the first time I played so. Yikes. Whatever I’m still excited !!

Well hey! Got a clue on my very first idol hunt? But in a series so aggressively dominated by men, where the hell is "sisterhood" supposed to take me?

Honestly, I did not want to do the first challenge. I know I am good at it, but I didn't want to be the one responsible for losing for the tribe since its a hero challenge. I made up an excuse which is not a lie and is at the same time. Hopefully our tribe does well at the challenge!

This game so far is really stupid, I mean no talking during heats is fine but the fact that my tribe didn't offer any condolences or anything like "you tried" is rude and frankly, tragic.

You ever agree to face an Australian in an endurance challenge at midnight your time, 2pm his time? What a disaster for me

What are half the things mentioned here. Like what's a hobbit. I know its a movie but like, really? There better not be a quiz on LOTR or I am getting last place.

Yas!!! I love getting lucky and being on a winning tribe. First immunity lets go hobbits, we gonna slay this all the way to Isengard. So far I've mingled and stayed for tea with my hobbits and gotten to know them. Of course I'm excited to play with Stephen again, cool to finally meet Roxy and Bodhi. We shall see what will happen I'm anxiously, excitedly nervous. But let's go!

You know the most embarrassing part of losing that comp in 2 seconds? The fact that I almost called in sick to work bc I wanted to free my schedule for the day. Yeah that was a flop. If I get eliminated first that would be simultaneously hilarious and also very depressing. No one other than Eric and Jay have messaged me so I should probably like. Pop in and say hi

watches crow flop

My tribe is so...INACTIVE.

In this immunity challenge, I have no other option but to beat Vi if i dont, I will lose my spot in this game, I swear on it

Im deciding if I should tell Crow Run wants him out. I like Run but I gotta cover myself...

So uh...it’s kinda fuckin wild. We lost and don’t really have an easy vote because everyone’s active and ready to play the damn game. I’m fairly certain there’s a large majority though I don’t think anyone will be absolutely shocked about who goes home.

I'd like to start this seasons confessionals of with saying that I absolutely hate Bodhi. Since he took my Tom Bombadil and then told me, he had forgotten that he was cast for this season... LIKE COME ON ARE YOU SERIOUS, THATS MY AVATAR. After calming down I saw the tribe I was on. Bodhi (AJUSNKDIKWQJNE), Roxy, Sammy, Stephen and JG. I have played loads with Sammy and Roxy before. Stephen seems nice. Bodhi must die and JG is prolly the hardest person to talk to since I was in kindergarten. I mean. It should be that hard to give proper answers to your questions. MAYBE it was because he was busy playing the inferior BR game fortnite, but still come ON. I agree to play the challenge, but didn't need to actually do something in it, since Stephen and Sammy beasted it. The idolsearch first went SUCKY. because I went to bree ignored Aragorn, got durnk and got a 35 % DISADVANTAGE ON MY NEXT CHALLENGE (LIKE WHO THOUGHT OF THAT HIGH NUMBER) then at my next search I find out, that the other option I had, prolly would've given me an Idol... OH MAN PLEASE DONT LET IT BE GONE I WANT THAT.

You know I'm winning when my tribe wins immunity. Time to take the free time to make an alliance of my own. I have to choose who I want to trust for now.

okay so i haven’t made a confessional yet but I’m super excited to see some familiar faces in the game. I’ve played with Dennis before but I know that if I’m a threat to his game he will take me out so it’s a good person to stick with for now but idk if I can trust him in this game. JG is very friendly and chill but I’ve onkg played another game with him where he quit. He had a lot going on so I understood but I’m willing to work with him again if he’s willing. ROXY IS ON MY TRIBE AND SHE IS THE LOVE OF MY LIFE AND I KNOW SHE WILL NEVER VOTE ME OUT. SO I GOT HER AND IM EXCITED. Okay and who else? oh yes Stephen! Stephen is cool and I’m 100% down to work with him despite our past in orgs. I just don’t want him to think of me as an enemy. If we have to boot out someone I’d say bodhi would be the most obvious choice because he hasn’t been active...but bodhi is a fun player to play with I’m just hoping he becomes more active before our tribe decides to give him the boot. I see Crow in this game and he’s super nice and I’m so glad I’m playing with him and also Johnny is playing and I’m hoping he’s gonna want to work with me. Okay okay I’m done for now. Let the games begin.

CRAP i forgot to talk about immunity and idol search...okay sooooo i went heat 2 after Stephen won heat 1 and like i was expecting to be targeted bc if I won, my tribe would get immunity. However Dylan(I’m sorry if i umm spelled that wrong) forgot the period and Crow spoke out of turn or something and I won...I was shocked but glad that it didn’t last as long as the first heat. Oh and I searched for the idol and went to the bar or something and it turns out the item i was gonna get had been snatched before I had a chance....WE GOTTA THIEF IN HERE....I’m just trying to make it to merge so i need any advantage i can get.

Johnny just approached me for an alliance and I told him, "of course johnny! :)" But I am internally screaming like "nooooooo why meeee," because just before this game we were talking about how Johnny likes to betray everyone in orgs so now I'm like, please just let me win one org I got Ryan V casted in Bermuda you owe me.

The nice thing about not going to tribal council is that it really gives you the time to flex that social game and work on building up relationships, which is super important early in the game.

me doing this 4 hours before tribal is a mood but uhm ahem in conclusion, i've heard 8 names this round and let me breakdown how and why begin: i tell nick i think first boot should be someone who didn't compete, and then narrow it down to jayden or zach nick tells me he's been pushing for jayden and that drew is on board and is working on zach jayden comes to me saying he knows he's in trouble and asking me what to do, he reveals that runs ratted out nick about targeting him i tell nick runs ratted him out nick reveals to me that runs has been pushing me to everyone (confirmed by Drew, and later Jayden, as well) i confront rataways subtly and he insinuates that his loyalty is to me and that we're friends and my BS alarm goes flying off the charts rataways thinks he's sly but he's not end: im voting rataways and got confirmation from jayden and drew that they'd do the same....currently working on nick who has supposedly already told zach to vote runs as well if everybody minus rataways isn't a completely shady bitch, this should be an easy 5-1 with rataways thinking he somehow has votes on me and i'll probs get idoled out but w/e. i'm not going to lose my sanity trying to beg rataways not to vote me, idc. oh and i threw the immunity challenge cuz tribal seemed fun (and boi it is!)

Well I wasn’t the first person evicted so I consider this season an accomplishment. I’m trying to attach myself to Ford, since he’s completely new.

Alright hold on a second. 2nd day. 2nd conversation with JG. AND its like day & night. He seems pretty chill :). MAYBE HE WAS JUST BUSY WITH FORTNITE (what I as a gamer understand. I mean.. you gotta set priorities.. right?). Just wanted to clarify, so I don't come over as a dick at the end of the season. In case we end up being best friends *shrugs*

#outwitoutplayoutrunthewitchking

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brianrope · 7 years ago

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Last week I gave a PowerPoint presentation to members of the Canberra Photographic Society about Contemporary Photography. I promised to make the contents of that presentation available online. Here they are.

It is a lot about today’s lifestyle and about knowing the reasons for our images and about conceptual photography

Series are about a number of works based on an idea but the works need to be contemporary not traditional

It is not about competition or honours. It is about challenging ourselves in our thinking and in our photography

It is where the artist/photographer has imbued their own personal expressions/feelings of the life around them and of their own life experiences, moods, feelings into an image or series of images

Winner 2016 IRIS AWARD

First Impression © Chris Bowes

The IRIS Award is an international prize recognising new and outstanding portraiture in photographic art. The criteria for selection focuses on portraits that are unique, compelling and engaging whilst maintaining excellence in photography.

Is this a Contemporary image? Is it even a portrait? Undoubtedly, there would be various responses to those questions.

2017 Olive Cotton Award for photographic portraiture

Maternal Line 2017 © Justine Varga

This image was created without a camera. Its selection caused a great deal of controversy which, in turn, generated a lot of discussion and debate – including amongst members of the friends of APS Contemporary Group Facebook group. I welcomed the discussion. Is it a Contemporary image? I believe it is.

2017 National Photographic Portrait Prize Winner

Portrait of Richard Morecroft and Alison Mackay © Gary Grealy

Is this a Contemporary approach to portrait photography? Or is it traditional?

Scone Photographic Art Prize Winner 2018 © Anne O’Connor

It has quite a lot of white space around it because it was printed square on Velin Rag paper within an A3 matte. A Contemporary image? Yes, in my view.

2018 Moran Contemporary Photographic Prize Winner

Zach (standing in front of his friend’s home in “The Pines”

– an Australian town that sits on the fringes of society) © James Bugg

This competition requires entries to be Contemporary. So, clearly, this is considered Contemporary. I had no idea where “The Pines” was located. Dr Google suggests it is on the Yorke Peninsula in South Australia where this general store also can be seen:

From the Photo Access exhibition “Horizons – Earth and Water” © Marie Lund

Created without a camera, generated by sunlight. When I was 9 years old I was creating images by sunlight – albeit by putting film negatives in contact with photographic paper in sunlight. In my view this image is very definitely Contemporary.

Faceless Self-Portraits

Earlier this year members of APS Contemporary Group invited to produce two dimensional self-portraits that did not include their face and submit them for exhibition. This arose following the debate mentioned earlier regarding the portrait winner of the Olive Cotton.

From the faceless self-portraits that I created I submitted three and am currently waiting to hear which (if any) the adjudicators will select. Here they are together with their accompanying artist statements.

Toyed Tag

Graffiti artists constantly have the looming threat of facing consequences for displaying their graffiti. Many choose to protect their identities and reputation by remaining anonymous. With the commercialization of graffiti, in most cases, even with legally painted “graffiti” art, graffiti artists tend to choose anonymity. Being a graphic form of art, it might also be said that many graffiti artists still fall in the category of the introverted archetypal artist. So, if I was a graffiti artist (introverted or not), I wondered what my tag, or artwork, might look like. I came up with this image to represent myself. It incorporates my hand plus a “word” which is a play on a nickname I had in my school days. Acknowledging that I am an inexperienced graffiti artist or writer (a Toy), the piece is crossed out with the word “toy”.

Love Carving

Lovers sometimes carve their initials inside a heart shape on a tree, thus sharing something about themselves to all who later see their artwork. Rather than carving an actual tree, here I have superimposed my initials and those of my wife inside a heart shape on my image of a tree. The peeling bark and other changes in the tree’s surface since the “carving” was made have obliterated much of it, but those who know me will still read a little about me (and her) in the image.

My Road

A traditional portrait only shows what we look like at a moment in time when it was taken. An environmental portrait reveals more because it includes something of the environment in which we live or work. This composite image portrait seeks to show the viewer much more by featuring a selection of “waypoints” throughout my life from its starting point through to the present. Each “waypoint” is “attached” to a rope (reflecting my surname) and everything is overlaid on a photograph of a piece of road (representing my life journey). The viewer who studies the image will see places where I have lived, schools I have attended, people who have been a significant part of my life at various times, images revealing things that have been important to me, items that I have made and photographs of significance for me. The future journey is unknown – as in the past there may be unexpected paths to be followed. Viewers will, of course, have difficulty understanding the complete story behind some of the elements incorporated in the portrait, but will interpret it for themselves.

OK let’s look at some other individual shots of mine:

Contemporary because of the bumper sticker and the “today” spare shoes decorations. (If the driver really is Gay, shouldn’t the spare shoes be in rainbow colours?)

Listening – who to? What is being said? Who else is part of the conversation? What is the relationship between these two and others speaking or listening? In other words, what is the story in this captured image?

In safe keeping. The bottle of beer that is.

Contemporary because it shows today’s penchant for keeping phones in back pockets and also shows a little of what we consume? (And someone in the audience suggested it was also contemporary because it showed the current style of deliberately faded seats on the jeans.)

Contemporary because it isolated an item and provides no real context?

Contemporary because it shows the decay of a section of the building but not the whole thing in context?

Contemporary because it shows how today’s people need to incorporate popular culture into everything?

Now let’s look at some series, again my images:

From the series “Skies”

Five views of (essentially) the same section of the sky at different times and during differing weather conditions.

From the series “From Moving Vehicles”:

A short un-named series captured in a darkened room lying in bed:

What is there beyond the nearby pillow?

Sunlight penetrating above the curtains reveals little inside

but shouts that the outside is very bright.

Further into the room there are just glimpses where the sunlight catches the edges.

Below the curtains and under a closed door the light barely penetrates.

Between curtain drops little is revealed

other than a glimpse of familiar hanging souvenirs.

Through an open door the light beckons from another room

beyond the unused exercise bike.

From an un-named series taken as I walked out from the AIPP judging recently:

This and other arrows had been placed there obviously to show the way in but when I spotted them on my way out I thought I’d capture something of my journey out showing not only the arrows but also other “markers” along the way.

Mystery “markers”.

Don’t trip, then wipe your feet twice.

There’s a step to the left.

And steps going up.

Let the light show the way.

Going around in circles now.

Back that way.

Anyone for hopscotch?

Diamonds through that door.

It’s clearly this way.

Finally, some links for those who are interested:

Things to read and consider:

Monash Gallery of Art – Australian home of photography – https://www.mga.org.au/

Foto Relevance Deep Focus – Appreciation, History and a Place in Contemporary Photography – https://fotorelevance.com/deep-focus/

Pat Brassington: the body electric – One of Australia’s most influential contemporary photo-media artists – https://www.artgallery.nsw.gov.au/media-office/pat-brassington/

Essay: The Art of Photography – https://writingcreativenonfiction.wordpress.com/2014/05/01/essay-the-art-of-photography/

Groups to join:

Friends of APS Contemporary Group – https://www.facebook.com/groups/1259990940713900/

and the Contemporary Group of APS itself –

https://www.a-p-s.org.au/

Presentation About Contemporary Photography Last week I gave a PowerPoint presentation to members of the Canberra Photographic Society about Contemporary Photography.

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globalfilesystem · 7 years ago

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The Best Charlotte, NC Travel Tips From Our Readers

“People are much more friendly and polite than they were in NYC,” says reader Jeebs, one of the biggest contributors to our thread of Charlotte, NC travel tips. That might be a low bar, but friendly Charlotte readers (including some redditors from /r/Charlotte) left over 100 comments listing the best of their city. Here are their best tips.

Each Monday on Hack Your City, we ask readers for your best tips on a city: driving tips, restaurant recs, things to do, and any other advice for visitors and locals. Then on Thursday, we present the best comments. We’re working our way around the U.S. and around the globe.

Getting Around “Our metropolitan area is called Uptown, not Downtown. (It’s a thing from the 80s trying to make it sound fancier.)”—Jonathan Carpenter“Prepare to do a lot of driving. Charlotte has a lot to offer but it’s so sprawled out that it’s difficult to get to everything. Pick up a Creative Loafing Paper first chance you have to get an idea of the goings on while you’re in the area. In preparation for a trip, check out their 2017 ‘Best of’ Issue for some good ideas. I can tell you the critics and readers are both on point for the majority of the picks.”—Th3DudeAbides“The 485 loop is referred to the ‘inner’ and ‘outer’ as well as directionally. Just remember that the “inner” loop is the one going clockwise and the ‘outer’ is counter clockwise and you should be set.”—AtomicSnowman“Epicentre [the shopping mall] is very overrated unless you really want to party/club hard. If I were uptown I’d stick around the Latta Arcade area which is close to some cool spots.”—elbbubria2“Avoid Concord Mills like the black plague when it’s NASCAR season. That area gets overcrowded very quickly.”—I-am-Solid-Snake“I stay away from Uptown (bros), South End (yuppies), and University (woo girls). But as always, there are diamonds in each area if you know where to look.”—Amanda“If you are flying in/out of town, be sure to return to the airport early enough to enjoy the rocking chairs on the concourse. The most comfortable airport I’ve ever had a layover in.”—Cheryl K“Be careful about street names changing several times, and at seemingly arbitrary points.”—Zach“The light rail is your best transportation friend when visiting. Start down at New Bern Station to have direct access to Hyde Brewing, Suffolk Punch, Triple C Brewing, Lenny Boy Brewing, and Sycamore Brewing.”—ArchitectQueenBitch Things to Do “Lake Norman is 30 minutes outside of Charlotte and is a great spot for boating but is very popular/oversaturated. Lake Wylie might be about the same or a little further out and is more ideal for kayaking and canoeing. VBGB is a fun spot for volleyball and great beer. Crowders Mountain is 45 minutes outside of Charlotte and is a great spot for a ~2 mile or ~4 mile hike, and a solid view.”—Jeebs“Charlotte is known for the Whitewater Center. Rock climbing (both free and attached), mountain biking, ropes courses, ziplining and white water rafting and kayaking are all available and it’s got a nice walking course. They also have events like live music and movie screenings during the summer and have two restaurants.”—haoleje“Levine Museum of the New South is a must do to learning experience about how the old South became the new South. An off-the-beaten-path gem is the Carolina Aviation Museum near the airport. It has the actual 1549 plane that went down in the Hudson.”—rb314636“The Discovery Science Museum is a cool spot for families with kids, and it’s in the heart of Uptown. Plenty of good food within walking distance.”—VT MikeO“Sleepy Poet Antique Mall, Paper Skyscraper, and Buffalo Exchange if you like to shop/like kitschy shit.”—GobyCow“Carowinds, Karting, Discovery Place and other museums if you have kids.”—cosmicspeed “The Bechtler Museum has one of the best, private modern art collections in the SE. Warhol created portraits of the Bechtler family which hang in the lobby – at least they were there the last time I attended. Plus, the Niki de Saint Phalle Firebird sculpture out front is pretty distinctive. Research their family, very interesting.”—jaygee“The Charlotte Knight’s stadium has a fantastic selection of local breweries and very good food options, with a packed house most games. The view of the city skyline from the ballpark is pretty epic as well.”—ArchitectQueenBitch“We have a number of social sports, including LGBT-oriented (Stonewall Bowling/Kickball/Dodgeball/Volleyball, Charlotte Royals Rugby).”—haoleje“The Little Sugar Creek Greenway is a beautiful system for a walk or a jog. There is a nature museum in the woods in Freedom Park, which the Greenway runs through.”—Aaron B“Drive through the Lazy 5 Ranch and get a chance to feed the animals. Then take some time out to spend with the birds of prey at the Charlotte Raptor Center.”—Jeff“There’s an aviation museum, a large theme park including the 8th fastest roller coaster in the world (95 mph), an NBA team, and the US National Whitewater Center.”—The Waco Kid“While the city has had an influx of arcade bar openings (Lucky’s, Palmer Street, etc.), the only one that matters is Abari.”—Amanda“Go to Salud for hip hop yoga, waffle sammiches, and great beer.”—Senorcoconuts“The Rosedale Plantation is fun to see and you might see a ghost! The Charlotte Paranormal Society offers ghost tours of it in addition to the regular visits.”—haoleje Where to Eat “Soul Gastrolounge (fusion), Carpe Diem (upscale date spot), Midwood Smokehouse (BBQ), Kindred (if you can get to Davidson – constantly gets awards), Bonterra (more upscale, 300+ different kinds of wine), Niko Sushi (young hip sushi place) all great options. Beef and Bottle is a hole in the wall steakhouse that is incredible.”—Jeebs“Go to Gastonia, and hit up Kyle Fletcher’s BBQ, Blacks BBQ, and get you a couple containers of RO’s to bring home with ya.”—TeamplayerTimothy!“It’s not worth going to Charlotte if you don’t eat at BBQ King at least once. Bill Spoon’s is a distant second.”—cmoak“Price’s Chicken Coop (1614 Camden Road) is great fried chicken. Bring cash because they don’t take cards. Also check out Mr. K’s (2107 South Blvd.) for a great burger and milkshake.”—GM3711“There’s a great British pub called Big Ben just south of uptown that serves a real shepherd’s pie with lamb (just tell them no cheese).”—AtomicSnowman“The Shepherd’s pie at Tyber Creek, across the South from Big Ben, is way better, and also made with lamb.”—GregGuy“Lupie’s Cafe is amazing. Go on Thursday for some chicken & dumplings or any other day of the week for a meat and three or some world-famous chili.”—Amanda“Go to Seoul Food! Korean inspired BBQ—not Korean BBQ. If you want Korean BBQ, go to their new restaurant next door, Let’s Meat. All you can eat Korean BBQ.”—allen13uga Where to Drink “Breweries are like bars here. The thing to do is day drink on the weekends and hop around to different breweries. Breweries are also dog heaven!”—allen13uga“Old Mecklenburg, (most popular), Wooden Robot, and Sycamore (most popular) are all great breweries to check out. I’ve also heard good things about Triple-C and Unkown Brewery. Old Meck feels like a beer garden you would see in Munich.”—Jeebs“Spend an afternoon in South End walking to the various breweries. Be sure not to miss Wooden Robot. Sycamore is great, but the vibe can be a little frat-house. Great dining options in that area as well, with Seoul Food being a favorite.”—JJR“Grab a rental bicycle (B-Cycle for docked bikes; Ofo, Lime, Spin for dockless rental bikes) and doing a self-guided brewery tour is a great way to see any of the urban neighborhoods. If you just want to sit in one place with all the options, Craft (in Southend), Helles and Dunkel (Southend) or Flight (in uptown) are great.”—haoleje“Charlotte is also very LGBT friendly. We have a number of bars serving the LGBT community: 316, Boulevard 1820, Chasers (drag and strippers), Sidelines (sports bar), Argon (dance club), Woodshed (leather), Scorpio’s, and more. But most places in Charlotte are so LGBT-friendly that the gay bar is going away.”—haoleje“Hoppin’ is a cool concept bar where the walls are lined with taps and you can pour your own beer by scanning a bracelet.”—allen13uga Where to Coffee “Amelie’s French Bakery, NoDa location: Open 24/7/365 in the artsy district, this coffee shop and bakery has room after quirky room filled with funky decor and varied furniture for individuals and small groups to relax, hang out, or get some work done. They have baked goods and sandwiches and whatnot… the real can’t-miss standout is their caramel covered brownies.”—Saralinda“Cuplux offers an amazing sour cherry espresso on tap in the summer.”—Amanda Getting Out of Town “I recommend driving 15 miles north of the city to the small Lake Norman towns (Davidson, Cornelius and Huntersville). Tons of water sports, beautiful parks and great restaurants (Hello, Sailor and Kindred to just name two favorites). Hello, Sailor should open their tiki bar on the lake soon too.”—TheBobCat1“Asheville and the other towns around the Blue Ridge parkway if you like mountains, trees, and beer. The Triangle area (Raleigh/Durham/Chapel Hill—‘Raleigh-Durham’ is not a city) for the arts, food, and beer. The Outer Banks for beaches and beer.”—Andy Simmons

And that’s it! Read more tips in the original thread, leave your own below, and come back Monday when we’re going to Ireland.

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New Post has been published on Local Freshies | Be a local wherever you go

New Post has been published on http://localfreshies.com/10-best-spring-skiing-resorts-us-canada/

The 10 best spring skiing resorts in North America

Last Tuesday marked the spring equinox, officially bringing an end to winter. Does that mean your ski and snowboard season is over? The answer to that question is absolutely not! Think we’re crazy? Don’t know what we’re talking about? Let us prove you wrong. Put up the bathing suits and grab the snow gear. Put that trip to the Caribbean on hold. This spring, head to the mountains! Why you ask? The days are longer, the crowds have reduced to a trickle, and the winter storms have given way to sunshine and warm temperatures. If you haven’t taken a trip out West this year, now is the time! Here are the 10 best spring skiing locales in North America!

Why you should GO!

Great deals to stay & ski

Sunny weather and warm temps

Non-existent crowds

The ability to do other stuff like golf, mountain bike AND ski in the same day

Chance to get in a sneaker pow day

Before you pick your resort, there are a few things you should know about spring skiing. First, don’t expect to ride a full day. Instead, focus on the full experience. The Après ski is almost as important as the skiing in spring. Is there a cool town to hang in? Do you have a place to grill and a patio to chill? How about a mountain bike park or a golf course? Now you feelin’ it? These are quite different questions to ask than a winter trip, right? Next, don’t expect the resorts to be at full operation but this is good news. It means you’ll have a ton of terrain all to yourself and can lap those runs until you can’t feel your legs. Lastly, even in April or early May, there’s still a chance for a sneaker pow day. We’ve had quite a few and they are awesome!

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Things to consider when picking a spring locale

Where should you go? Here are the things to consider when picking a resort:

Historically open late into the season

Large amount of terrain above treeline

Deep snowpack

Ski resort that’s received lots of snow for the season (at least annual average)

Best Spring Skiing Resorts in North America

#10 Killington

Average April/May Snowfall: 24 inches Projected Closing Day: Typically May dependent on weather

Image taken by: Chad Burgess

We had to at least tip our hat towards the East. Besides Mammoth on our list, Killington also pushes the envelope on extending their season as long as possible. Through mid-April, there’s a good chance the majority of the mountain will be open for you to shred. Killington has even been known to stay open into late May and even into June. With a summit elevation of only 4,241 feet, how can that be? They do this by making snow on one run called Superstar all winter long. The snow on this trail stacks up to nearly three stories tall. Talk about dedication to skiing and snowboarding!

#9 Loveland

Average April/May Snowfall: 71 inches

Average Maximum Snow Depth: 70 inches

Terrain Open: 100% open through end of April conditions permitting

Projected Closing Day: May 7th

Sharing the Slopes Image taken by: Richard Johnson

Most people zoom past as they head to one of the major resorts like Keystone, Copper, or Winter Park. A no frills destination, Loveland is a great example of a mountain still tapped into the soul of skiing and snowboarding. The focus is all about the mountain and not about real estate. Receiving some of the highest snowfall counts in the region and hugging the continental divide, this translates to a season that starts in October and lasts into May or longer. Powder days still happen often in April! By this time or year, the snowpack is deep enough, allowing you to access all of the cool terrain Loveland has to share. This quaint mountain packs quite the punch and is highly recommended! The only reason it’s so low on the list is because of its early closing date.

#8 Snowbird

The Cirque at Snowbird Image taken by: Craig Yoas

Average April/May Snowfall: 74 inches

Average Maximum Snow Depth: 109 inches

Terrain Open: 100% open through end of April conditions permitting but typically only Little Cloud and Mineral Basin Express in May to closing

Projected Closing Day: Still to be announced but at least May 30th

Jane Enjoying the Snowbird Tram Image taken by: Jason Cameron

If Alta is the powder capital of Utah then Snowbird is the spring skiing locale. Being the highest ski resort in Utah and most of its terrain facing north, these attributes help keep the snow in its best condition possible. In April, they receive on average nearly 64 inches, meaning the base actually gets refreshed. Finally, with it only being 30 minutes outside of Salt Lake City, the gateway to what some consider the richest and most diverse natural surroundings of any major city, you have access to hiking, mountain biking, and even hot springs. Good times for sure!

#7 Timberline / Mt. Hood Meadows

Heather Bowl, from the top of A-Zone Image taken by: Ben McLeod

Average April/May Snowfall: 37 inches

Maximum Snow Depth: 131 inches

Terrain Open: 100% open through closing at Mt. Hood Meadows and 1,500 vertical feet on the Palmer snowfield (@ Timberline) which is skiable all summer.

Projected Closing Day: May 7th (Mt.Hood Meadows) / September (Timberline)

Spring Skiing: Freestyler’s Delight Image taken by: Nathaniel “Ragingterror” Hayden Twitter @Ragingterror

Mt. Hood contains four major resorts and Timberline stays open all year round except for a few weeks of maintenance in September. It is THE home for summer skiing and snowboarding in North America. If your looking for a bit more of a challenge, Mt. Hood Meadows just down the road is open through the first week of May.

If comparing Oregon for the spring season, Mt. Bachelor offers more extensive terrain with far superior snow conditions to either of the Mt. Hood areas. Think about timing if heading to Oregon so you get the best spring skiing for the time you plan to hit the slopes.

#6 Lake Louise / Sunshine Village

Average April/May Snowfall: 35 inches

Maximum Snow Depth: 81 inches

Projected Closing Date: May 22 (Sunshine Village) & May 7 (Lake Louise)

Riding Goat’s Eye Over Village Image taken by: Doug Zwick

Spring at Sunshine Village Image taken by: TaylorAndKevin

Always one of the first to open and last to close, spring is prime time for Lake Louise and Sunshine Village. The extremely cold weather has retreated and the sun has begun to shine. Don’t fret about the snow conditions though. Even now, mid-winter powder conditions prevail due to its northern latitude. And, for those looking for a party scene, Banff is only a few miles down the road. This town is filled with amazing cuisine, great shopping, and awesome watering holes. If that wasn’t enough, the views of Lake Louise from the summit are some of the most amazing in the world. One thing to consider with Alberta is to make sure they’ve had an average to above average winter for maximum coverage.

#5 Alpine Meadows

Alpine Meadows Image taken by: Paul R Bolt

Average April/May Snowfall: 46 inches

Maximum Snow Depth: 115 inches

Terrain Open: As much as possible

Projected Closing Date: Mid-May

Alpine Meadows Image taken by: DBonny

Its bigger brother to the North, Squaw Valley, may get all the glamour, but this resort is nothing to sneeze at. Alpine Meadows is a big craggy mountain with most of its terrain above tree line. Tahoe’s climate of cold freezing nights and warm sunny days plus the ski resort’s topography creates some of the best corn you’ll find anywhere. Squaw Valley may be open longer but Alpine’s terrain lends itself to be the one you should try to hit before it closes for the season. For more about corn snow, check out last season’s spring skiing guide found here.

#4 Arapahoe Basin

Average April/May Snowfall: 66 inches

Average Maximum Snow Depth: 81 inches

Terrain Open: 700+ acres through closing (almost all of the terrain)

Projected Closing Date: At least end of May but most likely longer

Spring Shredding Image taken by: Zach Dischner

Arapahoe Basin could be considered the “King of Spring” for the Rockies. Always pushing the envelope to stay open until the snow melts, there have been years that they’ve been skiing until July 4th. Typically in April, it’s less about the corn and more about skiing and snowboarding their packed powder with the steep Palivaccini terrain facing more north and ranging from 10,800′ to 12,200′. The parking lot is called the “Beach” and you can watch people skiing down the mountain as you grill right in front of your car. If this isn’t on your bucket list to visit… it should be!

#3 Whistler Blackcomb

Average April/May Snowfall: 43 inches

Average Maximum Snow Depth: 106 inches

Terrain Open: As much as possible through April 23rd and at least 2,500 vertical of terrain serviced by the Jersey Cream, Seventh Heaven and Glacier Express lifts

Projected Closing Date: May 22

Glacier Creek Lodge: WSSF 2014 Image taken by: Jordan Yerman Instagram @jordanyerman

Whistler embodies what every other ski resort wishes to be. The village is car-less and there is a plethora of different priced options to eat, drink, and hang out all across town. The bad news first is the weather. With close proximity to the coast, there is a possibility of overcast/rainy weather but this issue is more likely mid-winter than in the spring. Don’t worry though. Whistler makes up for it in spades with how many things you can do besides skiing.

Towards the end of April, you can ski in the morning in the upper alpine bowls and then mountain bike in the afternoon on the bottom half of the mountain. April is also when the largest winter sports and music festival in North America takes place right next to the gondola. With it now being owned by Vail, we hope they stay dedicated to keeping as much terrain open as possible late in the season. Time will tell on this one so we’ll all have to wait and see.

#2 Mammoth Mountain

Average April/May Snowfall: 68 inches

Average Maximum Snow Depth: 133 inches

Terrain Open: 100% in April; at least 2,000 acres through May; 500-1,000 acres through June and July

Projected Closing Day: July 4th

Mammoth is a unique mountain compared to the others on our list. First, due to it close proximity to the Pacific Ocean, they receive snowfall with higher moisture content. Second, it’s elevation is comparable to the resorts in Colorado. What these two facts translate to is a deep snowpack with warm days and freezing nights, helping ensure that the best conditions are possible even into May! Mammoth’s dedication to grooming and having at least 2,000+ acres open makes it a great candidate to hit in late spring.

#1 Mt. Bachelor

Average April/May Snowfall: 68 inches

Average Maximum Snow Depth: 145 inches

Projected Closing Day: May28th

Terrain Open: 100% in April and at least 2,000 acres with over 3,100 vertical feet through closing

Three sisters in the distance as you descend Mt Bachelor

This place should be on everyone’s bucket list for spring skiing and snowboarding. It could even be argued that it’s better to visit Mt. Bachelor in the spring than in the winter. This is mainly because of the Summit chairlift. Accessing 1,700 vertical feet of above treeline skiing, it is closed at least 30% of the time during the winter due to storms barreling Mt. Bachelor. In the spring though, this sometimes elusive terrain is wide open and ready for shredding.

With nearly 2,000+ acres available to you, Bachelor has some of the largest terrain footprints open in late season. In between storms when the temperatures rise, you will find plenty of corn ripe for the harvesting. The resort is a giant dormant volcano, allowing you to use it as a sundial finding the perfect conditions based on day & time. When the snow begins to sour in the afternoon, the Après scene heats up. Being next to Bend, OR, an outdoor mecca, there’s plenty to keep you busy. From hiking, mountain biking, kayaking, paddle boarding and even golfing, you’re sure to find an activity to occupy the rest of your day. After you’ve worked up a good thirst, there are dozens of breweries with relaxed atmospheres to sit back and wind down.

For more about Bend and the breweries, check out our write up here. If you’re looking for a guide to Mt. Bachelor, we got you covered there as well! Read our Ultimate Guide to Bachelor here.

March shouldn’t be the end of your season but rather the time for you to turn up the volume! What will you plan for April, May and even June? Happy Spring Shredding!

#10 Best #Spring skiing

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