#to answer your question in an unbiased and objective way:

[tennessoui]

new to the fandom and apparently theres anakins hair color discourse ??? this seems like an old fandom, so whats the general consensus there so far

hahahahaha let’s leave some stuff in 2021 it’s more fun that way to pretend there’s been growth here

[slaaverin]

In my world 2 guys who are just friends don´t act like they do. And def not when these guys are straight. And don´t get me wrong, i live in a very progressive country! Not like SK when it´s abt LGTBQ.

Okay I'm not gonna be toooooo annoyed at this anon (or you whose inbox I'm currently in) because I used to think like that. BUT!

That's just untrue. I'm from a progressive and inclusive country, and the spaces I'm in are all very lgbtqia+ positive, and I thought Jikook were very different too. Despite seeing other friend groups online (not from kpop and based in the US) where affection, expressions of love and flirting were very normal - most of the friends in the group are pan/bi but in longterm hetero relationships - I thought Jikook had that something extra.

Until I got closer to a new group of friends irl, most of whom are in happy hetero relationships, and the men (we're all 26+) treated each other with such casual love and affection that it made me reconsider things. I don't know if any of them are bi or pan, and it's not really relevant. Especially because members of the lgbtqia+ community present vastly differently even in the same social group.

What I am trying to say is not that jimin and jungkook are definitely straight. Imho, all members of BTS have made me wonder about them in that sense. It's not something I ponder for long times - as it's not my place - but I can understand why other armies might.

I'm also not denying them the possibility of having or having once been in a romantic relationship.

I just want to caution you and the anon a little because yes, while Jikook definitely are incredibly close, their expressions of love can very well be platonic. It's very heteronormative to interpret everything they do as gay just because it doesn't fit with your view of male friendships. It's not that I (or others who leave room for the truth) don't see or understand your pov, and want to avoid falling into the trap of viewing queerness as "just good friends". It's just about considering that we simply don't know Jikook.

We as fans only see a very (very) limited chunk of BTS, and only what they want us to see. Our perception will be coloured by our opinions, backgrounds and biases (not the kpop kind) and thus no piece of content or interpretation is objective.

Jimin and Jungkook are imo at least best friends. Everything beyond that is pure speculation, and we should treat it as that. I know us Jikooker want to be the sane and smart shippers in the fandom, a counterweight to the very loud and a bit...unhinged ones, but that includes (imho) understanding our own fallacies and knowing that for all the theories about Rosebowl, GCF , Letter and Who there is the possibility of it being just two incredibly close friends that love each other, protect each other and fight for each other.

Jikook = real love. That's a fact. If it's the rainbow color kind or something else, will most likely remain a question of perspective.

As a little P.S.: Please do not read this as an attack or me trying to force my views onto you. One of the great things about tumblr imho - and sth I liked about the Jikook space especially last year - is the way we can properly exchange opinions and discuss them in depth.

Opinion.

There's no definite answer.

But in my point of view the scale is more going towards romance.

But of course we might be biased and wrong.

I personally don't see the appeal of staying unbiased. We can't help feeling what we feel I guess.

But feel free to all express on this, it's interesting to have several point of views!

Thanks for sharing your thoughts 💜

[edenfenixblogs]

outside of the general principles of credibility and fact-checking (or including those if you want) and looking for commitment to peace and shared prosperity like you mentioned in your pinned, do you have any other advice on gauging the reliability of sources regarding israel/palestine? or any particular sources you recommend as reliable or warn against as unreliable? there's so much misinfo and disinfo out there that i often end up getting overwhelmed and sharing nothing specific - and i know that's not exactly helpful, i'm just not sure where to start.

This is SUCH a good and important question!!! Thank you so much for asking it. I’ve been waiting until after work today to answer, so I can give it the attention it deserves.

This is an incredibly complex topic. It is completely ok to tackle only one item of this at a time. It is ok to spend more time listening than speaking. It is ok to only do basic fact checking until these things become second nature. It seems like a lot. But it actually becomes quite simple when you realize that, as a member of a non-affected group, your only job is to steer the conversation toward truth and peace.

That means most of what you are doing is rejecting sources and individuals engaging in bad faith discourse by simply not engaging with them. Your next most common task will be to publicly fact check bad faith discourse or incorrect information that has spread too far.

It is tempting to become outraged when you become familiar with bad faith discourse and data and see it spread widely. However, remember that this is incredibly complex and even the most experienced people get things wrong on this subject all the time. If you notice an error in what appears to be someone trying to bring attention to a cause they care deeply about, approach with kindness first. Always.

Try a reblog or a personal message with a link to the problematic post and say something like,

Hey. I care a lot about [issue] too. And I am trying really hard to make sure everything being spread right now is verifiable and accurate so nobody gets upset about things that aren’t true. Did you know that [thing you said+link to the post where you said it] was actually proven false by [reliable source+link to that source]? I’m really glad that didn’t happen. Of course, terrible things are still happening [to Palestinians/Israelis/Jews/Muslims/Arabs] on/in [college campuses/diaspora/Palestine/Israel/etc] there all the time. But at least nobody has to suffer through [incorrect info]. By the way, I’ve found a lovely organization run by actual Palestinians/Israelis/Arabs/Muslims/Jews working together to find peace for all. Check it out, I think it has promise! [link to reliable cause/organization]

Here is a wonderful site for MENA-based organizations geared toward fostering a shared peaceful future in a variety of ways.

Give the poster a chance to self correct. You will be wrong in the future. Model the way you would like to be informed of an error.

I briefly touched on the basics of identifying any source as reliable here. I won’t reiterate because this may be a long post and I wanna save space. But it contains the basics of what I learned in college.

One of the most important things to keep in mind is that no source is objective. No source is without bias. And there is no way to make any source objective or without bias.

News is written by people. And all people have viewpoints. Giving all voices in a conflict equal importance is not inherently unbiased, because that risks giving support to more harmful ideas and equating harmful ideas, ideologies, and organizations with reasonable ones. Likewise, asserting that one viewpoint is correct and being unwavering in this belief no matter what is obviously no way to cultivate a balanced and well informed viewpoint.

Your job is to use critical thinking skills to examine the level of bias in a piece of media as well as how responsibly the source handles that bias. Your job is also to do your best to be aware of bias as well as what bias is relevant to the subject matter being reported. A source that is left leaning, but never shares fake information and is always verifiable is preferable to a source that is moderate but consistently shares half truths or faulty information.

Sometimes, information from a less than ideal source can be shared, but if you are sharing that source, you must explicitly state that source’s flaws and why you chose to share that information anyway. And if you are unable to find a better source, you should state that you are sharing information that may be incomplete or inaccurate and you are happy to update the post you are sharing if and when more information or confirmation from a more reliable source emerges. There are very limited situations where this is appropriate. Usually I would suggest not sharing information from such sources at all unless it can be backed up by better information.

One example of such a case is information about antisemitic hate crimes from the ADL. The ADL has a very problematic history and one should be aware of it when they share statistical data from the organization. However, that doesn’t make their information inherently unusable. It makes their information inherently suspect, though. In order for anything shared from the ADL to be worth sharing, you should be able to evaluate the data collection method and the sources of the data. And if there is any information in the data you are sharing that is not appropriate, you should explicitly draw attention to it, not try to hide it.

Case Study: Global Antisemitic Incidents in the Wake of Hamas’ War on Israel

This list contains very useful data on incidents of antisemitic violence against Jews in diaspora since 10/7/2023. I trust this data because: it links to each individual news source it references, often with pictures of the attacker/attack/incident and time stamps. It’s data is open to questioning and its sources are available to check individually. This is in line with the ADL’s mission statement of tracking antisemitism. Documenting antisemitism is not an inherently biased practice nor do I have any reason to believe that they lie about the antisemitic incidents they document. As that is not one of the things that critics accuse the ADL of, I do not see a reason to question its record on antisemitic incident reporting. I have never heard a critic make a substantiated claim against their formally collected data as falsified. I am willing to be proven wrong on this, but I will interrogate a source claiming this as thoroughly as I interrogate the ADL as a source itself. I am skeptical of this source because: the title of the article uses extremely biased language that makes the war seem one sided. The advantage of this source is: it is one of the few sources existing that collects data on antisemitic violence and hate incidents of Jews in diaspora. A sign of good faith from the organization: they dedicate a page to addressing criticisms of their organization, which means they feel confident that criticisms of them will stand up to scrutiny. It is not sufficient to use this page to absolve them of any of the listed criticisms, but it should help you find articles that critique the ADL as well as relevant information that supports their defense. Thus, you must come to your own conclusion on whether or not that information is trustworthy on the matter you are commenting on. A sign of possible bad faith from the organization: their page devoted to confronting myths and inaccuracies about their organization’s history does not address accusations about supporting South African Apartheid or failing to call the Armenian Genocide a genocide. An acknowledgment of my own limitations: I am not an expert in South African Apartheid in any way nor am I an expert on the Armenia genocide. Any other relevant information: Any reputable news sources verify information before reporting. If a news source that is verifiably responsible in its reporting cites information from the ADL, I will assume they have made adequate inquiries to verify that information as accurate enough to report. For example, if AP reported information and cited the ADL statistics, I would assume that the ADL made sure the data fit its high standard for reportage.

Conclusion: I find the ADL to be a trustworthy enough source of data about antisemitic attacks and incidents on Jews in diaspora, but only in cases where their sources and/or methodology are made public and/or another more regulated or otherwise more reliable source of statistical information partners with them. Because I lack expertise on South African Apartheid on the Armenian Genocide, I will not share information from the ADL about Palestinian apartheid, segregation, oppression, or genocide (until or unless I become more well-versed in these topics or am able to devote substantial energy into fact checking each claim in what I share. If I ever choose to do this, I will share every source I used to verify the information so that others may check my work and inform me if I’m wrong. At this time, I do not foresee a situation where I would refer to the ADL for matters about Palestinian concerns). The ADL in general and the linked source in particular seems to be an overall worthwhile source to cite on matters of antisemitism. The ADL does not meet my standards of a reliable source on Palestinian suffering. Check each link/source on an ADL source you want to share and form an informed conclusion on its reliability before sharing.

Also, be aware that primary sources with biased information are extremely valuable but never objective on their own. A tweet from the IDF or a statement from a released Palestinian prisoner may both be true! But sharing them as if they are definitely true without fact checking the information through the most trustworthy sources available is irresponsible. Do not share any social media information as fact. You are free to share social media information and publicly explore its implications in a responsible manner, but it is not responsible to discuss them as facts.

Case study: When something in Gaza or Israel is bombed, be sure that you know who the key players and commentators are.

When the IDF releases a statement blaming Hamas for bombing their own citizens, know that the IDF has a vested interest in not being perceived as an aggressor. When the Ministry of Health in Gaza accuses the Israeli military of being responsible for the attack, be aware that the Ministry of Health in Gaza is run by Hamas and is not a third party neutral source. Do not post anything about an event like this until the information is fully vetted by a neutral third party source (or as neutral as you are likely to find on such a hot button issue).

The best way you can help during an emerging story is to urge others to wait for full details, call out people irresponsibly casting blame before the facts are in (especially politicians), and repeatedly verify every source of information as they are named so that you know if they are trustworthy. Do not trust politicians who espouse inflammatory and prematurely accusatory information and do not make a public retraction and apology when they are found to be wrong.

That said, it is always appropriate to express sorrow for loss of life. You do not need to accuse a killer in order to do this.

There are also sites geared toward helping you identify the source itself fairly. Note: sites like these will help you evaluate the publication or news entity (eg New York Times, Al Jazeera, Haaretz, etc.). They won’t help you evaluate an individual journalist or article.

Some sites to help you verify credibility:

Media Bias Fact Check: Allows you to verify sources based on the news source’s political bias in terms of a left-right spectrum as well as by their reliability on matters of science, their use of questionable sources, and use of satire. Also, you can check how reliably factual the source’s reporting is. You can also sort by country, media type, general credibility, and how well trafficked the source is. They also publicly offer insight into their methodology of coming to these conclusions.

The Associated Press (AP) fact checks individual claims. Other news organizations fact checking claims include Reuters, The Washington Post and AFP. While AP is a gold standard and generally reliable, be aware that news organizations are also subject to bias. The advantage is that news organizations have investigative reporters on staff to investigate claims. The disadvantage is the bias inherent to the publication itself.

Other third party cites checking facts in news reports and in politics include:

FactCheck.org

Politifact

Snopes

Lakehead University offers an entire site devoted to developing media literacy as well as many ways to search fact checking sites. So does Kansas State University, and UMass Amherst. Many universities offer sites like this. I urge you to look into them.

Once you find a news or data source you trust, do a quick google search on the journalist’s name and a relevant phrase to the aspect of the conflict being reported on. For example The Newspaper Tribune Times Chronicle may be trustworthy. Veteran reporter, Ima Journalist may have written an article about Israel Bombing Gaza. So, before sharing it, just Google: “Ima journalist” + Israel Palestine Jews antisemitism Islamophobia. Make sure you don’t see something like “Ima Journalist photographed screaming ‘Hitler was actually a super good guy!’ anywhere in her history. When satisfied, feel free to share the story.

Other points to keep in mind:

Be aware of crappy tactics on both sides of the i/p conflict.

The IDF is often accused of excessive violence and planting evidence on Palestinians. This often leads to Palestinians being unfairly accused of terrorist intent and criminal violence.

Hamas uses civilians as human shields — both by using individual humans as shields and also launching bombs from civilian buildings (like hospitals, preschools, and libraries), building militaristic infrastructure in or beneath those same civilian buildings, and instigating conflict with IDF soldiers positioned near residential and civilian locations. This allows Hamas to escape criticism by framing the IDF as mindlessly bloodthirsty and eager to kill Palestinian civilians.

And finally, make sure accusations and talking points never conform to antisemitic conspiracy theories.

The universal aspects of antisemitic conspiracy theories (detailed more fully in the source linked above and also in another post I made) are:

Accusing Jews of replacing another group or population

Accusing Jews of pretending to be something they are not

Accusing Jews of dominating or attempting to dominate a prominent or essential aspect of a society or the world at large.

Accusing Jewish people of genocide and bloodlust in pursuit of personal gain

Accusing Jews of undue privilege or if appropriating something belonging to others.

Dehumanizing Jews by grouping them under a collective name or identity.

I hope this helps! Feel free to share it!

[moistvonlipwig]

how about 7/8 or 15/16 (or if you’re bored ALL OF THOSE! :D) for kara lena? :D

this took me a while because i had much to Ponder.....answers under the cut! snip snip ✂

7. What’s something the fandom does when it comes to this character that you like?

see this is so hard because i am so used to biting and violence that i'm bad at praising fandom......um i like when people redesign kara's supersuit to look way better! i kind of hated both of her normal suits in the show LOL. (i liked her anti-kryptonite suit though, so, um, sorry brainy but maybe lena should design her next suit & you can keep designing for kelly cuz the guardian suit was nice as hell.) but there's lots of cool redesigns floating around the fandom. i also like fics that dive deep into her psychology and confront her flaws (since the show. didn't do that) or, alternatively, fics that explore a different version of her character with different flaws (e.g. anger issues) or a different relationship to krypton, its destruction, and her family.

for lena i think it's cute when people make fic/art where she turns into a little black cat. not sure how this got started/popularized but i like it. :) and similarly to kara i like when fics dig into her psychology and her backstory and explore her pain and anger and flaws in a nuanced way. particularly when said fics acknowledge that her anger at kara for the secret is justified regardless of the morality of any given thing she does about it.

8. What’s something the fandom does when it comes to this character that you despise?

ok going to attempt to talk about something i haven't complained about yet for both of them. umm well this is hardly unique to this fandom but i do think it's annoying when people Only interpret them through the lens of supercorp.* like yes, their relationship is an important part of the show and of both of their character arcs (...to the extent that kara has a character arc), but not all of their actions can or should be exclusively read as motivated by the other character or in relation to the other character. (i think people actually do this with lena more often than kara, which is not to say that people don't do this with kara, but with kara i also see people frequently reading her character from the lens of Her World Blew Up™ and not just "she's in love with lena". whereas lena i think quite often gets reduced to "she's in love with kara" even though if anything i think the show constructs her non-kara-related psychology and the way her non-kara-related backstory informs said psychology in a much more coherent way than they do kara's.) and i do ship sc but honestly their relationship becomes less interesting to me if i assume that all of their actions revolve around the other person lol. it actively improves the ship if they exist as independent characters. funny that.

*of course the flip side to this, which is an arguably even worse way to analyze the show, is people who dislike the ship insisting on downplaying the relationship's textual importance. i've seen people who dislike sc as a ship generate incredibly weak and bizarre analysis of both characters and of the show as a whole because they refuse to accept that kara and lena love each other in some way, that the kara/lena friendship is central to both characters' arcs, and, in the show's final two seasons, that their relationship is arguably the core emotional & thematic throughline of the show itself. so i'm certainly not advocating for ignoring or dismissing their relationship when you analyze the characters or show. that is also deeply annoying (perhaps even more annoying, since the people who do it often posture about not caring about shipping and thus being ~unbiased~ and ~objective~, which, lol). just, idk, don't ignore or dismiss other stuff either. Use Your Noggins.

15. What’s your favorite ship for this character? (Doesn’t matter if it’s canon or not.)

firstly i love the little disclaimer in this question...does this person think i've never been in a fandom before? but i would say my favorite for both is supercorp although guardiancorp is a close second for lena. for kara i think my second favorite would be superrojas but only as like a flirtation/fling, i can't imagine them settling into an actual romantic relationship lol.

16. What’s your least favorite ship for this character?

well not to beat a dead horse but kara/mon-el is truly awful. i've also gone over why i'm not a fan of supercat and i think the badness of kara/william kind of goes without saying. that said i realized i haven't yet kvetched about how inexplicably popular kara/alex is??? most egregious to me is the fics tagged with stuff like "oh it's actually not incest because one of them's an alien teehee 🤭" as if the problem with incest is shared DNA and not the power dynamics involved...like if you're gonna ship an incest ship say it with your chest bro. (also IIRC during s5 someone made an anti-lena post with a bunch of pictures of women from sg and the thesis of the post was like, these women would all be good girlfriend options for kara but lena wouldn't because she's ~abusive~ or whatever. but included among this group of good potential girlfriends for kara was alex which. Hm!)

as for lena i don't like lena/winn they're too similar and also i still hold a grudge against winn for his s1 nonsense lol. also whenever i see people shipping them i think about this post which always cracks me up so bad. [i don't like kara/winn either for obvious reasons but also i feel like no one really ships them? i could be wrong about that tho idk.] ummm some people also ship lena/mon-el and you know just as a blanket statement i think mon-el should stay away from women forever. oh and i think i've mentioned i don't vibe with agentcorp. just not my thing.

[nyehilismwriting]

Hi! I have a question about IVI. Rohan says that IVI never got to choose (being implanted in a soldier and used as a weapon), but since IVI does not gain consciousness without being linked to a person, how does Rohan envision IVI choosing what they want to be? Carried around by several volunteers? Sorry if this has been asked before. Thanks, very excited for Ch. 4.

oh anon, this is such a juicy question...step into my boudoir...

So there are a few factors to bear in mind here, and while carefully dodging spoilers, I'll talk a little about them - much of this will be addressed in later chapters, but here you go :-)

AI consciousness is not only reliant on the implanted host, but the AI's personality is also influenced by that of their host. In IVI's case, having been implanted in the Operative - a person who did choose to become a tool of Scytha, and who not only willingly but gleefully participates in that work - is a significant factor. As far as Rohan's concerned, this alone is a perversion of the 'intent' behind AI: given that the Operative chose Scytha, IVI’s more likely to develop into an individual who would also chose Scytha and their work, whereas if implanted in someone else, that might be different.

Does that make that hypothetical choice invalid? Is it a choice made under duress if she was deliberately implanted in a person Scytha knows would choose them? Would IVI, as implanted in another person, be more or less of a corporate tool? Would a person who encourages her sentient development be an objectively better host? Would she be happier, and is that the most important thing? The thing with AI is that there is so much potential, and it can be directed in so many ways, it’s impossible to develop it in an entirely unbiased way. On top of all this, the fact that IVI is entirely reliant on her host for her consciousness is in itself a problem - by design, she has little to no bodily autonomy, and therefore her host has significantly more control over her experience of consciousness than they would over another human being.

For [redacted] reasons, Rohan is very… emotionally tied-in to AI, and this prevents xem from being truly objective. Xe’s projecting a lot of really quite idealistic ideas onto IVI, and has a fair few preconceptions that xe is going to struggle to let go of. A lot of the personality/intelligent development that AI goes through following implantation is pretty opaque, and it's hard to know what, exactly, is imparted from the host and how - Rohan's aware of this, but it's one thing to know it intellectually and another to see it in action.

So, to answer your question - xe really hasn’t thought that much about the practicalities of it - xe just knows Scytha did it wrong. There are elements of nature vs nurture to it, with the Operative/Scytha representing the ‘nurture’ aspect and the original programming representing ‘nature’; the ideal host would be a person essentially willing to take on the parental role, with more of an interest (more than Rohan perceives the Operative as having, at least) in developing IVI’s self-cognizance and independence, and not someone with such an obvious agenda as a Scytha employee. Not xemself, but not you either.

That being said - obviously, Rohan is also an incredibly biased person, and xir ideas about what Should be done with AI will differ from other people's, even people's outside of Scytha :-)

[dreamofmetoday]

Hi can I ask your opinion on why objectively bad idols can come up positive in some readings? I'm not going to name names to protect my peace and yours.. but there's a few idols where everyone knows they have done very problematic things or hold problematic beliefs (racism, homophobia ykwim) but still come up rather positive in readings?

Is it just bias of the readers coming through or is it that these more objective things can be hard to pick up on?

i think i'm going to do my best to explain in detail since it seems to genuinely confuse a lot of people and has become a pretty common question, but for that reason this answer might end up pretty lengthy, so i hope you don't mind reading all of it lol

the basic answer is that people are multi-faceted, meaning everyone has good and bad to them, and sometimes the bad is just something people view as objectively unforgivable. but secondly, it's important to understand that people who are homophobic or racist see themselves as being right, they don't really see what they're doing as wrong and therefore will not necessarily come up as malicious. a lot of racists or homophobes are also not actively going out and harassing gay people or who they're racist against - they just think it, talk about it amongst their friends and go about their lives as if that's not weird. so for example, a racist white person can come up as someone who loves their family, is sweet and generous to their loved ones, puts others' needs first etc. and you wouldn't even know they were racist unless you outright asked or did a dynamic (compatibility) reading with them and a person of colour (and you would see how they're prejudiced).

but another reason is definitely who is doing the reading, the main one is definitely bias but another overwhelming factor is people simply not being able to pick up on it. you know how writers are given the advice, "write what you know" well i believe the same should be applied to readers - "read what you know". in my experience, it's really hard for white people and people from homogeneous countries to pick up on racism in general since they are not experiencing it, can't see it and are racist themselves. so this all factors into how readings turn out.

lastly, it's important to put things into perspective in general. for example, when it comes to most kpop idols - they are koreans from a homogeneous country, they are all definitely some level of racist because that's just how that works, but whether they would come up as racist or not would more so depend on how purposely racist they are. them just being ignorant and uneducated will not really be that easy to pick up on (in my opinion and experience), since they don't necessarily have bad intentions. however, an idol that hates travelling overseas because they hate seeing foreign fans and mocks them behind the scenes is definitely more likely to show up as racist if you were to ask.

so to sum up your question, these things are not hard to pick up on but they may be for some people, even if they try to be unbiased. and as a side note, the most common way i see racism or homophobia coming up is inadvertently through dynamic readings (but you can really always outright ask and get your answer).

[meraki-yao]

"I just saw a post on Tumblr on someone claiming that and RWRB fan doxxed Nick?" Anon question that you answered to. I got a question on my own about this situation.

Now, I don't know why or if I have to say this, but I'M A NICK FAN, A TAYLOR FAN, AND RWRB FAN (and a TAYNICK fan). So Imma be unbiased (well, hopefully I sound unbiased. And hopefully you can be too.)

I asked an anon to another Tumblr account (not you Meraki) about something that I've been thinking for a while. The Tumblr account posted a screenshot about a another person saying that they want Taylor announcement casting for his projects. Now that's not a problem and I never said it was a problem. But they mentioned that they need to see "that bunch of hater bitches" to shut up. Which I get and I agree. Now, I assumed the "bitch" was a fan of Nick because that's how everyone seems to deal with haters. If people hate on Taylor, they have to be a "Nick fan". If people hate on Nick, they have to be "Taylor fan". So, I sent the Tumblr account an anon that pretty much sums up that I think we should get proof of what people say they saw. Like screenshots. Because, in my opinion, some "Taylor fans" and some "Nick fans" are just making shit up. That they want to start a fan war. And you even said it too: "If you see a claim that makes you uncomfortable or you don't find believable, please check to see if the claim can be backed up by evidence." And pretty much, what I'm trying to ask is, can both "sides" lie about what they see (the hate)? Now, I'm not saying all the fans and not everything is a lie. But people can lie right? Bc at this point, all I'm hearing is the same thing these past months: oh there's hate towards Taylor, so they must be a Nick stan. Oh there's hate towards Nick, to they must be a Taylor stan. (Or an RWRB stan) I mean, if people see it this way, and keep using the actor's name, isn't it toxic? Which is why I hate when people/fans use the name "Nick" and "Taylor" to star a whole debate/fanwar.

Which leads me to what I wanted to asked you (this is about your answer towards the anon post. The " This is a toxic Nick fan making shit up"). If you say toxic Nick fans make shit up, why can't toxic Taylor fans make shit up (now this is because the Tumblr account said that no one makes shit up in Taylor's favor (?) Or side. Idk what word to use here.)? Isn't that kinda biased?

And I know people have different opinions and you're not responsible for what everyone says. But I guess I need an opinion.. ? A non biased opinion. Please. And I guess this whole thing rubs me the wrong way bc people are using Nick and Taylor's name in the fans/people's war. In the war against each other (the normal people. The people behind the accounts).

Okay, there's a lot to unpack here. But thank you for bringing up this topic, because this is a really prevalent topic that should be discussed and examined. And I will try to be as objective as I can. (Sometimes biases are subconscious)

Can both "sides" lie about what they see (the hate)? If you say toxic Nick fans make shit up, why can't toxic Taylor fans make shit up?

Yes, both sides can definitely lie about what they see. Yes, Toxic Taylor fans absolutely can make shit up too if they want to.

I'm not entirely sure if this is part of your question, but in the case of your previous ask, yes, it could have been a toxic Taylor stan. But that post sets out to make Taylor and RWRB fans as the perpetrators and Nick as the victim, so if a toxic Taylor fan was the one to say that that would have meant they were a double agent, which I highly doubt people would use that much time or intellectual resources for something like this.

"Oh there's hate towards Taylor, so they must be a Nick stan. Oh, there's hate towards Nick, so they must be a Taylor stan. (Or an RWRB stan)" I mean, if people see it this way, and keep using the actor's name, isn't it toxic?

Two things to this.

Regarding my use of the word, I admit this is my fault because I am used to this polarizing culture, that's unfortunately the norm where I am, and that was how the culture was in my last active fandom. In Asian celebrity fandoms, there's such a distinction between fan types: group stans, cp/ship stans, solo stans, toxic solo stans, dream girls, dream child, mom stans, sister stans... jesus christ the list goes on. And everyone chooses a label or is demanded a label to be part of the fan community. I subconsciously took that mindset here, that's on me. I apologize. I'm gonna reflect on that and see what's a better way to phrase things.

But in the wider picture, there's a reason why it's so clearly divided into groups like this.

Let's examine the cases that you mentioned before. For fairness's sakes, I'm gonna use X and Y instead of the boys' actual name.

In the scenario where bad things are done to harm the reputation or image of X, we can deduce two things about the perpetrator: 1, the perpetrator doesn't like X, hates them even 2, the perpetrator knows something about X.

But why is it so often a war between two co-stars? Why couldn't it simply been a hater of X without any affiliation with Y?

Now, if whatever was done to damage X's reputation or image, another party that has relations to X, in this case, Y, is brought into discussion and put in a better light, then there's a clear favouritism toward Y. In your previous case, the perpetrator knows that Taylor has been hurled insults by Nick fans, because that statement was phrased as a response statement, and they could have just said "Taylor wasn't insulted" but they specifically said "Taylor wasn't thrown insults by Nick's fans". There's a stance.

Also if someone simply dislikes X without an absolute reason (ex: being a supremacist, abuser, criminal etc), then a more common reaction to people you don't like is to avoid them, instead of dedicating so much time to creating these narratives. (I mean there are ridiculous haters like that too but I don't think that's the majority)

Why is pitting co-stars against each other so common?

That's because, in society, things are by default a competition.

I wanna preface this segment real quick by mentioning this is just one perspective of society/the industry. There can be different takes on it, but I'm using this perspective to explain the scenario at hand.

In the industry, everyone is fighting for their piece, whether that's projects, events, exposure, connections etc. There are far more people who want opportunities than there are opportunities. And through the celebrity-fan parasocial relationship, fans of the celebrity want them to get said opportunities.

In the case where one is only interested in one of the celebrities in a pair, or even a group, the other becomes a competitor, and the fan wants the person they like to win, so they try to drag the other one down.

But why is this competition so prominent between Taylor and Nick? They don't seem to have such issues in their previous projects?

That's because compared to their co-stars in previous projects, as well as their own character's standing in the project, RWRB is the one project where they are on far more equal footing with each other.

For example, for Nick, if you look at Cinderella 2021, he can't be compared to Camilla Cabello even though they're both leads because 1, she's a woman and 2, she's a singer doing an acting project, while he's a full-on actor. if you look at M&G, he can't be compared to Tony Curran even though they're both male actors and the leads (actually you can argue that King James is a secondary lead but I digress), because Tony is a seasoned actor who started his acting career before Nick was even born while Nick is 29.

For Taylor, let's use The Kissing Booth. He can't be compared to Joey King because, again, she's a girl, and actresses are held to a different standard than actors. Jacob Elordi is a little more debatable since they're approximately the same age ranges when it comes to the characters they can get cast as, but the problem there is for the Kissing Booth, the way the story and even marketing material was made, clearly framed Marco as a secondary lead, not the lead. So their position in the movie is different and, therefore less comparable.

RWRB is a movie with two male leads, both of which are attractive males in around the same status ring in the industry and in the late 20s to early 30s age range. It's the fairest comparison you can get when it comes to co-stars. This is why there's such a division when it comes to fans who only like one of the boys, and why if you're interested in Dan Gai (Chinese Gay Novel Adaptation Shows that has been banned from major streaming platforms since 2021), there always ends up being a huge and hostile division between fans of the two leads. It is a literal cyber war. In shows with two leads of the same gender and age range, comparison/ competition is easy. And if the stars in question aren't good friends the way Taylor and Nick are, then yes, they are indeed competitors on the same track.

To be clear, I don't support this mindset, it's pretty toxic. I'm just trying to explain the whole phenomenon to the best of my ability. Please don't be a fan mentioned in the above section.

... Yeah I think that's it for now! Don't know how this turned into a sociology paper, once again proving to myself that I should have been a social science student instead of an engineering student. Anyways please let me know if this helped in any way or if you have any additional thoughts!

[sicklyscribe]

how are you so analytical with the shows you watch? I feel like im pretty analytical too but i can't pick up on the level of detail or the connections you make and i kinda just wanna develop that bc i like writing and want to improve thanks x

Hi! This is a big question but I’d love to try to answer it! First off though, the writing I do/did for shows like The Originals was first and foremost FUN for me! So if at any point your quest to Watch More Analytically becomes LESS FUN, you should stop where you’re at! It shouldn’t feel like homework if it’s a hobby.

I think it largely depends on what kind of show you’re watching? If the show has good bones (character depth and moving arcs, central themes, compelling plot) then it’s easiest to start from the big broad stuff and work your way down to the details. For instance, if a character is a fighter or a violent person and that’s part of their arc, then details like weapons or choices of attack can be details you use to further deepen and analyze a scene or a character. A detail like what shirt they’re wearing is probably less important, unless vanity or the lack of vanity is also part of their development, you get it?

For shows without good bones, but with good meat (fun characters written incoherently, plots that don’t make sense but are watchable, and no main themes but rather lots of little unconnected themes) you want to do the opposite! Build your own structures for why the fighter chooses a gun or a knife, YOU get to decide why it’s important or IF it’s important at all! This usually leads to the big wide world of Alternate Universes/Alternate Storylines because eventually you run out of pieces that fit together and you start to see a version of it in your own mind that DOES fit together.

For both cases, sometimes you find something that means nothing, like an actor choosing to wear his prop ring on a different finger after a few seasons for literally no reason, and you build a whole EMOTIONAL PLOT-DRIVEN NARRATIVE around why the character chose to change how he wears his jewelry (looking at you, Trash Mom @joonsilk). It wasn’t an intentional detail, but it was a detail that a viewer can GIVE meaning to if it builds upon a theory or an idea they already have. Ultimately, it doesn’t matter if it was intended to be analyzed “like that”, what matters is if you have fun.

Trying to be objective and “unbiased” (something the fandom called me because I didn’t ship the main ships, even though I definitely had bias) is harder, since you have to justify what you think with not only details but with details that aren’t cherry-picked or skewed out of context. Writing literary analysis in high school and college English classes really helps with this, but that, as I’ve mentioned, would count as HOMEWORK. So only tread into these waters if you love to debate yourself/others and that’s part of the fun for you. My advice in this is to always fight for the other side in your mind, try to contradict or shoot down your own analysis until the flimsy stuff is gone and the solid stuff is well-defended.

Thanks for dropping by! I haven’t had an anon in a while <3

[sapphic-scylla]

Starting a new thing. After the story ends for each season, Sera (my warlock) gets a story update. Hopefully, this bridges a few gaps in her story. It will also tee me up to start opening her story more as well as helps you understand where I’m writing from. @ebevkisk

Sera’s Resolve

A deep sense of dread hung in the air.

The Traveler had ascended to the sky. In an attempt to run or to stand sentinel over the city, she didn’t know, but as she sat in the Seraph Station watching it happen, her vigilant protection over the city felt worthless. Several minutes later, a mournful silence hung in the HELM as Sera’s best friend and her sister cried over the unmoving Exo frame that was Rasputin. A sound very familiar drifted into her ears as Mara Sov walked in next to Sera.

Sera didn’t even look. “So this was the war you spoke of. I knew you were right back then, but I had no idea of the toll it would take.”

Mara paused before speaking. “War has a way of exacting a price from every participant. Especially from those we least expect.”

Sera turned. “What is the Queen’s Mercy?”

Mara looked mildly surprised, which was a leap beyond anything she’s ever seen from Mara before. “So your memories are starting to come back.”

Sera fiddled with the mark Mara gave to her several years before when they hunted Skolas. “Not all of them, but recently, between me killing your brother, him returning as a guardian, all of these stories resurfacing, and your disappearance for a time, I’ve started to have flashes of memory and not always good ones. When I was on the Leviathan, I was reminded of a moment where we refused help to the Last City and that I’m the one who spoke against it.”

Mara nodded. “You were much different back then. You had an ice cold demeanor that even I struggle to keep most days. Your actions helped me realize how much of an open mind I must keep while still remaining objective.”

Sera paused to absorb that information. “You didn’t agree with my actions.”

Mara sighed. “We all are capable of making mistakes. At the time, both of us were in places we couldn’t call unbiased. We wanted to protect our people and stay out of conflict. We’d been hurt before. That’s the fault of all of us. We can’t see everything until it’s on top of us. To answer your question, the Mercy and the Wrath are my left and right hands. Petra is my enforcer. She hunts my enemies and wields the blade that strikes down threats that would oppose my people. The Mercy is different. The Mercy is my tactician and my consult. She offers opinions and objectiveness to act as the Reef and the City seems to be most effective and useful. You were the last Mercy because I could not trust anyone else to do the job as proficiently as you did and continue to do.”

Sera clenched her fist. “But I made so many mistakes. I closed us off.”

Mara touched her shoulder. “Life is about learning, dear. If I had known that this was where we would end up, I may have stood against you more. But at the time, no one knew the follies we were committing.”

A tear rolled down Sera’s face. Sera looked back at Ana, her best friend, still struggling with the loss of a force that she spent years with, intimately building a person that not only helped shape the Tower as it was, but was such a driving force of survival in all of their lives up to this point. Rasputin made mistakes. A lot of them. Felwinter was proof of that. In the end, though, he was struggling with the same nightmare that Mithrax struggled with, that Eido was coming to terms with, and that Sjur, Sera’s old mentor was always contending with: the will to protect a people at any cost, even if it meant dirtying your own hands in the process.

War was inevitable at this point, but Sera could still make moves and her inner circle was wide. Mithrax, Eido, Caiatl, Mara, Ana, Eris, Petra, Elsie…she had a group of true friends she had gathered since reaching the tower and Sera would not let them down.

“I accept your offer.”

Mara turned.

Sera wiped the tear from her eye. “As long as the Tower and the City continue to stand strong together, I will once again be your Mercy. I will be the bridge that connects all of these factions. And I will break this Witness into tatters, even if I have to weave the threads of fate in order to do it.”

[spectral-kitkat]

the "severus versus james" debate kills my joy. why can't both ""sides"" just admit they were all morally questionable as teenagers/(very) young adults? but nooooooo, they're still discussing AD NAUSEAM who was worse and who was better. yeah, it's fun to analyze and discuss characters and their morality and all that, but it has been literally years! surely all that had to be said has been said already! not to mention that both ""sides"" are equally annoying and often wrong: equally willing to disregard "canon" for their own benefit and utterly incapable of being unbiased. there is NOT an true/real/truly objective answer to that question within the books, no matter how much people seems to think there is! if anything, the authorial intent was for us to like (or at the very least understand/empathize with) BOTH. just like harry, who is the narrative's focus and (arguably) its moral compass, at the end of the books. after all, he names his children after both (and wouldn't it have been hilarious if the child's name had been james severus? ((i'd cry) i wonder if people would have then fought that it should have been severus james instead). a lot/most of our opinions about these two characters are entirely dependent on how we have PERSONALLY interpreted what we've read through the lens of our personal preferences/morals/values.

tldr; there is no objectivity in the severus versus james debate and i'm tired of (some many) people pretending there is!

it was so good to take all of that out of my chest! 😬😬😬

anyways: what are some of your marauders hcs?? and, what are your thoughts on regulus?

Sometimes ranting helps 😂😂 even if it is about fictional characters

The whole thing between the Marauders and Snape has been so blown out of proportion by the fandom that so much canon lore/story has been overlooked cause they want it to boil down to “1 side good, 1 side bad”. They forget that characters aren’t just 1 dimensional and can actually have complex story arcs…

Some of my marauders headcanons?

• Lately the big one I have is that some time in the summer before 5th year Remus has a particular bad moon and he comes back to Hogwarts with his cane. He uses one as an adult so it isn’t far fetched to think he might’ve had one in school. I feel like he probably didn’t like using it all that much as a teenager since he thought it was just yet another thing that singled him out.

• I also hc that in 6th year James tells Lily he’s giving up. He can see that he’s made her uncomfortable and that the whole thing with Snape (the ‘mudblood’ incident in SWM) has made him realise he would much rather have her in his life as a friend then not at all. This gives Lily an entire year to get to know him properly before SHE asks HIM out in 7th year

• Peter being the Wizard Chess God of the friend group is another one. I feel like it adds the aspect that he has always been really clever at predicting moves and shows that he is quite the schemer. The marauders (and Gryffindor tower) have a rule that when playing ‘winner-stays-on’ chess, Peter is only allowed 3 back to back games.

My thoughts on Regulus:

I love him! He is my second favourite character in HP behind Remus. The perfect son who eventually turns traitor to his family. He risks everything for his friendship with his house-elf and I can honestly see him joining S.P.E.W if he was still alive during Harry’s years at Hogwarts 😂. For a guy who only got like what maybe a 5 minute mention in the book he managed to stand out in such an amazing way!

I actually based my ipad case off him:

The latin stands for: ‘the stars incline us, they do not bind us’

Which i think just perfectly sums up Regulus in 1 phrase! His whole life the stars (his family - all named after stars) have constantly drilled into his head what it means to be a pureblood and what side he should be on in the upcoming war but when it comes down to it none of those lessons or his upbringing mattered as long as he did what was right!

He is such an interesting character even though he was only a minor one

[mikaharuka]

For the character asks... I pick Carlisle.

Heyo sliebman10! Thanks for the ask~

Since you didn't specify a stand-in question (I'm answering relative to the Winter Light verse, so I skipped questions 2-4), I decided to answer @tsunderewatermelon's question from his ask about Mina!

"What was [his] most character-defining moment in the series so far, in your opinion. Like, what really made the character pop for you?"

-

1: sexuality headcanon:

This is two-fold. First, I see him as either demi or gray, as far as the aro/ace spectrum goes - disinterested unless the conditions click. Second, he lived as long as he did without being involved with a woman along the way, but did end up involved with men (even if rare and not very deep). As a result, I'm fairly sure 'of the same gender' is a necessary condition for any attraction to click.

5: first headcanon that pops into my head

Oddly enough... similar to Mike, he keeps (or tries to keep) a calmer external demeanor but has an over-dramatic, loud inner monologue.

6: favorite line from this character

Honestly, his entire exchange with Mike in Midnight (Ch 14) was a strange blend of awkward, tense, and strangely hilarious in an absurdist way. I think it's because he himself is really sincere, despite the stiff awkwardness. There were two little bits that I loved - the first about Rosalie and the second about Beau/the hospital incident:

“Rose and I don’t interact too often outside of school-related matters.”

“Interesting. She regularly corresponds with you. Do you not consider her a friend?”

“A friend…”

<paragraph about Mike thinking over things>

Huh… maybe they were friends of a sort after all?

“You’ve come to a realization.”

<Mike considers Carlisle's clearly inhuman presentation>

“I didn’t think of it that way before, but I suppose we are. Friends, that is.”

“I would agree, based on what Rosalie has told me.”

“What makes you say I didn’t create the bond on purpose?”

This man was just as inquisitive as his brother. Mike could appreciate that, though, being of that sort himself.

“It seemed obvious to me. From what Beau told me of the… bond initiation, anyways. If you had intentionally created the bond, I think you would have been more careful or deliberate about it, or at least less visibly affected and more in control.”

“Ah, that…” The doctor looked away briefly before meeting Mike’s eyes again. “I was not feeling well at the time. That day was… not exactly my finest moment.”

Wow. Carlisle really did resemble his brother a lot, huh?

“You are right, of course. I do not know how or why that bond initiated, but I would have done something to stop it, had I known what would happen.”

7: one way in which I relate to this character

Trying to keep a stable exterior despite being a total mess on the inside? That's pretty much an average day in my life lol

8: thing that gives me second hand embarrassment about this character

Whenever Carlisle interacts with a human for the first time in a "more-than-professional/stranger" capacity (as he does with Mike in Midnight), seeing him try to socially match the other person in his stiff, awkwardly sincere way makes me feel a bit embarrassed for him. Being said... I think this is more of an 'ancient vampire' thing, because Carlisle can feel people out fairly quickly and match them much more easily (and much less awkwardly) after a few meetings.

(tl;dr: the next time he meets Beau, it'll be extremely awkward lol)

9: cinnamon roll or problematic fave?

While I think both apply to him, he swings pretty wildly between the two ends... which by default puts him in the latter group, I think?

Stand-In Question:

Midnight (Ch 14) is a major turning point - it is the first time Carlisle is depicted from a POV that isn't Beau's extremely biased one.

Which is not to say that Mike is totally unbiased... but not only is he pretty neutral, relative to Beau, his thoughts and perceptions are also as objective as you can get from someone in his position. As a result, the audience finally gets a more true-to-life idea of what Carlisle is like - even considering the unusual circumstances in that chapter.

[check out my other answers for this ask in this post]

[shosiblog]

How Can Businesses Create Effective Online Surveys?

In today's digital age, understanding your customers' needs and preferences is more critical than ever. One of the most effective ways to gather valuable insights is through online surveys. However, creating an effective online survey requires careful planning and execution. Here are some key strategies businesses can use to create impactful online surveys.

1. Define Clear Objectives

Know Your Goals

Before creating an online survey, it's essential to define clear objectives. What do you want to achieve? Are you looking to understand customer satisfaction, gather feedback on a product, or conduct market research? Having clear goals will help you design questions that are relevant and targeted.

Focus on Specific Areas

Avoid trying to cover too many topics in a single survey. Focus on specific areas to keep the survey concise and to the point. This will make it easier for respondents to complete and provide accurate information.

2. Design Thoughtful Questions

Keep It Simple

Use simple and clear language in your questions. Avoid jargon and complex terms that might confuse respondents. The goal is to make the survey as easy to understand as possible.

Use Closed-Ended Questions

While open-ended questions can provide rich qualitative data, they can also be time-consuming for respondents to answer. Closed-ended questions, such as multiple-choice or rating scale questions, are easier and quicker to complete, leading to higher response rates.

Avoid Leading Questions

Ensure that your questions are neutral and unbiased. Leading questions can influence respondents' answers and skew the results. For example, instead of asking, "How much did you enjoy our excellent service?" ask, "How would you rate our service?"

3. Optimize Survey Length

Keep It Short

The length of your survey can significantly impact the response rate. Keep your survey as short as possible while still gathering the necessary information. A survey that takes more than 10 minutes to complete may lead to higher dropout rates.

Prioritize Important Questions

Arrange your questions in order of importance. Start with the most critical questions to ensure you gather essential data even if respondents don't complete the entire survey.

4. Ensure Mobile-Friendliness

Responsive Design

With many users accessing surveys on their mobile devices, it's crucial to ensure your survey is mobile-friendly. Use a responsive design that adjusts to different screen sizes and is easy to navigate on smartphones and tablets.

Test on Multiple Devices

Before launching your survey, test it on various devices, including desktops, tablets, and smartphones, to ensure a seamless experience for all users.

5. Provide Incentives

Offer Rewards

Incentives can significantly increase survey participation rates. Offer rewards such as discounts, gift cards, or entry into a prize draw to encourage respondents to complete the survey.

Communicate Value

Let respondents know how their feedback will be used and the value it provides to your business. This can motivate them to take the time to complete the survey.

6. Pre-Test Your Survey

Pilot Testing

Conduct a pilot test of your survey with a small group of people to identify any issues or areas for improvement. This can help you refine the questions, fix any technical issues, and ensure the survey is easy to understand.

Gather Feedback

Ask pilot testers for feedback on the survey's clarity, length, and overall experience. Use their input to make necessary adjustments before the official launch.

7. Analyze and Act on Results

Data Analysis

Once your survey is complete, analyze the data thoroughly to identify trends, patterns, and insights. Use tools like charts and graphs to visualize the results and make them easier to interpret.

Take Action

The ultimate goal of conducting a survey is to take action based on the feedback. Use the insights gained to make informed decisions, improve products or services, and enhance customer satisfaction.

Conclusion

Creating effective online surveys is an art and science that requires careful planning, thoughtful question design, and strategic execution. By following these best practices, businesses can gather valuable insights that drive better decision-making and enhance customer experiences.

Ready to master the art of digital marketing? Enroll in the Best Digital Marketing Course in Palakkad and learn how to create impactful online surveys and more!

[sofiasmartleai]

Advancing AI Chatbots with Machine Learning Techniques

Introduction

In the digital age, delivering exceptional customer experiences is paramount. Companies are continually searching for innovative methods to engage customers, provide seamless support, and tailor interactions. Enter AI chatbots, enhanced by the power of machine learning, becoming vital tools in this endeavor.

AI Chatbots: Your Conversational Partner Envision a 24/7 assistant capable of answering customer inquiries, guiding purchases, and resolving issues. AI chatbots use machine learning to comprehend natural language, interpret user intent, and create human-like responses.

The Role of Machine Learning in AI Chatbots While traditional chatbots operate on preset rules, AI chatbots harness machine learning to learn and evolve, consistently enhancing their conversational abilities. Key techniques include:

Natural Language Processing (NLP): Deconstructs human language into fundamental elements to grasp user intent and respond accurately. NLP involves techniques such as tokenization, stemming, and lemmatization to break down language and understand its nuances.

Supervised Learning: Trains chatbots using labeled data to connect user inputs with correct responses, improving response accuracy.

Unsupervised Learning: Identifies patterns in unlabeled data, such as chat logs, to understand emerging trends and preferences for more dynamic interactions.

Reinforcement Learning: Utilizes feedback to refine responses and conversation flow over time.

Deep Learning: Employs algorithms like Recurrent Neural Networks (RNNs) and Long Short-Term Memory (LSTM) networks to grasp context, enabling chatbots to recall past interactions and offer relevant responses.

AI Chat Assistance Across Different Sectors AI chatbots are revolutionizing multiple industries:

Ecommerce: Helps customers with product searches, answers questions, and provides personalized suggestions.

Healthcare: Answers medical queries, schedules appointments, and conducts preliminary symptom checks.

Travel and Hospitality: Assists with booking and offers real-time updates on flights and local events.

Banking and Finance: Responds to inquiries about account balances and transactions, and assists with bill payments.

Essential Factors for AI Chatbot Development Creating an effective AI chatbot requires:

Clear Objectives: Understand the specific problem your chatbot will solve.

Target Audience Insight: Tailor responses to user demographics and communication styles.

Comprehensive Data: Train your chatbot with an extensive dataset.

Platform Selection: Choose a development platform that meets your needs.

User Experience Focus: Ensure your chatbot is user-friendly and provides clear, concise answers.

The Future of AI Chatbots As machine learning progresses, AI chatbots will become even more advanced:

Omnichannel Integration: Operate seamlessly across various communication platforms.

Emotion Recognition: Identify and respond to user emotions.

Advanced Personalization: Remember user preferences and past interactions for more personalized responses.

Proactive Interaction: Initiate contact with relevant information and recommendations.

System Integration: Handle complex tasks by connecting with back-end systems.

Ethical Considerations Addressing ethical issues is crucial:

Transparency: Inform users they are interacting with a chatbot.

Data Security: Ensure user data is protected and used responsibly.

Bias Reduction: Ensure responses are fair and unbiased.

Conclusion: Shaping the Future of Customer Interaction AI chatbots powered by machine learning are transforming customer interactions. By focusing on user needs and ethical considerations, businesses can leverage AI chatbots to build stronger relationships, increase sales, and achieve a competitive advantage. As AI technology advances, the potential for AI chatbots is vast, paving the way for efficient, personalized, and engaging customer experiences.

[philomathresearch]

Understanding Primary Customer Research: Your Key to Informed Decision-Making

In today's competitive business landscape, understanding your customers is more crucial than ever. One of the most effective ways to gain insights into your target audience is through primary customer research. By conducting thorough research directly with your customers, you can gather valuable data and make informed decisions that drive your business forward. In this guide, we'll delve into the importance of primary customer research and explore how it can benefit your organization.

What is Primary Customer Research?

Primary customer research involves collecting data directly from your target audience to understand their needs, preferences, behaviors, and opinions. This type of research allows businesses to gather first-hand information rather than relying on secondary sources or assumptions.

Primary research methods can include:

Surveys: Online or offline questionnaires designed to gather specific information from respondents

Interviews: One-on-one or group discussions with customers to gain deeper insights into their experiences and preferences.

Focus Groups: Small, moderated discussions with a select group of participants to explore topics in-depth.

Observational Studies: Directly observing customers in their natural environment to understand their behaviors and interactions.

Experiments: Testing hypotheses or product features with real customers to gauge their reactions and preferences.

The Importance of Primary Customer Research

1. Understanding Customer Needs

Primary research allows businesses to identify what their customers truly want. By directly engaging with customers, you can uncover pain points, preferences, and unmet needs that may not be apparent through other methods.

2. Product Development and Innovation

Insights from primary research can drive product development and innovation. By understanding customer preferences and behaviors, businesses can create products and services that better meet the needs of their target audience, leading to higher satisfaction and loyalty.

3. Targeted Marketing

Effective marketing relies on a deep understanding of your audience. Primary research provides the insights needed to create targeted marketing campaigns that resonate with customers, leading to higher engagement and conversion rates.

4. Competitive Advantage

Businesses that invest in primary customer research gain a competitive advantage. By understanding their customers better than their competitors do, they can tailor their offerings and strategies more effectively, leading to increased market share and profitability.

5. Risk Mitigation

Making business decisions based on assumptions or incomplete information can be risky. Primary research helps mitigate these risks by providing accurate data and insights that inform decision-making, reducing the likelihood of costly mistakes.

Conducting Primary Customer Research

1. Define Objectives

Clearly define the objectives of your research. What specific questions do you want to answer? What insights are you seeking? Having a clear focus will help you design effective research methods.

2. Choose the Right Method

Select the research method that best suits your objectives and target audience. Surveys are ideal for gathering quantitative data, while interviews and focus groups are better for qualitative insights.

3. Design Your Research

Develop your research instruments, such as survey questionnaires or interview guides, ensuring they are clear, concise, and unbiased. Pilot testing can help refine your approach before conducting the full study.

4. Recruit Participants

Recruit participants who represent your target audience. Use diverse sampling techniques to ensure a comprehensive understanding of your customer base.

5. Collect Data

Execute your research plan, collecting data according to your chosen method. Ensure accuracy and reliability by following established protocols and avoiding leading questions or biases.

6. Analyze and Interpret Results

Once data collection is complete, analyze the results to identify key findings and insights. Look for patterns, trends, and outliers that can inform your decision-making process.

7. Take Action

Use the insights gained from your research to inform business decisions, whether it's refining product features, adjusting marketing strategies, or improving customer service.

Conclusion

Primary customer research is a powerful tool for businesses seeking to understand their target audience and make informed decisions. By directly engaging with customers, organizations can uncover valuable insights that drive product innovation, targeted marketing, and competitive advantage. By following best practices in research design and execution, businesses can unlock the full potential of primary research and stay ahead in today's dynamic marketplace.

For businesses looking to embark on primary customer research, partnering with a reputable research firm like Philomath Research can provide expertise and guidance every step of the way, ensuring valuable insights that lead to tangible business outcomes.

FAQs

1. What is primary customer research?

Primary customer research involves directly collecting data from your target audience to understand their needs, preferences, behaviors, and opinions. It allows businesses to gather first-hand information rather than relying on secondary sources or assumptions.

2. Why is primary customer research important?

Primary research is essential for understanding customer needs, driving product development and innovation, creating targeted marketing campaigns, gaining a competitive advantage, and mitigating risks associated with decision-making.

3. What are the methods used in primary customer research?

Primary research methods include surveys, interviews, focus groups, observational studies, and experiments. Each method has its advantages and is chosen based on research objectives and target audience.

4. How can businesses conduct primary customer research?

To conduct primary customer research, businesses should define objectives, choose the right method, design research instruments, recruit participants, collect data, analyze and interpret results, and take action based on insights gained.

5. How can businesses ensure the accuracy of their primary research data?

Businesses can ensure the accuracy of their primary research data by following established protocols, avoiding leading questions or biases, using diverse sampling techniques, and pilot testing research instruments before full implementation.

6. How can businesses use the insights from primary customer research?

Businesses can use insights from primary customer research to inform product development, marketing strategies, customer service improvements, and other business decisions that drive growth and success.

7. What are the benefits of partnering with a research firm for primary customer research?

Partnering with a reputable research firm like Philomath Research can provide expertise and guidance throughout the research process, ensuring valuable insights that lead to tangible business outcomes. Research firms can also offer access to specialized methodologies and resources that businesses may not have internally.

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Important Qualities of Mutual Divorce Lawyer

The right matrimonial lawyer can significantly affect the outcome of a Divorce case. They provide expert legal advice along with necessary emotional support which is necessary during divorce proceedings.

What are these qualities that a client going through a matrimonial dispute must look into their matrimonial lawyer? You will get answer to this question in this blog only. So if you are looking for a lawyer for matrimonial disputes in Gurgaon, here are some points that will help you in selecting the best matrimonial lawyer in Gurgaon.

1. In-Depth Experience

The first and foremost quality to look for in a matrimonial lawyer in Gurgaon is extensive experience. Lawyers who have spent years navigating the complexities of divorce and matrimonial law bring invaluable insights and strategies to your case. They're well-versed in the legal framework and possess a deep understanding of how to maneuver through various scenarios to secure favorable outcomes for their clients.

2. Exceptional Communication Skills

Effective communication is the backbone of any successful lawyer-client relationship. A matrimonial lawyer must articulate complex legal jargon in layman's terms, ensuring you're fully informed every step of the way. Open lines of communication about the progress of your case and timely updates are essential. VR Associates Law Firm prioritizes this, ensuring clients are never in the dark about their legal proceedings.

3. Empathy and Understanding

Divorce is an emotionally charged process. A good matrimonial lawyer extends beyond legal advice, offering empathy and understanding. Recognizing the emotional toll a divorce can take, they provide support, ensuring you feel heard and respected throughout the process.

4. Objectivity and Honesty

While empathy is important, so is objectivity. A distinguished matrimonial lawyer provides unbiased advice, helping you set realistic expectations. Their ability to remain impartial, assessing the strengths and weaknesses of your case, guides you toward making informed decisions that are in your best interest.

5. Strategic Planning and Problem-Solving

The path to a favorable divorce settlement is often fraught with challenges. Lawyers skilled in strategic planning and problem-solving can navigate these hurdles effectively. They anticipate potential issues and devise strategies to address them proactively, always working towards achieving your goals.

6. Meticulous Attention to Detail

Divorce proceedings and matrimonial disputes involve a plethora of documents and legal paperwork. A meticulous eye for detail is critical. Your matrimonial lawyer should ensure every document is thoroughly reviewed and analyzed, leaving no stone unturned. This meticulousness can often be the difference between success and failure in legal battles.

7. Negotiation Skills

Finally, adept negotiation skills are indispensable. The ability to negotiate favorable settlements while keeping cases out of court when possible saves time, money, and stress. VR Associates Law Firm prides itself on its team of matrimonial advocates known for their negotiation prowess, often leading to amicable resolutions that serve the best interests of their clients.

Choosing the Right Legal Partner

Selecting the right lawyer for matrimonial disputes in Gurgaon is a pivotal decision. At VR Associates Law Firm, the qualities above are not just ideals but standards that every lawyer on our team strives to meet. With a focus on cooperation, communication, and a client-centered approach, they offer unparalleled legal support in matrimonial cases, ensuring you're well-represented in every aspect of your divorce proceedings.

Whether you're searching for a matrimonial lawyer or matrimonial advocates in Gurgaon, remember that the right legal partner can significantly influence the outcome of your case. Let VR Associates Law Firm be your trusted ally during these challenging times, guiding you toward a new beginning with expertise, empathy, and excellence.

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What Is Data Collection: Methods, Types, Tools

Data collection has become a pivotal process in the modern digital landscape across countless industries and applications. With the exponential growth of data being generated daily, the ability to effectively collect, process, and analyze information provides greater insights and competitive advantages.

As data accumulates at an accelerating rate from an expanding array of sources, the techniques, and technologies for data collection are evolving rapidly. This guide will provide an overview of fundamental concepts, methods, tools, and best practices to consider when implementing an effective data collection framework tailored to your needs. With the right approach, data can become an invaluable asset for gaining meaningful, actionable intelligence.

This article delves into the fundamental concept of data collection, exploring its various methods, applications, and best practices. We’ll unveil the reasons behind its growing importance and equip you with the knowledge to navigate this essential process. Get ready to embark on a journey of discovery, where data transforms from mere numbers into powerful insights!

What is data collection?

Data collection is the systematic process of gathering information relevant to a specific research question, objective, or problem. It’s like sifting through the vast sands of information to find the specific grains that answer your burning questions.

There are two fundamental types of data collection methods:

Quantitative methods focus on collecting numerical data that can be measured and quantified. Examples include surveys, metrics, website analytics, etc.

Qualitative methods gather non-numerical data like interview transcripts, observations, focus group responses, etc. to provide context.

Choosing the right approach depends on your specific research question and what you want to learn. Sometimes, a combination of both quantitative and qualitative methods can provide the most comprehensive understanding.

Why do we need data collection?

Several key benefits highlight the importance of proper data collection:

Informed decision-making: Data provides concrete evidence to either support or refute assumptions and hypotheses. This enables data-driven strategic choices rather than guesswork.

Problem-solving: Comprehensive data analysis helps accurately identify the root causes of problems. This allows for developing targeted solutions.

Improved understanding: Collecting quality data reveals insights into field trends, patterns, and relationships. This builds institutional knowledge.

What are the different data collection methods?

Now that we’ve established the critical role of data collection, let’s delve into the diverse tools at your disposal. Each method comes with its own strengths and weaknesses, so choosing the right one depends on your specific research question and resources. Here’s a glimpse into the most common options:

Surveys

What it is: Questionnaires administered to a sample of the target population. Can be conducted online, paper-based, or via phone.

Advantages: Efficient way to gather data from a large group, standardized format for easy analysis, cost-effective.

Disadvantages: Response bias, low response rates, limited ability to explore complex topics in depth.

Interviews

What it is: In-depth conversations with individuals or groups, allowing for exploration of nuances and deeper understanding.

Advantages: Richer data with detailed information and diverse perspectives, flexible and adaptable to follow up on interesting points.

Disadvantages: Time-consuming and resource-intensive, potential interviewer bias, limited reach compared to surveys.

Observations

What it is: Direct observation of behavior or phenomena in real-time, capturing natural interactions and nonverbal cues.

Advantages: Provides unbiased data on actual behavior, avoids self-reporting bias, and is suitable for studying sensitive topics.

Disadvantages: Can be time-consuming and expensive, observer bias may influence interpretation, and limited generalizability to broader populations.

Experiments

What it is: Controlled tests to study cause-and-effect relationships by manipulating variables and observing the outcome.

Advantages: Provides strong evidence of causality, eliminates confounding factors, high internal validity.

Disadvantages: Time-consuming and expensive to set up and control, artificial setting may limit generalizability to real-world situations, and ethical considerations.

Existing data

What it is: Utilizing data already collected by other sources (e.g., government agencies, research institutions).

Advantages: Saves time and resources, readily available data on various topics, can be used for large-scale studies.

Disadvantages: Data quality and relevance may vary, limited control over data collection methods, and potential copyright or access restrictions.

Data collection tools

There are various tools and platforms available to facilitate the data collection process:

Online survey platforms like SurveyMonkey, Qualtrics, Typeform, etc. allow creating, distributing, and analyzing surveys.

Mobile data collection apps like Fulcrum, SurveyCTO, KoBoToolbox, etc. enable field data gathering on tablets and phones.

Interview recording software like Otter.ai, Trint, Descript, etc. provide automated transcriptions of qualitative interviews.

Data analysis software like Excel, Python, R, etc. help process, analyze, and visualize complex datasets.

How to choose the right data science program

With the growing demand for data skills, pursuing a quality data science program has become crucial for aspiring professionals in this field. Choosing the right program tailored to your goals and needs can help you gain the required capabilities to succeed as a data scientist.

If you’re interested in a rewarding career in data, research programs that provide a balance of hands-on training and theoretical foundation across key areas like statistics, machine learning, data analysis, visualization, and more. Compare curriculum, program formats, career support services, and other factors to find your best fit. Investing in robust data science education will equip you with in-demand skills to thrive in today’s data-driven world.

What are common challenges in data collection?

While data collection enables critical business intelligence, it also carries some inherent challenges:

Low response rates for surveys and interviews impact sample representation.

Difficulty accessing niche target groups within populations.

Data quality issues like biases, inaccuracies, and incomplete data.

Time and resource limitations on data collection initiatives due to costs.

Accounting for these challenges in the planning stage and designing appropriate mitigation strategies is key to maximizing the value derived from data collection efforts.

What are the key steps in the data collection process?

Navigating the world of data collection requires precision and planning. Just like constructing a sturdy building, collecting reliable data involves a series of crucial steps. Let’s explore the key stages and potential challenges to ensure your data remains a trustworthy foundation for your research or analysis.

Conducting an effective data collection initiative involves these core steps:

Define the specific research question or objective guiding the data needs.

Choose appropriate quantitative and/or qualitative data collection methods aligned to the goals.

Develop data instruments like surveys, interview guides, and observation protocols based on the methodology.

Pilot test instruments on a smaller sample and refine as needed.

Officially collect data from the full target sample using the refined instruments.

Clean, process, and manage the raw data for analysis by handling missing values, anomalies, etc.

Issues related to maintaining the integrity of data collection

Several potential issues can compromise the integrity of collected data:

Sampling bias: When your sample doesn’t represent the target population, your data may be skewed. Ensure your sampling method is unbiased and representative.

Measurement errors: Inaccurate data collection methods or instruments can lead to faulty results. Use reliable methods and calibrate instruments regularly.

Data manipulation: Intentionally altering data to fit a desired outcome is unethical and undermines the entire research process. Maintain data security and transparency.

Ethical breaches: Respecting participants’ privacy and informed consent is crucial. Ensure your data collection adheres to ethical guidelines and regulations.

Mitigating these risks through careful design, transparency, objectivity, and ethics is crucial to ensure data quality and validity. This maintains stakeholder confidence in the collection process and subsequent findings.

Conclusion

Data collection isn’t just gathering numbers; it’s about unlocking the potential of information to inform decisions, solve problems, and gain deeper understanding. This guide has provided a comprehensive overview of the key concepts, methods, and best practices involved in this crucial process.

Remember, the right data, collected effectively, can be a powerful tool for individuals, organizations, and societies alike. So, harness the power of data collection, and transform your understanding of the world around you.

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