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golsedtech · 12 days ago

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GOLS EdTech Off‑the‑Shelf Course Library

GOLS EdTech’s Off‑the‑Shelf Course Library is a robust, ready‑made solution designed to help organizations implement comprehensive training quickly, cost‑effectively, and with high impact. Tailored for businesses and institutions investing in workforce development, this curated collection delivers deep, versatile training options across essential professional domains

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idmaacademy · 8 months ago

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ChatGPT Search Engine: OpenAI’s AI-Powered Real-Time Search Solution

OpenAI has launched the highly anticipated ChatGPT search engine, an AI-powered tool that delivers real-time information across various topics, from news to weather updates. As a competitor to traditional search engines like Google, the ChatGPT search engine leverages advanced AI technology to bring verified information directly to users, making it easier than ever to find accurate answers in a conversational format. This development marks a significant shift in how we interact with digital information, emphasizing user engagement and the need for accurate, timely data.

OpenAI ChatGPT Search: Redefining AI-Powered Information Retrieval

The OpenAI ChatGPT search feature is designed to provide up-to-date data seamlessly integrated into the ChatGPT interface. This integration allows users to pose questions and receive comprehensive answers, enhancing the search experience. With the rise of misinformation and the overwhelming volume of data available online, the need for reliable and interactive search solutions has never been more critical.

Also Read: YouTube Real-Time Format Filtering: Enhancing Analytics for Creators

How the OpenAI ChatGPT Search Works

Utilizing advanced machine learning algorithms, the OpenAI ChatGPT search operates by analyzing vast amounts of information from credible sources. When a user queries the system, ChatGPT processes the input and retrieves relevant data, presenting it in an easily digestible format. This approach not only provides immediate answers but also allows for follow-up questions, creating a dialogue that can clarify or expand on the initial query.

Also Read: Meta NotebookLlama: An Open-Source Alternative to Google’s NotebookLM

Key Features of ChatGPT Search Engine

Natural Language Processing (NLP) At its core, the ChatGPT search engine utilizes NLP to understand and interpret user queries. This capability ensures that users can communicate in everyday language, making the search process intuitive and user-friendly.

Contextual Understanding One of the standout features of the ChatGPT search engine is its ability to maintain context throughout a conversation. Users can ask multiple questions in succession without losing the thread of discussion, allowing for a more natural interaction.

Source Attribution and Verification Unlike many traditional search engines that provide a list of links, the ChatGPT search engine offers source attribution, enhancing the credibility of the information provided. This is crucial in today’s information age, where verifying sources is paramount. Users can trust that the information presented is not only accurate but also sourced from reputable outlets.

Also Read: Google Travel Feed: Enhancing Your Travel Marketing Strategy

Real-Time Search by ChatGPT: A Game Changer for Current Information

With real-time search by ChatGPT, users can access live updates on events, stock prices, and trending topics, bridging the gap between conversational AI and practical utility. This feature is especially beneficial in today’s fast-paced world, where access to timely information can significantly impact decision-making processes, whether for business or personal use.

Example Applications of Real-Time Search

Breaking News Updates: Users can ask for the latest developments in ongoing stories, allowing them to stay informed without sifting through numerous news sites.

Market Trends: Business professionals can inquire about stock prices or market changes, receiving immediate insights that can guide investment decisions.

Weather Reports: Users can request up-to-the-minute weather information, ensuring they are always prepared for changing conditions.

SearchGPT Launch by OpenAI: Transforming Digital Information Access

The SearchGPT launch by OpenAI signifies a milestone in AI-driven search technology. This innovation emphasizes the growing importance of AI in enhancing user experience and accessibility in information retrieval. The introduction of SearchGPT not only enhances OpenAI’s suite of tools but also positions it as a serious competitor to established search engines.

Competitive Landscape: ChatGPT vs. Traditional Search Engines

As AI technology continues to advance, the landscape of digital information access is evolving. While traditional search engines like Google have long dominated, innovations like the ChatGPT search engine are beginning to challenge their supremacy. The conversational nature of ChatGPT provides a unique user experience that caters to a growing audience looking for instant, reliable answers without navigating through multiple links.

Real-World Applications of OpenAI ChatGPT Search

The real-world applications of OpenAI’s ChatGPT search extend beyond casual inquiries. Businesses can leverage this technology for customer service, data analysis, and even content creation, enhancing operational efficiency and user engagement.

Applications in Business

Customer Support Companies can implement ChatGPT as a virtual assistant to handle customer inquiries, providing instant responses and freeing human agents to tackle more complex issues. This integration not only improves response times but also enhances customer satisfaction.

Data Analysis ChatGPT can assist in interpreting data trends and generating reports, making it easier for businesses to make informed decisions based on real-time data insights.

Content Creation Marketers and content creators can use ChatGPT to brainstorm ideas, generate outlines, and even draft articles, streamlining the content creation process and increasing productivity.

As OpenAI’s ChatGPT search engine demonstrates how real-time AI capabilities are transforming industries, those interested in mastering the impact of AI in marketing can find exceptional training at the Indian Digital Marketing Academy (IDMA). IDMA provides industry-specific knowledge essential for working with tools like ChatGPT.

At IDMA, we understand the importance of staying ahead in the ever-evolving digital landscape. Our programs focus on practical skills and current industry trends, ensuring that students are well-equipped to leverage the latest technologies, including AI-driven tools like ChatGPT.

Comprehensive Curriculum IDMA offers an extensive curriculum covering over 15 modules, including AI in digital marketing, SEO, content marketing, and social media strategies. Our courses are designed to provide a holistic understanding of digital marketing principles.

Expert Instructors Learn from industry professionals with extensive experience in digital marketing. Our instructors bring real-world insights and case studies into the classroom, enriching the learning experience.

100% Job Assistance With over 50,000 job opportunities in digital marketing, IDMA provides 100% job assistance to help students kickstart their careers. Our strong industry connections ensure that graduates are well-placed in reputable companies.

Flexible Learning Options IDMA offers flexible online classes, allowing students to learn at their own pace while balancing their personal and professional commitments.

Join the Digital Marketing Revolution with IDMA

For anyone looking to kickstart their career or enhance their expertise in digital marketing, IDMA is the perfect place to start. We are dedicated to empowering individuals with the tools and expertise needed to thrive in the fast-paced digital landscape.

For more information about our courses and to enroll, contact IDMA at +91 99498 51113 or [email protected]. Join us on our social media channels on Facebook, Instagram, YouTube, and WhatsApp to stay updated on the latest trends and opportunities in digital marketing.

Conclusion

The ChatGPT search engine sets a new benchmark in AI-powered search by combining real-time data with advanced conversational abilities. For those looking to master AI’s role in marketing, IDMA provides the ideal training ground, delivering career-oriented digital marketing courses that include hands-on experience with cutting-edge technologies. In a world where information is abundant but often unreliable, embracing the capabilities of AI like ChatGPT can enhance your professional journey and open doors to exciting new opportunities.

Introduction

OpenAI ChatGPT Search: Redefining AI-Powered Information Retrieval

Also Read: YouTube Real-Time Format Filtering: Enhancing Analytics for Creators

How the OpenAI ChatGPT Search Works

Also Read: Meta NotebookLlama: An Open-Source Alternative to Google’s NotebookLM

Key Features of ChatGPT Search Engine

Also Read: Google Travel Feed: Enhancing Your Travel Marketing Strategy

Real-Time Search by ChatGPT: A Game Changer for Current Information

Example Applications of Real-Time Search

Breaking News Updates: Users can ask for the latest developments in ongoing stories, allowing them to stay informed without sifting through numerous news sites.

Market Trends: Business professionals can inquire about stock prices or market changes, receiving immediate insights that can guide investment decisions.

Weather Reports: Users can request up-to-the-minute weather information, ensuring they are always prepared for changing conditions.

SearchGPT Launch by OpenAI: Transforming Digital Information Access

Competitive Landscape: ChatGPT vs. Traditional Search Engines

Real-World Applications of OpenAI ChatGPT Search

Applications in Business

Data Analysis ChatGPT can assist in interpreting data trends and generating reports, making it easier for businesses to make informed decisions based on real-time data insights.

Content Creation Marketers and content creators can use ChatGPT to brainstorm ideas, generate outlines, and even draft articles, streamlining the content creation process and increasing productivity.

Flexible Learning Options IDMA offers flexible online classes, allowing students to learn at their own pace while balancing their personal and professional commitments.

Join the Digital Marketing Revolution with IDMA

Conclusion

#chatgptsearch #realtimesearch #searchgpt

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tanlakarix · 2 years ago

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How WhatsApp Chatbots Can Help Your Business

Why WhatsApp?

Most people now use WhatsApp as their primary communication medium. We’ve reached the point where we send 29 million messages each minute. That equates to approximately 65 billion every day.

This indicates that people are now more at ease with WhatsApp than with any other platform. So, rather than requiring people to download your app, it makes far more sense for them to be able to connect with you via WhatsApp. In essence, engaging your clients via WhatsApp allows you to improve the customer experience.

Interacting with them on WhatsApp has another advantage. The levels of involvement are at an all-time high. While emails struggle to achieve a 15% open rate, WhatsApp messages have a 70% engagement rate.

What are the benefits of the WhatsApp Chatbot?

WhatsApp business chatbots enable firms to reach a broader audience and provide a platform for better customer care. As a result, it assists firms in building connections with customers and converting them into loyalists.

The following are some of the ways WhatsApp business chatbots can benefit various stakeholders:

Business Owners

WhatsApp Business is available to all businesses, regardless of size or turnover. It enables businesses to connect with, interact with, and keep customers through ongoing communication.

Chatbots enable organizations to carry out critical communication while also making themselves available to customers at their fingertips. It is now easier for business owners to reply to inquiries and answer client questions without requiring them to switch or download the app. WhatsApp bots can also provide outbound notifications and broadcasts to clients. Businesses can send notifications to customers concerning order delivery, shipments, payments, and so on without the use of a separate system.

Marketers

WhatsApp chatbots can be an efficient way for a business to produce and interact with more leads. Marketers can provide customized messaging, offers, and appealing discounts to frequent users and potential prospects, resulting in increased sales. WhatsApp chatbots can handle monotonous tasks for marketers, freeing them up to focus on more important tasks. Businesses can employ a variety of formatting and multimedia options, which allows the marketing staff to be more creative with their talents. They can also construct numerous broadcast lists to carry out marketing campaigns and offer promotions to customers at the same time.

Clients

Connecting with brands via WhatsApp chatbots can provide clients with numerous benefits. Customers can initiate dialogues with businesses and receive immediate responses to their questions. Customers may have two-way communication with businesses when they receive rapid responses, which helps them create trust and loyalty to the company. Customers who are already familiar with the design and layout of WhatsApp may easily converse with the brand without learning or downloading a new program.

What exactly is WhatsApp Business API?

The WhatsApp API was created to assist medium- to large-scale businesses who wished to utilize WhatsApp to communicate with many clients and engage them. Businesses can use the WhatsApp Business API to automate communications, automate responses, and send interactive messages.

The major goal of the WhatsApp Business API is to engage clients without requiring them to download a new app. It enables businesses to develop a tailored communication flow that works best for their clients and respond to their inquiries immediately.

What are the features of the WhatsApp business app?

Quick Replies

Businesses can automate responses to consumer inquiries and save templates, brief texts, and auto-responses.

Dedicated WhatsApp Business App

WhatsApp Business App includes additional features such as the ability to create a store and add catalogs and WhatsApp business account labels to the account.

Conversation labels

Brands can separate and identify individual threads or many contacts at the same time.

Set away messages.

When there is no representative available from the company’s front, away messages are sent to the consumer.

Dedicated business profile and hours

Businesses can determine the hours for their online business and educate customers about them.

For More Info: https://www.karix.com/products/chatbot-solutions/

#whatsapp chatbot #whatsapp business chatbot #whatsapp chatbot for business #chatbot platform for whatsapp #chatbot for whatsapp business #whatsapp chatbot service #chatbot solutions platform

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tea-at-221 · 5 years ago

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So, let's delve a bit into the Spanish dub of Supernatural.

I'm going to go through a lot of terms here, and a lot of basics, in order to increase people's level of understanding as to how the dub may possibly have come about the way it did.

This post will provide information and, I hope, allow some members of the fandom to move forward with their own theories with more reassurance. Information is power. I will define and clarify industry terms to the best of my novice ability to make it easier for others who wish to do their own research.

This post was inspired by the fact that I've been part of multiple fandoms in which queerbaiting has played an enormous part: I am tired of seeing fandom friends left devastated and without answers, no emotional resolution in sight. So this post is, in spirit if not content, largely dedicated to my fellow Johnlockers and Queliot shippers. And most of all, for Quentin Coldwater, who deserved not just better but the very best.

Disclaimer: This is my own research and there is a bit of speculation involved; I can't guarantee 100% that I will get everything right (I hit some very frustrating walls looking up what should be easy-to-find facts), but I did a *lot* of work for this. Other people will doubtless be able to clarify points/give better specifics/correct what I've gotten wrong. I am not promising a concrete answer to “SPN gate” here, as without more information than we currently have that is impossible to declare with certainty.

More under the cut.

All that having been said, onwards (see end for sources):

First, who airs the Spanish dub of Supernatural?

Answer: the Warner Channel.

Why? It goes back to who owns The CW.

From Wikipedia (2): "The CW Network, LLC, a limited liability joint venture between the CBS Entertainment Group unit of ViacomCBS; and the Studios and Networks division of AT&T's WarnerMedia, the parent company of Warner Bros., former majority owner of The WB. The network's name is an abbreviation derived from the first letters of the names of its two parent corporations (CBS and Warner Media)."

Warner Bros apparently is the side that handles the delegation of dubbing to outside studios. So, who does Warner use for their dubbing? Perhaps multiple studios, but the two I found in the course of my research were SPGStudios(5) (who specifically handle localization for Latin American Spanish productions) and Iyuno Media Group (formerly BTI Studios)(3).

What is localization?

Simply put, it refers to the translation of the home language of the show in question to the language of the new market it's entering. So, Supernatural 15x18 is translated from its native English to Spanish for Latin American viewers.

And what exactly *is* dubbing (actually called revoicing within the industry; dubbing is a widely-recognized term, however, and it's pretty well understood what is meant by it)?

Here is the Merriam-Webster definition:

"1 : to add (sound effects or new dialogue) to a film or to a radio or television production —usually used with "in"

They dubbed in the music.

2 : to provide (a motion-picture film) with a new soundtrack and especially dialogue in a different language

The film was dubbed in French and Spanish.

3 : to make a new recording of (sound or videotape already recorded) also : to mix (recorded sound or videotape from different sources) into a single recording"

There is a slang term, "dubby," which refers to any overdub that is comically jarring and obviously a dub. The history of dubbing has been such that this has become a way to think of and recognize it: by how awful and ineffective it used to be when it came to foreign films sloppily overlaid with English dubbing.

However, we are in the midst of an age of networks and companies scrambling to play catch-up, eager to use modern technology to create more effective, convincing dubs. In short, they see the moneymaking potential of presenting finished works that viewers may not even realize *are* dubbed without careful inspection. It's true that a good dub is about 10x more costly than subtitling, but it's hard to satisfy the viewer's desire for escapism if they can't suspend disbelief because they're busy reading.

The truth of that is reflected in internal statistics Netflix (for instance, but not just them) parses to gauge viewer interaction and retention with their various shows: when comparing subtitled vs. dubbed shows, it's easy to see which is the winner.(1)

So to be sure there is no nefarious intent here, we would need to be able to identify the following:

A.) What exactly was the process for this dub?

B.) Who decides what changes to make during a dubbing process?

C.) Who approves those changes?

*Can* there be such a thing as a "rogue translator," as Misha Collins put it? (I am going to clarify here that I think Misha is an upstanding person who believed the best of the show he was involved in and all the people who made it, so his assumption of a rogue translator makes sense in the context of that emotion-based reasoning).

I'm not sure which studio did the dub for the Latin American Spanish version of Supernatural; if I had access to that episode perhaps it's mentioned in the credits. You'd think that would be simple enough to figure out anyway, but I was unable. So maybe someone can take a look and let me know. But, as an example, here is how SPGStudios outlines their localization (dubbing) process:

1.) They make a digital or analog transcription of a show/movie.

2.) The translation, or localization, is done by their staff (in any of 40 available languages their staff can speak). When translating, they translate for meaning and then adapt for time, tempo, and style. They say that "extensive experience is required to capture the essence of the language dialog while accounting for variances in speaking time between the source and destination languages." i.e., wording/word choice will be kept as true as possible to the original intention of the native language, but at the same time the translation will need to use its chosen wording in a way that fits what is being shown on-screen. To produce a convincing/pleasing dub, they won't replace a word like "looked" with a longer phrase like "scanned the horizon" because it's not going to match what's onscreen. That would be venturing into "dubby" territory.

3.) They perform the ADR process: the voice actors (in this case it would normally be Guillermo Rojas performing for Dean Winchester, though it appears things may have been different in 15x18, possibly due to covid) record the new dialogue to replace the original actor's performance.

4.) The newly recorded dialogue goes to the sound editorial department "to ensure that lip-synch is optimized and technical aspects of the vocal performance match the original."

5.) All of the new audio--including dialogue, music, and sound effects--is mixed together to emulate the quality of the original production as closely as possible despite the changes in rhythm that resulted from the dialog having been translated.

6.) Designers, animators, and VFX editors assist with the localization or enhancement of graphics, if needed.

7.) Localized Master: SPG has a 'traffic team' who 'ensures that all client delivery and storage specifications are met, including file formatting, labeling, and uploading." So in other words, the files are heavily encrypted (or that's how I read this).

Presumably, after all steps are performed, SPGStudios transfers the show back to Warner, who then distributes it. The other studio, Iyuno, makes it very clear that *they* can coordinate and handle all distribution themselves to a vast number of networks. That means that if the client desires, Iyuno can send the finished product directly out into the world.

There seem to be two types of scripts that can be given to the dubbing company:

1.) "In-Production Dubbing indicates that dubbing production is active in tandem with post production. In-Production Dubbing fulfillment partners should expect potential changes to source materials."(4)

2.) "Final Asset Dubbing indicates that dubbing production takes place after final delivery of the show. All source assets will be in a final state. The dubbing fulfillment partner should not expect any changes to the source materials."(4)

Without knowing which of these was agreed upon for SPN 15x18, it is very hard to say exactly where or if additional edits may have been performed on the original material that weren't performed on the translated material (in other words, earlier draft).

If the studio was given the episode as an In-Production Dubbing project, this could explain why the title of the Spanish translation reflected the original script title, "The Truth," rather than the final title in English, "Despair".

Assuming this difference was unintentional, rather than a calculated marketing ploy re: audience enticement (which seems admittedly unlikely), then yes, it could indicate a screw-up on someone's part. The question is, was the dub company given the task of generating the title card, or did some other graphics department handle that before the project made it to them? If the latter is the case, the choice to add "Me too" instead of "Don't do this, Cas" could be either a conscious choice on the dub studio's part as sort of a nod to what they thought "the truth" was, or could just be them going with what they were given and making their translation choices based on something else, such as rhythm/timing.

SO, could there have been an original script that had Dean say "me too" in response to Cas, which then went through translation and made it out into the world? Teeechnically yes, but one would assume that the original script and original *footage* would have to have arrived at the dub studio together if the script is being transcribed in-house as SPGSTudios outlines in their process. I'm going to reason that the odds of them using a later edit of the visual--one that contained what in this instance we would be assuming was Warner's preferred dialogue ("Don't do this, Cas") yet choosing to stick with their own audio revoicing of the (supposed) original script/visual's "Me too, Cas" with its now subsequently poor timing, seems unlikely.

So either they would likely have to redo the exact same "Me too" audio again (having made the choice to keep the original dialogue, while also having to work under pandemic restrictions re: travel and talent availability) to make everything match the visual footage time-wise, OR, it was simply a matter that the English scene always was just as we saw it, but that the studio chose to interpret the script the way they did and were able to do their timing the first time around to match accordingly.

This still leaves a question in the air regarding the origin and fate of certain clips of Dean's more visually emotive reaction to Castiel's confession that have been floating around the internet. I've only seen very very brief glimpses of them, myself, and I'm not certain that they're really evidence of anything other than more than one take having been done of that scene, which wouldn't be uncommon and doesn't necessarily point to a conspiracy.

I also want to state that in the wake of 15x18, I opted to protect my mental health rather than follow every development/rumor/speculation that cropped up in the aftermath, so there’s probably a lot that I’m leaving out of this post that may be pertinent. Do me a favor and do assume that I know nothing of it. lol

I will also add this about the other studio, Iyuno: they are very careful to state on their site, repeatedly and with great pride, that they are committed to presenting the world with the smoothest, most true-to-the-original localized version of a film or show possible. Quote: "...our entire team of staff wants nothing more than to make every single one of our partner's content feel as if it were never translated." They are not fucking around. They want to please the client. Would they have done something like the translation in question without any direct go-ahead from Warner? It seems unlikely, though they don't outline their process on their site the way SPG does.

Notice that in the SPGStudios process outlined above, there is no mention made of a review step in which the studio presents the translated dialogue to the client for approval re: the new wording. That doesn't mean there isn't a review step; however, without seeing the contractual agreement that was made between Warner and whatever dub studio they used, or knowing Warner's preferred process by some other means, it's difficult to be certain whether or not there was a review process for the translated script. I did find evidence that Netflix reserves the right to review such translated scripts before air.

Speaking of Netflix, I will include here what their translation requirements are, as I did find those. They, like Warner, also use Iyuno Media Group much of the time for dubbing (voiceover style dubbing in which they apparently like to leave the original language audible underneath, so that's slightly different from revoicing, but I'm working on an assumption that the general expectations are the same for both):(4)

"1. Translation Requirements

1.1 Main Dialogue

All main dialogue in the source (original) language should be translated unless specifically noted.

Due to timing limitations, some of the dialogue may be condensed/truncated as long as it retains all essential elements of the plot.

Please refrain from dubbing redundant words such as character names and repetitions.

Additionally, do not recreate laughs, hesitations, reaction noises, etc."

I'm looking at that bit: "Due to timing limitations, some of the dialogue may be condensed/truncated as long as it retains all essential elements of the plot."

So let's say just for argument's sake that this is pretty standard language provided to the dubbing studios. Netflix is a giant, so I'll proceed with that assumption given the lack of more concrete information:

Does it really change essential elements of the remaining plot to have Dean return Castiel's declaration of love? Forgetting about the outside, emotional ripple effect such a declaration was bound to set off in the viewing audience, no. The two characters have no further scenes together, nor does Dean go on in the next episode to immediately embark on a new relationship, or tell anyone that Cas said he was in love with him but he couldn't return it because he didn't feel the same. So technically, no rule was broken. And that is what it comes down to, if you're thinking like a lawyer reading a contract: specifics, not theoretical implications or consequences.

So, possibly what we have is something that was simple to add and easy to get away with/argue for: translated dialog that fit a dub better due to its length, and didn't actually change anything plot-wise (or at least, the argument for that could easily be made). This points to the painful crux of the matter: why would the Spanish version of Supernatural which aired in Latin America allow Dean Winchester to return Castiel's declaration of love with a "Me too, Cas"? Could it *really* be as insulting as the fact that "Yo a ti, Cas" would be a quicker, smoother dub than "No hagas esto, Cas"? ("Don't do this, Cas" in English.) Or did they see something they could get away with, and a reasonable argument to provide for it, so they went ahead and claimed a small LGBT+ victory?

Is someone, somewhere, getting in trouble for all this? Maybe. But could action be taken against them? That would look pretty bad, public-relations-wise, for the party expressing condemnation if that got out. Could Iyuno, or whatever other studio (again, I don't actually know which one handled the dub) theoretically feel a ripple effect from the fallout of this? Could they quietly suffer a drop in acquisitions/revenue for "reasons unclear"? Sure. That sort of thing happens all the time, so theoretically yeah.

Whatever the reasoning behind the decision to have Dean return Cas' declaration of love, surely they didn't have to do it. Surely they could have chosen some other phrase that fit. But they chose to do exactly what they did. I don't know what went down, in the end, or whether censorship was indeed involved, but I will certainly say that I think it was a brave and admirable choice that was made with the Spanish dub. It doesn't undo the "bury your gays" trope of course, but for some LGBT+ audience members it surely provides a sense of validation and maybe even lends a little hope for better representation--which is long, long overdue.

Thanks if you read this far. I hope that even though it’s not perfect it will be helpful in some way.

Sources

(1) https://www.indiewire.com/2020/02/subtitles-vs-dubbing-what-you-need-to-know-1202212800/amp

(2) https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_CW

(3) https://www.iyunomg.com/

(4) https://partnerhelp.netflixstudios.com/hc/en-us/articles/115016062708-Dubbed-Audio-Style-Guide-VO-Style-Dubbing

(5) https://www.spgstudios.com/localization

#spn gate #destiel #supernatural #queerbaiting #lgbt #lgbt+#lgbt representation #15x18 #dean winchester #castiel #johnlockers #queliot #queliot shippers #quentin coldwater deserved better #spn family #they silenced you

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deitiesofduat · 5 years ago

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BASTET: “As it turns out, the project has been due for this type of update for some time -- which the artist @tenicola (aka @teninini, colacanvas, and "Teni") finally got around to, after having enough headspace to approach it.

“And just to avoid worrying anyone seeing this -- nope, Teni is not dropping DEITIES project anytime soon. She's not going anywhere, and neither am I! Or the rest of my pantheon!

“But Teni mentioned she was worried about projecting that outcome, due to how inactive she's been online, and how quiet she's been about progress. She's hoping this update can add some clarity on what's actually going on, and what to expect going forward.”

“The rest of this update is below the cut, as text mixed with panels. It's on the long-ish side, and while it's best to skim through everything for context, you can also skip to the section "SHIFT IN [PUBLIC] SCOPE" if you just want to get to the point.

“Without further ago, let's start with some history that Teni wanted to share for full context -- again, under the cut!”

--------------------------------------------------

[ HISTORY OF DEITIES PROJECT ]

BASTET: “DEITIES Project -- and the main story for said project (Deities of Duat: The Chaos Seal), which is intended as a long form webcomic -- has been in development, privately and offline, since late 2014. Teni meant to keep it private for as long as possible, until she felt “ready” to share it.

“However, she was motivated to take the plunge and reveal the project's existence with these color tests and with this comic, as part of her coursework for her visual storytelling class. You know the one…”

“The surge of encouragement from both her classmates and her followers motivated Teni to create this blog -- the one you're visiting right now! It was Teni's full intention to use this blog to share progress on the main story, as a full-length webcomic, while building and engaging her audience.”

“However, along the way were a few... unforeseen obstacles that reared their head. Some obstacles were mitigated by making steady updates to the story and blog, but some were much more challenging, and she thinks it only fair to disclose some of them for context...”

--------------------------------------------------

[ OBSTACLES OF LIFE ]

BASTET: “The first obstacle was the sudden onset of chronic lower back pain -- just before the launch of the DEITIES blog in 2016. She still has it to this day, and says this ache makes it unbearable to sit or stand in the same position for too long. Among several inconveniences this causes, it also means she can only draw in short bursts before her stamina taps out, or before needing pain relief -- like heat, ice, and pressure.”

“As you might imagine, it's not the most fun condition to have when you enjoy drawing! And it's taken a while for Teni to cope with this daily frustration. She's still planning to find answers and a treatment to help reduce it, but has also accepted that she's been dealt this hand -- not unlike other creatives that deal with some form of chronic pain.”

“The back pain was one obstacle, but having to deal with different interpersonal struggles and friction was another. Some spiked her usual feelings of anxiety, and in one relationship's case, made her question whether or not the project was worth continuing. (On that note -- Teni does not want to call out anyone or guilt them, she just wanted to bring it up as a factor for the larger point she's making — just bear with us!)

“The third big obstacle a few years back, was having a day job that had an... ‘unfriendly’ work environment, and was paying a lot less income than she fairly deserved. And near the beginning of 2018, she was laid off from said job, putting a halt to any income she was earning only a week after signing the lease to her first apartment!”

“Teni didn't go into detail about those months of job hunting and taking tech classes, though she explains bits of it in previous updates. But the lack of financial stability at the time hung over her head constantly. The way she put it was: ‘It was hard to motivate myself to indulge in something I loved, but that didn't provide income, while I was in the middle of an extended job hunt.’"

“She didn't expect all these obstacles in succession when she launched the project. And she admits that she felt a combination of frustration, impatience, and disappointment for not updating the project at the same pace she started.”

“This was not because of any pressure from followers -- she told me you all have been incredibly understanding and patient! It was because of the fact that the project had been publicly promoted for so long, and she set her own expectations and goals so high -- without factoring the likelihood of life getting in the way. There was also the lingering fear of disappointing a lot of people, if one day she had no choice but to stop the project for her own livelihood and health.”

“Ah, why am I adding to this creative angst -- Teni didn't want this to be a sob story! I'll move on haha.”

--------------------------------------------------

[ IN A BETTER PLACE ]

BASTET: “Thankfully, in spite of all those obstacles, things are turning around for Teni in this new decade. A year ago she found a job with a feasible income to support herself, and an overall healthy work environment within her team. She's also fostered healthier relationships with her family and friends, and even made closer connections with the best friends she's had for ages!”

“And while her back pain is… still there, it's a manageable part of life that she's still determined to find answers for and improve.

“Not to mention that in the past year, she's been able to work on other projects, more quietly, and indulge in drawing other characters and fanart for fun. She's consumed more of her favorite media in the interim as well to support others, and to sate her own curiosity and interests.”

“Moving on to how this relates to this update, now that we have some backdrop for what's been happening...”

--------------------------------------------------

[ AREAS OF INTEREST ]

BASTET: “Again, Teni is not dropping DEITIES Project -- she admits the fear of having to make that call had crossed her mind, but it's not something she thinks she'll need to reconsider right now. Her bigger concern has been how to approach this project publicly, moving forward. And after giving it some thought, she's made some observations that may shed light on this answer.

“Teni wanted me to emphasize the idea of her doing a ‘reset’ for the public presentation and development of DEITIES Project -- not to change or hide the development thus far, but to reframe the project's scope -- what it's focus and goals are, more or less.

“...Oh-- looks like she made some visuals to help with this -- you two mind lending me a hand?”

“You all might have figured it out by now, but Teni absolutely loves drawing character art and designs. She also likes panel-style comics, as well as the dialogue, expressions, and SFX that comes with it. She can work on them offline without prompting, but she also loves sharing what she comes up with!

“What she's less fond of sharing is some of the other... *ahem* unmentionables and time-consuming work that comes with traditional comics. Things that take hours to set up and hours to practice, let alone execute for the final product -- an unfortunate hurdle when you're a one-person production team, and you can only draw in small bursts at a time.”

“She initially tried to put off the more indulgent art that she liked, in order to focus the less-favored obligations... but she realized that this just made her feel demotivated to work on anything, and less got completed as a result.”

“Overall, Teni's coming to terms with both her own limitations and her personal drive, and wants to shift her priorities accordingly for the project -- even if it goes against the grain of what's considered ‘good’ or well-meaning advice for a personal project.”

--------------------------------------------------

[ SHIFT IN [PUBLIC] SCOPE ]

BASTET: “Instead of treating the DEITIES main story/comic as the ‘end game’ goal of this project -- and pouring all her available energy in preparing for it and hyping it up -- Teni wants to shift the main story as a future, and more private ambition, until she's in a better place to execute it and share it publicly.

“No, she does not have any estimate or TBD date for when this will be, or when she'll make public updates on it’s progress or launch. It may even remain private indefinitely. And for now, she's okay with this.

“Because (1) The main story "The Chaos Seal" is not the only story that's worth telling from this project. Smaller side- and backstories, and even small character interactions, have their merit as well -- something Teni learned from drawing askbox responses, completing memes with the cast, and character exploration with friends. And with the main story not sucking up all the oxygen, she thinks it'll leave room to tackle the others more easily -- whether they're planned ahead of time or are spur-of-the-moment, and as comics or different formats.

“(2) Removing the DEITIES main story from its public pedestal will also allow her to work on other non-DEITIES things as they crop up -- and with less irrational guilt to indulge in things that aren't ‘priority’ for completing the comic. Meaning more art of her original characters, fanart, giftart, collabs, memes and bandwagons, and other smaller projects. Heck, she might even give herself permission to relax.

“And (3), perhaps most importantly -- Teni realized that DEITIES Project shouldn’t have to start and end with the so-called main story, and placing the story aside wouldn’t mean the project suddenly becomes a waste of time -- as she originally worried about projecting when her life took a twist.

“DEITIES Project just… is. It already exists, and the characters and world already exist -- with or without a completed webcomic to validate that existence.”

“But anyway, I side-tracked. The point is, Teni's planning to shift DEITIES project to just that -- a project, with room to continually grow, explore, and experiment with, and to engage with others as she feels comfortable, without the pressure of having a giant epic to tell.

“So while the main story and comic is going to shift to something more gradual and private -- the way it was originally meant to be -- this shift in scope will help adjust the project’s longevity, and also set the stage for some changes to be made around the blog, and for the public presentation for DEITIES.”

“However, that content will be less scheduled and remain sporadic -- things will ‘happen when they happen,’ but what Teni has in mind will hopefully be enjoyable for those following the project.”

--------------------------------------------------

[ WHAT'S NEXT-- ]

BASTET: “Here’s the thing: we actually had more to share, but Teni made the call to save it all for another day -- to avoid making this update longer than needed, and to also avoid announcing any plans prematurely. No need to risk building pressure all over again or burning out, right?

“She asks for everyone’s patience and to give her another few weeks to re-calibrate things, address pressing questions, and work on some overdue housekeeping on the blog -- and to just draw whatever pops to her mind, cuz hey, why not? After that, she'll wait until any project items are already in the works and on the road to completion, before she announces that they're coming -- an ‘under-promise but over-deliver’ approach.

“But one thing you can look forward to are more featured deities from the main cast and the supporting cast -- including those colors tests she's been working on since last year, and then some! There's no shortage of inspiration or fodder, so to speak.”

--------------------------------------------------

[ IN CONCLUSION ]

BASTET: “So to recap! DEITIES Project will be shifting its scope and priorities, so that the main story and comic is developed more privately, and more characters and lore will be explored online at a more manageable pace. On the surface, that may not look like much is changing, but hopefully this update can make expectations more clear.

“Teni knows that there may be some in the audience who may feel down about this decision, or who were looking forward to the webcomic to be completed above all else. She says that's totally fair, and encourages anyone looking for stories to check out her recommendations. But she also hopes you'll understand, and be willing to stick around for other content in the meantime.”

"That brings Teni -- and me -- to one final point. Which is to sincerely thank you for all of your support, encouragement, and patience these past few years. In addition to things that are still in the works, there's a lot of content on this blog that had been inspired by everyone's engagement, which we can't thank you enough for!

“Teni and I, and everyone else from the pantheon, are excited about what’s next for Deities of Duat and DEITIES Project. And we’re looking forward to sharing more content, more freely, in the upcoming year for you all to enjoy.”

#// If there was only one long-winded update I would encourage you all to read it's definitely this one #// Partially for the actual update and also cuz those panels took a while lmAO;;; but I did it for the sake of this announcement!#// I think Bastet explains it well enough for now; that the project is shifting it's scope online #// But if anyone has questions then feel free to leave it as a comment; I'll try to answer what i can directly and/or in the next update #// Thanks again for all your support and patience everyone; I'm genuinely thinking this shift in scope will be good for the project overall.#// Now excuse me while I draw something other than these mascots for a bit; it was nice to draw them for the first time in a while though #DEITIES Project #Deities of Duat #DEITIES updates #Bastet #Set Spawn #Ba #animals #characters #DEITIES text #artwork #comics #mini comics #egyptian mythology

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kinkymagnus · 5 years ago

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20, 21, 25!!! for the ask game, please 💖 [also, hiii!!!]

thank you!!!! (also hii!!) i fuckign love video gaem im nerd

20 and 21. Book that would make a good game + Show/movie that would make a good game?

FUCK uhhhh first some reason my first thought was Artemis Fowl but I.... don’t think that would actually work.

Okay, what’s really interesting is storytelling in different mediums, and one problem with taking a story that is written for a book or a show or a movie, is that it is written for that format. There are some that would make the transition pretty well, even though it might sacrifice parts of the story. Like, it’s harder to get thoughts or feelings a character has without awkward narration, and usually impossible to get good facial expressions or subtle body language cues and that kind of thing.

I’m mostly talking written/screen to video game, but there are also notable differences between books and tv/movies that are probably why most adaptations are so infamously bad. Things like the amount of information that can be compressed for consumers of the media, the type of information such as inner thoughts/feelings and random worldbuilding details, and pacing. Both mediums have their strengths and weaknesses--the screen can be more immersive, and show you really cool ways of looking at things, and also allow for certain silent dialogue like body language or just more subtle implications (such as background characters behaving a certain way or expressions gone unmentioned) but also they can’t really do things that books can.

Video games have their own strengths and weaknesses, too. The interactive medium allows for all sorts of cool things you just absolutely cannot do in the same way in these other mediums. My favorite is probably environmental storytelling and the ways you can get stories across both purely from the setting around you (like in the Fallout game I forget the name of with the underwater city, or in Breath of the Wild with the ruins scattered around Hyrule, or basically all of Hollow Knight’s storytelling) and from little bits of scattered lore that you have to piece together into your own interpretation of what happened. (Again, Hollow Knight does this amazingly.)

So like, some stories can benefit from that, particularly either stories with a strong setting with good worldbuilding to base that on, or stories that would benefit from adding that yourself (although people might argue on whether it counts as canon or not).

So the question is to really think about what kind of books, tv shows, and movies can benefit from being directly interacted with and even changed by the player, what ideas can play out through simple environments a player can move around or in small boxes of flavor text to be pieced together, what stories can be conveyed that can benefit from being actively sought out rather than directly fed to the person consuming them. Something like Artemis Fowl doesn’t work, because there’s a set linear narrative and the choices that are made rightfully should be set. While a game completely separate from the Artemis Fowl stories with its own characters simply set in Haven City could be really interesting (such as the life of a LEP officer who isn’t famous and tangling with humans constantly, or even the life of a dwarf or a goblin or whatever, perhaps even with multiple choices of class and species--?) it wouldn’t really be an Artemis Fowl adaption so much as a spin off or addition to the universe. It could be really interesting, as for a cool as fuck city of fairies Haven City isn’t really discussed or explored all that much, but it wouldn’t be a true adaptation. It’d be inspired by, if anything.

I honestly can’t think of any books/movies/tv shows off the top of my head that necessarily would make a good game.

There are a few I could see being mildly fun--perhaps a sci fi survival game based on The Martian, a Mission: Impossible spy game, or (and I think this would be fun, tbh) a fantasy/mystery retrieval game based on The Librarians or Warehouse 13. I wouldn’t even mind seeing what a skilled game designer could do with A Series of Unfortunate Events, although I’d have no idea where to start.

The problem is mostly those stories being kind of linear and set. The player can’t really affect them, so to be effective it’d be better if it was a new story entirely merely in that universe, rather than just an adaptation of the original canon. For example, playing Lord of the Rings simply would not be the same as watching it or reading it. There’s no way to really make it organic or have that same amount of emotion.

While it’s not impossible to have a linear set story for a player to follow (See The Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword, which has issues, but is definitely playable and enjoyable) it’s not really the same if you not only know the whole story but feel like you’re not actually part of it. You can have quick time events to see if Bilbo really got the the ring, or a sequence where you play as Legolas mowing down orcs, but it won’t really be the same.

Sorry for the long and unnecessarily pretentious answer, this is just something I’ve been really interested in lately so I overthought it like hell.

25. What power-up or ability would you want irl?

Real answer: shapeshifting. This is cheating as it’s more superpower than actually video game related, but like, still.

But answering more properly to the spirit of the question... The things that come to mind for me are Revali’s Gale (just fucking whooshes into the air lmao), Shape of Unn charm (turns into snail and wiggle lol), and Shade Cloak (nyooms through things by becoming a shadow).

Wait, actually, forget all that. I want to be Link from Link Between Worlds, turning into a painting and shit for fun. That sounds rad as hell. Look at me, I’m a cool funky little crayon drawing. Sike! I’m 3D now!

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onegirllis · 6 years ago

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Since Life is Strange 2 is finally fully released, I let myself to write a probably not-so-short review of the complete season. The momentum for such a summary is already gone I presume but it took me a moment to finally digest and find the proper words to describe what I think and feel about this production. Following the game from the start, I patiently waited to look at the story as a whole, hoping to find an explanation for tons of burning questions and satisfying outcomes to my choices and decisions. Unfortunately, most of those didn’t happen, therefore I present you with a piece that is not very favorable towards the newest Dontnod production, harsh in places but honest. Please, do not read if you really enjoyed the story of the two brothers and find it meaningful and important, not burdened with any fallacy. Life is way too short to read reviews that just leave you frustrated.

Remember the scene in Life is Strange season one (I still hate the fact that I have to separate different instances of the franchise calling them seasons), when Max summoned by an enormous plasma TV in Victoria’s room fantasizes about watching “Final Fantasy: The Spirits Within” on it? “I like this movie, I don’t care what everybody says,” getting protective about her preferences, the little freckle leaves the room soon after, never gifting us with any explanation as to why she indeed values this animation so much or why it was an important statement. It was never brought back again, it will never matter, becoming simply a meme material or a trigger for snarky comments from Twitch streamers and YouTubers. I watched the said movie a long time ago, recalling only two things about it: the breathtaking animation of hair at the beginning and the fact that the main male character looked like Ben Affleck. The rest of the story fell into obscurity before the end credits hit the screen. I reached for this title only because I was interested in anything video games related, and the name of the popular franchise was more than enough.

The same thing goes for Life is Strange 2.

Just like the mentioned FF: The Spirits Within, the second instance of the beloved series is more of an animation than an interactive experience. Recently, plenty of video games, overwhelmed by finally reachable technology of smooth mocaps, facial expressions, hyper-realistic locations, and scanned people as characters, turned into an alley dedicated to B-class movies. From adventures by David Cage to Death Stranding, video games started to flip their working template, replacing the actual action with long animations, not the other way around. With scattered gameplay, sometimes forced as if the developers reminded themselves at the last minute that this product is supposed to be interactive, they raise an eyebrow at best, and boil your blood with the lack of creativity at its worst. Life Is Strange 2 follows this trend with astonishing enthusiasm and to the core. Even regarding this particular genre that’s supposed to focus on narrative, it barely stands as a walking simulator becoming a hardly watchable TV series — a road trip story where walking is limited.

Well, shit.

The gameplay in Life is Strange 2 is nonexistent. To be frank, riveting action-packed sequences were never a trademark of the series, but a blatant lack of any didn’t make this experience any better. With the first one, the rewind power allowed the player to actually be part of the narrative. The second, where Sean just serves as a witness to his brother’s actions, plays more like a full motion picture. An enormous amount of un-skippable cut-scenes change LIS2 into a tedious, dragging journey straight from the worst selection of buy 1 get 3 free Z-class movies. The music and the mastery in creating an atmosphere that rose Dontnod to international fame due to widespread acclaim can’t save those sequences either. It almost feels like their own creation so enchanted the development team that they ignored all the red flags and clumsy solutions to immerse in the world themselves, treating the actual player as a lesser evil, throwing them a bone just to claim it is a video game format. To no surprise, most of the items the player interacts with don’t matter at all and don’t serve any purpose either to foreshadow an upcoming outcome, present exposition to the world, or be in any way helpful.

The lack of superpower is not an issue here though. Before the Storm met the expectations with way more grace, proving that a story doesn’t need a lot of strange in life to grip and hold its audience for hours. Watching a superhero growing up is an interesting premise, but a hell of a challenge to execute and execute well. Some stories like “Little Man Tate” translate to a brilliant film, but don’t necessarily work as games, after the planning stage or first Game Design Document. The references regarding the first game also remain scattered and uneven, tossed on the pile with a heap of faith that devoted fans would notice, but without a purpose in mind.

Even if I sound harsh, I do believe that Dontnod wanted to deliver the best story possible, but Life is Strange 2 feels even too big to absorb or fill with details. Captain Spirit, not necessarily my cup of tea either, was in my opinion way more coherent, as the creative team felt more comfortable with such a small scope of a product. Everything falls into place after careful exploration, makes more sense with every minute. The mystery about the mother, an alumnus of Blackwell Academy, and an admirer of Jefferson’s work is a solid premise that didn’t raise expectations up the roof nor overpromise. The mystery of yet another mother, this time Life is Strange 2, played for over 3 and a half episodes, falls flat in comparison and ends in the disappointing question “that’s it?”

No, that’s not it. There’s more to it.

Life is Strange 1 was mocked as Tumblr: The Game, while the second instance could easily pass as Twitter: The Animated Series. The writers didn’t challenge themselves or the audience to answer the question of why certain people voted for Donald Trump, or why they would do it yet again. The only reason presented in the story is quite simplistic and obvious – because they are evil, deplorable people, not worth listening to. They are the worst. We are better. Issues of being harangued by foreigners about domestic policies and troubles of your own country are a brewing can of worms I wouldn’t like to touch at the moment. Still, this particular stance, which serves as painful generalization that every single republican voter in the US is foul, can be forged only by someone who either lives in a bubble or doesn’t live here at all. Simply because we all have parents, grandparents, relatives, friends, or co-workers who decided to elect the actual prescient to power. Some of them are racists, disgusting, and horrible personas, and some just belong to the scared of change, confused and manipulated crowd that don’t accept the fast-paced transformation nor the need for a revolution. We coexist together, arguing and fighting, especially during holiday breaks, but even if it costs me a headache, I wouldn’t call them evil. Millions of people voted for Trump, but only a few wouldn’t spit on a swastika if confronted with the Nazi banner.

It’s even more painful when you understand what kind of message was sewed into the stitches of a shattered story. There was no ill will, or at least I don’t think so, but an honest, genuine need to express the concern about modern America. Unfortunately, when executed, this concern changed into another yell or discourse by the family table during an argument with your racist uncle. An open discussion in a game community that unifies both left and right supporters equally by their love for this form of entertainment would be appreciated by many, just like after playing LIS1, a handful of people changed their views on LGBT issues.

Instead of a lesson that had to be experienced, we got a lecture about morality and tolerance, contradicting itself constantly and nonchalantly following the well-known tropes NOT in a sarcastic and admirable way known from Saturday Night Live, but in a lazy and sometimes even clumsy substitute of a dramatic format. The political landscape painted in LIS2 is caricatural, unforgiving, harsh like a deserted wasteland with a few peaceful oases to stop at, but shies over its own existence, not willing to thoroughly discuss the dreadful weather. Guess what? The sand won’t change into greener pastures only because you close your eyes, putting your imagination to work. Donald Trump might not be re-elected for a second term, but his supporters will stay in place, even more conflicted by the other side. It’s a brave decision to deliver such a punitive story but such a cowardice to break its pillars, hoping that the general public wouldn’t notice or get distracted when things get too heated up.

The lack of subtlety forced scene by scene is even more polarizing. There is no peaceful dialogue with the other side as if it couldn’t exist in this world. There is no change of heart or a path to do so. Sometimes it feels like the only message that LIS2 writers wanted to provide was to find your own, peaceful and liberal hermitage, either among hipsters in the Redwood forest, driving a car that your ‘family with money but no soul’ had bought you or move to a trailer park filled with artistic souls in Nowhere, Arizona. Any contact with the outside world can hurt you and your feelings. Drop off the grid or die. The end.

No discussion.

The efforts of trying to understand the motivation behind even the most dreadful character of the first game, got lost in preparation for the second. LIS2 builds a higher wall between two political sides, than any other game released after Trump became the president of the United States and desperately wants to keep it erected, ignoring the crumbling foundations of such. A proverbial river you shall not cross nor build bridges over since the only outcome would end up in death, destruction, or you and your young brother getting hurt.

I’m familiar with the discussion about LIS2, especially with a shouting match that if you do not like this instance, you are therefore a racist pig, a disgusting person without a soul, conscience, or working brain that doesn’t understand the situation and never will. On the contrary. In my humble opinion, we deserve a better discussion, better stories, better representation, not sticking to whatever is presented because it’s brave enough or was never approached before. I disagree with the stance that a Latino, bisexual main character is enough to close your eyes, omitting all problems that this title tries to shun, riding its high horse. No. Those topics are way too crucial to just walk past, setting for less with your head down, thanking for the game industry to take notice. You the player deserve better, even if you don’t struggle with specific issues on a daily basis. And after playing LIS2, you may feel so good about yourself, stating that an effort was made but it it wasn’t made enough.

I expected more. I wanted Dontnod to do more, and frankly, I feel silly putting so much faith in them and supporting their efforts. Armed with resources provided by Square Enix, I’m sure they are aware of the fact that most of their audience is quite young and wouldn’t mind a lesson or message about what to do amidst troubled times. Well, Dontnod doesn’t have any but warns you that voicing your opinion or being different may end up in disaster. Outraged, they just yell at the news, angry about what our reality has changed into, but nothing comes out of it. It’s all right, though. Our parents do the same thing. We started to do the same thing, but instead of complaining to family members, we have Twitter.

While Life is Strange 2 tries really hard to come across as a realistic and raw portrait of the US at the end of the decade, they didn’t have enough courage to show realistic obstacles two runaways would be faced with. The brothers do meet a handful of bigots and racists, but the rest of the fellow travelers help them beyond understanding or hidden agenda. Sean and Daniel never really struggle to find a place to stay or a warm meal, usually complaining on or off the screen just before the game mercifully provides them with a solution. There’s no trap they can fall into, no ambiguous characters that promise one thing and then demand something in return. It’s very honorable for Brody to pay for a place to stay, but if an adult man gave young kids a key to a motel room, I would consider a way more sinister outcome. It’s not even about Brody himself, since good people exist, just like the racist ones, but the boys not even once are put in a realistic, scary situation created by a supposed ally. If somebody is helpful, this person is always decent, offering them a job, a ride, some food or money. The bad people wear red hats and yell racist slurs. America by Dontnod is simple to navigate but raw and painful when not necessary and fairy-tale-like when it could teach an actual lesson. Running away from home is not so hazardous because of Trump supporters but because you can end up dead in a ravine, being robbed and raped. It’s not the first and surely not the last time when the developers feared to touch any topic of sexual abuse with a ten-foot pole, but then the journey plays more like a vacation than a desperate escape. Sean gets beaten-up a few times, loses his eye due to a brawl, but it doesn’t affect him at all in the long run. When Daniel finally gets kidnapped, it’s not an Epstein-like circle, dealing with human trafficking, but a religious cult that worships him. The first option, even if it feels like a stretch, is unfortunately way more realistic than the latter.

Preaching to the choir is not the biggest sin this game commits though. That brings me to the most discussed theme of the production, which is education.

With all due respect to the developers, writers, and designers, Life is Strange 2 in this aspect falls flat as a discovery of a Sunday father, who is responsible for taking his kid to the zoo and struggles to find any common ground with his offspring, either trying to crack jokes about famous pop-culture phenomena or talk about food discussing their next favorite meal. The said father is trying his best though, perfectly aware that it’s his only chance to teach his son a thing or two, but doesn’t know exactly where to start, torn apart between buying more ice cream and throwing a fit about a stain on the carpet. The father doesn’t even like kids that much and can’t translate his lessons into an engaging play that would be memorized forever, rolling his eyes and counting the days to his kid’s graduation so they could share a beer or two and talk about adult things. Now, any effort to explain how the world works seems to be in vain, therefore a waste of his precious time. Leaving the emotional approach aside, the father doesn’t have to cuddle with his kid when he’s scared, bullied, traumatized or asks millions of questions about the future or present, because the full-time mother is waiting at home willing to replace him in this duty. The mother, knowing that her ex-partner sucks big time at talking about feelings, will be the one who will hold the kid, patiently explaining that the boogieman does not exist, playing pirates, or stay late at night to distract his sorrows. The kid will never discuss his fears with his dad though, trying so hard to impress his male parent. He will never know, and it’s fine. The mother is going to do the job while he can deliver a once a week entertainment along with the lines of ultimate wisdom that most likely will be forgotten anyway.

This is not raising a kid, it’s nursing them like a fragile plant in a flowerpot, focusing on water, sun, and fertilizer, but discarding the emotional background, hoping that somebody else would take care of such issues if things go south.

Sean can’t raise his brother well, simply because he is immature and will stay immature for the rest of the game. There is no moment when he truly goes through a transformation changing from a boy to a man, a fully grown-up adult who takes responsibility for his actions and makes sacrifices for the sake of the greater good. No, surrendering in a fight in the church doesn’t serve as one, neither does the first sexual experience. He doesn’t wonder even once if the hastily constructed plan is benefiting Daniel, forcing it to the last minutes of the game, taking the separation as the worst thing that could happen. There’s no spark of a tragedy like in “The Road” when a father gives up his son to strangers for the sake of saving him. Sean doesn’t care, presenting no character development across the board, merely pushing forward. If there are doubts, they disappear in the blink of an eye when the next cut-scene takes place.

I understand that such a young lad as Sean wouldn’t know how to raise a kid, especially if having no model to rely on. However, a part of growing pains is developing the awareness that we know way less than we assumed. That said, Sean Diaz is always assuming he is right, not asking for advice regarding Daniel even once. Apparently, it’s not something that he’s interested in or ever will be. If Life is Strange 2 wants to pass as a coming of age story, it falls on its face before it even starts.

Moreover, locked in the auto-driven plot, Sean cannot grow up and gain a new perspective; otherwise, the story wouldn’t reach its big, explosion-packed finale of crossing the border. His desperate efforts of influencing his brother usually converge to order him around, feed him with half-truths or simply leave him in the dark when convenient. I didn’t see any difference or change in Sean’s approach from episode one when he scolded his brother, annoyed for his party plans being interrupted, and in episode three, when he reacts similarly, for the sake of spending time alone with the chosen love interest. There’s no deep thought, no wonder about his own wrongdoings expressed to his brother, no faults admitted, no fallacies explained, with one life-threating situation after another. From an illegal weed growing farm, to destroying police stations, Sean just follows the road, paved by the writers, oblivious to the harm done to his younger sibling, as if Daniel simply forgets the morally gray choices, growing his moral spine entirely on performing chores. Washing the dishes and peeling potatoes does not make us better people but understanding a perspective so different than our own does. Thanks to Sean, Daniel expands his world, but it’s a very one-sided perspective, focusing on always praised, hippie-style liberties, and disregarding every option that requires any code of conduct, as represented by the grandparents. While the older brother forces the younger one to keep up with the designed tasks, he never discusses the issues that really matter. In episode 3, the youngster gets involved in a heist, a robbery, but after it fails, costing Sean his eye and the possible death of some of their companions, this is never mentioned. Mexico, a plan that is hardly a plan at all, is supposed to be an answer to all the questions and doubts. El Dorado of knowledge.

This is not how you raise a dog, not to mention a child.

There is no emotional bond, no special ties between the brothers, except a few problematic moments that play mostly on simple connection forged by blood, not by circumstances. Sean worries about Daniel because he’s his brother, but the player starts to wonder quite quickly why and what for. Reminiscing about old times gets nailed down to a few lines about the comforts and amenities of a life long gone. The tough topics, such as grieving after personally witnessing their father’s death, are mentioned scarcely and without much emphasis, as if serving only as a reminder to the player, but not a poignant struggle. Same goes with the dog, their friends mutilated at the end of the weed farm chapter, Chris (aka captain spirit) who is mentioned just before the end credits of the second episode, and tons of others. On top of it, the scattered and not so often dialogue lines about putting people in danger refer only to the good folk, siding with the brothers, not to humankind in general. Killing a police officer or knocking down a gas station owner are just natural ways of how things work in America, honorable deeds since it’s apparently perfectly fine for a kid to attempt a homicide if people are mean.

What a brave story.

Chloe Price had been suffering for five years after William, her beloved father, died in a car crash. For Sean and Daniel, there is no grief to experience, but a memory to share with a plan to erect a monument in the future. Esteban Diaz is a plot device, a symbol of inequality, but not a family member. Even a dream sequence with his guest appearance lacks the impact of the subconscious conversations we’ve seen in Before the Storm. It just simply doesn’t matter.

I can’t believe I have to say this but the relatable part about LIS1 wasn’t the tornado, just like in LIS2 crossing the border is its weakest point, but it’s those small moments, gestures, quick smiles in passing, the atmosphere and a breath of fresh air when a line, sometimes silly, got dropped. In the most recent story, there is not a single line worth quoting, memorizing, or discussing. And please, don’t bring up “awesome possum” again. It’s literally taken from The Lego Movie song.

The brothers, just like Thelma and Louise, decide to leave everything behind, throwing away the life as they knew it and forging their own future despite all odds. Although, when the two desperate women drive off the cliff committing suicide, chased by the armed forces, there is nothing to explain as the audience fully understands their reasoning. Their will of life was strong, but the path they followed was too steep to return. Without any help or support, confronted with brutal honesty and the world’s cruelty around them, it is the best possible solution. The story of the two brothers, even if it tries to echo the iconic movie, couldn’t be more different. Despite resources at their disposal, family members that do care about their wellbeing, the whole community rising in protest in their hometown, they risk everything for the sake of getting back to the land they don’t even know. Their Mexican heritage is also mentioned just as an exposition, and, as we learn in the very last episode, just before the ending that Daniel doesn’t speak Spanish. So why do the stubborn Diaz brothers despite all odds travel to Mexico? Because.

Canada was too close, I guess.

Last but not least, let’s talk about sex, because why the hell not. A lot of fans or admirers of the previous instances howled across all social media about how much they miss Max and Chloe. I don’t really think it’s the case, but those two girls symbolize something that LIS2 has a tremendous problem with. There’s no emotional connection between the characters the brothers meet along the way, especially the ones that really should matter. Even the love interests feel more like nagging choices than anything else, an experiment during a camping trip, not something that would last or could be fantasized about. Instead of nerve-wracking decisions such as if you’re supposed to kiss Rachel, hold her hand, or the ecstatic discovery (for PriceFielders, but it was ecstatic, right?) that Chloe changed her phone’s background, we are instead presented with a lineup of sexual experiences, that maybe trail-blaze the road when it comes to topics tackled by a video game, but fall into obscurity as an emotional construction. There is no build-up between Sean and Finn as everything develops to a kiss in one conversation, and Cassidy has fewer lines than Victoria Chase before she invites Sean to her tent. We watch it as we watched it before, trying to get attached, feel something, but the only thing we remember was how much it touched us years ago when we played a different game but with a similar title. The sex scene, relatable or not, is stripped from the emotional intimacy and is as sensitively challenging as a dog being killed.

Character development doesn’t move an inch even if Sean, a surrogate father to his brother, lost his virginity to an older girl. There’s no single thought in his head that he might conceive his own offspring during this short but probably memorable experience. There’s not a single line except for the satisfaction of some female parts finally discovered. Oh, dashing explorer, will you ever learn?

It’s sad. I did want to like this game and gave it plenty of chances like no other titles ever. I’ve made excuses for the poor execution, technical problems, with the whiny voice acting that was driving me up the wall, plot twists written (I think) on a lunch break, and so on, but I couldn’t stand it. It’s a hard pass when it comes to a video game in general, not to mention the story, script, and everything else. Life is Strange season one; a low-budget production, was the first step to create a masterpiece that LIS2 might’ve been able to become. The second season didn’t learn much from LIS1’s mistakes, additionally exchanging the well-known beauty for a garbage fire, ignoring all the warning signs along the way. Delivering a story that tackles such important topics, it slides between the checkmarks on the board of issues, mentioning conversion therapy, religion, gayness, illegal immigration, and a spiral of crimes but never elaborating on any of them. There is no meat and potatoes presented on the plate of events, but just a sticky, sweet gravy with nothing underneath that leaves you not only hungry but frustrated, willing to call the chef and yell at the waiter. The trick is that unless you were living under a rock, there are tons of other productions in different media that give those themes justice, carefully unfolding all the aspects, giving voice to both sides. The fact that it’s the first video game having an affair with serious issues doesn’t matter. I don’t believe that anybody who consumes any kind of other media like decent books, movies, or TV shows can remain blind to the problems of Life is Strange 2, claiming it to be a good story. It’s not.

So here we are, girls, boys, and beyond. Life is Strange 2 with its broken mechanics, story, characters, and spirit slowly but surely will be forgotten. It’s Dontnod’s Final Fantasy: The Spirits Within that you might love to watch or play on your brand-new TV, despite what everybody else would say, omitting any valid or invalid criticism, but unfortunately, it won’t change the general optics about this particular piece of media. A lost chance or recklessness created a convoluted mess and with a heart beating in the wrong place. You might praise Final Fantasy: The Spirits Within, get excited about it since it’s a free world, free country (and even if it’s not, no one will take this ersatz of such liberty) and don’t let anybody tell you what to love. The problem is, that most likely the only thing that people will remember about this production is that the main male character looked like Ben Affleck and the hair animation was dope. Everything else won’t matter.

The same thing goes, unfortunately, for Life is Strange 2, subtitle: The Spirits Without.

#life is strange 2 #review #honest #dontnod #square enix

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arjublog · 2 years ago

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Unlocking Valuable Insights through Conversational Interviews

In today's data-driven world, businesses are constantly seeking innovative ways to gather valuable insights from their target audience. One such method gaining popularity is "Inviews," a unique approach to conducting interviews that fosters meaningful conversations and uncovers deep insights. In this article, we will explore what Inviews are, their benefits, how to conduct them effectively, and their integration into your business strategy.

1. What are Inviews? Inviews, short for "interactive interviews," are a conversational approach to gathering qualitative data from individuals or groups. Unlike traditional interviews, Inviews encourage a more natural and open dialogue, allowing participants to express their thoughts, emotions, and opinions freely. This method focuses on creating a comfortable environment that encourages participants to share rich, nuanced insights.

2. Benefits of Inviews 2.1 Uncovering Hidden Insights: Inviews enable researchers to dig deeper and discover insights that might not surface through traditional interview methods. The conversational nature of Inviews encourages participants to share their unique perspectives and experiences, leading to more comprehensive data.

2.2 Building Empathy: By engaging in conversations rather than straightforward questioning, Inviews foster a deeper understanding of participants' thoughts and emotions. This empathetic connection helps researchers gain valuable insights into the human aspects behind the data.

2.3 Flexibility and Adaptability: Inviews offer flexibility in terms of participant selection, interview format, and question flow. This adaptability allows researchers to tailor the process to meet specific research objectives and explore different angles effectively.

3. How to Conduct Inviews 3.1 Define Research Objectives: Clearly outline your research goals and the insights you hope to gain from the Inviews. This step will guide the entire process and ensure focused conversations.

3.2 Participant Recruitment: Identify and recruit participants who align with your target audience. Consider demographics, interests, and experiences to ensure diverse perspectives.

3.3 Design the Interview Guide: Create a conversational interview guide that includes open-ended questions, probes, and prompts to encourage participants to share detailed responses.

3.4 Establish Rapport: Prioritize building a positive and comfortable environment for participants. Begin the interview with icebreaker questions to establish rapport and put participants at ease.

3.5 Active Listening and Probing: Actively listen to participants and probe deeper when necessary. Use follow-up questions to encourage elaboration and explore different aspects of their experiences.

3.6 Recording and Note-Taking: Record the Inviews with participants' consent, either through audio or video. Take detailed notes during the conversation to capture key insights and non-verbal cues.

4. Best Practices for Inview Preparation 4.1 Prepare Engaging Questions: Craft questions that stimulate thoughtful responses and encourage participants to reflect on their experiences. Avoid leading or biased questions that may influence their answers.

4.2 Create an Interview Guide: Structure your interview guide with a logical flow to ensure a smooth conversation. Begin with broad topics and gradually delve into specific areas of interest.

4.3 Conduct Pilot Inviews: Before conducting the main Inviews, run a pilot session with a small group to test the interview guide, identify potential improvements, and refine your approach.

4.4 Select an Appropriate Setting: Choose a quiet and comfortable location for the Inviews to minimize distractions and create a conducive atmosphere for open conversations.

4.5 Test Recording Equipment: Ensure your recording equipment is functioning properly before the Inviews. Test audio or video quality to prevent any technical issues that could hinder data collection.

5. Tips for Effective Inview Execution 5.1 Active Engagement: Engage participants in an authentic and enthusiastic manner throughout the Inview. Show genuine interest in their responses, listen actively, and provide positive reinforcement.a

5.2 Non-Verbal Cues: Pay attention to participants' non-verbal cues, such as body language and facial expressions. These cues can provide valuable insights beyond their verbal responses.

5.3 Time Management: Manage the interview time effectively to cover all relevant topics without rushing or exceeding the allocated time. Prioritize questions based on their importance and relevance.

5.4 Follow-Up Questions: Use follow-up questions to explore participants' responses in more detail. Ask for examples, specific incidents, or elaboration to gather richer insights.

5.5 Summarize and Confirm: Summarize key points discussed during the Inview and ask participants to confirm your understanding. This ensures accuracy and allows participants to clarify any misinterpretations.

6. Analyzing and Utilizing Inview Data 6.1 Transcription and Documentation: Transcribe the recorded Inviews and document key findings. Organize the data for easy analysis, ensuring confidentiality and data protection.

6.2 Thematic Analysis: Conduct thematic analysis to identify recurring themes, patterns, and insights across the Inviews. Use qualitative data analysis techniques to extract meaningful information.

6.3 Visualize the Findings: Present the findings visually using charts, graphs, or infographics to enhance comprehension and communicate insights effectively.

6.4 Integration with Quantitative Data: Combine Inview data with quantitative data, such as survey results or analytics, to gain a comprehensive understanding of your target audience.

6.5 Actionable Recommendations: Use the insights gathered from Inviews to inform decision-making and drive meaningful actions within your organization. Translate the findings into actionable recommendations.

7. Common Challenges in Inviews 7.1 Participant Bias: Participants may exhibit bias based on their personal experiences, social norms, or desire for social approval. Be aware of these biases and consider them while interpreting the data.

7.2 Emotional Impact: Inviews can elicit emotional responses from participants, especially when discussing sensitive or personal topics. Ensure a supportive environment and offer post-interview support if needed.

7.3 Time Constraints: Limited time during the Inviews may restrict the depth of exploration. Manage time effectively and focus on the most crucial aspects to maximize the insights gained.

7.4 Sampling Bias: If the participant sample is not diverse or representative of the target audience, the insights gathered may not reflect the larger population accurately. Strive for diverse participation.

8. Overcoming Inview Obstacles 8.1 Probing and Clarifying: When encountering vague or incomplete responses, ask probing questions to encourage participants to elaborate. Seek clarification to ensure a comprehensive understanding.

8.2 Active Listening: Practice active listening to capture participants' complete thoughts and emotions. Avoid interrupting or imposing preconceived ideas during the conversation.

8.3 Flexibility in Approach: Adapt your interview style and approach based on participants' preferences and communication styles. Remain open to unexpected insights and adjust the conversation accordingly.

8.4 Empathy and Respect: Create a safe space where participants feel comfortable sharing their experiences. Show empathy, respect their perspectives, and avoid judgment or bias.

9. Integrating Inviews into Your Business Strategy Inviews can provide invaluable insights to guide various aspects of your business strategy:

10. Inviews vs. Surveys: Which is Better? While surveys offer scalability and quantitative data, Inviews provide qualitative depth and context. The choice between the two depends on research objectives, available resources, and the level of understanding required.

11. Examples of Successful Inviews 11.1 Healthcare Industry: Inviews with patients to gather feedback on healthcare services, improve patient experience, and develop patient-centric solutions.

11.2 User Experience Research: Inviews with website or app users to understand their needs, preferences, and pain points. Use insights to enhance the user interface and overall user experience.

12. Inviews in Different Industries 12.1 Education: Conduct Inviews with students to gain insights into learning preferences, study habits, and classroom experiences. Inform curriculum development and instructional strategies.

12.2 Retail: Use Inviews to understand consumer behavior, preferences, and motivations. Optimize product placement, store layout, and customer service to drive sales and customer satisfaction.

13. Future Trends in Inviews As technology advances, Inviews may evolve with the integration of virtual reality, artificial intelligence, and natural language processing. These innovations will enhance the depth and efficiency of data collection, analysis, and interpretation.

Conclusion Inviews offer a powerful and insightful approach to gathering qualitative data, enabling businesses to understand their target audience on a deeper level. By embracing meaningful conversations, businesses can unlock valuable insights that drive informed decision-making, product innovation, and customer-centric strategies.

FAQs

Q1. How long does an Inview typically last? An Inview's duration can vary depending on the research objectives and the depth of conversation required. On average, Inviews last between 30 minutes to an hour.

Q2. Can Inviews be conducted remotely? Yes, Inviews can be conducted remotely using video conferencing tools or phone calls. Remote Inviews offer flexibility and convenience for both researchers and participants.

Q3. How many participants should be included in an Inview session? The number of participants in an Inview session depends on the research goals and the depth of insights desired. Inviews can be conducted one-on-one or with small groups of 2-6 participants.

Q4. Can Inviews be used for market research? Absolutely. Inviews are an excellent method for conducting market research, as they provide in-depth insights into consumer behaviors, motivations, and preferences.

Q5. What steps should be taken to ensure participant confidentiality during Inviews? Prior to conducting Inviews, obtain participants' consent for recording and assure them of the confidentiality of their responses. Store and handle data securely, following data protection and privacy regulations.

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leadgeneration54-blog · 7 years ago

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10 Efficient Lead Generation Tactics You Should Implement

learn how to make 6 figures fast

It is a well known fact that without clients there is no business, but every day it becomes more difficult to obtain and retain them. Why? Customers are changing their consumption habits and are no longer easily influenced by traditional lead generation techniques.

learn how to make 6 figures fast However, many businesses are still obsessed with the old tactics and blindly trust them although they find it difficult to measure their effectiveness, but since they are actions that they can see and touch, they continue to apply them. On the other hand, there are businesses that are applying improved and efficient lead generation tactics which are gaining the maximum advantage of the internet, to achieve incredible results, reinventing the rules of the game. Like many marketers, you may be wondering, which of the most possible lead generation strategies is most effective. But marketing is constantly evolving, which means that new tactics are constantly emerging. Trends are continually changing, which is also true for buyer behavior. By regularly keeping you up-to-date on the latest innovations and technologies, you can optimize your sales tunnel to generate more leads. However, beware: Many marketing professionals spend a great deal of time and resources developing tactics that ultimately turn out to be inappropriate. It is therefore important to bet from the start on a winning strategy, that is to say adapted to your target audience and which will help you to aim higher and higher! Here are efficient lead generation tactics to help you

1. Establish the profile of your target audience User behavior is evolving at the same rate as technological innovations. That's why it's best to study your target audience and create effective personas to learn how to better exploit the weak points as the strengths of your potential buyers.

About these, ask yourself:

• What are their goals? • What issues are they facing? • What are they willing to invest to solve them? • What are their needs in terms of quality and quantity? The secret of a successful lead generation strategy? Do not just answer these questions once and for all. On the contrary, ask them regularly: you will see that the answers will evolve over time and that the time may have come to offer innovative products or special promotions to your customers forever.

2. Blogging While some argue that blogs do not add value but that is not true. It is safe to say that a company and / or organization that does not have a blog, is certainly dead. When you use the blog appropriately and combine it with a social media and SEO strategy, each blog post becomes a perpetual asset generating traffic and leads.

But the most important thing is that the blog allows you to position yourself as the experts in your business. When a potential client starts to explore an inbound path, your blog will provide the answers to their questions and give them the context to address it better.

3. Build a social community With Facebook having billions of registered users, it would be absurd not to take advantage of social media such as Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn and Google+. Simply having a presence on these sites and interaction with followers can have a very positive impact on the business. However building a community, does not mean just to win fans, it is something much further; called "engagement", that is, people share and comment, in other words, participate. Definitely, building a healthy community of enthusiastic consumers and fans of your brand does not happen overnight. This requires a serious strategy that is created more than anything by listening to customers, rather than imposing things. Here are 4 tips to motivate your community to share positive experiences on social networks:

• Listen carefully to what they talk about your brand. • Find that shared passion and build a dialogue around. • Create content that leads to an experience that keeps them engaged, participate and make them come back for more. • Build trust: Address issues and controversies openly and transparently.

4. Use Influencer An influencer is a person who has the ability to influence their community.

But, why use them?

• They can help you get your message with greater credibility. • Use it with a link between your brand and the community. • Generate a much richer brand experience. • Promote more credible recommendations. Using this technique is recommended especially for launching products or services, launching a brand, promoting a product or service, and events. There are even technological platforms like Fluvip , which automate the process of connecting brands with the most relevant influencers in the world in multiple channels.

5. Video Content According to eMarketer, the average time spent watching digital videos increased from 6 minutes in 2010 to 55 minutes in 2014 in the United States, revealing a growing preference of consumers for content in video format. This is because the video offers the opportunity to create moments that entertain and educate, increasing its authenticity for the viewer. In fact, a report by Unruly found that enjoying a video increases the purchase intention by 97% and the association with the brand by 139% .

The king of content is YouTube. If your plan is to incorporate video content marketing into your lead generation tactics, it is important that you make sure that you are following the following guidelines to achieve optimal success:

• Identify the objectives Whatever you want to achieve from your videos, take the time to define the objectives. It is only through defining the objectives that you can accurately measure if your content marketing strategy in video format has been successful. It is necessary to determine how you will know if you have really succeeded. For example, are you going to define success by the number of times the video is viewed? Or, are you going to measure success based on the number of actions the video receives?

• Define the relevant audience To make sure the video is successful; develop the marketing strategy thinking about the audience you want to call attention to.

• Includes "Calls to action" There are lots of videos with many views, but they fail to produce the desired results because they do not include a call to action. Think about what people want to do when they finish watching the video. In order to achieve the greatest impact, a call to action must be included in both a visual and audible form.

• Distribute the video intelligently Promote your videos through multiple channels, and make sure your videos are optimized for mobile viewing, as more and more users now watch videos from their mobile devices. Video consumption in the coming years will represent 69% of Internet traffic. If this opportunity is used to provide consumers with more information without being invasive, it has an enormous possibility to engage.

6. Join SMS and emails in your campaigns What is emailing for? Not only to keep in touch with your audience, but also to build a relationship with your leads. And while it is true that not all users frequently check their emails but all users read their SMS. Indeed, 95% of messages sent by SMS are read less than three minutes after being sent. Feel free to use this channel for your campaigns.

7. Expand your marketing campaigns For your marketing campaigns, test different strategies. Unify and develop your tactics through different lead generation channels. However, even if you take multiple ways to make yourself heard, remember: • to affirm the unique personality of your brand; • Make consistent choices, consistent with your brand philosophy. In other words, multiply the ways to make yourself known, but while providing a consistent picture of your business ... It is essential to build the trust of your audience!

8. Create quality content Today, on the internet, everything is history of contents. Try to be consistent in your publications. Not only will you gain credibility as an expert, but your rank will grow in the search engines and you will gain more credibility. Be careful though: do not create content just to create content. Strive to provide valuable texts to your target audience. By publishing valuable content that informs, educates and entertain, you will gain the loyalty of your leads. But it will be easier to convert once you have gained their trust.

9. Refine your SEO strategy How, your website is not yet in the first pages of Google? Only 10% of users go beyond the very first pages of results during an online search, hence the importance for your site to access the first ranks.

Today, SEO is both a matter of relevance and authority. To climb the ladder, increasing your traffic will not be enough. You will also need to tell more about your company and products to assert your authority in your field.

10. Think mobile first Nowadays, mobile devices are always faster and more efficient. That's why Smartphone and tablets have become the PCs of most users. It is high time that you adapt to this new state of affairs, by launching a version of your site for mobile. If it's already done, make sure:

• your pages have a suitable design • they promote immediate action by the user. • Participate in offline events

Being visible online is not enough. Your customers see you on the web, of course, but they must also see you physically! Participating in offline events such as trade shows or fairs can help you generate leads from areas of interest hitherto unheard of for you. Some companies, especially older and larger ones, should not be content with the web to get in touch with their partners and customers. They need to be able to associate a face with a name and trust a "real" person.

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go-addison · 6 years ago

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Learn Lead Generation

Learn Lead Generation It is a well known fact that without clients there is no business, but every day it becomes more difficult to obtain and retain them. Why? Customers are changing their consumption habits and are no longer easily influenced by traditional lead generation techniques. However, many businesses are still obsessed with the old tactics and blindly trust them although they find it difficult to measure their effectiveness, but since they are actions that they can see and touch, they continue to apply them. On the other hand, there are businesses that are applying improved and efficient lead generation tactics which are gaining the maximum advantage of the internet, to achieve incredible results, reinventing the rules of the game. Like many marketers, you may be wondering, which of the most possible lead generation strategies is most effective. But marketing is constantly evolving, which means that new tactics are constantly emerging. Trends are continually changing, which is also true for buyer behavior. By regularly keeping you up-to-date on the latest innovations and technologies, you can optimize your sales tunnel to generate more leads. However, beware: Many marketing professionals spend a great deal of time and resources developing tactics that ultimately turn out to be inappropriate. It is therefore important to bet from the start on a winning strategy, that is to say adapted to your target audience and which will help you to aim higher and higher! Here are efficient lead generation tactics to help you • Establish the profile of your target audience User behavior is evolving at the same rate as technological innovations. That's why it's best to study your target audience and create effective personas to learn how to better exploit the weak points as the strengths of your potential buyers. About these, ask yourself: • What are their goals? • What issues are they facing? • What are they willing to invest to solve them? • What are their needs in terms of quality and quantity? The secret of a successful lead generation strategy? Do not just answer these questions once and for all. On the contrary, ask them regularly: you will see that the answers will evolve over time and that the time may have come to offer innovative products or special promotions to your customers forever. • Blogging While some argue that blogs do not add value but that is not true. It is safe to say that a company and / or organization that does not have a blog, is certainly dead. When you use the blog appropriately and combine it with a social media and SEO strategy, each blog post becomes a perpetual asset generating traffic and leads. But the most important thing is that the blog allows you to position yourself as the experts in your business. When a potential client starts to explore an inbound path, your blog will provide the answers to their questions and give them the context to address it better. • Build a social community With Facebook having billions of registered users, it would be absurd not to take advantage of social media such as Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn and Google+. Simply having a presence on these sites and interaction with followers can have a very positive impact on the business. However, building a community, does not mean just to win fans, it is something much further; called "engagement", that is, people share and comment, in other words, participate. Definitely, building a healthy community of enthusiastic consumers and fans of your brand does not happen overnight. This requires a serious strategy that is created more than anything by listening to customers, rather than imposing things. Here are 4 tips to motivate your community to share positive experiences on social networks: • Listen carefully to what they talk about your brand. • Find that shared passion and build a dialogue around. • Create content that leads to an experience that keeps them engaged, participate and make them come back for more. • Build trust: Address issues and controversies openly and transparently. • Use Influencer An influencer is a person who has the ability to influence their community. But, why use them? • They can help you get your message with greater credibility. • Use it with a link between your brand and the community. • Generate a much richer brand experience. • Promote more credible recommendations. Using this technique is recommended especially for launching products or services, launching a brand, promoting a product or service, and events. There are even technological platforms like Fluvip , which automate the process of connecting brands with the most relevant influencers in the world in multiple channels. • Video Content According to eMarketer, the average time spent watching digital videos increased from 6 minutes in 2010 to 55 minutes in 2014 in the United States, revealing a growing preference of consumers for content in video format. This is because the video offers the opportunity to create moments that entertain and educate, increasing its authenticity for the viewer. In fact, a report by Unruly found that enjoying a video increases the purchase intention by 97% and the association with the brand by 139% . The king of content is YouTube. If your plan is to incorporate video content marketing into your lead generation tactics, it is important that you make sure that you are following the following guidelines to achieve optimal success: • Identify the objectives Whatever you want to achieve from your videos, take the time to define the objectives. It is only through defining the objectives that you can accurately measure if your content marketing strategy in video format has been successful. It is necessary to determine how you will know if you have really succeeded. For example, are you going to define success by the number of times the video is viewed? Or, are you going to measure success based on the number of actions the video receives? • Define the relevant audience To make sure the video is successful; develop the marketing strategy thinking about the audience you want to call attention to. • Includes "Calls to action" There are lots of videos with many views, but they fail to produce the desired results because they do not include a call to action. Think about what people want to do when they finish watching the video. In order to achieve the greatest impact, a call to action must be included in both a visual and audible form. • Distribute the video intelligently Promote your videos through multiple channels, and make sure your videos are optimized for mobile viewing, as more and more users now watch videos from their mobile devices. Video consumption in the coming years will represent 69% of Internet traffic. If this opportunity is used to provide consumers with more information without being invasive, it has an enormous possibility to engage. • Join SMS and emails in your campaigns What is emailing for? Not only to keep in touch with your audience, but also to build a relationship with your leads. And while it is true that not all users frequently check their emails but all users read their SMS. Indeed, 95% of messages sent by SMS are read less than three minutes after being sent. Feel free to use this channel for your campaigns. • Expand your marketing campaigns For your marketing campaigns, test different strategies. Unify and develop your tactics through different lead generation channels. However, even if you take multiple ways to make yourself heard, remember: • to affirm the unique personality of your brand; • Make consistent choices, consistent with your brand philosophy. In other words, multiply the ways to make yourself known, but while providing a consistent picture of your business ... It is essential to build the trust of your audience! • Create quality content Today, on the internet, everything is history of contents. Try to be consistent in your publications. Not only will you gain credibility as an expert, but your rank will grow in the search engines and you will gain more credibility. Be careful though: do not create content just to create content. Strive to provide valuable texts to your target audience. By publishing valuable content that informs, educates and entertain, you will gain the loyalty of your leads. But it will be easier to convert once you have gained their trust. • Refine your SEO strategy How, your website is not yet in the first pages of Google? Only 10% of users go beyond the very first pages of results during an online search, hence the importance for your site to access the first ranks. Today, SEO is both a matter of relevance and authority. To climb the ladder, increasing your traffic will not be enough. You will also need to tell more about your company and products to assert your authority in your field. • Think mobile first Nowadays, mobile devices are always faster and more efficient. That's why Smartphone and tablets have become the PCs of most users. It is high time that you adapt to this new state of affairs, by launching a version of your site for mobile. If it's already done, make sure: • your pages have a suitable design • they promote immediate action by the user. • Participate in offline events Being visible online is not enough. Your customers see you on the web, of course, but they must also see you physically! Participating in offline events such as trade shows or fairs can help you generate leads from areas of interest hitherto unheard of for you. Some companies, especially older and larger ones, should not be content with the web to get in touch with their partners and customers. They need to be able to associate a face with a name and trust a "real" person.

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unixcommerce · 5 years ago

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How to Conduct a Focus Group

Focus groups are useful for businesses that want to learn more about their customers or a potential target audience. They allow you to gather insights and engage in interactive conversations that can shape your business decisions.

So what are focus groups, exactly? Generally, it’s a guided discussion with a representative group of consumers about a new product, initiative, or marketing campaign. You ask questions and facilitate a dialogue among your target market to learn about their opinions and then use those insights to shape your campaigns or launches going forward.

Once you’ve decided that your small business needs to hold focus groups, you need to figure out how to get it done. Here’s how to run a focus group.

How to Run a Focus Group

Not all focus groups are the same. But there is a general list of steps that can help guide your journey toward gathering useful information from target customers.

Set Goals

Every focus group should have a specific goal. Don’t treat it as a general market research session; instead, use it as an opportunity to learn about consumers’ opinions about a specific part of your initiative. For example, if you’re thinking about implementing a new product line full of eco-friendly items, your topics of discussion should focus on how much customers value this quality, rather than other aspects of those products.

Specify Your Target Market

You also need to think about what target customers you want to learn from. If a new product is mainly just aimed at an older demographic, you should focus on this group. Generally, you want a representative group, so try to get people from every demographic or interest group that might make up your relevant customer base.

Choose a Location and Time

You need a physical location large enough to accommodate your participants in one space, like a hall or large meeting room. Generally, you just want about five to fifteen participants in each conversation. However, you should make it easy for everyone to get to, with ample parking or close to public transit. When scheduling, be mindful of the time when your ideal participants are likely to be available. For example, if you’re marketing to professionals, it should probably be after work hours.

Recruit

Then it’s time to actually invite people to take part in your focus group. You can reach out directly to customers from your email address or list, or advertise the opportunity in publications or outlets that are popular with the group or target market. For example, if you’re looking for pet owners in your community, put up ads around local veterinary offices. Ask people to reach out to confirm, and you might even offer a small gift or incentive for participating.

Write Questions

Once you have your goals and participants in mind, you need to get more specific about what you want to ask. All questions should be focused on your objectives, with each designed to spark deep conversations. Try to keep everything unbiased and open-ended, like “why” and “how” questions.

Facilitate the Group

Now you get to actually run the event. Ideally, you should have two or more team members present. One is there to ask the questions and facilitate discussions. The other should take notes, record, and provide support throughout the session. While it’s important to stick with a general outline and list of topics, you should also stay open-minded and allow participants to bring up points that they think are important. You might be surprised by what you learn if you simply follow a thread and give people a forum to share openly.

Analyze the Results

Your focus group is only effective if you’re able to act on the information provided. Take some time afterward to go through the notes and recordings to dig into the information that participants provided. You might notice trends that shape your campaigns or initiatives or note interesting points you hadn’t thought of before. Then you can act on that information to improve your new products or marketing campaigns based on the results.

Focus Group Tips

Running a successful focus group takes a lot of careful planning and finesse. If you’re new to this concept, take these tips to heart as you plan, facilitate, and analyze this useful market research method.

1. Prioritize Objectives

Aside from your general goal for the focus group, create a shortlist of questions you want to answer by the end. These aren��t necessarily the exact questions you ask; those should be designed to facilitate conversations surrounding your objectives.

2. Break Down Customer Groups

You also need to evaluate what demographic groups you want to include in your focus group. Then determine what percentage of each group should fit with each type of customer.

3. Separate Groups If Necessary

If you want to get information from multiple groups but you’re worried about customers not sharing honestly with the full group present, consider separating them and running different groups. For example, certain topics might not be comfortable for men and women to discuss in the same room, so you might separate them into two groups.

4. Choose a Convenient Location

You need to make it as easy as possible for participants to show up. So choose a public place that’s easily accessible and won’t take too much time for people to travel to and from. Then provide clear directions so everyone knows exactly how to get there. Bonus if there’s free parking or access to nearby busses or trains.

5. Create a Comfortable Atmosphere

You want your participants to feel comfortable so they can speak openly and stay focused throughout the session. Set a comfortable temperature and provide nice seating with enough space for everyone. To make people feel socially comfortable, set out name tags for everyone so they can get to know each other and introduce yourself in a friendly way as they arrive. You might also provide light refreshments, especially if you plan on keeping them for an hour or more.

6. Invite More Participants Than You Need

Even if you provide an incentive, some of your participants might not show up due to last-minute schedule conflicts, so you may want to invite more people than you can actually use for the focus group. Don’t go overboard, because you don’t want the room to be too crowded, but if you want a group of 10, consider inviting 12 or so just in case. Ideally, create a range of acceptable groups and then invite the highest number you’d be comfortable with.

7. Start with the Most Important Questions

Participants are likely to be most focused and open to discussion early on. So prioritize the questions you really want to cover upfront. This will also help you make sure those get answered just in case other topics run longer than expected or discussion veers off course in an unexpected direction.

8. Word Questions to Facilitate Discussion

Steer clear of yes or no questions as much as possible, and try to keep everything open so people talk for as long as possible. The whole purpose of a focus group is to gather information, so diving deep is almost always beneficial. Try to use topics that start with “what,” “why,” and “how” as much as possible.

9. Vary Question Types

However, you can keep people’s interest better if your questions vary in format. For example, you might go with some open-ended questions, some word association games, and some loose discussions. Try to evenly spread these question types out throughout the session. Create different sections so people don’t get bored and the focus group doesn’t feel too repetitive.

10. Keep Questions Neutral

You should also avoid biased wording. If participants think you’re looking for a specific response, they’re likely to tell you what you want to hear. Since your goal should be to gather honest feedback, stay away from questions that include wording like “Wouldn’t you say…?” or “Don’t you think…?”

11. Ask Follow Up Questions

Your focus group might reveal topics or information that you didn’t expect, so you should be open to asking questions not on your list. You might prepare a few potential follow-ups, but you should also be prepared to think on the fly.

12. Speak Directly to Quiet Participants

Sometimes, one person might dominate the discussion in a focus group, so make sure to address other participants directly so you can gather insights from everyone. You don’t need to be rude or demanding, just go around the room or direct certain questions to specific individuals.

13. Consider Quick Ice Breakers

At the beginning of the focus group, you might consider going around the room and asking people to introduce themselves or share quick ice-breaker questions. This can help people feel more comfortable opening up with other participants.

14. Take Notes

Even if you’re recording the session, noting specific parts of the session can help you refer back to useful insights later on. Have a team member who’s not facilitating the session listen in and call attention to points that seem important.

15. Record Sessions

Even with notes, you may want to go back and listen to the full discussion later on. An audio or video recording can help you go back with other team members so you can analyze everything carefully.

16. Notice Body Language

Not all of your insights have to come from things that were actually said during the focus group. Sometimes, you can learn just as much by looking at people’s faces and noticing their body language as they talk. Have your note taker specify things like facial expressions and posture throughout the session. For example, a person who sits up and gets wide-eyed during a specific ad or question shows that they’re especially interested in that area. And if possible, a video recording can help you more effectively analyze this aspect of the focus group later on.

17. Keep It Short

Time is an important element of planning focus groups. The longer your focus group runs, the more likely your participants may start to get bored or disengaged. This can lead to less accurate insights or less engaged discussion. To keep everyone’s attention, try to keep it to about an hour to an hour and a half. Practice the session beforehand and keep an eye on the time throughout the discussion to keep it moving along.

18. Wrap Up Key Points

During the discussion, participants may sometimes make points that are a bit complex or disconnected. To keep other participants engaged and clear up everything for you and your team members, try to wrap up these points periodically. Just summarize in your own words in a simplified manner. Then you can ask to make sure you have a clear understanding of what they meant.

19. Look for Overall Themes

As you go through and analyze the discussion from the focus group, try to look out for recurring themes or points that multiple participants have used or made. You don’t need to act on every single point that each individual makes, but those that come up, again and again, are likely worth at least exploring.

20. Collect Personal Information

You need to collect consent from each focus group participant. You should also gather some basic personal information so you can break down insights even further. Before you get started, have each person fill out a quick form that grants you permission to use their insights and asks about their email address or contact information and basic demographic data. This can help you notice deeper trends from the sessions. For example, you might notice that older participants tend to feel more positively toward your potential new product than younger participants. This could allow you to more easily determine who to market your new product to.

Conclusion

Focus groups are a popular market research method used for learning more about your customers. If you’ve never hosted a focus group for your small business before, the tips above can allow you to stay organized and actually pull valuable insights from the participants that can make your new initiatives successful. Once you host your first focus group, you can learn what strategies you used worked best for your business and then make adjustments as you move forward. Each time you conduct focus groups for your business, you’re likely to get even better at each step and ultimately gather more beneficial results.

Image: Depositphotos.com

This article, “How to Conduct a Focus Group” was first published on Small Business Trends

https://smallbiztrends.com/

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businessreviewguidenow · 5 years ago

Text

How to Conduct a Focus Group

Once you’ve decided that your small business needs to hold focus groups, you need to figure out how to get it done. Here’s how to run a focus group.

How to Run a Focus Group

Not all focus groups are the same. But there is a general list of steps that can help guide your journey toward gathering useful information from target customers.

Set Goals

Specify Your Target Market

Choose a Location and Time

Recruit

Write Questions

Facilitate the Group

Analyze the Results

Focus Group Tips

1. Prioritize Objectives

Aside from your general goal for the focus group, create a shortlist of questions you want to answer by the end. These aren’t necessarily the exact questions you ask; those should be designed to facilitate conversations surrounding your objectives.

2. Break Down Customer Groups

You also need to evaluate what demographic groups you want to include in your focus group. Then determine what percentage of each group should fit with each type of customer.

3. Separate Groups If Necessary

4. Choose a Convenient Location

5. Create a Comfortable Atmosphere

6. Invite More Participants Than You Need

7. Start with the Most Important Questions

8. Word Questions to Facilitate Discussion

9. Vary Question Types

10. Keep Questions Neutral

11. Ask Follow Up Questions

12. Speak Directly to Quiet Participants

13. Consider Quick Ice Breakers

14. Take Notes

15. Record Sessions

Even with notes, you may want to go back and listen to the full discussion later on. An audio or video recording can help you go back with other team members so you can analyze everything carefully.

16. Notice Body Language

17. Keep It Short

18. Wrap Up Key Points

19. Look for Overall Themes

20. Collect Personal Information

Conclusion

Image: Depositphotos.com

This article, “How to Conduct a Focus Group” was first published on Small Business Trends

source https://smallbiztrends.com/2020/06/how-to-conduct-a-focus-group.html

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#shoplocal #businessreview

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memozing · 5 years ago

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#online learning

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goodra-king · 6 years ago

Text

How to Bring Your Social Media Engagement Back From The Dead

How to Bring Your Social Media Engagement Back From The Dead written by John Jantsch read more at Duct Tape Marketing

A social media page that lacks content and lies dormant might as well not exist at all. But if you’ve let your social pages lapse into a state of disrepair, it’s not too late for them!

It is totally possible to revitalize and refresh your social media presence and bring your engagement back from the dead. Here’s how you do it.

Do a Basic Profile Audit

Before you turn to creating content, you want to make sure the bones of your page are up to snuff. All of your social media pages should feature your business’s name, location, contact information, and hours. If any of these are missing or wrong, now’s the time to update.

Additionally, make sure your pages are branded. Your logo should be included in the profile photos for each of your social pages. A tool like Canva makes it very easy to format your logo and relevant images to fit any social profile across platforms.

Post Regularly

Once your pages are looking fresh, it’s time to think about content creation. Establishing a regular posting schedule is truly the golden rule of all social media. Regular posting creates a sense of familiarity with your brand. Plus, the more content you share, the more your followers come to know and like your brand’s voice and identity. Your business begins to feel like an old friend, and that’s when people feel comfortable interacting with your content.

When you come and go from people’s social media feeds, that can actually make people feel distrustful of your brand. Why is there a flurry of activity one week followed by silence for the next two? It makes your brand seem scattered, and that’s not the way to generate positive attention online.

Don’t Just Sell, Provide Advice

Of course, it’s not just about the regularity of your posts, it’s also about their content and quality. The beauty of social media is that it allows you to establish authentic connections with your followers, so the last thing you want to do is create a series of salesy posts.

Instead, provide advice and useful information. Establish yourself as an expert in your field, and followers will find themselves turning to your content when they need a question answered. Sharing tips and knowledge also gives your followers something more substantive to comment on. People are far more likely to leave words of thanks or additional questions on an informative post than they are to say anything in response to content that is purely about selling a product or service.

Talk with Your Biggest Fans

When someone does take the time to engage with your brand, you want to reciprocate! Leave no comment left unrecognized, no question unanswered. When fans take the time to post a shout-out to your brand on social media, re-share the post and thank them for the kind words!

Again, social media is all about creating dialogues with your real customers, and giving them a sense that there are real, kind, knowledgeable people behind your brand.

Share Visually Exciting Content

Another way to catch the eye of those scrolling past your content in their feeds is to make it visually appealing. Rather than relying on text alone, always include an attention-grabbing graphic. Video is an increasingly popular method for reaching consumers, and live video in particular is very engaging. Viewers are excited to catch the content right as it’s being created, and it gives you the opportunity to answer questions and speak in real time with your followers.

Use Hashtags Wisely

It’s great to engage with those who already follow you on social media, but if you want to expand your reach, using hashtags is a great way to do so. Whenever you post content, include a handful of relevant hashtags on the post.

Viveka von Rosen shared her hashtag best practices for LinkedIn, but they’re really relevant anywhere. Select three to four hashtags that are relevant to the community you’re trying to reach and add one that is unique to your business. Using those community-specific hashtags will put your content in front of those who are interested in your industry or field of expertise. That’s the best way to get discovered by a new, relevant audience on social media.

Create Friendly Competition

Social media contests are yet another creative way to engage with your existing followers and broaden your reach. Create a contest that encourages followers to share content about your brand. If you run an ice cream shop, maybe it’s asking fans to take a selfie with a bowl or cone of their favorite flavor. If you run a dog grooming business, run a pet costume contest leading up to Halloween. Whatever it is, make it a fun, exciting challenge that followers will want to be a part of.

Establishing a hashtag for the competition not only allows you to track entries, it also helps to create buzz around the contest and generate broader attention.

Once it’s all over, be sure to post about the winner and share a photo or video of them with their fabulous prize on your social channels.

Get Involved in Pertinent Groups

Another way to reach beyond your existing audience is to become a member of groups that are aligned with your business’s solutions. Let’s say you’re opening up a nail salon in Akron, Ohio. You can join groups about nail art design or groups for nail technicians. Additionally, you can target community groups that attract those in the Akron area.

Once you’ve joined the groups, get involved in the conversations that are happening there! If someone asks for advice on what type of acrylic nails are best, share your opinion. If someone in the Akron group asks for recommendations for low-key bachelorette party ideas, humbly suggest that they might stop by your salon for a little bit of pampering.

It’s hard to keep up with social media. But even if you’ve let your once-great social presence go flat, it’s never too late to revive it! Taking a few simple steps to keep your page updated and stay on top of engaging with your followers can make a world of difference in generating meaningful conversations and connections with leads and customers alike.

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#Marketing Plan

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a-breton · 7 years ago

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11 Content Curation and Collaboration Tools to Save You Time

Editor’s note: You may have missed the original version of this post a couple years ago. We’re sharing Aaron’s updated version today, as more efficient teamwork is a constant need for content marketers.

As content marketers, we have our work cut out for us.

Getting original ideas off the ground is hard enough. Unfortunately, when we add all the curating, collecting, and collaborating necessary for full-scale engagement, overwhelmed is an understatement.

Yet, curating and collaborating is essential. And not just for in-house research. By a landslide, social media posts top the lists of types of content both B2C (96%) and B2B (94%) marketers say they use.

The problem is that social media marketing is notoriously self-centered. Without curation, we inevitably pack our feeds with pitch after promotion after pitch. And, without collaboration, we end up being echo chambers of our proclivities — instead of a diverse repository of thought leadership.

Without curation, marketers pack their feeds with pitch after promotion after pitch, says @AaronOrendorff. Click To Tweet

When Content Marketing Institute and MarketingProfs asked B2B marketers what was holding them back from developing a full-scale content marketing strategy, the top two roadblocks were a “small team” (67%) and “lack of time” (44%):

The question is: How can you create a system to curate and collaborate on content that doesn’t require more people or waste your time?

The answer lies in these 11 tools.

HANDPICKED RELATED CONTENT:

How to Curate Content Like A Pro: 8 Lessons [Examples]

Amplify Your Top-Performing Assets With This 3-Step Curation Process

1. Quuu

Before getting into Quuu, let me head off an objection: “How is Evernote not No. 1?”

Two reasons. First, because most of us already use Evernote for content marketing, including it wouldn’t be groundbreaking. Second, mastering Evernote can be daunting and it’s not a platform I can speak to with expertise.

What I can speak to is the desire to automate social sharing without losing the human touch.

Use @quuu_co to automate social sharing without losing the human touch, says @AaronOrendorff. Click To Tweet

Enter Quuu. Quuu is the first social-sharing automation tool curated by humans, vetted by humans, designed for humans. Here’s how it works:

The Quuu community submits unique social posts through Quuu Promote into categories that are reviewed by Quuu’s editorial board to ensure quality. Those posts are then shared automatically across your connected social accounts — Twitter, LinkedIn, and Facebook — or you can have Quuu send you daily suggestions to quickly sort through yourself. Both the automatic sharing and suggestions are based on your selection of relevant categories.

In addition, its Collections offer even more choices for direct and native sharing:

Click to enlarge

But, what if you want to go beyond individual curation?

2. Smarp

Naturally, I’m a huge fan of Slack for direct sharing and company-wide communication channels. The struggle with Slack is that — without augmentation from plug-ins — it’s difficult to overlap with group collecting and direct social sharing.

With a UI that resembles social networks, Smarp specializes in employee advocacy: the art of leveraging staff at all levels to become brand ambassadors.

Use @BeSmarp to solicit #content for sharing or research within departments. @AaronOrendorff Click To Tweet

While that external focus is valuable, you can also set up Smarp for internal collaboration around categories or departments. By essentially creating “feeds,” marketers can more easily collaborate with subject matter experts within their companies to (1) solicit content for sharing or research, (2) start niche dialogues around that content, and (3) enable integrated social sharing either from official channels or by employees themselves.

Click to enlarge

3. Zoho Social

As a collection-and-sharing hub, Smarp excels. But what if you need more granular control over internal roles as well as external clients? That’s where Zoho Social comes in. Zoho is a full-scale social-sharing platform akin to Buffer or CoSchedule on agency-enabling steroids.

For the purposes of this article, it’s the collaboration tool set that shines.

A collaboration tool like @zohosocial allows you & your team to make decisions faster. @AaronOrendorff Click To Tweet

On Zoho, for instance, you can set roles with corresponding access and permissions. Clients can view and interact with shared dashboards, collaboration tabs, and reports, while staff — e.g., writers or social media managers — can alternate between open and closed conversations.

Click to enlarge

4. Flipboard

Where the previous two tools excel as closed hubs for content curation and collection, Flipboard operates at the other end of the spectrum. With just over 100 million monthly active users in nearly 200 countries, its audience falls evenly along generational lines — millennial, generation X, and baby boomer — as well as gender lines.

Built to be the content equivalent of Pinterest’s visual dominance, Flipboard is a robust platform not just for public-facing curation but for driving traffic.

.@Flipboard is a robust platform for public-facing curation AND for driving traffic, says @AaronOrendorff. Click To Tweet

Although it lacks the seamless social integrations and control levels of Zoho, you can still use Flipboard to create private boards for internal collaboration with your team:

Click to enlarge

HANDPICKED RELATED CONTENT: 7 Apps and Tools Obsessed by Content Marketers

5. Curata

Pawan Deshpande, CEO and visionary behind Curata, knows a thing or two about content.

He has worked for both Microsoft and Google, so when he talks about content curation, we listen:

By having content curation involved in your company’s overall marketing plan, your company can save time, money, and resources. Without it, your company’s content marketers will be suffering from burnout. Content curation is the only way to go.

Without #content curation, your company’s content marketers will be suffering from burnout. @TweetsFromPawan Click To Tweet

Curata’s content curation software — a paid service — guides you through the process of finding, curating, and sharing content to your target market with consistency and data-backed ease.

Curata’s specialty is personalization. Discover and sort content served up from a smart engine. It’s this intelligent content technology that allows Curata to learn your interests and directly deliver content that’s valuable to you.

Click to enlarge

6. ScribbleLive Trapit

Following in Curata’s footsteps, ScribbleLive Trapit is another reader-learning engine.

However, ScribbleLive’s specialty is tapping into the content curation and publishing power that most enterprise organizations overlook — their employees. By enlisting insiders for ideas and promoting content from the inside out, you can improve your organic following, influence, and overall reach.

.@scribblelive is a tool that learns interests of users & gathers custom-picked articles. @AaronOrendorff Click To Tweet

This discovery tool, which has been compared to Flipboard, learns the unique interests of each user and gathers custom-picked articles.

Boost your content marketing ROI by empowering people across departments to become advocates, evangelists, and leaders among their online circles.

Click to enlarge

7. BuzzSumo

BuzzSumo is the mother of all social-measuring and virality tools. Back when I was targeting mainstream publishers for guest posting, it was literally my first stop in the research process.

Why? Because BuzzSumo allows you to search URLs (i.e., domains) or keywords using a host of filters — like date, location, content type, and even word count — and then share that content directly to every imaginable platform:

Click to enlarge

Of course, you probably know that already. What you might not know — and the reason BuzzSumo is one of my go-to tools for collection and curation — is you can create team “Projects” by saving specific results or uploading a bulk list of URLs:

Click to enlarge

Projects let you not only collaborate internally, they also enable you to identify the top influencers in very specific niches to reach out for external collaboration. Plus, the Chrome extension works almost identically to Evernote with all the added benefits mentioned above included.

Use @buzzsumo to identify top influencers to reach out to for external collaboration. @AaronOrendorff #tools Click To Tweet

8. Scoop.it!

If you’re unfamiliar, Scoop.it! grew up as a lowly algorithm destined to change the way content is promoted, shared, and curated. Since its 2011 launch, Scoop.it! has built a thriving community appealing to individuals and businesses alike.

When you’re on Scoop.it!, you’re essentially surfing the web to find vetted and targeted content from and for your audience. You can then “scoop it” to publish either your own work or your favorite pieces from other sites.

Instant, one-click publishing is what makes Scoop.it! especially valuable for content curation management. Not only does this create a digital paper trail to mine, but it also connects you with influencers in your niche.

Instant, one-click publishing is what makes @ScoopIt valuable for #contentcuration management. @AaronOrendorff. Click To Tweet

Options for discovering, publishing, and curating content abound.

Click to enlarge

9. Feedly

Here’s a Really Simple Syndication (RSS) feed that truly satisfies when it comes to content curation. We all know that reading is good for idea formation, but not every feed reader is created equal.

Feedly delivers by offering a business-centered content focus. Also, it incorporates YouTube videos to add a powerful boost to the written content world.

Feedly’s best benefit is its privacy feature. You can conduct your content brainstorming behind the scenes with your team. This is a huge bonus, as content creation success hinges on the ability of your team to work together. In fact, teamwork is the focus of the next tool on the list as well.

.@feedly’s best benefit is its privacy feature, says @AaronOrendorff. #contentcuration #tools Click To Tweet

Click to enlarge

HANDPICKED RELATED CONTENT: The 3 Most Effective (And Overlooked) Content Curation Strategies

10. Triberr

If it takes a village to raise a child, what does it take to raise a company’s content?

Triberr. One of the non-obvious ways to promote content is to dive into a content community. Triberr is essentially a digital coffeehouse or corner pub, delivering readers to your content while exposing you to new content. Blogger communities can support each other’s content, inspire ideas, and drive traffic from one location.

While criticized for its auto-posting tactics (theoretically, a user can tweet about an article without ever reading it), Triberr remains a premier method of exchanging ideas and accolades in a professionally focused group.

Use @Triberr to exchange ideas & accolades in a professionally focused group. @AaronOrendorff #tools Click To Tweet

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HANDPICKED RELATED CONTENT: 19 Favorite Tools for Content Promotion in 2017

11. Pinterest

To be honest, I never would have thought to include Pinterest as a content curation tool. Sure, it’s a great marketing and community platform, but collection and curation?

What opened my eyes was Nicole Kohler’s article, The Powerful Content Curation Tool You’re Not Using:

Pinterest may seem like just another fluffy, feel-good website full of cupcake photos and endless boards of shoes, but beneath its soft exterior lies the makings of a powerful content curation machine.

What makes Pinterest a powerful content curation machine? First, Pinterest is a direct connection to your audience. Follow your followers and your feed will hand you what they like.

Second, Pinterest is visual. As you build a content library it can be easy to become fixated on SEO, keywords, and search queries. Pinterest reminds us that humans are creatures heavily reliant upon visual cues.

Follow your @Pinterest followers & your feed will hand you the #content that they like. @AaronOrendorff Click To Tweet

Another great feature of Pinterest is that it can boost creativity when it comes to your content ideas. And — since the half-life of Pinterest content is three and a half months — your team won’t be finding stale material.

More curating, less time

Naturally, diving into all 11 tools for curating, collecting, and collaborating can be overwhelming. So don’t. The point is to simplify your process and find out what works for your content curation management needs.

Please note: All tools included in our blog posts are suggested by authors, not the CMI editorial team. No one post can provide all relevant tools in the space. Feel free to include additional tools in the comments (from your company or ones that you have used).

Curate hundreds of great content marketing lessons in a single location. Register today for Content Marketing World Sept. 4-7 and use code BLOG100 to save $100.

Cover image by Joseph Kalinowski/Content Marketing World

from http://bit.ly/2yPA7Oc

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hotspreadpage · 7 years ago

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11 Content Curation and Collaboration Tools to Save You Time

As content marketers, we have our work cut out for us.

Getting original ideas off the ground is hard enough. Unfortunately, when we add all the curating, collecting, and collaborating necessary for full-scale engagement, overwhelmed is an understatement.

Without curation, marketers pack their feeds with pitch after promotion after pitch, says @AaronOrendorff. Click To Tweet

The question is: How can you create a system to curate and collaborate on content that doesn’t require more people or waste your time?

The answer lies in these 11 tools.

HANDPICKED RELATED CONTENT:

How to Curate Content Like A Pro: 8 Lessons [Examples]

Amplify Your Top-Performing Assets With This 3-Step Curation Process

1. Quuu

Before getting into Quuu, let me head off an objection: “How is Evernote not No. 1?”

What I can speak to is the desire to automate social sharing without losing the human touch.

Use @quuu_co to automate social sharing without losing the human touch, says @AaronOrendorff. Click To Tweet

Enter Quuu. Quuu is the first social-sharing automation tool curated by humans, vetted by humans, designed for humans. Here’s how it works:

In addition, its Collections offer even more choices for direct and native sharing:

Click to enlarge

But, what if you want to go beyond individual curation?

2. Smarp

With a UI that resembles social networks, Smarp specializes in employee advocacy: the art of leveraging staff at all levels to become brand ambassadors.

Use @BeSmarp to solicit #content for sharing or research within departments. @AaronOrendorff Click To Tweet

Click to enlarge

3. Zoho Social

For the purposes of this article, it’s the collaboration tool set that shines.

A collaboration tool like @zohosocial allows you & your team to make decisions faster. @AaronOrendorff Click To Tweet

Click to enlarge

4. Flipboard

Built to be the content equivalent of Pinterest’s visual dominance, Flipboard is a robust platform not just for public-facing curation but for driving traffic.

.@Flipboard is a robust platform for public-facing curation AND for driving traffic, says @AaronOrendorff. Click To Tweet

Although it lacks the seamless social integrations and control levels of Zoho, you can still use Flipboard to create private boards for internal collaboration with your team:

Click to enlarge

HANDPICKED RELATED CONTENT: 7 Apps and Tools Obsessed by Content Marketers

5. Curata

Pawan Deshpande, CEO and visionary behind Curata, knows a thing or two about content.

He has worked for both Microsoft and Google, so when he talks about content curation, we listen:

Without #content curation, your company’s content marketers will be suffering from burnout. @TweetsFromPawan Click To Tweet

Curata’s content curation software — a paid service — guides you through the process of finding, curating, and sharing content to your target market with consistency and data-backed ease.

Click to enlarge

6. ScribbleLive Trapit

Following in Curata’s footsteps, ScribbleLive Trapit is another reader-learning engine.

.@scribblelive is a tool that learns interests of users & gathers custom-picked articles. @AaronOrendorff Click To Tweet

This discovery tool, which has been compared to Flipboard, learns the unique interests of each user and gathers custom-picked articles.

Boost your content marketing ROI by empowering people across departments to become advocates, evangelists, and leaders among their online circles.

Click to enlarge

7. BuzzSumo

BuzzSumo is the mother of all social-measuring and virality tools. Back when I was targeting mainstream publishers for guest posting, it was literally my first stop in the research process.

Click to enlarge

Use @buzzsumo to identify top influencers to reach out to for external collaboration. @AaronOrendorff #tools Click To Tweet

8. Scoop.it!

Instant, one-click publishing is what makes @ScoopIt valuable for #contentcuration management. @AaronOrendorff. Click To Tweet

Options for discovering, publishing, and curating content abound.

Click to enlarge

9. Feedly

Feedly delivers by offering a business-centered content focus. Also, it incorporates YouTube videos to add a powerful boost to the written content world.

.@feedly’s best benefit is its privacy feature, says @AaronOrendorff. #contentcuration #tools Click To Tweet

Click to enlarge

HANDPICKED RELATED CONTENT: The 3 Most Effective (And Overlooked) Content Curation Strategies

10. Triberr

If it takes a village to raise a child, what does it take to raise a company’s content?

Use @Triberr to exchange ideas & accolades in a professionally focused group. @AaronOrendorff #tools Click To Tweet

Click to enlarge

HANDPICKED RELATED CONTENT: 19 Favorite Tools for Content Promotion in 2017

11. Pinterest

To be honest, I never would have thought to include Pinterest as a content curation tool. Sure, it’s a great marketing and community platform, but collection and curation?

What opened my eyes was Nicole Kohler’s article, The Powerful Content Curation Tool You’re Not Using:

What makes Pinterest a powerful content curation machine? First, Pinterest is a direct connection to your audience. Follow your followers and your feed will hand you what they like.

Follow your @Pinterest followers & your feed will hand you the #content that they like. @AaronOrendorff Click To Tweet

More curating, less time

Curate hundreds of great content marketing lessons in a single location. Register today for Content Marketing World Sept. 4-7 and use code BLOG100 to save $100.

Cover image by Joseph Kalinowski/Content Marketing World

The post 11 Content Curation and Collaboration Tools to Save You Time appeared first on Content Marketing Institute.

11 Content Curation and Collaboration Tools to Save You Time syndicated from https://hotspread.wordpress.com

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