#instead of fixing the community labels thing to increase interaction

[taegularities]

one of the worst things about the beta editor is that when you come back to edit a post, the layout and formatting are all over the place.. and it takes ages to fix all that :')

[felvika]

even if you believe the bi and lesbian communuties have overlap, there's nothing to overlap if you don't think they're 2 different communities in the first place.

if you genuinely don't think they're 2 different communities...you're bisexual. literally never has a lesbian ever said this, only bi women who feel like their sapphicism isn't validated unless they can use the lesbian label. and i am so deeply, deeply sorry that any of you have been made to feel that way, and its a problem we need to fix, but that will not be accomplished by pretending the communitues and language we have in the LGBTQ hasn't changed from decades ago.

lesbians have different needs than bi woman. its a literal fact. lesbians need spaces away from discussion around men, and bi women need support around their relationships with men. lesbians need spaces that exclusively prioritize sapphic attraction, and bi women need spaces that don't split their attraction into "straight and gay."

bi women also need increased resources due to things like higher stats of domestic abuse, and higher rates of mental illness, addiction, and suicide.

not caring about the differences in our communuties is also not caring about the difference in experience and needs, meaning you don't care that we allocate the proper resources to the proper communities.

even basic interaction needs are going to be different between us, because validating things and thought processes for lesbians are going to be literally biphobic towards bi women, and vice versa. lesbians can affirm each other when dealing with comphet, for example, but reducing a bi woman's attraction to a man down to comphet is going to be biphobic.

and its OKAY. we all still can share a sapphic connection while acknowledging these differences in needs! we don't have to be enforcing hard lines between us, just encouragment for staying where you can get the most suited support and resources for your particular needs, rather than putting all validation down to a label or the arbitrary definition of an identity.

bi women need to feel comfortable identifying as bi, so they can get the support and resources they need from the bi community, instead of having their validation wrapped up in sapphicism alone and not getting what they need by looking for it from the lesbian community.

and lesbians need to have space to be ourselves and feel comfortable talking about our experiences without being silenced, outnumbered, and ignored by discussion for a community and their needs that we don't even experience, not to mention the experiences we have that bi women do not.

[amintyworld]

okay so the scenario is basically that during the s1 finale, phil decides that killing his own son is too much, and techno unintentionally ends up killing tommy for the final time in the wither fight.

tommy leaves mellohi to tubbo in his will.

wilbur ends up regretting his actions, and moves into NLB. tubbo, however, still holds resentment towards wil bc he partly blames him for tommy's death. wil doesn't particularity care to stay in NLB, feeling the tensions there, and in his desperation to fix what happened to tommy, he studies revival.

he learns that to revive someone, you need to go to where they died and use both totems and the thing(s) must important to them. so, he decides he needs to track down the discs.

around this time, phantommy shows up. he acts incredibly clingy towards everyone, especially his old friends. he loves hugs, but even small contact with him gives people wither effect. he tries to help with the construction of NLB, but gets distracted easily and offers less then average builds. tubbo adores him, while wilbur hates him and sees him as a shoddy attempt at a replacement of his surrogate brother.

wilbur tries to get mellohi away from tubbo, but doesn't trust him enough to tell him WHY, so tubbo refuses and the already existing tensions increase tenfold. wilbur, knowing that he's overstayed his welcome, leaves, and moves into the abandoned pogtopia. phantommy follows him, saying that he 'wanted to help wilby.'

pogtopia, and wil along with it, falls into a state of disrepear, dispite phantommy's small efforts. wil becomes obsessed with reviving tommy, and decides to approach phil, who had moved into the arctic along with techno, about getting his assistance.

phantommy didn't end up joining them, and instead stayed in pogtopia, like an echo of what once was.

techno was struggling in the arctic, with the voices conflicting, but overall he did feel guilty for tommy's death. so when wilbur approached phil, and him along with it, to assist in the kid's revival, they agreed.

as the three of them strategize on getting the discs, techno suggests trying to team with dream, seeing tubbo as an adversary. wilbur reluctantly agreed, and they met with the green bastard.

dream revealed that schlatt gave him a book with the power to revive the dead, and promises to use it on tommy on ONE condition. they get cat to him, permanently. out of better options, they agree.

back in NLB, things are looking grim. after wil left, quackity began to discuss the butcher army with the cabinet, with tubbo being much more willing to resort to violence against their enemies after tommy's death. they create a list of three names. dream, techno, and wilbur. but they have another problem to deal with.

there have been sightings of something... odd on the smp. a figure is being seen, wearing a stiched together cloak and a smiley mask. however, it seems much more.. human. then the dream they know. it's been spotted around NLB and pogtopia, and seems to be looking for something. the butcher army add it's name to their list, but decide to learn more about it before resorting to violence.

the green festival is planned, and the arctic trio find out about it though interrogating a VERY distressed fundy. they plan to crash it, make some empty threats, and secure mellohi from tubbo. however, as the festivities begin, things start to go VERY wrong.

dream shows up late, with the company of the dream-like person. he announces that a member of the NLB cabinet has made a huge mistake. he leads them to the broken remains of the community house, and accuses ranboo of blowing it up. since ranboo has his memory issues, he's unable to deny it, and things get messy.

dream demands mellohi, and tubbo immediately shuts him down. he proceeds to order big q and fundy to open fire on dream and his associate for accusing ranboo, but before they can do anything, wilbur and techno reveal themselves to defend dream.

things escalate from there, and wil and tubbo end up in a screaming match where tubbo admits to his struggles as president and grief over tommy. after hearing this, wilbur begins to feel guilty. after all, the kid is only tommy's age, and he has an entire nation on his shoulders. so, as a sign of trust, he decides to confess his plan to revive tommy.

tubbo, to his suprise, is on board with the plan. he has his reservations with trusting dream, but hands over the disc. techno is upset at wil, because even though he's decided to live a more peaceful life, he still holds resentment towards government. he leaves, feeling betrayed and hurt. the dream-person leaves with him, heading north.

dream puts mellohi in his enderchest. after doing this, he lets out a maniacal cackle. he tells them that there's no way that he'd just GIVE them tommy, and then he hands them a compass. it's labeled 'your tommy' and it points to somewhere far away. he tells them to come alone in a week's time. seeing no other option. they agree.

so, after a week's worth of preparing, they arrive, though they have a notable lack of any kind of armor. dream takes them down to a secret cavern, and there they find a hallway with an area for every item that's ever meant something to anyone. some of the spaces are filled. others aren't. at the end of the hallway, there's a cage big enough to fit a person inside, labeled 'tommy', but it's too dark to see into.

they start to fight dream, but are quickly outmatched. dream corners tubbo, and tells wil that he can have tommy if he lets tubbo die. wilbur ponders, with tubbo shouting at him to pick tommy, but wil refuses, deciding that no more blood will be on his hands. dream laughs, saying that he's just too predictable, and calls to the dark cage. a figure emerges from it. it's tommy, complete with a stiched together cloak and a smiley mask.

he looks exausted, completely at the end of his rope. tubbo runs to hug him, only to be met with a sword threateningly close to his face. it seems that in the months with dream, he's ended up bending to the madman's will.

the four begin to fight, but wil and tubbo are clearly on the losing side. dream and tommy move the two into a corner, with dream blowing up their belongings and tommy looking incredibly distraught. dream starts monologuing about what awful deaths he's going to give the two of them, when tommy interjects with a 'that wasn't part of the plan.'

the two of them begin to argue, and wil + tubbo take it as an opportunity to try and convince tommy to come with them. the teen looks confused, and seems to want to accept the request. before they can get much farther, though, dream stabs tommy in the chest, killing him.

wil and tubbo are shocked, and they realize that there's nothing else to do. as they surrender, though, phil and techno come through the nether portal, leading the rest of the server, and the group corner dream.

tubbo + wil rejoice the calvary's arrival, and they both take a turn taking one of dream's lives. as they get to the third one, though, he tells them that he could still revive tommy. the two know it to be true, so they agree to sam's proposition to put them in the prison.

as dusk falls on a very tedious and tragic day, tubbo and wil go to the bench, listening to tommy's retrieved discs and pondering the future. as they're there, they hear a suspiciously familiar voice. it's tommy, thanking them for their persistence and telling them a bit about his time with dream. as the sun rises, tommy starts to fade, and he leaves them with three parting words.

see you soon.

WOW SORRY THIS IS SO LONG HEHE WORD GO BRR

Okay like first off I love this??? So much???

It’s so interesting on so many levels. Technoblade dealing with grief is giving me “the one you should not have killed” vibes.

Tubbo resorting to violence makes me wonder if anyone in NLB compared him to Schlatt and how that went-

But man,,, Wilbur striving to revive Tommy??? My heart??? 🥺😭

I wonder what made Techno move to help after he thinks he’s been betrayed?

What’s been happening with Tommy?! Did Dream build a base for him to live in?? I’m so curious on what their interactions are like in the shadows...

Man this is angsty but also so wholesome with everyone coming together to help save Tommy no matter the cost... also we get Wilbur and Dadza moments and thats great. 🥰

Man green blob got sideblinded by the Artic Duo... idk why but I imagine Technoblade just grinning as Dream’s face falls and the piglin just points his crossbow at him - “WE WIN THESE!”

I do wonder tho... if the prison was originally built for Tommy in the original storyline and here Tommy dies... why would Dream build the prison then...?

Anyway I love this, tell me more when you’re able bc this AU sounds awesome!!!!

[stellagreen988-blog]

Why do you need PSD to WordPress migration service?

Do you want to convert your HTML website into WordPress and want to know its benefits? This is a must read blog for you. Here we will explore various attributes of a WordPress website that need to be considered before converting your HTML site to WordPress. WordPress uses a database to retrieve and store content instead of HTML, which uses the markup language to display pages. The first is now the most popular web development platform these days. 

The advantages of this platform have forced many people to change HTML. These include an improved user interface, simplicity in creation and management, search engine preference, and low development costs. Allow users to easily post content.(Convert PSD to WordPress)

Converting HTML to WordPress is an initiative for business success. This solves many HTML design and programming issues. This modifier improves speed and overall site performance. This platform can also reduce the amount of programming required to create a fixed site. Also, the conversion process is performed by experts in converting HTML to WordPress with basic technical skills. This discussion provides the benefits of converting from HTML to WordPress.

1. Search Engine Friendly

This is a prerequisite for company websites. Converting HTML to WordPress provides a website compatible with different search engines. WordPress is Google's preferred platform. If you use WordPress, you will get a higher ranking on Google. It handles about 90 percent of the classification criteria.

WordPress allows search engines to track and collect information. Search engines develop a rich database by reviewing posts, pages, and categories. There is a privacy option when installing WordPress. It is also possible to classify and tag pages. More plugins can be added to make your site more SEO-friendly. The conversion makes the commercial site more responsive and attractive to mobile users. WordPress sites can reach more people.

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Converting HTML to WordPress gives you a ready-to-use system. The latter is designed for online publication. Therefore, it has built-in capabilities. The content can be added automatically to your site.

Embedded features are provided during the development of the WordPress site. Creating a site using this platform is very simple. It also allows web hosting companies to incorporate their interactive features into their site.

Converting HTML to WordPress gives you a ready-to-use system. The latter is designed for online publication. Therefore, it has many capabilities included. The content can be added automatically to your site.

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HTML site update can be very difficult for beginners. You may need to hire experts to do things like add new pages and upload photos. During the conversion process, the admin user can make updates from the HTML editor. Making updates is easy once you convert your site to WordPress. This CMS platform is designed for implementation, thus providing a more marketable site. Easy to manage your website.

5. Complete Personalization

HTML does not contain additional features due to lack of database. In addition, the transition to WordPress provides you with features such as store, gallery, poll, and more. You will also be provided with multiple options to customize the website. A wide range of installed plugins is provided in WordPress. This comes with the core of customization that allows users to easily optimize their sites.

Switching to a new platform such as WordPress gives you unlimited topic options. You can choose from a large number of themes inside or outside the theme library. You can also convert PSD to WordPress Theme. Converting HTML to WordPress also provides you with a flexible and scalable site. Its structure is very strong, which makes it more favorable among business owners. Customization options also include adding tools. Adding templates, tools and plug-ins gives you a more attractive and unique website. You can use your imagination and creativity to excel.

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WordPress is an open source or free platform with a large community of users. These people can support the exchange of ideas. HTML conversion provides customized security and personalization updates.

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Let’s Wrap Up:

In conclusion, switching from HTML to WordPress offers a wide range of customization capabilities. This way, you will be able to access many features and plug-ins. This will also allow you to make your site unique and feature-rich.

If you want to switch from HTML to WordPress, this reduces your site's maintenance costs, especially for the job site. In addition, the WordPress platform has many built-in features that make the overall development process much easier. If you're still having trouble converting HTML to WordPress, you can contact a white label WordPress development agency.

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[lifegamified-blog]

Final Thoughts

Hannah A.’s Final Thoughts

Week 2: This last week of using these apps certainly brought up some underlying truths to my daily routines and behaviors.

Pocket Points

Within this final week of using this app, I had the recurring problem of not being able to connect to the University of Oregon campus’ location. To compromise with that, I used the “goal mode” during class to help me earn some points and jump forward on the leaderboard. I was able to earn about 6 points for every hour spent in class. Towards the end of the week, I received a notification from my phone asking if I wanted to continue to allow Pocket Points to follow my location. Following my curiosity, I quickly clicked “Yes” and went back into the app to see exactly where they were tracking me. It was brought to my attention that the app was tracking my location whenever I was in a car and driving. Without the app being open it was tracking my distracted time behind the wheel! This wasn’t something that I was aware of and in all honesty, I didn’t like that factor. I was wondering as to why the battery on my phone was getting drained and I believe this was the reason why. I took a further look into what the app was tracking during my drives and it had tracked every time I had picked up the phone. To my surprise, the result of the distracted minutes was not pretty. I’m not a person that texts and drives, but I occasionally pick up my phone to change a song. At the end of the week, my place on the leaderboard was still in the “BabyLeague” and I racked up 52.71 total points. I feel that if I were able to figure out how to gain points while on campus during the first week, I would have been further up the leaderboard. My final rating of Pocket Points is ⅘. When reflecting on Jesper Juul’s reading, “A Casual Revolution: Reinventing Video Games and Their Players”, I would identify Pocket Points to be a casual game. Pocket Points gives users the opportunity and flexibility to be as competitive as they want to be with little skill, (8). This app is meant for everyone and anyone who would like to improve their productivity, but with a nice gamification twist to it.

Habitica

With my final week of using Habitica to track my daily routines, habits, and to-do’s I found that my productivity levels hadn’t changed as they would have before I started using the app. I really did enjoy the interactivity with my partner, Hannah H., and our ability to cheer each other on in the chat room. In addition to that, I enjoyed gaining more power-ups and points to buy more armor for my little character. I have never been a person to play video games, but the customization and gamification aspect of Habitica has increased my interest in playing retro-styled games. That being said, in relation to Adrienne Shaw’s article, “Do you identify as a gamer?”, they focus deeper on the identification or label  of being a “gamer”. Shaw cites, “How people identify as gamers, is a different question from who counts as a gamer. As Hall (1966) argues, identification allows for the self-definition of the individual, rather than on static definitions of identity applied from the outside, (30). In my opinion, I do not classify myself to be a gamer because of my lack of knowledge in each gaming community and short interest. But that being said, I would consider myself to be a casual gamer who every now and then enjoys playing mobile games in short bursts, (Juul). I feel that this app suits casual gamers as they are able to be competitive with themselves and others, but at a risk to improve their own productivity. My final rating for Habitica is a ⅗ -- the app doesn’t quite suit me for my interests, but I do appreciate the fun and adorable customization of my character.

MyFitnessPal

Week 1 was difficult for me while I was using MyFitnessPal because of my sickness. I went into week 2 with greater expectations for myself, but I still felt sick and had a hard time eating. Rather than being hard on myself with tracking the food I was eating, I went ahead and tracked my water intake. I actually found this part of the app to be extremely helpful in my recovery as I was eager to reach my daily goal of 75 oz every day. I would fill up my 24oz HydroFlask and set a reminder on the Habitca every few hours to finish the bottle. This portion of the app was short and direct, but it was the most helpful for me this past week. Though this wasn’t a game within the app, I would define this practice to be a game that I created for myself. In Jane McGonigal’s book, “Reality is Broken: Why Games Make Us Better and How They Change the World”, she identifies a game to have four defining traits, “a goal, rules, feedback system, and voluntary participation”, (21).

For this practice I created for myself all four traits are identified:

Goal: Drink 75oz of water each day

Rule: Finish 24oz HydroFlask filled with water every 3 hours. If the water isn’t finished, add the oz to the next hourly goal.

Feedback System: Track the oz in the MyFitnessPal app and the goal is complete when the total oz of water hits 75

Voluntary Participation: Myself

My final rating for this app is a ⅘. I could see myself using this app in the near future as I recover to track my daily intake of food with a greater mindset.

Hannah H.’s Final Thoughts

In hindsight, doing this experiment while so much was going on in the outside world created uncontrolled variables that could have easily influenced the outcome. However, I discovered more of an application of course readings in the process. First, I learned the difference in concepts of “gamers” and how we envision ourselves when we put labels on others. Coming into this course, I definitely had room for education on the cultural importance of video games. I had always envisioned gamers in a negative light and played in fear of becoming them. However, reading excerpts from authors who fought that image and redefined gamers in general changed my outlook. From our reading, “A Casual Revolution” by Jesper Juul, “The stereotype of a casual player is the inverted image of the hardcore player: this player has a preference for positive and pleasat fictions, has played a few video games, is willing to commit littl etimee and few reesources toward playing video games, and dislikes diffiicult games” (8). I identified with this definition, although it is mentioned in the essay as a stereotype. Despite my dislike of playing serious games, I do enjoy casual and inclusive games, like Mario Kart Wii and mobile version, Super Mario World and Wii Sports. My reluctance to identify as a “gamer” earlier was all hinged on my mental image of what I thought they looked like.

Through the process of this two-week trial, I also found that gamified experiences make things more attainable for me. Setting goals is more interactive, and once I was in a pattern of tracking aspects of my lifestyle, it was hard to stop without feeling like I was taking significant steps backward. I found a great description for this experience in “The Definition of Games and the Classification of Games”, when Caillois writes, “...In this fixed space and for the given time, by precise, arbitrary, unexceptionable rules that must be accepted as such and that govern the correct playing of the game. If the cheater violates the rules, he at least pretends to respect them” (125-126). To apply this scenario to my use of gamified life-tracking apps, my initial “cheating” was when I avoided logging all my food to feel better about myself at the end of each, While this sort of cheating isn’t like peeking at the deck of cards or using a cheat code, it still misrepresents my standing in the game. Therefore, it is breaking the “rules” of use, and is considered “pretending to respect them”. The “rules” that I agreed to follow were the basic assumptions of the app: to log all food, water and exercise. Without the following of these precise guidelines, the app cannot possibly help the user accomplish what it promises. Caillois then writes, “The point of the game is for each player to have his superiority in a given area recognized” (132). We can apply this definition to MyFitnessPal and Habitica. Both offer a social networking feature, providing updates on friends’ diets and exercise. This provides an outlet for “superiority” to be recognized and makes the game an externally competitive experience instead of purely internal.

These apps also appeal to wider audiences than traditional video games. They are free and allow anyone with a smartphone to be a user. Second, they eliminate issues with on-platform sexism. Users can easily “play” without revealing a gender, which allows them to remain more introspective. The avatars in Habitica, for example, are very primitive compared to those in serious video games, which Martey et al. discuss in “The Strategic Female” reading. “...Avatars are understood as a means for conveying player humor, displeasure, intrigue, and interest, via cues that reveal motivation, identity, and background such as gestures, movement, and language” (286). Since Habitica’s “avatars” are still and nonverbal, they cannot display “player humor” or “displeasure” users cannot use them to hide behind as a shield to bully and abuse their anonymity. This app is therefore very accessible to marginalized populations, including women, men and women of color, and differently-abled people, who are most often harassed online after revealing their identity. Habitica felt like a safe and positive space compared to many I’ve experienced in games before.

All in all, this two-week experience gave context to class readings and enhanced my understanding of course material. I learned that calorie counting is not a healthy thing for me to do at this stage in my life, and that not needing to “perform” as a true avatar makes gamified experiences much more accessible for me and my somewhat fragile self-image. I plan on continuing my use of Habitica in the future, and I will continue to track my liquid consumption through Drink Water Aquarium. I will also use the MyFitnessPal app to continue tracking my workouts, but not diet, and I would definitely do this experiment again with other highly-rated life tracking apps.

[iamnoonewhoareyou]

The suckiest thing to me about fallout 4 is the story. In this (rough draft) essay I will cover topics going over many of my issues with fallout 4. Specifically, the mess of the brotherhood, lack of interaction, and lack of choices.

Firstly, Maxon grew up under Elder Lyons. Lyon’s top priority was helping people. Did that involve taking away dangerous tech from people who may blow themselves up? Yes. Did it also involve protecting people from mutants and ghouls so they could live in peace? Yes! Did it involve distributing food and resources to those communities impacted by wasteland monsters? YES! Lyons cared about the wasteland! He wanted to stabilize it and create infrastructure! But Maxon’s takeaway wasn’t that the brotherhood should confiscate dangerous tech because “it’s dangerous to leave this mini nuke in a location where a super mutant could find it”. He wanted to hoard the technology so he could increase his own influence. He didn’t fight the monsters because “people need our help” he fought because he’s a bigoted fascist that hunts down anything he deems “unnatural”. How do you think he’d react if he found out Tegan was bullying settlements into sharing resources? I don’t think he would at all. From a writing perspective the brotherhood is basically a wasteland version of the institute. Neither faction truly cares about the commonwealth as much as they do their own agendas. Both factions hoard and weaponize technology for their own devices. Both factions are resistant to any form of compromise or change. At the end of the day they’re just the same product with a different label and design.

Now let’s talk about interaction. It sucks in fo4. Think about how cool it could have been had the sole survivor (henceforth will be referred to as SS) challenged maxon, and combined the brotherhood with the minutemen! It could have been great! A return to the brotherhood glory days! Or if the SS convinced the institute to recognize synth AI as human! They could stop replacing people in the commonwealth and instead actually do some good! Combining all four factions for the good of the commonwealth? Amazing! The institute and bos could use their combined tech to terraform the commonwealth! And the minutemen could work with the bos to clear out mutants and monsters! It could have been great! And how would you achieve this perfect utopian ending for a good karma play through? With skill checks! Perk checks! It could have been great! Not only enabling interaction with the factions, but also with the world! You could interact with the world similarly to how you did in fnv and fo3! So much potential!

Leaning on the complaint of the lack of interaction with the world and it’s factions, let’s talk about how that’s reflected by the games lack of choices. In past games you could temper your approach. Do you want to be sly? Charismatic? Menacing? Friendly? Do you want to bribe someone? Ask for more caps? Be sarcastic? Maybe a unique dialogue option only unlocked by a secret perk you didn’t know you had? In fo4 you could be positive, negative, inquisitive, or sarcastic/neutral. That’s it. A perk check in far harbor, a perkcheck in nuns world, and a perk check in the rocket boat quest. That’s it. Speaking of the dlc, why couldn’t you use a raider gang to deal with the other main factions? Or why couldn’t you use the main factions to deal with the raiders? Are you telling me that the minutemen wouldn’t aim any artillery at a known massive raider settlement? Or that the brotherhood would just leave all those caps, resources, and technology with the raiders? Can you honestly expect me to believe that the institute wouldn’t be interested in learning about Bradburtons cryo technology? It’s ridiculous! Taking back the park and killing the raiders should have only been half the dlc! Let’s expand it! Maybe you turn nuka world into a tourist attraction again. Fix the rides. Turn the raiders from t a life of crime to one of profit. The operators would maintain the park/customer interaction. The pack would hunt for food to feed everyone. And the disciples would handle security and raiders gone rogue! They’d all love it! But our only good guy option is to kill them? What if we helped them assimilate into the minutemen? Something? Anything? Also, in a game where half the focus is settlements, and the dlc is so sparse, I’m a little disappointed that nuka world didn’t have the parks set up as settlements that you could restore. A nuka world based tile and build set? How awesome would that be! You could repair the nuka cola bottling plant and start selling fresh nuka cola! It could be amazing! Sure, keep the arena, and fighting stuff for the raiders, but you can still rebuild the park for everyone else! It could’ve been great.

So in conclusion, fallout 4 disappointed me because it didn’t even reach a fraction of its true potential. Features we’ve seen in past games with inferior engines were not included, let alone upgraded, in the game. The most heinous crime of all though, was the writing. In a world focused on immersing yourself and shaping the course of the story through choice and interaction, we were denied all of it. Thanks for coming to my ted talk.

[beauknowsblogging-blog]

Video Notes

Minecraft: The Story of Mojang – 20 Minute Short

·        Markus “Notch Persson, of Sweden, built the game entirely by himself

·        He always wanted to be a game developer since boyhood, programming since age 8

·        Persson’s first individual take on game development, after having a job helping build other’s games, was a personal project he designed and was to take up to 12 months to make. That game is now called Minecraft

·        Persson quit his job to try and keep up with the Minecraft demand. It went from a beta testing, 7 employee managed game, to exponential growth; Minecraft not long after its launch was making $250,000 a day!

·        The Mojang founders are dedicated to developing a company that they want to work at for a long time to come, not sell for a quick profit, and this business model maintains the integrity of the game and its origins

·        Mojang never received a penny from an investment party, it has never spent a penny on marketing, as all of it has become from blog users raving about it and the power of word of mouth. Entirely self-funded!

·        Minecraft is not a linear game with tasks or objectives, but rather skills and tools and the power of the imagination to build practically anything

·        Incredibly, Minecraft is still being built and developed, but more or less has been able to be played in a beta version since practically inception. All along the way, things have been added/improved and even at one point during ongoing development

·        Mojang’s follow up game is ironically called the “The Game Which Is Not Announced Yet ™” and they already know it will be hard to top Minecraft

·        As of February 2013, Minecraft continued to sell over $10,000 copies per day. As of May 2019, Mojang announced that Minecraft has sold over 175 million copies, and has over 200 million users in its free Chinese version already

Adults Try Minecraft

·        Minecraft is the digital equivalent of Legos, built in 2009

·        2 game modes: Creative (limitless materials and no threats) or Survival, threatened by creatures and limited resources

·        Although a much more preferred game for children on behalf of adults, it seems not a game for adults preference because of the time dedication

Moms Play Minecraft

·        Minecraft?! I thought it was “Mindcraft” hahaha

·        “What is the object of the game?” (There isn’t one)

·        Totally zero to 100 once threatened and unprepared

·        Endless creativity based option versus alternatives: shooter, violence, etc

Immersive Education Overview

·        Immersive education is used to better engage students to material via a game-type atmosphere and mode of use for collaboration/education

·        Can create/customize avatar to appear more like oneself & environment to resemble classroom or alternative landscape conducive to learning

·        Immersive education, while not always designed for non-techonolgical courses, is a powerful tool designed to increase engagement and connection from teachers to students

·        Unfortunately, Immersive education continues to worsen the social lack of interaction (anti-social) with others personally and face-to-face, despite a creative and significant alterative way to increase attention and students to material (I think that immersive education will be most successful in alternative education settings, but we should not lean on technology to learn as our primary resource, because the internet will eventually become that no matter what for each of us professionally)

China’s Web Junkies

·        China has an internet addiction treatment center

·        It seems like a horrible place where, rather than give people alternatives to using the internet like being outside and activities, they tie you up and make you have to quit cold turkey despite possibly thinking about using it still. Instead of healing oneself by not simply using the internet with an alternative, they are more of a detention center than treatment center

·        In 2008, China declared internet addiction to be a clinical disorder, saying it’s a top health threat to its teenagers

·        They say “treatment at this center includes a mix of therapy and “Military” drills, often lasting 3-4 months.

·        “Our study shows that people who spend more than six hours on the internet for something other than work or study again, for other than work or study, are most likely to become addicted to the internet.” –Tao Ran, Addiction Specialist, Director of Daxing Center

·        Parents are encouraged to stay during treatment and participate in therapy sessions, but this seems to be a conflict between parent and child

·        It seems that the bigger issue amongst those addicted to the internet is loneliness, and that from this separation from daily life of loneliness, the kids in the treatment center bond over their interests in common, while the world continues to tell them they have a problem, instead of using their passion for the internet in a constructive and alternatively useful manner and practice to be beneficial society members.

·        When somebody is lonely, they can always look to the internet for companionship, and this is a growing problem and concern

·        One parent even drugged their child with sleeping pills to bring them to the treatment facility; this to me is a problem with parenting or lack thereof and the notion that if parenting is not done right at an early age, the child will more or less parent themselves based on a simple feel good or feel bad emotional system of right versus wrong or yes versus no

Video Game Addiction/Your Brain on Video Games

·        Is video game addiction real? My opinion is yes and the ‘high’ or brain chemical levels react to the desire or need to play video games and that change biologically/physiologically is enough to warrant the label addiction from my point of view

·        At first it may be an interest, a positive result, or emotional response to being safe and victorious in a game, but then can quickly become, if not in balance with other activities, feelings of anxiety, depression, agitation etc when not receiving their “fix” of gaming an adequate amount of time

·        It is unique and “cool” yet concerning that the immersive virtual reality worlds in gaming we have entered and created are now coming back to us and entering our world more and more realistically and not providing a balance of separation from them, but rather taking over more of our time and energy in the real ‘finite’ world

·        New Zealand has a national E-gaming team, oh no. I think at a certain point this has to stop being about the money and we need to start encouraging people to know that this is not the real world and that it can be fun in smaller doses, but shouldn’t take over or be the primary foundation of their schedules.

·        If you are addicted to video games/alcohol then go work in the game development/alcohol industry, are you still an addict? Interesting parallel, but my answer would be yes from a medical/clinical point of view, even if you are capitalizing/profiting from your time spent now versus before

Growing Up Online

·        90% of teenagers are online, and the number is only growing

·        Social media and the internet are seen by teenagers as an extension of real life and the continuation of their relationships not separate, essentially always keeping them connected even when apart. The new “currency,” if you don’t use it you will fall behind and stop becoming relevant or able to keep up with others

·        Behind the comfort of a screen, people are much freer to behave in ways they would not normally. At first it may be an experiment of expression, afterwards becoming their identity and their escape from reality and the escape/decision to go with the identity that is cooler or more popular or welcoming and secure emotionally

·        There is a fine line on the internet between privacy and public and the use of the information once it is out there is anybody’s and safety for children is the top priority for parents and their families/communities

·        The internet is public, despite any claims to personal property, it is extremely hard to enforce and therefore it is said that the inaccessibility to children’s information by parents is considered invasive once they do and the internet has caused the biggest generational divide since rock and roll

·        The internet is an enhancer, an accelerator of information and emotion and aspects of life that happen in the real world. A magnifying glass that inspects and magnifies the intensity of real-world feelings and questions and the way we go about solving them or letting them destroy us. It can and should be used positively, but often is misused and hurtful to others

·        Cyberbullying is real and exists and is a serious issue that shouldn’t be taken lightly or any different than bullying in person and is truly concerning and making parenting and growing up for the children increasingly more difficult. We should provide them more ways to be trained and versed in cyber defense and protection so they can withstand the negative and embrace the positive of online/internet

Generation Like

·        The current generation is dabbing in the currency of ‘likes’ and social media and broadcasting oneself out there in the world is a way for them to create an online identity and build oneself up emotionally. Unfortunately, this isn’t the real world and is sadly is just a temporary high and will forever be chased to increase unless we realize it is not what matters most

·        Social media and the profile of individuals is free advertising and marketing for companies and data creation, collection, and free word of mouth

·        We are all walking billboards and our own personal media and marketing companies/agencies etc. Therefore, we can provide exposure and time for free for companies and endorsements and through the power of connecting and relationships direct or indirect, people and products can connect and work together to increase their popularity and monetary value

·        Consumers are the marketers if not more so than before. They want to be included and feel above or more involved in the conversation and by doing so they are rewarded and valued

·        In a way social media is a real life hunger games version and the game is never ending and there will always be new players replacing those eliminated and just trying to live and survive for a share of the monetary value if possible for a split moment in time and doing so by exploring themselves and their interests and connections

·        Fame by association, the interactivity, kids are using the very marketing techniques used on themselves and turning them onto others as increasingly manipulating middle people but appropriately getting their share of the cut on the things they endorse and support. I don’t think this is wrong but there is only a limited amount of exposure and ability to get a share of the pie even though it seems to be endless in the long run the short term it is a finite amount.

How Facebook Shares Your Information

·        Shadow contacts/profile: the information you can’t see or control

·        Information by people who know you that start to piece together a profile or an account about you and come at you from an aggregate group of sources of other sources that are connected to you in order to advertise and market to you

·        Altogether, Facebook KNOWS you and your connections and it crosses lines and boundaries through connections and databases between people and connections in order to link everything and every one together simply by aggregate information. IE: Facebook is the data gatherers and organizers, and once they have them it is theirs because you didn’t provide all the outside info to them

·        GO EUROPE! Battling versus Facebook because that information whether provided directly or indirectly is YOUR information and yours to decide who does and doesn’t have access to it. SCARY STUFF!

[patriotsnet]

How Are Democrats And Republicans Alike

New Post has been published on https://www.patriotsnet.com/how-are-democrats-and-republicans-alike/

How Are Democrats And Republicans Alike

How Did This Switch Happen

American people believe ‘something fishy’ occurred at election

Eric Rauchway, professor of American history at the University of California, Davis, pins the transition to the turn of the 20th century, when a highly influential Democrat named William Jennings Bryan blurred party lines by emphasizing the government’s role in ensuring social justice through expansions of federal power traditionally, a Republican stance.;

But Republicans didn’t immediately adopt the opposite position of favoring limited government.;

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“Instead, for a couple of decades, both parties are promising an augmented federal government devoted in various ways to the cause of social justice,” Rauchway wrote in an archived 2010 blog post for the Chronicles of Higher Education. Only gradually did Republican rhetoric drift to the counterarguments. The party’s small-government platform cemented in the 1930s with its heated opposition to the New Deal.

But why did Bryan and other turn-of-the-century Democrats start advocating for big government?;

According to Rauchway, they, like Republicans, were trying to win the West. The admission of new western states to the union in the post-Civil War era created a new voting bloc, and both parties were vying for its attention.

Related: Busted: 6 Civil War myths

Additional resources:

What Is The Democratic Party

Democratic Party is a big party in the USA. The Democratic-Republican Party processes this party. It is one of the two major political parties. It was most noteworthy in 1828 by Andrew Jackson, who was the first president of this party. Washington DC headquarters of this party. Its symbol is the donkey, and the color is blue. For instance:-

Read more: Management vs. Administration.

Red States And Blue States List

Due to the TV coverage during some of the presidential elections in the past, the color Red has become associated with the Republicans and Blue is associated with the Democrats.

The Democratic Party, once dominant in the Southeastern United States, is now strongest in the Northeast , Great Lakes Region, as well as along the Pacific Coast , including Hawaii. The Democrats are also strongest in major cities. Recently, Democratic candidates have been faring better in some southern states, such as Virginia, Arkansas, and Florida, and in the Rocky Mountain states, especially Colorado, Montana, Nevada, and New Mexico.

Since 1980, geographically the Republican “base” is strongest in the South and West, and weakest in the Northeast and the Pacific Coast. The Republican Party’s strongest focus of political influence lies in the Great Plains states, particularly Oklahoma, Kansas, and Nebraska, and in the western states of Idaho, Wyoming, and Utah.

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Difference Between Democratic And Republican Party :

It is so tough to find out the difference between the republic and the democratic party. Here, there are some crucial differences between the democratic and republican parties to clear the audience and concerned people. We can point out ten dissimilarities in some categories. Such as:

1. Woman Abortion:

The first difference between the democratic and republican parties is womens abortion. Democrats believe at a sweet woman will have the right to do abortion in reproductive health care service. Whereas Republicans want to ban it from the constitution. Republicans stand against the killing of a fetus.

Read More: Major Symptoms of Democratic Backsliding

2. Same-Sex Marriage Rights:

Secondly, same-sex marriage legalizes the Democrats party. On the other hand, the Republican Party is against it. It is another difference between the democratic party and the republic party.

3. Climate Change:

Thirdly, Democrats believe that Climate change pretenses an urgent. It is a real threat to our national security, our economy, and our childrens health and futures. While Republicans doubt whether the climate is changing, rejecting the findings of the United Nations Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change as a political mechanism, not an unbiased scientific institution with intolerance toward scientists and others who dissent from its orthodoxy.

4. Israel Issue:

Read more: Private Administration vs. Public Administration

5. Voting Rights:

6. Money in Politics:

7. Iran Issue:

Increased Media Consumption And The Perception Gap

But not every media outlet is the same. We identified how specific news sources are associated with varying levels of distorted understanding in their audiences. Some news sources are associated with larger Perception Gaps, in particular Breitbart, Drudge Report and popular talk radio programs such as Sean Hannity and Rush Limbaugh. But large Perception Gaps are also associated with liberal sources such as Huffington Post and the Daily Kos. Only one media source is associated with better understanding other Americans views: the traditional television networks of ABC, NBC and CBS. Overall, these findings suggest that media is adding to a polarization ecosystem that is driving Americans apart.

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Republicans And Democrats Have Similar Goals They Will Make Different Arguments

By Cecilia Kang

If there is one thing Republicans and Democrats can agree on, its that the internet giants have become too powerful and need to be restrained. Many lawmakers also agree that the companies should be stripped of a law that shields websites from liability for content created by their users.

But members of the Senate commerce committee will almost certainly make wildly different arguments to drive home their points on Wednesday.

Republicans regularly accuse Facebook, Google and Twitter of censoring conservative viewpoints by labeling, taking down and minimizing the reach of posts by Republican politicians and right-leaning media personalities. They have the support of President Trump, who issued an executive order this summer aimed at stripping the technology companies of their safe harbor under Section 230 of the Communications Decency Act.

Three Republican senators Ted Cruz of Texas, Mike Lee of Utah and Marsha Blackburn of Tennessee will almost certainly accuse the Silicon Valley giants of censorship. The senators have been among the most vocal about a perceived liberal bias inside the tech companies. Some of the hardest questions and finger pointing could be directed at Jack Dorsey, the chief executive of Twitter, for recent decisions to take down and label posts from Mr. Trump.

Difference Between Democratic And Republican Party With Similarities

Democrats and Republicans are the two main political parties in the USA. Both parties hold the most of the seats in the Senate and the House of Representatives. They also obtain the maximum number of Governors. Although both parties mean well for US citizens, they have distinct differences. These difference between democratic and republican party are mainly in political, ideological, economic, and social pathways. However, we will try to cover the topic in this article.

Differences and Similarities between democratic and republican party are the main topics. We will know about the Republican Party and Democratic Party at first. Therefore, here is the basic concept of the Republican Party and the Democratic Party.

1.2 Similarities of Democrats with Republicans:

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Making The Audience Laugh And Cry

It has become a cliché to declare that Republicans and Democrats live in two different worlds these days, but it turns out there is some truth to the observation.

New research on political behavior finds that most Democratic and Republican voters live in partisan bubbles, with little daily exposure to those who belong to the other party. For instance the typical Democrat has almost zero interactions with Republicans in their neighborhood, according to an article by Harvard doctoral student Jacob R. Brown and government Professor Ryan D. Enos published March 8 in the journal Nature Human Behaviour.

Theres a lot of evidence that any separation between groups has a lot of negative consequences. We see this in race; we see this in religion; we see this in all kinds of things, said Enos. And increasingly, we see this in partisanship in the United States.

Using geolocation data and the exact addresses of all 180 million registered voters in the U.S. as of June 2018, the two were able to precisely map, for the first time, where Democrats and Republicans live in relation to each other in every town, city, and state in the U.S. Then, rather than rely on the usual precinct or data aggregations, they used weighted measures and recorded the distance between voters to show how people are divided by geography and partisanship across the country.

Roads Will Stay Deadly

Democrats and Republicans stunned by Trump’s defence of Russia

Senator John Boozman of Arkansas praised how this bill will improve roadway safety, specifically highlighting the restoration of flexibility for Highway Safety Improvement Program funds to better protect motorists, cyclists and pedestrians. Oh my.;

Both parties seem to think that states need flexibility to improve safety. But do they really need flexibility to set targets and organize funding around having more people die on our roadways next year than died in the previous year? Thats our current approach and what STRA maintains.;

A more charitable take would be that states need the flexibility to be passive to safety problems because it is beyond their control, said our director Beth Osborne. But they will still ask the taxpayer to give them more money to fix it, using roadway designs that are proven to be dangerous, like slip lanes and wide roads with high speeds near lots of points of conflict and children walking to school.;;

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Famous Republican Vs Democratic Presidents

Republicans have controlled the White House for 28 of the last 43 years since Richard Nixon became president. Famous Democrat Presidents have been Franklin Roosevelt, who pioneered the New Deal in America and stood for 4 terms, John F. Kennedy, who presided over the Bay of Pigs invasion and the Cuban missile crisis, and was assassinated in Office; Bill Clinton, who was impeached by the House of Representatives; and Nobel Peace Prize winners Barack Obama and Jimmy Carter.

Famous Republican Presidents include Abraham Lincoln, who abolished slavery; Teddy Roosevelt, known for the Panama Canal; Ronald Reagan, credited for ending the Cold War with Gorbachev; and the two Bush family Presidents of recent times. Republican President Richard Nixon was forced to resign over the Watergate scandal.

To compare the two parties’ presidential candidates in the 2020 elections, see Donald Trump vs Joe Biden.

What People Are Reading

“This action is having results. In fact, just this week, Kevin Brady said in the U.S. that he did not see how the U.S. could ratify NAFTA while these tariffs were still in place.”

Brady said the process of “counting the noses” determining which members of Congress support the agreement, which don’t, and why or why not is underway in order to produce an inventory of issues to be addressed by U.S. Trade Representative Robert Lighthizer in order to secure congressional support for the deal.

Democrats say it lacks effective enforcement tools for its labour and environmental provisions. Republicans, Brady said, are concerned about the erosion of investor-state safeguards and the uncertainty posed by a clause that the deal be open to review every six years, a caveat Canada initially opposed.

“Every trade agreement is a mixed issue, and I know Democrats are voicing the need for strong enforcement on the labour provisions,” Brady said.

“For Republicans, it’s more the architecture; the investor-state protections are not as broad and as strong as they need to be in our members’ views, we still are trying to figure out how the sunset mechanism works for or against certainty for trade long term.”

Getting out ahead of the U.S. could pay dividends, said Miriam Sapiro, a Democrat who served as deputy and later acting U.S. trade representative under President Barack Obama.

“I don’t see it as NAFTA 2.0, I see it more as NAFTA 0.8,” Beatty said.

Read Also: How Many States Are Controlled By Republicans

And They Are Holding Tightly To Their Party Identities

Americans political behavior and beliefs have grown ever more partisan over the past 40 years. Democrats and Republicans alike have become more likely to support their own partys candidates, to adopt their own partys issue positions, and even to distort their perceptions of objective facts to fit their own partys preferred version of reality. While political scientists have spent two decades documenting these trends, Donald Trumps presidency has broadened and accelerated this process.

Republicans and Democrats attitudes toward politicians and political organizations are getting farther apart

To understand these changes, I compared the results of surveys conducted by the Internet survey firm YouGov in November 2017 and January 2020. The data were matched and weighted to be demographically representative of the adult U.S. population. The 2017 survey included 736 Republicans and 930 Democrats; the 2020 survey included 1,098 Republicans and 1,386 Democrats.

In 2017, Republicans and Democrats differed in their average ratings of President Trump by 5.8 points on a 10-point scale. By this January, the difference had grown significantly, to 6.7 points. The endpoints of the scale were labeled extremely unfavorable feelings and extremely favorable feelings. The share of Democrats who gave Trump a zero increased from 71 percent to 81 percent, while the share of Republicans who gave him a 10 increased from 28 percent to 48 percent.

Pfizer And Biontech Say Vaccine Prevents Covid

Tony Fauci, the countrys chief infectious diseases researcher, has argued that there isnt solid evidence to back a delayed-dose strategy. Even if an initial first dose gives good protection against Covid-19, he said at a recent White House briefing, its unclear how long that protection would last.

Beyond posing an unnecessary risk to individuals immunity, Fauci has also warned that pivoting midway through the vaccine rollout could send the message that theres no need to return for a second shot, whether its three or 12 weeks after their first.

Fauci has also warned that delaying second doses could help foster the growth of escape variants, or strains of the SARS-CoV-2 virus that are more likely to evade existing vaccines protectiveness.

Read Also: Who Is Right Republicans Or Democrats

Democrats And Republicans Dislike Each Other Far Less Than Most Believe

A new study indicates that some of our political polarization is based on unfounded beliefs.

Democrats and Republicans dislike and dehumanize one another roughly equally.

At least 70% of both Republicans and Democrats overestimated how much the other group disliked and dehumanized their group.

Political polarization is a well-documented issue in the United States, and the schism between left and right can sometimes feel impossible to overcome. But a new study from the Peace and Conflict Neuroscience Lab at the Annenberg School for Communication and;Beyond Conflict;may offer some hope for the future.

Often, peoples actions towards a group they are not part of are motivated not only by their perceptions of that group, but also by how they think that group perceives them. In the case of American politics, this means that the way Democrats act toward Republicans isnt just a result of what they think of Republicans but also of what they think Republicans think of Democrats, and vice versa.

The study,;, found that Democrats do not dislike or dehumanize Republicans as much as Republicans think they do, and Republicans do not dislike or dehumanize Democrats as much as Democrats think they do. This finding could indicate that some of our political polarization is based on unfounded beliefs.

Why Did The Democratic And Republican Parties Switch Platforms

02 November 2020

Around 100 years ago, Democrats and Republicans switched their political stances.

The Republican and Democratic parties of the United States didn’t always stand for what they do today.;

During the 1860s, Republicans, who dominated northern states, orchestrated an ambitious expansion of federal power, helping to fund the transcontinental railroad, the state university system and the settlement of the West by homesteaders, and instating a national currency and protective tariff. Democrats, who dominated the South, opposed those measures.;

After the Civil War, Republicans passed laws that granted protections for Black Americans and advanced social justice. And again, Democrats largely opposed these apparent expansions of federal power.

Sound like an alternate universe? Fast forward to 1936.;

Democratic President Franklin Roosevelt won reelection that year on the strength of the New Deal, a set of Depression-remedying reforms including regulation of financial institutions, the founding of welfare and pension programs, infrastructure development and more. Roosevelt won in a landslide against Republican Alf Landon, who opposed these exercises of federal power.

So, sometime between the 1860s and 1936, the party of small government became the party of big government, and the party of big government became rhetorically committed to curbing federal power.;

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The Social Media Effect

Social media platforms provide us a personalized way to receive news and commentary from anyone and everyone with whom we are connected. In theory, this could mean that users see a cross section of their community’s political views, representing the full range of perspectives within their network. Unfortunately, our study’s findings paint a less encouraging picture. First, only 26% of American report sharing social media posts about politics. Second, these Americans have higher Perception Gaps than the national average. While those who do not post on social media have an average Perception Gap of 18, those who do post on social media have an average Perception Gap of 29. The political content we see on social media is therefore disproportionately from people with a more distorted understanding of the other side, further adding to the problem.

Republicans And Democrats Have Different Views About Compromising With The Other Party

Democrats, Republicans alike take swipes at the health bill

Overall, Republicans are divided over whether Donald Trump should focus on finding common ground with Democrats, even if that means giving up some things Republicans want, or pushing hard for GOP policies, even if it means less gets done. While 53% of Republicans say Trump should push hard for the partys policies, 45% say its more important for the president to find common ground with Democrats.

However, politically attentive Republicans broadly oppose Trump seeking compromise with Democrats even if it means giving up some things Republicans want. Just 39% of Republicans who follow government and public affairs most of the time say it is more important for Trump to find common ground with Democrats; 61% say he should push hard for GOP policies. Opinion is more evenly divided among less politically attentive Republicans.

Democrats, who were asked a hypothetical version of the question about the partys 2020 presidential candidates, are more open to potential compromise with Republicans. About six-in-ten Democrats say it is more important for a candidate, if elected, to find common ground with Republicans even if it means giving up things Democrats want.

There are no differences in these views among Democrats based on political attentiveness. But liberal Democrats are less likely than conservative and moderate Democrats to say it is more important for a candidate to seek compromises with Republicans.

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[remelitalia]

The 5 Benefits of E-Commerce Automation

Running an e-commerce store is a lot of work, but you already know that. You’re experiencing it every day, from marketing and communication to fulfillment and shipping, not to mention all the follow-up. And everything else in between. Sometimes it can feel like you’re doing so many little things just to keep the business going, so you don’t have time to focus on the big picture, taking your business to the next level.

That’s where e-commerce automation comes in. What if things just happened, without all the legwork each time? E-commerce automation is the magic sauce to free you from the mundane.

What is E-Commerce Automation?

We’ve talked about automated e-commerce emails before, so you may be familiar with that option, but when it comes to e-commerce automation, the sky’s the limit.

E-commerce automation is any digital or technologically-driven task triggered by an action or non-action from a customer, your team, etc.

In simplified terms, it’s a task happening automatically, using software or online systems, without human intervention. You set it up, and it runs.

For example, in marketing, certain ads or emails are triggered to go to target audiences.

In sales, customers with empty carts can receive a reminder message. Shoppers with questions are offered a chatbot.

In fulfillment, orders can trigger messages to help you manage inventory, including “sold out” notifications.

The list goes on.

How Can E-Commerce Automation Help My Business?

More and more people are shopping online, giving e-commerce the advantage over brick-and-mortar stores. Meanwhile, Forbes reports that consumers have increased expectations for faster and more convenient deliveries. To stay competitive, business owners must find ways to move faster and stay nimble.

E-Commerce Automation Saves Time

Automating repetitive tasks can suddenly free up time. If you don’t have to track remembering to do them and making them happen, imagine what you could do with the extra time.

Think about those mundane tasks you have to do over and over again, including data entry, customer emails, social media, and more. The more you can automate, the more gets done even without you.

With e-commerce automation, you can schedule sales promotions to go live at the right time, automate new product releases with their announcements, remove discontinued products, adjust prices, apply discounts, track purchases and provide rewards, etc.

But it’s more than getting the actual tasks done. E-commerce automation can do them better in many cases, saving you from having to go back and correct errors. When data is sent from one platform to the other, the chances of human error are lessened. Although, it’s never a bad idea to go back and check in periodically to fix any mistakes.

E-Commerce Automation Increases Worker Engagement

What if you could announce to your team tomorrow, “Good news. That mundane task sucking the life out of you every Monday? It’s gone.” You’d probably increase employee satisfaction, right?

That’s exactly what e-commerce automation can do for your whole team. Instead of having to do data entry every morning, they can just check in with the system periodically, as it makes sense.

Now they are free to do the big picture stuff they came on board for: strategy, learning, growth in their fields. It could breathe new energy and excitement into the team.  

E-Commerce Automation Helps Customer Satisfaction

Happy customers are more likely to be repeat customers. New customers can cost you about five times more than selling to repeat customers, according to Invesp. E-commerce automation can help you keep customers happy, and turn them into repeat customers, even as you scale to reach a greater audience.

Yes, it’s easy to stay engaged with customers when you have a handful, but what happens when you have hundreds, thousands, and more? You just can’t be there for all of them.

As you automate things, you can improve the customer experience at your shop. Customers can find what they are looking for more quickly and purchase what they want more easily, while not being bogged down by unavailable products, etc.

Easier Onboarding With E-Commerce Automation

As with customers, keeping suppliers happy in their interaction with your brand is key to profitable long-term relationships. Various e-commerce automations can keep the relationship engaging and moving forward.

Automated supplier portals can give employees more time to focus on company growth, as we discussed above. Meanwhile, new vendors and suppliers can take the lead in setting themselves up in your system. Of course, you’ll want to be there for questions and customer service, although much of that can be automated as well. Vendors will appreciate the system moving quickly and seamlessly without relying on human intervention throughout the process. Since the vendors and suppliers are in charge of their orders and requests, nothing gets lost in translation.

Fewer opportunities for error and fewer problems with supplier/vendor relationships mean you can get back to the business of growth and wowing the world with your brand.

Simpler Deliveries With E-Commerce Automation

Is there anything worse than lost or misdirected packages after you place an order?

E-commerce automation systems process orders directly from the customer, printing receipts and shipping labels rather than having a person type them manually, which saves time and prevents the recurrence of mistakes.

As customers make package tracking a priority, businesses need to know where packages are for customer service and quality assurance purposes. E-commerce automation options can communicate tracking information automatically.

How Do I Know What to Use E-Commerce Automation for?

Now that we’ve shared the reasons your business can’t go on without at least some automation, how do you even know where to start?

It’s true the options are seemingly endless, so before we dive into some examples of great products you could be using to automate your e-commerce store, let’s look at how to decide.

Find the Pain Points

Where is your workflow bottling? If you’re unsure, reflect on issues customers have reported and feedback you’ve received from your employees. Those are the needs to address first, to leave the biggest impact. If you see needs in a couple of different areas, look for e-commerce automation systems to cover where those issues intersect. For instance, maybe you need a better CRM tool to help you improve customer communication before and after a sale.

Analyze the Big Picture

It can be difficult when you’re in the weeds of your business, but looking at the big picture can show you where the holes are. Which areas of growth are constantly being held back? What are you trying to launch that just keeps getting stymied? Integrating e-commerce automation can free up time and energy in those areas for deeper strategic thinking, research, experimentation, and, hopefully, growth.

When in Doubt, Start With Communication

If you’re still unsure where to begin, marketing e-commerce automation can be a great place to start. There are opportunities throughout the sales funnel, from the top when you’re first connecting with a prospect to converting a new user, as well as reselling and upselling to existing customers. Communicating authentically using automation is almost a no-brainer.

What E-Commerce Automation Tools Should I Use for My Business?

It may take some experimenting, but we’ve found these programs may be worth exploring. While there are countless options available, these tend to be popular across many industries.

ZenDesk

If customer service or sales communications is where you see the bottleneck, ZenDesk may have the solutions you need to integrate both internally and in your customer outreach. There are two main facets of ZenDesk, with lots of customizable choices in each platform.

ZenDesk Support Suite

You may have encountered the ZenDesk support features already through a brand you’ve been researching online. Many customers may not need to speak directly to someone at your company to get their questions answered. You can create a robust, interactive FAQ section.

You can also create customer service layers, from self-service to live chat with a customer service agent. One of the powers of the ZenDesk support suite is the omnichannel options. You can set up the system for customers to send in their questions or concerns via email, text, or live chat on your website, and other channels.

In addition, you’ll have access to customer service reports to help you understand what people are asking, how often, and how long it’s taking to get to a resolution. From there, you can tighten up your processes to improve the customer experience.

Mailchimp 

Mailchimp sends e-newsletters, right? Well, when it comes to automation, they can do much more. Imagine sending just the right communication to just the right kind of customers, and you’re just scratching the surface of how Mailchimp can revitalize your marketing efforts.

Through “Customer Journeys” you can create a series of emails to go out to target markets, depending on any number of trigger points, including interaction on your website or when connecting with your customer service or sales teams.

Once they’ve made that purchase, there are so many more ways you can be connecting with them using Mailchimp. Shipping and delivery notifications, how-tos and suggestions, follow-up and feedback are just a few of the marketing automation emails you could be sending.

Keap 

Keap is an all-in-one e-commerce solution with a focus on helping service-based small businesses succeed with automation. They offer templates e-commerce companies can use to create automated email blasts, reminders, and lost lead actions to grow your sales and build customer loyalty.

They are a great option to explore if you’ve found your business is being held together with Post-it notes, spreadsheets, and scraps of paper you can’t keep losing. Keap pulls it all together, from your existing client base to prospect CRM, to all your communications, invoices, quotes, and more.

By keeping everything in Keap, you can feel more confident that you aren’t going to lose an opportunity or overlook a client.

HubSpot

HubSpot is a powerful tool that we’ve discussed before for any business looking to scale. While there is a paid version that may be out of the price range for many, HubSpot offers several features for free.

HubSpot’s tools include the Marketing Hub, Sales Hub, Service Hub, and Content Management System Hub. The free features can allow you to email templates, set up customer service ticketing, generate new leads, and create smart content.

Shopify

Shopify not only comes with many automation options through Shopify Flow, but you can also connect various integrations through their app store.

If you aren’t already using an e-commerce platform like Shopify, you may want to consider the benefits of having all your information right there in one place. As you grow, utilize more of the Shopify Flow options and integrations to take advantage of their systems.

Conclusion

After reading all of this information about what e-commerce automation can do for your company, you may be overwhelmed. If you are suffering from paralysis by analysis, remember this is about saving you time. Time you can use on bigger or better things.

Don’t get lost in all the bells and whistles clamoring for your attention. Choose the process that needs attention first and will help you boost your e-commerce sales. Then find the automation tool that seems most intuitive for you. Dive in and start saving time.

What’s the next e-commerce task you’re ready to automate?

The post The 5 Benefits of E-Commerce Automation appeared first on Neil Patel.

Original content source: https://neilpatel.com/blog/ecommerce-automation/ via https://neilpatel.com

See the original post, The 5 Benefits of E-Commerce Automation that is shared from https://imtrainingparadise.weebly.com/home/the-5-benefits-of-e-commerce-automation via https://imtrainingparadise.weebly.com/home

[professionalgrowth-julia]

Efficient Time Management by Chris Croft

Can you find ways to automate repeating tasks and problems?

If you are a manager, only solve creative problems

Delegate repetitive tasks to someone else or create systems to avoid repeating problems

Managing repeating problems

Prevent the original problem

Automate or delegate tasks

Improve processes

Notes: - Ask why more than what, dig deeper to the cause and fix the root of the problem - Food for thought: What are your repeating time wasters? 

How to reduce inefficiency?

Start with a reliable foundation - tools you use to run your life

Don’t tolerate anything inefficient or unreliable - it is worth spending money and time to fix it

My Value per Hour:

(Hourly rate) x 2 = Real cost

(Real cost) x 2 = Total value

Annual Salary/2,000 = Hourly pay

Hourly rate x 2 x 2 = Total value

How to improve your desk?

Get rid of the loose papers on your desk

Make sure your desk is well suited for you

Think about your desk’s line of sight

What should be on your desk?

Computer

Jobs-to-do list

Blank paper - paper is better to visualise instead of digital

Pens or pencils

Notes: - A neat list is much more useful than a pile of papers - Messy desk is distracting - Pomodoro Technique - work for a set amount of time and then reward yourself

Put things in the right place

Have spares of everything

Put things in clear sight where you can’t forget them - batch things together to save time

How to reduce your filing?

Use search to find the emails you’re looking for - customer name, company name, product name, date

For paper, try an app like Evernote for photographing and digitally filing documents

Filing system: (1) To-be-filed box, (2) Trash bin, (3) Can’t decide box

Notes: - Set up an auto-tagging system to help organize emails with similar content - Once can’t decide box is full, throw it away

How to maximise spare time

Use technology for work

Have a plan

Carry reading material (book or kindle)

Be idle, enjoy nature, or socialize

Notes: Falling back on TV or social media should be the last on your list

Listen more to save time

Things to avoid talking about: 

Details

Circular situations

Anything out of your control

The past

The future

Yourself

Use a master list

Should include all the big items

List can be in any form that works for you

Putting a list on the wall is preferred (visibility)

Set aside time to create and update your list (~15 mins to get it done)

Reason: - It’s better to know that not know. If list is too long, you need to either delegate or delete it - Allows you to plan and manage your time

Use a daily list

Use a daily list in conjunction with the master list 

Master list: Big-to-dos

Daily list: Smaller parts of larger projects

Should have less than 10 items

It is important to keep the master list and daily list separate

Daily lists must be done daily (not only under stress)

Notes - Writing daily lists in the evening helps because it’s quiet, it gives you closure for the day and helps you overcome procrastination

Get the most out of your calendar

Always keep it with you so that you use it everyday & all the time

Put in appointments with yourself to think & plan (one per day, ~30 mins)

Keep your calendar 25-50% empty to allow for inevitable problems

Use the unbroken chain by noting deadline dates in your calendar

Notes: - Small amount of planning adds up to significant planning

Write everything down

Big items goes into the master list

Small items goes to the daily jobs-to-do list

Timely items goes into the calendar

Reasons: - Helps you to not forget anything - Allows you to plan - Provides time for important tasks

Use paper or not?

Evernote

Multidevice access

Sharable content

Backup capability

Searchable

In a meeting, writing maybe condoned (even on ipad, but writing)

Tips for recording

Use the dictate feature on your phone

Use abbreviations

Hard edges for your tasks

Separate jobs into must do and might do

Never allow system to be ambiguous 

Notes: Read “Getting things done” by David Allen

Filing by date

Great for:

Timely event such as hotel bookings, conference & meeting agendas 

Repeating tasks

Following up on delegated tasks

Two options to do it:

Ring binder

Filing cabinet segregated by month, and then date

Filing by context

By location

By person

By customer

By activity

Notes: - Use “Any do” app that allows you to set Location reminder - Keep all your lists in one place

Tips for typing

Use dictate feature on your phone (beside the type bar)

Try using a bluetooth keyboard

Save time typing

Keep emails short

Learn to type really well

Use auto correct for mistakes 

Standard paragraphs in Evernote

Maximise productivity from apps

Evernote 

Online notebook

Stores text, photos, recordings

Accessible from many devices

Searchable

Includes text recognition software

Wunderlist

Free

Easy-to-use

Syncs across devices

Interactive

Shareable

WorkFlowy

Free

Syncs across devices

Good for brainstorming list

Tag tasks using hashtag

Trello

Similar to Kanban system

Moving things between lists

Good for consecutive task for one or more persons

Notes: - Email isn’t a jobs-to-do system

Make the most of Word and Excel

Microsoft Excel

Pivot tables

AutoFilter

Conditional formatting

Lookup tables

IF commands

Microsoft Word

Use AutoCorrect

Learn keyboard shortcuts

Learn to insert tables

Learn and use styles

Communicate via the cloud

Viewable anywhere

Always up to date

Control over who views and edits

Use the right medium

When to make a phone call?

For back and forth

For gauging reactions

When to use email?

To avoid chatty people

To leave a paper trail

To respect other’s time

To write and think carefully

Notes: - Use the medium the other person likes best

Make email easy for the receiver

Use a clear title

Use one subject per email

Delegate one person per task

Be clear when you CC

Have a detailed footer

*Email tips: include the original email

Make sure you get a reply

Replies are more important than read receipts

Did They Reply (DTR) System

Set up an email folder

Set up a rule to place all messages with “DTR” in the Did They Reply folder

Good for important email

For people whom you do not trust

For Gmail, use labels

Make sure you don’t get a reply!

Reduce incoming emails

Be assertive

Add “reply not required”

Try a different medium

Check emails at the right frequency

Check two to six times a day

Constantly checking emails can be distracting and time consuming

Checking more frequently doesn’t always increase response time

How to empty your inbox

Inbox Zero

Keep your inbox completely clear

Deal with easy tasks now

Add harder tasks to jobs-to-do list

Once you’ve assessed each email, remove it from your inbox

Inbox is just an arrival place, while jobs-to-do list is a list of tasks

If your inbox is too overwhelming, give yourself a fresh start

Notes: - Advantages of Inbox Zero: (1) Nothing gets forgotten, (2) you can decide what tasks to do

Do it tomorrow?

Two-minute rule: If it can be done in two minutes or less, do it!

Do-it-tomorrow rule

Unless the task is urgent, add it to the do-it-tomorrow list

Everything gets pushed back a day

Take control of your time to be more efficient

Tips for filing of emails

Inbox (things i have not seen yet, checked every hour or two)

Deleted

Done

Deal with later

Notes: Important things can be searched and placed into Evernote Boolean search: Search for specific things and exclude others Autofiling: Set up rules to automatically filter emails (not a good thing)

[healthandhealingtherapy]

Licensed Clinical Social Worker in Bartlett, Illinois

Hi, I’m Janet.

I provide counseling for children, adolescents, adults who are in their 20’s and early 30’s, and families.

I can help and support you, your child, teen, or family with the issues you may be struggling with. Whether it be depression, anxiety, low self-confidence, high stress, communication difficulties, or past trauma that is intruding into your life, together we can work to help you be your best self so you can live your best life.

MY APPROACH TO THERAPY

It takes great courage to contemplate reaching out for professional help through counseling and therapy. It takes even more courage to be honest about what you’re struggling with so you can implement the needed changes. If this is where you are at and you’re hoping for change, I’d love to help guide you along the way.

Whether you are a teen, adult, family, or you are a parent who is in need of a therapist for your child, your issues of concern are valid and important to me. What you’re going through and experiencing is very unique and personal.

If you decide to trust me enough to share your concerns and personal story, I will treat you and the information you share with me with the utmost care and compassion. This is why when I first meet with a new person like you, I will take time to get to know you. It will be a time for you to share about who and what is important to you. You may want to share about your interests, hobbies, passions, things that make you laugh, what you like to do for fun, etc.

After we get a little more comfortable together, I would then inquire about who the most important people in your life are, and I would ask you to tell me about them. This would include what draws you to them, how they support and help you, etc. Then we would begin to explore what you hope counseling and therapy can help you with.

You will most likely notice that I am a good listener and empathic in addition to being a person who is honest and straightforward. Because everyone is unique and their needs are different, I utilize different types of therapy to help people with the different things they are struggling with.

During a therapy session we may talk about your thoughts, beliefs, feelings, and behaviors and how they interact and trigger one another. Other times I may encourage you to participate in an activity or something experiential. When I meet with children, tweens, and some teens, we play games, create things, and use art to help express the feelings, thoughts, and beliefs that may be easier to express through play, drawing, or other artwork.

Wherever you’re at – that’s where we’ll start. We can move as slow or fast as you are ready, willing, and able to. It will take time to develop a therapeutic relationship that can effectively support you. I’ll provide an open and safe space for you to open up however and whenever you are ready. I will need to earn your trust. You may need more time than you think until you decide to share certain things about yourself, and that is completely natural. Therapy is not a race. Rather, it is often a slow walk in the direction you want to go.

Providing compassion, acceptance, sensitivity, understanding, and respect are some of the things I am most passionate about giving to others. You can be on the receiving end of all those things.

COUNSELING FOR CHILDREN and THERAPY FOR TEENS

What a year! 2020-2021 has been extremely hard for tweens and teens like you. No wonder things are and seem difficult now. Many teens don’t know how to feel or what to think about the pandemic, and they often have questions about whether their feelings and thoughts are normal, natural, or expected. Many of the teens I work with have been feeling isolated, distant, and alone. There has been so much in this past year that teens like you have had to navigate alone. I’m sorry if 2020-2021 has been a really difficult time for you. If you’ve been suffering, we want to do everything thing we can to end that so you can feel better.

Life can sometimes feel like a big struggle. Sometimes it’s hard for us to find someone to talk to about what we think and how we feel about the things we go though. Maybe your parents can be people you go to and other times you may talk to friends, but, still, there can be times when we think no one will understand. Or, maybe you have feelings and thoughts that you just aren’t ready to share with those closest to you. It can feel difficult to get some of these things out. Sometimes we can feel deeply alone in what we’re going through.

If this is what you’re experiencing, it sounds like it’s a great time to talk with a therapist or counselor. That way, you don’t have to go through the tough stuff alone. Instead, you can have someone listen, understand, get you, and accept you for who you are without expectation. Who wouldn’t want that?

I’m a teen therapist who is here to listen and to give you the space to express exactly how you are feeling – the good, the bad, and the ugly. I’m down for all of it, and it’s more than okay for you to be yourself and express yourself however you wish to. In fact, I would want you to do nothing less than be who you honestly are and be wherever you’re at.

If you feel a little nervous about therapy and wonder what it will be like, your anxiety is completely natural, and you’re in good company. Most people aren’t sure what counseling will be like and have lots of questions. In fact, it’s normal to be nervous about any new situation.

The first time we meet and talk, we will get to know each other. You can tell me about yourself, your life, what you like to do, what music, sports, team, or movies you like, etc. I’ll want to get a picture of what you and your life is like. Then, when you feel comfortable, you can talk about what’s going on that you might want a bit of help with.

Next, we will determine what you might want to be different, fear will be different, or need to change. This will help us come together and map a direction of what will be most helpful for you. Together we will determine what it is we can work on to make things better for you so you can be your best self. We will meet one time a week so we as a team can work toward your goals for change.

If you are wondering if I would be a good person to help you, I’ll share with you some of the issues of concern that other children, tweens, and teens have had when they first sought therapy with me and what I helped them with:

High anxiety and panic attacks; learning how to recognize causes of anxiety and ways to relax and calm down

Depression, feeling down or hopeless, crying spells, loss of motivation, withdrawing from other people

Self-injury or thoughts of self-harm and working through these thoughts and/or behaviors

Difficulty communicating with other people such as family members, friends, or peers in class

Dealing with a change in family dynamics such as divorce, separation, moving away, or a family member’s death

Stress related to the pandemic, COVID-19, school, remote school, or extracurricular activities

Processing trauma such as emotional abuse, sexual abuse, neglect, assault, or an event that has occurred which leads to nightmares or fixation

Questions or issues with oneself or others regarding sexuality, gender, or other LGBTQ+ concerns

Low self-esteem, low self-confidence, or having self-directed negative thoughts

Grief and loss of a loved one

Issues with poor concentration and hyperactivity

Sexual behavior problems or concerns

Anger and irritability

Everyone needs someone to talk to. If you feel alone, are struggling with one or more of the above, and think it may be time for you to get some support, guidance, acceptance, and encouragement, I’d be glad to be that person for you. You deserve to have as much support as possible when life is difficult.

HOW I CAN HELP YOU – THE PARENTS

As I work primarily with children, teens, and emerging adults, the role of parents and caregivers in therapy is a supportive role. I offer family sessions for caregivers both jointly with your child and non-conjointly on an individual basis. I also provide parent coaching sessions.

The goal of these sessions is to provide you with education on the mental health symptoms your child is exhibiting, how to recognize them at various stages of development and ages, and skills with which to support them with. I will teach you the same coping skills I am teaching your child in their therapy so you can assist them with practicing and using these skills when you’re at home together. We will also work together on connection, attachment, and increasing effective communication between you and your child.

Wouldn’t parenting be easier if there was a manual that helped you fluently navigate it? Most parents long for the proven and perfect methods to help guide them through the situations that are the most stressful. Because every child and every stage of development is so unique, it’s easy to never feel quite competent or confident as a parent. That happens in the best of circumstances, but the stress and uncertainty can be profound when your child is suffering with something you can’t protect them from. Something that you and you alone can’t fix or make better. If this is where you’re at as a parent, I would welcome the opportunity to connect with you and help you and your child reach a better place.

Young children often do not know how to identify and verbalize what they are experiencing. Instead, those feelings and stressors come out as symptoms we label as shyness, withdrawal from others, isolation, day-dreaming, anxiety, depression, communication difficulty, bed-wetting, crying spells, and specific somatic symptoms like tummy aches and other body aches. Their feelings are also masked by overt behaviors such as anger, tantrums, irritability, conflict and fighting with peers, refusal to wait or share, school refusal, and destruction of objects.

Sometimes teens have similar behaviors to those seen in younger children as listed above, but they can also suffer from internal stressors that look like: under or over-eating, food restriction, social isolation, constantly being busy and stressed, overachievement, perfectionism, having big feelings they can’t manage well, or putting high pressure on the self. In addition, adolescents often struggle with harmful behaviors such as: under or over-eating or fixation on weight, self injury, high expectations of self and fixation on needing to win and be the best, self injury (cutting, burning, etc), or body focused repetitive behaviors (skin picking, hair pulling, etc).

Teens can also wrestle with not having the ability to openly share their feelings or make sense of their thoughts and emotions. They often cannot articulate what they are going through and much of the time teens struggle with having and utilizing helpful and supportive coping skills to manage their feelings and behaviors.

Helping children and teens navigate through the various issues and challenges I’ve explained above is what I was meant to do, and it’s one of my great passions.

If any of the above rings true about your child, I’d love the opportunity to work with them in individual and family therapy. At the end of the day, the ultimate goal is to provide a nurturing environment where your child and/or teen can learn the needed skills to better navigate their mental, emotional, and physical health to improve their overall well-being.

WHAT I HOPE TO PROVIDE DURING THERAPY WITH ADULTS

Nowadays, more young adults are getting comfortable with the idea of therapy, and chances are you know someone who has participated in therapy or you yourself have been in therapy in the past. I’m so glad to know the negative stigma around mental health care is changing, and you and this generation are part of that reason.

So, you’re searching for someone to assist you with what you’re experiencing. Most likely, I’m guessing you must feel stressed with a recent change. Perhaps you are going to college, recently finished school, contending with unemployment, entered the full-time, professional adult workforce, or are in limbo with what you want to do next.

Trying to figure out what you want to do with your life while doing all the “adulting” things that are necessary, like paying bills, juggling finances, working on romantic relationships, balancing all your roles and responsibilities, re-defining friendships, and finding time to sleep and exercise while having me time can be very difficult. It’s A LOT! I can understand why you may be struggling.

It’s important to prioritize our mental health and well-being so we can be our best selves. When something is affecting us, it can spill into our relationships (ie: family, friendships, or romantic relationships), affect our ability to concentrate on work (school or job), affect the beliefs we have about ourselves and our self-esteem, and even affect our sleeping habits. Sometimes we judge our inside life against other people’s outside lives, thinking that they have it together and we don’t.

If these things resonate with you and you would like to meet to talk more about how we might work together to help you become your best self, I’d welcome the opportunity to support and work with you.

MY PROFESSIONAL JOURNEY

Since grade school, I’ve known I wanted to help people. I have a large family, and they always pride themselves on giving back to the community in a multitude of ways through their occupations and through community service. Showing people compassion and kindness is something that has been engrained in me and something that flows naturally out of me.

In the years that I’ve been a therapist, I’ve had the great privilege of working primarily with children, teens, and young adults who have experienced anxiety, depression, and trauma. In this work, I’ve provided individual and family therapy sessions, parent-education and parent-coaching sessions, and group therapy. I’ve mainly worked in community mental health centers and non-profit counseling and treatment centers that are community-based.

In working with Health and Healing Therapy, my goal is to be a person who you can feel completely comfortable with while being yourself. I strive to provide you with a consistent and safe space so you can process, learn, trust, change, grow, let it all out, and heal. I love being a therapist, and connecting to people like you is what I am meant to do.

Professional Bio

COUNSELING AND THERAPY APPROACHES

Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT)

Dialectal Behavioral Therapy (DBT)

Psychodynamic Therapy

Client-Centered Therapy

Trauma-Informed Practices

Mindfulness

Solution-Focused Therapy

Parent Education and Support

Motivational Interviewing (MI)

EDUCATION AND CERTIFICATIONS

B.S.S.W. Social Work with Psychology Minor & Certificate in Child Welfare Services, Florida International University, Miami, FL

M.S.W. Master of Social Work, Florida International University, Miami, FL

Licensed Clinical Social Worker, Florida License #SW15947

Licensed Clinical Social Worker, Illinois License #149.021622

In Closing

It’s important to find a therapist who is a good fit for you and/or your family, so if what I’ve shared resonates with you, reach out so we can begin working together. If you are ready to take the next steps to begin living a more fulfilled and self-empowered life, I’d love to help guide you along the way. The life and changes you’ve been looking for are awaiting you.

Click here to schedule an appointment with Janet.

[wordpresshelper]

Why do most businesses move their websites to WordPress?

Do you need to move your website into WordPress and want to know its benefits? This is a good read blog for you. Here we will explore various attributes of a WordPress website that need to be considered before converting your HTML site to WordPress. WordPress uses a database to retrieve and store content instead of HTML, which uses the markup language to display pages. The first is now the most popular web development platform these days.

The advantages of this platform have forced many people to change HTML. These include an improved user interface, simplicity in creation and management, search engine preference, and low development costs. Allow users to easily post content.

Converting HTML to WordPress is an initiative for business success. This solves many HTML design and programming issues. This modifier improves speed and overall site performance. This platform can also reduce the amount of programming required to create a fixed site. Also, the conversion process is performed by experts in converting HTML to WordPress with basic technical skills. The discussion of this blog provides the advantages of converting from HTML to WordPress.

1. Search Engine Friendly

This is a prerequisite for company websites. Converting HTML to WordPress provides a website compatible with different search engines. WordPress is Google's preferred platform. If you use WordPress, you will get a higher ranking on Google. It handles about 90 percent of the classification criteria.

WordPress allows search engines to track and collect information. Search engines develop a rich database by reviewing posts, pages, and categories. There is a privacy option when installing WordPress. It is also possible to classify and tag pages. More plugins can also be added to make the site more SEO-friendly. In addition, this HTML conversion makes the commercial website more attractive and responsive to the mobile users. WordPress sites can reach more people.

2. Ready to use System

Converting HTML to WordPress gives you a ready-to-use system. The latter is designed for online publication. Therefore, it has built-in capabilities. The content can be added automatically to your site.

Embedded features are provided during the development of the WordPress site. Creating a site using this platform is very simple. It also allows web hosting companies to incorporate their interactive features into their site.

Converting HTML to WordPress gives you a ready-to-use system. The latter is designed for online publication. Therefore, it has many capabilities included. The content can be added automatically to your site.

In addition, many built-in features are offered during the development of the WordPress site. Creating a site using this platform is very simple. It also allows web hosting companies to incorporate their interactive features into their site.

3. Highly Profitable

Working with WordPress is much cheaper than HTML, since you can add themes and plugins for free. Also, many of the built-in functions of encryption can make it much cheaper. This open source platform is free of charge.

This platform does not require additional programming language. In addition, customizing and editing the feature is easy and inexpensive. There are no needs for expensive or sophisticated conversion tools. WordPress also allows the user to spend less on search engine marketing. Converting HTML to WordPress also reduces the cost of hiring people to do smaller tasks.

4. Dynamic Website

Converting any website from HTML to WordPress allows anyone to get rid of static content. It also reduced the size of the code and the pages of a specific site. The WordPress page can be equivalent to an HTML file. Pages are designed with the same layout for consistency. Therefore, linked pages appear uniform. It makes the overall process of updating the site easy and fast.

HTML site update can be very difficult for beginners. You may need to hire experts to do things like add new pages and upload photos. During the conversion process, the admin user can make updates from the HTML editor. Making these updates is easy once you convert your site to WordPress. This CMS platform is designed for implementation, thus providing a more marketable site. Easy to manage your website.

5. Complete Personalization

HTML does not contain additional features due to lack of database. In addition, the transition of HTML to WordPress offers you with features such as store, gallery, poll, and more. You will also be provided with multiple options to customize the website. A wide range of installed plugins is provided in WordPress. This comes with the core of customization that allows users to easily optimize their sites.

Switching to a new platform such as WordPress gives you unlimited topic options. You can choose from a large number of themes inside or outside the theme library. Converting HTML to WordPress also provides you with a flexible and scalable site. Its structure is very strong, which makes it more favorable among business owners. Customization options also include adding tools. Adding templates, tools and plug-ins gives you a more attractive and unique website. You can use your imagination and creativity to excel.

6. Big community

WordPress is an open source or free platform with a large community of users. These people can support the exchange of ideas. HTML conversion provides customized security and personalization updates.

This also helps users to enhance their website performance frequently. Meet a community interested in high web standards and a great user experience to share your thoughts. These ideas produced a high-quality platform that attracted HTML users. In addition, the community also provides full technical support around the clock. Developers work 24/7 to provide updates.

7. Safe & Secure

The large community plays an important role in exchanging ideas and security challenges. This wonderful community comes with reports and possible solutions to security threats. This culture has made WordPress more secure from authentication and encryption levels. This common administrative system keeps hackers away as long as you keep updating your site.

This CMS platform is safe from various harmful web activities like phishing. Platform updates relate to various basic security metrics, such as strong passwords to increase security. Plus, you need a good hosting plan from the reputable WordPress development company. This platform works well for securing blogs and wallets.

Let’s Wrap Up:

In conclusion, switching from HTML to WordPress offers a wide range of customization capabilities. This way, you will be able to access many features and plug-ins. This will also allow you to make your site unique and feature-rich.

If you want to switch from HTML to WordPress, this reduces your site's maintenance costs, especially for the job site. In addition, the WordPress platform has many built-in features that make the overall development process much easier. If you're still having trouble converting HTML to WordPress, you can contact a white label WordPress development agency.

Reach out to us anytime at: 8002430593 to get free assistance for WordPress Development.

[meditativeyoga]

Who Am I? Use The Enneagram With Yoga To Find Your Answer

In a suitable globe, we 'd constantly think as well as act from an area of knowledge and also entirety. Yet in the real life, deep-rooted patterns and characteristic could hinder. Enter the Enneagram, an individuality evaluation that could aid you see what's maintaining you from realizing your most authentic, greatest self. Here's how you can use it, in addition to your yoga exercise technique, to change course.

Coral Brown, a yoga instructor and qualified mental-health therapist in Rhode Island, utilizes the word" co-dependent" to describe her previous enchanting partnership, which lasted more compared to a decade. Yet at the time, she really did not realize she was in such a pattern of over-giving that she was losing herself. While her yoga exercise method helped shine a light on this tendency, Brown claims studying the Enneagram-- a four-decade-old personality-assessment system-- likewise disclosed that it was time to carry on from the partnership. "The Enneagram enabled me to really see my core patterns," claims Brown, "eventually aiding me fulfill my requirements in a much healthier, more aware method than ever in the past."

The name Enneagram comes from the Greek words ennea, a prefix for "nine," and also gramma, suggesting "to draw." The system's symbol is a nine-pointed star, each point representing an unique character type. Most Enneagram professionals concur we are all birthed with one dominant personality kind (or number), which largely identifies just how we discover how to adjust to our environment as well as the people in it. The Enneagram surfaced in the United States in the 1970s, riding the tails of the human-potential motion (think treatment, encounter groups, and also primitive scream). Ever since, therapists, spiritual educators, coaches, or even organisations have made use of the Enneagram as a device to stir authenticity, subject core motivations, and ultimately reduce social conflict. Exactly how can a basic individuality examination do all this?

" There's resistance to transform within all of us, as well as the Enneagram explains just what that resistance has to do with for each people," states Peter O'Hanrahan, a prominent global Enneagram instructor and trainer. "As a result, this system provides you really clear info concerning what you require to work with." To wit, when Brown found out more about her Enneagram number-- a 2-- she was better able to see her core pattern of providing to others to really feel great about herself, which realization gave her a choice: do something concerning her unseen areas, or ignore them. She decided to act. "I left my companion, and I found even more of my own identification in my yoga exercise teaching," states Brown. "I was more aligned with my truer purpose as well as nature."

Susan Piver, author of the reflection guide Start Here Now as well as a meditation educator who leads retreats on the Enneagram, claims the kind of alignment Brownish seasoned is exactly what yoga is about at its core. "The Enneagram will tell us what we could not see regarding ourselves-- our means of being that come from our most damaged selves, which produce confusion because of this," claims Piver. As well as if you want to look at these injuries, which are usually rooted in unexamined pain, you can begin to chart a new, extra authentic course onward, she says. "At a certain point-- particularly if you get on a spiritual course-- you have to do this," Piver says. Keep reading to locate out how.

Self-Inquiry: Who Am I?

The work of the Enneagram begins with finding out your number, which basically represents just how you present yourself to others, where your focus goes when you silent down, as well as just what causes your actions. Piver, for instance, is a 4, which means her chief issue is envy. "Before I understood I was a 4, I utilized to believe that just what I wished for would make me pleased," she says. "Currently, I have the ability to see the hoping itself as an indication that I'm uncertain, unhappy, or pain, and also that I can turn my focus within instead of seeking something outside. This assists me notice when I need to take better care of myself."

In enhancement to disclosing adverse patterns and deep injuries, the Enneagram likewise highlights your best toughness. As an example, when Piver's envy is brought right into equilibrium, it ends up being the much more developed variation of itself: equanimity. "Envy as well as equanimity get on a continuum," she says. As well as these continuums exist for every one of the numbers, which means that on a regular basis looking for balance in between your strengths as well as blind places is the essential to living a much more straightened, genuine life.

Even better, all of this self-reflection comes with boosted communication with other individuals. That's why Piver calls the Enneagram an upaya, Sanskrit for "experienced methods." While she warns against utilizing the system to label somebody, she says it can be a valuable device to browse interaction blocks. For instance: "My companion is a One, as well as Ones are focused on right and also incorrect," claims Piver. "I'm a 4, and also Fours are concentrated on significance. If we enter a debate, I intend to talk and also comprehend, but I can not do that with him until I acknowledge what went wrong-- that I see where the bad move happened. That is very beneficial to him because everything in him desires to get to the base of the right and wrong in order to fix it." As soon as Piver's companion's needs have actually been dealt with, they could then have the kind of conversation that also functions for her.

Ultimately, the Enneagram could aid us release the limited hold we have on our variation of points. "It's difficult to recognize an individual's make-up when you are only looking at it with your very own lens," states Piver. "But suppose you were told, 'Below are 9 lenses-- which one do you think he or she is browsing?' It provides you a means to allow go of expectations to ensure that an extra real exchange can transpire. It produces concern."

Put the Enneagram Into Practice

Yoga provides the ideal training school to check out the subtleties of your Enneagram kind. When you recognize your number, you can begin to make use of the Enneagram to allow remove just what Patanjali called the "layers as well as blemishes hiding truth." "It's an extraordinary companion [to yoga exercise] that covers area yoga exercise doesn't deal with," says Michael Cohen, owner of the Kirtan Leader Institute and also a qualified Enneagram expert. "Yoga talks in wide terms regarding how you can transcend our restrictions, the Enneagram provides unbelievable detail regarding what that means." For instance, each number has an equivalent somatic pattern. "For Fives, Sixes, and also Sevens, postures that bring power to the lower body as well as the feet are crucial due to the fact that these types have the tendency to leave their bodies by increasing into their heads," claims O'Hanrahan. As soon as you know your kind's patterns, he says, you could personalize your yoga exercise method to sustain the job you're doing to leave your old grooves (or samskaras, in Sanskrit) and develop new ones that offer you better.

To that end, Brown has actually matched a posture with each Enneagram number to highlight both the challenges as well as the possibilities for that number. Establish your type, after that utilize your position and also mantra to proceed your self-inquiry so that just how you do asana reflects just how you do you-- with stired up quality and compassion.

Discover Your Enneagram Number

The 9 numbers, or personality kinds, of the Enneagram each have corresponding top qualities. To establish your number, checked out every one's specifying attributes and also essential inspirations here, then see which number resonates most highly for you. (Remember that we have elements of all nine kinds inside us, though we have a tendency to have even more of one type than the others.) With an open mind and an investigatory spirit, simply discover exactly what resonates most.

1. The Reformer

Defining traits:

Principle, purpose, self-discipline, as well as perfectionism

Key motivations:

To be right, to strive for higher things

Basic fear:

Being corrupt, evil, defective

At their best:

Ones are diligent as well as honest, with a strong sense of right and incorrect. They are teachers and also supporters for adjustment, always striving to boost things.

At their worst:

Ones are worried of making an error, they could get on being critical and perfectionistic, and also have a tendency to fight with animosity and also impatience.

2. The Helper

Defining traits:

Generosity, people pleasing, as well as possessiveness

Key motivations:

To be loved, needed, as well as appreciated, to vindicate their insurance claims about themselves

Basic fear:

Being unworthy of love

At their best:

Twos are understanding, providing, as well as owned to be close to others.

At their worst:

Twos can slip into doing points for others simply to feel required. They generally have issues with possessiveness as well as recognizing their very own needs.

3. The Achiever

Defining traits:

Adaptability, need to excel, as well as picture- consciousness

Key motivations:

To differentiate themselves from others, to be appreciated, to thrill others

Basic fear:

Being worthless

At their best:

Threes are self-accepting, genuine, and good example who inspire.

At their worst:

Threes could be overly interested in their image and just what others think about them, they normally have troubles with workaholism and also competitiveness.

4. The Individualist

Defining traits:

Expressiveness, drama, self-absorption

Key motivations:

To create and border themselves with appeal, and also to care for psychological demands before attending to anything else

Basic fear:

Having no identity

At their best:

Fours are very imaginative, self-aware, delicate, as well as reserved.

At their worst:

Fours can be moody as well as self-conscious. They normally have issues with sorrowful, self-pity, as well as self-indulgence.

5. The Investigator

Defining traits:

Perceptiveness, innovation, and isolation

Key motivations:

To possess expertise, to have whatever figured out as a way of resisting risks from their surroundings

Basic fear:

Being helpless or incapable

At their best:

Fives are visionary leaders, typically ahead of their time, and also able to see the globe in an entirely brand-new way.

At their worst:

Fives could end up being removed. They typically have troubles with eccentricity, nihilism, as well as isolation.

6. The Loyalist

Defining traits:

Responsibility, stress and anxiety, and suspicion

Key motivations:

To feel supported by others, to check the perspectives of others toward them

Basic fear:

Lack of security or guidance

At their best:

Sixes have a tendency to be steady, self-reliant, as well as trustworthy. They predict issues as well as foster cooperation.

At their worst:

Sixes could be indecisive, responsive, and defiant. They could also come to be defensive and evasive, as well as handle self-doubt and suspicion of others.

7. The Enthusiast

Defining traits:

Spontaneity, adaptability, as well as scatteredness

Key motivations:

To maintain their freedom as well as joy, to prevent missing out on rewarding experiences

Basic fear:

Being deprived and in pain

At their best:

Sevens are extroverted and also practical. They focus their skills on coming to be wondrous and satisfied.

At their worst:

Sevens could end up being sidetracked and exhausted by remaining on the go, they normally have issues with rashness and impulsivity.

8. The Challenger

Defining traits:

Decisiveness, positive self-image, willfulness

Key motivations:

To be autonomous and essential in the world

Basic fear:

Being controlled by others

At their best:

Eights are self-mastering, and use their stamina to enhance others' lives. They are self-confident and also decisive.

At their worst:

Eights could be egocentric and also autocratic. At times, they feel they must control individuals around them, in some cases becoming confrontational. They can have problems with their temper as well as showing vulnerability.

9. The Peacemaker

Defining traits:

Receptivity, reassuringness, complacency

Key motivations:

To produce harmony, to maintain things as they are

Basic fear:

Loss and separation

At their best:

Nines are able to bring individuals with each other and recover conflicts. They are approving, trusting, and also steady, they are typically imaginative, confident, and supportive.

At their worst:

Nines could be too going to go along with others to keep the peace. They want everything to go smoothly, as well as so could additionally be contented. They may have problems with inertia as well as stubbornness.

NEXT: The most effective Yoga exercise Posture For Your Enneagram Number

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What is a B2B Business Directory and Marketplace and The Best Way to Utilize It

Global business-to-business (B2B) eCommerce transactions totaled US $18.2 trillion in 2012, consistent with a Statist report. One of the foremost prominent trends in B2B ecommerce is the rise of the B2B marketplace. The impact of this online marketplace model can't be understated, because it redefined the account between B2B buyers and sellers and acts as a networking point. Because the trend continues to grow, it represents an enormous opportunity for traditional B2B wholesalers and distributors to embrace the web marketplace model so as to urge before their competition.  

So, what exactly is a Malaysia Business Directory and marketplace, what are the major benefits of being part of it, and how do you sell your products successfully on it?

Table of Contents

What is a B2B marketplace?

Benefits for suppliers of being part of a B2B marketplace

How to succeed on a B2B marketplace?

What to do next?

The meaning of B2B

B2B compared to B2C, C2B, and C2C

The most well-known online B2B marketplaces

Types and Business models of B2B marketplaces

Part 1: What is a B2B marketplace?

A B2B marketplace may be a sort of eCommerce platform that brings together B2B sellers and buyers and enables them to try to to business in one place online. a bit like its B2C counterpart, businesses sell their products (usually in bulk with B2B) and other value-added services, but on a B2B marketplace, the sellers are brands, manufacturers, suppliers, and wholesalers, and therefore the customers are other businesses.

These transactions are processed online by the marketplace operator. Depending on the various natures of B2B selling, a B2B marketplace also can be called other names, including a B2B trading platform, B2B procurement or sourcing website, B2B portal, multi-vendor marketplace, B2B catalog and directory, and more.  

The meaning of B2B

Before we get into more details, let's first review what "B2B" means. The abbreviation "B2B" simply stands for "business to business." It generally represents a business model that involves companies that perform services or provide products for other businesses instead of individual consumers. In recent years, the term has become synonymous with online trading and may also apply to Software as a Service (SaaS) products, B2B marketing companies, and other business supply companies.

If you're involved an SME (mid-size enterprise), it's highly likely that you simply will interact with a B2B company at some point in your professional life . That's why it's of high importance to realize a far better understanding of the principle.  

B2B compared to B2C, C2B, and C2C

To further investigate the definition of what a B2B company is, it's useful to match B2B with other sorts of sales like B2C, C2B, and C2C.

Business-to-consumer (B2C), also referred to as retail sales, sells on to individual customers. it's an easier business transaction with lower volume, a hard and fast price, and fewer administration.  

In consumer-to-business (C2B), consumers offer facilities and values for business to consume, like customer reviews or influencer marketing.  

Consumer-to-consumer (C2C) is when two individual citizens sell to every other. The classic example is that the way eBay wont to be at the start.  

B2B companies have a completely different audience and offer the products, raw materials, semi-finished parts, finished parts, services, or consultations that other businesses got to operate, grow, and profit.Let's draw a better comparison between B2C and B2B sales to assist you understand why a B2B marketplace offers a special experience catering to the unique needs of B2B buyers and sellers.  

B2C sales usually feature:

Spontaneous or quick purchases

Fixed pricing

Low-volume orders

Products are sold "as is"

Immediate payment

Simple shipment

Simple/no paperwork

B2B sales do have few complexities that differentiate them from the normal B2C business model, which all need to be taken into consideration when building and managing a successful B2B marketplace.

Long purchase cycle

Price can vary depending on product changes and the quantity of items

Bulk sales usually; have the need for samples

Product can change: labeling, OEM, ODM

Different payment types and international payment issues

Logistics and distribution issues

Document and bureaucratic issues

The most well-known online B2B marketplaces

There aren't a lot of notable B2B marketplace platforms available today, mainly due to the intricacies of building the smart technology and gaining a trustworthy reputation from whole and bulk suppliers and buyers over years. In no particular order, here is a small list of some of the top B2B multi-vendor directory and marketplaces:

Alibaba.com

TradeMalaysia.com

Amazon Business

eWorldTrade

Global Sources

ThomasNet

EC21

IndiaMart

It is worth having more research to check if any of those top marketplaces have the buyer base and popularity, latest tech and tools to support business leads and selling, and other value-added supplier and buyer services that serve your specific selling goals. Or, you may get other types of marketplaces in your niche.

Types of B2B marketplaces and their business models

There are several types of B2B marketplaces which depend on the structure of the business participants and other diverse factors.

Vertical versus horizontal marketplaces

Vertical marketplaces, also known as "vortals" (vertical portals), specialize in a single category of products or a particular sector of industry. Horizontal marketplaces like TradeMalaysia sell products and services of different kinds, appealing to the requirement of buyers across different product and service segments or sectors.

One-to-many versus many-to-many marketplaces

A one-to-many marketplace is usually managed by a single procurement company. For example, large automobile manufacturers  like Nissan and General Motors can set up their own eCommerce marketplace where their suppliers can be given access and submit bids and quotations for what they are requesting for.

Many-to-many marketplaces concept may be more familiar to you, where both, buyers and suppliers are of different entities and the b2b marketplace is fully managed by a third party. TradeMalaysia.com and Alibaba.com fall into this category.

Local versus global marketplaces

In terms of geography, we differentiate between local and global B2B marketplaces. While on local marketplaces, companies supply only to their local market, whereas global marketplaces facilitate the exchange of products and services unrestrained by geographic boundaries. This poses a greater risk and challenges to run a successful global marketplace, because it has got to tackle additional issues associated with international payment, cross-border trade and logistics, language and communication barriers, and more.

Whether you plan to venture on your own B2B marketplace or sell with big B2B platforms, other important things to understand about are the business models and sources of revenue for such a business. Here we list the three commonest business models in B2B marketplaces:  Commission-based business modelFor every successful order a seller gets from the online b2b platform, they pay a fixed percentage as commission to the marketplace operators. The marketplace may charge different cuts counting on the sort of products, category of products, order volume, value of the cart, and other trade variables.

Subscription-based business model

The marketplace charges a membership fee from the sellers to allow them to use its platform for business. This model is more common in gigantic B2B trade marketplaces with many repeat customers. The marketplace may offer some additional value within the subscription packages to draw in more memberships. this might include dedicated account management services, greater visibility into products in catalog, access to exclusive categories, advertising features, logistics assistance, and more.

Listing fee business model

This model is somewhat more like pay-per-view, as usually seen in video streaming platforms. The B2B wholesale marketplaces that follow this model generally ask suppliers to pay an extra fixed or percentage of amount as a listing fee for posting a product to sell.

Part 2: Benefits for suppliers of being part of a B2B marketplace

Currently, 75% of B2B purchases are already made online2, and more and more businesses are leveraging online channels to conduct product sourcing and procurement. For suppliers, being a part of a B2B marketplace represents an enormous potential to require your sales and business to subsequent level.If you're not convinced yet, keep it up reading to find out more about the advantages of selling on a B2B marketplace.  Build your online presenceDigitizing your entire catalog already gets you before tons of your competitors who still adhere to the normal in-person ways of B2B sales. By showcasing your products online, it increases your chances of reaching qualified buyers and shutting big deals. it's also almost like being during a global trade fair which runs 24/7 and three hundred and sixty five days per annum , and you're always present and visual .

Capitalize on existing buyer demand and expand your network

Millions of B2B procurement professionals are already actively shopping on leading B2B marketplaces. The B2B marketplaces offer B2B buyers the ease of convenience and confidence of engaging and buying from many verified and trusted suppliers on one centralized platform. If you don't have the time and resources to take a position in reaching customers across offline and online channels on your own budget, choosing to sell on a B2B marketplace can take the get rid of your plate and help effectively expand your network.

Low costs

The access to a B2B marketplace usually includes a coffee initial cost that any company of any size can afford, no matter the business model of the platform, as within the structures of seller fees. It also gives suppliers the chance to decrease operating expense . They not got to update lengthy printed catalogs or spend money on traditional marketing channels.

Easy set-up

B2B marketplaces feature a uniform interface and easy-to-use seller portal, where you'll simply load your business and merchandise information to urge your online business up and running. Marketplaces integrate product management, CRM, shipment, and payment solutions or services. the event and integration of such sophisticated systems to your own website, instead, might be expensive and time-consuming.  

Test out new products

Managing your products during a centralized online portal makes it easier than ever to urge obviate obsolete inventory and SKUs. With a B2B marketplace, your own sales data are often readily accessible to assist inform your development or selection decisions. The marketplace portals often provide sales-trend insights and aggregated data for various segments or industries, so you'll adapt to the sales trends and luxuriate in "first mover" benefits, especially in times of crisis.

Expand your customer base globally

Modern B2B trading marketplaces support localization settings and configurations. for instance , they will display your products in several languages and integrate translation tools or services to the platform. They also offer solutions and services to require care of the complexities of international transactions and logistics. during this way, wholesalers and makers can have the convenience to access a wider range of audiences and develop new contacts everywhere the planet , without the necessity for becoming an expert in cross-border trade themselves.

Access to foreign markets for SMEs

The low start-up costs of B2B marketplace platforms have allowed SMEs to start out selling their goods and services internationally as no other has within the history of the business. employing a B2B eCommerce marketplace is a cheap thanks to promote your products. Small businesses not need to take expensive trips round the world to secure business deals and may also display a good array of products.

Increase customer service and loyalty

Good online B2B platforms assist you facilitate connection and conversation together with your buyers and allow you to own your business relationships. Digitized solutions allow you to manage your relationship during a more efficient way and timely manner. Less time spent on fielding leads and orders over phone and email will leave longer to drive your business growth.

Part 3: How to succeed in a B2B marketplace

We've talked about the definition and kinds of B2B marketplaces. We've also explored the advantages of selling on a B2B marketplace. Now, let's outline some strategies you'll apply to make sure you sell successfully during a B2B marketplace.

Build trust

Do all steps required so the buyer on the other side of the world who never meets you face-to-face will believe in you. This includes:

Completing your company profile

Verifying yourself through verification or authentication processes

Showcasing other information that authenticates your business, such as certificates, licenses, awards, or photos of your factory, office, and employees.

Post and manage products

High-quality product posting helps you stand out from the gang . Use descriptive keywords in your product name/title and descriptions to optimize for rankings within the marketplace platform. Use well-designed images and videos to draw in buyers and help them develop a holistic understanding of your products.

Be flexible and adaptive

Flexibility will enable your business to thrive and evolve. Staying in-tuned with and adapting to your customer's needs will offer you a singular advantage. Such flexibility may include offering product customization, price modification, and personalized responsive services.

Offer logistics and customs clearance advice

Make sure that you simply simply can advise your customer on the simplest way that you can ship/ freight the delivery. Also, you'll help customers gain knowledge of the principles and regulations required for the products to be exported into certain countries.

Respond to inquiries

Without business inquiries, there can be no orders. So always ensure  that you deal with inquiries in a strictly professional, organized, and timely manner.

Use feedback to optimize your offer

Positive feedback and testimonials from your customers can help your business to gain trust and definitely help to build your client base. Encourage all your customers to leave feedback. Even their negative feedback can help you understand what went wrong with your deal.

Offer sample products

Potential customers may like to check the actual quality of a product before making a bulk purchase order. You can facilitate this by providing a product sample.

Respect your potential buyers

You will have to show respect, professionalism, and interest to any business inquiries regardless of the size of order or the company  that contacts you. After all, if you serve them nicely, you will grow together!

What to do next?

The competition is getting harder within the online B2B market space, while the opportunities are vast. For many businesses across the globe, selling on a B2B eCommerce marketplace is the best way to expand their B2B network and grow sales. It can be especially very helpful for SMEs who generally have a limited and small marketing budget to gain the best possible sales results in the short- and medium-term.

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OFYE Matters: Growth Mindset

New online learners begin their academic journey with a tremendous amount of excitement. For many, they are taking the first-step to achieving goals they have had for many years.  Tackling new challenges isn’t easy, and it doesn’t take long for the initial excitement to fade once obstacles begin presenting themselves.  For new online learners who often struggle with self-efficacy, even small obstacles can quickly become barriers that deter students from continuing on their path.  Southern New Hampshire University (SNHU) instructor, Melanie Schopp shares, “As educators, we must first break down the “fear” barrier to student success. Students need to believe in themselves and know that they have academic support and resources behind them to achieve success.”  Helping students embrace obstacles as learning and growth opportunities rather than barriers is one of the challenges OFYE educators regularly face.  While challenging, helping students to achieve this transformation can significantly increase the likelihood that they obtain their goals.

To learn more about the strategies to help learners embrace a growth mindset, we asked OFYE educators the following questions:

How do you help OFYE learners move from a fixed mindset to a growth mindset?

How do you present or develop course content that encourages students to continually stretch themselves to improve?

How do you present assignment feedback in a way that helps students embrace opportunities for further development rather than focus on the grade as the outcome?

Below are some of the strategies that were shared.

  Create a sense of belonging.

Melanie Schopp, SNHU learning community facilitator and instructor:

Students need to believe in themselves and know that they have academic support and resources (amenities) behind them to achieve success. The simple power of positive thinking and for students to have a place to “belong” can impact the movement from a fixed to a growth mindset.  At Southern New Hampshire University we provide students with an online community outside the classroom where students can interact with their peers in a non-academic space.  This community is called a “Learning Community.”  This space offers students support outside the classroom based on academic/course content, and also allows peer interaction.  The key to this community is students “see” that others feel the same emotions and they are not alone.  One of the first things we discuss in this community is my personal motto, “You got this!”  It is a quick, positive affirmation to help students understand they curate their academic journey and the energy they put in, is what they get out of it.

  Foster a culture of growth.

Dr. Newton Miller, Associate Dean of Education, Ashford University:

In order to help promote a culture that fosters a growth mindset for OFYE learners, educators should lead by example. Stanford University professor and author of Mindset: The New Psychology of Success, Carol Dweck, states in Education Week that when educators focus on why someone is not learning, instead of working to find a way to help them learn, they are themselves operating in a fixed mindset. If that is what the educator plants in their students, then that is what will grow.  She labels this phenomenon the “False Growth Mindset.”  Very often finding the way to help OFYE students learn calls for educators to change their belief systems in order to extend the mile they are willing to walk with their student in order to assist them.  Dr. Dweck goes on to say that this can be problematic for many educators because no longer is the responsibility to grow solely on the student… educators’ ethics, values, and passions are also placed in the spotlight.

   Offer personalized encouragement.

Melanie Schopp:

I feel it is necessary to remind ourselves, as faculty, of the student emotions attached to each assignment and the communication we have with our learners. As we move through our course material, it is key to think about ways to incorporate our academic content into the daily lives of our students “outside” the classroom. Students benefit from knowing how they will use concepts, skills, and ideas now in addition to in their future career.  I like to “teach” in a way I would work with my peers or even my loved ones by giving realistic scenarios and providing a way for the learner to “see” themselves using the academic material.  Our OFYE students have typically overcome so much in their personal lives and demonstrated personal “grit,” but when it comes to academics, they are unsure how to “dig deep” for their success when hurdles impact their journey.  As an OFYE faculty member, it is our job to remind them they are worth being there, they are working hard, and we need to help build them up to achieve “academic” grit through personalized encouragement.

  Embrace individual interests and motivations.

Joel D. Hanlon, Director, New Student and Family Programs, Radford University:

Many of the early assignments in my course are reflection journal entries. This allows me to get to know my students and how they are handling the transition to college.  I try to provide an open-ended question that allows the student to dictate the direction that the journal will go.  Some of the topics include highs and lows since coming to college, something they are excited about, something they wish they could change, living situations, campus engagement, connections, favorite courses, etc.  The later assignments have very specific requirements, but I leave the topics up to the students.  This allows students to grow academically while still addressing a topic that interests them.  …

  Deliver highly personalized feedback in multiple formats.

Melanie Schopp:

Feedback can be tough for many people, let alone OFYE students. Often our students crave feedback but are unsure what to do with it or if they can question our comments in addition to being fearful of what we as faculty want to share with them due to a previous difficult interaction at some point in their life.  

I think it is imperative to craft personal responses to each student. This helps students see more of an academic relationship and that you as a faculty member want them to succeed, but changes need to be made to the students work.  Our academic guidance needs to provide specifics such as what the student does well and then offer detailed information and/or examples on how they can improve.  In addition, offering students the opportunity to connect with academic resources (amenities) for their success helps them to see they have support to achieve goals.   

Another thing to consider is the delivery of our feedback and offering it in a variety of ways. I feel to achieve a state where students focus on development opportunities from feedback versus only thinking numerically about their grade OFYE faculty should personalize it for their success.  It would be beneficial to know the best way to approach a student outside the grade center to offer the best academic service.  Ideas for this are to work through a student advisor, contact the student via email, or even by phone to discuss their success. 

Joel D. Hanlon:

The purpose of individual feedback meetings with my students is twofold: First, I find out if the student does not understand something about the material or teaching style. If so, I clarify any information that may be in question.  Second, I go through the syllabus and breakdown of assignments.  I show students that missing an assignment early on is not the end of their college career, and I give them a chance to make up the assignment for partial credit.  By emphasizing their potential for success, students do not focus so much on the one negative grade.  By developing journals and making connections with the students, I can have these conversations with students in an impactful way.  It is critical to meet the student in their transition and support them.  Each student has a very different roadmap to making the successful university life transition. 

  Focus on student goals while working to raise the bar.

Dr. Newton Miller:

[O]ne of the most powerful things educators can do for OFYE learners is to constantly remind them that their final destination in life is not based on innate ability. It is directly proportionate to the amount of hard work, access to learning, training, and positive expectations targeted at developing new skills, resiliency, and motivation to change in which they are willing to participate.  Educators must also be aware that many OFYE learners are also non-traditional learners that have been deemed at-potential (I refuse to say at-risk), thus accommodations should be embedded in the course room to support immediate success in the course and to raise the bar of expectations by teaching to mastery and accepting only what is expected.  For example, here are some things educators can employ to model a growth mindset and raise the bar of expectations:

Employ relaxed deadlines to remove the anxiety attached to turning in assignments on the clock. After all, what does that have to do with mastering the course learning outcomes?

Provide exemplar examples of past student work to show learners what is expected and communicate the message that they can do the same, or even better.

Distribute motivational quotes, and self-made videos that provide tips for the week and humanize the online experience. This shows your OFYE learners that you “have their back” and that encourages them to keep pressing forward.

Deliberately unload a heavy dose of a mixture of 50 percent honest and direct feedback combined with 50 percent positive reinforcement to keep the learners encouraged about what they have done well, and realistic about attacking their areas of opportunity.

Provide pointed feedback on assignments and return them to learners without grading them.

Telling the learner to re-submit a revised edition of the work, and once they do, grade it.

These strategies may cost educators a little time and effort, but they demonstrate to learners that their instructor is willing to put their money where their mouth is, while simultaneously ensuring that the educator is not operating in a false growth mindset. The outcome and reward of this extra effort is a breeding of a fixed mindset in the learners being served. 

Next Blog Topic: Technology to Build Bridges

Technology continues to advance quickly and new technologies become available for use all the time. As we know, it can be easy for new online learners to feel disconnected and isolated in their virtual classroom.  Creative applications of technology by OFYE educators can create bridges to engagement and mastery of concepts for new online learners and can help them find success while reducing feelings of isolation.  Our next blog seeks to discover the many ways technology is being leveraged as a bridge to student engagement and success.  If you work with first-year online students, please share your thoughts on one or both of the questions below:

What technologies are you using to build bridges to student engagement?

How are you leveraging technologies to help students master first-year course concepts?

To submit for publication consideration, please articulate and email one to three-paragraph responses to Jamie Holcomb, Associate Dean of First Year Experience, Southern New Hampshire University at j.holcomb@snhu.edu by Monday, February 4.

Please note:  All submissions will be reviewed and edited for grammar, format, and readability.

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[cryptobully-blog]

Fortnite Update 3.5 Released With New Port-a-Fort; Patch Notes Released

https://cryptobully.com/fortnite-update-3-5-released-with-new-port-a-fort-patch-notes-released/

Fortnite Update 3.5 Released With New Port-a-Fort; Patch Notes Released

Fortnite has another update out, and Battle Royale has a new item available now on PS4, Xbox One, PC, and mobile. In addition, the previously announced replay system has been implemented, a new limited-time mode is coming soon, and a bunch of new cosmetics have been added to Save the World. Numerous issues cropped up after its release, but things seem to be running smoothly now, and players will get freebies as compensation.

Version 3.5, as the update is called, adds the recently teased Port-a-Fort feature, which is a throwable item that spawns a fort in seconds. You can carry up to five of these, though they only drop in stacks of one. Take a look at the Epic-tier item below. Battle Royale will also revive the 50v50 mode “soon” with a few small changes, although it’s since been delayed until next week. Additionally, the console versions should load faster and some weapon changes have been made.

Save the World, meanwhile, adds some new cosmetic options that include four new Heroes with a cyberpunk theme and a set of neon weapon skins. Take a look at those in the images below.

Aside from bug fixes and balance tweaks, the only other meaningful addition is Fortnite’s replay system. This allows you to save your matches and watch them back from any angle. This is designed for sharing options but could also allow you to learn from where you and other players go wrong. Take a look at the full patch notes at the bottom of this article, via Epic.

Our Fortnite: Battle Royale review went live just recently. Critic Michael Higham enjoyed the multiplayer title and awarded it an 8/10. “While there are several moving parts in the game’s ecosystem, Fortnite’s biggest accomplishment is in how it seamlessly merges a number of simple mechanics to create a distinguishable battle royale game,” he wrote. “What looks to be a straightforward building system steadily escalates to an elaborate display of tactical prowess. As the saying goes: It’s easy to learn, hard to master. Although a few shortcomings in the map design eventually surface and fatigue in looting can set in, Fortnite rarely fails at challenging you in unexpected ways, resulting in something more than just another typical last-person-standing shooter.”

For more on Epic’s hit game, check out six common mistakes players make in Fortnite: Battle Royale or our Vending Machines location guide. Alternatively, take a look at our Fortnite beginners guide.

Fortnite Update 3.5 Patch Notes

General

Wood, Stone, and Metal resources will now always be the first items in the inventory list (e.g. instead of Traps).

Purchased V-Bucks are now shared between Xbox One, PC and Mobile.

Login Queue Improvements:

During wait periods, login will now remember your place in line if you quit out of the game and return.

Mobile devices will not enter the login queue more than once per login attempt.

Two-Factor Authentication challenges will not put you back into the login queue.

Bug Fixes

Adjusted the Login screen layout to better support varying screen sizes and safe zones.

Fixed a rare crash that occurred during logout.

Fixed PS4 players leaving their party after a match where they are playing with players on other platforms.

Fixed Survivor and Hero squads being locked after switching to Save the World from Battle Royale.

On PC, fixed PS4 controllers showing Xbox buttons, even after the controller type was changed in the settings.

Fixed rare cases in which character parts would stretch unnaturally.

(Example) Ears of the Rabbit Raider outfit.

Fixed the inability to rotate elements in the Battle Royale Locker after buying a Llama in Save the World.

Battle Royale

Replay System

Save your matches and watch them from any angle!

Speed up or slow down the action.

Help tell your story better with player outlines and name plates.

Several Camera Modes to choose from:

Third Person

Follows and orbits around the selected player.

3 different follow modes; Off, Auto, Lazy.

Drone Follow

Drone style camera that always keeps the selected player in frame.

Drone Attach

Drone style camera that is loosely attached to the selected player.

Drone Free

Drone style camera that is free to fly around the island.

Gameplay

This camera shows what the selected player saw during gameplay.

Adjust cinematic camera settings

Exposure

Aperture

Focal Length

Focus Distance

Currently available on PC and console only.

Weapons + Items

Port-a-Fort added.

Epic rarity.

Drops in stacks of 1. Can stack up to 5 in inventory.

When the Port-a-Fort is thrown, a pre-made fort is constructed instantly at the impact point.

The Port-a-Fort is made out of metal and is three stories tall.

The bottom floor is 1×1 with a door for entry. Tires inside allow for easy access to the roof.

Decreased Guided Missile maximum turn rate by 75%.

Reduced Guided Missile movement speed by 15%.

Added a short equip time to many weapons (particularly, those with a slower rate of fire).

This will reduce the effectiveness of quickly switching between weapons for high burst-damage.

Removed the reloading animation on the Pump Shotgun.

Weapons affected are:

Rocket Launcher

Hand Cannon

Revolver

Tactical Shotgun

Pump Shotgun

Heavy Shotgun

Bolt-Action Sniper Rifle

Hunting Rifle

Crossbow

Adjusted item availability in Vending Machines.

Reduced chance of Chug Jug by 50%.

Increased chance of Medium Ammo weapons in Rare Vending Machine by 100%.

Reduced chance of Explosive Ammo weapons in Rare Vending Machine by 50%.

Reduced chance of Explosive Ammo weapons in Epic Vending Machine by 25%.

Increased chance of Heavy Ammo weapons in Epic Vending Machine by 25%.

Reduced chance of Explosive Ammo weapons in Legendary Vending Machine by 25%.

Increased chance of Heavy Ammo weapons in Legendary Vending Machine by 25%.

Reduced drop rate of Remote Explosives in floor loot by roughly 33%.

Updated Medium Ammo inventory icon to make it more easily identifiable.

Bug Fixes

Gameplay

Limited Time Mode: 50V50 v2

Two teams of 50 fight to the finish!

Due to this being a “large squad” mode, Profile Stats will not be tracked. Daily & Weekly challenges will still work, with the exception of the Squad-based challenges (‘Place Top 6 in Squads’, etc.).

Storm & Map

Each team has a bus, approaching the island from opposite directions. On the map, the friendly bus has a blue outline, enemy has red.

Final storm circle visible on minimap at start.

Players have 10 minutes to loot the map as the storm closes in on the circle, then 5 minutes to fight, and another 5 minutes as the storm shrinks to the end.

Supply drops come in batches of 3-6, fall every two minutes, and only land in the final storm circle.

Added dotted line to map, which indicates the “battle lines” between the two teams. Crossing the line will make running into enemies more likely.

Loot

Farming resources increased 75% over default.

Increased floor loot spawn likelihood by 15%.

Floor Loot spawns double ammo.

Ammo boxes spawn triple ammo.

Chests spawn double ammo & consumables.

Supply drops spawn double ammo, and an extra consumable, resource drop and trap.

Bug Fixes + Mode Improvements

Fixed a bug that created uneven teams where one side could have more than 50 players.

Downed players lose health more quickly than normal (10 health per tick).

New ‘Builder Pro’ controller configuration

This configuration is similar to “Combat Pro”, but optimized for fast placement of building pieces.

Wall, floor, stairs, and roof have designated buttons on controllers.

The first button press will switch to the mapped building piece, then every press after will place that piece.

To switch between materials or traps, press the Left D-Pad button.

New Squad Comms wheel

This allows you to communicate quickly without voice.

The following callouts are currently available: Enemy Spotted, Need Meds, Need Shields, Need Materials, Need Weapon (context-sensitive), and Need Ammo (context-sensitive).

Defaults to ‘V’ key, Right D-Pad on controller, or in the Emote menu on Mobile.

The Loot Llama can now be opened through destruction as well as an interaction.

Added a blue tint to friendly traps to help distinguish them from enemy traps.

Bug Fixes

Fixed an issue preventing players from editing their own structures.

Supply Drop fixes:

Fixed an issue preventing players from opening supply drops in rare cases.

Fixed an issue causing supply drops to jitter as they fall if a player destroys the object that it landed on.

Fixed an issue causing supply drop loot to spawn in the air after the drop had been shot down.

Fixed an issue causing players to be pushed under the map if they stood under a falling supply drop.

Fixed an issue causing players to launch out of the map after landing on a supply drop.

Fixed an issue where building would be blocked for 3 seconds at a time under poor network conditions.

Fixed an issue causing controllers to vibrate during the skydiving phase when vending machines loaded into the world.

Fixed an issue that would hide structure health bars when the player aimed their weapon.

Fixed toggling aim down sights not returning to its previous state after reloading.

Fixed an issue where poor network conditions could prevent buildings from streaming in.

Fixed an issue where you could not select the same Banner Icon and color combination in Battle Royale that you have in Save the World.

Audio

Added unique equip/reload sounds for the following weapons (all others remain the same):

Epic/Legendary Assault Rifle

Heavy Shotgun

Pump Shotgun

Bolt-Action Sniper

Hunting Rifle

Added more variation to the Tactical SMG fire sound.

Added more variation to the medium-range Epic/Legendary Assault Rifle fire sound.

Bug Fixes

Remove the second “insert magazine” sound during the grenade launcher reload animation.

UI

Bug Fixes

Fixed the controller button label for Toggle Map not shown after being eliminated.

Fixed a bug in the Locker that made skydive previews appear without the correct animation.

Fixed text on the minimap that was too small.

Fixed the map marker not retaining its location when zooming in and out.

Fixed an issue with map markers not pinning at your cursor when placing them while zoomed in.

The controller analog stick can now be used to scroll the map while zoomed in.

Fixed an issue causing the eliminated player count displaying as zero when spectating a Guided Missile.

Art + Animation

Tweaked the object pop in animation so objects ease in rather than pop in.

Bug Fixes

Fixed inconsistent Battle Bus position changes that could occur every few seconds.

Fixed the Rock Paper Scissors emote so that it replicates properly in the lobby.

Fixed the Rainbow Smash and Candy Axe harvesting tools not always activating.

Fixed the Guided Missile firing animation so that it plays properly while spectating the player that is firing the weapon.

Reduced the size of Mushrooms that were too large.

Performance

Major optimizations + improvements made to console load times and CPU performance.

We’ve made some data layout optimizations in order to improve load times and performance. Load times reduced by 25-30 seconds as a result of these changes on Xbox One and around 10 seconds on PS4. On both platforms, we expect to see fewer issues with geometry or cosmetics failing to load in time, and FPS drops during skydiving. The Xbox One download will be larger than normal in this release as a result of these optimizations. We’re working to minimize the impact of this type of optimization in future releases. – Developer Comment

Reduced download and patch size for players who just have access to Battle Royale (PC only).

Fixed various issues causing the game to freeze up/hitch while loading assets, especially on console. These assets are now preloaded before the game starts.

Optimized servers to reduce network lag when firing weapons and taking damage.

Mobile

Audio indicator no longer shows silenced weapons, crouched footsteps or ally pickaxes.

Multiple graphical improvements were made to the skybox, vegetation and anti-aliasing.

Bug Fixes

Fixed an issue that caused input to continue when no longer touching the screen.

Fixed an issue where the message about jailbroken devices being unsupported wasn’t being shown

Attempting to play using a jailbroken device will result in being kicked.

Fixed various interacting actions, including:

Icons not showing properly on lower-end devices

Supply Drops not being able to be opened.

Doors not consistently opening and closing.

The Map not being able to be zoomed & panned.

Instances where accidental button presses would occur.

Fixed an issue causing Revolver and Grenade Launcher ammo to float outside the gun.

Save The World

Gameplay

Enabled environmental damage for ranged weapons.

Percentage of damage done to the environment varies by weapon.

Environmental damage scaling for ranged weapons should remain consistent relative to the health of the environment, taking into account the rarity and alterations on the weapon.

NOTE: Environmental damage increases with tier and rarity only and is not multiplied through Offense.

Ranged weapons can not damage structures you or your team have built.

[Rework] Outlander Fragment

Fragment abilities, other than the Loot Llama, no longer require equipped Fragment ammo to activate.

Fragment abilities now have a cooldown and Energy cost, as other abilities do.

Fragment abilities are now improved when the Outlander expends Fragment ammo in their activation.

Fragment Ammo capacity has been dramatically increased.

[Rework] Melee Weapons + Environment

Melee weapons (aside from Pickaxes) can no longer damage structures that you or your team have built, and have had their environmental damage increased.

Environmental damage scaling for on-level melee weapons should now feel more consistent, relative to the health of the environment

NOTE: Environmental damage increases with tier and rarity only, and is not multiplied through Offense.

Axes do increased damage against wood. Hardware does increased damage against stone.Swords, Clubs, Scythes, and Spears do not favor any material type.

[Rework] Anomaly

Anomaly rewards increased, changed from BluGlo to mission rewards.

Anomaly shards will take full damage from the Pickaxe, reduced damage from other melee weapons, and can no longer be damaged by projectiles (Throwing Stars, Rockets, etc).

Crafting queue size increased from 10 to 20 (this means 1 in production and up to 19 pending).

Cozy Campfire no longer grants any Utility score for healing and instead grants more for placing the trap.

Falling Damage has been adjusted so that damage occurs at higher heights.

Players now first take damage after falling 1300+ units instead of falling 850 Units

(Example) You can now walk off a 3 story building, but you can’t jump off.

Initial fall damage increased from 5% max HP to 10% max HP.

Next Damage Threshold is now 20% max HP at 3 tiles.

Next Damage Threshold is now 50% max HP at 3.75 tiles.

Next Damage Threshold is now Knockdown at 4.5 tiles.

Farther than 4.5 tiles will also result in Knockdown.

Enemy fall damage values have been adjusted to be in line with these changes.

The vehicles that Survivors stand on top of will no longer take damage from ranged or melee weapons.

Only the Pickaxe can damage them.

Increased wood, stone, and metal stack size and carry limits.

The default building resource capacity has been increased from 999 to 2000.

Building Resource Capacity nodes have replaced the previously existing Weapon Skill nodes in the Skill Tree. These new nodes allow players to upgrade their resource carrying ability by 1000 apiece to a maximum of 5000 per type.

Weapon Skill has been effectively uncapped since v3.3, which allowed us the opportunity to remove and repurpose their nodes in the skill tree. So don’t worry – your ability to use weapons of all levels remains unchanged! – Developer Comment

Existing items will not automatically restack.

You can condense stacks by dropping and picking up items or transferring between backpack and storage.

Economy Tuning

Increased Hero and Schematic Quest XP for Stonewood, up to Mid Plankerton.

Players who have already completed these Quests will be awarded the difference.

Challenge Quests have been extended to 20 Stages.

The ‘Leave No One Behind’ Challenge Quest now awards Survivor XP, scaled based on stage.

Players who have already completed Stages 1-10 of this Quest line will be awarded the Survivor XP.

Bug Fixes

Fixed a long delay that occurred when joining a party when first loading-in on PS4.

Fixed an issue that could cause BluGlo pylons to spawn on top of one another.

The buff from BluGlo pylons is no longer lost after 10 minutes.

Fixed an issue that would cause players to pick up items much slower than normal.

Missions And Systems

New Questline: Into the Storm: Opening Act

Accompany Lars and Ray on their journey into Lars’ past in the brand new questline, ‘Into the Storm’!

Brand new Survive the Storm map – Thunder Route 99.

Into the Storm Llama is available in the Loot Tab.

Cost: 1000 Storm Tickets

Event Llama guarantees at least one Epic (or higher) Neon Weapon or Cyberpunk Hero

Every 1000 Firecracker Tickets will be converted into a Spring Llama.

Quest Rewards:

Choice of Legendary Ranged Neon Weapon (Pistol, Shotgun, Assault).

Survive the Storm returns!

Improved rewards.

Added Spring It On! Gold, scaled by difficulty and number of days completed.

Improved the amount of Hero / Schematic / Survivor XP earned.

Increases more with difficulty and number of days completed.

Increased the rarity of items (Survivors, Schematics, Transform Keys, etc.) that drop from Survival mode, especially at high difficulties.

Reduced the number of low-rarity items that drop.

Mission Alerts award between 300 and 1500 tickets, scaled based on Survival length and difficulty.

Quota: Three 3-Day Survivals per 24 hours.

Quota: One 7-Day Survival per 24 hours.

Added side quests with new banner rewards!

Power 15 Event Themed Banner + 1000 Storm Tickets.

Power 40 Event Themed Banner + 1000 Storm Tickets.

Power 70 Event Themed Banner + 1000 Storm Tickets.

Changed the Survival Mode vote to skip the day to majority vote (from unanimous) to keep consistent with all other voting.

Mutant Storms

Mutant Storms are more active during this event and award between 100 and 240 Storm Tickets, scaled based on difficulty.

Repeatable Quest to complete 2 Mutant Storm Mission Alerts that awards 100 Spring It On! Gold

Opt-in difficulty boost and group missions do not award tickets during this event.

Mini-boss Mission Alerts can no longer be selected if you have not unlocked the mission the alert is attached to.

This will prevent low-level players from attempting Mission Alerts that are too difficult for them, unless they are invited into a group by a higher-level friend.

Mimic Reward Updates:

Mimics will always award the equivalent to at least a Level 3 (Blue) Treasure Chest.

Some Mimics will instead award the equivalent to a Level 4 (Purple) Treasure Chest.

‘Evacuate the Shelter’ adjustments:

In non-group missions, the number of enemies needed to be killed after reaching the shelter has been reduced to 10 per players in zone instead of 35

The final encounter in non group missions has been reduced to 6 minutes from 8

‘Repair the Shelter’ adjustments:

See-Bot will no longer be attacked on arrival.

See-Bot will now arrive with a 5 minute counter. After 5 minutes it will leave to recharge and then return later to a different location on the map.

The Husk attack now begins when a player deploys the See-Bot. See-Bot is safe before then.

Players have 5 minutes to start the scan and then defend See-Bot.

Husk attack difficulty has been reduced for first two attacks.

Shelter will now automatically start diagnostic scan when player reaches the shelter instead of having to interact with it.

Decreasing the difficulty of the mission and initial combat encounter allowed us to double down on the mission core: scrambling to rescue a sieged shelter and creating a time pressure. -Developer Comment

With the automatic diagnostic scan the length of time until first raid occurs has been increased to 8:30 minutes after diagnostics are complete to allow more time to prepare, used to be 6:30 minutes.

Progress for the quest ‘Air Quotes’ is now given when the first 25 enemies have been successfully eliminated after activating the Storm Chest. Rather than having to eliminate all waves of enemies before the timer is up.

Bug Fixes

Fixed an issue where some players were locked out of their Storm Shield.

Visual level of Survival mission reward chest increased (so it reaches max-level chest appearance at 7 days).

Heroes

Cyberpunk Heroes added, available in the new ‘Into the Storm’ event Llama.

Bullet Storm Jonesy (New Soldier Subclass) Bullet Storm: Uses high magazine weapons to build up attack speed and mow down enemies.

New Perks:

Start Up – Firing with a ranged weapon increases rate of fire by 1.2% per shot for up to 20 shots. Resets on reload or weapon switch.

Start Faster – Increases ‘Start Up’ rate of fire bonus to 2.4% per shot.

Harvester Sarah (New Ninja Subclass) Harvester: Close range scythe Ninja who uses Smoke Bomb and Shadow stance to survive on the battlefield.

New Perks:

Scythe to Meet You – Scythe attacks apply a 30% snare for 1 second.

Late Arrival – Scythes deal 48% increased damage to slowed or snared targets.

Heavy BASE Kyle (New Constructor Subclass) – Heavy BASE: Constructor focused on taking down enemies within BASE to charge up a great energy nova.

New Perks:

Feel the BASE – BASE generates energy when enemies die within the area affected by BASE. After 30 kills BASE emits an explosion that knocks husks back and deals damage in a 3 tile radius.

Turn Up the BASE – Increases the radius of ‘Feel The BASE’ by 2 tiles and damage by 80%.

New Tactical Perk:

Feel the BASE – BASE generates energy when enemies die within the area affected by BASE. After 30 kills BASE emits an explosion that knocks husks back and deals damage in a 3 tile radius.

T.E.D.D. Shot Jess (New Outlander Subclass) T.E.D.D. Shot: Deploys T.E.D.D.Y. to provide cover fire while sniping foes from a distance.

New Perks:

Quick Scope – Increases sniper rifle rate of fire by 35%.

Precision Handling – Hitting a headshot increases the speed of your next reload by 7% (Max 35%). Resets after reloading.

Eye on the Prize – Getting 15 headshot kills grants 1 Charge Fragment.

New Support Perk:

Sure Shot – Increases sniper rifle critical hit damage by 35%, 53%, 70%.

Outlander

Shock Tower

No longer requires a Fragment to operate.

Cooldown has been set to 60 seconds.

Stamina cost has been set to 50.

Using a Fragment will reduce the cooldown by 30% and reduce the stamina cost to 0.

Damage has not been adjusted.

T.E.D.D.Y.

No longer requires a Fragment to operate.

Cooldown has been set to 60 seconds.

Stamina Cost has been set to 50.

Using a Fragment will reduce the cooldown by 30% and reduce the stamina cost to 0.

Damage has been unadjusted.

Impossibility Matrix

Now increases the cooldown reduction for ‘Shock Tower’ and ‘T.E.D.D.Y.’ to 50% when using a Fragment.

Fragment Ammo

Cap has been increased to 25 + Llama fragment.

Llama Fragment

Acquiring a Llama Fragment now immediately resets the cooldown of all your Fragment abilities.

Constructor

Recycling

Increased the maximum storage capacity of BASE Recycling from 150 to 450.

Hyperthreading

Increased the maximum storage capacity of BASE Hyperthreading from 300 to 900.

Bug Fixes

Fixed an issue where the ‘Plasma Pulse’ tooltip wouldn’t reflect the current ‘I.F.F. Coding’ functionality.

Fixed an issue with Fragment Flurry Jess and Shamrock Reclaimer’s support bonus ‘Energized’ not scaling correctly across multiple star levels.

Fixed an issue where ‘Dragonslash’ caused Ninjas to lose collision against Heroes and Enemies.

Fixed an issue where ‘Decoy’ wasn’t taking damage from Husks.

Fixed an issue that could cause ‘Mantis Leap’ to stack velocity infinitely.

Weapons And Items

Neon Weapon set added, available in the new ‘Into the Storm’ event Llama.

Ranged Weapons:

Argon Assault Rifle

Helium Shotgun

Krypton Pistol

Melee Weapons:

Argon Axe

Krypton Sword

Neon Scythe

Impulse Grenade

Doubled the knockback distance against enemies.

No longer affects allies.

Easter Egg Launcher Eggs no longer detonate when a player is downed but are cleared when a player respawns or disconnects.

Bug Fixes

Fixed an issue where crystal Scavenger melee weapons had the same durability as ore Scavenger melee weapons.

Fixed an issue where the Vacuum Tube Spear and Axe knocked enemies back instead of stunning them in place.

Dragon’s Might shotgun projectiles no longer bounce off of deep water.

Fixed an issue where Dragon’s Might shotgun projectiles weren’t exploding on contact with enemies.

Bullet tracers shot from other players single shot weapons no longer travel through walls.

Fixed an issue where the Boost Trap would give more resources than intended from recycling.

UI

Added an option to show a Collection Book indicator on items in the Armory menus.

Added an option to toggle whether or not ‘Favorite’ items are grouped together in the Armory menus.Added tooltip text for the cinematics volume setting in the audio settings tab.

Items in the Armory that don’t have stats no longer display a stats panel.

Replaced references of the word “Vault” with “Armory” in skill tree nodes.

Bug Fixes

Fixed an issue where players using the Combat Pro control scheme would see “Unable to Edit Building” when pressing the button to get on their Hoverboard.

Fixed an issue where the ‘Place Trap’ controller button icon was missing when using the Combat Pro control scheme.

Updated reward summary cards to no longer be selectable once they move off screen.

Fixed an issue where damage return values for Traps that deal elemental damage were not indicating what type of elemental damage was dealt.

Updated Electrical Wall and Ceiling Trap descriptions to mention their elemental damage traits.

Fixed a spelling error in the Mythic Wukong Berserker description.

Fixed an issue that prevented players from selecting options (mute, add friend, etc.) in chat.

Fixed an issue where the camera would jump when zooming in on a skill tree tier.

Fixed the ‘Import Friends’ button not being selectable with a controller.

Fixed 4-player level difficulty being cut off in the in-zone objectives screen.

Fixed the ‘Research’ purchase button’s cost icon being offset when using a controller.

Fixed BluGlo having the ‘Equip’ button active in the in-zone inventory.

Fixed a crash that occurred when typing a comma while naming your Homebase.

Updated player revive screen text.

Audio

Metal toilets now plays a metal sound when destroyed.

Unsearched shopping carts now have impact sounds.

Technology