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Navigating the World of SMM Services: Strategies for Success in Social Media Marketing

In today's digital-first world, a powerful social media presence is not a luxury—it’s a necessity. Whether you're a small startup or an established enterprise, leveraging Social Media Marketing (SMM) can help elevate your brand, foster customer engagement, and drive significant business growth. With the surge in online activity, especially in a mobile-savvy nation like India, the demand for professional SMM services has skyrocketed. If you're looking to amplify your online impact, exploring the Best SMM Services in India is a strategic step forward.

Understanding Social Media Marketing (SMM)

Social Media Marketing involves using platforms like Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, LinkedIn, Pinterest, and others to promote products or services. But it's more than just posting content. Effective SMM strategies involve:

Creating compelling content

Building brand awareness

Engaging with followers

Running targeted ad campaigns

Analysing metrics and optimising strategies

As businesses look to make meaningful connections with their target audiences, SMM services in India are evolving to offer smarter, data-driven solutions tailored to diverse needs and industries.

Why Choose the Best SMM Services in India?

India is home to one of the largest online user bases in the world. With millions of people interacting on social media daily, tapping into this demographic through professional SMM services offers an unparalleled opportunity for businesses to grow.

Here’s why partnering with the Best SMM Services in India can make a difference:

1. Localised Expertise

Indian SMM professionals have a deep understanding of regional cultures, languages, and online behaviours. This helps them craft campaigns that resonate with local audiences while maintaining a global standard.

2. Cost-Effective Solutions

Compared to many other countries, SMM services in India are highly cost-effective. You receive high-quality services, often at a fraction of the price charged elsewhere.

3. Comprehensive Strategies

The top service providers don’t just focus on one platform. They offer 360-degree SMM strategies encompassing multiple channels to maximise reach and return on investment.

4. Creative Content Development

In the realm of social media, content reigns supreme. From engaging reels and informative posts to interactive stories and viral trends, the Best SMM Services in India ensure your brand always stays relevant and impactful.

Core Features of the Best SMM Services in India

To truly benefit from social media marketing, look for service providers that offer these essential features:

• Strategy and Planning

Effective SMM begins with research and planning. The best services offer in-depth audience analysis, competitor benchmarking, and platform-specific strategies.

• Content Creation and Scheduling

They create high-quality, brand-aligned content and ensure consistent posting to keep the audience engaged.

• Social Media Advertising

Running paid campaigns is key to rapid growth. Expert SMM providers craft compelling ads, manage budgets wisely, and continuously optimise performance.

• Community Management

Engaging with followers, responding to messages, and building relationships helps create brand loyalty. The best services offer real-time support and interaction.

• Analytics and Reporting

Tracking performance metrics is crucial. From reach and engagement to conversions and ROI, professional SMM services provide detailed insights for better decision-making.

Platforms Covered by Leading SMM Services

The Best SMM Services in India typically cover a wide range of platforms, including:

Facebook & Instagram: Ideal for visual storytelling and B2C campaigns.

Twitter: Great for real-time communication and trending topics.

LinkedIn: Perfect for B2B marketing and professional networking.

YouTube: Excellent for long-form video content and tutorials.

Pinterest: Useful for niche markets like fashion, home decor, and food.

By leveraging the strengths of each platform, your brand can reach the right audience with the right message.

Industries Benefiting from SMM in India

Social Media Marketing isn’t limited to one sector. Industries seeing tremendous success include:

E-commerce and retail

Healthcare and wellness

Education and e-learning

Travel and hospitality

Real estate and construction

Technology and software

Thanks to the versatility of social platforms and advanced targeting options, businesses across all sectors can achieve measurable results.

Tips for Choosing the Right SMM Partner

When selecting from the Best SMM Services in India, consider the following:

Experience and Portfolio: Check their previous campaigns and success stories.

Customisation: Ensure they offer tailored strategies based on your brand goals.

Transparency: Look for regular reports and open communication.

Technology and Tools: Ask about the software and tools used for automation, analytics, and campaign tracking.

Customer Support: A responsive team ensures seamless execution and prompt issue resolution.

Future Trends in SMM You Shouldn’t Miss

Social media marketing is dynamic, with trends shifting rapidly. As you explore the Best SMM Services in India, ensure they stay updated with:

Influencer collaborations and UGC (User-Generated Content)

AI-driven campaign optimisation

Short-form video content dominance

Interactive elements like polls and quizzes

Social commerce integrations

These trends can keep your brand ahead of the competition and deliver better engagement.

Conclusion

In an era where digital presence equals brand credibility, investing in the Best SMM Services in India is not just a wise decision—it’s a strategic imperative. With the right blend of creativity, data, and innovation, social media marketing can transform your brand’s outreach, drive conversions, and build lasting relationships with your audience.

Choose wisely, align your vision with a capable team, and watch your brand flourish in the ever-evolving world of social media.

[mycrusadestranger]

Free Mind Marketing: Engineering Digital Growth for the Modern Enterprise

In an era where digital presence dictates market relevance, businesses need more than just marketing—they need intelligent, integrated strategies that scale with ambition and evolve with markets. Free Mind Marketing stands at the forefront of this transformation, delivering premium digital solutions that empower brands to thrive in competitive, digitally driven environments.

Combining strategic clarity with creative innovation and technical precision, Free Mind Marketing is not just a service provider—it's a growth partner for future-focused businesses.

Who We Are

Free Mind Marketing is a full-service digital marketing agency committed to delivering data-driven, performance-oriented, and brand-centric solutions. With an expert team spanning strategists, designers, developers, content creators, and performance marketers, we serve as a one-stop hub for organizations seeking to build, scale, and sustain meaningful digital impact.

From enterprise-level SEO strategies to complete digital branding ecosystems, Free Mind Marketing helps companies convert digital complexity into strategic clarity—and results.

Comprehensive Solutions for Every Stage of Digital Growth

At Free Mind Marketing, our services are designed to address every facet of digital transformation. Each solution is tailored to your unique business goals, market positioning, and industry dynamics.

1. Strategic SEO & Paid Search (SEM)

Your visibility on search engines directly impacts your brand's accessibility and trust. We deliver integrated SEO and SEM strategies that drive high-quality traffic, enhance visibility, and optimize user acquisition.

SEO Services:

Full-site audits and technical remediation

Keyword strategy and semantic content development

On-page and off-page optimization

Local SEO and citation management

Link-building and authority development

Monthly performance dashboards and analytics

SEM Services:

Google Ads and Bing Ads campaign architecture

Smart bidding strategies and conversion tracking

Retargeting funnels and geo-targeted campaigns

Landing page creation and CRO testing

Budget optimization and ROI reporting

2. Web Design, Development & Optimization

Your website is your digital headquarters. We design and develop high-performing websites that blend brand storytelling with exceptional functionality—engineered to convert.

Capabilities:

Custom UX/UI design aligned with brand identity

Responsive development across all browsers/devices

CMS development (WordPress, Shopify, Webflow, custom platforms)

E-commerce integration and checkout optimization

Performance tuning, SEO-readiness, and mobile optimization

Ongoing technical support and security upgrades

3. Social Media Strategy & Management

We translate your brand’s essence into consistent, compelling social presence across platforms—fueling engagement, trust, and advocacy.

Our Approach:

Content planning driven by audience intelligence

Platform-optimized creatives: reels, graphics, carousels

Paid campaigns (Meta, LinkedIn, TikTok, X)

Community management and influencer partnerships

Engagement tracking, sentiment analysis, and monthly reporting

4. Brand Strategy & Identity Development

Your brand is your promise—visually, verbally, and emotionally. We build cohesive brand systems that differentiate and endure.

Our Branding Services:

Brand discovery and positioning frameworks

Logo design and brand architecture

Color palettes, typography systems, and visual consistency

Voice and tone development for internal and external messaging

Brand guidelines and cross-platform application

5. Email Marketing & Lifecycle Automation

From lead nurturing to customer retention, our email marketing solutions are crafted to deliver timely, personalized, and conversion-ready messages.

What We Deliver:

Segmentation and behavior-based targeting

Branded, responsive templates

Automation flows: welcome series, abandonment recovery, reactivation

CRM integrations (Klaviyo, HubSpot, ActiveCampaign, Mailchimp)

A/B testing and performance analytics

6. Influencer Marketing & UGC Campaigns

We connect brands with influential voices and creators who authentically engage with your ideal audience—boosting reach, relevance, and credibility.

Influencer Services:

Talent scouting and vetting based on verticals

Campaign coordination and content approvals

Long-term ambassador programs

UGC licensing for extended brand use

KPI tracking: reach, engagement, conversions

7. E-Commerce Growth Solutions

For product-based businesses, we offer scalable e-commerce strategies that increase traffic, optimize UX, and maximize conversions across digital storefronts.

Core Offerings:

Shopify, WooCommerce, and custom store builds

Product page design and SEO-friendly content

Shopping campaigns, retargeting, and cart recovery

Integration of loyalty, reviews, and referral systems

Advanced analytics and performance optimization

8. Creative & Graphic Design Services

Our design team crafts brand-aligned visuals that communicate value and drive action—across print, digital, and motion.

Creative Capabilities:

Social graphics, web banners, infographics

Corporate brochures, decks, and event assets

Motion graphics and animated explainers

Packaging design and retail branding elements

9. Photography & Video Production

We produce high-quality visual content that captures your brand's narrative, product value, and people—essential assets in a visual-first digital world.

Production Services:

Lifestyle, product, and corporate photography

Brand story videos and promotional reels

Event videography and documentation

Post-production, editing, and distribution formatting

10. Full-Funnel Marketing Strategy & Analytics

We design and manage entire marketing ecosystems, aligning touchpoints across the funnel for maximum conversion efficiency.

Strategic Services:

Persona development and customer journey mapping

Funnel design (top-funnel to loyalty stages)

Campaign orchestration across channels

KPI planning and data governance

Reporting dashboards and agile performance optimization

Industries We Serve

Free Mind Marketing has delivered measurable results across sectors such as:

E-Commerce & DTC

Technology & SaaS

Real Estate & Construction

Healthcare & Wellness

Professional Services (Legal, Financial, Education)

Hospitality & Travel

Our experience allows us to adapt strategy, language, and creative to each industry's specific audience expectations and compliance requirements.

Why Free Mind Marketing?

✔️ End-to-End Service Suite: All your digital needs under one expert roof ✔️ Strategic Execution: Every tactic is mapped to business objectives and KPIs ✔️ Cross-Industry Agility: Deep domain knowledge across verticals ✔️ Performance Transparency: Full visibility into metrics, deliverables, and ROI ✔️ Client-Centric Collaboration: Dedicated success teams and agile workflows

Conclusion: Your Growth is Our Mission

In the age of digital acceleration, sustained growth depends on how well your brand adapts, engages, and delivers online. Free Mind Marketing brings the foresight, technical know-how, and creative sophistication needed to help brands not only compete—but lead.

Whether launching a new business or transforming an established one, Free Mind Marketing offers the strategic partnership to turn your digital goals into measurable outcomes.

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[tofupixel]

⭐ So you want to learn pixel art? ⭐

🔹 Part 1 of ??? - The Basics!

Edit: Now available in Google Doc format if you don't have a Tumblr account 🥰

Hello, my name is Tofu and I'm a professional pixel artist. I have been supporting myself with freelance pixel art since 2020, when I was let go from my job during the pandemic.

My progress, from 2017 to 2024. IMO the only thing that really matters is time and effort, not some kind of natural talent for art.

This guide will not be comprehensive, as nobody should be expected to read allat. Instead I will lean heavily on my own experience, and share what worked for me, so take everything with a grain of salt. This is a guide, not a tutorial. Cheers!

🔹 Do I need money?

NO!!! Pixel art is one of the most accessible mediums out there.

I still use a mouse because I prefer it to a tablet! You won't be at any disadvantage here if you can't afford the best hardware or software.

Because our canvases are typically very small, you don't need a good PC to run a good brush engine or anything like that.

✨Did you know? One of the most skilled and beloved pixel artists uses MS PAINT! Wow!!

🔹 What software should I use?

Here are some of the most popular programs I see my friends and peers using. Stars show how much I recommend the software for beginners! ⭐

💰 Paid options:

⭐⭐⭐ Aseprite (for PC) - $19.99

This is what I and many other pixel artists use. You may find when applying to jobs that they require some knowledge of Aseprite. Since it has become so popular, companies like that you can swap raw files between artists.

Aseprite is amazingly customizable, with custom skins, scripts and extensions on Itch.io, both free and paid.

If you have ever used any art software before, it has most of the same features and should feel fairly familiar to use. It features a robust animation suite and a tilemap feature, which have saved me thousands of hours of labour in my work. The software is also being updated all the time, and the developers listen to the users. I really recommend Aseprite!

⭐ Photoshop (for PC) - Monthly $$

A decent option for those who already are used to the PS interface. Requires some setup to get it ready for pixel-perfect art, but there are plenty of tutorials for doing so.

Animation is also much more tedious on PS which you may want to consider before investing time!

⭐⭐ ProMotion NG (for PC) - $19.00

An advanced and powerful software which has many features Aseprite does not, including Colour Cycling and animated tiles.

⭐⭐⭐ Pixquare (for iOS) - $7.99 - $19.99 (30% off with code 'tofu'!!)

Probably the best app available for iPad users, in active development, with new features added all the time.

Look! My buddy Jon recommends it highly, and uses it often.

One cool thing about Pixquare is that it takes Aseprite raw files! Many of my friends use it to work on the same project, both in their office and on the go.

⭐ Procreate (for iOS) - $12.99

If you have access to Procreate already, it's a decent option to get used to doing pixel art. It does however require some setup. Artist Pixebo is famously using Procreate, and they have tutorials of their own if you want to learn.

⭐⭐ ReSprite iOS and Android. (free trial, but:) $19.99 premium or $$ monthly

ReSprite is VERY similar in terms of UI to Aseprite, so I can recommend it. They just launched their Android release!

🆓 Free options:

⭐⭐⭐ Libresprite (for PC)

Libresprite is an alternative to Aseprite. It is very, very similar, to the point where documentation for Aseprite will be helpful to Libresprite users.

⭐⭐ Pixilart (for PC and mobile)

A free in-browser app, and also a mobile app! It is tied to the website Pixilart, where artists upload and share their work. A good option for those also looking to get involved in a community.

⭐⭐ Dotpict (for mobile)

Dotpict is similar to Pixilart, with a mobile app tied to a website, but it's a Japanese service. Did you know that in Japanese, pixel art is called 'Dot Art'? Dotpict can be a great way to connect with a different community of pixel artists! They also have prompts and challenges often.

🔹 So I got my software, now what?

◽Nice! Now it's time for the basics of pixel art.

❗ WAIT ❗ Before this section, I want to add a little disclaimer. All of these rules/guidelines can be broken at will, and some 'no-nos' can look amazing when done intentionally.

The pixel-art fundamentals can be exceedingly helpful to new artists, who may feel lost or overwhelmed by choice. But if you feel they restrict you too harshly, don't force yourself! At the end of the day it's your art, and you shouldn't try to contort yourself into what people think a pixel artist 'should be'. What matters is your own artistic expression. 💕👍

◽Phew! With that out of the way...

🔸"The Rules"

There are few hard 'rules' of pixel art, mostly about scaling and exporting. Some of these things will frequently trip up newbies if they aren't aware, and are easy to overlook.

🔹Scaling method

There are a couple ways of scaling your art. The default in most art programs, and the entire internet, is Bi-linear scaling, which usually works out fine for most purposes. But as pixel artists, we need a different method.

Both are scaled up x10. See the difference?

On the left is scaled using Bilinear, and on the right is using Nearest-Neighbor. We love seeing those pixels stay crisp and clean, so we use nearest-neighbor. 

(Most pixel-art programs have nearest-neighbor enabled by default! So this may not apply to you, but it's important to know.)

🔹Mixels

Mixels are when there are different (mixed) pixel sizes in the same image.

Here I have scaled up my art- the left is 200%, and the right is 150%. Yuck!

As we can see, the "pixel" sizes end up different. We generally try to scale our work by multiples of 100 - 200%, 300% etc. rather than 150%. At larger scales however, the minute differences in pixel sizes are hardly noticeable!

Mixels are also sometimes seen when an artist scales up their work, then continues drawing on it with a 1 pixel brush.

Many would say that this is not great looking! This type of pixels can be indicative of a beginner artist. But there are plenty of creative pixel artists out there who mixels intentionally, making something modern and cool.

🔹Saving Your Files

We usually save our still images as .PNGs as they don’t create any JPEG artifacts or loss of quality. It's a little hard to see here, but there are some artifacts, and it looks a little blurry. It also makes the art very hard to work with if we are importing a JPEG.

For animations .GIF is good, but be careful of the 256 colour limit. Try to avoid using too many blending mode layers or gradients when working with animations. If you aren’t careful, your animation could flash afterwards, as the .GIF tries to reduce colours wherever it can. It doesn’t look great!

Here's an old piece from 2021 where I experienced .GIF lossiness, because I used gradients and transparency, resulting in way too many colours.

🔹Pixel Art Fundamentals - Techniques and Jargon

❗❗Confused about Jaggies? Anti-Aliasing? Banding? Dithering? THIS THREAD is for you❗❗ << it's a link, click it!!

As far as I'm concerned, this is THE tutorial of all time for understanding pixel art. These are techniques created and named by the community of people who actually put the list together, some of the best pixel artists alive currently. Please read it!!

🔸How To Learn

Okay, so you have your software, and you're all ready to start. But maybe you need some more guidance? Try these tutorials and resources! It can be helpful to work along with a tutorial until you build your confidence up.

⭐⭐ Pixel Logic (A Digital Book) - $10 A very comprehensive visual guide book by a very skilled and established artist in the industry. I own a copy myself.

⭐⭐⭐ StudioMiniBoss - free A collection of visual tutorials, by the artist that worked on Celeste! When starting out, if I got stuck, I would go and scour his tutorials and see how he did it.

⭐ Lospec Tutorials - free A very large collection of various tutorials from all over the internet. There is a lot to sift through here if you have the time.

⭐⭐⭐ Cyangmou's Tutorials - free (tipping optional) Cyangmou is one of the most respected and accomplished modern pixel artists, and he has amassed a HUGE collection of free and incredibly well-educated visual tutorials. He also hosts an educational stream every week on Twitch called 'pixelart for beginners'.

⭐⭐⭐ Youtube Tutorials - free There are hundreds, if not thousands of tutorials on YouTube, but it can be tricky to find the good ones. My personal recommendations are MortMort, Brandon, and AdamCYounis- these guys really know what they're talking about!

🔸 How to choose a canvas size

When looking at pixel art turorials, we may see people suggest things like 16x16, 32x32 and 64x64. These are standard sizes for pixel art games with tiles. However, if you're just making a drawing, you don't necessarily need to use a standard canvas size like that.

What I like to think about when choosing a canvas size for my illustrations is 'what features do I think it is important to represent?' And make my canvas as small as possible, while still leaving room for my most important elements.

Imagine I have characters in a scene like this:

I made my canvas as small as possible (232 x 314), but just big enough to represent the features and have them be recognizable (it's Good Omens fanart 😤)!! If I had made it any bigger, I would be working on it for ever, due to how much more foliage I would have to render.

If you want to do an illustration and you're not sure, just start at somewhere around 100x100 - 200x200 and go from there.

It's perfectly okay to crop your canvas, or scale it up, or crunch your art down at any point if you think you need a different size. I do it all the time! It only takes a bit of cleanup to get you back to where you were.

🔸Where To Post

Outside of just regular socials, Twitter, Tumblr, Deviantart, Instagram etc, there are a few places that lean more towards pixel art that you might not have heard of.

⭐ Lospec Lospec is a low-res focused art website. Some pieces get given a 'monthly masterpiece' award. Not incredibly active, but I believe there are more features being added often.

⭐⭐ Pixilart Pixilart is a very popular pixel art community, with an app tied to it. The community tends to lean on the young side, so this is a low-pressure place to post with an relaxed vibe.

⭐⭐ Pixeljoint Pixeljoint is one of the big, old-school pixel art websites. You can only upload your art unscaled (1x) because there is a built-in zoom viewer. It has a bit of a reputation for being elitist (back in the 00s it was), but in my experience it's not like that any more. This is a fine place for a pixel artist to post if they are really interested in learning, and the history. The Hall of Fame has some of the most famous / impressive pixel art pieces that paved the way for the work we are doing today.

⭐⭐⭐ Cafe Dot Cafe Dot is my art server so I'm a little biased here. 🍵 It was created during the recent social media turbulence. We wanted a place to post art with no algorithms, and no NFT or AI chuds. We have a heavy no-self-promotion rule, and are more interested in community than skill or exclusivity. The other thing is that we have some kind of verification system- you must apply to be a Creator before you can post in the Art feed, or use voice. This helps combat the people who just want to self-promo and dip, or cause trouble, as well as weed out AI/NFT people. Until then, you are still welcome to post in any of the threads or channels. There is a lot to do in Cafe Dot. I host events weekly, so check the threads!

⭐⭐/r/pixelart The pixel art subreddit is pretty active! I've also heard some of my friends found work through posting here, so it's worth a try if you're looking. However, it is still Reddit- so if you're sensitive to rude people, or criticism you didn't ask for, you may want to avoid this one. Lol

🔸 Where To Find Work

You need money? I got you! As someone who mostly gets scouted on social media, I can share a few tips with you:

Put your email / portfolio in your bio Recruiters don't have all that much time to find artists, make it as easy as possible for someone to find your important information!

Clean up your profile If your profile feed is all full of memes, most people will just tab out rather than sift through. Doesn't apply as much to Tumblr if you have an art tag people can look at.

Post regularly, and repost Activity beats everything in the social media game. It's like rolling the dice, and the more you post the more chances you have. You have to have no shame, it's all business baby

Outside of just posting regularly and hoping people reach out to you, it can be hard to know where to look. Here are a few places you can sign up to and post around on.

/r/INAT INAT (I Need A Team) is a subreddit for finding a team to work with. You can post your portfolio here, or browse for people who need artists.

/r/GameDevClassifieds Same as above, but specifically for game-related projects.

Remote Game Jobs / Work With Indies Like Indeed but for game jobs. Browse them often, or get email notifications.

VGen VGen is a website specifically for commissions. You need a code from another verified artist before you can upgrade your account and sell, so ask around on social media or ask your friends. Once your account is upgraded, you can make a 'menu' of services people can purchase, and they send you an offer which you are able to accept, decline, or counter.

The evil websites of doom: Fiverr and Upwork I don't recommend them!! They take a big cut of your profit, and the sites are teeming with NFT and AI people hoping to make a quick buck. The site is also extremely oversaturated and competitive, resulting in a race to the bottom (the cheapest, the fastest, doing the most for the least). Imagine the kind of clients who go to these websites, looking for the cheapest option. But if you're really desperate...

🔸 Community

I do really recommend getting involved in a community. Finding like-minded friends can help you stay motivated to keep drawing. One day, those friends you met when you were just starting out may become your peers in the industry. Making friends is a game changer!

Discord servers Nowadays, the forums of old are mostly abandoned, and people split off into many different servers. Cafe Dot, Pixel Art Discord (PAD), and if you can stomach scrolling past all the AI slop, you can browse Discord servers here.

Twitch Streams Twitch has kind of a bad reputation for being home to some of the more edgy gamers online, but the pixel art community is extremely welcoming and inclusive. Some of the people I met on Twitch are my friends to this day, and we've even worked together on different projects! Browse pixel art streams here, or follow some I recommend: NickWoz, JDZombi, CupOhJoe, GrayLure, LumpyTouch, FrankiePixelShow, MortMort, Sodor, NateyCakes, NyuraKim, ShinySeabass, I could go on for ever really... There are a lot of good eggs on Pixel Art Twitch.

🔸 Other Helpful Websites

Palettes Lospec has a huge collection of user-made palettes, for any artist who has trouble choosing their colours, or just wants to try something fun. Rejected Palettes is full of palettes that didn't quite make it onto Lospec, ran by people who believe there are no bad colours.

The Spriters Resource TSR is an incredible website where users can upload spritesheets and tilesets from games. You can browse for your favourite childhood game, and see how they made it! This website has helped me so much in understanding how game assets come together in a scene.

VGMaps Similar to the above, except there are entire maps laid out how they would be played. This is incredible if you have to do level design, or for mocking up a scene for fun.

Game UI Database Not pixel-art specific, but UI is a very challenging part of graphics, so this site can be a game-changer for finding good references!

Retronator A digital newspaper for pixel-art lovers! New game releases, tutorials, and artworks!

Itch.io A website where people can upload, games, assets, tools... An amazing hub for game devs and game fans alike. A few of my favourite tools: Tiled, PICO-8, Pixel Composer, Juice FX, Magic Pencil for Aseprite

🔸 The End?

This is just part 1 for now, so please drop me a follow to see any more guides I release in the future. I plan on doing some writeups on how I choose colours, how to practise, and more!

I'm not an expert by any means, but everything I did to get to where I am is outlined in this guide. Pixel art is my passion, my job and my hobby! I want pixel art to be recognized everywhere as an art-form, a medium of its own outside of game-art or computer graphics!

This guide took me a long time, and took a lot of research and experience. Consider following me or supporting me if you are feeling generous.

And good luck to all the fledgling pixel artists, I hope you'll continue and have fun. I hope my guide helped you, and don't hesitate to send me an ask if you have any questions! 💕

My other tutorials (so far): How to draw Simple Grass for a game Hue Shifting

[johnalexcooper]

Enhance Your Digital Identity: The Role of a Web Design Agency in Boosting Your Brand

In today’s digital-first world, having a robust online presence is not just a competitive advantage—it’s a necessity. Your website is often the first interaction customers have with your business, making it a powerful tool to establish trust, showcase your offerings, and build your brand. However, crafting a website that resonates with your audience and stands out in the crowded online space requires expertise, creativity, and strategy. This is where a Web Designing Agency USA comes into play.

The Importance of a Professionally Designed Website

Your website serves as an online shop, making first impressions crucial. Research indicates that users develop an impression of your website in merely 0.05 seconds. An inadequately designed website can deter potential customers, no matter how high the quality of your products or services may be.

A professional web design agency ensures your site:

Captures Attention: Eye-catching visuals, intuitive layouts, and engaging content keep visitors on your site longer.

Delivers Functionality: Fast load times, mobile responsiveness, and seamless navigation create a positive user experience.

Establishes Credibility: A clean and professional design signals to users that your business is trustworthy and authoritative.

What Does a Web Designing Agency in the USA Offer?

Partnering with a web designing agency provides access to a team of professionals skilled in various aspects of website development and design. You can anticipate the following essential services:

1. Custom Web Design

Each business has its distinct characteristics, and your website should showcase this individuality. A Web Designing Agency USA creates bespoke designs tailored to your brand identity, ensuring your site stands out while staying aligned with your vision and goals.

2. Responsive Design

Mobile devices now represent more than 50% of worldwide web traffic, making responsive design crucial. Agencies ensure that your website functions flawlessly on desktops, tablets, and smartphones, providing a consistent user experience across all devices.

3. UI/UX Design

User Interface (UI) and User Experience (UX) design aim to create a website that is easy to navigate and pleasant for users. By analysing user behaviour and employing best practices, agencies optimise your site for maximum engagement and conversions.

4. Search Engine Optimization (SEO)

A visually appealing website holds little significance if it remains undiscoverable to users. Web design agencies incorporate SEO strategies, such as keyword optimisation and proper site architecture, to enhance your site's visibility on search engines.

5. Content Management Systems (CMS)

Agencies can integrate user-friendly CMS platforms like WordPress, allowing you to update content, images, and other site elements easily without requiring technical expertise.

6. E-commerce Integration

For businesses selling products or services online, agencies provide e-commerce solutions, including secure payment gateways, inventory management, and user-friendly product pages.

Benefits of Hiring a Web Designing Agency USA

Collaborating with a professional web design agency offers numerous benefits:

Expertise and Creativity

A dedicated team brings fresh ideas and innovative solutions to create a site that reflects your brand’s personality while adhering to the latest trends and technologies.

Time and Cost Efficiency

Creating a website internally can require significant time and financial resources. Agencies streamline the process, delivering a high-quality website on time and within budget.

Access to Advanced Tools and Technologies

Agencies leverage state-of-the-art tools and technologies to enhance your website’s performance, from analytics platforms to design software.

Ongoing Support and Maintenance

A web designing agency doesn’t just build your website and leave; they offer ongoing support to keep your site updated, secure, and optimized for performance.

Choosing the Right Web Designing Agency

When selecting a Web Designing Agency USA, consider the following factors:

Portfolio: Examine their previous work to confirm that their aesthetic matches your expectations.

Experience: Select an agency that has a proven track record in your specific industry or niche.

Client Testimonials: Evaluate feedback and endorsements to assess customer contentment.

Communication: Effective communication is key to translating your ideas into reality.

Customisation: They must provide customised solutions instead of generic templates.

The Influence of a Well-Crafted Website on Your Brand Identity

A thoughtfully crafted website not only enhances visual appeal but also delivers tangible outcomes. Here are ways in which expert web design can boost your brand:

Enhanced User Engagement: A visually appealing and easy-to-navigate site encourages visitors to explore further.

Increased Conversion Rates: Clear calls-to-action and seamless functionality turn visitors into customers.

Stronger Brand Identity: Cohesive design elements reinforce your brand's image and values.

Improved Search Engine Rankings: SEO-friendly design ensures your site reaches your target audience.

Conclusion

In today's digital landscape, your website stands as one of your most important assets. It’s the cornerstone of your online presence and a powerful tool to connect with your audience. Collaborating with a web design agency in the USA guarantees that your website will be visually appealing, highly functional, easy to navigate, and optimized for achieving your goals.

Whether you’re launching a new business or revamping an existing site, investing in professional web design is a step toward building a brand that stands out and thrives in today’s competitive marketplace. Let the experts help you transform your online presence and elevate your brand to new heights.

[withuitservice]

Why Dubai Businesses Need To Partner With a Professional Website Development Company

In the digitally-first world of today, a good website is something that a business can't afford not to have any more. The city of Dubai is known as one of the global innovation hubs and is the home of thousands of businesses competing to receive attention in such a busy market. So, to stand out from the crowd and maintain an effective online presence, there is a need to collaborate with a professional Website Development Company in Dubai. Here are several reasons why the businesses of Dubai should do this.

1. Expertise and Innovation at one's Fingertips

The skilled teams of designers, developers, and digital strategists man the professional website development companies in Dubai. Keeping themselves updated with the latest technologies and best practices prevalent within the industry are all their pursuits. The accessibility of such expertise means having a website which is visually attractive yet functionally adequate, user-friendly as well as technologically state-of-the-art. While digitalizing your presence, one would find all that brought into play by deploying AI-driven chatbots and responsive designs.

2. Custom Websites for Local and International Readers

Dubai companies service diverse audiences, both locally and in other parts of the globe. A professional website development service will therefore understand the characteristics of the Dubai market-place, including cultural sensitiveness, consumer preferences, among others. They can always come up with customized websites responding to your target audience effectively, ensuring a seamless flow of user experience that causes engagement and conversion.

3. UX or better User Experience

User experience determines the success of a website. A website which is not designed well will lead to frustration from visitors, who then leave, causing a higher bounce rate and missed opportunities for sales. Professional developers emphasize intuitive navigation, fast loading pages, and mobile-friendliness of the designs. These together make for a great user journey which keeps visitors engaging and likely to take the desired action such as purchasing or contacting your business.

4. Search Engine Optimization (SEO)

However beautiful your website might look, it is worthless if nobody can find it. Web Development Company in Dubai  always factor in SEO best practice when developing, such as optimization of page speeds and meta tags, ensuring that your website is mobile-friendly and also clean coding. They are constantly improving your search engine ranking. More visibility brings more organic traffic or leads and sales.

5. Cost-Effective in the Long Run

A well-developed website minimizes the risk of technical issues, reduces maintenance costs, and ensures scalability as your business grows. Additionally, a professional website helps generate higher returns by attracting and retaining customers more effectively.

6. Focus on Core Business Activities

When outsourcing Web Development Company in UAE needs, you have more time to focus on core business activities. Professional companies handle everything from the initial design and development stages of a website through maintenance and updates, thus providing one with more time and resources to devote to important matters like customer service, marketing, and business expansion.

7. Support and Maintenance

Websites need to update and maintain themselves regularly. Otherwise, they get outdated and insecure. A professional website development company keeps providing support to solve problems, implement updates, and keep your website running perfectly. This proactive approach may avoid downtime and keep running your website smoothly, with a seamless experience for the users.

8. Competitive Advantage

Competition in the market is at its peak here in Dubai, and therefore, designing a professional website for yourself will keep you miles ahead of the competition. Well-performance of the website lends an impression of your business and brand with respectability and professionalism to your customer who tends to associate them. With this, your position further gets stabilized by strengthening their trust on your self.

Conclusion

In terms of succeeding in the currently trending digital world, a company of Dubai would need to enter partnership with a professional website development agency. Starting from providing solutions tailor-suited according to the client's business needs to improving the customer's experience and providing post-launch support so that you lead the market, these professional website development agencies are quite the backbone of your thriving business. This investment in professional website development will help you have a good standing online but also in generating long-term growth and profits.

[pickmyurl-ai-marketer]

WEBSITE MARKETING IN INDIA

SOCIAL MEDIA AGENCY PICKMYURL

PICKMYURL.COM

Social media management is all about creating a conversation, listening, and engaging with your audience on various social media channels. In turn, this will create trust in the consumer’s mind and your product may be perceived positively. The more your customers are exposed to your brand, through various channels, the more likely they are to respond to your status updates, read information related to your company and become brand advocates.

Social media is now seen as a highly efficient customer service management strategy as the majority of consumers now take to the internet to express their opinions of products and services. Social media monitoring and management can protect your brand’s values, trust, and loyalty.

[safcodes]

[saeedmohammed025]

Web Design Mistakes to Avoid: Key Insights for a Successful Website

In today’s digital age, your website is often the first point of contact between your business and potential customers. An aesthetically pleasing and user-friendly site can leave a lasting impression, while a poorly designed one can drive visitors away within seconds. While every business wants to partner with the #1 Web Design Company in India, it’s also crucial to understand the foundational elements of good design to make informed decisions.

Whether you're building a new website or revamping an existing one, avoiding certain common design mistakes can make the difference between success and failure. In this blog, we highlight the most critical web design errors and how to avoid them — insights that any top-tier web design company would stand by.

1. Neglecting Mobile Responsiveness

One of the biggest web design mistakes is failing to ensure that your website is mobile-friendly. With a majority of users accessing websites through smartphones and tablets, a non-responsive site can result in a poor user experience and high bounce rates. The #1 Web Design Company in India always prioritises responsive design to ensure that websites function seamlessly across all devices.

Solution: Opt for a responsive layout that automatically adjusts to different screen sizes. Test your site on various devices to confirm usability and loading speed.

2. Slow Loading Speeds

Website speed is a crucial factor that directly affects user satisfaction and search engine rankings. A delay of even a few seconds can cause users to abandon your site and move to competitors.

Common Causes:

Unoptimized images

Excessive use of plugins

Poor hosting solutions

Solution: Compress images, minimise CSS and JavaScript files, and choose reliable hosting providers. A competent web design partner will always include performance optimisation in their service offerings.

3. Cluttered Layout and Poor Navigation

A cluttered website layout confuses visitors and makes it difficult for them to find what they are looking for. Similarly, complicated navigation structures can lead to frustration and drop-offs.

Solution: Follow a clean and organised design approach. Prioritise intuitive navigation with clear menus, logical hierarchies, and visible CTAs (Call to Actions). The #1 Web Design Company in India often uses wireframes and prototypes to ensure clarity before development.

4. Lack of Clear Call to Action (CTA)

Every page on your website should serve a purpose — whether it’s to get the visitor to subscribe, make a purchase, or contact you. Without a distinct call to action, users might be uncertain about the next steps to follow.

Solution: Design CTAs that are bold, noticeable, and action-oriented. Phrases like “Get Started,” “Contact Us,” or “Buy Now” guide users toward taking the desired action.

5. Overuse of Pop-Ups and Auto-Play Media

Nothing annoys users more than intrusive pop-ups or videos that play automatically. These features can significantly disrupt the user experience and lead to high bounce rates.

Solution: Use pop-ups sparingly and only when necessary, such as for limited-time offers or email signups. Allow users to control media playback for a more user-friendly interface.

6. Ignoring SEO Fundamentals

Even the most beautiful website is of little use if no one can find it. Many businesses overlook basic Search Engine Optimization (SEO) principles during the design phase.

Solution: Ensure proper use of meta tags, header tags, alt texts, and keyword integration. A leading web design company in India will always incorporate SEO best practices from the ground up.

7. Inconsistent Branding

Your website should reflect your brand identity consistently across all pages. Using different colour schemes, fonts, or messaging can confuse visitors and dilute your brand image.

Solution: Stick to a brand style guide that defines the colour palette, typography, imagery, and tone of voice. Consistency builds trust and reinforces brand recognition.

8. No Analytics or Conversion Tracking

Without data, it's challenging to determine what is effective and what is not. A common mistake is launching a website without integrating tools like Google Analytics or conversion tracking.

Solution: Implement tracking tools to monitor user behaviour, identify drop-off points, and measure performance. The #1 Web Design Company in India always provides detailed analytics integration to help businesses optimise their online presence.

9. Ignoring Accessibility Standards

An inclusive website design ensures that everyone, including people with disabilities, can access and interact with your content. Failing to consider accessibility is not only a design flaw but can also lead to legal consequences.

Solution: Use accessible fonts, alt text for images, keyboard navigation, and ARIA (Accessible Rich Internet Applications) labels. Compliance with WCAG (Web Content Accessibility Guidelines) is a must.

10. Overlooking Content Quality

Many websites focus solely on visual design and ignore the importance of high-quality content. Poor grammar, irrelevant information, or outdated content can drive users away.

Solution: Invest in professional content creation that aligns with your brand message and engages your target audience. Good content not only improves user experience but also boosts SEO.

Conclusion

A successful website is a balance of aesthetics, functionality, and performance. Avoiding the above design mistakes can set the foundation for a powerful online presence. Whether you're a small startup or a large enterprise, these insights will guide your journey toward building a website that delivers real results.

If you're looking to partner with the #1 Web Design Company in India, make sure they understand these principles inside and out. From responsive design and SEO to user experience and accessibility, every detail matters. Choose wisely, and your website will serve as a powerful tool for growth, engagement, and success.

[dipanshutech07]

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[batshit-auspol]

With the sudden collapse of the Soviet Union in the early 1990s, many of the former empire's resources were sold off to the highest bidder, and their $14 billion space shuttle program was no exception.

Seeking to recoup some of that eyewatering spend, in 1998, the "Buran" (Russia's answer to the American Space Shuttle) was offered up for sale on eBay for $10 million.

No serious offers were received - with most people assuming the listing to be a joke, until the New York Post confirmed the sale, with Russian authorities stating they "actually have two" if anyone is interested.

(Pictured: A later auction of a smaller scale Buran in 2005)

Sensing an opportunity, a group of Aussie entrepreneurs including Australia's first astronaut and the lawyer for Prime Minister Paul Keating offer to lease the shuttle from Russia, to put it on display in Australia during the Sydney Olympics.

After gaining permission from the Kremlin for the lease, in 1999 the Russian military briefly stops bombing Chechnya in order to dismantle the Buran, and it is placed on a barge to be shipped to Sydney on the (soon to be infamous for other reasons) Tampa shipping vessel at a cost of $5 million.

Once in Sydney, after a disastrous few months on display where crowds failed to flock to the shuttle exhibition featuring such compelling educational offerings as "activities is to assist in the development of issues of nutrition and hygiene at home" (an actual quote from their website) - the leasing company declared bankruptcy and washed their hands of the space shuttle completely.

The Buran Gift shop where you could buy soviet space ship themed football jerseys, in case you needed one of those

One of four people listed on the lease, described as a business partner of the Prime Minister, also claims he never knew he was a director of the company, which went on to cause a lot more problems.

This whole debacle presented a slight issue for the cash strapped Russian authorities, who had now only been paid $100,000 for the 9 year lease of the shuttle instead of the $600,000 they were owed. Eventually the decision was made to abandon the once $1 billion Soviet pride and joy in a Sydney carpark, where it resided for a year under a small tarpaulin.

Failed attempts to be rid of the shuttle included a 12 day auction hosted by an LA radio station, where listeners were offered the chance to buy the shuttle for $6 million, however all bids turned out to be pranks and the shuttle remained.

Multiple attempts were also made to sell the shuttle to Tom Cruise, with the exacerbated movie star's representatives repeatedly telling the insistent traders that he was not interested in owning a Russian spaceship.

Eventually a Singaporean group dismantled the shuttle and shipped it overseas, however Russian authorities soon reported they once again had been failed to be paid for the lease. Singaporean representatives responded that they definitely had paid for the shuttle, and that they simply couldn't remember when or how much was paid.

Representing the Russian government, Lawyer Suhaila Turani told the Wall Street Journal “I feel sorry for the Russians. They’re good in space, but they’re very naive in business.”

For a time the shuttle was abandoned in the storage yard of event company Pico, with the company owner telling the Wall Street Journal "I just want this thing out of my life" after three years of being stuck with it.

A few years later the shuttle was found by German journalists dismantled in a junkyard, and it was then bought and shipped to Germany to be put on display a museum, so all's well that ends well (except they dropped it from a crane while trying to set it up, but it polished up okay).

[exeggcute]

the great reddit API meltdown of '23, or: this was always bound to happen

there's a lot of press about what's going on with reddit right now (app shutdowns, subreddit blackouts, the CEO continually putting his foot in his mouth), but I haven't seen as much stuff talking about how reddit got into this situation to begin with. so as a certified non-expert and Context Enjoyer I thought it might be helpful to lay things out as I understand them—a high-level view, surveying the whole landscape—in the wonderful world of startups, IPOs, and extremely angry users.

disclaimer that I am not a founder or VC (lmao), have yet to work at a company with a successful IPO, and am not a reddit employee or third-party reddit developer or even a subreddit moderator. I do work at a startup, know my way around an API or two, and have spent twelve regrettable years on reddit itself. which is to say that I make no promises of infallibility, but I hope you'll at least find all this interesting.

profit now or profit later

before you can really get into reddit as reddit, it helps to know a bit about startups (of which reddit is one). and before I launch into that, let me share my Three Types Of Websites framework, which is basically just a mental model about financial incentives that's helped me contextualize some of this stuff.

(1) website/software that does not exist to make money: relatively rare, for a variety of reasons, among them that it costs money to build and maintain a website in the first place. wikipedia is the evergreen example, although even wikipedia's been subject to criticism for how the wikimedia foundation pays out its employees and all that fun nonprofit stuff. what's important here is that even when making money is not the goal, money itself is still a factor, whether it's solicited via donations or it's just one guy paying out of pocket to host a hobby site. but websites in this category do, generally, offer free, no-strings-attached experiences to their users.

(I do want push back against the retrospective nostalgia of "everything on the internet used to be this way" because I don't think that was ever really true—look at AOL, the dotcom boom, the rise of banner ads. I distinctly remember that neopets had multiple corporate sponsors, including a cookie crisp-themed flash game. yahoo bought geocities for $3.6 billion; money's always been trading hands, obvious or not. it's indisputable that the internet is simply different now than it was ten or twenty years ago, and that monetization models themselves have largely changed as well (I have thoughts about this as it relates to web 1.0 vs web 2.0 and their associated costs/scale/etc.), but I think the only time people weren't trying to squeeze the internet for all the dimes it can offer was when the internet was first conceived as a tool for national defense.)

(2) website/software that exists to make money now: the type that requires the least explanation. mostly non-startup apps and services, including any random ecommerce storefront, mobile apps that cost three bucks to download, an MMO with a recurring subscription, or even a news website that runs banner ads and/or offers paid subscriptions. in most (but not all) cases, the "make money now" part is obvious, so these things don't feel free to us as users, even to the extent that they might have watered-down free versions or limited access free trials. no one's shocked when WoW offers another paid expansion packs because WoW's been around for two decades and has explicitly been trying to make money that whole time.

(3) website/software that exists to make money later: this is the fun one, and more common than you'd think. "make money later" is more or less the entire startup business model—I'll get into that in the next section—and is deployed with the expectation that you will make money at some point, but not always by means as obvious as "selling WoW expansions for forty bucks a pop."

companies in this category tend to have two closely entwined characteristics: they prioritize growth above all else, regardless of whether this growth is profitable in any way (now, or sometimes, ever), and they do this by offering users really cool and awesome shit at little to no cost (or, if not for free, then at least at a significant loss to the company).

so from a user perspective, these things either seem free or far cheaper than their competitors. but of course websites and software and apps and [blank]-as-a-service tools cost money to build and maintain, and that money has to come from somewhere, and the people supplying that money, generally, expect to get it back...

just not immediately.

startups, VCs, IPOs, and you

here's the extremely condensed "did NOT go to harvard business school" version of how a startup works:

(1) you have a cool idea.

(2) you convince some venture capitalists (also known as VCs) that your idea is cool. if they see the potential in what you're pitching, they'll give you money in exchange for partial ownership of your company—which means that if/when the company starts trading its stock publicly, these investors will own X numbers of shares that they can sell at any time. in other words, you get free money now (and you'll likely seek multiple "rounds" of investors over the years to sustain your company), but with the explicit expectations that these investors will get their payoff later, assuming you don't crash and burn before that happens.

during this phase, you want to do anything in your power to make your company appealing to investors so you can attract more of them and raise funds as needed. because you are definitely not bringing in the necessary revenue to offset operating costs by yourself.

it's also worth nothing that this is less about projecting the long-term profitability of your company than it's about its perceived profitability—i.e., VCs want to put their money behind a company that other people will also have confidence in, because that's what makes stock valuable, and VCs are in it for stock prices.

(3) there are two non-exclusive win conditions for your startup: you can get acquired, and you can have an IPO (also referred to as "going public"). these are often called "exit scenarios" and they benefit VCs and founders, as well as some employees. it's also possible for a company to get acquired, possibly even more than once, and then later go public.

acquisition: sell the whole damn thing to someone else. there are a million ways this can happen, some better than others, but in many cases this means anyone with ownership of the company (which includes both investors and employees who hold stock options) get their stock bought out by the acquiring company and end up with cash in hand. in varying amounts, of course. sometimes the founders walk away, sometimes the employees get laid off, but not always.

IPO: short for "initial public offering," this is when the company starts trading its stocks publicly, which means anyone who wants to can start buying that company's stock, which really means that VCs (and employees with stock options) can turn that hypothetical money into real money by selling their company stock to interested buyers.

drawing from that, companies don't go for an IPO until they think their stock will actually be worth something (or else what's the point?)—specifically, worth more than the amount of money that investors poured into it. The Powers That Be will speculate about a company's IPO potential way ahead of time, which is where you'll hear stuff about companies who have an estimated IPO evaluation of (to pull a completely random example) $10B. actually I lied, that was not a random example, that was reddit's valuation back in 2021 lol. but a valuation is basically just "how much will people be interested in our stock?"

as such, in the time leading up to an IPO, it's really really important to do everything you can to make your company seem like a good investment (which is how you get stock prices up), usually by making the company's numbers look good. but! if you plan on cashing out, the long-term effects of your decisions aren't top of mind here. remember, the industry lingo is "exit scenario."

if all of this seems like a good short-term strategy for companies and their VCs, but an unsustainable model for anyone who's buying those stocks during the IPO, that's because it often is.

also worth noting that it's possible for a company to be technically unprofitable as a business (meaning their costs outstrip their revenue) and still trade enormously well on the stock market; uber is the perennial example of this. to the people who make money solely off of buying and selling stock, it literally does not matter that the actual rideshare model isn't netting any income—people think the stock is valuable, so it's valuable.

this is also why, for example, elon musk is richer than god: if he were only the CEO of tesla, the money he'd make from selling mediocre cars would be (comparatively, lol) minimal. but he's also one of tesla's angel investors, which means he holds a shitload of tesla stock, and tesla's stock has performed well since their IPO a decade ago (despite recent dips)—even if tesla itself has never been a huge moneymaker, public faith in the company's eventual success has kept them trading at high levels. granted, this also means most of musk's wealth is hypothetical and not liquid; if TSLA dropped to nothing, so would the value of all the stock he holds (and his net work with it).

what's an API, anyway?

to move in an entirely different direction: we can't get into reddit's API debacle without understanding what an API itself is.

an API (short for "application programming interface," not that it really matters) is a series of code instructions that independent developers can use to plug their shit into someone else's shit. like a series of tin cans on strings between two kids' treehouses, but for sending and receiving data.

APIs work by yoinking data directly from a company's servers instead of displaying anything visually to users. so I could use reddit's API to build my own app that takes the day's top r/AITA post and transcribes it into pig latin: my app is a bunch of lines of code, and some of those lines of code fetch data from reddit (and then transcribe that data into pig latin), and then my app displays the content to anyone who wants to see it, not reddit itself. as far as reddit is concerned, no additional human beings laid eyeballs on that r/AITA post, and reddit never had a chance to serve ads alongside the pig-latinized content in my app. (put a pin in this part—it'll be relevant later.)

but at its core, an API is really a type of protocol, which encompasses a broad category of formats and business models and so on. some APIs are completely free to use, like how anyone can build a discord bot (but you still have to host it yourself). some companies offer free APIs to third-party developers can build their own plugins, and then the company and the third-party dev split the profit on those plugins. some APIs have a free tier for hobbyists and a paid tier for big professional projects (like every weather API ever, lol). some APIs are strictly paid services because the API itself is the company's core offering.

reddit's financial foundations

okay thanks for sticking with me. I promise we're almost ready to be almost ready to talk about the current backlash.

reddit has always been a startup's startup from day one: its founders created the site after attending a startup incubator (which is basically a summer camp run by VCs) with the successful goal of creating a financially successful site. backed by that delicious y combinator money, reddit got acquired by conde nast only a year or two after its creation, which netted its founders a couple million each. this was back in like, 2006 by the way. in the time since that acquisition, reddit's gone through a bunch of additional funding rounds, including from big-name investors like a16z, peter thiel (yes, that guy), sam altman (yes, also that guy), sequoia, fidelity, and tencent. crunchbase says that they've raised a total of $1.3B in investor backing.

in all this time, reddit has never been a public company, or, strictly speaking, profitable.

APIs and third-party apps

reddit has offered free API access for basically as long as it's had a public API—remember, as a "make money later" company, their primary goal is growth, which means attracting as many users as possible to the platform. so letting anyone build an app or widget is (or really, was) in line with that goal.

as such, third-party reddit apps have been around forever. by third-party apps, I mean apps that use the reddit API to display actual reddit content in an unofficial wrapper. iirc reddit didn't even have an official mobile app until semi-recently, so many of these third-party mobile apps in particular just sprung up to meet an unmet need, and they've kept a small but dedicated userbase ever since. some people also prefer the user experience of the unofficial apps, especially since they offer extra settings to customize what you're seeing and few to no ads (and any ads these apps do display are to the benefit of the third-party developers, not reddit itself.)

(let me add this preemptively: one solution I've seen proposed to the paid API backlash is that reddit should have third-party developers display reddit's ads in those third-party apps, but this isn't really possible or advisable due to boring adtech reasons I won't inflict on you here. source: just trust me bro)

in addition to mobile apps, there are also third-party tools that don’t replace the Official Reddit Viewing Experience but do offer auxiliary features like being able to mass-delete your post history, tools that make the site more accessible to people who use screen readers, and tools that help moderators of subreddits moderate more easily. not to mention a small army of reddit bots like u/AutoWikibot or u/RemindMebot (and then the bots that tally the number of people who reply to bot comments with “good bot” or “bad bot).

the number of people who use third-party apps is relatively small, but they arguably comprise some of reddit’s most dedicated users, which means that third-party apps are important to the people who keep reddit running and the people who supply reddit with high-quality content.

unpaid moderators and user-generated content

so reddit is sort of two things: reddit is a platform, but it’s also a community.

the platform is all the unsexy (or, if you like python, sexy) stuff under the hood that actually makes the damn thing work. this is what the company spends money building and maintaining and "owns." the community is all the stuff that happens on the platform: posts, people, petty squabbles. so the platform is where the content lives, but ultimately the content is the reason people use reddit—no one’s like “yeah, I spend time on here because the backend framework really impressed me."

and all of this content is supplied by users, which is not unique among social media platforms, but the content is also managed by users, which is. paid employees do not govern subreddits; unpaid volunteers do. and moderation is the only thing that keeps reddit even remotely tolerable—without someone to remove spam, ban annoying users, and (god willing) enforce rules against abuse and hate speech, a subreddit loses its appeal and therefore its users. not dissimilar to the situation we’re seeing play out at twitter, except at twitter it was the loss of paid moderators;  reddit is arguably in a more precarious position because they could lose this unpaid labor at any moment, and as an already-unprofitable company they absolutely cannot afford to implement paid labor as a substitute.

oh yeah? spell "IPO" backwards

so here we are, June 2023, and reddit is licking its lips in anticipation of a long-fabled IPO. which means it’s time to start fluffing themselves up for investors by cutting costs (yay, layoffs!) and seeking new avenues of profit, however small.

this brings us to the current controversy: reddit announced a new API pricing plan that more or less prevents anyone from using it for free.

from reddit's perspective, the ostensible benefits of charging for API access are twofold: first, there's direct profit to be made off of the developers who (may or may not) pay several thousand dollars a month to use it, and second, cutting off unsanctioned third-party mobile apps (possibly) funnels those apps' users back into the official reddit mobile app. and since users on third-party apps reap the benefit of reddit's site architecture (and hosting, and development, and all the other expenses the site itself incurs) without “earning” money for reddit by generating ad impressions, there’s a financial incentive at work here: even if only a small percentage of people use third-party apps, getting them to use the official app instead translates to increased ad revenue, however marginal.

(also worth mentioning that chatGPT and other LLMs were trained via tools that used reddit's API to scrape post and content data, and now that openAI is reaping the profits of that training without giving reddit any kickbacks, reddit probably wants to prevent repeats of this from happening in the future. if you want to train the next LLM, it's gonna cost you.)

of course, these changes only benefit reddit if they actually increase the company’s revenue and perceived value/growth—which is hard to do when your users (who are also the people who supply the content for other users to engage with, who are also the people who moderate your communities and make them fun to participate in) get really fucking pissed and threaten to walk.

pricing shenanigans

under the new API pricing plan, third-party developers are suddenly facing steep costs to maintain the apps and tools they’ve built.

most paid APIs are priced by volume: basically, the more data you send and receive, the more money it costs. so if your third-party app has a lot of users, you’ll have to make more API requests to fetch content for those users, and your app becomes more expensive to maintain. (this isn’t an issue if the tool you’re building also turns a profit, but most third-party reddit apps make little, if any, money.)

which is why, even though third-party apps capture a relatively small portion of reddit’s users, the developer of a popular third-party app called apollo recently learned that it would cost them about $20 million a year to keep the app running. and apollo actually offers some paid features (for extra in-app features independent of what reddit offers), but nowhere near enough to break even on those API costs.

so apollo, any many apps like it, were suddenly unable to keep their doors open under the new API pricing model and announced that they'd be forced to shut down.

backlash, blackout

plenty has been said already about the current subreddit blackouts—in like, official news outlets and everything—so this might be the least interesting section of my whole post lol. the short version is that enough redditors got pissed enough that they collectively decided to take subreddits “offline” in protest, either by making them read-only or making them completely inaccessible. their goal was to send a message, and that message was "if you piss us off and we bail, here's what reddit's gonna be like: a ghost town."

but, you may ask, if third-party apps only captured a small number of users in the first place, how was the backlash strong enough to result in a near-sitewide blackout? well, two reasons:

first and foremost, since moderators in particular are fond of third-party tools, and since moderators wield outsized power (as both the people who keep your site more or less civil, and as the people who can take a subreddit offline if they feel like it), it’s in your best interests to keep them happy. especially since they don’t get paid to do this job in the first place, won’t keep doing it if it gets too hard, and essentially have nothing to lose by stepping down.

then, to a lesser extent, the non-moderator users on third-party apps tend to be Power Users who’ve been on reddit since its inception, and as such likely supply a disproportionate amount of the high-quality content for other users to see (and for ads to be served alongside). if you drive away those users, you’re effectively kneecapping your overall site traffic (which is bad for Growth) and reducing the number/value of any ad impressions you can serve (which is bad for revenue).

also a secret third reason, which is that even people who use the official apps have no stake in a potential IPO, can smell the general unfairness of this whole situation, and would enjoy the schadenfreude of investors getting fucked over. not to mention that reddit’s current CEO has made a complete ass of himself and now everyone hates him and wants to see him suffer personally.

(granted, it seems like reddit may acquiesce slightly and grant free API access to a select set of moderation/accessibility tools, but at this point it comes across as an empty gesture.)

"later" is now "now"

TL;DR: this whole thing is a combination of many factors, specifically reddit being intensely user-driven and self-governed, but also a high-traffic site that costs a lot of money to run (why they willingly decided to start hosting video a few years back is beyond me...), while also being angled as a public stock market offering in the very near future. to some extent I understand why reddit’s CEO doubled down on the changes—he wants to look strong for investors—but he’s also made a fool of himself and cast a shadow of uncertainty onto reddit’s future, not to mention the PR nightmare surrounding all of this. and since arguably the most important thing in an IPO is how much faith people have in your company, I honestly think reddit would’ve fared better if they hadn’t gone nuclear with the API changes in the first place.

that said, I also think it’s a mistake to assume that reddit care (or needs to care) about its users in any meaningful way, or at least not as more than means to an end. if reddit shuts down in three years, but all of the people sitting on stock options right now cashed out at $120/share and escaped unscathed... that’s a success story! you got your money! VCs want to recoup their investment—they don’t care about longevity (at least not after they’re gone), user experience, or even sustained profit. those were never the forces driving them, because these were never the ultimate metrics of their success.

and to be clear: this isn’t unique to reddit. this is how pretty much all startups operate.

I talked about the difference between “make money now” companies and “make money later” companies, and what we’re experiencing is the painful transition from “later” to “now.” as users, this change is almost invisible until it’s already happened—it’s like a rug we didn’t even know existed gets pulled out from under us.

the pre-IPO honeymoon phase is awesome as a user, because companies have no expectation of profit, only growth. if you can rely on VC money to stay afloat, your only concern is building a user base, not squeezing a profit out of them. and to do that, you offer cool shit at a loss: everything’s chocolate and flowers and quarterly reports about the number of signups you’re getting!

...until you reach a critical mass of users, VCs want to cash in, and to prepare for that IPO leadership starts thinking of ways to make the website (appear) profitable and implements a bunch of shit that makes users go “wait, what?”

I also touched on this earlier, but I want to reiterate a bit here: I think the myth of the benign non-monetized internet of yore is exactly that—a myth. what has changed are the specific market factors behind these websites, and their scale, and the means by which they attempt to monetize their services and/or make their services look attractive to investors, and so from a user perspective things feel worse because the specific ways we’re getting squeezed have evolved. maybe they are even worse, at least in the ways that matter. but I’m also increasingly less surprised when this occurs, because making money is and has always been the goal for all of these ventures, regardless of how they try to do so.

[shiftchii]

U.A. High in my DR !

Basics

Students are separated randomly into specific departments and classes sectioned by the letters A-K.

These departments are:

Department of Heroics (A - B): Students in this department learn everything they need to know in order to become excellent heroes in service to the community. They are trained in battle, first aid, rescue, support, and all manners of heroic-related lessons.

Department of General Education C - E): Students who don’t make it to the hero course are included here. This department supports students aiming for college and other pursuits. It’s also possible for students with good grades and exceptional strength and quirk skills to be transferred into the hero course (And either the support or business course mind you). Basically regular HS but they get to say that they went to UA on their resume.

Department of Support (F - H): Students here focus on developing support equipment that helps heroes out on the battlefield. With a workspace stock to the brim with all sorts of special tools and their own studio to build things, this department provides an unmatched creative environment.

Department of General Management (I - K): This department focuses on all aspects of heroic business, from the founding and managing of hero agencies to the promotion of public opinion regarding heroes. They even do hands-on lessons in venture capitalism. They have a lot of free time.

Each class is usually comprised of 21 students. That means that the total student population at UA would be 693.

We stay in the same class with the same teacher for all 3 years.

Since UA is a highly prestigious school, we get a lot of funding and benefits for the dorms and when we go on trips and whatnot. (Food we buy for the dorms is paid for, we get free snacks/concessions in the sports festival, free hero costume updates and renewals)

The school curriculum is way less loaded than here. The school system is much better.

The Hero Teachers are actually good at teaching.

Since U.A. is famous, it has many sponsors with support and hero merch companies, so some hero course students (usually 3rd years) have their own hero merch already. Students are sometimes sponsored and do photoshoots and are invited to red carpet events. (Following the School Festival, Class 1-A gets loads of sponsors and stuff!)

The teachers and students are encouraged to decorate their classes and most of them do so.

U.A. has a popular school website.

Staff and students are recommended to have Twitter to update the public events, the majority of the students obviously don't take this seriously, there's always someone who has beef and makes it public (Monoma) and it always ends up like those MHA Tweets, it’s the funniest thing ever.

Schedule

School is Monday - Friday and starts at 8:25 and finishes at 15:10. Regular classes take place during the first half of school, then the afternoon (for the Dept. of Heroics) you will have hero training. Only Dept. of Heroics students have an additional 7th period.

The teachers move between classes while the students stay in 1 class (besides electives).

Wednesdays are half days and only consist of hero training (so no typical school work), though sometimes it's replaced by FHS. You also don't have to wear your uniform on Wednesdays.

We will always have some kind of free time for school despite our somewhat busy schedules.

Not all school days are the same (emergency drills, other schools coming to train with us, etc.).

Classes

Core Subjects for Dept. of Heroics

Homeroom: Taught by Aizawa. Acts as a study hall. The class reps will often give a small meeting with the class about important events during this period.

Japanese: Taught by Cementoss. Focuses on reading, writing, and literature.

Mathematics: Taught by Ectoplasm. Covers algebra, geometry, and calculus.

English: Taught by Present Mic. Emphasizes reading, writing, and conversation skills.

Home Economics: Taught by Midnight. Cooking and other aspects of household management.

Foundational Hero Studies (FHS): Taught by All Might, Aizawa or Midnight. Hero related studying: hero laws, safety precautions, first aid, jsl, media training, dividing hero and civilian identity etc.

Hero Training: Taught by various teachers, usually Aizawa or All Might, it changes every week and we are informed about the activities during homeroom. For example: Quirkless Combat, Rescue Training, Combat, Quirk Training etc.

Elective Subjects

Thought by various teachers. This is the only class where students move instead of teachers, these are shared, so you could end up with classmates from other classes. Students get to completely choose what electives they have. If they don’t choose, they are placed in extra training or study hall.

Options:

Foreign Languages (e.g., Chinese, Korean)

Journalism

Art Foundations

Photography

Ceramics

Psychology

Choir

Band

Orchestra

Woodshop

Metalshop

Chemistry

Poetry

Cooking

Baking

Biology

Physics

Film Analysis

Computer Programming

Animal Work

Volunteer Work

Theatre

Student Council

Literature Analysis

Forensics

Study Hall

Class 1-A Timetable

Around UA campus

The updated UA security system is really good. The sensors are so good, you don't even need to have your ID out. They can scan it anywhere on your person. If you lost or misplaced your ID, the gates also have facial recognition software, so it's fine. If you're not a student or staff, you NEED a visitor pass or the school will go into lockdown on you.

We can use our school IDs to get snacks and drinks from vending machines around the school hallways. It’s free and they are replenished daily.

UA has a courtyard where we can eat outside. Most of the 2nd and 3rd years get food from places outside of the school campus and eat outside in the courtyard. Because of this, the cafeteria isn't as crowded and when we eat lunch we can sit and enjoy our food comfortably. The cafeteria is also luxurious and looks like a fancy mall café.

The library is huge and has many resources with much to explore. There are many different levels with varying types of quiet floors and study halls. It's also open 24/7 so students who are fighting to finish a project can pull all-nighters.

There’s a little shop that has U.A. and hero merch and school supplies including books for courses. You can also buy the merch on the online website.

UA has extracurricular groups and clubs for those who aren't in the hero course such as other sports and things like cheerleaders, debate, theater, music, cooking, ballet, and much more. I mean, hero course students CAN do those things but they WILL have a hard time doing so all while dealing with said hero responsibilities. As mentioned before, business course students have a lot of free time and general ED students are basically regular HS students who just so happen to be going to UA and for support course students, it really depends on how much work you choose to take on for yourself.

There is a study center where students who need extra help can go. Students with failing grades must go here for a set amount of hours to get the help they need. It’s strictly work, and talking about anything other than school is basically prohibited. It’s usually run by Ectoplasm and his clones or Hound Dog.

Work studies & Internships

All first years do an internship, it’s required. This is usually after the sports festival when students have had a chance to show off their skills.

Work studies are basically experience-oriented off-study programs that allow students in the hero course who have Provisional Licenses to work with pros at their agencies. Students will be able to use their quirks under the guidance of a pro, and can even be dispatched to fight villains and help out in disaster areas. If you do well, you can be scouted to become the hero’s sidekick.

Work studies are a more serious version of internships. They entail helping pro heroes on the streets and with investigations. They are usually reserved for 2nd and 3rd-year students, who usually have their licenses. 1st years didn't do them in the past. However, with the rise of villain activity, the school decided to open up work studies to 1st years as well, albeit a very small and select few of them. If they didn't find a good agency with a proven track record they wouldn't do it at all.

Events

U.A. has seasonal dances and a lot of events, like Halloween, Hero Day and other festivals.

Uniforms

Color palette

The uniforms the students receive consist of 4 sets of each clothing (besides the coat and varsity jacket):

Shirts

Long sleeve

Short sleeved

Sleeveless

Blazer

Long sleeves

Sleeveless

Cardigans

Sleeveless (two color variations)

Long sleeved (two color variations)

Sweaters

Sleeveless (two color variations)

Long sleeved (two color variations)

Pants

Shorts

Below The Knee

Classic

Skirts

Mini

Below The Knee

Maxi

Ties

Necktie

Bow Tie

Socks

Quarter

Crew

Knee High

Thigh High

Tights

Shoes

Coat

Varsity Jacket

Gym Clothing

Tank top

Loose Zip-up Sweatshirt (long sleeves, short sleeves, sleeveless)

Cropped Zip-up Sweatshirt (long sleeves, short sleeves, sleeveless)

Shorts

Below Knee Shorts

Sweatpants

Swimwear

Sleeveless, Short sleeved and Long sleeved

Lanyards

Uniforms aren’t required on Wednesdays

Students are allowed to accessorize their uniforms however they want and wear their own jackets

Piercings, colored hair, nails, makeup etc. are allowed

The uniforms aren’t gendered - all students receive all versions and are allowed to wear whichever one they prefer

For students with mutant type Quirks, custom made uniforms are made

Button and sleeve/lapel stripe differences between the department uniforms [1-General education, 2-Hero, 3-Support, 4-Management].

School Bag

Along with the Uniforms the school hands out bags. You can return them and use your own if you’d like.

A standard deep blue nylon matching the uniforms. The U.A. logo sits at the right bottom corner.

Class

If you’re standing at the front of the classroom looking out at the desks, the seating arrangement starts at the leftmost side of the room (“A” names), going front to back and then going to the next row to the right, and so on.  keep in mind that the alphabetical order here is based on the Japanese alphabet. My number is 10.

Here's how I laid out the desks for 21 students:

Since we stay in the same classrooms for most of the days we can leave out stuff at our desks. They have shelves underneath with 2 outlets and lots of space.

Class 1-A Friend Groups

Everyone is actually really close, but those are what groups spend the most time together. Of course we hang out in different groups or all together too.

We have frequent movie and game nights, 1-A has a group chat and it’s always active, there’s always someone wanting to do something. Sometimes we invite people from other classes.

DekuSquad

Izuku

Ochako

Tenya

Tsuyu

Shouto

Haruka

Hitoshi (after he joins our class)

BakuSquad

Katsuki

Eijirou

Mina

Denki

Minoru

Hanta

TokoSquad

Fumikage

Mashirao

Mezou

Tooru

MomoSquad

Momo

Kyoka

Yuga

Kouji

Rikido

I hope this was helpful! <3

© credits: seating arrangement • basics @/Priicklleshifts on TikTok • uniforms • dividers

[toxicrivalries]

To our most dearest most beloved elle @gayferrari ✨

Happy birth-week from carp @antspaul and myself. Please enjoy this wonderful and silly gift from the pair of us ❤️. We're so glad to have you in both our lives, and hope this brings you joy.

(also here on ao3)

Image ID under the cut.

[a series of 10 images describing Charles Leclerc’s journey into becoming a mouse during the 2025 Formula 1 season. 

IMAGE 1: 

A screenshot from Autosport’s website. 

‘Leclerc made mouse in new Ferrari strategy’ followed by a banner of two images showing Leclerc in his human form and also as a striped field mouse. 

The text reads:

‘Charles Leclerc has turned into a mouse ahead of 2025 season testing, as reported by official channels earlier today. 

Leclerc’s transformation occurred as an experimental effort by Ferrari to maximize their drivers’ physical reflexes. Other teams have already logged formal complaints. The FIA have yet to make their official decision, but an insider source insists that “there is nothing in the rulebook that dictates mice cannot compete in Formula 1”. 

Ferrari boss Frederick Vasseur seemed quite pleased with the outcomes. When asked if the Monegasque driver could communicate over team radio while in mouse form, Vasseur responded that his team are presently working through solutions. He reassured Autosport that Ferrari’s mouseification process is ‘entirely reversible’, though it seems the subject of the transformation must be willing to undergo the process again - a task far more difficult to achieve with a vocabulary limited to squeaks.’

IMAGE 2: 

Charles Leclerc in mouse form, standing near the cockpit of his F1 car. He is a striped field mouse wearing a ferrari cap.

IMAGE 3: 

Charles Leclerc in mouse form, standing on the head of his golden Dachshund Leo. Leo is running towards the viewer with a red chew toy in his mouth. 

IMAGE 4: 

Screenshot of Leclerc’s radio message during a race. The radio reads: ‘Squeak Squeak ****** Squeak’

IMAGE 5: 

An advertisement of Parmesan cheese being sold by Charles’ ice cream company. Charles in his mouse form is posing by a wheel of parmesan. The word LEC in brand font is above his head. 

IMAGE 6: 

A screenshot from the GPDA’s instagram profile. It shows the GDPA’s statement on Charles’ mouse transformation. 

The text reads: 

“‘GPDA Statement regarding “Mouseification’

As athletes, we wholeheartedly understand and support technological developments in revolutionising our sport. As such, we commend the efforts of the scientific and engineering minds behind Ferrari’s “mouseification” process. However, as the representative body of Formula 1 drivers, the GPDA must voice its concerns.

First, we must state that the Grand Prix Drivers Association does not exclude non-human members. Indeed, our purpose is to represent all drivers, including drivers who are mice. Should the FIA, stewards, or any other members of the governing bodies of our Sport single out our rodent co-competitors, it is within the duties of the GPDA to intervene.

Further, the GPDA would like to express concern for the ethics of turning drivers at the pinnacle of motorsport into common household animals. While the engineers of this technique have made assurances that it is reversible, we want to be 100% certain this is the case. Additionally, we want full confirmation that no driver should have to undergo a similar transformation without his or her express permission and consent, regardless of any competitive benefits it may provide.

Lastly, we would like to state on record that GPDA members who have been transformed into animals are willingly participating in the Sport, and that it is not considered animal cruelty. However, should a team force a driver to compete in animal form against their will, the parties involved will be liable for animal cruelty.

The GPDA wishes to be as collaborative and as forthcoming as possible with the stakeholders, teams, individuals, and governing bodies involved in these changes to the sport that we all hold dear.

Best regards, 

The Directors and Chairman of the GPDA on behalf of the Grand Prix Drivers.

#RacingUnited for our Safety, our Sport, our Fans.”

IMAGE 7: 

A screenshot of Charles’ interview with the Athletic. The title reads: “Man or Mouse? Leclerc opens up about mouseification, cheese sponsorship, and 2025 WDC hopes”

It is followed by a graphic banner. The banner displays the Ferrari badge, Charles in his human form, and Charles in his mouse form. His mouse form is wearing a Ferrari cap, and is on a red circle background. 

IMAGE 8: 

A screenshot of Charles’ interview with the Athletic, containing an excerpt of it.

The text reads: 

“Man or Mouse? Leclerc opens up about mouseification, cheese sponsorship, and 2025 WDC hopes”

Indeed, Leclerc has gone from success to success since the opening of the 2025 season. Within a week of claiming the top step in Melbourne, the Monegasque driver announced a new personal sponsorship and collaboration with none other than Parmigiano Reggiano — a match made in heaven, since Leclerc’s momentary mouse metamorphosis. 

“It’s changed my outlook on racing,” he squeaked to his interpreter, four-time world champion Sebastian Vettel, at whose farm Leclerc has been rumoured to reside since his mouseification. “Being a mouse, it gives me more courage in the car to try things I wouldn’t be trying in previous seasons.” 

This new perspective can be seen in how Leclerc carries himself, though he is only ten centimeters tall. When asked about his target for this season, he answered without hesitation: “To be world champion. This hasn’t changed. I am more certain than ever that this year it is possible.” The current points standings would not disagree. “No mouse has ever been world champion. It would mean a lot to the greater rodent community. It would mean a lot to me.”’

IMAGE 9: 

A breaking news announcement from the official F1 channels. It is framed in Ferrari red. It shows Charles’ in mouse form on his car. 

The text in the image reads: 

‘BREAKING 

Ferrari left with ‘no way to reverse’ Leclerc mouseification. 

IMAGE 10: 

A photo of Sebastian Vettel at the paddock. Charles Leclerc in mouse form is sitting on his shoulder, wearing a little bucket hat. 

END ID]