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black-streak · 5 years ago

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Little Pistol - Nothing Personal

Chapter 2

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It'll be a minute before Tim is actually introduced here, by the way. Mostly because I'm not 100% certain who exactly I want him to be affiliated with and how he'll operate yet.

Which reminds me, I'm opening that to a vote that I'll post tomorrow. It's open to all, but anyone tagged in this should expect to be tagged onto that as well. I would like your input, please.

LP Taglist

@zalladane @moonlightstar64 @amayakans @elmokingkong @queen-in-a-flower-crown @karategirl119 @dreamykitty25 @danielslilangel @melicmusicmagic @xahriia @sassakitty

Permanent list

@naoryllis @throneoffirebreathingbitchqueen @my-name-is-michell @maribat-is-lifeblood @dast218 @novicevoice @shizukiryuu @princess-of-fangirls @bigpicklebananatree @pirats-pizzacanninibles @abrx2002 @breemeister @darkthunder1589 @thestressmademedoit @severelyenchantedwonderland @isabellemasen @multi-fandom-freak0221 @fantasyloversblog @bzz75 @cloudiedraws @jardimazul @orbitsvt @gingerdaile @sotheresthatthought @kadmeread @novaloptr @unabashedlyswimmingtimemachine @crazylittlemunchkin @18-fandoms-unite-08 @tiny-goddess-of-chaos @ladybug-182 @toodaloo-kangaroo @the-alice-of-hearts

~---~

The next battle came as a stark contrast to the normal. Chat still flirted, still tried to get close, but he kept fighting, kept helping even when she ignored him. Then, the most amazing thing happened. She got hit after getting distracted by one of his comments and instead of yelling at him for it and being pushed off in turn, he turned to the akuma. Without a word from her, he stopped his comments and went after the cursed object with a single minded focus she'd never seen from him before. Within ten minutes with minimal help on her part, he was presenting her with the blackened hair tie of the victim.

"A token, m'lady," he bowed, but kept his eyes downcast.

"Thank you, Chat," she managed to get out in her surprise, taking the item and working her magic on it and the city alike.

"I'm sorry," he murmured at her side, "I distracted you and got you hurt. That's my fault."

"It is," she agreed, not wanting to lie and say it wasn't, but also fighting back her urge to comfort him, "You'll do better next time," she stated.

"Much better," he promised, peeking up at her in hope of forgiveness. She swallowed back her instinct to grant it.

"Good," she nodded and took off back to school.

…

She spent most of the school day comparing his attitude this time to the last akuma attack, startled to realize what a difference a single conversation could make. She did that. She managed to make him change. Sure, she was injured, but only the once and he even said he was sorry! Took responsibility for his mistakes. That was unprecedented. She couldn't help but wonder how much pushing it would take to stop him completely. To incite obedience. Not that she planned to push it to that level, but it was a curious thing.

As she pondered on the logistics of such an act, just for the fun of it, she stepped out of the classroom, intending to head out for the day, she noticed Chloe shooing Sabrina off. Probably to act on some offhanded whim of the blonde. Marinette can't help the niggling thought of how she could change that as well. What words would it take to set Sabrina free? What made Chloe tick?

As she passed Alya, the reporter talking to Nino, or rather, at Nino, she thought of how to switch the roles. How to encourage Nino to express himself more openly. To be comfortable in his own skin enough to confidently express it.

Her grin grew as she planned out exactly how each encounter went down, coming up with on the spot ideas and improvising at a drop of a hat for whatever response they might have. It reminded her of the thrill of figuring out a particularly difficult lucky charm. Plus, it was perfectly harmless to consider right? As long as she didn't act on it. And even if she did, it would benefit them all, so really, it didn't hurt to consider.

And if the outcomes were as good as Chat's were, even better. If she went through with it, that is.

…

A week came and went and as did another attack.

Chat waited until the akuma was caught and purified to flirt, ensuring she never became distracted by him or anything else for that matter. He called out any incoming projectile, caught her attention anytime anything happened that she might've missed. Took another hit for her. That frustrated her, but the rest was a needed reprieve from the stress of akuma's past. And then he started flirting.

"Chat, what are you doing?"

"Well surely, I've proven my dedication to you, m'lady. I figure we might celebrate?"

"You've proven nothing of the sort," she stated, head tilted in confusion.

"I did to! I made sure you weren't harmed, I took the attack seriously, I even apologized and caught the akuma for you last time!"

"That isn't proof of love, Chat. That's basic human decency. I would do that for any hero or civilian for that matter. If that's a show of devotion to you, I'd hate to see how you treat people you're indifferent to," Ladybug countered, lips pursed and eyebrows pinching in.

"I'm perfectly nice to people I don't know," he defended himself quickly.

"Oh," her expression swiftly morphed, eyes widening into a look of taken aback surprise, "So you treat strangers well, but those you care about are lucky to hear an apology from you? Thank kwami I'm a ladybug then, I guess."

"That's not what I meant, of course I apologize when I'm in the wrong," he backtracked.

"So you think last time was the only time you messed up with me," she clarified.

"Well no…" Chat hedged, looking down again.

"You've barely proven that you don't hold malicious intent towards me. Don't push your luck, kitty. Black cats don't have any," she stated, taking off to leave him alone with his thoughts once more.

…

Arriving home, she dropped the transformation, collapsing on her chaise and shaking her head, "I can't believe I said that. Oh my gosh, I actually said that," she stared off into the distance.

"Neither can I. That was very harsh of you, Marinette, I'm disappointed in you," Tikki spoke up from her knee where she sat glaring with a pout on her face.

However, instead of immediately groveling as she normally did, Marinette's eyes sharpened as they snapped to the creature, sick of the treatment she'd received from the goddess since she first implemented this new tactic, "Was anything I said a lie?"

"No, but you could've said it in a nicer way," she insisted.

"When has carefully and nicely ever worked with him in the past?"

Tikki opened her mouth, but Marinette swiftly cut her off, "Never. It always ends with you chastising me and me apologizing for something that wasn't my fault. Nothing ever changed. But this, being direct with him, it works. He's changing, finally," she felt relief in letting this out, especially in the face of someone so hypocritical in her expectations on her compared to that of her so-called partner.

"Marinette, you can't just change people into who you want them to be!"

"I'm not changing him. I'm telling him what I see and how I feel and he is reacting to that information how he sees fit," she corrected, eager now at the prospect once more.

Tikki frowned, considering this point, "That's technically true… I still don't like it though."

"It's okay Tikki, you'll see soon enough," she reassured.

…

As day shifted to night, she pulled out her tablet, checking for any news on her new favorite hero.

Nothing to discover today, though she did start making a few sketches of his suit, looking at possible redesigns. Adjustments or details that could be made to improve the overall look or functionality. Granted, it looked very functional already.

She was startled to discover that even she wouldn't change much in that aspect. It became blatantly clear that he designed the suit to accommodate him perfectly, playing up his strengths and drawing away from any potential weaknesses. It only further her admiration and assured her of her choices.

…

The next attack came sooner than expected, Hawkmoth apparently deciding he had more free time than them. As though that hadn't been obvious from the beginning. Surely, they knew that from the start and didn't need this reminder. Didn't the man have a job or something? Could he get back to it, please?

Speaking of, Chat was doing a remarkable job of trying to follow a purified white butterfly off into the horizon, wanting to please her by taking the hunt for the villain to heart. As though she hadn't tried that already.

You'd think he hadn't listened to a word she'd said before the way he retraced her own work over again. Rolling her eyes, she let him humor himself, waiting until he came back, tail tucked and ears flattened, to admit his failure.

Sitting down, she relaxed into her spot. This was going to take a while.

…

It was three am and she had pulled up the newest article on her Robin. She still hadn't found his official name, but she thrilled to see new pictures of him, though still shadowed and from such terrible angles. Apparently he had more recently been seen working alongside another. Something he hadn't done before as far as the city of Gotham knew, still so ignorant to him being their very own wonderful Robin. She couldn't really be bothered to look further into who he was seen working with, but something in the back of her mind twinged as her heart stuttered to know he was willing to fight alongside another.

Closing up the window and shutting down her tablet, she fell asleep with a smile.

#Dark!timinette #timinette #maribat #ml x dc #can yall see where this is going?

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nitholites · 5 years ago

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Some more headcanons, in no particular order

Mari does gymnastics

Like, she's ridiculously talented at acrobatics and gymnastics and can contort her body in ways that really shouldn't be possible

On accident

Dick is very pleased to have a sister who can keep up with him in that field

She becomes an honorary Flying Grayson by the end of the week

Ladybug powers didn't affect this talent, because she's been doing gymnastics and this kinda thing since she was a kid

Her original dream was to be a gymnast, but fashion swept her off her feet when she turned double digits

Dick has another surprise at one Peter Parker

This smol boi can stick to anything, has increased agility, and an impeccable sense of balance and gravity?

Not to mention he took up acrobatics training when he became Spidey boi because he realized his powers were better for stealth and out manuvering his opponents

Dick nearly reforms the Flying Graysons until he realized he couldn't legally adopt Mari and Peter

"Damn paperwork, keeping my siblings from officially becoming my siblings."

Marinette redesigns everyone's costumes, starting with the BatFam's

In her words: "No one this side of the Atlantic seem to have any sense of style. As a designer, this makes me weep. No longer shall I and the rest of the world be forced to watch these atrocities. The world should thank me for this act of mercy."

She also makes some for Ivy and Harley, since they're her favorite villains

Marinette gets a murder of crows

Like, more intelligent than usual crows

They follow her everywhere, and have broken into groups for every city she frequents

Everyone knows when Mari's in town because there's a huge cloud of crows just... following her around

After that day, anyone who messes with her get attacked by crows within .00001 seconds

Damian likes them, too

He trusts them so much he relaxes his 'chase every Mari Threat with a katana until it leaves' habit

Each and every Crow has a name for their personalities

They can Zeta Tube, too

They're honorary members of both the Avengers and the Justice League

Marinette always carries baked goods on her person

Blame Tim, who got addicted and wouldn't stop pestering her for a treat, even if she didn't have one

Everyone sings Tim's praises because now they get Mari Snacks, and their addictions are fed

Mari somehow gets all of Alfred's recipes

She shares some of hers, too, but she mostly internalizes whatever recipe Alfred decided to share that day

She joins him in the kitchen every day without fail, for every meal she can

Even when she's out of town, she Skypes and makes the same thing Alfred does at the same time so the old man has someone to talk to

Just.... Harley Keener, Tim Drake, and Dick Grayson in the same room

The sheer amount of Vibe in that room nearly collapses the universe as they know it

Meanwhile Marinette, Peter, and Mar'i's collective cinnamon roll aura rots the teeth of everyone in a 50 mile radius when they're in the same room and watched

They have no idea they're doing it, either

Peter and Marinette are Child Whisperers, and Cannot Be Stopped

By the end of the week, every child has a new big brother and sister, both in NYC and Gotham that drops by randomly with cookies and toys

Mari and Peter know every child by name

Soon the Crows adopt more human children because The Angel has adopted more human children

Everyone in Mari's family is in the Marinette Protection Squad ™, but not all Squad members are in her family

(that may change with time)

Aight, I'm just about through ideas. Have any questions about how certain situations would go or want a certain scene, just ask and I'll do my best to give it justice. Have some ideas for this AU? Go ahead and share! I'd love to see what everyone takes and creates from this. Also, if you use this idea, please mention me, cuz I'd love to see/read whatever you make! Watching people's imaginations grow from something- especially something I had a part in making- is the best feeling in the world.

Whenever I think of more for this AU, I'll post something, but for now this is all. Have fun with this concept, and let me know what you all think about it, if you feel like it

@macaknight @spideysonirondad15world @kryptored @evil-elf16 @krispydefendorpolice @currentfandomkick @doggiediva13 @mochegato @tired-butterfly

#mlb x marvel #mlb x dc #marinette dupain cheng #marinette dupen chang #iron man #spider man #iron dad #tony stark #pepper stark #morgan stark #harley keener #batfam #batman #robin #dick grayson #tim drake #damian wayne #mlb x avengers

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nicomoviewatchinpsychopath · 5 years ago

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Sonic the Hedgehog Movie Review

SONIC THE HEDGEHOG: VIDEO GAME BASED MOVIE IS FORMULAIC BUT OFFERS PLENTY OF FAST-PACED FUN FOR THE WHOLE FAMILY AS WELL AS LONGTIME FANS!

By Nico Beland

Movie Review: *** out of 4

The world’s fastest hedgehog hits the big screen in Sonic the Hedgehog

PARAMOUNT PICTURES AND SEGA

The blue blur (or Blue Devil as the movie calls him) makes his big screen debut in Sonic the Hedgehog, based on the beloved Sega video game franchise of the same name. Believe it or not out of all the video game franchises, my favorite is and always will be Sonic the Hedgehog and have been a proud supporter of the hedgehog since childhood.

Granted, it wasn’t until after Sega became a third-party developer for consoles like PlayStation, Xbox, and Nintendo when I became a fan of the blue hedgehog, but ever since I got my hands on the Nintendo GameCube port of Sonic Adventure 2 as a kid, my Sonic fandom was pretty much instant. I’ve played many of the video games both old and new, watched all the cartoons, read the comic books published by Archie Comics at the time, and I owned several action figures, plushies, and other Sonic merchandise throughout my childhood…in fact I still have most of those even to this day.

I’ve been clamoring for a Sonic the Hedgehog theatrical movie for years despite video game film adaptations usually being critical and/or box-office poison. But given the popularity of Sonic especially during the 90s when he was rivaling Nintendo’s Mario franchise who already had a theatrical film released in 1993, I’d assume one would have been made back then or at the very least in the early-late 2000s when Sonic Adventure DX: Director’s Cut, Sonic Adventure 2 Battle, and Sonic Heroes as well as the hit Saturday morning anime series, Sonic X were released, I was so eager for a Sonic movie that a couple of friends and I got together and made movies of our own when we were kids (They sucked BTW!).

After years of waiting and Sonic making a few big screen appearances prior in Disney’s Wreck-It Ralph movies and Steven Spielberg’s Ready Player One, the beloved hedgehog finally gets a movie of his own which leads us to today. The film is directed by newcomer Jeff Fowler in his directorial debut, produced by Neal H. Moritz (Fast & Furious franchise, XXX, 21/22 Jump Street), and executive produced by Tim Miller (Deadpool, Terminator: Dark Fate) and is a live-action/animated hybrid (Yep, just like Alvin and the Chipmunks and The Smurfs), which had me very worried when it was announced back in 2014 and was even more worried and disgusted when the first trailer came out last year which had an absolutely atrocious design for Sonic, fortunately they fixed it.

So, how does Sonic’s first movie hold up? Honestly, while I can’t call it the Sonic movie I wanted as a child, I had a fun time with it. It isn’t a perfect representation of its source material and the plot is pretty generic, but the charm of the film’s leads, humor, and subtle references to the games that inspired it are enough for me to overlook that flaw.

The film follows Sonic (voiced by Ben Schwartz-Parks and Recreation, The Other Guys, The Walk), blue anthropomorphic talking hedgehog from another dimension with extraordinary speed who travels to Earth to escape from those who want to capture him and harness his power. However, when he accidentally causes a power outage while hiding out in the town of Green Hills (Get it?), Sonic is targeted by the government and the tyrannical mad scientist, Dr. Robotnik (Jim Carrey-Ace Ventura 1 and 2, The Mask, The Truman Show) who plots to use Sonic’s power for world domination.

This forces Sonic to team up with Green Hills sheriff, Tom Wachowski (James Marsden-X-Men franchise, Enchanted, Westworld) who agrees to help Sonic on his adventure to find his missing bag of magical rings that have the power to get him home. Of course, while getting into all sorts of trouble along the way. The film also stars Tika Sumpter (Ride Along 1 and 2, Get On Up, Southside with You) as Tom’s wife Maddie, Adam Pally (Happy Endings, The Mindy Project, Iron Man 3) as Wade Whipple, and Neal McDonough (Star Trek: First Contact, Band of Brothers, Justified) as Major Bennington.

Overall, Sonic the Hedgehog probably isn’t the movie longtime fans wanted, but it still manages to be an entertaining and fun adaptation in its own right. It’s easily one of the best films based on a video game alongside Pokémon: Detective Pikachu and The Angry Birds Movie 2 and shows that we’ve come a long way since the dark days of Uwe Boll’s directing career.

As mentioned before, the plot is nothing special and rehashed from other kids’ movies however what sets this apart from things like The Smurfs or Masters of the Universe is that Sonic and Tom do have a strong chemistry together. It’s amusing to see them interact with each other on their road trip, cracking jokes, getting into trouble, and over the course of the film they learn more about one another thus making you care more for them over ANY Smurf or Chipmunk.

While there are a few jokes that don’t quite stick the landing, the humor for the most part not only made me laugh but there were moments in this movie where I laughed hard. Whether the film was poking fun at the entire Sonicfranchise, a particular running sequence that’s obviously a reference to the Quicksilver scenes from the X-Men movies, or Sonic breaking the fourth wall similar to Deadpool, I was laughing while also admiring how clever some of these jokes are, and let’s not forget Jim Carrey as Dr. Robotnik, but we’ll get to him momentarily.

The redesigned Sonic is a lot better than what we could have gotten, he doesn’t have those ugly small eyes, questionable muscular arms and legs, or the terrifying human teeth anymore. Now, his appearance is more faithful to the source material recreating the hedgehog’s cartoony nature but is different enough to stand out from the rest of the character’s previous designs and be its own unique creation, this is a really good design for Sonic and had the filmmakers went with their original version, this movie would have crashed and burned even harder than Sonic ’06.

Besides Sonic being more appealing to look at now, he’s also just as entertaining to listen to, Ben Schwartz while he’s far from being a replacement for Roger Craig Smith, Ryan Drummond, Jason Griffith, or even Jaleel White, does a solid job providing Sonic’s voice and captures the cocky, arrogant, but good-natured attitude Sonic is known for having. He actually almost sounds like Ryan Drummond’s Sonic voice without sounding like a cheap impersonation. Moving on to Sonic’s new friend that doesn’t have two tails, James Marsden as Tom, his performance is decent even though he doesn’t quite make as big an impression as Ben Schwartz’ Sonic and especially Jim Carrey’s Dr. Robotnik. With that said, he gets some funny lines once in a while and as mentioned before has good chemistry with Sonic, so yeah, believe it or not James Marsden was partnered up with another CG animated character and this time came out with his dignity unlike his performance in Hop.

Jim Carrey as Dr. Robotnik owns every scene that he’s in, he’s no Mike Pollock and is a radically different Robotnik than from the games, but Carrey’s energetic and wildly animated personality shines through and gives a million percent whenever the crazy evil genius is on-screen. He’s certainly a lot better than Dennis Hopper as Koopa from the Super Mario Bros. movie.

Hopefully, this movie will be a hit during its theatrical run because I’d love to see a sequel especially if it introduced other Sonic characters like Tails, Knuckles, or even Shadow. Don’t make this like the recent Power Rangers movie, I need my big screen version of those characters!

Whether a fan, newcomer, or just looking for something fun to take the kids to, Sonic the Hedgehog should make everyone happy. It’s not perfect but it has enough action, wit, and charm to make it worth checking out. You’ll be “Up, Over, and Gone” before you know it.

For more movie reviews please visit: https://moviewatchinpsychopath.blogspot.com

#sonic the hedgehog #sonic the hedgehog movie #sonic #jeff fowler #ben schwartz #james marsden #jim carrey #sega #paramount #paramount pictures #neal h. moritz #tim miller #original film

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jstaplesreviewsmovies · 3 years ago

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Sonic the Hedgehog 2 (2022)

Spoilers for Sonic the Hedgehog 2

Last weekend was the release of the highly anticipated sequel to the first Sonic the Hedgehog film in 2020. That first movie received a lot of negative attention from its first trailer because of the terrible CGI design for the title character, and gained even MORE attention when they did the impossible and redesigned him to make him more accurate to his design in the video games. Naturally, after the success of the first movie, the second one had people excited, including me. Like the first film, Sonic the Hedgehog 2 is directed by Jeff Fowler, and features the voice talents of Ben Schwartz as Sonic, introduces Colleen O’Shaughness as Tails and Idris Elba as Knuckles. We also saw the return of Jim Carrey as Dr. Robotnik. The film details Sonic attempting to use his powers for good on Earth (to a limited degree of success) before being thrust into a race against time to find the legendary Master Emerald before Robotnik and Knuckles can.

I should preface this review with the fact that as a kid, I was a huge fan of the Sonic franchise of video games, especially the classic Sega Genesis games. So nostalgia appeal, easter eggs, and loyalty to the story of origin will do a lot for me. Thankfully, this sequel takes everything that the first film did right and made it better, though the major flaws from the first movie are unfortunately still present.

I’ll start with what I disliked about this movie so we can end on a positive note. My biggest issue with this franchise so far is with its branding as a children’s film. While I understand that Sonic has always been a franchise geared toward kids, it’s clear that these movies are based on the story that was present in the first four games, with hints of plot points from the Sonic Adventure games, which I imagine a lot of kids have never played. There is a real opportunity with these films to feed on the nostalgia of adults and young adults who played the original games growing up. This is why I believe these movies could’ve been better if made a PG-13 film. I don’t think it would chase away that many people, since Marvel films make billions of dollars a year and are all rated PG-13. A more mature film would help deal with the dated childish humor that makes my skin crawl. No more Eggman flossing. No more random dance numbers. I also think it would give more room for better action sequences that don’t rely on jokes, instead focusing on the action fight. While I know this won’t happen, my dream for the third film in the trilogy is to iron out the painful kid jokes and make for a more polished action movie.

The other major issue I have here is the continued focus on human characters. For some reason, the writers decided to make some kind of Alvin and the Chipmunks type thing and do CGI animal characters alongside normal humans. This makes little sense in the context of the classic Sonic franchise, and routinely causes interruptions in the story flow. There were several extended sequences where a Sonic character was off screen for over 15 minutes, instead focusing on a wedding between two characters I don’t care about, attended by more characters I don’t care about. I don’t even remember any of their names. In a movie focused on such a colorful and zany universe of characters, I don’t want to see stupid human stories. They’re boring. Go back to Sonic. If these characters were actually written well, maybe I would care about them more, but they aren’t, so I don’t.

Now I’ll happily talk about what I loved about this movie. There is way more loyalty to the source material in this movie than the first. Tails and Knuckles feel like they came straight out of the games. The CGI has actually greatly improved since the first film. Their eyes look more organic yet cartoony. While some green screen scenes might look a bit unnatural, most of the CGI sequences looked pretty decent. There was an immense amount of fan service, easter eggs, and loyalty to the games this time around. The temple that housed the Master Emerald was very similar to locations from the first and third games. The inclusion of the Master Emerald and the Chaos Emeralds themselves was awesome to see. There were a lot of sequences pulled straight from the games, like the snowboarding scene and the Emerald temple. Robotnik’s design closely resembled his look in the games, and there was even an easter egg referencing his classic outfit. Of course, there was also the inclusion of Robotnik’s giant robot and Super Sonic, both of which gave me goosebumps. The mid-credits scene teasing Shadow the Hedgehog in the sequel also got me very excited. The Sonic fan in me really loved the way this film respected the source material, and I’m excited to see how they top it in the third movie.

Overall, Sonic the Hedgehog 2 improves on its predecessor in many ways, making the original’s strengths even stronger, even if it still suffers from the same issues. Hopefully they can iron out the kinks and create a triumphant end to the trilogy that satisfies everyone. Hopefully they can also write a script that’s good enough to convince Jim Carrey to come back for one final movie, as his performance as Dr. Eggman is suitably zany and fun. While there might not be much competition, I believe this to be the best video game movie ever made.

Score: 4/5

Next: Sonic the Hedgehog (2020)

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solatgif · 6 years ago

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THANK GOD IT’S FRIDAY: WEEKEND ROUNDUP FOR SEPTEMBER 20, 2019

This year’s SOLA Leaders’ Dialogue seeks to equip pastors and church leaders to thrive. We aim to address various aspects of becoming healthy leaders. Tim St. John from Lighthouse Community Church will be speaking on cultivating emotional health. Michael Lee from All Nations Community Church will be speaking on cultivating organizational health. And Harold Kim from Christ Central Southern California will be speaking on cultivating relational health. Mark your calendars for Thursday, October 24th from 9:30AM - 12:00PM at Living Hope Community Church in Brea, California. Register for free and RSVP on our Facebook event page.

Back in the month of May, SOLA contributor Irene Paek gave us 4 Reasons for Christians to Dance. I had the opportunity to interview her on my Sound Words podcast to hear more of her story. Find some time this weekend to listen to our 30-minute candid conversation on YouTube, Spotify, or Podcasts.

Our monthly SOLA newsletter has been redesigned and relaunches next Friday. We will share statistics from the website, behind-the-scenes resources, and announce a series of giveaways. Subscribe today to stay up to date so you never miss out. As always, if you have any links or recommendations to share, please tweet me @musicgoon or email me at [email protected].

LINK ROUNDUP

1. Heidi Tai: What Does Your Dad Do?

SOLA contributor Heidi Tai on her immigrant father and his fighting spirit. This brand new story was shared by Tim Challies and was a recommended read on Medium in the family category. It was originally published in her eBook, Lazy Susan. You can get a free copy if you subscribe to her newsletter in September.

2. Rachel Kleppen: Netflix Is Making It Harder to Be a Missionary

Writing for Christianity Today, Rachel Kleppen reveals the challenges of modern-day missionary work, prolonged culture shock, and technological temptations while being a missionary in Taipei, Taiwan.

3. Hannah Chao: Psalm 23:6

SOLA editor Hannah Chao reflects via her personal newsletter on God’s passionate pursuit for his people.

4. Johnathon Bowers: Bound Together for Good: Lessons for White Christians from the Black Church

In this feature article from Desiring God, Johnathon Bowers, assistant professor of philosophy and theology at Bethlehem College & Seminary, examines history to reveal “the limits of racial-diversity initiatives, the need for sympathetic listening, and the interdependence of white and black Christians.”

5. Alton Wang: The downside of Andrew Yang’s jokes about knowing lots of Asian American doctors

A perspective piece from The Washington Post on the model-minority myth, accurate representation, and modern politics. For more on this topic, read how Andrew Yang’s use of Asian stereotypes is reinforcing toxic tropes by Li Zhou for Vox.com.

WEEKEND RECOMMENDATIONS

1. Credo Magazine: Dort at 400

“Four hundred years ago, a group of Arminians remonstrated against the Reformed understanding of God’s grace. In response, Reformed theologians and pastors all over the world met at the Synod of Dort to defend what we now call the Five Points of Calvinism or the Doctrine of Grace. But how many evangelicals today—even Reformed evangelicals—have ever read the Canons of Dort? In this issue of Credo Magazine, not only are these canons celebrated but the contributors demonstrate just how indispensable these canons are for the church today.”

2. Russell Moore: Pornography

“Pornography is one of the most pressing issues facing the church today. It isn't a new problem. And it isn't limited only to men or boys going through adolescence. While people argue that pornography is morally neutral, Christians must recognize that this is far from true. Pornography is evil, and pornography is sin. It preys upon our weaknesses, but worse it preys upon the men and women used in its creation. The increased use of internet pornography over the last decade has been particularly pervasive and harmful. In this video, I describe the roots and effects of pornography, and talk about ways that Christians ought to combat it.”

3. Sound Words Podcast: 4 Reasons for Christians to Dance with Irene Paek

I interviewed Irene Paek on my Sound Words Podcast. In this episode, we talk about her Korean background, growing up with insecurities - especially about her body, Biola University, the writing process for her article, how through dance she learned to love how God created her, and her current role on the Living Hope worship team. Listen on YouTube, Spotify, or Podcasts.

4. Aaron Lee: Book Reviews

This week I reviewed Letters to My Students - Volume One: On Preaching by Jason K. Allen.

FROM SOLA

1. Owen Lee: Work Life Series: The Curse and Temptations of Work

“Why work is so hard and unfulfilling? There’s a problem with work because of a curse, and because of the effects of sin, we can fall into two temptations when it comes to work.”

2. Grace Lung: Helping Women Lament in the Church

“Asian women in the West are confronted with multiple expectations. There are Asian expectations to be high-achieving daughters who are submissive and look after the family. There are also Western expectations to be quiet, grateful and hard-working model migrants. In both communities, the unspoken condition for our acceptance is dutifully meeting expectations without complaint.”

3. Tony Thomas: 3 Rhythms for Growing in Personal Evangelism

“Friend: “Then, why don’t Christians tell more people?” I was shocked by his response. I didn’t have a good answer for him other than saying that I think it’s because we are afraid. And for him that was inconceivable. And what convicts me is how my friend, who never grew up in a Christian home, came to the conclusion that sadly many of us as Christians fail to come to even though we grew up in Christian homes and attend church maybe even multiple times a week. Which is that, if we say we believe the Gospel and all its implications, how can we possibly not be sharing this Gospel to as many people as we can?”

4. Tim St. John: Friendship Essentials for Men

“Many of us have grown up in cultures or traditions that might call intentional and transparent friendships between men “strange” at best, and “wimpy” or “unmanly” at worst. Partnered with our already naturally secretive hearts, this cultural stigma hinders Christ-like love between men.”

5. Thank God It’s Friday: Weekend Roundup

In case you missed it, here are some headlines from last week: Why This Asian Presbyterian Can’t Quit the White Pentecostal Church, Hong Kong Protesters, Without an Anthem to Sing, Create One Online, 4 Ways Your Faith Should Shape Your Friendships, and 10 Things You Should Know about People with Disabilities.

0 notes

swelleganza · 8 years ago

Text

Tim

Hi. One of the last things Tim said before he passed was, “Let’s not make a big scene out of this.” But, well, here we are. Sorry, Tim!

I have a number of disjointed things to say, but I want to begin by reading the following poem by Frank Bidart, called “O Ruin O Haunted”:

O Ruin O Haunted restless remnant of

two bodies, two

histories you felt the unceasing

force of

but never understood,— terrified that without an

x-ray, a topography of

their souls you must repeat their lives.

***

You did not repeat their lives.

You lodged your faith in Art—

which gives us

pattern, process with the flesh

still stuck to it.

With flesh, you told yourself, pattern

is truer, subtler, less

given to the illusion seeing frees you from it.

***

Or, you did repeat their lives,—

… repeated them by inverting them.

How you hurtled yourself against, how

cunningly you failed to elude love.

***

Love is the manna

that falling

makes you see

the desert

surrounding you is a desert.

Makes you think dirt is not where you were born.

—

I wanted to start with this poem because of how it speaks to the experience of those of us who grew up in fractured family environments, and especially for those of us growing up knowing that we were different, that we could never fit in to the conventional idea of what constituted an intimate relationship.

Yes, I’m talking about queer kids here, and this poem resonates with my experience as I believe it did Tim’s, a gay boy growing up in western Kentucky with a wild creative streak, looking for some sort of outlet or escape from a stultifying, short-sighted, homophobic world.

So what did he do? He found a way out and made it to New York City, like so many thousands of us have done and continue to do, who thought that running away from the suffocating conventions of mainstream society meant having to reject every single one of its tenets, including its concept of love.

Perhaps I’m projecting too much of myself into Tim’s origin story, but I want to circle back quickly to his early years in Paducah by sharing with you a tribute one of his childhood friends posted to his online obituary:

“I am saddened to hear of Tims' passing. He was my best childhood friend, and many of my fondest memories revolve around our times together in Cub Scouts and Little League and sleep-overs at his house. I would ride my bicycle to his house after school to see the latest purple hair Troll doll he'd added to his collection, as he would catch a lot of grief from other classmates if he brought them on the school bus.. He had an imagination 2nd to none, and I knew that his gifts would be put to wonderful use some day! I miss him, but am so thankful for the brief years we shared together as friends.”

Here, we have the normative experience of Cub Scouts and Little League in tension with the purple haired Troll doll, a secret shared between two little boys, one queer and one probably not so much but cognizant and protective of how dangerous the idea of being different was for Tim.

But I am being too distant and analytical.

I want to tell you how much I miss Tim.

I want to tell you how he was the one person in my life who was finally able to tear down the many walls around my fortress of solitude, mistrust, and alienation once and for all.

He opened up for me a space to in which to breathe, to help him build and cultivate a garden. To rail against his never-ceasing desire to rearrange, redesign, and renovate our living space!

And what did I have to offer him? Well, first of all an opportunity to teach someone how to dress himself properly. (I did, in some way, become his personal life-sized Ken doll.)

What did we give to each other?

An opportunity to embrace and dive into what always seemed like a giddy, joyous return to childhood. That bond with the special friend you never had to hold back in front of. It felt like a return to innocence for both of us, quite honestly, even when we’d long since been given over to experience.

And we experienced a lot in our short decade together. Much laughter, joy, happiness, and comfort, some aggravation, anger. And indescribable sadness when the cancer came back and we both realized, then had to face the fact he wasn’t going to beat it.

And somewhere in the midst of all of this, we came around to that realization expressed so beautifully in Frank Bidart’s poem: that Tim and I *had* repeated the lives or our parents by inverting them, by actually embracing true and unconditional love instead of just going through the motions.

And so we caved in and got married. We vowed to love, honor, cherish, and protect, which is something we’d been doing all along anyway. Just like that childhood friend of Tim’s who knew he needed to help shield him from the bullies on the school bus.

—

“For one human being to love another, that is perhaps the most difficult of all our tasks; the ultimate, the last test and proof, the work for which all other work is but preparation.”

That’s a quote from Rilke. And of course I learned it from the liner notes of a Patti Smith album. (And because Patti Smith is ubiquitous and has to appear *everywhere* these days, why not bring her into this space too?)

I want to say something about preparation: It was only three months ago that Tim and I took our last vacation together. And Tim had decided a small luxury cruise off western Costa Rica was the trip we should take. He’d made the decision to forgo further treatment and to transition over to supportive care. His team of doctors and nurses at Sloan Kettering reassured us that they were going to do everything in their power to make him feel good and ready for the trip, and so they gave him blood transfusions, bags and bags of fluids, Potassium and Magnesium.

I realized then — but I understand so much more now — how Tim really did put every bit of psychic and physical energy he had into our first and only cruise ship experience. Not only did he manage an overland tour at our first port of call in Nicaragua as well as two nature walks through tropical forests, he actually seemed to garner strength from these activities. The other big activity on this trip was an early morning snorkeling excursion on a small charter boat.

And so here, finally, is one last picture I want to paint, because I need to hold on to this experience and resist the notion that Tim has passed into the realm of abstraction, that he is merely a concept or some sort of idea.

And, of course, there is a backstory:

While Tim always loved going to the beach, I discovered fairly quickly after we met that he was frightened of being in the open water. He would never venture out too far or stay in for very long. But then, on one trip to Baja, Mexico, I got him interested in the idea of snorkeling, and I taught him how to do it. It took several subsequent trips (Florida, Hawaii, Puerto Rico) but eventually he became quite adept at it, and he was not fearful — not even mindful! — of either the depth of the water or our distance from the shore. The first couple of times, though, he panicked, and I remember repeating to him over and over, ”swim to me, take my hand.”

So here we are. Together on this boat in the tropical Pacific. The charter took us around a small volcanic island ten miles from the shore, and at least five or six from our ship. There were incredible ocean swells that morning and the water was choppy at times. But it was also pure cerulean, just a shade or two deeper than the nearly cloudless sky.

I snapped a picture of Tim, and there must have been sunscreen smeared on the camera lens because it has this dreamy soft-focus quality to it. He is smiling broadly, joyous and happy, full of innocence and energy.

Moments later we’re diving into the beautiful blue water together, swimming and holding hands, floating free.

It was the art of living in action and in the moment. And I know now that *this* is the ultimate gift Tim gave to me: to live a life free of fear or hesitation.

May I never ever lose or forget it.

3 notes · View notes

365footballorg-blog · 7 years ago

Text

Warshaw: Who are the MLS award favorites heading down the stretch?

USA Today Images

October 11, 20181:07PM EDT

Most Valuable Player

WILL WIN: Josef Martinez

Martinez broke the MLS single-season goals record with a fourth of the season remaining. He’s made defenders around the league look like high school honorable mention players. He’s the major headline of the likely Supporters’ Shield winner. I don’t think the voting will be close.

SHOULD WIN: Miguel Almiron

I’m a sucker for the valuable part of the award. My criteria involve:

An outstanding season > A particularly unique lift to the team’s level > Playing for one of best teams in the league.

Martinez obviously offers an immeasurable amount to Atlanta United, but – for me – Almiron provides more. If you were to take Almiron off of Atlanta, Martinez would suffer more than Almiron would if Martinez were not there. Everything we love about Atlanta – the speed, the energy, the I-can’t-take-my-eyes-off-the-screen-because-something-might-happen – starts with Almiron in the middle of the field. He’s been both outstanding and irreplaceable for the most exciting team in the league.

As Bill Simmons and Ryen Russillo recently said on The Bill Simmons Podcast, however, narratives matter in an MVP race. Annihilating a major record is a hell of a narrative. Martinez will win the award, and I have absolutely no problem with that, but my vote will go to Almiron.

HONORABLE MENTION: Ignacio Piatti, Bradley Wright-Phillips, Diego Chara, Nico Lodeiro, Zlatan Ibrahimovic

Coach of the Year

WILL WIN: No clear favorite, but I’d bet on Tata Martino winning.

Atlanta control their fate to win the Supporters’ Shield and pass Toronto FC’s record-setting 69-point season in the process. Martino’s not only a clear favorite because of the players at his disposal – everyone expected Atlanta to challenge for trophies – and a big part of winning end of the year awards is performance-compared-to-expectation.

Another potential winner, to provide comparison, is Philadelphia’s Jim Curtin. The Union are 16 points behind Atlanta, but Philly are in the playoffs and nobody expected (well, almost nobody …) expected that. Curtin has exceeded expectations, if only to a fourth-place finish thus far.

Without a decisive winner among the coaching ranks, assuming Atlanta doesn’t blow it down the stretch, I suspect voters will go for the guy who sets a record.

SHOULD WIN: Bob Bradley

The man didn’t have a roster nine months ago. His players had never met. LAFC didn’t have a style of player or chemistry to build from. All 20-some guys who showed up the first day had to put the practice field’s address into Google Maps. In the same way people didn’t expect much from Philly, few saw LAFC making the playoffs.

Now the Black-and-Gold are looking at a top-three finish in the conference and potentially a Knockout Round bye, while also playing entertaining soccer. How many coaches in the league could have achieved that?

HONORABLE MENTION: Jim Curtin, Oscar Pareja, Peter Vermes

It’s hard to argue against the impact Ibra has made this year | USA Today Sports Images

Newcomer of the Year

WILL WIN: Zlatan Ibrahimovic

He’s played 25 games; he’s contributed 30 goals (21 goals, 9 assists).

Top G+A/90, no PKs, with 2000+ min at season end

1) Zlatan – 1.19 2) BWP – 1.07 3) Seba – 1.02 4) Darwin – 0.97 5) Lucho – 0.94 6) Josef – 0.93 7) Dockal – 0.85 8) Piatti – 0.82 9) Vela – 0.81 10) Russell – 0.81

— Tutul Rahman (@tutulismyname) October 8, 2018

If Ibra gets an assist in either of the last two games, he will become just the third player in MLS history to record 20 goals and 10 assists in a single season (Sebastian Giovinco 2015, Diego Valeri 2017).

SHOULD WIN: Zlatan Ibrahimovic

The idea that Ibrahimovic should win MVP is insane; the LA Galaxy have massively underachieved this year, and while Ibrahimovic has been amazing, the star player deserves some blame if the team falls flat. But the guy has obviously been unreal and deserves to win something, and I’m less precious about the Newcomer award.

I was tempted to list Carlos Vela for his overall contributions in lifting LAFC so quickly, similar to my Bradley pitch. But Vela’s 11 goals and 10 assists seem paltry compared to the Swede’s numbers.

HONORABLE MENTION: Carlos Vela

Corey Baird is the odds-on favorite to win Rookie of the Year honors. | USA Today Sports Images

Rookie of the Year

SHOULD WIN: Corey Baird

The three major contenders this year?

Corey Baird | 29 games, 20 starts, 7 goals, 4 assists

Chris Mueller | 28 games, 20 starts, 3 goals, 6 assists

Mark McKenzie | 17 games, 16 starts at center back for a playoff team

There hasn’t been a truly standout rookie in 2018 the way Julian Gressel popped on the scene in 2017. But Baird has been the best of the group.

SHOULD WIN: Corey Baird

If McKenzie hadn’t gotten hurt and missed eight games recently, he would probably get it. He’s helped the Union to the 8th-fewest goals conceded in the league and overachieve expectations. But as is, he’s only played half of the games this season. Baird has been consistent throughout the year and played a key role in Real Salt Lake’s playoff push.

HONORABLE MENTION: Mark McKenzie, Chris Mueller

Stefan Frei deserves to take home his first Goalkeeper of the Year award. | USA Today Sports Images

Goalkeeper of the Year

WILL WIN: Stefan Frei

Leads the league in fewest goals conceded (tied with the New York Red Bulls, but Luis Robles missed a few games due to injury). Even when Seattle stunk to start the year, and opened with a 3-9-3 record, Frei always kept them in games: Seven of those losses were by just a single goal, and five were 1-0 defeats. Frei kept the team treading until they could get back above water.

Annual awards can sometimes act as lifetime achievement honors, too, especially when the race is close and especially if the player hasn’t won the award yet. Nobody other than Frei has become a clear frontrunner, and Frei has yet to take home a Goalkeeper of the Year award. He’s been deserving before, he’s deserving now, and I’d be surprised if the voters didn’t give it to him this year.

SHOULD WIN: Stefan Frei

Keep it up, @Stefan24Frei!

At his current pace, Frei is set to become just the fifth goalkeeper in @MLS history to record 100 saves, 1.00 GAA and 75% save percentage in a single season. 😳

📝 https://t.co/Aijs1TDGHY pic.twitter.com/CrhppTAzBa

— Seattle Sounders FC (@SoundersFC) October 3, 2018

HONORABLE MENTION: Evan Bush, Tim Melia, Zack Steffen, Luis Robles

Aaron Long has had a career year for the New York Red Bulls. | USA Today Sports Images

Defender of the Year

WILL WIN: I’m … not sure. No clear favorite.

SHOULD WIN: Aaron Long

My three finalists include Long, Atlanta’s Michael Parkhurst, and Seattle’s Chad Marshall. Parkhurst and Marshall each anchor one of the league’s top teams (Atlanta rank fifth in goals conceded, while Seattle rank first, tied with the Red Bulls); each would be a worthy winner. But Long has had a tougher task this season. Atlanta and Seattle spent stretches of their games sitting deep and remaining compact as a group. It’s easier for a center back to defend when his team is compact around him.

The Red Bulls, though, almost always press and intentionally stretch themselves defensively more than any other team in the league. Consequently, they ask their center backs to do more than any other defenders in the league. In the recent game against Atlanta, for example, Long had to match up against Tito Villalba, with 20 yards empty in front of him and 60 yards open behind him. RBNY held Atlanta scoreless in the 2-0 victory. Their system — and the subsequent league-leading defense and Supporters’ Shield push — is only possible if Aaron Long and his center back partner Tim Parker can cope with incredibly difficult tasks.

HONORABLE MENTION: Michael Parkhurst, Chad Marshall, Kemar Lawrence, Tim Parker, Matt Hedges, Jonathan Mensah.

<!–

And guys, remember, if you’re gonna win a trophy, win it looking good:

(INSERT PICTURE OF CABRERA IS MAROON SUIT FROM OPEN CUP)

–>

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Warshaw: Who are the MLS award favorites heading down the stretch? was originally published on 365 Football

#award #down #Favorites #heading #stretch #Warshaw

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williamjharwick · 8 years ago

Text

10 Things You Can Do RIGHT NOW to Improve Your Online Business or Blog

No huge intro needed for this post. Here are ten actionable items that you can do right now to improve your online business or blog.

1. Re-Evaluate Your Goals

On a piece of paper (yes, paper), write down where you want your business or blog to be a year from now. Think about the following when doing so:

Number specific items, such as:

Earnings

Traffic

Sales

Subscribers/followers

Non-number specific items, such as:

Authority

Design

Happiness

Lifestyle

So often we get stuck in the routine of just doing things that we forget exactly why we’re do what we’re doing. Re-evaluating your goals will give you the boost of energy you need to get things done, and possibly even help you realize that you need to do things a little differently to get where you want to go.

2. Visit Your Homepage for the “First Time”

I’ve said this before and I’ll say it again: first impressions are HUGELY important, especially online. You’ve got less than ten seconds to make a new visitor decide to stick around, or else they’re going to leave.

So, what can we do?

Role play.

Pretend to be a brand new visitor to your site. Go to your homepage and run through the following questionnaire in your head:

What do I notice first?

Can I understand exactly what the site is about without scrolling or clicking anything?

Have I seen other sites like this before?

How easy is the website to navigate?

What seems to be missing?

By quickly answering those five questions, you can easily see what kinds of things need to happen to improve your website. Maybe it’s just as easy as making some fonts larger, or taking away some annoying advertisements or popups.

If you find that any of these changes will take less than five minutes to, do them right now. If it will take you more than five minutes to do something, make sure to write it down or put it on a to-do list so you can complete it later.

3. Check and Correct Crawl Errors

<p><img src="http://ift.tt/1ICA7eg" height="1" width="1" alt="" /></p> ” data-medium-file=”” data-large-file=”” class=”alignright size-full wp-image-2444″ title=”google-tools-crawl-errors” src=”https://cdn.smartpassiveincome.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/02/google-tools-crawl-errors.png” alt=”google-tools-crawl-errors” width=”382″ height=”191″ />Using Google’s Webmaster Tools, you can see if there are any errors on your website that you can fix right now.

Step 1: Visit Google’s Webmaster Tools.

Step 2: If you haven’t already, setup a Google Account (if you have Gmail, you’re good), and verify your website address. To verify, you’ll have to “add new site,” and either use a meta or html page on your server to verify your website. Google will walk you though it.

Step 3: After you’re all setup, click on your verified website. On the right hand side, you’ll see a section called “Crawl Errors.” The Google bots that crawl through your website keep track of any errors that they find along the way, which may include broken links, or links that people should have access to, but for some reason don’t. You can click on each individual error and find out exactly where it’s happening, and correct the problem right away.

4. Grade Your Website

An even more thorough way to check the health of your website is to get it graded by a site like Website Grader. It’s free (and you don’t even have to enter your email address like most do). It spits out a nice, lengthy but easy to understand report about your website and the things you can do immediately to make it better.

For example, if your meta data or website descriptions are too long, it will tell you (and by how much). It also checks your RSS feed, social media, your image tags, and a whole bunch of other things you should have optimized on your website.

Try it out, it’s free!

5. Ask Someone a Question

No matter what level you’re at with blogging or online business, you’re always going to have questions that you’d like to have answers to. I have questions all of the time, and I’m not shy about going to someone more experienced than me for an answer. More often than not, I will hear back from them.

It’s easy, and you can do it right now. Don’t be shy. When you think about it, what’s the worst that can really happen? You won’t get a response back?

That’s not the end of the world. It happens, and you can keep moving forward.

6. Shoot a Video

That’s right. Turn on the camera that’s connected to your computer and shoot a video of yourself right now.

What are you going to talk about?

Anything related to your blog.

Spend five minutes shooting an unedited video, and upload it to YouTube. After it’s uploaded, make sure you have relevant keywords in the title and in the tags section, and make sure to write out your entire URL in the first line of the video description. Blast it to all of your social media buddies without a thought.

In Tim Ferriss’s The Four Hour Workweek, he likes to give us exercises that we can do that help us step out of our comfort zones. This needs to happen every so often in order to make real progress and take bold actions.

For example, one of his exercises is just to lay flat on the ground in a public place, and look straight into the air. It might sound weird, but if you can do that, just imagine what you can do in front of a crowd when you’re talking about something you love and are passionate about.

Shooting a video on a whim like this will help you learn how to step out of your comfort zone, and it’s good practice for public speaking.

7. Spend 5 Minutes to Thank 5 Of Your Customers, Subscribers, or Readers

Going the extra mile to just say thanks to someone for no particular reason can make someone’s day. Not only will those five people remember who you are just a little bit more, but you’ll never know, one of them may come back and repay you somehow later in the future just for being extra nice.

Like in happy, successful relationships, it’s the little unplanned gestures that make the relationships really special.

8. Test Something

You should always be testing something on your website or blog.

Always.

Using Google Optimizer, split test something important on your page and wait to see the results. Even if you’re not selling anything, you can still test conversion rates for subscribership, email opt-ins, and even click-through rates for various links on your site.

If you don’t know about Google Optimizer or exactly how to use it, you can read more about it here at How to Run Free Split Tests Using Google Optimizer (this was a blog post I wrote in 2008, but it’s still relevant!).

9. Turn Off the Distractions

Distractions are all around us—especially for those of us who blog and work from home—trying to stop us from progressing and getting things done.

First, understand what those distractions are. Secondly, conciously make an effort to turn them off, and only turn them back on once you accomplish something and reach a particular goal or finish something that you meant to finish.

For me, I have to turn off my Twitter notifications, as well as my email notifications, so I don’t get notified of a message in the middle of doing something. Also, I put my phone on silent, and sometimes work in full screen so I’m not tempted to click on certain icons.

In the same sense, I consciously think about what’s helping me progress, and what is not. Sometimes, what I think is helping me isn’t doing much for me at all. I take the 80/20 rule, figure out what that twenty percent is that’s making a difference in my business, and I work on that.

As a great Internet marketer once said, “You gotta starve the horses, and feed the stallions.”

10. Follow Up With Your Audience

Whether you have an online business selling some kind of product, or a blog, you can always benefit by asking your customers or readers what they would like to see improved.

Seriously, if you ask, they will tell you.

Send an email to your previous customers (you’re keeping track of their email addresses, right?), or your email list (you have an email list, right?), or even write a blog post asking for suggestions on how to make their experience a little better. Remember, it’s all about your audience’s experience, not your own.

This is how I finally ended up with a website design for this blog that I love. I went through a previous redesign, asked what people thought, and I got great feedback from you, which is all that really matters.

Not only will this help you figure out what you can do to improve your business or blog, but it will show everything that you care enough about them to ask.

So there you have it. Ten things you can do right now for your online business or blog. If you’d like to help me out, please feel free to leave a comment, or retweet this post on Twitter.

Thanks for your support, and wishing you all the best!

Cheers!

10 Things You Can Do RIGHT NOW to Improve Your Online Business or Blog shared from David Homer’s Blog

0 notes

andrewmrudd79 · 8 years ago

Text

10 Things You Can Do RIGHT NOW to Improve Your Online Business or Blog

No huge intro needed for this post. Here are ten actionable items that you can do right now to improve your online business or blog.

1. Re-Evaluate Your Goals

On a piece of paper (yes, paper), write down where you want your business or blog to be a year from now. Think about the following when doing so:

Number specific items, such as:

Earnings

Traffic

Sales

Subscribers/followers

Non-number specific items, such as:

Authority

Design

Happiness

Lifestyle

2. Visit Your Homepage for the “First Time”

So, what can we do?

Role play.

Pretend to be a brand new visitor to your site. Go to your homepage and run through the following questionnaire in your head:

What do I notice first?

Can I understand exactly what the site is about without scrolling or clicking anything?

Have I seen other sites like this before?

How easy is the website to navigate?

What seems to be missing?

3. Check and Correct Crawl Errors

Step 1: Visit Google’s Webmaster Tools.

4. Grade Your Website

Try it out, it’s free!

5. Ask Someone a Question

It’s easy, and you can do it right now. Don’t be shy. When you think about it, what’s the worst that can really happen? You won’t get a response back?

That’s not the end of the world. It happens, and you can keep moving forward.

6. Shoot a Video

That’s right. Turn on the camera that’s connected to your computer and shoot a video of yourself right now.

What are you going to talk about?

Anything related to your blog.

Shooting a video on a whim like this will help you learn how to step out of your comfort zone, and it’s good practice for public speaking.

7. Spend 5 Minutes to Thank 5 Of Your Customers, Subscribers, or Readers

Like in happy, successful relationships, it’s the little unplanned gestures that make the relationships really special.

8. Test Something

You should always be testing something on your website or blog.

Always.

9. Turn Off the Distractions

Distractions are all around us—especially for those of us who blog and work from home—trying to stop us from progressing and getting things done.

As a great Internet marketer once said, “You gotta starve the horses, and feed the stallions.”

10. Follow Up With Your Audience

Whether you have an online business selling some kind of product, or a blog, you can always benefit by asking your customers or readers what they would like to see improved.

Seriously, if you ask, they will tell you.

Not only will this help you figure out what you can do to improve your business or blog, but it will show everything that you care enough about them to ask.

So there you have it. Ten things you can do right now for your online business or blog. If you’d like to help me out, please feel free to leave a comment, or retweet this post on Twitter.

Thanks for your support, and wishing you all the best!

Cheers!

10 Things You Can Do RIGHT NOW to Improve Your Online Business or Blog originally posted at Homer’s Blog

0 notes

davidmhomerjr · 8 years ago

Text

10 Things You Can Do RIGHT NOW to Improve Your Online Business or Blog

No huge intro needed for this post. Here are ten actionable items that you can do right now to improve your online business or blog.

1. Re-Evaluate Your Goals

On a piece of paper (yes, paper), write down where you want your business or blog to be a year from now. Think about the following when doing so:

Number specific items, such as:

Earnings

Traffic

Sales

Subscribers/followers

Non-number specific items, such as:

Authority

Design

Happiness

Lifestyle

2. Visit Your Homepage for the “First Time”

So, what can we do?

Role play.

Pretend to be a brand new visitor to your site. Go to your homepage and run through the following questionnaire in your head:

What do I notice first?

Can I understand exactly what the site is about without scrolling or clicking anything?

Have I seen other sites like this before?

How easy is the website to navigate?

What seems to be missing?

3. Check and Correct Crawl Errors

Using Google’s Webmaster Tools, you can see if there are any errors on your website that you can fix right now.

Step 1: Visit Google’s Webmaster Tools.

4. Grade Your Website

Try it out, it’s free!

5. Ask Someone a Question

It’s easy, and you can do it right now. Don’t be shy. When you think about it, what’s the worst that can really happen? You won’t get a response back?

That’s not the end of the world. It happens, and you can keep moving forward.

6. Shoot a Video

That’s right. Turn on the camera that’s connected to your computer and shoot a video of yourself right now.

What are you going to talk about?

Anything related to your blog.

Shooting a video on a whim like this will help you learn how to step out of your comfort zone, and it’s good practice for public speaking.

7. Spend 5 Minutes to Thank 5 Of Your Customers, Subscribers, or Readers

Like in happy, successful relationships, it’s the little unplanned gestures that make the relationships really special.

8. Test Something

You should always be testing something on your website or blog.

Always.

9. Turn Off the Distractions

Distractions are all around us—especially for those of us who blog and work from home—trying to stop us from progressing and getting things done.

As a great Internet marketer once said, “You gotta starve the horses, and feed the stallions.”

10. Follow Up With Your Audience

Whether you have an online business selling some kind of product, or a blog, you can always benefit by asking your customers or readers what they would like to see improved.

Seriously, if you ask, they will tell you.

Not only will this help you figure out what you can do to improve your business or blog, but it will show everything that you care enough about them to ask.

So there you have it. Ten things you can do right now for your online business or blog. If you’d like to help me out, please feel free to leave a comment, or retweet this post on Twitter.

Thanks for your support, and wishing you all the best!

Cheers!

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soulcrazy2017-blog · 8 years ago

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Apple Loop: Disappointing iPhone 8 Leaks, March's Surprise Smartphone, Tim Cook's Boring iPhone Plan

New Post has been published on https://soulcrazy.org/apple-loop-disappointing-iphone-8-leaks-marchs-surprise-smartphone-tim-cooks-boring-iphone-plan/

Apple Loop: Disappointing iPhone 8 Leaks, March's Surprise Smartphone, Tim Cook's Boring iPhone Plan

Taking a look back at another week of information from Cupertino, this week’s Apple AAPL -0.53% Loop includes new iPhone models for March, greater storage for the iPhone eight, Apple dropping TouchID, why the iPhone eight might be uninteresting, the sluggish success of Apple Pay, a magic hinge for the brand new MacBook Pro, the redesigned Overcast app, and judging Apple’s acquisition strategy.

MacBook

Apple Loop is here to remind you of the various very many discussions which have befallen round Apple during the last seven days (and you could examine our weekly digest of Android news right here on Forbes).

Right here Comes A new iPhone SE

Apple seems set to surprise the telephone and smartphone marketplace with updates to the iPhone portfolio. Reporting in Japan, Macotakara believes that Tim Prepare dinner and his crew could be retaining an occasion in early March a good way to see the launch of a Product Pink iPhone 7 and iPhone 7 Plus, new Apple Watch add-ons, an upgraded iPad Seasoned and a welcome addition to a 128GB model to the iPhone SE portfolio:

Given Apple’s push to get the SE into markets along with China and India in which continually-on connectivity to the cloud can’t be assured (either thru c084d04ddacadd4b971ae3d98fecfb2a or mobile information) having more garage on the lead device inside the territory makes the experience. Each the iPhone 7 and iPhone 7 Plus presently offer a 128GB storage choice, so bringing the SE on top of things while no longer updating the rest of the hardware is cost-powerful for Apple and a boon to consumers.

More on the ability of A brand new iPhone SE here on Forbes.

Extra Room When you Start out

Apple could also be bumping up the garage on 2017’s flagship handset. Reporting at the delivery chain, TrendForce believes that the brand new iPhone eight will not most effective bump up the entry-stage, but reduce the alternatives to 2. Forbes contributor Amit Chowdhry reports:

Concerning storage capability, TrendForce’s supply chain assets claim that the iPhone 8 may have two options: 64GB and 256GB. What’s extraordinary about this rumour is that the starting storage choice would be 64GB in preference to 32GB. However, it seems unusual that Apple would have simplest offer two storage alternatives. Commonly, Apple has been promoting every of its phones in 3 storage ranges, inclusive of the iPhone 7 — which has 32GB, 128GB and 256GB options.

Greater analysis right here on Forbes.

No greater Wi-fingerprints at the iPhone 8?

iPhone

Then there’s the query of identifying a consumer. A previous couple of years has seen Apple use TouchID for fingerprint verification. With the presumed removal of the bodily domestic key on the iPhone 8, the expectancy has been that Tim Cook’s wonder-phone could study your fingerprint via the glass of the display screen. JP Morgan’s Rod Corridor indicates that Apple will drop TouchID in favour of facial popularity. Forbes’ contributor Gordon Kelly highlights the problems:

The flip facet is that facial reputation calls for a more planned unlocking system of keeping the smartphone up to your face which can be inconvenient (especially when taking walks) and might make customers more self-aware than fingerprint unlocking. Facial reputation also can be less dependable for customers who put on glasses, touch lenses or shades although that is something the iris scanner in Samsung’s sick-fated Galaxy Be aware seven aced.

Greater mind at the issues here. Apple CEO Tim Cook seems at a desk for the duration of a visit of the shopfitting employer Dula that gives you tables for Apple shops (Image: Bernd Thissen/AFP/Getty Photos)

But the iPhone might be uninteresting Besides

For all of the interest and excitement over the brand new iPhone, it’s well worth remembering that any new technology brought into Apple’s phone is likely to have been visible before in competitors’ handsets. It is probably repackaged as new to the iPhone. However, the advances in the iPhone 8 don’t constantly surprise. Which I think is with the aid of layout, Apple can’t treat pushing too hard and having an iPhone fail:

The argument put forward is that Apple is rarely (if ever) first with a new generation, but takes the time to best the technological advances and feature them to be had in a reachable manner. That’s an exceptional press spin. However, I sense the issue is extra approximately minimising risk instead of chasing vital acclaim.

Apple’s largest problem is that with a very small portfolio of devices and an enormous part of employer revenue coming from the sale of its smartphones it can not have the funds for to take dangers in the way that other manufacturers can. Samsung’s Be aware 7 is a great example of the chance — the South Korean business enterprise had a wide range of products to fall lower back on while the Notice 7 keep in mind saddled the employer with a significant price and no phablet revenue to cover it at some stage in This fall 2016. If a similar destiny were to occur to an iPhone, then Apple has little or no depth on the bench to cover any lack of business. Maximum iPhone customers have skilled it – the utter fright While you first realise that something about the one that you love tool isn’t always right. It might be a malfunctioning part or perhaps a lifeless battery or, God forbid, you’ve got dropped the phone to the ground by using mistake! Irrespective of what unforgiving country of disrepair your smartphone would possibly have reached, there’s usually that intestine wrenching second while the proud iPhone user prays to God Almighty that their tool might also nevertheless be salvageable. This text will let you know that your prayers will not move in vain! Keep in mind using iPhone restore elements and offerings to store your damaged cell phone from the recycle bin – it’s miles constantly the better desire than going for changing the set entirely. Let’s have a look at the problem also.

Repairs vs. Replacements – busting the myths There’s continually that thought in the very nook of your mind, telling you that “Your iPhone surely can not be fixed!” or “It may be cheaper to buy A new one!” However earlier than you accept this imminent doom, Don’t forget this truth: over 90% of iPhone problems can be fixed, and repair will turn out to be less expensive than changing the device outright, even when the cell phone is insured! One may argue that using the offerings of an Apple Save within the depend will go away you with a huge hollow drilled to your pocket. However, alternatives are continually available. Regularly you can accept as true with the third celebration restore stores or even DIY tutorials, restore kits and alternative parts to get the task done in a dependable and price effective manner.

Some not unusual iPhone replace/repair dilemmas Permit’s take a look at Some not unusual issues a person might face with their iPhone and test out whether or not they provide any assurance to replace your smartphone totally:

smartphone

Charging port problems: In Maximum cases, a malfunctioning charging port seems to be a circuitry difficulty that may be without problems soldered and stuck by way of a repairman. You may even Keep in mind replacing the charging port entirely. Apple is one well-known emblem for gadgets like computer systems and mobiles. On every occasion the trendy variety of Apple merchandise is out, people pass bonkers over it. This is due to the reality that Apple has continually offered A brand new and progressive experience to its clients. No doubt Most of the clients don’t even require a variety of convincing to buy Apple products. no longer simply this! Apple is likewise famous for it’s after sale offerings delivered by authentic Apple service centres. Those provider centers have a professional and educated team of professionals who not simply restoration Apple product issues but also educate the purchaser on a way to use the tool efficaciously.

The Apple provides middle has shaped an effective method of education its personnel to communicate with the clients and supply them green solutions. It’s called “The Apple Wi-fiWiWireless Steps of provider”, and every employee on the Apple care is given right training concerning those Wi-five steps.

Allow’s undergo the reason of each step.

Step 1

The technique with a personalised, heat welcome. The primary impression is the last influence, so personnel ought to make sure to greet every patron in a friendly manner. This cover your commitment to customer service and paperwork a high-quality impression on the consumer. The first few seconds of the interplay from the purchaser’s perception approximately the revel in, so you should ensure to make the one’s seconds count.

Step 2

Probe with politeness to apprehend all of the patron’s needs. every worker should first ask a few closed and open-ended questions to better understand the consumer’s needs. With extra questions a worker asks the consumer the better, he could be able to suit the purchaser with the right product. So as an employee, you need to ask the purchaser approximately his budget, the motive of buying a particular product and additionally ask if the consumer is buying the Apple product for The primary time. This may help the worker recognise the needs of the purchaser in a better way and hence might be capable of manual effectively.

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