#Promot Your Business on Facebook

[businessskaro]

🤝 Your Success is Our Mission: At BusinessKaro.net, we don't just provide services; we forge lasting partnerships for success. Our team is committed to your business growth, offering continuous support and adapting strategies to keep pace with the ever-evolving digital landscape.

Ready to take your business to the next level? Let BusinessKaro.net be your guiding force in the digital realm. Elevate your online presence, attract more customers, and watch your business flourish!

Visit BusinessKaro.net and embark on a journey to unparalleled online success today! 💻🚀

[ahad181020]

[hoursofreading]

In terms of trying to actively promote depth in your life, start putting on your calendar some appointments with yourself to do deep work. Go a couple weeks out and treat those appointments like you would a doctor's appointment or a meeting with an investor. If someone tries to schedule something during that time, you say, "No, I'm busy from one to three, but here's when I'm available." People understand the semantics around the meetings and appointments. They're willing to work around it. You don't have to explain why. Start with a moderate amount, say three or four hours a week. Have it on the calendar. Have it protected. And during those prescheduled times, maintain the zero-tolerance distraction policy. During those times, not a glance at the internet, not a glance at the phone. The second thing is, take some step to start gaining back cognitive fitness. Most people are not willing, for example, to just blanket quit social media; but I would suggest a couple things. One, take social media applications off your phone. I've had a lot of people who say, "I can give you 19 reasons why I have to use social media, why it's so important in my life," and then they do this experiment where they take it off their phone so it becomes 10 percent more difficult to log in to Facebook or Twitter. They stop using it altogether. They realize, "Okay, wait a second. Maybe I was telling all these stories about the key role it plays in my life, and why I always have to be looking at it, but once I added just a slight impediment, I stopped using it altogether." I think it helps sort of reassess the value, but more importantly, you take the addictive aspects out of the service while still maintaining your access to the information or other value that you get out of it. The third thing I would recommend is starting to schedule the time you do novel, distracting, stimulating things. You could schedule lots of times, but it should be scheduled times. Maybe after work, you say, "From 8 to 10, I'm going to break out the laptop and just go nuts, no holds barred. Social media, whatever. But until 8, none of it." Or, "Okay, at work, I'm going to check my email, check on all of this at this time, this time, this time, this time." All the other times in between, even if you feel like you want to do it, you don't. This is all about just practicing that muscle of "I want stimuli, and I said no." Even if you've scheduled 25 blocks during the day when you're going to look at stimuli, that still gives you 25 blocks between those times where you're going to feel like you want to check stimuli and you say no. Every time you do that, that's helping to break the Pavlovian connection. That's usually how I get people started. Get it on the calendar, start cleaning up your cognitive fitness.

Cal Newport on taking your life back from technology - Vox

[theblackfemininesociety]

The Realities of Leading a Soft Girl Lifestyle.

(no luxury materials, riches, or social status needed)

The concept of leading a "soft life" has gained immense popularity on social media. From the emergence of the "soft life" to the adoption of "soft girl era," individuals are striving to embrace and protray this lifestyle.

The merging of the "Soft Life" and "Black Women in Luxury" trends promotes an indulgent and opulent way of living. However, the problem arises when the boundaries between these two trends become blurred, as the Soft Life has become inundated with extravagant and unattainable daily routines and lifestyles, especially during times of economic decline and the widespread influence of social media.

A Life of Ease 🌹

The term "soft life" originated from Nigerian influencers, and it means rejecting the idea of constantly working hard and instead choosing to live without struggle and stress. This concept has gained popularity among individuals who believe in prioritizing self-care, relaxation, and enjoying the pleasures of life. Embracing the soft life means acknowledging that life is not solely about hustling and grinding, but also about finding balance and taking time to recharge.

In a society that often glorifies busyness and equates success with non-stop productivity, the soft life offers a refreshing perspective. It encourages individuals to slow down and appreciate the little joys in life, such as spending quality time with loved ones, indulging in hobbies, or simply taking a leisurely walk in nature. It emphasizes the importance of self-care practices, such as getting enough sleep, engaging in regular exercise, and nourishing oneself with healthy, delicious meals.

Living the soft life does not mean completely shirking responsibilities or neglecting one's ambitions. It is about finding a healthy equilibrium between work and leisure, and recognizing that constant stress and burnout are not sustainable in the long run. By prioritizing self-care and setting boundaries, individuals can maintain their well-being and find fulfillment in both their personal and professional lives.

The Marketing Scheme 📈

Due to the widespread fascination with living a comfortable and luxurious lifestyle, as well as the growing trend of promoting businesses highlighting affluent Black women, companies have cleverly targeted their audience and capitalized on this interest.

Their approach has transformed the concept of a relaxed and efficient lifestyle into a profitable strategy, enticing consumers to indulge in products endorsed by their beloved social media influencers or ones that are beyond the reach of the average individual's income.

📌 What We Want You To Focus On:

Strive for a balanced and stress-free lifestyle that fits your budget! We want to make it clear that you don't have to give up on things like a $300 facial or $100 yoga pants. We encourage everyone to pursue the life they want. What we're saying is, don't feel pressured or inferior if you choose to do an at-home manicure, light your favorite Target candles, and enjoy a glass of wine in your bathtub at home. The true essence of a fulfilling life is finding a balance between increasing your savings and reducing stress throughout the day. It doesn't require a specific price tag on the items used to do so.

Yes, Two Things Can Be True At Once.

Indeed, the well-known concept of "black women in luxury" is a way of leading a comfortable life, but the context of this aesthetic is solely dependent on financial means.

However, Living a stress-free life is primarily determined by an individual's behaviors and mindset rather than their financial status.

Life Tip: Having the right mindset leads to a luxurious lifestyle, but a luxurious lifestyle without a well-balanced mindset can lead to destruction.

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Follow us on INSTAGRAM | FACEBOOK 🫶🏽

[oc-challenges]

WELCOME TO OC HALLOWEEN CHALLENGE 2O24!

SMILE because it's time for the annual oc halloween challenge! We will see the evil, hear the evil, and speak the evil with these spooky challenges brought to you by @aliverse, @astarionbae, @endless-oc-creations, and @come-along-pond!

If this is your first time, here's the lowdown; This is an event that takes place over the 31 days of October and presents oc creators with Halloween-themed challenges to encourage creativity, foster community, and have fun! Some of these have guidelines/suggestions, but this is very much a free-for-all so you can ignore them if they don't fit with your interpretations.

RULES

DO NOT copy others edits.

If you are doing crossovers, PLEASE make sure that the creator of the other oc is okay with crossovers.

If you want your post to be reblogged onto this blog, it must contain the hashtag ohc2024.

Feel free to ask questions, I promise I’m more treat than trick.

Everything is up to the creators interpretation, although I have tried to include some examples for help!

Have fun!

Day One: Godly Parent

Whether Greek, Roman, Norse, Egyptian, or any other; What "God" could have created your oc?

Day Two: Mystical Communication

There are tons of ways we think we can communicate with those beyond our realm such as Tarot Cards, Oujia Boards, Prayer, EMFs, or even through other people with otherworldly powers. Which method would your oc use? Or maybe they are the communication tool?

Day Three: Merch/Memorabilia

When we really love something, we want a piece of it with us. What merch would people buy of your ocs? Ex. Dolls (like funkos or Barbie crossovers), Clothes (like shirts or sweatshirts), Buttons/Patches, Dishware (like cups or plates), trading cards, posters, or even spin-off books of the show they star in.

Day Four: If They Were Canon AU

You could create an actor oc who plays your character or even make edits about how you think your ocs faceclaim would promote/interpret their character and get along with fellow cast members.

Day Five: Social Media AU

Within their canon, what would your ocs Instagram, Twitter, TikTok, Facebook, Tumblr, Snapchat, and/or YouTube look like?

Day Six: Role Swap AU

Give your oc a role in their story that is different than the one they already have. Whether this is making a hero a villain or vice versa, your victim a survivor or vice versa, or anything else you can think of.

Day Seven: Butterfly Effect

One choice could change the trajectory of our lives or any game we play. Show us the effects of your oc making the wrong choice when they originally made the right choice, befriending someone they originally hated, or even just missing their alarm.

Day Eight: Multiverse

Maybe you have multiple ocs with the same faceclaim, maybe you have a friend(s) who have ocs with the same faceclaim that you've wanted to do a crossover with, or maybe you want your oc to meet some of the actual characters their faceclaim has played. No matter what it is, it's time for your ocs to meet their multiverse counterparts!

Day Nine: Literature AU

Put your oc into an alternate universe based off a book you enjoy whether it be a classic or a newer one, no matter the genre.

Day Ten: Dungeons & Dragons AU

Have your ocs play DND, make an au based off a classic DND campaign, or just tell us the stats of your oc in DND terms.

Day Eleven: Ghost AU

Sometimes when we die, we don't leave. Tell us the unfinished business that keeps your ocs ghost on Earth, who your oc would haunt, how they would haunt, or anything else related to your oc being a ghost!

Day Twelve: Supernatural AU

Make your human oc a supernatural creature or your supernatural oc a different supernatural character.

Day Thirteen: Video Game AU

Show us some of what your story would look like as a video game or put your ocs into your favorite game.

Day Fourteen: Musical AU

The doctor said I couldn't talk, he didn't say I couldn't siiinnnggg! Put your oc into your favorite musical such as Hamilton or Mean Girls, or come up with some original lyrics to show what you think your story would look like if it were written as a musical.

Day Fifteen: Nostalgia

Take the books, shows, or movies you enjoyed as a child and put your oc into them! Or, show us what your oc enjoyed as a child.

Day Sixteen: Fairytale AU

One of the most classics of classics. Make your oc a character in your favorite fairytale, whether you prefer the Grimm or Disney version, or make up a fairytale about your oc!

Day Seventeen: Being is Believing

For day seventeen, think about superstitions, urban legends, or folklore and either make your oc a part of them, make your oc experience them, or tell us which ones your oc believes.

Day Eighteen: Beloved Pet or Object Turned Human

It's not unusual for someone to grow an emotional attatchment to an animal or an inanimate object. What would your ocs beloved pet or object say if they turned human and could speak your ocs langauge?

Day Nineteen: Genre Switch

Whatever the genre of your story is, swap it with another one. Maybe your romance story is now a horror story, your comedy is now a tragedy, or your historical realism story is now future sci-fi.

Day Twenty: Darkest After Dawn

Things can go so right for so long and then suddenly so wrong. Show us what happens when something rains on your ocs parade, when a perfect day turns into a horrible night, or a dream vacation turns into a nightmare trap.

Day Twenty-One: Apocalypse AU

Put your oc into an alternate universe that's been thrust into an apocalypse whether that be because of zombies, aliens, radiation, or the Earth trying to reclaim its land.

Day Twenty-Two: Time Problems

Let's play with time for this challenge. Picture your story as if it has always taken place in a different time, throw your oc into a time loop, or have them somehow travel through time.

Day Twenty-Three: Horrorify A Song

Take your favorite Halloween song and tell it's story, or even take a perfectly innocent song and give it a horrifying meaning! Both using your ocs, obviously.

Day Twenty-Four: What's Your Favorite Scary Movie?

It wouldn't be Halloween without some good scary movies. Put your ocs into one of your favorite scary movies!

Day Twenty-Five: Horror Location

This is an easier throwback to one of the week long challenges we've done for this event. Make something that tells a horror story of your oc at a certain location such as a Hospital/Asylum, Summer Camp, Place of Worship, Cemetery/Tomb, House/Apartment, Hotel/Cabin, or Farm/Ranch.

Day Twenty-Six: Horror Subgenres

Another throwback to a week long challenge we've done for this event. Make something that tells a horror story of your oc within a horror subgenre such as extraterrestrial, apocalypse, monster, time loop, isolation, time loop, cult, doppleganger, or anything else you can think of.

Day Twenty-Seven: Horror Archetypes

Which horror character tropes do your ocs embody? The Final Girl or The Killer? The Accomplice or The Harmless Antagonist? The Harbinger or The Nonbeliever? The Comedic Relief or The Hysteric Annoyance?

Day Twenty-Eight: Solo Costume

Show us what your oc would dress up as for Halloween! Would they dress sexy? Scary? Lazy? Practical?

Day Twenty-Nine: Couples Costume

Show us what matching costume your oc and their love interest would wear! Peanut Butter & Jelly? Morticia & Gomez? Bert & Ernie?

Day Thirty: Group Costume

Show us what costumes your oc and their friend group would coordinate. Are they the Scooby Gang? The Wiggles? Mario Party Characters?

Day Thirty-One: Here's A Treat!

The Halloween potluck isn't happening this year but we still want to encourage interaction and giving. So, choose someone to give a treat! This could be an ask, an edit, some writing, or even a playlist.

[secondbeatsongs]

Hello! I'm Julie from Cariona and I just want to ask if you're interested in doing ads/promotions here on Tumblr? If yes, how much do you charge per reblog?

For proof of legitimate promotions, you can check @catchymemes, @sulfatto, @isnt, and many others.

Website for reference: http://cariona.com Over 200 five star Facebook reviews: https://www.facebook.com/carionaproducts/reviews

Please feel free to respond here or reach out to us on marketing@cariona.com for more details! Thank you once again and have a great week!

absolutely fascinating that you decided to send this as an ask, when you also DM'd me. unfortunately, you may realize that this was a mistake - you see, asks can be responded to publicly.

so, allow me to respond:

hi, Julie! I'd never heard about Cariona before, so I decided to go poking around, and I learned something!

well, I learned a few things, actually. from your site, Cariona seems to be a small business that sells reusable menstrual products. and while I will never advertise a product that I haven't used, there's nothing wrong with wanting people to promote your company.

I have, however, found a few problems.

the first thing I found was this post by @crafiet from May 12th of last year, saying that shortly after making a purchase on your website, her debit card info was leaked, and used to make facebook ad purchases.

it seems that at least back then, your payment system was insecure. I'm really hoping you've fixed that, because. yikes.

and when I messaged crafiet to ask if it was okay if I linked to her post, she also mentioned that even though your website says you ship from Georgia, her package came shipped from China, and took a long time to arrive.

that's pretty sketchy.

the next thing I found was some folks talking about receiving cards with their orders that have a QR code on them with the words "Scan For God's Message To You", and that on the other side, have this bible verse:

O God, thou art my God; early will I seek thee: my soul thirsteth for thee, my flesh longeth for thee in a dry and thirsty land, where no water is. Psalm 63:1

fun fact! that's from the King James Version (which I have a lot of thoughts about, but I'm not going to get into that right now).

additional fun fact! that particular psalm is from that time David fled to the wilderness because Jonathan's dad was trying to kill him.

and that's why I have to talk about the verses that follow it:

(ID in alt text; link to the NIV version if you want it)

so...are we like 100% sure it's god that David is thinking about here? because...I mean...that's pretty horny, right? and all of this while on the run from his boyfriend's dad?

I'm not saying anything, but like...¯\_(ツ)_/¯

it's a weird verse to choose for this, that's all.

anyway, back to you, Cariona: after seeing people talking about the bible verse cards, I decided to poke around your website more, and allll the way at the bottom of it, finally found your "About Us" page, which ends with this:

...look. there's nothing inherently wrong with being christian. but to say "we do not wish to impose any beliefs on our customers", and to then put bible verse cards in people's orders? that's sneaky, and I don't like it.

I also think it's a bit sneaky that you've flagged your tumblr account as pro-trans on shinigami eyes. at least, I assume you flagged it yourselves, because I didn't find a single post on your blog that mentions trans issues.

(though you have, entertainingly, reblogged some stranger things fanart, and a castiel cat cosplay)

and while your website uses very gender-neutral language, your "About Us" page doesn't say anything about being inclusive of trans people, just that you don't "discriminate against anyone who has a different belief than ours."

unfortunately, that's not good enough for me. I have this sneaking suspicion that "trans people are the gender they say they are" counts as a "different belief".

lastly, since you say on your website that people can message you asking about your faith, I had a friend do that!

baptists. you're baptists, which is a pretty conservative denomination.

and according to you, part of that 10% you donate goes to your local churches, and some missionaries. who are also probably baptists.

so.

in the end, I just...don't trust you? I don't trust that the 10% you're donating is going to organizations that aren't homophobic or transphobic. I don't believe that you're not trying to impose your beliefs on others, because that's what you're obviously doing. I mean, your "About Me" says that one of the reasons you built this company is to spread the gospel.

and I especially don't like it that you reached out to me (an openly queer person) for promotion without mentioning that you're an evangelical company.

so to answer your question, Julie: no. I am not interested in doing ads or promotions for you on tumblr. and honestly, you probably picked the wrong website for this kind of thing.

[olderthannetfic]

Somewhat unrelated (until it is not), but right now (June 2) are the Mexico elections. I don't know anything about USA elections beyond the real basics, and Google is kinda not wanting to answer me, so: in USA they put some kind of mark to let everyone else that you voted?

Asking this because in Mexico we do. After your vote they paint our thumb. And this has proven quite effective because you'll see a lot of stores (whatever kind) saying "let us see your thumb and we will give you discounts!" or even free stuff. I find this so silly (but I'm grateful munching my free donut), but know I'm laughing hard: a particular super popular facebook page dedicated to fanfiction posted "send us a photo of your thumb (with some edition so we know you didn't steal it) and we will promote your fanfic in our page!". This is simply amazing. Good way to encourage mexican fanfiction writers to vote HAHAHAHAHAHA

--

Hilarious!

In the US, they often hand out "I voted" stickers you can put on your shirt. Some businesses do offer a free item or a discount, but this doesn't seem to do much to get people to vote.

[spookymoosestudio]

Hey Everyone! So now that I officially have the first draft written, I am excited to share with you all that I am creating a childrens book this year called... "Toni, the Punk Rock Opossum!" (don't act so surprised 😆) It will be a short tale of how Toni became a "Punk Rock Opossum", and it will be told in the style of a rhyming song! ♥️ This project is a HUGE deal for me and I am going to be giving it everything I have. I have decided to self publish this one so that I can stay true to my original characters and concept. Over the next several months, you will probably see a lot more of this little dude and his bandmates pop up as I fine-tune the characters, environments and compositions.

If the idea of having a children's book about a Punk Rock Opossum excites you too, there are a few ways you can help in making this dream come true! 

1. Consider buying work from my shop! Really as simple as that. Since this is a business endeavor, any money I make this year will be helping me in paying for the printing and promoting. 

2. Coming later this year, I am planning on releasing some limited edition stickers of Toni and the rest of the "Trash Goblins" as a way to help promote the book and crowd fund.( I will be selling these on my Ko-Fi page and will definitely let you all know when those go up)

3. Like, Share and Talk about it with your buddies! :D As I continue to flesh out these pages and characters, I will be sharing some sneak peeks with you all. I would be thrilled if this can become something others get excited about too! In a world where there are billions of children's books, I'm hoping to create something that hits a special place in your hearts.

Welp! Thats it for now. If you have read. this far, thank you so much for following my page and helping me make my dreams come true ♥️

Also, as I post this little opossum and his friends, I welcome and ENCOURAGE feedback and constructive criticism regarding the styles and changes I toy with.

Anyway, here is my Linktree if interested:

[andycupte]

Hii, it's been a while...

I have been pretty busy and a lot has happened

I don't know where to start! I erased a lot already

I want to say thank you for all your kind notes on my drawings!! I even got mentioned by an user who was recommending my art. That made my day back then! I also received two asks. I made this drawing (not finished) to answer one of them.

Lucaaaas and Clauss ipipipip

I couldn't finish cuz I was trying something that probably was a bit ahead of me. Lost motivation, said i I was going to check it later and then forgot LOL. I'm really sorry. I'm looking foward to answer that question cuz I really liked it.

I dunno if some of you know that I'm doing part of a fanmade Mother magazine. It is already finished and I think they sold copies too. I haven't got mine yet but I'm really happy for it!

I drew Ninten and Lloyd to promote the countdown! you probably saw it when they posted it! >>Here<<

Uhmm what else can I tell you...

I have been receiving a lot of commissions but I have even been inactive on twitter, I have been attending them in private ; v ;

I joined a facebook latino group about mother where they post memes too. It's been active lately and there is three or maybe four artists that draw funny memes of the kids. It kinda feels like the drawings I made and I feel like I could take out my old notes and check if I could join them too! I just need time. I reaally want to draw again, it made me so happy.

Here is a drawing of my Oc and mr saturn! its kinda old too. I couldn't bring myself to finish it. Again, I was trying something that was a bit bigger than me.

This is my most recent drawing! From this year at least. I drew it just as a break from commissions. I have a lot of work to get done. I should rise prices to lower my load ; ;

I'm pretty sure something is slipping my mind--- I guess I will post again!

Excuse if everything looks chaotic and it's hard to read. I have to get back to drawing!

... what are my tags now????????..

[nadianova]

how much $ did u get from sales from malmaid & other VNs on itch/steam? i wanna upload my VNs on itch/steam but 1. idk how much i wanna price it (like... yeah its free but for the pwyw slot for itch) & 2. (for steam) idk if the 100$ steam price for Uploading is worth it/if ppl will like/buy it (am insecure/nervy #girl :'3) .. i luvv ur work n i love seeing ur works it Makes me v happy thank you!!!!

disclaimer everything here is my opinion and perspective from me in this current moment of my life so just take everything with a grain of salt and preferably look for others perspectives to compare to. ultimately its something everyone kinda have to figure out on their own and do what works for them..

but that being said theresa lot of things to say here so ill just start with like... every dev i see says that if you're gonna sell your game put it on steam. i keep hearing numbers throw around like 90% of sells come from steam and 10% from itch io for devs that sell (commercial projects) on both. you still need following etc to promote the wishlists since that is what boosts your game after the initial release on steam or something like that?

if you have a free game put it on itch io. its free just do it might as well. being shy and insecure about what you make is fine but keep in mind that people arent after some perfect flawless projects and making those is impossible

just make what you can and share it, the right people just need to find them

still itchio is nice that its free but the userbase is also 50% people on their mobile searching for strictly free android games to jerk off or horror game with red background because popular streamer #453425 played it. the site culture is different from steamw which some people treat as if games don't count as real unless they're on steam.

from my perspective paying $100 to put a game on steam is 'cheap'. even if you just consider it an ad fee for however much traffic steam algorithm blesses you with, its kind of a good deal if you think about the unhinged amounts you'd have to pay on twitter or facebook or whatever the hell people use to actually promote the game to same amount of eyes.. if you're doing free games its less of a incentive but if you're trying to do business and make money for rent 100(and whatever fees steam and taxes will eat from your earnings) is a very low price of doing business. i see people complain about steam cuts and steam fees but as someone who used to be an online sexworker there was literally popular sites AND STILL ARE that take like 50% cut directly so steam isn't bad when compared to that (also steam gives you the 100 back after you make 1000, which i reasonable believe i could reach if i put a paid game on steam)

also did you know you can set itch ios marketplace cut to 0% if you want with no repercussions. you can do that if you want. do it.

i think if you have rent to pay you should get into the habit of asking for something. artists love supporting other artists and outside of that the people who have money will gladly support someone whose work they like. there's really no concrete numbers to give for pricing projects. just ask anything. tho know that asking for 1 dollar is pretty much the same as asking for like 5 tho. if people are ready to pay they generally don't care if its in that range so i think everyone's happy if its 5 when payment processors get to swipe a smaller percentage of the fees from the transaction

maybe something like just ask for something nad once you make more projects keep rising it. its better to have an empty patreon with 0 subscribers than no patreon at all. my games used to be 0€ to download and 6.66€ pay what you want and people kept paying that. then i raised the suggestion to 15€ just to try it out and i was surprised to see the amount of donations didn't go down. bonus artbooks are a good incentive. its nice to share something special for those who want to donate and its nice for them to get something out of it since a huge portion of these people might have just given that same donation money expecting nothin in return

its taken a few months but malmaid has now made like 800 dollars on itch io which is like wow holy shit but it kinda stops being as exciting when i think about how it took me 6 months to make it and that would be like one month of rent. still ultimately the fact that its a free game and everyone just decided to donate anyway is kinda absurd and it makes me infinitely grateful

i do know that if i had priced it with a set price the amount would be a lot more (this is even more evident from my 4€ comic projects that i keep putting on sale constantly for even cheaper are still by far the most earning projects I've ever put on itchio) id argue people are more likely to take a project seriously and engage with it if it cost money. free games you can just dl and forget about it if you want.. but having a price next to the download button makes things seem more legitimate because money has worth

i also get pay-per-project patreon money. tho patreon hates that mode and will be deleting in like a year or so instead of having stupid monthly payments. idk what ill do then i might delete patreon at that point will see

but on the matter of if these numbers really are a useful metric to share is debatable. hopeless junction made like $1000(ignoring the vncup 2 award) since i released it year ago and this and malmaid are two of my most popular games like that. i think i made 300-400 during the first few release months back then. I've been posting stuff on itch io for FREE for a decade soon and its an accumulation of all my visibility from over the years. itch io also favorites nsfw games with their tag traffic so its an environment that works for me

if i had started asking for money and packaging my things in a more commercial form i would be making a lot more with it i think and the people who followed me would already be accustomed to that. its just that for now ive valued people being able to play my things for free and my situation has allowed for it

everyone hates marketing but ultimately its about making the thing you made look good and be seen by others. a nice custom theme on an itch io page is more likely to get someone to stay than a game with blank profile no screenshots.

its important to make the thing you made look presentable and that's just finding your own voice by looking at how others do these things

the coolest story in the world isnt gonna sell if it doesn't have a nice cover if nobody knows that story exists.. but if people like the story they're more likely to stick around for future stuff and spread the word.. i think that matters more than what amount of money is being asked for a game as there are popular cheap games just as there are popular expensive games

idk. if theres more specific questsions ask again its a very broad thing

[ecrivainsolitaire]

This is your daily reminder for Tumblr artists to sign their art.

I found this on a random Facebook page. I would love to give credit, but because it's unsigned, I will never know who the artist is, and all I can do is credit the person who stole it. If I want to share it here I have to stop and write a disclaimer, lest nosy whinebabies bomb my inbox with their cries about me doing "art theft". Therefore, it's inconvenient for me to try to share this art, meaning I'm less likely to do it, meaning the artist doesn't get views. This could've been organic fan-driven cross promotion but instead it has turned into a nuisance. That is what happens when you don't sign your art.

Your signature needs to be the same as your business handle, it needs to be in the Latin alphabet so anyone can google it, and it needs to be visible in a contrasting colour on top of the drawing. Not a watermark, not tiny in an easily croppable corner, it needs to be a recognisable part of all your art. Y'all have been shouting for two years about having your art stolen by AI but you don't even do the absolute bare minimum effort to protect and promote it. It doesn't matter if it's just a meme, it doesn't matter if you made it in five minutes and you're not particularly proud of it, ALWAYS SIGN YOUR ART. Otherwise you're just stopping people from finding you, you're your own biggest obstacle in your career growth.

[fbwzoo]

Hey- I was wondering if there's any way I can help/contribute to the effort to end/change wild caught trade? I would love to be a part of something so cool

I'M SO GLAD YOU ASKED. Thank you for activating info dump mode, I hope you enjoy your experience!

There are SO many ways to help work towards changing/ending hermit crab wild capture. Some may not seem as connected as others, but they all help with the overall goal of educating people about hermit crabs, valuing them, and respecting nature.

The more we can teach people that they shouldn't be cheap "disposable" pets, that they can live for decades instead of months, and how the wild caught trade is decimating populations, the less demand there will be for it. Play to your strengths and do what you can. Even small things make a difference!

(This post will have a ton of links, so please share since it'll probably get blocked from tags!)

Casual Advocating

- share a cool fact with class or with your friends! "Hermit crabs can live over 40 years" "Hermit crabs can lose legs due to stress, but can grow them back when molting" "Hermit crabs live in the ocean as zoea (babies) for up to a month before they become land hermit crabs" ...I could go on & on. 😂

- Remind friends & family not to bring hermit crabs home from beach shops, & not to take shells off the beach. Sometimes they have marine hermits in them, even if they look empty. These crabs will die without an established saltwater aquarium or being returned to the beach.

- Know someone interested in getting hermit crabs? Try to gently steer them away from pet stores & tell them about Land Hermit Crab Owners Society's adoption program! Or if they already have crabs, ask if they've heard of LHCOS & Crab Street Journal (original site), or send them to the websites or Facebook group for science-backed care info.

- If you know a teacher who wants to get a classroom pet, or maybe already has some crabs as classroom pets, tell them about the Claws in the Classroom program! They can get lots of help with a proper set up & free supplies for their crabs, as well as activity sheets & lesson plans. Having crabs in a classroom can be a big commitment, but LHCOS is happy to help, as it's a wonderful way to show kids proper care & teach them how cool hermit crabs are. Many beach stores and pet shops target kids with the bright painted (and toxic) shells, so we gotta beat them to their audience!

- Simply show people pictures of the captive bred babies! They're so freaking adorable, it's hard not to fall in love with them. 🥰

(Pictures all from Mary Akers' site)

More Direct Advocating

Some of these things may require being more involved in the crabby community or going out of your way with time & materials. If you want to advocate in person with events & pet stores, make sure you stay polite, friendly, and helpful! LHCOS aims to educate people without making them defensive or alienating others from our mission.

- Talk to pet stores in your area. See if they're willing to check out LHCOS, or make some changes to improve the store set up. Chain stores may be more limited with this, but it's worth a try. Independent pet stores may be willing to listen & learn about what supplies to promote over others, or even to avoid carrying hermit crabs at all. CSJ has printable info sheets you can offer, including a pet store appeal letter.

- Spread care information. On Craigslist in the pet section, on Facebook, on other social media. Make a post in your neighborhood FB group about not buying crabs at the beginning of the summer. I know someone who recently started putting business cards with LHCOS info next to the hermit crab supplies in chain pet stores. Hand out info at local pet events in your town!

- Contact people in charge. Hermit crabs are often still used as prizes at carnivals and fairs, and crab races are sometimes included at these events. If you hear about an event doing this, contact those in charge and try to educate them. Ask them to cancel or discontinue the use of hermit crabs in these things. It's especially prevalent around beach towns. We have a group member who has tried for years to get a Miss Crustacean Pageant in her area to stop exploiting hermit crabs, but no luck yet. But she still goes every year to hand out care information to whoever will take it.

- Attend Crab Con! It's absolutely amazing. You can get lots of great deals on food, supplies, & hermit crab merch, and spend the whole weekend learning & talking about hermit crabs! What's not to love? It's going to be in person in Virginia in 2023, but there will be an online part as well, for everyone who can't make the trip!

- Rescue crabs in your area! Check craigslist, kijiji, and similar sites. Facebook banned animal sales, but I still found my new crab on marketplace. Just be prepared to deal with crabs in poor condition - look up the Post Purchase Death Reduction method and learn what to do for limb loss, surface molts & naked crabs.

- Adopt crabs from the LHCOS adoption program, or adopt captive bred babies. This can be a great way to get crabs that are healthier than rescues. If you're able to adopt from those who do a lot of rescue work, you also free up space for them to help more crabs in need. Adopting captive bred babies obviously helps support the breeding program. Plus, you get hermit crabs that have never been abused or neglected! They've been loved & cared for since day 1. Just make sure you join the FB group for baby crab owners! They have some specific needs that are a bit different from bigger crabs.

- Volunteer with LHCOS. This is one where you'll need to be in the community for some time first, and you'll need to be reliable. But if you're really interested in hermit crabs and want to get involved, you can look into becoming a local representative for the organization, or becoming one of the educational people who go to reptile shows with a LHCOS booth. There may be other areas that need help, but Stacy would be the one to contact about that once you've been around a bit.

- Donate! Saved this for last bc there's a bunch of different places and ways you can donate. All of these are important parts of the overall mission!

Mary Akers, founder of Hermit House Captive Breeding

Darcy Madsen, certified breeder with Hermit House & runs Crab Central Station YouTube (second link is their website)

Land Hermit Crab Owners Society

Claws in the Classroom, you can donate money through the LHCOS PayPal above, or you can contact Stacy/LHCOS about donating supplies.

Shell donations - The Classroom program can often use shell donations to give teachers. There are also 3 different people who currently work to provide wild hermit crabs with safe shells in Taiwan, Japan, and Florida, USA! Scroll down that link for their addresses.

Painted shells - you can donate these for use with educational booths with the address listed here.

LHCOS & Mary also have stores where they sell hermit crab supplies & merch, if you want to grab some cool stuff while supporting them! The other stores on that list all sell safe hermit crab supplies, and many of us do rescue, advocacy, & donate to CITC as well.

I know this was a LONG answer, but there's just so many ways to make a difference for hermit crabs! It takes an army to stand up for these amazing little guys. I hope this helps and you can join me in being known as a weird hermit crab person!!

[georgiapeach30513]

Jen, marketing anon from last night!

I came to clarify some comments because I do not want people running to your page and miscontruing things and then bombarding you for no reason. There’s another blog on here that I’ve seen who works in the industry and she was not impressed with the interview either.

This is just my opinion and I am not confirming anything was scripted. But I can tell you I am 1000% sure that interviewer was reading from a page and she looked very very awkward and almost unrehearsed. It bothers me because she works for access Hollywood and they should know beyond better in my opinion.

I work in marketing, yes. My industry is tech - which means the people I work with are usually engineering nerds gone corporate. Very different vibes lol. But we just did a video recently celebrating a partnership with a very prominent bank and our CEO and the client participated in the video. They appeared in the video to be “answering questions” and bless them both, couldn’t make it more obvious they were reading from something on a screen (it’s in the eye contact). Also - the camera pointing right at them while they stare to their left and shift back and forth makes it even more obvious. However, these people are not entertainers, reporters, or actors. Them being awkward on screen is a little less cringe but still meh when this stuff gets posted on YT and Facebook.

Like I mentioned, I can tell that 1000% the AH interviewer is reading off something. Her eyes shifting back and forth and she’s clearly not staring at the camera though the camera is on her face directly. Something was awkward about it but she’s reporting for AH so that’s even more weird to me how unprofessional and very not camera comfortable she looked.

As for CE, he at least looked like he was answering from memory or making it look as such - but he is an actor. That’s what he’s supposed to do.

But I’ll say this: The way he sounded during most of the interview…wasn’t great. I’m not hating on him and I know he’s just doing what he’s told, answering questions that she asked him - but I mentioned the cut away from his face as he started to talk about “personal” stuff was very telling.

Old footage, as he talks over the images that basically don’t have anything to do with the dog food he’s promoting was interesting. To me, it felt like a shoehorn. You don’t see his face as he’s saying the personal stuff and people hear him mention someone’s name. Again.

In marketing, we often have to “insert topic” and add a word or name or buzz topic when we push or promote a campaign. Our writers and social media marketers have to somehow mention what we need mentioned somewhere in the promotion. It can be done in many ways and the intent is always to make it look organic but many times, it feels the opposite. When you’ve been in the field for a bit you can usually pick out the obvious tells of a marketing push, which is why I wanted to send that ask to you last night. Something sincerely doesn’t feel right about all this and I do feel bad because I can see fans who care so much about a celeb being upset that they’re getting yanked around.

But business is business. Please take care of your own mental health if something like this is truly getting to you.

I can’t put words into other people’s mouths but if my boss saw this interview and she was approving it to go live - she would have asked them to re record and ask him to put more life into it. 😂 Also, if the questions were pre approved he could have had a ghost writer come up with something more substantial to say. If this was coming from the heart, well…

Like you mentioned yesterday, that energy he had with his old costar at the walk of fame ceremony was what you can’t fake. He seems like a man who truly wears his emotions and heart on his sleeve and he was genuinely happy and fond of seeing his friend.

This interview though? Yikes. Again, people will see and hear what they want and take what they want from this.

I give this interview a 2/10 as well. 😝

Agree with all your points. To me it’s obvious she was reading from a script. The camera was too close to her face and we see her awkwardly looking to the side. He however, as you mention, does seem to at least “know his lines”. I don’t think it’s absurd to think these questions were pre approved and that he had his speaking points and what he was okay mentioning.

[lilithism1848]

What are some advice you give to a young communist?

Hit the gym.

Delete time-waster social media (Facebook, Instagram, etc.) - organize face-to-face with real people. A bit of political discourse online is fine.

Arm yourself. Get guns, and learn how to shoot them. Don't get museum items because "Mosins are cool" or some nonsense, get whatever combat-worthy AR and sidearm is a military standard in your geographic region, depending on where you are that's probably something like an M16, G36, AK-12, or AK-47.

Organize with trustworthy individuals. In case of civil war or anti-socialist genocide, you need people you can rely on (and the reactionaries WILL eventually come for people like us in the West, capitalists never give up without a fight).

Organize a meeting point where you will meet your comrades in case of conflict.

Get good military-grade or better marching/combat boots and always have a full bug-out bag ready. Long-lasting rations for at least a few days, water filter/purification equipment, first aid kit, sleeping equipment, heat blanket, tinder and mechanical lighter, tarp, basic tools like knife, are, rope, etc. (try and stay below 10kg weight without water, add as much water as you can comfortably carry). Do regular training marches with your simulated backpack (10km with 10kg of weight minimum).

Study how to organize at work and build a mutual aid network. Help found unions.

Focus hard on education. The better educated you are the better.

Society is not ready for revolution, yet. So, get a great career that makes money. Yes, participating in capitalism is good, actually. Become as rich and powerful as possible. Make use of all the tools capitalism gives you. Preferably find a collectively owned business but don't be shy about participating in capitalism. Use the power and money you gain along the way to fund and support revolutionaries.

Always remember: It is not your personal responsibility to change the world or jeopardize your own wellbeing by acting according to ideals nobody else shares. As long as you don't personally stand in the way of revolution, your priority should be bettering your own life. Societal change can only be achieved at a societal level, personal responsibility is a liberal myth. Lead the best life you can while promoting socialism.

I know that some of this sounds like paranoid prepper bs and LARPing and will continue to feel like LARPing the entire time until the revolution starts but if you are a revolutionary communist you need to be ready... this is part of any revolution.

Know these "funny" videos where right-wingers stand in a line and make Nazi salutes then "train" by doing 10 push-ups before falling over wheezing, then trying to march in a line completely out of tune with each other while some skinny guy with a swastika tattooed on his face is swinging an SS flag? Yeah, those idiotic-looking guys are more organized more disciplined, and more committed than the overwhelming majority of self-proclaimed Marxist-Leninists in the West.

[duckprintspress]

Duck Prints Press, the Indie Press owned by @unforth, founded by fancreators to help fanartists and fanfiction writers publish their original creations, with an emphasis on works featuring LGBTQIA+ characters, needs YOU!

To help us maximize the amount of money we can pay to creators as royalties, we rely on our Patreon and ko-fi to help pay our overhead costs. As things stand, we need to bring in about $750 a month to pay our baseline monthly expenses…and right now our crowdfunding plus monthly sales only bring in about half that. We have been, and will continue, operating at a deficit as long as necessary to get off the ground, but I’m sure it’s no surprise that if we had more money, we’d be able to do more—initiate more projects, support more authors, work with more artists, pay higher royalties, and more!

In exchange for this support, we offer a bunch of cool rewards for people who choose to back us, with levels ranging from $3 to $25/month. All backer levels include access to our Discord, behind-the-scenes blog posts, voting rights on polls that decide anthology and monthly story themes, and at least one free short story per month. At higher levels, backers get exclusive merchandise, bonus stories, free selections from our book catalog, extras for supporting our crowdfunding campaigns, and more!

We can reach our goals, and you can get lots of excellent stuff, by backing the Press on Patreon or ko-fi now! AND you’ll get your choice of a freebie if you back during the month of January!

Become a backer of Duck Prints Press, and you get your choice of one of three backer-exclusive extras previously only available to Patreon and ko-fi backers who also backed our crowdfunding campaigns! We have limited supplies of these extras, and we’ll send them out on a first-come, first-serve basis; once we’re out, we’re out, and we’ll never be producing more of any of these! Or, if none of these are to your taste, you’re welcome to pick any one merch item priced $5 or less from the Merchandise section of our website. There, we’ve got bookmarks, stickers, key chains, magnets, and more! Also, all current backers will get to pick one freebie, too, as a big THANK YOU for their support thus far.

Don’t want to be a backer but want to help us spread the word? Well, have we got a giveaway for you! To encourage people to share this post, we’re offering a free copy of our first print anthology Add Magic to Taste, which features 20 sweet, fluffy, queer stories set at magical coffee shops, tea houses, and bakeries. There are only six mint, print copies of this book left, and they’re not for sale—this is the rare chance to get one for yourself!

Want help a small, fan-run independent business get more support, and maybe win something awesome for your efforts? Then enter the giveaway! You get one entry for liking this post, and one entry per reblog for up to three reblogs! We’ll also give entries for sharing our posts on other platforms (Twitter, Facebook, etc.) with the same limits (one entry per like, up to three entries for sharing/retweeting/etc.). (Note: we will NOT give entries for people making their own posts. We love when people make their own posts, but they’re too difficult for us to track for giveaway purposes).

TL:DR: Duck Prints Press is a small-but-growing indie press working with fancreators. Become a backer on Patreon or ko-fi during January, 2023, and get all the backer rewards associated with the backer level you select PLUS a freebie worth up to $5. Help spread the word, get entries to win a fabulous print anthology available nowhere else!

Stuff for us, stuff for you—couldn’t be better! Don’t miss your chance: this event ends January 31st, 2023!

(And don’t forget to sign up for our mailing list so you can always hear about our latest projects, merchandise releases, crowdfunding campaigns, publications, coupons, and more!)

Thanks in advance, everyone!

(For all legalese related to this promotional event and giveaway, go to this link! Make sure you check it out.)

[pb-dot]

Some Thoughts on the Reddit Blackout

Like many new arrivals on Tumblr these days, I used to be a Redditor until recent developments encouraged me to take my business elsewhere, and I have been following the development of the story as thoroughly as I can without actually giving Reddit any more traffic. With the most recent development of the Reddit admin corps taking on a suite of strategies lifted straight from the depression-era railroad baron playbook, I figured the time has come to talk a little about the wider implications of this whole story.

The Tech sector is, to the best of my understanding, in a vulnerable place right now. After the Web 2.0 gold rush and years of consolidation and growth from the biggest actors, your Alphabets, Twitters, Metas, and so on, many of the larger sites and services are reaching the largest size they can expect to grow to. How, for instance, could Facebook or Twitter grow much more now that everyone and their mother is on Facebook and Twitter? Prior to the Musk buyout, Twitter seemingly settled on upping engagement, making sure people were on Twitter longer and invested more energy and emotion in the platform, usually by making damn sure the discourse zapping through that hellhole was as polarizing and hostile as possible. Meta, meanwhile, has been making bank on user data as advertisers, AI folks, and any number of other actors salivate over getting their hands on the self-updating contact and interest registry that is Facebook.

With the rise of what we apparently have decided to call AI, data is now more valuable than ever. I consider this to be yet another Tech Hype Bubble on the level of NFTs or Metaverses, but, like with the two above, I can imagine it's hard to explain that when you are a Tech CEO and your shareholders ask you "Hey, how do you plan on earning us money off of this AI/NFT/Metaverse thing?" This is not to say CEO Steve Huffman isn't handling this whole thing with the grace of a three-legged hippo, but merely to suggest that his less-than-laudable decisions and actions in this mess don't arise from his character alone but also is a result of wider systemic issues.

One of these issues is the complicated role user data plays in modern websites and -services. Since its inception as a publicly accessible space, the question of how to monetize the Internet has been a tricky one for site and service owners. Selling ad space on your website or service has long been the go-to, but this in itself presents its own issues, having to curate content that is considered ad-friendly, malicious or careless actors making using said service or website less attractive for customers, and finally how to convince your advertisers that they get what they pay for in the first place, ie. "how do I know people even look at our ads?" All of this is before you even stop to consider how ads massively favor large, established actors.

It's no small wonder, then, that several startups in the era of internet mass adoption chose to forgo ads, or at least massively deprioritize them and/or relaunch them as "promoted posts," in an attempt to escape the stigma around ads. Meta/Facebook is probably the biggest fish in this particular pond, but we also see other services such as Twitter and Reddit follow the same pattern.

What makes this work is that the data these platforms collect from their users isn't all that valuable on a person-to-person basis, knowing that so-and-so is 32 years old, lives in a traditionally conservative part of the city, goes to Starbucks a lot, and listens to Radiohead isn't particularly useful information for anyone but a dedicated but lazy stalker; When viewed as an aggregate, however, large collections of data on a large population becomes quite valuable. This is especially true if you're working with, say, targeted ads or political campaigns. Look no further than the Cambridge Analytica data scandal for an example.

Now, all this is to illustrate the strange position the user occupies in Web 2.0. We tend to think of ourselves as the customer of Facebook, Reddit, Tumblr, and so on, but it isn't the case. After all, we don't pay for these services, and if we do it's to buy freedom from ads or other minor service modifications. It is more correct to say that we make up the product itself. This is true in two respects, first, an active social community is vital for social media to not be entirely pointless, and second, we generate the data that the platform holder seeks to monetize. This hybrid product/participant role doesn't map cleanly to traditional understandings of "worker," but I argue it is a closer fit than "customer."

All of this is to say that it is immensely gratifying to see the Reddit Blackout taking the shape of a strike rather than the more typical boycott model we've seen in the internet-based protests of yesteryear. Much of this, I think, we can thank the participating Reddit moderators. While the regular platform user can be *argued* to be a worker, the moderator inarguably is one, and the fact that they aren't paid for their efforts is more a credit to the prosocial nature of humans than to the corporate acumen of the platform holders. Either way, moderating a subreddit is work, if the subreddit is large, it's quite a lot of work, and moderators keeping malicious actors, scammers, and hatemongers out of everyone's hair is a must for any decently sized social space to not be an objectively terrible experience. So, if you were to, for example, withhold your labor (moderating for free) which you as a worker can do, it would be plain irresponsible to leave the place open for said bad apples to ruin everyone's bunches, thus the shutdowns.

I don't think it's a controversial take to claim that the Reddit admins also view this more as a strike than a boycott, given their use of scabs, intimidation, and other strikebreaking tactics in an attempt to break the thing up. This is nothing new, and the fact that Reddit admins are willing to stoop to these scumbag tactics tells us that their bluster about the shutdown not affecting their bottom line is nothing more than shareholder-placating hot air.

As this entire screed has perhaps demonstrated, I believe the Reddit Blackout is important. My stay at Tumblr so far has been excellent and will probably continue past this strike no matter what outcome it has, but for others in my situation, or perhaps entirely alien to the Reddit biome, I ask you to consider: If we do not stop this level of consumer and user-unfriendly bullshit Reddit have been pulling on the API change, where will it pop up next? Who's to say the next bright idea in corpo-hell isn't "Hey boss, how about we charge these nerd losers a dollar per reblog? And maybe a fiver for a Golden Reblog (TM)?"

This is perhaps getting into grandstanding, but I believe we are way past due for a renegotiation of what it means to be a platform holder and -user on this hot mess of an internet. If we as users do not take an active, strong stance on the matter, the Steve Huffmans, Elon Musks, and Mark Zuckerbergs of the world will decide without us. One does not have to be a fortune teller to see that the digital world this would create would not have our best interests in mind any more than the current one does.

So, in closing, I wish to extend my wholehearted support to the participating Moderators of Reddit and everyone who has decided to take their business elsewhere for the duration of the shutdown. Even without getting into the nitty-gritty of the API situation, this is a fight worth having, and may we through it make a world that's just a little bit less shitty.

Become Ungovernable

Become Unprofitable

Stay that way.