#So many people on FB have just commented on the picture without reading the caption

[markscherz]

Natural history museums hold innumerable misidentified specimens on their shelves. These specimens make their way into databases like GBIF, and muddy data that is used in global-scale analyses and other research drawing on such records. Careful verification of all specimens in a collection holding tens to hundreds of thousands of specimens would be a Herculean task that could take a dozen experts a decade. So, we often rely on spot checks.

Whilst searching our constrictor collection to see if we have any albino snakes (we don’t seem to), I came across this snake that had been identified as a Boa constrictor. It is in fact Malayopython reticulatus, a reticulated python. A quick new label and an update in our database, and I was able to move it over to the right shelf. Now it won’t muddy the waters further, and is able to be referred to by anyone interested in examining a retic.

How many more such cases are haunting our shelves of over 14 million objects? And that’s just the Natural History Museum of Denmark; there are billions of objects in similar collections globally. This is quite literally an astronomically huge problem.

[thejivechild]

Year Three, What a Feat

What up homie,

It’s me again, back to give you your annual fill on all things good, bad and probably boring. It’s weird how long you’ve been gone. It feels like a lifetime in some moments and no time in others, then I look up and realize “three years, so much has happened.” It’s an odd sensation, feeling like days creep by but years vanish in the blink of an eye. Yet here we are, doing our best to look like we’re successful - fake it til you make it, right? Right! I was going to go back and read what I wrote you last year, but I figured it didn’t matter much. So here we go, sorry if any of what I tell you is simply a reiteration of last year’s letter. I’ll borrow from a popular paradigm because I think I’m wed to the idea of you coming back some day. Without further ado, something old, something new, something borrowed and something blue.

Something Old: I told you last year was my 1L year, right? Well I finished that in typical basement boy fashion, smoove. It didn’t feel pretty or glamorous when I was in the library reading until my head hurt, but the end result was well worth it and I got my first year of law school outta the way, THANK. GOD. Henry recently met a law student in NYC who described 1L year as “academic hazing” and I couldn’t agree more. It was like being in high school all over again, but with adults who like to use bigger words. I won’t front like I didn’t flex the lexicon at times, but can you blame me?! All in all it was really a massive learning experience. I did my best to bridge the gap in knowledge that I came in with and to ride the learning curve, but I’d be lying if I said it wasn’t stressful. Onwards and upwards!

Henry remained in Iraq for another year. He started his juice business, er I started it as the idea man (He owes me royalty payments!), and it took off. He’s mastering the art of social media and millennial marketing, which is a massively important skill to have in this day and age. On a different note, he took Zenry to new levels. From telling me he was studying stoicism, to his newfound obsession with healthy diet and living, he did his best to transform into a modern ascetic, and he did it pretty well. Don’t let any of this fool you though, he’s still the same Henry that you man marked in possession drills at Seneca park. Still ratchet as ever, still LITTLE bro, but would we love him if he wasn’t?

Afrika kept his head down and plugged away at success silently and smoothly. He just finished his masters and I’ll be damned if the only notification I got was a hilarious snapchat with the caption “just finished my last presentation.” It’s funny how little he’s changed (or any of us, for that matter) since you’ve been gone. He went to Afrika for most of the summer and did this program called “Kick for Life,” I think. If I butchered the name I apologize, but you can guess what it was from my description. It sucked not having him around all summer, but the snaps made me want to go to Afrika, and I plan to!

Snat and the Kennison house remained the exact same. A band of misfits if I’ve ever seen one, but how on earth could we expect different? Their humble abode remained the place to be on Friday and Saturday nights and like we basement boys have always done, they made it their own unique experience that was unlike any other on earth. Snat continued in “medical sales” if that’s an apt description of what he does - I still don’t really know, and I’m not sure he does either. He wears scrubs, fitting, but he’s certainly no doctor. Doctor of Destruction, maybe. He won awards for whatever the hell he does, took some trips to LA and got medals. I really don’t understand it lol but all success is good success!

Ham and I fell outta touch to a degree, but not for any real reason. I go MIA in Lexington when school gets hectic, so it’s almost entirely my fault, but he knows and understands and doesn’t hold it against me. I was there for his bday (of course) and it was a lot of fun and felt like I hadn’t been gone for a minute. Same inside jokes, same antics, same squad. I pray to god that never changes.

All in all the crew continues to remain largely intact. Life gets in the way sometimes, but rest assured that none of us have forgotten where we came from. It’s still basement boys for life. Thuggish as ever, prettier than before, breaking hearts and chasing dreams haha.

Something New: I deviated from the legal path, albeit temporarily and slightly. I’ve decided to pursue a JD/MA and get my masters in International Relations. It added a year (don’t remind me) to my academic tenure, but I think the end will be well worth the means, ya feel me? It’s putting me closer to a career in international law and eventually world domination. Getting closer to that penthouse! I just finished my first semester, killed it in the classroom, and made some new friends. Truth be told, the extra year sounded awful but I’m halfway through and don’t regret it at all. But enough about me…

Henry’s back in the states! First time in two years. He came back, surprised his mom, then got surprised by me a couple days later. It was long overdue and I think (I know) he missed the freedom that we cherish in the Western world. He left the juice biz and decided to become a #ProReader (his words, not mine). Sadly, his taste in literature is limited to “how to become a millionaire” self-help books, earning him the nickname “self-help henry” or “SHH” for short. I like it because sometimes you just want to tell him “shh” when he goes on his rants about… who knows. That being said, he’s on a real cultural adventure. I think he’s endeavored to see, smell, touch and taste more of the world than he would have had he stayed in the states after school. I hate to mention Drake, but for SHH it fits; he’s trying to live “more life” and he’s succeeding. But despite that, he’s still the little kid who couldn’t hit a long ball to save his life, don’t let him tell you different.

I sort of gave it away, but Afrika is finished with school - for now. He’s toyed with the idea of law school (I told him not to go) and with the idea of a master’s in International Relations (I told him to definitely go) but for now he’s still moving in silence and success. He and I are working on a lengthy research paper and the goal is to get it published in some scholarly journal in the future. Not a ton of new, but certainly priming for massive success in the future.

Snat, oh Snat, Snat’s perhaps made the biggest move of any of us. The child moved to Warshington DC. I STILL don’t know what the kid does for a living, but it took him to our nation’s capital. I think it’s great that he finally spread his wings and got outta town. I visited him recently when I was in DC for a conference and soaked up a little of his new life. It was cool. He lives in a swanky apartment complex in a nice part of town and wears scrubs to work. Most of his neighbors probably think he’s a doctor and I’m sure he’s in no hurry to disprove that theory, but I’m not hating. I told him to get a raise so that when I graduate we can be roommates (again, coming for that penthouse). He and Mcaddams are still a love story for the ages. Still posting the cheesiest pictures online and conjoined at the hip, even from hundreds of miles away! It’s a site to behold haha, but they’re happy which is all that matters. I drop the occasional comment riddled with unnecessary emojis and exclamation marks on their FB photos.

Sadly, I can’t tell you how much new has gone on in Ham’s life, but I do know that he’s moved up the corporate ladder. I want to say he’s some sort of manager now, you know, still living the life of a team captain just in a different arena.

I should mention the coolest thing (IMO) that we did this year. Two nights before Thanksgiving I was in the shower when I had an epiphany. “People always play Thanksgiving morning football games,” I thought “we should do a soccer game.” A minute or so later it hit me again, “we should do it in honor of Spotie. Eventually, we should make it a charity game.” And on and on and on. I was on a roll and it just made so much sense. We (Me, afrika, snat, henry and several others) put a plan into motion and on Thanksgiving morning we held the first ever Nick Spaulding Memorial Soccer Game at, you guessed it, Seneca Park. It was great. So many people showed up and played, cheered and braved the ice cold for you. Some of us came out of retirement, some of us rose from the dead, some of us played in what probably felt like slow motion, but all of us had fun. It was, is and will surely always be a highlight of this year and many to come. It was grassroots and unorganized, but it laid the foundation for what is going to become an incredible annual event, I promise. Check my FB and see how many people showed love!

Optimism over everything. Life is going pretty well on all fronts. There’s no huge drama to report, no heartbreak or endless sadness. There have been some utterly devastating moments, but those aren’t to overshadow the unbreakable happiness and the ties that can’t and won’t ever be undone. People grow up, people grow out and people grow apart, but the latter certainly isn’t us. We’ve all grown up and grown out in many ways but we haven’t grown apart. Time may pass and we may not speak daily, but the same principles apply and the same standards are adhered to. We’ve all got each other’s backs no matter where in the world or when in time something comes up. It’s actually insane to think about. Nothing could break these ties, no force on earth or in heaven has that kind of strength.

Something Borrowed: We’ve all reached a point where life has become real, but that’s not to say that it’s hardened us or erased memories of our pasts. I won’t speak for everyone, but sometimes I wake up mad. Sometimes I wake up sad. Sometimes I wake up and the last thing on earth I want to do is go exercise, or go to class, or face the day. Sometimes I wonder why any of this ever happened to me, or how it could have. I often think “I’m too fucking smart to have let things play out the way they did.” It’s moments like that when I’m most humbled. It’s moments like that when I realize that some things are just out of my hands. It’s moments like that when I remember that I’m human and that my struggles and my flaws are as visceral and real as anybody else’s. Those kinds of moments scare me. It’s a delicate balance between survivor’s guilt and self-perceived invincibility. Sometimes I cry and ask myself why it wasn’t me. Sometimes I grin and think “I survived that, how the hell could this stop me?” Sometimes I don’t think about it at all, because it doesn’t make any sense. One thing stays consistent though, through all of those emotions I learn. I learn about myself and what I’m made of and what I can and can’t handle. It has certainly raised my self-awareness and for that I am thankful.

If I had to describe the past three years in one word I’d say they’ve been incredibly educational. Academically, sure, but I’ve learned a lot of intangibles as well. I’ve learned that there are certain, unavoidable truths that we’ve all got to come to terms with. For example: it’s entirely possible that any given day can be the worst day of your life. It’s absolutely terrifying how fragile this existence is and how temporary. But in the same vein, there exists a light in all of us. A light that cannot be extinguished unless we ourselves choose to do so. And that is perhaps the most beautiful thing. Because while any given day can be the worst of your life, the chances are equally likely, if not better, that any given day can also be the best day of your life.

Something Blue: So instead of today and all subsequent December 20th’s being the hardest days of my year I’m vowing to make them the easiest days of my year. I vow to make them full of nothing but happiness and laughter and joy and remembrance. I do it in your name and your likeness. I do it for Momma Ros and Dr. Spauld who, although they never dreamed they’d have to, now live on in your image. They now perpetuate your legacy and your memory, as we all do. I know I live in your shoes when I stand up for what I believe is right and unashamedly wear my heart on my sleeve, or when I stumble into something delicate like a clumsy, lovable bull in a china shop. I’m not religious, you know that, but before I do anything big I say a prayer for success. Not to god, but to you, my brother. I always ask you to send a little extra basement boyness my way and to give me a little help from the other side. I walk with my chin held high knowing that I’ve got the greatest good luck charm in the universe and my best friend on my side. I smile through the tears, knowing that my ambition, our ambition, far exceeds my talent but that it will be the driving force behind the change that WE affect. There’s something holy about the connection we have, even after all these years. There’s something incredibly about the intangible and invisible. I know it’s there, I feel it every day. You know it’s there, you always send it my way. It’s comforting knowing that no matter what life throws at me I’ve got a partner in crime. So, I laugh when I want to cry, I joke when I want to give up, I grin when things get harder and I welcome every challenge that comes my way. I don’t flinch at the thought of studying until 2 in the morning, or running until I can’t feel my legs. Bring it fucking on. Because I know that when I’ve fought until I can’t fight anymore, when I’ve given everything I have and when I think I can no longer go on, well that’s when you come in. That’s when you give me that little bit of strength, that nobody else has. That’s when you serve that shot of extraterrestrial espresso that fuels me. Someone asked me how I did it earlier this year, where my drive came from. I smiled and simply replied “my ambition is wicked,” and it is. OUR ambition is wicked.

After three years I can comfortably say that my life is great. I can comfortably say that we’ve all grown and learned and matured in immeasurable ways. I can comfortably tell you that we’re all going to be fine. We’ve gone different ways, but our ties have remained constant and strong. The sun rises and sets every day and each passing day brings us all one day closer to that thugs mansion reunion that we all so desperately yearn for. Although each new day brings new experiences and new reasons to be thankful we don’t forget about you. We don’t cease to make you proud nor do we move past you. Your memory lives on in all of us, even if we don’t actively express it. We work harder, stay up later and get up earlier because we’re all trying to build our own penthouse apartments, our own sky-high, iced out paradises in the sky. Do you want know why I’m so obsessed with penthouses? Why I’ve talked about them for the past three years? Not because it signifies wealth, or achievement, or luxury but because it’ll put me that much fucking closer to you. I love you, my brother. I can’t wait to see you again, but I promise I won’t come a minute early. I won’t come til I’ve left my legacy and til I’ve made you proud. Be good up there and don’t forget about me, I promise I won’t forget about you. I won’t let people forget about you. Take care and have a good year. I’ll be back next year with another letter. Tell the post-man to expect it.

XX XII XIV

Your Brother

[lauraramargosian]

How the FRIENDS TV show influenced our friendship choices and more!

How the FRIENDS tv show influenced our friendship choices and more!

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Don’t you wish you had a masseuse like @ikeausa?

A post shared by Friends (@friends) on Jun 20, 2018 at 9:32am PDT

FRIENDS TV SHOW – MORE THAN JUST A SHOW

Memories are captured by our brains and stored for a lifetime, good and bad. For example, the Friends tv-series gave us so many positive episodes and episodes with hardships.

Isn’t it true, it’s better to have positive memories than negative flashbacks into our past life?

The Friends tv-series taught us that memories are made up of time, the one thing we don’t get back in life is time, so, make the best of your time.

Despite the fact life throws some pretty intense trials our way, we should always use our time to help others.

In doing so, there is no room for failure in being your happiest. It’s proven when you surround yourself with good people your values are set.

In short, this means you know what you deserve and those types of friends will also be around for you when times are hard.

The quote “I would rather have a handful of best friends than just one,” is true. Why put all your eggs in one basket?

Having a handful of wonderful friends reminds me of the show FRIENDS but isn’t that the ideal group right there?

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Joey makes it too easy for thieves.

A post shared by Friends (@friends) on Jul 22, 2019 at 3:53pm PDT

What’s the connection in specific?

Despite Ross and Rachels falling in love, out of love or “taking a break.”

Despite Joey and Chandler’s fighting of girls or a bracelet, they still talked about the problem, even if it was through a box.

Despite Chandler and Monica falling in love regardless of Chandler’s relationship fears with commitment, they still talked about the problem. They didn’t rush their marriage and even met in the middle when it came to spending money on their wedding (although, we all know it was totally Monica’s thunderous day).

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This is not good for his rage, Joey!

A post shared by Friends (@friends) on Jun 14, 2019 at 9:44am PDT

Despite Joey and Rachel having a fling of confusion. Ross was upset but again, they still talked out the problem.

Despite Phoebe’s pagan like persona, they still loved her for who she was because she was tough, yet she would give the shirt off her back in a heartbeat (I mean, she even made Monica a whole new frame, lol).

In turn, we learned to lean on one another and hopefully how to love new people who come into our lives.

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Unforgettable.

A post shared by Friends (@friends) on Sep 5, 2018 at 9:08am PDT

Let’s take a deeper dive into a specific memorable episode

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When you can’t keep it together! #bloopers

A post shared by Friends (@friends) on Jun 12, 2018 at 9:55am PDT

Remember the episode where Pheobeand Monica “cut out,” friends as they began to go through college?

It was called ‘The One with Ross’s Tan’ which is the third episode of the tenth season of Friends (which aired on October 9, 2003).

Further, Phoebe and Monica’s old roommate, Amanda, who is hands down a “New Yorker,” from Yonkers but this time, she’s picked up a British accent and very ego-centric. Both Monica and Phoebe attempt to avoid Amanda without hurting her feelings.

With this in mind, it’s safe to say the two friends didn’t want toxic in their life. Even so, they were respectful and loving merely by trying not to hurt her feelings.

Honestly, those two (if it was reality) would be the best people in the world to have as a friend.

Unfortunately, Amanda’s visit also sparked a backstory for Phoebe and Monica.

In an older episode that is flashed back too, Phoebe was becoming annoyed with how “controlling and compulsive” she behaved.

Next, the episode expanded on other problems they went through while living together in Monica’s apartment.

Phoebe explains to Monica that even though she was a little compulsive, she realized that Monica was truly a nice person and she is glad she changed her mind about cutting Monica out of her life.

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Tag your nap partner!

A post shared by Friends (@friends) on Apr 20, 2018 at 9:07am PDT

What does that teach us exactly?

This teaches us not to judge too harshly and too soon. It means that we give people the benefit of the doubt until we have a real mature reason to move on in life.

FRIENDS is a tv show that has endless relatable episodes but each of them shows values, love, struggle, lust, pain, and of course, comedy.

Christina Grimmie continues to change the world from heaven!

The writers and creators David Crane, Marta Kauffman, Scott Silveri, Andrew Reich, Alexa Junge, Jeff Greenstein, and Jeff Strauss are to thank. The talent they put into their writing translated to the television like magic.

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That’s a wrap on our preview of the #FRIENDS25 Boston Pop-Up. Head to the link in our bio to get tickets now through Jan 5. NOTE: No lobsters were harmed in the creation of this adorable photo. This lobster is our lobster.

A post shared by Friends (@friends) on Nov 21, 2019 at 1:00pm PST

Although, and I can’t believe this, there are still people out there who have not watched the show.

For the love of all things living, do it.

Just as important, laughter is the best medicine when you’re feeling down. The show truly gives a lot of comedy and relatable content.

Most of all, it gives a pretty good picture of life, having to work, make ends meet and still maintain relationships with others.

Todays Generation and their phones

They aren’t tied to their phones all day every day (yes times have changed).

But that doesn’t change the fact that we spend more time with our phones than actually hanging out with our own family and friends.

Did you know FRIENDS tv show now has a LIVE musical that can be seen in Las Vegas, NV?

Friends tv series live musical

Yes, you read that right, Friends tv-series does have a LIVE musical!

Now, this is your chance to get out, put your phone away and create some new memories with your family.

First, make sure you watch the show, you’ll feel the emotions of the actors more so during the musical.

90 Day fiancé: Happily Ever after is real talk.

Second, enjoy yourself, life is too short to spend worrying over little issues.

Be thankful for the small things and celebrate them, yes including your big 30!

Lastly, believe in yourself as well as others, love endlessly and never give up.

Memories are forever, the flashbacks in episodes are a testament to that truth.

Oh, and here’s a fan favorite moment!

Be sure to sound off in the comments, let us know what your favorite scene was in the whole Friends tv-series and be sure to subscribe to our PCG magazine newsletter.

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When you take the lie too far.

A post shared by Friends (@friends) on Mar 14, 2018 at 9:23am PDT

Blessed be!

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Positive Celebrity Gossip - Laurara Monique

Laurara Monique is known by various celebrities as the youngest and kindest celebrity blogger. PCG has been described as a "celebrity safe zone."

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What an amazing time at Wentworth Con! Super thankful to have covered the event! Stay tuned for our exclusive! These videos and pics are sure to make you smile and laugh. #WentworthCon

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Truth!!!!

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Positive Celebrity Gossip - Laurara Monique

Ellen DeGeneres, you are a wonderful soul. Deserved!!!! #EllenDeGeneres #TheCarolBurnettAward #Charities #positive #celebritynews

Ellen DeGeneres to receive The Carol Burnett Award in 2020!

Ellen DeGeneres to receive The Carol Burnett Award in 2020! ELLEN’S GAME OF GAMES — “Say Whaat Women Want” Episode 209 — Pictured: Ellen DeGeneres — (Photo by: M…

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Positive Celebrity Gossip - Laurara Monique was live.

Fortnite with this girl who has a little gamer...rage... cough..

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Fortnite grind time.

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Positive Celebrity Gossip - Laurara Monique

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Haha, RIP 3.2% beer.

Budweiser Clydesdales are coming to Utah to hold ‘funeral’ for 3.2% beer

SALT LAKE CITY — Budweiser is making a special trip to Utah with its iconic Clydesdale horses this week to celebrate the upcoming change in beer laws. The company is hosting a "spooky Halloween funeral" for 3.2 percent beer Wednesday night as the state prepares to start selling 5 percent alcohol-b...

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[utaprination]

Social Media HCs!!

STARISH

Natsuki

He has a hard time deciding which form of social media he prefers when it comes to Twitter, Instagram or Snapchat…So, he uses all three of them faithfully. He has specific purposes for each platform. When he wants share abstract thoughts, he takes to Twitter. When he wants to share pictures of his cute new hat, his adorable dessert, or a photo of Elizabeth he runs to Insta but when wants to talk to his audience about how his day went, give a sneak peek of what a day in his shoes is like or embarrass his friends he uses Snapchat.

Tokiya

He has a public account for everything except FB. It is the only private form of social media he has. He has a small amount of friends because his FB is limited to real childhood friends and family. It is under a different name. He never saves his FB profile photo to a picture of himself either. He does this so that it would be fairly difficult for just anyone to find him. He has a Twitter and Instagram but they’re generally only ever used for promotional purposes. They’re usually ran by a PR team rather than himself. Every now and then, he’ll delight fans by allowing his team to share a candid photo of him to his Insta.

Cecil

He’s an Instagram fanatic. If he’s not in a group chat harassing his friends, he’s on Instagram sending love to fellow idols and sharing adorable selfies. He loves to follow fans back and blow up their notifications because he knows it makes them happy. He replies back to comments as much as he can.  Aside from Insta, you can find him and his smiling face on Snap along with a video of Camus pretending to be sweet when we all know that once the camera goes off, Cesshi is getting his ass handed to him.

Ren

He has every single social media account you can possibly think of. His username is always something along the lines of @theRealJinguujiRen. He uses Instagram faithfully. He doesn’t follow everyone back so if a fan gets a follow they must be pretty special. In fact, if he does follow a fan back, it’s for reasons. He has gotten into trouble for DMing fans so he doesn’t do it as often as he used to. He doesn’t have a FB account and has gone a public record stating that. He urges fans to understand that although the accounts may say it’s the real Ren Jinguji, it’s really not and to steer clear of them. There are many Instagram users that follow him and has no idea that he even sings for a living. They just follow because he’s nice to look at. He uses his Twitter for promo purposes. His Snapchat is private and he only shares it with people that he knows well in real life. It’s practically impossible to find. He’s gotta have something for himself, right?

Otoya

One may speculate whether or not he actually lives on Twitter. He uses his Twitter for both personal use and promotional purposes. Fans can take to Twitter if they curious about how much water he drank that day, if he skipped a meal or if he’s working. Trust me, they can find it all if they want. He is not one to think twice before posting and once he nearly exposed a Starish project in pre-production. The agency put him on probation and they had to monitor everything before he posted it. But, since he updates so often, they gave up and left him with a slap on the wrist. His Snaps are often silly videos of him joking around with [read: annoying Tokiya] the others.

Syo

His Snap is LIT at all times. He is that person that just makes you hate that your life isn’t theirs. He always seems to be having more fun than anyone else in the world. His stories be centuries long if we’re just being real but they’re so entertaining you can’t look away. Otoya and Natsuki make appearances in his snaps on a regular basis. His Instagram is a more humble look at his life, shockingly. He usually posts photos of himself and the others in the studio or on the set of an interview with captions like: ‘All in a day’s work,’ ‘So ready for you guys to see what we’ve got in store for you ;),’ ‘Love my job!!’

Masato

Have you ever witnessed your grandparents using Facebook?  Okay, good. Imagine that but instead of Gma or Papa, imagine Masato. Haha. Just kidding. He’s not that bad but he’s not what one would call proficient. His Twitter and Insta are half-ran by a PR person and half-ran by himself. He’s never sure what he should or shouldn’t post so the promotional posts always outweigh the candid posts.  Go to his Insta if you want to see a candid video of him, playing the piano and singing! On the rare occasion that he does actually post on his own, it’s always something like a photo of a beautifully prepared meal with the caption: ‘Itadakimasu!’, a picture of a waterfall he visited or some shit and on the rarest of occasions, a stunning selfie. He doesn’t use Snapchat but that doesn’t stop him from making appearances in anyone else’s snap.

QUARTET NIGHT

Reiji

He is another guy that lives it up and doesn’t mind sharing all of his good times with the public. He’s most active on his Snapchat. He loves giving fans a behind the scenes look at his life. He once made an entire Story he called ‘Getting Ready with Onii-chan!!.” Fans were able to witness a shirtless idol, walking around his place with bedhead and a bonus cooking class. Did anyone really care about the cooking class? No. He was still shirtless. Glorious? Everyone else thought so. Anytime he meets a fan out in public (non-work related) he features them on his Snap. The other members of QN are often shown in his Stories as well. Now, whether or not they wanted to be is up to your interpretation.

Ranmaru

Although he has an account on every mainstream social media platform there is, they’re all ran by his PR team. He has 0 dealings with them. He is more interested in spending his time watching Youtube videos.  He has an account that is oddly named and he lives in the comfort of knowing he can comment and like any video he wants without having to think twice about what it could do to his reputation. Not only does he not have to worry about being stalked by fans but there’s no way for his activity to be monitored by the agency.

 Ai

He’s more of a forum kind of guy because he’s always interested to learn other people’s opinions on things. But if he had to choose at least one popular social media platform that he uses often it’d likely be his Twitter account. He prefers it to Insta and Snapchat because it is the most impersonal form of social media. To him, social media is just another way to stay relevant with his audience. He can post the most abstract thing and generate thousands of like and RTs which gets the job done.

Camus

It’s not that he tries to rub the idea that he lives a better life than you in your face, it’s just that…. He truly does live a better life than you and you just have to accept that as fact. He likes to pretend that he doesn’t care about social media but the truth is, Instagram is his guilty pleasure.  Just one look at his elegant aesthetic and you’ll know how much time he spends on it. To be fair, at first he wasn’t interested in the app but after time went on he found himself curious and voilà now he has the most beautiful Instagram you’ve ever laid eyes upon. Honestly, his Insta makes even the wealthiest people look like peasants.

[pogueman]

Samsung's Bixby voice assistant is ambitious, powerful, and half-baked

Can you imagine what it must have been like at Samsung when they came up with Bixby?

Manager: “OK, people. Apple (AAPL) has Siri, Google (GOOG, GOOGL) has its Assistant, Microsoft (MSFT) has Cortana. Amazon (AMZN) has that Alexa thing. We’re the only major player without a voice assistant!”

Underling 1: “But since our phones run Android, they already have Google Assistant built in. It wouldn’t make sense to create a second voice assistant on the same phone, would it?”

Underling 2: “Like that’s ever stopped us before? Samsung Reminders? Samsung Pay? Samsung Notes? HELLO?”

Manager: “Sheila’s right. I’m sick of being called a copycat company! We need to leapfrog the others! Our assistant won’t just tell you the weather and set alarms—ours will perform complete, multistep tasks!”

Second-in-command: “Cool! Yes! Like, ‘Send the last picture I took to my wife!’ Like ‘Take a selfie, apply the black-and-white filter, and post it to Instagram!'”

Manager: “And what’s more, we’ll someday expand this technology across the entire Samsung archipelago! It’ll be in our fridges! And washer-dryers! And cameras!”

Underling 1: “Um, but we have no experience with writing voice assistants. No database of voice samples. No voice-analysis experts.”

Manager: “Hey now, Ms. Doubty-Face. Let’s not stomp on my dreams. We’re going to write this thing, and what’s more, we’re going to have it done in time for the launch of our flagship Galaxy S8 phone!”

Underlings, together: “WHAAAAA—?”

You get the idea. From the beginning, Bixby (as the new voice assistant is bizarrely named) has been overly ambitious and underly polished.

It wasn’t ready in time for the Galaxy S8’s American launch. The phone comes with a dedicated Bixby button on the left edge, but for four months, it did absolutely nothing. (And when people tried to write hacks that assigned that button to do something, Samsung released a patch that blocked them.)

Well, Bixby is finally here. That Galaxy S8 button finally does something. Unfortunately, it’s not often what you want it to do.

After months of delay, Bixby is here.

How Bixby works

You can press the Bixby button as you issue your command, or you can speak hands-free by preceding each command with “Hi Bixby,” much as you can say “Hey Siri” or “OK Google.”

The training setup requires you to utter eight sentences, like “Hi Bixby,” “Hi Bixby, turn on Bluetooth,” “Health is always important,” and so on.

Now, you might assume that this unusually long training session will guarantee unusually good speech recognition. You’d be wrong.

Standard commands

The best way to show you how hit-or-miss Bixby’s performance is? Maybe it’s just to show you what you’d get if you could try it yourself.

Green means, “Bixby worked!” Blue means, “Bixby FAIL!”

Let’s start with the everyday commands, which your Apple or Android phone can already do:

Set an alarm for 7:30 a.m.

Open Settings.

Read my new messages.

What’s the weather? (Bixby: “Hmm, I can’t determine your current location.” The hilarious part is that the phone knows perfectly well my current location—which it displays just above the message saying that it doesn’t!)

You can’t determine the location? How about looking HALF AN INCH HIGHER ON THE SCREEN?

How many new emails do I have? (Bixby: “No problem. I’ve filtered the emails.” What?)

Send an email to Nicki about tomorrow’s lunch. (Bixby creates an outgoing email message, sure enough—but addresses it to “Nicki about tomorrow’s lunch.)

Create a new note called Rainy Day Activities. (It works—but the note is saved on the phone only, in a dedicated Samsung Notes app. The note doesn’t appear on the web or on any other machines, as it would if you used Siri or used Google Assistant.)

Add margarine to my Grocery List note.

Turn on “Do Not Disturb.”

Create an appointment for Friday at noon called “Fishing with Bob.” (Creates the appointment, but the title is only “Fishing.” Bob’s nowhere to be found.)

How many pictures did I take today? (Bixby: “OK! Let’s set up Samsung Health.” What the—??)

Tell me a joke. (Well, half credit. Bixby tells you a joke, but they’re terrible. “Who is Samsung’s favorite supehero? Super AMOLED!”)

Is a wombat a mammal? (Bixby hears, “Is a wombat a memo?” no matter how clearly, slowly, and repeatedly I asked. I already realize that a wombat is not a memo.)

When is the next Indians game? (Bixby displays only a link to the Major League Baseball schedule site, rather than showing the answer, as Siri does.)

Call Sarah.

Send a text to mom saying, “See you at Thanksgiving.”

What is Apple’s stock price? (Bixby displays a paragraph about Apple from Wikipedia—no mention of its stock price.)

What’s a 17% tip on $42? (Bixby displays links to online tip calculators. Siri and Google display the answer.)

Bixby is especially pathetic when it comes to navigation.

What pizza places are nearby? (Bixby: “Looks like there’s a connection problem.”)

Find me an Italian restaurant nearby. (Bixby opens Google Maps—promising!—but then stops, saying, “It looks like we experienced a slight hiccup.”)

Give me directions to JFK airport. (Bixby: “Which one?”)

Give me directions to the Empire State Building. (The “slight hiccup” error message appears after 10 seconds.)

In all cases, Bixby is very, very slow—plenty of videos online show how badly it lags behind Siri or Google Assistant.

It’s also fairly confusing. Most response bubbles include the baffling phrase, “You’re in native context.” And every so often, you’re awarded Bixby XP points for using Bixby. Samsung suggests that if you accumulate enough, you’ll be able to earn valuable prizes. OK, but if you have to bribe your customers to use your app…

Phone-control commands

Bixby may be super-lame at performing the usual voice-assistant commands. But to its credit, it can control your phone in some very literal ways that most other assistants can’t. For example:

Turn on the flashlight. (How great is that!?)

Take a selfie. (Bixby open the Camera app, turns on the front camera, and displays a three-second countdown. It’s terrific.)

Scroll down.

Go to the Home screen.

Open the Quick Settings panel.

Open Display in Settings.

Tap “blue light filter.”

Open the app drawer. (Bixby hears the command correctly, but displays the app store, and opens the keyboard for searching.)

Show me my apps? (Bixby asks, “Which one?” and lists three of them.)

Open the app tray. (Bixby invites you to change the grid-spacing settings for your apps.)

Yes, of course, it’s always faster to use your finger; Bixby does everything slowly. But sometimes, your hands are full, or your brain is full and you can’t remember how to get to something.

Compound commands

Where Bixby is supposed to shine, of course, is performing more elaborate commands that would leave its rivals in the dust.

Set an alarm called “Milk the cows” at 4:30 a.m., Monday, Wednesday, and Friday.

Crop my most recent photo.

Text my latest photo to mom. (Man, this one is so useful and reliable, it’s almost enough to make me forgive the rest of Bixby’s brokenness. Almost.)

Find the pictures I took today and put them into a folder called Summer Break. (Amazing!)

Open Voice Recorder and start recording.

Open Instagram and post my most recent photo, with the caption ‘Rainy Monday.’”

Open Facebook Messenger and send the message, “I’m running 20 minutes behind” to Christine. (If you have only one Christine in your Facebook contacts, opens the message-composition screen, but doesn’t fill in the message you specified.)

Open Facebook and post my latest photo. (Bixby gives that “slight hiccup” message.)

Bixby works only in apps that have been specially adapted to work with it. That includes 15 of the phone’s built-in apps—Gallery, Contacts, Phone, Settings, Messages, Camera, etc.— plus about 20 ‘Bixby Labs’ apps, which presumably means they’re still under development. They include Facebook (FB), Twitter (TWTR), WhatsApp, Gmail, Google Play Store, and so on.

Bixby not as Billed

It’s incredible that a company as global and deep-pocketed as Samsung would release software as half-baked as Bixby. True, the company has a long history of writing apps that only kind of work (cough *S Translator* cough). But something as important and essential to the phone—and to the company’s future—as Bixby? Come on.

Bixby will improve, of course. And some of the things that do work are so compelling and useful, Apple and Google should be ashamed not to have thought of them. “Turn on the flashlight” and “Text my most recent photo to Robin” are particularly brilliant.

For now, though, be grateful that your Samsung phone also has the “OK Google” assistant on it. You can use that for all the everyday queries that Bixby botches, and use Bixby for the few things it’s really good at. You just have to learn which assistant to trigger when.

As for the name Bixby? No, it’s not named after Bill Bixby, star of the 1978 “The Incredible Hulk” TV show; it’s named for a bridge in California. That turns out to be apropos, because surely not even the managers and underlings at Samsung believe that Bixby is a finished product. If anything, it’s only a temporary bridge—to, we hope, something much better.

More from David Pogue:

Is through-the-air charging a hoax?

Electrify your existing bike in 2 minutes with these ingenious wheels

Marty Cooper, inventor of the cellphone: The next step is implantables 

The David Pogue Review: Windows 10 Creators Update

Now I get it: Bitcoin

David Pogue’s search for the world’s best air-travel app

The little-known iPhone feature that lets blind people see with their fingers

David Pogue, tech columnist for Yahoo Finance, welcomes nontoxic comments in the comments section below. On the web, he’s davidpogue.com. On Twitter, he’s @pogue. On email, he’s poguester@yahoo.com. You can read all his articles here, or you can sign up to get his columns by email. 

[topicprinter]

Hope this helps someone - I wrote this as a reply to a few people in /r/SEO and had good DM's about it, so decided to just make it a post. The list is table stakes for any online marketing, and certainly isn't exhaustive - hopefully others can add their suggested tasks to it too?Get yourself Google Tag Manager (tagmanager.google.com) and install that pixel on the pageGet all your tracking pixels in the tag container - so your Facebook Tracking Pixel, then Twitter, Quora, Adwords, LinkedIn, Reddit - they all have tracking pixels mate. Get all of them! Also get hotjar.com or crazyegg.com so you have some actual visibility on your site as to what people are actually doing - every swipe, tap, mouse movement and click - all recorded for you to see what people are ACTUALLY doing on your site versus what you THINK they're doing!Get your Google Search Console hooked up with your Google Analytics hooked up with your Adwords - there's heaps to this, and it's a pain in the arse, won't lie. I can help you remotely on this if you need a hand or someone else in r/forhireSetup your conversion pixel events in all the ones i mentioned in (2) - these are different to the standard page tracking pixels, as they track who comes to which of your pages: What a CONVERSION pixel does though, is to track when someone purchases, or where they sign up to your newsletter or call you etc - actual things that make you money there and then, as opposed to just tracking.Create custom audiences in Facebook, Twitter, Adwords and all the ones in (2). A custom audience is where you take your existing emails and upload them into each platform, where the platform then matches the emails to accounts on that platform. Now you may only have 100-200 emails for example, and these WON'T be enough to then run an advert to, BUTTTTT you can then create "lookalike audiences" in the platforms where each platform goes off and finds people that very closely match the qualities, aspirations, hopes, dreams, desires and marketing demographics of the millions of available people it has data on (see why Facebook is under massive PR scrutiny now?) and then gives you that audience to then market to.Create a newsletter opt-in that pops up on the site after a set scroll period and/or time on site. Also set the popup to appear when someone is exiting the site - this is literally called an "exit intent" popup. They were going to leave anyway, so might as well try and get their details.Create further custom audiences of people that visit specific pages or click specific buttons or who add to shopping cart but then dont purchase - as well as one for purchasers too! These custom audiences will be great for what we call "retargeting" or "remarketing" - they're where people come to your site, and do some shit but don't buy anything for example, but the tracking pixels "fire" and when they go back into their social media platform of choice - well, there is the retargeting advert for the product they were looking at or the category they were choosing from. You will have seen this yourself when looking at a piece of clothing or wallet or whatever - when you dont buy it, the product then seems to follow you around the internet no matter where you go (if the marketer is skilled enough!)MAKE SURE you have your Google Analytics setup with your ecommerce package too - so when people start to buy, you know where they are, what device, what time best converts, how many times they came back to the site before purchasing - and then be able to break down which product(s) are selling best based on actual data rather than gut feels.Make sure you have your Instagram account setup for business use, and make sure you apply for shopping tags usage - these will be invaluable for you to have people tap on your item picture in your feed WITHOUT ads (sometimes!) for people to then tap and buy there and then. Powerful stuff but you have to get your instagram account verified as a business.Speaking of business verification - get your Google My Business all setup too. We've talked about Analytics + Search Console etc here already, but when you get your Google My Business all setup with address on the map that gets verified, phone number, web address and open hours etc - that then leads to great things: Review extensions, location extensions and call extensions and basically ALL the Adwords Ad Extensions can then be used to trounce your competitors. All can be setup free, apart from the PPC obviously!Get cracking with video content! Show some products being made, show them in use from customers who tell how happy they are, show kids with your patches - really pull at heart strings and invest someone's emotion watching the videos. Yes, even for patches.Setup your YouTube channel too - get those videos up there on YouTube and Facebook on your business page AND ON YOUR PERSONAL FB Profile too! Do business from your personal profiles and treat all the social networks as business avenues now, rather than post family and friends shit - still DO that, but keep it to a minimum so you can show people some transparency on the person BEHIND the company.Get ALL your videos you post, transcribed with captions from rev.com - $1 per video minute, and it helps in getting your video watched and ranked.If you're hooked up in your Google Search Console, feel free to then activate your YouTube cards with the link back to your site that can be sprung at any time during the video. Here's the kicker though - YT recent fucked everyone in small business just starting out, by saying you can't have that feature unless you have a load of subscribers and watch time. Buy them. Don't worry about it - you're not giving a flying fuck about these fake subscribers as you're ONLY doing this to get the YT Cards with Link feature unlocked. Don't feel bad or fake - YT brought this on themselves.Live stream your heart out. Live stream the devices being made and again, show viewers some genuine heartstring tugging stories. That shit gets shared. A LOT.Instagram influencer marketing is good when it works - but check their account for number of fake followers Vs genuine followers. There's heaps of free tools around, but at time of writing Facebook (who own instagram) are cracking down on their API so a lot of the tools will stop working soon. Find one. Rape it for info as much as you can for as long as you can, and then DM these account holders offering them a referral fee - you'll need a UTM tracking URL for that Influencer to give out so you can track any sales back to them. OR you can agree to a set fee - say 4c per genuine follower for a shout. Results will vary, but at least you know you got tools to analyse an Insta account now.I can't help but think that Facebook, Instagram and Youtube Ads for visibility and traffic, with MAYBE Adwords for retargeting (retargeting traffic is way cheaper than "cold" traffic, by the way) would be the way to go for this. Just a hunch.See if you can get some PR by using SourceBottle or HelpAReporter and being featured in blogs, magazines, TV etc as a "feel good" story. Free to do, just your time.Run a search on your competitors sites using WhatRunsWhere and see what keywords they're using on their site - you then use that info to write blogs around those keywords and also to run better ads than them on Adwords!MAKE SURE you have your telephone number on the site too - a lot of times people just want to talk to someone. At the top of your page, put the number and the "Message Us" too - this could be a Facebook Messenger widget button that will then message your page, or if could be using something like the billions of website instant messaging SaaS out thereIf you're going to have the traditional "Get Newsletter" snoozefest, then make sure you have a great CRM that you're going to USE to send those cool as fuck and interesting newsletters - start with MailChimp or Active Campaign or wowtools.io (AC or WOW!Tools better as you can "tag" your contacts. These tags allow you to automate sending based on those tags existing or not - another conversation about all this as it's more complex than to write here, about audience segmentation and marketing automation etc). There's a cool as fuck Wordpress plugin to use called wowq.io - this can ask them all questions on a popup quiz or questionnaire and then tag each answer they give, which then "talks" to your CRM and then auto sends out your email content based on their answer(s). Useful. Paid.Try and use Reddit iAmA - you'll be selling without selling, as you answer (hopefully!) a bajillion questions about your industry. It's a bit outside the norm what you do, so Reddit will love it. Don't hard sell - just answer questions and be transparent and yes, even give your links where appropriate.Hopefully this is some cool info to get you going in the right direction (or anyone else reading this). Feel free to DM me if you need a hand. I do this shit day in day out for clients around the world.PLURAlso, wowtools in private beta. HMU if you want a cheeky little demo.

[unionmetrics]

What it’s like when your dog is Instagram famous

We build the analytics around here so it’s easy for us to get caught up in things from that end of the spectrum. With that in mind, we’re reaching out to some different perspectives on using social media, from Instagram influencers to podcasters and more.

This is an interview with Melissa Kraemer, momager for popular Instagram couch hound Brim (named for Wilford Brimley) the mastiff. We wanted some insight into what it’s like to run an Instagram account with 23.2k followers (and counting) for your dog, so we reached out and asked some questions. Brim was disappointed that none of the questions were edible.

Like this? Have an interesting perspective for a guest post? Shoot us an email or find us on Twitter @UnionMetrics and tell us all about it. 

1. What prompted you to start Brim’s account and how has what you post (or don’t post) on it changed as he has gained more followers?

I started Brim’s Instagram account before we even brought him home, because I’m extra like that. It honestly started as a place I could spam a bunch of puppy pictures without everyone unfollowing my personal accounts, but then I found myself posting on his Instagram account more than any other social media account. Now that it’s more than just my friends following, I definitely try to post less “Brim amongst my messy house” pictures and stay away from posting pictures that are too dark or too blurry, but mostly the content is “weird dog sitting on the couch like people”, like it’s always been.

2. Do you monitor any specific metrics around his Instagram account and/or use those to plan what you post in the future?

I’m a terrible social media manager, I’m surprised Brim hasn’t fired me by now. I always keep an eye on the amount of followers, and every time he reaches a milestone we do something special. I tried to shoot and confetti gun for when he reached 10,000 followers, but it turns out he found that terrifying. We settled on giving him a cheeseburger with “10k” written on it which he found much more satisfying. I try to monitor which hashtags seem to be drawing the most attention, but I could be much more diligent about analytics than I am.

3. Is there any part of social media marketing or strategy running Brim’s account has made you want to learn more about?

I think having a strategy and even scheduling posts is something that I have always meant to do but have yet to really set up. Right now it is very organic, I act as a paparazzi while Brim just goes about his normal life (read: he does nothing) and I slowly post the best pictures with the best captions I can come up with. There really is no strategy, albeit I sometimes try to get special pictures to celebrate holidays or make a jab at something in the news. I would really like to pre-schedule posts and have my captions ready to create a little more consistency, but so far I have just spent my extra time hugging my large dog until he runs away from me.

4. Are you often approached by brands to partner with them or promote their products? Have any been a hilariously bad fit? What’s your strategy for handling good or bad offers?

Yes! Every so often we get a message to partner up with a brand. Most of them are in the correct lane: treats, brushes, collars, etc. More often than not, the ones we jump on are free product in exchange for a post/review. Brim is a very excellent treat-tester with a refined palate, so it’s a no-brainer. I try to stay away from promotions where we have to buy something or where we get commission from pushing sales unless it’s a product I really believe in and trust. Luckily, we don’t get too many weird or off-base offers. Sometimes a collar company will ask us to promote their collars with out carrying a size that would even fit Brim’s ginormous neck(s). A lot of the time, people will want my to promote their dogs account which I don’t quite understand. If someone has put together a nice message for their brand, I usually try to reply respectfully with a “thanks, but it’s not for us.” Sometimes I am known to us the ignore button as well.

5. Do brands want specific, metrics-based results from working with you?

So far, the companies that have approached us have been pretty relaxed, just asking for us to tag them in a picture or video of Brim using their product without much info on how they are tracking metrics.

I think the brands that approach us can tell how “relaxed” I am about his social media, so we don’t get approached my the more serious brands— yet.

6. Do you have any specific frustrations with running this kind of account on Instagram? (Changes with the algorithm, etc?) What differences do you experience between Instagram and Brim’s FB Page?

The algorithm change was really frustrating, especially for keeping up with what other dog Instagram accounts I admire are doing. Personally, I’m really bad at replying to comments and keeping up with the many wonderful people who comment daily on Brim’s feed. I start out strong responding to people, but suddenly I am 40 comments behind and I’m overwhelmed. I am better at managing his Facebook feed since it is a little more seamless with my own account, but I also don’t post as much on his Facebook as I do on his Instagram. We get a lot more engagement on Instagram; I think it’s more where people go for their cute dog pictures.

7. What logistical problems do you face running a popular Instagram account; pressure to update when you’re at work or on vacation? Pressure to constantly improve content while you’re juggling a full-time job and regular life?

I think the pressure to update at all times in the biggest thing. Obviously, I’m obsessed with my dog and I usually have enough pictures post even when I’m busy. But there are times when life gets pretty crazy and I just don’t have the time or the pictures to update like I normally do. I try to be proactive when I go on vacation and make sure that I have enough content to update while I’m away. Though, if I don’t post for a couple days, there are some super fans that will notice and message us asking if Brim is ok (which is sweet). I also struggle with being the annoying paparazzi when Brim and my husband are both like “Let us live, woman” when I always have my camera out.

The price of frame, Brim. The price of fame.

8. What’s one thing you wish the general public knew about what it’s like to run an Instagram account for your internet famous pet? Similarly, what advice would you have for someone whose pet is gaining a following on Instagram?

At least for our situation, I wish people knew that my famous dog is still. . .a normal dog. He has neurosis, he’s afraid of new situations and people and the general city life, so he can’t go to public events or out for walks on busy streets. He is a terrible listener. He drools a lot. He sleeps a lot. 90% of his day he is just hanging out, doing nothing Instagramable. We can’t really pose him as he is terribly stubborn. I think people assume that I am spending my nights training him to do cute things or bringing him for public appearances to enhance his brand, but we aren’t doing any of that.

I think if you have a dog who responds to training and poses, great! You’re miles ahead of us in having some really cool content and bond with your dog at the same time. But if you’re like me and just wanted a cool way to obsess over your dog who happens to be super charismatic by just being his grumpy self, that’s cool too. Don’t force things and make sure your dog is happy and loved. If you get a fuzzy feeling from staring at your dog just being himself, chances are, someone else will too.

Also, hashtags are your friend :) 

9. Does Brim get any trolls? Do you have a strategy in place for dealing with trolls?

We get tons of trolls. Lots of fat shamers. Yes, people fat shame my dog. I mean, he’s a big boy. I call him fat to his face all the time (sorry, bud), but he’s not overweight in the unhealthy sense, he’s just a mastiff. I used to get real worked up about it and message people his vet’s number so that they could call her with their concerns about my “severely obese dog”, but I usually just block and delete now. Brim has some really wonderful and devoted fans that will come to his rescue and yell at his trolls before I even see the comment, so that usually scares them away.

If I ever have enough free time to fat shame strangers’ dogs on the internet. . .well I hope I find a better hobby.

10. Finally, just how big of a diva is Brim now? Has he presented you with a rider for unlimited snacks and outdoor couches?

Brim has always been a huge diva— his sense of entitlement is at Mariah Carey levels at this point. He pretends he hates when I whip my phone out, but he usually hams it up even more after a few seconds of fake bashfulness. I expect his MTV Crib’s episode to be full of Cristal and over-the-top bubble baths.

We have, on multiple occasions, almost gotten him an outdoor couch, but the second it got wet he would probably demand a new one. What kind of monster makes their dog sit on the ground?!

A huge thanks to Melissa for agreeing to answer our questions for this post! You can follow Brim and his couch adventures on Instagram here.

Got another perspective for us on social? Don’t be afraid to shoot us an email or find us on Twitter @UnionMetrics and tell us all about it.

And check on your own Instagram account with our checkup to see the best time for you to post, and more.

[makeitwithmike]

Crowdfire Monthly — June

By Crowdfire

Last month’s feature releases product improvements and bug fixes

“How we spend our days is, of course, how we spend our lives.” — Annie Dillard, 1989

“And also our months.” — Ann Maria, 2017

So, without further ado, here’s how we spent our slightly rainy days at Crowdfire this June.

Tailored Posts

Get the most engagement with these perfect posts, customised for each of your social networks. Take a quick look at the previews and tap, tap, share!

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Smart Posts Power-Up

Want that botched seafood cafe review to disappear? Maybe the crocheted sweaters your audience loved last winter are now out of season? No worries, simply block them from your recommendations — just for now or forever — you decide!

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Under the Hood ⚙️ (June bugs, quite literally!)

Web, iOS and Android

There used to be an error while scheduling images from your mobile device’s Photos app using the share extension. Used. To.

Images would not get posted to your Facebook page from your image recommendations. Neither would Facebook links. FIXED!

The “Post Now” pop-up for Instagram was being quite bothersome, trimming your caption text like nobody’s business. FIXED!

This was a painful phenomenon that many of you experienced — the quality of images being published was rather poor Frown no more, we brought back the high-resolution quality!

Rejoice! We added UnSplash as an image source for your recommendations. Say hello to high quality beautiful pictures

I think I’m quite GIF-ted with accomplishing tasks on our Trello

Meet our amazing users

From our Spotlight series ✍️

From Drug Dealer to Acclaimed Author

Catch up with our Podcast

http://bit.ly/2tz4KDQ

User of the Month

We have our HotShot YouTuber — VeixxBeats. A music producer from Finland, VeixxBeats earns their living by selling original tracks on their website.

With more than 15k subscribers (and growing!) this beat-maker draws about 50k views a week to their channel. Go ahead and give them a listen!

What people around the world are saying about Crowdfire

What We’ve Been Reading

We’re in love with Gary Vee — here are two gems from him on Instagram networking and being successful!

How To Network On Instagram DM

Why 1 View is Everything

That’s all, folks

We’re winding down to a close, but really we’re winding up for all that July promises. Anything you’re looking forward to this month? Feel free to share your thoughts, feedback and suggestions in the comments

http://bit.ly/2tyNdfc

Psst… Continue the conversation with us every Thursday on #cfchat and join our tribe on Twitter!

Ann Maria is a Content Crafter at Crowdfire. She’s thinking of changing her name to JuneBug.

Hey there! Missed out on the May Update? Catch up here:

Crowdfire Monthly — May

Crowdfire Monthly — June was originally published in Going Big — The Official Crowdfire Blog on Medium, where people are continuing the conversation by highlighting and responding to this story.

The post Crowdfire Monthly — June appeared first on Make It With Michael.

from Crowdfire Monthly — June

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Getting good at social media marketing is not as hard as you think. A lot of entrepreneurs suck at it, and once I got into consulting, I started to see some common trends. I wanted to shed some light on the subject because I am so passionate about the technology, I believe social media can accelerate your growth and unlock countless doors for your business. PS this was originally posted from a FB Group I run called "Sales and Marketing Society" so if the topic interests you, PM me, or search the name, and find more content around the subject on Facebook.The mistake many make is treating every social network the same. You should never treat any two marketing mediums the same, your content and growth strategy should always be customized and contextualized to the medium, and in order to do this well, you need to first put time and effort into learning about each platform.With that said, here are two tips for you on the topic.Tip #1 - Understand technology and the mechanics behind the social network, so you can discover the tricks to visibility and growth. Every social media platform has different algorithms and different sets of rules, and you need to know how the machine works (at least at a basic level) in order to hack it and grow within it!Tip #2 - Understand the way people consume information & content on that social network, and the way they communicate with each other, so you can produce your content in a way that resonates and is congruent with the community/medium.Think about any technology, or marketing medium, like a person. You wouldn’t treat every person you meet the same way right? You probably communicate with your significant other different than your Barista at Starbucks, or your grandmother….The key to getting better at dealing with people is realizing everyone is unique and has their own way of thinking and communicating. You have to be inquisitive and develop your EQ skills to pick up on peoples vibes.So - the key to getting better at social media is understanding the entity you are dealing with. Put in the work to understand the way people interact and share content on each platform. Put in the work to learn the technology of the platform, realize that every social network is one of a kind and operates differently.What this means is that the tactics and strategies to build a great quality and large following, to later monetize in some form.....are ALL DIFFERENT AND NATIVE TO THE PLATFORM! It's scary because this requires putting in more effort, and stepping up your game. Get help! Pickup a book! Come to the Facebook community and ask questions or follow my youtube channel Alex Cassata and Il keep ya up to date :)My first love when it comes to digital marketing was Instagram. I became really good at growing an instagram following for a business that will engage and buy products/services. The reason I have been successful with instagram is because I know how it works. I have put in the work to learn what type of content people want to see on Instagram. I have learned how people act when they are on the platform, and the tendencies of the average user. I also know how the machine of Instagram works. I know that it organizes content on the newsfeed not chronologically anymore. I know that instagram wants to show really good content to other users, and it will promote your content if your content get’s a ton of likes and shares, because it uses your engagement as feedback as to whether your content is being enjoyed, and whether its worth bumping up or not to show to more users. I can go on all day about specific but the bottom line is this - you can win very easily if you make the commitment to learning - learn the mechanics and tech of the platform, learn what kind of people go on the platform, why, and learn how they use the platform. Here's a deeper look into those 2 tips mentioned earlierTip #1 - Learn the mechanics of the platform. Learn what to do to boost visibility of your content and your account and the path to growth will uncover itself. At the end of the day, the most successful companies are the ones that create good products/services, and get the most people to know about their products/services and buy. To build awareness for your business and cause, you just have to put out great, relevant content, and make sure it is seen by your target market as often as possible.Remember this - although it sounds intimidating to understand how the business model and technology behind a business as large as Instagram or Youtube works, all you have to do is understand a few key things really well. You don’t always need to know everything about a subject, you just need to know enough about the important things around the subject.The key thing you need to understand in order to grow and develop a following is the nuances for enhancing visibility of your content. On Instagram, you are very likely to get a picture featured on the Explore page (The front page, when you click the earth symbol) if you get “Power likes” which is when influencers engage with your content. On youtube, youtube takes data and feedback from the first 24 hours of your content being published very seriously. If you get a ton of traction within a market in the first 24 hours of posting a video on youtube, youtube will be more likely to bump up your content in the search results for that specific market, leading to you getting more views, fans and eventually customers.Tip #2 - Adapt your content to each platform and the type of people that use it. Don't be lazy, put in the work to learn put in the work. Study the way the platform works and what makes it different than other platforms. Who hangs out there, what are they like, how do they like to consume and share information? What’s the context of the users, how often do they use the social network, and how do they use it? How long do they normally stay on?Do people like shorter and more concise content on that specific platform, or do people tend to consume longer more detailed types of content? Do people come to the platform video, audio, or written content, or a specific combination? An easy way to figure this stuff out, is to find a competitor way ahead of you, and see what they are doing and what’s working well.Here’s one way I use this strategy. When creating content to connect with my fanbase, find new fans, and give value, I take a topic I want to write about, and rather than post the same thing everywhere, I take my ideas and re-create the content for each specific place I am going to put it. Right now you are reading this post on facebook. On my instagram you can see a different post I made about the subject that’s shorter. On youtube you will see a video published this weekend about this topic, which is longer, in video form, and contain different info and insightsPeople tend Tend to scroll really fast down the newsfeed and when they log-on the platform they often don’t spend massive amounts of time. It’s usually to kill a few minutes, and the typical user will scroll down the newsfeed very fast. On any platform you need to be exciting enough to get someone’s attention, interesting enough to keep someone’s attention.Pictures with contrast, vibrant colors, clear and high quality shots…these are just a few things I do to increase my position in the battle for attention on Instagram. In all of my content I focus on the universal marketing principles to gain attention and interest, for example using headlines and captions that tell stories, targeting emotions, asking questions etc….but because of the nature of Instagram I need to put extra emphasis on the face value and attention grabbing score of the image.*Quick tip for you since we are on the subject - when selecting a photo, look from afar. Put your phone far away from your eyes and ask yourself “Does this image grab my attention without me reading it or knowing what it’s about”. What I like to do is go to My Photos and look at the image when it’s only a tiny spot on my screen and it’s side by side with a ton of other photos. If the image still grabs my attention and wows me, then it's to grab someones attention on the fact paced instagram news feed,Seriously don't be lazy about this. Or be lazy and then be poor, this shit's not going to get any easier. Technology is becoming more advanced and more competitive as an industry so social media will by all means continue to evolve, so stay up to date on what works. Find books and mentors that can help you stay relevant and stay ahead. Step your game up with social media, digital marketing as a whole.If you want to see an example of someone using the strategies I mentioned and honestly just executing on social media marketing at scale so well, just observe Gary Vaynerchuk. When it comes to marketing and media, he does a lot of things right & I have been observing him for a while now. The way he communicates, creates content, distributes that content is way different on every platform. Every social platform serves as a different tool with a different purpose for him. Of course with marketing your end goal and bottom line should be the same, but the way you use each platform to push you towards your goals need to be unique and adapted to the medium.Hope this helped, drop a comment if anything I mentioned in particular resonated with you!