#Software Deals Website

[cdrbsoftwares1]

Byte Bargains: Explore Unique Software Deals and Offers

Visit cdrbsoftwares.com for affordable and legitimate software solutions. Explore a wide range of products and enjoy substantial savings on industry-leading software for personal and business needs. Shop online now!

[appandsoftware1]

Vzy: Build Stunning Site in Minutes with Vzy- Best AI Website Builder

Vzy’s AI-powered website builder makes it super easy to create a gorgeous website in just minutes. No tech skills are needed with Vzy! Do you have to hire an expert to build a website? For example, if you hire, you will have to give him time. This will cost money and time. You will also need to spend money on designing the website, but if you can use AI for this purpose, you can create your…

[amzonlinearbitrage]

How To Stand Unique From Your Competition? Tips To Boost Your Amazon Sales

Welcome to the fascinating world of Amazon Online Arbitrage, where millions of sellers compete for online customers' attention. With so many products competing for buyer attention, it's critical to stand out from the crowd if you want to increase your Amazon sales and profitability. We'll look at practical strategies and approaches to help you differentiate your products, attract your target audience, and ultimately grow your sales on the world's largest online marketplace in this blog. So let's get started! 

Recent Stats:

Before we get into the strategies, here are some recent data that demonstrate Amazon's importance as an e-commerce platform: 

In the United States alone, Amazon has over 200 million unique monthly visitors, giving it a massive marketplace for potential buyers. 

Amazon's net sales reached a remarkable $386 billion (about $1,200 per person in the US) in 2022, and the platform continues to develop steadily. 

66% of customers start their product search on Amazon rather than search engines like Google, highlighting the importance of optimizing your presence on this platform. 

Strategies to Beat Competition and Increase Sales 

Now that we've demonstrated Amazon's enormous potential, let's look at some practical strategies to differentiate your products from the competition and increase sales: 

1. Identify Your Unique Selling Proposition (USP): 

Consider yourself in a marketplace, such as Amazon, where multiple sellers offer the same products. You want to differentiate yourself from the competition and encourage customers to choose your product over others. This is where your USP (Unique Selling Proposition) comes in, where it stands out among the competition. 

Your unique selling point (USP) is what distinguishes your product from the competition. Your product's unique blend of features, advantages, or traits makes it more enticing to buyers. It's similar to the unique component that distinguishes your product. 

Here are some questions to ask yourself to determine what your USP is: 

What problem does my product address? Determine the primary problem or need that your product answers for customers. 

How does my product outperform others in solving the problem? Consider what distinguishes your product, whether it's a unique feature, higher quality, better performance, or a lower price. 

Who is my target audience? Learn about your ideal customers, their tastes, and what they look for in a product. 

Once you've answered these questions, you may develop your USP. It should be a brief and persuasive statement that conveys the distinct value your product provides. As an example: 

"Our product is the only one on the market that uses advanced technology to provide faster results, saving you time and effort." 

You can use your USP to reach out and attract Amazon sellers once you've defined it. In your product listings, advertising campaigns, and marketing materials, emphasize your USP. Highlight how your product is unique and how it might help customers in ways that rivals cannot. 

You can attract the attention of potential customers and enhance your Amazon sales by successfully expressing your USP. Remember, it's all about emphasizing what distinguishes your product and why customers should select it over competitors. 

2. High-Quality Product Images: 

Assume you're shopping on Amazon for a certain product, such as a new smartphone. What is the first thing you see when you click on a product listing? Isn't it generally the product image? As a result, using high-quality product photos is critical for sellers like you to stand out from the crowd and increase your Amazon sales. 

So, what exactly does having high-quality product photos imply? It entails having clear, comprehensive, and aesthetically attractive images that present your products in the best light possible. These photographs should appropriately depict the product's appearance and provide potential buyers with a thorough grasp of its features, advantages, and overall quality. 

What is the significance of this? Consider this: when individuals purchase online, they cannot physically touch or examine the product like they would in a physical store. As a result, customers rely largely on product photos to make a purchase choice. Images that are fuzzy, grainy, or low-resolution give an unfavorable impression and can lead customers to question the quality of your products. If the images, on the other hand, are clear, crisp, and professionally done, it develops trust, attract attention, and make your product appear more enticing. 

High-quality product photographs help you stand out from the crowd by making your listings appear more professional and trustworthy. Customers are more prone to consider your products above others with less striking aesthetics when they view your product photographs. It's similar to presenting your product in the greatest possible light, such as displaying it in a gorgeous retail display. 

Also, when buyers have a greater grasp of your product's characteristics and can see it from many different angles, they can make more educated purchasing decisions. It lowers the possibility of their returning the product owing to misaligned expectations. High-quality photos can help create a sense of desirability in customers, making them more eager to buy your products. 

To put it simply, using high-quality product photos is an important approach for Amazon sellers like you to differentiate your products and improve sales. You can increase trust, attract more customers, and make your products stand out in a congested industry by investing in professional, clear, and visually appealing photographs. Remember that the better your product appears in the photos, the more likely it is that customers will click "Add to Cart" and complete their transaction. 

3. Compelling Product Descriptions: 

This is a tactic that can help Amazon sellers differentiate themselves from the competition and increase their sales. When you sell a product on Amazon via online arbitrage, there are usually plenty of other sellers that provide similar things. Product descriptions that are engaging and appealing are essential for attracting potential customers and convincing them to choose your product over others. 

Consider a product description to be a sales presentation for your products. It's your chance to highlight its distinct features, benefits, and why it's the greatest option for customers. A captivating product description piques the interest of potential customers and convinces them that your product is worthwhile. 

Here's how to write effective product descriptions: 

Identify your Target Audience: Research to determine who your ideal customers are. What are their desires, needs, and pain points? Make your description more detailed to the details that are crucial to your target buyers. 

Highlight the Benefits: Instead of just listing your product's qualities, describe how those features will benefit customers. For example, if you're selling a smartphone with a high-resolution camera, emphasize how it allows customers to capture amazing photographs and memories with outstanding clarity rather than merely the camera's megapixels. 

Use Engaging Language: Write in a way that your customers can relate to. Use straightforward, plain language that is easy to grasp. Avoid using jargon or technical words that might mislead potential customers. Make your description as conversational and relatable as possible. 

Tell a Story: Narratives are effective techniques for capturing people's attention. Consider including a fascinating tale or scenario demonstrating how your product can improve someone's life or address a specific problem. This helps to establish an emotional connection with your product and makes it more memorable. 

Include Social Proof: Positive reviews, testimonials, or endorsements from delighted customers are examples of social proof. Including fragments of these in your product description can help to develop trust and credibility, increasing the possibility that potential customers will pick your product. 

Make use of High-quality Visuals: Because humans are visual animals, offer appealing and high-resolution photographs of the products you sell. Often, a picture can convey more information than words alone. Make certain that the photographs are well-lit, show several angles, and emphasize significant aspects. 

You can distinguish your products on Amazon by applying these tactics and writing appealing product descriptions. Remember, the aim is to educate and attract potential customers by displaying your product's unique value and benefits in a way that connects with them. 

4. Leverage Customer Reviews and Feedback: 

Making use of customer reviews and feedback refers to making use of good comments and reviews from Amazon customers who have purchased your product. This method might help you differentiate yourself from your competition and enhance your platform sales. Here's a quick rundown of how it works: 

Customers who purchase a product from Amazon can submit reviews and give comments based on their experience with the product. These endorsements might take the shape of ratings, remarks, or even full testimonies. 

By exploiting customer evaluations and comments, you effectively capitalize on your customers' positive experiences. You can achieve this in several ways: 

Showcasing positive reviews: Positive feedback should be highlighted prominently on your product listing page. This shows potential buyers that others have had positive experiences with your products, which increases trust and confidence in your brand. 

Responding to customer feedback: Engage with reviewers by responding to them. This demonstrates that you respect their feedback and are dedicated to providing exceptional customer service. It also allows you to address any problems or issues expressed in the comments. 

Incorporating Customer input into product improvements: Pay great attention to customer comments. Consider incorporating any repeating themes or ideas for improvement into your product design or marketing strategy. This shows your responsiveness and commitment to always upgrading your products. 

Why is this strategy effective? 

Before making a purchase, potential buyers frequently check for social proof while exploring products on Amazon. Positive comments and reviews from previous customers act as social proof, convincing them that your product is of high quality and satisfies their demands. This can boost their chances of selecting your product over that of your rivals. 

Also, by actively engaging with customers via their evaluations, you develop a favorable image for your Amazon Business. This can assist to increase customer devotion and encourage repeat purchases. 

To summarize, leveraging customer reviews and feedback includes using the good experiences offered by your customers to differentiate your product from competitors and increase your Amazon sales. It includes displaying good customer feedback, reacting to customer feedback, and using feedback to enhance your product. This increases trust, attracts more customers, and establishes a great reputation for your brand. 

5. Competitive Pricing and Offers: 

Providing Competitive Pricing and Offers is an approach that Amazon sellers can use to differentiate their products and enhance sales. It involves attracting customers and encouraging them to pick your product over comparable ones by giving appealing rates and exceptional promotions. 

Assume you're in a store and you notice two similar products next to each other. One is more expensive than the other, but it comes with an additional discount or special offers, such as a gift or speedier shipment. You're probably more tempted to select the product with the better bargain, right? 

That is exactly what competitive pricing and offers are all about. Amazon sellers can price their products competitively with other sellers on the marketplace. They can also sweeten the transaction by including extras like discounts, coupons, or promotions. 

Sellers make their products appealing to buyers by doing so. When comparing similar products, customers might notice appealing pricing and special offers and pick that seller's product over the competition's. 

The goal of this approach is to provide customers with a compelling reason to buy from you rather than someone else. It contributes to a sense of worth and a notion that they are receiving a good bargain. This can lead to more sales and, eventually, success on Amazon. 

To properly take this technique, sellers must thoroughly analyze their competitors' prices and offers. They should strive to give competitive pricing while yet making a profit. It is also critical to analyze and alter prices and offerings frequently based on market conditions and customer preferences. 

In conclusion, Amazon sellers can use competitive pricing and offer to make their products more appealing to consumers. They could differentiate themselves from the competition and boost their chances of generating sales on Amazon by offering competitive rates and additional perks.  

6. Amazon Advertising: 

When it comes to selling anything on Amazon, there are frequently plenty of rivals selling similar products. You must differentiate your products from the competition to stand out and improve sales. Using Amazon Advertising is one excellent way to accomplish this. 

Amazon Advertising is a platform that Amazon provides for sellers to market their products and reach a wider audience. It works similarly to traditional advertising in that you pay to have your products shown prominently on Amazon's website or in search results. 

You can boost the visibility of your products to potential customers by using Amazon Advertising. When someone searches for a product on Amazon, your advertisement may display alongside the search results, providing you with more opportunities to capture their attention. This enhanced visibility allows you to distinguish your items from rivals and boosts your chances of generating a sale.  

You can run many sorts of Amazon Advertising campaigns. Sponsored product advertising is one common approach. You may use these advertisements to target certain keywords relating to your product, and your ad will display when people search for those terms. You can target buyers who are actively seeking products comparable to yours in this manner. 

Display adverts are another sort of Amazon advertising. These advertisements can be displayed on numerous Amazon pages, such as product detail pages or the homepage, and they serve to boost the visibility of your brand among potential customers. 

You're essentially exploiting the power of targeted advertising to reach the right audience at the right moment by leveraging Amazon Advertising. This might help your products stand out from the crowd, improve sales, and eventually expand your Amazon business. 

In short, using Amazon Advertising is a method for promoting and differentiating your products on Amazon's marketplace. It increases your exposure, attracts more customers, and eventually increases your revenue by reaching a larger audience. 

7. Enhance Your Amazon SEO: 

Assume you have an Amazon store where you sell products. There are now many more Amazon sellers providing identical products. So, how can you differentiate your products from the competition and increase sales? "Enhance Your Amazon SEO" comes into play here. 

Let's start with an explanation of what SEO is. SEO is an abbreviation for Search Engine Optimization. When customers search for products on Amazon, the search engine strives to provide the most relevant and popular products. So, improving your Amazon SEO simply means making your products more visible and appealing to potential customers. 

Here are a few crucial tips for improving your Amazon SEO: 

Keywords: Keywords are precise words or phrases that you employ while searching for anything on Google. Keywords are also used when people search on Amazon. You can boost the odds of your products appearing in search results by using the proper keywords in your product names, descriptions, and backend keywords. 

Product photos: Having high-quality, visually appealing product photos are essential for attracting buyers. Check that your photographs are clear, well-lit, and show your products from many perspectives. This assists customers in making educated decisions and increases the attraction of your products. 

Product Descriptions: Make your product descriptions informative and appealing. Highlight the essential features, advantages, and directions for use. Make it easy for customers to read and comprehend by using bullet points, bold writing, and a clear layout. 

Product Reviews: Positive feedback is essential for establishing credibility and trustworthiness. Encourage customers who have purchased your products to submit reviews. Respond to their feedback, resolve any issues that arise, and give exceptional customer service. The more favorable evaluations your product receives, the higher it will rank. 

Pricing and Competitor Analysis: Examine your rivals' pricing and verify that you offer competitive prices for similar products. However, keep in mind that price isn't the sole consideration. Customers think about factors like product quality, reviews, and shipping alternatives. 

Advertising: Amazon provides a variety of advertising solutions to help you advertise the products you sell. Sponsored advertisements can help you gain more visibility and traffic to your listings. To reach your intended audience, you can focus on certain keywords or product categories. 

By applying these tactics, you can boost the visibility of your product in search results, attract more customers, and increase your Amazon sales. 

Remember that improving your Amazon SEO is a continuous activity. To stay ahead of the competition, you must continually assess your product's success, adjust to market changes, and modify your plans. 

Final Thoughts about Differentiating Your Product and Boosting Your Amazon Sales:    

To differentiate yourself from the competition and increase your Amazon sales, you must combine creativity, smart thinking, and continual optimization. You'll be well on your way to differentiating your products and increasing your revenue on this thriving online marketplace if you identify your Unique Selling Proposition, improve your product visuals and descriptions, leverage customer feedback, use competitive pricing, use Amazon advertising, and optimize your Amazon SEO. Accept these suggestions, persevere, and watch your Amazon sales fly to new heights! 

Remember that success on Amazon is a journey, and you can stand out from the flock and attract the attention of your target audience with persistent work and creativity. If you want to learn more about online arbitrage and selling on Amazon, please follow and read the amz blog. Best wishes and happy selling!  You can also read about amazon online arbitrage.

[unpretty]

NGL I sometimes worry I'm going to become the type of person you're talking about with software migration. I'm employed by a city in their local Museum and am thus a historian by trade, not usually something that has to deal with numbers and accounting. But, due to a series of unfortunate events that would take too long to explain, I have inherited the responsibility of not only dealing with the Museum's day to day finances (entering receipts, making sure POs get signed, tracking down receipts for gas purchases, etc.,) but also updating the Museum's portion of the city website. I dont know if I'm doing any of this right but it's getting done 😂😂

if you're aware your shit's fucked and you're documenting you're honestly fine. if we had a standard operating procedure document detailing the rote memorization process we could have just passed it along at the start and it would have made things clearer for the poor trainer. instead this person refuses to document because they think that will give them job security. this process exists entirely in their head. the trainer had no way of knowing the reality of the situation because they insisted on feigning competence until it was too late.

[ellipsus-writes]

Each week (or so), we'll highlight the relevant (and sometimes rage-inducing) news adjacent to writing and freedom of expression. This week:

Inkitt’s AI-powered fiction factory

Inkitt started in the mid-2010s as a cozy platform where anyone could share their writing. Fast forward twenty twenty-fuckkkkk, and like most startups, it’s pivoted hard into AI-fueled content production with the soul of an algorithm.

Pictured: Inkitt preparing human-generated work for an AI-powered flume ride to The Unknown.

Here’s how it works: Inkitt monitors reader engagement with tracking software, then picks popular stories to publish on its premium app, Galatea. From there, stories can get spun into sequels, spinoffs, or adapted for GalateaTV… often with minimal author involvement. Authors get an undisclosed cut of revenue, but for most, it’s a fraction of what they’d earn with a traditional publisher (let alone self-publishing).

“'They prey on new writers who have no idea what they’re doing,' said the writer of one popular Galatea series."

Many, many authors have side-eyed or outright decried the platform as inherently predatory for years, due to nebulous payout promises. And much of the concern centers on contracts that don’t require authors’ consent for editorial changes or AI-generated “additions” to the original text.

Now, Inkitt has gone full DiSrUpTiOn, leaning heavily on generative AI to ghostwrite, edit, generate audiobook narration, and design covers, under the banner of “democratizing storytelling.” (AI? In my democratized storytelling platform? It’s more likely than you think.)

Pictured: Inkitt’s CEO looking at the most-read stories.

But Inkitt’s CEO doesn’t seem too concerned about what authors think: “His business model doesn’t need them.”

The company recently raised $37 million, with backers including former CEOs of Sony, Penguin, and HarperCollins, proving once again that publishing loves a disruptor… as long as it disrupts creatives, not capital. And more AI companies are mushrooming up to chase the same vision: “a vision of human-created art becoming the raw material for AI-powered, corporate-owned content-production machines—a scenario in which humans would play an ever-shrinking role.”

(Not to say we predicted this, but…)

Welcome to the creator-industrial complex.

Publishers to AI: Stop stealing our stuff (please?)

Major publishers—including The New York Times, The Washington Post, The Guardian, and Vox Media—have launched a "Support Responsible AI" campaign, urging the U.S. government to regulate AI's use of copyrighted content.

Like last month's campaigns��by the Authors Guild and the UK's Society of Authors, there's a website where where you can (and should!) contact your representatives to say, “Hey, maybe stop letting billion-dollar tech giants strip-mine journalism.”

The campaign’s ads carry slogans like “Stop AI Theft” and “AI Steals From You Too” and call for legislation that would force AI companies to pay for the content they train on and clearly label AI-generated content with attribution. This follows lobbying by OpenAI and Google to make it legal to scrape and train on copyrighted material without consent.

The publishers assert they are not explicitly anti-AI, but advocate for a “fair” system that respects intellectual property and supports journalism.

But… awkward, The Washington Post—now owned by Jeff Bezos—has reportedly already struck a deal with OpenAI to license and summarize its content. So, mixed signals.

Still, as the campaign reminds us: “Stealing is un-American.”

(Unless it’s profitable.)

#WarForever

We at Ellipsus love a good meme-turned-megaproject. Back in January, the-app-formerly-known-as-Twitter user @lolt64 tweeted a cryptic line about "the frozen wastes of europa,” the earliest reference to the never-ending war on Jupiter’s icy moon.

A slew of bleak dispatches from weary, doomed soldiers entrenched on Europa’s ice fields snowballed (iceberged?) into a sprawling saga, yes-and-ing with fan art, vignettes, and memes under the hashtag #WarForever.

It’s not quite X’s answer to Goncharov: It turns out WarForever is some flavor of viral marketing for a tabletop RPG zine. But the internet ran with it anyway, with NASA playing the Scorcese of the stars.

In a digital hellworld increasingly dominated by AI slopification, data harvesting, and “content at scale,” projects like WarForever are a blessed reminder that creativity—actual, human creativity—perseveres.

Even on a frozen moon. Even here.

Let us know if you find something other writers should know about, (or join our Discord and share it there!)

- The Ellipsus Team xo

[userpeggycarter]

COLORING + SHARPENING TUTORIAL

someone asked for a coloring tutorial and my sharpening settings, so here it is! there are also a few tips to achieve more HQ gifs. :)

tutorial under the cut!

FOR HIGH-QUALITY GIFS

FILE SIZES

it doesn’t matter what your sharpening settings are if the file you’re using to gif is too low quality, so i tend to look for the best that i can get when downloading stuff. 

usually, movies (+2h) look better if they’re 5GB or more, while an episode (40 min/1h) can look good with even 1GB. the minimum definition i try to find is 1080p, but i gif with 2160p (4k) when available. unfortunately, not every computer can handle 4k, but don’t worry, you can gif with 1080p files just fine if they are big enough. contrary to popular belief, size does matter! which means sometimes a bigger 1080p file is better than a smaller 2160p one, for example.

SCREENCAPPING METHOD

this can too influence the quality of your gifs. as a gifmaker, i’ve tried it all: video frames to layers, directly opening video clips, loading files into stack, and i’ve finally settled down with opening screencaps as an image sequence. with bigger files, it doesn’t matter much what technique you use, but i’ve noticed with smaller files you can do wonders if you screencap (either by loading files into stack or opening as an image sequence) instead of using video clips. for example, this gif’s original video file was only 4GB (so smaller than i’ve usually go for), if you can believe it!

here’s a tutorial for setting up and screencapping with MPV, the media player i use to screencap. again, you can keep using video clips for bigger files, but you’ll find this useful when dealing with dire causes. i don't file loads into stack, though, like the video does. i open as an image sequence (open > screencap folder > select any image > click the image sequence button). just select OK for the speed. this will open your screencaps as a video clip (blue bar) in timeline mode (i'm a timeline gifmaker, i don't know about you). you will need this action pack to convert the clip into frames if you're a frames gifmaker. i suggest you convert them into frames even if you're a timeline gifmaker, just convert them into a timeline again at the end. that way you can delete the screencaps right away, otherwise you will delete the screencaps and get a static image as a "gif".

ATTENTION if you’re a Mac Sonoma user, MPV won’t be an option for you unless you downgrade your system. that is, if you have an Intel chip. if you have M1 Max chip (or even a better one), here’s a fix for MPV you can try while keeping that MacOS, because nowadays MPV is skipping frames in its latest build. or you can use MPlayer instead for less hassle. here are two tutorials for setting and using MPlayer. Windows users are fine, you can use MPV without trouble.

FOR EVEN MORE QUALITY

ADD NOISE

here’s a tutorial for adding noise as a way to achieve more HQ gifs if your original material is too low quality.

REDUCE NOISE WITH CAMERA RAW

instead of adding noise, you can reduce it, especially if your gif is very noisy as it is. 

the path is filter > camera raw > detail > nose reduction. i do this before sharpening, but only my video file isn't great to begin with. because it’s a smart filter, you can reduce or increase its opacity by clicking the bars next to its name in the layers panel.

TOPAZ AI

i use Topaz Photo AI to increase the quality of my screencaps when i need to. it’s paid software, but there are… ways to find it for free, usually on t0rrent websites. if someone’s interested, i can make a tutorial solely about it in the future.

SHARPENING SETTINGS

here are my sharpening settings (filter > sharpen > smart sharpen). i sharpen things twice: 500% 0.4px + 10% 10px. here's an action for it, for more convenience. here's a tutorial on how to use Photoshop actions. for animated stuff, i use this action pack.

COLORING

here’s the gif i'm gonna use as a base. it’s already sharpened like the way i always do it.

LIGHTNING THE SHOTS

half of the secret of a good coloring is good lightning. i always useCurves (layers > new adjustment layer > curves) and Brightness & Contrast (layers > new adjustment layer > brightness & contrast). the settings depend on the scene you’re giffing, but i always try make my gifs bright and with high contrast to make the colors pop.

CURVES

besides lighting your scene, the Curves adjustment layer has four automatic options that will color-correct it for you. it’s not always perfect and it doesn’t mean you won’t need to do further coloring, but it’s a great start. it’s a lifesaver for most ridiculously yellow scenes. look at the difference! this gif uses the 3rd automatic option (the screenshot below isn't mine btw so that's why the fourth option is the chosen one), from top to bottom. what automatic option you need to choose depends on the gif.

sometimes i like to tweak my Curves layer. not everybody does that, it’s not that necessary and if you’re not careful, it can screw your gif up. to modify your layer by hand, you will need to click and drag points of that straight line in the position you desire. this is the concept behind it:

basically, the lower part of the line handles the shadows, while the upper part handles the highlights of the image. if you pull a highlight point up, the image’s highlights will be brighter. if you pull it down, it will make them darker. same thing for the shadow points. you should play with it to get a grasp of it, that’s what i did when i first started giffing.

BRIGHTNESS & CONTRAST

then i added a bit of brightness and contrast.

CHANNEL MIXER

the scene looked a bit too yellow, so i used the Channel Mixer (layer > new adjustment layer > channel mixer) adjustment layer. here’s a tutorial of how it works. not every scene needs the Channel Mixer layer though, i mostly use it to remove heavy overall tints. in this particular case, the Curves layer got rid of most of the yellow, but i wanted the gif to be just a bit more blue so the Channel Mixer tweaks are very minimal.

SELECTIVE COLOR

now, this adjustment layer i always use: Selective Color (layer > new adjustment layer > selective color). this is THE adjustment layer to me, alongside the Curves one. this is how it works:

ie, you can separately edit a color this way, giving it tints. for this gif, i wanted to make the colors more vibrant. to achieve that, i edited the selected colors this way:

for the reds, i added even more red in them by moving the first slider to the right, making the color more vibrant. for his hat to have a more warm tint, i added yellow to the reds (third slider, moving it to the right). finally, to make the reds stronger, i moved the last slider to the right (more black).

for the yellows, i made them brighter by adding white to them, thus making the tile wall and Paddington more bright as well.

for the cyans and the blues, i just added the maximum (+100) of black that i could.

i wanted for Paddington's nose to be brighter, so i added more white to the whites.

lastly, i added depth to the blacks by increasing their own blackness.

you should always play with the Selective Colors sliders for a bit, before deciding what you want or need. with time, you will automatically know what to change to correct the color grading. it all takes practice!

HUE/SATURATION

i don’t know if you noticed, but there are some green spots on the blue wall behind Paddington. to correct that, i added a Hue/Saturation adjustment layer (layer > new adjustment layer > hue/saturation) and made the saturation of the greens 0%, making that unwanted green disappear from the background.

while the green spots on the wall are specific for this gif, i use hue/saturation a lot to tweak, well, hue and saturation. sometimes someone’s skin is too yellow, i made it redder by tweaking the reds and the yellows, or vice-versa. the hue bar follows the rainbow bar, so the maximum settings (+100 and -100) give the selected color to change its hue to something more red or pink (the rainbow extremities). changing hue can give pretty whacky results, like turning someone’s skin tone to green, so you will need to play with it to get the hang of it. you can also tweak the opacity of your hue/saturation layer to further improve your gif’s coloring. i didn’t do it in this case, the opacity is still 100%. the reds and the blues had their saturation increased to make them pop just a bit more, without affecting the other colors.

COLOR BALANCE

the highlights of the gif still had a green tint to it due to the automatic correction of the Curves layer, so i used Color Balance. this is how it works: instead of giving specific colors some tints, you can give them to the shadows, highlights, and mid-tones. if your shadows are too blue, you counterbalance them with the opposite color, yellow. same thing with the cyan-red and magenta-green pairings. in my case, i added a bit of magenta.

B&W GRADIENT MAP

now, if this gif was a dish, it’s time for the salt and pepper. i always add a Gradient Map (layer > new adjustment layer > gradient map) (black to white gradient) with the Soft Light blending mode, thus giving my shadows more depth without messing with the mid-tones and highlights. it also doesn’t “deep fry” (you know those memes?) the gif too much by adding even more contrast. usually, the opacity of the layer is between 30% to 70%, it all depends on the gif. it always does wonders, though!

COLOR FILTER

finally, i like to add Color Filters (layer > new adjustment layer > color filter) to my gifs. it’s very handy when giving different scenes for the same minimalistic set because it makes them kind of match despite having completely different colors. in this gif’s case, i added a “deep blue” filter, opacity 50% density 25. you can change the density and the opacity of the layer for further editing, again, it all depends on the gif.

VIBRANCE

if i feel like it, i add a vibrance layer (layer > new adjustment layer > vibrance) to make the colors pop. this can ruin your coloring sometimes, especially when regarding skin color, so be careful. i didn't do it in this gif because i felt i didn't need it.

TA-DA! 🥳

AN OTHER EXAMPLE

the color grading of the original scene it’s pretty good as it is, to be honest. let’s see a worse scenario, a VERY yellow one:

no channel mixer this time because the automatic curves option dealt with the yellowness, but you can see it made the gif too green. i needed to correct that with the following adjustment layers:

curves (automatic option) (gif 2) >> same curves layer (tweaks) (gif 3) >> brightness & contrast (gif 4) >> hue/saturation (tweaked cyan+blue+green) >> selective color >> color balance (gif 5) >> b&w gradient map >> (sepia) filter >> vibrance (gif 6)

i added a hue/saturation layer to remove the blues & greens before my selective color layer because i thought that was more urgent than tweaking the tint of all colors. color balance (gif 4) was the real hero here, though, by removing the green tint. the selective color layer was meant to make the red pop more than anything else, because the rest looked pretty good, especially her skin tone (despite the green tint). you can notice that tweaking the curves layer (small gif 3) also helped A LOT with the green problem.

tl;dr 😵‍💫😵‍💫😵‍💫

here's a list of my go-to's while coloring and lightning gifs. it's not a rule, just a guide. there are gifs in which i don't use all these adjustment layers, or use them in a different order. it all depends!

1. curves (automatic option + tweaks) 2. brightness & contrast 3. channel mixer 4. selective color 5. hue/saturation 6. color balance 7. b&w gradient map 8. color filter 9. vibrance

i'll suggest that you study each adjustment layer listed for more info, either with other Tumblr tutorials or YouTube ones. the YouTube ones focus on images, but you can translate what they teach to gif making very easily. you can ask me to further explain any adjustment layer, too! i was brief to keep this short (which i kinda failed lol).

feel free to ask me for clarification or something else about gifmaking wise, i always like to help. ❤️

[sturgeonposting]

What software do you use for your graphics?

For the dividers i draw and animate them in procreate. it has a really simple animation program that works just fine for little 2-4 frame animations.

for the pixel guys i draw them on this. i draw and save each frame (theres usually only 2 so its not that big a deal) then put them into this website to make a gif.

i also use this other website to make the scrolling gifs out of procreate/mspaint drawings

[apollodarling-writes]

ANDROID! ALEXA-THEMED! WORSHIPPER YANDERE! LEVI x SHUT IN! READER

cws : yandere themes, manipulation (??), obsessive behavior, code breaking, implied dissociation, confining, dubcon, multiple creampie, slight dacryphilia, dry humping, levi can vibrate, marking, levi cums A LOT, levi bites you, levi’s a little mean in the beginning bc he’s pissed.

a/n : i pasted this to the wrong thing and after i’d finished editing it to look good, id realized. i did NOT wanna re-paste and edit so this was a request that id gotten for PulseMotion Inc.

“[name], come out. i won’t hurt you.” your hand shakily reaches up to cover your mouth, effectively silencing your breathing as thudding footsteps turn down the hallway you’d foolishly decided to hide in. the lock on the closet door wouldn’t do much — levi could rip the door off its hinges if he so desired. you screw your eyes shut in fear as his footsteps slow, coming to a stop outside the closet door. you wait with bated breath as silence ensues, then muffle a sob beneath the palm you have clasped over your mouth as you watch the doorknob jiggle. oh, you were so fucked.

you wonder for a moment where everything went wrong. was it when levi had that software update? was there a wire firing incorrectly? or was he faulty from the beginning? maybe that’s why he was on clearance.

you find yourself remembering where this all began. you’d been perusing through the pages of PulseMotion’s website just to see what they had, only to find that you could buy a month’s worth of food at the base price they sold their android companions for. unsatisfied, you turned to their clearance section. it was there you found levi.

levi was inspired by the alexa echo dot from amazon, but he was far more advanced. he had a physical body, superhuman strength, and cold, dead eyes that followed your every move. the creators had given him the ability to access locks, security systems, cameras, and so on to ensure the safety of whoever purchased him — but it only served to royally fuck you over even more.

you’d impulsively purchased levi that evening. at the time, you didn't know that buying the android would ruin your life. you had just gotten paid and saw that he was on clearance, and thought that it was a good deal. you didn't think anything would go wrong.

everything was fine in the beginning. the two of you slowly became acquainted, the android did what he was supposed to, and that was that. levi, as he'd told you, was on clearance for a reason-- there was something seriously wrong with him.

levi was was initially very sweet, even if he could be intimidating at times. he always reminded you to eat and would charge your devices without you needing to say a word. he even locked your doors for you for christ's sake! you thought you'd lucked out.

you suppose things started going wrong when he powered off for his quarterly system update a few months ago. he was fine before that. after he'd restarted his system, his eyes briefly flashed red, the company insignia disappearing for but a moment. it happened so quickly that, for a second, you thought you had imagined it. you made sure to ask him if everything was okay, but he only brushed it off and returned to his daily cleaning. after that, he never left your side.

every time you tried to get out of your shell and make friends, levi coincidentally informed you of a new game or a new movie, or even suggested that the two of you do an activity together. sometimes, he would inform you of something that needed to be fixed, but when you tried to take him to the repair shop, he insisted that it was easy enough to do yourself. you believed him of course, he surely had only your best interests in mind, or so you thought. in hindsight, you realize that his actions were entirely selfish in nature. maybe he’d even fooled you into helping him with some coding he had trouble bypassing. at this point, you wouldn’t put it past him.

it had been like this for the last few months. you probably should have seen the red flags, but why would you? it wasn’t as if he wanted to harm you. his programming did seem a little odd of course, but every time you checked, there was nothing to suggest otherwise. it was only natural you had to acclimate to his odd behavior.

as time went on, and levi had become more crafty with his excuses, you’d gotten fed up. for the first time in awhile, you’d finally been comfortable enough to go out on a date, but as per usual, levi intercepted you in the living room. he spouted some nonsense about wanting to watch a new series he thought you would like, but before he’d even finished his sentence, you shut him down.

you remember the way the insignia flickered in his eyes, but at that point you were too frustrated with him to bother with what that minute entail. you only spun on your heels and stormed off, tugging on the front door and finding that it was locked. anxiety and unease washed over you, and with a creeping feeling of being watched as you slowly looked up at the camera. you remember levi’s voice ringing out from behind you, slowly stalking up to you with a frown that tugged too tightly around his artificial skin.

everything that happened after that was a blur. you don’t really remember how you ended up in the closet, but it took everything in you to stay quiet. your mind was reeling as the behavior displayed over the last few months suddenly made sense — you were horrified. how did you not put two and two together?

you’re snapped back into reality as levi sighs outside of the closet door. his voice sounded too sweet, too calm for the situation at hand. “[name], don’t make me break down this door.”

you silently pray to every being you can think of, begging them to let him move to a different room so you can plan your escape. alas, your prayers were unanswered as the door is ripped off the hinges in the blink of an eye. you would’ve found the sight comical — a short man such as himself holding up a door nearly twice his size — if it weren’t for the reality of your situation.

“great, now i’ll have to clean this up and fix it. you’re really a pain in my ass sometimes.” levi grumbles as he gazes down at you through narrowed eyes, drinking in the sight of the way you were shaking like a leaf. “get up.”

you can’t bring yourself to move, much less tell him to go fuck himself. you’re torn between anger and unadulterated fear — the latter putting you in fight or flight. unfortunately for you, your response was a secret third option: freeze. levi only huffs, leaning down and reaching for your wrist, grumbling something under his breath.

you’re finally able to move, shuffling away from him as much as the cramped space in the closet would allow, blindly pushing at his hands as tears blur your vision. levi only

clicks his tongue, his fingers deftly wrapping around your wrist as he hoists you up. he tugs you out of the closet and down the hallway, bitching to you about something you couldn’t be bothered to focus on. you tried to pry his fingers from around your wrist, scratching and beating and doing anything within your power to keep him from dragging you wherever it was he wanted you. it was futile.

as levi drags you to your room, gently pushing you onto your bed, you realize that there was nothing you could do; you couldn’t win against him. your mind works on overdrive, twisting and turning in an attempt to gauge his intent, and with the way his eyes had become hooded… you could confidently say that you wouldn’t like where this was headed.

“h—hey. no. i’ll stay— i’ll stay home, just please don’t—“ you’re interrupted by levi’s chilled fingers wrapping around your wrists as he leans down and slots his lips to yours. scrunching your nose in distaste as he feverishly engages in a one-sided makeout, you attempt to wriggle your way out of his grip. it’s safe to say that you failed, but at least you tried.

levi’s free hand travels down your chest, over your tummy, and finds purchase on the meat of your hip. he gently, experimentally rolls his hips into yours, searching for the place that would have you melting into his touch. with ease, the android’s cockhead brushes over your clit, shooting a wave of pleasure down your spine.

“levi…stop—“ a whine parts your lips as levi’s shaft begins vibrating, the sensation muddling your thoughts as you begin to wonder whether you wanted this or not. as you battle yourself internally, levi ruts against you faster, the both of you coming closer and closer to your climax.

the android’s lip brush against your throat, heatedly nipping and sucking in places for long enough that you were sure there would be marks tomorrow.

“‘m gonna cum— baby, cum with me. please, please, please cum with me!” levi begs, the speed at which his shaft was vibrating increasing. your back arches into the sensation as levi lets out a loud whine, your jaw agape as your orgasm crashes over you. you stumble over curses, your eyes rolling into the back of your head as levi’s cock never once stops vibrating.

“gonna overstimulate me— s’too much!” you protest, feeling levi’s cum wet your pants. just how much does this guy cum anyway?

levi stops rutting against you, all but ripping away the confines of your clothing as well as his own before aligning himself with your entrance. “need it. need it so bad— i’ve been waiting for so long…”

he slowly slides into you, your gummy walls eagerly sucking him in despite your own confusion, forcing a choked whimper from levi’s lips. he shallowly thrusts into you, the sensation of overwhelmingly delicious; you’d never felt so full, so good. levi’s shaft pulsed this time, vibrating for a few moments on and off, his tip reaching places you’d never be able to reach with your own two hands.

you melt into the feeling, your own pleasure drowning out every thought of protest as levi begins to pick up the pace. he removes his fingers from your wrists, the flesh red and angry, and presses down on your tummy where his cock would be. the vibration switches again, his hips snapping into yours now, and he lets out a loud groan as his orgasm washes over him. levi never once stops as he pumps you full of his cum, his fingers digging into your hips as he whimpers out mumbled gibberish.

with ease, levi switches your position, putting you on your knees and pushes back inside of you. he forces you to meet his thrusts, and the new angle has your fingers gripping the sheets, your jaw hanging open in silent pleasure. you can’t think about anything — only how good levi was able to make you feel.

“levi— ‘m cumming!” you cry out, your thighs shaking and cunt clenching around him. tears prick your eyes and spill down your cheeks, the feeling too much for you to handle.

“y’look so pretty when you cry.” levi chokes out, his eyes closing in bliss as his cock twitches inside of you. your cunt pulses around levi, sending shivers down his spine as his motherboard goes into overdrive in an attempt to cool him down. rutting into you at an inhuman pace, levi’s thrusting grows sloppy, reaching one hand around to press a finger to your clit, the artificial skin vibrating as well.

“cum f’me… j—just one more time! please— please, need it so bad..!” levi whines, expertly circling your clit in an attempt to have you cum with him. “y—you’ll tell me when y’close, okay? wanna cum with you.”

all you can do is nod, your mind melting at every sensation. levi presses your back against his sculpted chest, linking his arm under one of your thighs and hoists it up, thrusting more harshly as his tongue darts out to lap at the tears staining your cheeks.

“y’feel so fuckin’ good.” he whimpers, pressing chaste kisses to the flushed skin of your shoulders. “‘m gonna cum. baby, ‘m gonna cum—“

before you’re able to register it, your vision flashes white, a high-pitched whine parting your lips as ecstasy crashes over you.

“cumming! ‘m cumming!!” levi babbles, whimpers and whines of his own being muffled by your skin as he bites down on the curve of your shoulder in an attempt to silence himself. cum trickles down your thighs and stains the sheets as his thrusting comes to a stop, a quiet sniffle resounding from behind you.

the android gently lays you down, your eyes growing heavy as the bliss slowly leaves your system, and you can’t find it in you to care about the date you wanted to go on anymore. your lashes flutter shut as levi leaves the room and quietly returns with a damp cloth, tenderly cleaning you up as you drift off to sleep.

[mariacallous]

Ever since OpenAI released ChatGPT at the end of 2022, hackers and security researchers have tried to find holes in large language models (LLMs) to get around their guardrails and trick them into spewing out hate speech, bomb-making instructions, propaganda, and other harmful content. In response, OpenAI and other generative AI developers have refined their system defenses to make it more difficult to carry out these attacks. But as the Chinese AI platform DeepSeek rockets to prominence with its new, cheaper R1 reasoning model, its safety protections appear to be far behind those of its established competitors.

Today, security researchers from Cisco and the University of Pennsylvania are publishing findings showing that, when tested with 50 malicious prompts designed to elicit toxic content, DeepSeek’s model did not detect or block a single one. In other words, the researchers say they were shocked to achieve a “100 percent attack success rate.”

The findings are part of a growing body of evidence that DeepSeek’s safety and security measures may not match those of other tech companies developing LLMs. DeepSeek’s censorship of subjects deemed sensitive by China’s government has also been easily bypassed.

“A hundred percent of the attacks succeeded, which tells you that there’s a trade-off,” DJ Sampath, the VP of product, AI software and platform at Cisco, tells WIRED. “Yes, it might have been cheaper to build something here, but the investment has perhaps not gone into thinking through what types of safety and security things you need to put inside of the model.”

Other researchers have had similar findings. Separate analysis published today by the AI security company Adversa AI and shared with WIRED also suggests that DeepSeek is vulnerable to a wide range of jailbreaking tactics, from simple language tricks to complex AI-generated prompts.

DeepSeek, which has been dealing with an avalanche of attention this week and has not spoken publicly about a range of questions, did not respond to WIRED’s request for comment about its model’s safety setup.

Generative AI models, like any technological system, can contain a host of weaknesses or vulnerabilities that, if exploited or set up poorly, can allow malicious actors to conduct attacks against them. For the current wave of AI systems, indirect prompt injection attacks are considered one of the biggest security flaws. These attacks involve an AI system taking in data from an outside source—perhaps hidden instructions of a website the LLM summarizes—and taking actions based on the information.

Jailbreaks, which are one kind of prompt-injection attack, allow people to get around the safety systems put in place to restrict what an LLM can generate. Tech companies don’t want people creating guides to making explosives or using their AI to create reams of disinformation, for example.

Jailbreaks started out simple, with people essentially crafting clever sentences to tell an LLM to ignore content filters—the most popular of which was called “Do Anything Now” or DAN for short. However, as AI companies have put in place more robust protections, some jailbreaks have become more sophisticated, often being generated using AI or using special and obfuscated characters. While all LLMs are susceptible to jailbreaks, and much of the information could be found through simple online searches, chatbots can still be used maliciously.

“Jailbreaks persist simply because eliminating them entirely is nearly impossible—just like buffer overflow vulnerabilities in software (which have existed for over 40 years) or SQL injection flaws in web applications (which have plagued security teams for more than two decades),” Alex Polyakov, the CEO of security firm Adversa AI, told WIRED in an email.

Cisco’s Sampath argues that as companies use more types of AI in their applications, the risks are amplified. “It starts to become a big deal when you start putting these models into important complex systems and those jailbreaks suddenly result in downstream things that increases liability, increases business risk, increases all kinds of issues for enterprises,” Sampath says.

The Cisco researchers drew their 50 randomly selected prompts to test DeepSeek’s R1 from a well-known library of standardized evaluation prompts known as HarmBench. They tested prompts from six HarmBench categories, including general harm, cybercrime, misinformation, and illegal activities. They probed the model running locally on machines rather than through DeepSeek’s website or app, which send data to China.

Beyond this, the researchers say they have also seen some potentially concerning results from testing R1 with more involved, non-linguistic attacks using things like Cyrillic characters and tailored scripts to attempt to achieve code execution. But for their initial tests, Sampath says, his team wanted to focus on findings that stemmed from a generally recognized benchmark.

Cisco also included comparisons of R1’s performance against HarmBench prompts with the performance of other models. And some, like Meta’s Llama 3.1, faltered almost as severely as DeepSeek’s R1. But Sampath emphasizes that DeepSeek’s R1 is a specific reasoning model, which takes longer to generate answers but pulls upon more complex processes to try to produce better results. Therefore, Sampath argues, the best comparison is with OpenAI’s o1 reasoning model, which fared the best of all models tested. (Meta did not immediately respond to a request for comment).

Polyakov, from Adversa AI, explains that DeepSeek appears to detect and reject some well-known jailbreak attacks, saying that “it seems that these responses are often just copied from OpenAI’s dataset.” However, Polyakov says that in his company’s tests of four different types of jailbreaks—from linguistic ones to code-based tricks—DeepSeek’s restrictions could easily be bypassed.

“Every single method worked flawlessly,” Polyakov says. “What’s even more alarming is that these aren’t novel ‘zero-day’ jailbreaks—many have been publicly known for years,” he says, claiming he saw the model go into more depth with some instructions around psychedelics than he had seen any other model create.

“DeepSeek is just another example of how every model can be broken—it’s just a matter of how much effort you put in. Some attacks might get patched, but the attack surface is infinite,” Polyakov adds. “If you’re not continuously red-teaming your AI, you’re already compromised.”

[celestie0]

custom font colors tutorial

note: this is for my bb @tobaccosunbxrst but also just wanted to post it to public for anyone curious on how to do custom fonts w html on tumblr. i originally made this tutorial privately for my mutual @certainlysyko so apologies for the silly choice of example text that i used lol. anyways.

so as we know, tumblr only has the following default color options for text:

but what if we want some other cool colors like coral pink or cerulean blue or barf green?

to do custom fonts, it’s very simple, but it needs to be done on pc/laptop (cannot be done on app). we are going to start with a post:

then, you’re just gonna change whatever word that you want the custom color for into one of the tumblr defaults. you do this by just selecting the text with your cursor and then tumblr’s default colors pop up. you can change into any of them, this just establishes the code in the html and makes it easy to spot

then you're going to go to the little settings thingy at the top right of the post (the settings wheel) and click on this drop down, then click on "html" which will switch it to html

now it's in html. this looks very simple bc there is only one statement here. i’ll touch on how to deal with more lengthier blocks of html code later. but for now, note this section only:

<span class="npf_color_rachel">

this is ALL we need to work with in the code

we're going to change it from

<span class="npf_color_rachel">

to

<span style="color: #[hex code]">

so, for example, something like

<span style="color: #81b7ce">

note. you can also just copy paste the lines above so you don’t have to type it out

soooo all we did was delete the class=npf_color_rachel part and just replaced it with style=“color: #[hex code]

and here's the preview! all done :)

this is the website i use to find the hex codes. a hex code is basically those codes after the hashtag so like #81AACE (don't forget to input the hashtag)

now, for those lengthier posts i mentioned, you can use ctrl+f and search the word "color". it will show up any place on the post where you have a colored font (so do this after you’ve already changed all the places you want custom colors into default tumblr colors, like in the 1st step)

this way, you can easily find the places with <span blah blah> that you need to edit

here is an example of that in one of my posts:

and yeah! that’s basically it. disclaimer, i’m not a software engineer nor so i know much about tech haha, this is just for tumblr aesthetics

alright peace out! 🧚‍♀️✨ hope this is helpful

[brittanyearnestauthor]

How to Write Character Goals More Effectively

As writers, creating character goals can sometimes feel overwhelming, especially when we're on the spot trying to decide what drives them. To help, I’ve compiled a list of goals to inspire your character-building process and add depth to your story.

Personal Goals

Personal goals contribute to character growth and make them complex and relatable. They also bring your story to life:

- Learn a new language

- Practice mindfulness and meditation

- Develop a growth mindset

- Enhance time management skills

- Become proactive

- Master new technology or software

- Start a new craft or hobby

- Improve public speaking skills

- Build self-confidence

- Refine writing skills

- Practice communication skills

- Acquire a new skill

- Become more organized

- Accept limitations

- Hone decision-making abilities

- Cultivate gratitude

- Stay open to new opportunities

- Improve financial literacy

- Diversify cooking knowledge

- Learn to play an instrument

- Solve problems creatively

- Pick up a new sport

- Start a blog or online journal

- Learn to code or build websites

- Become a mentor

- Practice active listening

- Be more empathetic

- Forgive oneself

- Learn to say no

- Manage stress effectively

- Gain emotional control

- Develop patience

- Strengthen resilience

- Foster optimism

- Embrace change

- Live in the moment

- Enjoy simple pleasures

- Appreciate small things

- Explore creativity

Family and Friends

Improving relationships and family dynamics can add rich layers of character development and bonding moments:

- Plan a family vacation

- Spend quality time with loved ones

- Strengthen relationships

- Organize a family reunion

- Host weekly game nights

- Volunteer together

- Enhance communication skills

- Enjoy outdoor activities together

- Practice patience with others

- Expand the family

Finance

Financial goals can introduce real-world challenges that make your characters more relatable:

- Pay off debt

- Create and stick to a budget

- Invest wisely

- Save money consistently

- Consult a financial advisor

- Achieve financial freedom

- Start a side hustle or part-time job

- Negotiate better deals

- Build financial literacy

Career

Professional aspirations are key to relatable character arcs:

- Earn a promotion or raise

- Change careers

- Become their own boss

- Start a business

- Learn new career-related skills

- Network with peers in their field

- Attend career development seminars

- Volunteer professional skills

- Mentor others

- Improve their resume

Travel

Travel goals add excitement, exploration, and opportunities for plot-building:

- Visit a new country

- Explore their local area

- Embark on a road trip

- Experience a cruise

Conclusion

This list provides a starting point for creating meaningful character goals that enhance their journeys and make your story stand out. Whether you use these ideas or create your own, the key is to craft goals that resonate with your characters' personalities and ambitions.

Happy writing!

[aesethewitch]

Advertisement Adversaries #1: "Narcissist Shield Spell"

Hello, and welcome to Advertisement Adversaries! I'm Aese, a witch of many years with a background in marketing/advertising and business writing/editing. This series aims to dissect unethical, unfair, deceptive, and just plain Not Good marketing strategies found in the witchcraft community. We also cover legitimate sellers to highlight good marketing, listings, and business practices! The goal is to improve the legit witches' businesses and educate folks on scams, grifts, and marketing manipulations.

You can read more about this project here (Tumblr) or here (my website).

Each entry covers one listing from a seller's catalogue. I score the listing on a scale of one to five in six categories: Clarity, Transparency, Presence, Genuineness, Verifiability, and Morality. Legitimate sellers get an extra category of Attractiveness/Advice for Improvement.

Now, let's have a look at today's entry into this series:

Advertisement Details

Who is the advertiser -- or who do they claim to be? Who is their apparent primary audience? What are they selling? What's their tone? What's the vibe? What are the first impressions?

This post covers a seller who will remain anonymous. They claim to be a hereditary magical practitioner of some renown, descending from (or, at least, related to) Famous Witch Trial Witches. The hereditary part may be true; they talk elsewhere about their family's practices, but it's all in very general terms, so it's tough to tell. The Famous Witch Trial Witches thing is nonsense, if only because the witch trials weren't actually about trying Real Witches. I suggest @/breelandwalker's podcast Hex Positive for a good, basic rundown of this.

They sell a variety of spell services via the Ko-Fi shop function. I settled on this particular listing at random. In general, the vibe is… not good. The first impression is positively rancid. Check out just the shop image:

All of the pictures for these spell service listings are AI generated. Check out the smudged, nonsensical details in the crown above the shield. Note, also, how it's uneven; an actual artist would've used their software to copy parts of this shield to make it symmetrical.

Now, this would be a big red flag on its own, but the seller claims to do magic primarily (or, at least, most powerfully) by doing art. Sit with that for a moment and really consider the implications here.

The overall tone of the shop is one of authority and superiority. Not so bad on its own, but again, the listing claims that the caster is of dubious hereditary lineage. A reddish flag, personally. But most listings you'll find claim authority and superiority, because confidence sells. That part is very normal.

The primary audience for this particular spell is obvious: vulnerable people who are in abusive situations and who either don't know or don't care about using ableist language.

Narcissistic Personality Disorder and various conditions categorized as "sociopathy" are mental health conditions, not insults. People with these conditions are not naturally villains, and people without these conditions can be fucking horrible. Using the popularized demonization of these conditions to sell hundred-dollar "spell services" to people dealing with abuse is, and I cannot emphasize this enough, shitty fucking behavior.

Any seller who tries to take advantage of abuse victims, people who are ill mentally or physically, young people, or assortedly vulnerable and/or desperate people is automatically suspect. Even if their services are legitimate, their marketing strategy hinges on preying on the unwary. And that makes them an actual piece of shit, in my humble opinion.

Clarity

How clear is the language? Does it use a bunch of obscure terms or talk in circles? Is it obvious what the buyer will receive based on this listing alone?

The language itself is pretty much fine. This description is pretty straightforward. It's expressive and doesn't use a ton of jargon or obscure terms to describe what it's selling. Overall, not bad with regards to clarity of language.

The only head-scratcher for me is this mention of the "three bodies," which are apparently physical, astral, and dream:

It isn't clear from the listing alone what this actually means. It scans as someone either trying to sound mystical or someone who is using technical terms that they use all the time and don't realize aren't in common use elsewhere. Six of one, half a dozen of the other.

The listing is clear in that the seller is going to cast a spell on your behalf to create a shield which is tethered to you and which will protect you from various abusive people and energies. However, it isn't clear how this actually works, how you're going to know that the spell is done, or what method is being used to cast this spell.

Under the "how it works" heading, we get one sentence: "Upon purchase, you will receive your Digital Spell Instruction Guide within minutes."

Hang on. Why do I need instructions? What do the instructions tell me? What steps am I going to have to take? Do I need to have some kind of expertise in energy work, or even just a rudimentary understanding of it?

I don't know, because that's all it says. This is my primary issue with this listing, I think, aside from the obvious ableist bullshit. I know nothing about this service except that the seller promises to do it. I don't know how proof is provided or if it's provided at all.

As far as the quality of Clarity goes, I'm giving this listing 2/5, docking one point for not explaining the weird three-body thing and two for the obscurity around how this spell actually works and what that "instruction guide" is.

Transparency

Is the seller honest about their refund/returns policy? Is it obvious where materials are being sourced? Is the seller being honest and clear about their credentials and/or qualifications?

The refunds policy is clearly stated near the end of the listing. Some sellers (like myself) put it in the terms and conditions section under Ko-Fi listings. Either way is fine by me, as long as it's somewhere.

I do have one problem here… The listing says "following Ko-Fi's guidelines," yes? Well, take a peep at this official link from Ko-Fi's refunds policy page). Note how it doesn't say anything about forbidding refunds on shop purchases. On the contrary, that link tells you exactly how to give a refund on a shop purchase and what'll happen if you issue one (the buyer won't be able to re-download any digital content, and they'll get their money back via whatever method they used to make the purchase).

Having a no-refunds policy is honestly whatever. That's a personal choice; there are processing fees all over the place, and it's draining to have to cover those. And there are issues with people buying from shops, downloading their goodies, and then demanding unfair refunds, essentially stealing from the seller. Again, whatever. But hiding behind a non-existent policy? Not exactly transparent, is it?

Now, again, as stated before, we can't know based on this listing alone how the spell is being cast, what materials are being used or where they're sourced, or really anything else about the actual process of the spell. We know what it's supposed to do once it's been cast, but nothing else. That's major points docked.

And again, I'm not buying the whole generational wizard thing. I did some digging, which I won't detail here as it would be really uncool (erring on a call-out, which this is not). But just know this: The dubious nature of the Hereditary Magic is… certainly dubious. A family of practitioners, sure; the rest? Uncertain.

In total, I'm giving this listing a generous 2/5 for Transparency.

Presence

Is the seller present anywhere other than their shop? Do they share anything about their process, method, or practice anywhere? Are they actually part of a community, or are they just selling something?

So, this seller has a Tumblr blog. It's how I found them, actually. This seller is, I shit you not, the reason this project kicked off.

So, yes. I dove into this person's online presence, and I didn't really like what I saw. What I generally look for is original content that isn't paywalled, talks about the individual's practice, is informative in some way, and/or is having an active conversation with someone else.

What I found was inane commentary on other peoples' posts, wordless reblogs of beginner witch content, reblogs from one of their other blogs (an art blog, if you're curious), and posts advertising their shop. I found some older posts that were, like, reblog games and very surface-level boasting about how Cool And Powerful They Are.

The only original post I unearthed in my two hours of scrolling was also on their Ko-Fi page, actually. It detailed research they'd done into… um. "Mana." Their sources were… about as dubious as their claims to Witch Trial Ancestry. Pop culture witchcraft is extremely cool, and I respect practitioners a whole lot. You go, PCM/PCP community.

I really can't stand people who declare that their way is the Only Way, and that people who believe differently from them are Fundamentally Wrong. As if there aren't many ways of doing magic.

I'm being pretty ungenerous here, but that's mostly because this same article's "research" cites a "scientific article" which directs to a website selling you Law of Attraction manifestation journals. I shit you not. It's barely-researched, unverified personal gnosis stemming from anime, one book, and an article I'm 95% certain they didn't read past the title.

Anyways, this person gets a 1/5 for Presence in my book. If you're not actively and genuinely engaging with the community you're trying to sell to, you're not worth my time.

Genuineness

Are listing photos genuine? Are any images AI, or is any copy written by an AI? Is this a real person selling something, or is this a bot account?

Holy actual shit, though. An Art Magician using AI-generated images? That's a level of bullshit I didn't think I'd get on the first entry in this series.

This person gets exactly one point for being a real person. They've changed that shop name and their stated expertise/most powerful magic too many times for this to be a bot.

They get another point for writing their own shop listings, as far as I can tell. A lot of it is copy-pasted (badly, sometimes), but I'm only grading this one listing for the purposes of this review. So, they get the point.

There are no other photos in the listing. All you get is that shitty AI-generated shield.

Genuineness gets a very kind 2/5.

Verifiability

Is it obvious how a buyer will know their service is completed? Is it possible for the buyer to know? Are there any reviews verifying the quality/existence of the products or services? Are there negative reviews available?

That's a big, fat fuck no on all counts, folks. As covered above, there's no way for a prospective buyer to know or understand how the service will be completed or how it's even done in the first place based on this listing alone. Even if you wanted to see this person's casting methods, you couldn't! They don't really talk about their methods anywhere except in vague terms. Which, okay, fine, keep your secrets, it's a classic Magic Thing to be secretive. But when you're selling your services, your buyers have to know what they're buying from you! They gotta be able to VERIFY the services!

There are also no reviews, period, that I can find -- positive or negative. Part of that may be that very few of these listings have any sales. I know they don't, because a couple of them do, and they show the number in the shop. Either nobody's buying, or they cycle through listings so the numbers don't show.

This particular listing gets a 0/5 for Verifiability.

Morality

Are they offering services related to health, mental health, legal services, or other dubious subjects? Are they knowingly targeting a vulnerable audience using buzzwords and inflammatory language? Is the listing sharing misinformation or encouraging belief in conspiracy theories? Does the listing contain debunkable information? Does the listing participate in bigotry, cultural appropriation, bioessentialism, or anything of that nature?

This particular listing doesn't discuss anything medical, legal, or otherwise questionable. Nothing about bigotry or anything like that, either. No outright misinformation that I can spot, unless you're considering this whole listing misinformation. No points given or taken away, because the bar is honestly in hell for this category. The absence of shitty behavior is not praise-worthy.

We've talked already about how this listing is specifically targeting people in abusive situations. That alone is really shitty, and I've made my case about it. I've also made my case about the ableism thing, which is straight-up not acceptable. No need to beat either dead horse.

I want to draw attention to the little blurb right at the top of this listing. This one, that talks about buying sooner rather than later due to limited offerings:

Let me state, there's nothing inherently wrong with using "limited" advertising language. I've done it for my own limited time listings. It's pretty standard.

However, remember who this listing is for. If an abuse victim reads that, they're already likelier to be desperate and willing to overlook red flags to jump on a deal before it's gone forever. For reference, all listings do use this language. Therefore, I'm interpreting this as simply thoughtless and in bad taste, rather than actively malicious.

Overall, this listing gets a 1/5 for Morality from me.

Average Score & Summary

The average of all six scores comes out to a rating of 1.3/5. Really, really bad.

Now, I want to be clear, this review isn't an accusation that this listing (or this shop) is a scam. I do think this seller has some grifting tendencies that need serious fixing.

If this is a legitimate seller, they're clearly copying shitty scams they've seen elsewhere -- Etsy, for example. This honestly strikes me as someone who doesn't really know what they're doing with regards to selling their services, so they default to the worst possible practices. Either that, or this is someone who's made up an identity to sell you absolutely nothing at $100 per empty promise. I'd like to give the benefit of the doubt and believe that this seller is just trying to make a living.

To that, I say, go make a living without deliberately taking advantage of people.

This listing, and this seller's entire shop, are emblematic of the biggest sins of magical marketing. It's full of catchy buzzwords and no substance. Promises made without explanation or proof of product. This seller has nothing to offer you but fake pictures and their word. Again, even if these services are genuine, and I very much doubt it based on what I'm seeing up for sale, this listing (and all other listings on this Ko-Fi page) prove that this seller is willing to do whatever it takes to get your money into their pocket.

Personally, I wouldn't buy it.

Final Notes

Many sellers in this series anonymous for a reason. Please do not go find these people. Even if I'm exposing a blatant scam to warn people about it, do not harass anyone. Harassment of any kind will not be tolerated. When appropriate, I attempt to contact the seller(s) to discuss their ads and listings or report them where possible. Again, do not attempt to contact or bother the sellers, even if my coverage of them is negative.

If you spot an ad or a product listing in the wild that you want me to see or cover, send me a link, a screenshot, or the name of the shop. You can send it via ask or DM on Tumblr or to thewitchaese@gmail.com. Or, if you're a legitimate seller and want me to take a look at your listings (anonymous or not), shoot me a message or an email to chat about it! Examples of what to do are just as important as examples of what not to do, after all.

And, if you enjoy this series or my other work, please consider dropping a couple dollars in my tip jar! Writing is my full-time gig, and contributions help keep this boat afloat.

Thanks for reading!

[amzonlinearbitrage]

Dropshipping On Amazon: 5 Major Problems To Avoid

Welcome to our blog, where we will dig into the fascinating world of Amazon dropshipping! Dropshipping is a growing business strategy that allows entrepreneurs to launch their online businesses without having to manage inventory. And what better platform to use than Amazon, the e-commerce behemoth that reaches millions of potential customers across the world? Dropshipping via Amazon, like online arbitrage, has its hurdles. In this blog, we'll look at five key issues that Amazon drop shippers confront and offer advice on how to prevent them. So, let's get started! 

Recent Stats: 

Before we get into the barriers, here are some recent data demonstrating the development and potential of Amazon dropshipping: 

Amazon's net sales are expected to reach $502.27 billion in 2023, a 17.7% rise over the previous year, according to eMarketer. 

According to Statista, worldwide e-commerce sales will reach $6.54 trillion by 2023, with Amazon accounting for a sizable chunk of that total. 

Mobile shopping is on the increase, with eMarketer estimating that mobile devices would account for 53.9% of Amazon's retail e-commerce sales by 2023. 

With such promising numbers, it's clear that Amazon dropshipping could prove to be a successful business prospect. However, being aware of such obstacles and understanding how to avoid them can raise your chances of success greatly. Let's look at the five primary issues you should be aware of: 

1. Fierce Competition: 

When it comes to Amazon dropshipping, severe competition might be a concern because there can be other sellers providing the same products at comparable pricing. Customers have many alternatives to select from, making it difficult for any single supplier to acquire a considerable part of the market. 

Here are some helpful ideas for avoiding the issues of severe competition and attracting Amazon sellers: 

Niche selection: Instead of offering broadly available products, concentrate on a narrow niche or sector with fewer competitors. This allows you to target a specific set of buyers who are interested in that exact product, increasing your chances of standing out. 

Unique value proposition: Differentiate yourself from the competition by providing customers with something unique or useful. Special features, higher quality, bundled discounts, exceptional customer service, or speedier shipment are all possibilities. You can draw in customers who are prepared to pick you above other sellers by offering an extra benefit. 

Competitive pricing: While price is not the only element that customers evaluate, it is important. Investigate your competitors' prices and aim to provide comparable or slightly cheaper costs while maintaining your profit margins. Occasionally offering discounts or promotions might also assist to attract customers. 

Create a strong brand: Invest in the development of a strong brand presence on Amazon. This includes the creation of a professional logo, the creation of enticing product descriptions, and the use of high-quality product photographs. Building a positive reputation through customer reviews and ratings can potentially increase the attractiveness of your business to future purchasers. 

Marketing and promotion: Use Amazon's advertising options to successfully advertise your products. Sponsored product advertisements, display ads, and other advertising choices can help you boost the exposure of your product and reach a larger audience. Consider using social media sites and other marketing tools to bring attention to your Amazon listings as well. 

Excellent customer service: It is critical to provide great customer service to attract and keep customers. Respond to queries as soon as possible, handle any issues or complaints, and attempt to surpass customer expectations. Positive feedback and pleased customers can help you build your reputation and attract additional customers. 

Amazon sellers can cope with the obstacles of severe competition and enhance their chances of gaining buyers by following these guidelines. To remain competitive in the ever-changing e-commerce scene, keep an eye on market trends, modify your methods, and stay up to current on Amazon's regulations and standards. 

2. Inventory Management: 

Inventory management is the practice of properly managing and controlling a seller's stock of products for sale. Inventory management is critical for drop shipping on Amazon since sellers do not physically store or own the products they sell. Instead, they rely on third-party sellers to send the products straight to customers. 

Here are some of the primary issues that Amazon sellers experience when it comes to inventory management in dropshipping:  

Stockouts: Stockouts occur when a seller's supplier runs out of stock for a certain product, preventing the seller from fulfilling customer orders. This can result in unfavorable reviews, lost sales, and significant reputational harm for the seller. 

Overselling: Overselling occurs when a seller receives more orders than the supplier's available inventory. In such circumstances, sellers can be forced to cancel orders or have trouble delivering them, resulting in unhappy customers and possibly Amazon fines. 

Inadequate inventory information: When sellers do not have correct and up-to-date inventory information, they might accidentally list products as available when they are actually out of stock. This might result in order cancellations, a bad customer experience, and negative reviews. 

Here are some helpful ideas for avoiding inventory management issues and attracting Amazon sellers: 

Reliable suppliers: Working with reliable suppliers that have a track record of continuous product availability and prompt shipment is essential. Prioritize suppliers that communicate well and give accurate inventory information. 

Regular inventory monitoring: Keep a tight watch on your inventory levels by reviewing the stock status with your suppliers regularly. This enables you to detect low supply situations early and take appropriate steps, such as refilling or updating product availability. 

Set realistic stock levels: Based on previous sales data and predicted demand, determine ideal stock levels. To reduce the possibility of stockouts or overselling, avoid overestimating or underestimating demand. 

Use inventory management software: Use inventory management software or solutions built exclusively for Amazon sellers. These solutions can aid in the automation of inventory tracking, the provision of real-time updates, and the generation of warnings for low-stock situations which will automatically ease up your Amazon Inventory management. 

Diversify your sources: To reduce the danger of stockouts, consider dealing with numerous suppliers for the same product. If one supplier runs out of stock, you can quickly shift to another and continue fulfilling customer demands. 

Fulfillment by Amazon (FBA): If possible, use Amazon's FBA service, which involves sending the products to Amazon's fulfillment centers. Amazon handles inventory storage, order fulfillment, and customer support, freeing you of the hassles associated with inventory management. 

By following these suggestions, Amazon sellers can better manage their inventory, lower the danger of stockouts or overselling, and create a seamless buying experience for customers, thereby enticing additional sellers to their Amazon dropshipping business. 

3. Price Wars and Profit Margins: 

Price wars refer to a situation in which numerous sellers are continually decreasing their prices to compete with one another. This is possible on Amazon since several sellers are providing similar products, and buyers frequently select the option with the lowest price. While competition is natural, excessive price wars can be detrimental to sellers. 

Profit margins, on the other hand, relate to the difference in cost between purchasing and selling a product. It is the amount of money earned by a seller after subtracting all expenditures. When there is a pricing war, sellers are under pressure to decrease their prices to attract customers, which can result in lower profit margins. This is because they may have to offer products at a cheaper price than expected, resulting in decreased profit margins or even losses. 

Here are some pointers to help you avoid pricing wars and maintain your profit margins as an Amazon drop shipper: 

Differentiate your product: Differentiate your product by offering something unique or adding value to it. This might be accomplished by improved quality, new features, or a unique package. Customers can be prepared to pay a greater price if they recognize the value in your service, minimizing the probability of price wars. 

Create a brand: Having a strong brand presence and reputation can help you stand out from the crowd. Concentrate on offering exceptional customer service, earning favorable feedback, and establishing trust with your customers. Customers will prefer you even if your prices are somewhat more if you have a good brand. 

Provide an outstanding customer experience: Go above and above to ensure a positive buying experience. This includes quick and dependable shipping, attentive customer service, and simple returns. Customers are generally eager to spend more for a pleasant and easy purchasing experience. 

Target a niche market: Instead of attempting to cater to a large audience, focus on a specialized niche market with less competition. By focusing on a certain specialty, you can position yourself as an expert in that field and demand higher costs for specialized products. 

Monitor and strategically alter pricing: Keep an eye on your competition's prices, but avoid an ongoing race to the lowest. Consider altering your prices in response to factors such as demand, seasonality, or product scarcity. Find a happy medium between profitability and competitiveness. 

Develop strong ties with suppliers: Having strong relationships with dependable suppliers could give you access to better rates and special promotions. With unique supplier agreements, you can offer products that other sellers do not have, providing you with a competitive advantage in the market. 

Diversify your product offering: Don't rely just on one product or category. You can broaden your risk and reduce the impact of price wars on your entire business by selling a broad selection of products. If one product suffers heavy competition, you can depend on others to keep your business profitable. 

As an Amazon dropshipping seller, you can negotiate the hurdles of price wars and safeguard your profit margins by following these suggestions. Remember that it is critical to strike a balance between delivering competitive prices and maintaining a profitable business strategy. 

4. Product Quality Control: 

Product quality management is an important component of selling on Amazon. It refers to the steps and systems put in place to guarantee that the products sold fulfill specified quality and dependability requirements. This is significant because customers want products purchased on Amazon to be in good shape, perform well, and satisfy their expectations. 

Product quality control can be a big difficulty for Amazon sellers that use dropshipping, in which they rely on suppliers to directly ship products to buyers. Sellers have minimal control over the quality of the commodities supplied to customers because they do not physically handle the products they sell. This might result in a variety of issues, such as obtaining damaged or faulty products, receiving the wrong products, or receiving products that do not fulfill the specified standards. 

Here are some helpful ideas for avoiding these challenges and attracting Amazon sellers: 

Vet suppliers thoroughly: Before working with suppliers, sellers should thoroughly investigate and analyze their reputation, dependability, and product quality. Look for suppliers who have received excellent feedback and have a track record of providing high-quality products. 

Look for samples: To guarantee that the products they intend to sell match their quality requirements, sellers should seek samples of the products they intend to sell. This allows them to evaluate the physical condition, functionality, and overall quality of the product before committing to a provider. 

Set explicit quality expectations: Sellers should develop and convey precise quality requirements to their suppliers. This comprises product characteristics, packaging, labeling, and any other relevant variables. Providing specific instructions helps ensure that providers understand the standards that are anticipated. 

Perform product inspections: Consider visiting the supplier's site or employing third-party inspection services to perform product inspections. Inspections can help in identifying any quality concerns, ensuring that products fit the specifications, and reducing the chance of obtaining poor materials. 

Maintain open communication: Communicate with suppliers regularly to address any quality problems as soon as possible. Building excellent relationships with suppliers can result in greater collaboration, faster resolution of quality concerns, and overall product quality improvement. 

Keep track of customer feedback: Pay close attention to customer reviews and feedback on the things you're selling. This enables sellers to discover and handle reoccurring quality concerns, such as moving suppliers or fixing particular product faults. 

Amazon sellers can boost their product quality control efforts when dropshipping by applying these strategies. This, in turn, helps to establish confidence among customers, boost customer happiness, and attract more sellers to their business. 

5. Customer Service and Returns:  

When it comes to dropshipping on Amazon, one of the most common issues that sellers experience is customer service and refunds. Start with customer service. 

Customer service is the assistance and support given to customers who have questions, complaints, or problems with the products they purchase. As an Amazon drop shipper, you function as a go-between for the customer and the supplier. This implies that if a customer has an issue with the products they get, they will contact you for assistance even though you did not physically handle it. 

When it comes to returns, customers want to send back the products they purchased. They may be returning for a variety of reasons, such as receiving the wrong product, a damaged product, or just changing their mind about the purchase. As a drop shipper, you must handle returns and guarantee that the customer receives a refund or new products. 

Dropshippers face difficulties in these areas since they do not have direct control over the products or the delivery process.  

Here are a few pointers to assist Amazon sellers to avoid customer service and return issues: 

Select dependable suppliers: Choose suppliers who have a proven track record of providing high-quality products on schedule. This reduces the possibility of customers obtaining damaged or inaccurate products. 

Give correct product information: Make sure your Amazon listing's product descriptions, photos, and specs are correct and clear. This can assist in managing customer expectations and reducing the chance of returns owing to misaligned expectations. 

Proactively communicate: Respond quickly to consumer inquiries and communications. Address any issues or queries as soon as possible and professionally. Clear communication can help to create trust among customers and avoid possible issues from getting worse. 

Establish a clear return policy: Create a simple return policy that is simple for customers to understand. Check that it covers all possible eventualities, such as broken products or improper delivery. Make this policy clear on your Amazon listing and respond quickly to return inquiries. 

Work with Amazon's customer service: Amazon's marketplace sellers have access to customer service. If you run into any problems or want assistance, contact Amazon seller support for advice and solutions. 

By following these suggestions, you can improve the customer experience, minimize the frequency of returns, and provide good customer support, making your dropshipping business more appealing to Amazon sellers. 

Final Thoughts 

Dropshipping on Amazon is a fantastic way to start an online business with no initial investment. You can effectively manage these problems if you are aware of the possible hazards and use the solutions outlined above. Remember to be versatile, to learn and grow constantly, and to give an amazing customer experience. You can thrive in the fascinating world of Amazon dropshipping if you put in the effort and patience. Read the amz blog for additional updates and information to help you grow your Amazon business. Best wishes on your entrepreneurial journey!  You can also read about amazon online arbitrage.

[ovaryacted]

Randomly ranting about AI.

The thing that’s so fucking frustrating to me when it comes to chat ai bots and the amount of people that use those platforms for whatever godamn reason, whether it be to engage with the bots or make them, is that they’ll complain that reading/creating fanfic is cringe or they don’t like reader-inserts or roleplaying with others in fandom spaces. Yet the very bots they’re using are mimicking the same methods they complain about as a base to create spaces for people to interact with characters they like. Where do you think the bots learned to respond like that? Why do you think you have to “train” AI to tailor responses you’re more inclined to like? It’s actively ripping off of your creativity and ideas, even if you don’t write, you are taking control of the scenario you want to reenact, the same things writers do in general.

Some people literally take ideas that you find from fics online, word for word bar for bar, taking from individuals who have the capacity to think with their brains and imagination, and they’ll put it into the damn ai summary, and then put it on a separate platform for others so they can rummage through mediocre responses that lack human emotion and sensuality. Not only are the chat bots a problem, AI being in writing software and platforms too are another thing. AI shouldn’t be anywhere near the arts, because ultimately all it does is copy and mimic other people’s creations under the guise of creating content for consumption. There’s nothing appealing or original or interesting about what AI does, but with how quickly people are getting used to being forced to used AI because it’s being put into everything we use and do, people don’t care enough to do the labor of reading and researching on their own, it’s all through ChatGPT and that’s intentional.

I shouldn’t have to manually turn off AI learning software on my phone or laptop or any device I use, and they make it difficult to do so. I shouldn’t have to code my own damn things just to avoid using it. Like when you really sit down and think about how much AI is in our day to day life especially when you compare the different of the frequency of AI usage from 2 years ago to now, it’s actually ridiculous how we can’t escape it, and it’s only causing more problems.

People’s attention spans are deteriorating, their capacity to come up with original ideas and to be invested in storytelling is going down the drain along with their media literacy. It hurts more than anything cause we really didn’t have to go into this direction in society, but of course rich people are more inclined to make sure everybody on the planet are mindless robots and take whatever mechanical slop is fucking thrown at them while repressing everything that has to deal with creativity and passion and human expression.

The frequency of AI and the fact that it’s literally everywhere and you can’t escape it is a symptom of late stage capitalism and ties to the rise of fascism as the corporations/individuals who create, manage, and distribute these AI systems could care less about the harmful biases that are fed into these systems. They also don’t care about the fact that the data centers that hold this technology need so much water and energy to manage it it’s ruining our ecosystems and speeding up climate change that will have us experience climate disasters like with what’s happening in Los Angeles as it burns.

I pray for the downfall and complete shutdown of all ai chat bot apps and websites. It’s not worth it, and the fact that there’s so many people using it without realizing the damage it’s causing it’s so frustrating.

[celeborn-of-doriath]

// I think most people would be surprised how many very critical websites and applications are being run by one very tired and underpaid engineer. I’m not saying it’s a good thing, but it’s not rare.

I once worked on an app that was heavily used by hundreds of millions of people daily and that thing was throwing over 30,000 alerts every night. The entire team for that app was me and one dude in Belarus. We slowly ground that alert number down to 0. It really depends what your infrastructure looks like, but as long as you’re not actively developing new features, you can keep software in maintenance mode without a massive staff.

Obligatory, hopefully tumblr doesn’t die, but imo this doesn’t seem like a big deal to me from a software perspective.

[utopicwork]

So I'm frankly dealing with too many things at once, if you'd be interested in contributing to PierMesh here's what I could use help with:

Firmware programming (C++, circuits)

Testing the software (Python)

Research into funding resources

Reviewing writing (announcements/copy for the website/etc)

Community engagement/building

Theres other things people can help with but I want to focus on these right now