#built his image on growth and understanding and inclusiveness

[cosmojjong]

nowadays i really don't have any patience

[mikeymagee]

Sam Wilson: The American Redeemer

Why Sam Wilson is the only choice for the mantel

"No super serum, no blond hair, or blue eyes. The only power I have is that I believe we can do better" --Sam Wilson,

I think one of the main things that separates Sam Wilson's tenure as Captain America from Steve Rogers's is how they functioned within the role and what they were expected to do.

During World War II, Steve Rogers was expected to protect the country from foreign dangers. He was the American protector. Keeping citizens safe from international (and interdimensional) threats. Steve protected American against "The Other" (Nazis, foreign terrorists, aliens, etc).

But Sam Wilson is someone who is tasked with protecting the country from itself. Sam stands firm against America's worst impulses (its inability to emphasize, its lust for power and status, its refusal to deal with its own history, etc,) and guides this country towards its better angels.

Sam Wilson origins in Marvel Comics

Sam Wilson was created as a result of the Civil Rights Movement back in the 1960's. It's no accident that he was created to be the partner for a superhero that represented America, and its values. The first African American superhero paired with a man who represented everything this country believed about itself. Sam Wilson was created as a kind of redemption for America, or at least, the beginnings of redemption. African Americans in this country have fought side by side with white Americans in every war and every conflict. From the American Revolution to World War II and beyond. And yet Black Americans were never allowed to take part in the American dream, whether through unjust laws, or the denial of economic growth, Black people have always been shunned from the country they helped defend. Sam Wilson's creation and inclusion was a (small) way to make up for that lack justice. And even through his friendship with Sam, Steve Rogers gained a new perspective on the American identity. Sam brought America's failings into light and gave it the opportunity to correct itself.

From the very creation of the character, Sam was an opportunity for America to rid herself of her sins.

Sam Wilson in the Winter Soldier

Its notable that the first interaction we get with Sam in the MCU is as a counselor for veterans. America is notorious for touting to "Love its soldiers" but always ignoring its veterans. Many men and women who go off to fight in wars often times come back home to a country that is less willing to put the time and effort into understanding and helping the heal. You can see this with the lack of funding for Veterans Affairs offices, the housing crises that a lot of returning veterans face, the lack of adequate mental and physical healthcare that veterans are afforded. Veterans are an underserved community in a country that claims to love its military. There is a hypocrisy in this.

Yet, Sam took on the work of helping veterans heal.

The History of Isaiah Bradley.

It's no secret that America is a country that was built off of antiblack racism. I could cite multiple books, articles, documentaries, and studies that prove this. However, the narrative of Isaiah Bradley not only showcases America's antiblack racism, but the removal of Bradley's story showcases America's refusal to acknowledge its own faults. There have always been efforts in this country to remove Black history (and the histories of other marginalized groups of people). Sam Wilson, when he found out about Isaiah, not only had to reconcile with this country's racism, but he also had to reevaluate how he viewed the country as a whole. Bradley was not only court martialed and jailed, but he was experimented on and his story was scrubbed away.

The United States has always had a habit of rewriting its own history to maintain a certain image. Whether it be one of liberty and equality, or one of militaristic might and pride. America loves the image of the strong soldier, going off into the world but hates the image of the war torn veteran who still hears gun shots at night. Sam, during his conversation with Bucky in Maryland, had to reconcile America's image of itself (a bright beautiful country that welcomes all) with the reality he had just been exposed to (a Black man who did the exact same thing that Steve Rogers had done back in the 40's and was punished for it).

America's treatment of Isaiah was a sin against veterans and a sin against Black Americans, and Sam bringing Isaiah's story into the light was a reckoning that helped to redeem the country's past actions. Actions that America has no one to blame for but itself.

Karli and the Flag Smashers.

Sam's handling of Flag Smashers in The Falcon and the Winter Soldier was controversial, but the one thing he was correct about was the usage of simple labels to justify inhumane treatment of others. The United States has always been a country that others its enemies to justify violence of disenfranchisement. Black slaves in the US were called animals. Post 9/11 Muslims (and really, anyone from the middle east) were called "terrorists", Latino immigrants were/are dehumanized and called criminals to justify ICE raids and the breaking of families. During the 90's, America created the "Super Predator" narrative that painted a target on Black men and accelerated the militarization of police officers.

The government's reactions to Karli and the Flag Smashers represents the same line of thinking. Take a group of people and label them as something that is easy to hate/vilify and then take them out. We can argue that Karli's actions were extreme, and we can argue that Karli's actions were violent but we also have to understand were these feelings came from. Empathy and understanding has always been something America has refused to engage with. It's easy to say that Black people don't work hard and are poor when you refuse to acknowledge how America has burned Black neighborhoods and undermined Black education. America has always worked to eliminate the symptom rather than treating the disease.

And Sam, through his speech about Karli and the Flag Smashers, reminds America of its own failings. And again, this isn't some conspiracy that was created by HYDRA or a Nazi organization. This wasn't some evil plan, it was simply The United States turning its back on its own ideals. The blame falls squarely on the shoulders of the country.

But Sam's handling of Karli is a reminder to the country as a whole that we must choose to be better. And note how his speech isn't just for the senators, it's for the American people too. Notice how Isaiah Bradley and his grandson are watching, notice how the crowd of people are listening, notice how Torres is watching from his computer feed.

Sam is offering every American a shot at redemption.

Ross and the War with Japan

"Diplomacy must be hard for you, a man in a country to used to taking what he wants by force."

-Prime Minister Ozaki

In Captain America Brave New World, President Ross is facing an international crises with Japan over the adamantium that is found in the middle of the ocean. Originally, the world leaders, lead by President Ross, wanted to share the new resource evenly, however as negotiations breakdown between America and Japan, Ross's first instinct is to lead the country to war over the adamantium.

American Imperialism is no secret, in fact, everyone in the world is aware of America's dedication to consuming resources. In many instances (ones highlighted by Sam himself) America has a lack of understanding of how the world works, and how to decenter itself for the good of its allies. President Ross even says as the international conflict reaches a head,

"If any country is going to control adamantium, it's going to be us." --President Ross

Ross leans right back into American imperialism, and its perceived entitlement to resources. You can even draw parallels with Erik Killmonger's usage of Wakanda's vibranium and how Erik (an American man) uses American imperialism in the same way. To take whatever he wants by force. Damn the consequences.

Ross was not thinking about how the impending conflict could harm American citizens, or harm other people in the world. Ross's only concern was with the securing of international power.

But Ross's actions speak to a broader pattern of behavior that Sam has seen throughout his tenure in the MCU. The tendency for Americans to fall into simple definitions that justify a lack of empathy. When diplomacy with Japan fell through, Ross pivoted to conflict without further introspection. When Isaiah Bradley's existence threatened the ideals of American equality, America hid their shame away without needing to reflect on its own mistakes. When Karli and the Flag Smashers became a threat, America became incentivized to neutralize that threat without understanding reasons behind the Flag Smashers in the first place.

America is a country that prioritizes action over introspection, and violence over understanding. If not for the intervention of Sam Wilson, America would have fallen to its worst impulse and dove into a war that didn't need to be had.

"The fight you're taking on ain't going to be easy, Sam." --Isaiah Bradley

Perhaps this is where Steve's fight and Sam's fight differ. Steve was a warrior when America needed one. He was a man who fought whatever threat came to our shores. It was easy to root for Steve because Americans could understand that the "bad guy" was some foreigner.

But Sam's fight is with America's soul itself.

Sam isn't fighting to "save the country", he's fighting to redeem it. He's fighting to make this country live up to its ideals. And how exactly do you redeem a country that sends it soldiers off to war, but shuns them when they return? How do you redeem a country who's first instincts are to dehumanize and disregard anyone who doesn't fit the idea of America? How do you redeem a country that refuses to learn from its own mistakes, and instead works to shift the blame to someone/something else?

Bucky has said that Sam gives people something to aspire towards. But aspiring towards something takes work. It takes introspection. It takes being brave enough to look at one's own mistakes and being humble enough to do admit wrong doing, and then being strong enough to make it right.

In every instance in the MCU Sam Wilson gives this country a chance to be its better self. Most critics of Sam in TFATWS and BNW is his tendency for political messaging over character. Critics say that Sam is more interested in giving lectures over being a 3-dimensional character and to that I disagree. Even in isolated narratives (such as BNW), Sam is still faced with the conundrum of holding this country accountable to itself. And the narrative seems repetitive because each time America refuses to live up to itself. If Sam Wilson's story arc seems repetitive it is because the country he represents refuses to grow. It is not Sam's failing as a character, but America's failing as a nation. Sam Wilson lives James Baldwin's words:

"I love America more than any other country in the world and, exactly for this reason, I insist on the right to criticize her perpetually"

Patriotism without introspection is simply stagnation. Love without growth is simply indulgence, and Sam Wilson reminds us of that everyday.

Sam Wilson may not be the Captain that this country wants, but it is certainly the captain this country needs.

But whether or not America deserves a redeemer like Sam Wilson, is a question that many are too afraid to ask.

[mgrgfan]

Past of the future, future of the past...

Chapter 4. Breaking the blockade.

"Finally," said the Emperor, looking at the monumental machine, placed in the largest temporary sort-of-a-VAB built so far. "Finally! FINALLY!!!" Officers, which were standing not too far away from this genius, but a crazy one at that, exchanged looks of understanding. After all, this was his dream made real, even if forced to be remade for destruction… and protection. The ship itself - the first real, atomic explo-flyer, envisioned long ago, but built only recently - was truly a masterpiece of technology. Massing 4000 tons fully loaded, equipped with the most advanced sensors, protected by the arcanotech-enhanced composite armor, armed with railguns, howitzers, rotary cannons, space combat missiles and retro-missiles for planetary bombardment, this was the most powerful warmachine of the Soris Empire... so far. The nuclear fission reactor of this ship was built with inclusions of components from the reactor of Space Lab 2, as a way to drive the point of revenge and attract the blessing from the Red Spirit (though barely anyone believed in this one). After all, according to the mythology, this spirit gave its blessing to anyone, who was fighting to avenge the fallen comrades. Right now, the giant rocket was quietly sitting on the launchpad (built specifically for it) and receiving final checks. The first stage - the NUCLEUS booster - had simple, but pretty efficient chemfuel engines, which used liquid hydrogen as fuel and liquid oxygen as oxidizer. A titanic tank of fuel in center of rocket, a sectionalized torus-like oxidizer tank around it, a monstrous plug-cluster aerospike engine right in the middle of bottom and several blocks of control engines near the edges - all of that could lift two thousand tons to orbit just by itself and then safely come back and land. However, that was not needed - it only needed to raise the payload roughly halfway to the space... The payload - the first manned interplanetary spaceship in the history of the world, remade into first space warship - had the nuclear pulse engine. When the separation happens, the shock absorbers, collapsed for the duration of the first phase of launch to make the rocket more compact, will first extend to full length, then the shaped-blast charge will be launched from gas gun between them and fly through the trapdoor in the pusher plate, before exploding and launching a wave of superheated nuclear plasma, which will impact the plate, protected by the layer of graphite, and transfer the momentum to the ship through two stages of shock absorbers. Then the auto-sprayers will apply the new layer of graphite, the new bomb will be launched and explode, and then it will repeat again and again... "Comrades, I think those nine months of accelerated work weren't for naught!" the Emperor finally stopped laughing like maniac and got himself together. "Prepare to remove the building shell. Prepare to fuel the NUCLEUS booster. All cosmonauts - prepare to board the ship. Begin the launch countdown." "Aye-aye, Your Majesty. Countdown begins, T-72 hours and counting. Beginning the launch pad preparations. Beginning the VAB final disassembly." Most of the stuff in the giant building was already removed in the preparation for launch. Now, the only thing they've needed to do was to activate fast-disassembly mechanisms, which will safely collapse the roof and walls outwards, without damaging the launch pad and the monstrous ship on it. ---- Empress knew, that her husband was crazy. She knew, that this launch can - and, likely, will - worsen the already-far-from-good terms, on which the Soris Empire now was with the Pokemon Nation (culture clash did not help, especially with the whole thing about decent amounts of nationals worshipping Legendaries and Mythicals). She knew, that Nation can see it as an act of war. But for some strange reason, she was nearly as excited to see this launch, as her husband was. Or, actually, like the most of sorisians will be very, very soon, when the "Red Explorer" gets finally unveiled. After all, her internal political campaign about honoring the memory of 11th expedition to the Space Lab 2 really helped. The sheer growth of the metal processing and nuclear, chemical, arcanotechnological and many other industries, amongst other developments… it was wonderful. Besides, this launch, should the ship survive the upcoming battle, will majorly lift her support. Even after all those years (The Shift not included), "Bread And Shows" still worked great time - both for the Soris Empire (some parts of the space program, along with most entertainment) and Pokemon Nation (League and Contests). And if the Nation decides to try to attack them… well, that's what for the ship has several "Lightning" retro-missiles with city-buster warheads! ---- "Look at this," said one of the operators in the Mossdeep Space Center, showing the director, who was walking nearby, transmission from the kantonian research plane, which was flying near the Soris. Right now, the biggest building in the complex of Zemlino Space Center has just… fallen apart, slightly reminding them of a flower, and revealed a giant rocket inside. This rocket was roughly comparable to those, which Pokemon Nation used for the Moon missions… except much, much thicker. "Are you even sure, that this is a rocket?" wondered director. "It's so huge… How would it even take off?" "No idea," replied the operator. "I suggest we get some Cornn Berries and watch the fireworks, when the Rayquaza destroys this thing!" "Be careful with your words!" notified him superior, then quietly added, "I agree. If they didn't get yet, that as soon as it flies to strato - it dies, then we can have some good views. Though I wonder, what they are overcompensating for…" ---- "T-10 minutes and counting," announced one of the operators in Zemlino. After several very hard days of final workings and pre-flight checks, the "Red Explorer" was finally preparing to leave the ground. The nuclear reactor of the ship was now working at minimal capacity, cooling through external loop, the NUCLEUS booster was checking the thrust vectoring and aerodynamic control surfaces, the cosmonauts were getting more comfortable in their chairs… The final launch poll resulted in "go" and now there was only one way - the way up. ---- "… Seventeen, sixteen, water suppression system online, twelve, eleven, ten, nine, ignition sequence start, six, we have ignition, four, three, two, all engines are running!" reported the announcer. "Liftoff! We have a liftoff, thirty-two minutes past the hour, liftoff on "Red Explorer"!" With a horrifying roar, the giant rocket started to slowly, but surely rise above the launchpad and accelerate, shock diamonds visible in the exhaust flames of working plug-cluster aerospike engine, rest of the launchpad clouded in steam, created by evaporating water from the water suppression system. "Tower cleared!" happily screamed Emperor Ivan the Second, tearing the microphone from the hands of announcer, when the giant machine passed the tower - the last remain of VAB's scaffolding. "T plus ten seconds, tower cleared, speed increasing as planned! The roar is terrific! The building is shaking! Look at that beauty go!" People, who were in this room, saw the Emperor going flat-out childish, jumping around while laughing like a madman and crying tears of joy. The last time he was like that was during the launch of Imperial Moon Mission on the Water Dragon rocket. ---- "Holy crap," mumbled one of the telescope operators in the Mossdeep Space Center. "Josh - do you see what I see?" "If you're about the unreasonably giant rocket finally going up - yep, I do. Honestly, what in the name of Ray… sorry, but still, what is this thing?" "No idea." Image from kantonian observatory was quickly routed to the main screen, allowing everyone to have a nice view on the rocket. Finally, the main engine in the first stage has gone silent. "The stages separate… Wait, what? The first stage is actively decelerating, and the second… What it this? I don't even…" The second stage indeed looked weirdly. Instead of the usual great bell of the rocket engine or the cluster of smaller engines, there was a thick plate with some kind of a tube in the middle of it, installed on several shock absorbers, a cone between the shock absorbers - and that's all. On the screen, suddenly, something was launched from the cone, flew through the plate, and… "Feed from O7 is dark. No idea, what the Reverse World was that, but the telescope's matrix is dead." "Routing the SolOb6 to screen… Arceus the Original One, what the frak?" "..." entire room got speechless, as the telescope camera, designed for studying the Sun, showed ship steadily accelerating on what seemed to be huge explosions - probably, nuclear in nature. Thick plate (which, for some reason, was varying in thickness as the explosions were going - probably, serving as an another shock absorber) and long piston-based shock absorbers served well to protect the giant ship from explosions and soften the acceleration. Blast after blast, the giant ship was surely rising higher and higher... ---- "Separation commencing," reported the pilot, looking at the screen, which displayed the data of active autopilot. "Separation complete. Booster is out of the danger zone. Initiating nuclear pulse propulsion. Stand by for acceleration. Bomb drive now firing." Entire ship shook, when the drive bomb, launched from the gas gun, detonated behind the ship's aft. Wave of superhot tungsten plasma, along with aerial overpressure wave, struck the plate, but thin layer of graphite worked well, ablating, but protecting the arcane-enhanced steel alloy underneath from getting damaged. Under normal conditions, the sheer acceleration would've instantly killed the cosmonauts and collapsed the hull of the ship. However, thanks to the gas bags right behind the plate and heavy, two-staged hydropneumatic shock absorbers, the fraction of second of acceleration got elongated, proportionally lowering the loads on the machine and men inside it. Milliseconds after the plasma from the detonation of the drive bomb dispersed, auto-sprayers deployed themselves and created a new layer of graphite on the plate, then retracted back, right before the new bomb was launched and exploded. And then it repeated again, and again, and again, and again... ---- "So, if I'm understanding even remotely right, the first and, so far, only launch table for ultra-heavy rockets got destroyed by the exhaust?" Empress Svetlana asked her husband. "Yep," replied Ivan in surprisingly jolly voice. "Launch Table ST-1 has partially melted now due to insufficient power of water suppression system, but the ship is in space and there is barely any radiation trail in the atmosphere! By the way, launch stage recovered successfully." "That's good to know, but still, we've lost our only launch table for this kind of rockets and it'll take a long time to repair it." "I know. It's not like the Sea Launch Platform was an option for us at that time, though…" "On the topic of the sea launch - are you planning to use the Water Dragon rocket for building the replacement space station, since the Space Lab Two was destroyed by the Rayquaza? I've seen some suspicious increases in funding…" "Yep. The NUCLEUS rocket will remain for launching explo-flyers mostly, while the Water Dragons take lesser operations. One of them is getting prepared right now for launching the supply block to the "Red Explorer", when it gets to the orbit." "Uh-huh. And what about your spaceplane project?" "The Project BLUEBIRD? So far, so good, tests of the final version should begin in a week or so. I must admit, the hypersonic hybrid air-breathing nuclear rocket engines are still somewhat problematic, but we are very close to ironing those problems out." "Range?" "Unmanned - all the way to the Red Planet. Manned - to the Moon in a reasonable amount of time." "Docking to the "Red Explorer"?" "Possible through the expandable top adapter, but the spaceplane won't be able to fit into the docking bay." ---- "We are on the action orbit now, comrade captain," said pilot, getting himself more comfortable in the acceleration chair. "Drive bomb magazines and propellant storages for the reaction control system are at optimal level after orbital injection, we can go to the Moon and back on those reserves in just a day!" "Nuclear ordinance for anti-space engagements and planetary bombardment is nominal, awaiting codes and targets," reported weapons operator, scrolling through the lists and making some mental notes. "Point defense rotary cannons ready, main caliber railguns ready, Lance Howitzers ready." "Targeting telescopes nominal, thermal scopes nominal, radars nominal," sounded the report from the sensors operator, who was already switching through the feeds, monitoring the surroundings. "Radiators deployed, cooling system nominal, reactor nominal," said the engineer, feeling proud of his participation in creating power plant of this ship. "Shock absorbers are fine, pusher plate is fine, drive bomb launcher, graphite sprayers and plasma deflection cone are fine, RCS nominal. Oh, nearly forgot - life support is also nominal and will be in this condition for at least a year. We'll run out of food much earlier. And landers, along with space workpods, are also fine and ready." "All comm systems are ready and tuned," added the comm officer, fiddling with headset, then suddenly turning pale. "Uh-oh. Comrade captain, FCC just told us, that Rayquaza is exiting the atmo and will engage us in few minutes, arrives from the east." "Then all hands to battle stations!" ordered captain, feeling shivers. Of course, their ship was the technologies of tomorrow embodied, a state-of-art space warship, armed with the most advanced, yet reliable and efficient weaponry Empire has created, but their opponent was no less than the Sky High Pokemon itself, who was once considered by less developed humans to be god of the skies and even now, it remained a great force to be reckoned with. However, this battle was a decisive one. There can be only one winner… and all of the humans aboard the "Red Explorer" will do their best to make sure, that the Rayquaza won't be it. "Aye-aye, comrade captain! Retracting the radiators, reactor output set to combat levels," reported the engineer, trying to keep his confidence in the great machine. "Railguns and point defence are deployed, the capacitors are charging up, anti-space missiles are armed, Lance Howitzers are loaded," calmly stated the weapons officer. Among the fellow crew members, he was the calmest and most confident one - mainly because dozens of nuclear missiles and howitzer-launched shaped-blast bombs, along with electromagnetic railguns (with nuclear and canister shots) and rotary cannons, were now under his control. "RCS and bomb drive are ready," said the somewhat unnerved, but slightly cocky pilot. The drive bomb counter and RCS propellant storages indicators told him, that the battle can go on for a decent amount of time - the NUCLEUS chemfuel booster allowed them to save a lot of bombs during the ascent. "Radars located bandit retrograde-breaking the atmo west and a little south, but no definitive lock so…" began the sensor operator, suppressing his nervousness with deep focus on work. Calling the Rayquaza "bandit" helped all of the officers to distance themselves from the fact, that they were fighting an actual Legendary now. "Yeah, telescopes acquired it! Locked on!" "SCMs away, 3 "Firestorms", 4 "Firelances"!" nearly screamed weapons operator, pressing the launch trigger. On the ship's hull, several round armored hatches opened, revealing missile silos. Right after it, seven of the streamlined machines of death were ejected by small explosive charges, turned around and engaged their solid-fuel engines, accelerating at 100 g and doing their best to track and intercept the designated target. Even with remote guidance from the ship, sensors of which were far superior to those, which could be installed on space combat missiles, it was not an easy task. The Sky High Pokemon, seeing several dots leave the more massive target, started to perform the evasion maneuver, as uneasy as it was during the already-ongoing Dragon Ascent. It was a wise decision and, probably, would've helped… were it not for the missiles with Lance warheads. When four of the missiles, armed with shaped-blast charges, reached the optimal distance, the "Red Explorer" sent a very simple command to them - "detonate". Under normal circumstances, this command would have served only for performing self-destruct… but the circumstances now were anything but normal. The small stars of exploding 10kt thermonuclear warheads grew for a split-second in space. It would've been a nearly-harmless firework for the Rayquaza… but, unfortunately for it, for each of the "stars", more than 80% of the thermonuclear power got channeled and concentrated onto a small tungsten disk. Even this metal could not withstand such a magnitude of energy, so, it turned into plasma and, shaped and accelerated by the still undergoing fury of the fusion reaction into a tight stream, flew in the desired direction at the recognizable fraction of the speed of light. Four jets of very hot relativistic plasma impacted Rayquaza. Even with the energy of Dragon Ascent surrounding the Legendary, it still hurt major time… and then the rest of the missiles came. When the Sky High Pokemon was distracted with the pain from the nuclear lances, warship directed the last three small machines of destruction to come in-close and detonate the neutron warheads. Even though the effects of fireballs were negligible (as it was with most of the nuclear detonations in space), the neutron flux from explosions was pretty decent, especially with overlapping irradiation areas. Now that the Rayquaza's body was irradiated like this, the combat capability of this Legendary will be lowering and lowering as the time goes, until the radiation poisoning takes the max effect and turns it into the agonizing wreck, before the death finally comes. As a nice bonus, those explosions have also caused enough of a shock to the Rayquaza to cancel out the Dragon Ascent. "All hits scored. I think the battle has started pretty good, comrade captain," cheerfully reported the weapons operator. "Don't get too cocky," warned them all commander of this ship, silently reminding, that they were still fighting a being of incredible power, which held the atmospheric and orbital superiority undisputed for who-knows-how-many years, only occasionally leaving its position and allowing a few travels up there. "Bandit has recovered from the shock and prepares to use the Hyper Beam," grimly stated the sensors operator. "Acknowledged, stand by for rotation. RCS now firing," warned everyone the pilot, slightly smiling to himself. The relatively small attitude control jets expelled streams of superhot hydrogen, turning the massive ship around. The Hyper Beam is a powerful move. Really powerful. But it has some drawbacks - the first one being exhausting user and forcing it to spend some time recovering and the second being relatively low velocity of the energy beam itself. The space is big. Really big. Even in low Earth orbit, dozens of kilometers are still considered pretty small distances. Between Rayquaza firing the Hyper Beam and it getting to the "Red Explorer", a pretty long time has passed. Long enough for the ship to turn and take the stream of destruction not the nose- or side-first, but on the pusher plate, built to withstand close nuclear explosions and covered by ablative layer of graphite. "Attack over, no damage to drive. Graphite layer restored. Stand by for acceleration. Bomb drive now firing," reported pilot, smiling even wider. Wham. Wham. Wham. Only the crew of the ship, who got pressed into acceleration chairs upon the drive's operation, heard those sounds, as the vessel began to change its trajectory. "Railguns charged, #2 locked on, "Firecracker" loaded. Firing," said the weapons officer with a slight smirk, as he pressed the trigger. Deep inside the ship, a one of three groups of electric capacitors of tremendous, well, capacity, already charged by the energy from ship's nuclear power plant, discharged all at once, transferring the power to the two parallel rails of one of the simplest electrodynamic mass drivers. The railgun spat out a projectile with barely any fireworks (save for plasmified remains of launch assist armature). In the vacuum of space, there wasn't even a characteristic "crack" of sonic boom… and the projectile experienced no aerodynamic drag, keeping the velocity at constant level with no need for active propulsion. And since this velocity equaled more than 2503 meters per second, and the projectile carried a small nuclear warhead… ---- ""Red Explorer" is firing "Thunderlance" railgun, "Firecracker" 1kt nuclear shell"- emotionlessly said one of the operators in the Zemlino's FCC. "Hostile Rayquaza's biological armor is being damaged." "Is she always like this?" whispered Emperor to the FCC's director. "Sometimes." "Huh. You know, I'm still unpleased, that we weren't able to make guidance system being capable of directing more than seven space combat missiles and two howitzer charges at once before the ship was launched…" ---- "Bandit is temporarily inoperable, trajectory - full retrograde orbital, roughly similar to ours," reported the sensors operator. "The respite will be brief, assume re-intercept in 45 minutes." "Acknowledged," said the engineer. "Deploying the radiators, beginning cooling." Several small square hatches opened on the hull of the ship, allowing the thin metallic structures to unfold from them and start barely noticeably glowing dull-red, allowing the waste heat to leave the heat accumulators and prepare the machine for the new round of combat. Combat, which will need a lot of energy and leave a lot of waste heat. ---- The big digital timer above the main screens in the "rubber room" of the Zemlino Space Center ticked off the seconds since the launch of the "Red Explorer". When it passed half-hour, Emperor said, “Try it now.” He put on his own headset. Far outside of the armored launch bunker, across the entire Empire, both on the ground and on the sea ships, many giant parabolic antennas started turning around, trying to lock onto signature of the first space warship and establish connection. "Routing through the Grey Sea fleet… link established!" happily reported the comm operator. "Dancer, this is Pothouse, report!" said the Emperor, deciding to use codenames of both ship and flight control center for some reason. Sometimes, it was really hard to understand this man. "Pothouse, this is Dancer. No big scratches so far, re-intercepting bandit in five minutes or so. Radiators are now retracted, cooling is internal, preparing to launch SCMs." "Dancer, this is Pothouse, acknowledged. Be careful - bandit is likely to employ new tactics, don't let it hit the shock absorbers!" "Pothouse, this is Dancer, understood." "That's good. May the Red and Green Spirits bless you, guys!" "Thanks. Warning, bandit is in range, engaging!" The link cut off, as the ship resumed the combat. ---- "Go, Dragon Lord, blast this thing!" young Draconid cheered, looking at the TV screen. An hour or so ago, the live broadcast of telescope and radar surveillance of the Imperial warship started and, less than an hour ago, Rayquaza started the battle with it. So far, the battle was going… strange. The giant weaponized spaceship of the Soris Empire was constantly turning around, engaging her explosion drive from time to time and attempting to take beam and projectile attacks on the aft plate, which was more than capable of withstanding them without getting scratched, since the nuclear explosions were the primary method of propulsion for this ship. In addition to this, most weapons of this warship, as the TV commenter pointed out, were also using nuclear explosions to cause damage. Few Draconids knew about nuclear technology enough to understand full ramifications of it, but those, who did, were really worried. If the sorisians have harnessed the power of atom and truly mastered it, then even the mighty Lord Rayquaza was in danger. ---- "Bandit now re-engaging!" warned everyone sensors operator. "Ancient Power, two seconds!" "Incoming projectile attack," noted weaponry operator, who was obviously enjoying this battle. "Point defence firing… Attack neutralized. Seven "Firelances" away… Hits scored." "Warning, damage to the lander bay #2 armor!" reported engineer in somewhat worried voice, then eased up. "No penetration, no damage to contents." "Stand by for acceleration and rotation," said pilot in steel voice, while his eyes were burning with excitement of being among those, who fought the Rayquaza itself. "RCS and bomb drive now firing." Hiss. Hiss. Wham. Wham. Wham. Wham. The whole battle turned into series of reports and memorized actions, which happened a dozens of times on the ground simulator already, combined with sounds of propulsion and reaction control systems, weaponry and occasional hits to other places, than the pusher plate. Rayquaza was a formidable opponent… but the ship, originally intended for peaceful space exploration, then remade into warship, was designed to be capable to take on even the most powerful opponents and be victorious. Entire nuclear industry of Soris was recently redirected to supply the ship with enough propulsion bombs and weapons. Hundreds of millions were watching their battle right now. They've had no right to fail, lest the humanity forever become prisoners of this planet, with insanely territorial feral dragon ruling the skies and killing everyone, who dares to try to break free of gravity's hard embrace and turn their eyes towards the distant stars. Not to say anything about the Pokemon Nation, which, probably, will consider starting the war with Soris Empire, if the ship goes down, along with all the nuclear armament. "Bandit prepares Dra-Met, five seconds," noted the sensors operator, monitoring feeds from targeting telescopes, radars and thermal scopes at the same time. "Acknowledged, railguns charged, #1 locked on, "Dustbin" loaded. Firing…" half-reported, half-mumbled the weaponry operator, looking at his screens. "Draco Meteor dispersed and denied." Indeed, shooting a canister shell, loaded with tiny pellets of depleted uranium - byproduct of nuclear industry - right in the direction of Rayquaza's mouth was not a bad way to prevent the dangerous attack from being performed. As a nice bonus, several pellets hit eyes of the Legendary, causing it great pain and making it squirm. "Stand by for acceleration. Bomb drive now firing." Wham. Wham. Wham. ---- The old dragon was hurt. Really hurt. For thousands upon thousands of years, it ruled sky undisputed. It showed the inferior beings their places. Even the Eon Duos were rightfully afraid of it. A few… days? Weeks? Months? ago the Sky High Pokemon has destroyed the human constructions, which violated its territory. It thought, that this time, they'll learn, that higher skies and space are not meant for them… but they didn't. They've decided, that they can force their point. They've built a giant machine, far beyond any previous constructions. It wasn't like old ones, which were frail, sacrificing everything to save the weight - no, this one was huge and sturdy, capable of taking hits and unleashing inferno in return. More than just capable, in fact. The battle was going on for a several hours already, filled with constant flybys and intercepts, where the combatants did their best to injure the opponent as much as possible and don't get killed at the same time. The whole body of the Legendary was either in pain, like from fire (even though the dragon's body should've been resistant to it), or slowly going numb. The machine, however, was still kicking with no visible major problems and unleashing attacks like no tomorrow. In fact, for one of the combatants, there indeed will be no tomorrow. Someone will remain victorious and hold the control over skies, someone will be destroyed and burned upon re-entry. The old dragon prepared for the final, death-or-glory attack… and suddenly the entire world for it turned blinding-white for less than a split-second, before everything disappeared and the complete abyss came. ---- "All nine hits with Lances scored - seven SCMs, two Howitzers with "Matchsticks"." "Bandit… completely inoperable and will re-enter atmo in two hours," reported the shocked sensors operator. "Guys… did we just... win?" "I hope so," replied the engineer. "I really hope so, since the heat accumulators are nearing critical and if it goes on like this for another dozen minutes or so - it's either scramming the reactor, dumping a decent amount of our hydrogen for open-cycle cooling or deploying radiators mid-battle!" "Deploy the radiators," gave an order the captain. "Power down the weapon systems and retract the weapons. Set reactor output to non-combat level. Return the ship to patrol orbit. Activate the habitation centrifuge. Report to the ground… that we've secured this frontier and avenged the 11th expedition to the Space Lab 2. Red Spirit should be proud of us now." "Aye-aye, comrade captain!" replied all officers in unison, before the attitude control jets hissed again, the pulse engine thumped a few more times and commlink received happy screams from the FCC. Captain of the "Red Explorer" barely cared about all of that. He was just happy, that this battle ended with them as victors… and he also hoped, that, whatever this dragon was doing to keep the balance on this boulder, humans will be able to do just as fine. "Comrade captain, FCC congratulates us! They say, that, when we return to the ground, Emperor and Empress themselves will give us the Medal of Skies!" happily screamed the comm officer, who still could barely believe, that they've done what was considered to be next to impossible - they've successfully defeated the higher-grade Legendary! "Yeah? Okay then. And what shall we do now?" "... Emperor told me, that we should just… "Soar over space"? What does that mean?" "It means, pals, that we did fine and we can take a break. A well-deserved break. Tell the service team to start total damage evaluation and repair." Author's notes: Green Spirit - yet another mystical being in Sorisian mythology, which patrons those, who protect and help others. Launch configuration of the "Red Explorer" and the "Red Explorer" itself were based on the data about the Orion Battleship, gained from here. SCM-1 "Firestorm" - mid-range solid-chemfuel space combat missile with TD-ENF-10K-1 enhanced radiation thermonuclear warhead (a.k.a. "neutron warhead"), 10kt yield. Radio command guidance. SCM-2 "Firelance" - mid-range solid-chemfuel space combat missile with TD-SB-10K-1 shaped-blast thermonuclear warhead (a.k.a. "Lance warhead", based on the real Casaba Howitzer project), 10kt yield. Radio command guidance. PBRM-1 "Lightning" - planetary bombardment retro-missile with liquid-chemfuel engines, armed with TD-CB-25M-1 heavy "city buster" thermonuclear warhead, 25 megaton yield, or six TD-CB-1M-1 1mt yield "city buster" multiple independently targetable maneuverable reentry vehicles. Combined radio command/inertial/active terminal homing guidance. Lance Howitzer - simple auto-loading mortar for firing "Matchstick" shaped-blast thermonuclear warheads. STW-10K-1 "Matchstick" - shaped-blast 10kt thermonuclear warhead with basic radio command guidance system and some tiny attitude jets, launched from Lance Howitzer and detonated shortly after. ERMA-2-S "Thunderlance" - 127mm electromagnetic rail mass accelerator (a.k.a. "railgun"), adapted for space and capable of accelerating shells up to 2506 m/s. NRS-1K "Firecracker" - nuclear shell for the ERMA-2-S, 1kt yield. Contact/remote/timer detonation. CRS-3 "Dustbin" - canister shot for the ERMA-2-S, depleted uranium pellets. RC-6-20-S "Chestnut" - 6-barrelled 20mm rotary cannon, adapted for space and used in the PD-1-20-S "Sweeper" space-adapted point defence system.

[jackhbritt36]

Clickfunnels Review [2020]

Clickfunnels Review [2020]

Paul Spraggins

Everything you need to learn online marketing and execute campaigns. Blown my expectations.

Daniel G

0 4.7/5

Features

 4.8/5

Ease of Use

 4.6/5

Support

 4.7/5

Pricing

 4.7/5

Overview

Are you hoping to find an HONEST Clickfunnels Review? Clickfunnels is hyped a LOT. But then, how will it help make you money?

Are you wondering if Clickfunnels is the right software for you? Well, you are in luck because you will find out all you need to know here!

Be it your own business or an online business, or you are into affiliate marketing – the Clickfunnels software essentially makes your life very easy.

With its drag and drop feature, the landing page builder has made it easier than ever to create great pages.

Other landing page builder like Katra recently released have shown that Clickfunnels is worth its costs.

It can be very frustrating to look through product ratings, review, compare products, wasting precious time before finally deciding to make a purchase only to discover that it’s not exactly what you thought it would be.

I have taken time to make a detailed and truthful Clickfunnels review to intimate you with everything you should know in picking which is best for you – because the truth is Clickfunnels is not designed for everyone!

Even with recent and cheaper competition, Clickfunnels is still one of the best sales funnel solutions available.

* I’m an affiliate marketer of Clickfunnels, which means I will be given a commission if you buy via my affiliate link.

What Is ClickFunnels?

Russel Brunson, alongside his team, developed ClickFunnels quite a few years ago. Of all landing page builders, clickfunnels was one of the first to create the drag and drop attribute that makes it easy and simple to create sales funnels.

People used Leadpages and other software or sometimes designed sales pages by themselves using HTML before the invention of clickfunnels.

What Does Clickfunnels Do?

Clickfunnels helps you develop landing pages, downsells and upsells, sales funnels, and membership sites with ease.

ClickFunnels also comes with Stripe, Paypal, and other payment merchants. It makes Clicks funnel an accessible service for small business owners and online marketers. The software makes it very easy to accept online payments.

For example, if you work as a fitness coach and people engage you in a personal consultation, or you even offer online courses, you can direct web traffic with Clickfunnels to your page getting customers to join your social media or email list.

The moment your leads have joined, they would be allowed to choose to purchase the course or have access to your free e-books. If they make the purchase, an extra page will pop up to redirect them for a special training session with you. You can do all this directly with Clickfunnels without necessarily having to host a domain or pay for any special software of any kind.

Clickfunnels also has its software for analytics with which you can monitor your page and how well it is doing. Also, you can run A/B tests many times on your sales page with ease. These tests will help you optimize your sales pages to have the best in terms of leads and sales.

Sales Funnel - What is it?

Before reading this review, you should understand sales funnels, its advantages, and how it generates maximum profit.

Sales funnels are created to get potential client email or social media contact. The process is quite similar to getting a girl’s number or social media contact. That would be a step towards a relationship…

However, having someone’s email address doesn’t always result in sales, just like it doesn’t imply anything from the girl – but then, chances to make sales for you and your company are increased!

As soon as you obtain the email, you can proceed into relating with your potential customer where you can keep them up to date on your new products and services.

See it as a good book or movie. Your aim here is to become emotionally connected with your customers while you gradually gain their confidence and trust in your business. The moment you have their belief, they can make purchase decisions with ease.

Afterward, the sales funnel requires that you send the prospective customer to your page dedicated to sales. This sales page should stand out and should be specially designed in such a way that people are very eager to make purchases.

Usually, useful pages will have headlines that are very catchy and talk about your products and services, followed by very engaging images and videos, also bullet points which will give a short information on the benefits of such a purchase. All these work hand-in-hand to keep the visitor intrigued and eager to buy your product.

The moment your customer enters their card details and makes a purchase is not the end. Instead, it starts a journey where you lead them through additional One Time Offers (OTOs) or special single offers, and other types of promotions.

The idea here is to help each customer maximize profit.

For instance, assuming your company gets a conversion of about 10% for every visit to the sales funnel. Considering each item worth $10 /pop, totaling a $5 profit. Therefore, for 100 visitors, with an average of 10sales, you get a whopping $50 profit.

Now imagine if the conversion rate was 30%, for an extra $10 item, while an additional 10% decide to register for the annual $500 package?

You might not believe your eyes after doing the maths…

For every 100 visitors visiting your sales page, you sell ten products, three new products, and an annual package. The result is a $600 profit, which is an increased profit of about 1,200% for your business.

This increased margin in profit will give you enough leverage to spend more than your business competition on advertisements, which will further raise the numbers of your potential customers.

There are so many options for sales funnel to choose from. You must develop one that suits your business model. That can be very daring, challenging, and tasking. However, with Clickfunnels, you can implement it with ease.

How Does Clickfunnels Work?

ClickFunnels has a lot of advantages and features that give it an edge over others.

Starting with what is the most significant of them all—ClickFunnels works just fine, doing precisely what it is meant to do. The software builds sales funnels completely for its users, helping them drive both buyers and leads to the sales funnels sequel to completion.

Also, users can process payments. It also gives a very adaptable page builder with which users can create personalized pages. It provides room for promotions, featuring an autoresponder and an affiliate tool for management, and many more.

And that is not all.

The landing page software lets you build your sales funnel pages as fast as possible and with ease. Clickfunnels also comes with the option of email marketing.

It helps you smoothly synchronize sales pages using a follow-up email without needing e-mail software like Mailchimp and Weber. With this done on your behalf, you can have more of your free time and focus on critical stuff like business growth!

ClickFunnels gives room for A/B testing on every page within the funnel. You can as well create membership funnels with the use of ClickFunnels.

After you register the leads, they will gain exclusive access to membership rights of your service previously developed and maintained by you.

That’s not all; one of the very many exciting features of ClickFunnels is that it is integrated with Stripe and PayPal. You would receive payment for membership sites and/or products and services which you give to people.

What is the meaning of all these?

You can build your entire business using Clickfunnels! You won’t need multiple websites or pay extra for hosting a domain – because Clickfunnels is all-inclusive.

The software also comes with features that allow you to recruit, manage, and pay to affiliates. You will also have exclusive control over all the metrics and analytics you need for your funnel’s review in terms of campaigns, performance, conversions, and sales, as well as the results of A/B tests.

The main objective of Clickfunnels is using the software to ensure maximum spending of every customer who engages in your product or services, transforming them into possible big spenders.

Things to Like

Beautiful Blueprints

Clickfunnels is inbuilt with a menu of a detailed database of gorgeous, already made templates. These templates are straightforward to re-use and can be set up in minutes. The list of pre-made funnel type template you can pick from include webinar funnels, membership funnels, etc.

Clickfunnels also comes with a marketplace where anyone can buy or sell for free or receive payment in exchange for templates. You don’t need to worry because, for many people, purchasing a template isn’t necessary, and on the plus side, there are a whole lot of built-in free templates.

Drag and Drop Editing Feature

People who have used other sales page software at one time before now will understand and appreciate Clickfunnels and its easy drag and drop editing feature. In the past, when you make minor tweaks, you have to continually relaunch the page to be sure those changes made look just the way you need them to.

With Clickfunnels, any change made will appear the same way whenever the page is launched. You save yourself time and escape a lot of unwarranted frustration.

A Whole Lot of Features From Which You Can Choose

Elements, or widgets as some call it, are like cogs in wheels of your sales funnel as they allow you customize your page.

This powerful feature categorizes Clickfunnels on its level, since Clickfunnels comes stocked to the brim with a lot of useful widgets that you will not find on other landing page applications at the moment.

Elements like Pricing tables, SMS registration, Videos, Surveys, Social media plugin like Facebook Comments, Progress bars, Countdown Timers with FAQ blocks, and also Custom HTML will help you improve conversions, and in the end, could result in added profit for you.

Clickfunnels Affiliate Program

One of the beautiful pros of Clickfunnels is the jaw-dropping affiliate program and also the Dream Car program. The registration for the program is straightforward, and you earn high commissions for everyone you refer to.

The affiliate program gives you a 40% commission on every person that registers using your link add to the fact that the program is a “sticky cookie.” If someone clicks on their phones, and then buy the software on their PC, you will still get your commission.

Unlike most affiliate programs, for instance, Amazon, this sticky cookie has no expiration. The implication is that you will continue to receive commissions from your referrals after their first purchase as long as they continue to pay.

Clickfunnels also has loads of upsells. You could practically make a lot more cash asides your revenue monthly. The good news here is, Russell Brunson is a genius of funnels, which guarantees that people that purchase Clickfunnels will definitely buy other related products.

One fantastic feature of the program is also the Sharefunnel. The share funnel allows you to give out funnels that you make with other people.

Imagine you made beautiful funnels for a real estate agent. You can as well share the funnel with as many agents as you wish for free.

Assuming they appreciate your work and they purchase Clickfunnels, that means you will receive a commission on the purchase.

June 2019 Update: Recently, Russell Brunson announced some improvements to the program. Clickfunnels, as of now, will give you commission for re-marketing campaigns.

If a person clicks your link, Clickfunnels will spend money on adverts to attract the person to buy Clickfunnels.

In my opinion, this strategy makes the affiliate program ten times more valuable. It also makes promoting them as easy as can be. Building your own experience and watching your learning curve grow through the training process.

The fantastic onboard training process

Clickfunnels is not rocket science; it’s very easy to understand; however, if you are like me, training to use a new software might be a bit frustrating…

ClickFunnels makes it very simple to understand the software with its on-boarding 7-day training challenge. The challenge is a sort of training on using the software, making it as fun as possible. If you continue the challenge until the end, you would know everything there is to know about Clickfunnels. Watch your learning curve grow as you proceed through the training process.

Complaints About ClickFunnels

Bad Part #1: Adding a funnel can be slow

Choosing a template or a funnel type to add to your account takes about 10 seconds averagely all the time. It might not seem like a big deal right now, but then, it could be annoying if you are in a hurry.

Bad Part #2: Visitor Limit

The base plan suite on ClickFunnels limits you to only 20,000 visitors, 100pages, and 20 funnels per month. Which looks very small at first glance.

However, when you think it through, if you get 20,000 visitors in one month, you would have enough money to upgrade to the unlimited funnels plan. However, if you have the cash, you can beat these limitations by opting straight for the etison suite that comes with unlimited funnels.

Bad Part #3: Pricing

ClickFunnels has a plethora of functions and features to its name, although it could be a bit expensive. Click funnels cost $97 per month, which is a whole lot of cash for startups, irrespective of how you look at it.

How Much Does Clickfunnels Cost? [Updated]

ClickFunnels’ most affordable plan costs less than a hundred dollars per month($97). You will have access to all the tools you can use to create funnels, although with limits as stated earlier ( 20,000 visitors, 100 pages, and 20 funnels).

To know more about deals on Clickfunnels pricing, check out the Clickfunnels Pricing page

Even though I understand the use of Actionetics, which is an inclusive email service. On a personal basis, I have not tried to use Actionetics. Actionetics added to Backpack, is an affiliate that creates the program.

If you had to select the two; Actionetics and Backpack, you would be paying $297 per month to use the Etison Suite. The etison suite offers all the action like unlimited visitors, pages, and funnels.

I’m not sure if any ClickFunnels coupon codes exist for discounts. However, you will receive a 16% discount if you are opt-in for a yearly payment on the etison suite. By my calculations, using the etison suite amounts to paying to use the software for ten months only, while the rest of the two months is for free.

You can try out Clickfunnels risk-free by registering for a free trial. There is an ongoing deal that lets you check out Clickfunnels 30 days for free. If you plan to check Clickfunnels out, the time is now because the offer won’t last for long. However, if you don’t make it on time for the 30-day free trial, you can always opt-in for the 14-day free trial.

Clickfunnels and Competition

You would agree, different things appeal to different people, the same way ClickFunnels has other alternatives available like SamCart and LeadPages. If you care to know, Clickfunnels stands out in the following ways:

LeadPages vs. Clickfunnels

Before now, LeadPages was a leader in the market in terms of building sales pages, but recently Clickfunnels has taken the lead. Leadpages has a very limited scope compared to ClickFunnels.

One can decide to build a very stylish and attractive sales pages to help collect leads and source new customers with leadpages. However, it won’t do much when it comes to the sales of a product or service.  The strength of LeadPages is in the generation of leads (as you would see from the name ), when it comes to sales and funnels, however, leave that to ClickFunnel.

On the other hand, Leadpages is cheaper per month, so if what you seek is a less costly option compared to Clickfunnels then, Leadpages should be your best bet.

SamCart vs. Clickfunnels

Speaking of SamCart, the product allows you to produce checkout sales pages that look good, thereby increasing your rate of conversion. So, how does it differ from ClickFunnels?

The difference is simple: SamCart is designed for straight sales and easy setup. It offers support for Paypal and Stripe with added 17 different page templates that you can customize to your taste. However, Samcart does not have the kind of flexibility and ability that ClickFunnel and its drag and drop editor feature gives you. That is to say, ClickFunnels can design almost any type of sales page you want.

It would not be nice to be restricted by Samcart and its primary personalizations and its already made templates. Asides that, you will discover Samcart might not be able to capture lead source and to develop sales funnels to completion.

If you consider that ClickFunnels and Samcart both cost $97 per month, the cutting edge for ClickFunnels will be its flexibility, which also gives it a higher rating.

Other Competitors

One thing about the Clickfunnels software is the fact that it has challenged the competition. As of now, a lot of alternatives exist like Builderall and Karta.

Is Clickfunnels Software Worth Your Money?

If you are here to compare ClickFunnels and LeadPages or SamCart and Clicksfunnel, by now, you should be equipped with all the information you need to make an informed decision.

You would agree that SamCart and Leadpages are useful tools with their strong points. However, we have discovered ClickFunnels is the very best comprehensive tool for your business. You can try the 14-day free trial and see for yourself.

Clickfunnels Review Final Thoughts:

To sum it up, we give Clickfunnels a 9 out of 10 ratings compared with the other existing options.

We believe our ClickFunnels review has helped you determine the service that you think is right! Whichever one you choose, ensure it improves sales as fast as possible! The good news is that you can opt-in for the 14-day free trial to make your assessments without risk.

FAQ

Can I replace Infusionsoft with ClickFunnels?

Infusionsoft and Clickfunnels may seem comparable, but the two platforms offer distinct differences that serve different types of users. ClickFunnels works for online marketers and companies needing landing pages and other online marketing tools integrated to make their sales funnels run smoothly. By using Clickfunnels, marketers would be able to develop their sales pages, oversee sales transactions, run tests, and even conduct email campaigns. Clickfunnels offers a full-function shopping cart, add that to checkout menu options that allow you to generate promotional codes and offer sales discounts in a bid to improve your rate of conversions. The interface will enable you to do all these and more from a single page, which is to say, you don’t have to change tabs to finish multiple tasks.

Infusionsoft, by the way, can help a more significant business develop landing pages, and at the same time, use a menu of tools available to start marketing campaigns. Infusionsoft was designed to be inclusive for online marketing and sales. However, it lacks feasibility when it comes to startups and small companies. Furthermore, it costs about $699 monthly, which is on the high side for a business that has a low marketing budget.

While ClickFunnels would not exactly replace Infusionsoft’s use for medium-sized businesses and enterprises, ClickFunnels is less expensive, has high functionality, and offers excess tools that are very simple to use. Small business CEOs will discover when picking between them that Clickfunnels would not only be a better replacement for Infusionsoft; it might as well offer a more useful experience in marketing automation.

ClickFunnels and Infusionsoft?

ClickFunnels and Shopify Integration?

ClickFunnels, as of now, is not integrated with Shopify. However, you can incorporate ClickFunnels with Zapier that has a direct link with the platform of Shopify- as an online store owner; you can completely automate your sales funnel. With ClickFunnels and Zapier integration, you will be able to: -Connect ClickFunnels with Shopify, -Utilize new contacts on ClickFunnels in making Trello cards, -Utilize current ClickFunnels contacts in making Podio contacts, -Develop Gmail automated responses sent to existing contacts and buying customers -Sign up new click funnel contacts for webinar series -Bring in click funnel orders inside Google sheets -Automate the development of invoices for current click funnel contacts, and -Have an up-to-date MailChimp subscribers list based on click funnel activity.

Connecting ClickFunnels to Amazon and Shopify

ClickFunnels is by who?

Russell Brunson is the founder of ClickFunnels and he is also the CEO of Brunson’s Etison,LLC. Brunson is well respected in marketing. He is one of the very few geniuses in marketing who make use of marketing analytics to develop, sales campaign with high conversion rates. He hosts Funnel Hacks event annually, where he discusses hacks and tools that small business owners, marketers, and startups need to stay ahead of their industries by optimizing their sales funnels. With followership of over a million small and large business owners and books sold in hundreds of thousands, he has an edge in the marketing industry. He has made a name for himself as a leading expert in the marketing industry.

ClickFunnels’ Owner

How Click Funnels can be used

ClickFunnels provides a supervised process where customers can get to know your company and their products through marketing training materials that make interested leads from ordinary potential buyers who have chosen to receive added information from you. In simple terms, you will need multiple components, that is after the advertisement. With advertisement and marketing on social media platforms like Twitter, Instagram, or Facebook, ClickFunnels can create a landing page.

Most pages usually called squeeze pages, which have a unique action call as well as a form where people that visit the page fill their details and email address. After your visitor has entered his details via the form provided, most markers prefer to be redirected to another page where, for instance, you can have time-limited promotional offers like a 14-day free trial of your product. While this is not compulsory, it is available on ClickFunnels. Making use of this tool, which is optional, will let users market additional products or services or present offers that will increase the chances of a purchase. Whether your visitor decides to go for the special promotional offer or they don’t, they would be directed to another page for order confirmation. The page thanks them for submission and gives the visitor further information about your company and its products.

After that, on the menu of tools, you will find on ClickFunnels, you will find one suitable for training your new leads. One could send newsletters periodically, develop marketing campaigns, and announce special promotional offers to engage the leads that you have using marketing automation. The moment you implement the tools, your sales funnel would begin to run smoothly without you needing to manage each of your leads manually.

FREE Tutorial on Clickfunnels Usage

Cloning funnels with ClickFunnels?

Cloning a funnel involves making an extra copy of a page with the aim. In case you need the page, later on, you won’t need to build the page from the beginning again. Cloning is beneficial when you are creating single or multiple landing page templates. It enables you to finish general layouts alongside all required components and to maintain consistency through campaigns without having to waste time creating your pages one after the other. Cloning is easy, involving only three very easy steps.

To start, you open the funnel you wish to use as your template. After that, you will select Settings from the menu. After that, choose the option “Clone Funnel” that will create a duplicate of the page automatically after clicking it. After cloning, your page will be included in a list on the main menu. The new page will be named after the original one, with “Copy of”, preceding it.

ClickFunnels TUTORIAL: Duplicating a Sales Funnel

How can Clickfunnels help Realtors?

Realtors can improve lead generation, grow buying and selling while automating some useless tasks needed to discuss terms with clients to get deals closed all with clickfunnels. Twilio integration with clickfunnels helps Realtors develop autoresponders with quick responses – which is necessary to engage demanding clients effectively. To be a successful real estate agent, consistent engagement with your pipeline is very important.

This explains why with Clickfunnels, agents can develop email drip campaigns that are automated in a bid to communicate with their prospective clientele as often as possible. Also, you can get a stable source of leads to ensure your contacts are filed using landing pages on Clickfunnels. You can use of your landing pages to give free reports and guides that help resolve common issues in buying and selling in your own market, leading to new potential source of leads for engagement that might develop in the future into listings or sales. The ClickFunnels platform makes all these tasks very easy to do.

Realtors and ClickFunnels

How can ClickFunnels for Amazon Help Affiliates?

Affiliate marketers usually build an email list using landing pages. However, ClickFunnels can do more than just creating landing pages. ClickFunnels can assist affiliate marketers in making money in different ways. For instance, when a customer buys something from an online store, say Amazon, for example, through affiliate marketers, such people become customers of the online store, not the affiliate marketer. Affiliate marketers can collect the customer’s contact and purchase information, using landing pages to provide analytics, develop membership plans in order to generate income, and for follow-up campaigns on email to encourage subsequent sales.

Tools also available to marketers allow for expansion of cart sizes to accommodate promotional sales if need be. You can also give varied options for order fulfillment so that buyers can choose how they receive their products. Paypal can be a payment option, which is a big deal because Amazon competes with Paypal, so Paypal payments are not allowed on Amazon. However, this is very important for affiliate marketers to accept Paypal payments as it raises revenue by 27%. Affiliate marketers can add promotion deadlines to create scarcity, a part of their marketing strategies. They can as well sell webinar funnels alongside normal products or lead conversion from products with high-end customers that pay well.

Even with more tools at your disposal to improve sales, ClickFunnels gives insight and action in creating diverse marketing campaigns and automation of sales processes without any damaging effects on quality.

ClickFunnels in Affiliate Marketing

ClickFunnels for chiropractors. How does it work?

Just like other professions, the sales funnels can be of benefit to Chiropractors by getting leads from every source possible. In health improvement, informative messages are very effective in attracting new leads from every source possible. Landing pages help you market your messages to the customers you need with ease. Once your source to new leads has piled up, ClickFunnels has a plethora of tools that enable you to grow each lead so you can add messages with information continuously to help convert your leads to engaged customers.

As a chiropractor, you can use marketing tools to offer discounts and other special promotions that may attract new customers. Better still, you can start referral schemes for customer to customer marketing. This is very effective for chiropractors trying to stimulate brand awareness in their environment. As you get new customers, ClickFunnels will see that you’re communicating with them as you send customized messages that aim at making them feel as though you’re communicating directly with them.

By using this powerful marketing tool provided by clickfunnels to add a personalized touch to your emails, people will easily see the big difference between you and other average chiropractors.

Chiropractors and Clickfunnels

How does ClickFunnels work for lawyers?

Lawyers, unlike most professions, have a challenge, which is, most people won’t require a lawyer, except they get in trouble. This implies that when there’s a need for a lawyer, most clients rush to find one as fast as possible. They resort to the internet to find a lawyer, they fill a few forms and then wait for a response. In a lot of cases, the lawyer who returns the fastest response is the one who gets hired for the job.

Legal practitioners must-have messages ready for people looking for attorneys of their caliber. They also must respond to these inquiries speedily. Keep in mind, a person might look for other options after they come to a decision that the first call does not offer enough to meet their needs, you should be the next option available, ready to accept their business.

The platform helps lawyers to create different landing pages online in diverse places so their materials for marketing can be seen with ease.

Landing pages will make the reader understand what you are competent to get a win in their case and also collect their contact information so you can be in touch. Following up, ClickFunnels allows you to create autoresponders so that you can respond right after the customer fills contact form. Consequently, you can nurture your leads and qualify them using your sales funnels. You can custom your landing pages and use them intake forms.

By doing so, ClickFunnels, in a way, can help you remove weak perspectives from the strong ones or quickly sort out cases that are simply time wasters. This removal process during client intake implies that you will speak with only prospects who have shown an appreciable amount of interest in your services. When you talk to them, you are assured they have their minds set to retain you as their lawyer. Consequently, your sales funnel will help you keep in touch with every client so that none slips through your hands when they are accidentally ignored.

The platform ensures you are keeping up with all your leads consistently, keeping track of your communications, and monitoring how the leads move from the source throughout the rest of your sales funnel. By making good use of the analytics you have on the Clickfunnels, one can find out the areas in your sales funnel where people leave the system or areas where they get stuck. This will give you clues as to what the problem turning people away is, and thereby make changes that make your campaign more proficient. Your sales funnel will now be fine-tuned after a while, so your conversion rates are maximum, and the influx of clientele is steady.

source https://www.eventuring.org/clickfunnels-review-2020/ from Eventuring https://eventuring.blogspot.com/2020/02/clickfunnels-review-2020.html

[eventuring]

Clickfunnels Review [2020]

Clickfunnels Review [2020]

Paul Spraggins

Everything you need to learn online marketing and execute campaigns. Blown my expectations.

Daniel G

0

 4.7/5

Features

 4.8/5

Ease of Use

 4.6/5

Support

 4.7/5

Pricing

 4.7/5

Overview

Are you hoping to find an HONEST Clickfunnels Review? Clickfunnels is hyped a LOT. But then, how will it help make you money?

Are you wondering if Clickfunnels is the right software for you? Well, you are in luck because you will find out all you need to know here!

Be it your own business or an online business, or you are into affiliate marketing – the Clickfunnels software essentially makes your life very easy.

With its drag and drop feature, the landing page builder has made it easier than ever to create great pages.

Other landing page builder like Katra recently released have shown that Clickfunnels is worth its costs.

It can be very frustrating to look through product ratings, review, compare products, wasting precious time before finally deciding to make a purchase only to discover that it’s not exactly what you thought it would be.

I have taken time to make a detailed and truthful Clickfunnels review to intimate you with everything you should know in picking which is best for you – because the truth is Clickfunnels is not designed for everyone!

Even with recent and cheaper competition, Clickfunnels is still one of the best sales funnel solutions available.

* I’m an affiliate marketer of Clickfunnels, which means I will be given a commission if you buy via my affiliate link.

What Is ClickFunnels?

Russel Brunson, alongside his team, developed ClickFunnels quite a few years ago. Of all landing page builders, clickfunnels was one of the first to create the drag and drop attribute that makes it easy and simple to create sales funnels.

People used Leadpages and other software or sometimes designed sales pages by themselves using HTML before the invention of clickfunnels.

What Does Clickfunnels Do?

Clickfunnels helps you develop landing pages, downsells and upsells, sales funnels, and membership sites with ease.

ClickFunnels also comes with Stripe, Paypal, and other payment merchants. It makes Clicks funnel an accessible service for small business owners and online marketers. The software makes it very easy to accept online payments.

For example, if you work as a fitness coach and people engage you in a personal consultation, or you even offer online courses, you can direct web traffic with Clickfunnels to your page getting customers to join your social media or email list.

The moment your leads have joined, they would be allowed to choose to purchase the course or have access to your free e-books. If they make the purchase, an extra page will pop up to redirect them for a special training session with you. You can do all this directly with Clickfunnels without necessarily having to host a domain or pay for any special software of any kind.

Clickfunnels also has its software for analytics with which you can monitor your page and how well it is doing. Also, you can run A/B tests many times on your sales page with ease. These tests will help you optimize your sales pages to have the best in terms of leads and sales.

Sales Funnel - What is it?

Before reading this review, you should understand sales funnels, its advantages, and how it generates maximum profit.

Sales funnels are created to get potential client email or social media contact. The process is quite similar to getting a girl’s number or social media contact. That would be a step towards a relationship…

However, having someone’s email address doesn’t always result in sales, just like it doesn’t imply anything from the girl – but then, chances to make sales for you and your company are increased!

As soon as you obtain the email, you can proceed into relating with your potential customer where you can keep them up to date on your new products and services.

See it as a good book or movie. Your aim here is to become emotionally connected with your customers while you gradually gain their confidence and trust in your business. The moment you have their belief, they can make purchase decisions with ease.

Afterward, the sales funnel requires that you send the prospective customer to your page dedicated to sales. This sales page should stand out and should be specially designed in such a way that people are very eager to make purchases.

Usually, useful pages will have headlines that are very catchy and talk about your products and services, followed by very engaging images and videos, also bullet points which will give a short information on the benefits of such a purchase. All these work hand-in-hand to keep the visitor intrigued and eager to buy your product.

The moment your customer enters their card details and makes a purchase is not the end. Instead, it starts a journey where you lead them through additional One Time Offers (OTOs) or special single offers, and other types of promotions.

The idea here is to help each customer maximize profit.

For instance, assuming your company gets a conversion of about 10% for every visit to the sales funnel. Considering each item worth $10 /pop, totaling a $5 profit. Therefore, for 100 visitors, with an average of 10sales, you get a whopping $50 profit.

Now imagine if the conversion rate was 30%, for an extra $10 item, while an additional 10% decide to register for the annual $500 package?

You might not believe your eyes after doing the maths…

For every 100 visitors visiting your sales page, you sell ten products, three new products, and an annual package. The result is a $600 profit, which is an increased profit of about 1,200% for your business.

This increased margin in profit will give you enough leverage to spend more than your business competition on advertisements, which will further raise the numbers of your potential customers.

There are so many options for sales funnel to choose from. You must develop one that suits your business model. That can be very daring, challenging, and tasking. However, with Clickfunnels, you can implement it with ease.

How Does Clickfunnels Work?

ClickFunnels has a lot of advantages and features that give it an edge over others.

Starting with what is the most significant of them all—ClickFunnels works just fine, doing precisely what it is meant to do. The software builds sales funnels completely for its users, helping them drive both buyers and leads to the sales funnels sequel to completion.

Also, users can process payments. It also gives a very adaptable page builder with which users can create personalized pages. It provides room for promotions, featuring an autoresponder and an affiliate tool for management, and many more.

And that is not all.

The landing page software lets you build your sales funnel pages as fast as possible and with ease. Clickfunnels also comes with the option of email marketing.

It helps you smoothly synchronize sales pages using a follow-up email without needing e-mail software like Mailchimp and Weber. With this done on your behalf, you can have more of your free time and focus on critical stuff like business growth!

ClickFunnels gives room for A/B testing on every page within the funnel. You can as well create membership funnels with the use of ClickFunnels.

After you register the leads, they will gain exclusive access to membership rights of your service previously developed and maintained by you.

That’s not all; one of the very many exciting features of ClickFunnels is that it is integrated with Stripe and PayPal. You would receive payment for membership sites and/or products and services which you give to people.

What is the meaning of all these?

You can build your entire business using Clickfunnels! You won’t need multiple websites or pay extra for hosting a domain – because Clickfunnels is all-inclusive.

The software also comes with features that allow you to recruit, manage, and pay to affiliates. You will also have exclusive control over all the metrics and analytics you need for your funnel’s review in terms of campaigns, performance, conversions, and sales, as well as the results of A/B tests.

The main objective of Clickfunnels is using the software to ensure maximum spending of every customer who engages in your product or services, transforming them into possible big spenders.

Things to Like

Beautiful Blueprints

Clickfunnels is inbuilt with a menu of a detailed database of gorgeous, already made templates. These templates are straightforward to re-use and can be set up in minutes. The list of pre-made funnel type template you can pick from include webinar funnels, membership funnels, etc.

Clickfunnels also comes with a marketplace where anyone can buy or sell for free or receive payment in exchange for templates. You don’t need to worry because, for many people, purchasing a template isn’t necessary, and on the plus side, there are a whole lot of built-in free templates.

Drag and Drop Editing Feature

People who have used other sales page software at one time before now will understand and appreciate Clickfunnels and its easy drag and drop editing feature. In the past, when you make minor tweaks, you have to continually relaunch the page to be sure those changes made look just the way you need them to.

With Clickfunnels, any change made will appear the same way whenever the page is launched. You save yourself time and escape a lot of unwarranted frustration.

A Whole Lot of Features From Which You Can Choose

Elements, or widgets as some call it, are like cogs in wheels of your sales funnel as they allow you customize your page.

This powerful feature categorizes Clickfunnels on its level, since Clickfunnels comes stocked to the brim with a lot of useful widgets that you will not find on other landing page applications at the moment.

Elements like Pricing tables, SMS registration, Videos, Surveys, Social media plugin like Facebook Comments, Progress bars, Countdown Timers with FAQ blocks, and also Custom HTML will help you improve conversions, and in the end, could result in added profit for you.

Clickfunnels Affiliate Program

One of the beautiful pros of Clickfunnels is the jaw-dropping affiliate program and also the Dream Car program. The registration for the program is straightforward, and you earn high commissions for everyone you refer to.

The affiliate program gives you a 40% commission on every person that registers using your link add to the fact that the program is a “sticky cookie.” If someone clicks on their phones, and then buy the software on their PC, you will still get your commission.

Unlike most affiliate programs, for instance, Amazon, this sticky cookie has no expiration. The implication is that you will continue to receive commissions from your referrals after their first purchase as long as they continue to pay.

Clickfunnels also has loads of upsells. You could practically make a lot more cash asides your revenue monthly. The good news here is, Russell Brunson is a genius of funnels, which guarantees that people that purchase Clickfunnels will definitely buy other related products.

One fantastic feature of the program is also the Sharefunnel. The share funnel allows you to give out funnels that you make with other people.

Imagine you made beautiful funnels for a real estate agent. You can as well share the funnel with as many agents as you wish for free.

Assuming they appreciate your work and they purchase Clickfunnels, that means you will receive a commission on the purchase.

June 2019 Update: Recently, Russell Brunson announced some improvements to the program. Clickfunnels, as of now, will give you commission for re-marketing campaigns.

If a person clicks your link, Clickfunnels will spend money on adverts to attract the person to buy Clickfunnels.

In my opinion, this strategy makes the affiliate program ten times more valuable. It also makes promoting them as easy as can be. Building your own experience and watching your learning curve grow through the training process.

The fantastic onboard training process

Clickfunnels is not rocket science; it’s very easy to understand; however, if you are like me, training to use a new software might be a bit frustrating…

ClickFunnels makes it very simple to understand the software with its on-boarding 7-day training challenge. The challenge is a sort of training on using the software, making it as fun as possible. If you continue the challenge until the end, you would know everything there is to know about Clickfunnels. Watch your learning curve grow as you proceed through the training process.

Complaints About ClickFunnels

Bad Part #1: Adding a funnel can be slow

Choosing a template or a funnel type to add to your account takes about 10 seconds averagely all the time. It might not seem like a big deal right now, but then, it could be annoying if you are in a hurry.

Bad Part #2: Visitor Limit

The base plan suite on ClickFunnels limits you to only 20,000 visitors, 100pages, and 20 funnels per month. Which looks very small at first glance.

However, when you think it through, if you get 20,000 visitors in one month, you would have enough money to upgrade to the unlimited funnels plan. However, if you have the cash, you can beat these limitations by opting straight for the etison suite that comes with unlimited funnels.

Bad Part #3: Pricing

ClickFunnels has a plethora of functions and features to its name, although it could be a bit expensive. Click funnels cost $97 per month, which is a whole lot of cash for startups, irrespective of how you look at it.

How Much Does Clickfunnels Cost? [Updated]

ClickFunnels’ most affordable plan costs less than a hundred dollars per month($97). You will have access to all the tools you can use to create funnels, although with limits as stated earlier ( 20,000 visitors, 100 pages, and 20 funnels).

To know more about deals on Clickfunnels pricing, check out the Clickfunnels Pricing page

Even though I understand the use of Actionetics, which is an inclusive email service. On a personal basis, I have not tried to use Actionetics. Actionetics added to Backpack, is an affiliate that creates the program.

If you had to select the two; Actionetics and Backpack, you would be paying $297 per month to use the Etison Suite. The etison suite offers all the action like unlimited visitors, pages, and funnels.

I’m not sure if any ClickFunnels coupon codes exist for discounts. However, you will receive a 16% discount if you are opt-in for a yearly payment on the etison suite. By my calculations, using the etison suite amounts to paying to use the software for ten months only, while the rest of the two months is for free.

You can try out Clickfunnels risk-free by registering for a free trial. There is an ongoing deal that lets you check out Clickfunnels 30 days for free. If you plan to check Clickfunnels out, the time is now because the offer won’t last for long. However, if you don’t make it on time for the 30-day free trial, you can always opt-in for the 14-day free trial.

Clickfunnels and Competition

You would agree, different things appeal to different people, the same way ClickFunnels has other alternatives available like SamCart and LeadPages. If you care to know, Clickfunnels stands out in the following ways:

LeadPages vs. Clickfunnels

Before now, LeadPages was a leader in the market in terms of building sales pages, but recently Clickfunnels has taken the lead. Leadpages has a very limited scope compared to ClickFunnels.

One can decide to build a very stylish and attractive sales pages to help collect leads and source new customers with leadpages. However, it won’t do much when it comes to the sales of a product or service.  The strength of LeadPages is in the generation of leads (as you would see from the name ), when it comes to sales and funnels, however, leave that to ClickFunnel.

On the other hand, Leadpages is cheaper per month, so if what you seek is a less costly option compared to Clickfunnels then, Leadpages should be your best bet.

SamCart vs. Clickfunnels

Speaking of SamCart, the product allows you to produce checkout sales pages that look good, thereby increasing your rate of conversion. So, how does it differ from ClickFunnels?

The difference is simple: SamCart is designed for straight sales and easy setup. It offers support for Paypal and Stripe with added 17 different page templates that you can customize to your taste. However, Samcart does not have the kind of flexibility and ability that ClickFunnel and its drag and drop editor feature gives you. That is to say, ClickFunnels can design almost any type of sales page you want.

It would not be nice to be restricted by Samcart and its primary personalizations and its already made templates. Asides that, you will discover Samcart might not be able to capture lead source and to develop sales funnels to completion.

If you consider that ClickFunnels and Samcart both cost $97 per month, the cutting edge for ClickFunnels will be its flexibility, which also gives it a higher rating.

Other Competitors

One thing about the Clickfunnels software is the fact that it has challenged the competition. As of now, a lot of alternatives exist like Builderall and Karta.

Is Clickfunnels Software Worth Your Money?

If you are here to compare ClickFunnels and LeadPages or SamCart and Clicksfunnel, by now, you should be equipped with all the information you need to make an informed decision.

You would agree that SamCart and Leadpages are useful tools with their strong points. However, we have discovered ClickFunnels is the very best comprehensive tool for your business. You can try the 14-day free trial and see for yourself.

Clickfunnels Review Final Thoughts:

To sum it up, we give Clickfunnels a 9 out of 10 ratings compared with the other existing options.

We believe our ClickFunnels review has helped you determine the service that you think is right! Whichever one you choose, ensure it improves sales as fast as possible! The good news is that you can opt-in for the 14-day free trial to make your assessments without risk.

FAQ

Can I replace Infusionsoft with ClickFunnels?

Infusionsoft and Clickfunnels may seem comparable, but the two platforms offer distinct differences that serve different types of users. ClickFunnels works for online marketers and companies needing landing pages and other online marketing tools integrated to make their sales funnels run smoothly. By using Clickfunnels, marketers would be able to develop their sales pages, oversee sales transactions, run tests, and even conduct email campaigns. Clickfunnels offers a full-function shopping cart, add that to checkout menu options that allow you to generate promotional codes and offer sales discounts in a bid to improve your rate of conversions. The interface will enable you to do all these and more from a single page, which is to say, you don’t have to change tabs to finish multiple tasks.

Infusionsoft, by the way, can help a more significant business develop landing pages, and at the same time, use a menu of tools available to start marketing campaigns. Infusionsoft was designed to be inclusive for online marketing and sales. However, it lacks feasibility when it comes to startups and small companies. Furthermore, it costs about $699 monthly, which is on the high side for a business that has a low marketing budget.

While ClickFunnels would not exactly replace Infusionsoft’s use for medium-sized businesses and enterprises, ClickFunnels is less expensive, has high functionality, and offers excess tools that are very simple to use. Small business CEOs will discover when picking between them that Clickfunnels would not only be a better replacement for Infusionsoft; it might as well offer a more useful experience in marketing automation.

ClickFunnels and Infusionsoft?

ClickFunnels and Shopify Integration?

ClickFunnels, as of now, is not integrated with Shopify. However, you can incorporate ClickFunnels with Zapier that has a direct link with the platform of Shopify- as an online store owner; you can completely automate your sales funnel. With ClickFunnels and Zapier integration, you will be able to: -Connect ClickFunnels with Shopify, -Utilize new contacts on ClickFunnels in making Trello cards, -Utilize current ClickFunnels contacts in making Podio contacts, -Develop Gmail automated responses sent to existing contacts and buying customers -Sign up new click funnel contacts for webinar series -Bring in click funnel orders inside Google sheets -Automate the development of invoices for current click funnel contacts, and -Have an up-to-date MailChimp subscribers list based on click funnel activity.

Connecting ClickFunnels to Amazon and Shopify

ClickFunnels is by who?

Russell Brunson is the founder of ClickFunnels and he is also the CEO of Brunson’s Etison,LLC. Brunson is well respected in marketing. He is one of the very few geniuses in marketing who make use of marketing analytics to develop, sales campaign with high conversion rates. He hosts Funnel Hacks event annually, where he discusses hacks and tools that small business owners, marketers, and startups need to stay ahead of their industries by optimizing their sales funnels. With followership of over a million small and large business owners and books sold in hundreds of thousands, he has an edge in the marketing industry. He has made a name for himself as a leading expert in the marketing industry.

ClickFunnels’ Owner

How Click Funnels can be used

ClickFunnels provides a supervised process where customers can get to know your company and their products through marketing training materials that make interested leads from ordinary potential buyers who have chosen to receive added information from you. In simple terms, you will need multiple components, that is after the advertisement. With advertisement and marketing on social media platforms like Twitter, Instagram, or Facebook, ClickFunnels can create a landing page.

Most pages usually called squeeze pages, which have a unique action call as well as a form where people that visit the page fill their details and email address. After your visitor has entered his details via the form provided, most markers prefer to be redirected to another page where, for instance, you can have time-limited promotional offers like a 14-day free trial of your product. While this is not compulsory, it is available on ClickFunnels. Making use of this tool, which is optional, will let users market additional products or services or present offers that will increase the chances of a purchase. Whether your visitor decides to go for the special promotional offer or they don’t, they would be directed to another page for order confirmation. The page thanks them for submission and gives the visitor further information about your company and its products.

After that, on the menu of tools, you will find on ClickFunnels, you will find one suitable for training your new leads. One could send newsletters periodically, develop marketing campaigns, and announce special promotional offers to engage the leads that you have using marketing automation. The moment you implement the tools, your sales funnel would begin to run smoothly without you needing to manage each of your leads manually.

FREE Tutorial on Clickfunnels Usage

Cloning funnels with ClickFunnels?

Cloning a funnel involves making an extra copy of a page with the aim. In case you need the page, later on, you won’t need to build the page from the beginning again. Cloning is beneficial when you are creating single or multiple landing page templates. It enables you to finish general layouts alongside all required components and to maintain consistency through campaigns without having to waste time creating your pages one after the other. Cloning is easy, involving only three very easy steps.

To start, you open the funnel you wish to use as your template. After that, you will select Settings from the menu. After that, choose the option “Clone Funnel” that will create a duplicate of the page automatically after clicking it. After cloning, your page will be included in a list on the main menu. The new page will be named after the original one, with “Copy of”, preceding it.

ClickFunnels TUTORIAL: Duplicating a Sales Funnel

How can Clickfunnels help Realtors?

Realtors can improve lead generation, grow buying and selling while automating some useless tasks needed to discuss terms with clients to get deals closed all with clickfunnels. Twilio integration with clickfunnels helps Realtors develop autoresponders with quick responses – which is necessary to engage demanding clients effectively. To be a successful real estate agent, consistent engagement with your pipeline is very important.

This explains why with Clickfunnels, agents can develop email drip campaigns that are automated in a bid to communicate with their prospective clientele as often as possible. Also, you can get a stable source of leads to ensure your contacts are filed using landing pages on Clickfunnels. You can use of your landing pages to give free reports and guides that help resolve common issues in buying and selling in your own market, leading to new potential source of leads for engagement that might develop in the future into listings or sales. The ClickFunnels platform makes all these tasks very easy to do.

Realtors and ClickFunnels

How can ClickFunnels for Amazon Help Affiliates?

Affiliate marketers usually build an email list using landing pages. However, ClickFunnels can do more than just creating landing pages. ClickFunnels can assist affiliate marketers in making money in different ways. For instance, when a customer buys something from an online store, say Amazon, for example, through affiliate marketers, such people become customers of the online store, not the affiliate marketer. Affiliate marketers can collect the customer’s contact and purchase information, using landing pages to provide analytics, develop membership plans in order to generate income, and for follow-up campaigns on email to encourage subsequent sales.

Tools also available to marketers allow for expansion of cart sizes to accommodate promotional sales if need be. You can also give varied options for order fulfillment so that buyers can choose how they receive their products. Paypal can be a payment option, which is a big deal because Amazon competes with Paypal, so Paypal payments are not allowed on Amazon. However, this is very important for affiliate marketers to accept Paypal payments as it raises revenue by 27%. Affiliate marketers can add promotion deadlines to create scarcity, a part of their marketing strategies. They can as well sell webinar funnels alongside normal products or lead conversion from products with high-end customers that pay well.

Even with more tools at your disposal to improve sales, ClickFunnels gives insight and action in creating diverse marketing campaigns and automation of sales processes without any damaging effects on quality.

ClickFunnels in Affiliate Marketing

ClickFunnels for chiropractors. How does it work?

Just like other professions, the sales funnels can be of benefit to Chiropractors by getting leads from every source possible. In health improvement, informative messages are very effective in attracting new leads from every source possible. Landing pages help you market your messages to the customers you need with ease. Once your source to new leads has piled up, ClickFunnels has a plethora of tools that enable you to grow each lead so you can add messages with information continuously to help convert your leads to engaged customers.

As a chiropractor, you can use marketing tools to offer discounts and other special promotions that may attract new customers. Better still, you can start referral schemes for customer to customer marketing. This is very effective for chiropractors trying to stimulate brand awareness in their environment. As you get new customers, ClickFunnels will see that you’re communicating with them as you send customized messages that aim at making them feel as though you’re communicating directly with them.

By using this powerful marketing tool provided by clickfunnels to add a personalized touch to your emails, people will easily see the big difference between you and other average chiropractors.

Chiropractors and Clickfunnels

How does ClickFunnels work for lawyers?

Lawyers, unlike most professions, have a challenge, which is, most people won’t require a lawyer, except they get in trouble. This implies that when there’s a need for a lawyer, most clients rush to find one as fast as possible. They resort to the internet to find a lawyer, they fill a few forms and then wait for a response. In a lot of cases, the lawyer who returns the fastest response is the one who gets hired for the job.

Legal practitioners must-have messages ready for people looking for attorneys of their caliber. They also must respond to these inquiries speedily. Keep in mind, a person might look for other options after they come to a decision that the first call does not offer enough to meet their needs, you should be the next option available, ready to accept their business.

The platform helps lawyers to create different landing pages online in diverse places so their materials for marketing can be seen with ease.

Landing pages will make the reader understand what you are competent to get a win in their case and also collect their contact information so you can be in touch. Following up, ClickFunnels allows you to create autoresponders so that you can respond right after the customer fills contact form. Consequently, you can nurture your leads and qualify them using your sales funnels. You can custom your landing pages and use them intake forms.

By doing so, ClickFunnels, in a way, can help you remove weak perspectives from the strong ones or quickly sort out cases that are simply time wasters. This removal process during client intake implies that you will speak with only prospects who have shown an appreciable amount of interest in your services. When you talk to them, you are assured they have their minds set to retain you as their lawyer. Consequently, your sales funnel will help you keep in touch with every client so that none slips through your hands when they are accidentally ignored.

The platform ensures you are keeping up with all your leads consistently, keeping track of your communications, and monitoring how the leads move from the source throughout the rest of your sales funnel. By making good use of the analytics you have on the Clickfunnels, one can find out the areas in your sales funnel where people leave the system or areas where they get stuck. This will give you clues as to what the problem turning people away is, and thereby make changes that make your campaign more proficient. Your sales funnel will now be fine-tuned after a while, so your conversion rates are maximum, and the influx of clientele is steady.

from E-Venturing Blog https://www.eventuring.org/clickfunnels-review-2020/

[uclaradio]

Latinx Punks’ Style Against Societal Norms

Article by Samantha Garduno

Photographs by Karina Jaramillo and Kelvin Cerezo

In the United States, white supremacist and patriarchal ideologies create societal norms causing a struggle for survival among marginalized youth. Latinx kids from Los Angeles are currently trying to create their own space in order to openly perform their identities and ideas in an oppressive society. The punk genre is a loud and fast-paced form of music that speaks about the failures of society. Classism, Sexism, and Racism are all issues that limit the growth of marginalized youth. This genre encourages rebellious youth movements against oppressive social norms and government institutions. The punk scene is a form of spatial entitlement and sonic space among Latinx youth trying to survive in Los Angeles. The rebellious aspect of the punk scene is shown through Latinx fashion; their style is considered as nonconforming. The dark “edgy” clothes worn by these youth is critical in giving the space meaning and allows the representation of Latinx punk identities. Conservative adults look down upon Punk Latinx groups because they look intimidating and problematic. However, interacting with these Latinx Punks and hearing their stories it reveals how empowered they are by claiming a space that is rarely inclusive towards their identity.

The aggression and rebellion that is seen through Latinx Punk style is a product of marginalized kids’ creation of subcultures in order to help them survive discrimination and racism. Their styles showcase empowerment and unity among Latinx youth. They are able to separate themselves from mass culture to seek their own individuality. In the following photos, I will present some images from the OC Punk Fest of Latinx youth embodying the punk culture. At the fest, I asked them to introduce themselves, share their identities, and why the punk subculture is important to them. After hearing their stories, I learned that these Latinx punks are visionaries and want to present themselves through their fashion, ideas, and music. They are making an impact in today’s society by being themselves.

Left to Right: Jagger Age 16, Sydney Mendez Age 16, Rodrigo Hernandez Age 15, Daisy Gonzales Age 16, Andrew Hernandez Age 17 (Shot by Karina Jaramillo)

Sidney Mendez: “My name is Sidney, I'm 16 years old. I live in Placita. I’m Latina and Columbiana. Punk is something that has been a part of my life because it runs in my family. My mom was in a band when she was younger and so she taught me basically everything she knows about punk music. It’s basically something that I’ve been listening to my whole life and never got over it.  Punk music is more than just listening and liking how it sounds, it makes me feel alive because of how my adrenaline rises. It’s a contest feeling of happiness for me and it brings me and my friends closer because we share the same interest in music.”

Left to Right: Aurora Zavala Age 20, Karina Perez Age 20, Leslie Mayorga Age 19 (Shot by Karina Jaramillo)

Aurora Zavala: “My name is Aurora Zavala I'm 20 years old I'm latina. The way I dress is inspired by some of my favorite musicians from the '80s and of course, I incorporate my own taste into it. It's important to me because I feel like it represents everything that I like.” Karina Perez: “Well hi my name is Karina Perez I’m 20 years I live in South Central Los Angeles. I’m Latina. Well for me it’s a representation of who I am what I like and it’s important to me because I’m representing the punk scene in some way since we are underrepresented and not really paid attention to an extent. It also represents us female since it’s very dominated by males and shows that females do exist in the punk scene that were out here changing the scene and representing it. And also it is a part of me and my style and who I am as a person.” Leslie Mayorga: “My name is Leslie Mayorga I’m 19 years old and I’m from Los Angeles, I identify as Hispanic. My style varies a lot it’s usually lots of black 80s-esqué garments like dresses, trousers, blazers, etc. I love jewelry too! I’ve made earrings and stuff like that. I feel like the reason I like to dress the way I do has a lot to do with how I express myself and want to physically project myself to others, a lot of times people stare at me and mad dog me and I know the reason for that is because of how I look (dress, hairstyle, makeup) and in a way making people angry or uncomfortable in that sense can be liberating because it’s obvious that if someone feels threatened it’s because they are looking at something they don’t know or even bother to understand/respect and I find it kinda funny and kinda sad how people can be so judgmental. Part of it too is that I just love putting outfits together and adding little details. Fashion and style can be very empowering.”

Far Right: Ramon Torres Age 19 (Shot by Karina Jaramillo) Ramon Torres: “Ramon Torres (19) Hispanic. My style is a mix of 90s grunge/punk/hipster style. It’s just a combination of all the things I enjoy listening to or things I find appealing to wear. Usually set myself apart from the general population that wears the new high-end brands while I just thrift most my stuff to save money and mix it up. My style is significant to me because it gives a satisfaction that I don’t look like everyone else and it gives me confidence. This is basically saying to everyone else “This is me, I dress weird and that’s okay.” I always had a sense of style, however, my current style was influenced by OC punk scene going on right now where punk is still seen as abnormal and crazy!”

Anai Mata, Age 19 wearing a distress Black Flag Police Story shirt and a cheetah print skirt (Shot by Karina Jaramillo) Anai Mata: “Anai Mata, age 19, born Chula Vista raised Moreno Valley, I am Mexican American, first language Spanish. My style has a lot of rock and roll roots, my dad was a metal head and I would see pictures of him; he'd talk about the music but in very little interest. When of course I was interested. He has the photo of him and his old friend and they're both in heavy leather jackets and hightop Nikes; I thought it looked badass. Anyway, music wise I started off listening to Rage Against the Machine when I was 5 years old and from there  I built up a style, you know. My first punk bands were The Adolescents, Conflict, The Casualties, The Clash, and Circle Jerks. I always thought about the punk scene/music was revolutionary. The style itself was fucking everyone off right and it was an outcast thing. That's goes with me. My parents didn't let me dress myself under up to 5th grade and I would dress casual. At the age of 12 through 15, I was making my own shit(jeans, cut shirts and shit like that). I started attending backyard shows at 13 because my brother had this band, so therefore I was exposed to the Moreno valley punk/ska/indie. It was all mixed in from what I remember. Throughout high school I had my docs and patches I shaved my hair into a tri-hawk and would wear it up every day. My dad has beat me up because of the way I would dress and stuff. It wasn't cool but it’s important because it shows the ones that want to see you "normal" or "una pinche niña adolescente" like it’s a big FUCK”

Nathan Salazar Age 15 (Shot by Kelvin Cerezo) Nathan Salazar: “My name is Nathan Salazar.  I am 15 years old and I’m from Long Beach, California. I am Hispanic and Guatemalan. My style isn’t exactly the same as everyone else; I like to dress in my own way where I feel comfortable. I like to paint my nails black and wear docs and tuck in my shirt with cut sleeves and wear a bandana around my leg. I paint my nails and wear the bandana because I hate the fashion now and everyone looks the same and it bugs me. I just try to do the opposite like painting my nails to show that I don’t care that “painting your nails is for females. ” The scene is important to me for many reasons. I’m glad punk rock is still thriving because if it weren’t I would be one bored mf but also it gives me a reason just to go out and be with people I can call my friends because we all feel the same about things and how we think people on the outside are. I’m thankful for the scene because how it brings us together in every way not just through feeling but through the love for punk rock and without the scene I don’t even think I’ll have my own band, The Neurotics, and it encourages me and my band just go hard every time we play because we can’t look sorry. I love the people in it yeah everyone’s not perfect but the people I’ve met I’m thankful for that people are really humble.”

[manishthatte-blog]

What does wikipedia have to say about Nanotechnology?

This article is reproduced verbatim (except for minor changes) from https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nanotechnology

(This is because this article describes nanotechnology so beautifully and in a concise manner, that I wouldn’t even dream of writing so beautifully.)

Nanotechnology ("nanotech") is a manipulation of matter on an atomic, molecular, and supramolecular scale. The earliest, widespread description of nanotechnology referred to the particular technological goal of precisely manipulating atoms and molecules for the fabrication of macro-scale products, also now referred to as molecular nanotechnology. A more generalized description of nanotechnology was subsequently established by the American National Nanotechnology Initiative, which defines nanotechnology as the manipulation of matter with at least one dimension sized from 1 to 100 nanometers. This definition reflects the fact that quantum mechanical effects are important at this quantum-realm scale, and so the definition shifted from a particular technological goal to a research category inclusive of all types of research and technologies that deal with the special properties of matter which occur below the given size threshold. It is therefore common to see the plural form "nanotechnologies" as well as "nanoscale technologies" to refer to the broad range of research and applications whose common trait is the size. Because of the variety of potential applications (including industrial and military), governments have invested billions of dollars in nanotechnology research. Through 2012, the USA has invested $3.7 billion using its National Nanotechnology Initiative, the European Union has invested $1.2 billion, and Japan has invested $750 million.

Nanotechnology, as defined by size, is naturally very broad, including fields of science as diverse as surface science, organic chemistry, molecular biology, semiconductor physics, energy storage, micro-fabrication, molecular engineering, etc. The associated research and applications are equally diverse, ranging from extensions of conventional device physics to completely new approaches based upon molecular self-assembly, from developing new materials with dimensions on the nanoscale to direct control of matter on the atomic scale.

Scientists currently debate the future implications of nanotechnology. Nanotechnology may be able to create many new materials and devices with a vast range of applications, such as nanomedicine, nano-electronics, biomaterials, energy production, and consumer products. On the other hand, nanotechnology raises many of the same issues as any new technology, including concerns about the toxicity and environmental impact of nanomaterials and their potential effects on global economics, as well as speculation about various doomsday scenarios. These concerns have led to a debate among advocacy groups and governments on whether special regulation of nanotechnology is warranted.

Origins:

The concepts that seeded nanotechnology were first discussed in 1959 by renowned physicist Richard Feynman in his talk There's Plenty of Room at the Bottom, in which he described the possibility of synthesis via direct manipulation of atoms. The term "nanotechnology" was first used by Norio Taniguchi in 1974, though it was not widely known.

Comparison of Nanomaterials Sizes

Inspired by Feynman's concepts, K. Eric Drexler used the term "nanotechnology" in his 1986 book Engines of Creation: The Coming Era of Nanotechnology, which proposed the idea of a nanoscale "assembler" which would be able to build a copy of itself and of other items of arbitrary complexity with atomic control. Also in 1986, Drexler co-founded The Foresight Institute (with which he is no longer affiliated) to help increase public awareness and understanding of nanotechnology concepts and implications.

Thus, the emergence of nanotechnology as a field in the 1980s occurred through a convergence of Drexler's theoretical and public work, which developed and popularized a conceptual framework for nanotechnology, and high-visibility experimental advances that drew additional wide-scale attention to the prospects of atomic control of matter. Since the popularity spike in the 1980s, most of the nanotechnology has involved investigation of several approaches to making mechanical devices out of a small number of atoms.

In the 1980s, two major breakthroughs sparked the growth of nanotechnology in the modern era. First, the invention of the scanning tunneling microscope in 1981 which provided unprecedented visualization of individual atoms and bonds, and was successfully used to manipulate individual atoms in 1989. The microscope's developers Gerd Binnig and Heinrich Rohrer at IBM Zurich Research Laboratory received a Nobel Prize in Physics in 1986. Binnig, Quate, and Gerber also invented the analogous atomic force microscope that year.

Second, Fullerenes were discovered in 1985 by Harry Kroto, Richard Smalley, and Robert Curl, who together won the 1996 Nobel Prize in Chemistry. C60 was not initially described as nanotechnology; the term was used regarding subsequent work with related graphene tubes (called carbon nanotubes and sometimes called Bucky tubes) which suggested potential applications for nanoscale electronics and devices.

In the early 2000s, the field garnered increased scientific, political, and commercial attention that led to both controversy and progress. Controversies emerged regarding the definitions and potential implications of nanotechnologies, exemplified by the British Royal Society's report on nanotechnology. Challenges were raised regarding the feasibility of applications envisioned by advocates of molecular nanotechnology, which culminated in a public debate between Drexler and Smalley in 2001 and 2003.

Meanwhile, the commercialization of products based on advancements in nanoscale technologies began emerging. These products are limited to bulk applications of nanomaterials and do not involve atomic control of matter. Some examples include the Silver Nano platform for using silver nanoparticles as an antibacterial agent, nanoparticle-based transparent sunscreens, carbon fiber strengthening using silica nanoparticles, and carbon nanotubes for stain-resistant textiles.

Governments moved to promote and fund research into nanotechnology, such as in the U.S. with the National Nanotechnology Initiative, which formalized a size-based definition of nanotechnology and established funding for research on the nanoscale, and in Europe via the European Framework Programmes for Research and Technological Development.

By the mid-2000s new and serious scientific attention began to flourish. Projects emerged to produce nanotechnology roadmaps which center on atomically precise manipulation of matter and discuss existing and projected capabilities, goals, and applications.

Fundamental concepts

Nanotechnology is the engineering of functional systems at the molecular scale. This covers both current work and concepts that are more advanced. In its original sense, nanotechnology refers to the projected ability to construct items from the bottom up, using techniques and tools being developed today to make complete, high-performance products.

One nanometer (nm) is one billionth, or 10raised to the power −9, of a meter. By comparison, typical carbon-carbon bond lengths, or the spacing between these atoms in a molecule, are in the range 0.12–0.15 nm, and a DNA double-helix has a diameter around 2 nm. On the other hand, the smallest cellular life-forms, the bacteria of the genus Mycoplasma, are around 200 nm in length. By convention, nanotechnology is taken as the scale range 1 to 100 nm following the definition used by the National Nanotechnology Initiative in the US. The lower limit is set by the size of atoms (hydrogen has the smallest atoms, which are approximately a quarter of an nm kinetic diameter) since nanotechnology must build its devices from atoms and molecules. The upper limit is more or less arbitrary but is around the size below which * phenomena (* Please see important note at the end) not observed in larger structures start to become apparent and can be made use of in the nanodevice. These new phenomena make nanotechnology distinct from devices that are merely miniaturized versions of an equivalent macroscopic device; such devices are on a larger scale and come under the description of microtechnology.

To put that scale in another context, the comparative size of a nanometer to a meter is the same as that of a marble to the size of the earth. Or another way of putting it: a nanometer is an amount an average man's beard grows in the time it takes him to raise the razor to his face.

Two main approaches are used in nanotechnology. In the "bottom-up" approach, materials and devices are built from molecular components that assemble themselves chemically by principles of molecular recognition. In the "top-down" approach, nano-objects are constructed from larger entities without atomic-level control.

Areas of physics such as nano-electronics, nanomechanics, nano-photonics, and nano-ionics have evolved during the last few decades to provide a basic scientific foundation of nanotechnology.

Larger to smaller: a materials perspective

Image of reconstruction on a clean Gold surface, as visualized using scanning tunneling microscopy. The positions of the individual atoms composing the surface are visible.

Several phenomena become pronounced as the size of the system decreases. These include statistical mechanical effects, as well as quantum mechanical effects, for example, the "quantum size effect" where the electronic properties of solids are altered with great reductions in particle size. This effect does not come into play by going from macro to micro dimensions. However, quantum effects can become significant when the nanometer size range is reached, typically at distances of 100 nanometers or less, the so-called quantum realm. Additionally, a number of physical (mechanical, electrical, optical, etc.) properties change when compared to macroscopic systems. One example is the increase in surface area to volume ratio altering mechanical, thermal and catalytic properties of materials. Diffusion and reactions at nanoscale, nanostructures materials and nano-devices with fast ion transport are generally referred to as nano-ionics. Mechanical properties of nano-systems are of interest in the nanomechanics research. The catalytic activity of nanomaterials also opens potential risks in their interaction with biomaterials.

Materials reduced to the nanoscale can show different properties compared to what they exhibit on a macro-scale, enabling unique applications. For instance, opaque substances can become transparent (copper); stable materials can turn combustible (aluminum); insoluble materials may become soluble (gold). A material such as gold, which is chemically inert at normal scales, can serve as a potent chemical catalyst at nanoscales. Much of the fascination with nanotechnology stems from these quantum and surface phenomena that matter exhibits at the nanoscale.

Simple to complex: a molecular perspective

Modern synthetic chemistry has reached the point where it is possible to prepare small molecules to almost any structure. These methods are used today to manufacture a wide variety of useful chemicals such as pharmaceuticals or commercial polymers. This ability raises the question of extending this kind of control to the next-larger level, seeking methods to assemble these single molecules into supramolecular assemblies consisting of many molecules arranged in a well-defined manner.

These approaches utilize the concepts of molecular self-assembly and/or supramolecular chemistry to automatically arrange themselves into some useful conformation through a bottom-up approach. The concept of molecular recognition is especially important: molecules can be designed so that a specific configuration or arrangement is favored due to non-covalent intermolecular forces. The Watson–Crick base pairing rules are a direct result of this, as is the specificity of an enzyme being targeted to a single substrate, or the specific folding of the protein itself. Thus, two or more components can be designed to be complementary and mutually attractive so that they make a more complex and useful whole.

Such bottom-up approaches should be capable of producing devices in parallel and be much cheaper than top-down methods, but could potentially be overwhelmed as the size and complexity of the desired assembly increases. Most useful structures require complex and thermodynamically unlikely arrangements of atoms. Nevertheless, there are many examples of self-assembly based on molecular recognition in biology, most notably Watson–Crick base-pairing and enzyme-substrate interactions. The challenge for nanotechnology is whether these principles can be used to engineer new constructs in addition to natural ones.

Molecular nanotechnology: a long-term view

Molecular nanotechnology, sometimes called molecular manufacturing, describes engineered nanosystems (nanoscale machines) operating on the molecular scale. Molecular nanotechnology is especially associated with the molecular assembler, a machine that can produce the desired structure or device atom-by-atom using the principles of mechano-synthesis. Manufacturing in the context of productive nanosystems is not related to and should be clearly distinguished from, the conventional technologies used to manufacture nanomaterials such as carbon nanotubes and nanoparticles.

When the term "nanotechnology" was independently coined and popularized by Eric Drexler (who at the time was unaware of an earlier usage by Norio Taniguchi) it referred to a future manufacturing technology based on molecular machine systems. The premise was that molecular-scale biological analogies of traditional machine components demonstrated molecular machines were possible: by the countless examples found in biology, it is known that sophisticated, stochastically optimized biological machines can be produced.

It is hoped that developments in nanotechnology will make possible their construction by some other means, perhaps using biomimetic principles. However, Drexler and other researchers have proposed that advanced nanotechnology, although perhaps initially implemented by biomimetic means, ultimately could be based on mechanical engineering principles, namely, a manufacturing technology based on the mechanical functionality of these components (such as gears, bearings, motors, and structural members) that would enable programmable, positional assembly to atomic specification. The physics and engineering performance of exemplar designs were analyzed in Drexler's book Nanosystems.

In general, it is very difficult to assemble devices on the atomic scale, as one has to position atoms on other atoms of comparable size and stickiness. Another view put forth by Carlo Montemagno is that future nanosystems will be hybrids of silicon technology and biological molecular machines. Richard Smalley argued that mechanosynthesis is impossible due to the difficulties in mechanically manipulating individual molecules.

This led to an exchange of letters in the ACS publication Chemical & Engineering News in 2003. Though biology clearly demonstrates that molecular machine systems are possible, non-biological molecular machines are today only in their infancy. Leaders in research on non-biological molecular machines are Dr. Alex Zettl and his colleagues at Lawrence Berkeley Laboratories and UC Berkeley. They have constructed at least three distinct molecular devices whose motion is controlled from the desktop with changing voltage: a nanotube nanomotor, a molecular actuator, and a nano-electro-mechanical relaxation oscillator. See nanotube nanomotor for more examples.

An experiment indicating that positional molecular assembly is possible was performed by Ho and Lee at Cornell University in 1999. They used a scanning tunneling microscope to move an individual carbon monoxide molecule (CO) to an individual iron atom (Fe) sitting on a flat silver crystal, and chemically bound the CO to the Fe by applying a voltage.

Current research:

This DNA tetrahedron is an artificially designed nanostructure of the type made in the field of DNA nanotechnology. Each edge of the tetrahedron is a 20 base pair DNA double helix, and each vertex is a three-arm junction.

This device transfers energy from nano-thin layers of quantum wells to nanocrystals above them, causing the nanocrystals to emit visible light.

Nanomaterials:

The nanomaterials field includes subfields which develop or study materials having unique properties arising from their nanoscale dimensions.

Interface and colloid science have given rise to many materials which may be useful in nanotechnologies, such as carbon nanotubes and other fullerenes, and various nanoparticles and nanorods. Nanomaterials with fast ion transport are related also to nanoionics and nanoelectronics.

Nanoscale materials can also be used for bulk applications; most present commercial applications of nanotechnology are of this flavor.

Progress has been made in using these materials for medical applications; see Nanomedicine.

Nanoscale materials such as nanopillars are sometimes used in solar cells that combat the cost of traditional silicon solar cells.

Development of applications incorporating semiconductor nanoparticles to be used in the next generation of products, such as display technology, lighting, solar cells, and biological imaging; see quantum dots.

The recent application of nanomaterials includes a range of biomedical applications, such as tissue engineering, drug delivery, and biosensors.

Bottom-up approaches:

These seek to arrange smaller components into more complex assemblies.

DNA nanotechnology utilizes the specificity of Watson–Crick base-pairing to construct well-defined structures out of DNA and other nucleic acids.

Approaches from the field of "classical" chemical synthesis (Inorganic and organic synthesis) also aim at designing molecules with well-defined shape (e.g. bis-peptides).

More generally, molecular self-assembly seeks to use concepts of supramolecular chemistry, and molecular recognition, in particular, to cause single-molecule components to automatically arrange themselves into some useful conformation.

Atomic force microscope tips can be used as a nanoscale "write head" to deposit a chemical upon a surface in the desired pattern in a process called dip-pen nanolithography. This technique fits into the larger subfield of nanolithography.

Molecular Beam Epitaxy allows for bottom-up assemblies of materials, most notably semiconductor materials commonly used in chip and computing applications, stacks, gating, and nanowire lasers.

Top-down approaches:

These seek to create smaller devices by using larger ones to direct their assembly.

Many technologies that descended from conventional solid-state silicon methods for fabricating microprocessors are now capable of creating features smaller than 100 nm, falling under the definition of nanotechnology. Giant magnetoresistance-based hard drives already on the market fit this description, as do atomic layer deposition (ALD) techniques. Peter Grünberg and Albert Fert received the Nobel Prize in Physics in 2007 for their discovery of Giant magnetoresistance and contributions to the field of spintronics.

Solid-state techniques can also be used to create devices known as nano-electro-mechanical systems or NEMS, which are related to microelectromechanical systems or MEMS.

Focused ion beams can directly remove material, or even deposit material when suitable precursor gasses are applied at the same time. For example, this technique is used routinely to create sub-100 nm sections of material for analysis in Transmission electron microscopy.

Atomic force microscope tips can be used as a nanoscale "write head" to deposit a resist, which is then followed by an etching process to remove material in a top-down method.

Functional approaches:

These seek to develop components of the desired functionality without regard to how they might be assembled.

Magnetic assembly for the synthesis of anisotropic superparamagnetic materials such as recently presented magnetic nano chains.

Molecular scale electronics seeks to develop molecules with useful electronic properties. These could then be used as single-molecule components in a nanoelectronic device. For example, see rotaxane.

Synthetic chemical methods can also be used to create synthetic molecular motors, such as in a so-called nano car.

Biomimetic approaches:

Bionics or biomimicry seeks to apply biological methods and systems found in nature, to the study and design of engineering systems and modern technology. Biomineralization is one example of the systems studied.

Bionanotechnology is the use of biomolecules for applications in nanotechnology, including the use of viruses and lipid assemblies. Nanocellulose is a potential bulk-scale application.

Speculative:

These subfields seek to anticipate what inventions nanotechnology might yield, or attempt to propose an agenda along which inquiry might progress. These often take a big-picture view of nanotechnology, with more emphasis on its societal implications than the details of how such inventions could actually be created.

Molecular nanotechnology is a proposed approach that involves manipulating single molecules in finely controlled, deterministic ways. This is more theoretical than the other subfields, and many of its proposed techniques are beyond current capabilities.

Nanorobotics centers on self-sufficient machines of some functionality operating at the nanoscale. There are hopes for applying nanorobots in medicine. Nevertheless, progress on innovative materials and methodologies has been demonstrated with some patents granted about new nanomanufacturing devices for future commercial applications, which also progressively helps in the development of nanorobots with the use of embedded nanobioelectronics concepts.

Productive nanosystems are "systems of nanosystems" which will be complex nanosystems that produce atomically precise parts for other nanosystems, not necessarily using novel nanoscale-emergent properties, but well-understood fundamentals of manufacturing. Because of the discrete (i.e. atomic) nature of matter and the possibility of exponential growth, this stage is seen as the basis of another industrial revolution. Mihail Roco, one of the architects of the USA's National Nanotechnology Initiative, has proposed four states of nanotechnology that seem to parallel the technical progress of the Industrial Revolution, progressing from passive nanostructures to active nanodevices to complex nanomachines and ultimately to productive nanosystems.

Programmable matter seeks to design materials whose properties can be easily, reversibly and externally controlled through a fusion of information science and materials science.

Due to the popularity and media exposure of the term nanotechnology, the words picotechnology and femtotechnology have been coined in analogy to it, although these are only used rarely and informally.

Dimensionality in nanomaterials:

Nanomaterials can be classified in 0D, 1D, 2D, and 3D nanomaterials. The dimensionality plays a major role in determining the characteristic of nanomaterials including physical, chemical and biological characteristics. With the decrease in dimensionality, an increase in the surface-to-volume ratio is observed. This indicates that smaller dimensional nanomaterials have higher surface area compared to 3D nanomaterials. Recently, two dimensional (2D) nanomaterials are extensively investigated for electronic, biomedical, drug delivery and biosensor applications.

Tools and techniques:

Typical AFM setup. A microfabricated cantilever with a sharp tip is deflected by features on a sample surface, much like in a phonograph but on a much smaller scale. A laser beam reflects off the backside of the cantilever into a set of photodetectors, allowing the deflection to be measured and assembled into an image of the surface.

There are several important modern developments. The atomic force microscope (AFM) and the Scanning Tunneling Microscope (STM) are two early versions of scanning probes that launched nanotechnology. There are other types of scanning probe microscopy. Although conceptually similar to the scanning confocal microscope developed by Marvin Minsky in 1961 and the scanning acoustic microscope (SAM) developed by Calvin Quate and coworkers in the 1970s, newer scanning probe microscopes have much higher resolution, since they are not limited by the wavelength of sound or light.

The tip of a scanning probe can also be used to manipulate nanostructures (a process called positional assembly). Feature-oriented scanning methodology may be a promising way to implement these nanomanipulations in automatic mode. However, this is still a slow process because of the low scanning velocity of the microscope.

Various techniques of nanolithography such as optical lithography, X-ray lithography, dip pen nanolithography, electron beam lithography or nanoimprint lithography were also developed. Lithography is a top-down fabrication technique where a bulk material is reduced in size to the nanoscale pattern.

Another group of nanotechnological techniques includes those used for fabrication of nanotubes and nanowires, those used in semiconductor fabrication such as deep ultraviolet lithography, electron beam lithography, focused ion beam machining, nano-imprint lithography, atomic layer deposition, and molecular vapor deposition, and further including molecular self-assembly techniques such as those employing di-block copolymers. The precursors of these techniques preceded the nanotech era, and are extensions in the development of scientific advancements rather than techniques that were devised with the sole purpose of creating nanotechnology and which were results of nanotechnology research.

The top-down approach anticipates nano-devices that must be built piece by piece in stages, much as manufactured items are made. Scanning probe microscopy is an important technique both for the characterization and synthesis of nanomaterials. Atomic force microscopes and scanning tunneling microscopes can be used to look at surfaces and to move atoms around. By designing different tips for these microscopes, they can be used for carving out structures on surfaces and to help guide self-assembling structures. By using, for example, a feature-oriented scanning approach, atoms or molecules can be moved around on a surface with scanning probe microscopy techniques. At present, it is expensive and time-consuming for mass production but very suitable for laboratory experimentation.

In contrast, bottom-up techniques build or grow larger structures atom by atom or molecule by molecule. These techniques include chemical synthesis, self-assembly, and positional assembly. Dual polarisation interferometry is one tool suitable for the characterization of self-assembled thin films. Another variation of the bottom-up approach is molecular beam epitaxy or MBE. Researchers at Bell Telephone Laboratories like John R. Arthur. Alfred Y. Cho and Art C. Gossard developed and implemented MBE as a research tool in the late 1960s and 1970s. Samples made by MBE were key to the discovery of the fractional quantum Hall effect for which the 1998 Nobel Prize in Physics was awarded. MBE allows scientists to lay down atomically precise layers of atoms and, in the process, build up complex structures. Important for research on semiconductors, MBE is also widely used to make samples and devices for the newly emerging field of spintronics.

However, new therapeutic products, based on responsive nanomaterials, such as the ultradeformable, stress-sensitive Transfersome vesicles, are under development and already approved for human use in some countries.

Applications:

One of the major applications of nanotechnology is in the area of nanoelectronics with MOSFET's being made of small nanowires ≈10 nm in length. Here is a simulation of such a nanowire.

As of August 21, 2008, the Project on Emerging Nanotechnologies estimates that over 800 manufacturer-identified nanotech products are publicly available, with new ones hitting the market at a pace of 3–4 per week. The project lists all of the products in a publicly accessible online database. Most applications are limited to the use of "first generation" passive nanomaterials which includes titanium dioxide in sunscreen, cosmetics, surface coatings, and some food products; Carbon allotropes used to produce gecko tape; silver in food packaging, clothing, disinfectants and household appliances; zinc oxide in sunscreens and cosmetics, surface coatings, paints and outdoor furniture varnishes; and cerium oxide as a fuel catalyst.

Further applications allow tennis balls to last longer, golf balls to fly straighter, and even bowling balls to become more durable and have a harder surface. Trousers and socks have been infused with nanotechnology so that they will last longer and keep people cool in the summer. Bandages are being infused with silver nanoparticles to heal cuts faster. Video game consoles and personal computers may become cheaper, faster, and contain more memory thanks to nanotechnology. Also, to build structures for on-chip computing with light, for example, on-chip optical quantum information processing, and picosecond transmission of information.

Nanotechnology may have the ability to make existing medical applications cheaper and easier to use in places like the general practitioner's office and at home. Cars are being manufactured with nanomaterials so they may need fewer metals and less fuel to operate in the future.

Scientists are now turning to nanotechnology in an attempt to develop diesel engines with cleaner exhaust fumes. Platinum is currently used as the diesel engine catalyst in these engines. The catalyst is what cleans the exhaust fume particles. First, a reduction catalyst is employed to take nitrogen atoms from NOx molecules in order to free oxygen. Next, the oxidation catalyst oxidizes the hydrocarbons and carbon monoxide to form carbon dioxide and water. Platinum is used in both the reduction and the oxidation catalysts. Using platinum though is inefficient in that it is expensive and unsustainable. Danish company Innovations Fonden invested DKK 15 million in a search for new catalyst substitutes using nanotechnology. The goal of the project, launched in the autumn of 2014, is to maximize surface area and minimize the amount of material required. Objects tend to minimize their surface energy; two drops of water, for example, will join to form one drop and decrease surface area. If the catalyst's surface area that is exposed to the exhaust fumes is maximized, the efficiency of the catalyst is maximized. The team working on this project aims to create nanoparticles that will not merge. Every time the surface is optimized, the material is saved. Thus, creating these nanoparticles will increase the effectiveness of the resulting diesel engine catalyst—in turn leading to cleaner exhaust fumes—and will decrease cost. If successful, the team hopes to reduce platinum use by 25%.

Nanotechnology also has a prominent role in the fast developing field of Tissue Engineering. When designing scaffolds, researchers attempt to mimic the nanoscale features of a Cell's microenvironment to direct its differentiation down a suitable lineage. For example, when creating scaffolds to support the growth of bone, researchers may mimic osteoclast resorption pits.

Researchers have successfully used DNA origami-based nanobots capable of carrying out logic functions to achieve targeted drug delivery in cockroaches. It is said that the computational power of these nanobots can be scaled up to that of a Commodore 64.

Implications

An area of concern is the effect that industrial-scale manufacturing and the use of nanomaterials would have on human health and the environment, as suggested by nanotoxicology research. For these reasons, some groups advocate that nanotechnology be regulated by governments. Others counter that overregulation would stifle scientific research and the development of beneficial innovations. Public health research agencies, such as the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health are actively conducting research on potential health effects stemming from exposures to nanoparticles.

Some nanoparticle products may have unintended consequences. Researchers have discovered that bacteriostatic silver nanoparticles used in socks to reduce foot odor are being released in the wash. These particles are then flushed into the wastewater stream and may destroy bacteria which are critical components of natural ecosystems, farms, and waste treatment processes.

Public deliberations on risk perception in the US and UK carried out by the Center for Nanotechnology in Society found that participants were more positive about nanotechnologies for energy applications than for health applications, with health applications raising moral and ethical dilemmas such as cost and availability.

Experts, including director of the Woodrow Wilson Center's Project on Emerging Nanotechnologies David Rejeski, have testified that successful commercialization depends on adequate oversight, risk research strategy, and public engagement. Berkeley, California is currently the only city in the United States to regulate nanotechnology; Cambridge, Massachusetts in 2008 considered enacting a similar law, but ultimately rejected it. Relevant for both research on and application of nanotechnologies, the insurability of nanotechnology is contested. Without state regulation of nanotechnology, the availability of private insurance for potential damages is seen as necessary to ensure that burdens are not socialized implicitly. Over the next several decades, applications of nanotechnology will likely include much higher-capacity computers, active materials of various kinds, and cellular-scale biomedical devices.

Health and environmental concerns

Nanofibers are used in several areas and in different products, in everything from aircraft wings to tennis rackets. Inhaling airborne nanoparticles and nanofibers may lead to a number of pulmonary diseases, e.g. fibrosis. Researchers have found that when rats breathed in nanoparticles, the particles settled in the brain and lungs, which led to significant increases in biomarkers for inflammation and stress response and that nanoparticles induce skin aging through oxidative stress in hairless mice.

A two-year study at UCLA's School of Public Health found lab mice consuming nano-titanium dioxide showed DNA and chromosome damage to a degree "linked to all the big killers of mankind, namely cancer, heart disease, neurological disease, and aging".

A major study published more recently in Nature Nanotechnology suggests some forms of carbon nanotubes – a poster child for the "nanotechnology revolution" – could be as harmful as asbestos if inhaled in sufficient quantities. Anthony Seaton of the Institute of Occupational Medicine in Edinburgh, Scotland, who contributed to the article on carbon nanotubes said "We know that some of them probably have the potential to cause mesothelioma. So those sorts of materials need to be handled very carefully." In the absence of specific regulation forthcoming from governments, Paull and Lyons (2008) have called for an exclusion of engineered nanoparticles in food. A newspaper article reports that workers in a paint factory developed serious lung disease and nanoparticles were found in their lungs.

Regulation:

Calls for tighter regulation of nanotechnology have occurred alongside a growing debate related to the human health and safety risks of nanotechnology. There is a significant debate about who is responsible for the regulation of nanotechnology. Some regulatory agencies currently cover some nanotechnology products and processes (to varying degrees) – by "bolting on" nanotechnology to existing regulations – there are clear gaps in these regimes. Davies (2008) has proposed a regulatory road map describing steps to deal with these shortcomings.

Stakeholders concerned by the lack of a regulatory framework to assess and control risks associated with the release of nanoparticles and nanotubes have drawn parallels with bovine spongiform encephalopathy ("mad cow" disease), thalidomide, genetically modified food, nuclear energy, reproductive technologies, biotechnology, and asbestosis. Dr. Andrew Maynard, chief science advisor to the Woodrow Wilson Center's Project on Emerging Nanotechnologies, concludes that there is insufficient funding for human health and safety research, and as a result, there is currently limited understanding of the human health and safety risks associated with nanotechnology. As a result, some academics have called for stricter application of the precautionary principle, with delayed marketing approval, enhanced labeling and additional safety data development requirements in relation to certain forms of nanotechnology.

The Royal Society report identified a risk of nanoparticles or nanotubes being released during disposal, destruction, and recycling, and recommended that "manufacturers of products that fall under extended producer responsibility regimes such as end-of-life regulations publish procedures outlining how these materials will be managed to minimize possible human and environmental exposure".

The Center for Nanotechnology in Society has found that people respond to nanotechnologies differently, depending on application – with participants in public deliberations more positive about nanotechnologies for energy than health applications – suggesting that any public calls for nano regulations may differ by the technology sector.

[truthbeetoldmedia]

The Critical Role of 'Critical Role'

It’s any given Thursday night, roughly 9:50 pm Eastern Standard Time, and my house is filled with the scent of oven-fried chicken and the driving thrum of Celtic percussion and string instruments. The PS4 Twitch app is open, streaming an impressive flow of themed fan art over-scored by the aforementioned tune. My loved ones are gathered; we hunker down with our meals, eagerly anticipating the clock’s turn to 10 pm. It’s time for Critical Role.

Critical Role is a weekly Dungeons & Dragons campaign livestream, currently available on both its own Twitch channel Critical Role, as well as the Geek & Sundry Twitch. The series features live gameplay of a home-brewed world, created and made manifest by the talents of popular voice over artist Matthew Mercer, acting Dungeon Master, and featuring live unscripted performances by his equally-gifted friends. The core players are Laura Bailey, Taliesin Jaffe, Ashley Johnson, Liam O’Brien, Marisha Ray, Sam Riegel, and Travis Willingham; special guests also occasionally join in, such as Khary Payton, Mark Hulmes, Sumalee Montano, and Ashly Burch, who've all appeared briefly in this campaign.

If some of these names are familiar to you, that’s because the talent involved in Critical Role are renowned, tested, and aggressively committed actors/members of the production, animation, television, film, and gaming industries. Their varied skills, gravitas, and dedication combine with Matt’s ceaselessly creative mind and quick thinking into an amalgam so dense and compelling that it’s hard, as a viewer, to escape the show’s pull. Not that I’d want to; I’ve long since passed the event horizon and I’m in it until the end.

Currently, Critical Role is on its second iteration. Campaign 1 ran for several years as a private home-game amongst friends, then was translated into a format fit for livestreaming. It followed the heroic band of adventurers known as Vox Machina,  made up of characters birthed from noble archetypes; imperfect yet admirable individuals with the heart and skill to face world-rending, inconceivably fearsome enemies; a story intricately laced with nuance and lore, but grander and more sublime for it.

Campaign 2 is quite different in flavor, though still seated in the same world as its ancestral adventure, some 10 years after the fact. The team is now The Mighty Nein, a name blithely transplanted from an in-joke made by the Twitch chat and the cast themselves. The new characters are deeply flawed, broken, and self-centered individuals brought together by aligned goals and a specific brand of apathy only possible in jaded, wounded souls who just want to do at least a few decent things in their blighted lives. Despite this somewhat bleak tapestry, Matt and the Players have managed to weave in glittering threads of love, charity, hope, and devotion. It's tragic and beautiful; both rough and soft to the touch, depending on which swatch you feel.

Given that Campaign 1 is so voluminous in its scope, breadth, and tenure, it is understandably overwhelming as a starting point for the uninitiated. For this reason, I recommend diving in at the beginning of Campaign 2, launched on January 10, 2018 and available for free on Geek & Sundry’s YouTube.

I’m aware that modern media is crawling with genre stories: you can’t walk three feet without banging your toe on some phylactery or superpowered humanoid. And while Critical Role takes place in an indisputably fantastical setting, where the characters level up and come into powers which they often don’t initially comprehend, this is not a “coming of age” tale. There are no “Hero’s Journey” tropes. The growing pains explored are generally relegated to the emotional, intellectual, and spiritual. The Mighty Nein learn and develop in tandem, outside the constraints and moors in which storytelling often entrenches itself. That’s the beauty of Dungeons & Dragons. Regardless of what the Dungeon Master has planned for each session, if they’ve given the Player Characters enough freedom, the emergent narrative is wholly original.

Being a Dungeon Master is famously likened to wrangling cats, though I find it more like wrangling cats who’ve learned to use laser pointers and Roombas on their own. One of the areas where Critical Role shines is that Matt is always over-prepared for whatever path the characters may choose, not to mention remarkably quick on his feet in adapting this sandbox he's established in response to how the Players decide to play, and the Players do him the courtesy of self-regulating their out of character moments and the silliness which often accompanies the excitement of roleplaying with your friends. Each session accumulates calculable progress.

But now that I’ve described the scaffolding on which Critical Role is built, I’d like to talk about the more abstract reasons I feel the series is so important, and why it’s absolutely worth your time.

One obvious benefit is that the series is live. Live broadcast media, in recent memory relegated mostly to sketch shows, soap operas, and the exhausting 24-hour news cycle, has been reinvigorated by the podcast, vlogging, and gaming communities. It’s a special joy to be present when something momentous occurs — a precious time-locked thing you share with a community made up of those who love what you love. An intangible communion of experience: in this instance, one where you cannot rely on your knowledge of narrative structure, because not only are we learning new things about these characters with the passage of time, but the actors who portray them are learning as well; all of which is packaged in breathtaking improvised acting.

The Players who make up The Mighty Nein are unafraid to make bold choices, to do things which until that precise second they didn’t know their characters would do. They don’t pander to the audience in order to provide the story beats which will make us comfy and complacent; these actors are so dedicated to maintaining organic character growth that, on occasion, some of their actions will frustrate, annoy, or anger the audience. However, the beauty in this is that none of the Players’ calls are pre-fabricated to elicit a specific reaction from the audience. You’ll love some stuff and hate some stuff, but there’s no onus, no learned helplessness, no pretense or smugness or hubris: those very things which can drive us up the wall when dealing with a lot of media these days.

Like most fandoms, there are some bad apples here and there, but Matt and the Critical Role team are dedicated to creating and maintaining an inclusive, intersectional environment where we can all thrive. The Critical Role cast and staff do everything possible to step in on behalf of their core players, special guests, and fans alike, in order to defend against, mediate, and mitigate the sporadic flares of anger, cruelty, and general suckiness which pervade so many other fandoms. They are humble and grateful and express it often, with deep sincerity.

Fan artists and other creators are welcomed, embraced, appreciated, and encouraged. Cosplayers are readily provided reference images and showcased on the official series Twitter. The Critical Role production group is even working on programs meant to provide new players and novice DMs with guidance for the 5th Edition Dungeons & Dragons game system, as well as help navigating the more complicated aspects of RPG group dynamics. Every Critter is celebrated and bolstered in an open-source, accessible, super-fun community.

This show has brought pure, distilled hope and joy to so many, while also maintaining its initial purpose: a group of close friends who nerd out roleplaying and having a blast. The only thing that’s ever changed is that now we get to be part of it, too.

Critical Role airs Thursdays at 7 pm Pacific Standard Time on either the Critical Role or Geek & Sundry Twitch channels.

[nancydhooper]

10 Emerging Artists Share What Systemic Equality Means to Them

We worked with 10 visual artists to create images of what achieving Systemic Equality could look like — a vision of a more inclusive and equitable future for America. A future that roots out injustice, challenges our racist institutions, and ensures that every person can achieve their highest potential, unhampered by structural and institutional racism. We asked them to be bold in envisioning this reimagining of systems – from bridging the racial wealth gap to reconciling our past to ensuring our future expands access for all and empowers all communities – are inspired by these results. Accompanying each piece is a personal statement from the artist about the world they envision on issues such as student debt, fair housing, voting rights and more.

Greg Dubois

“A large step towards systemic equality is ensuring that high speed internet access is expanded out to the millions of people of color who don’t have access to it. My graphic is an idealistic portrayal of an America in which that basic necessity is provided to all – giving everyone real access to education, healthcare, financial growth, governmental support systems and overall connections that can uplift and empower those who’ve been held back from years of systemic inequality.“

Greg is an award winning Haitian-Canadian Visual Designer, who started his design journey over 10 years ago. His passion for visual storytelling drives him to constantly create art and designs that weave together colors, textures, patterns and typography to craft his vision. Greg hopes that his work, if nothing else, captivates, inspires, and provides insight to who he is and what he believes in.

Sophia Zarders

“The intersections of race, history, and ancestry have frequently been at the core of my work. The generational tradition of storytelling, looking through old photos and mapping the family tree have been powerful tools in discovering and understanding my ancestry and America’s history. “Demand Reparations” is a continuation of these themes by conveying a shared history of Black and Indigenous communities. Though none of the figures depicted are based on anyone in particular, I wanted to create a specific yet familiar familial lineage that viewers could identify with in some aspect. The message is clear: this country was built on the thankless hard work and immense suffering of our ancestors. We demand reparations.“

Sophia Zarders (she/they) is an illustrator, comic artist, and independent zine publisher from Long Beach, CA. Their work has been published by HarperCollins, The Nation, PRISM, Fiyah Literary Magazine and Razorcake Magazine. They’ve been commissioned by the Ella Baker Center for Human Rights, SaveArtSpace, Forward Together, and the Arts Council of Long Beach. In 2018, they exhibited their first solo show at Somos Gallery in Berlin, Germany. Sophia is currently pursuing their MFA in Visual Art from Emily Carr University of Art & Design in Vancouver, BC.

Jade Orlando

“I imagine inequality and racism as weeds with roots burrowing deep into our country’s foundation. This piece highlights a future where we dig out and destroy the roots of injustice, allowing a more beautiful country to bloom for every American.“

Jade Orlando is a Black biracial illustrator working in Atlanta, GA. Her illustrations are featured in books such as Generation Brave, Hey You! and the Activists Assemble series. In addition to book illustration, her art can be found on products ranging from greeting cards to calendars. Jade lives with her husband, four cats, and a Greyhound named Petra. When she’s not illustrating, you can usually find her curled up with her pets and a really good book.

Mia Saine

“Equity can be configured when accessibility is finally given. People have the human right to obtain and experience the freedom they have been promised.

Accessibility dismantles the pillars that barricade our communities from experiencing progression and healing. Beyond the endless cycle of disconnection, people can finally see their lives at true value and being to see communities flourish. This change would offer us the opportunity to build various aspirations and resources to secure a sturdier foundation for everyone.“

Memphis-native illustrator and designer Mia Saine is a non-binary Black creative seeking to share a more positive, inclusive narrative. Saine’s colorful, minimal digital illustrations strive to normalize and amplify minorities’ voices and experiences. Saine triumphs the constant cycle of injustice, tropes, and stereotypes by showcasing minorities, especially Black individuals, embracing their self-empowerment and happiness.

Kahlief Steele

“Do my loved ones truly see me? Do they hear me? Do they feel me? Caught in the crossfire between my white family and friends and my Blackness, I often feel lost in the void.

This work is a natural way for me to communicate these sentiments. Harsh lines and contrast show the differences we have, but the shared range of values recognize that reconciliation is still within reach. The only colors in the piece, green and red, hearken back to our roots in the Pan-African flag. Texture bursts throughout, indicating the gritty nature of the work we’ve done and have yet to do.

Taking broken fragments and piecing them together to make something captivating, I show that the sometimes confused and complicated feelings we have are valid and worthy of being heard.“

Graduating in 2015 from Missouri Southern State University with a BFA in Graphic Design, Kahlief Steele finds ways to use his design skills to solve problems for a variety of clients, including large businesses, nonprofits, friends, and family. Having been raised by a white family, he has a deep longing knowledge about his heritage. As such, every February, he amasses a trove of information related to Black History and publishes art to educate those who are unfamiliar. In the summer following the murders of George Floyd, Breonna Taylor, and Ahmaud Arbery, he hosted a Q+A session to foster conversation with those who were unsure of the next steps to take. He continues to create work that inspires others to greater understanding and to take action.

Nadia Fisher

“I created this piece to emphasize the importance of protecting voting rights for everyone. I wanted to illustrate something to show that in order to fight democracy and equity, we have to protect voting rights. The stars in the background represent the states, as they are the ones that are currently trying to pass laws, at an alarming rate, to suppress voting rights, and the flag represents the rights that we are trying to protect and expand.“

Nadia Fisher is a children’s book and freelance illustrator based out of Washington, DC striving to normalize inclusion in children’s books and the illustration world. A lot of her art focuses on social justice, and Nadia hopes to encourage people to find their voice and show up for others.

Daniella Uche-Oji

“I created a design about the Tulsa Race Massacre. There was a thriving black community in the US! There was a successful black community in the US but, of course because, “black people aren’t supposed to own anything” they didn’t let it survive.This is another incident I feel should have been taught in schools Abroad especially African Countries but, unfortunately wasn’t for whatever reason- I personally never learned about it until I moved here. Despite all that has happened to all black people around the world be it Slavery or Colonization there has always been a dare need to take things away from us. Things that we have “owned”; Natural resources on our land, and this same mindset caused the Greenwood District of Tulsa, Oklahoma to be raided and destroyed for NO REASON AT ALL.“

Daniella Uche-Oji is a designer and storyteller based in Los Angeles, CA. She was borned in Houston,Texas and raised in Lagos, Nigerian. Her obsession for storytelling and technology drove her to becoming a designer. She is skilled at graphic and motion designs that tell stories she didn’t get to hear earlier in her life. Her designs are largely inspired by Culture, Music, Fashion and Technology.

Alexa Lima

“What would our society look like for Black and Indigenous people of color if systemic racism no longer thrived? Drawing from a video recording of Nina Simone back in 1968 being asked “What is ‘freedom’ to you? the artist was inspired to convey her response through the medium of digital collage. Simone states that freedom to her meant “…absolutely no fear!”. With this piece, the artist explores what true freedom would look like for her people when absolutely nothing is hindering us, including fear, and we are able to live our truly authentic lives.“

Alexa Lima is an interdisciplinary artist who resides in Marietta, Georgia with her husband, two step-kids, a dog named Zelda, and a cat named Benny. Creating movement through the lens of minimalism is the constant idea that she aims to convey through her work, and centers her design ethos around illuminating that which has been cast aside throughout time. Currently, she is running Ulterior Studio, self-publishing short-run zines, and trying not to consume all the pastries, all the time.

Justine Swindell

“This illustration depicts the collaboration it takes across policymakers, institutions and individuals to close the racial wealth gap. There are many symbolic references including a nod to the many pins and bumper stickers that surface during social movements. The image is layered on a flat black and white divide with all-American denim on both sides. On the denim jacket there are several pins and patches highlighting a few solutions. Lastly, the closure of the jacket represents possibility for a better future, a real and tangible shift to equal opportunity for all.“

Justine Swindell is a multidisciplinary artist based in Washington D.C. In her Neo-Pop style she tells visual stories of city life, cultural identity, and social change.

Nicole Abrokwa

“This piece represents the fear and overwhelming feeling of having student debt. It’s like being lost at sea, helpless with nothing supporting you but your cap. A life preserver enters the scene literally saving you, because at this point student loans are loans paid off for life.“

Nicole Abrokwa is a multidisciplinary artist. Her work pulls from her life experiences, whether that be her Ghanaian heritage, her childhood memories, or everyday life. Her work puts focus on human emotions and capturing moments of closeness. Over the years Nicole has worked on honing her skills in various mediums ranging from digital animations to traditional paintings. When not creating, you can find her unsuccessfully attempting to grow tomatoes and starting another book only for it to be left unfinished.

What you can do:

Take the pledge: Systemic Equality Agenda

Sign up

from RSSMix.com Mix ID 8247012 https://www.aclu.org/news/racial-justice/10-emerging-artists-share-what-systemic-equality-means-to-them via http://www.rssmix.com/

[architectnews]

Four Balkrishna Doshi projects exploring Hindu philosophy in India

Chicago art space Wrightwood 659 is presenting a showcase of works by Indian architect Balkrishna Doshi. Curator Khushnu Panthaki Hoof selects four projects that show how the Pritzker Prize-winner interprets Hindu philosophy in architecture.

Twenty Doshi projects from 1958 to 2014 are shown through drawings and models, artworks, sketches, video and photography at the exhibition, which is on view at the Tadao Ando-designed Wrightwood 659 until 12 December.

Hoof, an architect and director of the Vastushilpa Foundation, curated and designed the exhibition, which is called Balkrishna Doshi: Architecture for the People.

The buildings are arranged into four themes that each demonstrate elements of Doshi's architecture philosophy – Home and Identity, Creating a Livable City, Shaping an Integrated Education and Building Academic Institutions.

"For him a building is created out of memories, associations, sounds, forms, spaces and images, porous and open-ended in nature," the curator told Dezeen.

"In most of his buildings you don't notice them as being dominate, rather you notice the life that goes on around them," she continued.

"Further, his works underline his interpretation of the essence of life according to the cyclic notion of time in the Hindu philosophy namely: blossoming – accomodative, growing, adaptable & perceptive to change over time; expanding – open endedness, holistic approach and well integrated with the surrounding; melting – merging into the landscape, rooted & inclusive approach to design and churning  – timeless, intangible and groundbreaking."

Read on for Hoof's description of four Doshi works featuring these elements:

Photo by Vinay Panjwani

Indian Institute of Management (IIM), Bangalore, India, 1977-1992

The Indian Institute of Management is a leading academic institution spread over 60 hectares in Bangalore, also known as "The City of Gardens". The large campus was built over a period of 20 years and was conceived as a series of courtyards that harmonizes with the city's comfortable tropical climate and lush green areas.

Inspired by the architecture at Fatehpur Sikri near Agra and Madurai Meenakshi Temple in Tamil Nadu, Doshi designed the paths through the campus to connect the elements of the larger spatial arrangement.

His understanding of Hindustani classical music is evident in the articulation of its structure resonating the subtle nuances of rhythm, movement and time. Like thumri – a genre of Hindustani classical music – the built form is expressed with countless hues of rhythms through the articulation of structure and modulation of light.

Photo by Iwan Baan

Sangath Architect's Studio, Ahemdabad, India, 1980

Sangath in Gujarati, Doshi's mother tongue, means "moving together through participation". It is Doshi's own design studio, where today three generations work alongside one another. Doshi had just turned 50 and wanted to create something both ambiguous and indescribable. Hence the form and plan of Sangath raise questions of formality and ambiguity.

Very much like Khyal – another genre of Hindustani classical music – the building unfolds meticulously yet retains its fluidity through experience and feeling.  To reach the partially subterranean studio with its characteristic barrel vaults, one must first pass through a series of spaces intermingled with natural elements. The entire ensemble, with a stepped amphitheatre, water bodies, raised plinths, and the silhouette of the vaults covered in a layer of broken ceramic tiles simultaneously merges with and rises up out of the surrounding landscape.

Doshi's memories of places he visited, of running around the meandering streets of his hometown Pune, of sitting on the plinths around water bodies in small villages, of the fabled Nubian vault he encountered at the sculptor Ramses Wissa Wassef's studio in Egypt – all collide and merge into the landscape. The assemblage of these fragments of experiences makes this project very special and give Sangath's its unique character rooted in memories and associations. Doshi often refers to Sangath as his sanctuary.

Photo by Iwan Baan

Amdavad Ni Gudfa, Ahmedabad, India, 1994

Amdavad Ni Gufa was not a commissioned project, for the idea was born when renowned painter and sculptor Maqbool Fida Husain approached Doshi when seeking a site for an art gallery. They had been friends for many years, and they often met to discuss their different pursuits.

Doshi wanted the Gufa (Gujarati for "cave") to reflect his 35 years of experience and mark a new phase in his career, but Husain's free-spirited attitude posed something of a challenge. While working on the Gufa's design, they began to question fundamental architectural concepts, including the meanings of function, space, structure, form, and technology.

The plan evolved out of a set of intersecting circles and ellipses that led to the creation of an amorphous space like a womb with no beginning and no end. Non-rectilinear surfaces such as an undulating floor, curvilinear walls, domed ceiling, and slanted columns gave the space its enigmatic character. The light apertures of varied sizes together with the painted ceiling are reminiscent of the Buddhist caves carved into the rock at Ajanta dating to the second century. The structure encapsulates and heightens the play of light, form, echo and sound.

This was a period in Doshi's life when he wrote stories and fabricated myths defining the narrative of his design decisions. These myths and stories became his guides and gave a rational explanation to his imaginary world. Gufa is an example of this marriage of the imaginary with the real manifesting in the form of an underground art gallery.

Photo courtesy of Vastushilpa Foundation

Aranya Low Cost Housing, Indore, India, 1989

Aranya Low Cost Housing was aimed primarily at Indore's "Economically Weaker Sections" (EWS) as well as the city's slum and street dwellers. The challenges were promoting a new model of economic growth and empowerment and improving residents' standards of living after a thorough spatial understanding of spaces and activities in the existing informal settlements.

Doshi's design was executed in collaboration with the Indore Development Authority, the World Bank, and India's Housing and Urban Development Corporation Limited. Each unit of the 30-square-metre EWS plots includes a plinth, toilet, and an electrical connection. They were allotted to families by the government using a lottery system. By providing only the essentials, the idea was to empower families to build their own houses and make additions according to their abilities. Sixty sample houses were constructed to demonstrate the different forms the individual homes might take.

Twenty years on, the concept has proved a success. Residents have used their spaces to generate additional income and now belong to the middle-class, accomplishments that bear witness to the economic security land ownership and the virtues of choice, freedom, and social cohesion can provide. Today these houses have become a home and moreover an extension of life of the inhabitants.

By choosing to design for the urban poor, Doshi created a successful example of how society's weaker members can be uplifted – and in doing so he expanded the understanding of the architect's role. Here architecture becomes a catalyst to bring about social change in society by breaking down socioeconomic barriers through a participatory and open-ended approach to design.

Organised by Vitra Design Museum and the Wüstenrot Foundation, with Vastushilpa Foundation, Balkrishna Doshi: Architecture for the People runs from 9 September to 12 December 2020 at Wrightwood 659. See Dezeen Events Guide for an up-to-date list of architecture and design events taking place around the world.

The post Four Balkrishna Doshi projects exploring Hindu philosophy in India appeared first on Dezeen.

[viviene037blog-blog]

How much does a gaming laptop cost

Recommendations For Starting A Gaming Blog

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Definitely glad that my weblog inspired you to start your own. Yes it's challenging operate and it requires some time to develop, but if you do it appropriately you can have a terrific on the internet brand. Starting the blog is only the beginning, so make confident to study the rest of my articles in the Gaming Blog Series which will take you by way of all the steps. If you have any queries don't hesitate to ask me, I'm delighted to assist exactly where I can.

Oh dear lord, to answer this question I had to stop myself from cheating and counting one particular of the stories I wrote in the previous. My greatest hobby, in addition to gaming and acting, is writing. Just before I began writing this blog, I made use of to create a lot of fantasy stories on paper. I have a couple of binders complete with story ideas and pitches for fairly exciting stories.

I got into action games late but when I did it fully changed how I viewed gaming forever. The game which brought me round was Viewtiful Joe. Right here was a game with a deep and open-ended combat method which seemed to be built as a indicates for the player to express creativity. This system is then pitted against opponents and obstacles which were developed from the ground up to interact meaningfully with the core method. The course was fixed, but the process for dealing with that course was entirely down to the ingenuity, talent and inspiration of the player. You play like you have a huge audience watching and the game continually entices you to increase the concentrate is not just on getting the player from A to B, the concentrate is on having the player to play Viewtifully”.

Kingmaking is a board gaming term for when a player who has no possibility of winning, deliberately utilizes his influence in the game to figure out the winner. The kingmaking player slows the player in the lead and or boosts another player to make a decision who wins the game. Kingmaking is frowned upon mainly because the outcome of the game is no longer by every single players skill levels or decision making.

Microsoft — with our nearly 40 years of gaming knowledge starting with Computer, as effectively as our breadth and depth of capabilities from software to hardware and deep knowledge of getting a platform corporation — is properly equipped to address the complicated challenge of cloud game-streaming. With datacenters in 54 Azure regions and solutions out there in 140 countries, Azure has the scale to provide a good gaming expertise for players worldwide, regardless of their place.

How To Use CONTEST To Ask

Paul: Our business enterprise model is growth focused and we cover three important places in the gaming industry. Firstly, we're a global e-Commerce store promoting over 7,500 games from 450 publishers in over 190 countries to millions of gamers. Secondly, Green Man Gaming has a thriving neighborhood who go over and track their oritong Mobile gaming blog game achievements on our neighborhood platform. This information combined with the commercial information of the shop offers Green Man Gaming a substantial depth of understanding of our consumers. Finally, we have a publishing arm that assists developers publish their personal games and bring them to industry, supporting them every single step of the way. The fusion of Green Man Gaming's e-Commerce retailer, a strong neighborhood creating billions of data points and publisher help sets us apart from our competition.

Designed for generating social networking web-sites for gaming communities, Blackfyre provides a wide variety of capabilities to enable you build exclusive clan web sites, gaming groups, content sharing web-sites, discussion channels and additional. Alongside a hugely efficient user account creation and management technique, Blackfyre also supports Clan creation to help your users to make numerous plans for their games.

Avantura has 1 of the very best developing blocks we've noticed for constructing a gaming web site, it supports special colour categories ( a should for any critical gaming magazine), can be combined with well known widgets, can be colour customized per web page, has many selections for the header and footer and it has an incredible good seeking blog post style. Also, it has a extremely good about the author module and some nice next and previous article hooks. On top of it all, it supports a good mega menu with images.

Gaming content material remains 1 of finest methods to reach young males. Tubular Labs reports that amongst millennial males, gaming— especially, gameplay— ranks in the major three categories for each 18—24-year-olds (#1) and 25—34-year-olds (#2). But what about girls? As it turns out, adult women have not too long ago unseated teenage boys as the largest video game— playing demographic, according to the Entertainment Computer software Association YouTube trends reflect this: Viewership amongst girls has doubled year more than year, and women more than the age of 25 are the fastest-developing demographic for gaming content material.

Mobile games serve as a source of speedy, boredom-beating entertainment, a bit of stress relief and a distraction from actual life worries, and just as a restful moment (such as gaming in one's downtime). Moreover, 60% of women say that gaming tends to make them really feel great, and given that mobile gaming is fast and straightforward - the game is generally on their particular person - it is effortless to play whilst on the go. As Refinery29 says in their dive into girls and mobile gaming, girls haven't been historically well-served by the sedentary nature of video games, but mobile gaming changes the story right here, given that they can play anyplace.

These numbers can surely differ per study, but it does appear like the quantity of female really serious gamers are on a downward trend. The final time we checked in females have been closer to 45%-48% of gamers. We can speculate as to why this is. Probably females are much less fond of the emergence of the eSports trend. Possibly females are feeling much less incorporated in gaming forums and on line communities soon after the harassment accusations of the final handful of years. Possibly they're just a lot more drawn to other entertainment industries, but this is certainly a trend to continue watching.

The gaming market saw a quantity of thrilling developments in 2016 touching on diverse aspects of the sector. Gaming technologies is creating in extremely fascinating ways. The extended promised revolution of virtual and augmented reality moved closer to realization. The mania around Pokémon GO with its mass marketplace appeal and utilization of mobile phones introduced untold millions to the possible of augmented reality. With its launch in India and South Asia it has turn out to be the poster kid for the prospective of mobile games given its advanced technologies and the massive international smartphone penetration.

Nevertheless, there is no need to have to do an net search or read the latest in anonymous game critiques. Beneath, we have collected the best 30 mobile gamer blogs to aid put you in touch with the most recent and greatest in gaming, along with strategies for what to get next, how to beat it, and what to keep away from. Irrespective of whether for the latest iPhone or classic Gameboy, there are loads of mobile gaming weblog entries for absolutely everyone.

IGN (Think about Games Network) has emerged as the hot favored game internet site on a international level. Launched 21 years ago, IGN is primarily focused on video game & entertainment enthusiast markets. The game web site is one stop on the web destination for gaming, films, Tv Shows, Comics and every little thing you can believe of. You can discover lately launched video game news, critiques, videos, gaming details, suggestions, and so a lot more.

[wecityguidecom]

Grand Bazaar Guide: Shop Like an Expert

Grand Bazaar is one of the oldest covered markets all around the world with its history over 500 years located within the heart of Istanbul. This unique place should be on your top at the place to see the list during your time in Istanbul. There are more than thoughts of small shops at Grand Bazaar were are selling a variety of goods, mostly jewelry, silk garments, carpets, and leathers. You can see from the video given below how the Grand Bazaar is big! 

History of Grand Bazaar

Actually, although controversial there is a building at the center of the bazaar with dimension is 48 x 36 meters which thought belongs to the Byzantium period of Istanbul. After the conquest of Istanbul, Mehmed the Conqueror ordered the construction of a "bedesten" which means a bazaar in Turkish. His aim was to create a new attraction and commercial center for the new capital of the empire. You may encounter "bedesten" almost every historical Turkish city but this one is the biggest in the country maybe even the world. This second building the new bazaar calls as a "Sandal Bedesten". Here, the fabric called Sandal sold that contains silk and cotton. The year of 1460 when the construction of the Grand Bazaar started, accepted widely as the establishment time of this historical bazaar. The main big bazaar by using wood constructed during the reign of the Suleiman the Magnificent.

You may understand how the Grand Bazaar is big when you see it from above (Source). With its 66 street, over a for thousands of shops and 30700 square meters covered area Grand Bazaar is a place to travel through the history of Istanbul and the Ottoman Empire where is located at the heart of the historical peninsula of Istanbul. Until recently, there were 5 mosques, 1 school, 7 fountains, 10 wells, 1 fountain, 1 fountain, 24 doors, and 17 inns. When you take look to the image given above you will see the main building. it was surrounded by a thick wall from the 15th century, covered with a series of domes, became a shopping center in the following centuries by covering the developing street and making some additions to it. Basically, Grand Bazaar grew and added the neighboring street to itself during the time. But today, its growth stopped as you expect :) In this past, this bazaar where certain professions took place in each thematic street and their controls was under very strict control by the empire. Also, commercial ethics and ceremonies were highly respected. Grand Bazaar was and is the center of all kinds of fabrics, jewelry, antiques, weapons past and today. Expect, today there are no shops selling guns at the bazaar :) Also there was another tradition which today still stand partly, selling goods were offered by the families who were specialized over them by the generations. So, that was very normal for a good which is selling by grandfather and a grandson after him. All shops at the bazaar built to be with the same width. In every street, expert sellers of the good were found in the guild. For example, there were a guild for the people who were selling jewelry of slippers. Competition between the guilt was strictly forbidden. Each seller was helping each other. Even, a master could not process the product by bringing his counter in front of his own shop to show the crowd and attract customers. Also, it was forbidden to sell the goods with prices over the empire has set. There was no free market :) How is It Today? Grand Bazaar became more like a shopping center for tourists from the 1970s. Today, tourists visit the bazaar more than locals. Because locals can buy anything from anywhere in Istanbul but tourists also came here to see the long-standing history of Istanbul and the Ottoman Empire. You can find almost anything to buy at the bazaar. Also, the bazaar tradition changed over the years and centuries. Unfronuatly shop owners may hassle and try to scam you which is really bad for Turkish tourism. But always there are tourist police and officials around the bazaar who are waiting to help you. By the way, if you see a tourism police and officer with a badge be sure that they can speak at least one foreign language.

Where is The Grand Bazaar?

Grand Bazaar is located at the historical peninsula of Istanbul at the Fatih district with other unique heritage of Byzantium and the Ottoman era, like Hagia Sophia, Blue Mosque, Basilica Cistern, Beyazit Mosque, Nuruosmaniye Mosque, Grand Viziers Mosque, Gulhane Park and many more. You can use the interactive map given below to have more idea about the location of the bazaar and important spot to see while your time in there.  How to Go to The Grand Bazaar? It is very easy to go to the Grand Bazaar because of its central location. There are multiple ways to go there. I will ignore the bus lines because you have a Marmaray suburban train line, metro and, tram options which are more way faster and comfortable. My suggestion is to take the T-1 tram line (Kabatas-Bagcilar) from Kabatas, Karakoy or Eminonu and get off at the Beyazit station which is near the bazaar. Also, it is possible to go to the Grand Bazaar by using the M2 metro line (Haciosman-Yenikapi) and get off at the Cemberlitas or Vezneciler station near Istanbul University Beyazit Campus. From here you just need to take 5 minutes to walk to reach the bazaar.

You will enjoy a ride through the historical peninsula of Istanbul with tulip-shaped trams (Source). Your last option is to use the Marmaray suburban line which operates between the east edge of Istanbul to the west, Gebze-Halkali. Sirkeci Station is the place that you will get off from the Marmaray train. From here you can take the T1 tram line but I'm suggesting to take 20 minutes to walk through the history of Byzantium and the Ottoman era. You may find all the options on the interactive map given above. Also if you have a question please ask them in the comment section. By the way, you need a taxis to go there at least before the shopping :) Shopping Like an Expert at Grand Bazaar As I wrote above Grand Bazaar is one of the oldest and biggest ancient markets in the world. With its gigantic size and labyrinth style, it gets more and more complex. So, you should know where to go and how to shop :) There is around more than 25000 full-time staff working at over 4000 shops. Also, Grand Bazaar covered 66 street and 18 gates each one is opening the different points of the historical peninsula of Istanbul. There are also mosques, fountains, rest houses that still keep the old atmosphere. Especially during the summer, there will be around half a million visitors per day which is quite high.

One of the main gates of the Grand Bazaar is the Beyazit Gate (Source). Where to Start? If you know what will you buy from the Grand Bazaar you may use the specific entrance to handle everything fast and easily. For example, if you want to buy gold and jewelry you should use the south-eastern entrance of the Grand Bazaar, Nuruosmaniye gate (Gate 1) where is the closest entrance to the streets of these kinds of shops. Or, if you are looking for a fabric you should use the northern entrance Oruculer Gate (Gate 14). I think you get that you have knowledge about a bit about Grand Bazaar layout to shop like an expert :) I'm going to guide you for an all-inclusive Grand Bazaar experience. So if you are looking for specific suggestions please write your question to the comment section. Also, I added this information to the interactive map which you can use anytime, anywhere.

Don't forget to take a look at the Cemberlitas before you enter the Grand Bazaar (Source). Start with Gold, Silver, and Jewelry Ok, let's start! So based on my plan you should get off at the Cemberlitas tram station where is very close to our starting point at Grand Bazaar voyage :) From here you just need to take a walk which only 250-300 meters long. You may find your route on this link. If you took the right path you should see the Nuruosmaniye Gate (Gate 1) just in front of you.

You probably won't miss the Nuruosmaniye Gate :) (Source). Just a second later when you enter from the Nuruosmaniye Gate you will see the Sandal Bedesten just on your right. Sandal Bedesten has more than 2000 square meters of area. From time to time some organizations held at the place. You may see from the first image of this post at Sandal Bedesten have 20 small domes. There are lots of shops selling silk carpets, paintings, antiques, jewelry, Turkish delights, nuts, teas, Turkish coffees, and other traditional Turkish souvenirs. There are also places to eat and drink at Sandal Bedesten. Zinrcli Han is also another spot them at this part of the Grand Bazaar. It is located the very north of gold, silver and jewelry shops. It is also possible to go to the Zincirli Han directly by using the Sari Odalar Gate (Gate 17) or Mahmutpasa Gate (Gate 18). At the beginning of this part of the post, I told you that you will enter start with gold and jewelry. But inside Sandal Bedesten you may find a variety of things to buy. To the north of the Sandal Bedesten, you will go to the gold, silver and jewelry shops. These shops are mostly located between the 4 parallel (Aynacilar, Aga, Muhafazicalar, and Kalpakcilar) streets from north to south.

One of the streets of Grand Bazaar, a place for gold shops (Source). Check the interactive map: 1st, 2nd, and 3rd stops Ic (Interior) Bedesten Now, I think it is better to go to the Ic (Interior) Bedesten. You will see the location of the Ic Bedesten in the first image, the center of the Grand Bazaar. There are lots of shops that are selling antiques and copperware at Ic Bedesten. It is thought and also controversial but most historians think that the Ic Bedesten built at the Byzantium era. You will also see the heavy, giant doors of the Ic Bedesten. All of those doors closed every night by the Grand Bazaars officials.

One of the dozens of antique shops in the Grand Bazaar (Source). At the northern street from the Ic Bedesten there are shops that sell carpets, copper, souvenirs and leather. To the southern side of the Ic Bedesten, you may find a shop that are selling gold, carpets, and souvenirs. It is also possible to find small places to eat and dring around the Ic Bedesten. Also, there is a small furry's bazaar (Kurkculer Carsisi) at the southern of the Grand Bazaar where is the center of leather at the Grand Bazaar. Check the interactive map: 4th, 5th, 6th, and 7th stops Kalpakcilar Street Kalpakcilar Street is the most famous street in Grand Bazaar. It is located in the very south of the bazaar. Over the street, it is possible to find wide selection of jewelry from traditional harem styles to modern settings. This street may be very crowded during the day. Don't forget to be careful about your belongings while you are walking. Check the interactive map: 8th stop Denim and Fabric The west side of the Grand Bazaar reserved for the shops selling denim and leather. It is always possible to find anything made from blue jean material in this part of the bazaar. Also, you will buy one of the colorful T-shirts. Dontforget to bargain! There are also a couple of Hans at the western side of the Grand Bazaar worth to visit; Bodrum Han and Evliya Han. Check the interactive map: 9th  and 10th stops End of The Shopping After spending a couple of hours shopping and journey through the centuries it is time to finish this experience. You should find the Sipahi Street before you leave. From the starting point of Sipahi street, you just need to walk to the north. On your right side, there will be souvenirs shops and the left side leather and denim shops. While you are walking to the north you will see the shops both on your right and left selling fabric. Follow the street until you reach the Oruculer Gate (Gate 14). From here you can turn left to reach the Fuat Pasha Avenue where you can get in a taxi. Also, it is possible to take a downhill walk to the Eminonu ferry and tram stops. I try to be as brief as short as possible. Because I can write thousands of words for each street of Grand Bazaar. My main aim is giving an idea of how to visit Garand Bazaar and giving the pleasure of discovery to you. Please share your own experience in the comment section.

Grand Bazaar Opening and Visiting Times

Grand Bazaar is not like a regular shopping center. It has its own opening times. You can find the Grand Bazaar opening times below. By the way, Grand Bazaar closed on Sunday. It is possible to visit and shop at the Grand Bazaar from Monday to Saturday between 10.00 and 18.00.

Grand Bazaar Shopping Traditions

While you are shopping at Grand Bazaar you always follow these traditions. If you do, it will be lucrative for you. It is not really possible to see the all part of the Grand Bazaar in a couple of hours. You should share your entire day for this historic part of Istanbul. Sleep well before you came here because you will get tired. You will talk a lot, a lot and a lot if you want to buy the thing at reasonable prices. Considering the number of shop at the Grand Bazaar you will encounter numberless of sellers. Always chat and bargain to get the right price. Never say your final price and don't show the money. They may hassle you to sell the things. Feel free to leave and move on to the next shop. They are used to this not get offended. Don't forget to go to Kalpakciler Street, a place for high-quality pieces of jewelry. See antiques at Sandal and Ic Bedesten. See carpets and kilims at the Zincirli Han. It also buys things made-to-order. The video given below is the opening scene of the James Bond Skyfall (2013) at Grand Bazaar. Some of the scenes dramatized of course for the promo worries. You won't see most the type of people, cars, and places when you visit the Grand Bazaar :)  İstanbul Tourism Police Also, it may be helpful for you to know the contact information of the tourism police in Istanbul. They also have an active Instagram account. 📩 istanbulturizm@egm.gov.tr ☎️+902125274503 📞 Wp:+905051876614 I just added to the interactive map below for you. I hope that this post will help you visit and shop at Grand Bazaar. Please share your own experience and thought in the comment section. Also, feel free to ask a question about Grand Bazaar.  Read the full article

[magzoso-tech]

New Post has been published on https://magzoso.com/tech/badoos-andrey-andreev-sells-his-stake-in-bumble-owner-magiclab-to-blackstone-valuing-the-dating-apps-at-3b/

Badoo’s Andrey Andreev sells his stake in Bumble owner MagicLab to Blackstone, valuing the dating apps at $3B

Bumble, the popular and profitable dating and networking app built around the ethos of women calling the shots on how connections get made and developed, has made a deal for some independence of its own.

Andrey Andreev, the founder of Badoo, the controversial London-based company that owns a series of dating apps and was the main backer and builder of Bumble, is selling to Blackstone his entire stake in MagicLab, the company that owned both Bumble and Badoo (and other dating apps), and will step away from the business. Whitney Wolfe Herd, Bumble’s founder, becomes the CEO of the whole company, retaining much of her stake in the business in the process. We understand that stake is at about 19%.

The deal values Bumble and the wider business — which is profitable — at $3 billion.

Blackstone also will be making an investment in the company as part of the deal.

“This transaction is an incredibly important and exciting moment for Bumble and the MagicLab group of brands and team members. Blackstone is world-class at maximizing the success of entrepreneur-led companies, which presents a tremendous opportunity. We are very excited to build the next chapter with them,” said Wolfe Herd in a statement. “I am honored to take on the role of CEO of the group. I will strive to lead the group with a continued values-based and mission-first focus, the same one that has been core to Bumble since I founded the company five years ago. We will keep working towards our goal of recalibrating gender norms and empowering people to connect globally, and now at a much faster pace with our new partner.”

Bumble is consistently in the top 10 of lifestyle apps in the U.S., according to App Annie data. The WSJ reports that Bumble now has some 75 million users, although Apptopia’s figures are a little more conservative: it notes that aggregated, lifetime downloads of Bumble are about 52 million, while lifetime in-app purchase revenue is about $335 million. March 2019 was its best month ever for IAP revenue with $14.1 million, and over the past six months, Bumble has averaged 1.5 million downloads per month, Apptopia’s Adam Blacker told TechCrunch. (The download figure doesn’t include web-based signups.)

But while Bumble has been growing at a healthy clip — in addition to being profitable, MagicLab had revenue growth of 40% annually — the transaction caps off a tumultuous time at the corporate level for the company.

Almost exactly a year ago, Andrey Andreev had been talking about a future IPO for Badoo in the U.S., listing on Nasdaq. The bigger company at the time also included the eponymous Badoo app, which itself now has 450 million users, as well as a number of others targeting more specific communities (for example, older people), and it was altogether expecting to make some $400 million in revenues in 2018.

Within that bigger picture, Bumble was easily the high-profile jewel in the crown, especially in the high-visibility market of the U.S., where Badoo had hoped to list.

Badoo prior to that had reportedly turned down a $450 million offer for Bumble from Match (some have reported that Match might have offered as much as $1 billion or more for it) — a strange twist in a long saga between the two. (In brief: Match is the company that owns Tinder and had been locked a series of different lawsuits with Bumble: Wolfe Herd had previously been a Tinder co-founder and left under acrimonious circumstances. Andreev had previously met Wolfe Herd and then approached her to start Bumble under his wing in the wake of that departure.)

While a bold IPO was an interesting prospect, things took a turn for the worse this summer, when an expose in Forbes painted a bleak picture of misogyny and sleaze at the parent company, headed by an eccentric and oblique leader — not the image that Bumble wanted to project, and definitely not the image that would have read well on Wall Street.

“We’re excited to invest in MagicLab, which is a pioneer in the fast-growing online dating industry. They have a highly talented team and strong set of platforms, including Bumble, which was built on a commitment to inclusion and female empowerment,” said Jon Korngold, head of Blackstone Growth (BXG), in a statement. “This partnership is a perfect example of Blackstone’s ability to use its scale, long-term investment horizon, and deep bench of operational resources to help entrepreneurs take advantage of transformational growth opportunities in order to create global industry leaders over time.”

As with Wolfe Herd and Blackstone, Andreev does not address this aspect of the story in his statement on the sale, focusing instead on making a good return on his investment to fuel building more apps ahead.

“Blackstone presented MagicLab with a great opportunity to further develop the brands and platform, and I am confident Blackstone will take MagicLab to the next level in terms of growth and expansion. I am incredibly proud of the company, and of how we have connected millions of people around the world,” he said. “At MagicLab, I have had the pleasure of working with some of the best and most talented entrepreneurs. My aim now is to ensure a smooth and successful transition before I embark on a new business venture in search of innovative leaders with new and exciting ideas. I am grateful for all the support of my partners and employees over the years as we couldn’t have gotten to this point without them. I wish MagicLab and Blackstone every success.”

Wolfe Herd defended Badoo and Andreev through the bad press, but now with the divestment, it seems that there was more at play with a bid to extricate Bumble out of that relationship.

[localbizlift]

Facebook poaches new CMO Antonio Lucio from HP

Amidst Facebook’s biggest branding crisis, it’s just hired a veteran CMO formerly of Pepsi and Visa to boost the social network’s external image and cross-promote features inside its apps. Antonio Lucio today announced he’ll be leaving his role as HP’s CMO after three years to take that post at Facebook starting September 4th. He’s replacing Gary Briggs, who in January said he’d be stepping down after five years to advise companies and work with the Democrats.

Lucio’s hispanic background and his efforts to champion inclusion will bring needed diversity to Facebook’s management, whose CEO, COO, CFO, CTO and CFO are all white.

Lucio will report to Chief Product Officer Chris Cox and be part of Chief Operating Officer Sheryl Sandberg’s leadership team.  Facebook confirms he’ll work across the company’s family of apps, including Instagram and WhatsApp, which both lack a named CMO. Prior to HP, Lucio was Visa’s chief marketing and communications officer for seven years, and had been at PepsiCo leading innovation and beverage marketing for eight years before that.

“Facebook’s story is at an inflection point. We have never faced bigger challenges, and we have never had more opportunities to have a positive impact on the world — in our families, our friendships, our communities, and our democracy — by improving our products at their core, and then by telling the story outside that we all know to be true inside,” Cox wrote on Facebook. “[Lucio] has been outspoken on the need to build authentic global brands with integrity and from places of principle, and also on the importance of building diverse teams at every level in the organization.”

Lucio is well-versed in the flowery philosophical rhetoric common at Facebook. He describes himself on LinkedIn as someone “who’s mission in life is to build brands that stand the test of time. These brands are anchored in purpose; have a meaningful impact on people’s lives; are built through strong emotional connections; behave with integrity and are constantly reinventing themselves to deliver their purpose.”

.@HP's global CMO @ajlucio5 discusses a new report from the company that shows how the efforts to close the diversity gap in their workforce have unquestionably led to positive business results. #CannesLions #CheddarLIVE pic.twitter.com/NYqS0BMHOE

— Cheddar (@cheddar) June 21, 2018

Lucio’s public persona sees him frequently retweeting accolades for his female peers. He’s been named the No. 2 most influential CMO by Forbes, and has received awards from PR Week and Women In Marketing for pushing diversity. At HP, he helped launched the #MoreLikeMe campaign to increase the number of women in leadership roles, growing their percentage amongst top HP marketing jobs from 20 percent to 50 percent. He credits this with contributing to a 6 percent year-over-year boost in HP’s brand preference scores. You can see him talk more about the initiative on Cheddar above.

Sandberg writes that “Antonio has a lot of experience leading marketing for major brands like HP and Visa — and he’s been recognized for both his talents and commitment to diversity.” She’ll benefit from the help repairing Facebook’s brand after a string of troubles ranging from Cambridge Analytica to election interference, slowing user growth to worries that too much Facebooking can hurt our well-being. A job listing for the CMO role mentioned candidates would need to be able to “guide a brand’s reputation and experience in crisis management.”

Facebook has recently undertaken a massive apology ad campaign on TV, bus stops and elsewhere, touting that it understands its responsibility to keep elections and users’ data safe. But Lucio will need to translate all of Facebook’s nitty-gritty behind-the-scenes work on these issues into comprehensible messaging that keeps users from straying from the social network.

Meanwhile, he’ll also be in charge of Facebook product marketing. With so many features packed into the app and fighting for attention, Lucio will have to decide what to highlight and how. The question is whether he’ll think more holistically, supporting the natural cannibalization of Facebook by its fresher-faced acquisitions, or put big blue first.

“Purpose and impact have been at the center of every career decision that I have ever made,” Lucio told TechCrunch in a statement. “Facebook is one of the world’s most impactful brands, at a pivotal moment in its history. I am honored to join the team and support its evolution.” Indeed, it’s time for Facebook to evolve, but Lucio will have to prove he can be the wartime leader it needs.

[pmsocialmedia]

Facebook poaches new CMO Antonio Lucio from HP

Amidst Facebook’s biggest branding crisis, it’s just hired a veteran CMO formerly of Pepsi and Visa to boost the social network’s external image and cross-promote features inside its apps. Antonio Lucio today announced he’ll be leaving his role as HP’s CMO after three years to take that post at Facebook starting September 4th. He’s replacing Gary Briggs, who in January said he’d be stepping down after five years to advise companies and work with the Democrats.

Lucio’s hispanic background and his efforts to champion inclusion will bring needed diversity to Facebook’s management, whose CEO, COO, CFO, CTO and CFO are all white.

Lucio will report to Chief Product Officer Chris Cox and be part of Chief Operating Officer Sheryl Sandberg’s leadership team.  Facebook confirms he’ll work across the company’s family of apps, including Instagram and WhatsApp, which both lack a named CMO. Prior to HP, Lucio was Visa’s chief marketing and communications officer for seven years, and had been at PepsiCo leading innovation and beverage marketing for eight years before that.

“Facebook’s story is at an inflection point. We have never faced bigger challenges, and we have never had more opportunities to have a positive impact on the world — in our families, our friendships, our communities, and our democracy — by improving our products at their core, and then by telling the story outside that we all know to be true inside,” Cox wrote on Facebook. “[Lucio] has been outspoken on the need to build authentic global brands with integrity and from places of principle, and also on the importance of building diverse teams at every level in the organization.”

Lucio is well-versed in the flowery philosophical rhetoric common at Facebook. He describes himself on LinkedIn as someone “who’s mission in life is to build brands that stand the test of time. These brands are anchored in purpose; have a meaningful impact on people’s lives; are built through strong emotional connections; behave with integrity and are constantly reinventing themselves to deliver their purpose.”

.@HP's global CMO @ajlucio5 discusses a new report from the company that shows how the efforts to close the diversity gap in their workforce have unquestionably led to positive business results. #CannesLions #CheddarLIVE pic.twitter.com/NYqS0BMHOE

— Cheddar (@cheddar) June 21, 2018

Lucio’s public persona sees him frequently retweeting accolades for his female peers. He’s been named the No. 2 most influential CMO by Forbes, and has received awards from PR Week and Women In Marketing for pushing diversity. At HP, he helped launched the #MoreLikeMe campaign to increase the number of women in leadership roles, growing their percentage amongst top HP marketing jobs from 20 percent to 50 percent. He credits this with contributing to a 6 percent year-over-year boost in HP’s brand preference scores. You can see him talk more about the initiative on Cheddar above.

Sandberg writes that “Antonio has a lot of experience leading marketing for major brands like HP and Visa — and he’s been recognized for both his talents and commitment to diversity.” She’ll benefit from the help repairing Facebook’s brand after a string of troubles ranging from Cambridge Analytica to election interference, slowing user growth to worries that too much Facebooking can hurt our well-being. A job listing for the CMO role mentioned candidates would need to be able to “guide a brand’s reputation and experience in crisis management.”

Facebook has recently undertaken a massive apology ad campaign on TV, bus stops and elsewhere, touting that it understands its responsibility to keep elections and users’ data safe. But Lucio will need to translate all of Facebook’s nitty-gritty behind-the-scenes work on these issues into comprehensible messaging that keeps users from straying from the social network.

Meanwhile, he’ll also be in charge of Facebook product marketing. With so many features packed into the app and fighting for attention, Lucio will have to decide what to highlight and how. The question is whether he’ll think more holistically, supporting the natural cannibalization of Facebook by its fresher-faced acquisitions, or put big blue first.

“Purpose and impact have been at the center of every career decision that I have ever made,” Lucio told TechCrunch in a statement. “Facebook is one of the world’s most impactful brands, at a pivotal moment in its history. I am honored to join the team and support its evolution.” Indeed, it’s time for Facebook to evolve, but Lucio will have to prove he can be the wartime leader it needs.

via Social – TechCrunch https://ift.tt/2Mrj1MZ

[workfromhom]

Facebook poaches new CMO Antonio Lucio from HP

Amidst Facebook’s biggest branding crisis, It’s just hired a veteran CMO formerly of Pepsi and Visa to boost the social network’s external image and cross-promote features inside its apps. Antonio Lucio today announced he’ll be leaving his role as HP’s CMO after three years to take that post at Facebook starting September 4th. He’s replacing Gary Briggs who in January said he’d be stepping down after five years to advise companies and work with the Democrats.

Lucio’s hispanic background and his efforts to champion inclusion will bring needed diversity to Facebook’s management, whose CEO, COO, CFO, CTO, and CFO are all white.

Lucio will report to Chief Product Officer Chris Cox and be part of Chief Operating Officer Sheryl Sandberg’s leadership team.  Facebook confirms he’ll work across the company’s family of apps, including Instagram and WhatsApp which both lack a named CMO. Prior to HP, Lucio was Visa’s Chief Marketing and Communications officer for seven years, and had been at Pepsico leading innovation and beverage marketing for eight years before that.

“Facebook’s story is at an inflection point. We have never faced bigger challenges, and we have never had more opportunities to have a positive impact on the world — in our families, our friendships, our communities, and our democracy — by improving our products at their core, and then by telling the story outside that we all know to be true inside” Cox wrote on Facbook. “[Lucio] has been outspoken on the need to build authentic global brands with integrity and from places of principle, and also on the importance of building diverse teams at every level in the organization.”

Lucio is well-versed in the flowery philosophical rhetoric common at Facebook. He describes himself on LinkedIn as someone “who’s mission in life is to build brands that stand the test of time. These brands are anchored in purpose; have a meaningful impact on people’s lives; are built through strong emotional connections; behave with integrity and are constantly reinventing themselves to deliver their purpose.”

Lucio’s public persona sees him frequently retweeting accolades for his female peers. He’s been named the #2 most influential CMO by Forbes, and has received awards from PR Week and Women In Marketing for pushing diversity. At HP, he helped launched the #MoreLikeMe campaign to increase the number of women in leadership roles, growing their percentage amongst top HP marketing jobs from 20 percent to 50 percent. He credits this with contributig to a 6 pecent year-over-year boost in HP’s brand preference scores. You can see him talk more about the initiative on Cheddar below:

.@HP's global CMO @ajlucio5 discusses a new report from the company that shows how the efforts to close the diversity gap in their workforce have unquestionably led to positive business results. #CannesLions #CheddarLIVE pic.twitter.com/NYqS0BMHOE

— Cheddar (@cheddar) June 21, 2018

Sandberg writes that “Antonio has a lot of experience leading marketing for major brands like HP and Visa – and he’s been recognized for both his talents and commitment to diversity.” She’ll benefit from the help repairing Facebook’s brand after a string of troubles ranging from Cambridge Analytica to election interference, slowing user growth to worries that too much Facebooking can hurt our well-being.

Facebook has recently undertaken a massive apology ad campaign on TV, bus stops, and elsewhere touting that it understands its responsibility to keep elections and users’ data safe. But Lucio will need to translate all of Facebook’s nitty-gritty behind-the-scenes work on these issues into comprehensible messaging that keeps users from straying from social network. Meanwhile, he’ll also be in charge of Facebook product marketing. With so many features packed into the app and fighting for attention, he’ll have to decide what to highlight and how.

“Purpose and impact have been at the center of every career decision that I have ever made” Lucio told TechCrunch in a statement. “Facebook is one of the world’s most impactful brands, at a pivotal moment in its history. I am honored to join the team and support its evolution.”

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