#google acquisitions

[oh-hell-help-me]

Day 27: Newborn

Bowser was staring.

He knows he is, but the sight he woke up to was surreal.

Nestled in layers of blankets, cuddled between Luigi and Junior, there was an egg.

An egg.

After calming down his human and son, and practically smothering them in blankets, he had nearly chalked up the egg as a figment of his imagination- something that was hard to do as he could see them curl around it.

He knows how this happens. Heck, it’s how he got Junior, but…

Why now? Why Luigi?

Not that he didn’t deserve a family of his own, but babies are usually delivered to couples- aren’t they?

And the fact that one was delivered to Luigi, his lover…

“Oh Grambi-”

He’s barely given time to comprehend the idea before he hears a small groan. Snapping his attention to the blanket pile, he could see Luigi shift into the blankets.

“Freddo…” He sees him stretch out for more blankets, but ends up patting the top of the egg in confusion. “Hm?”

And there his head pops up, looking like what Bowser’s feeling as he stares at the egg.

“Cazzo.”

“Language.”

He’s amused to hear the human squeak and struggle to flail with the blankets, but the sight of the egg being tugged out from them had the human freeze again.

“Um…”

Luigi looks at him with puppy eyes-

“Help, please?”

And Bowser realizes that he is horribly weak to them. “Sure, sure.”

And it’s a blessing that Junior is still asleep, because Bowser isn’t proud of the way he nearly fumbles in extracting his lover from the nest (or nearly acts on the instinctual urge to bury him in there).

Once out, he notices how quiet Luigi is.

Seeing that he was also staring at the egg, Bowser couldn’t blame him.

…

“I-“ Bowser doesn’t need to look at him to know how anxious the human is, not by how he speaks. “It’s mine… right? There wasn’t…“

“Storks don’t make mistakes like that. It’s weird it’s an egg instead of a baby, of course, but- yeah…”

“… Bowser?”

“Yeah?”

“I don’t know what to do.”

“We’ll, you got it warm, so I’d say you are doing pretty good-“

“N-not just that!” And Bowser finally looks at him, and feels pinned by his greyscale eyes. “I- don’t know how t-to raise a baby! Or- or know what they need, or- or anything!”

He’s starting to breathe fast and shallow, and it’s all Bowser needs to scoop him up and hold him close.

"What- what do I do?"

"… Do you want to keep them?"

"I-"

“Even if you don’t know what you’re doing.” And Bowser allows them to part, just a little, just enough to look Luigi in the eyes. “Would you love them? Would you want a child if you knew what to do?”

"I- I would. I do!" But? "But- I don’t want to mess up! I don’t-" and Luigi looks down- away- "I don’t want to mess them up."

He sounds small, and Bowser hates it and loves him and by the stars it is like Junior’s arrival all over again.

He gently grabs his chin, and their eyes meet again.

“You won’t mess up. I think you seem to forget that kids tend to take two and-“

Their noses touch, and the coolness reminds him of the important part.

“You won’t mess them up. Not when you have been great with Junior- and not just for storms, Luigi.”

The fear in his eyes is ebbing, but the utter vulnerability and trust is almost overwhelming.

“You’re not too shabby with the Koopalings, either. Hell, you’re one of the few people they actually like.”

“But-“

“And-“ he interrupts, with the intent to nip that concern in a bud. “There’s nothing wrong with you either.”

He doesn’t say anything for a while.

“… Can you- will you help me? Maybe as-”

“Thought you’d never ask.”

And it was quiet, almost peaceful-

Then the muffled sound of footsteps and arguing was the only warning they had before the Koopalings burst through.

Luigi still didn’t know what he was doing, but he at least knew that he was doing things right.

Bowser's help was needed and appreciated for the preparations of when the egg does hatch, things that seemed just like human baby stuff- until he realizes that the teething rings are made of what felt like industrial rubber, or that the diapers have tail holes.

On a related note, the baby itself seemed to be doing fine. In fact, every little change, whether it be the suggestions of feelings coming from it or the growing mass of consciousness he could feel, Luigi kept tabs on in a little notebook for future reference should he- should they-

Still, feeling those emotions respond to him as he stroked their eggshell was indescribably overwhelming.

It’s reassuring in a way- proof that the baby is still alive and growing.

Weeks have gone by after another Royal Announcement about the egg, but the opinions of other people (and their emotions) have been relatively manageable to handle.

(He felt it best not to acknowledge the general confusion made as people look between him and Bowser, though).

The moment he's waiting for is undoubtedly going to come to the castle soon, if the Koopa Courier doesn't daddle-

and it seems they were prompt when he hears more than sees his brother burst down the castle's doors, run past multiple people (including an irate Kamek, bless his tired heart), and then bust down the door to the new nursery (since Junior was adamant to keep his room just his.

“HAI AVUTO UN BAMBINO?!?!?!"

"Mario! At least close the door!"

He doesn't close it- instead, he rushes up to Luigi, taking him by the shoulders and looking him over.

"STAI BENE? Non sembri pregnante..."

"I'm fine, Mario. Sto bene." And, to at least introduce them before Bowser comes- "And il bambino is over there."

And he sees the moment Mario catches sight of the bundled egg, sees how he seems to stop short in any and all thought processes as he stares.

Which, okay, same, but still-

"They're not hatched yet, but it should be next month."

"So... in a month, I'll be an uncle- a zio?"

He's taking it well so far... "Yep!"

"Mama mia." And then the Hero of the Mushroom Kingdom fainted.

(Later, after Mario comes too, they take over three hours to stop gushing over them- even as Bowser watches on from the doorway).

When the egg finally hatches, its first cracks hadn’t even appeared before Luigi was fussing over its bedding and the recently added heating blankets.

The only reason Bowser even knew about it so early was the bouts of anxiousness-anticipation-protectiveness Pulses that were radiating throughout the castle.

And, well, it's a familiar enough combination to have him close meetings early and make his way to the nursery.

And of course the kids beat him there!

"Scoot, brats! And give them some room!" And not just the egg, but the frantic soon-to-be-parent looked like he was seconds away from passing out.

He is able to nudge his way across the rowdy group of Koopalings, reaching over to pick up Luigi and sit a bit away from the egg.

"Love, calm down. You're broadcasting again."

Luigi stills from his squirming enough to concentrate- and while the Pulses are reined, he could still feel them just radiating from his human.

"I- do we need to help them- or?" Bowser fondly nuzzles the top of his head, nearly purring as Luigi calms down a bit more.

"We just wait. From the look of it, they might bust through faster than Junior." Of course, he says that last bit quieter, since said Koopa was two feet away from the crib himself.

And then they heard the crack.

In a matter of minutes, the whole family watched in silent anticipation as the baby made that crack bigger, chipping away at it with gradual ease as they saw their first few peaks.

The baby looked a bit like him, or Junior, but the baby had blue eyes and a lighter green shell- almost the same shade Luigi used to wear. Once its head poked out, they could see that its hair was a more brassy red, but the attitude it aimed at the remaining eggshell was enough to know it had a similar temper to him.

They were perfect, and-

He’s nearly bowled over the absolute tsunami of emotion that he knows- without a doubt- is LOVE.

Pure. Elated. Love.

He doesn’t bother (or want) to remind Luigi again.

(That day, it's said that the Pulse could be felt all the way to the Town Square, and everyone in the vicinity didn't need an announcement to know the cause of it).

[firebuug]

if anyone new is wanting to play ruina don't buy it. fitgirl has your back.

[nd-frogoblin]

Me when accidental blorbo acquisition and i suddenly have 20 new downloaded pictures that look nearly identical:

but on the other hand: blorbo be pretty

[neoswami]

A Real-World Example of PPC Marketing Strategies

New blog! Let's create a real-world example to show how businesses utilize PPC marketing and SEO to connect consumers and what they search for with what marketers are looking to promote.

by Kimberly Eugene, 05/04/2023 Photo by Pixabay on Pexels.com Search engine marketing (SEM) and search engine optimization (SEO) tools are being used increasingly by marketers to reach their customers due to their ability to connect consumers to what they search for with what marketers are looking to promote.  The two main tactics within SEM are pay-per-click (PPC) advertising and SEO, and…

[ppcadstargeted]

Maximizing Your Google Performance Max Ads: Key Metrics for Success

Google Performance Max Ads are a game-changer in the world of digital marketing, offering a streamlined way to manage and optimize your ad campaigns across multiple Google channels. But how do you know if your ads are truly effective? Understanding the right metrics to measure is crucial for gauging success and making informed decisions. In this blog post, we'll dive into the key metrics you should focus on to ensure your Google Performance Max Ads are hitting the mark.

Key Metrics for Measuring Google Performance Max Ads Success

Click-Through Rate (CTR)

CTR is the percentage of people who click on your ad after seeing it. It's calculated using the formula:

CTR=(TotalClicks/TotalImpressions)×100

A high CTR indicates that your ads are relevant and engaging to your audience. Monitor your CTR to assess the effectiveness of your ad copy and creatives.

Conversion Rate

Conversion rate measures the percentage of users who complete a desired action after clicking on your ad. The formula is:

ConversionRate=(TotalConversionsTotalClicks)×100

Tracking your conversion rate helps you understand how well your landing pages and overall sales funnel are performing.

Cost Per Click (CPC)

CPC indicates how much you are paying for each click on your ad. It's calculated as:

CPC=TotalCost/TotalClicks

A lower CPC can mean that your ads are well-targeted and efficient. It's a crucial metric for managing your advertising budget.

Cost Per Acquisition (CPA)

CPA measures the cost of acquiring a customer through your ads. The formula is:

CPA=TotalCost/TotalConversions

Monitoring CPA helps you evaluate the efficiency of your ad spend in generating conversions. Aim for a lower CPA to improve your return on investment (ROI).

Return on Ad Spend (ROAS)

ROAS is a critical metric for understanding the profitability of your ad campaigns. It’s calculated as:

ROAS=Revenue from Ads/Total Cost of Ads

A higher ROAS indicates that your ads are generating more revenue relative to their cost, signifying a successful campaign.

Impression Share

Impression share shows the percentage of total possible impressions your ad received. It's an indicator of your ad visibility and competitiveness:

ImpressionShare=(Impressions/TotalEligibleImpressions)×100

A high impression share suggests a strong market presence, while a low impression share may indicate the need for bid adjustments or improved ad relevance.

Advanced Metrics to Consider

Engagement Rate

Engagement rate goes beyond clicks to measure interactions with your ads, such as video views, likes, shares, or comments. This metric is particularly useful for video and display ads where engagement is a key performance indicator.

Quality Score

Quality Score is Google's rating of the relevance and quality of your keywords, ads, and landing pages. A higher Quality Score can lead to lower CPCs and better ad placements. Monitor this score to improve your ad performance.

View-Through Conversions

View-through conversions track the number of conversions that occurred after a user saw but did not click, your ad. This metric helps you understand the broader impact of your ad campaigns.

FAQs

What is a good CTR for Google Performance Max Ads? A good CTR varies by industry, but generally, a CTR above 2% is considered good. Monitor industry benchmarks to set realistic goals for your campaigns.

How can I improve my conversion rate? To improve your conversion rate, optimize your landing pages for relevance and ease of use, ensure your ad copy aligns with the landing page content, and test different calls to action.

Why is my CPC increasing? Your CPC may increase due to higher competition, lower Quality Scores, or broader targeting. Analyze your keyword bids, improve ad relevance, and refine your audience targeting to control costs.

How do I calculate my ROAS? Calculate your ROAS by dividing the revenue generated from your ads by the total cost of those ads. A higher ROAS indicates more profitable campaigns.

What affects my Impression Share? Impression Share can be affected by your ad bids, budget, ad relevance, and competition. Ensure your ads are highly relevant and consider adjusting your bids to improve visibility.

How often should I review my Performance Max Ads metrics? Review your metrics regularly—ideally weekly—to identify trends and make timely adjustments to your campaigns for optimal performance.

Conclusion

Monitoring the right metrics is essential for the success of your Google Performance Max Ads. By focusing on CTR, conversion rate, CPC, CPA, ROAS, and other key indicators, you can fine-tune your campaigns for maximum impact. Remember to review your metrics regularly and adjust your strategies based on the data to achieve the best results.

[jcmarchi]

The Exuberance of Being Night School Studio

New Post has been published on https://thedigitalinsider.com/the-exuberance-of-being-night-school-studio/

The Exuberance of Being Night School Studio

Adam Douglas has a ghastly secret. He shared the recipe for a Cuban dish – the Arroz con Pollo – in an in-game radio station in Oxenfree II: Lost Signals, and it’s one that he describes as “very controversial.” The trick, according to Douglas, a senior writer at Night School Studio, is to use boneless, skinless chicken thighs for the dish instead of bone-in, skin-on thighs and drumsticks.

“My family’s from Cuba,” says Douglas. “It was my mom’s recipe that I have transformed into my recipe. And so, the version in the game is my version, which in the Cuban community is a very controversial version, and I stand by it. I still haven’t told my mom about any of this, by the way. I’m genuinely afraid of telling her this.”

In between chuckles, Douglas’ colleague Sara Hebert, the publishing and marketing lead at Night School, promises to send a copy of this story to his mother.

Afterparty

Charming Chatter, Flawed Heroes

In some ways, this closeness feels like an influence on the games Night School is known for, which often feature relatable, ordinary characters banding together in otherworldly, extraordinary circumstances. Oxenfree stars a teenager, Alex, embarking on a weekend trip with a group of friends to a local island, only to accidentally unleash a series of paranormal events. Its sequel is about a much older and stoic adult named Riley, who navigates similar supernatural happenings with her coworker, Jacob. Then there’s Afterparty, in which college best buds Milo and Lola drink their way out of Hell. These adventures feature conversations taking place organically; dialogue is the crux of the game rather than an auxiliary feature to nudge the plot along.

Oxenfree

This is the very DNA of Night School: a vision founders Krankel and Adam Hines hoped to realize from the very start.

“I’ve been talking to Adam for years about wanting to start something […] at that time, you had Telltale Games, which were cutscene focused, and then sometimes [you] walk around and solve some puzzles, and then on the other end of the spectrum, I think Last Of Us had just come out maybe a year or two earlier, and that was the apex of what narrative and action gameplay could be together,” says Krankel. “But we’re looking right in the middle and going like, ‘There’s no games out there that don’t have cutscenes, but yet have lots of stories that work really well.’”

Night School’s most acclaimed feature is its dialogue tree system, which mimics the cadence of real-life chatter. Words are exchanged even as characters wander about their environments, and any lulls in conversations become meaningful; as Riley in Oxenfree II, for instance, you can even choose to ignore Jacob’s attempts at small talk and simply not respond if it’s proving too incessant. Conversations, too, can be interrupted when new distractions are introduced – spotting a new clue or pointing out a familiar landmark – causing them to diverge in different directions. At times, the focus on dialogue almost feels like a bold decision, which places incredible faith in the charisma of the games’ characters. After all, a deathly boring or unlikable cast may well be a death knell for the game.

Oxenfree II

Fortunately for many Night School games, their cast lacks a certain air of pretension – a quality plaguing many video game heroes today. Douglas attributes this to the flaws deliberately written into Night School protagonists.

“[Riley from Oxenfree II] has made mistakes as we all have,” he says. “She’s endeavoring to do better, as some of us try to do, and some of us don’t. And in some ways, she succeeds, and [in] some ways, she really doesn’t. And I think keeping that in mind, that life is complicated, it can be messy, it very rarely goes the way that you think it is. It is part of what made her, in my opinion, just so relatable and so human.”

Night School co-founders Adam Hines (left), Sean Krankel (right), and Oxenfree II game director Bryant Cannon (middle) at Summer Game Fest Play Days 2023

But for all its successes with spearheading deeply authentic conversations, Krankel seems reluctant to peg Night School games as predominantly dialogue-driven stories, admitting this trajectory may change for the studio’s future games.

“Story is critical, and even talking is critical, but the idea of wall-to-wall, highly verbose gameplay that you see in Afterparty or Oxenfree and Oxenfree II, I think we’re pretty malleable on that,” he says.

Scrappy Beginnings

As with many indie developers, Night School hails from humble beginnings, with the team working on the first Oxenfree out of Krankel’s kitchen. Krankel was previously co-workers with Cannon at Disney, as well as Oxenfree environment artist Heather Gross, while Hines (Krankel’s cousin) was fresh out of Telltale Games. In 2016, Oxenfree was released to critical acclaim. This was quickly followed by a Mr. Robot mobile game, Robot:1.51exfiltrati0n, inspired by the popular television thriller, and the one game Krankel reckons is Hines’ crowning achievement at Night School (the game has since been delisted from both Android and iOS app stores). It was also around this time that Telltale acquired the rights to make a Stranger Things game, with Night School contracted to develop a companion game. Telltale’s unexpected shuttering, however, meant Night School was unable to bring the game to fruition.

Night School was understandably reticent about that episode, but Krankel lets in that the game was “semi-far along” in development, and was going to be closely tied to Telltale’s Stranger Things in some capacity. “The gist of it, that I’ll say, is just that they were making a big Stranger Things game and reached out to us about making a small one that could talk to the big one. And it was really cool. It was really interesting how the two games might have talked to each other […] in a very compelling way.”

Robot:1.51exfiltrati0n

This Stranger Things companion game was built upon Robot:1.51exfiltrati0n, which unveiled its events through the discovery of a discarded burner phone, alongside text messages and conversations playing out in real time.

In a way, this was another attempt by Night School to explore different ways of fleshing out dialogues – a vision that felt quintessentially Night School. “That was a foundation that we’ve never wanted to fully leave behind, but we haven’t done anything with that general design for years,” says Krankel. “It’s something now that we’re in the early stages of exploring […] but the Stranger Things game that we were working on used that and took it a lot further.”

Next Stop Nowhere

Netflix and The Cloud

Perhaps to Netflix, Night School’s storytelling ethos is complimentary to its cloud gaming ambitions. Having dabbled with interactive storytelling with Black Mirror: Bandersnatch, the streaming giant eventually acquired the studio in 2021, with Night School being the first developer included under Netflix’s growing roster of companies. Night School’s portfolio seems particularly suited to cloud gaming for now, given the lack of twitchy mechanics and a heavy emphasis on narrative rather than the adrenaline-fuelled bombast of other games. At the moment, Oxenfree remains one of two games that are part of Netflix’s beta test on making games playable on select television models, PCs, and Mac.

“Netflix is a story company. Netflix tells stories. They entertain the world with different types of stories,” Krankel says. “We’re a story company; we just happen to make playable ones. And so, the conversation turned into less of a ‘Hey, we’d like to license your game,’ and more like, ‘Hey, would you like to do more stuff just for us? Would you like to keep using your general ethos in our bigger environment?’ And that felt pretty good.”

Night School co-foudners Sean Krankel (left) and Adam Hines (right) filming for a behind the scenes video in Los Angeles

Acquisitions are usually met with some amount of trepidation, but as hackneyed as this may sound, those we spoke to at Night School agree it hasn’t changed the studio in ways that aren’t true to its identity. Instead, any changes stem from just being part of a bigger organization now.

“I have an answer that sounds facetious, but it’s not. It’s just that I’m in a lot more meetings now. That is not because of the Netflix acquisition,” says Rohrmann. “That’s just the nature of working for a larger organization. But yeah, other than that, I’m still making music the way I did before, so I’m super happy about that.”

Cannon agrees. “I think it’s changed, but not necessarily because of Netflix. It’s just because we’ve grown and we’ve had to adapt to having more people at the studio, having a lot more different personalities at the studio and egos at the studio. And it’s just new, it’s something that a lot of studios have faced before. We’ve definitely had growing pains there, but it’s also enabled us to do things that are in the future going to be that much bigger and more exciting for our players.”

The Night School Studios team

Changing Tides

That said, Netflix’s cloud gaming efforts are still in its nascent stages. It hasn’t been long since the demise of Google’s cloud gaming experiment Stadia, but Night School seems largely optimistic about the deal. The acquisition has given the studio more resources and the means to refine its games. Take, for instance, how Oxenfree II was released in 32 languages – a feat that Krankel says would not have been possible without Netflix.

“Before, we were a tiny California company that, if we could scrounge up enough money to get localization funds, we would start putting the game out in other places, and we didn’t even know if our localizations were that good, to be totally honest, because we were a small studio working with outsourcing teams. And now we’re like, ‘We can put our s**t everywhere, and we should do it, and we should do it right,’” says Krankel. He even points out the studio might very well be working on its dream game at the moment, with Cannon at the helm as its game director.

An example of dialogue localization in Oxenfree

“I’d say when we were working out of Sean’s kitchen, we never ever thought that we’d be here 10 years later. As big as we are, to me, it did not seem possible,” says Cannon with a wistful smile. “And so, when I think about how much we’ve grown and how much more ability we have to make a big impact on the industry and players, it’s helpful for me to think back to those days and think of that beginner’s mindset we had, that was like, ‘We don’t know what we’re doing, but we’re so passionate about this. We care about it deeply.’ And thinking about how much that mattered to me, and how much if I were to describe to [Bryant from] 10 years ago what would come of this, he’d be very, very happy. It’s pretty incredible, and I don’t want to forget those early days.”

This article originally appeared in Issue 363 of Game Informer.

[tagmarketingchicago]

6 SUPER SIMPLE WAYS TO REMOVE WASTED GOOGLE AD SPEND & LOWER CPA

All you have to do is literally check a few boxes and radio buttons on the first five steps!

Do not let Google automatically apply ad suggestions.

Exclude your campaigns from showing up next to sensitive or negative content.

Exclude your ads from displaying among content that doesn’t fit your brand.

Properly adjust bidding on certain devices.

Make sure your location settings are targeting correctly.

Implement a click fraud software to detect and protect your budget.

Let's dive into each with examples and walk-throughs - https://www.tag-ad.com/6-super-simple-ways-to-remove-wasted-google-ad-spend-lower-cpa/

[elevatehumanity]

YouTube introduces non-skippable 30-Second ads💥

By running a single, longer-form ad, YouTube believes it can align more closely with advertisers’ objectives while facilitating richer storytelling. This change comes as YouTube Select lands over 70% of impressions on the TV screen, making it easier for advertisers to use existing assets in front of the most-streamed content. Additionally, YouTube is introducing new Pause experiences on CTV.…

[prokopetz]

The thing that always throws me about Internet history is that YouTube was bought out by Google only eighteen months after it launched, and Google began implementing ads and content filtering less than a year after the acquisition. The initial free-for-all phase of YouTube's existence always feels like it was a lot longer than that – and, like, I was 22 when YouTube first came online, so I don't even have the excuse of the distorted chronology of childhood to account for it!

[digitaledge360]

Marketers have this habit of finding acronyms to describe the cost of something. For example, we have come across CPM (cost per mile), CPC (cost per click), CPL (cost per lead), and CPA (cost per acquisition).

We have come across various performance marketing agencies responsible for their clients’ paid media or their own paid campaigns.

Here is a descriptive blog on CPL vs CPA elaborating the difference between them. Let’s dig in!!!

[invisibleppc]

White Label Agency Invisible PPC

Cost Per Acquisition

[neoswami]

The Best and Worst Digital Marketing Initiatives

Key factors to remember when engaging with your audience on social media. by Kimberly Eugene, 04/21/23 Photo by Vlada Karpovich on Pexels.com Coupled with market research, clear objectives, and the appropriate digital marketing strategy, digital marketing can be a great way for brands to better connect with their audience. Heineken’s Success with Digital Marketing Initiatives Brands such as…

[myprogrammingschool]

Module: Google Analytics Reports & Dashboards -trailhead Salesforce

Module: Google Analytics Reports & Dashboards -trailhead Salesforce

In this article, we will see the solution of the Trailhead Salesforce Module called Google Analytics Reports & Dashboards. After watching this solution you will achieve 100 points which is my guarantee. For more modules, you can click on trailhead salesforce answers. Get critical insights for your site with out-of-the-box Google Analytics reports & dashboards. #1. Get Started with Google…

[orbitbrain]

Google Completes $5.4 Billion Acquisition of Mandiant

Google Completes $5.4 Billion Acquisition of Mandiant

Home › Cloud Security Google Completes $5.4 Billion Acquisition of Mandiant By Mike Lennon on September 12, 2022 Tweet Google on Tuesday announced the completion of its $5.4 billion all-cash acquisition of cybersecurity services and threat intelligence firm Mandiant (NASDAQ: MNDT). The deal was originally announced in March 2022. Considered a premier incident response firm tracking advanced…

[ariyogames]

Patreon has laid off their security team

I know this isn't an update on my interactive fiction game but I just wanted interactive fiction creators and other people who have Patreons to be aware about this issue.

Whitney Merrill on Twitter: "Whoa @Patreon laid off their ENTIRE security team. Wouldn’t trust my data there. Also there’s some amazing talent to scoop up." / Twitter

For creators with a Patreon, I would recommend using a password manager to generate a randomly generated password so that when Patreon has (another) security breach, your password will be unique.

For creators that are uncomfortable with using Patreon and do not want to lose their Patreon content, you can import your Patreon content to a WordPress website with a WordPress plugin that can be used with a WordPress membership plugin like Paid Memberships Pro that lets patrons subscribe to your content like on Patreon. However, please keep in mind that WordPress plugins are also very vulnerable to attack so it is very important that you update the plugins frequently if you choose to go this route.

Ko-fi is also a good alternative that I know a lot of interactive fiction creators use for their work. SubscribeStar is a good option for NSFW artists.

Hopefully there won't be any serious security breaches with Patreon but who knows what will happen...

UPDATE (10th September 2022 - 11:30AM BST):

Patreon has confirmed to reporters that they are hiring an external security team to handle Patreon's security.

Kevin Collier on Twitter: "Wild. Patreon confirms the layoffs in emailed statement to me, says it's ok, they're using third-party security. https://t.co/zV9zw9yOlh" / Twitter

What this means is that Patreon has decided to go for the cheaper option by outsourcing their security to a team abroad instead of spending more money and resources on an in-house security team. This is what is known to infosec/cyber security experts as MSSP/MSP.

However, a lot of cyber security professionals have criticised this decision by Patreon because historically, organisations that have outsourced their security to a team abroad have usually had a lot of security issues/security breaches later on down the line because they do not check/scan the security of the company as frequently as an in-house security team would.

This also conflicts with what a laid-off security employee has said about the situation where they disputed Patreon's claims of this decision not impacting their security by alleging that Patreon has cut down of its use of external security vendors in the past four months.

So what does this mean for Patreon's future and how am I affected?

What this means is that there are things going on behind the scenes at Patreon that we do not know about yet, all we know is that the leadership over there is making incredibly unwise business decisions by firing their entire internal security team and what this usually means is there will either be a huge security breach down the line or an announcement of a merger or acquisition.

Another potential risk is supporter deanonymisation, where attackers with malicious intent could blackmail subscribers that pledge to NSFW artists and kink content creators and threaten to reveal their Patreon pledges to an employer.

Your payment information (credit/debit card information) should be safe because Patreon do not process payment information themselves, they outsource it to Stripe and PayPal.

This blogpost by a cyber security professional is worth reading to know more on what to do about this situation.

Should I delete my Patreon account?

If you have no other option, then I would not delete my Patreon account especially if it is your only active source of income. What I would do is what I have listed above: by turning on two factor authentication through an app like Google Authenticator or Authy and changing your password to a randomly generated password so that you are not too much at risk when a security breach inevitably happens.

If you do have other options and are not as financially dependent on Patreon alone, then I would think about switching to other crowdfunding services like Ko-fi, SubscribeStar (I hear SubscribeStar is a good option for NSFW artists) and Comradery

I was originally going to create a Patreon for my interactive fiction/narrative game studio after I release the demo/first chapter of the interactive fiction game I'm currently working on (Mutants of Mayprice) but Patreon's lack of communication about this situation and their unwise decision of firing their entire internal security team (which wasn't many people to begin with, five people) does not leave me with a lot of confidence about the future of the platform.

[appandsoftware1]

Boost your business with these 15 free resources: Appsumo 2022

Boost your business with these 15 free resources: Appsumo 2022

If you’re looking for ways to boost your business to the next level, Appsumo and AppsumoPlus have the perfect solution – Boost your business with these 15 free resources that will help you get ahead of your competition. From email marketing platforms to social media management tools, these resources will give you the edge you need to succeed. And best of all, they’re all totally free! So what are…