#it's not supposed to be marketable or monetiseable

[dkettchen]

me, procrastinating on one project with another one: it's fine they're both for content I do this for the people and the people will receive SOMETHING sooner by me working on either one 😤

[mishkakagehishka]

Idc anymore i think i'm a good enough writer that i can say that when i noticed the pattern in what exactly makes a book "good" on booktok (and, bc of that, what makes it popular and top bestseller lists), it feels almost demeaning and denigrating to the entire craft. Idk if i should blame the way tiktok-esque social media has utterly rotted everyone's ability to concentrate and read more than three sentences, but literally none of those books are objectively good.

(Yes, yes, art is subjective. HOWEVER. Art is subjective when you look at style, at themes, at motifs, at plots and characters. Art is still a craft, it still requires skill. I've seen beyond the tiktok quotes of these books. Not even their editors are good given the amount of typos/spelling mistakes. That is not something that you should find in a traditionally published book.)

You look at these books, and you know the only reason for their existence is to make money. I cannot and will not accept that as art.

(I'm on Tumblr, of course I have to explain every point. Artists who make money off their art =/= people who only create art meant to be profitable. There is a difference between an artist who hopes to monetise doing what they love, who creates what they wish to see more of and who happens to then create something that other people wish to see more of, and a person who looks at what's trending and decides that making an unholy frankenstein's monster of a book that mashes all those trending tropes and motifs together would get them rich quick. The fact that a lot of these booktok books become popular because of nepotism is just the cherry on top. It's soulless.)

And to finally say what I wanted to say, it's because none of these books have any deeper message or even artistic value to them. You will find a few out of context quotes or paragraphs, ones written specifically so they'd look deep and beautiful when taken out of context, so that people would post them, so that people would buy the books. Entire books written just so those few lines could become viral and make cash. It cannot even be compared to a hook line writers would post to get people interested in their works, because in booktok's case, those are the only lines of quality and in the context itself, they are often out of place and forced.

I just hate booktok, i hate what modern social media has done to art. It's all created to be quickly consumed, for the few ☆aesthetic☆ glances, and then discarded. Just to make more money for those who are already nepo babies. As if artists needed more obstacles to jump over.

[meganwkn]

Gigs and Side Hustles (Wee Kai Ning Megan)

My father used to be a Grab driver when it first launched. Back then, the idea of driving for Grab seemed more appealing than a taxi, one reason I now learnt was due to Grab marketing itself as part of a sharing economy whereby my father also gets to “be his own boss”. However, it was evident that he was not entirely autonomous - I was made to book him on multiple occasions to fulfil his KPI (key performance indicator), which would grant him incentives for completing more rides. Ironically, this got all of us kicked out of the App for “fraudulent activity”. It is both humorous and unfortunate that I am still suspended from Grab until this day.

I am currently working as a freelance photographer which makes me part of the gig economy. However, it has never occurred to me that Grab drivers could also be part of the gig economy because the drivers were still heavily influenced by the regulations of the platform. This may be because I always perceived Grab to be more Gesellschaft than Gemeinschaft, as was evident when my father emphasised on the profits more than the essence of ride-sharing. His job is inevitably in the hands of the App as they may both incentivise and terminate his work as they see fit. In addition, as much as I enjoy being a part of my clients’ special occasions, even my own photography service is profit-driven. As the rise of freelance work and side gigs populate through the use of online platforms such as Carousell and Instagram, this leads me to question what exactly is the defining factor of the sharing economy because of the convergence of profits, interests and the commercialisation of what “sharing” entails.

As mentioned above, I also feel that the idea of a side hustle is worth exploring into as it is a growing trend among my generation. As someone who is juggling between work and school, I would caution against over-glorifying having a side hustle and we should not be made to feel like it is necessary. Here is a conversation that my friend and I had about this topic a few weeks ago, even before I learnt about this in class:

Aside from highlighting the issue of overworking, it appears that having a side gig is highly favoured now for being an additional source of income to live comfortably in Singapore. This may not only expand the sharing economy, but also result in losing the essence of what the sharing economy is supposed to mean. Such a phenomenon may be due to how we offer our services for the purpose of profit but in the guise of community-building, therefore making the idea of a sharing economy problematic and perhaps more hypocritical. Also, if the majority of us were to monetise our hobbies and have a side hustle together with our full-time jobs, this would simply normalise the idea of having two jobs without actually bridging social inequality.

[varlysca]

Fandom rant #1: Supernatural

Give me back my characters

To top it off, let me say that I haven't been in the Supernatural fandom for a long time. I wasn't on tumblr when the whole Mishapocalypse happened and I only got into Supernatural about 3 years ago. Nevertheless, I loved the show.

At the beginning, I adored the show, I really did. I loved the tense family dynamics, up to season 6 the character development, the different monsters. Well, the miscommunication trope kinda annoyed me, but no show is perfect.

What's starting to piss me off however, and this doesn't only concern Supernatural, is that progressively, the show is trying to one-up itself. At the beginning demons were "a bit too big, don't you think, Sammy?". Now we have the King of Hell on speed dial, Dean fucked an angel no biggie, both have died so often it's become an inside joke amd everytime any other character dies it's a russian roulette of 'are they like dead dead or not.'

Now I know it's not a comedy show, hell it's not supposed to be happy go lucky. But some writers have proven that it is possible to have a show in the Supernatural format and give us good, suspenseful episodes without completely fucking up a character.

The main reason I'm writing this, is because hand in hand with the feeble attempt to keep up the suspense for season finales, comes the character development. Or rather character treatment. Especially when it comes to Cas. Now Cas is a brilliant character. Deep, three-dimensional, he has a lot of potential. But the more the show progresses, the more the writers seem to forget that he is in fact, an angel of the lord. They blatantly forget about some of Cas' powers when it suits the episode, they constantly have to think about new bad guys that could one-up an angel. Cas becomes this bitter, angry character that would even kill a Cupid for its bow than ask, and it had to be Dean shoot-first-ask-questions-later Winchester that had to calm him down and talk it out. And even when Cas falls and becomes human, it seems that a lot of things he does is only half heartedly thought through by the writers. They put Cas through literal and emotional hell, only to then have screen-Dean kick him out of the bunker without any real reason apparently (which I call bullshit on), they don't put his initials into the table although it has been stated multiple times by both brothers that Cas is family, Dean has stated that Cas is his best friend... for what? Only for their friendship to be conveyed as a plot-relevant subject? And I'm not even touching on the blatant Destiel between the lines, here I'm talking about the canon, on-screen friendship between Cas and Dean, a friendship that is slowly crumbling into a shadow of itself because jeopardising it is seemingly the most useful tool for writers to keep the viewers at bay. And I am tired of it. Destroying your characters for the sake of suspense and drama is all well and good, but if that's literally the only thing you have to keep their dynamic interesting? You might not know your characters as well as you think you do.

And this is where fanfic comes in. Because German Netflix cancelled Supernatural, I've been stuck in season nine with occasional clips and spoilers from Instagram, Tumblr and fanfic. I love reading fanfic regardless, but at this point, I feel like the canon writers of the show are unable to continue handling their characters truthfully because it wouldn't 'appeal' to the viewers. They've so badly succumbed to sucking Capitalism's cock that instead of thinking 'what could enrichen the story' they think 'what will heighten the views?' And fanfic is in most parts completely free from that pressure.

Imagine that. Content created without the pressure of monetisation is way better than anything on the official market.

At this point I don't even know if I want to watch up to S15. Or maybe I can, since I will have emotionally distanced myself enough from this show to deal with whatever shitty ending they throw at us. I mean hey, can't get worse than Endgame now, can it. I also highly doubt we will get a Destiel canon, even if some sources have been hyping it up.

I used to love this show, but now I feel like I only can love the fandom and its content. Every episode needs a fix-it fic because apparently sending your chraacters into a facsimile of depression, without actually adressing it as the serious issue that it is, is the only thing the writers know how to do. This show had a chance to tackle so many issues through its characters, child-abuse, depression, self-harm, suicidal thoughts, coping with loss through Sam and Dean, homophobia through Charlie, the dangers of religious sects through Cas, but they blew them all. They never had to balls to follow through with any sensitive topic because they are cowards and are too far up their hypothetical audience's ass to see it.

You know what would be a change? Team Free Will actually gearing up again. Open communication, acknowledgment of issues, hell, a healthy friendship would be a novelty at this point. At that, in my opinion, is pretty fucking sad. The showrunners have completely lost any emotional insight into their characters and I am so tired of it. Fanfic has proven time and time again, that it is possible to do good case-fic and not wreck relationships. Fanfic has proven that it's possible to create antagonists with suspense without compromising a character's established set of powers. Fanfic has proven that it's possible to write a canon-compliant Dean and not have him a complete and utter dumb fuck with an asshole setting to 100%.

It used to be 'What would the characters think' now it's only 'what will the viewers think.'

Give me back my complex characters and stop literally ruining characters for the sake of enrichening capitalist pockets.

[pineartblog]

hm, hello! I am writing this as tentatively the first post of a blog that I will allow to be public. (edit: there’s a post below this that is actually Better, this is not the first.) hm. I was thinking, maybe this is my way of interacting with the world? I feel like I share what I turn over in my head in intimate conversations, but never anything more. as does everyone. anyway.

I suppose I was thinking about what would be enough for me. in terms of communicating with the world. I do feel like there is the desire to speak to a larger audience, but to have my ideas speak and not my person. which is to say, for me to retain my anonymity while having the things I'm thinking of be enough -- enough for what? enough for a sense of connection? I'm always shouting into the void, afraid to be perceived, unwilling to relinquish myself in everything I'm shouting. well.

anyway, this is supposed to be an art blog. I've just been throwing paint onto the paper again. like, drawing without something in mind, drawing without a reference, and it does feel very freeing. like I am making decisions on the fly, and the decisions make sense, I feel, and I make very very very ugly paintings and some nice ones that I will hate within the week... well, no. I've made one and a half. but it's the spirit of it, I suppose. I think it's been very hard for me to feel this freedom ever since I decided that I wanted to get better at painting landscapes, some two years ago now. I have been hammering away at it, not consistently, but once in a while. it certainly holds weight in my mind. I recently read she came to stay, Simone de beauvoire's first novel, and one of the characters quite petulantly dismisses the other, a pair of artists, that they work with the rigidity of civil servants, basically. I can't remember the exact quote. hm, I think of the framing of art as work - literally, our "works" -- how much we emphasise labour, how we try so hard to validate art as work in a world that requires work that it loses some of that -- that sacredness? we really do interact with art in the context of capitalism, I guess there is no true and pure way to make art, except to know that creativity exists innately in everyone, I believe, and that it's just human expression that has been intellectualised through institution. I've been thinking about how much I hate artspeak, which is not to say that I hate big words at all, but I hate the use of big words to prop up a mediocre idea. I was guilty of it, too, when I had to interact with the institution. it was definitely a crutch, and maybe that's why I hate it so much. of course much of this is dictated by market, the people who sell to the people who buy art need some way to sell it -- but contemporary artists are not selling art okay!!!! we don't need to do this shit!!! art CAN be an intellectual discipline, but it really doesn't have to always be? sometimes it is, sometimes it isn't, but it's still clear when it isn't even when you pile on a bunch of words that have been complicated by extra -ities.

ah, I forgot what I wanted to say. what I wanted to start the blog with in the first place. remember blogs? haha. remember when you could read someone's most intimate thoughts at the ages of 13 to 16 as they were figuring out the world, falling in love for the first time, experiencing intense feelings, being terribly insecure and unstable? hm. I was watching this youtuber's vlog and the shot was of her facing her laptop, her back facing the camera, we were watching her watch someone else's vlog, and she exclaimed, at a bowl of (granted, very delicious-looking) food, "wow, that looks so good!" and I was like, we are truly in dystopia. it's strange, isn't it? maybe because I was doing exactly what she was doing at the moment. and then I imagined myself setting up the shot. I know this performance is necessary to monetise one's life. but it's truly quite unsettling. sometimes I think it would make me more productive if I filmed myself doing things -- for example, I have a terribly hard time cleaning my room, and I know that if I had the desire to perform or if cleaning out my wardrobe could turn to revenue (assuming many other things, such as a willingness to be in the public eye as myself) it would make me do the thing. but hm, it's a weird trick. like I refuse to trick myself in that way, because it feels dirty and gross. I read this article recently about lifestyle vloggers and how they set up their own voyeurism -- not a new concept, but what was interesting to me was that the article talked about how these girls' framing of themselves has become more valuable than the male gaze. and these vlogs really are tailored, not for men, but for women just like me. it's the kind of content I watch the most! but it's lost its lustre recently, maybe the pretty minimalist interiors held up by "spiritual" "self-care" platitudes are starting to crumble. it just feels sort of like parroting, or maybe I don't connect with any of these people. and I think there's a marked moving away from real connection, because of the vitriol that women online receive just by virtue of being women in patriarchy. and what we get is a false vulnerability, a shallow screen, or a reference to vulnerability without the real thing, or a monetisation of vulnerability, of course always with Adsense, but more insidiously with brands requiring influencers to share intimate details of themselves for an ad. god! what have we become!

okay I really need to fold my bread because I fucking FORGOT ABOUT IT and it's 11pm. I hope the bread will still be ok =w=

[abongguy]

Nov 9, 2021

How to lose $500 million using algorithms?

Here’s a question for you — If the housing market is booming, will the stocks of online home-listing companies go on a rally as well?

If you answered “yes”, you’re right. On most occasions, that’s precisely what you’d expect and it’s what happened with a pretty popular US real estate listing company called Zillow. The pandemic was a blessing in disguise for the company. Americans couldn’t go out. They were staying at home and they found a new pastime as they began fantasising about their dream homes.

Naturally, they turned to companies like Zillow to scroll through real estate listings and buy the best properties they could get their hands on. And with low-interest rates, home sales in the US hit record high figures in 2020.  Zillow’s shares meanwhile nearly tripled in 2020.

But Zillow didn’t just help people list properties. It also helped people value them.

As Investopedia puts it —

One of Zillow’s key features is its Zestimates, a popular consumer tool for seeing how much homes are worth. These estimates are based on information from sources such as comparable sales and public data. Launched in 2011 with information about 90 million homes, Zestimates has expanded its reach, providing users with data about more than 100 million homes across the United States.

The latest iteration even allowed users to upload photos of a home to understand how it would affect the valuation. These people had treasure troves of data about home prices across the US and it was only a matter of time before they decided to monetise it somehow.

And in 2018, that thought manifested in a grand idea. The company decided to put its data and algorithms to the test. They decided to buy underpriced homes directly from sellers. Renovate it and flip it for a nice profit. The hope was that they’d be able to spot absolute bargains across the country using “smart algorithms and data science.”

And in 2020, as the housing market started booming, Zillow doubled down on this side gig. Between July and September this year, the company got its hands on nearly 10,000 homes. And it’s under contract to buy another 8,172 homes.

Unfortunately, this is where things really started to go wrong. Zillow only sold 3,000 of those homes. Which means, they are still sitting on thousands of homes after having tied up sizeable chunks of capital. Its algorithm messed up (or the people that created it did).

So here’s what happened.

First, when house prices started to rise, Zillow’s algorithms failed to predict how quickly they would rise. As a consequence, they were bidding far too little for hot properties and in effect, not buying enough inventory. So, the company decided to tweak its algorithm and make it more aggressive, which did eventually transpire in Zillow buying a slew of new homes. Unfortunately by then, prices had already begun to cool off. And they were forced to sell homes at a discount.

Insane!!!

Bottom line — The algorithm failed when prices went up. The algorithm also failed when  prices cooled. And what was supposed to be a $20 billion revenue business is now in tatters. Also, Zillow is writing off close to $500 million they invested in the business, and they’re firing 2,000 of their staff (many, who probably didn’t even have anything to do with this algorithm business). The company meanwhile lost nearly 40% of its market value last week alone. That's $10 billion worth of equity wiped out in less than 7 days.

So there you have it. Zillow’s capitulation is a cautionary tale for anybody who thinks they can tame the real estate market using data. Because real estate prices are a product of how individual actors in the system think and act. It involves both inputs from the techie who’s looking to move into a nice suburb in Palo Alto after an IPO and the hedge fund manager predicting the next big recession. Man-made formulas can seldom capture the nuance of human emotion and so most algorithms are condemned to a life of uncertainty. What are your thoughts on this?

[inventatequs]

HOW TO MONETISE A WEBSITE WITH DIGITAL MARKETING ONLINE COURSE

In a digital marketing online course, there are many features with which you can gear up your client's online website. Google AdSense is a popular tool for gaining profit online or even the blog through adverts. Although it is not the only choice in the market and there are many more techniques out there. Different alternative advertising programs are there which offer huge features and allow you to make an additional income on your client's website. 

About the Need For Google AdSense  

When you Google digital marketing course online, every institute does not offer all the necessary courses. So, look in detail at the offered courses before enrolling yourself. When we talk about Google Adsense it has been the trusted way for bloggers to earn money from their shopping websites. And it is not all with the right niche and effective rich content you can engage the potential clients. There are many elements to consider here when you are learning about the AdSense in digital marketing online training time like :

the site must have the domain name

at least 50,000 page views month-wise

Login restriction should not be there    

These are few substitutes for the currently available AdSense by Google as providing an easy solution to monetize your website or say the blog. You should look forward to getting the results you want while you are thinking of diversifying your revenue system. 

PUTTING ADSENSE TO WORK FOR YOUR CLIENT 

When you start with AdSense, you will need a steady stream of website traffic running. According to professional digital marketers, it is the best technique to continue posting only good content for the footfall of genuine customers. The process is very easy to follow just with some tips you will be good to take care of your client's service or products. 

REMEMBER THIS THING WHEN YOU'RE OPTING FOR THE DIGITAL MARKETING COURSE 

When you are opting for the digital marketing online training with us at Inventigo you will be getting all the needed exposure. Our teaching course has covered all the updated and has altered with accord to the market need. 

With our online projects, you will be able to keep up the pace with the digital marketing requirements. Digital Marketing Online Course has many branches which are needed to be covered by the upcoming professionals like you. So, when you are opting for it make up your mind with the vast dimensions it has and you are supposed to know all about it. Our professional instructor here will be sharing with you all the requisite information.  

Generally, your clients do not know about all the different methods of online promotion. And when you will suggest some new alternatives related to digital marketing online reach you will leave an impression on the client that you know so many things for their better reachability. And as a marketer, you will develop an understanding of how to provide better options for reach. 

Business Information-: MARATHAHALLI COACHING CENTER No. 45, 3rd Floor, Marathahalli, From Marathalli Bridge towards Old Airport, Next to Axis Bank, Above Federal Bank, Bangalore - 37 Call us 080 - 42024661 Mail Us: inventateqq.marathahalli@gmail.com

[lazybookmarks]

So many people were piling into self-publication – tens of thousands of self-published works were being uploaded on a weekly basis – that it now involved investment: glossy covers, Amazon ads, payments to sites that would distribute your work to readers and claw in ‘impartial’ reviews. I admired any author for making a success of self-publishing, for they had to be their own editor, publicist, web designer, marketeer, as well as having the technological nous to monetise Amazon’s algorithms. I realised that I could not do erotica by halves: I would need to produce book after book, month after month, to build my readership. What was supposed to be a hobby would have to become a career.

How I joined the literary prostitutes club, writing erotica for cash | Aeon Essays

[gary--martin]

The beginning of the major project story

In October 2020 I began putting ideas together for a project. Something that I wanted to last, become part of my life on a longterm basis; something I cared about. At the time of writing this (January 2021), I cannot for the life of me remember what those initial ideas were. I had spent the summer reading and reflecting on my creative practice. The pandemic was going on way longer than I thought it would have and it had started to expose a lot of things for me that were just hiding from plain sight. I had many conversations with friends (Squad) over Zoom and ‘the group chat’ about internet cultures and the impact URL life is having on IRL life. Generally speaking we were finding the divide between the internet that we love, and the internet that was pissing us off, and trying to find out why we were getting so miffed about certain things. We had been talking a lot about Spotify, about how we didn’t like the network effect it had over musicians to release music on there despite the remuneration system seeming so unfair. I use Spotify to listen to a lot of music, so there’s definitely some cognitive dissonance going on there. I get that it’s convenient for listeners. And I also get that getting your track in a popular playlist can get you loads of streams (and so maybe earn a bit of money). But as a group we reflected on the namelessness of this system. How easy it was to leave playlist running and not know who or what you are listening to even if asked. "Ah its on this playlist" was a phrase we discussed a fair bit. You might argue that this system allows for greater music exploration, finding things you’ve never heard before. And you’d be right. But radio does this and I have no gripes with radio. What’s all that about? Artist and Computer Person, Elliott Cost wrote a short paper on the vastness of a website. In it he talks about how over the last few years… "platforms have stripped away any hint of how vast they actually are. As a result, users only get to see a tiny sliver of an entire platform. There’s been an overwhelming push to build tools specifically designed for engagement (like buttons, emoji responses, comment threading) instead of building tools that help users actually explore. This has replaced any sense of play with a bleak struggle for users attention. The marketing line for these new tools could easily be, "engage more, explore less."" He tries to combat this in the websites he designs by adding explore buttons that randomise content, for example. You can see this in action in a website he contributed to called the The Creative Independent. "One thing we did implement was a random button that served up a random interview from over 600 articles across the site. I ended up moving this button into the main navigation so that readers could continue to click the button until they found an interview that interested them. It’s fairly easy to implement a “randomized items/articles” section on a website. In the case of The Creative Independent, this simple addition revealed how expansive the site really was.”

https://elliott.computer/pages/exploring-the-vastness-of-a-website.html  Sticking with the website theme, another thing we discussed as a Squad was the increase of Web 3.0 models in comparison to out current 2.0 models. We’d all done some listening to and reading of Jaron Lanier, who after writing a few books about the future of big data and the potential to monetise your own, eventually just wrote a really on those nose book about getting off social media. It’s called ‘Ten Arguments for Deleting Your Social Media Accounts Right Now’. To the point right? After feeling the negative effects of social media throughout 2018 and 2019, I’d reached breaking point, and this book tipped me over the edge to try going cold turkey. It was surprisingly easy and I loved being away from it all, especially Instagram. That app can do things to you. For quite some time I was obsessed over crafting the perfect post for my music and creative practice that I stopped making my core content to focus on keeping up appearances on Instagram. I don’t think it works like this for everyone. Perhaps some people are more susceptible to the allure of its powers. Maybe it rooted in some insecurities. Either way, the network of people I was following and that were following me back were certainly not social. Our relationships were built on tokenistic and obligatory likes and comments. The FOMO was hitting hard and I wasn’t getting anywhere with my art and music. I’m still off Instagram, all Facebook platforms in fact. I got rid of WhatsApp and forced my friends to use Signal. Cos that’s what you do to people you love, shine a light down on anything toxic in their life while sitting on that high horse. I have returned to Twitter, months and months after being away from everything, because I’m trying to start a record label during a pandemic. You can’t meet up with anyone or go anywhere, how am I supposed to do guerrilla marketing if everyone is staring at their computer at home everyday? I could’ve come up with something online perhaps, and perhaps I might still. But for know I’ve jumped on Twitter and am just following everyone in Cardiff involved with music. I’m playing the spam game until we can go outside again. Then I’ll delete that little blue bird from my computer again. I appreciate that these networks are useful and convenient. And there aren’t any good alternative with the same network effect. But the thing that Lanier said that really struck me was this idea that there needs to be enough people on the outside of it all to show others that it can be done. So until something better comes along, I am happy to sit outside of it all. Jenny Odell is helping me through this with her book “How to Do Nothing.” As we discussed this as a Squad we noticed that much of what we were talking about was about aligning your actions with your values. It’s something seemingly impossible to maintain in all aspects of your life, but I genuinely think the more you can do this the happier you’ll be. We do it in so many other aspects of our lives, I wondered why it was so difficult to musicians who hate Spotify to not use, or for those riddled with anxiety to not use Instagram. I think a huge factor of this is down to that word convenience again. Now, convenience is king. But, “At what cost?” I will ask. For every few seconds shaved off, kj of energy saved, or steps reduced in completing a task or getting something, there are hidden costs elsewhere that the consumer doesn’t have to worry about. And I think this is worrying. Not that I think things should be deliberately inconvenient for people. But on reflecting on this, I am happy for things to be a little ‘anti-convenient’. For processes of consumption and creation, to have that extra step I do myself perhaps, or for it to take that little bit longer for a package to get to me. Or even that I spend some time learning how to do whole processes myself. Anyway, back to those Web3 chats…. the Squad noticed that the new Web seems to include glimmers of Web 1.0 and the return of personal websites, as well as newer ideas like decentralised systems of exchange. Artists that can do a bit of coding and seasoned web designers alike are creating an online culture that focuses on liberating the website and our online presence from platform capitalism. Instructions for how to set up your own social network (https://runyourown.social) are readily available with a quick search, and calls for a community focused web are common place from those dying to get off Twitter and live in their own corner of the internet with their Squad, interconnected with other Squads. What’s this got to do with Third Nature? Well it means I decided to build our website from scratch using simple HTML and CSS. I intend to maintain this and eventually try to move the hosting from GitHub Pages over to a personal server ran on a Raspberry Pi. There is a link between the anti-Spotify movement and the pro-DIY-website culture, which is that ‘aligning your actions with your values’ thing. Before Third Nature had a website though - before it was called Third Nature for that matter - I had this idea… What if there were an alternative to Spotify that was as fair as the #BrokenRecord campaign wanted it to be? I could so have a go at making that. Maybe on a small scale. Like for Cardiff, and then expand. After sharing the idea with the Squad though we did some research and actually came across a few music platforms that were doing these types of things. More on this in the next post…

[bloggermagazine]

Meet the Blogger - Khyati Maloo

In our latest interview series which I like to call “Meet the Blogger”, where I spotlight inspiring creatives on this Blogger Magazine. We caught up with Khyati Maloo who runs khyati maloo Blog. Tell us a little bit about yourself and your Blog? I am a full time digital marketer and a part time traveler. Super passionate about travel writing! If I am not working on a marketing plan or travelling you’d find me either scuba diving or glued to a book with a cup of coffee. My blog "Of miles and musings" is all about travel and my personal experiences! Main focus being a comprehensive guide to each destination I have been to, with destination specific tips to travel on a budget and as a vegan! My blog is also peppered with listicles/travel essay/journal entry like- How to save money to travel, A love letter to Prague and the like! Describe what inspired you to start your blog? I have always been passionate about writing, right from school. Every time I travelled I'd end up writing an e-mail/document to my friends and family sharing my experience. A lot of them started calling me to give specific information about destination that they planned to visit. So I thought why not repository of all my posts in form of a blog have! So there it was, I started my blog just like that. How do you motivate yourself to keep the blog up and running? Maintaining a blog is a full time job! Juggling that with your day job can be extremely difficult. But if you want to stay in the game, you have got to do what it takes. One thing that motivates me is when my followers love. When they message me saying "Your blog posts inspired me to go to that destination" or even "I can't believe I managed to travel with that low a budget! Thanks to you" I am filled with joy and the will to inspire all of them out there. Another thing is the sheer love for writing, it is a hobby that keeps me going. How active are you on a weekly basis? How often do you communicate with your followers? I try and do 1 blog post a week and least 5 social media posts a week (sometimes more). Social media has proved to be the best way to communicate with my followers. What do you think is the best social media strategy for getting more visitors to a blog? When it comes to social strategy there is no one shoe fit all! Also a number of things done right leads to results. But if someone is just starting out or is struggling to find the time they should do these: Post regularly- even if you don't have new posts on the blog get creative and promote them on social Engage with other accounts - extremely important to build a network on social Would you encourage other people to make their blog? Most definitely yes! Blogging gave my life a new meaning. If you remotely like to pen down your experience then blog, share it with the world. You never know who you'd end up inspiring. And how up-skill yourself. A lot of people think that blogging is an easy way to make money online. Do you have some tips for those people who are interested in making money from the blog? Yes, you can make money online with blogging. Is it easy? No! I have two words for everyone who wishes to monetise their blog: Consistency and Patience. Nothing comes easy in the blogging world, its a fruit of labour and hard work. Make a 6 month to a year long plan, work everyday to achieve them. Results take time, stay patient and keep working towards your goal. Bonus tip: get creative! There is more than one way to make money via your blogs. Many of them think placing ads is the only/easiest way. Yes, it is easy but you can do so much more. Like add affiliate links, sell a product, sell a service, sell your book! World is your oyster and its the survival of the creative-est. What was the most challenging moment in your blogging journey so far? My blog started off as a hobby, later on it moved on to become my portfolio and before I know it I had bought a domain and ready to monetise my blog. Now at each of these stages my blog looked a certain way. My most difficult moment was to make it look professional, the design aspect of it. Truth be told I am still not a 100% done, I am improving it slowly. I suppose this was because this blog is a 1 woman show, I haven't outsourced any of the work which is why I am not able to do justice to all the things that need to be done. What is your greatest achievement outside of blogging? Having scuba dived in 5 different countries (Jordan, India, Sri Lanka, Thailand and Malaysia), it is only the beginning. I wish to scuba dive across all seas! Who Is Your Blogging Hero And Why? Matthew Kepnes of the nomadic matt, hands down the best travel blogger out there! I have been reading his blogs since the inception. I love how well he articulates his journey, his tips and hacks are so well explained. His content is not boring/repetitive it wants me to come back for more. I love his newsletter outreach to promote his blogs, his writing style is casual and conversational that makes you want to even read a newsletter! I mean in the day I wouldn't want another newsletter crowding my inbox, but I eagerly wait for his. What Advice Would You Give To A New Blogger Starting Out? Stay focused! Many a time you'd want to give up or just wished there was an easy way out. I hate to break it to you there is no easy way! Keep consistent and stay patient, this will help you stay top of mind. If you don't post for a couple of weeks your audience will find whatever they need somewhere else! The pond is full of fish! Remember out of sigh out of mind! Also, get creative. Like I said the pond is full of fish, you need to stand out for people to notice you, for search engines to rank you. What is your unique proposition? Are you yet another travel guide? Great but add something more than what your competition is doing. If you aren't creative or unique you won't survive for long. Have you collaborate with brands? If yes, name few brands you worked with No I have not collaborated with brands yet. Though it is in my long term plan, I'd love to share more on this once I collaborate. Finally, what are your thoughts about BloggerMagazine? It is fantastic community of bloggers. A great place to find some amazing content. Absolutely love their blogger interview section, got great learnings. Follow Khyati Maloo on her journey at: khyatimaloo.com | instagram.com/khyatimaloo | twitter.com/khyatimaloo | pinterest.ca/khyatim   Read the full article

[gabriella-white-blog2]

#4. If you play with Fyre, someone’s going to get burned: A cautionary tale of the power of influencers in the digital age

Fyre festival was supposed to be “the cultural experience of the decade” (Karp, 2017, para.1). Instead, the failed luxury music festival left thousands of customers stranded, numerous workers unpaid and the influencers who promoted it, in trouble. Yet how did an influencer marketing campaign propel so many millennials to purchase tickets for an event that did not exist? This post will explore how Fyre Festival capitalised on the power of social media influencers and the questions this inspires surrounding responsibility and honesty in this digital era.

Source: Youtube 

While the information age has transformed multiple industries, the advertising sector has been revolutionised. The democratising function of social media has created an environment in which everyday individuals can capitalise on the power of social media and monetise their influence (Abidin, 2018). Thus, giving rise to the influencer industry. A social media influencer refers to an individual who has the authority and power to influence, and shape, the way someone thinks, feels and acts (Marshall & Redmond, 2015). Although one could argue that influencer marketing is a modern day “word-of-mouth” advertising strategy, the pervasive nature of social media means brands can access a large number of consumers in a relatively short amount of time. The organisers of Fyre Festival leveraged high-profile influencers with a large following and social clout to create a disruptive promotional campaign. These influencers, subsequently named the ‘fyre starters’, posted the now infamous orange tile to Instagram with the hashtag #FyreFest; generating over 300 million impressions within 24 hours (Talbot, 2019). This tactic focused on visually disrupting the Instagram feed, by altering endless scrolling and commanding attention. Social media is an integral part of many millennial’s lives, and this modern-day influencer strategy capitalised on their consumption habits and the ethos of the Instagram era.

Source: Esquire 

Although the festival failed, the influencer campaign was, for the most part, a success. The social media strategy illustrates the power influencers have to create and sustain hype surrounding the event. However, there was a profound absence of #ad and #spon featured in the online posts, despite the content being ‘paid for’. The Federal Trade Commission (FTC) (2017) has strict guidelines stipulating that paid for content must be clearly identifiable. While this lack of disclosure raises questions surrounding legislation, it also alludes to wider debates surrounding the deceptiveness of influencers. The lack of transparency inspires questions regarding whether this was ethical? An interesting point raised in Gup’s blog relates to the authority that influencer’s command because of the strong relationships they form with their audiences (Thongphao, 2019). There is a digital intimacy that internet celebrities have with their captive audiences, as they allow “direct interaction between media producers and consumers” (Marwick, 2013, p.10). This more personal connection is something that traditional celebrity endorsements, using more conventional mediums, are unable to achieve. As people identify with and trust influencers, they have a certain level of responsibility to be authentic. Therefore, although influencers may not claim complete objectivity, they now have a legal, and some would say moral, obligation to be transparent.

Source: Bloomberg 

Despite the festival’s lack of success, the influencers involved remain relatively unburnt. The influencer industry continues to flourish and a 2018 report still found 92% of millennials to trust them more than ‘traditional’ celebrities (Chiang, 2018). However, this event highlights the need for stricter regulation and more transparency with online influencer posts, as with great influence, comes great responsibility.

References 

Abidin, C. (2018). Internet celebrity: Understanding fame online. Bingley: Emerald Publishing Limited. 

Chiang, J. Y. L. (2018, January 31). Influencer marketing latest trends & best practices: 2018 report. Medium. Retrieved from https://blog.musefind.com/influencer-marketing-latest-trends-best-practices-2018-report-a508540ad625 

Federal Trade Commission. (2017, April 19). FTC Staff Reminds Influencers and Brands to Clearly Disclose Relationship. Retrieved from https://www.ftc.gov/news-events/press-releases/2017/04/ftc-staff-reminds-influencers-brands-clearly-disclose 

Karp, H. (2017, April 2). At up to $250,000 a ticket, island music festival woos wealthy to stay afloat. The Wall Street Journal. Retrieved from https://www.wsj.com/articles/fyre-festival-organizers-push-to-keep-it-from-fizzling-1491130804 

Marshall, P. D., & Redmond, S. (2015). A companion to celebrity. Hoboken, NJ: Wiley Blackwell. 

Marwick, A. E. (2013). Status update: Celebrity, publicity, and branding in the social media age. Yale: Yale University Press. 

Talbot, K. (2019, January 21). What the Fyre festival documentaries reveal about millennials. Forbes. Retrieved from https://www.forbes.com/sites/katetalbot/2019/01/21/what-the-fyre-festival-documentaries-revealed-about-millennials/#4aa061c4505d 

Thongphao, G. (2019, April). Online influencers and social media are massively changing the cosmetic industry. [Blog post]. Retrieved from https://gup-lboro.tumblr.com/

[spicynbachili1]

Is Hi-Rez living in Blizzard’s shadow?

Hello-Rez, the builders of Smite and Paladins, don’t have it straightforward. They compete head-on with Blizzard’s juggernauts; with their fingers caught in the identical hero-shooter-flavoured pies the comparisons are inevitable, and barely beneficial. Relying on whose questionable prolonged metaphors you take heed to, you would possibly hear it argued that they spend their time taking a look at the place their rivals’ fingers are, after which observe swimsuit.

You may also hear that their video games will be uneven, or poorly managed. A few of that rings true, although a lot is hyperbole. Hello-Rez have made just a few missteps, however that’s partly as a result of they take quite a lot of steps on the whole.

They’re behind the lengthy deceased World Agenda, the recent-ishly deceased Tribes: Ascend, and the cancelled Conflict Royale-inspired Smite Rivals. 4 video games are nonetheless dwell and kicking: there’s Paladins, a crew FPS the place wizards wield fashionable weaponry and craft their playstyles through card-slots; there’s Smite, a third-person God-squabbling MOBA that’s tied to their CCG, Hand Of The Gods: Smite Ways; and there’s Realm Royale, a battle royale recreation presently in early entry with lessons, a sensible Forge system for upgrading loot that minimises the lulls endemic to the style, and on-death rooster transformations that I am keen on. Loads.

Two issues must be apparent, at this level. These video games are much like another video games, however they’ve bought loads of concepts of their very own. Good ones.

So, why do individuals hate on Hello-Rez?

First let’s cowl the missteps. Final month, CEO Erex Goren instructed a Realm Royale streamer to “play the mode like you might be speculated to, with a crew and cease crying”. Earlier this 12 months, a Paladins advert pinched some artwork from Overwatch – a wince-worthy fuck up, within the face of quite a few accusations that decision out Paladins for ripping off Overwatch.

Then there’s Playing cards Unbound. Playing cards Unbound was a system for Paladins, eliminated after the gamers – and the devs – rebelled in opposition to it. It required gamers to stage up their playing cards by discovering duplicate playing cards in loot packing containers, offering incremental energy (or worse, the possibility of gaining incremental energy) with each micropurchase. To provide you some thought of how Not Nice the thought was, each the system and the response to it was akin to EA’s Star Wars Battlefront 2.

From the skin, it might be straightforward to see the Playing cards Unbound system as about greed. After I requested Paladins model director Alex Cantatore about it on the Hello-Rez Expo in Atlanta, he instructed me it was about survival.

“About this time final 12 months, Paladins was in a really tough monetary state of affairs. We had quite a lot of gamers, however none of them spent any cash – we had been haemorrhaging money hand over fist simply preserving the sport alive. It was reaching some extent the place the corporate wanted to decide. Do you retain investing in a product that’s shedding you cash, or might these assets be higher put elsewhere?”

Monetising energy turned the reply. In some methods, it was the proper one: “For the primary time, as we put out Playing cards Unbound, the sport was at the least breaking even. It wasn’t blowing the doorways off or something, however we had been doing OK.” In additional methods, it wasn’t.

“It was a tough time to return to work on a regular basis. Individuals weren’t comfortable, as a result of day by day you come into work and everybody on Twitter and Fb is like ‘dude, you’re ruining your recreation. Don’t you perceive we don’t need this?’ It’s like, we perceive, however we’re going to exit of enterprise if we don’t begin making a living. It’s one thing that we didn’t need to do, however the firm felt like we needed to.”

Paladin’s present system, the place cash is constituted of cosmetics tied into occasions that develop an ongoing story, proves there have been higher choices on the desk. The takeaway is twofold: firstly, Hello-Rez have now stepped additional away from monetising energy than they ever have, and demonstrably be taught from group suggestions. Secondly – as straightforward as Reddit makes it to suppose in any other case – Hello-Rez do have a passionate group, and they’re prepared to stay by them.

I met a few of them. They had been at a panel with the Paladin devs at Dreamhack Atlanta, which additionally hosted the Hello-Rez Expo. There can’t have been greater than two dozen of us within the room, however watching devs work together with their followers, with individuals expressing open admiration for his or her work, was one of the crucial healthful sights I’ve seen on this trade. Hello-Rez get slammed extra closely than another firm I can care to call, but there I sat, witnessing the precise reverse.

It’s not simply Paladins. There’s a Reddit battle over Realm Royale, too, the place posts bemoaning unwelcome modifications and posts that inform individuals to cease whinging can each achieve traction. Whereas the vitriol in a few of these posts is abhorrent, I can see why there’s pushback. Some updates have briefly stripped Realm Royale of its finest concepts – however that is all entangled with the twisted brambles of early entry. I just like the dev’s experimental method, but in addition discover their experiments a bit daft.

I requested Realm model director Rory Newbrough in regards to the problem of conveying their design philosophy, contemplating how completely different devs deal with early entry. “There was a mismatch on what the sport was making an attempt to do and what individuals anticipated out of it. As a result of we had been iterating laborious on the sport design facets somewhat than making an attempt to replace it and put content material on the market, there was some stress.” These recreation design facets are firmly locked in place now, together with Realm’s development from alpha to beta.

Which is strictly how early entry ought to work: making an attempt numerous issues so you possibly can decide on the very best. When Newbrough talked about they had been being extra cautious with the console betas and solely offering keyed entry to the early phases, I requested if he regretted not doing the identical for PC.

“I believe that might have been the very best play. It’s laborious to say, as a result of we bought quite a lot of nice engagement, proper? We didn’t do any influencer promotions, we didn’t do any partnered promotions, every little thing was pure natural. The influencers that performed the sport wished to play the sport, they caught on to it on their very own, they usually instructed their buddies they usually actually loved it. So we bought quite a lot of nice buzz, the identify Realm Royale was on the market, there’s quite a lot of worth inherently there. But when we had been going to return, it’s laborious to say – hindsight’s 20-20 – however contemplating keyed entry for alpha would have been on the desk.”

Whereas Realm has struggled to get individuals to know early entry, Paladins has struggled with individuals’s understanding of iterative recreation design. It’s true that many Paladins characters have comparable skill units to these in Overwatch, however it’s additionally true that each video games are indebted to TF2. It’s some extent Cantatore was understandably eager to emphasize: “I believe all of us owe rather a lot to Group Fortress 2, which outlined a lot of the style within the first place. The entire thing began for Paladins once we had been like ‘yeah, let’s make World Agenda 2. We will type of make it like Group Fortress 2, that’ll be enjoyable!”

I assumed I’d have to spend longer dissecting the historical past of Paladins and the extent to which the sport differs from Overwatch, however then I discovered this Reddit publish from Hello-Rez COO Todd Harris. It’s a relaxed, evidence-backed takedown of clone allegations, with a neat part that highlights Overwatch talents which are much like these in World Agenda.

It additionally speaks to a broader level, which is that builders studying from and deploying one another’s concepts ends in higher video games for everybody. It’s some extent that applies to any inventive medium – in addition to simply ‘concepts’ on the whole. It’s additionally some extent that may get drowned within the turbulent seas of rival fandoms.

Hello-Rez live in Blizzard’s shadow in as far as Blizzard is greater. However measurement isn’t every little thing.

Measurement didn’t matter to the individuals at that Paladins panel, nor the one the day after the place gamers and devs collaborated to rehash a personality’s lore. It didn’t matter to the gleeful faces watching the esports occasions, banging their inflatable tubes along with gusto. It didn’t even significantly matter to me, when after watching a number of hours of the Paladins semi-final I made a decision to go and play some extra myself.

I did have a superb time – although sure, I’ve had extra enjoyable taking part in Overwatch. However that’s the improper punchline.

Hello-Rez be taught from their very own errors and successes, in addition to these of others. Their video games apply unique concepts to confirmed formulation, and are all the higher for it. That’s one thing that the cynical shouldn’t lose sight of.

from SpicyNBAChili.com http://spicymoviechili.spicynbachili.com/is-hi-rez-living-in-blizzards-shadow/

[clouds-of-wings]

I’ve been writing a lot of texts about marketing lately (for money, not for fun). And while it’s sort of interesting, especially the psychological stuff, it’s also so fundamentally depressing. Because I know enough about anthropology and psychology - and much less, but still enough, about evolution and neurology - to recognise what these psychological mechanisms which marketing exploits are for, why humans developed them. Which roles these mechanisms play/would play/have played in a society not run by psychopaths. This is the topic I hated the most so far. It’s like industrial civilisation is not only squandering the planet’s material wealth (if such a monetised expression can be forgiven), but also the evolutionary inheritance of our ancestors that was supposed to be the glue of a functioning society.

You go into the social sciences at age 18, all idealism, hoping to find some fulcrum to help turn things around, but all you learn is what deep shit we really are in. And then all the jobs your studies qualify you for basically consist of pointing out soft spots on the human body for your boss to kick (or telling people why they deserve to be kicked). It sucks. Can someone give me a farm to run instead? For free?

[loyallogic]

Carbon pricing and World Trade Organization: An analysis

This article is written by Dhawal Srivastava, a student currently pursuing B.A. LL.B (Hons.) from the Rajiv Gandhi National University of Law. In this article, the author has made an exhaustive analysis of the concept of carbon pricing, the role of the World Trade Organization, abbreviated as WTO, specific emphasis on the Border Carbon Adjustment (BCA) as a form of carbon-pricing and its compliance with WTO rules.

Introduction

Ever since the foundation of the General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade (GATT) in the year 1948 and the subsequent evolution of the World Trade Organization (WTO) in 1995 after much deliberation happened in the Uruguay Round (1986-94), a paradigm shift has been observed in the sphere of international trade and its governance, including a decrement in trade barriers and taxes, redressal mechanism of disputes and the germination of several trading regulations thereafter. Climate change, a phenomenon that is here to stay, has been described by many economists around the world as a market failure due to the fact that the future generations will have to bear the repercussions and the additional costs due to the lapses shown by the current generation with respect to working towards this issue. One of the most viable opportunities for including conservation norms within the global trading structure is capitalising on the pivotal role played by carbon pricing on controlling the emissions of toxic gases into the environment.

What is carbon pricing

Carbon pricing can be described as monetization of the pollution, particularly carbon emissions, imposed with the intention of promoting the polluters and industrialists to reduce the quantity of discharge of such greenhouse gases into the environment. It is a general consensus amongst many economists that the introduction of carbon pricing is one of the most effective methods by which countries can contribute their bit to the cause of taking precautionary measures against climate change. 

Besides the regulation and impact on the behavioural pattern of the polluters, carbon pricing also helps in raising money for financing the ‘clean-up’ activities, such as investment in the research of technologies that can promote environmental conservation. As a result, carbon pricing helps in an equitable distribution of the monetary liabilities of stopping climate change amongst all the generations alike, instead of just burdening the future ones with it. 

Two ways of establishing carbon pricing

Politics play a pivotal role when zeroing in on the price for carbon. Around 40 countries from across the world have some of the other monetary amounts fixed for carbon pricing, ranging from USD 1 to 130 per ton of carbon dioxide emissions. These policies can be classified into two categories: cap & trade and carbon tax.

Carbon Tax

A carbon tax is a price that is levied on carbon emissions and is a form of the policy followed for carbon pricing. It has been proved to be an effective methodology in reducing the discharge of toxic gases into the environment. It helps in maintaining an equilibrium of demand and supply at a level most conducive for social standards. It is important to set the right price for this as prices lower than the actual social cost can lead to an increase in the disagreeable amount of pollution.

Cap & Trade

Cap and Trade is a kind of emissions trading that restricts (by putting a cap on) the discharge and monetises it. It is supposed to get stricter with time. The trading part is basically a market for corporations to transact allowances for permitting them to emit a certain amount of carbon, as it is basically the supply and demand that sets a price. Trading, thus, provides companies with a reasonable opportunity to cut down on emissions in the most cost-effective methods.

The cap is set by the respective governments of different countries either across the entire economy or on a particular industry that demands restrictions the most. 

The role of WTO with respect to climate change

After the commencement of the Doha Rounds in 2001, it has been observed that regulation of trade tariffs has not been the sole objective of the World Trade Organization (WTO) for the past few years. In fact, its supervision over norms has increased significantly. Many parallel this with the fact that the Doha Rounds happened to take place at a time when the vocalization about environmental issues and climate change has started happening at a rapid rate. This, of course, has a substantial impact on the way international trade works and WTO is bound to act. 

Article XX of the GATT provisions and enlists issues like the environment, culture, health and labour which provides validity to the inclusion of norms around environmental conservation in the international trade governance of the WTO. In specific, clause (b) and (g) of Article XX talks about having exceptions in order to save living beings and natural resources respectively. There is, thus, a documented authority that vests with the WTO regarding addressing these concerns, in particular, carbon usage in production and trade whose emissions are causing climate change.

Carbon pricing and WTO

The relationship between carbon pricing and WTO can be explained under the following heads:

WTO and Border Carbon Adjustment (BCA)

The exceptions that are mentioned in Article XX of the GATT provides for the national treatment of the matters. But a heterogeneous treatment of an overwhelming global issue like global warming (directly originating from uncontrolled carbon emissions) by letting individual states decide the adequate carbon content and pricing can lead to the eventual smoothening of these measures. This is where a WTO coordinated Border-Carbon Adjustment (BCA) or a tax regime centred on the principle of an internationally recognised and the agreed price comes into the scene. 

Status Quo around such carbon tax regimes

As of now, there is no efficient internationally acclaimed and agreed carbon pricing regime. The field is basically constituted by various: 

Regional conventions and national level carbon price and exchange system, such as countries of the European Union.

Sub-national systems, such as some provinces of Canada and certain states of the United States of America.

But barring few countries, the majority of the States of the world do not have any effective carbon pricing system in place. However, it must be remembered that a phenomenon like climate change has no territorial and border biases and if not controlled has the potential to ravage the entire civilisation. Globalised coordination and effort are required in order to curb such toxic emissions in the environment. In order to facilitate this process, a World Trade Organization supervised BCA regime is the need of the hour and should be recognised to the earliest by the global community.

The Significance of Border Carbon Adjustment (BCAs)

After the implementation of carbon tax regimes in America and Canada and the subsequent observations made in this regard, it has been concluded that there is no harmful impact arising out of a standardised carbon pricing system on the local economies of a country. However, certain economic and political risks are still associated with the kickstart of such a project; companies can move to other countries with less strict or no carbon pricing regimes where they could continue their ceaseless production without holding any accountability regarding the carbon content of their products and solely focussing on their price advantage. This translocation of industries or companies can spark carbon “leakages” or increment of carbon emissions in other countries as well which could later suffer immensely due to the absence of any adequate regulation. A WTO-backed Border Carbon Adjustments (BCAs) can help in preventing this from happening. BCAs can increase the price of the less accountable products made in foreign lands and match them with the national environmental accountability mechanisms. 

Need to comply with the WTO Rules

There are a total of 164 members who are a part of the World Trade Organization. Since BCA, as a tax regime, is applicable to foreign-manufactured products, it cannot avoid the necessity to comply with the rules and regulations of this international trading organization. The main premise on which international trade is based on according to WTO is that of non-discrimination on two levels: international and domestic.

  International level: Article I, Para 1 of the GATT talks about the most-favoured-nation treatment. It essentially implies that a country importing a foreign product from another WTO member should not mete out a differential treatment for the imported goods. For instance, if an agreement happens between a major trading partner company and a country for lowering down the tariff rates in the latter, it eventually applies to all the WTO member states. Similarly, under a BCA regime, if two different foreign goods with the same amount of carbon content are taxed differently at the ports or borders of the importer country, it shall be a violation of the most-favoured-nation axiom of WTO rules. This could be avoided by the implementation of homogeneous BCA guidelines on all the identical products and there be no such clause hinting towards any bias on the source of origin of the products.

Domestic level: The essence of this rule stipulated in Article III of the GATT is to preclude protectionism and sentiments of nationalism from getting reflected in the trading sphere. Post the import of the products within a country, it is an obligation for such member nations to not provide preferential treatment to indigenous goods over those imported. Thus, WTO rules provide for equitable treatment of goods within the internal market of a member state. 

                      Some other considerations that should be kept in mind while having a BCA tax regime which is compatible with WTO’s rules are:

It should be assured that foreign goods are not getting unduly taxed in their country of import due to the carbon emissions in their countries of origin. 

Special provisions should be made for those goods that have already been taxed somewhere and that have high rates of Carbon Dioxide emissions. To overcome this doubling of tax impositions on such goods, member nations can have special agreements, rebuttable border mechanisms, processes and certificates offering discounts to balance the double tax.

The jurisdiction of settling the disputes arising out of problems such as preferential or differential treatments of goods by member nations lies with the judges, panellists and members of the Appellate Body of the WTO. Due to the absence of any carbon pricing or taxing regime on an international level, specific cases related to the same have not come before these institutions. However, many such similar environment-related issues have been settled by the aforementioned authorities and BCA or carbon pricing related issues will not be a new thing for these bodies. 

Discrimination can be identified on the basis of “likeness” of products, as has been derived from a series of legal precedents set down the line by WTO. In the case of carbon-related goods, products can be likened on the basis of one strong factor: carbon footprint. This can avoid a differential treatment of the products under the BCA regime.

Article XX of GATT clearly debars any such national legislation that directly or indirectly affects the international trade, as per the WTO norms. Thus, the imposition of a separate, non-recognised carbon tax by the country will be in contravention to WTO.

All in all, in order to show the compatibility between a domestic and WTO law, the country, instead of imposing partial or biased taxes and meting out unequal treatment to the imported goods can well work on the amelioration of their own carbon emissions and environmental problems.

Conclusion

For a problem as gargantuan and troubling like climate change, which is getting increasingly catalysed due to an issue like greenhouse gas emissions, a solution like Border Carbon Adjustments, an integral aspect of carbon pricing norms, is needed which can be carried out on a larger scale by institutions such as the World Trade Organization. The member nations of WTO, which constitute a major chunk of the world, can very effectively carry on their international trade and simultaneously work towards the conservation of the environment without compromising or adversely affecting the former. If implemented properly and with full compliance of the WTO rules, carbon pricing or BCA regime can help secure a better future for the upcoming generations. 

References

https://poseidon01.ssrn.com/delivery.php?ID=665084071084093104081082082078084074057022040093022044117127126105125083093080066074107049044100122125039011074006122085127018026027063013080118089094065115102113018062067092077125083065025071103120066116026094011086115015114019088121072096020121004&EXT=pdf 

https://ecochain.com/knowledge/carbon-tax-carbon-pricing-fundamentals/ 

https://www.wto.org/english/res_e/booksp_e/abstract_trade_climate_change_e.pdf .

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[hotelregalenclave-blog]

WhatsApp Marketing Strategy How to use WhatsApp for Business

WhatsApp Marketing in Mumbai

Troika Tech Solutions takes advantage of the possible in addition to dynamism of AI to give you a protected, as much as day, completely automated Mass WhatsApp Advertising System. We have a wise Crawler Remedy which instantly improves itself and updates you concerning the present scenario of your message sending out tasks in genuine time basis.

This offers you complete control over your messages.

Send numerous WhatsApp Msgs in Text, Picture, PDF or Video clip design.

It's as simple as adding list of mobile numbers via a Notepad on your Windows. Get in the Msg and after that Click Send.

Our consumers make use of WhatsApp to send images, audio data, brief video of things and sms message to consumers around the globe. As opposed to SMS or Email, there are less constraint as well as restrictions relative to the design, media utilized in addition to distribution possibilities are far much better. In most cases, 99% Circulation and 90% Message Check Out Proportion. WhatsApp is an incredibly dependable interaction option. It has actually ended up being mainly preferred as a result of its discreetness in addition to performance.

On the internet marketer might benefit from the WhatsApp Organisation application to establish business-specific accounts along with manage their conversations with clients.

WhatsApp Marketing Services in Mumbai

WhatsApp when taken advantage of for Solution is reliable, practical, outstanding, effective and really exceptional gadget as well as you could start off immediately in many cases quickly.

WhatsApp is the new sophisticated SMS. Our assumption is WhatsApp might be a really effective as well as steady advertising, advertising in addition to web website traffic generation device.

It is the First App you examine early in the morning along with the last App prior to you go to sleep. Currently, Consider WhatsApp has actually ended up being such an essential component of your life.

Do not you think time has actually pertained to make it component of our Company.

DISCOVER THE POWER OF WHATSAPP ADVERTISING AND MARKETING BENEFITS OF UTILIZING OF WHATSAPP FOR ORGANISATION ALMOST EVERY CUSTOMER HAS WHATSAPP ON THEIR CELLULAR PHONE INSTANTANEOUS MESSAGE DISTRIBUTION DISTINCTIVE TO YOUR PHONE As Well As PHONE WHATSAPP NOW HAS GREATER THAN 1.3 BILLION CUSTOMERS WORLDWIDE. Troika Technology Solutions Private restricted AMONG ONE OF THE MOST USED APPS On Earth SECURE AND SAFEGUARD: WHATSAPP PROVIDES 256-BIT END-TO-END DOCUMENTS FILE ENCRYPTION USE WHATSAPP FOR SALES, ADVERTISING As Well As PROMOTION 50 BILLION MESSAGES SENT EVERYDAY

WhatsApp Marketing Company in Mumbai

Troika Tech at tiny as well as medium-sized organisations, the application products relatively typical high qualities. As an instance, on the web marketing experts will certainly still must by hand kind their messages as opposed to automating conversations with chatbots. Together with the app only provides general analytics, such as the range of messages have been sent out, provided, look at along with received.

WHY IS WHATSAPP ADVERTISING AND MARKETING SO POPULAR?

EASY TO USAGE, INSTANTANEOUS SYNC WITH CONTACT MARGINAL COMPATIBILITY PROBLEMS COLLABORATES WITH 2G AND ALSO 3G MOBILES NO YEARLY SUBSCRIPTION COSTS SUSTAINS VIDEO CLIP, GIF'S, PDF As Well As WEB LINK'S. YOU JUST REQUIRED AN ENERGETIC MOBILE AND ALSO A WISE GADGET.

HOW COULD TROIKA MODERN TECHNOLOGY ASSIST YOU TO GROW YOUR BUSINESS WITH WHATSAPP ADVERTISING AND MARKETING? WHATSAPP WILL ASSIST YOU TO GROW YOUR ORGANISATIONS.

PRODUCT DISCOUNTS. OBTAIN MORE LEADS. REACH OUT TO LOTS MANY MILLIONS IN SECS. 373 TIMES EVEN MORE COMMENTS WHEN COMPARED TO TELE-CALLS. MORE RELIABLE THAN A HANDS-ON CUSTOMER. 61 TIMES BETTER ACTION THAN EMAIL ADVERTISING AND MARKETING. TARGETED ADVERTISING. RESPONSE WITHIN 3 SECS. 100% INBOX DISTRIBUTION.

WhatsApp Advertising Company in Mumbai

Troika Tech is catching the interest for being among one of the most low-cost along with credible mass SMS supplier out there. Our upgraded technique of mass SMS choice will aid organisation to market their company a minimum of expense.

Troika Technology is an around the world leading Organisation Messaging Solution Business. Troika Technology has actually truly been a leader being utilized SMS-messaging solution throughout all over the world markets thinking of that 2003 for this reason broadening its series of product or services to include Mass MESSAGE, A2P SMS, HLR Lookup Choice, SMSC Site, TEXT Firewall Software Program, Web Solutions, in addition to Mobile Applications.

Usings Troika Technology MESSAGE service vary from firm to company. Some use this treatment for information (instance: educational institutions) and also some for notifies (situations: share market updates). Several companies commonly utilize mass SMS solution for marketing and advertising as well as marketing their company. Similarly this treatment is made use of by media for obtaining a responses from its target audience whether it's a topic or a survey issue. This remedy is in addition used by numerous telecommunications provider for upgrading their consumers regarding their points. This bulk SMS service is the quickest most convenient recommends to reach their consumers. This option is offered by the SMS web site carriers. This SMS entryway is straight connected to with online and it gets to the customers rapidly as well as instantly offers the business's message to its customers. Mass voice call are additionally amongst the quickest methods to obtain to customers and maintain them upgraded worrying any type of kind of certain organization.

WhatsApp Business Marketing in Mumbai

Troika Technology is a leading IT solid supplying a fairly valued Troika Technology TEXT reseller service for over ten years. As an end result of having big experience our wise employee have, we have the capability to develop a modern messaging panel for our clients. We control progressed in addition to effective 400+ different connections to motorists and providers in India and also as a result of 100% distribution to 99% of our customers.

Our Troika Technology TEXT service are ensured to provide a remarkable coupon to your business. We moreover give short code solution in addition to lengthy code option to our customers. We have various customers that have in reality done well in their solution via our bulk SMS marketing and advertising solution. We market your organisation by sending bulk SMS, according to the groups of customers defined by our customers. We have a database of every specific customer required by your company.

The WhatsApp Firm application is at initially merely used on Android in addition to companies in the UNITED STATE, UK, Mexico, Italy and also Indonesia. It will definitely appear around the globe "in the coming weeks," inning conformity with a business write-up, yet it's uncertain if and/or when an iphone version will definitely roll out.

WhatsApp SMS Marketing in Mumbai

Troika Tech is an around the world leading Service Messaging Alternative Distributor. It's registered with the GSMA as an Affiliate Individual likewise it has actually been authorized qualification to the ISO 27001:2013; Troika Technology has actually been a leader in using SMS-messaging solution throughout worldwide markets since 2003 as a result expanding its range of product or services to have Mass MESSAGE, A2P SMS, HLR Lookup Service, SMSC Entry, TEXT Firewall Program Program, Web Solutions, in addition to Mobile Applications.

Troika Tech has actually been found screening WhatsApp adaptation in India, as a means to engage with its customers. The existing advancement leverages the WhatsApp Business system that was debuted in September to monetise the instant messaging solution. Troika Technology along with WhatsApp have both confirmed the testing to Gadgets 360.

WhatsApp Business bears in mind among the most present chance for brand names desiring to interact with customers with the messaging applications those clients take advantage of to connect with their loved ones. And its initial business-facing functions imitate those of different various other messaging systems, such as Facebook's Company as well as Twitter's direct-messaging solution. While messaging has been slow-moving to get off the ground for numerous marketing professional on those various other systems, WhatsApp utilizes an one-of-a-kind possibility as a result of the fact that it rate of interest a great deal much more global customer base that's much more familiar with messaging services in addition to people alike, inning consistency with company officers.

WhatsApp Messaging Service Provider in Mumbai

The application will definitely make it feasible for marketing professional to a lot a lot more without delay manage their conversations with customers. Firms could produce welcome messages along with developed away messages when they are incapable to respond. They might in addition set up supposed "fast replies," where a solution establishes a keyword phrase faster way that represents a lot longer message to ensure that it might kind "/ hrs" rather than "We are open from 9 a.m. till 5 p.m., Sunday with Saturday." Organisations will certainly additionally have the ability to send as well as acquire messages by means of WhatsApp's desktop website.

WhatsApp officially releases application, represent organisations.

On the web online marketing professionals can utilize the app to establish business-specific WhatsApp accounts that could include a summary of organisation as well as its team, together with its e-mail address, physical address (which will most definitely be shown on a map), hrs of procedure as well as an attach to its web site. WhatsApp will figure out companies' accounts as "Organisation Accounts" within its application. Unavoidably, it will certainly include its own type of verified accounts, called "Confirmed Accounts, "when it's been validated that the account telephone number matches service get in touch with number," inning conformity with the firm post.

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WhatsApp Marketing Strategy How to use WhatsApp for Business

WhatsApp Marketing in Mumbai

Troika Tech Solutions takes advantage of the possible in addition to dynamism of AI to give you a protected, as much as day, completely automated Mass WhatsApp Advertising System. We have a wise Crawler Remedy which instantly improves itself and updates you concerning the present scenario of your message sending out tasks in genuine time basis.

This offers you complete control over your messages.

Send numerous WhatsApp Msgs in Text, Picture, PDF or Video clip design.

It's as simple as adding list of mobile numbers via a Notepad on your Windows. Get in the Msg and after that Click Send.

Our consumers make use of WhatsApp to send images, audio data, brief video of things and sms message to consumers around the globe. As opposed to SMS or Email, there are less constraint as well as restrictions relative to the design, media utilized in addition to distribution possibilities are far much better. In most cases, 99% Circulation and 90% Message Check Out Proportion. WhatsApp is an incredibly dependable interaction option. It has actually ended up being mainly preferred as a result of its discreetness in addition to performance.

On the internet marketer might benefit from the WhatsApp Organisation application to establish business-specific accounts along with manage their conversations with clients.

WhatsApp Marketing Services in Mumbai

WhatsApp when taken advantage of for Solution is reliable, practical, outstanding, effective and really exceptional gadget as well as you could start off immediately in many cases quickly.

WhatsApp is the new sophisticated SMS. Our assumption is WhatsApp might be a really effective as well as steady advertising, advertising in addition to web website traffic generation device.

It is the First App you examine early in the morning along with the last App prior to you go to sleep. Currently, Consider WhatsApp has actually ended up being such an essential component of your life.

Do not you think time has actually pertained to make it component of our Company.

DISCOVER THE POWER OF WHATSAPP ADVERTISING AND MARKETING BENEFITS OF UTILIZING OF WHATSAPP FOR ORGANISATION ALMOST EVERY CUSTOMER HAS WHATSAPP ON THEIR CELLULAR PHONE INSTANTANEOUS MESSAGE DISTRIBUTION DISTINCTIVE TO YOUR PHONE As Well As PHONE WHATSAPP NOW HAS GREATER THAN 1.3 BILLION CUSTOMERS WORLDWIDE. Troika Technology Solutions Private restricted AMONG ONE OF THE MOST USED APPS On Earth SECURE AND SAFEGUARD: WHATSAPP PROVIDES 256-BIT END-TO-END DOCUMENTS FILE ENCRYPTION USE WHATSAPP FOR SALES, ADVERTISING As Well As PROMOTION 50 BILLION MESSAGES SENT EVERYDAY

WhatsApp Marketing Company in Mumbai

Troika Tech at tiny as well as medium-sized organisations, the application products relatively typical high qualities. As an instance, on the web marketing experts will certainly still must by hand kind their messages as opposed to automating conversations with chatbots. Together with the app only provides general analytics, such as the range of messages have been sent out, provided, look at along with received.

WHY IS WHATSAPP ADVERTISING AND MARKETING SO POPULAR?

EASY TO USAGE, INSTANTANEOUS SYNC WITH CONTACT MARGINAL COMPATIBILITY PROBLEMS COLLABORATES WITH 2G AND ALSO 3G MOBILES NO YEARLY SUBSCRIPTION COSTS SUSTAINS VIDEO CLIP, GIF'S, PDF As Well As WEB LINK'S. YOU JUST REQUIRED AN ENERGETIC MOBILE AND ALSO A WISE GADGET.

HOW COULD TROIKA MODERN TECHNOLOGY ASSIST YOU TO GROW YOUR BUSINESS WITH WHATSAPP ADVERTISING AND MARKETING? WHATSAPP WILL ASSIST YOU TO GROW YOUR ORGANISATIONS.

PRODUCT DISCOUNTS. OBTAIN MORE LEADS. REACH OUT TO LOTS MANY MILLIONS IN SECS. 373 TIMES EVEN MORE COMMENTS WHEN COMPARED TO TELE-CALLS. MORE RELIABLE THAN A HANDS-ON CUSTOMER. 61 TIMES BETTER ACTION THAN EMAIL ADVERTISING AND MARKETING. TARGETED ADVERTISING. RESPONSE WITHIN 3 SECS. 100% INBOX DISTRIBUTION.

WhatsApp Advertising Company in Mumbai

Troika Tech is catching the interest for being among one of the most low-cost along with credible mass SMS supplier out there. Our upgraded technique of mass SMS choice will aid organisation to market their company a minimum of expense.

Troika Technology is an around the world leading Organisation Messaging Solution Business. Troika Technology has actually truly been a leader being utilized SMS-messaging solution throughout all over the world markets thinking of that 2003 for this reason broadening its series of product or services to include Mass MESSAGE, A2P SMS, HLR Lookup Choice, SMSC Site, TEXT Firewall Software Program, Web Solutions, in addition to Mobile Applications.

Usings Troika Technology MESSAGE service vary from firm to company. Some use this treatment for information (instance: educational institutions) and also some for notifies (situations: share market updates). Several companies commonly utilize mass SMS solution for marketing and advertising as well as marketing their company. Similarly this treatment is made use of by media for obtaining a responses from its target audience whether it's a topic or a survey issue. This remedy is in addition used by numerous telecommunications provider for upgrading their consumers regarding their points. This bulk SMS service is the quickest most convenient recommends to reach their consumers. This option is offered by the SMS web site carriers. This SMS entryway is straight connected to with online and it gets to the customers rapidly as well as instantly offers the business's message to its customers. Mass voice call are additionally amongst the quickest methods to obtain to customers and maintain them upgraded worrying any type of kind of certain organization.

WhatsApp Business Marketing in Mumbai

Troika Technology is a leading IT solid supplying a fairly valued Troika Technology TEXT reseller service for over ten years. As an end result of having big experience our wise employee have, we have the capability to develop a modern messaging panel for our clients. We control progressed in addition to effective 400+ different connections to motorists and providers in India and also as a result of 100% distribution to 99% of our customers.

Our Troika Technology TEXT service are ensured to provide a remarkable coupon to your business. We moreover give short code solution in addition to lengthy code option to our customers. We have various customers that have in reality done well in their solution via our bulk SMS marketing and advertising solution. We market your organisation by sending bulk SMS, according to the groups of customers defined by our customers. We have a database of every specific customer required by your company.

The WhatsApp Firm application is at initially merely used on Android in addition to companies in the UNITED STATE, UK, Mexico, Italy and also Indonesia. It will definitely appear around the globe "in the coming weeks," inning conformity with a business write-up, yet it's uncertain if and/or when an iphone version will definitely roll out.

WhatsApp SMS Marketing in Mumbai

Troika Tech is an around the world leading Service Messaging Alternative Distributor. It's registered with the GSMA as an Affiliate Individual likewise it has actually been authorized qualification to the ISO 27001:2013; Troika Technology has actually been a leader in using SMS-messaging solution throughout worldwide markets since 2003 as a result expanding its range of product or services to have Mass MESSAGE, A2P SMS, HLR Lookup Service, SMSC Entry, TEXT Firewall Program Program, Web Solutions, in addition to Mobile Applications.

Troika Tech has actually been found screening WhatsApp adaptation in India, as a means to engage with its customers. The existing advancement leverages the WhatsApp Business system that was debuted in September to monetise the instant messaging solution. Troika Technology along with WhatsApp have both confirmed the testing to Gadgets 360.

WhatsApp Business bears in mind among the most present chance for brand names desiring to interact with customers with the messaging applications those clients take advantage of to connect with their loved ones. And its initial business-facing functions imitate those of different various other messaging systems, such as Facebook's Company as well as Twitter's direct-messaging solution. While messaging has been slow-moving to get off the ground for numerous marketing professional on those various other systems, WhatsApp utilizes an one-of-a-kind possibility as a result of the fact that it rate of interest a great deal much more global customer base that's much more familiar with messaging services in addition to people alike, inning consistency with company officers.

WhatsApp Messaging Service Provider in Mumbai

The application will definitely make it feasible for marketing professional to a lot a lot more without delay manage their conversations with customers. Firms could produce welcome messages along with developed away messages when they are incapable to respond. They might in addition set up supposed "fast replies," where a solution establishes a keyword phrase faster way that represents a lot longer message to ensure that it might kind "/ hrs" rather than "We are open from 9 a.m. till 5 p.m., Sunday with Saturday." Organisations will certainly additionally have the ability to send as well as acquire messages by means of WhatsApp's desktop website.

WhatsApp officially releases application, represent organisations.

On the web online marketing professionals can utilize the app to establish business-specific WhatsApp accounts that could include a summary of organisation as well as its team, together with its e-mail address, physical address (which will most definitely be shown on a map), hrs of procedure as well as an attach to its web site. WhatsApp will figure out companies' accounts as "Organisation Accounts" within its application. Unavoidably, it will certainly include its own type of verified accounts, called "Confirmed Accounts, "when it's been validated that the account telephone number matches service get in touch with number," inning conformity with the firm post.