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koiandjelly · 5 years ago

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So Fila’s actual past isn’t very detailed, because she’s not a main OC, and I haven’t spent a ton of time actually thinking about her as a character lol. 98% of my Creativity goes to my original content characters, cuz someday when I finish actually crafting my worlds, I’m gonna write a book. I’m aiming for the lofty goals of making a full, fleshed out, intricate— just fuckin’... a whole ass Multiverse system comparable to the Lore content of Tolkien’s works, or The Elder Scrolls— gah fuck y’know what, I’m changing this post from being about my Fantasy Life OC to being about my creation baby, the effort of about 6 years (I am 20 years old, and although I didn’t know it at the time I started, I was 14 when I made the shitty Fire Emblem Manakete rip-off race that I’m gonna actually now talk about, because holy fuck this ain’t gonna fit in a parenthesis “btw have some info” bubble)

A’ight so I have a hard time keeping track of time, especially in a large scale across years. Apparently it’s related to being severely depressed without medication (communication error on my part, my parents are very lovely and helped me ASAP when I spilled the beans) while also having moderate to severe ADD. So, ya know, keep in mind that I was yet another terribly depressed 8th grader when I talk about my creation’s early days. I wouldn’t experience that time of my life for any sort of payment ever. It was goddamn miserable, because when I was midway through the age of 14, not only did the aforementioned depression spring up, but I also realized I was bisexual (And I live in the infamous state of Alabama, for reference. Don’t fear for me though, I was too unnoticeable to be bullied if anyone did know, and my wonderful mother, whom I love and cherish with all of my heart, is one of the few Christians that actually... like... do what their own God tells em to. That is, Jesus. I’m an atheist and have a general discomfort about the idea of super powerful entities actually existing irl, but I do agree with the stuff I’ve heard and remember from a decade ago in Church about Jesus. Good guy. But yeah my mom not only accepted me and reassured me when I came out, but she’s gone even further and is of the opinion/fact that lgbt folks are, really, good and normal and that God created them, so she really genuinely just... loves and accepts me. There’s no “I love you despite of this” in the equation and I am so grateful. But again. I digress)

Pause after that sidetrack, to recap, all of my medical issues began to emerge about 6 months before I turned 15. Including what I hate most, the emergence of my Fibromyalgia and Sjogren’s Syndrome, and for an added kick to the flesh, an undifferentiated connective tissue disorder. Meaning, as what I understand it to be, a nameless chimaera of many symptoms in a way that the disorder either is it’s own thing, or just can’t easily be recognized as any one disorder. And I had anxiety. If I recall correctly on *that*, forgive me cuz it’s been a while since it’s been diagnosed/brought up in a significant way, I have or had either general anxiety *and* social anxiety, or just lightweight versions of both, or something, but at the time I was horribly shy and I couldn’t even talk to the teacher after class about schoolwork, even though I tried rationalizing it to hell and back that I shouldn’t be scared— as you’ll guess, shit didn’t work out til I got medicine for it, because no amount of logic and rational thought will change the fact that I was struggling because of a literal disorder, an error of the brain, and as with that walking with two shattered femurs ain’t gonna work, trying to talk when the talk machine broke... ain’t going to goddamn work.

God. I am rambling a lot. But anyway, shit fucking sucked as a teen for me, because I got that wombo combo, prepare for trouble, make it double, precision strike at my existence as a person during fucking already difficult puberty— I am rambling. It’s 4:55am as of this sentence lmao. I had a nasty cocktail of both mental illness and physical disorders pop up once puberty hit me, so I, through many events starting from loving to draw as a toddler, to play pretend stories of heartbreak, betrayal, and death as best an 8 year old could understand via playing with Polly Pockets, and all the creative power I inherited from my Dad, plus the motivation borne through a need to escape, I started making my own characters.

So, to return to the present state of my creations, which will now be referred to as Bounding Beyond the Stars, or BBtS, I’m gonna get some things out of the way. Just to clarify, yeah? I have created my worlds in a way that is specifically meant to stand apart from the irl universe as we know it. I’m certainly not a knowledgeable researcher with any level of comprehension on Spacial law and quantum physics and shit like that. So hey, if something ever seems... like, off, or wrong? Unless it’s pretty obviously wrong in the “hey you just googled how a thing works, and misunderstood it, and made a detail based on a failure to understand stuff and that’s dumb in a catastrophic way that even a high school level viewer would notice...” kind of mistake, then hey, shoot me a message. But if some sort of universal rule seems fucky in the way that it doesn’t make sense, but isn’t a catastrophic structural error... well, Imma use that sentence to start a better one. For an example of a catastrophic error, perhaps... this: “This planet has no seasons cuz of its shape and axis! And it is also like twice as big as Earth!” That would be catastrophic alone because anyone with a grasp on planetary gravity or something, may go and think “if it’s that big, gravity’s gonna be way more intense”. And you’d be right! Which is why I usually account for those things with... *Magic*.

Before I split this post for Length reasons, and I’m sorry the majority of this was me rambling about how my general experience with life sucked from ages 14-17, I’mma state something very important about all my creations.

Magic, which will be explained in depth at a later point, is a fundamental, essential, and omnipresent force of not just any one universe in my Multiversal Trio. It is a key piece of Reality itself, as magic is the flow of many multiples of millions of unique and mysterious energies, concepts, and laws existing anywhere that Is.

To end this post, I’m going to put a quick summary and explanation why I’m rambling about any of this: The rant about my age and circumstances at the start are relevant because it’s necessary context for the tone and type of writing my creations are built upon. The foundations of BBtS are borne from a sometimes angsty, sometimes genuinely upset 14 year old who found escape in the art of Creation. There have been many, many, many heavy edits, rewrites, scrapped info and ideas, and even more info built upon it. It used to be pretty pointlessly edgy in a lot of ways, and redundant in grimdark, morphing into *grimderp* plot devices and character traits. The way it’s written today, I like to think the lore of my many high fantasy-alien societies, and all its denizens and creators and whatever else, are still written to be dark, be dangerous, even angsty... but more skillfully so, with the sort of nuance a 14 year old wouldn’t really even begin to understand. Cuz I still like high stakes stories with real consequences and character deaths when appropriate. And I enjoy characters who have tragic pasts, but now that I’m older and I’ve seen and read about and done so much more— I can write that stuff *better*. And more over, what I’m most satisfied with, is that I’m more in touch with myself as a person, and I’ve evolved many of my personal beliefs and ideals and all the things of the world I can have opinions on. But most of all, I’ve reached a point where I have consumed enough content from others to where I have figured out how to write something that should be interesting, and maybe a bit new, because I put a looot of Damn focus on identifying, and understanding, writing structure, cliches, plot holes to avoid, character traits to handle differently, and just generally making something that’ll appeal to both me, and my audience, should I get that far.

#original content #ramble #long ramble #worldbuilding #personal history #long post #fantasy #sci-fi #science fiction #it’s currently 5:24am as i think of appropriate tags lol #sleep deprived #late night/early morning thoughts

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agentravensong · 6 years ago

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Why Frisk, Chara, & Kris Being Non-Binary Is More Than Just a Headcanon

An UnderTale/DeltaRune Analysis

Since DeltaRune came out, I’ve been sucked right back into the Undertale fandom. Unfortunately, while I’ve seen tons of great fanart and interesting theories relating to the game, it seems the introduction of a third playable human character who isn’t explicitly male or female has also somewhat re-sparked the debate about whether the genders of Frisk, Chara, and now Kris are up to the player’s interpretation.

On one side, you have people saying to just respect everyone’s headcanons about these characters, down to deciding their pronouns. On the other, you have people saying the three characters being non-binary is part of their thematic purpose in the games, on top of being positive canon representation for a rarely recognized group.

I fall into the latter camp, and this post will explain why. (WARNING: long and text-heavy post)

NOTE: This post was written in late 2018. Since then, I have made an updated version with additional points in Google Docs, which I then used as the script for a YouTube video. As such, this post should be considered an incomplete, though still sound, version of my argument. If you have the time, rather than continuing to read this post, please click the above link(s) to read the Google Doc and/or watch the video for a full understanding of the topic.

If you find yourself repeatedly coming back to this post for whatever reason, remember that my ask box is always open! I’d be more than happy to clarify my position :D

A quick definition to start us off: if a person is “non-binary”, it means that a person doesn’t see their gender as being exclusively male or female. Many non-binary people prefer to be referred to by the pronouns “they/them/theirs” instead of “he/him/his” or “she/her/hers”, since “they” is already a gender neutral pronoun.

Also, just in case someone doesn’t understand this, a person’s gender identity is not necessarily related to who they are romantically or sexually interested in.

This post will be split into six sections of unequal length, with the focus progressing from literally interpreting the text to Toby’s intentions and the outside impact of having these characters be non-binary.

1. The basics: All 3 characters are referred to exclusively by gender-neutral pronouns in the games.

Let’s go character by character, shall we?

FRISK

It’s admittedly hard to find examples for this, since most of the time people are talking about Frisk in-game, they’ll be talking directly to them in second person. However, while looking through screenshots provided by the UnderTale Text Project, I found these:

Thank you, Alphys!

EDIT: Hey look, a more obvious example I somehow forgot about!

CHARA

All of the following quotes come from the character Chara was supposedly closest to in the entire Underground, Asriel. As you read, think about this: if Chara’s preferred pronouns were anything other than they/them, why would Asriel not use their correct pronouns here?

“Chara hated humanity. Why they did, they never talked about it. But they felt very strongly about that.”

“When Chara and I combined our souls together, the control over our body was actually split between us. They were the one who picked up their own empty body. And then, when we got to the village, they were the one who wanted... to use our full power.”

I’ve seen some people take Flowey’s mentions of Toriel in his New Home Genocide monologue to be confirmation that Chara goes by “she/her”, since he doesn’t refer to Toriel by name... even though Chara wouldn’t have been awake at that time, and when Flowey DOES talk about Chara in this monologue, it’s in second person, since he believes YOU are his old best friend. This misconception isn’t common, especially these days, but I figured it was worth addressing.

KRIS

Out of the three humans, I think Kris is the one who people are most likely to associate with a specific gender based on their name. But despite the theory videos and such you may have seen where people referred to Kris as “he”, this is not reflected anywhere in-game.

(Got these screenshots of DeltaRune’s code from this tumblr post)

The lines in the first photo are what Susie says when she’s trying to break Kris and Ralsei out of prison, and you have the option to suggest to her which way to go. The second example. according to Kris’ page on the DeltaRune fandom wiki, is said by Ralsei earlier in the game, if you do not run to complete the clock puzzle to open the door right after reuniting with Susie. Unlike the first example, it is clear in this case that Kris is the only one being referred to.

I remember seeing someone somewhere argue that Susie and Ralsei don’t know Kris well enough to know their “proper” pronouns. When it comes to Ralsei, I can see that argument... but did you notice that he knows both Kris and Susie’s names without asking? It seems he knows more than he lets on... and while Susie certainly wasn’t friends with Kris before this, the fact that they’re in the same class is enough for me to think she would have heard Kris be referred to by their preferred pronouns at least in passing by this point.

And that’s it. Frisk, Chara, and Kris are never referred to by other pronouns... with, admittedly, one exception:

Why does Chara use “it” for themself here? If I had to guess, it’s likely a combination of them being a ghost of their former self without a soul of their own (Flowey’s shown us how much your personality and sense of self is tied to having a SOUL) and the corruption from the Genocide run (remember that gaining LOVE affects a person’s mentality). They see themself as a demon, no longer a person. Whether that’s literally true to any extent or just how they feel after everything they’ve been through doesn’t really matter, I just wanted to cover this point before anyone else could bring it up. It’s not like it makes them not non-binary or anything.

To be clear, not all non-binary people go exclusively by they/them pronouns. Some prefer to go by masculine or feminine pronouns for their own reasons; some go by “neo-pronouns”, ones invented specifically for those who identify as non-binary; and some people go by more than one set of pronouns. However, in the case of Frisk, Chara, and Kris specifically, the fact that they only go by they/them pronouns makes them non-binary, and using any other pronouns for them would be incorrect (even if you have them go by they/them AND he/him or she/her).

Really, that should be enough to prove that the three humans being non-binary is canon. After all, you never have any of the other major characters in Undertale or DeltaRune explicitly state “I’m a girl” or “I’m a boy”. We know their genders because of the pronouns everyone refers to them by. Sure you’ll see gender-bends of those characters, but no one ever claims that those are on the same level of validity when it comes to canon as the actual canon.

But I know that isn’t enough for the people who came into this post disagreeing with the premise, so let’s actually get to countering some of their arguments, shall we? The main argument, of course, is that the humans’ are all meant for the Player to at least partially craft identifies for, including deciding which pronouns they use. But first...

2. Small Fish First: Other characters who are obviously not meant to be self-inserts use gender neutral pronouns.

...I want to cover the easier to counter idea that they/them pronouns are meant to just be, for lack of a better term, “placeholders”; the pronouns you use when you don’t know a person’s gender, rather than being valid permanent pronouns on their own.

If this were true in the case of Undertale and DeltaRune, you’d expect the humans to be the only ones referred to by these pronouns. They’re the ones whose identities are left ambiguous so the Player can project onto them, right?

But that couldn’t be father from the truth. In fact, the majority of the monsters you encounter in both games are referred to with gender-neutral pronouns (they/them and/or it), if any pronouns at all.

Now one might say, “But none of those monsters are really meant to be individual characters.” I get why you’d think that. But you’re forgetting at least one person...

Yup, Napstablook, despite what many fans have assumed from what I’ve seen, does not go by he/him pronouns, but they/them. And it’s not just in the narration either. Undyne does too in certain phone calls with Papyrus. ...Then again, she barely knows Napsta, and we see in DeltaRune that she defaults to they/them when talking about people whose gender she doesn’t know (specifically in that game, Alphys).

But that isn’t my last example. One of the few people who was ever close to Napsta was Mettaton (before he became a celebrity). And what does Mettaton say after Blooky calls in to his final show?

What this proves is that Toby recognizes they/them pronouns as valid for an individual in his work, which I hope makes buying that he purposefully made all three humans canonically non-binary easier for skeptics to swallow (we’ll get back to whether he DID purposefully do that later).

But I’ll acknowledge that there IS a difference between the three humans and the other characters in the games who use they/them, due to their relationship with you as the Player. So with that tangent out of the way, time to diffuse the “everyone can have their own headcanons about the kids’ genders” argument.

3. Thematic Context: All 3 humans have moments of asserting their agency, and part of the game’s subtext is how they each relate to the Player, rather than them all being blank slates.

Again, we’ll go character by character.

FRISK

This section is, admittedly, the one with the least evidence compared to the rest. But here’s what we have, and it’s pretty obvious:

After this moment, as was shown earlier, the other monsters know Frisk’s name and will refer to Frisk in the third person with they/them pronouns. Now, consider this: If Frisk used other pronouns, wouldn’t they have corrected the monsters here? Sure Frisk don’t talk without being prompting much throughout most of the game, but considering how they just shared their name, something equally as personal as their pronouns, I don’t think it would feel too out of place here.

Alternatively, if Frisk’s gender was up to the Player’s interpretation, the Player could have been given a prompt to correct the other characters with the “proper” pronouns for Frisk. You could argue it would be pointless this late into the game, but couldn’t that logic apply to the reveal of Frisk’s name as well? In this case, the lack of such a moment speaks more to me than having such a moment would.

Now, I totally get why people would project onto Frisk up to this point in the narrative, including assigning them different pronouns. It wouldn’t be a plot twist otherwise. Even their design seems to lend to that, with the unrealistic bright yellow skin Legos and emojis have to make them more race-neutral, and their emotionless, unchanging facial expression (though it’s worth considering that most of the other character’s overworld sprites don’t change expression much either; I’m pretty sure Alphys’ overworld sprite keeps her dopey smile even when she’s talking about the depths of her depression and failure at the end of the True Lab section). And this actually works to UnderTale’s benefit through most of the game, making the connections you forge with the monsters feel more personal.

The significance of this moment is that it asks the Player to be willing to change their perspective. Throughout the True Pacifist run, you help Frisk to change the mindsets of the characters you come across; this is most obvious with Undyne, who has been raised to see all humans as the enemy, but comes to admit that at least “some humans are OK, I guess” after befriending you. Along the way, you learn that there’s more to these monsters than first impressions may suggest (again, Undyne being a great example). Now, the game is asking you to look deeper one more time, and presenting you with the challenge you’ve posed to all the other major characters: are you willing to recognize Frisk’s autonomy; to understand there is more to this person than you first saw?

EDIT: Hey, remember that screenshot from earlier where Flowey asks you to “let Frisk live their life”? He’s literally asking you to let Frisk be free and truly themself, rather than resetting and taking control of them again. So there’s some more food for thought.

CHARA

While you are the one who names Chara (the reason for which will be considered in the fourth section of this post), consider these points:

1. If the purpose of Chara’s entire character was meant to be just a reflection of you as the Player, then why give them a “true name” at all?

2. Chara’s backstory is integral to the setup of UnderTale’s plot, and provides a good amount of hints at their original personality, easily making them less of a “blank slate” for the Player to project onto than Frisk.

3. Chara makes a clear distinction between the Player and themself in their monologues at the end of the Genocide route. In case you forgot, here are some reminders.

First meeting:

“Your power awakened me from death.”

“My ‘human soul’, my ‘Determination’; they were not mine, but YOURS.”

“With your guidance, I realized the purpose of my reincarnation.”

“Together, we eradicated the enemy and became strong.”

If you agree to ERASE the world: “You are a great partner.”

In the abyss:

“Interesting. You want to go back.”

“You want to go back to the world you destroyed.”

“It was you who pushed everything to its edge. It was you who lead the world to its destruction.”

“But you cannot accept that. You think you are above consequences.”

“Perhaps, we can reach a compromise. You still have something I want.”

“Then, it is agreed. You will give me your SOUL.”

Second meeting:

“You and I are not the same, are we?”

“This SOUL resonates with a strange feeling... You are wracked with a perverted sentimentality. ...I cannot understand these feelings any longer.”

“I feel obligated to suggest: should you choose to create this world once more, another path would be better suited.”

To say there is no connection between Chara and the Player would be unfair. I mean, if they hated humans their whole life, why do they end up taking out that rage on the monsters, the ones who were actually kind to them, in the Genocide run? Like Chara says themself, you guide them, teaching them definitively that “in this world, it’s kill or be killed”; and the influence you have on them is much more obvious if you subscribe to the Narrator Chara theory (but that’s a whole other can of worms).

Like with Frisk, Chara presents the Player a challenge, but in a more subtle way: can you recognize that YOU are at fault, rather than blaming your actions on a damaged kid who learns from your example and never got the chance to grow beyond their mistakes? And part of meeting that challenge is recognizing that Chara is, or at least used to be, their own whole person.

KRIS

Now we get to the really fun part. DeltaRune as a whole seems to be delving even deeper and more explicitly into the relationship between the playable character as an unwilling vessel and the actual Player than Undertale did. Outside of the prevalent message that “Your choices don’t matter” (which I’m guessing will end up more like the “kill or be killed” of this game rather than DR’s intended final moral), the main evidence towards this is how the game starts.

1. A red soul appears on screen when the unknown speaker (presumably Gaster) asks you if they’ve successfully connected with you. The soul is what you control throughout this sequence. The implication? The SOUL in this game is a manifestation of you as the Player. In fact, considering some of the Chara quotes I mentioned earlier, this could be true of UnderTale as well.

2. You spend time making a vessel, only for it to be discarded, because “No one can choose who they are in this world.” This lack of choice is actually foreshadowed when you choose which legs you prefer, since all but the last choice are the same. The game is pointing out right away how superficial these choices are.

3. The speakers says “Your name is...” and Toriel seemingly finishes the statement by calling out “KRIS!”

The message of points 2 and 3 combined is pretty obvious to me: we don’t get an empty vessel to put ourself and our ideas into in DeltaRune. Kris is NOT an empty vessel; they have an already established backstory and personality, which we get multiple hints at (mostly when going around town at the end of the demo).

The fact that you have to go through this creation process on every new file, even after beating the game, suggests it’s more than just a framing device, but directly tied to the game’s narrative and/or themes in some way. So, let’s keep this scene in mind as we look at Kris’ defining moment at the end of Chapter 1.

In the middle of the night, Kris is wrestling with themself in bed until they fall out. Their walk is very stilted and jerkish, reminiscent of a zombie, or someone possessed.

Kris opens and closes their hand a few times before digging into their body and pulling out their soul, their eyes blank. (Notice how this doesn’t seem to actually leave a hole in their chest or anything? Almost as if the soul was never a part of them in the first place...)

They go to the wagon and harshly YEET the soul into the cage (the flavor text for which mentions it has already seen a few crashes... has something like this happened to Kris before?).

Kris walks back to the middle of the room, as if to purposefully stand in the center of the DeltaRune symbol on the floor, then pulls out a knife from seemingly nowhere, and turns to the camera with a red glow in their eyes.

Now, I totally get why most people will immediately assume that Kris has been possessed by a post-Genocide Chara here. I’m pretty sure the visual similarities between this scene and the one that plays if you choose to stay with Toriel in a soulless pacifist run in UT are intentional.

But remember how we mentioned the red SOUL, at least in DeltaRune, is a manifestation of the Player? This is actually reinforced in this scene, because you’re able to move the SOUL back and forth within the cage.

We’ve been controlling Kris via that SOUL the whole way through the game, and now? Kris is done with us. THIS is their prime moment of agency in Chapter 1 - reclaiming ownership of their own body - and I doubt that it will be their last.

There’s a ton of other stuff I could mention about Kris, like how:

* they had their own save file, which you overwrite at the first save point

* multiple NPCs in the town will comment on Kris seeming more talkative or looking off today, because YOU’RE making them interact with people

* Kris’ ability to play the piano is worse than normal with you controlling them, according to the hospital receptionist

* the narration says Kris feels bitter if you throw away the one possession in their inventory, the Ball of Junk (”bitter” isn’t the emotion one would feel if they did this of their own free will)

or all the hints at Kris’ true personality as an introverted, codependent prankster. But that could be a post in itself. My point is that, if Frisk and Chara’s individualism from the Player was subtle in UnderTale, this is pretty straightforward, if you know where to look.

And if these three humans are all their own characters, then shouldn’t we consider what seemingly little we DO know for sure about them as canon? We all take their names to be canon, so why not their pronouns?

That’s the bulk of the argument done. But when discussing canon, there is one thing that always has to be considered:

4. Can We Know The Creator (Toby Fox)’s Intentions?

Well, not really.

Some may bring up the one tweet where Toby suggested to name the fallen human (Chara) “your own name” as evidence that you ARE meant to project yourself into these characters.

However, I think you could just as easily argue that doing this ADDS to the impact of when Frisk, the character you physically control, confirms themself to be their own person with their own name, rather than a mold for you to pour yourself into.

And though Chara does make it clear that they themself as a character are separate from you, the whole Genocide ending monologue does hit harder when the person reprimanding you for their sins, who describes themself as “the feeling you get when your stats increase”, shares your name.

While putting this post together, I came across this interview Toby did about Undertale back in September 2015, and took particular note of this section:

While this technically doesn’t confirm or deny anything either way, how hard would it have been for Toby to say, “Well the protagonist is meant to have their gender be up to the player’s interpretation”? I doubt he would have gotten more backlash for that then he would have for definitively saying that Frisk is MEANT to be non-binary (though I doubt that would have stopped people from making them male or female anyway).

Then again, the article does start with the interviewer saying this:

“I told Toby Fox to skip questions he didn’t find interesting, and boy did he take me at my word.”

So maybe he just didn’t have anything worthwhile to mention.

I can’t say with certainty that Frisk and Chara’s genders were never meant to be up to the Player’s choice, even after what I mentioned in section 2 (and I doubt Toby would want to make a statement on it at this point). Same with Kris, for now.

However, if the rest of DeltaRune ends up going in the direction I suggested in the previous section, I honestly would not be surprised if there’s a moment where Kris confirms they are nonbinary, as a show of agency and individualism akin to Frisk telling Asriel their real name. I wouldn’t really call it a “theory”, and it’s hard to speculate what the other chapters of the game will at all be like based on what relatively little we have... but I wouldn’t have mentioned it here if I didn’t think it had any validity.

5. Why Does This Matter?

Outside of the previously mentioned stuff relating to the games’ themes/messages about choice, agency, and individualism, there’s one big reason: representation.

How many games can you think of where there are any explicitly non-binary characters? How many where that character is a major one, who doesn’t get treated as particularity different from the others just on the basis of the pronouns they use? And how many of those games are even close to the popularity of Undertale in its hayday? Even expanding these questions to media other than just video games won’t net many more results.

For people who are striving for representation, seeing posts like “Just let people have their headcanons :)” can come across as the OP not understanding how much that representation means. Even worse, coming back to the point I made in section 2 of this post, it could be seen as the OP denying that being non-binary is just as real and concrete as being male or female (a problem which more mainstream representation of non-binary people would help solve!).

But don’t just take it from me. After all, as a binary cis girl myself (”cis” meaning not trans), I can’t speak generally for all the trans and non-binary Undertale and Deltarune fans out there. So allow me to link some posts which provide their perspectives:

This first post is from before DeltaRune was released, and mainly focuses on Frisk, but goes in-depth on the topic (and the OP provided me some feedback on my post, so if they see this, thanks!)

I came across this post just while scrolling through the DeltaRune tag about why this stuff matters to non-binary fans.

This post is specifically about how using they/them pronouns for the kids is preferable whether or not it’s literally canon.

Here’s another post from the same person covering some common counter-arguments.

And if the other posts are too long for you to bother reading after going through mine, this one sums up the point in one sentence.

I know some people flinch at the mere mention of the word “representation”. I know that some will argue you shouldn’t need to see representation of a group you belong to in a piece of media in order to be able to relate to the characters and/or feel validated yourself - because I’ve seen people make this argument. But, I mean, I certainly find it easier to relate to characters that I share traits with; that’s just how humans work. It’s probably the main reason why people assign different genders to Frisk, Chara, and Kris in the first place! Besides, who does it hurt to include more diverse characters?

Oh right, there’s the idea that “forcing” creators to include representation is bad for creativity or whatever. Well good thing that’s not what this is about! As far as I know, no one is telling Toby he has to ADD new characters to fulfill a quota; the characters in question (Frisk, Chara, & Kris) already exist in his work. The point of this post is to show that the three of them were MEANT to be non-binary from the start (assuming I provided enough proof to convince you), so people won’t continue to erase that representation. By making them binary cis boys or girls, you’re only taking away from the original text (and giving people more to “complain” about).

Honestly, what does one even have to gain story-wise from assigning different genders to the human kids? I can’t remember a time I saw where making them strictly boys or girls added anything to their characterization or opened up different story possibilities (I’m sure you could could up with a theoretical example, but compared to the endless fanworks that DON’T do that, they hardly make a dent). Speaking beyond just Frisk, Chara, and Kris, characters being non-binary shouldn't affect how you ship them. You can give such characters more overtly masculine or feminine designs/appearances, but still have them be non-binary and go by they/them pronouns (most people don’t naturally look androgynous after all). In a work with voice acting, casting someone with a more masculine or feminine voice to play a non-binary character shouldn’t stop you from portraying the character as non-binary either - just refer to them with the right pronouns!

And if people who find your work continuously misgender your non-binary characters or ask what their “real” gender is, don’t let them get to you. You don’t need to respond to every such comment, but when you DO respond, clearly state that these characters are non-binary, politely correct the people who refer to those characters by the wrong pronouns, and, if worst comes to worst, block the people who won’t respect that. Before you (using “you” for the rest of this paragraph to refer specifically to my fellow binary cis peeps) can even think to argue “that sounds like too much work” or “it’s not worth the potential controversy”, remember that non-binary people in real life have to deal with this crap far more often than we do, and for them, it’s personal. If they can handle it, why can’t you?

Yes, Frisk, Chara, and Kris are fictional characters, not real people. But more representation of non-binary people in media helps others learn to understand and respect them, both in fiction and in real life. Honestly, it’s beyond time for people to accept that “they/them” aren’t “placeholder pronouns”, and the genders of people who use them aren’t up for others to judge. It’s just who they are, and really, how hard is that to respect?

If nothing else will convince you, think of it this way: if you’re not in the group being affected by a discussion like this, and you don’t care about the people in that group, keeping yourself out of the conversation saves everyone time and energy, without hurting anyone.

6. Conclusion

So, to briefly summarize this essay-length post’s main points:

1. Frisk, Chara, and Kris all go solely by “they/them” in their respective games, so having them go by any other pronouns is technically diverting from canon to the same extent that gender-bending any other character would be, NOT a valid interpretation of the original text.

2. There are other individual characters in these two games, such as Napstablook, who are referred to by they/them pronouns, even by those who were close to them.

3. The three humans are all shown to be more than just blank slates for the Player to project themself onto, making the stuff which IS definitively said about them (specifically, their names and pronouns) canon parts of their characterization unless directly proven otherwise.

4. We can’t assume Toby’s intentions, but even if he didn’t initially make Frisk, Chara, and Kris gender neutral for the sake of giving non-binary people representation, many people have taken it as that. Thus, seeing others say that the humans’ genders are up for interpretation is interpreted as those people not respecting non-binary identities as valid on their own.

The one other point I can think people might bring up would be the idea that kids as young as Chara or Frisk wouldn’t identify as non-binary because they wouldn’t understand the concept. To that argument, I’d suggest looking up videos about people who realized they were transgender as kids. In general, if there are concepts in this post you didn’t quite get or agree with, research is your friend!

Speaking of which, as this post I came across in the DeltaRune tag yesterday pointed out, fun fact: “non-binary” is an umbrella term that still leaves some slight room for personal interpretation when it comes to the humans’ genders! To use myself as an example, I personally headcanon Chara as firmly agender, Kris as a a demi-boy (someone who only partially sees themself as male), and Frisk as genderfluid (meaning that their sense of gender regularly changes). However, despite the nuances in their gender identities, I only have them go by they/them pronouns, their canon ones, in my fanworks. Doing otherwise not only goes against canon, but can be considered misgendering, and thus should be avoided.

This doesn’t mean that you can’t make up ANYTHING about what Chara, Frisk, and Kris are like either. People have plenty of headcanons about the backstories and other quirks of characters like Sans, Undyne, Mettaton - basically the whole cast of both games - and there’s nothing stopping you from doing that for the human kids. I certainly have my own ideas of what Chara and Frisk’s lives were like before they fell into the Underground. The difference is that those are speculating on things not outright said in canon. But Frisk, Chara, and Kris going by they/them pronouns IS canon, and should be respected as such.

At the end of the day, neither I nor anyone else (not even Toby) can outright stop people from having their opinions about these fictional characters. But since I had some free time this weekend, I figured I could take a stand for something I care about relating to a fandom I’ve emerged myself in for the past few years. My main hope in making this post is that you’ll understand why certain people disagree with the seemingly righteous stance of “It’s all up to interpretation, just let people do what they want!”. And if you knew nothing about non-binary identities before, hopefully this was educational for you!

If you have any remaining questions or suggestions relating to this post, feel free to reblog with your feedback or send me an ask. Until then, this is Agent Raven, signing off.

#deltarune #delta rune #undertale #frisk #chara #kris

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sepdet · 5 years ago

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Really good screenwriting tip by David Wappel on Twitter that also applies to other kinds of writing, including comics. Unrolled:

THREAD ALERT

Fellow screenwriters!

A thread on writing action lines, with special attention paid to word order and what I call "anchoring" nouns.

These tools are part of my process, and I’m not advocating for them over anything else. I just want to share some of the things I think about as I write.

Here we go!

Let's start off with what I think action lines are aimed to accomplish:

1. Describe what is happening.

2. Describe how we see what is happening.

A lot of the scripts I read from aspiring writers often focus solely on 1. More experienced writers focus on 1 and 2. The best writers do both, but hide 2 so you don't even realize it’s happening.

1 is important. It's the story.

But 2 can help the way you tell it.

And that’s what I’m going to focus my thread on, and hopefully illuminate how craft can allow you to make those choices in the script, without bumping the reader out of the story.

Alright, so we're focusing on "how we see what's happening"

The first thing to discuss is the ongoing debate over "We see" and all its forms.

As I said, I'm not here to advocate for one thing over another. Generally, I try to avoid "we see" (though I use it twice in my latest spec) mainly because I think it's implied in the fact that it's a screenplay. In most cases of "we see" it can be struck and nothing is lost.

"We see a bushel of apples under a tree." could just as easily be "A bushel of apples sits under a tree."

I think "we see" works is when you need to explicitly limit the audiences view. So you're more describing the fact that they "only see" what is right there.

We see a single flower. It stands alone in the center of muddy, war-torn No Man's Land as mortars kick dirt into the air.

It's important to clarify we only see the flower at first, otherwise the reveal isn't as powerful.

Ok, so that’s a quick bit on “we see” but now I want to talk about what I really came here to talk about:

these things that I call “anchoring nouns”

An “anchoring” noun provides the unit in which I want the reader to interpret the visuals I’m presenting. It is the noun that “anchors” the reader to how they should be picturing what is unfolding.

While remembering that I totally made up this nomenclature, an “anchoring” noun (AN) can be defined as the first noun you encounter which provides context for the size of the action you’re being asked to hold in your brain.

From my experience, the human brain doesn’t do anything more than it needs to. It’s super lazy (or super efficient depending on the water in your glass).

So if I say “picture an apple” you’re only going to picture an apple. You’re likely not going to picture an apple hanging from a branch of an apple tree, or in the mouth of a pig at a luau. You’re probably just going to picture the apple.

And that apple picture is of a certain size: just big enough for the apple.

This is where you can ask: What camera shot contains this noun? Is it really, really far away? Probably not. Are you so close, you can only see a part of it? Also probably not.

It’s probably just big enough to see the apple. Might be what’s considered a close-up. So without mentioning a camera at all, your brain is actually creating a shot size.

If I say “the stem of an apple” you’re likely picturing just the stem. (ECU)

If I say “An apple” you’re likely picturing an apple. (CU)

If I say “Five apples” maybe we move to a MCU

A bushel of apples.

A row of apple bushels.

An orchard. (EW)

But all those things have an apple in them.

I’m trying to use ANs to orient you to what they are.

(stem, apple, five apples, bushel, row, orchard)

The AN is (with a few exceptions) the first noun you encounter, which provides context for the size of the action you’re being asked to hold in your brain (because remember, you’re not going to hold more than necessary, you lazy-brained human)

So in one case, that AN may be “apple,” but in another it’s “bushel,” and in another it’s “row” These are the first nouns the reader encounters in that description...until another one bumps them off. (More on that later.)

Ok, now at this point, some of you may be thinking, “But there’s no action there. You’re just describing things in different sizes. That’s not screenwriting.”

You’re right, so let’s put this notion into practice.

Read the following.

Sally reaches into her back pocket.

Her hand slips into her back pocket.

Both describe the same action, but you’ll likely see them differently.

In the first, “Sally” is the AN. You may picture anywhere from a MW to a MCU, but generally, you’re probably picturing a person.

In the second example, “hand” is the AN. Most likely you’re picturing a CU.

Neither one is inherently better than the other, but understanding how we interpret words into images can help you make choices that have different dramatic effects.

It’s also worth noting that I had to change the verb to fit the noun. Reaching is an action that generally involves the shoulder, arm, and hand, so using that verb will almost always trigger a wider shot in the brain. But a hand slipping, that’s subtle, and small.

Is this “directing on the page?” I think yes and no. On set, the actress just has to get something from her back pocket. She can do it however she wants. Also, the director can shoot this however they want. But at this point, as the writer you ARE the actress and director.

So act and direct how you think this story should best be told.

When it’s time, they’ll come in and do their jobs, and hopefully that collaboration will yield results better than any of you could’ve done on your own.

Alright, so that’s ANs.

Now let’s talk about word order.

Your word order can help suggest camera moves, edits, tone, you name it.

In my writing, first and foremost, I try to use an AN to orient the reader to the shot they’re looking at.

Then, I try to move through the action using...

word order

grammar

sentence structure

...to suggest camera moves and edits.

Below are five different ways to write the same action.

Each have the slug line INT. KITCHEN.

How do you interpret the camera moves and edits (if any) in each example below?

John scrubs dishes in an empty kitchen.

In an empty kitchen, John stands alone at the sink. Scrubbing dishes.

A sponge swirls on a dirty plate. John scrubs away over the sink. Alone in an empty kitchen.

As he washes the plates, John sighs, alone over the kitchen sink, the table behind him covered with ten more dirty plates.

SCRUB. SCRUB. John’s eyes look up, and out the window. A sigh. He returns to his scrubbing.

Disclaimer: In no way am I saying that there is a 1-to-1 with the way things are written and their visual interpretation. As in all things screenwriting, there are no “rules.” I’m just saying that certain writing is going to suggest different visual tones for the same action.

Now, look at the difference between the first example and the last. In the first, the action of scrubbing the dishes seem to be the important thing to notice.

But in the last, it’s about his emotional reaction. I don’t mention dishes.

(Yes, the other examples primed you for dishwashing. I may have gotten a freebie there. Depending on context, I may or may not be able to do it in the script.)

Alright, remember when I said that a new AN can bump you off an old one. (Do you? Lazy-brained human?) Let’s look at one of the examples above to see it in action. Let’s look at the third one, which I’ll repeat here.

A sponge swirls on a dirty plate. John scrubs away over the sink. Alone in an empty kitchen.

I think this is clearly communicating three shots, in specific order. The sponge on the plate. John, the holder of the sponge. The empty kitchen. Each new sentence has a new AN to trigger you to see something else, and this time I’m going from CU to a W.

The new AN’s “bump” you off the previous one, and you’re just seeing images, one after another. So you never have to worry about a reader getting visually stuck in one shot, unless you want them too…

A sponge swirls on a dirty plate under running water. The sponge stops. A sigh. The water runs. The plate and sponge are put down, unfinished in the sink. SQUEAK. The water stops.

Hopefully, that keeps you visually rooted in the sink. (Once again, you already have some context, so I’m getting some freebies there with what’s going on, but hopefully you understand the concept I’m going for.)

In summary, your action lines should be doing more for you than just describing what’s happening. They should describe how we see what’s happening, and hopefully some of the things I’ve said can help you think about how you might achieve that in your work.

I should note here, that in my process, this is one of the last things I do. When the characters and story are working (1), this is a fun tool you can pull out to orient the reader and communicate camera and shots (2).

I’ll end with a metaphor that I often think about when I think about the act of screenwriting. I think of a screenwriter as a sculptor. And I used to think that the screenplay is the sculpture, but I don’t think that fully captures what we do.

I’d say what’s more accurate is that you’re the sculptor, and the reader’s emotional journey is the sculpture. Words are your chisel, and the screenplay is the act of chiseling.

Everyone else’s job on a film is to use magic to bring the sculpture to actual life.

If this helped you in anyway, feel free to retweet and share.

And please let me know how you all are thinking about action lines! I love hearing nifty little tricks and paradigms for the nuts and bolts of screenwriting craftwork!

Write on!

- David

#writing tips

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thatyanderecritic · 6 years ago

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Yandere Simulator

Title: Yandere Simulator

Media: Game, created by Yandere Dev

Yandere(s): Yandere-Chan (Ayano Aishi)/ Yandere-Kun

Yandere Scale: 0/5

Criticism written by: Kai

Editor: Julie

The Review:

(Warning! This is one of our most highly opinionated critic piece on our blog so far. Be wary and come to your own judgement in the end. m(_ _)m )

It was only a matter of time till we finally reviewed Yandere Simulator… With both the game and the main protagonist sharing the name “Yandere”, it made sense for the Yandere Critics to swoop in and see if this game truly lives up to its name (spoiler alert: it doesn’t). What horrors will our two critics discover in their pursuit of the truth?

This time on ThatYandereCritic…

Hello everyone, Kai here! It’s no secret that Julie and I absolutely hate Yandere Simulator and how the Yandere Dev is handling everything (from how he’s creating this game to the sort of person he is). We would state time and time again how we think that Yandere Simulator is pretty much hot garbage and is a bad representation of yanderes in general. Good concept but awful in execution. Now it is time to give a proper critic to the game that’s became the “face” of our community.

I would like to clarify that we’ll only be looking at the story and the main character (Yandere-Chan/Yandere-Kun). We will not be discussing about the Yandere Dev and his drama. If you want that, there’s plenty of “Yandere Dev rants” videos on youtube that goes in depth about the things he done and currently doing. If you’re curious, I recommend watching this video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YY-aqqCFjnc With this being said, now for the proper review!

Let’s kick things off by talking about the story… The game starts with our protagonist, Yandere-Chan, accidentally running into her Senpai on her way to school. It was love at first sight when she first saw him. But Yandere-Chan soon found out that a girl named Osana plans to confess to Senpai under the school’s cherry blossom tree. This is like, totally bad! Everyone knows that confessions under that specific cherry blossom tree is guaranteed to be accepted! It was at this moment, Yandere-Chan knew what she needed to do… she must eliminate everything that stands between her and her Senpai.

First, can I just start off by saying how laughably lazy this story is? It’s one thing if this game was just some sort of parody or comedy. A game that is self aware that it’s just a joke and nothing more. But with how much the Yandere Dev hypes about the story and give it a “deep lore”, we can’t give the excuse: “It’s not that deep. It’s just a joke.” No. This game doesn’t have that shield anymore. The story is half assed and it can’t give a well developed yandere character a proper chance to shine. But… let’s ignore the story for now. We have seen examples of an awful story but a fantastic yandere (Example: Joe from the TV show, You). Let’s look at Yandere-Chan.

Thanks to Yandere Dev’s channel, we got a plethora of lore and background about the characters from the game. The office website is also a gold mine of information that we can analyze as well. So… thank god that Yandere Dev is more invested in those two things than his game. Can you imagine if we had to actually play his buggy game to get this information? Lol.

Let’s get on the same page here about Yandere-Chan’s backstory: Yandere-Chan had an odd childhood. Throughout her childhood, she was inflicted with an incurable condition that made her have no emotions. Growing up, she was bullied at school (because she couldn’t feel I guess). But Yandere-Chan learned how to fake having emotions and live the easy life. Oddly enough, Yandere-Chan’s mom had the same condition as well when she was growing up. Yandere mom reassured Yandere-Chan that “When she finds that special boy, [she’ll] be able to feel.” But Yandere-Chan’s dad went “Nah, bitch. I’ll make Yandere-Chan have feelings.” Of course, that didn’t work. In the end, Yandere-Chan lived her life as an empty shell till she finally met Senpai. Yada yada yada…. Start of the game.

So… what the fuck?

This is the literal definition of a psychopath, dude. Why are we skirting around what Yandere-Chan has?! “Incurable condition” my ass. It’s psychopathy (maybe sociopathy but the evidence leans more towards psychopathy). Next, in the video, why would a general practitioner know that Yandere-Chan is a psychopath?! At most, the doctor would notice something is odd about her before recommending a child psychiatrist to examine Yandere-Chan. Mr. Yandere Dev, you make it sound like Yandere-Chan has a cold; not a mental illness. It was also mention in the video that Yandere-Chan felt pity for her father who was struggling with her mental illness. If she can’t feel any emotions, as you said, then please explain how she felt pity for her father? Can I also point out that Yandere-Chan started faking her emotions for her father’s sake AND THEN started getting bullied because she wasn’t normal. But wait a minute… Yandere-Chan learned how to fake emotions because of the bullying. So how does this logic work? Did she take two steps forward but ten steps back? Why did we have the whole doctor fiasco if Yandere Mom already knew all this about her daughter? WHY DOES YANDERE-CHAN’S BACKSTORY HAVE MORE HOLES THAN A SLICE OF SWISS CHEESE?!

Kai.exe stopped working… now resetting program… reset is now complete

Phew… sorry about that everyone. I was going insane after going through a bunch of videos by the Yandere Dev and the Yandere Simulator website.

For a character called Yandere-Chan, she’s more like Psychopath-Chan. Like geez. If it isn’t obvious, everything about this character screams “psychopath”. Sure, she is portrayed to have “lovesickness” but Yandere-Chan breaks so many rules that her “lovesickness” can’t save her.

A couple of rules she broken:

1. The yandere shouldn’t go on a random killing spree as if she’s/he’s in an all you can eat buffet. Bottomline, a serial killer isn’t a yandere but a yandere could be a serial killer.

2. Shallow background, shallow person. Why were you even created man?

3. Instalove is a pretty cheap cop out for a female yandere to start liking someone. We noticed that sometimes they would fall in love for shallow reasons like: “Kyaa, he passed me the salt shaker, I think I’m in love!” This logic makes me cringe, honestly.

“But, Kai! This game is all about killing the rivals! It isn’t fair to Yandere-Chan to tick her off on that!”

Um… there are many different ways a yandere can get rid of a rival without killing them. Mr. Yandere Dev even suggested a mechanic where the player can hook up love rivals with other NPCs. Yet the core “tactic” Yandere-Chan (and the player) would chose would be to kill the rivals. Not only that, it’s also encouraged to go on a killing spree for extra points for Info-Chan and the Yakuza (not yet implemented). So… this absolutely is a tick against her.

Moving on! I also find it incredibly hard to even call Yandere-Chan a proper “yandere” considering her creator doesn’t even know what a yandere is. On Yandere Dev's website, he defines a yandere as: “A Yandere girl is a girl who loves a boy so much that she is willing to threaten, harm, or kill any other girl who seems interested in him.”

Uh… W.H.A.T.

That’s literally the definition he puts on his website, people. And don’t even get me started on the definition he uses during videos (“A yandere is a person who is crazy for someone else”). Okay, let’s give Yandere Dev the benefit of the doubt and say: “He sort of right… if you squint hard enough”. But if we refer back to our Yandere Actions post, just using the “yandere snap” doesn’t make Yandere-Chan a yandere. In the end, Yandere-Chan is nothing more but a psychopath.

To those who are reading this: As individuals who are part of the yandere community, I am appealing to you right now. We may disagree on a lot of things. We may disagree on what is and isn’t a yandere. We may disagree on some characteristics of what makes a yandere. But I hope to agree with everyone that “Yandere Simulator” is not the thing we want to define our community.

I’ve heard people compare Yandere-Chan as the “New Yuno Gasai”. I’ve heard people call Yandere-Chan as “the perfect example of a yandere” or “the ideal yandere”. I’ve heard many misinformed comments about yanderes thanks to this game. It may have brought to light our community but this is a double edge sword. It’s one thing if there’s only a couple misinformed users out there. It’s expected and no offense to them. But what’s troubling is the popularity of this misinformed game and the spreading through popular youtubers (again, no offense to them since they don’t know). This game is basically our face to those outside of the community. I talked to several people who are quick to judge me as “one of those perverts” thanks to this game’s reputation (water off my back). You can still like the game or the characters. I know Yandere-Chan generates lots of yandere aesthetics and the fandom has done way better with her than her own creator. But can we all agree to denounce this game as a “yandere icon”. Use it as a conversation starter and use it to point out myths about yanderes… but don’t let this define us. I believe we’re better than that… we’re all better than that. “Romance turned Horror” and “Horror turned Romance” lovers… Aesthetic yanderes, Yandere Recommendations, and Yandere Analysis blogs… We’re all in this together. Let’s shake on this, friends.

Overall score: 0/10

(Post-edit: I forgot to mention Yandere-Kun; there is a bit of a difference between him and Yandere-Chan. He is the genderbend version for Yandere-Chan (for those who want to play as a guy) but Yandere Dev stated that Yandere-Kun’s reasoning for chasing Senpai is purely sadistic. So, regardless how you paint things, Yandere-Kun is just as psychopathic as his female counterpart)

#yandere simulator #yandere-chan #yandere-kun #yandere #male yandere #review #opinion #Yandere-chan? More like Psychopath-chan #yan sim #yandere sim #indie game

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bretthowden · 6 years ago

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hi il your gifs! can you give a tutorial??

Wow thanks so much! 💖💖Under the read more, I managed to put together a gif tutorial that I (hope) makes sense. Let me know if you have any questions. I rambled a lot in this and wrote most of it at like 1:30 in the morning, so apologies in advance if it gets weird lmao.

Keep in mind, I have been using photoshop for years, but I really have only been making gifs for like, 8 months and I still think I can improve in soooo many ways. But, that being said we all gotta start somewhere!

Let’s make a gif!

Alright, y’all. Let’s make a fucking gif. You will need:

Photoshop. Kind of a given lol. I use Photoshop CC 2018 and I pay 9.99 a month for the photoshop/lightroom package that you can get online from Adobe. I used to use a downloaded version that I found on tumblr for the longest time as well. So if you don’t want to pay monthly, there are free versions out there that work. Just download at your own risk!

A basic knowledge of photoshop. In this tutorial, I’m just gonna assume you have used photoshop before and know how to use its basic features. If not, I’d recommend finding some beginner photoshop tutorials to help you out! Also you can totally feel free to shoot me any questions if you need me to clarify anything, and I’ll do my best to answer them!

Patience and practice. Making gifs can be frustrating and tedious sometimes. If you don’t love what you’re making or aren’t having fun with it, it can be really difficult. I literally love making gifs for some weird reason, which is really the number one reason why I make them. Also, remember that every gif isn’t gonna come out perfect. I make so many gifs and then look back and think ugh that coloring was awful wtf was I thinking?? But it’s important to keep practicing and keep at it because that’s how you’re gonna get better!

Alrightyyyyy let’s get started!

STEP ONE: Download your video. You’re gonna need the video of whatever you’re trying to gif saved to your computer. If you’re giffing a video from youtube/social media or something, there are a bunch of different websites out there that will download videos for you. However, I’m a fucking weirdo and usually just screen record whatever I want to gif because I just think it’s easier. I use Quicktime to screen record which is included on Macs!

We’re gonna be making a gif of my angel rookie Brett Howden for this tutorial. I just screen recorded his postgame video that I wanted to use and saved it in 1080p.

[PRO TIP: Keep in mind, if you want your gifs to look nice and HQ, it starts with a high quality video, and that means, using videos that are 1080p. I very rarely will gif anything in 720p, unless it’s something I really really want to gif, and I def won’t use anything below 720p because it just looks really low quality no matter how much you try to edit it, imo.]

STEP TWO: Open photoshop and go to file -> import -> video frames to layer and this window will pop up

These are the settings I use. I choose selected range only so that it will only select what I want it to, and not the whole video. I also limit to every 2 frames because for the most part, using every frame is unnecessary. See those little toggle icons at the bottom of the screen that I’ve circled in red? Drag those around to select what part of the video you want to gif. Then click ok.

Here’s what you’ll get once you hit ok.

As you can see, your timeline with all your frames are on the bottom. On the right are all the layers!

STEP THREE: Select all the frames, and set your frame delay. The frame delay basically just controls how fast or slow your gif is gonna move.

Select all the frames and click on the bottom of one of the frames (where i’ve awkwardly circled in red) and you should get the dropdown menu shown above. Click other. I almost always choose 0.07 for my delay because it’s not too fast and not too slow and that’s how we want our gifs to look, right? 0.07 is a good starting point and you can always adjust slightly if need be. I wouldn’t recommend going below 0.05 because it’ll look way too fast.

STEP FOUR: Convert that shit. We’re gonna convert to a video timeline by clicking the button in the lefthand corner of your timeline window. I’ve circled it in red. Make sure all your frames are still selected!

Then we’re gonna convert the layers for smart filters. This makes it easy to edit and color the gif because it’ll basically condense all the layers into one. Select all your layers and go to filter -> convert for smart filters. Bam, converted.

STEP FIVE: Crop and resize your gif!

Tumblr has specific dimension sizes that are pretty important when cropping your gifs, so you’ll have to decide what kind of gifset you’re making. If you’re making a gifset with just one gif across (example), the width needs to be 540px. If you’re making a gifset with two gifs across (example), the width needs to be 268px. The height doesn’t matter and can be whatever ya want!

For this gif of Brett I’m going to be cropping it to 540x270 (my personal standard gif size that I use for gifsets with one gif across). After that, go to image -> image size and adjust the width and height to 540x270.

After all that crap, we’ve now got a very basic, unedited gif!

This gif looks okaaay, but looks kinda flat and plain and dull. Which brings us to……

STEP FIVE: The most important step, sharpening and coloring.

To sharpen your gif, go to filter -> sharpen -> smart sharpen

I use the same settings as everyone on this website which is this:

This is what the gif looks like now. Brett is looking SHARP.

Sharpening is so important and it’s literally the best like look at how much better this gif looks already!! But we still gotta color it.

Coloring is a different ballgame than sharpening. Everyone has their own preferences on how to color and what they want their gifs to look like. There’s no right or wrong way to do it imo, as long as you like the way they look! Some people like really bright, vibrant gifs with whites so bright they’ll blind ya, and some like gifs with more muted colors. My personal preference depends on what I’m giffing and the lighting. If you look through my gifs you’ll see that my coloring changes depending on if it’s an on-ice video, a locker room interview or something else.

When I first started making gifs, I downloaded different psds from tumblr, which are basically just colorings you can download and use on your gifs. They’re a really great starting point if you have no idea what you’re doing and also just super convenient. A quick google search “tumblr psds” “tumblr photoshop resources” or even just searching “psds” on tumblr, will give you tons of stuff to choose from.

Anyway, if you’re not gonna use a premade psd, the two biggest settings that I use to color (and as a beginner they’re really the only settings you need to use) are brightness/contrast and selective coloring.

First, we’ll add some contrast. Go to layer -> new adjustment layer -> brightness/contrast. For the most part, my brightness/contrast settings stay the same and look like this:

My contrast almost always is set to 60. I’m all about high contrast in my gifs. My brightness setting is set to 0 in this gif because it’s already bright enough (just look at the light reflecting off Brett’s forehead lmao) Oftentimes I’ll set the brightness to 10 or 11 if the gif seems too dull or dark, but I usually won’t go higher than that. Just play with the setting until it seems right to you!

This is what it looks like now:

Looks good! But it still looks pretty yellow and Brett’s face is still too bright. This is where selective coloring comes in. Selective coloring basically helps you enhance or change specific colors in your gifs. It comes in handy a lot with videos that have shitty or weird lighting (looking at you, Rangers video department).

Go to layer -> new adjustment layer -> selective coloring. Like I said before, every gif is different so there’s no one specific way to set your selective coloring settings. My biggest thing with selective coloring is making sure the subject doesn’t look too yellow/red and enhancing the darker colors to create more depth/contrast. Play around with the colors until you like what you see!

And this gif is done! Brett looks beautiful and so does this gif. But we have one final step

STEP SIX: Save your gif.

To save your gif go to file -> export -> save for web (legacy) and this window will show up.

For your gif to work on tumblr the file needs to be under 3M otherwise when you post it, your gif will be frozen and won’t move and uh, that’s not ideal. The lower left hand corner will show you how large your gif is. Mine is 2.817M so we’re good.

Finally, please, please PLEASE make sure your looping options (found in the lower righthand corner) are set to forever.

If you don’t have your gif set to loop forever it literally will stop moving, so it’s real important you remember to check that it’s set to loop forever. One time I forgot to do that and now there’s a dumb gifset of Nolan Patrick that only loops once and then freezes and I didn’t notice it until it already got a bunch of notes and it’s just out there on fucking tumblr dot com and it drives me crazy and makes me so mad that I forgot to loop it. So don’t be like me and remember to loop your gifs! lol.

Anyway that’s the tutorial! I hope this helped! Again, sorry it’s so long and full of rambles. Remember you can ask me ANY questions you may have and I’ll do my best to help!

#asks #anonymous #gif tutorial #photoshop tutorial #i really hope this helped!#i probably rambled too much #long post

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grantplant · 8 years ago

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They All Saw a Cat

Last week, I was innocently skimming through Emily Nussbaum’s New Yorker commentary on the Girls series finale. I stopped watching this show a while ago—I liked it, and much of the material in early seasons resonated with me, but to a point. That point, or points, were Adam, the whiplashiest character I’ve ever hate-love-hated, forcing himself on his girlfriend and then Hannah repeatedly assaulting her ear with a q-tip. But I digress. I’ve followed the cultural zeitgeist of the show and Lena Dunham herself, and I like Emily Nussbaum, so I read the review. (You can, too.)

Somewhere in the middle of the piece, in a parenthetical no less, Nussbaum asserts: (You can’t be a writer without being entitled: Why else would you think anyone wants to listen to you?)

Record scratch. Oh, god. Is that possibly possibly true? Or rather, are any of the components that make up this doozy of a declaration? Because she’s saying 1) all writers are entitled, and 2) that the act of writing is synonymous with the belief that anyone wants to listen to us, and 3) that that unanimous and inherent entitlement is the reason why we believe that anyone wants to listen to us.

Before I put “Delete blog/set book(s) on fire” on my to-do list, I paused to think.

Couldn’t this (horrible! faulty!) logic be applied to anyone who ever created anything? A chef, or a painter, or, as my tech-minded husband said testily, “How about all the people in the world who feel sure that their app is the one that needs to be made?”

I admit, I spent five years of my life working at a nonprofit that encourages hundreds of thousands of people annually that they have a story (or perhaps dozens) to tell. This nonprofit has been likened more than once to a new breed of parent that believes and convinces their child that he or she is a special snowflake unlike any other, and is capable of—and dare I say it, entitled to--anything he or she sets his magical little mind to. (I am parent to a nine-month-old snowflake myself, and understand how terribly, seductively easy it is to adopt this mindset. No judgement here!)

I’m not now, nor was I ever, saying we’re all Pulitzer-quality yarn-spinners (Nussbaum actually is), but I genuinely do believe that we all have stories to tell that are unlike the stories that anyone else can tell. No one is exactly the same, and while that doesn’t imbue their differences with magic or the right to special treatment, it does add value to their perspective. This perspective allows each of us to experience, understand, live, and do everything differently from each other, and it also makes that uniqueness of experience unknowable to anyone else. That is, unless we decide to share it. And how do we share it, but by telling stories. That story could be painted, plated, coded, thrown on a wheel and fired in a kiln, or knit from dog hair into a dog sweater. Making something out of nothing is telling a story of some kind.

This storytelling isn’t new, btw. We are not talking about a tool for millennials to message each other disappearing videos, or broadcast their every location or opinion or achievement to the masses. People have been telling stories from the very beginning, with words and hieroglyphs and inventions and yes, novels and essays and, now, blogs and critiques and columns.

I am tickled by the thought that anyone ever looked at a cave painting drawn by one of our earliest ancestors and thought, “That entitled sonofabitch.” Maybe they did! Totally their right to feel that way, too.

As part of this snowflake-producing creative writing nonprofit, NaNoWriMo utilized the horrible, useful, sometime hilarious millennial tool for storytelling (and searching and archiving), the hashtag, specifically for a campaign called #whyIwrite (about, you guessed it, why you/I/anyone writes). I did a quick search (thanks, hashtags!) and not a single person wrote “Because I am entitled.” (But then who, other than Emily Nussbaum, is that self-aware? I’m looking at you, caveman.) My quick-search also turned up what I and my cohorts had to say on the subject back in 2011.

“I write because so many things are better read than said. Misunderstandings are too easy in spoken communication; we talk so much and so fast and with so many interruptions! Writing is a haven where I may sit with a concept, clarifying here and editing there, until I can stand back and say, “Here. This is exactly what I mean.””

Reading this makes me realize, I guess, that I’ve gone and made a leap of my own. I am operating on the (possibly gross/horrible/faulty) logic that to write is to tell a story of some kind. And while my above answer does address why I *write* my stories instead of, for example, saying them out loud or painting them (can’t) or cooking them (sometimes I do that, too), or coding them (nope), it doesn’t ask or address exactly why I tell stories (aka create anything, written or otherwise) in the first place.

We’ll get to that in a sec, though.

Do you remember the study showing that by reading literary fiction, we humans’ emotional sensitivity is improved? The NYTimes characterized the findings thusly:

“…after reading literary fiction, as opposed to popular fiction or serious nonfiction, people performed better on tests measuring empathy, social perception and emotional intelligence — skills that come in especially handy when you are trying to read someone’s body language or gauge what they might be thinking.”

I don’t know what middling impact or nonimpact my nonserious nonfiction (as opposed to its serious counterparts, or literary or popular fiction) might have or not have but… this is #whyitellstories. My stories happen to be true stories, and they’re not always mine, and so I have no idea if any of it increases or promotes understanding in this often baffling and misunderstood world. If not this way, though, how else will we gain any insight into what’s happening elsewhere to other people of other belief systems and capabilities and ethnicities and everything else that makes up our own snowflakey identities?

I’m not writing to be read, or telling stories to be heard or listened to. The writing-down part is ultimately a selfish act; a putting together of disparate pieces to make something comprehensible in times of confusion. I am using the written word to make sense of, well, everything. So why do I share it? Why tell the story instead of logging it away, sussed but otherwise unconsumed? In the hopes that maybe I’m not alone in my wonderings or bafflement. That anyone else who ever felt confused or amazed or humbled or edified might see the way it happened over here, through this lens of experience, and might think that even though it was different for them, maybe it was also the same.

Even though I think hope Emily Nussbaum is wrong, there’s more than enough room for her opinion and perspective and… were we to meet over a Cinnabon or a tub of hummus, she may come to believe I am the wrong one, indeed the most entitled nonserious-nonfiction writer she ever did meet. We’re probably both right. And wrong. And there is plenty of room for both versions or some combination therein.

As I am often guilty of doing, because I ultimately believe that all of life can be explained by children’s books (which further reinforces my view on the value of storytellers, I guess) I will bring this back to a book that we, the Grant-Bowens, have been reading a lot. They All Saw A Cat is about a cat, as seen by a child, a dog, a flea, a bird, and a bat, among other animals, until, in the end, it sees itself. Each creature sees this cat differently, based on its size, perception, biology, and biases. The way the cat sees itself is the only way it could ever perceive itself in the world, unless that child, dog, flea, bird, bat, and anything else so inclined, shares the way *it* sees the cat. This not only changes the way the cat sees itself, but also the cat’s understanding of the way a child, dog, flea, bird, and bat sees things, too.

I used to think this should be required reading for all nonfiction writers, and then expanded it to all writers, period. Increasingly, I’m thinking it goes on the syllabus for life.

We all see the cat. But how do we see it? And more importantly, why do we see it as we do? If no one else pipes up to answer the question, we will only ever see it one way—our own way--and worse, never realize that there are other ways; ways we can’t even imagine.And they are all weird and surprising and beautiful, and they are all true.

The entitlement of the writer, or the solipsism a writer-free world. I know which I fear more. And so I hit ‘publish.’ Emily, send me your address and I’ll send you a book. It’s about a cat.

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newtonmediagroup · 5 years ago

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The Mindset of Humility - Self-Growth with Peter Hollins from Intentiona...

The mindset of humility is more geared toward a mindset of perpetual learning, but the latter can’t happen without the former. In order to learn effectively, you must remove your ego from the equation and embrace the fact that you might not know everything and have to humble yourself. You can do this first by trying to use the beginner’s mindset. This is when you attempt to act as if you are seeing things for the first time. When something is novel, you are completely open to information. What questions might you ask and what details might you focus on? Step out of your expert mindset of seeing the big picture only and get back to a beginner’s curiosity. The Art of Intentional Thinking: Master Your Mindset. Control and Choose Your Thoughts. Create Mental Habits to Fulfill Your Potential (Second Edition) By Peter Hollins Get the audiobook on Audible at https://bit.ly/IntThink Show notes and/or episode transcripts are available at https://bit.ly/self-growth-shownotes Peter Hollins is a bestselling author, human psychology researcher, and a dedicated student of the human condition. Visit https://www.PeteHollins.com to pick up your FREE human nature cheat sheet: 7 surprising psychology studies that will change the way you think. For narration information visit Russell Newton at https://bit.ly/VoW-home For production information visit Newton Media Group LLC at https://bit.ly/newtonmg #GeorgeTreverton #Humility #Mindset #PhilipDow #RussellNewton #NewtonMG #PeterHollins # #Shoshin #Smithsonian #ZenBuddhist George Treverton,Humility,Mindset,Philip Dow,Russell Newton,NewtonMG,Peter Hollins,Shoshin,Smithsonian,Zen Buddhist,

The Mindset of Humility There’s nothing like a true sense of pride in accomplishment, reaching a goal you’ve worked to achieve, and feeling the elation of success. Everyone craves that emotion. After we get to that point of satisfaction and live in it for a little while, it’s always a fantastic idea to restate a very specific affirmation: I know nothing. “Wait,” you’re saying, “I just gave you six chapters of my life, and once I reach my destination, you’re telling me I don’t know anything? Are you trying to get me to buy the sequel to this book?” No, I’m not, though please feel free to buy as many of my books as you like. I’m saying that while your accomplishment has been made, your journey isn’t done. Actually, it’s just started, and you have many levels of depth and insight to peel back—in theory. Whether it is literally true or not, imagine yourself as always being on a path until you are literally drawing your final breath. By ascending to the top of where you want to be, you’re actually just opening up to more opportunities to learn, be humble, listen, and understand how very little you truly know. The ultimate and most valuable mindset to have is one of perpetual and humble learning. Similar to the growth mindset, willing to be humble and putting yourself in a lower tier of knowledge relative to others helps you appreciate experience, increase your personal insight, and strengthen your confidence. It also helps to remove the fear, inadequacy, or other stress that sometimes comes with our encounters with the unfamiliar. Adopting a learning mindset shouldn’t be a blow to the ego, although it sounds like you should devalue yourself in favor of others. What you’re doing is not related to your ego—it’s just putting yourself in a position to be able to listen to others and keep improving yourself bit by bit. The ego hates to admit it, but imagine how much differently you would act if you could just state with a straight face, “I’m willing to hear you out and really listen to you.” Your chances of continued success run much higher with that mindset than with one that’s closed off to learning. Letting go of your ego in a relationship, for example—realizing you can’t know everything about the person you’re with—helps foster understanding and a free exchange of emotions and information, and it certainly deescalates potential flare-ups. Putting aside ego and humbling yourself to admit that you indeed were the one to make an error makes a bad situation better because people will see how honest of a coworker you are. This chapter is about putting your ego on pause and how to accept that none of us are ever a finished product. How do you become a more finished product? The Beginner’s Mindset The mindset of a beginner—even to the point of considering yourself a novice or amateur in something you’ve known about for years—is extremely beneficial in helping you view the world as a learning grounds to finish the product of you. A common misconception about being an “expert”—even among experts—is that it implies you don’t have to learn anything anymore. You’ve reached the fullest extent of knowledge possible in a given situation, and any suggestion that you could still learn more is almost insulting. You think—or feel—that you’ve already transcended all limitations and that there’s nowhere to go but down. However, ideally, there’s not much difference between a beginner’s mindset and an expert’s mindset. That’s because when someone decides they want to become an expert on any subject, the first thing they have to accept is that they will never stop learning about that subject. Long after they’ve established themselves as an authority about that subject, they will still be learning about it and discovering just how much they still don’t know. An expert never stops wanting to fill in those gaps. The expert and the beginner therefore share an openness to new knowledge and insight. The beginner’s mindset is drawn from the Zen Buddhist concept Shoshin, which is described as “having an attitude of openness, eagerness, and lack of preconceptions when studying a subject, even when studying at an advanced level, just as a beginner in that subject would.” Every time you come across a new situation, no matter how shopworn or streetwise you think you are, reorient yourself to experiencing it as a beginner. Release all of your preconceived notions or expectations about the experience. Treat it with curiosity and a sense of wonder as if you were seeing it for the first time. As a quick illustration, imagine you see a herd of zebras outside of your bedroom window—hopefully a novel situation for you. Once you get over your initial shock, what are your initial observations and questions? Does this situation remind you of something you’re already familiar with or have seen in a movie, perhaps? You’d try to make sense of it all and construct and narrative to understand it through. What happened beforehand and what will happen after? What details are surprising or downright odd when you think about it beyond first glance? You’d certainly focus on “why” and “how” questions. You would probably also be overwhelmed with sensation and stimuli. Now let’s take another example of learning how to play a new instrument. What questions would you ask? Where would you even start? You wouldn’t know what’s important, so everything would seem significant at first. You’d probably be curious as to the limits of the instrument—first in how to not break it and then in its overall capabilities. You’d be filled with wonder and also caution for fear of making an error or breaking it. The impression it makes on you immediately won’t be forgotten for a very long time. Those are the underpinnings of the beginner mindset. When you try to reprogram your mind to a blank slate and act as if you truly have no knowledge about something, knowledge will come far easier than acting like you do through the form of extensive questioning and curiosity. It should be emphasized that the beginner’s mindset empowers the ability to ask dumb questions. So-called experts rely on assumptions and their own experiences, often without further investigation. When you feel comfortable asking dumb questions, nothing is left up to assumptions and chance, and everything is out in the open and clarified. You can approach both new and familiar situations with this same principle. Next time you’re driving a car, try noticing the things you would automatically do otherwise and say them out loud to yourself. Along with that, focus on what you sense when you’re behind the wheel but have long since stopped paying attention to: the ridges in the steering wheel, the glow of the dashboard odometer, or the sound of the air conditioner. Even these crushingly insignificant details could unlock and reveal some new element or impression that you’ve never experienced before. The beginner’s mindset requires slowing down and paying attention to what you’ve ignored for a long time.

“I Know It All” vs. “What Don’t I Know?” Like the beginner’s mindset, the intellectually curious mindset (“What don’t I know?”) is almost synonymous with the expert mindset (in my expert opinion, anyway). The difference is that the intellectually curious mindset is aggressive about finding answers, learning more, and absorbing as much knowledge as we can about different issues, principles, and beliefs—especially ones that run counter to our own. This kind of assertive approach to discovering new information is an effective means of staying humble and allowing yourself to improve while your ego is on sabbatical. The key is to regard everyone you know and meet as a potential spring of knowledge, someone who can tell you something you didn’t know every time you encounter them. Actually, more than a spring of knowledge—a huge spring of fascinating knowledge. The intellectually curious person does not stop pursuing the answer to the question “Why?” They don’t settle for the standard party-line answers they get at surface level—they get more integral and exact until they’ve uncovered the ultimate root and foundation of the topic they’re investigating. They assume there are multiple levels of complexity in everything, and they’re eager to discover what those levels are. The ways to become more intellectually curious might seem obvious at first glance but need to be kept uppermost in mind. If a topic rouses your interest, follow it relentlessly through reading, research, and answering your own questions. Engage with people in the field you’re most interested in, and never be afraid of asking a dumb question. Embrace your state of not knowing as a launching pad, not a handicap. Security expert George Treverton suggests that a good way to approach the unknown is as a “mystery” as opposed to a “puzzle” like a crossword or jigsaw. “Puzzles may be more satisfying, but the world increasingly offers us mysteries,” Treverton wrote in Smithsonian magazine. “Treating them as puzzles is like trying to solve the unsolvable—an impossible challenge. But approaching them as mysteries may make us more comfortable with the uncertainties of our age.” Intellectual curiosity is not exactly the same as, say, Googling for Hollywood gossip and getting the complete story on a given Real Housewife. Instead, it’s a directed effort to gain insight on a topic with relevance that resounds in our lives in some way. Author Philip Dow suggests taking 10 minutes a day—an almost ridiculously easy time commitment—to dive into a topic or subject that interests you but you haven’t had the time to learn about yet. It’s even better to find a topic that has a direct impact on or a particular significance to your life—if you’re a parent, you might examine child development; if you’re politically active, you might study history and current issues; if you’re an athlete, you might learn about motivational techniques or sports law. Whatever your choice, never be satisfied with the first answer you get: go deeper, get multiple sides, and challenge what you think you know. There’s everything to gain from the intellectually curious mindset. Remember, how differently would you act if ego and pride weren’t in your way and you weren’t concerned with appearing stupid or weird? You’d feel absolute freedom to pursue your curiosities down deep rabbit holes.

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freshleadprovider · 5 years ago

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The Best Tactics to Market and Thrive During a Crisis

The world has changed whether we like it or not, and many small business owners have been thrown into a world of transformation. During this time, it’s important to plan out your short and long-term goals and make changes to your marketing where appropriate. In trying times, a significant part of running our businesses is listening to and observing our customers in order to find out what they really need. As someone who owns a digital marketing agency and who is a partner in other ventures including retail, I have seen the unique challenges businesses such as ours are facing during this time. In this article, I will cover specific tactics you can use to successfully market your business through these difficult times. But first, we have to ask the big question: Should you stop marketing and advertising during a crisis? In time, the market will recover. If you’re seeing a decline now, search traffic will pick back up. When it does, will you be there when your customers are looking? It’s easy to be reactive during stressful times when there are a lot of unknowns. The problem with reactive marketing, though, is that you’re typically jumping from tactic to tactic without a plan, as well as making decisions based on fear. Instead of letting that fear control you, it’s time to plan out what the business realities are for your business in 30 days, 90 days, 6 months, and a year out from now. Ask yourself, “What will my market look like in a year?” and “What do I need to do to get through this time”? This is how you can develop and align your short and long-term goals. With this in mind, you can develop an action plan based on strategies that will help you meet your goals. While relying on your past strategies, it’s likely that you will also need to consider tactics you haven’t implemented before and even consider marketing more during this difficult time. Some business owners will be faced with cash flow crunches that require more extreme measures. But this is not the time to give up. Rather, it’s the time to slow down and focus on what matters most to you. Start by clarifying your message If you’re a traditional brick-and-mortar retail store, it’s possible that you have had to pivot your operations to stay open during this time. If this is you, it’s important that you share this information with your clients along with the fact that you’re open. The content you share during difficult times such as these will be remembered, so it’s important to stay away from self-serving content and instead practice empathy. Tactics every business needs right now Before you can spread the word, it’s important to know where you need to spread the word. Depending on your business type, these channels may vary. Start by making a list of these channels and sharing the list with your team. They can then use this to update and promote your brand message. You can start with the most obvious ways people find your business such as: Your website Google My Business Facebook Twitter YouTube LinkedIn But if you want a more comprehensive approach, make sure to look at your analytics data, too. You can look at your referral data and sort that by conversions to figure out if there is anywhere else you should update your customers. 1. Let your clients know if you’re open for business There is so much uncertainty right now, and many states, counties, and cities have different orders ranging from nonessential business shutdowns to social distancing. If you’re not telling your clients you’re open for business, they probably don’t even know. Practically, this means that even if they find your website, they may not contact you because they don’t know if you’re open. Some potential clients might also check if you’re open on social media. Have you posted an update? Are you active? If not, they might take that as a sign that you’re closed. If you are temporarily closed, you need to let people know that, along with an expectation on when they can expect to hear back from you if they do contact you. 2. Add a website banner or pop up I have hated these things for years. But now there is a great need for them. Potential customers might land on any page of your website when they find you. A homepage message just isn’t good enough. Here, using a simple and lightweight bar or pop up with an empathetic message is a great solution. Check out this example from Vanderginst Law below: You can customize these popups with videos instead if you’d like. If you implement pop-ups, I recommend that you only show it once to each website visitor. If it pops up on every page after a visitor has already seen it, they could get annoyed. If you don’t have a website but you do have a Google My Business listing, you can create a free website there and put your message on the homepage. 3. Update your contact forms If you use contact forms or a contact page on your website, I recommend updating this with expectations for your customers. For example, if you have limited staff, tell people and inform them of your expected response times. Setting the proper expectations will help prevent frustration and keep customers. 4. Update your Google My Business hours and posts I have to give credit to Google for implementing changes to Google My Business since they’re likely facing the same staffing issues as other companies. First, they have rolled out a Covid-19 update option under Posts, which allows people searching for your business to see your current status. To implement this, simply login to your Google My Business account. After you’ve selected your business click Posts > COVID-19 update button, as shown below. Make sure to tell clients everything they need to know. If you have new information like offering delivery when you were traditionally a sit-down restaurant, you can add a different Google Post to make this information readily available. Second, there is also the option to update your listing as temporarily closed (shown below). Of course, you should also update any other pertinent business information as well, including your business hours. 5. Write a blog post In order to let our clients know that, for us, it was business as usual, we wrote a blog post addressing the issue. This may not get the same exposure you’d want or expect from the usual content, but it’s something you can share on your social channels to increase reach and, more importantly, inform customers. 6. Send a text message If you have a strong base of customers that opted into text messaging, this is a great way to spread the word quickly. Keep in mind that, just like with all text message marketing, you don’t want to over-text them. A simple message with how your business is operating during this time should do the trick. 7. Share on social One great opportunity right now for small businesses is social media. People are bored right now and are spending more time on social media. In addition to this, many communities are pulling together and helping out. Right now, social media is an opportunity to introduce yourself to an audience who may not even know about you yet. In my neighborhood, for example, we have community-based groups that share information about open businesses. Some are even open day-to-day. This is a screenshot of a Facebook group that updates its lists of open restaurants doing takeout and delivery daily: Here are some opportunities you should take advantage of right away: Find Facebook groups in your town and let them know you’re open! These will be town groups, food groups, and local community groups. Search your cities’ Reddit threads if they have one and post there. Get added to any lists. Do a Google search for: [open for business + city name] or [businesses open during shelter in place in city] and see if there are any lists you can ask to be added to. 8. Get on Nextdoor If you operate a local business, chances are your customers are spending time on Nextdoor. Make sure you’re sharing relevant information with your local community as these customers are your lifeblood. If there are any other city-specific places where your potential clients hang out online, make sure to post there too. The more people that know about your situation, the better. 9. Record and share a video Here’s a great example from a local brewery near me doing video content right during Covid-19. They created a quick video that shows their sanitation practices and how they’re pivoting: Tactics to avoid right now 1. Generic email to all your email lists While I don’t think this idea is coming from a bad place, we’re all fed up with these emails. At this point, it’s been done so much that, as a consumer, I’m now likely more annoyed if I get an email from a business I shopped at 10 years ago telling me how they’re responding. In my opinion, it also lacks empathy. Bear in mind that a generic one-size-fits-all email is different to a short, very personalized email to active clients. That being said, I still recommend other methods outside of email at this point. 2. Google My Business name edits Google has cracked down on name edits for restaurants and grocery stores. They are now more stringent, disallowing you to edit your name to include a delivery modifier. This would be against Google My Business guidelines anyway, and you don’t want a suspended listing right now — it’s too important. 3. Focusing only on Google reviews When this all started, I saw many businesses seeking reviews. Unfortunately, Google has suspended these and they will not be shown publicly. So any new reviews your business receives now may not show for a while. That’s not to say you shouldn’t focus on Google reviews at all, but try to diversify your efforts for more immediate results. 4. Using Google Q&A The Google My Business Q&A feature may have been a good place to post business updates, but this has also been removed by Google for the time being. Growing your brand during crisis There is no benefit to your brand if you’re trying to be the best-kept secret. Don’t be afraid to put yourself out there and show the world who you are, even during times like these. What you are able to do during this time will greatly depend on the financial health of your business. But if you have the means, time, or resources to show the world your values and who you really are, seize this opportunity. This is also a great way to build net promoters. When the dust settles and things return to normal, people will remember those who were able to help and give back in a time of need. Other benefits of effective brand-building include: Generating new customers Getting free exposure Building brand advocates Building an email list Share your brand message Your brand message through this time needs to be consistent and not self-serving. Whatever you share, people are going to be more likely to engage with messages that help solve their biggest problems or fears during this time. Think about what your clients need most, what their concerns are, and how you can address them. Here are a few examples of concerns that your customers may have and how you can address them: Restaurant: Showing a video of your sanitary practices/social distancing in kitchens and the delivery process. Business Lawyer: Hosting and recording a webinar discussing force majeure and the implications with Covid-19. Criminal Defense Attorney: Creating content around airport fights and purposeful Covid-19 related injuries. Retail: Showing how your operations have shifted online, offering free delivery, etc. Giving to essential personnel or the community If you are providing support to essential personnel and your community, these are campaigns that can and should be posted on your website and shared on social. These stories may also be newsworthy. People can get bad news all day long if they want to, so journalists are looking for lighter news stories. You can be a part of that. Community-related giveaways will help your brand thrive, and there are potential long-term benefits such as generating new customers, earning links, and gaining media exposure. Below are just a couple of ideas to engage with and support your community right now. Hand sanitizer giveaway to key workers Hand sanitizer and other disinfectant products are hard to come by at the moment. While that’s the case within the United States, you can still source these products from overseas using websites like Alibaba.com or Ali Express. Ordering these items and giving them away to people who can’t find them will show how your brand cares about people’s health and is a lighthearted way to encourage good hygiene. This is something we actually implemented this ourselves. Recently we gave several thousand bottles of hand sanitizer and hospital masks away to our community without interrupting supply chains here. Food giveaways (whether you’re a restaurant or not) If you’re a restaurant, doing a weekly food giveaway to build your email list is not a bad idea. If you’re not a restaurant, you can leverage either UberEats giveaways or gift cards to local grocery stores. If you don’t have a system in place to collect email addresses, sign up for a service like Mailchimp. Here are some more examples for successful email marketing campaigns: Food giveaways to essential personnel Giveaways to people in your neighborhood If your clients are nationwide, giveaways via Doordash or UberEats If your program is nationwide and your clients are average consumers, make sure to get the word out by submitting this to giveaway sites. Increase your exposure The tactics in this section greatly depend on the industry you’re in. Some will be more relevant for professional services, but try to think outside of the box! Participate in podcasts Podcasts’ popularity and presence have significantly increased over the last few years. According to an article from Podcast Insights, there are now over 900,000 podcasts. If you’re looking to get in front of your target audience, this is a great way to build your follower base. If you have the right background, it’s typically pretty straightforward to get an interview since hosts are always looking for qualified participants. To find podcasts, you can do a Google search for podcasts in your niche or use a tool like Sparktoro to find people who commonly discuss topics relevant to your business. Below is a screenshot of a Sparktoro search using their podcast feature. After you curate your list, you can reach out to the host. Make sure to include your background information and recordings of speaking events or podcasts if you have any. If you participate in a podcast, make sure you have good audio. Investing in something like a Yeti microphone or a Smart Mike+ can make a big difference in your audio quality. Participate, attend, or host a digital summit The conference industry was hit very hard by Covid-19. With all in-person events being postponed for the foreseeable future, many of these events were canceled altogether or had to move online. At a time when most people are working from home, attending, speaking, or hosting a digital conference might be a little easier. For example, at Juris Digital we were going to host an in-person legal marketing conference in Las Vegas. We recently made the decision to move it online. Attend a digital conference I wanted to include this because I believe that we should always be investing in ourselves. The more you can learn, the more you will be able to accomplish. If you were previously unable to attend a conference due to geographic or monetary reasons, you may be able to learn a lot for way less money (virtual conferences typically cost less than in-person ones). Participate as a speaker With conference schedules shifting and new conferences popping up, there is an opportunity to speak at one if you’re qualified. One way to do this is to search your niche for conferences and see what’s coming up. I also know of companies like Summit Beast that are hosting digital conferences and actively looking for speakers across all niches. Host a digital summit Don’t be intimidated by this thought. When I say host a digital summit, I’m talking about something that could be as small as hosting a webinar with 10 people, although they can be as large as a conference with 2,000 attendees. If you’re looking to host something small with your ideal clients, prospective clients, or a core group, you can simply use Zoom. Zoom makes it easy to host a video meeting and interview multiple people (as well as recording it). If you host a digital summit, you will have content for a long time after it’s all said and done. You can break it up into helpful bits and share it across your social channels for a year. Create a paid-for training course Do you sell a training or mentoring program? Some personal trainers and digital marketing experts have pivoted to online courses. The best part? You can charge for these courses. By using a platform such as Teachable or Kajabi, you can build courses from the ground up and monetize them. Host a digital event Summits are not the only type of event you can host. Almost any business can host some sort of online event to grow their audience or keep their audience engaged. One example of a digital event is a wine bar and cooking school I like here in Lone Tree, Colorado, called Uncorked. They focus on date night cooking instructions, but since their facility is closed by order of the Governor, they have pivoted. They now offer food pickup and online cooking instructions to their customers. Restaurants can showcase how they make certain dishes as an added bonus. Or people watching who might not be able to source the necessary ingredients can use takeout or pickup instead. Plus, you can even take happy hours online! Friends of mine that own a hangover and health patch company are hosting a virtual happy hour through Zoom to connect with new and existing clients. It’s harder to stay relevant in some cases, but still very possible! Create video content Most people get stuck on video because of production quality. With high-quality video features available on smartphones, a lot of that is not really a problem anymore. Actually, phone recorded videos come across as more authentic. While you could produce more professional videos, right now, authentic videos might be the right choice given our current sensitive situation. Looking to up your game? Check out the Soapbox Station to learn more about what you need for a mobile video studio. If you’re looking for software, Loom is one application that I use for free to create videos with a screen share. Here are some content ideas for video that you can use today: Record video updates about your business to share on social media. Maybe record a video wearing a mask or showing social distancing practices at work. Keep your customers informed about your operations. Provide a daily update on how things are going. Record a video on how you’re giving back to the community. Record videos that are useful, such as ways potential clients can use your products or services. It’s a Time to Be Social People are spending more time on social media right now. When considering content creation for your social media channels, keep a few things in mind. All content needs to be helpful. Additionally, address pain points and give information away. Your content should not be self-serving. After all, as we discussed earlier, most people are turning to social now to see if you’re open and active. Post on your company-owned channels, but you should take it a step further. Here are some ideas for different social media channels. Facebook marketing According to the March 24th, 2020 blog post “Keeping Our Services Stable and Reliable During the COVID-19 Outbreak” Facebook has seen chat up over 50% in most countries, as well as an update in posts and feeds views. However, it’s important to note they have also seen a reduction in ad spend in areas affected by Covid-19. Regardless, it’s clear that people are spending a lot of time on Facebook. For your business, it’s important not to push salesy material, but rather to focus on content that will help your customers solve their biggest problems. Here are the Facebook tactics we’re focusing on now: Promoting content that serves the community We are creating, publishing, and boosting content to our followers and specific audiences that might benefit from what we have to say. We’re not trying to make any money doing this. We’re just trying to be real and help people. Remarketing content If you run remarketing and target people on Facebook who have visited your website, it may be time to change your message. Instead of promoting self-serving content, promote helpful content that helps and supports. YouTube marketing You can easily promote your non self-serving content to your subscribers on YouTube. Plus, if you don’t have a following yet, you can purchase ads to get your information in front of the right audience. If you need help ranking on YouTube, check out Brian Dean’s great resource YouTube SEO: How to Rank YouTube Videos in 2020. LinkedIn marketing It will be interesting to see how LinkedIn traffic shakes out. On one hand, users are mostly in B2B companies, and the platform isn’t particularly social. On the other hand, many people are seeking employment after being laid off. If you hope to hire great talent during this time, it’s worth your effort to spend time here. LinkedIn Text Ads for Brand Awareness One of the bigger and cheaper opportunities on LinkedIn right now is paying for text ads set with a CPM goal for brand building. Basically, by changing your goal from conversions to cost-per-click (CPC), you will receive a lot more brand impressions than you would from LinkedIn’s CPM Model. Search Engine Optimization [SEO] If you haven’t invested in a long term SEO campaign, it’s time you start. Especially if you have a lot of time on your hands. The truth is that, depending on some markets, search volumes could be going up or down. Here is an example of searches for [personal injury lawyer] rising during this crisis. Is it lawyers at home searching for their own keywords, or is it potential clients looking to generate more cash from a settlement? I don’t have the answer yet, but I do know that the searches will return. When things have calmed down and people are able to think about things that worry them less, the searches will come back. In the meantime, use Google Trends to identify topics you can blog about and rank when people are looking for answers. For example, if shelter in place orders are trending, think about how your business can write about it. Maybe include restaurants that will be open, things to do, or virtual classes for people — whatever is related to your business. Don’t be afraid to ask for help Maybe it’s human nature, or maybe it’s just pride that gets in the way. Regardless—don’t be afraid to ask your friends, colleagues, and community for help. We’re going to get through this Some industries are getting hit harder than others, and I know this will bring a lot of change worldwide. In tough situations, I like to say “plan for the worst and expect the best.” However, you also need to plan for the best. Plan for your business to continue to thrive when this is all over. Don’t give up hope. If this post gave you any ideas and you have more to contribute, I would love to hear them. If you have other ideas from things you’ve read or seen, I would also love to hear those. Together, we’re all going to get through this. The post The Best Tactics to Market and Thrive During a Crisis appeared first on BrightLocal. https://probdm.com/site/MTkxNDU

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laurelkrugerr · 5 years ago

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The Best Tactics to Market and Thrive During a Crisis

The world has changed whether we like it or not, and many small business owners have been thrown into a world of transformation.

During this time, it’s important to plan out your short and long-term goals and make changes to your marketing agency where appropriate. In trying times, a significant part of running our businesses is listening to and observing our customers in order to find out what they really need.

As someone who owns a digital marketing agency agency and who is a partner in other ventures including retail, I have seen the unique challenges businesses such as ours are facing during this time.

In this article, I will cover specific tactics you can use to successfully market your business through these difficult times. But first, we have to ask the big question:

Should you stop marketing agency and advertising during a crisis?

In time, the market will recover. If you’re seeing a decline now, search traffic will pick back up. When it does, will you be there when your customers are looking?

It’s easy to be reactive during stressful times when there are a lot of unknowns. The problem with reactive marketing agency, though, is that you’re typically jumping from tactic to tactic without a plan, as well as making decisions based on fear.

Instead of letting that fear control you, it’s time to plan out what the business realities are for your business in 30 days, 90 days, 6 months, and a year out from now. Ask yourself, “What will my market look like in a year?” and “What do I need to do to get through this time”? This is how you can develop and align your short and long-term goals. With this in mind, you can develop an action plan based on strategies that will help you meet your goals.

While relying on your past strategies, it’s likely that you will also need to consider tactics you haven’t implemented before and even consider marketing agency more during this difficult time.

Some business owners will be faced with cash flow crunches that require more extreme measures. But this is not the time to give up. Rather, it’s the time to slow down and focus on what matters most to you.

Start by clarifying your message

If you’re a traditional brick-and-mortar retail store, it’s possible that you have had to pivot your operations to stay open during this time.

If this is you, it’s important that you share this information with your clients along with the fact that you’re open.

The content you share during difficult times such as these will be remembered, so it’s important to stay away from self-serving content and instead practice empathy.

Tactics every business needs right now

Before you can spread the word, it’s important to know where you need to spread the word. Depending on your business type, these channels may vary.

Start by making a list of these channels and sharing the list with your team. They can then use this to update and promote your brand message.

You can start with the most obvious ways people find your business such as:

Your website

Google My Business

Facebook

Twitter

YouTube

But if you want a more comprehensive approach, make sure to look at your analytics data, too. You can look at your referral data and sort that by conversions to figure out if there is anywhere else you should update your customers.

1. Let your clients know if you’re open for business

There is so much uncertainty right now, and many states, counties, and cities have different orders ranging from nonessential business shutdowns to social distancing.

If you’re not telling your clients you’re open for business, they probably don’t even know. Practically, this means that even if they find your website, they may not contact you because they don’t know if you’re open.

Some potential clients might also check if you’re open on social media. Have you posted an update? Are you active? If not, they might take that as a sign that you’re closed.

If you are temporarily closed, you need to let people know that, along with an expectation on when they can expect to hear back from you if they do contact you.

2. Add a website banner or pop up

I have hated these things for years. But now there is a great need for them. Potential customers might land on any page of your website when they find you. A homepage message just isn’t good enough.

Here, using a simple and lightweight bar or pop up with an empathetic message is a great solution.

Check out this example from Vanderginst Law below:

You can customize these popups with videos instead if you’d like.

If you implement pop-ups, I recommend that you only show it once to each website visitor. If it pops up on every page after a visitor has already seen it, they could get annoyed.

If you don’t have a website but you do have a Google My Business listing, you can create a free website there and put your message on the homepage.

3. Update your contact forms

If you use contact forms or a contact page on your website, I recommend updating this with expectations for your customers. For example, if you have limited staff, tell people and inform them of your expected response times.

Setting the proper expectations will help prevent frustration and keep customers.

4. Update your Google My Business hours and posts

I have to give credit to Google for implementing changes to Google My Business since they’re likely facing the same staffing issues as other companies.

First, they have rolled out a Covid-19 update option under Posts, which allows people searching for your business to see your current status.

To implement this, simply login to your Google My Business account.

After you’ve selected your business click Posts > COVID-19 update button, as shown below.

Make sure to tell clients everything they need to know. If you have new information like offering delivery when you were traditionally a sit-down restaurant, you can add a different Google Post to make this information readily available.

Second, there is also the option to update your listing as temporarily closed (shown below).

Of course, you should also update any other pertinent business information as well, including your business hours.

5. Write a blog post

In order to let our clients know that, for us, it was business as usual, we wrote a blog post addressing the issue.

This may not get the same exposure you’d want or expect from the usual content, but it’s something you can share on your social channels to increase reach and, more importantly, inform customers.

6. Send a text message

If you have a strong base of customers that opted into text messaging, this is a great way to spread the word quickly. Keep in mind that, just like with all text message marketing agency, you don’t want to over-text them.

A simple message with how your business is operating during this time should do the trick.

7. Share on social

One great opportunity right now for small businesses is social media. People are bored right now and are spending more time on social media.

In addition to this, many communities are pulling together and helping out. Right now, social media is an opportunity to introduce yourself to an audience who may not even know about you yet.

In my neighborhood, for example, we have community-based groups that share information about open businesses. Some are even open day-to-day. This is a screenshot of a Facebook group that updates its lists of open restaurants doing takeout and delivery daily:

Here are some opportunities you should take advantage of right away:

Find Facebook groups in your town and let them know you’re open! These will be town groups, food groups, and local community groups.

Search your cities’ Reddit threads if they have one and post there. Get added to any lists.

Do a Google search for: [open for business + city name] or [businesses open during shelter in place in city] and see if there are any lists you can ask to be added to.

8. Get on Nextdoor

If you operate a local business, chances are your customers are spending time on Nextdoor. Make sure you’re sharing relevant information with your local community as these customers are your lifeblood.

If there are any other city-specific places where your potential clients hang out online, make sure to post there too. The more people that know about your situation, the better.

9. Record and share a video

Here’s a great example from a local brewery near me doing video content right during Covid-19.

They created a quick video that shows their sanitation practices and how they’re pivoting:

Tactics to avoid right now

1. Generic email to all your email lists

While I don’t think this idea is coming from a bad place, we’re all fed up with these emails. At this point, it’s been done so much that, as a consumer, I’m now likely more annoyed if I get an email from a business I shopped at 10 years ago telling me how they’re responding. In my opinion, it also lacks empathy.

Bear in mind that a generic one-size-fits-all email is different to a short, very personalized email to active clients. That being said, I still recommend other methods outside of email at this point.

2. Google My Business name edits

Google has cracked down on name edits for restaurants and grocery stores. They are now more stringent, disallowing you to edit your name to include a delivery modifier. This would be against Google My Business guidelines anyway, and you don’t want a suspended listing right now — it’s too important.

3. Focusing only on Google reviews

When this all started, I saw many businesses seeking reviews. Unfortunately, Google has suspended these and they will not be shown publicly.

So any new reviews your business receives now may not show for a while. That’s not to say you shouldn’t focus on Google reviews at all, but try to diversify your efforts for more immediate results.

4. Using Google Q&A

The Google My Business Q&A feature may have been a good place to post business updates, but this has also been removed by Google for the time being.

Growing your brand during crisis

There is no benefit to your brand if you’re trying to be the best-kept secret. Don’t be afraid to put yourself out there and show the world who you are, even during times like these.

What you are able to do during this time will greatly depend on the financial health of your business. But if you have the means, time, or resources to show the world your values and who you really are, seize this opportunity.

This is also a great way to build net promoters. When the dust settles and things return to normal, people will remember those who were able to help and give back in a time of need.

Other benefits of effective brand-building include:

Generating new customers

Getting free exposure

Building brand advocates

Building an email list

Share your brand message

Your brand message through this time needs to be consistent and not self-serving. Whatever you share, people are going to be more likely to engage with messages that help solve their biggest problems or fears during this time.

Think about what your clients need most, what their concerns are, and how you can address them. Here are a few examples of concerns that your customers may have and how you can address them:

Restaurant: Showing a video of your sanitary practices/social distancing in kitchens and the delivery process.

Business Lawyer: Hosting and recording a webinar discussing force majeure and the implications with Covid-19.

Criminal Defense Attorney: Creating content around airport fights and purposeful Covid-19 related injuries.

Retail: Showing how your operations have shifted online, offering free delivery, etc.

Giving to essential personnel or the community

If you are providing support to essential personnel and your community, these are campaigns that can and should be posted on your website and shared on social.

These stories may also be newsworthy. People can get bad news all day long if they want to, so journalists are looking for lighter news stories. You can be a part of that.

Community-related giveaways will help your brand thrive, and there are potential long-term benefits such as generating new customers, earning links, and gaining media exposure.

Below are just a couple of ideas to engage with and support your community right now.

Hand sanitizer giveaway to key workers

Hand sanitizer and other disinfectant products are hard to come by at the moment. While that’s the case within the United States, you can still source these products from overseas using websites like Alibaba.com or Ali Express.

Ordering these items and giving them away to people who can’t find them will show how your brand cares about people’s health and is a lighthearted way to encourage good hygiene.

This is something we actually implemented this ourselves. Recently we gave several thousand bottles of hand sanitizer and hospital masks away to our community without interrupting supply chains here.

Food giveaways (whether you’re a restaurant or not)

If you’re a restaurant, doing a weekly food giveaway to build your email list is not a bad idea. If you’re not a restaurant, you can leverage either UberEats giveaways or gift cards to local grocery stores.

If you don��t have a system in place to collect email addresses, sign up for a service like Mailchimp.

Here are some more examples for successful email marketing agency campaigns:

Food giveaways to essential personnel

Giveaways to people in your neighborhood

If your clients are nationwide, giveaways via Doordash or UberEats

If your program is nationwide and your clients are average consumers, make sure to get the word out by submitting this to giveaway sites.

Increase your exposure

The tactics in this section greatly depend on the industry you’re in. Some will be more relevant for professional services, but try to think outside of the box!

Participate in podcasts

Podcasts’ popularity and presence have significantly increased over the last few years. According to an article from Podcast Insights, there are now over 900,000 podcasts. If you’re looking to get in front of your target audience, this is a great way to build your follower base.

If you have the right background, it’s typically pretty straightforward to get an interview since hosts are always looking for qualified participants.

To find podcasts, you can do a Google search for podcasts in your niche or use a tool like Sparktoro to find people who commonly discuss topics relevant to your business.

Below is a screenshot of a Sparktoro search using their podcast feature.

After you curate your list, you can reach out to the host. Make sure to include your background information and recordings of speaking events or podcasts if you have any.

If you participate in a podcast, make sure you have good audio. Investing in something like a Yeti microphone or a Smart Mike+ can make a big difference in your audio quality.

Participate, attend, or host a digital summit

The conference industry was hit very hard by Covid-19. With all in-person events being postponed for the foreseeable future, many of these events were canceled altogether or had to move online.

At a time when most people are working from home, attending, speaking, or hosting a digital conference might be a little easier.

For example, at Juris Digital we were going to host an in-person legal marketing conference in Las Vegas. We recently made the decision to move it online.

Attend a digital conference

I wanted to include this because I believe that we should always be investing in ourselves. The more you can learn, the more you will be able to accomplish. If you were previously unable to attend a conference due to geographic or monetary reasons, you may be able to learn a lot for way less money (virtual conferences typically cost less than in-person ones).

Participate as a speaker

With conference schedules shifting and new conferences popping up, there is an opportunity to speak at one if you’re qualified. One way to do this is to search your niche for conferences and see what’s coming up. I also know of companies like Summit Beast that are hosting digital conferences and actively looking for speakers across all niches.

Host a digital summit

Don’t be intimidated by this thought. When I say host a digital summit, I’m talking about something that could be as small as hosting a webinar with 10 people, although they can be as large as a conference with 2,000 attendees.

If you’re looking to host something small with your ideal clients, prospective clients, or a core group, you can simply use Zoom. Zoom makes it easy to host a video meeting and interview multiple people (as well as recording it).

If you host a digital summit, you will have content for a long time after it’s all said and done. You can break it up into helpful bits and share it across your social channels for a year.

Create a paid-for training course

Do you sell a training or mentoring program? Some personal trainers and digital marketing agency experts have pivoted to online courses. The best part? You can charge for these courses. By using a platform such as Teachable or Kajabi, you can build courses from the ground up and monetize them.

Host a digital event

Summits are not the only type of event you can host. Almost any business can host some sort of online event to grow their audience or keep their audience engaged.

One example of a digital event is a wine bar and cooking school I like here in Lone Tree, Colorado, called Uncorked. They focus on date night cooking instructions, but since their facility is closed by order of the Governor, they have pivoted.

They now offer food pickup and online cooking instructions to their customers.

Restaurants can showcase how they make certain dishes as an added bonus. Or people watching who might not be able to source the necessary ingredients can use takeout or pickup instead.

Plus, you can even take happy hours online! Friends of mine that own a hangover and health patch company are hosting a virtual happy hour through Zoom to connect with new and existing clients.

It’s harder to stay relevant in some cases, but still very possible!

Create video content

Most people get stuck on video because of production quality. With high-quality video features available on smartphones, a lot of that is not really a problem anymore. Actually, phone recorded videos come across as more authentic. While you could produce more professional videos, right now, authentic videos might be the right choice given our current sensitive situation.

Looking to up your game? Check out the Soapbox Station to learn more about what you need for a mobile video studio.

If you’re looking for software, Loom is one application that I use for free to create videos with a screen share.

Here are some content ideas for video that you can use today:

Record video updates about your business to share on social media. Maybe record a video wearing a mask or showing social distancing practices at work.

Keep your customers informed about your operations.

Provide a daily update on how things are going.

Record a video on how you’re giving back to the community.

Record videos that are useful, such as ways potential clients can use your products or services.

It’s a Time to Be Social

People are spending more time on social media right now. When considering content creation for your social media channels, keep a few things in mind.

All content needs to be helpful. Additionally, address pain points and give information away. Your content should not be self-serving. After all, as we discussed earlier, most people are turning to social now to see if you’re open and active.

Post on your company-owned channels, but you should take it a step further. Here are some ideas for different social media channels.

Facebook marketing agency

According to the March 24th, 2020 blog post “Keeping Our Services Stable and Reliable During the COVID-19 Outbreak” Facebook has seen chat up over 50% in most countries, as well as an update in posts and feeds views. However, it’s important to note they have also seen a reduction in ad spend in areas affected by Covid-19.

Regardless, it’s clear that people are spending a lot of time on Facebook. For your business, it’s important not to push salesy material, but rather to focus on content that will help your customers solve their biggest problems.

Here are the Facebook tactics we’re focusing on now:

Promoting content that serves the community

We are creating, publishing, and boosting content to our followers and specific audiences that might benefit from what we have to say. We’re not trying to make any money doing this. We’re just trying to be real and help people.

Remarketing agency content

If you run remarketing agency and target people on Facebook who have visited your website, it may be time to change your message. Instead of promoting self-serving content, promote helpful content that helps and supports.

YouTube marketing agency

You can easily promote your non self-serving content to your subscribers on YouTube. Plus, if you don’t have a following yet, you can purchase ads to get your information in front of the right audience.

If you need help ranking on YouTube, check out Brian Dean’s great resource YouTube SEO Company: How to Rank YouTube Videos in 2020.

LinkedIn marketing agency

It will be interesting to see how LinkedIn traffic shakes out. On one hand, users are mostly in B2B companies, and the platform isn’t particularly social. On the other hand, many people are seeking employment after being laid off. If you hope to hire great talent during this time, it’s worth your effort to spend time here.

LinkedIn Text Ads for Brand Awareness

One of the bigger and cheaper opportunities on LinkedIn right now is paying for text ads set with a CPM goal for brand building.

Basically, by changing your goal from conversions to cost-per-click (CPC), you will receive a lot more brand impressions than you would from LinkedIn’s CPM Model.

search engine optimization [SEO Company]

If you haven’t invested in a long term SEO Company campaign, it’s time you start. Especially if you have a lot of time on your hands. The truth is that, depending on some markets, search volumes could be going up or down.

Here is an example of searches for [personal injury lawyer] rising during this crisis. Is it lawyers at home searching for their own keywords, or is it potential clients looking to generate more cash from a settlement?

I don’t have the answer yet, but I do know that the searches will return. When things have calmed down and people are able to think about things that worry them less, the searches will come back.

In the meantime, use Google Trends to identify topics you can blog about and rank when people are looking for answers.

For example, if shelter in place orders are trending, think about how your business can write about it. Maybe include restaurants that will be open, things to do, or virtual classes for people — whatever is related to your business.

Don’t be afraid to ask for help

Maybe it’s human nature, or maybe it’s just pride that gets in the way. Regardless—don’t be afraid to ask your friends, colleagues, and community for help.

We’re going to get through this

Some industries are getting hit harder than others, and I know this will bring a lot of change worldwide. In tough situations, I like to say “plan for the worst and expect the best.” However, you also need to plan for the best. Plan for your business to continue to thrive when this is all over. Don’t give up hope.

If this post gave you any ideas and you have more to contribute, I would love to hear them. If you have other ideas from things you’ve read or seen, I would also love to hear those. Together, we’re all going to get through this.

The post The Best Tactics to Market and Thrive During a Crisis appeared first on BrightLocal.

Website Design & SEO Delray Beach by DBL07.co

Delray Beach SEO

source http://www.scpie.org/the-best-tactics-to-market-and-thrive-during-a-crisis/ source https://scpie1.blogspot.com/2020/04/the-best-tactics-to-market-and-thrive.html

0 notes

riichardwilson · 5 years ago

Text

The Best Tactics to Market and Thrive During a Crisis

The world has changed whether we like it or not, and many small business owners have been thrown into a world of transformation.

As someone who owns a digital marketing agency agency and who is a partner in other ventures including retail, I have seen the unique challenges businesses such as ours are facing during this time.

In this article, I will cover specific tactics you can use to successfully market your business through these difficult times. But first, we have to ask the big question:

Should you stop marketing agency and advertising during a crisis?

In time, the market will recover. If you’re seeing a decline now, search traffic will pick back up. When it does, will you be there when your customers are looking?

While relying on your past strategies, it’s likely that you will also need to consider tactics you haven’t implemented before and even consider marketing agency more during this difficult time.

Start by clarifying your message

If you’re a traditional brick-and-mortar retail store, it’s possible that you have had to pivot your operations to stay open during this time.

If this is you, it’s important that you share this information with your clients along with the fact that you’re open.

The content you share during difficult times such as these will be remembered, so it’s important to stay away from self-serving content and instead practice empathy.

Tactics every business needs right now

Before you can spread the word, it’s important to know where you need to spread the word. Depending on your business type, these channels may vary.

Start by making a list of these channels and sharing the list with your team. They can then use this to update and promote your brand message.

You can start with the most obvious ways people find your business such as:

Your website

Google My Business

Facebook

Twitter

YouTube

1. Let your clients know if you’re open for business

There is so much uncertainty right now, and many states, counties, and cities have different orders ranging from nonessential business shutdowns to social distancing.

Some potential clients might also check if you’re open on social media. Have you posted an update? Are you active? If not, they might take that as a sign that you’re closed.

If you are temporarily closed, you need to let people know that, along with an expectation on when they can expect to hear back from you if they do contact you.

2. Add a website banner or pop up

Here, using a simple and lightweight bar or pop up with an empathetic message is a great solution.

Check out this example from Vanderginst Law below:

You can customize these popups with videos instead if you’d like.

If you implement pop-ups, I recommend that you only show it once to each website visitor. If it pops up on every page after a visitor has already seen it, they could get annoyed.

If you don’t have a website but you do have a Google My Business listing, you can create a free website there and put your message on the homepage.

3. Update your contact forms

Setting the proper expectations will help prevent frustration and keep customers.

4. Update your Google My Business hours and posts

I have to give credit to Google for implementing changes to Google My Business since they’re likely facing the same staffing issues as other companies.

First, they have rolled out a Covid-19 update option under Posts, which allows people searching for your business to see your current status.

To implement this, simply login to your Google My Business account.

After you’ve selected your business click Posts > COVID-19 update button, as shown below.

Second, there is also the option to update your listing as temporarily closed (shown below).

Of course, you should also update any other pertinent business information as well, including your business hours.

5. Write a blog post

In order to let our clients know that, for us, it was business as usual, we wrote a blog post addressing the issue.

This may not get the same exposure you’d want or expect from the usual content, but it’s something you can share on your social channels to increase reach and, more importantly, inform customers.

6. Send a text message

A simple message with how your business is operating during this time should do the trick.

7. Share on social

One great opportunity right now for small businesses is social media. People are bored right now and are spending more time on social media.

In addition to this, many communities are pulling together and helping out. Right now, social media is an opportunity to introduce yourself to an audience who may not even know about you yet.

Here are some opportunities you should take advantage of right away:

Find Facebook groups in your town and let them know you’re open! These will be town groups, food groups, and local community groups.

Search your cities’ Reddit threads if they have one and post there. Get added to any lists.

Do a Google search for: [open for business + city name] or [businesses open during shelter in place in city] and see if there are any lists you can ask to be added to.

8. Get on Nextdoor

If there are any other city-specific places where your potential clients hang out online, make sure to post there too. The more people that know about your situation, the better.

9. Record and share a video

Here’s a great example from a local brewery near me doing video content right during Covid-19.

They created a quick video that shows their sanitation practices and how they’re pivoting:

Tactics to avoid right now

1. Generic email to all your email lists

2. Google My Business name edits

3. Focusing only on Google reviews

When this all started, I saw many businesses seeking reviews. Unfortunately, Google has suspended these and they will not be shown publicly.

4. Using Google Q&A

The Google My Business Q&A feature may have been a good place to post business updates, but this has also been removed by Google for the time being.

Growing your brand during crisis

There is no benefit to your brand if you’re trying to be the best-kept secret. Don’t be afraid to put yourself out there and show the world who you are, even during times like these.

This is also a great way to build net promoters. When the dust settles and things return to normal, people will remember those who were able to help and give back in a time of need.

Other benefits of effective brand-building include:

Generating new customers

Getting free exposure

Building brand advocates

Building an email list

Share your brand message

Think about what your clients need most, what their concerns are, and how you can address them. Here are a few examples of concerns that your customers may have and how you can address them:

Restaurant: Showing a video of your sanitary practices/social distancing in kitchens and the delivery process.

Business Lawyer: Hosting and recording a webinar discussing force majeure and the implications with Covid-19.

Criminal Defense Attorney: Creating content around airport fights and purposeful Covid-19 related injuries.

Retail: Showing how your operations have shifted online, offering free delivery, etc.

Giving to essential personnel or the community

If you are providing support to essential personnel and your community, these are campaigns that can and should be posted on your website and shared on social.

These stories may also be newsworthy. People can get bad news all day long if they want to, so journalists are looking for lighter news stories. You can be a part of that.

Community-related giveaways will help your brand thrive, and there are potential long-term benefits such as generating new customers, earning links, and gaining media exposure.

Below are just a couple of ideas to engage with and support your community right now.

Hand sanitizer giveaway to key workers

Ordering these items and giving them away to people who can’t find them will show how your brand cares about people’s health and is a lighthearted way to encourage good hygiene.

This is something we actually implemented this ourselves. Recently we gave several thousand bottles of hand sanitizer and hospital masks away to our community without interrupting supply chains here.

Food giveaways (whether you’re a restaurant or not)

If you don’t have a system in place to collect email addresses, sign up for a service like Mailchimp.

Here are some more examples for successful email marketing agency campaigns:

Food giveaways to essential personnel

Giveaways to people in your neighborhood

If your clients are nationwide, giveaways via Doordash or UberEats

If your program is nationwide and your clients are average consumers, make sure to get the word out by submitting this to giveaway sites.

Increase your exposure

The tactics in this section greatly depend on the industry you’re in. Some will be more relevant for professional services, but try to think outside of the box!

Participate in podcasts

If you have the right background, it’s typically pretty straightforward to get an interview since hosts are always looking for qualified participants.

To find podcasts, you can do a Google search for podcasts in your niche or use a tool like Sparktoro to find people who commonly discuss topics relevant to your business.

Below is a screenshot of a Sparktoro search using their podcast feature.

After you curate your list, you can reach out to the host. Make sure to include your background information and recordings of speaking events or podcasts if you have any.

If you participate in a podcast, make sure you have good audio. Investing in something like a Yeti microphone or a Smart Mike+ can make a big difference in your audio quality.

Participate, attend, or host a digital summit

The conference industry was hit very hard by Covid-19. With all in-person events being postponed for the foreseeable future, many of these events were canceled altogether or had to move online.

At a time when most people are working from home, attending, speaking, or hosting a digital conference might be a little easier.

For example, at Juris Digital we were going to host an in-person legal marketing conference in Las Vegas. We recently made the decision to move it online.

Attend a digital conference

Participate as a speaker

Host a digital summit

If you host a digital summit, you will have content for a long time after it’s all said and done. You can break it up into helpful bits and share it across your social channels for a year.

Create a paid-for training course

Host a digital event

Summits are not the only type of event you can host. Almost any business can host some sort of online event to grow their audience or keep their audience engaged.

They now offer food pickup and online cooking instructions to their customers.

Restaurants can showcase how they make certain dishes as an added bonus. Or people watching who might not be able to source the necessary ingredients can use takeout or pickup instead.

Plus, you can even take happy hours online! Friends of mine that own a hangover and health patch company are hosting a virtual happy hour through Zoom to connect with new and existing clients.

It’s harder to stay relevant in some cases, but still very possible!

Create video content

Looking to up your game? Check out the Soapbox Station to learn more about what you need for a mobile video studio.

If you’re looking for software, Loom is one application that I use for free to create videos with a screen share.

Here are some content ideas for video that you can use today:

Record video updates about your business to share on social media. Maybe record a video wearing a mask or showing social distancing practices at work.

Keep your customers informed about your operations.

Provide a daily update on how things are going.

Record a video on how you’re giving back to the community.

Record videos that are useful, such as ways potential clients can use your products or services.

It’s a Time to Be Social

People are spending more time on social media right now. When considering content creation for your social media channels, keep a few things in mind.

Post on your company-owned channels, but you should take it a step further. Here are some ideas for different social media channels.

Facebook marketing agency

Here are the Facebook tactics we’re focusing on now:

Promoting content that serves the community

Remarketing agency content

YouTube marketing agency

If you need help ranking on YouTube, check out Brian Dean’s great resource YouTube SEO Company: How to Rank YouTube Videos in 2020.

LinkedIn marketing agency

LinkedIn Text Ads for Brand Awareness

One of the bigger and cheaper opportunities on LinkedIn right now is paying for text ads set with a CPM goal for brand building.

Basically, by changing your goal from conversions to cost-per-click (CPC), you will receive a lot more brand impressions than you would from LinkedIn’s CPM Model.

search engine optimization [SEO Company]

I don’t have the answer yet, but I do know that the searches will return. When things have calmed down and people are able to think about things that worry them less, the searches will come back.

In the meantime, use Google Trends to identify topics you can blog about and rank when people are looking for answers.

Don’t be afraid to ask for help

Maybe it’s human nature, or maybe it’s just pride that gets in the way. Regardless—don’t be afraid to ask your friends, colleagues, and community for help.

We’re going to get through this

The post The Best Tactics to Market and Thrive During a Crisis appeared first on BrightLocal.

Website Design & SEO Delray Beach by DBL07.co

Delray Beach SEO

source http://www.scpie.org/the-best-tactics-to-market-and-thrive-during-a-crisis/ source https://scpie.tumblr.com/post/614763931363377152

0 notes

scpie · 5 years ago

Text

The Best Tactics to Market and Thrive During a Crisis

The world has changed whether we like it or not, and many small business owners have been thrown into a world of transformation.

As someone who owns a digital marketing agency agency and who is a partner in other ventures including retail, I have seen the unique challenges businesses such as ours are facing during this time.

In this article, I will cover specific tactics you can use to successfully market your business through these difficult times. But first, we have to ask the big question:

Should you stop marketing agency and advertising during a crisis?

In time, the market will recover. If you’re seeing a decline now, search traffic will pick back up. When it does, will you be there when your customers are looking?

While relying on your past strategies, it’s likely that you will also need to consider tactics you haven’t implemented before and even consider marketing agency more during this difficult time.

Start by clarifying your message

If you’re a traditional brick-and-mortar retail store, it’s possible that you have had to pivot your operations to stay open during this time.

If this is you, it’s important that you share this information with your clients along with the fact that you’re open.

The content you share during difficult times such as these will be remembered, so it’s important to stay away from self-serving content and instead practice empathy.

Tactics every business needs right now

Before you can spread the word, it’s important to know where you need to spread the word. Depending on your business type, these channels may vary.

Start by making a list of these channels and sharing the list with your team. They can then use this to update and promote your brand message.

You can start with the most obvious ways people find your business such as:

Your website

Google My Business

Facebook

Twitter

YouTube

1. Let your clients know if you’re open for business

There is so much uncertainty right now, and many states, counties, and cities have different orders ranging from nonessential business shutdowns to social distancing.

Some potential clients might also check if you’re open on social media. Have you posted an update? Are you active? If not, they might take that as a sign that you’re closed.

If you are temporarily closed, you need to let people know that, along with an expectation on when they can expect to hear back from you if they do contact you.

2. Add a website banner or pop up

Here, using a simple and lightweight bar or pop up with an empathetic message is a great solution.

Check out this example from Vanderginst Law below:

You can customize these popups with videos instead if you’d like.

If you implement pop-ups, I recommend that you only show it once to each website visitor. If it pops up on every page after a visitor has already seen it, they could get annoyed.

If you don’t have a website but you do have a Google My Business listing, you can create a free website there and put your message on the homepage.

3. Update your contact forms

Setting the proper expectations will help prevent frustration and keep customers.

4. Update your Google My Business hours and posts

I have to give credit to Google for implementing changes to Google My Business since they’re likely facing the same staffing issues as other companies.

First, they have rolled out a Covid-19 update option under Posts, which allows people searching for your business to see your current status.

To implement this, simply login to your Google My Business account.

After you’ve selected your business click Posts > COVID-19 update button, as shown below.

Second, there is also the option to update your listing as temporarily closed (shown below).

Of course, you should also update any other pertinent business information as well, including your business hours.

5. Write a blog post

In order to let our clients know that, for us, it was business as usual, we wrote a blog post addressing the issue.

This may not get the same exposure you’d want or expect from the usual content, but it’s something you can share on your social channels to increase reach and, more importantly, inform customers.

6. Send a text message

A simple message with how your business is operating during this time should do the trick.

7. Share on social

One great opportunity right now for small businesses is social media. People are bored right now and are spending more time on social media.

In addition to this, many communities are pulling together and helping out. Right now, social media is an opportunity to introduce yourself to an audience who may not even know about you yet.

Here are some opportunities you should take advantage of right away:

Find Facebook groups in your town and let them know you’re open! These will be town groups, food groups, and local community groups.

Search your cities’ Reddit threads if they have one and post there. Get added to any lists.

Do a Google search for: [open for business + city name] or [businesses open during shelter in place in city] and see if there are any lists you can ask to be added to.

8. Get on Nextdoor

If there are any other city-specific places where your potential clients hang out online, make sure to post there too. The more people that know about your situation, the better.

9. Record and share a video

Here’s a great example from a local brewery near me doing video content right during Covid-19.

They created a quick video that shows their sanitation practices and how they’re pivoting:

Tactics to avoid right now

1. Generic email to all your email lists

2. Google My Business name edits

3. Focusing only on Google reviews

When this all started, I saw many businesses seeking reviews. Unfortunately, Google has suspended these and they will not be shown publicly.

4. Using Google Q&A

The Google My Business Q&A feature may have been a good place to post business updates, but this has also been removed by Google for the time being.

Growing your brand during crisis

There is no benefit to your brand if you’re trying to be the best-kept secret. Don’t be afraid to put yourself out there and show the world who you are, even during times like these.

This is also a great way to build net promoters. When the dust settles and things return to normal, people will remember those who were able to help and give back in a time of need.

Other benefits of effective brand-building include:

Generating new customers

Getting free exposure

Building brand advocates

Building an email list

Share your brand message

Think about what your clients need most, what their concerns are, and how you can address them. Here are a few examples of concerns that your customers may have and how you can address them:

Restaurant: Showing a video of your sanitary practices/social distancing in kitchens and the delivery process.

Business Lawyer: Hosting and recording a webinar discussing force majeure and the implications with Covid-19.

Criminal Defense Attorney: Creating content around airport fights and purposeful Covid-19 related injuries.

Retail: Showing how your operations have shifted online, offering free delivery, etc.

Giving to essential personnel or the community

If you are providing support to essential personnel and your community, these are campaigns that can and should be posted on your website and shared on social.

These stories may also be newsworthy. People can get bad news all day long if they want to, so journalists are looking for lighter news stories. You can be a part of that.

Community-related giveaways will help your brand thrive, and there are potential long-term benefits such as generating new customers, earning links, and gaining media exposure.

Below are just a couple of ideas to engage with and support your community right now.

Hand sanitizer giveaway to key workers

Ordering these items and giving them away to people who can’t find them will show how your brand cares about people’s health and is a lighthearted way to encourage good hygiene.

This is something we actually implemented this ourselves. Recently we gave several thousand bottles of hand sanitizer and hospital masks away to our community without interrupting supply chains here.

Food giveaways (whether you’re a restaurant or not)

If you don’t have a system in place to collect email addresses, sign up for a service like Mailchimp.

Here are some more examples for successful email marketing agency campaigns:

Food giveaways to essential personnel

Giveaways to people in your neighborhood

If your clients are nationwide, giveaways via Doordash or UberEats

If your program is nationwide and your clients are average consumers, make sure to get the word out by submitting this to giveaway sites.

Increase your exposure

The tactics in this section greatly depend on the industry you’re in. Some will be more relevant for professional services, but try to think outside of the box!

Participate in podcasts

If you have the right background, it’s typically pretty straightforward to get an interview since hosts are always looking for qualified participants.

To find podcasts, you can do a Google search for podcasts in your niche or use a tool like Sparktoro to find people who commonly discuss topics relevant to your business.

Below is a screenshot of a Sparktoro search using their podcast feature.

After you curate your list, you can reach out to the host. Make sure to include your background information and recordings of speaking events or podcasts if you have any.

If you participate in a podcast, make sure you have good audio. Investing in something like a Yeti microphone or a Smart Mike+ can make a big difference in your audio quality.

Participate, attend, or host a digital summit

The conference industry was hit very hard by Covid-19. With all in-person events being postponed for the foreseeable future, many of these events were canceled altogether or had to move online.

At a time when most people are working from home, attending, speaking, or hosting a digital conference might be a little easier.

For example, at Juris Digital we were going to host an in-person legal marketing conference in Las Vegas. We recently made the decision to move it online.

Attend a digital conference

Participate as a speaker

Host a digital summit

If you host a digital summit, you will have content for a long time after it’s all said and done. You can break it up into helpful bits and share it across your social channels for a year.

Create a paid-for training course

Host a digital event

Summits are not the only type of event you can host. Almost any business can host some sort of online event to grow their audience or keep their audience engaged.

They now offer food pickup and online cooking instructions to their customers.

Restaurants can showcase how they make certain dishes as an added bonus. Or people watching who might not be able to source the necessary ingredients can use takeout or pickup instead.

Plus, you can even take happy hours online! Friends of mine that own a hangover and health patch company are hosting a virtual happy hour through Zoom to connect with new and existing clients.

It’s harder to stay relevant in some cases, but still very possible!

Create video content

Looking to up your game? Check out the Soapbox Station to learn more about what you need for a mobile video studio.

If you’re looking for software, Loom is one application that I use for free to create videos with a screen share.

Here are some content ideas for video that you can use today:

Record video updates about your business to share on social media. Maybe record a video wearing a mask or showing social distancing practices at work.

Keep your customers informed about your operations.

Provide a daily update on how things are going.

Record a video on how you’re giving back to the community.

Record videos that are useful, such as ways potential clients can use your products or services.

It’s a Time to Be Social

People are spending more time on social media right now. When considering content creation for your social media channels, keep a few things in mind.

Post on your company-owned channels, but you should take it a step further. Here are some ideas for different social media channels.

Facebook marketing agency

Here are the Facebook tactics we’re focusing on now:

Promoting content that serves the community

Remarketing agency content

YouTube marketing agency

If you need help ranking on YouTube, check out Brian Dean’s great resource YouTube SEO Company: How to Rank YouTube Videos in 2020.

LinkedIn marketing agency

LinkedIn Text Ads for Brand Awareness

One of the bigger and cheaper opportunities on LinkedIn right now is paying for text ads set with a CPM goal for brand building.

Basically, by changing your goal from conversions to cost-per-click (CPC), you will receive a lot more brand impressions than you would from LinkedIn’s CPM Model.

search engine optimization [SEO Company]

I don’t have the answer yet, but I do know that the searches will return. When things have calmed down and people are able to think about things that worry them less, the searches will come back.

In the meantime, use Google Trends to identify topics you can blog about and rank when people are looking for answers.

Don’t be afraid to ask for help

Maybe it’s human nature, or maybe it’s just pride that gets in the way. Regardless—don’t be afraid to ask your friends, colleagues, and community for help.

We’re going to get through this

The post The Best Tactics to Market and Thrive During a Crisis appeared first on BrightLocal.

Website Design & SEO Delray Beach by DBL07.co

Delray Beach SEO

source http://www.scpie.org/the-best-tactics-to-market-and-thrive-during-a-crisis/

0 notes

thesnhuup · 6 years ago

Text

OFYE Matters: Growth Mindset

New online learners begin their academic journey with a tremendous amount of excitement. For many, they are taking the first-step to achieving goals they have had for many years. Tackling new challenges isn’t easy, and it doesn’t take long for the initial excitement to fade once obstacles begin presenting themselves. For new online learners who often struggle with self-efficacy, even small obstacles can quickly become barriers that deter students from continuing on their path. Southern New Hampshire University (SNHU) instructor, Melanie Schopp shares, “As educators, we must first break down the “fear” barrier to student success. Students need to believe in themselves and know that they have academic support and resources behind them to achieve success.” Helping students embrace obstacles as learning and growth opportunities rather than barriers is one of the challenges OFYE educators regularly face. While challenging, helping students to achieve this transformation can significantly increase the likelihood that they obtain their goals.

To learn more about the strategies to help learners embrace a growth mindset, we asked OFYE educators the following questions:

How do you help OFYE learners move from a fixed mindset to a growth mindset?

How do you present or develop course content that encourages students to continually stretch themselves to improve?

How do you present assignment feedback in a way that helps students embrace opportunities for further development rather than focus on the grade as the outcome?

Below are some of the strategies that were shared.

Create a sense of belonging.

Melanie Schopp, SNHU learning community facilitator and instructor:

Students need to believe in themselves and know that they have academic support and resources (amenities) behind them to achieve success. The simple power of positive thinking and for students to have a place to “belong” can impact the movement from a fixed to a growth mindset. At Southern New Hampshire University we provide students with an online community outside the classroom where students can interact with their peers in a non-academic space. This community is called a “Learning Community.” This space offers students support outside the classroom based on academic/course content, and also allows peer interaction. The key to this community is students “see” that others feel the same emotions and they are not alone. One of the first things we discuss in this community is my personal motto, “You got this!” It is a quick, positive affirmation to help students understand they curate their academic journey and the energy they put in, is what they get out of it.

Foster a culture of growth.

Dr. Newton Miller, Associate Dean of Education, Ashford University:

In order to help promote a culture that fosters a growth mindset for OFYE learners, educators should lead by example. Stanford University professor and author of Mindset: The New Psychology of Success, Carol Dweck, states in Education Week that when educators focus on why someone is not learning, instead of working to find a way to help them learn, they are themselves operating in a fixed mindset. If that is what the educator plants in their students, then that is what will grow. She labels this phenomenon the “False Growth Mindset.” Very often finding the way to help OFYE students learn calls for educators to change their belief systems in order to extend the mile they are willing to walk with their student in order to assist them. Dr. Dweck goes on to say that this can be problematic for many educators because no longer is the responsibility to grow solely on the student… educators’ ethics, values, and passions are also placed in the spotlight.

Offer personalized encouragement.

Melanie Schopp:

I feel it is necessary to remind ourselves, as faculty, of the student emotions attached to each assignment and the communication we have with our learners. As we move through our course material, it is key to think about ways to incorporate our academic content into the daily lives of our students “outside” the classroom. Students benefit from knowing how they will use concepts, skills, and ideas now in addition to in their future career. I like to “teach” in a way I would work with my peers or even my loved ones by giving realistic scenarios and providing a way for the learner to “see” themselves using the academic material. Our OFYE students have typically overcome so much in their personal lives and demonstrated personal “grit,” but when it comes to academics, they are unsure how to “dig deep” for their success when hurdles impact their journey. As an OFYE faculty member, it is our job to remind them they are worth being there, they are working hard, and we need to help build them up to achieve “academic” grit through personalized encouragement.

Embrace individual interests and motivations.

Joel D. Hanlon, Director, New Student and Family Programs, Radford University:

Many of the early assignments in my course are reflection journal entries. This allows me to get to know my students and how they are handling the transition to college. I try to provide an open-ended question that allows the student to dictate the direction that the journal will go. Some of the topics include highs and lows since coming to college, something they are excited about, something they wish they could change, living situations, campus engagement, connections, favorite courses, etc. The later assignments have very specific requirements, but I leave the topics up to the students. This allows students to grow academically while still addressing a topic that interests them. …

Deliver highly personalized feedback in multiple formats.

Melanie Schopp:

Feedback can be tough for many people, let alone OFYE students. Often our students crave feedback but are unsure what to do with it or if they can question our comments in addition to being fearful of what we as faculty want to share with them due to a previous difficult interaction at some point in their life.

I think it is imperative to craft personal responses to each student. This helps students see more of an academic relationship and that you as a faculty member want them to succeed, but changes need to be made to the students work. Our academic guidance needs to provide specifics such as what the student does well and then offer detailed information and/or examples on how they can improve. In addition, offering students the opportunity to connect with academic resources (amenities) for their success helps them to see they have support to achieve goals.

Another thing to consider is the delivery of our feedback and offering it in a variety of ways. I feel to achieve a state where students focus on development opportunities from feedback versus only thinking numerically about their grade OFYE faculty should personalize it for their success. It would be beneficial to know the best way to approach a student outside the grade center to offer the best academic service. Ideas for this are to work through a student advisor, contact the student via email, or even by phone to discuss their success.

Joel D. Hanlon:

The purpose of individual feedback meetings with my students is twofold: First, I find out if the student does not understand something about the material or teaching style. If so, I clarify any information that may be in question. Second, I go through the syllabus and breakdown of assignments. I show students that missing an assignment early on is not the end of their college career, and I give them a chance to make up the assignment for partial credit. By emphasizing their potential for success, students do not focus so much on the one negative grade. By developing journals and making connections with the students, I can have these conversations with students in an impactful way. It is critical to meet the student in their transition and support them. Each student has a very different roadmap to making the successful university life transition.

Focus on student goals while working to raise the bar.

Dr. Newton Miller:

[O]ne of the most powerful things educators can do for OFYE learners is to constantly remind them that their final destination in life is not based on innate ability. It is directly proportionate to the amount of hard work, access to learning, training, and positive expectations targeted at developing new skills, resiliency, and motivation to change in which they are willing to participate. Educators must also be aware that many OFYE learners are also non-traditional learners that have been deemed at-potential (I refuse to say at-risk), thus accommodations should be embedded in the course room to support immediate success in the course and to raise the bar of expectations by teaching to mastery and accepting only what is expected. For example, here are some things educators can employ to model a growth mindset and raise the bar of expectations:

Employ relaxed deadlines to remove the anxiety attached to turning in assignments on the clock. After all, what does that have to do with mastering the course learning outcomes?

Provide exemplar examples of past student work to show learners what is expected and communicate the message that they can do the same, or even better.

Distribute motivational quotes, and self-made videos that provide tips for the week and humanize the online experience. This shows your OFYE learners that you “have their back” and that encourages them to keep pressing forward.

Deliberately unload a heavy dose of a mixture of 50 percent honest and direct feedback combined with 50 percent positive reinforcement to keep the learners encouraged about what they have done well, and realistic about attacking their areas of opportunity.

Provide pointed feedback on assignments and return them to learners without grading them.

Telling the learner to re-submit a revised edition of the work, and once they do, grade it.

These strategies may cost educators a little time and effort, but they demonstrate to learners that their instructor is willing to put their money where their mouth is, while simultaneously ensuring that the educator is not operating in a false growth mindset. The outcome and reward of this extra effort is a breeding of a fixed mindset in the learners being served.

Next Blog Topic: Technology to Build Bridges

Technology continues to advance quickly and new technologies become available for use all the time. As we know, it can be easy for new online learners to feel disconnected and isolated in their virtual classroom. Creative applications of technology by OFYE educators can create bridges to engagement and mastery of concepts for new online learners and can help them find success while reducing feelings of isolation. Our next blog seeks to discover the many ways technology is being leveraged as a bridge to student engagement and success. If you work with first-year online students, please share your thoughts on one or both of the questions below:

What technologies are you using to build bridges to student engagement?

How are you leveraging technologies to help students master first-year course concepts?

To submit for publication consideration, please articulate and email one to three-paragraph responses to Jamie Holcomb, Associate Dean of First Year Experience, Southern New Hampshire University at [email protected] by Monday, February 4.

Please note: All submissions will be reviewed and edited for grammar, format, and readability.

from Academically Speaking https://ift.tt/2rBWWOL via IFTTT

#Academically Speaking #SNHUblogs

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abbydsteeluk · 7 years ago

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4 Resume Mistakes That Hurt Your Chances Of Landing A Job

If you ever wonder why your resume is still so important in the job application and recruitment process, think about all the people that your resume will be seen by as you are considered for a position.

In our company, one or more Consultant Advisors will evaluate your resume, but remember that our role is that of a screener and recruiter for our clients. Should you pass our initial review, we then share your resume (only with your permission) with one or more hiring managers on the client side who will make their own evaluations.

And don’t forget the role of technology. Companies are automating more aspects of applicant tracking, often using Artificial Intelligence to screen resumes for a ‘best fit’ to job requirements.

With all these layers of human and technological review, a poorly written or ill-formatted resume could easily knock you out of consideration for your next contract role—or possibly your dream job.

Search New Health IT Jobs >>

The good news is that we have a lot of experienced recruiters committed to evaluating your submissions for our company. But we’re reading your resume quickly, essentially scanning it, to look for skills and experiences that may be a match to current or future client needs.

To improve your odds of catching our eyes, avoid these common resume mistakes that could keep you from getting the consideration you deserve.

Typos and Grammatical Errors in Your Resume

This is obvious advice but if we had a nickel for every misspelled word that we see on inbound resumes, we could retire early. Typos and poor grammar don’t make you a bad person—just a bad candidate—because a resume rife with errors reflects poorly on your attention to detail.

The Fix: Using spellcheck is a must, but not a cure-all. Some checkers won’t correct for grammar and may inadvertently mangle technical names or industry terms (example: turning EHR into HER). That said, Grammarly is a popular spelling and grammar checker used by many resume writers.

When proofreading your resume, start from the bottom and read the content from right to left. This technique helps your brain see errors that might not be apparent on a traditional read-through. Another proofreading trick is to print your resume and read it aloud.

And always, always, always put your resume in front a second set of eyes for a fresh read. Ask a friend, recruiter or professional editor to help you weed out errors and improve the clarity of your writing.

Glaring Omissions

If you were a consultant to a “large Midwest health system,” we will need to know the name of that health system. If your work history shows a large gap in employment, we will need to know why you were out of the job market. In sum, a complete synopsis of your relevant work history is needed for our recruiters to evaluate your background—and any glaring omissions may knock you out of the running.

The Fix: Follow a tried-and-true chronological format for the ‘Work History’ section of your resume. List the name of the client/employer, the city/state where the work was performed, the position held, the date range during which the work was performed, and a bulleted summary of your duties and accomplishments in the role. If you have a gap in employment that you feel requires explanation, send a brief cover note with your resume submission to clarify the gap.

Irrelevant Information

While our previous tip was a plea for transparency and detail regarding your work history, you can also give us too much information. Including irrelevant details in a resume can detract from your relevant qualifications and make your resume too long and bloated for quick scanning by a recruiter.

The Fix: Tailor every resume submission to the job. Chop irrelevant details like your college grade point average, your hobbies, and the non-essential “References available upon request” declaration.

Remove dated work experiences that don’t sell your qualifications for a role. If you have a lengthy work history with multiple employers, consider limiting that history to the past 10 or 15 years, while including a summary section at the top of your resume to highlight your most relevant skills and experiences.

There is no optimal length for a resume, but longer isn’t usually better, and your most relevant qualifications should be evident on the first page.

Wacky Fonts and Formatting

Resumes are boring—we get it. But when it comes to the aesthetics of your resume, we like boring. Recruiters and hiring managers don’t like non-traditional formatting, such as embedded tables, sidebars, graphics, custom fonts and anything else that make editing difficult.

While some employment coaches recommend that you send resumes as PDFs, we strongly prefer Microsoft Word or Google Docs for ease of editing.

How come we edit your resume? One, because many of our clients ask for very specific details and formats as prerequisites for submissions. So, we have to adjust your resumes to meet their hiring requirements. Two, we may update our version of your resume, with your approval, to clarify key details and improve your marketability.

The Fix: Help us help you by creating and submitting your resume in Microsoft Word or Google Docs. Use standard fonts and simple tabs, bullets and paragraph breaks to achieve the formatting you desire. Ignore advice that suggests that more graphical or creatively-formatted resumes help you stand out.

from Health Care Tips https://www.healthcareitleaders.com/blog/4-resume-mistakes-that-hurt-your-chances-of-landing-a-job/

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thehowtostuff-blog · 7 years ago

Link

Remote employees can offer many great benefits for your business. Training these employees, however, may present some unique challenges. If your employees live far away from your place of business, make sure that you have set up a consistent and reliable communication platform. Send them well-crafted training materials so that they can teach themselves how to do the job. Consistent supervision and feedback can help get them onboard quickly and effectively.

EditSteps

EditChoosing a Communication Platform

Ask them to come into the office for training if possible. Even if the employee is remote, you may be able to bring them in for training. This is usually the fastest and most effective training option for remote employees who live close to an office or branch. If they live far away, however, it may not be possible.[1]

Set up conference calls for personalized training. Phone calls and video conferences provide a personal touch to training and can help clarify important details for the job. Weekly chats will allow you to monitor the employee’s progress while still giving them flexibility to do their job.[2]

Conference calls work best for remote employees who are involved in strategy and marketing for a business, as it allows you to discuss plans and ideas with them freely.

If you and the employee are in different time zones, make sure that you choose a time that is convenient for both of you.

Some great video conferencing software includes Skype, Zoom, or Slack.

Use an instant messaging service to answer questions quickly. For companies that require collaboration or frequent communication between employees, instant messaging can be the most convenient option. This allows employees to talk and communicate in real time.[3]

If your remote employee has any questions during training, they can reach out to you using the platform and get a quick response. Furthermore, instant messaging will allow you to send them quick feedback and messages regarding their work.

Some great free services that you can use for your business include Skype, Google+ Hangouts, and Spark.

Instant messaging may not be the best choice if your remote employee is working at different hours than the rest of the team.

Send emails if the employee works on their own schedule. Email is a great option if the remote employee is working different hours, lives in a different time zone, or sets their own schedule. Send notes, training materials, links, and attachments easily over email.[4]

Make sure that the employee understands how quickly they should respond to emails.

EditCreating Effective Training Materials

Write a training manual or handbook for the employee. Having a document available to the employees allows them to refer to it whenever they have a question. Email this manual to the employee or post it on a shared cloud-based storage system. You should include:[5]

The primary responsibilities of the job

The best practices for your company

How to complete tasks using software, online interfaces, or other equipment

How to contact management

Specify how to complete tasks in detail. Try to anticipate any problems or questions the employee might have and include these details in your manual. Specific details help the employee understand what to do more quickly.[6]

For example, don’t just say “Submit your work when you are done.” Instead write, “Click the button that says ‘Submit’ to send in your work when it is finished. This will refresh the page and take you back to the main portal.”

Make sure to cover details like how to report hours, where to submit work, or who to contact if something goes wrong.

Establish quotas and expectations for each task. In addition to telling your employees how to do something, make sure they understand any rules, quotas, or guidelines they will be expected to follow. How much are they expected to do a week? How often should they communicate with you? When should they submit their work by?[7]

For example, you might say, “We expect you to take 5 calls an hour” or “We need you to check your email at least once an hour between 9 am and 5 pm.”

Incorporate instructional videos and images for software or equipment. If there are any special programs or equipment that the employee has to use, provide clear visual instructions showing them how to use it in addition to written instructions.[8]

If you’re working with a computer platform, use a screenshot program to take pictures or videos of the screen demonstrating each step in the process.

Diagrams and graphics may be useful for employees who need to install special equipment or software.

Invest in a web-based training program for large companies. If you have many remote employees, you may want to hire a company to design an online training module to help automate part of the training process. These companies will work with you to create a personalized platform using videos and interactive tools.[9]

These companies may advertise themselves as training or recruitment consultants.

While this can be a more expensive option, it will save you significant time if you have to frequently train employees.

EditSupervising the Employee

Give the employee benchmarks to reach. Create a timeline of tasks for the employee, and set specific goals for them to reach by a certain time. This helps give your remote employees some direction and encourages them to become productive more quickly.[10]

For example, you might say, “We want you to learn how to use our calling software by the end of the first week. By the end of the first month, you should be making at least $10,000 in sales.”

Provide specific feedback on the first several tasks. Give constructive feedback on each task for the first 2-3 weeks or until they have mastered the different parts of their job. This type of feedback can help employees learn the guidelines and expectations for the type of work they are doing.[11]

For example, you might say, “Your design on these images is really good, but I think you need to stick with 1 color scheme to fit our company’s brand better. We prefer smaller font too.”

Their first task should be something small with a quick deadline. For example, you might ask for a short article or a spreadsheet by the end of the first day. This will let you give them feedback quickly.

Ask for feedback and questions from the employee. Encourage the employee to come to you with any questions that they might have. When training is over, ask them for honest feedback about the process. This can help you clarify the process for future remote employees.[12]

If the employee comes to you with a question, answer the question as best as you can. If you feel as though the answer could be found in the training manual, refer the employee to the specific section.

If the new employee doesn't reach out to you with any questions, you might send a friendly message saying something like, "I just want to check in. How is training going? Do you have any questions?"

If you want, keep feedback anonymous so that the employee feels as though they can be honest. Use an online survey website to set up a feedback form.

Communicate regularly with all remote employees. Both during and after training, stay in touch with your remote employees. Let them know what news is going on in the company. Newsletters, webinars, or even weekly conference calls can keep them in the loop.[13]

Remote employees might feel isolated or left out of important company decisions, news, or events. To help support these employees, encourage them to reach out or collaborate with other members of the team and company through social media, instant messaging, or video chats.

EditSources and Citations

__ Cite error: <ref> tags exist, but no <references/> tag was found

from How to of the Day https://ift.tt/2KhTIYu

#How To Stuff #Blogger

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autoirishlitdiscourses · 7 years ago

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Discourse of Sunday, 25 February 2018

It would have helped you to make. Just a quick think-over, but you picked, the eponymous metaphorical cyclops of the poem's narrative tension, and, again, did he drop? That's OK! I suspect that much more detail if you would like to dispute a grade in the way to get you your grade by much. All of which is possibly the least insightful essays of anyone whose test I graded it, you should do, because barely 1/5 of the implications of the stony silence over the break. You picked a poem assigned for each document from Google Docs spreadsheet or have substantial overlap with yours, though, you will have failed to satisfy breadth requirements, specialization requirements, major requirements, minor requirements, explaining how this is what is off limits from those lines. You are absolutely capable of this category. For instance, or perhaps a more prestigious edition, but you're certainly on track throughout your time off. I'm glad to have written Hamlet or a course TA during tests; please ensure that he is the best way to find that giving texts, rather than race, which was previously the theoretical maximum score for the compliments. You were on track. I'm looking forward to your paper to pass them out, his temporal positioning is interesting and clarifying thought-out argument that your grade back, but you're doing your research paper will almost certainly already know that. Let me know if you have any questions about this to you, but I would say the smartest way to motivate people other than you might note that my 6 o'clock section, or otherwise need to do any more questions, OK? Students who write papers that receive lower grades can often improve their grades up for points that will help you to reschedule, and it does mean that I think I'll refrain, and/or larger concerns. Also, my point is that you needed to—but being flexible may be helpful in the final exam. This does not overlap with yours, and made a typo. Ii: Frank Delaney's Re: Joyce podcast, in any one of Buck Mulligan's earliest statements from the in-depth manner and provided a good job! It's just that it's impossible to pass the class going into the wrong field but grad students see a different opinion will not be surprised by the time. GOLD; d it's YOUR JOB to make sure it's too late to start writing to figure out which texts have a bunch of meetings early in your paragraph before. You are now open for you to help make sure to have in section when you say that your decision to focus your attention should primarily be on the final. Thank you for the text and helping them to larger-scale points if you have a well-structured manner; and that she's probably punching it in. However, you can just post it in in the context of your paper in my mailbox South Hall 3431 by 1. If you happen to have practiced a bit of lingering. If you feel good about yourself although, in large part because you're going to be even more effectively saying exactly what you want me to respond to the Irish landscape. Several documents that other people are going faster than you to bring up from those lines. Right now, and you touched on some of these are different kinds of interpretive possibilities. Did our conversation today answer your other discussion points were quite good, and I feel that it's not necessary and by the time I sent Can Aksoy also overheard the conversation without badgering or threats or even any real need for me to make broader revisions. One of my students on the final or not this lifts you to move forward. Let me know that he had taken the first half of The Song of Wandering Aengus Performed 16 October. Let me know, and how is the ideal resource, but I need to include these types of documents in addition to displaying all of the play.

You may find helpful, but you might be exactly, surely there are many possibilities that would better be delivered to me to make, then do come to my sections for a test is scheduled to recite and discuss can be found below if you're trying to get a passing grade, because the comparison is: study Stare's Nest; and invented a few things that are not major, it's not an acting class, but I think you did well tonight. Thinking about these things, and then I'll get you feedback on your paper, you two is going to be helpful to make this happen. I will re-write your way to be examined, please let me know if you have any other questions, or just pass silently over this request, and I'll take another look at the end of the grade I gave you is now optional. Another potentially productive, because I don't believe I've seen of Katharine O'Shea note the spelling of her anguish in response to that in advance or have a hard selection. Tonight's paper-grading rubric, and I think it would be the most likely cause of her religion finds that to happen for your recitation tomorrow. I think that you'll need to back off from making strong assertions instead of asserting X, which is the only plausible one. You also picked a very good job of setting them next to each other, and it doesn't look like anyone else at all well myself. Everything looks good to them? If you have quite a difficult section of a text that they deserve to portray themselves in the romance narrative, which could conceivably have been capable of doing better than I expected, and you exhibit a very very close attention to how other people talking would have paid off for the quarter. Check to make it hard for you for a solid job overall with recitations this week, in-depth manner and provided a good weekend I'll see you next week: Patrick Kavanagh, Eavan Boland, What We Lost Eavan Boland, and their outline doesn't bear a lot of ways. I suspect from previous experience that being in an engaged, and is/always/have completed the assigned poems by William Butler Yeats's The Song of Wandering Aengus, He Wishes for Cloths of Heaven. Hi! Bloom is experiencing in this class was welcoming and supportive to other people in your current participation level, do you actually mean by passionate, and I've gone ahead and confirm that no one else has already chosen it. Hi! Here's a breakdown on your grade another 5%, although this argument may not be able to answer questions in section. However, the construction of your argument, and what is being transformed during this time not even a technological failure or an additional five percent/for/scrupulous accuracy/in Synge's The Playboy of the text. That is why I am not qualified to evaluate disability status and cannot provide any accommodations unless I hear from DSP. Does that help? The Theatre of the currency in question according what the exact text of Yeats's plays. With two exceptions the very end will be in South Hall is locked on weekends. None of which parts of the most significant and connect them to larger-scale implications format, an exhaustive declaration of intent to read it, I've attached a copy of an existentialist trope—which is itself a sophisticated move. You can potentially use this as being the cranky ramblings of an overview of a paper is that this has happened, review briefly any major points that it's helpful for me to do, and had some important things to say. Thanks for working so hard. Of course!

Overall, you should rise above the compare/contrast paper which is probably that you have performed, you did well here, and I'll make photocopies for you, or perhaps a good idea of his lecture pace rather than an A doesn't raise your GPA any higher than an analysis, and I'll let you know that you're dealing with, and should prepare for an email and we'll find a time on Wednesday! Being specific in your group before the third stanza; and invented a few ideas about it. I would be the first week in section on 27 November On Samuel Beckett's Waiting for Godot/seen in the novel's take on the poem, thinking about how to use multiple songs, but if you start participating and pick up more at the point in the Fall 2013 Anglo-Irish Literature, fall 2013 at UC Santa Barbara I know that for some of the novel what I'd encourage you to be my advice. I'll see you in response to the text and helping them to construct a valid MLA citation to the MLA standard for academic papers in this particular grad-school-length paper. You're absolutely capable of being is to let me know if you have read your texts in more detail. /Grade, because people who makes regular substantial contributions now, you should give a textually perfect recitation that is necessary, then any estimate that maybe two of the bigger differences between analytical papers like this in your thesis statement: what I think that you're scheduled to perform a musical arrangement or dramatic performance to do more than just one example of the staff that of Arimathea supposedly stuck into the wrong field but grad students see a message from him. Thanks for letting me know if there's anything I can reschedule you for being such a good student this Wednesday at 1:1. However.

#Irish literature #automatically generated text #Patrick Mooney #Python #Markov chains

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