#when the social media admin posts these photos thinking this is the first time we’re seeing this

[rickybaby]

visacashapprb: DR3 👊

[povlnfour]

ੈ✩‧₊˚ CONTENT CREATION (CL16)

pairing: charles leclerc x f!reader

summary: when ferrari hire a new content creator to help their social media presence, fans start noticing a certain friendship developing between her and their star driver.

*face claim: dina denoire (but please imagine her as you see fit)

scuderiaferrari just posted a photo ੈ✩‧₊˚

liked by 209,885 people

scuderiaferrari we’re all smiling and relaxing on media days📸

view all comments

user who is taking such good photos when did ferrari care about their social media

user okay loving all this content we are getting lately but what changed admin

user charles wearing white jeans gives me anxiety

user ferrari cooking something

ferrari just posted a reel ੈ✩‧₊˚

liked by 451,209 people

scuderiaferrari charles’ comments after the race have left us craving something 🍕

view all comments

user SO THAT WAS A GIRL’S VOICE RIGHT.

user IS THE NEW HIRE A GIRL

user so you DID hire a new media person… i knew all this content was too good to be true

ferrari just posted a tiktok ੈ✩‧₊˚

84k likes, 1.2k comments, 1k shares

video captions:

[carlos: is my person attractive?

charles *laughing*

carlos: that tells me everything!

charles: yes she is!

carlos: is it y/n then?

charles: i’m saying nothing]

ferrari charles and carlos play who am i featuring the members of our ferrari team!👀

top comments

user CHARLES WHAT DO U MEAN UR SAYING NOTHING.

user WHO IS Y/N AND WHY DOES SHE HAVE CHARLES LAUGHING LIKE THAT

user okay but carlos knowing he was immediately y/n from the way charles blushed👀 what does he know that we don’t she must be hot

user admin give us a y/n reveal💳💳💳

ferrari just posted a tiktok ੈ✩‧₊˚

39.8k likes, 415 comments, 890 saves

ferrari what time do our team arrive for our meeting?

top comments

user THIS IS THE FAMOUS Y/N???? SUDDENLY I UNDERSTAND CHARLES

user UMMM WHO IS THE GIRL

user double checking their team on the website it would appear she’s the content creator👀

user the one charles keeps mentioning???

user wait what time did the meeting start😭

yourusername 5… some of us were late

user IS THIS HER ACCOUNT BC IF SO…???? IM PANICKING SHES SO HOT

yourusername hi😭😭 yes this is me!!!

user oh my god she’s so hot

yourusername just posted a photo ੈ✩‧₊˚

liked by charles_leclerc and 56,408 others

yourusername first few months of many travelling the world have been a dream. grazi ferrari❤️

view all comments

user FINALLY FOUND UR ACCOUNT IVE BEEN WANTING TO SCREAM ABOUT HOW HOT YOU ARE FOR AGES

user was so focused on you i didn’t even notice the photo of charles

charles_leclerc no photo credits?

yourusername WAH WAH WAH

user how does it feel to liVE MY DREAM

yourusername pretty incredible tbh

ferrari just posted a video ੈ✩‧₊˚

[video captions:

CARLOS: who is most likely to be late because they overslept?

CHARLES: *laughing* probably y/n. she’s always late. i don’t think i’ve seen her be on time to a single meeting yet. she’s also notoriously hard to wake up and sleeps through her alarms and being shaken!

CARLOS: *teasing* you speak from experience, no?

CHARLES: *laughing* i’ve definitely struggled to wake her up a few times!]

twitter reacts ੈ✩‧₊˚

charles_leclerc just posted a photo ੈ✩‧₊˚

liked by landonorris, carlossainz55 and 561,356 others

charles_leclerc enjoying the summer break

view all comments

user IS THAT Y/N?

user so ferraris content creator gets to see charles shirtless ? where do i apply

yourusername nO pHoTo CrEdItS?!😤😤😤

user GET HIM

user not to be that person but if they went on holiday together that means they probably shared a hotel room right…

user oh they’re totally doing it

user can’t blame her at all i would too

yourusername just posted a photo ੈ✩‧₊˚

liked by charles_leclerc and 98,406 others

yourusername some well deserved time off🫶

view all comments

user UMMM THE SECOND PHOTO??? ITS GIVING BOYFRIEND

user BESTIE WE ALL KNOW UR TOGETHER JUST MAKE IT OFFICIAL‼️

user this is confirmation in my head

formula1 just posted a video ੈ✩‧₊˚

[video captions:

CHARLES: y/n how do i look?

Y/N: you look alright.

CHARLES: just alright? oh my god my heart is broken.]

top comments

user WHAT DO YOU MEAN YOUR HEART IS BROKEN CHARLES WHY IS HER OPINION SO IMPORTANT TO YOU👀

user oh so they spend the whole summer break together and now they’re in love????

user charles and y/n just announce you’re dating already i beg

user a whole formula 1 video and the first thing charles thinks of is to ask for y/n’s opinion… yeah we’ve lost him guys

user fr and i can’t even blame him have you SEEN her

yourusername just posted a photo ੈ✩‧₊˚

liked by charles_leclerc and 98,406 others

yourusername thanks idiot for mentioning my name constantly on the internet. glad to know i’m always on your mind (you’re on mine too)

view all comments

user OH MY GOD I KNEW IT

user TEARS THEYRE SO CUTE

user not ferrari playing matchmaker😭

charles_leclerc i love you. sorry i had to scream about it, glad i can do it double time now

charles_leclerc just posted a photo ੈ✩‧₊˚

liked by landonorris, carlossainz55 and 561,356 others

charles_leclerc shout out to ferrari for introducing me to the girl of my dreams and only being minorly annoyed when i decided to make her mine

view all comments

user SO REALLLL

user MOTHER AND FATHER!!! ITS OFFICIAL

user when will I have my fanfic worthy love story

carlossainz55 i can’t wait to third wheel for the rest of our career together

yourusername you love us really

carlossainz55 i do. i really do

—————

taglist (found here): @sunflower-golden-vol6 @six-call @skatingiswalkingincursive @peqch-pie @m0cha-bunny @ironmaiden1313 @champagnelovers101 @alessioayla @hobiismyhopeu @mingkyungseokie @woozarts @he6rtshaker @iluvvmeeee @goldenalbon @lucyysthings

as always, comments, likes, reblogs asks etc etc etc always greatly appreciated🫶 had a lot of fun w this one hehe

- giselle xx

[norrisreads]

style 1989 #CL16

PAIRING: charles leclerc x reader!

SYNOPSIS: inspired by taylor swift, “style”

WARNING: angst & fluff

Midnight, you come and pick me up no headlights

“ you can’t keep calling me you know that, right? ” he sighed while piggy backing you and struggling to walk in a straight line.

“ i couldn’t help it, charles. You’re on my speed dial, you know how that goes? It’s not like this is the first time, could have just declined the call. ” you rolled your eyes but your heart is slightly beating from the close contact with your best friend.

“ can’t leave you alone, in a place like these mon chérie ” he needs to stop calling me these names while having a partner waiting for him at home.

“ sorry if i crashed your date night with charlotte, i hope she doesn’t hate me, im really sorry Charles ”

you remembered drinking few more shots after seeing charlotte’s Instagram story with him on a date night.

you genuinely felt so shitty but couldn’t help it as Charles is the only guy you’ve trusted in the whole 22 years of your life when it comes to these situations

he laughed, and just shook his head.

the whole ride to your apartment was just in silence.

It’s been a while since i’ve heard from you

Ever-since that night, you’ve removed him from your speed dial, not only that but maybe, just maybe you’ve removed him from everything except your personal Instagram.

Because, here you are stalking or maybe lurking through his and her posts.

“ You’ve got to stop that you know. You’re only setting yourself up "

you’ve recognized that voice, partly because you’ve gotten closer to Lando Norris after the one-sided fall out with Charles

You knew Lando, because he would always come to the drivers gathering and way before Charles was with her, you were his +1 (as close friends of course).

But, you’ve gotten closer with him when he was surprisingly there for you when you were drunkenly crying over Charles at the paddock bar, and you’ve realised that Charles was the only oblivious person towards your feelings.

You let out a big sigh and flipped Lando off jokingly. You locked your phone and proceed to continue on with the workload in front of you.

“ he has been asking you know? he’s always looking for you, i can’t continue lying on your whereabouts. Let it out and tell him y/n, maybe that’ll soothe your heart better and for fuck sake, stop being in the McLaren garage when you’re working for Ferrari ”

you couldn’t help but laugh at Lando’s last sentence. You’re working as Scuderia Ferrari’s as a Social Media Intern, but instead of being in their office or garage, you’re at McLaren’s trying to avoid a certain someone.

I should just tell you to leave cause i know where it exactly leads

Scuderiaferrari just posted a photo

liked by charles_leclerc, carlossainz55 and others

Scuderiaferrari sometimes we refused to think that our two drivers are fully grown adult, but then again look at their photography postures ( speaks a lot! )

view all 9,165 comments

leclercluvr ADMIN VIOLATED THEM

carlost55 im screaming which admin posted this w this caption, she’s gg to lose her job 😭

ferraridefender honestly facts, admin speak facts

charles_leclerc age is just a number, @ carlossainz55 we need to back ourselves up

carlossainz55 doesn’t matter if we’re old, we’re the hottest drivers in the grid

you closed your laptop after posting on the Ferrari Instagram page and packed your things until you felt someone tapped your right shoulder

“ what’s the rush? trying to not bump into me? ” 4 letters that ran through your mind, FUCK!

you let out a laugh to not react awkwardly and shook your head

“ what are you on charles? i’m just packing, we’re working in the same place anyways ” you continue packing your things

“ i know y/n. i know about your feelings towards me y/n. ”

you were shocked at the sudden confession that you turned your body straight away to Charles direction

“ Charlotte told me, she broke up with me, she said she couldn’t be in a relationship with me knowing i would be running over to you at any moment of the day, i didn’t know how to react to that y/n ”

“ i went to Lando’s apartment straight away after the break up w cha, to find you but Lando told me you’re here and before i drove here, he stopped me and told me the same thing too y/n. I know it’s not his place to tell me your true feelings but i’m sorry y/n ”

he reached out for your hand but you couldn’t help feeling angry from the current situation that you smacked away his hands that was reaching out to you

“ Charles, you can’t do that to me. You can’t just come running over to me just because cha broke up with you and you found out i’m in l-love with y-you”

you couldn’t help but struggle to speak without the urge of crying

“ i love you, y/n. Mon Chérie, i’ve always loved you”

he whispered

“ no, you’re lying. You’re only saying that now, because you know about my feelings towards you. What about last time? What about the times i’ve tried to tell you, you’re always changing the subject mid convos. Charles, make up your mind and talk to me again. ”

you walked away leaving Charles thinking about the missed opportunity with you.

And i got that red lip classic thing that you like

y/ninstagram

liked by landonorris, charles_leclerc and others

y/ninstagram promised him that this time i’m not gonna be working at the office, but instead be at the sidelines for him charles_leclerc 🏎️♥️

view all 175 comments

landonorris what about me???????

y/ninstagram always supporting you 🧡

landonorris as you should be

charles_leclerc get your own girlfriend, stop stealing mine

maxverstappen1 finally you both had the balls huh

carlossainz55 you owe me 50

leclercluvr WAG MY FAV WAG

myworldc2 ain’t this his bestfriend? they’re dating?

carlost yeah they were close friends!!!!!!

charles_leclerc Je t'aime de tout mon cœur ♥️

y/ninstagram love you more ♥️

end note: thanks for reading, this is my first ever writing that is public 😭 i love LOVE angst and fluff reads, so here’s a lil something with everyone’s favourite driver <3 sorry for the bad french translation or grammars!

[uwunnie]

Updates (Nov. 25, 10:02 AM US Mountain Time)

Here are some new updates.

-

An English version of the Follow/Find You album is going to be released. We’re unsure if it will be OT7, so I gently ask everyone to prepare themselves and try their best to support the six active members because it isn’t their fault; they have no say in the matter.

In addition, however, this post explains how it could still be OT7.

A positivity page has been created on Twitter! Here’s the post linking you to it along with admin list.

Hashtags did not release yesterday due to the heartbreaking tragedy revolving around Goo Hara. I’m not sure if they will resume today, but if so, I will let everyone know.

There is a Shownu appreciation project. Here’s the poster:

The Blue Hearts for Wonho project’s date is currently being reestablished.

@dreamcaughtme adopted a shark for Kihyun’s birthday!

From my knowledge, a panda bear has also been adopted in Shownu’s name!

And a bee for Jooheon!

Up next is a turtle adoption for Hyungwon’s birthday! 🐢 And then a wolf for Changkyun! 🐺 (unsure if these have been adopted yet)

Monsta X is nominated in six (6) categories for the World Greece Music Awards. Here is the link for voting.

MAMA voting! We’ve gained a lot of traction, so first and foremost, here is the link to voting on the site. Second, please tweet:

#MAMAVOTE #monstax

Remember to keep the monstax part lower-case! Do NOT capitalize it; only capitalize MAMAVOTE!

Also, here are MX’s current ranks:

Artist of the Year (#7)

Song of the Year (#7)

Worldwide Fans’ Choice (#7)

Best Male Group (#5)

Best Dance Performance Male Group (#5)

MX’s current percentages:

AOTY: 3.30% (#6 rank has 5.03%)

SOTY: 3.55% (#6 has 3.94%)

WFC: 3.31% (#6 has 4.67%)

BMG: 5.85% (#4 has 9.55%)

BDPMG: 6.10% (#4 rank has 9.29%)

The #1 ranks’ current percentages:

AOTY: 37.94%

SOTY: 39.05%

WFC: 35.60%

BMG: 55.65%

BDPMG: 52.84%

I’ve been seeing some people say that voting is useless, so allow me to remind everyone that if we all come together and continue working hard, nothing is ever futile. I understand that the top ranks hold a high number, but whose to say we can’t get there? We have to continue trying because if we don’t try, well yeah, we won’t get a top spot. If we do continue, though, it’s one step closer to the next rank.

With that, let me do some reminders:

When voting on the MAMA site, multiple types of SNS can be utilized and within those social platform categories, multiple accounts can be used in each. For example: If you choose Twitter as your SNS voting platform, you can make multiple accounts and vote from each one on the site.

When voting on twitter utilizing the hashtags, each tweet with of media and/or text attached to it counts as one vote for the Worldwide Fans’ Choice each. If you tweet 200 times, for example, using #MAMAVOTE #monstax then that’s 200 votes. In addition, if you retweet and/or reply to tweets utilizing those hashtags, they count as additional votes.

Votes do NOT count if you merely just tweet the hashtags alone, with just a photo and the tags, or if you keymash. The tweets have to be planned out at least a little bit and if you use a picture, you have to include text with the tags.

MAMA voting aside, I ask everyone to think before boycotting and to not boycott simply because certain pages tell you to. If you so choose to do it, very well, but please analyze your actions and ensure you truly believe it’s going to help despite the abundance of evidence clearly proving it does not do anything other than hurt the members.

Do not engage with media that is defamatory and/or vile. Report it and spread awareness of the media through private messages with trusted MBBs.

I think that’s it for now. Please drink some water and continue with voting!

[exilebuzz]

i think it’s about time we release our guidelines and neighborhoods! anyone who’d like to know more, please keep on reading.

registering.

we’re so glad that you’re interested in joining exile and we’ve put together a simple list of guidelines to help you along your way! first things first, registration! when we finally open and you register an account username, it should be in the first and last name in all lowercase format (for example, bill denbrough). since we have a small town setting, we like the idea of each character having a unique name on the site, so we ask that there are no duplicate first names. we also do not allow duplicate last names (excluding cultural exceptions) unless characters are related to one another. when it comes to aliases, we also do not allow duplicates - no exceptions. you’ll have a chance to check out our member directory before choosing an alias to ensure the name you wish to use isn’t already on the site. if your usual alias is taken, please think of something else that may be available (we also ask that members don't just slap a 2 on their alias to get around the rule). we realize this may be frustrating to some, but the rule is in place to avoid confusion when interacting with each other, whether in the discord or on site.

applying.

we will be using member profile apps/shippers rather than your standard shipper posts. we’ll be supplying a brief guide if you need help with your app, but if you're still stuck, feel free to dm a staff member. after you've finished, post with the proper form in the completed apps channel on the site discord and we'll get to it within twenty four hours.

claims & limits.

on exile, face claim reservations will last a total of seventy-two (72) hours, with the option of an additional twenty-four hour extension if you end up needed a little more time to finish your shipper application. extensions will only be given if your shipper has been posted and worked on in the incomplete forum. after acceptance, you will have a twenty-four hour window to claim your face before it is eligible for others to reserve.

all face claims must fit the criteria of being either an actor/actress, signed model or musician, verified or have a significant following on social media. we also ask that all face claims have a verifiable age listed somewhere so that the admins can confirm that they are cleared for use. we do not allow faces that are under eighteen years of age to be used nor faces of the deceased - no exceptions! also, if your face claim is on the younger side, please be careful when using their photos for graphics because we do not allow pictures to be used of anyone under eighteen years of age on the site. we want to encourage diversity and inclusivity in all aspects of character creation, so we ask that members be respectful to face claim ethnicities and avoid whitewashing and/or ethnic bending. your characters’ ethnicity needs to match the ethnicity of the face claim portraying them, no exceptions! if we notice that your face claim’s ethnicity and your character’s ethnicity differ, we will contact you and ask that you make the appropriate adjustments. in the same vein, face claims that are trans, non-binary, or gender non-conforming may not be used to portray cis characters UNLESS they portray cis characters in the media and have expressed that they are happy to do so (example, nico tortorella). cis faces are not to be used to portray any of the aforementioned. our last rule regarding face claims is that all character ages must be within +/- 5 years of the portrayal’s actual age. for example, if you want to use idris elba on exile, his character’s age must be between 42 and 52 because idris’ fine ass is forty-seven years old. we'll be starting off with a cap of 10 characters, the first six of which will be free and can be made at any time. each character after that will cost 30,000 points and all previous accounts must have made a post within the activity requirements.

posting & activity.

as roleplayers ourselves, we realize that everyone has varying levels in their personal activity at any given time. we’re all adults with lives and priorities beyond rp and so we want to offer a relaxed and lenient rule in regards to member activity. we ask that each account posts at least one (1) thread post (can be standard or rapidfire) or three (3) communication posts every ten (10) days. ooc posts, social media posts, and development posts will not count toward your activity. instead of holding monthly activity checks, the staff will conduct weekly sweeps in order to keep the site clean and tidy.

if your character is caught in a sweep, they will be sorted to inactive. in order to have a character activated again, you’ll be able to post in the mod topic. if after twenty-four (24) hours you still have not taken the steps to reactivate your character, their face claim will be cleared from our list and will be up for grabs. once two weeks have passed, any inactive accounts will be deleted from the site. if you know in advance that you will be unable to keep up with our activity requirements for a certain amount of time, you’ll be able to take advantage of our absence topic. if you think you will be absent from the site for over fourteen (14) days, please speak to an admin before posting your absence. members will be given a forty-eight (48) hour grace period to post one of the aforementioned activity requirements following the last day listed on their absence form before they are eligible to be caught in a sweep. while on absence, members are not permitted to reserve faces or create new characters.

graphics & templates.

you will need a total of five (5) images when filling out your profile in the settings tab. first, your character’s avatar (250x420) as well four aesthetic images (190x190) and one square gif. images will resize to fit but we included specific dimensions for anyone who wants them! you will also need to upload an additional square gif (will also resize) in the edit avatar tab of your settings. all of the image fields, along with the rest of the profile fields, must be filled out prior to shipper review.

we ask that all images used in your profile/mini profile be safe for work and that they do not contain any nudity, excessive gore, offensive imagery, etc. we want our members to feel at home and safe by not having to worry about stumbling across something they don’t want to see! we’ll also offer a variety of codes members are free to use around the site, which can be found in our ever-growing code bank. these codes will be exclusive to exile only and are not to be used on any other site. we also ask that any and all codes used around the site come from our code bank, and our code bank only. this will help defer any unwanted buggyness happening around the site and we definitely like things to look nice and uniformed.

thanks for reading! we can’t wait to start writing with all of you. 

[sierratheory]

Admin Opinions Masterpost

As promised this will be the master post that contains all of our opinions for the current situations involving 5SOS. That would be Mystal, Lierra, and Kayshton. If there is an opinion you are looking for that you do not see on this post, feel free to ask and we can add it to this post. To keep this as clean as possible I will break this up with a read more line.

OWNER

Mystal - They're absolutely PR in my opinion, for a lot of reasons, but just to name a few of them: Crystal uses Michael for constant promo schemes, the engagement was literally staged and planned by Guess (despite whatever story Crystal is trying to spin), and she's literally far from the only other "influencer" to have done this recently. Nevermind the fact that Michael sounds more enthusiastic talking about literally ANYTHING but his supposed engagement. Couple goals uuuwwwuuu, am I right? 

Lierra - At this point, nothing will change my mind about them being PR. The story has a lot of holes in it, the biggest that comes to mind at the moment is the fact that we're supposed to believe that Lierra has been a couple for over a year now...Meanwhile, in early to mid-2018, she was constantly pining after Luke in a way that a FAN would, not someone you're in a relationship with. By this, I mean that she was only ever active on IG at the same time as him, and she'd constantly follow and like everything that he did, in an obvious effort to appeal to him. As well as stirring the pot of speculation among fans who were wanting to know if they were dating, by buying clothes eerily SIMILAR to Luke's, in order to make fans think that they were sharing clothes. Many fans were fooled by this. Or the fact that she literally ran a bogus IG page (grandebaby13) to push dating rumours about her and Luke. All the while she spent so much energy previously, trying to reassure fans that they were, "just friends." Like if they were real, and they agreed to be private, then she wouldn't have been trying to force rumours. Point blank. 

Kayshton - Completely undecided for me at this point. On one hand, they seem like the most real out of all three couples. But the fact that it seems like she's only started to get steady work/make an effort in her career since going public with Ashton, and that one pap walk with the suspicious leaked video footage (with extra photos being released a couple of weeks later out of the blue), really makes me a little bit wary of saying they aren't PR. Only time will tell, but for now, I'm fairly neutral but open to the possibility. 

BLUE

Lierra: As obvious as it may be, I feel Lierra is PR. There is a small part of me that believes they could be real and Luke’s vulnerability post-Arzaylea could’ve been abused, but that theory is strictly an opinion and there’s not a lot in my eyes that proves they’re a real couple. I feel their relationship began too quickly in terms of how it progressed from friendship to a “soulmate” scenario being as she was “besties” with Ashton first. The timelines don’t add up to me and I feel like it’s been proven she’s gained quite a large fan base because of her relationship with Luke and it will only grow from here the longer they’re together. She also uses her relationship for work-related gigs (ie, FoF), despite not actually releasing any music that is hers or music that is no longer associated with the Essy stage name.

Mystal: I’m conflicted with Mystal. I see both sides. They seem to be a cute, more well-rounded couple, but I also see the issues that lie in Crystal and how she controls Mikey rather than being supportive and/or more like a fiancé. I think either way the relationship is slightly more bearable than others that have come through. I feel like Crystal is an independent woman who does what she can to make it in the industry which is admirable. The engagement through me for a loop, especially with how publicized it was with the relation to GUESS and such, so I’d say I’m more on the PR side of things, but them being real wouldn’t shock me.

Kayshton: I’m so undecided with this one. I’m thrown off by the DM exclusives, but they seem to be low key and chilled out. I like KayKay, she seems sweet and apart from a few of her friends that are sketchy, I find her pretty down to earth and humble. I wouldn’t be surprised if they were real, nor if they were a filler PR for when Lierra ends, but either one of pretty probable.

RED

Mystal: I used to think Mystal was super cute. But once I learned things about Crystal’s past behaviour and the way she manipulates fans and treats people I started to see her true colours. I fully believe Mystal is PR. Not only do I find the timeline of how their relationship allegedly began to be suspicious, but the major changes to his personality and how he portrays himself are also suspicious. Not to mention the complete control she has over his social media and image as a whole. How she garners herself and others partnerships (Adidas, Guess) based off of his fame. She even used his social media accounts as an example of her PR skills on her now empty website.

Prior to Mystal, I’d never seen a couple sell their engagement or get a full press in a magazine about it. Weddings? Yeah, those are planned months, sometimes even years ahead. But engagements are supposed to be a romantic surprise. I have no doubt Crystal orchestrated the entire engagement and the full spread in People, or whatever magazine it was. I personally can’t see Michael selling that personal private moment, but I wouldn’t put it past Crystal. And no offence to 5SOS, but they aren’t like Justin Bieber level famous, they aren’t A-List celebrities, so I find it doubtful that Guess or People approached them about the engagement. I also worry about Michael’s mental health. It concerns me that so much of his life outside of the band revolves solely around Crystal and her social circle. Even if I thought the relationship was genuine that would still concern me. It has been said that Michael gets bad anxiety and doesn’t like huge crowds and that’s why he stays away from outings and parties with the other band members but like, he’s done DJ shows in packed clubs with the guys (recently) and Crystal throws him huge parties for his birthday. But then he misses band outings the museums where they take pictures and do promo. He went to Coachella with Crystal but wasn’t seen at all with the guys. It just seems very strange to me.

Lierra: In the beginning, I wanted to believe Luke knew Sierra was using him for publicity but was okay with it because they were friends. But as time went on and I learned more about her lurking and gassing up rumours about her dating Luke I grew more and more uncomfortable about her presence. If they had wanted to keep their relationship private she shouldn’t have been posting little hints to get people talking. If they had wanted to keep their relationship private she shouldn’t have created a fake IG account to push dating rumours. If the relationship was real that’s all toxic problematic behaviour. The relationship may not be real, but Sierra’s manipulative behaviour is.

As a Luke girl, I try to support him in his choices and relationships. But Sierra’s behaviour and specifically her comment about depression leave me struggling to like her as a person. There’s a lot that makes me think the relationship is orchestrated by Modest! The comments on every one of her Instagram posts (except the birthday one which is an odd one to exclude) even if he’s on stage at the time he allegedly comments. The pap photos. Even the timing of their relationship announcement. It came at the height of Youngblood (the single)’s success just as the album was released. When people were paying 5SOS the most attention. How anytime there’s a band-related announcement something happens in Lierra-land. If you wanted to keep your relationship away from public speculation why announce its existence when the band has the most attention it’s ever had? Why not wait until some of the hype dies down?

Don’t even get me started on her lack of drive or motivation to do anything with her life/career other than being known as Luke Hemmings’ girlfriend.

Kayshton: Ok, so I have a bit of an odd theory for this one. I honestly do believe at some point at the very least, Ashton and KayKay were an item. Whether they were exclusive or how long they lasted we don’t really know. But there’s enough proof from interviews and other interactions that at some point there was something and it appeared to be a bit on and off. All four of us agree there are some odd things about Kayshton, like the pap walks and HQ pictures and videos.

My theory is that perhaps they were/are a couple and Modest! forced them to be public with it, and are giving us these HQ photos and pap interactions/DM articles to throw us off. So that people who claim Lierra‘s pap pictures prove they are PR are discredited because Kayshton is real and also has these HQ photos and pointless DM articles. Almost like a red herring, a distraction. To make fans think that since Kayshton is real and they get papped it’s totally normal and therefore Lierra is real too.

[contemptplation]

Trusting the opinions of internet-famous strangers

“Stranger danger” feels like a remnant of the past. Nowadays, with open arms, we welcome strangers and their #ads to our ‘private’ digital space - our feeds - on Facebook/Instagram, Twitter and other apps the cool kids use. 

In our feeds, they tell us about their lives, friends, family, pets, health issues, worries, triumphs and more. Their posts are just like those our friends might share (but their posts look better, of course). Their lives become such a regular part of our own that we can’t help but feel like we know them.

When we follow these modern, digital celebrities (’influencers’ .. and meme page admins even!) and take the time to read what they have to say, we become invested enough in their online activity that it feels like we do know them. Some people like to engage and converse with these influencers. Some probably DM these influencers more often than they say “hi” to their own parents. It’s almost like we know them as well as we know our grade school friends who just got engaged over the weekend. Or at least it feels like we do when we’re done swiping through our friends’ photos and thereafter scroll down to the next post by an influencer we follow.

Then comes the sponsored posts; the #ad. 

As we look at creating a more sustainable culture, consumerism is something we need to move away from, not intensify through social media reach. Yet here we are, welcoming a shit ton of #ads with open arms just because an influencer (who we assume we know because of their digital persona) said it’s good and we should try it too. 

We tend to forget that these ‘influencers’ are random joes on the internet who may/may not have the authority to give advice about the products they are pushing or the issues the products are meant to treat. Yet we treat them like subject matter experts because of their nice photos and cute captions. 

We don’t question the ethics of their advertisements because influencers + ads go hand-in-hand; it’s the status quo, eh! But why is it okay for someone - who has no in-depth knowledge of a product or the condition it is meant to treat - to sell a product to thousands and millions of people, and also give advice to their followers and have it accepted as fact. 

(For instance: Insta-famous make-up  “artists” tend to have terrible acne and often push make-up and skincare products. If their skin is in such bad shape despite the resources (free products! spas! oo la la!) they receive, why do people still want to buy products that these acne-ridden influencers swear by and which likely contribute to their bad skin in the first place?)

Why do we even trust these internet-famous randos so much?

Don’t you think it’s time we took a step back and asked ourselves:

1. How does this person use the product? 

One influencer (who stresses her mane with daily shampoo+conditioner washes and heat styling) advertised leave-in conditioner yet washes it off daily because of a self-identified ‘oily scalp’. If she does not use the product as the general public would, how can she give a relevant/safe review of the product? 

2. How frequently has this person used the product? 

Networking influencers receive PR boxes. Lots of PR boxes. However, skin and hair care, unlike makeup and fashion, often require long-term use for results. Similarly, they require regular use for someone to identify negative side effects too (Eg. terrible buildup from the leave-in conditioner). You can’t provide an accurate and ethical opinion of the product if you hardly use the product.

3. Does this person still use the product?

Products are often pushed as amazing or a holy grail item. But if someone was advertising a brand last week and, this week, advertises another brand to treat the same thing, it brings us back to questions 1 and 2.

So, what can we do? Unfollow, duh!

By unfollowing, you stop contributing to their engagement stats which they use as currency to push more sponsored products, so you’re not directly contributing to their ability to push products willy nilly. At the same time, it’s best practice to be as free with unfollows (so as to keep your digital space fresh and relevant) as you are with follows.

A very happy byproduct of unfollowing such influencers is that your feed now has space for content that will bring you joy instead of #ads, sponsored post, #ads.

[cmhoughton]

This interview by Karen (the Site Admin for Diana’s pages on the LitForum and previous CompuServe forum) is split up into two pages.  It’s been ten years since she started her blog, so this interview celebrates that.  However, since the pages took FOREVER to load I will spare everyone the frustration and post them both here.

However, since this is long, I will put it behind a cut:

In celebration of the 10th anniversary of Outlandish Observations, I'm very pleased to bring you my first-ever interview with Diana Gabaldon! Frankly, the idea of interviewing Diana Gabaldon was a little nervewracking for me at first, even though I've known her online since 2007 and we interact almost daily on TheLitForum.com (formerly the Compuserve Books and Writers Community).  I've never interviewed anyone before, and it took me a while to decide what questions to ask. I did my best to come up with questions that are somewhat different from the usual things people always ask her.  I'm just DELIGHTED with her answers, and I hope you'll enjoy them as much as I did! (The photo above is from my first meeting with Diana, at a book-signing in Maryland in 2009.) You've published a number of novellas and shorter pieces in the last few years. What do you see as the advantages of the shorter format, for you as a writer? They're shorter. <g> I.e., I can finish one in much less time than the four to five years it takes for one of the Big Books. Basically, it's a bit of a mental vacation to deal with something that's very interesting, but on a smaller scale--and offers a quicker gratification in completing it. The novellas offer me the opportunity to go explore the byways of minor characters and interesting storylines that lie outside either the temporal or the logistical reach of the Big Books. Do you still write in "pieces" when you're working on a novella or short story, or is it more of a straight-line process? I always write in disconnected pieces, no matter what I’m writing; that’s just how my mind works. (I had one interviewer recently pause for a long moment after I’d answered one of her questions--obviously thumbing down her list--and then say, “I had a lot more questions, but you seem to have answered most of them already, while you were answering the one I asked you.” I apologized <g>, and explained that I inherited my digressive story-telling from my father--he’d begin (usually at the dinner table) with a recollection of someone from his past, and would start telling you a story about them--but every second paragraph or so, something he’d said would start a digression that added social context or personal opinion or associated history or data on location, and then without missing a beat, the story would swerve back onto its main track--until the next digression a minute later.) As I always tell people, “There’s a reason why I write long books; it’s because I like digression.” You've made very effective use of Twitter and Facebook in recent years, and many fans are addicted to your #DailyLines. How has the rise of social media affected the way you interact with your readers and fans? With your busy schedule, where do you find the time? Well, social media has sort of grown up around me. Back in 1985, I first went “online” (a concept that really didn’t exist in the popular consciousness yet) when I got an assignment to write a software review for BYTE magazine, and they sent with the software a disk for a trial membership with CompuServe (aside from government services like DARPA, “online” in the mid-80’s basically consisted of three “information services”: Delphi, Genie and CompuServe), so I could poke into the support forum the software vendors had set up there, and mention it in my review. After writing the review, I had a few hours of free connect time left (in a time when you were charged $30 an hour for using CompuServe—at 300 baud, dial-up), and so I started poking around to see what else was available. I stumbled into the CompuServe Literary Forum. This was not (as people sometimes assume) a writer’s group. It was a group of people who liked books. There were a few writers there, of course, both established and aspiring, but the main focus was simply on books: reading, impact, thinking in response to reading--and it was also just a fertile ground in which enormous, digressive and fascinating conversations could flourish (there was one truly remarkable conversation that became known as “the Great Dildo Thread,” that went on for months…). Anyway, that was where social media (which didn’t exist as a concept yet, though plainly it existed in fact) and I met. The next step was my website, established in 1994 (I think I was the first author to build a website for readers--and my eternal thanks to Rosana Madrid Gatti, who generously did the hard work of making and running the site; I sent her material and she’d post it for me (this was a looong time before WordPress and other blogging software made it possible for anybody to communicate directly with the world online). I did the website mostly in response to reader’s enthusiasm; I got a LOT of mail (regular letters) about the books, from people being complimentary, asking questions, taking issue with various aspects--but all of them wanted to know more: why did Claire do this, where did I find out about botanical medicine, did people really do that…and most particularly--when was the next book coming out. So the website was a means of answering reader questions--both for the readers who had asked those questions, and for the entertainment of other readers who perhaps hadn’t thought of those questions, but would be interested in the answers. The benefit of only having to type an answer once (many people naturally ask the same questions) was obvious--as was the benefit of being able to inform people of pub dates, book-signings, etc. So, knowing the benefits of such a channel, when other channels became available--AOL, for instance--I’d use them, at least briefly, and see whether they seemed helpful. Some were, some weren’t--I never bothered with MySpace, and in fact, it took some time for me to try Facebook (which I still use sparingly; I never go anywhere on Facebook other than my own page, and it’s what they call a “celebrity” page, which means that I don’t take “friend” requests. Nor, I’m afraid, can I read the private messages that people kindly leave me there--at the moment, the page has more than 700,000 members (or whatever you call regular visitors), and if only one percent of them send me messages…that’s 7,000 messages. There’s no way I can even read that many messages, let alone respond to them. Twitter also proved to be very useful; it provides instant access to a lot of people--and more valuable than that, it provides organic replication. If you post something interesting, many, many more people will see it, beyond the people who actually follow you. And it’s very good for making short-term announcements or asking urgent questions, because somewhere in the world, the person who can answer that question is awake and reading Twitter. <g> What's the most challenging, or frustrating, or difficult part of your role as consultant on the TV series? (I understand there are things you can't talk about, but can you comment on this in general?) Well, frustrations are of two types: 1) when a scriptwriter has done something that I think is not consistent with a character’s…er, character, and I can’t get them (“them” meaning not just the scriptwriter, but the production team in general) to change it, and 2) when they’ve shot something absolutely beautiful, in terms of acting, honesty, emotion, etc.--and then cut it out of the finished episode. What's the most fun part? The fun lies in seeing something remarkable evolve from a huge number of component parts, day by day by day. It’s like watching a forest grow in stop-motion time that speeds everything up. Would you be interested in writing another script for the TV show, after BEES is done? Yes, I would. It was a deeply interesting (if occasionally frustrating) experience. Script-writing is a very collaborative process, in which the script writer ultimately does not have complete control over the final product, which may have been rewritten several times by different people. That’s a very different experience from being a solitary god, as novelists are. <g> But it’s a fascinating experience, both in the consultation and writing (and revision and revision and revision…) and in the eventual final result: the filming. Filming is long, tedious, hard work--but very entertaining. As the OUTLANDER TV series approaches its fourth season, we're starting to see many more readers who've found your books as a result of the TV show. Aside from the effect on book sales (which must be considerable <g>), I'm interested to hear what you think about that. Do you find that people who found the TV show first tend to have different expectations, or different reactions to the books? People who’ve read the books first definitely have different reactions to the show <g>, but I don’t think the reverse is really true. I haven’t heard a lot of show-first people express any sense of shock or disapproval as to things happening in the books--they expect to see an expanded version of the story, with a lot more detail and more storylines, and that’s what they get. Many OUTLANDER fans, including myself, have re-read (or re-listened to) your books many, many times. Do you have a favorite author or authors whose books you re-read often, and if so, what is it about those books that makes them stand up well to re-reading? Yes, dozens. Right now, I’m re-reading all of Dorothy L. Sayers’s Lord Peter Wimsey novels, for probably the twentieth time. (I continue to enjoy them, but to be honest, I’m re-reading them now because I can put them down easily in order to work.) James Lee Burke would be another one, though I haven’t re-read his Dave Robicheaux novels as often as Sayers. And then there are Patrick O’Brian’s Aubrey/Maturin novels--I’ve read the series maybe three times, but listened to it on audio probably twenty times, at least--the reader, Patrick Tull, is fantastic, and the story always holds my interest while dog-walking or gardening. Like these, all the books I feel are worth re-reading depend on unique and engaging individuals. I like to spend time with these people (and on a lower level, I enjoy seeing just _how_ the author did what they did; knowing as much now as I do about the craft of writing, it’s hard to avoid seeing the techniques in use--a book that can suck me in sufficiently that I _don’t_ notice the engineering is definitely one I can re-read).

Part 2:

I'm not a writer of fiction, but I love it when Diana explains various writing techniques. So I thought it would be interesting to explore this particular one. I was astounded, and very grateful, that Diana replied in such detail! Be sure to click on the links about halfway through this post to read the examples from the text. *** SPOILER WARNING!! *** If you haven't read WRITTEN IN MY OWN HEART'S BLOOD (Book 8 of the OUTLANDER series), you may encounter spoilers below. I was listening recently to the section of MOHB that deals with the Battle of Monmouth. It must be quite a challenge to write a complex series of scenes like that, with so many moving parts and different characters involved. Are there specific techniques that you use in writing battle scenes in particular, to give a sense of immediacy or heighten the dramatic tension? Managing a complex situation in fiction comes down essentially to Point of View.  You have to know whose head you’re in, and stay firmly there. Until you change to a different point-of-view character, that is… Who the point-of-view character is determines what kind of detail will be available to you, and guides the shape and flow of those periods of the text that belong to that specific character. For example (as you mention the Battle of Monmouth section of WRITTEN IN MY OWN HEART’S BLOOD), the first thing I considered was whose viewpoint(s) to use in depicting it.  I’d read several accounts of the battle, including a very detailed step-by-step description provided by one of Osprey’s Men-at-War books, so I knew the general character of the battle:  it was a huge military encounter, involving more than 10,000 troops on either side, multiple commanders, and a ragged, rolling terrain that didn’t accommodate the standard eighteenth-century military formations and positioning At All. (No one chose the ground on which to fight; that particular stretch of farmland was just where Washington’s troops caught up with General Clinton’s troops, who were retreating from Philadelphia with a large number of fleeing Loyalists (and their property) under the army’s protection.) It was also a very long battle, fought from slightly before daybreak until well after dark, on one of the hottest days known (temperatures were estimated--ex post facto--at over a hundred degrees during the hottest part of the day). And it was an indecisive battle: neither side “won”--the British withdrew with their dependents and baggage trains and retired toward New York (which is what they’d been doing when the Americans attacked), and the Americans staggered back to their camps to recover, tend the wounded, and bury their dead. The significance of the battle, though, was subtle but Very Important--the Americans didn’t lose. This discomfited the British extremely, and heartened the Americans to an equal degree, enabling Washington to pursue his campaign. OK, so we have a very complex mess to describe. Obviously, no one person could possibly see enough of the battle to have any idea how it was going, let alone what strategy was in use. So I knew from the start that I’d need more than one viewpoint character, and could then switch among them as needed to give their separate takes on what was happening to them, and the reader would get both the necessary information as to what was happening overall, and the sense of chaos and struggle that marked the day. Obviously, Jamie Fraser had to be one of those characters; he’s a central figure of the story, and he’s a trained and very experienced soldier. So I contrived a way for him to be in command of a sizable (though informal) company of militia during the battle. Militia companies were normally fairly small bands of thirty to fifty men, who signed up for short enlistments and returned to their farms or businesses when the enlistment period ran out, and a great many militia companies joined the American army just before this battle--not all of them were documented, and thus it was entirely plausible for the temporarily-appointed General Fraser to be in command of several. So, Jamie would naturally see combat, both personally and as a commander. He’d be in communication with other commanders, and would know the proposed strategy, as well as specific moving goals as the battle was going on. And he’d be interacting with the soldiers under his command and responding to emergencies.  [NB:  Notice, through these examples, the sort of details that each character is conscious of and how they respond to them.] Example #1 (Jamie in the cider orchard) Then, of course, I wanted Claire. Both because she’d never leave Jamie on a battlefield alone again, and because as a surgeon, she’d have a completely different view of the battle. She’d be handling the wounded who came off the field, in a series of medical procedures/emergencies, but would also have a general sense of the battle as a whole, gained from the things the wounded men told her while she was treating them. Example #2 (Claire tending the wounded at Tennent Church) But we can’t overlook the other side of the conflict. What’s going on, on the British side? Well, we have a choice of POV characters on that side:  William, Lord John, and Hal. I used both William and Lord John (Lord John’s thread has been running through the whole book and the punch in the eye Jamie gave him at the beginning is affecting what happens to him throughout the battle and its aftermath). But while Jamie and Claire are carrying out fairly orthodox roles in the battle--a general in command/soldier on the field and a combat medic at a static aid station on the edge of the conflict--William and Lord John aren’t. William’s been relieved of duty and Lord John is essentially trying to stay alive long enough to reach the British lines. Both of them, in storytelling terms, can drop in or pass through just about any situation I need or want. They aren’t compelled to follow orders or fight through a set conflict; we get a revolving set of pictures of the British side of the conflict and its various personalities from them. And finally, there’s Ian Murray, Jamie’s nephew. He’s a scout for the American side, so is not fighting on the ground, but--like William and Lord John--can occur just about anywhere during the battle. And like William and Lord John, he’s fighting a personal battle (whereas Jamie and Claire are fighting the more usual kind of battle involving troops and military movements). So Jamie and Claire are providing a more or less structured view of things, while William, John and Ian are giving us the smaller, vivid glimpses that add both to the overall picture of the situation and to the encompassing sense of chaos. Or at least we hope that’s what happened… And to close this exegesis <g>--note that each character involved in this battle has his or her own arc within the battle: how they enter the battle, what happens to them, what decisions they make and what actions they take--and finally, how (and how altered) they emerge at the end of the fight. -------------------------------------------- Many thanks to Diana Gabaldon for taking the time for this very interesting interview! I really appreciate it.

It’s always interesting to read Diana’s comments on her own process, and I like what a fan of books she is.  

[vikingtoyourliking-blog]

Bye, Facebook ===========

Bye, Facebook ===========

Just letting anyone who cares that I am leaving Facebook/Meta for good.

It’s been proven that ‘living’ on FB contributes to anxiety and depression, even leaving it creates FOMO (Fear of missing out). Being active on FB is akin to having an addiction. It can decrease motivation. You use energy on people that you don’t care about. Much of the information on FB feeds is useless information. It damages communication skills. You get manipulated. Besides, FB uses buggy code.

Past:

- I was invited twice to join the nascent social media platform, once in Dec 2007 and once in May 2008. The first time was by a good friend from high school. I had dismissed it not knowing what it was and thought I had no time for it. The second time was by a co-worker, which reminded me of the first invitation. The actual reason I decided to join was for business purposes, to market my home based business. My connections rapidly grew, mostly because of other co-workers and of former high school people.

- I made important connections with old friends. One such connection (can’t elaborate) was the most important one as it got us caught up with each other since we parted (which was not amicable at that time). We even moved off FB and over to email for awhile. Then, communication stopped abruptly, aside from FB birthday wishes.

- I had a lot of fun with FB in the beginning. I even formed the group “You know you’re from the Comox Valley when…” just out of humour but it eventually represented nostalgia of the CV. When it was five years old, 2013, it had about 500 members. Not that big but it began to grow quite rapidly to what is now about 10,700 members.

Present:

- Facebook went public for investors and it no longer functioned or looked the ways that anyone wanted. Facebook’s algorthms have changed over the years. Recently, group Admins were stripped of their control over their creations. Only certain FB friends were visible: you had to do some ‘trick’ to make the others visible. Don’t think it worked.

- Personally, every year my news feed started to look the same: same jokes repeated, same food dishes featured, same useless games which trick people into providing personal data, same brags and boasts, same predictive content, same people responding. I don’t care to see that anymore.

- By the same token, it seems that only a few people care about the content I provide. Made me wonder why we’re connected.

- Too many times have I seen, “Don’t accept a friend request from me, it’s a hack.” Never got one.

- It was nice to receive birthday wishes, and I gave them whenever possible. But even with 176 ‘friends’, I received only 15-20 wishes. Trivial? Maybe.

- I got tired of having arguments with complete strangers. I have had to introduce rules to the “YKYFTCVW…” group because people cannot behave. Idiots, in both cases.

- I was hopeful when I joined FB that I would be having frequent meetings and chats, and get-togethers and reunions with the people I know but that never happened. When I met up with such people, we already knew what was going on with each other and our face-to-face talks became brief. Some FB friends never interacted, just held accounts.

- I am inundated with ads and suggested content I don’t care about. Some of the memories that FB suggests are painful. In fact, there are so many depressing posts that have no basis in my daily life but yet they affect me.

- I have tried selling my photography through FB Marketplace and it doesn’t work. First, a photo of my parrot was denied since FB interpreted it as selling the actual bird (and yet there are groups dedicated to selling animals). Second, a scenic photo received a photo comment that was similar to my photo, as if it was insulting.

Future:

- If you wish to keep in contact with me, email me at mark.erickson@shaw.ca

[schmidtsburg]

Wow, somehow I completely missed this and the chance to defend myself from being called creepy.

@tuxedos-are-not-suits​, first of all, the only reason I messaged her private account is because I hadn’t discovered the public fan account that she had created for her daughters. See? Their mother created a social media page to share photos and videos of her daughters with the public. At that point I was also under the impression that her personal account was still public, because it was before.

I messaged her via my own personal account. I wasn’t hiding behind some anonymous fan page. If it made her uncomfortable, if she felt like I was invading in on her privacy, or if the picture itself or me messaging her was “creepy”, she could have called me out on it. In that case I would have apologized immediately. BUT THAT’S NOT WHAT HAPPENED. I know you could say she was just being kind, but her reply doesn’t indicate that she felt that way AT ALL. 

And the screencap of the conversation I posted doesn’t include any personal information at all either - except maybe the username and that has been posted on tumblr before.

I was very excited about Ruth and felt that those little girls did such an amazing job that I wanted to let them/their mother know. That was my only intention. And I happened to see that picture on tumblr and thought it was funny and summed up how the fandom felt about Ruth. I meant no harm and quite honestly, I still believe that I did no harm either.

Privacy is important. Privacy - especially those of children - should be valued and respected. Before attacking me for something so ridiculously harmless, think about all the times paparazzi photos of Zooey’s children have been shared on here. 

In sum, your attack on me was uncalled for and unfair. So excuse me for digging this up now, but I feel like I deserve a chance to defend myself when someone calls me creepy and says I’m crossing a line and making the fandom look bad.

Oh, and a few other things: confidentiality agreements?! In my opinion, you bringing that up just proves that you’re blowing this way out of proportion. Secondly, we don’t “work in the industry.” My close friend and other admin of this blog works as a journalist but that’s about it. Also, we’re both females.

- C

[pinterestmarketingblog]

Facts and Figure, How to use Pinterest for Shopify store? Ultimate Guide

The ultimate guides on How to use Pinterest for Shopify store? The social media platform is the best way to get your eCommerce brand to people in a very effective way. How much does it cost to advertise on Pinterest?There is no denying that Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter, etc. play an essential role in the marketing budget. This is why many online stores plan marketing strategies using one or more of these social media platforms. How to Identify Pinterest Advertisements?Pinterest is also a social media platform used in marketing strategies for stores like Shopify.The ultimate Pinterest analytics guideHow to Get Pinterest Audience Insights:How you can auto-publish pins from your RSS feed?How to change cover photo on Pinterest board?This social media platform is slowly gaining traffic and is now in the top 5 social media platforms. The Pinterest platform is exceeding up to 335 million active users. Facebook is still on the first number, with 2.5 billion users. Pinterest marketing strategies is growing day by day among eCommerce brand marketers. What Important for Pinterest social media marketing:

How does Pinterest marketing work for Shopify?

Can you connect your Shopify and Pinterest, and how can you use the Shopify Pinterest app? I will answer all these questions in this article. So, stay tuned with me. First, we learn about Shopify and the reason for its popularity. How to use Pinterest to promote your blog?What Is Shopify store And Why Is It So Popular? Shopify is an eCommerce platform used for building online retail businesses. Many businesses are moving to the world of hosted eCommerce platforms, and Shopify provides them with one of the best media.  How to use Pinterest for Shopify store: Shopify has been opted by many entrepreneurs and startups worldwide to expand or migrate their businesses to the web. Let's check the reason for its popularity when there are so many other options available? Well, you need to read further to get the answer. Let's look at Shopify's features, which make it one of the most desired eCommerce platforms. The ultimate Pinterest analytics guide?How to change email address on Pinterest account?how to change cover photo on Pinterest board?How much does it advertise on Pinterest cost?How does Pinterest SEO work?How to use Pinterest for Etsy?How to open Pinterest Account?

Reason For popularity:

- It's affordable.- It lets you create attractive stores. - Don't worry about web hosting.- They provide commendable technical support.- It's secure.

Benefits of selling on Pinterest with Shopify:

Pinterest is about four times more effective at generating sales than other social media networks. If you are doing e-commerce or drop shipping business for a while now, most marketers would recommend Facebook ads, but nowadays, for Facebook ads, it's too much competition there. So Facebook ads became too expensive, especially for beginners in the business.  How to add affiliate links to Pinterest?And if you compare Pinterest and Instagram, you will see that every Pinterest pin is clickable and connected to your Shopify store or directly to the product pins Shopify. Just this fact makes Pinterest for Shopify so much more potent as a traffic source compared to Instagram; here, you can have a maximum of one link to the store in your bio. Now I tell you another reason why you should be on Pinterest is because of the half-life of being it's so much longer than average post duration on other platforms like Facebook, Instagram, or Twitter. The ultimate Pinterest analytics guideHow to Get Pinterest Audience Insights:How you can auto-publish pins from your RSS feed?How to change cover photo on Pinterest board?For instance, if you get traffic from your post on these platforms, it will last for a few hours or a full one day; Pinterest can bring you traffic for many months. And for some beans, even for years, Pinterest tends to revive old viral pins; this applies to seasonal products.Pinterest is the second-largest social media platform that leads to the most traffic to any online store. Your Shopify Pinterest app will be the cause of most generating traffic sources. Of course, Facebook is number one, but I recommend you to change your social strategy. I think you should use the Shopify Pinterest app to make Pinterest Shopify integration easier. It is because Pinterest is all about bringing businesses of all sizes and enthusiastic users to your platform. At the same time, Facebook hides organic posts and asks to pay ad space to show them. Pinterest offers a high order value.

How to verify Your Shopify store Pinterest:

Pinterest for Shopify storeI get a lot of questions related to Shopify and Pinterest. Yes, you can ask. And it would help if you verified your Shopify store on Pinterest. And it's straightforward Pinterest work together to make this Pinterest Shopify integration seamless on the user side. To verify your domain on Pinterest, you will need to follow these simple steps provided by an official Shopify site, which helps you to verify your store on any third party, which may include Pinterest and Google webmaster tools.- You will go back to your settings over here, and you will get a claim tab there. - From here, you will put some domain.com and will plead a claim.- You need to select add HTML tag, and it will show you a meta tag, which you have to paste into your head section of the site.- Now let's go back to the info which is provided by Pinterest on Shopify help center. - So the first step you have to do is go to Shopify admin, and from there, your go-to online store, and then choose themes, the option themes.- You will find the theme here.- You have to add it and then click actions.- Choose added code.- And then, in the layout section, you have to click the theme—liquid fie in Shopify to open the file in the online code editor. The thing you have to do is that you need to copy them.- Meta-tags showing on your Pinterest account and based it on a blank line directly below the opening had a tag. And then you need to click save.Make sure you are not going to delete anything, even not accidentally. Because if you save these changes with the things you erased accidentally, things would be getting more complicated, so it will be tough to fix it. Your store will be verified within 24 hours by Pinterest, probably even faster. So you will be able to use rich pins in our case, we're talking about e-commerce sites. So it's product bins. Shopify Pinterest app made this integration easy on the smalls on the user side; Shopify is not the only platform to make product bins available.How to sell on Pinterest with Shopify:After the announcement of Pinterest buyable pins, a new opportunity has come for Pinterest, a business holder that has created a brand new market. The best selling method through Pinterest Shopify is the Pinterest Shopify app. Shopping ads, online store links, and Pinterest launches topped the list. Read the article to know how to sell from Shopify on Pinterest.How can you sell on Pinterest with the Shopify Pinterest app? Both Shopify and Pinterest profiles will require in this action. Therefore, you have to create a Shopify account. You'll be able to study Shopify from our perspective. Here you will find a free trial to check out whether you need this platform before paying for love or money.As for Pinterest, I recommend you to make a Business Account. It's free of cost, and you'll be able to link it to your Shopify account if needed. Additionally, the Pinterest Business Account integrates seamlessly with Shopify. It allows you to configure payment history options and advertising settings for automatically generating Pinterest ads Shopify from your store to visit on Pinterest.Once you have created both accounts, log into your Shopify account. Move to the dashboard of your Shopify account. You have to locate the Sales Channels header, which you will find on the left menu. It shows you an inventory of all sales channels activates on your website. for example, you'll see media like Online Stores such as Amazon or Facebook. Our main objective is to feature Pinterest on its list.After the announcement of Pinterest buyable pins, a new opportunity has come for Pinterest business holders, which have created a brand new market. The best selling method through Pinterest Shopify is the Pinterest Shopify app. Shopping ads, online store links, and Pinterest launches topped the list. Please read the article to know how to sell from Shopify on Pinterest. I think you should check the Pinterest infographic because it tells you about Pinterest for Shopify store. It also gives you guidance on Pinterest custom areas and how you can grow your Pinterest for Shopify business.How to generate sales on Shopify and Pinterest?Here are some steps to create sales on Pinterest. But Before discussing it, we have to knowledge about the requirements for Shopify. Let us discuss it first. Title, description, image, price, product type, and availability must be required for your product page.How to connect Shopify to Pinterest?Pinterest is a great social media platform to promote products for e-commerce sites such as Shopify. Pinterest is a great social media platform to use if you have an e-commerce store because it's visual, especially if your audience is female since that's primarily their demographic change in this video. We will show you how you can easily connect Shopify and Pinterest so that your products show up on Pinterest, and people can purchase straight from there. So stay tuned.Click the + button above the sales channel; your Shopify will show a list of Pinterest sales channels that you can add to your store. These will include Facebook, messenger, and google. You can add whatever you want but select Pinterest on Shopify.Search Pinterest by scrolling down and click the + button. Now it will appear on the screen that you are going to link Pinterest to Shopify. You are now able to check all privacy and information. For example, you can learn how Pinterest accesses products and analytics from your Shopify store. I try to be able to connect Shopify to Pinterest process yourself.Click on the Add sales channel button to go further. Pinterest sales channel has been added to your Shopify dashboard. Now it's time to link Pinterest to Shopify and specify the products that need to be sold. We will prefer professional account Shopify Pinterest ads instead of personal account Pinterest Shopify ads in the Pinterest Shopify app. Click on the connect account button. It will take you to the Pinterest app and ask you for Shopify and Pinterest authenticity. This connection to Shopify Pinterest integration allows you to manage Shopify Pinterest product pins and Shopify Pinterest ads every time without permission. Click the access button to proceed. The next page will show you that your Pinterest account is connected to Shopify.Ad settings:You can automatically generate a few accounts under the Ad Settings area. If not, make sure you are following the guidelines provided to you to make these accounts. The first account will be Pinterest Ad Account, which is automatically creating ads, and pins rely on your Shopify products. A Pinterest Tag can automatically generate to get insights from your ad campaigns. It behaves like Facebook ads created by your Pinterest and Shopify accounts.Billing method and accepting terms and conditions on Pinterest:After generating sales on Pinterest, you can also connect billing. The Ad billing option will appear. Click it. The billing method will be stored on Pinterest, which can be used for Shopify. If you create an integration ad, Shopify will use the billing information on Pinterest. There is no need to worry because the ad budget will first get approval from you whether you are in the mode of putting a mess on the advertisement or not. Now we come to our second point, which is related to terms and conditions. So we have to accept them. Try to read these terms and conditions carefully to avoid trouble in the future.Publishing and manage availability:As we move on to Pinterest, the publishing and manage availability options will appear. With the help of this option, it is clear which product is complete before Pinterest's publications. If any product pin title, description image, pricing, product type, or availability is missing, then Pinterest will not synchronize it. “Availabilty” means that the product to be sold is active or not. If you want to see which product is available that you are going to sell on the Pinterest sales channel, please click on manage availability.Product:If you want to view the list of products available on Shopify, click on the product option. You can also click one by one product from here and also take advantage of the filter option. The filter will be essential for the sales channel. Availablity will appear on the top right. Click it. Click on available on Pinterest from here. By doing this, all the products of the Pinterest sales channel will appear on the list. One thing to keep in mind here is that coming to the products sales channel list does not mean that they will be published automatically. It means that they will be published because it is now possible to put ads on them.Stats:90% of weekly users visit the Pinterest site to make purchasing decisions. It may include immediate purchases or planning for purchases. 55% of users log into Pinterest, specifically to find products because Pinterest is full of ideas. That's more than half of the entire user base. And 50% of Pinterest buy something after seeing a promoted pin, meaning a Pinterest ad. Here you will also learn about Pinterest ads Shopify. This article will show you how to use Shopify Pinterest product pins for Shopify Pinterest ads. How to see stats on Shopify dashboard:If you want to see sales on the Pinterest store and how many products people are pinning, follow these steps:- Go to Shopify admin on your Pinterest app Shopify.- Click the order button Select the filter from the drop-down menu.- Select Pinterest and select a sales channel.- Click yes, add the filter.- Select the order number of the order analytics you want to view. On the order page, you will see all your sales flagged. Comprehensive stats can also be viewed on Pinterest with pins and pinners.How to Make the Most of Pinterest Buyable Pins Shopify Feature:Pinterest has added a new feature that most businesses need is called Buyable Pins. It permits firms such as Shopify to sell instantly on one of the most popular social platforms today. Many Pinterest users already use this social network as a shopping list for future purchases. In this way, your potential customers can click on a pin. They can buy the item they wish. So, how can you get in on this Pinterest buyable pins Shopify feature?Right now, Pinterest Buyable Pins Shopify is available on Pinterest. Here are Big-box retailers, and a handful of eCommerce sites such as Etsy, Shopify, and woo-commerce can use them. For some businesses, though, there is a waiting list to join. But Once you are approved, you will be good to go.One way around that waiting list is to be a Pinterest Shopify app retailer. You can easily connect Shopify to Pinterest. If you power your online store through Pinterest for Shopify, then you can add the Pinterest feature right away.For mobile and iPad., Buyable pins are available through the Pinterest App. Here are new price filters also available. Buyable pins are available in blue outline. The traditional buy button features to look for with the Pinterest App in an impressive way. Promoting the Pinterest App for your website or business is another excellent way to increase sales as well.Here are 6 points that will motivate you to create your buyable pins for your Shopify store.1. It is cost-effective for your business.             2. It is just fun and causes job growth within your business. 3. You can help the e-commerce market. 4. You can create your themes and sell themes. 5. It causes to Gain mobile business. 6. It gives Access to retail and e-commerce experts.It is expected that our e-commerce industry will act as a skyrocket in the next few years. Read the full article

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Our Top 10 Social Media Engagement Hacks for 2020

Social media moves dizzyingly fast, but some fundamental concepts stay the same—like the importance of organic engagement and connecting with your audience.  In this article, I've rounded up 10 ideas to boost organic engagement, with examples from brands that are successfully adding followers and building communities online. That way, you can use these tips to start improving your own engagement right away.

Here are 10 hacks for improving your social media engagement in 2020:

Private Facebook groups

Games and giveaways

Video challenges

Gif conversations on Twitter

User-generated content

Virtual events

Collaborations and takeovers

Augmented reality lenses

Mixed media

More in-app actions

But first, let’s make sure we’re clear on why organic engagement is an important metric.

Why organic engagement matters on social media

From time to time, someone will announce that organic social media is over. It's all about the ads. And it is certainly true that the accuracy of targeted ads on social networks like Facebook, Instagram, and TikTok has increased.

 But at the same time, ad costs are rising, and, especially right now, more people are relying on digital media to stay in touch with friends and make meaningful connections.

TikTok was downloaded 87 million times just last month.

All of which means that genuine, organic engagement still matters. In fact, it matters more than ever. If you want your brand to succeed on social media, you need to build an active and authentic community which adds value for your followers.

10 social media engagement hacks in 2020

These engagement hacks are based on strategies and tools that I've used myself and found worked really well for different types of companies in many different countries. Take a look and see what inspires you!

1. Private Facebook groups

Facebook has been encouraging the use of groups for a while. While your main Facebook page is great for broadcasting information, groups allow you to create a focused, tight-knit community where people can share, discuss, and collaborate around your brand.

Anyone can request to join a Facebook group, but you can set up filter questions to make sure that your group is populated with your target audience.

I really encourage people to work with Facebook groups, because they're a workable way to build engagement for almost any business. There are broadly three categories of Facebook group run by brands:

Support groups: People share ideas, knowledge and advice.

Social groups: People share projects, make friends and organize events.

Insider groups: People get exclusive access to branded content, releases and events.

For example, this fashion brand runs a book club as a private Facebook social group.

Meanwhile, this SaaS brand runs a support group for its users. People compare notes about the application, share their work, and even suggest new features that they'd like to see. The group also uses Facebook's "Mentorship" feature, which connects experienced users with those who need a hand. Brand admins are very active in the group, so members feel that their engagement is valued.

Lastly, here's an example of an insider Facebook group, run by a brand. If you've ever taken a content marketing course from HubSpot, you probably got an invitation to join this group.

HubSpot uses it to run invite-only webinars and make product announcements. At the same time, they reap all the engagement benefits of running a social or support group.

2. Games and giveaways

It's strange to think how fast social media has evolved. In the beginning, we just shared written status updates. Then photographs took over. Then we discovered that video content got more engagement then photos.

So what's next? Interactive video, playable ads, and mini-games. Big brands (with budgets to match) are increasingly ambitious with the content they share: platform games, interactive video storylines and so on. Interactive content increases the time that followers spend on your social media profile, it has strong viral potential, and it can function as a painless method of lead generation.

The most recent example I've seen (via Mobile Marketer) is this game from Burberry, a mix of dressing up and classic platform game. It's surprisingly addictive.

The game is available on Burberry's own site, other shopping sites, the app WeChat and as an in-store activity. (If you want to know why that's significant, jump ahead to hack #10!) And when you finish playing, you get access to exclusive Burberry-branded gifs, so that you keep sharing online.

Obviously, this level of game design is beyond most content marketers' budgets. However, you can reproduce the ideas on a smaller and more feasible scale. Ready-made apps, game platforms for marketers and simple puzzles are rapidly becoming more popular.

Ideally, any branded game will tap into a dynamic that's already popular. For example, hidden objects games have been around for decades. If you use an off-the-shelf app, you just have to supply your own graphics and the game is ready to play.

Spin the wheel games are also popular, just like the classic TV show “Wheel of Fortune.” People love to play it, it's completely fool-proof, and you can run a major promotion without blowing the whole budget on rewards.

I suspect that interactive content has partly become more popular this year due to lockdown. We're all desperate for distractions, either for ourselves or for our reluctantly home-schooled children. Paradoxically, that's great news for brands—because it means that consumers will reward you for creativity and entertainment value.

3. Video challenges

You might not have taken part in a video challenge yet, but you've definitely heard of them.

The ice bucket challenge. The cinnamon challenge. The Renegade dance challenge.

Most video challenges share some key characteristics. They're quick and easy to do at home. They often have a signature soundtrack or phrase. And because they're filmed as short video clips, popular challenges tend to spill over from their original social platform and onto other social media. (This is great news in terms of viral reach.)

To create your own challenge, you just need a fun idea and an active audience. Don't create a challenge that’s too difficult, time-consuming, or derivative; if you borrow someone else's idea, you risk a backlash.

Here are a couple of examples to get you started. Remember the first few weeks of the 2020 lockdown, when everyone was suddenly making that coffee?

The Dalgona coffee challenge was inspired by a Korean TV show, took off on YouTube, and then spread to TikTok. And it was a gift to instant coffee manufacturers.

Like many challenges, Dalgona coffee emerged pretty much spontaneously. But some consumer brands have successfully engineered viral challenges, such as the NYX cosmetics challenge that publicized their new Butter Gloss Pop product.

Image source

Last time I checked, the hashtag had already reached 10.8 billion views. These challenges are designed to increase reach and brand awareness. They aren't ideal for lead generation or reaching a very focused audience, but they can help to bring your brand to a larger public.

4. Gif conversations on Twitter

Let's be blunt: I know of at least a few marketers who have given up on Twitter. But I think they're missing out. Twitter is still a key channel for customer service, customer feedback, and online discussion. It's also a great way to reach specific demographics, including B2B audiences.

If you want a quick engagement fix, then starting a gif thread can get you some attention on Twitter. This is where you pose a question, or give people a prompt, and ask them to respond with a single gif.

For some reason, this is especially popular with sports communities.

So why does this work? Well, like most things on social media, it's easy for people to join in. A frictionless experience is vital when you want people to engage with you.

Secondly, it mixes text with visual media and pop culture references. It taps into the media and style of communication that people are already using on Twitter, and gets plenty of attention in the process. You'll benefit from showing that you appreciate and understand online culture, especially if your brand skews to younger demographics.

5. Sharing user-generated content on brand hashtags

This trend has been around for a while, but it shows no signs of slowing down in 2020. The idea is simple, and similar to a video challenge: You create a hashtag that refers to your brand, and encourage people to share. But instead of asking people to complete a challenge or show a specific product, you invite them to share their unique experience of your brand.

Fashion and cosmetics brands are often at the forefront of consumer-focused social media, so it's no surprise that they're skilled at this. For example, the cult footwear brand Rothys uses the hashtag #rothysinthewild to collect photos and videos posted by their customers. All of that user-generated content is essentially free advertising, bringing Rothys to new audiences and building a mountain of social proof.

 The key to getting user-generated posts like this is to reward people who post. Whenever content pops up on your hashtag, reshare it to your own feed or add it to a dedicated Instagram highlight. Show people that you've noticed their contributions!

Once your hashtag is established and there's a regular stream of posts coming in, this is also a way to build community online. People who share posts with your brand will find each other through the hashtag. This solves a key problem for some social networks: While you can't create groups on Twitter or Instagram, you can develop a strong sense of community through hashtags.

6. Virtual events, chats, and networking

We've already touched on the idea of social media groups, or hashtag communities, around your brand. The natural next step is community events in real time: webinars, live chats, interactive livestreams, and networking.

The good news is that social media networks are rapidly introducing new features to support this. You can now broadcast live video on every single social platform, and most offer the option for viewers to share comments and reactions in real time.

Early in 2020, Facebook released Messenger Rooms for live video chats. This takes live broadcasts to the next level: you can invite a select group of people to fully participate in the conversation. When you create a room, you can choose to invite specific people or open the room to anyone. You can also schedule a room to "unlock" at a specific time or date, which is really useful for busy social media managers.

It's already available across Facebook Messenger and Instagram, with WhatsApp expected to follow soon.

Facebook is still playing around with the details of Rooms, but this is an app with huge potential. You can create private rooms within Facebook groups. Rooms also works on Instagram—just tap the video camera icon in the top-right of your private messages.

Most brand events in 2020 have, of necessity, been virtual. But even when life goes back to normal, don't lose touch with these virtual channels. Virtual events—or at least livestreaming in-person events—will help you reach people who can't attend due to distance, other commitments, or accessibility issues.

(And speaking of accessibility, follow these tips to make your video more accessible for people with hearing impairments. If you plan to use video regularly, invest in good software for automatic captions.)

7. Collaborations and takeovers

When you hear the word "collaboration," a lot of marketers' minds jump to expensive influencer campaigns. And those have their value—but, as always on social media, there are simpler and more affordable alternatives.

As we've seen, ordinary customers can bring huge benefits to your brand when they share content about your brand. So why not give them the chance to run your account for a day?

You can collaborate with customers, other local businesses, and complementary companies (for example, a brewery teaming up with a snack company). One great example of this is the Paperchase ambassador scheme. Every year, the stationery company selects a few university students to represent the brand. They get to run the brand's social media accounts for a day and try out new products.

You could team up with an influencer, customer or partner brand to run Twitter chats, Facebook Live, split-screen Instagram Lives or TikTok takeovers.

If you partner with someone who already has a sizeable audience, collaborations can increase your reach very rapidly. But they're also powerful because they create a sense of excitement for your regular followers. You can transform a weekly Q&A session into a sold-out event just by adding a new name and face into the mix.

8. Augmented reality lenses

Don't be fooled by the science fiction name: augmented reality is already an everyday part of our lives. If you've ever used an Instagram Story effect, you've used augmented reality.

With that said, augmented reality lenses are rapidly becoming more sophisticated—and both social networks and brands are waking up to the possibilities. Single Grain has pinpointed augmented reality as a major trend for Facebook Ads in 2020, while SnapChat is busy adding new features for brands and creators to design new AR lenses.

Many young creators, artists, and influencers are already playing around with these lens creation tools. They're easier to use than you think! If you're not sure where to start, speak to a graphic designer or try contacting a creator whose work you enjoy.

For example, you can search for AR effects by theme in your Instagram Story editor. Just tap the icon of a magnifying glass with stars on it. Each effect is credited to a creator who you can then track down and contact.

So what's the engagement value of these lenses?

Well, like every other hack mentioned here, they're something that social media users already enjoy interacting with. When you join in the fun, you have the chance to increase your audience and connect with followers by showing you care about the same things. Try creating AR filters that link to your followers' interests, let them play with your products, or even represent your values.

9. Mixed media

One of the things I love about social media is that people always find a way to make it work for them. Long before Twitter had a built-in camera, people were sharing video from other sites. And when Instagram users wished they could use their words more, people started sharing screencaps of Tweets and notes.

The only problem with this DIY version of social media is that it doesn't always look beautiful. You can save a lot of time on content creation by re-sharing content across different platforms—but you have to make sure your design is up to scratch.

My favorite app for this is Remix by Buffer. The design tools are very effective, and it's extremely fast to use. Start by putting in the URL of any website, tweet or even a Shopify product listing. The app then allows you to add backgrounds, change the image dimensions and pick a design that will look great.

 This is a fun way to share news, customer reviews or testimonials, or even just funny Tweets that caught your eye. If you decide to share content from other users, make sure you include proper credit. If it's your own content … fire away!

10. More in-app actions

Finally, let's take a second to think about the future of social media. What's coming next?

Judging from the features that social networks are putting out, the goal is to do more and more within social media. Facebook, Instagram, and Pinterest have all released new in-app shopping features during 2020. Instagram now offers Story stickers to buy gift cards, make charitable donations and order food. SnapChat has announced their new SnapChat Minis scheme, which gives brands the power to build mini-apps on the platform.

The inspiration for many of these ideas is the Chinese social media giant, WeChat. You can pretty much live your entire life inside WeChat, including messaging, social sharing, shopping, ordering food, paying bills, and booking appointments.

It remains to be seen whether this approach will work for Western audiences. While in-app features offer plenty of convenience, they also involve handing over a lot more data to the social media giants. So finding the right balance—and keeping your data policies transparent, accurate and up to date—will be key.

Start improving your social media engagement today

The key to success on social media is to keep on posting, engaging, and trying out new ideas. By this time next year, we'll probably have 10 new social media engagement hacks to share! But in the meantime, I'd love to hear if you've tried out any of these engagement hacks and what results you saw

About the author

Corinna Keefe is a freelance writer who specializes in digital marketing, tech and social media. 

Our Top 10 Social Media Engagement Hacks for 2020 published first on https://wabusinessapi.tumblr.com/

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How to Schedule Instagram Posts

Consistency is key to nailing your Instagram strategy. And an Instagram scheduler is your best tool for making that happen.

With one billion monthly active users and 15 million business profiles, it’s not easy to rise above the noise. Instagram no longer shows posts in reverse-chronological order, but uses an algorithm that rewards posts that get lots of engagement.

Whatever your business goals—more followers, more leads, brand awareness—you’re aiming to become a welcome, if not outright beloved, part of your audience’s daily life. Ambitious, right?

Scheduling your posts has a ton of benefits, and it’s simple to set up. Once you’re done you can free up your time to work on the bigger picture: getting results with your Instagram marketing plan.

Bonus: Download a free checklist that reveals the exact steps an adventure photographer used to grow from 0 to 110,000 followers on Instagram with no budget and no expensive gear.

Benefits of scheduling Instagram posts

1. Use your time wisely

The optimal time to post to reach your audience isn’t always the most convenient time for you.

Scheduling ahead of time will save you spending your Saturday morning dredging up a half-baked post. Instead, you can block off a few fresh hours to craft your week’s narrative, create and schedule the posts, and turn your attention to the next task.

2. Cultivate a consistent look and feel

Crafting several posts at once makes for a unified aesthetic and voice.

Consistent colour palettes, hashtags, and captions are important: 60 percent of brands use the same filter on their Instagram posts, according to a Webdam report. Why? Because colour affects emotion, which affects behaviour.

What do you want people to feel when they see your brand? What tone are you hitting with your captions? Are you achieving an emotional ping with every post?

An Instagram scheduler allows for a bird’s eye view of your creative planning.

3. Upload visuals from your desktop or laptop

Yes, as social media managers we’re often glued to our smartphones, but there are advantages to creating posts on the big(ger) screen.

Avoid the extra step of emailing yourself that huge video file, or that photoshopped image fresh from the design team. Whether you’re managing one account or twenty, save yourself a file management headache.

4. Encourage engagement

A successful Instagram feed is like a compelling story that never ends.

Build flow and relevance for your followers by thinking medium- and long-range, without sacrificing daily quality. Research by Union Metrics confirms that engagement doesn’t dip with increased posting. In fact, posting more frequently may be the only way to ensure followers see your posts, given time zones and the mysteries of the algorithm.

Post more, but always follow the golden rule: all killer, no filler.

5. Gain followers

Brands that post seven times or more a week increase both engagement and follower counts, according to this study. They also noted that follower counts increase four times as fast when brands post once a day rather than once a week. Attracting new followers takes thought and work, and scheduling posts helps with the work so you can focus on the thought.

Convinced? Let’s get started.

How to schedule instagram posts (for business profiles)

If you already have a business profile you can jump to step no. 2. If you don’t have one and don’t want one, keep scrolling to learn how to schedule posts with your personal account.

Step 1: Convert your account to a business profile

Aside from direct publishing, business profiles on Instagram can access some useful advanced features.

For instance, Instagram Insights will show you when your followers are online, what city they’re in, and their age and gender. You’ll also get a contact button in your profile, the ability to promote posts, and the ability to add links to your Instagram Stories.

Converting your Instagram profile to a business profile is pretty easy:

Tap the ellipsis button on your Instagram profile.

Tap Switch to Business Profile.

Select your business’ Facebook Page (ensure you’re an admin on your Facebook Page, otherwise it won’t appear on the list).

Ensure your Instagram account is set to public.

Ensure all your contact information (address, email, phone number) is accurate.

Tap done!

Step 2: Add your Instagram business profile to your social media management platform

We’re biased, so we’re going to show you how to schedule Instagram posts using Hootsuite. Adding your Instagram profile to the Hootsuite dashboard is simple:

Tap your profile icon and select Add Social Network.

Select your Instagram business profile.

Tap Connect with Instagram and input your credentials.

If you’ve just converted to a business profile, you’ll need to re-authorize the connection:

Tap your profile icon.

Select Manage social networks.

Select your Instagram business profile.

Tap Connect with Instagram’ and follow the prompts.

Step 3: Craft your post

In the Hootsuite dashboard, tap New Post and select your Instagram profile from the dropdown menu.

Upload your photo or video and tap Edit with Creative Cloud to fine-tune it with advanced image editing tools like cropping, overlays, or filter effects.

Captions drive engagement, so pay close attention to the text box. Great copy can add context, flash your brand’s winning personality, and inspire your followers to take action (say, participate in a contest or follow a link). Use these tips, ideas and strategies for stellar Instagram captions to perfect your copywriting game.

The text box is also where you can add user handles and hashtags (technically you can use up to 30 hashtags, but research shows engagement only improves up to around 11).

You can also enter a link. To use a link shortener like Ow.ly, select Edit Link Settings, then Customize.

As for editing (arguably the most important step of all), Hootsuite Business and Enterprise users can use the Approval function to get multiple eyes on a post before it goes public.

Step 4: Schedule your post

In the dropdown menu at the bottom of the screen, select Publish on Schedule Date to queue up the post for later. According to Unmetric data, the best time to post on Instagram depends on your industry, but our scheduler will automatically choose the optimal time for your followers.

You can also customize the time and date if you have something specific in mind.

Once you’ve finalized the details, tap the blue Schedule button.

Step 5: Wait for your post to be published to Instagram

That’s right, no more hovering over your phone at 2:59 a.m. waiting for that push notification!

Video recap: How to schedule Instagram posts with Hootsuite

Here’s a quick, easy overview of all these steps in action:

How to schedule Instagram posts (if you don’t have a business profile)

There are definitely some good reasons for not converting your account to a business profile on Instagram. Influencers or personal brands might not need the sales-oriented perks business profiles offer.

If you prefer to keep things authentic and organic, you can still save time and keep organized by using a social media management platform like Hootsuite to schedule your Instagram posts. Here’s how.

Step 1: Add your Instagram profile to your social media management platform

From the Hootsuite dashboard, tap your profile icon and select Add Social Network.

Select your Instagram business profile.

Tap Connect with Instagram and input your credentials.

Step 2: Craft your post

In the Hootsuite dashboard, tap New Post and select your Instagram profile from the dropdown menu.

Upload your video or image(s). Tap Edit with Creative Cloud to access visual editing tools. You can also polish the details later in Instagram.

While Instagram is made for gorgeous visuals, captions are crucial for rustling up engagement. The text box is worth some deep thinking: what’s your voice? Who is your audience? If you’re looking to hone your copywriting skills, our guide to writing the perfect Instagram caption is full of creative examples and granular advice.

The text box is also where you can add user handles, links (including shortened links via services like Ow.ly) and hashtags (our advice: not too many, keep them relevant).

Step 3: Schedule your post

In the dropdown menu at the bottom of the screen, select Publish on Schedule Date to queue up your post for later.

You can customize the date and time to suit your audience. According to Hootsuite data, the best time to post on Instagram tends to be between 12 and 1 p.m. on weekdays. If you’re not sure, test out different times and compare the results.

Step 4: Publish your post

You’ll receive a push notification from the Hootsuite app on your phone when it’s time to publish.

Double-check your copy and follow the prompts to the Instagram app.

What’s the difference between Instagram scheduling and Instagram automation?

You’ve probably come across Instagram automation services before. They promise huge numbers of new followers and amazing engagement. Too good to be true? Well, yes.

In short, Instagram scheduling refers to posts, while Instagram automation refers to likes, follows, and comments.

At first glance one should be as simple as the other, but it turns out the human touch isn’t that easy to fake. Automation services will monitor hashtags and users for you, and automatically like, follow and comment according to your parameters.

We tested out some popular Instagram automation services on a team member’s personal profile. While the bots did indeed find followers, they didn’t exactly build an engaged community.

Allowing bots to write comments for you can result in awkward, foolish, creepy or just plain phony “interactions.” And Instagram users are canny: even likes and follows can be transparently fake when they come out of the blue. Why risk alienating the people you want to engage with?

On top of that, Instagram itself disapproves of attempts to game their system, and will block or disable your account if you’re acting like a spammer (e.g., posting identical comments, following en masse, liking posts at an excessive rate).

Scheduling posts crafted by a human being is entirely different than relying on a bot to act like you. Brands especially should avoid Instagram automation: the potential damage to your reputation is just too high.

Instead, put in the work and build a real connection with your audience.

Best practices for scheduling Instagram posts

1. Don’t be spammy

While research supports the advantages of posting more frequently, be respectful of your followers’ feeds. For instance, post related images as photo albums, not one-offs.

And follow the 80/20 rule when it comes to promotional content. This means 80 percent of the time you aim to entertain, inspire, or educate the audience—and only promote your brand 20 percent of the time.

2. Don’t schedule too far in advance

While it might be tempting to get all your social media “done” in one fell swoop, don’t.

The best laid plans often go awry, and social media is never really done, is it? Schedule too far in advance and your joke could end up between posts about international tragedy, or your big product announcement might get lost in the thick of the latest celebrity baby buzz.

Few brands can afford to appear tone deaf, irrelevant, or outright monstrous these days. Keep a finger on the pulse, and adjust your post schedule as needed.

3. Edit your posts

If copy-editing isn’t built into your workflow already, it should be.

Hootsuite’s Business and Enterprise users can create Approval systems for their teams, but even if you’re a one-person shop, always make time for a second glance.

This is less a matter of fussiness and more a matter of brand life or death. Saying “everyday” when you mean “every day” might earn a raised eyebrow or a click of the mute button from a certain subset of users. But it could be much worse: confusion, unintentional hilarity, or flat-out offensiveness.

For more editing tips, and some prime examples of the nightmarish repercussions of not editing before you post, consult our editing tips for social media managers.

4. Interact with your audience

Now that you’re saving so much time using an Instagram scheduler, use some of that time to build up your community. If you asked a question, respond to the answers. If you posted a poll, share the results. Spend some time liking and commenting on other folks’ posts, too.

A little bit of personal attention goes a long way. (Especially if you’re not a bot.)

5. Analyze and adjust

The more you post, the more data you have on how well you’re doing.

To access Instagram’s native analytics, you need to convert to a Facebook business profile. However, there are lots of Instagram analytics tools for business that can help you pinpoint what your followers are loving, and what leaves them lukewarm.

Look at your engagement rate to adjust content (dogs or cats? Wait, sloths?), or your reach percentage to adjust when you post.

Don’t worry, if you’re a business profile using Hootsuite’s Instagram scheduler, it will tell you automatically what time of day is best to post at. This kind of information is increasingly crucial, especially when you’re laying out ad dollars to promote posts, and need to measure concrete returns.

Save time managing your Instagram presence using Hootsuite. From a single dashboard you can schedule and publish posts directly to Instagram, engage the audience, measure performance, and run all your other social media profiles. Try it free today.

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How I Make $200K A Year From Instagram

You are probably sitting there like, “Seriously, another post about Instagram? These are so played out!”

But what if I were to tell you that I got 158 wedding leads and made $191,211 in 2018 from Instagram alone with very minimum ad spend.

It’s Not About You

We use a very straightforward method that isn’t used by many. It has nothing to do with the amount followers you have or how cohesive and colorful your feed is. Honestly, it really has nothing to do with YOU. I’m a strong believer that no one really cares about the things you like or your top five favorite things to cycle through; they actually care about how those things make them feel.

Team Growth

Now, as we go through this, I will share this past year’s numbers so you can see how this works. Up until October of 2018, it was just my wife and I. To keep up with the demand, we hired six photographers, two videographers, an admin, and an editor. Before we grew our team, our customer inquiries broke down like this:

40% did not book because we were too expensive

30% did not book because we were unavailable

10% did not respond and were likely price shopping

20% booked us

Now that we have photographers and videographers at different price points, I honestly think these numbers will grow exponentially. We’ve already booked 8 weddings within our first month of trying it! You can see all of this represented In the graph and table below! A lot of the December weddings will most likely book; we’re just waiting for meetings and payments.

Success Without Fame

Here’s the kicker. This isn’t because we have a bunch of followers or are well known; actually, no one really knows who we are! We aren’t celebrity photographers with a bunch of followers and we don’t speak at many conferences or win a bunch of awards. We started our business six years ago and went full time four years ago!

I don’t have the stats for before July 2017, but if we only had 7K followers in July 2017, I would assume we just had 3-4K followers in April 2016 when we were still generating leads and $50-$70K a year from Instagram.

So to say that it has a significant impact on our business is an understatement. It’s responsible for 40% of our revenue over the past 12 months! The fantastic thing about that is that it’s mostly organic! We have only spent a total of $1027 on Instagram ads since January, and over $500 of that was on our shop, not for booking clients. That’s over an 18,000% return on our investment in 2018 and 99% profit margin. Those are odds I’d be willing to invest in every year!

  Profitability over popularity

Now, the information I’ve just shared begs a number of questions:

If it’s not because of how many followers we have or how popular we are, well then how are we getting so many inquiries with only 4-12K followers?

How are we running these ads?

How do I grow my following and engagement through Instagram?

Let me answer all of those questions as simply as I can: It’s all about profitability over popularity.

Max Follows

If you have ever looked at our Instagram, we are CONSTANTLY maxing out the number of people we follow. For some of you that don’t know, the maximum amount of people you can follow is 7500 people. We do this because Instagram is incredibly powerful for finding the exact client you want to engage. Where so many people make a mistake is that they expect people to engage them and they think that their photos have some magic pixie dust for creating engagement. That’s only the case if you are Fer Juaristi or Benj Haisch, haha! But for the rest of us mortal photographers, it just doesn’t happen, so we have to create it!

How do we do that?

Go and find your target audience! It’s hard for us to unfollow a lot of people because 90% of the people we follow are potential brides that we have engaged in one way or another! If you want more information on this and how we find them, it’s a lot to type out. Check out our podcast episode on finding the right audience where we specifically break this down! Over the past year, this has been our pattern for the number of people we follow! It’s all extremely strategic and has been incredibly beneficial!

Instagram Ads

Let’s talk Instagram ads! People are afraid of these because they have no idea how to use them! I published a podcast about utilizing Instagram ads for your business so make sure you check it out on iTunes or the podcast website!

When it comes to Instagram ads, there are two ways of running them: 1) Extremely specific ads created in the Facebook manager, and 2) boosted posts. Facebook ads manager is extremely powerful and is terrific for reaching the exact bride/demographic that you want! I occasionally do these. Now, I know some people say “NEVER BOOST A POST!” I think this rings very true when referring to Facebook, but not Instagram. Instagram is a different beast.

With Instagram boosted posts, I’m going for brand awareness. Studies show that someone needs to see your brand seven times before they begin to recognize it! I want to put my brand in front as many people as I can as often I can so that I’m the first person they think of whenever they get engaged! I want to be like that annoying person who sales Rodan & Fields or Tupperware or ItWorks, except without the annoying part. Come on, you all thought of someone when I said one of those products. That’s how I want to be! Boosting my post allows me to do that especially during times where everyone is getting engaged and also specific booking seasons. I talk more about it on our podcast on episode 26!

If you REALLY want the best bang for your buck, Instagram ads are insanely cheap. You can see in the ROI image above that there sometimes where I am paying 11 cents per click. That is INSANE! Take advantage of that while you can!

Engagement Wins

When it comes to growing your engagement. It starts with you. I’m going to shoot this STRAIGHT and keep it 100 when it comes to engagement. Sure you could post about you and what you love in life, your adorable dog, and the photos you love. You might even expect people who resonate with you to follow you, engage and then book when it’s time. But let’s be honest, we live in such a narcissistic culture that people who post, especially some of our target audiences, LOVE to be engaged but rarely engage in return. How many times have you been sitting on train or plane and seen someone scrolling through their Instagram feed, never liking and commenting on the photos they see? I see it ALL OF THE TIME!

We have to go to them.

You may be saying, “Wow, that sounds like a lot of work.” And it is, but when we make $200K from Instagram, I can’t help but see that as active marketing (a.k.a. Work). It needs to be budgeted as an allotted time in your day as you work on marketing.

If you run a business, you don’t want to get sucked into the black hole called Instagram. So let’s look at what it looks like to streamline engagement efficiently.

Keyboard shortcuts

We have keyboard shortcuts for everything! It’s easy to target people who get engaged, buy a new house, celebrate an anniversary, find a venue, or wear a wedding dress, etc. Once you find them, make sure that you sound authentic. If you do, it’ll save you from spending a ton of time writing the same thing over and over.

Case in point: Below is a photo of a girl on Instagram that got engaged. Look at the difference between what we told her and how authentic it is rather than the four other wedding professionals above us.

There is a HUGE difference from what we said, and they said. I don’t know who else she reached out to, but she reached out to us and booked us! There is a lot more to go into about this, but I don’t want to bore you. If you’d like to hear more about this, it’s on that same episode of the podcast as finding the right audience. We also talk about it during a talk we gave at the Showit United Conference and that talk is also on our podcast, episode 39!

If you use an iPhone, here is the breakdown below on how to set up shortcuts. I also use these for hashtags, so for all of those that copy and paste; you are welcome.

  People don’t want to feel like they are being pitched to or annoyed. They want to feel like you value them!

Instagram Stories

Oh man! This is SO key in so many ways. One of our most popular podcast episodes goes a little more in depth about the power and benefits of Instagram stories, and in one of our most recent episodes, I talk about how this is just going to become more vital as I look at Instagram trends for 2019. The fact that Instagram now has two distinctions between portfolio and personality is huge! We can keep our feed well-curated and professional while at the same time staying extremely personal with our stories.

Direct Messages

Also, PLEASE don’t be afraid to slide into the DMs. Don’t be a creep about it, but it’s a lot more inviting than you think. People post specifically to be engaged in some way or another, and if you can provide a form of affirmation, you can create a positive experience and boost your brand awareness. I have liked and commented on people’s photos for months without a peep back, but once I connect with them through a DM because of a story they posted, that engagement goes to the next level! I can’t tell you how many times I have responded to a story, gotten into a conversation, told them how I couldn’t wait to meet them, and then they tell us that they have already planned on hiring us, or they love following us or have been talking about us to their boyfriends or other friends. Seriously, don’t be afraid!

I have created POWERFUL connections through DMs while using keyboard shortcuts. When you can create a transformationally positive interaction with someone on social media, everything changes and almost ensures they book with you. Here is just one example, and this is strictly using a keyboard shortcut!

  Who do you think that girl is hiring when she gets married? No question!

Highlights & IGTV

Don’t sleep on these two just because not a lot of people are emphasizing them. There was a time where we said Instagram stories wouldn’t compare to Snapchat, so don’t be surprised when the same happens with Youtube.

I know I’ve said IGTV doesn’t compare to Youtube. We like to use IGTV to put our portfolio videos or slideshows from sessions and weddings. Goodness, gracious. There is so much to go into about this, but remember one thing: The best way to benefit in the engagement area is to utilize the new features Instagram comes up with. Instagram loves rewarding good behavior. Feed the beast, and in turn, you will be rewarded with its loyalty (or a baseball signed by Babe Ruth – see the movie Sandlot).

Conclusion

Now, I know that was a lot, and trust me, there is A LOT more I can say and teach on this subject. I can’t tell you how to grow your Instagram from 1K to 20K or 100K, but I can tell you how actually to make money with Instagram! I have a lot of friends with 20K, 50K, and 100K Instagram followers, but they make NO money from it. All you need to know is how to leverage the attention you do have for your business!

If you want more information on these topics, check out our podcast for information! I have talked A LOT about all of these! Episode 26 & 39 are really great places to start! The culture hacks series is all about Instagram!

We also have a couple of Freebies on our educational site that you can grab and quickly step up your social game! Check those out here!

from SLR Lounge https://www.slrlounge.com/200k-in-one-year-from-instagram/ via IFTTT

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Best WordPress Personal Blog Themes for Writers, Authors and Bloggers

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Best WordPress Personal Blog Themes for Writers, Authors and Bloggers

When you’re in the market for an outstanding WordPress personal blog theme, you want one that’s well designed, easy to use and one that offers all the features you need.  It can be a little bit of a chore trying to hunt all over the internet to find a theme that checks off all the boxes you need it to check off, which is why we’ve developed this collection.  We’re on a mission to find the absolute best WordPress themes anywhere and rate each one for quality.  There are literally thousands of themes on the market and some look great, but don’t have the features you need to run a successful blog.  That’s where this list comes into play.

WordPress is definitely the most popular content management system for website building in 2018 and it’s popularity isn’t slowing down any time soon.  We’ve found so many great themes, it’s kind of difficult to narrow it down to just a few dozen, but we’ve done our very best in this collection.  I’m sure you’ll find something you love to get started building a really successful blog with tons of readers.  These themes are the best of the best, with amazing support, tons of features, user-friendly admin areas and each one is built to provide an amazing user experience for readers and bloggers alike.  So, here you go, the absolute best personal blog WordPress themes around.

Extra

Powered by the amazing Divi builder, Extra shows what kind of magazine or personal blog site you can create with a powerful page builder and tons of features.  Extra is incredibly flexible, it really might be the ultimate magazine theme.  Extra has a category builder, letting you create amazing stuff with post based modules.  There’s a post and page builder too, so you can craft gorgeous story driven posts with an advanced drag and drop interface.  Extra is totally responsive, which is a necessity these days, meaning it’s mobile friendly and looks smart on all devices and screen sizes.  With Extra, you can create reviews and ratings based on a home-brewed reviews system.  Even let your readers get into the act with user-powered ratings.  Extra works with all the maror eCommerce plugins like WooCommerce and Easy Digital Downloads.  The design is strong, clean and flexible and with Elegant Themes backing Extra, you get perpetual updates and fantastic support if you should happen to need it.

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Adventure

Organic Themes’ Adventure theme is a personal and lifestyle blog that’s built to show off.  Considering how many features Adventure has, it’s really simple to set up.  Every theme option, and there are plenty of them by the way, is located in the native WordPress customizer and you can download demo data with a single click.  That’s pretty great.  The theme features a set of default settings when you install it, so you don’t really have to mess around with any of that stuff to get started quickly.  Responsive, modern and stylish, Adventure is going to really help your give a great first impression and an amazing user experience to all your visitors.  With Adventure, you can showcase recent articles or image with a featured content slideshow, there are featured profile sections with links to social media, your biography and a photo.  Let people get to know you!  Adventure is WooCommerce compatible and offers tons of custom options to keep your website looking and feeling fresh.

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Foodica

Created by WPZoom, Foodica is a wonderful theme for creating food blogs and magazines, even recipe planning sites.  I think it’d also make a pretty smashing personal blog site, so I’ve included it in this collection.  With WPZoom themes, you get great support and documentation, as always.  You also get a simple to use customization panel.  The Foodica theme is responsive and Retina display compatible too.  There are multiple advertising zones to help monetize your blog, if that’s something you’re into.  Six pre-built color schemes are just a click away, or change things up manually.  Foodica uses a visual customizer to allow you to adjust fonts and colors to see what matches your brand and your taste.  Foodica has a recipe shortcode included too, which makes recipe making a breeze.  As with all WPZoom themes, Foodica is updated frequently.  In fact, they’ve just added a new magazine style layout in the last few months that looks really promising.

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Montblanc

Montblanc is a beautiful minimalist personal blog theme by Tesla Themes, but it’s way more than just a simple blog theme.  Montblanc has full support for WooCommerce, which means you can add an eCommerce shop if you so desire.  This responsive theme has both one page and multi page options, it’s great for blogs of course, but can also work well as a portfolio, corporate website, creative agency and more.  Montblanc is a wonderful combo of gorgeous, sleek design and plenty of features to keep people coming back for more.  Montblanc has a drag and drop page builder, Visual Composer, included.  That means you can create any sort of layout under the sun, just by dragging and dropping content modules.  No coding required!  You want your blog to be as enjoyable as possible for your readers and that’s what Montblanc was designed to do, give a fantastic user experience.

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Bridget

Bridget is quite possibly the best looking blog theme this year for sites in the fashion trends category, I think that Bridget would work perfectly for creating a lookbook, highlighting the newest trends in fashion or lifestyles.  Bridget offers you complete control over the layout of your blog too, which is handy.  Match your brand with style and grace.  A great looking, user friendly and robust WordPress blog theme is a great option to allow you to grow followers online.  So if you’re into interior design, the latest fashion and accessories, you’re a lifestyle blogger or if you’re just a personal blogger looking for a fun and stylish theme with plenty of gorgeous design elements, Bridget might be what you’re looking for.

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Authentic

Authentic is a multipurpose blog theme that’s recently been updated, so it’s better than ever.  You want a highly rated and popular blog?  This one is it, I’m telling you.  With over 6,000 downloads in just about 2 years, Authentic sports a nearly perfect 4.97 rating on ThemeForest.  That’s crazy, it’s not just a handful of ratings either, it’s been rated well over 100 times.  It’s one of the highest ratings I’ve seen.  Support for WooCommerce means Authentic isn’t just a blog theme, it can be a full featured eCommerce site as well.  Authentic was coded from the ground up with Bootstrap, so it’s responsive, looks fantastic, loads fast and it’s stable as can be.  The Authentic WordPress theme has a one click demo switcher to let you see various design possibilities before you commit to them.  This is a lifstyle blog, a personal blog, fashion blog, viral magazine, minimalist template and so much more.  You’ve got to see their travel magazine demo, it’s stunning.  Authentic gives you unlimited color options, easy font switching, tons of header options, footer modules and more.  Authentic is built for speed too, scoring a perfect mark on Google’s PageSpeed Insights.  You can buy Authentic with confidence that it’s one of the best themes on the market.

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Mallow

I really like the Mallow theme.  I mean, that goes without saying, I put it in this collection.  It’s relatively new, but the style is bold, it’s fun and I think it makes for a fantastic personal blogging theme . Mallow is minimalist in style and highly polished.  Built for lifestyle blogs and magazines, personal blogs and other general purpose blogs.  Mallow is completely responsive, it’s SEO optimized as well.  It lets you use all the post types you want, there are multiple attractive blog layouts included too, all of which makes Mallow a very flexible WordPress theme.  If you wnat to give your audience a smooth, clutter free environment to ready what you have to say, the Mallow WordPress theme might be a good fit.

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Aesthetic

For bloggers who are looking for a very stylish web template, Aesthetic is a fantastic choice.  And really, who among us isn’t looking for a great personal blog theme?  Nobody wants something that’s junky or loads slow or looks bad.  Luckily, Aesthetic pulls off style and features without a hitch.  Aesthetic is a lot like all ThemeFuse’s themes, it’s incredibly simple to use, simple to adjust and customize.  You can rally tailor make your site to suit your taste and fit your brand.  With Aesthetic, you can adjust colors and fonts rapidly, you can even change between multiple different layouts.  The Aesthetic theme is perfectly responsive, it’s Retina ready and all of that gives your users a great experience on all devices.  Your images are going to shine, your text posts are going to get a ton of attention and with social media integration, the shares and retweets are going to really start to pile up.  Aesthetic has a very intuitive user interface that’s incredible easy to use.  The admin interface is always the sort of backbone to a theme and this one is strong.

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Cooperative

Cooperative was built by Graph Paper Press and it’s a really strong example of a very simple, minimalist personal blogging WordPress theme.  Cooperative is ideal for designers and authors, writers and lifestyle bloggers.  With perfectly tuned responsive design, Cooperative helps to ensure everybody who visits your website gets a fantastic experience.  You want to talk customization?  It’s an absolute dream with Cooperative, you can quickly swap out headers, backgrounds, logos, menus, text blocks and other sorts of widgets.  Post formats are always important for a personal blog and Cooperative supports all the usual suspects, video and images, image galleries, quotes, audio and, of course, standard blog posts.  With unlimited galleries, Cooperative is perfect for folks who take a lot of photos on the go.  Cooperative lets yuou add more content to the custom widgetized areas.  Graph Paper Press always offers automatic updates to all their themes, so this one will never break, even if you upgrade your WordPress installation to the latest version.

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Lucid

Lucid is another personal blog and magazine theme by Elegant Themes, the makers of Divi and Extra, among others.  I love the design of this one.  It’s been around a while now, but don’t call it a comeback, Lucid is just getting warm.  What is it that makes it so Lucid is still going strong after all these years?  Classic design, pristine code that actually gets updated frequently.  This theme is sleek, it’s modern and it does all the heavy lifting of a premium theme, making your content look fantastic.  I think one of the best things about Elegant Themes is the level of support they offer and Lucid is obviously no exception.  With tons of widgetized areas, not to mention their awesome short codes, this theme is ready to adapt to suit your blogging needs.

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Yosemite

Yosemite was inspired by Apple’s Yosemite OSX and the design chops with this theme are nothing short of amazing.  Yosemite is the kind of personal blog theme that blends modern style with some classic elements, giving you a feeling of timelessness.  Yosemite boasts of a legendarily high user engagement rate.  Compared to other themes, people just react well to Yosemite, thanks to the clean design and well though-out layout of the theme.  AdSense optimization means it’s relatively simple to monetize your blog with Yosemite.  Schema integration is covered too, so you’re going to be found quickly (and often hopefully) by the search engines.  Fluid and responsive, Yosemite adapts to look perfectly on all sizes of display.  This theme is parallax too, that adds a cool pop of fun to otherwise static pages, which boosts the user experience.  The code is clean, fully commented so it’s simple to find the spot you need to adjust, if you should happen to want to make some code changes.  Don’t worry of you’re a beginner, you really don’t have to touch a single line of code to produce a stunning website.

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Webly

I really like the Webly WordPress theme, from Elegant Themes, as a private or personal blog website. Elegant Themes does an amazing job with all of their WordPress themes and Webly, I think, is one of their best. All of elegant themes templates load up fast and look good on all devices thanks to their native responsiveness. Webly is fully supported by elegant themes and I find their support to be on the very best of NE theme developer. If you do choose Webly as your personal blog, you have access to all of the elegant themes creations. So if you decide you don’t like this theme, there are plenty of others available from which to choose.  If you'[re just getting started in blogging, I think Elegant Themes are a pretty solid choice, they can help strengthen your knowledge and their supreme levels of customer service is really comforting.

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Divi

What more can I say about the Divi WordPress theme? Well, I guess I better think of something. In a world of wannabes, Divi is the King. There are few themes that can even come close to threatening the massive power, and efficient features of the Divi WordPress theme. This theme exploded on the scene a few years back and since then, it’s been a Non-Stop rise up the charts of popularity. This theme is as popular as any and it’s one of the most illustrious, highfalutin WordPress themes ever made. It’s got a library of pre-made design suggestions that you can turn into the frame for an incredible website.  With Divi’s page builder, I believe you can build anything your heart desires and any suggestion otherwise is probably wrong.  Divi has every bell and whistle needed to make a perfect personal blog theme.

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Emporia

There are thousands of different personal blog themes out there, but few are as simple to use and easy to manage as this team, which is called Emporia. Emporia is a responsive blog and portfolio theme rolled into one. It’s great for photographers and bloggers who want to showcase their work without any distractions. This theme is mobile first, it develops a really smooth and fast loading web page, no matter what your blogging about. Emporia is very simple to customize, backgrounds, logos, Fav icons, menus, text blocks, headers and widgets are all easily styled to look just like you need them too. You can add slideshows and rearrange image orders, there are unlimited galleries available, and I think that for personal bloggers who want a very simple and stylish blog and portfolio combination, this is certainly one.

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Milo

Milo is a simple and clean WordPress theme by developer called Made by Minimal. This is probably among their most popular themes and it has a really nice layout and it is incredibly simple to use and to adapt to fit your needs. Milo is one of the simpler looking themes that I’ve ever come across, that’s why I’ve added it to our collection of minimalist WordPress themes. But for blogging, I think that the simple and clean style lends itself to almost any sort of blog. Writers who want to attract a lot of attention and keep it focused on the content or wise to choose a simple looking theme like this one. Milo features a left-sided header design as well as a cascading submenus, gorgeous project descriptions, e-commerce compatibility and several basic style settings.  It’s all built for simplicity at every turn.

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Collective

Personal blogs can take all shapes and sizes, which is why I’ve included Collective in this round up of personal blogs.  It’s a little bit different than a lot of the other themes in this collection, it’s built for multiple authors.  Interesting, right?

Collective has a great looking and fluid design, This theme displays perfectly across all mobile devices. Your images, your widgets and your content scale up or down when the browser is resized. When viewing the site on a phone or tablet, Collective absolutely delivers a stunning experience. This theme was built for showcasing people, or work, project and writing. It’s the perfect solution for multi-author blogs, portfolios, associations, groups of people who share an interest in a particular subject. If you are partnering up with others in a new or existing venture, this theme is perfectly crafted to get the job done.

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Soledad, MultiPurpose WordPress Blog Theme

Soledad is a WordPress personal blog and magazine theme with a staggering 4000 different demo Styles, each one can be installed with just a few clicks. That gives you a ton of flexibility in terms of starting a new website or rebranding your existing web page. Soledad offers the ability to sell products with woocommerce, so if your blog has an e-commerce component, this is a great theme for that. There are portfolios, hundreds and hundreds of different blogs styles and typography options. If you choose the Soledad theme, you will join thousands of others who have found this template to be a fantastic choice for their personal or professional blog page. Soledad is perfectly responsive, that can help your SEO efforts and the flexibility is marvelous. With great support and plenty of documentation, Soledad is very simple to get started with and even easier to customize.

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Cool

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Epilog

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The Chatter

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Eames

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Blogojoy

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Bold

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Nexus

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We’re building WordPress theme collections as fast as humanly possible!  So if you haven’t found exactly what you were looking for in this collection, you might want to take a look at the other collections we’ve made.  So far, you can check out our selection of portfolio WordPress themes or WordPress minimalist themes.  Since there are thousands and thousands of WordPress themes out there, we’ll be adding more and more in the near future, so be sure to check back often to find the latest.  Have a great WordPress day!

[socmedsean]

Weak Passwords Can Jeopardize Your Personal And Professional Security [Infographic]

Are your passwords strong? Better yet…are they weak? Do you know the difference?

I know, I know…passwords are a pain.

They’re hard to remember, sites and social networks keep making you change them and don’t even get me started on the process you have to go through to reset them.

It would just be better if we could all use 1234 as our passwords, right? Probably not…

Especially as social media sites grow more and more popular and we continue to share highly personal information on them, the strength of our passwords is going to become more and more important.

So let’s talk a little bit about passwords and security.

High Risk – When Your Password Is Weak And Limp

Typically, a password is defined as “weak” when it only contains a series of lower-case letters and is especially weak when it contains a commonly used word like “love”.

Weak passwords are easily cracked because hackers can use what is referred to as a dictionary attack, which just continually submits your username and password with words found in the common dictionary. If you use a word that you can find in Merriam-Webster…your password is weak and you’re begging to have your account hacked.

SplashData, a security firm that analyzes security breaches worldwide, does an annual review of the worst weak passwords each year. Some of my favorite worst passwords include:

password (yes…people still use this)

qwerty

123456789 (not really a tough one to crack)

letmein

admin (especially great if your username is “admin”)

abc123 (the Jackson Five might be justified in using this one)

121212

123123 (only slightly more creative that the previous one)

Many sites won’t even allow you to use a weak password, but there are still some that do. But don’t.

Weak passwords are for Spaceballs.

Instead, protect yourself and update that password to something better.

If your username is admin and your password is admin...you're just asking for trouble. Is your password strong enough? Click To Tweet

Capitalization Makes It A Little Better…But Still At Risk

You now understand that a simple dictionary password is a high risk. So would it solve the problem if you just capitalized the L in “Love”?

Not really.

Since the password is still in the dictionary, the hacker-bots have smartened up and have now started sending dictionary attacks first, and then following with dictionary attacks that leverage case-sensitivity.

Sure, it takes longer, but your personal information is worth it to them.

For comparison, if you type “love” into the Password Strength Meter at www.my1login.com, you’ll see that it would take a good hacker less than 1 second to crack your password.

Adding a capital L to the mix, doesn’t really make any difference. Because the password is only 4 characters, is a dictionary word, and doesn’t contain any special characters, it’s just a cake walk for a hacker to crack.

So what’s the first step in creating a stronger password?

Medium Strength – Fighting Back With Numbers

Yep, that’s right…fight those hackers by adding a few numbers.

But be sure that they aren’t sequential, though. “Love1234” isn’t really a great password.

Adding number helped, but Love1234 could still be cracked by a good hacker in under a second.

So, to strengthen your password even further, start by using non-sequential numbers and add more of them. As you can see below, “Love243570” is moving in the right direction.

We’re up to an hour in crack time, but that’s still a weak password.

Getting Stronger! – Adding Special Characters To The Mix

Want to make your password just a little more special and ready to resist those nasty hackers? Give it some extra-special ooomph by simply adding a special character. Something like % or & or @ makes a big difference in keeping your information safe.

You can even substitute the letter S with the $ or the letter a with @ to make it easier to use.

As an example, let’s take our Love243570 password and replace the “v” with a right carat (which look like this >).

There we go! A strong password that will take a hacker 3 years to crack. Now we’re in the neighborhood of stronger passwords!

Guess what…according to the Microsoft guidelines on passwords, you just created a strong password. Congrats!!

Do you know what it takes to create a strong password? Do you know why you need one? Click To Tweet

But Is Strong…Strong Enough?

To be honest, there really is no “strong enough”. As long as we rely on passwords, there will be hackers trying to crack them.

However, what you want is a password that is so strong that hackers don’t want to waste their time trying to crack yours, so they move on to the next person who probably has a weak password. For that reason, you can’t just stop at creating a strong password. You also have to think about password rotation.

To keep ahead of the hackers, you need to change your password on a frequent schedule. While there is not tried and true rotation schedule, you’ll need to find one that keeps you safe, but isn’t messing with your life.

For instance, some organizations require their users to change their password every 3-4 months. The result? People started writing down their passwords and keeping them in a notebook in their desk. Youch!!

Something like twice a year is ideal, but once each year would probably be enough. It’s up to you to find what works for you.

Why Do I Really Need A Strong Password And Why Should I Rotate It?

Hmmm…let’s think for a second. What kinds of information are you sharing on social networks like Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, Pinterest and YouTube:

Your name

Your location

Your employer and your employment history

Your spouse

Your kids’ names

Your kids’ schools (how many of their photos have their school name on them?)

Your kids’ friends

Where you’re going to be this weekend

Whether you are traveling

Whether your house is currently unattended (because you’re traveling)

Where you went to school

What professional groups you belong to

Your address and mobile phone number (usually found on your resume)

Your email address (and any alternate email addresses)

Access to your email, both personal and potentially work email.

Trust me…you don’t want this information in the hands of someone who has bad intentions. I’ve been there, having had my blog and Twitter account compromised.

It’s not a fun experience and I hope you never have to encounter it.

NOTE: A special note on why email addresses are such a problem. So what if a hacker gets your email address. What are they going to do, send email on your behalf? You could only wish.

Remember that for many social networks, the magic combination is User ID and Password. Guess what…many sites allow you to type your email as your User ID.

If a hacker gets your email address, they already have HALF the magic combination and now just have to figure out your password.

Hackers are working harder and harder to steal your information. More and more, thieves are become less interested in your stealing your television and more interested in going after your entire bank account.

Protect your blog, your social media profiles, and your personal data by using strong passwords and rotating them. Click To Tweet

Take a look at this great infographic created by the folks at LastPass giving a bit of insight into the psychology behind passwords and why hackers love to go after them.

Have additional tips on how to keep your password safe? I’d love to hear them in a comment!

Cheers!

–Sean

    This post originally posted at SocMedSean.com - SocMedSean – Social.Media.Sean http://bit.ly/2RWLLMy