The Holy Trinity

Skynet, Project Insight, Facebook, etc.

Week 3 - Blog post #1 (Data Privacy)

Growing up with the internet I never really considered “data collection”, as in who would be interested in what I am doing online? Playing silly kid's games on Cartoon Network or Nickelodeon is not something I thought anyone would care about. As I got older and learned about data collection and information privacy, I figured that I did not have anything to hide so why should I care if the government wants to track me online? Now I am older and much wiser and significantly more concerned with my information and data collection. Now it seems normal to receive ads for things you search for randomly. Sometimes though it feels like they are collecting data even when we are not on our devices. There was one time I tried a certain beer for the first time and just remarked that it was good, I did not google it or the company, I didn't even buy it! Within a few days, I had ads for it on Google and Amazon. That is the closest I have ever come to making a tinfoil hat...

These algorithms and data collection tools are so harmful because of the potential they have, they can essentially build a profile about a person to compile every bit of information they can, and then who knows… and that is the scary part. Think “Captain America: Winter Soldier” [[Spoilers Ahead]] the good guy organization that was protecting everyone was actually the secret evil organization that was using people’s data (online presence, grades, search histories, and more) to identify “threats” to their organization and then the end goal to eliminate them. Now granted this is a superhero movie, so obviously it’s a bit much and likely not possible but the idea is not so far-fetched. Political organizations, governments, companies, etc. could use this information we so freely give them and abuse it for their own gain. Just look at your Google Ad Profile (adssettings.google.com) and you can see what just google knows about you and how they target ads toward what is trending in your life. For instance, my wife and I share an email account for things we share (Amazon, Netflix, Consumer’s, etc.), and that account’s “ad profile” identifies me as a 25-34 y/o female with interests in video games, American football, babies, and cars (there is more but that is enough). Let’s break these down and how they obtained this info:

25-34 is true, for both of us, and is obtained because we put that into the account and handed it to them for free

Female because she set that in for the account, another gimme for them.

Video games are based on searches on Google and YouTube.

American football, again because of Google and YouTube.

Babies because my wife has created a registry and has been researching baby-related items and other research. So now more baby ads are appearing.

Cars because we do some of the easier maintenance on our cars ourselves so googling videos, guides, parts, and other aspects of that.

What all this boils down to is that we hand our information around to various sites and collectors who then use that to “tailor” our internet experience. Just today I got an email from Amazon telling me about phone cases, I searched them the other day but never added anything to my cart. A very interesting tidbit is how these virtual trackers being put on us are innocently called “cookies”. (Here is a funny clip from Parks and Recreation!). The story behind that is basically “tracker” is a word not many people would willingly subscribe for so call them cookies, just these little things that are harmless but, really, they should be called bacteria.

These problems could be dealt with by giving the end-user more power to dictate what they would like to share with the provider of the service they are using. In the lecture, it is pointed out that we get to use these services for free because of the data we share so a lot of the free services we might take for granted now might not be free for long. The big difference between the US and the EU is that a user’s data is a commodity in the US, that can be sold and there is no clear consensus on data privacy laws. The EU views a user’s data as their own and not a commodity. I think the way to fix the US privacy data laws is to treat a person’s data as their own private property and to also prevent these companies from being able to create complex EULA (End User Licensing Agreements, the thing you always just hit accept on when doing anything) that no one ever reads (because they are hundreds of pages and full of lawyer-speak that the average person does not understand) and agrees to. When the end-user (us) agrees to this, it gives the company permission to do whatever they want. Preventing these and protecting data rights would be a great first step.

It’s time we talk about SimsDom again.

Most of you probably already know who and what Simsdom is but for those that don’t, Simsdom (or SimsDomination) claim to essentially be a CC finds website, which in essence I suppose they are... But don’t get your hopes up for a Lana replacement because they are SO much more than that. And not in a good way.

I know this is an old subject, and most people probably thought it was all over and done with, but Simsdom is still around and what’s worse is that I’ve noticed a growing trend among my fellow Game Changers who create content for Youtuber and Twitch/Mixer of promoting the site by using it to do CC shopping haul videos and streams, which is encouraging their viewers to use Simsdom. I’m not going to name names or point fingers but it made me realise that maybe some people don’t understand just how bad Simsdom is for the community in general, but especially for the amazingly dedicated CC creators of Simblr. And it’s just so disappointing to see people that some many in the community, including myself, look up to promoting this garbage site!

If you’re curious to know why this is a problem, I’ll explain under the cut. If not, keep scrolling... But don’t say I didn’t warn you.

If you visit the Simsdom website (which I’ve purposely not provided a link to because you absolutely shouldn’t visit it) you’ll notice a whole bunch of custom content is available there, more than likely you’ll even find quite a bit from some of your faves like @peacemaker-ic​, @nolan-sims​, @storylegacysims​, @crypticsim​, @renorasims​, @savvysweet​ and MANY more. My stuff is even on there as well and if you’re a creator, the chances are high your stuff is too; whether you want it to be or not.

But don’t be fooled, myself and most of the other creators whose content appears on their site did not give permission for our content to be shared on there. In fact, most of us have specifically asked Simsdom to remove our content from their site. I say “most” because there are some people who willing uploading their content there (god knows why). The easiest way to the tell the difference is to look at who posted the content. If you see this:

That content has been shared by a bot, without the creator’s permission and more than likely against their many requests that Simsdom NOT share their content. If it says the name of the actual creator instead of “Exchange”, that creator uploaded it themselves.

You might also ask why anyone would care if their content was shared on a CC finds blog, after all, it means more traffic to our blogs and content, right? First of all, whether it brings in more traffic or not, is beside point. These creators have specifically requested Simsdom not share their content and they have been ignored, disrespected, threatened, and harassed. Simsdom claims that their users make up 30-90% of Tumblr creators traffic, but I call bullshit. I check my Google analytics every single month for traffic coming in to both my Tumblr and Blogger from Simsdom and I can tell you that LESS THAN 1% of the COMBINED TOTAL traffic from BOTH BLOGS comes from there. And when you understand how they operate, you’ll understand why that is.

- UPDATE -

In reference to Simsdom’s response to this post, they linked 5 creators that they claim meet their crazy statement that their site provides creators with 30-90% of their traffic. So I just thought I’d point out some interesting facts I noticed while looking at those sites.

One of those sites is dead; literally, it doesn’t exist anymore, if it ever even did. Another, @simiracle​, is a fellow Game Changer who reblogged this post, so I’m guessing they don’t have support there. And the other 3 are alpha CC creators, none of whom have ever uploaded any of their CC to Simdom, nor have they ever mentioned Simsdom on their sites in any way. However, all three earn money on their own content via either adfly, adsense, patreon, or some combination of the three; my guess would be they wouldn’t be too happy to find out Simsdom is making money off them too.

You see, Simsdom might sometimes link back to the original creators site, but often times they don’t. I’ve noticed quite a bit of the content of my own on their site directly links to the file on SimFileShare, completely bypassing both my Tumblr and my Blogger. This might not seem like a big problem, but what about if the creator has put specific instructions, requirements, or notes on the original download page that if the downloader doesn’t read could result in broken/unusable CC, or worse, a broken game?

- UPDATE -

In reference to Simsdom’s response to this post, they linked to SimFileShare’s page on SimilarWeb and claimed that I was lying about direct-linking to my files there because their site does not appear in the list of referring sites. What they failed to mention is that that list only shows the TOP 5 sites that link to SimFileShare regularly. There are still 385 other sites that aren’t shown and can’t be seen without having an account with SimilarWeb. Convenient, huh?

I also said they only direct-linked SOME content. With my content it was only about 4 or 5 things out of the 15 or so they have on their site and I didn’t check anyone else’s stuff but I have heard other creators say the same thing. So of course they’re not going to show up in the top 5 if it’s only SOME links.

But wait, there’s more.

Anyone downloading from their website without an adblocker is forced to wade through potentially harmful ads as well. Notice the blue button that says “download” at the top? That’s not a real download button and if you click it, it will instantly begin shoving pop ups in your face claiming you have a system error or that your local law enforcement agency has detected illegal activity from your IP. Yes, I clicked it. There is nothing of importance left on my HDD (it’s all stored safely on an external drive that isn’t connected to the PC at all) because this drive has been slowly dying for weeks and I’m destroying it tomorrow and replacing it with a brand new one, so I decided to take a chance.

These ads, which are on pretty much every page of Simsdom, are what’s called “Ransomware”, and it’s whole purpose is to distract you with fake pop up “warnings” when you click on it so that you don’t realise it’s actually downloading a very harmful file to your computer in the background. It’s designed to be next to impossible to close the pop ups, so that even if you somehow became aware of the download happening, you couldn’t get past the pop ups to stop it before it’s had time to finish downloading and automatically begin running it’s payload when it’s done.

What payload? That’s the scariest part, you won’t know until it’s too late. It could be something as simple as a trojan that will force your PC to mine bitcoins, which is still harmful because these mining trojans are resource hogs and put a massive strain on your CPU. Or a trojan designed to target and encrypt specific files on your computer (usually sensitive ones) and demand you pay a literal ransom (usually either in bitcoin or pre-paid cash) and if you don’t, your files will either be complete erased or leaked.

Or worse still, it could be something even more sinister such as a key-logger; a piece of spyware that is designed to track and log EVERY. SINGLE. KEY. you touch on your keyboard. So every password you use, every online banking key code you enter, all the conversations you have via Discord, Twitter, Tumblr, or any other form of instant messaging, that fanfiction you’ve been working on that you are too scared to show anyone in case they think you’re a pervert, your credit card and bank account number you use to shop online, what porn you look for, even your Google search history (regardless of if you’re incognito); all of it will be no longer private and in the hands of someone who could use it to steal your identity, empty out your bank accounts, charge thousands of dollars worth of goods to your credit card, or expose every little strange thing you do on your computer that you thought no one would ever find out about, unless you pay their ransom.

Scary huh?

Also notice that those Get Famous recolours I made don’t say that they actually require Get Famous? Why is that a problem, you say? For most people it’s not, you see “Get Famous Recolours” and you automatically know you need Get Famous to use them, but what about people who are new to using CC and don’t know that for my recolours to work you need the pack they came from? Yeh, that’s a problem, because that particular download is one of those ones that leads straight to SimFileShare:

It leads directly to the merged file, which is NOT the only file available for download in that set, just the largest. But no one who finds my content on Simsdom will ever know that will they? Nor will they read the part of the download page that clearly states Get Famous is required to use the recolours.

I hear you saying “But adblockers are a thing”. Yes they are, but that doesn’t solve the issue of them linking straight to the file. And also, here’s what happens when you try to download something from Simsdom with an adblocker enabled:

You’re forced to wait 180 seconds before the download button appears. THREE WHOLE MINUTES in which you cannot move from that page or the counter will stop, and it will only restart when you go back to that page and stay there for the entire three minutes. Even Adfly isn’t that gross.

So, all of that isn’t enough to discourage you from using this vile site you say? Well, let me introduce you to the person/people who run the site. There are plenty of examples floating around Tumblr of how disrespectful, arrogant, immature, and disturbing the owner/s are (just search for “Simsdom” and you’ll see) but here’s just a few posts showing “receipts” of what happened to creators when they ask for their content to be removed from the site: Here,  here, and here.

They have threatened to doxx several creators, tried to blackmail others, threatened to shut down some people’s sites, and even actually refused to remove people’s content unless they say “please”; as though these creators are six year old children who need to learn a lesson for not wanting THEIR content on someone else’s website!

All of this was said AFTER they made a post on their Tumblr saying they would respect creators wishes to not have their content on their site. I myself had a run-in with them as well but I don’t have the receipts because as soon as they finally agreed to remove my content (after almost 4 days of arguing with them and being threatened several times) they blocked me... and they continue to share my content to this day. That’s part of the reason why my motivation to create has been so low lately; I know its just going to end up over there, locked behind a paywall making money for these disgusting people and tricking simmers into thinking they have to pay to access my stuff.

But back to the story! Once they realised 99% of Tumblr creators — the people they get most of their content from — were going to ask to have their creations removed however, they changed their mind and instead started refusing to remove content. In fact, if you go to their website and use the contact form and choose the option “Remove my Content” they literally ask if you are Tumblr creator or not, and if you say you are, this is what you get:

And that “Our Rights here” link? That leads to this nonsense that literally contradicts itself with almost every single sentence:

“Creations can’t be uploaded without the creators permission... but we do not need permission to share your creations” “Feel free to contact us to ask to remove your content... but actually don’t bother contacting us asking to remove your content because we won’t” “SimsDomination is a free website... We don’t steal any content... *literally has other people’s free content locked behind a paywall and charges people membership fees to remove said paywall*”

And as for the EA terms part... I have news for you Simsdom, YOU are the only one breaking EA’s terms of use by putting content behind paywalls. I’m an EA Game Changer, I have actually read the terms of use AND spoken at length on the topics of earning revenue from CC, and why paywalls/memberships/exclusives are against EA’s terms of use with the Sim Gurus, have you? Didn’t think so.

If you had, you’d realise that we are allowed to earn revenue from our CC by having ads on our blogs/sites provided they aren’t deceptive — you know, like that ad with the big blue button you have that shows up on every single page of your site — and don’t lead to anything malicious, which yours do. I clicked several of the ads on your site and they all either lead to disgusting 18+ websites, started producing ransomware pop ups like I described earlier, or tried to download a mysterious file called setup.exe to my computer (which was most likely a trojan as well). We are also allowed to earn revenue via donations and Patreon early access systems provided the content is also made available for free to the general public within 14 days.

We are not, however, allowed to lock content behind Patreon exclusives, memberships and paywalls such as Adfly; which is exactly what you are doing. Like Adfly, you are not only potentially exposing underage children to 18+ content and risking the safety of people’s PCs, but you are also forcing them to wait to click a link and charging membership fees to avoid having to wait to download said content that isn’t even yours; content that you have been asked REPEATEDLY to remove. That is the very definition of a paywall. It is NOT the same as Pinterest or Facebook AT ALL, they might have ads but they aren’t malicious and they do not force people to wait to view content.

- UPDATE - 

In reference to Simsdom’s response to this post, this is probably one of my most favourite Simsdom lies, because it never changes but it’s so easy to prove false! “Users don’t need to pay to download any content and don’t need to wait to download them” Oh really? Shall we take a look at your site on the old SimilarWeb that you love so much?

How strange. If you don’t make people wait, then why do you need adfly? And if no one has to pay, then why do you need premium memberships to get rid of the ads and wait time you don’t have? Odd.

Also, lets talk Adsense. I never said I had a problem with you having ads on your site; I said I had a problem with the TYPE of ads on your site. If you seriously don’t think your ads are in any way harmful, I’d suggest you take another look at your Adsense, because either it’s been hacked or you seriously don’t know what you’re doing. Oh, but that’s right, “Google will never display suspicious ADs“... Mmm hmm, you just go right on believe that. Yeh, it’s definitely not possible for Google to be hacked... Nope, definitely not.

Also, if you use your Adsense revenue to pay for your site.... what happens to the extra? Because based on your SimilarWeb page I can take a rough guess at how much you earn every month through Adsense alone and there’s no way your site costs that much to run. For that matter, where does all the extra revenue from Adfly, Short.st and this mysterious “other” go? And all the revenue you get from your premium subscriptions that you totally don’t charge people money for?...

Is that fish I smell?

You are not doing anyone any favours here, so stop pretending that you’re in this for anything other than money. Stop sharing content you’ve been asked REPEATEDLY to remove/not share and breaking EA’s and many creators TOUs!

If you’ve managed to make it this far, congrats lol I know this has been long and probably boring but thank you for taking the time to read the whole thing. All this post was meant to do was explain why people should not support Simsdom, and why I’m so disappointed in other Game Changers for promoting it, but it kind of got away from me a little.

Oh well, now you know what Simsdom is and why I will NEVER support them or willingly allow my content to be shared on their site. And if you do decide to still use their site, just... please be careful. My content will always be free and safe to download, just like the majority or CC creators here on Tumblr. Don’t pay for something you can get for free from the original source.

Also, if you’re looking for a Lana replacement (aka a good CC finds blogs that isn’t shady af like Simsdom) check out @maxismatchccworld!

- UPDATE -

This isn’t in relation to anything specific, just the situation as a whole. It seems Simsdom has just removed the search box from their website completely:

I’m sure it was totally legit reasons and not at all because they didn’t want anyone searching for their own content on the Simsdom website. Just like it wasn’t for that reason the last time too...

Internet Safety

Yeah, I know, you’ve all sat through the talks at school telling you never to tell strangers your credit card details or whatever. But it has come to my attention that there are a worrying number of people who don’t know the actual practical things you can do to stay safe and secure while on the web. These tips cover invasions of privacy from anybody including big companies and hackers. It’s probably worthwhile to give ‘em a go.

Personal Safety

Password Safety - Use a different password for every website. I’m not kidding. If you think you’ll struggle to remember that many, you have two options. Firstly, you can use a password manager such as OnePassword, which is probably the safest option. If you’re like me and can’t quite bring yourself to trust one (there’s no reason not to, it just doesn’t sit right with me) you can use variations on a password for unimportant sites, and then come up with secure ones for sites you share more personal info with. 

Have I Been Pwned? - This is a website which tells you if your email has been involved in a data breach. Don’t worry if you have been pwned - you have different passwords for everything, remember! Just be aware of what data has been leaked, and change a password or two if necessary. Sign up for their email notifications to stay on top of recent breaches.

ProtonVPN - A VPN, if you don’t know, stands for virtual private network. Picture all the different connections between devices in a network, linked through WiFi or cables, as highways. VPNs section off a lane for your own private use, so nobody can see what you’re sending or receiving. It’s unlikely that anyone will be looking on your home network, but on public WiFi networks it’s important to prevent anyone seeing anything they shouldn’t - it’s not hard to packet sniff! You can also use them to bypass school and workplace website blocking, and access sites blocked in your country. Obviously ProtonVPN isn’t the only one, but I’d recommend em as they encrypt everything and have some pretty beefy systems in place to prevent tracking. It’s available on all devices for free.

ProtonMail - Yes, yes, more ProtonStuff, but this is a really good one. I’ll get onto why Google tracking you is a bad thing later, but if you want to break out of Google’s ecosystem, ProtonMail is a good alternative to GMail. It encrypts all your emails, which means nobody intercepting the email will know what it says. That means it’s great for private matters that you want to keep secret or avoid Google telling people about, like banking and stuff. It’s also a bit more customisable than GMail.

Social Media Checkup - Do you know exactly how much someone can find out about you, just by looking at your social media? Facebook is a special offender for that one (I don’t even have an account there anymore - and dear lord was deleting it a struggle) but Insta, Snapchat, Twitter and yes, even Tumblr, might provide a creep more info than you bargained for. Think about how much you want to make public, or how much the app has on you at all. There are plenty of tutorials on how to adjust your settings.

HTTPS Everywhere - A very handy extension that forces websites to encrypt all your data as you send it back and forth.

Avoiding Tracking

Why? - I know it might seem weird that a large company, or even the government, might want to keep track of little old you. Sure, they can target you with relevant ads, but whatever, you use an ad-blocker anyway. That is, until you realise that behind the scenes, on almost every website you visit, data-brokers are collecting info on you and what you do online, and building a profile of you. It’s not anonymous. And it can be used for anything from determining your creditworthiness and insurance premiums to detailed surveillance. Yeah. With all the protests going on lately, it would make sense to keep these people from learning about you for your own safety and your future.

DuckDuckGo - Start by using this search engine instead of Google, and installing the Privacy Essentials extension. It’s a good search engine, for one thing. For another, it prevents tracking and lets you know whose schemes you’ve foiled, you meddling kid. It gives each site you visit a privacy rating, and lets you know how much it’s increased that by. For example, Tumblr usually receives a D, but DuckDuckGo has blocked some trackers and improved it to a B. It has also informed me that trackers have been found and dealt with on over 50% of the websites I visit. Google is unsurprisingly the main culprit.

Alternative Browsers - There are lots of things you can use instead of Chrome, and many of them work really well! I recommend Firefox, since it’s almost exactly like Chrome but open-source, and it also protects you from trackers and has lots of fun extensions. There are some other good PC ones too like Opera and Vivaldi, but I haven’t used them before so I wouldn’t know how good they are. DuckDuckGo has its own mobile browser which is currently my main one.

Adblockers - You can’t get targeted ads if you don’t get ads! You can choose who to show ads for too, so if you want to support a certain site you can whitelist them. Try UBlock Origin, or Adblock Plus. Install ‘em as extensions for whatever browser you’re using.

Privacy Checkup - Go through your Google account with a fine-toothed comb and check what is being tracked about you. Pause your YouTube history, your Maps history, your Google Assistant history. Clear what you can. Check Amazon too. Also, never ever use Cortana or Siri or Alexa or anything like that. Ever. No matter how cool having a robot assistant is.

And that should be that! I’ll try to keep updating this post with new tips as I find them, but this is everything I do for the minute to ensure I’m protected online. 

UPDATE #1 (9/8/20): I started using Vivaldi and goddammit is it brilliant!!! Extreme customisation, it's chromium-based so you have all your fancy Chrome extensions and it has a lovely mobile app too. My current browser setup on both desktop and mobile is Vivaldi with Firefox as a backup, both with DuckDuckGo and adblockers.

Tips to Improve Your Vocab Memory

Do any of these describe your relationship with vocabulary?

I keep forgetting new words.

I don’t like using lists, flashcards, etc.

I feel like I’m not making progress because I don’t know enough words.

When it comes to language learning, vocabulary is a different kind of monster. Instead of jumping out to scare you (like grammar), it hides until you figure out the right trick to help you learn. The most frustrating part is that what works for someone else might not work as well for you.

But if that’s the case, what can you do to find a method that truly helps you learn new vocabulary?

Why are you learning?

All language learners have a reason for why they’re learning a language in the first place. But what’s your motivation for learning a particular set of vocabulary words?

Maybe you’re still working on the basics or using a list of words to learn from a textbook or an app. Either way, it’s not the most exciting material. In some cases, it might not even seem useful.

One of the benefits of learning solo is that you can choose exactly what you want to learn next. You can focus on vocab for more interesting topics or ignore words you’ll probably never use. Even if you’re having trouble learning essentials like numbers or directions, you can put them in a context that’s important to you.

Give Your Vocab Meaning Any Way You Can

You might not care about a list of numbers in a textbook. But you do want to know how to say dates and times, and knowing numbers can also save you money!

Back when I was a regular business traveller, I spent a good amount of time in Kazakhstan and Russia. These are not places where a regular taxi will give you the best deal. Most people just stand at the side of the road, flag down a car, and haggle for the cost of a ride.

I’m a people person and ever curious about everyone’s cars, so for me this sounded like heaven! The only problem was that I spoke no Russian at all.

After several half-bungled negotiations ("Holiday Inn...Ulitsa Shevchenko! Hundred Tenge??") and some support from local colleagues, I picked up the expression “tri sti” for 300.

From then on, every single ride in Kazakhstan AND Russia had to cost me 300 of whatever their local currency was. I simply couldn’t agree on a different amount! 😄In Kazakhstan this may have been driving a bargain...in Russia I was more like their best paying customer, every single time.

After a few months of this, I did start picking up Russian and the motivation to learn numbers was top of my list.

What’s your motivation to learn these words?

How can you see yourself using them? Most textbooks will at least give some sample dialogues, but it’s just WAY cooler to say your own birthday in your new language.

In addition to making note of your motivation, it helps to understand learning vocabulary as a process or a system that includes three stages:

Growing vocabulary (figuring out what words you need or want to learn, selecting your sources, and taking good notes)

Memorizing vocabulary (strategies to make your words stickier so you don’t forget them easily)

Revising or reviewing vocabulary (using new words or testing yourself regularly so that they become anchored in your long-term memory)

Not sure what you should learn?

Before you even start trying to memorize new words, you have to figure out which ones you should try to learn. Once you’ve covered basics like greetings, colors, directions, etc., it’s easy to feel a little unsure about where to go next.

There are a few different options you can choose to start feeling more in-control of your vocabulary learning:

Download My Topic List for Beginners

Using a list that is already created can save you quite a bit of time when you're busy. It's perfect for you right at the start of learning a new language.

My vocabulary checklist for beginners is different from most lists because it gives you topics and skills. This is more useful than just a list of words, and it will help you create a solid foundation without getting bored.

Create your own list of words

What do you want to talk about in your target language?

Consider your interests and hobbies as well as things you’d usually talk to your friends or coworkers about. Consider both individual words and expressions.

One great way to go about this is to choose a topic and do a mind map or create a quick list of every word or expression you can think of that relates to your topic. Then, edit your list and translate the words into your target language.

If you want to add on more vocab to your list, try searching social media with your translated words as well.

Learn more vocabulary from what you enjoy

You can also choose to create a list based on the things you watch, read, and listen to in your target language.

Here are a two great apps that help you understand and find resources in your target language:

Lingq for books, articles, videos, and podcasts with transcripts

Yabla for native videos designed to work for language learners

Pay attention when you listen or read something in your target language. Is there a word that keeps coming up when you listen to songs or watch your favourite tv series? Put it on your list. Do you have a book you’d like to read in your target language? Go through and write down all the words you don’t know to start learning them.

Most importantly, remember that you should always have a solid system for compiling new words and expressions.

Switch up your language learning methods

Even if you’ve got a great list of words to learn, it doesn’t help if you can’t remember them. This is especially true for abstract vocabulary. You can’t see the word for "brave", so how are you supposed to remember it in another language?

Luckily, there are 4 different methods that can help you learn both the simple words and the more difficult ones.

The Post-it Method

For words like "coffee" and “door”, it’s easy to write the word in your target language onto a post-it note and stick it on the actual object.

But what do you do for those abstract words?

You can still write them on post-its, but you’ll have to get a little creative on where you place them. Think of quirky places that have some sort of connection to the idea. For instance, you might decide to put a post-it with the translation for "awake" on your coffee cup.

As a bonus, the added creativity involved in connecting the abstract concept to the object will help you remember even more as you have to spend time contemplating the word.

The Language Play Method

In addition to associating abstract words with an object, you can also use the linguistic characteristics of the word you’re trying to remember. Link the word you’re trying to learn with similar sounds or spellings or take the time to look into where it came from.

Quick tip: Google the word you’re learning and "etymology" together, and you’ll find out more about its history.

You can use rhyme or look at the cognates of a word, or the parts of a word that borrow or share origins with another language you already know.

Chunks of Language

In this method, also called "chunking", the idea is to study chunks of language rather than individual words. That might mean choosing to learn short sentences or phrases, such as “I’m so hungry” or “Where is the bathroom?”

This can be even more helpful if you’re trying to learn abstract words because you can connect those words to a sentence you might actually use or remember.

Examples of the concept in music and art

Have you ever learned a new word only to suddenly see or hear it everywhere you go? If so, it probably made you more likely to remember the word later on.

Seeking out examples in music, movies, or even advertisements can help reinforce words that might otherwise slip your mind.

Final Tips to Keep in Mind

Don’t beat yourself up for forgetting something.

The leading scientific theory is that humans tend to halve their memory of newly learned knowledge in a matter of days or weeks unless they consciously review the learned material. This is known as the forgetting curve.

In other words, you simply can’t expect to remember everything all the time. Even native speakers forget words in their native language from time to time.

Remember to continue reviewing and revising your vocab list.

You might find that some words still give you trouble, so you need to make use of a few different methods if you want to learn them. If there are words that you find difficult to remember, it is okay to also decide that some of the words on your list might not be as important as you thought.

True fact: If a word is important enough, it will make sure that you remember it!

Make sure to apply what you’re learning.

You should always make a conscious effort to use a few new words outside of dedicated study sessions. This might mean actively using new words in conversation, using your vocabulary list to search social media or find new hashtags to follow, or looking for news articles about related topics.

Above all, don’t worry about your level when you’re trying to learn vocab. As long as you’ve got a handle on the basics using new words in sentences and questions, you can learn any vocabulary words you want. After all, you never stop learning new words.

2008 Internet Real Estate Agent

Happy New Year! Here's to 08 being the year for taking your business and personal life in their highest level. The need for people to connect and exchange things and services has been one of civilization's ongoing themes. Currently, the need for people to get on the internet and search for real estate advice is going to increase exponentially. The big question is, not even how technology will advance the real estate industry, but rather how will you use it. 2008 poses many challenges for those real estate industry and its irrevocable relationship with the internet. Ways are you positioned to garner your share of particular real estate leads and marketing potential of the internet? Presently investing in old traditional training techniques of sending through post cards, fancy listing presentation displays and a creative tag line? You already know that marketing to your sphere regarding influence and past clients is essential. But what other enterprise systems have you implemented for seller or buyer brings? How are you spending your education dollars and instance? Now is the time to take action. Search engine optimization and online lead generation is a cut-throat game, and it is growing more competitive by the day. You've see the articles, watched it on the news and read the press releases. The biggest companies in real estate are investing any lion share of their resources to the internet. No more good old traditional training, old school marketing or ideas. Big corporations are dumping money into their internet business in order to contend in the networked society we live in. What are you going through now to further your education and online real estate leads business? That's your challenge in 2008 and outside of. As I've stated before, you can still create a highly successful online real estate lead-generation business. However , these days will be numbered. The Web is big, but it's a finite reference. Well, more accurately said, cyberspace is infinite, and yet people will only dig so deep. Real estate Web sites who capture the top spots in the search engines are garnering premium quality leads and massive lists of interested buyers along with sellers. But, as more and more big-brand companies compete and even figure out how to grab high ranking search engine positions, they will slowly but surely elbow out the little guy. It's the nature of an market place to be "open" to early adopters at the beginning and then gradually close to only those that can afford the great investment of time not to mention money needed to stay competitive. As more and more buyers and also sellers use the Internet for real estate research, the "evening plus weekend traditional real estate agent marketing model" is fast staying extinct. If you want to stay competitive in the period ahead, you will have to grab a piece of the Internet action, and now is the time to grow your foothold. You CAN still create a successful real estate over the internet lead-generating business. You CAN still get top spots from the search engines. It's not too late, but I guarantee any time you wait, it soon will be. More and more, I get enquiries from companies selling real estate leads. They notice Now i'm everywhere on the internet. My sites rank very high organically just for specific real estate search terms and cpc. I also personally own the right spots on other real estate portals that travel targeted traffic to my listings, my sites and sure..... generate high quality, exclusive leads. I just received a label from a company selling real estate leads. As published into my book, Internet Real Estate Agent: A Guide To Dominating Internet Realty Leads and Marketing, there are specific questions you must ask in avoiding wasting money and time. After going back and to fruition with the skilled sales rep., I was able to hone down the fundamentals of how the program works. Here's how their direct program works: 1 . A person is watching television, listening to the radio and / or sees a banner ad online. The add is expecting the person to call a phone number to learn about a real estate place a burden on advantage and commission rebate back to them if they obtain or sell real estate. 2 . Pay $60 a month for just a zip code. 3. Pay 19% referral fee within closing (this gets split between the "lead company" as well as customer at closing). 4. Here's the kicker.... the particular leads are given to 7 other agents as well. The real estate sales lead business model isn't new and many providers have a slight variation to it. Personally, I would never order leads from this business model. I prefer to create my own exclusive cause systems. Here's some of the pitfalls with the real estate lead business design you're being sold. 1 . Leads coming from TV, Print, r / c or the internet that rely on some form of incentive offer are likely to be very low quality leads. One of the incentive offers is a "commission rebate program". Need I say more? 2 . The reason pay a monthly fee so you can compete for the result? Why not get EXCLUSIVE leads that are not incentive qualified prospects. You can't do every lead program on earth, so find and chose how you spend your money and time. 3. I have a hard time paying a referral fee to a professional when I'm competing with other agents, given the minimum quality lead and there's no personal relationship. That's not the referral, it's a lead. No relationship, no history rarely are commitment from the potential customer to use me. I like paying reference fees to agents that have personal relationships with their authentic clients. When I get a referral call from another professional, they know the person being referred to me and When i get the client. That's a real referral and qualifies towards the big referral fee. 4. There are so many ways to produce leads. You should pick and chose the best ways to spend your time and money. After reading Internet Real Estate Agent, you won't come prey to poor Internet business models. You may make a mistake or perhaps two--I do from time to time when trying something new--but, all these mistakes are quickly remedied. You will understand exactly how to extend your real estate website, what to know before buying a properties website, advanced concepts for Google AdWords, how to current market your listings online for more leads, the shifting Broker/Agent model and much more. Discover how to set up your own internet realty lead generation machine. Don't be dependent on any one company for sales opportunities. Get educated and become independent! The book will draw you through a tremendous amount of information and facts, not hype, regarding Word wide web real estate lead generation and Internet marketing. It's the lowest cost real estate instruction and education you will ever spend. It's all about word wide web real estate lead and marketing. Keep this book with you and use it as a trusted reference guide. Start working with your Web site, and then move onto the other areas of online list size and Internet marketing. Once you have your online real estate lead-generation business put in place, it really will run 24 X 7, by positioning the right message in front of the right people, at the right occasion. Agents and Brokers already know they need to market to history clients and their sphere, but it only gets you will so far. They also know the urgent need to embrace the world wide web. The value of traditional farming techniques is diminishing. It's a fact, everyone is mailing something; everyone is doing longer open properties; and everyone is getting into the real estate business. But, rarely anyone is doing online advertising. Even fewer are doing it ideal. In fact , most agents and brokers attempting to do web based lead generation and property marketing are doing it totally erroneous. Don't waste money and time by buying leads originating from a company that sells false dreams of Internet riches. Take control of your business lead systems and start implementing your prepare today. Here's a short sample from the book: Marketing Your own Listings for Leads The majority of this book has been regarding creating a real business Web site, driving quality traffic with your Web site, and converting that traffic into leads. At this time let's focus on how to create more business by online marketing your listing online. You've worked long and very hard to get the listing, now let's leverage that listing to set-up more business. For most of the homes I've sold, typically the buyers began by viewing the pictures and information online and then contacted me about a private showing. Any time you market the property correctly, you will get leads. Using the list of selling resources below, I average over 2, 500 precise property views for each listing. I get highly capable internet buyer and seller leads when marketing a home online. Think about that for a second. Online, people are hunting for a specific home, in a specific area, in a specific college district, in a certain price range, etc .... and my entries are showing up. That's a ton of quality traffic the majority it was free. I just read the other day about a Home of Technology who serves on a major MLS panel who said the traditional business model of getting leads from sustaining open houses is almost dead. People are using the Internet for researching, and they are contacting an agent long before they enter the house. Dependant on my personal experience, I agree with this assessment. Having expended many Sunday's working at open houses, I think it's very rare for someone to walk through the door as well as say "I don't have an agent. " The following list of strategies will put you in a position to actually make more money from each one listing you have. If you don't have any listings or are having their first go real estate, I suggest approaching an agent in your office that has a list of and ask if you can do some Internet advertising for him or her. Be sure that you abide by any local MLS rules you have...

2008 Internet Real Estate Agent

Happy New Year! Here's to 08 being the year for taking your business and personal life in their highest level. The need for people to connect and exchange things and services has been one of civilization's ongoing themes. Currently, the need for people to get on the internet and search for real estate advice is going to increase exponentially. The big question is, not even how technology will advance the real estate industry, but rather how will you use it. 2008 poses many challenges for those real estate industry and its irrevocable relationship with the internet. Ways are you positioned to garner your share of particular real estate leads and marketing potential of the internet? Presently investing in old traditional training techniques of sending through post cards, fancy listing presentation displays and a creative tag line? You already know that marketing to your sphere regarding influence and past clients is essential. But what other enterprise systems have you implemented for seller or buyer brings? How are you spending your education dollars and instance? Now is the time to take action. Search engine optimization and online lead generation is a cut-throat game, and it is growing more competitive by the day. You've see the articles, watched it on the news and read the press releases. The biggest companies in real estate are investing any lion share of their resources to the internet. No more good old traditional training, old school marketing or ideas. Big corporations are dumping money into their internet business in order to contend in the networked society we live in. What are you going through now to further your education and online real estate leads business? That's your challenge in 2008 and outside of. As I've stated before, you can still create a highly successful online real estate lead-generation business. However , these days will be numbered. The Web is big, but it's a finite reference. Well, more accurately said, cyberspace is infinite, and yet people will only dig so deep. Real estate Web sites who capture the top spots in the search engines are garnering premium quality leads and massive lists of interested buyers along with sellers. But, as more and more big-brand companies compete and even figure out how to grab high ranking search engine positions, they will slowly but surely elbow out the little guy. It's the nature of an market place to be "open" to early adopters at the beginning and then gradually close to only those that can afford the great investment of time not to mention money needed to stay competitive. As more and more buyers and also sellers use the Internet for real estate research, the "evening plus weekend traditional real estate agent marketing model" is fast staying extinct. If you want to stay competitive in the period ahead, you will have to grab a piece of the Internet action, and now is the time to grow your foothold. You CAN still create a successful real estate over the internet lead-generating business. You CAN still get top spots from the search engines. It's not too late, but I guarantee any time you wait, it soon will be. More and more, I get enquiries from companies selling real estate leads. They notice Now i'm everywhere on the internet. My sites rank very high organically just for specific real estate search terms and cpc. I also personally own the right spots on other real estate portals that travel targeted traffic to my listings, my sites and sure..... generate high quality, exclusive leads. I just received a label from a company selling real estate leads. As published into my book, Internet Real Estate Agent: A Guide To Dominating Internet Realty Leads and Marketing, there are specific questions you must ask in avoiding wasting money and time. After going back and to fruition with the skilled sales rep., I was able to hone down the fundamentals of how the program works. Here's how their direct program works: 1 . A person is watching television, listening to the radio and / or sees a banner ad online. The add is expecting the person to call a phone number to learn about a real estate place a burden on advantage and commission rebate back to them if they obtain or sell real estate. 2 . Pay $60 a month for just a zip code. 3. Pay 19% referral fee within closing (this gets split between the "lead company" as well as customer at closing). 4. Here's the kicker.... the particular leads are given to 7 other agents as well. The real estate sales lead business model isn't new and many providers have a slight variation to it. Personally, I would never order leads from this business model. I prefer to create my own exclusive cause systems. Here's some of the pitfalls with the real estate lead business design you're being sold. 1 . Leads coming from TV, Print, r / c or the internet that rely on some form of incentive offer are likely to be very low quality leads. One of the incentive offers is a "commission rebate program". Need I say more? 2 . The reason pay a monthly fee so you can compete for the result? Why not get EXCLUSIVE leads that are not incentive qualified prospects. You can't do every lead program on earth, so find and chose how you spend your money and time. 3. I have a hard time paying a referral fee to a professional when I'm competing with other agents, given the minimum quality lead and there's no personal relationship. That's not the referral, it's a lead. No relationship, no history rarely are commitment from the potential customer to use me. I like paying reference fees to agents that have personal relationships with their authentic clients. When I get a referral call from another professional, they know the person being referred to me and When i get the client. That's a real referral and qualifies towards the big referral fee. 4. There are so many ways to produce leads. You should pick and chose the best ways to spend your time and money. After reading Internet Real Estate Agent, you won't come prey to poor Internet business models. You may make a mistake or perhaps two--I do from time to time when trying something new--but, all these mistakes are quickly remedied. You will understand exactly how to extend your real estate website, what to know before buying a properties website, advanced concepts for Google AdWords, how to current market your listings online for more leads, the shifting Broker/Agent model and much more. Discover how to set up your own internet realty lead generation machine. Don't be dependent on any one company for sales opportunities. Get educated and become independent! The book will draw you through a tremendous amount of information and facts, not hype, regarding Word wide web real estate lead generation and Internet marketing. It's the lowest cost real estate instruction and education you will ever spend. It's all about word wide web real estate lead and marketing. Keep this book with you and use it as a trusted reference guide. Start working with your Web site, and then move onto the other areas of online list size and Internet marketing. Once you have your online real estate lead-generation business put in place, it really will run 24 X 7, by positioning the right message in front of the right people, at the right occasion. Agents and Brokers already know they need to market to history clients and their sphere, but it only gets you will so far. They also know the urgent need to embrace the world wide web. The value of traditional farming techniques is diminishing. It's a fact, everyone is mailing something; everyone is doing longer open properties; and everyone is getting into the real estate business. But, rarely anyone is doing online advertising. Even fewer are doing it ideal. In fact , most agents and brokers attempting to do web based lead generation and property marketing are doing it totally erroneous. Don't waste money and time by buying leads originating from a company that sells false dreams of Internet riches. Take control of your business lead systems and start implementing your prepare today. Here's a short sample from the book: Marketing Your own Listings for Leads The majority of this book has been regarding creating a real business Web site, driving quality traffic with your Web site, and converting that traffic into leads. At this time let's focus on how to create more business by online marketing your listing online. You've worked long and very hard to get the listing, now let's leverage that listing to set-up more business. For most of the homes I've sold, typically the buyers began by viewing the pictures and information online and then contacted me about a private showing. Any time you market the property correctly, you will get leads. Using the list of selling resources below, I average over 2, 500 precise property views for each listing. I get highly capable internet buyer and seller leads when marketing a home online. Think about that for a second. Online, people are hunting for a specific home, in a specific area, in a specific college district, in a certain price range, etc .... and my entries are showing up. That's a ton of quality traffic the majority it was free. I just read the other day about a Home of Technology who serves on a major MLS panel who said the traditional business model of getting leads from sustaining open houses is almost dead. People are using the Internet for researching, and they are contacting an agent long before they enter the house. Dependant on my personal experience, I agree with this assessment. Having expended many Sunday's working at open houses, I think it's very rare for someone to walk through the door as well as say "I don't have an agent. " The following list of strategies will put you in a position to actually make more money from each one listing you have. If you don't have any listings or are having their first go real estate, I suggest approaching an agent in your office that has a list of and ask if you can do some Internet advertising for him or her. Be sure that you abide by any local MLS rules you have...

2008 Internet Real Estate Agent

Happy New Year! Here's to 08 being the year for taking your business and personal life in their highest level. The need for people to connect and exchange things and services has been one of civilization's ongoing themes. Currently, the need for people to get on the internet and search for real estate advice is going to increase exponentially. The big question is, not even how technology will advance the real estate industry, but rather how will you use it. 2008 poses many challenges for those real estate industry and its irrevocable relationship with the internet. Ways are you positioned to garner your share of particular real estate leads and marketing potential of the internet? Presently investing in old traditional training techniques of sending through post cards, fancy listing presentation displays and a creative tag line? You already know that marketing to your sphere regarding influence and past clients is essential. But what other enterprise systems have you implemented for seller or buyer brings? How are you spending your education dollars and instance? Now is the time to take action. Search engine optimization and online lead generation is a cut-throat game, and it is growing more competitive by the day. You've see the articles, watched it on the news and read the press releases. The biggest companies in real estate are investing any lion share of their resources to the internet. No more good old traditional training, old school marketing or ideas. Big corporations are dumping money into their internet business in order to contend in the networked society we live in. What are you going through now to further your education and online real estate leads business? That's your challenge in 2008 and outside of. As I've stated before, you can still create a highly successful online real estate lead-generation business. However , these days will be numbered. The Web is big, but it's a finite reference. Well, more accurately said, cyberspace is infinite, and yet people will only dig so deep. Real estate Web sites who capture the top spots in the search engines are garnering premium quality leads and massive lists of interested buyers along with sellers. But, as more and more big-brand companies compete and even figure out how to grab high ranking search engine positions, they will slowly but surely elbow out the little guy. It's the nature of an market place to be "open" to early adopters at the beginning and then gradually close to only those that can afford the great investment of time not to mention money needed to stay competitive. As more and more buyers and also sellers use the Internet for real estate research, the "evening plus weekend traditional real estate agent marketing model" is fast staying extinct. If you want to stay competitive in the period ahead, you will have to grab a piece of the Internet action, and now is the time to grow your foothold. You CAN still create a successful real estate over the internet lead-generating business. You CAN still get top spots from the search engines. It's not too late, but I guarantee any time you wait, it soon will be. More and more, I get enquiries from companies selling real estate leads. They notice Now i'm everywhere on the internet. My sites rank very high organically just for specific real estate search terms and cpc. I also personally own the right spots on other real estate portals that travel targeted traffic to my listings, my sites and sure..... generate high quality, exclusive leads. I just received a label from a company selling real estate leads. As published into my book, Internet Real Estate Agent: A Guide To Dominating Internet Realty Leads and Marketing, there are specific questions you must ask in avoiding wasting money and time. After going back and to fruition with the skilled sales rep., I was able to hone down the fundamentals of how the program works. Here's how their direct program works: 1 . A person is watching television, listening to the radio and / or sees a banner ad online. The add is expecting the person to call a phone number to learn about a real estate place a burden on advantage and commission rebate back to them if they obtain or sell real estate. 2 . Pay $60 a month for just a zip code. 3. Pay 19% referral fee within closing (this gets split between the "lead company" as well as customer at closing). 4. Here's the kicker.... the particular leads are given to 7 other agents as well. The real estate sales lead business model isn't new and many providers have a slight variation to it. Personally, I would never order leads from this business model. I prefer to create my own exclusive cause systems. Here's some of the pitfalls with the real estate lead business design you're being sold. 1 . Leads coming from TV, Print, r / c or the internet that rely on some form of incentive offer are likely to be very low quality leads. One of the incentive offers is a "commission rebate program". Need I say more? 2 . The reason pay a monthly fee so you can compete for the result? Why not get EXCLUSIVE leads that are not incentive qualified prospects. You can't do every lead program on earth, so find and chose how you spend your money and time. 3. I have a hard time paying a referral fee to a professional when I'm competing with other agents, given the minimum quality lead and there's no personal relationship. That's not the referral, it's a lead. No relationship, no history rarely are commitment from the potential customer to use me. I like paying reference fees to agents that have personal relationships with their authentic clients. When I get a referral call from another professional, they know the person being referred to me and When i get the client. That's a real referral and qualifies towards the big referral fee. 4. There are so many ways to produce leads. You should pick and chose the best ways to spend your time and money. After reading Internet Real Estate Agent, you won't come prey to poor Internet business models. You may make a mistake or perhaps two--I do from time to time when trying something new--but, all these mistakes are quickly remedied. You will understand exactly how to extend your real estate website, what to know before buying a properties website, advanced concepts for Google AdWords, how to current market your listings online for more leads, the shifting Broker/Agent model and much more. Discover how to set up your own internet realty lead generation machine. Don't be dependent on any one company for sales opportunities. Get educated and become independent! The book will draw you through a tremendous amount of information and facts, not hype, regarding Word wide web real estate lead generation and Internet marketing. It's the lowest cost real estate instruction and education you will ever spend. It's all about word wide web real estate lead and marketing. Keep this book with you and use it as a trusted reference guide. Start working with your Web site, and then move onto the other areas of online list size and Internet marketing. Once you have your online real estate lead-generation business put in place, it really will run 24 X 7, by positioning the right message in front of the right people, at the right occasion. Agents and Brokers already know they need to market to history clients and their sphere, but it only gets you will so far. They also know the urgent need to embrace the world wide web. The value of traditional farming techniques is diminishing. It's a fact, everyone is mailing something; everyone is doing longer open properties; and everyone is getting into the real estate business. But, rarely anyone is doing online advertising. Even fewer are doing it ideal. In fact , most agents and brokers attempting to do web based lead generation and property marketing are doing it totally erroneous. Don't waste money and time by buying leads originating from a company that sells false dreams of Internet riches. Take control of your business lead systems and start implementing your prepare today. Here's a short sample from the book: Marketing Your own Listings for Leads The majority of this book has been regarding creating a real business Web site, driving quality traffic with your Web site, and converting that traffic into leads. At this time let's focus on how to create more business by online marketing your listing online. You've worked long and very hard to get the listing, now let's leverage that listing to set-up more business. For most of the homes I've sold, typically the buyers began by viewing the pictures and information online and then contacted me about a private showing. Any time you market the property correctly, you will get leads. Using the list of selling resources below, I average over 2, 500 precise property views for each listing. I get highly capable internet buyer and seller leads when marketing a home online. Think about that for a second. Online, people are hunting for a specific home, in a specific area, in a specific college district, in a certain price range, etc .... and my entries are showing up. That's a ton of quality traffic the majority it was free. I just read the other day about a Home of Technology who serves on a major MLS panel who said the traditional business model of getting leads from sustaining open houses is almost dead. People are using the Internet for researching, and they are contacting an agent long before they enter the house. Dependant on my personal experience, I agree with this assessment. Having expended many Sunday's working at open houses, I think it's very rare for someone to walk through the door as well as say "I don't have an agent. " The following list of strategies will put you in a position to actually make more money from each one listing you have. If you don't have any listings or are having their first go real estate, I suggest approaching an agent in your office that has a list of and ask if you can do some Internet advertising for him or her. Be sure that you abide by any local MLS rules you have...

The Long Carmilla Post 2 - Return of the Long Post about the Queen of Lesbian Vampires

When Tumblr tightened its policy about censoring nudity, they targeted a long post I'd made about Carmilla, since I showed photos of Ingrid Pitt and Yutte Stensgaard with their bare breasts in it. I have now censored the post, edited it and added a little. Carmilla is my favourite vampire of all time, and I have a long history with her different incarnations, so I wanted to bring the Long Carmilla Post back.

When I first posted the Long Carmilla Post, I had just seen the movie made by the Carmilla webseries folks. The sudden fame of the webseries surprised me. I can't help but think, that there must be a lot of new Carmilla fans, who instantly think of Natasha Negovanlis when they hear that name. If this series had been around when I was a teen, damn, would I have loved it! I would have been obsessed with it. But it was not, and I can't really become as obsessed with it now as the new fans do. Because when I hear the name Carmilla, several different faces appear in my imagination. I have already been obsessed with Carmilla from a rather young age, and while I love the webseries and this movie, for me it's just one of Carmilla's newer incarnations, not her default form.

I don't want to sound like a hipster (”I liked Carmilla before the webseries made her cool!”), I just thought that as a lesbian vampire lover I should make a post about my favourite vampire, and the history I have with the character.

There are some images of blood under the cut.

When I was younger, there really wasn't any lesbian litterature around (well, there probably was but I didn't know what books to search). I had a habit of switching genders in the books I read, making everyone female so I could get the girl romances I craved for, but this always felt forced and not ”real.” I read lots of vampire stories, because I've always loved that genre, but it was very much dominated by stories of male vampires. When I read Dracula, it had a short introduction speech that talked about the history of modern vampire stories, and it mentioned Sheridan Le Fanu's Carmilla.

Tracking the novella down was a bit hard, considering that back then I didn't have internet and so could only read books that I found in the library and bookstores. Fortunately the translation of Carmilla was included in one horror anthology that our library had. I managed to get my hands on it, and this cover illustration was the first ”face” of Carmilla that I knew.

I can't really put a finger on why I became so obsessed with this story. It's not that great of a novella. A very basic old-timey vampire story about a monster who threatens the life of the protagonist, who is saved when the monster's true nature is revealed, after which it is hunted down and destroyed. And the lesbian subtext is very, very subtle. There was just something very mysterious and fascinating about Carmilla. She is still among the few vampires who actually frighten me. Though Le Fanu's story isn't very scary by modern standards, Laura's nightmare scenes somehow got under my skin. There's something very creepy in the way vampires in older stories used to steal blood from their victims while they were sleeping. The idea, that there exists a predator who instead of straight up attacking its prey, approaces it by a cover of flawless mimicry, is horrifying. You are being slowly eaten alive and you're not even aware of it happening, or that it's your charming friend doing it to you.

I started having dreams about Carmilla. The first ones were nightmares, but even if they were scary, they didn't make me anxious, just excited. I was scared of Carmilla, but I wanted to see her, I wanted to hear her voice. It was as if I had fallen under her spell, much like Laura, but unlike Laura, I was aware of her true nature. I knew what she wanted, I knew that in my dreams, her kisses would lead to bites. But to a young lesbian who loved vampire stories, those kisses were worth losing a few drops of blood in the dream kingdom. She was one of ”my people.” She was not a genderswapped male hero, she was ”real.” She genuinely loved women and blood, and I loved her.

Halloween isn't really celebrated where I live, but one October a friend of mine decided that she'd hold a Halloween party (which became a yearly tradition for us for many years to come). She invited a group of her friends to watch horror movies at her house, and everyone should wear a costume. There was no competition what I would go as. I had a light blue dress that I decorated with blood stains, and over it I wore a dark gray cape, on which I had painted purple flower patterns to make it resemble the coat Carmilla wears on the cover illustration. It must be almost twenty years old, but I still have that cape.

Little Pellicano as Carmilla. I think I must have been 13 or 14 when this party was held.

Then I saw my first Carmilla movie. A Hammer film called Vampire Lovers.

This is a very silly movie. Very cheesy. But young Pellicano loved it. I can still quote many of the scenes from memory. The movie follows LeFanu's novella rather loosely, but I think it's one of the most faithful adaptations. It included the basic ”plot” that Carmilla uses to get close to her victims, has the nightmares (including Carmilla's monstrous cat form), keeps the plot point that she must form her new names anagrammically and makes her killer be a man who lost his daughter to the vampire. So far I think it's the only movie version that includes the scene where Carmilla sees the funeral procession of a girl she killed and loses it completely. I've always found that scene interesting, many claim that her fit of anxiety is caused by hearing the chanting (being unholy creature who's weak to christian things) but I think it's more than that. Either she has horrifying flashbacks to her own funerals (waking to vampirism and having to claw her way out of her own grave, that would scar me for sure) or she is genuinely sorry for killing the girl and terrified of having to face the truth that her love will always end in death.

I want to interpret Carmilla as a vampire who really loves her victims, not as playthings but as real lovers. But she wasn't a reluctant vampire either, she embraced the monstrous side of herself. It was natural to her, and so it was inevitable that the women she loved would eventually die. Maybe she preferred to ignore this knowledge in the daytime, and when she was forced to see what her night time activities had resulted in, the fit of anxiety happened.

A bit off topic, but one scene from the novella that I've never seen make it into a movie, is when a wandering salesman offers his dentistry services to Carmilla, offering to file down her fangs, which sends Carmilla into a fit of rage. I don't know, I always thought that scene pretty funny. Poor guy, offering to de-fang a vampire and getting a HOW DARE YOU rant in response.

So, the next ”face” of Carmilla was obviously Ingrid Pitt. While this movie wasn't particularly explicit (all the sex happens off screen), the lesbian subtext was much less subtle, which pleased young Pellicano. And then there was the infamous bathing scene (would show pics, but gotta censor for Tumblr. You can easily find them by image googling.).

When I was younger, I suffered from being underweight for a long time (had always been a small girl). Seeing Ingrid Pitt's figure motivated me to try to gain weight. She was so beautifully soft and curved, not just her chest, but her shoulders and legs and everything just looked so smooth and nice, while I had thin, pointy, stick-like limbs with sharp edges and none of that lovely roundness. I know teens should not look at celebrities and actresses as body models, but I think having Ingrid Pitt's shape as body goal was healthy for me. I never reached that goal, of course, but I did eventually reach normal weight limits (50kg, the weight needed for blood donors).

That friend of mine, who hosted Halloween parties, watched the movie with me and knew that I was obsessed with Carmilla. One day she got me a fake gold necklace with a red plastic gem on it, shaped like a blood drop. I don't know where she got this trinket from, but it was similar to the pendant Carmilla wears in the movie, and even if it was just cheap junk, I treasured it. And totally wore it during the next Halloween party, going as Carmilla like I always did. I've lost the gold chain, but I still have the gem.

Also still have the VHS. I don't know why I've kept it, I have no VHS player anymore.

Before I move on from Ingrid Pitt, I’d like to mention a pet peeve of mine. Ingrid Pitt has done two vampire roles (three if Elisabeth Bathory from Countess Dracula is counted). The more famous role is obviously Carmilla, it’s probably her most famous role ever, period. Her other vampire role is Carla Lynde from House that Dripped Blood. Now, the thing that annoys me is that article writers tend to always mix these two up. Whenever they write something about Carmilla or female vampires in general, they always mention Ingrid Pitt’s role as Carmilla in Vampire Lovers, but they always use the same damn stupid promo photo that is from House that Dripped Blood. That’s lazy research! Do they just image google “Ingrid Pitt vampire” and fail to check if the photo they use is actually from the movie they’re talking about?! The roles don’t even look identical, Carmilla’s a brunette while Carla Lynde is blonde, Vampire Lovers is set in 1800s, House that Dripped Blood is set in 20th century. The worst one was when the museum in my home city had a vampire themed exhibition and even they used the wrong photo for Vampire Lovers. If a museum can’t get their facts straight, that’s just sad.

Here is an example of my pet peeve in action, an article about vampire movies, using the wrong fucking photo for Vampire Lovers. And yes, I know why they like using this particular photo (”höhöhöö boobs, I’m so mature”). But that just makes me more angry when they do it.

Hammer made a sequel to Vampire Lovers called Lust for a Vampire. It was...  disappointing. It introduced a male love interest for Carmilla, which in my opinion was complete bullshit. If you want to make a story about a female vampire who falls in love with a human boy, by all means make it, but don't call it Carmilla, call it something else. That being said, there were a good amount of lesbian action going on as well (this time Carmilla plotted her way into an all girls' school...) and if there's one thing Hammer rarely fails at delivering, it's the bucketloads of unconvincing bright red fake blood. I skipped the icky het sex, but always enjoyed this scene:

Yeah, Yutte Stensgaard was the third ”face” of Carmilla. When I think of that name, this blood-covered, sleepy-looking vampire maiden is among the images that instantly pop into my mind.

The third Carmilla movie I saw was titled just Carmilla and starred Meg Tilly.

This was clearly a cheaper (maybe made for TV) adaptation. Meg Tilly didn't leave as big an impression as Ingrid Pitt and Yutte Stensgaard did. But I do remember one line from the movie clearly. When Marie (the southerner ”Laura” of this version) asks about Carmilla's past, Carmilla brushes it aside by saying ”That was another lifetime. I'm much happier now.” I adopted this phrase into use. Whenever people are unknowingly asking about a painful thing from my past that I don't want to talk about, I will say it to let them know that nothing good comes from digging old wounds that have already scarred. That was another lifetime. I'm much happier now.

I do remember that Meg Tilly's Carmilla was the movie with the ”awkward floaty blood drinking pose.”

I'm sorry, but that just doesn't look comfortable. Or functional.

Then the big day came – my family got a computer that could access internet. It was an awful piece of junk that could barely be used for writing emails and visiting messageboards. It wouldn't play videos, loading images took forever and big pictures often made it freeze. However, I had access to the internet now. The first word I ever googled was obviously ”carmilla.” Among the sites I found back then, was one about a German play, starring a woman called Ulrike Schneidewind.

The site had big, beautiful promo photos of the play. They took forever to load, but I returned to watch them often. There was something captivating in Ulrike Schneidewind's look for Carmilla. I'm not usually a fan of vampires with the white face+red lipstick+loads of mascara-look, but hers was beautiful, like a painting, like a creature that really wasn't human.

I don’t know if they used fake blood in the actual play or if it was only for these promo photos, but it looks incredibly pretty and surprisingly convincing.

I have no idea what this demon looking thing is supposed to be - Carmilla’s monstrous cat form maybe?

Ulrike Schneidewind became the next ”face” of Carmilla, even though I have never seen her act. All I've seen are these promo photos of the play (I have heard her speak. There's a couple minutes long news clip on Youtube about a vampire lifestyler event she attended). Supposedly there exists a VHS of the Carmilla play they performed on a Romanian tour, but they must have only made a handful of those, since I've never seen it on sale anywhere. I check the German eBay every now and then in faint hopes of finding a copy but I've come to accept that I'll probably never see this show. But still, Ulrike Schneidewind's look left an impression on my mind.

Around those times I started to draw comics in which my self-insert character shared a house with six vampire roommates (Carmilla, who owned the house, Brunhilda from Wake Not the Dead, Teresa from Last Lords of Gardonal, Ruthven, Dracula and Francis Varney) and an OC named Charity (Brunhilda's donor and girlfriend). I mostly pulled the designs for my vampires out of thin air, really (well, Dracula was as he was descrided in the novel, with fuzzy moustache and bushy eyebrows) but Carmilla's design was based on Ulrike Schneidewind's look, with blue veins shining through the white skin and lots of dark makeup and black hair.

Sad part is that it's been over ten years and my drawing skills have not improved at all. This is not ”art” this is doodles. But drawing these was super fun back then, so I shouldn't feel ashamed of them now, I think.

Besides these comics, I wrote some fanfics too. But I'm very glad I never put those anywhere public, because damn, they are embarrassing to read now. It's because my fanfics were actually serious business, full of drama and sturm und drang, and they turned out rather cheesy. Also full of, ahem, erotic content written by someone who had no personal experience on the subject yet. The comics on the other hand were just made for shits and giggles, and I think they've survived the test of time better (by which I mean, that I have actually shown my comics to other people, because occasionally I think I made a fun one, while I've never shown my fics to anyone and have already burned the worst ones.).

When the wonderland of internet was opened to me, I gained access to all the books in the world. I was no longer restricted by what our library and book stores had, I could buy stuff that wasn't published here. So obviously I got a copy of Kyle Marffin's Carmilla sequel. It's not a very good book. Quite silly, childish and badly written (men really shouldn't write about lesbians, they know nothing about them and enjoying an erotic scene becomes rather hard when you imagine some gross het dude writing it while drooling on his keyboard). But it was the first time I read a rather explicit lesbian sex scene, and that got me very excited, because finally all the subtext was thrown to garbage. Here it was, black on white, proof that Carmilla was into girls, not just their blood but their bodies as well. My late discovery of lesbian erotica may seem weird now, when anyone can gain access to mountains of lesbian smut in the internet, but back when I lived with my parents I never dared to look up smut on the home computer, in fear that they'd find out. Until I moved out, my only access to lesbian erotica was books, and Carmilla's Return was the first one I got.

Rant time: I might also add, that annoyingly enough I had been encountering explicit het sex scenes in books, movies and TV years before. And while I never intentionally searched naughty stuff on the net, I had bumped into het porn there accidentally as well. I wonder if heteros understand how freaking frustrating this kind of thing was. Their smut was all over the place, in every book, every film and all around the net, pretty much rubbed to my face, while MY stuff was so obscure I didn't even know where to look for it. And then they had the nerve to claim that we are ”flaunting it” and ”making it all about ourselves” whenever there was a gay sidecharacter somewhere. Grr. Grrr. Rant over.

I bumped into some incarnations of Carmilla later too, but none left an impression on my mind like these early ones did. The worst Carmilla I ever saw was the main villain in Lesbian Vampire Killers. That movie is easily the worst vampire movie I have ever seen (maybe even the worst movie I've seen, period), it's an ”erotic horror comedy” that is neither sexy, scary or funny. It is nice that when they were thinking of a character to star in a movie about lesbian vampires, they chose Carmilla. But the movie is such utter garbage, I'd rather they'd left my favourite vampire out of it. Save your money and sanity -  don't watch this movie. It's bad.

I feel like a lot of time people want to take Carmilla's name and make a whole new character with it (like Reimi Urara's character in Vampire Succession, who is named Carmilla but isn't even a vampire at all). These ”Carmilla in name only” kind of characters don't count, and frankly speaking I'm not that fond of them. I guess it is nice that people want to pay respect to the legendary vampire by naming a character after her, but my opinion still is that if you don't want to tell the story of a lesbian vampire, call your character something else. If you take away either of Carmilla's two passions; that of women or that of blood, the character loses her trademark characteristics and stops being ”real.” You don't make a Godzilla movie where the king of the monsters isn't allowed to have his trademark atomic breath, and you don't make a Carmilla who doesn't love women and blood.

Now that I have said that, you probably guess my opinion about the (*spoilers*) ending of the webseries's third season. Yeah, I wasn't a fan of humanizing Carmilla. So, I went to see the movie with rather low expectations, and was pleasantly surprised. This movie is more Carmilla than all of the webseries's seasons together.

But let's speak about the webseries first. I was very positively surprised by it. One day I ended up googling Carmilla again (was probably looking for fanfics) and discovered this little gem. It had very little to do with Le Fanu's original, but what it decided to change was so good that I didn't care. And it had still lots of little nods to the novella. Carmilla's anagrammical names, the nightmares, they freaking included Laura's governesses De Lafontaine and Perrodon (I would totally watch a spin-off that just follows the adventures of Laf and Perry) and there's even a scene where Carmilla is watching over sleeping Laura, looking a bit similar to a famous illustration of the novella. Also, the theme song ”Love will have it's sacrifices”, is a direct quote, from a scene where Carmilla is describing to Laura the night when the curse of vampirism was passed on to her (of course, she doesn't out right say it, but the reader knows what she's talking about).

”--- I was all but assassinated in my bed, wounded here," she touched her breast, "and never was the same since."

"Were you near dying?"

"Yes, very--a cruel love--strange love, that would have taken my life. Love will have its sacrifices. No sacrifice without blood.---”

I'm not going to say the webseries doesn't have its flaws, a little lazy writing here and there, plot holes and inconsistent characters occasionally (I feel sorry for Danny. She just can't win.). But it was incredibly entertaining, it made me laugh and it made me care about what happens to everyone. And like probably a lot of the fans, I adored the fact that they didn't dance around the lesbian thing. When Laura understands that Carmilla's advances weren't blood-related, her reaction isn't any dumb ”But we're both girls, how can this be?!” Whoever understood to make Laura gay too was a genius. When she gets all flattered and blushing after learning that a beautiful girl finds her attractive, it's such a relatable feeling. It's the lesbian romance I so wanted as a teen! Not stories of a predatory lesbian seducing dumb clueless het girls to the dark side, but girls experiencing all the usual things female leads in romantic stories do, only with another girl as their love interest.

The first season of the webseries is my favourite. The second was pretty good, too. Third, in my opinion, a bit unnecessary (here I think you could see the writing starting to slip). Then came the movie.

They could have completely abandoned the vampire theme and proceeded with the heroes' further adventures. But they didn't and thank goodness for it. They return to draw inspiration from the original source; the novella. We have nightmares, and I admit they actually made me uneasy, reminding me of that creepy feel Laura's dream scenes gave me in the novella. The image of Carmilla laying down in a coffin filled with blood is also from the story. There's a scene where Carmilla is forced to reveal her vampiric nature, and it really reminds me of the scene where it happens in the book.  

And they freaking quote it, probably being the first adaptation ever to use straight quotes from the book. ”Die together so they can live together”-speech isn't quite right word-to-word, I think, but still, it's an identifiable quote. I used to be able to quote the ”You are mine, you shall be mine”-speech in English, Swedish and German, but have now forgotten most versions (yeah, I read Carmilla in several languages when I was younger. I was freaking obsessed with the story). I still think it's the most memorable quote from the novella. Also, the book-reading scene with ”Girls are caterpillars who undergo several larval stages before becoming butterflies”-speech is also from the novella. I think the only famous quote missing in this movie is the ”I've never been in love and never shall unless it should be with you”-speech.

As a fan of the ��old” Carmilla I adore how they pay homage to the origin respectfully, while still making their very own story. Again, teenaged Pellicano would have been all over this stuff. But I had to make my lesbian vampire stories from other versions, and while those also have their flaws, I adore them just as much. I am just happy that Carmilla lives on, not forgotten and left in the shadow of the countless more famous male vampires (seriously, where the fuck are all the female vampires? Ones that are actually main characters in their story and pass the freaking vampiric Bechdel test?)

Carmilla lives on, indeed. She has made a new comeback in Netflix's Castlevania series. I watched the first season and liked it quite a bit. It was a bit too gorey for my personal taste, but that wasn’t a dealbreaker. I liked the art style and was interested to see where they take the story. When I heard rumours that the second season would have a character named Carmilla, my reaction was pretty much “Carmilla is part of the Castlevania franchise?! Why did no one tell me this before?!”

Of course I’m always eager to see new adaptations of my favourite vampire. So, I did some research to know which games she appears in, made some popcorn and sat down to watch some Let’s Play videos (I’m not a gamer and don’t own game consoles so the only way I get to experience videogames is through Let’s Plays in Youtube.). But I ended up rather disappointed. Carmilla in the Castlevania games is cartoonishly silly at best, downright insulting to the original at worst.

So, after seeing how poorly the games treated my favourite vampire, I looked forward to the second season of the Netflix series with mixed feelings. I was hopeful, thinking that they can't go anywhere but up from here. And I was pleasantly surprised. The character design made her a bit silly looking with eeeevil face and her body language is very femme fatale-ish (I don’t really see the appeal of the femme fatale trope, but then again, it’s usually written for male audience), but they didn't put her in an ugly, revealing costume and the camera focused on her face instead of her breasts.

It's disappointing that she isn't a lesbian in this one (she makes one joke that hints she might be into girls too, but because Dracula's war council is mostly one big sausage fest, we don't see her interact with other females much).

I am so, so happy that the makers of the show understood that Carmilla is not some boot-licking notice-me-senpai Dracula fangirl (an aspect of her I loathed in the games). The only reasons for a lesbian vampire to ally with a male one are if they have a common goal (such as defending themselves against vampire hunters) or if she has no other choice. Netflix Carmilla is the latter. Dracula is a powerful, dangerous monster, who is also very much insane and therefore unpredictable. When he summons Carmilla to join his senseless crusade against humankind, Carmilla can't afford to refuse and take the chance of the mad vampire king killing her for disobedience and making a warning example of her. She has to go to war she herself deems pointless (well, Godbrand had a point in his ”If vampires kill all the humans, what will the vampires eat?”-speech.). So she begins to plot to prevent the genocide (she actually wants humankind to keep existing as opposed to wiping them from the face of the Earth, remind me again why she is the one every fan hates while they love Dracula the Kill All Humans-madman? Oh right, she assaults one of the male fan favourite characters on screen and is therefore deemed much more evil than Dracula who slaughters countless innocent humans offscreen without mercy. Got it.).

I love that she uses cunning instead of seduction when putting her plot to gain freedom from Dracula's servitude in action. Admittedly, some of the scenes where she's manipulating Hector seem a bit seductive-ish, but are still nothing compared to the ”Oh great master let me lick the blood off your sword!”-bullshit from the games. Also, was I the only one who could see right through her mindgames? Every time she complimented some man, I was shaking my head ”Lady, even blind Reetta can see that you are full of shit.” So it really surprised me when Hector fell for it. How do you fall for such an obvious trap?

I like that Carmilla's reasons for her schemes are reasonable and based on common sense and war strategy rather than just being evil for the sake of being evil. That being said, the scene where she beats Hector felt unnecessary, the man was tied up and would have gone with her even without getting his ass handed to him, because he's a prisoner and has no choice. I understand that it's an important scene symbolically, tying back to the scene where the animal-loving Hector compares vampires to cats, to which Isaac points out that cats play cruelly with their prey. It's a turning point for Hector, who abandoned humanity and tried to find a new family among monsters only to realize that they are, well, monsters. What did you expect voting for Leopards Eating Peoples' Faces Party would bring to you? Anyway, I understand that the scene is important to the plot and character growth, but I can't help but feel that making Carmilla assault a fan favourite character so brutally was the writers way of making sure the audience hates her. I have a feeling that they want to be sure the audience hates her, because they have something disgusting in mind for her for the third season.

I already talked about this in my ”If you have to kill female vampires on screen, please don't make it look like a rape”-post. I am worried what they are going to do with Carmilla. She's obviously going to get killed, but I hope they allow her to go down with dignity. Lords of Shadows 2 already gave us a really disgusting, rapey killing scene (I’ve only seen one killing scene with an even clearer “lesbianism can be cured by rape”-theme, in Lesbian Vampire Killers where Carmilla is impaled by a dick-shaped sword), we do not need another. I don't want Hector or Isaac or Dracula impaling her body slowly and looking downward at her in disgust as she painfully dies. Yes, Dracula will be coming back, it's Castlevania after all. I'm also worried of the possibility that instead of killing her, they make Dracula force her back into his servitude, which would also be super gross.

I am happy that the character of Carmilla lives on, that new fans get to experience her with these new incarnations, but whenever a new Carmilla surfaces, I am also a bit worried at how they are going to handle her character this time. I will have to wait and see how the third season of Castlevania ends, until then it is useless to speculate.

_The irony in this? You’re on Tumblr. _

Ice Cream  

**Uce Cream **

We’re all pretty familiar with the term “like for like” or “follow for follow” right? It

exists on almost every website you visit. Even in Youtube videos, publishers are

making sure to include that statement in their recordings. It’s a pretty important

sentence, it’s the only way to spread the word about you or your brand. For big

name companies, it’s pretty easy as they’re already well known to everyone,

things like “Like our page on Facebook for weekly coupons!” will get just about

any savvy shopping consumer to hit that thumbs up! For the most part, we all

know that, the social media marketplace was created by big companies to profit

from the internet. And what a glorious decision that was! Schwans grocery store

home delivery!? I never have to leave home again! (seriously!) We’re also

aware that social media network is just an easier way for us to communicate to

each other about Schwans grocery store home delivery! insert sarcasm  _

 I ordered the chicken. Staying for dinner?

So why exactly do we constantly find ourselves getting lost on Youtube at night,

posting that sad picture of our salads, or a status update thinking like our

friends could relate to it? A little word called Homophily. (It’s kinda’ little, I

think?) It’s derived from the ancient Greek word Homou, “together” and it’s

known as wanting to seek out people who act and think like ourselves. Pretty

much narcissism, just a fancier word. 

_Feeling the Need _

So, by now you’re probably wondering, “well, what does your fancy word have

to do with me? I like surfin’ the web to pass the time in the john, you know the

deeaal! “Well that’s my point, so does everyone else. See, there’s plenty of

people like us, and it’s that very reason we tend to keep our inner circles close.

We feel as though we may not find others, yet we keep trying. Once we

establish a connection in real life, we find ourselves wanting an online

connection as well, so as to not lose touch, you know? because someone will

definitely act like they don’t know you after going home and then seeing them

the next day. (there’s that sarcasm again) According to Seiter, (n.d.) the feeling

of wanting likes on social media, taps into our primal urges of wanting attention,

creating addictions and what brings us joy.  Social connection becomes

desirable because let’s face it, NO. ONE. WANTS. TO. FEEL. ALONE. Being

alone makes us do and say things that don’t end up benefiting us in a positive

way at all. Feeling lonely however, makes us re-evaluate the way we look at

ourselves, we wonder why we’re alone and why no one approaches us

(Zhivotovskaya, Alloro, n.d.). Maybe it’s our appearance, maybe it’s our

interests, or, maybe our hygiene but you’re too embarrassed to tell anyone

about it so you hope no one notices you smell funnier and funnier every day!

 Social media allows us to develop a digital persona where no one can see the

real us unless we really want them to. It’s those feelings of insecurity that gives

us the need for attention, and who can blame someone who has never had it?

Once you get offered a snack you want the whole kitchen!  

_One in the same. _

_I like it, Do you?_

One like can go a very long way in social media. The algorithms of websites like

Facebook, Instagram or Twitter, are specifically designed to constantly monitor

the search and “Like”, “Follow” or “Tweet” of its users. This is how the always

refreshing “feed” of the sites is showing something related to your previous

online history. The concept is, “hey you like this, so does this person. oh wait!

This person does too! Check out how many likes or shares this person got for

liking the same thing! Actually, everybody likes it!” More and more of the same

will pop up on your feed. This phenomenon is known to expand on social

media. It’s the only place where things expand instantly! The more people like

memes of Kermit, the more he becomes a more prominent presence when

logging in. Bisgin, Halil & Agarwal, Nitin & Xu, Xiaowei in (2012) wrote in their

article “A study of Hemophily on Social Media”, that it, [social media] which is

more than just the space for interactions, surpassed all the requirements

needed in terms of growth for reasons unknown. You meet new people online

the same way you meet them in real life. Rad! _

They’re Watching You..Yes..THEY. _

Today, everybody that’s anybody knows now that anything you search

especially on Google , will somehow appear on Facebook as an ad. I mean

really! I was freaking out when I saw the Purple Mattress ad on my Facebook

feed. Like, this isn’t some regular thing on Facebook, why is it appearing now?

OH! It’s because of the Algorithms. Videos, pictures and quotes appear more

based on how relevant they are. If you’re an avid social media user like me,

you’ll recall that Facebook used to just show content from the brands,

companies and big names you liked with the occasional high school friend

posting about their 5th child. Well at a conference in 2018, Facebook founder

Mark Zuckerberg, announced that the algorithms for the site will be set to

prioritize more family and friends (Tien, 2018). The point of online interactions

is to stay connected with family in new ways right? WRONG! What about social

media marketing? (That’s actually a job!) The fact that people hit thumbs up on

the same things makes for an impressive use of resources when it comes to

business. I mean, if I was Target and I noticed that people are liking a lot of

pictures of a puppet of Kermit the frog sippin’ tea in different positions, I would

show them where to buy that exact puppet to make their own hilarious photos..

To share and have people like and go viral and continue the cycle!

_References _

Bisgin, Halil & Agarwal, Nitin & Xu, Xiaowei. (2012). A study of homophily on social media. WorldWideWeb. Retrieved from: https://www.researchgate.net/publication/220301971_A_study_of_homophily_on_social_media

Seiter, C.,(n.d.) The Psychology of Social Media: Why we Like, Comment and Share Online. Buffer. Retrieved from: https://buffer.com/resources/psychology-of-social-media

Tien, S.,(2018) How the Facebook Algorithm Works and How to Make it Work for You. Hootsuite. Retrieved from: https://blog.hootsuite.com/facebook-algorithm/

_Zhivotovskaya, Alloro,(n.d.) Why Social Connection is So Important. The Flourishing Center. Retrieved from: https://theflourishingcenter.com/why-social-connection-is-so-important/ _

Branding - Theory vs Reality

I often come across book, articles, posts, whatever promising the recipe for success, when it comes to branding, marketing, and whatnot.

Recently, I found this: “10 Branding Elements and What They Mean”

I thought - wow, this is good in terms of theory, but - alas - completely useless today, as fashion (among other businesses) became something unpredictable, random and nonsensical.

The article goes:

1. Brand identity

‘The brand of course is an easily recognizable name that immediately tells people about a certain organization that manufactures certain products or renders certain services.

Brand identity is the way people recognize the brand. It may be through the logo or other associated visuals.2 The Swoosh logo of Nike is very simple, but is immediately recognizable worldwide along with its punchline, “Just Do It”.’

FALSE.

The brand’s name is, nowadays, completely irrelevant. Even pointless. One of the coolest fashion brands in the world is called Acne Studios. Acne. ACNE. A C N E.

What about the logo? Gosha Rubchinskiy’s logo was a hijacking of another, iconic logo. Fiorucci had something like 73 different logos. Today, lots of brands have suspiciously similar logos. 

2. Brand image

‘Brand image is the idea of the brand that people develop in their minds. It also dictates what they expect from the brand. For instance, Rolls Royce has the image of a luxury car maker. So, it cannot be making a budget car even if there is a market. Its existing premium customers won’t take it kindly as it dilutes the said image.

It’s hard and sometimes impossible to change brand image, so it’s best to know what you’re aiming at, before you invest hard earned dollars.’

FALSE.

Balenciaga had the image of a luxury fashion brand. Then it became one of the weirdest expensive brands in the fashion game. And now they produce budget clothes which sell for top dollars. The Triple S shoe is ugly, and made in China. And cost a grand.

“It’s hard and sometimes impossible to change brand image”? Not really, it just takes a new creative director, a few famous influencers and a week of Instagram posting to change it.

3. Brand positioning

‘Positioning is the way a product is placed in the market. It basically defines what segments of the market it is targeting. For instance Virginia Slims is a cigarette targeted at women. Basic ingredients in all cigarettes are same but this one has been positioned to attract women by making it slimmer in size and making the packaging sleeker.’

FALSE.

Supreme was a skateboarding company. Supreme is now a fashion brand. Did they position themselves as such? Nope, the consumers did.

4. Brand personality

‘Brand personality is just like the personality of human beings. It is certain emotional or personal qualities that we associate with a particular brand. For example we can associate youthfulness with Pepsi or ruggedness with Wrangler. Every element of the brand identity including the colour of the logo and the typography on the brand name adds to the personality.’

FALSE.

Polo Ralph Lauren was supposed to be the personification of the American dream, the brand for the Ivy League WASP-rich-blue-eyed-cool-handsome kid with the splendid hair. It’s now collaborating with Palace, finally coming out of the closet as a hip hop brand. Epic.

5. Brand equity

‘Brand equity is the value of a brand. It may include tangible financial value such as market share and revenue as well as intangible aspects such as strategic benefits of the brand. For example Apple is a major technology brand and people perceive it is a premium, cutting edge manufacturer of quality products. So, it is not only the sales but the sheer image that takes the equity to a different level altogether.’

FALSE.

From Wikipedia: ‘Brand equity is the positive effect of the brand on the difference between the prices that the consumer accepts to pay when the brand is known compared to the value of the benefit received.’

Anti Social Social Club offers bad products with basics graphics for serious money. They had no history whatsoever. They sold a gazillion tees and hoodies. Their product is so basic that the fake ones are exactly the same, you can’t tell the original from the fake. What value, then? Ah.

Again, according to Wikipedia, a brand can experience “negative brand equity”, ‘due to catastrophic events to the brand, such as a wide product recall or continued negative press attention.’ Dolce & Gabbana upset the gay community, refuse to embrace sustainability, offend millions of Instagram users, shame countless people for their body shape, claim that sexual harassment is “not violence”,  come up with sexist ads, and, guess what? NOBODY CARES, and the brand sells like hell. Weird, right?

6. Brand experience

‘Brand experience is a combination of everything that a customer goes through while purchasing and using that brand. For example how does one feel while ordering food and eating at KFC? How does the staff behave and how fast do they deliver and of course how did the food taste? Also, since it has many outlets all over the world, all of them are expected to maintain uniform standards of experience.’

FALSE.

Check this out - “Alleged Balenciaga Store Racism Angers Chinese Consumers”

7. Brand Differentiation

‘Differentiation, as the word suggests is how a brand stands out in the crowd. For instance Dell Computers lets people choose their components and assemble their own system, thus making it different from others who just sell readymade machines at the shop with no scope for customization.’

FALSE.

Differentiation, you say? Lol.

8. Brand communication

‘Brand communication is the message it delivers through various sources like adverts, brochures, punchlines and hoardings. If the brand has to grow, it must be able to clearly communicate its core benefits to the customers.’

FALSE.

Balenciaga - again - doesn’t really care when it comes to ‘clearly communicate its core benefits to the customers’, by looking at their Instagram account.

9. Brand gap

‘Brand gap is the difference between what a brand promises to deliver in its communications and what it actually does. For its own sake, the gap should not be very high. A successful brand must be able to deliver what it promises. No amount of advertising or content marketing efforts can save a bad product.’

FALSE.

“In a large part streetwear is seen as cheap. What my goal has been is to add an intellectual layer to it and make it credible,” says Virgil Abloh. So, where is the intellectual layer the brand promises? Oh yes, they put the Mona Lisa on a sweater... wow.

10. Brand extension

‘Brand extension is basically the idea of going beyond ones origins and exploring newer fields. For example Google started as a search engine. But now it provides many other services including emails and mobile operating systems. This is how it has extended the brand but it must be done in a manner so that the existing operations complement the newer initiatives.’

FALSE.

Does the collaboration between Gucci and the NY Yankees make sense, when it comes to newer initiatives complementing existing operations? In other words - what would Guccio Gucci say?

How to SEO 2019

Article promotion will be an integral strategy of search engine optimization (SEO), and has been followed by many people individuals plus companies to promote their picture in an effective manner. SEO webmasters must usually be looking forward in purchase to stay afloat amid the changing technological environment and Search engines algorithm updates that dramatically change organic search results. Given Google's recent formula updates, which are getting progressively smarter and more aware associated with low-level SEO tactics, there is usually no truly no longer any kind of replacement for authoritative, interesting, plus unique content that generates natural virality. We might become living inside the age of artificial cleverness, where SEO marketers are constructing more personalized websites with the few tweaks to UX plus spending hours creating content intended for RankBrain. Search Engine Optimization (SEO) in 2018 is actually a technical, analytical and innovative process to improve the presence of a website in research engines. Search motor optimization or SEO is perhaps the most essential method in order to drive targeted traffic to your own website because it results within improved search engine placement. Even whitened hat, user-focused SEO techniques may fluctuate in efficacy as lookup platforms change and less moral sites try to game the particular system. Making use of that said…SEO is still most about content and links. Link building is usually a proven method of SEARCH ENGINE OPTIMIZATION which means you should consider some SEO links best methods into account for 2018. Check out these 45+ Wp SEO tips and frequently requested questionsย for 2018 to help a person achieve better results in Search engines (search engine ranking positions). SEOs will require to collaborate closely with developers and developers to prioritize specialized SEO and usability search motor ranking factors to gain the competitive edge. Meta description plays a main role in search engine position of your post so composing an SEO friendly meta explanation is essential for ranking aspect. Although I'm just the little later than I have got been in the past several years with this post, the particular time has come to discuss my SEO 2018 predictions plus trends to watch. Tips you suggested for SEARCH ENGINE OPTIMIZATION Advance are valuable as Web sites need to undergo SEO Review from timt to time in order to stay On top of lookup engine results, I was presently taking care of SEO progress Strategies to Improve website rating, Found Out your post related. The tone of voice search is getting vital with regard to SEO. The moot stage of any SEO strategy, it can still imperative to learn how in order to use keywords the right method. It means ensuring that will your site is designed, constructed, maintained with SEO best procedures to make sure that research engines don't have any specialized limitations with indexing or knowing your content. SEARCH ENGINE OPTIMIZATION activities when boosted with each internal and external resources, that will is On-Page optimization techniques and also external Off-Page tactics like visitor blogging and social media advertising gives speedy outcomes. SEO trouble and top 10 google outcomes for keyword. The initial stage for top-tier local SEO will be claiming all local listings such as Google My Business (obviously one of the most important) as well as other people like Yellowpages, Bing, and 411. Plus spending all your time (or paying some SEO firm) in order to sit there and build inbound links for you personally laced with keywords… this is a waste of your own time and money. With a very aggressive technique, proper keyword research, great SEARCH ENGINE OPTIMIZATION content, on-page and off web page SEO, you could begin in order to see the rewards of ranks within a few months. Properly, Hyperlocal SEO should be out there right at the end associated with 2017, many experts believe this and so do I. Nevertheless, it may come anytime plus it's time to focus upon local search as your SEARCH ENGINE OPTIMIZATION opportunities in 2018. SEO is getting more important year after season and the ones who spend time upon increasing the product quality and experience associated with their sites will benefit significantly. In today's quickly shifting world, SEO techniques may change on a dime—and the particular worst part is that a person may not even know this. Hacks that could have gained you a front-page result simply because recently as 2016 are not really only obsolete now, but these people may even hurt your cyberspace rankings.

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Not just is it a great method to get different viewpoints straight into your article and find away new things, it also assists grow your SEO rankings plus traffic. Use LSI keywords in body (use Seo pressor plugin to get related keywords). All these consequences also lead to better SEO and higher search engine rankings. On-page SEO is the exercise of optimizing individual web web pages to be able to position higher and earn more appropriate traffic in search engines. In the event that you are a local company and want to build upon your local SEO, do that simply by looking for websites that are usually associated with the area a person operate in. You can request your local magazine whether these people wish to work together upon online articles and mention your own business in them or enjoy the role of mentioned upon local websites like your local community page. 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Today, this article will supply Top 10 SEO Trends That will Will Matter in 2018 plus which will also help within improving the rank of the particular business domain and website or some kind of related landing page. Organic SEO is not therefore easy to attain for brand name spanking new websites. 2017 has understood the predominance of Accelerated Cell phone Pages by Google, the excursion of HTTPS and the importance of backlinks became a requirement for any SEO professional. Paid methods that are easily scalable, such as Facebook ads or a Search engines AdWords pay-per-click campaign can assist to drive revenue as you invest the time required to enjoy the advantages of SEO. On the subject of speed, at the beginning of 2017 there was still much resistance to AMP in the SEO community overall, but as we head toward 2018 that feels to be dissipating now somewhat with a reluctant acceptance that AMPLIFIER looks as though it's not really going away sooner. Marketing knowledge, since the ability to determine our audience, understand their habits, and anticipate their needs along with proper answers and solution is definitely tied directly (keyword and relevant research) and indirectly (search consumer experience and users' metrics) in order to earning the widest SEO presence. Topics like as content quality, website velocity, security, design, the Knowledge Chart, artificial intelligence, algorithm updates plus Google mandated changes should end up being considered by anyone looking in order to stay up to date along with SEO. The tactic of enhancing your pages to earn even more traffic through being more extremely relevant to search queries, on-page SEO is something everyone may do. Our goal is in order to craft a page that assists the searcher achieve their objective, answering the intent of their own search. Videos on your blog may also increase your Dwell-Time, producing them a must-have for SEARCH ENGINE OPTIMIZATION this year. Since Google continues to refine the enigmatic search algorithm to provide users probably the most relevant results, SEARCH ENGINE OPTIMIZATION professionals and pundits across the particular globe have taken note associated with the growing number of SEARCH ENGINE OPTIMIZATION trends and strategies that are usually poised to be the potential of SEO. People love to gain access to the internet while they are usually on the go, meaning regional SEO is going to turn out to be much more popular. SEO means search engine optimization. Google, the world's most utilized internet search engine, is every single eager to keep webmasters, SEARCH ENGINE OPTIMIZATION experts and businesses on their feet. By giving you an SEO tool that will give you a unique regarding just how much your organic traffic may be worth, along with keeping track of external links and monitoring competitors. The results also emphasize the value of creating brand-new at ease with your SEARCH ENGINE OPTIMIZATION marketing strategy. Fortunately, for SEO-focused keyword study, these two tools are plenty of to generate thousands of possible keywords. Local SEO will carry on as a popular SEO plus digital marketing trend in 2018 for local businesses. With the passing associated with time, search engines such since Google, Yahoo keep on transforming their algorithms for SEO. Interpersonal SEO is not a individual branch of SEO plus it is just not soon be replacing traditional SEARCH ENGINE OPTIMIZATION, but social signals have turn out to be increasingly integrated into search motor algorithms.

Cell phone SEO trends and strategies may continue to morph and change. While I understand all about the SEO things: SEO title, focus keywords and so on, my challenge is writing different headlines that contain all the particular focus keywords. Canonical: This connect to handles content syndication, which basically allows other blogs to submit your work (similar to franchising) without hurting your website's SEARCH ENGINE OPTIMIZATION ranking—simply by adding a rel=canonical could get your brand and content material from the web in several outlets, ensuring a greater get to and bigger audience without harming your own search results. Now i'm curious - sometimes with your own chapter-based guides, you have most of them on a individual page like this one, yet sometimes they're separate pages along with an overview page as the sort of intro + desk of contents, like the Key word Research for SEO Definitive Guidebook. A much great number of social media events will highlight that your content material is well engaged with the particular users as well as this is likely to create the value for the users, as a result SEO experts must leverage properly for the social media plus brand mentions as well.

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Keywords and Your Digital Marketing Strategy: What Do You Need to Know? | Online Sales Guide Tips

Erika Taylor Montgomery December 14, 2020

One of the most common digital marketing goals these days is to measurably increase online visibility. Whether your customers buy on your website or at your brick-and-mortar store, a strong internet presence helps consumers find, learn about and ultimately purchase from you.

As you scour the internet for online marketing tips, you’ll see advice about blogging for search engine optimization (SEO), creating effective landing pages, using compelling imagery and more. But when it comes down to it, there’s one vital element to digital marketing that can make or break all these tactics and strategies: keywords.

How Do Keywords Relate To Digital Marketing?

The right keywords are vital to your digital marketing strategy!

When a potential consumer goes to a search engine like Google to look for something, they type in words or phrases to guide their search. These are keywords: the key terms website users enter to find what they are looking for.

Sounds easy enough. Users type in their keywords and your business comes up, right? Well, not exactly. Search engines use complicated algorithms to try to help their users find helpful and relevant results. These algorithms use a wide variety of factors such as website credibility, how often the site publishes and keywords used on the website itself.

This brings us to one of the most valuable online marketing tips: Take the time to research keywords. They need to be:

Once you know which keywords to focus on, you can begin to use them strategically throughout your digital marketing content (such as your blog, social media ads and so on).

How To Research Keywords For Your Digital Marketing Content

Different Types Of Keywords For Digital Marketing

Make sure you include a variety of keywords in your digital marketing content.

There are three main types of keywords: short-tail (also called head), middle-tail (also called body) and long-tail. Blogging Wizard does a nice job of explaining them:

Although it may seem obvious to opt for keywords that receive the highest volume of searches, the best digital marketing strategies actually include a mixture of all three types of keywords. This is because, while short-tail keywords are often searched for the most, long-tail keywords usually have a higher chance of conversion.

SEOPressor does a nice job of explaining the pros and cons of the short- and long-tail keywords:

Short-Tail Keywords

Long-Tail Keywords

Based on the above, you may think, “Why not just use long-tail keywords in all my digital marketing content?”

While you want to include long-tail terms as often as possible, doing it in a natural way isn’t always possible. For example, if your short-tail keyword is “dance studio” and your long-tail keyword is “affordable children’s dance studio in my city,” which do you think will be easier to wrap into a blog post or social media ad while still making sense to your target audience?

It is important to remember, while keywords are vital to your digital marketing strategy, writing for search engines isn’t the only focus. Search engines will bring consumers to your content, but if your article or landing page isn’t compelling for the potential customer you’re trying to reach, it’s a waste of your company’s time and resources.

How To Research The Best Keywords For Your Digital Marketing Content

Brainstorm ideas

Researching digital marketing keywords begins with a thorough brainstorm.

Get in the minds of your target audience. What words or phrases do you think they’ll search for in Google (or another search engine) to find a company like yours? Write down everything that comes to mind.

Remember to think beyond the main term for your business. Search Engine Journal has a nice example of this for a plumbing company. You may think of these terms:

While these are all good potential keywords to write down, they’re all basically focused on the same core term: plumbing. Think about other related phrases potential customers may look for, such as:

What other ways can you make your brainstorm as thorough as possible?

Organize your list

Organize your list of potential digital marketing keywords as you go.

Depending on how many ideas you come up with, you may want to separate your keywords out by category. For example, if you sell clothing online, you could create different columns for tops, pants, dresses, shoes, accessories and so on. To keep everything organized, I like to make these lists in Excel so I can see the different columns side-by-side.

Research more terms

Go to Google and enter one of your keywords, then scroll to the bottom and look for the related searches. Those are more potential ideas for you to add to your list. Add any relevant terms to your list and move onto the next potential keyword. Go through your list, one at a time, until you search for each idea.

A helpful tool for this part of the process is Keywords Everywhere. This browser extension seamlessly integrates with Google, so when you perform a search it tells you the keyword’s volume (number of searches per month), cost per click (CPC) if you were to advertise and competition (based on other content/keywords out there on the internet). In addition to providing these details about the term you search for, it also provides even more suggestions on the side of the screen along with their volume, CPC and competition.

If you’re looking for a keywords tool that is free, another option to consider is Wordstream. It doesn’t give you quite as much information, but it does provide very helpful data on search volume and CPC.

Be thorough and detail-oriented

Go through each term in your columns one-by-one, detailing the volume, CPC and competition as you go. I like to write out the whole numbers, one per cell in my spreadsheet, so that later when I begin to evaluate which keywords to focus on, I manipulate the data more easily. Here is an example using terms for a company that sells mattresses and bedding:

Evaluate your list

Go through each column and highlight the keywords you think will be best to focus on for your digital marketing. Remember to select a mixture of short-tail, middle-tail and long-tail so you can take advantage of the benefits of each.

Following your research, finalize which keywords you will use for your digital marketing content.

During this process, I sort the list a few different ways to go through it. I often start by sorting the list by volume and looking at the terms most often searched for; this is a fantastic way to get a solid list of short-tail keywords.

I will also sort the list by competition and CPC to help my brain see the best possible options in another way. Looking at the terms with the least amount of competition is often an easy way to determine long-tail keywords.

Another helpful resource for evaluating terms on your list is Google Trends. This handy digital marketing tool allows you to input a few different terms and compare them by popularity, region and more ��� including trend history and projections.

Finalize your list

Write the highlighted terms down as a separate list so you and your digital marketing team can reference it moving forward.

How To Add Keywords To Your Digital Marketing Content

A successful digital marketing strategy requires more than researching the keywords: you also need to use them effectively.

Remember, the entire point of your content is to connect with people. Keywords are a way to help search engines bring these individuals to your website; when they get there, your keyword-rich content needs to be well-written, easy to read and compelling for the consumer.

Blog posts are one of the easiest and most effective digital marketing tools in which you can use keywords strategically on your website. By adding new blog content regularly – down to the same day of the week and time of day – search engines will learn to come back and look for fresh articles. If you use your keywords in a natural way throughout the posts, your website will rank higher as internet users search for related terms.

In this post about blogging for effective SEO, I shared the best places to slip keywords into your articles:

Your blog posts are not the only place to use your keywords, though! Sprinkle them throughout your website copy as it makes sense, include them in any digital marketing content you create (such as social media updates – both organic and paid) or, if you post videos on YouTube, use the same terms there, too!

Erika Taylor Montgomery is the CEO/Chief Publicist and Founder of Three Girls Media Inc., a public relations and social media marketing agency specializing in working with small and mid-sized companies. With a passion for helping those who need it most but can least afford it, she’s always willing to share advice… View full profile ›

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