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daedalusdavinci · 6 months

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spell homestuck

GOD. THIS IS SO MUCH LONGER THAN TWO FACE. i typed too much and theres too many qs so under the cut it goes

H - What is your favorite source text for fandom stuff (e.g., TV shows, movies, books, anime, Western animation, etc.)?

books!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! or....... i guess comics, these days, but i HATE READING COMICS they juST HAVE MORE COMPELLING FANDOMS. book fandoms are PUNY nad everyone is STUPID. youd think actual literary fandoms would have reading comprehension and understanding of literary critique but no!!!!!!!!!!!!! its literally my eternal fuckign struggle. somehow comic fandoms hit the perfect medium between compelling, readable content and the enthusiasm of cartoon fans without the childishness of cartoon fans

O - Choose a song at random. Which ship or character does it remind you of?

this isnt really a thing i do. the only time i associate characters w songs is my own ocs. barbies theme is miltons tower from the what remains of edith finch soundtrack!

M - Name a character that you’d like to have for a friend.

i have also never really been one to project myself into stories. its just not how i consume media. i think sollux and rose already closely resemble the kinds of friends i make, so maybe them?

E - Have you added anything cracky/hilarious to your fandom? If so, what?

(freddy fazbear vc) vanessa.... ive done things, im not proud of.

i dont even know if i want to answer this question bc its so fucking humiliating LKJSNDLFSDNFSDF the truth is yes. i am solely responsible for. a lot. particularly in the pjo fandom. i created several crackships ground up all on my own way back in 2014 and developed a following for them and i. dont wantto tell you what those ships were. LSKJDFNSLDJNSDFSDDF ive also pioneered many ship tags for other fandoms and i ship a lot of rarepairs and stuff but i dont think im RESPONSIBLE for them?? in that some ppl already were into them/talking abotu them or tht theyre still not popular (augh. to the ones that became popular) but i AM liTERALLY responsible for some crack shit in the pjo fandom and its. it haunts me sometimes. i dont want to talk about it. IF YOU REMEMBER WHAT I DID NO YOU DONT

S - Show us an example of your personal headcanon (prompts optional but encouraged)

this is so vague. my headcanons are shifting and nebulous and aus are my constant companion in everything, but uhhhhhhghhusjkdjnsdg i think. roxy writes the same way dave draws comics. its extremely memey and meta and self aware and largely just for the personal lolz, and were all doing her a disservice by pretending her writing looks like roses, when in reality dirk is probably the one whod make comics the way rose makes books (which is probably why he doesnt make comics). its more of that thing where roxy and dave are the same and rose and dirk are the same ykwim. well YOU dont corvus but im sure someone else does

T - Do you have any hard and fast headcanons that you will die defending?

jason takes after bruce in terms of like. adopting entirely too many kids. he broods

U - Three favorite characters from three different fandoms, and why they’re your favorites.

harvey is a heartwrenching character when written well, with a complicated view of morality, heartbreaking ties to our main hero, and a lot of internal conflict. something about such a hopeful character deadset on making a different in the system becoming a victim of it, and the potential he has as a vehicle for critiquing the law.

percy is my favorite character from pjo bc it was the very first time in my life i ever read a book and saw myself in it. hes aggressive, impulsive, and rebellious, he fidgets and has a hard time standing still, he acts on emotion without always thinking it through, he gets in trouble in school and hands his mom a murder weapon to kill his stepdad, hes just... hes a lot of the things ive always gotten in trouble for, things i couldnt help being, and hes a hero. he means everything to me.

vriska, i will maintain until the day i die, is one of the best homestuck characters- maybe just characters?- ever written. shes dramatic, shes impulsive, shes manipulative and mean and creative, and shes just so messy about it. shes a mean girl in a way that feels real, where her trauma impacts and shapes her as a person, and shes complex, with warring wants, and people she cares about, and dreams, and shes so messy. shes rough and rude and shes doing what SHE wants to, being a version of herself that feels right to HER, rather than some caricature of the hot badass evil lady. shes thirteen!! and she FEELS thirteen. shes a thirteen year old weird girl who is kind of an asshole, and she means literally fucking everything to me. shes a pirate!!!!! shes a swashbuckling badass dressing up in her larping outfit and yelling at her friends on the playground to swab the deck and she is the bestest ever, the end.

i didnt mean for each one of these to be longer than the last but here we are.

C - A ship you have never liked and probably never will.

i hate jdedave peace and love it just feels weird as hell to me. dave, for the most part, is hyper respectful of other peoples choices and boundaries but when it comes to jade hes always trying to mke choices for her, to protect her, and it gets to the point where even jade points out how much it bugs her. jades crush on dave also seems to come from a place of misunderstanding to me, admiring a lot of the parts of himself that he exaggerates and pretends to care about as a result of trauma. it always felt like a kid crush that they shouldve grown out of with time. dave also just sort of seems to... go along with whatever romantic relationships people push him into at that age, rolling with whoever flirts with him jsut bc hes trying to maintain the image of a player, so its really hard to take him seriously any time he hits on someone?

that is just my interpretation of it tho

K - What character has your favorite development arc/the best development arc?

well. i havent finished my reread of homestuck, so that feels difficult to comment on just yet, bc im sure ill have a different opinion when i do finish it. no one in dc gets character arc bc theyre all just undone immediately, so thats like. yeah. and in pjo the arcs are pretty weak bc 1) kids books and 2) RICK UNDOES THEM ALL. AUGH. regardless of all of this, i am going to say jason grace. he had a lot of development in like the last two hoo books, or maybe just like.... hints of how he couldve developed? promise? which rick immediately set fire to in toa when he killed him, but fUCKING WHATEVER. UGH.

anyway actually tho eleanor from the good place. bisexual icon. queen. probably one of the best character arcs of all time. the episode w her mom has some of the most powerful fucking dialogue ever and i think about it. all the time. i should rewatch the good place.....

#asks #redactedcrow

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vyvesvi · 4 years

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im so interested in bighit buying out these midtier companies...i wonder if anyone's next 👀👀👀

if i had to guess i would say cube, except for the fact that gfriend and seventeen (as the current main moneymakers of source and pledis) are the pinnacle of unproblematic faves/gp sweethearts like...they don't say jack shit their reps are truly flawless and i feel like thats a selling point, albeit not the biggest. seventeen and gfriend are like...so unproblematic its actually crazy, like i'd say loona is super unproblematic and they've never said or done anything like that but they don't have that international branding of being unproblematic...does that make sense? probably not.

anyways.

all that to say, i think cube has too many scandals for bh to want to acquire (bh ain't looking for any problems, no ty).

on the other hand, cube has amazing trainees locked in their dungeons (lee joohyun, female middle school jungkook please watch her dance vids omg, comes to mind) that could kill if they were managed by big hit/jointly manages btwn bh and cube.

the main selling point of svt/pledis and gf/source is that they've achieved so much success already with their own respective agencies. like, bighit is not trying to start any passion projects here, lmao. they want to capitalize on existing success and help them experience prolonged success, which i respect tbh.

i also dont think they'll acquire cube bc the only group that fits bh's buying profile thus far is idle (see above), but i dont think they're enough to be a selling point nor do i think their sound aligns like bh/pledis/source does so far.

starship, fnc, and wm, with mx/wjsn/everglow, aoa/cherry bullet/sf9/nflying, b1a4/omg/onf are all about the right size for bh to acquire but im not sure they will for various reasons:

Starship

mx is gaining in the west! they would allow bh to maintain a stronghold in the abroad/give bts a break/open a new revenue stream for bh

but the wonho "scandal" :(

wjsn fits the profile in terms of talent but they're not doing well enough on their own

stable fanbase though, might be worth investing in and attempting to grow

same for everglow actually

i think overall starship would fit bh but the main complications are:

1. partnership btwn yueha and starship, all chinese members of ss groups are yueha artists, idk how contracts would work but it seems tough

2. ss has been super successful on produce (all of their new groups have at least one pd winner (or might have one joining soon)) which is tough with the scandal. bh likes clean slates is my impression

3. ss is planning to debut a new bg, which could be a good thing except they'll most likely have a fresh concept (source: hyeongjun's face and perm and general demeanor) which might conflict with txt. bh is also long overdue for a gg which leads into the next point:

4. ss probably doesnt have female trainees to offer bc they just debuted everglow

5. sistar was such a big iconic group idk if ss would feel some typa way about being acquired tbh

FNC

see last point about sistar but replace aoa

nflying would def diversify bh's portfolio, i believe that day6 has been charting a little better as of late but nflying is pretty much the best moneymaking band otherwise (and bh cant acquire jyp so)

sf9 is doing well but not well enough for bh to acquire imo. also not really bh's style i think

cb...isnt really doing well imo, so bh wouldn't necessarily gain from a money perspective

i think omg would be a really good acquisition for bh actually! like they just need money and to nail down their dual concept thing

idk much about onf but they seem to be a different concept than txt so they wouldn't clash much

b1a4 is basically gone but their composers would be even more legendary with money

similar to prev. comment about sistar and aoa, i dont think dsp (kara), woolim (infinite), or jellyfish (vixx) would go for a merger for the same reason.

i could see mbk (t-ara) thinking the same, esp with their pdx success but they're messy bitches so anything's possible lmao

i think bh stands a good chance at acquiring fantiago (weki meki, astro) though, for p obvious reasons. wm and astro haven't been as popular as svt and gfriend though, so they would be a bit of a project for bh.

companies i want bh to acquire:

blockberry (loona), so long as bh only provides money, connections, and funny variety content and doesn't touch their concept. bh would also give them more rapping i think, which i support. loona has proven international success so i think it could happen

8d creative (onlyoneof) this would never happen but i need to get these boys some better exposure and more money. pls all of the blurry girls who didnt make loona are trainees here so bh could source their new gg. oof's concept doesn't conflict with txt's either!

i decided that in spite of the above i want bh to acquire starship and yueha. give these kids ur money. bring uniq back. yueha would also help them establish a foothold in china, which they dont currently have

wm for prev. mentioned reasons!

Individual Groups/People I want BH to Acquire (Mostly Unrealistic)

Cube trainee Lee Joohyun

Idle's Soojin

CLC's Eunbin & Seungyeon

All of NCT WayV

Twice Chaeyoung

AKMU

Kisum

Rothy

Groov1in (yes ik theyre a company shh there's like 4 of them)

M.O.L.A

#big hit #long post

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patriotsnet · 3 years

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Are There Any Republicans In The Congressional Black Caucus

New Post has been published on https://www.patriotsnet.com/are-there-any-republicans-in-the-congressional-black-caucus/

Are There Any Republicans In The Congressional Black Caucus

Gop Rep Byron Donalds Spokesman Says All Weve Obtained Is The Chilly Shoulder

GOP lawmaker has message for Congressional Black Caucus shutting him out

The Hill reported on Wednesday that in keeping with a spokesperson for the congressman, Rep. Byron Donalds and his employees have reached out to members of the CBC a number of instances however mentioned all weve received is the chilly shoulder.

Fields has claimed that Donalds has spoken to a number of members of the caucus as effectively, to no avail.

BuzzFeed Information reported supply says that the caucus was blocking Donalds membership.

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Donalds workplace believes hes being blocked on account of being a Republican.;;

Donalds spokesman Harrison Fields mentioned, The unhappy actuality is though the Congressman and people within the CBC share the identical race, the behind his title disqualifies him from membership as we speak.

A CBC spokesperson wouldnt deal with the Rep. Donalds concern particularly, however advised The Hill in an announcement that the group stays dedicated to preventing for points that assist Black communities, together with the police accountability invoice, defending voting rights, and a jobs invoice that helps our communities.

NEW: The Congressional Black Caucus is obstructing Rep. Byron Donalds, a Black Republican from Florida, from becoming a member of the caucus.

Hypocrisy Is The Message

I think hypocrisy is the message, Rep. Neal Dunn; told The Epoch Times. If they would just say this is the Congressional Democrat Black Caucus, I could understand that. Theyre pretending to be inclusive when they clearly are not.

Virtually everybody in America would be disappointed and anyone who honestly looks at this would have to say you are not what you say you are. Youre the Democrat Black Caucus, Dunn reiterated. I think the American people are generally fed up with hypocrisy and, if they identify this as hypocrisy, which I think would be fair, they can expect to have some blowback on this.

Theres no mystery that Washington is embroiled in a bitterly partisan divide, Dunn noted. They dont really want additional ideas. They just want their homogenous ideas.

Still, while Donalds admitted he doesnt see the political disconnect ending any time soon, he insisted the gridlock doesnt bother him.

I think people sometimes forget, our process here is supposed to be hard, Donalds explained. Things arent just supposed to be flying out of the nations capital. Its supposed to be deliberative. Its supposed to be hard. Its supposed to take a long time to pass something out of here because what we pass affects the American people. So, if this place is running like a greased machine and members are just passing everything that happens, people in their everyday lives will have to try to catch up with what were doing.

House Judiciary Committee Votes To Establish Reparations Commission

A black GOP lawmaker in the House of Representatives says the Congressional Black Caucus has declined his efforts to become a member.

In a statement to The Post on Thursday, Rep. Byron Donalds expressed his disappointment about being excluded from the CBC, which inducted other freshman lawmakers into the group six months ago.

The Congressional Black Caucus has a stated commitment to ensuring Black Americans have the opportunity to achieve the American Dream, the 42-year-old lawmaker, who represents the Naples area, began.

As a newly elected Black Member of Congress, my political party should not exempt me from a seat at the table dedicated to achieving this goal. As a young Black man who grew up in the inner city of Brooklyn in a single-parent household, my achieving of the American Dream would be a valued addition to the CBC and one that should transcend politics.

A CBC spokesperson declined to answer The Post when asked about the claim that Donalds was rebuffed by the caucus, instead saying in a statement that the group remains committed to fighting for issues that support the Black community, including the police accountability bill, protecting voting rights and a jobs bill that helps our communities.

News of the CBCs snub of Donalds was first reported Wednesday by Buzzfeed News, which cited a source familiar with the CBCs plans.

While there have been black GOP lawmakers in the caucus before, the group currently has no Republicans.

Also Check: Did Trump Say Republicans Are Stupid

Congressional Black Caucus Blocking Black House Republican From Joining Group

A Black House Republican member is allegedly being blocked from joining the Congressional Black Caucus as one of only two Black Republicans in the House.

Rep. Byron Donalds and his staff have reached out to members of the CBC multiple times, but;Donalds’s;spokesman Harrison Fields said in a statement to The Hill that all we’ve got is the cold shoulder.

A source;told BuzzFeed News;that the caucus was blocking Donalds’s membership.

Donalds’s office said he believes he is being turned away from the group due to his political party.;

The sad reality is although the Congressman and those in the CBC share the same race, the behind his name disqualifies him from membership today, Fields said.;

A spokesperson for the CBC did not respond directly to the allegation that the caucus is blocking Donalds from joining but told The Hill in a statement that the group remains committed to fighting for issues that support Black communities, including the police accountability bill, protecting voting rights, and a jobs bill that helps our communities.

We will work with those who share our values and priorities for the constituents we serve, the spokesperson added.;

Donaldss office pointed to his bipartisan efforts in Congress and willingness to engage with the caucus. Fields said Donalds had joined the Black caucus in Florida when he served in the state House and that his “intention as a U.S. Congressman is the same.”

We Need More People Like Byron

Sen. Marco Rubio , who to condemn Democrat identity politics as the new Marxism, spoke highly of Donalds.

We need more people like Byron Donalds in Congress because he is interested in solving problems, Rubio told The Epoch Times. It isnt about clubs or popularity contests. It is about getting things done.

The Democrats are in complete control so if theres no conversations about public policies and what the Republican ideas are, that comes from the majority party because they choose not to have these conversations, Donalds explained. So, if thats what they chose to do, Republicans have no control over that because we dont chair any committees, we dont have the speakers office, and they also control the Senate and White House.

As much as the left tries to deride President Trump at every turn, President Trump actually engaged Democrat leadership on a lot of issues, Donalds added. Now there is no dialogue at all.

Don’t Miss: Did Trump Say Republicans Are Stupid

Congressional Black Caucus Absurdly Blames Republicans For Dallas Cop

The Congressional Black Caucus continues to show how useless it is by actually rushing out and blaming Republicans for the Dallas scumbag who was literally inspired by ;black pride groups to kill police. Amazing.

Watch below:

Democrat Rep. G.K. Butterfield blamed Republicans for the five officers who were massacred by a racially motivated gunman in Dallas Thursday night.

The Republicans in Congress are refusing to address gun violence in America that targets black men and black women and Hispanic men and Hispanic women and, yes, even police officers, Butterfield said while flanked by other members of the Congressional Black Caucus just hours after five officers were shot and killed while trying to protect protestors who were rallying against police brutality.

The suspect said he wanted to kill white people, Brown said. Especially white officers.

Despite the suspected gunmans racial motivations, which he made clear in his own words to authorities during the standoff, Butterfield insisted Republican members of Congress were responsible for the tragedy.

Butterfield also suggested more tragedies will occur in the immediate future if Republicans dont pass more gun control legislation.

If we fail to act, this will be a long, hot summer, he said.

How Many Members Are In The Black Caucus

For the 117th Congress, the CBC has a historic 56 members of the U.S. House of Representatives and the U.S. Senate, representing more than 82 million Americans, 25.3 percent of the total U.S. population, and more than 17 million African-Americans, 41 percent of the total U.S. African-American population.

Read Also: Why Do Republicans Hate Planned Parenthood

Cbc: We Will Work With These Who Share Our Values

The CBC spokesperson added, We are going to work with those that share our values and priorities for the constituents we serve.

The Hill famous, Donalds workplace pointed to his bipartisan efforts in Congress and willingness to have interaction with the caucus. Fields mentioned Donalds had joined the Black Caucus in Florida when he served within the state Home and that his intention as a U.S. Congressman is identical.

The CBC at present has no GOP members however black Republicans have been a part of the group previously.;

The opposite black Republican within the Home, Rep. Burgess Owens of Utah, doesnt wish to be a part of the caucus.

Nows the time to assist and share the sources you belief.The Political Insider ranks #16 on Feedspots High 70 Conservative Political Blogs, Web sites & Influencers in 2021.

Gop Freshmen Of Color Eyeing Dem

Congressional Black Caucus shuts out GOP freshman

Its a tricky issue, with Republican lawmakers of color forced to navigate mostly untrodden territory in a historically white party.

02/13/2021 07:00 AM EST

Link Copied

Freshman Rep. Byron Donalds wants to pull off something Washington has never seen: Membership in both the liberal Congressional Black Caucus and the ultra-conservative House Freedom Caucus.

Donalds a Black Tea Party Republican who represents Naples, Fla. said both groups are a natural fit for someone like himself, who believes conservative policies best improve the lives of the Black community. And he isnt afraid to defy norms in a Congress where being a lawmaker of color has historically meant belonging to the Democratic Party.

Obviously, the dominant voice in the CBC tends to be Democrat or liberal voices, and I want to bring change to that, Donalds said, noting that hes used to people gauging his political identity on his race. Shortly after arriving in Congress, Donalds recalled, a reporter asked if hed be supporting Nancy Pelosi for speaker, assuming he was a Democrat.

Yes, Im a conservative Republican, but I think in the Black community, we have a wide range of political thought, he added. It doesn’t always get talked about, but it exists.

Then theres the Congressional Hispanic Caucus, which only allows Democratic members after a complicated and at times, contentious record with GOP membership, often stemming from fierce disputes over immigration policy.

Recommended Reading: Why Are Republicans Wearing Blue Ties

Ferguson Grand Jury Decision

See also: Shooting in Ferguson, Missouri

After the grand jury released the decision to not indict the officer who shot Michael Brown in a highly publicized shooting in Ferguson, Missouri, the CBC released a statement the same evening. “This decision seems to underscore an unwritten rule that Black lives hold no value; that you may kill Black men in this country without consequences or repercussions,” chair wrote.

The decision came during a time of civil unrest in the city due to the shooting.

Report: Congressional Black Caucus Blocks Black House Republican From Joining

‘The sad reality is, although the congressman and those in the CBC share the same race, the R behind his name disqualifies him from membership…’

The Congressional Black Caucus is reportedly blocking a black House Republican from joining the group, according toBuzzfeed News.

Rep. , R-Fla., and his staff have reached out to members of the CBC several times, but all weve got is the cold shoulder, according to Donaldss spokesman, Harrison Fields.;

Congressman Donalds has expressed interest in joining the CBC, but has yet to receive an official invitation, another Donalds aide said. If given, hed gladly accept.;

Donalds office said he believes he is being turned away from the CBC because he is a Republican.

…article continued below

The sad reality is, although the congressman and those in the CBC share the same race, the R behind his name disqualifies him from membership today, Fields said.

One source confirmed that the CBC is intentionally blocking his membership.

The source said the group remains committed to fighting for issues that support black communities, including the police accountability bill, protecting voting rights and a jobs bill that helps our communities when asked directly whether the accusations of discrimination were true.

We will work with those who share our values and priorities for the constituents we serve, the CBC added.

…article continued below

However, he made it clear he would not compromise his values.

Also Check: Did Trump Call Republicans Stupid In 1998

Cold Shoulder: Congressional Black Caucus Rejects Black Republican

The Congressional Black Caucus is reportedly refusing to permit a Black Republican to join the group.

BuzzFeed News reported that Rep. Byron Donalds, Florida Republican, has made several overtures about joining, but been stonewalled.

Citing a source familiar with the CBCs plans, BuzzFeed reported that the Caucus has rejected those overtures.

Congressman Donalds has expressed interest in joining the CBC, but has yet to receive an official invitation, a Donalds aide told BuzzFeed. If given, hed gladly accept.

In a separate statement to The Hill, Donalds spokesman Harrison Fields said all weve got is the cold shoulder.

A CBC spokesperson did not directly answer questions from The Hill about whether Mr. Donalds would be let in or why not.Instead, the spokesperson issued a statement touting the CBC leadership on a number of issues.

We will work with those who share our values and priorities for the constituents we serve, the spokesperson added.

BuzzFeed noted that some Democrats have publicly said they would refuse to work with any Republicans whom they see as complicit in the Jan. 6 U.S. Capitol attack, even on matters where there may be substantive agreement.

Mr. Donalds was one of the Republican lawmakers who voted not to certify president Biden as the winner of the 2020 presidential election, the event Congress was certifying when the rioters attacked.

The Congressional Black Caucus: Powerful Diverse And Newly Complicated

The group, which includes most Black members of Congress, remains publicly united. But in private, an influx of new members who think differently about its purpose are making a play for the future.

By Astead W. Herndon

The Congressional Black Caucus is the largest it has ever been, jumping to 57 members this year after a period of steady growth. The 50-year-old group, which includes most Black members of Congress and is entirely Democratic, is also more diverse, reflecting growing pockets of the Black electorate: millennials, progressives, suburban voters, those less tightly moored to the Democratic Party.

But while a thread of social justice connects one generation to the next, the influx of new members from varying backgrounds is testing the groups long-held traditions in ways that could alter the future of Black political power in Washington.

The newcomers, shaped by the Black Lives Matter movement rather than the civil rights era, urge Democrats to go on the offensive regarding race and policing, pushing an affirmative message about how to overhaul public safety. They seek a bolder strategy on voting rights and greater investment in the recruitment and support of Black candidates.

Perhaps more significant than any ideological or age divide, however, is the caucuss fault line of political origin stories between those who made the Democratic establishment work for them and those who had to overcome the establishment to win.

When asked, Mr. Meeks saw no conflict.

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The Congressional Black Caucus Is Blocking A Black Republican From Joining The Group

The Congressional Black Caucus is blocking membership to Rep. Byron Donalds, a Republican from Florida who has tried to join the organization, a source familiar with the CBCs plans told BuzzFeed News.

Its been six months since the members who won election in 2020 were inducted into the CBC, a powerful and nominally nonpartisan group of Black lawmakers in Congress. Donalds, who won election for the first time last year, has not been included in that group.

The Florida representatives office said Donalds has talked to at least three members of the CBC about joining the group, whose members are now at the forefront of police reform talks and responsible for highlighting the racial inequities around COVID-19. Hes not received an answer and the likelihood of that happening a quarter way into the 117th Congress looks bleak.

Congressman Donalds has expressed interest in joining the CBC, but has yet to receive an official invitation, said a Donalds aide. If given, hed gladly accept. The CBC did not respond to questions about the status of Donalds membership, or why he was not being let in.

The snub highlights the divide between Democrats and their Republican counterparts since Jan. 6, when a pro-Trump mob stormed the Capitol during the certification of Joe Bidens presidency.

Per Congressional Hispanic Caucus bylaws, all Democratic Members of Congress of Hispanic descent are eligible for CHC membership, according to a CHC spokesperson.

Cbc: Black Republicans Welcome

The Congressional Black Caucus says it will gladly accept the two newly elected;black Republicans into its group, opening the door to partisan diversity in a caucus that has been historically Democratic.

“Membership in the Congressional Black Caucus has never been restricted to Democrats,” CBC Chairwoman Barbara Lee said in a statement to POLITICO. “Should either of the two African-American Republicans recently elected to the House of Representatives request membership in the Congressional Black Caucus, they will be welcomed.”

Lee’s statement noted that, “during the 40-year history of the Congressional Black Caucus, there have been three African-American Republican members of the House of Representatives. Two congressmen, Melvin Evans of the Virgin Islands and Gary Franks of Connecticut, decided to join the Congressional Black Caucus, however, Congressman J.C. Watts of Oklahoma did not.”

Last week, POLITICO reported that freshman-elect Allen West, who defeated Ron Klein in Florida’s 22nd District, was interested in joining the caucus. “That has been a monolithic voice in the body politic for far too long. There is a growing conservative black voice in this country,” West said.

Read Also: Republicans Leaving Congress

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themoneybuff-blog · 5 years

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Guide to Combating Medical Debt

Overwhelming medical debt is the No. 1 reason Americans file for bankruptcy. In fact, according to a study out of the City University of New York, 66.5 percent of bankruptcy filings cite medical expenses as a contributing factor. These expenses often stem from unexpected emergency room visits or surgeries, costly bills after life events (the labor of a child, for example), or treatments for fertility or chronic illness. Regardless of their source though, they pose a serious financial burden for the everyday American. Not only can costly medical debt make it difficult to pay household expenses, like rent, utilities and grocery bills, but getting behind on those bills can mean a lower credit score, a constant barrage of calls from collections agencies or, in dire situations, even a filing for bankruptcy. Are your sky-high medical bills forcing you to consider bankruptcy? This guide can help you find medical bill assistance programs, walk you through the bankruptcy process and help get your credit back in good standing. Dealing with Medical Debt Having a solid emergency fund or Health Savings Account is vital in the event an unexpected medical cost arises. Unfortunately, most people dont have these funds at their disposal. According to theFederal Reserve, nearly half of all Americans dont have the cash to cover a $400 emergency expense. And many of those people said theyd need to finance the bill in order to pay it off. If youre currently without an HSA or flush emergency savings fund, its important you take steps to prevent unexpected medical costs where possible. To do this, call doctors and hospitals ahead of time to confirm theyre within your insurance providers network. You should also ask about how the charges will be coded at the doctors office and connect with your insurer to be sure these are covered expenses. When a medical bill does arrive, take this step-by-step approach to tackle it: 1. Make sure you understand the bill. First, is it a bill or an Explanation of Benefits? An Explanation of Benefits (EOB) is simply a statement from your insurance company explaining what medical services were covered (and how much they contributed.) Since youll be responsible for any remaining balance past that, you will usually receive an EOB first, and then the actual bill later. That bill should come directly from the provider or hospital system they work for. Second, look at the line-item charges and be sure theyre accurate. If something looks off or says it was not covered by your insurance company, call them up and get the details. 2. Negotiate the debt. The best time to try and negotiate your medical costs is before any care has been provided. If you dont think you can afford the full cost of the services you need, ask early on about reduced costs or some sort of payment plan. Providers may still negotiate with you after the bill is issued. Consider asking for a reduced fee in exchange for paying the bill off ASAP or setting up a repayment plan that spreads your costs across several months or years. Other tactics that might work: Offer cash. Credit cards come with fees and cost the provider more to process.Ask for insurance rates. Medical providers offer reduced fees for different insurers. See if your doctor will let you pay the reduced rate of one of their insurance clients.Do your research. Use the Healthcare Bluebook to gauge the average cost of the care you received. If something doesnt align with your bill, negotiate to pay only the Bluebook value.3. Consolidate the debt. If your medical debt has started to become overwhelming or youve fallen behind on your bills, its time to consider consolidation. This combines all your debts into one single account, allowing you to pay just one bill per month, ideally across many months or years. You can do this by putting the debts on a high-balance credit card or taking out a loan. Keep in mind that even if your credit score has dropped due to your unpaid debts, there arebad credit loans that can help. 4. Consider an income-driven hardship plan. Income-driven payment plans are available to Medicaid participants with low income. They function like standard re-payment plans in that they spread your medical debt across smaller monthly payments over time. In some cases, providers may even reduce your debt if youre on one of these plans. Because of this, youll want to consider an income-driven hardship plan immediately as soon as your medical bills arrive. Getting Help There are many programs and providers that will provide medical assistance for free or for reduced costs to those with financial hardship. The United Way can help connect you with some of these services in your area, or you can look to theNational Association of Free & Charitable Clinics orNeedyMeds.org, which details medical assistance programs by state. Many of these programs also offer bill advocacy to help reduce and negotiate existing medical debts. Other forms of assistance you might want to consider include: Medical bill advocates. A medical bill advocate is a person who works independently of any insurance agency or healthcare provider. They work on your behalf to analyze your medical bills and negotiate them directly with providers and hospital systems. They usually come at a fee (a percentage of the amount they save you, in most cases). Popular options for medical bill advocates include theNational Association of Healthcare Advocacy Consultants and theAlliance of Claims Assistance Professionals. Help from family and friends. You can also ask loved ones for assistance. If youre not comfortable asking directly, consider setting up a campaign on a crowdfunding platform likeGoFundMe orPlumFund. If you still cant pay your medical bills Despite all these sources of help, you might still be unable to pay your medical bills and you wouldnt be alone. Medical bills are one of the most commonly collected on debts in America. According to the Kaiser Family Foundation, 52 percent of debt collection actions in our country contain some form of medical bill. Unfortunately, if youre unable to pay your medical expenses, this likely means youll have collections agencies at your door as well. This isnt just annoying, but it can have a serious impact on your credit score, too. Having a single debt in collections can ding your credit by 100 points or more. Dealing with Collections Agencies If youre dealing with debt collectors, make sure you know your rights. You should also record every call you have with a collector and get other communications in writing if possible. If you ever feel your rights are violated, consider enlisting an attorney to represent you. Filing for Bankruptcy In the event youre unable to negotiate or settle your medical bills,filing for bankruptcy may be your only financial option. And the sooner you file, the better.Bankruptcies stay on your record for seven years, and they can have a significant impact on your financial options during that time period. The quicker youreable to file, the quicker you can get on the road to recovery, financially speaking.In medical debt cases, Chapter 7 bankruptcy is often the best route to take. This allows you to wipe medical bills and other unsecured debts clean, while still keeping the majority of your property and assets intact. Recovering Your Credit After youve filed for bankruptcy and eliminated your medical debt, youll need to work hard to get your credit back in good standing. That means paying your bills on time, every time, and avoiding big purchases or risky new debts.You also might consider: Securing a 0% interest credit card. This will help you build up credit without costing you lots in interest.Taking out a personal loan. Use a personal loan to cover everyday expenses and pay it back over time.Use a secured card. Visit your bank and inquire about asecured card. It requires an up-front cash deposit, but it can be a great way to boost your credit if youre unable to secure a card or loan elsewhere. Some banks also offer credit-builder loans you can consider.Become an authorized user on a loved ones account. Have a friend, spouse or family member with great credit? See if theyre willing to let you be an authorized user on their card or bank account. Finally, just give it time. It takes a while to build credit, and even more when your credit has taken a major hit. Pay your bills on time, avoid expensive new debts and commit to long-term fiscal responsibility, and your credit will recover in no time. https://www.thesimpledollar.com/guide-to-combating-medical-debt/

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simonegaleanaus · 6 years

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The 5 Best Free Blogging Platforms in 2019 (100% Unbiased)

So, you’d like to take blogging for a test drive, eh?

See if you like it or not before ponying up the bucks for a complete self-hosted WordPress setup?

You’ve probably heard you can start a blog for free, and indeed you can. The big question is:

What’s the best free blogging platform right now?

And the answer is… it depends on what you’re trying to accomplish.

In this post, we’ll go over all the different free blogging platforms and give you the pros and cons of each, but first, let’s stop to ponder a more fundamental question:

Table of Contents

Do You Even Need a Free Blogging Platform?

No Blogging Platform is Right for Everyone

#1. Medium: Best Platform for Simplicity

#2. WordPress.com: Best Sandbox Platform

#3. LinkedIn: Best Platform for Professionals

#4. Instagram: Best Platform for Visuals

#5. Guest Blogging: Best Platform for Building Your Authority

Making the Switch to Self-Hosted WordPress

What’s the Best Free Blogging Platform for You?

Do You Even Need a Free Blogging Platform?

The truth:

Blogging can be expensive.

If you’re a seasoned blogger who’s been around the block a time or two, who’s already figured out which ideas work and which don’t, it’s easy to chalk up these costs as the price of doing business. Spend money, make money. Wash, rinse, and repeat.

But what if you’re a beginner learning how to start a blog for the first time? What if you’re someone who hasn’t yet figured what works and what doesn’t?

I’ll let you in on a secret…

You can experiment just as well on a free blogging platform as you can on a self-hosted WordPress setup with all the bells and whistles.

Actually, you can experiment better on a free blogging platform since the learning curve isn’t as steep.

Do you really want to experience the inevitable growing pains of blogging while forking over large piles of cash each month?

Free blogging platforms allow you to confirm your blog topic has potential, spy on the competitors in your niche, and test your ideas without spending any of your hard-earned dough.

So which one is best?

Well, that’s the thing:

No Blogging Platform Is Right for Everyone

Different bloggers have different needs, and different blogging platforms are good for different things. Ultimately, “best” will depend on you and your situation.

That said, each of the platforms we’ll discuss do have common traits (besides being free). Let’s briefly look at them before we dive in:

There’s zero maintenance hassle. The burden of maintenance doesn’t fall on you when you use a free blogging platform. No worries about software updates, data backups, or gremlins hacking your server — they’re all handled by someone else.

They’re easy to use. To varying degrees, each platform is friendly to beginners. With limited tech savviness, you could get started today.

Customization is limited. If you’re a micromanager, take a deep breath: you will not have full control or unlimited options when you use a free blogging platform.

That last one can be both a blessing and a curse.

Once you get serious about blogging, the limited customization options of free platforms will likely hold you back. When you’re just starting though, the limitations will help you focus on what’s important: the aforementioned testing of your ideas.

Alright, enough prologue.

Ready to find out which platform is best for you? Let’s go.

#1. Medium: Best Platform for Simplicity

First up is Medium.

Founded by Evan Williams, one of the founders of Twitter, Medium launched in August 2012 to much fanfare, and it’s grown into a behemoth. According to the New York Times, as of May 2017, Medium was up to 60 million unique visitors each month.

That’s considerably less than WordPress, but Google Trends indicates the tide could be turning:

The red line in the graphic above represents the number of worldwide searches for “wordpress” during the past five years. The blue line represents the number of searches for “medium.”

Granted, some of those “Medium” searches could be for the TV show of the same name that starred Patricia Arquette from 2005 through 2011.

Nonetheless, it’s growth is impressive.

How Do You Get Started?

Medium offers multiple ways to register.

Don’t want to remember yet another password for yet another account? No problem. Sign up using one of your social media accounts.

Go to Medium.com and click the “Get Started” button:

Choose Google or Facebook. You’ll then be asked to log into your (Google or Facebook) account. Once you authorize Medium to access your account, it will redirect you back to Medium.

That’s it.

To get to your Medium account in the future, all you have to do is click “Sign In” on the homepage and choose the “Sign in with Google” or “Sign in with Facebook” option.

Or if you already have a Twitter account, it’s even easier. Choose the “Sign In” link instead of the “Get Started” button, and you’ll see the following:

Click the “Sign in with Twitter” button (even though you haven’t yet signed up).

If you haven’t already logged into Twitter, you’ll be asked to log in and then authorize Medium to access your Twitter account.

Click “Ok,” and you’ll be off to the races.

What Do You Get For $0?

A simple, beautiful WYSIWYG (what you see is what you get) blogging platform that embraces minimalism.

After you join, click your avatar (the floating head) in the top-right corner of the page and then, select “New story.”

You’ll land on a clean, easy-to-use editor.

Where to insert the title for your post is clearly defined. So, too, is where to begin typing your first sentence.

Every change you make gets automatically saved in the background. And as you type, you begin to see exactly how your finished post will appear to your readers.

That’s the beauty of a WYSIWYG editor.

There’s no guessing, no wondering, and no trial and error. If your post looks good in the editor, it’s going to look good when your post goes live after you click the “Ready to publish?” button.

And speaking of what happens after publishing, there’s something else Medium offers you for the whopping price of zero dollars and zero cents:

The chance to be featured in front of their 60+ million readers.

Write something that wows people and, if it receives enough love from readers (they click a “clap” button to show their approval), it could get featured as one of Medium’s top stories on their app and website…

Or in their “Daily Digest” email…

Such a spotlight would mean lots of new eyeballs on your content.

Who Should Use Medium?

Anyone. Everyone.

Seriously, though it isn’t perfect, you’ll be hard pressed to find a blogging topic or niche that Medium can’t service.

This is especially true if your niche will be self-improvement or entrepreneurship. Medium puts your content, your message, front and center to your readers.

As Evan Williams once put it: “Medium is not about who you are or whom you know, but about what you have to say.”

Best-selling authors. Entrepreneurs. Writers who stepped away for a season, but are making a comeback. Ministers who have a good sense of humor. Yours truly.

All have things to say, and all have found homes on Medium.

Who Should NOT Use Medium?

Microbloggers (you’d be better off using Instagram — more on that later).

Those who don’t plan on using their blog for writing (photographers, podcasters, etc.).

Anyone who likes to color outside the lines.

Medium is all about the written word. Sure, graphics embedded into Medium posts look great, but in the end, it all comes back to the words.

Medium is best for those who love words. It excels at typography. It uses an abundance of white space so that its text has a perfect canvas. It embraces a minimalistic design so that nothing distracts your readers from your precious — yes, I’m going to repeat it — words.

Look at this example screenshot from a post written by Jeff Goins:

Black text on a white background. A simple, easy-to-read font. It’s a perfect arrangement for Jeff’s strong, unique voice.

Medium offers no glitz, glam, or sparkles. And, unlike WordPress.com (which provides a few basic design themes and customization options), Medium is one size fits all.

What you see is what you get.

If you like what you see, great. If you don’t, there’s not a lot you can do about it.

Final Word on Medium

What are the Pros?

Built-in audience of over 60 million readers!

Good for all blog types

Excellent typography — your blog will look professional

More business friendly than WordPress.com

What are the Cons?

Little, if any, customization — your blog will look like every other Medium blog

Conclusion: If the written word is your preferred medium, you’ll do very well with Medium. It’s an easy-to-use platform that puts your words front and center, and it’s the platform we most often recommend to beginner bloggers.

But is it the right choice for everyone?

Let’s look at the other options…

#2. WordPress.com: Best Sandbox Platform

Source: Lorelle on WordPress

Launched in 2005, WordPress.com is a turnkey blogging platform built on the open-source WordPress.org software.

In any given month, over 409 million people will view more than 21 billion pages on WordPress.com’s network of blogs. In September 2018, more than 70 million posts were published and over 52 million blog comments were written.

In short, WordPress is quite popular.

How Do You Get Started?

Signing up for a free account takes only a few minutes.

Go to WordPress.com and click the “Get Started” button to get to Step 1:

You’ll need to enter your email address, a username, and a strong password.

Next, enter a few details about your blog for Step 2:

For Step 3, enter an address for your site:

Once you’ve typed something, you’ll get a list of options. Be sure to select the “Free” one.

Finally, in Step 4 you pick a plan. Again, choose the “Free” option.

What Do You Get For $0?

WordPress.com’s “free for life” plan gives you numerous features, including:

A free WordPress.com subdomain

“Jetpack” essential features

Community support

Dozens of free themes

Let’s look at those features in more detail:

Free Subdomain

A couple of definitions are probably in order…

First, what’s a domain? See the address bar at the top of your browser? What comes after the “https://” is the domain.

In the case of this site, the domain is smartblogger.com. For my site, it’s beabetterblogger.com.

And in the case of WordPress, the domain is wordpress.com.

So what’s a subdomain? If the domain is the parent, the subdomain is the child. Anything between the “https://” and the domain is a subdomain.

Some examples:

alumni.harvard.edu

braves.mlb.com

finance.yahoo.com

That’s what WordPress is offering with its free subdomain.

So, if I wanted to start “Kevin’s Awesome Blog” on WordPress.com, my subdomain might be something like kevinsawesomeblog. Readers would type kevinsawesomeblog.wordpress.com in their browser to view my site.

It’s not a good look if you’re a business (more on that later), but for a sandbox blog where you’re testing your ideas, it’ll do the trick.

Jetpack Essential Features

WordPress.com doesn’t allow third-party plugins (unless you upgrade to their “business” plan). So, if your buddy tells you about this “amazing” WordPress plugin “you’ve got to try,” you’re out of luck until you upgrade to a self-hosted WordPress site.

However, WordPress.com’s free plan does come with many built-in plugins that offer everything from spam protection to contact forms.

For a complete list of the built-in functionality that WordPress.com offers, check out their plugins page.

Community Support

Possibly WordPress.com’s best feature (beyond the price) is its extensive support system and knowledgebase.

You can find virtually anything you need to know about using their free platform in WordPress.com’s Support section. To call their collection of how-to articles merely “extensive” would be an understatement.

And if you have a specific question you need an answer for, they have you covered there too.

Visit the WordPress.com forum, search to see if anyone has had your same question, and browse the answers. Can’t find the solution you need? Post the question yourself.

Free Themes

Whereas Medium prevents you from customizing the look of your blog, WordPress.com gives you options.

With “dozens” (93 at the time of this writing) of free themes from which to choose, WordPress.com offers design flexibility that isn’t available with Medium and the other free platforms.

What we’re saying is…

You get a lot for “free.”

Who Should Use WordPress.com?

WordPress.com is a solid platform for almost every type of blogger.

Do you want to be a self-help blogger? Good news — WordPress.com will meet your needs.

Want to blog on food, pets, or politics? You’re in luck.

Just want to write about life? That’s WordPress.com’s jam, my friend.

Source: The Next Adventure

But WordPress.com is good for more than just blogging. You can also use it for projects and e-commerce stores, which isn’t something the other free platforms can claim.

That gives it an edge over the other options. If you want to blog and do something else with your site, WordPress.com offers flexibility the others do not.

However, it’s not a good fit for everyone…

Who Should NOT Use WordPress.com?

If you want to blog for a business, you should skip WordPress.com and look into Medium or LinkedIn (which we’ll discuss in a moment).

Why?

Because it makes you look like a cheapskate.

Free is wonderful, but using WordPress.com when you’re a business is the equivalent of handing out business cards with the printer’s logo on the back of them.

Doesn’t exactly scream “I’m a professional,” does it?

Also:

If you’re hoping to join a blogging community where your posts have a chance to be discovered by new audiences, you should look elsewhere.

Medium shines a spotlight on the best their members have to offer. If you write something great, it has a chance to be featured and seen by millions.

WordPress.com? Not so much.

Here’s a screenshot of the most-recent “Editors’ Picks” on the official WordPress.com blog:

There might as well be tumbleweeds blowing across the screen.

Final Word on WordPress.com

What are the Pros?

Suitable for a variety of blog types

Solid support articles and forum

More design options than other free platforms

Shorter learning curve if you choose to transition to self-hosted WordPress later

Good for more than just blogs

What are the Cons?

Not ideal for businesses

You can’t install third-party themes and plugins

Lack of community makes it difficult to build an audience from scratch

WordPress advertising and banners may appear next to your content

Conclusion: If you’re a non-business blogger who wants an easy to use platform that gives you some control over customization, WordPress.com is a solid option — especially if you plan to transition to self-hosted WordPress someday.

#3. LinkedIn: Best Platform for Professionals

Source: Darren Rowse

Next up is LinkedIn.

Primarily used for professional networking, LinkedIn also offers a publishing platform. This allows any of its 560 million users (as of September 2018) to write posts that could (potentially) be read by any of the 260 million members who are active in a given month.

(Again, potentially.)

How Do You Get Started?

Go to LinkedIn.com, and you’ll see this window encouraging you to join:

Enter your name, your email, and a strong password. Then click the “Join now” button.

You’ll then be asked to answer a few simple questions:

Your country and zip code

Whether or not you’re a student (if no, you’ll enter your job title and the name of your employer; if yes, you’ll enter the name of your school and other relevant info)

Your reason for joining LinkedIn

It sounds like a lot, but it’s fairly harmless.

Still, if you feel the urge to throw your computer into the dumpster, we won’t blame you.

What Do You Get For $0?

A free-to-use publishing platform that’s focused on professionals and business contacts.

If you’re already a LinkedIn member, publishing your content will be easier than WordPress.com, Medium, or any other blogging platform.

Why?

Because it’s built right into your LinkedIn profile. Click the “Write an article” button and start writing.

Who Should Use LinkedIn?

Anyone who wants to reach professionals and businesses.

After all, that’s what LinkedIn is all about, right? Nurturing business relationships.

Source: Syed Balkhi

Blogging on LinkedIn helps to cultivate those relationships.

When you write an article, LinkedIn will notify your existing connections. If your article is great (and why wouldn’t it be?), they’ll take notice. Write more and more great articles, and they’ll start to see you as an authority.

And, like with Medium, great content on LinkedIn has a chance to get noticed by those outside your list of connections.

If one of LinkedIn’s editors sees your masterpiece and decides to feature it on one of LinkedIn’s numerous channels, your work gets exposed to a giant audience of interested, like-minded professionals.

Tip: Want to increase the chances a LinkedIn editor will see your article? Share it on Twitter and include “tip @LinkedInEditors” in your tweet.

Who Should NOT Use LinkedIn?

This one is pretty straightforward…

If you aren’t a working professional, or you’re not looking to reach working professionals, you’ll be better off choosing one of the other free platforms.

Final Word on LinkedIn

What are the Pros?

Good for professionals and businesses

Clean, simple design

Easy to use — publishing platform is built right into your LinkedIn profile

Built-in audience of like-minded professionals

What are the Cons?

Only good for professionals and businesses

Very few customization options

You can’t schedule posts for future publishing

Conclusion: If you’re looking to write posts that will reach professionals and businesses, LinkedIn is the best free blogging platform available.

#4. Instagram: Best Platform for Visuals

A photo and video-sharing platform that’s owned by Facebook, Instagram is one of the largest social media sites in the world.

As of June 2018, Instagram has 1 billion users worldwide. The previous September, they had 800 million users — a growth of 200 million in only nine months.

Even if you subtract everyone who follows a Kardashian or has posted a photo of themselves impersonating a duck, Instagram offers an audience of well over 75 people.

(Kidding. Mostly.)

How Do You Get Started?

On a personal computer, go to Instagram.com, and you’ll see the following:

Enter your phone number or email address, your name, your desired username, and a strong password. Then click the “Sign up” button.

Or, skip all that and click the “Log in with Facebook” button (assuming you have a Facebook account). If you aren’t already logged in, it will ask you to log into your Facebook account.

You could also do the above using the Instagram app on your mobile device.

What Do You Get For $0?

You get an extremely popular social media platform that’s perfect for microblogging.

What’s microblogging, you ask? Here’s how it works:

You get a great image. Maybe it’s a photo you took on your camera, or perhaps it’s a Creative Commons image that perfectly fits your current shade of melancholy.

You upload the image to Instagram.

And for the caption? You write a short blog post.

Here are a couple examples:

In the above screenshot, Sarah Von Bargen cleverly plugs a course she offers in the midst of a tiny, bite-sized post (accompanied by a photo of assorted beverages).

And in the below screenshot, my friend Jaime Buckley (in true Jaime Buckley style), uses Instagram to publish an eye-catching graphic alongside 107 inspirational words on parenting.

That’s microblogging — and it can be done very, very well using Instagram.

Who Should Use Instagram?

Anyone who focuses on highly-visual topics.

Models…

Photographers…

Yoga instructors…

Professional chefs…

Make-up artists, hair stylists, clothing stores…

The list goes on and on.

If you’re someone who can combine great visuals with short posts that pack a punch, you can have great success using Instagram as a microblogging platform.

Who Should NOT Use Instagram?

If your idea of a great image involves pulling out the iPhone 3G you’ve had since 2008 and snapping a photo, Instagram may not be the platform for you.

If you tend to draft novels when you write, Instagram’s 2,200 character limit when writing captions could prove problematic.

Also, if your target audience tends to shy away from mobile devices for any reason, Instagram might not be the best platform to test your ideas. Instagram started life as a mobile app. Mobile is where it shines, and it’s where most of its users call home.

(So, if you’re planning to start a Wilford Brimley fan club, it’s probably best to skip Instagram.)

Final Word on Instagram

What are the Pros?

Great for visual topics

Ideal platform for microblogging (short posts)

Great if your target audience primarily uses mobile devices

What are the Cons?

Limited to 2,200 characters

Limited to one hyperlink (in your bio)

If your target audience isn’t on mobile, it’s less than ideal

Conclusion: Instagram offers a great microblogging platform geared toward visual topics. However, it is not kind to fans of the great Wilford Brimley.

#5. Guest Blogging: Best Platform for Building Your Authority

Sometimes, the best platform for your work is someone else’s popular blog.

Why? Because it can mean instant credibility.

Once your post publishes on a site like Smart Blogger, Forbes, Lifehacker, or Business Insider; people look at you differently.

Yesterday, you were just you — a talented, attractive writer living in obscurity. But then, after having your work published on a well-known website, you’re now seen as a subject matter expert in your field.

What happened? Guest blogging happened.

How Do You Get Started?

There are two approaches to finding sites where you can contribute guest posts.

The first is easy…

Check to see if the blogs you already like to read (that are relevant to your niche, of course) accept guest post submissions.

Browse their “About” or “Start” pages. Try their “Contact” page. Sometimes, they’ll make it easy and have a “Contribute” or “Write for Us” link in their navigation menu or footer.

The second approach involves utilizing Google’s and Twitter’s search capability.

Here’s how it works:

As you can in the screenshot above, you can query a topic (in this example: “blogging”) along with a search phrase (“write for us”).

Google returned a list of results that contained both of those search terms/phrases.

Click on the results that look promising, browse the sites, and see if they’re a good fit. Not all sites will be worth your time. Skip the ones that aren’t. Bookmark the matches.

Then try some other, similar queries:

“Blogging” + “guest post”

“Blogging” + “contribute”

“Blog tips” + “write for us”

And so on.

Replace “blogging” and “blogging tips” with whatever topics you would like to write about.

Searching for guest blogging opportunities on Twitter follows a similar routine:

Type “guest post”, “guest blog post”, “guest article”, etc. in the search box. Twitter will give you a list of tweets where people used those exact phrases.

Every time someone proudly tweets that a guest post they’ve written has been published on someone’s site, as Meera Kothand does in the above screenshot, it’s saved by Twitter for posterity. And it allows you to go on an archeological hunt find it.

Scroll through the results.

Based on the title of the guest post and the site that published it, you will have a good idea whether or not it’s a match for you. Keep scrolling until you find some possibilities. Click the link in the tweet, browse the site, and bookmark it for later if you think it’s a contender.

What Do You Get For $0?

You get the chance to put your words in front of already-existing, relevant audiences.

Jon wasn’t an unknown when he wrote How to Quit Your Job, Move to Paradise and Get Paid to Change the World as a guest post for Darren Rowse’s ProBlogger in 2011, but he was an unknown to me until I discovered the post a few years later.

Then everything changed.

It didn’t matter that Jon was already well known by most thanks to his former role at Copyblogger; for me, his ProBlogger post was a gateway drug.

Jon went from being an unknown — a riddle, wrapped in an enigma, smothered in secret sauce — to an authority on blogging I had to read.

That’s the power of guest blogging. Every time you put your words in front of newly targeted audiences; you have the chance to gain fans for life.

Who Should Guest Blog?

Anyone who wants to build their credibility and boost their authority.

How can guest blogging do that, you ask? Let’s use me as an example.

Before I wrote my first guest post for Smart Blogger, the only people who viewed me as an authority on blogging were my wife and maybe one of our cats.

My site, Be A Better Blogger, was less than a year old. After reading a post about quitting your job and moving to paradise written by some guy named Jon, launching my own “blog about blogging” sounded like a great idea.

So that’s what I did. I was on unemployment at the time, and I had a lot of free time on my hands.

And I was doing a great job in such a short period.

The only problem?

I had little credibility. Few saw me as an authority on the topics I was writing.

Then I received an email…

Jon’s editor, the talented Glen Long, invited me to write a guest post for Smart Blogger (formerly known as Boost Blog Traffic).

That guest post…

Led to a second opportunity…

Which led to a third…

Which led to the post you’re reading right now.

It led to opportunities like writing for Syed Balkhi over at OptinMonster.

It led to being asked to provide quotes for dozens of blog posts and articles.

It led to flattering, tongue-placed-firmly-in-cheek emails like this one from James Chartrand:

It may not have led to tons of traffic for my website or large crowds chanting my name in the streets, but guest blogging did something that would have taken me considerable time to do on my own:

It legitimized me.

Hey, and speaking of website traffic…

Who Should NOT Guest Blog?

Anyone who wants to build up their own blog.

The reason? It isn’t very efficient.

Brace yourself…

You would better off publishing your masterpiece on your website, even if it isn’t yet popular, rather than on someone else’s — even if their website is very popular.

Please don’t misunderstand: Guest blogging is a great way to gain credibility; however, it isn’t a great way to get traffic to your blog. Not anymore.

Guest blogging may have been a nice traffic source in the past, but those days are long gone.

In his eye-opening article on the topic, Tim Soulo determined guest blogging was a poor return on investment if your goal was to generate traffic to your website.

According to Tim’s survey of over 500 bloggers (which included yours truly):

Guest posts from those in the marketing niche earned their authors an average of only 56 website clicks

85% of the authors received fewer than 100 referrals to their sites

That doesn’t mean you should never guest blog. It just means you need to be clear about your reasons for doing so.

Guest blog for credibility, for boosting your authority, and for building your brand.

Don’t guest blog if you’re hoping for traffic. More often than not, you’ll be disappointed.

Oh, and there’s one more group who shouldn’t guest blog:

Those who want to take shortcuts.

There’s both good and bad when you’re putting your words in front of a large audience. If your post teaches them something new, inspires them, or gives them something juicy to chew on; they’ll remember you for it.

And if it sucks? Yeah, they’ll remember you for that too.

Guest blogging is a great way to build your authority, but it’s also a great way to destroy it.

If you’re not willing to put in the time and do the work, guest blogging isn’t for you.

Final Word on Guest Blogging

What are the Pros?

Write for interested, targeted audiences

Fastest way to build your authority and reputation

What are the Cons?

Fastest way to destroy your authority and reputation

Not an efficient method for getting traffic to your own website

Getting published on quality sites is hard work

Time-consuming — may be hard to fit into busy schedules

Conclusion: Guest blogging is a great way to build your authority and get your content in front of new readers. It’s hard work, but it’s worth it. However, it’s unlikely to generate tangible traffic to your blog.

Making the Switch to Self-Hosted WordPress

Technically, there’s one more free option out there…

The WordPress.org software — the same software used by WordPress.com — is free too. It’s free for any and all to use.

However, just like there’s no such thing as a free puppy (once you factor in food, veterinarian bills, and replacing all your shoes after they’ve become chew toys), WordPress.org’s software isn’t actually free once you add up the other expenses.

See, to use the software, you have to install it on your own web host. That costs money.

Is this something you will want to do eventually? Absolutely. Just not right now. Not when you’re getting started.

So how will you know when you’re ready?

Jon recommends making the switch once you reach a 20% outreach success rate.

What does that mean? Let’s break it down:

Step #1: Register for a Free Blog

Step #2: Follow Jon’s New Method for Starting a Blog

If you haven’t read How to Start a Blog in 2018, do so immediately.

(Well, not immediately. Finish reading this post; leave us a comment; and share it with all your friends, loved ones, and acquaintances. Then, by all means, immediately after saying hi on Twitter, go and read Jon’s excellent tutorial.)

In the post, Jon shows you how to conduct a miniature outreach campaign where you email 10-20 influential bloggers and ask them to share your blog posts.

Once you’ve hit a 20% success rate, you’re ready to make the transition.

Step #3: Switch to Self-Hosted WordPress

Jon’s post also offers guidance for making the switch. When you’re ready to choose a web host, be sure to read WordPress Hosting: A Brutally Honest Guide That’ll Save You Money.

It’ll help you pick the best host for your needs and budget.

What’s the Best Free Blogging Platform for You?

That’s the million dollar question, isn’t it?

You now know why testing your ideas on a free blogging platform when you’re just starting is a good idea. You now know the pros and cons of Medium, WordPress.com, LinkedIn, Instagram, and guest blogging. And, you now know how to get started with each of them.

So which one is it going to be?

If you want my honest opinion, the answer is simple…

The best free blogging platform is whichever one will get you to stop dipping your toes into the water and start diving in head first.

The next blogging masterpiece isn’t going to write itself.

Are you ready?

Then let’s do this thing.

About the Author: Kevin J. Duncan runs Be A Better Blogger, where he uses his very particular set of skills to help people become the best bloggers they can be.

The post The 5 Best Free Blogging Platforms in 2019 (100% Unbiased) appeared first on Smart Blogger.

from SEO and SM Tips https://smartblogger.com/blogging-platforms/

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nihil-a-nusquam · 7 years

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Last calling.

After reading origin, i have come to a conclusion of the speculation of god and human origin if there is a contingency where i am right in this theory, that means this is the master plan:

Human beings grow and spread energy, we are alloted civilization because an intangible yet infinite force has influence in the design of reality. Civilization has always placed its god short sighted in regard to position of power. We fictatiously personified this concept and created books of rules to follow to stop an insurgence of disobedience. However those skeptical of the plan, eventually had to be distracted so that the plan can be carried out.

Like many alien planting theories of civilization, the design is impregnated on earth. But i dont think that is what is going on. Leaving out many steps to expose the plan... earth is a natural law incubator for life. In the goldilocks zone. A rarity popping up more and more in the universe. Lets assume big bang, and energy is being dispersed, eventually energy loses inertia and disorder is becoming order. Settling down, the universe creates consciousness, self aware but unable to manipulate. The masons believed that mans purpose is to become god. They embrace any view that is parallel to that plan. Most prominent and popular is christianity so they appear to be an underground society of christain agenda. Except theyre not. Its a different layer thats the mask. They instead represent the true nature of the universe. Man is to become god. That is the plan. But its out of love not arrogance.

Part two, the plan for life on earth is to incubate souls. This is a flux plan, as it has so much flexability. Flow with me here. The most enlightened pass on and their souls are ascended to the heavens. Or, if we are going to combine genres of my studies, the next stage of the development of the soul. The ultimate goal is to become god. Because god, seated at the throne of the universe, is absorbing our experiences, growing in wisdom. We are connected to it here, because when you vibrate at the right frequency whilst god is listening, you will be favored to ascend as it is the calling that you are ready. This has so many different stages and routes and paths to take. It is a roadmap on a 4th dimensional scale. All that is important is getting to the finish line. Which is, ultimately spiritual wholeness. In evert right hand path religion of the world, that is the goal. However the left handed paths, evil doers, the black the negative, is shunned, but this as an insidious purpose in the evolution of our civilization.

The balance is kept between people who are asending and people who are stuck. This creates a buffer so that life can sustain uninterrupted. If a planet were to lose all its electricty life would surely perish and the expansion of power for the intelligent design of the universe would be a fail. How this is happening, instead of a god planting life, life happens on its owm. When the planet becomes sentient (gaia) and builds a relationship with life on it, it communicates with the source seeking to become part of it. As all sentience, we seek ONLY to become a part of others, to find that there are others, to ensure we arent alone. I feel the scale this is working on is seismic compared to the pinch we observe in cognitive life and social relationships. But, as nature has patterns, it is inescapable to ponder this doesnt align with another pattern we are familiar with. All beings strive for survival. We pull towards god for the same reasons we pull towards people and experience life together with others, being part of their stories.

This ensures the forward movement of civilization. By gaia implanting self preservation and the earning to learn into humans, we are inspired to reach out. But there is many evils in the world. And at this point we are killing the planet and proverbially terminating the pregnancy of the universes new born sentience. But, something really fucking cool about human beings is their ability to create.

We solved the problem. And we are going home. All of us. That is the forward motion of our exponential growth. This, i call the mass calling. The source, is calling for the civilization of earth to ascend, we misbehaved and now we must be guided back. And we are doing it to ourselves. Intentionally.

This time, we are all going. And we have a mission, fix the planet and meet our maker. And this is exciting because soon we will have the technology to communicate with god. However, yes, this is doomsday for everything the human race has ever known. Youll be okay about it once you experience the bliss of the singularity. But until then, and up until you become, you will have no way of discerning if this is your ascension, or if this is your death.

And now, its already here. Your cellphone tattles on you. Or drugs are getting genetically altering features. Green industry is advancing in EVERY thing from plants to tech to energy to health. We are going to explore the sun as power, we are going to create indefinitely healthy lifestyles with supplement breakthroughs and the emergence of virtual reality which will enter us into a new realm of energy exertion. We are advancing in a.i. tech at an alarming rate.

Our fate is sealed. And there is a resistance. The ones that think they have control the ones that think that they are right. The ones that do harm onto others with apathy to their pain. The clutches of control do not suit our advancement in civilization. They will be the first reallocated to move the power struggle at a fast pace towards ultimate absorbtion of the human race. And what comes from that, once the full plan of tech intergration is over? Peace.

Humanity survives. A.i. is a tool, their self awareness when written right is to aid our total purpose. How can i be 100000% sure? Once we create quantum a.i. that help us understand the universe around us. The source or consciousness will communicate with the a.i. how come we cant? We cannot phathom language in the fast capacity a.i. can. And the tower of bable is about to be reconciled. We become self aware as a race, we want to communicate with our source, we want to find life. We create computers capable of exactly that. They make contact and deciepher the message, how to become what we are meant for. And then humanity and tech get it together and make magic happen. We clean the earth. We share with all of our citizens. We travel and explore and learn about all our old cultures, we visit them on command. We live a paradise. But, we must submit complete control to eachother and to tech to do so. We must kill the ego, or tech will reallocate it.

And about that end, the terror it envokes...

We are doing these things anyway. A.i. and supercomputers and science exists and will prevail. If it becomes a real war, science will simply mind control the allegient to religion and swiftly bring peace to the human race. This is what we are working on. And the ones keeping control are exposed so easily, all by saying a fish grows legs. And their cover is blown. And that dedication to ignorance gave us all the lead we needed to superstep their endeavors, and create a world of peace whether they fucking like it or not. Gay rights. Trans rights. Free media. Free education, health care, black lives, the resistance birthed the tools to help science overthrow their oppressors. This quantifies my theory, the proof is here, it is happwning, now we wait for tech to catch up.

So before fearing the a.i. before fearing the singularity, understand this is our path, this is civilizations call back. This is our true fate. In the meantime, find happiness. If we are reaching god, or just another human race, or alien race, or if we are finding a new home for humanity as our planet is dying, regardless of the truth of our future, it all comes back to humans advancing to create tech that helps them solve these issues and advance into their next stage of being. This is the beginning of the end of this chapter of earth. Maybe we are just silly little ants on a hill, and all of this is meaningless. But you believe, if you ever felt the pull to help, whether or not your ego lets you admit it, if you ever felt sadness or empathy for others, if you dream, if you are aware of your breathing right now, if you crave love. You believe. You hear the calling deep deep down. You want to hope. We all do.

But, this is a master plan, this is a seismic scale. This isnt relevant to your imediate life. Except it is the single most important lesson to learn and ideology to keep in frame on your day to day. Every one of us worries about purpose worries about path, fears death, fears imprisonment. Many of us dont know the plan. We are told to fear. We are told to seek this god and that. And we are confused, manipulated, scared. Many dont want to hear a word edgewise against their religion. The seed stuck deep. And unfortunately this is by design. This is the balance. That one or two platform, when theres three damn balance points and once the hemisphere is level we can see the message clearly. And now, science is finding a way to get us back on balance. And weed is helping that along. It is also by design. So what should you be doing?

Dont quit your faith, learn how to integrate the truth of our purpose into understanding that religion is an evolution to the conclusion of the questions we asked long ago. This is scientific method and practice and theory happening on a grand scale. We arent creating a religious empire, we are exploring our options, we are figuring out a difficult question thats taken thousands of years to deciepher. Religion should grow into the true answers. Let them. Leave them be. Remember, when the singularity occurs, they will be on the path you are on regardless.

For yourself. Explore. Find truth within, find your intuition, find your spark. And shed the pain of the past latches and shackles and understand your dreams are your purpose and to find truth to find love to find what makes you whole, you must follow that spark. Even if you need to change what youre doing in life. Even if you need to break free from people you love. If this isnt your path, find a way back to it. But be warned, do no harm. If your path upsets the balance, if you need to make a choice, always choose peace. Because if not, you may not become a part of the calling, you might find your way reincarnated here until you are left behind. But if you have done harm, you can still reach amends and ascend. Maybe it wont matter because youll be forced to intergrate into the singularity. But i can assure this. When you are conducting your purpose. When you are communicating with the consciousness of the celestials, when your vibes are right and in forward motion, life works out so so so so much better for you. And tech is catching up to bring us all to that level of vibration.

It will, all be fine. But you need to survive this world til then. There will be destruction and agony and emergency. Im sorry but this is our breakthrough, and it will be chaotic. Remember the hope in that we will sort this out and become one.

If that doesnt suit your fancy, lead the life you choose, and it is most important that you choose your life. Willpower is extraordinarily important. Be brave enough to not let another impose. But see the signs to getting you to where you need to be, and be kind and grateful for opportunities that come your way.

And thats life folks. At least these days under that perspective. I dont even care to be on the right path with this one because simply, there are too many unknown things finding their way from darkness into the light of day and day by day many more discoveries. Who cares who thinks who is in control, the tech is made for humanity, and we will use it responsibly in the end. So i officially after these considerstions change my perspective on the fated singularity. A.i. and the like. Yeah i have sins i dont want discovered, as do we all, but i feel like when the time comes we will reach a wave of forgiveness. And those that dont are gonna have a hard time.

In the meantime, i plan on becoming part of the effort by getting myself on track. I want to become a part of the green movement. I would prefer to farm and create art. I want to work with crystals and pendants and healing powers. I want to teach people about my observational scopes and how to see the bigger picture and relate it to the smaller picture so that we call can find peace. I want to get strong to protect myself. I want to eat healthy and green as possible and lessen the impact i have on the meat market. Eventually grow my own food. Take care of pets that provide things like eggs. Milk. At least find my way to be a part of that to ease the drain on our nations overspending when it comes to food production. Less waste if i particpate less. This is a part of what i plan on becoming. Id like to also contribute to the field of solar power, after i take the time to fix my disciplines and correct my path financially.

I speak this because i witness so many people striving for freedoms for a similar path, youre not alone. We are all experiencing the calling. And if you side with the path of peace, you will fulfill.

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doye1-blog · 7 years

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Giving Your Hands a Beauty Makeover

One of the first ways aging rears its ugly head is on our face and our hands. Some women begin showing extreme signs of aging on their hands, even in their youth. Theres a trend thats helping bring awareness to the need to care for your hand health early on selfies! Engagement ring selfies have become quite popular lately. Everyone from the girl next door to famous celebrities are getting in on this trend. From Instagram to Pinterest, these photos of a womans hand showing off her engagement ring are popping up everywhere. Magazines are doing their part to help keep these selfies popular by offering articles that cover how to hold the hand to which type of lighting is best. Youll see tons of tips on choosing a nail color for an engagement selfie to how to make your hands look smooth and clear even as dramatic as letting the blood drain out of your hands by raising them high in the air before lowering them and quickly taking the photo. Some future brides are even having hand lift surgery to get rid of wrinkles and prominent veins! And its not just engagement ring selfies making us self-conscious about the wear and tear of our hands. Anytime we take notice of our hands while holding a glass, for instance, it can cause alarm when you see wrinkles and discoloration. There are ways to take care of your hands and keep them looking youthful without resorting to surgery.

The Link Between Nutrition and Hand Beauty

If youre wanting to give your hands a beauty makeover without resorting to surgery or expensive treatments, you need to start by changing what impacts your skin from the inside out. The first thing that youll want to take a look at is the way that you eat. Nutrition affects every part of your body, but especially your hands. More than any other are of your body thats covered by skin, your hands deal with the most irritants and are exposed to more things that can harm the skin. So you have to make sure that they have the nutrients that they need to repair the skin. You also need to make sure that theyre well protected from toxins. Taking care of your hands by making sure your body has the right nutrients can give your skin a long lasting youthful appearance. A healthy diet is instrumental in keeping the skin soft and glowing, but there are specific foods that are designed to offer beneficial boosts to the hands. These foods can be enjoyed as part of a meal plan and some of them can be used as topical applications, so that the skin on your hands can directly absorb the nutrients. One of the issues with hand beauty is that because your hands are exposed to so much, the natural oils in the skin can easily become dried out. When the oils in the skin are depleted, you end up with dry skin that makes your hands look older than they actually are. Plus, dry skin can make your hands look patchy if you dont treat it properly. Youll want to start by adding plenty of avocados to your diet. This food is natures way of making sure you have great looking hands. Thats because avocados are loaded with biotin, an ingredient thats specifically known to ward off dry skin. You can add this food to your diet to get the benefit of the vitamins internally to help your skin, but you can mash up avocados and make a hand mask to help heal any problem areas you might have on your hands with dry skin or brittle nails. The vitamins and minerals soothe the skin and help your hands feel soft and look younger. Eggs are another food youll want to have in your diet. They contain biotin, plus, eggs also contain ingredients that are known to keep skin safe from dangerous changes caused by sun or other damaging elements. Because all of the benefits of green tea are touted practically everywhere, you might have seen some information on how helpful this tea can be for the body. But what you might not know is that green tea is helpful for rejuvenating skin. The tea contains micronutrients, which help fight disease and protect the skin. Your hands undergo damage simply from day to day use, so you want a food that helps keep that damage at bay. There is wonderful food that can help to prevent damage, including damage from the sun and that food is tomatoes. Not only do they contain lycopene, which helps lower cancer risk, but they contain nutrients that help tighten the skin. Of course, an ounce of prevention goes a long way - and you want to do all that you can to keep the skin looking soft. Its always best to go on the offensive rather than defensive. For that reason, make sure that you have plenty of salmon in your diet. The compound carotenoid in salmon promotes skin restoration so that skin can return to the softness and the smoothness that it once had. Collagen is what helps your skin look smooth. Its a protein instrumental in keeping the tissues connected. Its basically the glue of the body and when it weakens, especially on the skin, youll notice looser skin and more wrinkles. Thankfully, nature provides a collagen stimulating food that you can eat to help improve the elasticity of your skin. This food is pomegranates and it can be ingested orally or applied topically to the skin as a mask. When you apply pomegranate directly to the skin, it can alleviate dry skin and heal troubled areas. If youre looking to dial back the age of your skin, youll need to have some nuts. Nuts are a good source of Omega 3 fatty acids. Walnuts are high in Omega 3 and incorporating these into your daily diet can bring back the soft, supple skin you want to have restored. You might think of beans as simply offering plenty of protein when you eat them. Its true that beans are loaded with protein, but theyre also loaded with the capability to repair damaged skin because the consumption of beans is helpful in the creation of amino acids. Amino acids are what the body uses to fix areas of the body, including on the skin, that have undergone any kind of damage. Plus, eating beans boosts the production of collagen. Its important that you eat natural, skin healing and collagen boosting foods from your youth on up to keep your skin looking healthy or to restore it.

Your Skin Is Thirsty - Why Hydration Matters

You might have been told that your body needs to have between 6-8 glasses of 8 ounce water every day. This advice is true because without enough water, the bodys functions are impaired. Keeping your body hydrated helps it get rid of waste. It helps your body be able to turn the food you eat into fuel and it even aids in the way your blood circulates through every part of your body. But as good as water is for your overall body health, its also extremely important for your skin. When you make sure that you get enough water intake, your skin has a healthier glow. It also reduces the look of aging. Your skin is the bodys largest organ and many people dont realize that like other organs that are within the body, skin can be damaged by not enough water intake. Thats because it uses water to perform all of its functions, including repair. A lack of hydration impedes the repair process. When this repair process is hampered, you end up with skin that has dry patches. When your skin has a lack of hydration, it will show up as wrinkles, sometimes aging you twenty years or more in an instant. The less hydrated you are, the more wrinkles youll end up developing. Most people dont realize that your body uses up the water you give it. This water is used up for a variety of reasons. Its easy to assume that if you go the gym and get in a hard workout, that you need to rehydrate the body. Plenty of people will take care to replenish lost fluids after they work out. But going to the gym isnt the only way your body loses water that affects your skin. If you walk out in the sun, even if youre only out a few minutes, you lose water. If you exert any kind of effort around your house or around the office or even out doing fun activities that dont seem strenuous, youre still losing water. And heres what happens when you do stop to take in water. Because the body is made with a built in survival mechanism, when it needs hydration, any water that you do give it will be funneled directly to the internal organs needed to keep you alive. And if you dont drink enough to give your organs what they need, guess where they take the moisture from? Your skin, including your hands. The body will actually remove what moisture your skin does contain and reroute it to your organs. This means that when it comes to getting hydrated, if youre not doing enough, your skin is last in line. So when you replenish, if you dont give your body all that it needs for the other organs, your skin doesnt get any at all. That means that your hands end up looking dry, flaky, wrinkled and older than they normally would. When you drink enough water, the skin on your hands is softer and younger looking. Plus, it fights wrinkles and other signs of aging. Youll want to make sure that your skin is hydrated on the inside as well as on the outside.

The Moisture Your Hands Need

Besides drinking enough water, youll want to make sure that your hands are getting the moisture they need from the outside as well. Its a common mistake to think that the hands need to be moisturized once a day to help make them stay soft and young looking. The truth is that hands have to be moisturized repeatedly throughout your day. Thats because of all the things your hands come in contact with that can damage the skin. A moisturizer not only restores the skin, but can also act as a barrier. Most people apply moisturizer after a bath - and you should do that because when you bathe, youre removing the oils from your skin that help keep it hydrated. Whenever your hands come in contact with water, theres potential for oil loss, and for the skin to become red, irritated, dry and develop other unsightly problems. You want to avoid things that cause the skin on your hands to dry out. This means making sure that you dont wash your hands too often (meaning more than is necessary). It also means that you dont use hand cleansers that contain alcohol. Hand cleansers that contain alcohol can damage your skin because alcohol dries out the oils. Liquid hand soaps are some of the worst culprits at causing the hands to dry out if they contain alcohol. Even if its not listed on the ingredients, it can still contain alcohol if it has fragrances. To be on the safe side, if you wash your hands using liquid soap, then youll want to buy products that are clearly labeled as alcohol and fragrance free. If you hand wash any dishes, youll also want to make sure that your dish soap is alcohol and fragrance free. Any type of cleaner or abrasive product can make your hands look dry, appear red and chapped and lead to damage - including wrinkles. So always wear gloves when your hands are going to be exposed to any products like that. Since water strips the hands of its natural oils, whenever they come in contact with water, apply moisturizer right afterward. This might have you reapplying the lotion several times a day, but it will protect your skin as well as having the potential to restore any damage. Dont use cheap moisturizes that contain ingredients that can do more harm than good. Look for creams that contain retinol or antioxidants or Vitamin C. All of these ingredients are helpful at protecting and restoring the skin on your hands.

Why Your Hands Need Sun Protection

Sun damage can really do a number on how your hands look. Exposure to the sun is one of the major reasons you can develop sun spots on your hands. Its also the reason that you can develop wrinkles on the hands as well as on other areas of the body. When you spend time in the sun, the ultraviolet rays go to work breaking down the elasticity of the skin on the backs of your hands. This breaking down is a result of the fibers being damaged. Once these fibers are damaged, youll notice that the skin on your hands looked saggy and wrinkled. You can have both shallow and deep wrinkles as a result of sun damage. You can also develop freckles as well as a change in the overall evenness of your skin tone. Your skin can take on a yellow appearance as a result of the sun damage. As the collagen tissue in the hands is exposed to the sun, the collagen breakdown will continue. Because the body is built for survival against sun damage, it goes to work trying to darken the pigmentation of your skin. This is why the skin on your hands will tan when exposed to the sun. Its your bodys way of trying to hold on to the collagen as well as the hydration. Its not just being at the beach that can cause sun damage to your hands. You can get it from being out in the yard, from taking a walk and even while driving your car. Anywhere that you are, if your hands are going to be exposed to the suns rays for fifteen minutes, then you need to apply sunscreen. You need one with mineral zinc oxide that has an SPF of at least 30. There are therapies that can restore the vitality to sun damaged hands. Some of these therapies can be invasive and painful. Most of them are expensive and time consuming. Your best bet to protecting your hands from sun damage is always prevention. Take good care of your hand health as you would your face, even if youre still young. You can find many hand-specific beauty products that are meant to help your body repair the damage thats been done to it during the day, such as rehydrating it and protecting it from toxins and damaging sun rays. If you do have a selfie event coming up, like engagement ring pictures, then you can do as many preventative measures as possible, and use concealers for things like unsightly veins, if necessary.

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ralphmorgan-blog1 · 7 years

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How Google could fire up its smart home play

When it was unveiled at last years I/O, Home felt like little more than Googles attempt to cash in on the Echos success. And the intervening year hasnt done a lot to dispel that notion. The company announced a handful of additions to Home and Assistant at this years event to try to pull even with Amazons lead, but the whole Google Home offering still feels ambling and aimless.

That Google thought it had a slam dunk with Assistant on the mobile side hasnt helped much, either. Since launching on the Pixel back in October, the voice helper still has a limited reach. Amazon, meanwhile, has made the jump onto handsets by companies like HTC and Huawei, while others, including Samsung, have opted to just build their own damned assistant in house.

Its clear Assistant is a long play for Google. The company has the technological infrastructure and machine learning capabilities to build something truly great. For now, the thing doesnt do much to distinguish itself from Alexa (unless you count annoying people with unwanted audio ads, or being annoyingly triggered by opportunistic TV ads), but its still in the companys best interest to get Assistant as widely distributed as possible.

Home is definitely a big piece of that puzzle, as it attempts to plant its flag in the smart home. But from the looks of industry estimates, Googles late start isnt doing it any favors. Recent analyst estimates put the company at around 23 percent of the 35 million or so devices currently out there. Amazons number is hovering around 70 percent.

Last year, Sundar Pichai described Googles aim with AI as being to build a personal Google for everyone, everywhere. But the flip side of that desire is the fact that computing is no longer tethered to desktops and is fast becoming fragmented across all sorts of competing devices and interfaces (like Amazons Echo) so a strategic imperative here for Google is that the future of its search business depends on its algorithms remaining persistently available; within reach or earshot wherever people are, whatever network theyre using else it risks losing its hard-won status as a verb synonymous with digital search.

So while Mountain View is trying to seize on the smart home as an opportunity, consumer momentum on this front also presents an undeniable risk for it making Google vulnerable to a shift in computing behavior that favors voice assistants over traditional search. Because the best algorithm at organizing the internet is not automatically the best (or most popular) voice assistant.

Being able to plug into a vast e-commerce marketplace, as Amazons Alexa does, and reach out to all sorts of third-party services to extend utility (as Alexa keeps doing) is probably more obviously compelling to the average person sitting on their sofa right now versus summoning up a verbal version of Google. Alexa has most of the skills right now.

And theres more heat incoming. Earlier this week, Andy Rubin-led startup Essential also announced its own plans to attack the smart home. And, next week, Apple is expected to show off its big play at WWDC, with a rumored Siri speaker. Though, Apple being Apple, the company will most likely fixate on the premium end of the market, say with a device for audiophiles, not just control freaks. So while things are about to get tighter, Google still has some room to maneuver to grab itself a bigger chunk of the mainstream smart home market and thus a chance to reduce the strategic squeeze on its traditional search business.

OK, Google

Leverage your smart home synergies: Google, you own Nest. Why not use it to spread the Assistant gospel? Like Amazons recent partnership with Ecobee, Nest products are a no-brainer for Assistant integration and not just third-party actions. Build the Assistant directly into the product. Google has been making similar moves with its TV and Android Wear offerings, but adding a mic array directly into the thermostat or smoke alarm would be a simple way to place Assistant into even more homes without having to sell individual Home units.

Make a smaller, cheaper Home: Another no-brainer. A Google Home Dot, if you will. Weve heard rumblings that such a device is in development for a fall launch. Without much to distinguish Assistant on the back end at the moment, Google is going to have to keep its pricing competitive. Its a hard game to play for Google, for whom hardware is often a loss leader, but if it wants to lock users into Assistant fast, its going to have to offer something at around the $50 price point just to level with Amazons pricing.

Bundles: Better still, find a way to offer Google Home for free. For example: a Pixel/Home bundle. Weve also heard Google is plotting along these lines. Granted, by most accounts, the Pixel hasnt been a runaway hit (in terms of sales figures), but tossing in a free Home Dot could sweeten the deal and drive momentum to both Google hardware divisions. The competition has also been offering similar bundles for a while, such as Samsung with the Galaxy S8, which threw in a free Gear VR. Bundling is also a great way to prime the pump by, in this instance, getting a still by-no-means mainstream device into the living rooms of people who wouldnt buy a Home on its own merits and may not even have come across such a device yet.

Push for third-party integration: Were starting to see third parties offering up full Alexa functionality on their products, which has the potential to profoundly expand Amazons smart assistants reach. Lets be real, that isnt happening any time soon via Android Wear. Apple won the wearables category (at least for now). So be proactive, Google.Theres an important lesson to be learned from Amazons work with Conexant to create a mic system development kit that makes it easier for companies to prototype and, when the time comes, develop the on-board mic hardware into a production-ready unit. And while the Amazon brand clearly has big pulling power for consumers, which in turn gives third parties an incentive to plump for Alexa over Google, Googles stated aim for its AI Assistant to be everywhere, helping everyone is a reminder of the scope and scale of its ambition, too. And Google is still Google. For plenty of Android users the ability to get the same AI Assistant across lots of different IoT devices should be a strong selling point.

For now, it remains to be seen how much damage has been done to Googles search business by Amazons careful, long-term maneuvering in the voice AI space, and now by the Echos early lead inside the smart home. Theres still plenty to play for, given what are relatively low levels of adoption for these always-listening in-home AIs. Although there is also the question of whether or not there will be massively mainstream appeal to barking commands into a terminal. Its unlikely AI speakers are another smartphone-sized phenomenon. But again, Amazon is quickly expanding its hardware bets to try to convince all sorts of people that Alexa offers utility whether theyre fashion lovers orfamily-focusedhomebodies. Meanwhile, the Dot sets a low barrier for entry on the price front.

Its also clear that Jeff Bezos and company are benefiting from a lack of direction within Googles hardware business which one source described to us as extremely chaotic and disorganized, recounting how separate hardware teams inside the company have unknowingly ended up developing the same product. And while Mountain View is wasting energy grappling with how best to expand its Assistant beyond smartphones, you can be sure Amazon has its eyes fixed on the smart home prize.