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wizkiddx · 3 years

Note

heyheyhey idk if u do req but love your dad tom stuff! PLZ PLZ do tom helping his kids with homework but cant do it and reader has to help and its all fluffy 😩💕

ye im down to do req and this had me going completely ott cos its v cute (and a lot less angsty than what ive written recently aha) so apologies for my ramblings:

Summary: tom has the kids for a day and maths homework throws a spanner in the works - tomhollandxreader

implied smut + v slight reference to porn but basically just fluff I promise xox

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Tom had dealt with a lot of whining today. Nova and Leo were the absolute joys of his life, there was no doubt about it. Of course, he also loved you a hell of a lot too - sometimes to his detriment though, hence the position he was in now.

You’d had a busy week at work and he had been away for the first half of it - leaving you as an almost single mother to a 5 and a 7 year old. So completely fairly, you’d asked if he wouldn’t mind watching the kids for a the day on Sunday, allowing you to go to a friends baby shower. There was no answer but to agree, Tom loved quality time with the kids and he wanted you to kick back and relax with you friends too.

However the afternoon had not been nearly as idealistic as it were supposed to be in his head. You had left him only one real job (apart from the unavoidable essentials of keeping the kids alive with food and water, something you’d hope he need not be reminded about now). Really it shouldn’t of been that hard, it was just each kid had two pieces of homework. After convincing and cajoling the kids into sitting at the table which he’d already set up with Nova’s ‘Liverpool FC’ and Leo’s ‘captain marvels’ pencil case, the English was easy.

In fact 5 year old Leo took great joy out of writing a poem with his Dad, which basically involved trying to rhyme any word with another - especially when he tried to convince Tom that all his completely fictitious words were real and worked together. A personal favourite had been ‘snakes’ and ‘palakes’ which Leo was convinced meant pancakes - arguing so vehemently Tom almost started to doubt himself on basic English.

Thankfully though his eldest and most sensibly child eventually took him out his misery. If anyone had any control over the Holland boys, Leo and Tom - it was the Holland girls. You and Nova had both boys completely under you spell, often taking advantage of the fact too. It was only when Nova got bored of hearing Tom and Leo mock arguing, interspersed with the little boys giggles that Tom tried his absolute hardest to keep a straight face at, that she swooped in.

“Stop being silly Leo, mummy told you he’s not good at school!” She looked oh so innocent, eyes immediately flicking down to continue the little short story she was happily going on with. In response Tom scowled, knowing your highly curious and intelligent daughter had asked you (for one reason or another) why he was not so academic. Yet instead of Leo bursting out laughing, instead he just nodded and accepted it too - making Tom scowl even more. Not even Leo thought it was a joke.

So apart from his children apparently taking pity on his simple mind, it was all going smoothly. Perhaps, due to the thankful fact your children had inherited their brains from their mother - something Tom was forever thankful for, until he was shamed for his substandard intellect in the family. Then again though, he was Spiderman. So take that.

Until Nova brought out her maths sheet. Then the afternoon quickly descended into chaos. It was fractions, something she hadn’t quite grasped from school yet - a concept that still hurt her head somewhat. Normally though it’d be fine, she’d bring the sheet to you and the two of you used ‘ girl power’ to figure it out… you prior experience as a tutor while in uni helping you know how to break through to her.

Unfortunately Tom didn’t share this same experience. Nor did Tom share a maths qualification… something that had evaded him completely during his schooling career. Of course, it had never been a particular issue, acting didn’t require the use of maths and algebra and Tom was in a very lucky position of being able to pay someone to manage his finances from a very young age. So no, dividing 2/3 and 3/7 didn’t come the most naturally to him. Or at all to be quite honest.

“I CANT DO IT AND GRACE IN MY CLASS COULD!” For context, Grace was one of her school friends, who forever liked to compare herself to the young Holland - especially because she was normally ahead. Nova had gone from quiet frustration, staring at the questions with her tongue sticking out slightly, to one of pure rage - yelling at her dad with tears in her eyes. Nova was normally incredibly intuitive, she always found it difficult when she couldn’t do something. Now, with a ‘teacher’ who was more useless than her - the frustrations inevitably bubbled over.

“Hey, we can work it out, just calm-“

“YOU CANT DO IT EITHER YOUR STUPID “ She was just young and frustrated, Tom tried not to take it personally but … it wasn’t always easy. Chiefly because this was the height of offensive statement Nova knew - this was her version of adult explicit language.

“Nova you can’t be rude.” He used his stern voice, something Tom very rarely used with his little girl. Though he never wanted to upset her, neither did he want her to think it was ever okay to be so rude to anyone like that- no matter how crappy at maths they were. It hurt him to do so but it was necessary - life lessons about the importance of being kind needed to be learnt. And it worked… if what Tom was aiming for was his beautiful baby girl’s eyes to brim with sparkling tears, her bottom lip quivering slightly.

Instantly Tom’s eyebrows drooped, trying to fight his natural reaction to scoop her onto his knee and reassure her everything was okay. But as you had lectured him many a time before, he had to put his foot down once in a while. So instead, the father and daughter were locked in a silence and intense eye contact, until Nova hesitantly began to speak.

“I’m sorry Daddy.” During which, Nova shoved her chair back, making it screech against the tiled floors uglily before running off up the stairs. Tom knew she was crying a lot. Knew this was going to take a bit of fixing.

With a sigh of his daughters name, Tom popped his head into the living to check on Leo who had already finished all his stuff. Seeing him completely zombified in front of ‘paw patrol’ on TV, Tom trudged up the stairs. He knew where she was, when Nova was upset she always hid in the corner of her wardrobe and cried in the darkness. So after steadying himself with a little internal monologue of how to approach the situation Tom walked in and sat down beside the wardrobe - knocking on the door slightly.

“Nova… can we talk please?” All he heard was sniffing echoing from the wooden chamber until she tried to shout through the door.

“Go-go… go away daddy.” It broke his heart, the way her voice wavered, making Tom pout - gently letting his head fall against the wardrobe doors.

“I don’t want you to be upset beautiful…. And you did apologise which I appreciate. You know why Daddy got angry right?” Her sniffles heightened before she muttered a quiet ‘yes’. “And you are sorry? Because that might’ve made me really sad too.”

“I’m s-s-sorry, I didn’t mean it.”

“Then that’s good and we don’t need to cry. You want a cuddle little one?” Before Tom could even properly get up the door was being pushed open by her little hands, revealing a tear stained face and big glassy eyes looking up at her Dad. Swiftly Tom scooped her up and out of the cupboard, whispering to her while she buried her face in his chest.

“Oh come here my little bean.”

//////////////////////

When you came home late that evening, only mildly exhausted from spending the whole day gossiping with your girls, it was weirdly quiet. All the lights were out in the front room, which made you close the door gently, thinking Tom had managed to exhaust the kids - and himself in the process. With a relieved sigh at the peace you pattered into the kitchen to get yourself a drink (it had been a little concern that Tom would’ve worked the kids into a hyperactive and delerious state that kept them up long past bedtime - which ultimately you’d have to deal with). The house was remarkably silent and though it was clear from the littered toys everywhere that it had indeed been Tom alone in charge, everything seemed pretty okay.

It was only as you were about to head upstairs to join your hubby in bed that you realised the study light was still on, streaming through the small crack in the doorframe. Assuming Tom had just neglected to turn it off, in otherwords Tom being Tom, you nudged it open with your hand. Surprisingly though, there was your husband, hunched over the desk, looking almost angrily focused - between the computer screen and a piece of paper below him. Normally you would’ve just assumed it was another script sent over or an edit Harry had sent of another screenplay they were writing together.

But no, the blatant red flag was the screen that you could see. A screen on YouTube, of a man pointing at a whiteboard of fractions.

So with a soft wrist you wrapped your knuckled on the side of the door, even if you had technically already entered the room. The reaction had you stifling a laugh, it was as if you’d caught him watching something *less PG* the way he jumped out his seat, closing the browser immediately.

“Love!! I -er … didn’t know you’d got back?”

“I just did.” You smiled gently, while walking into stand behind his chair, wrapping your arms round his neck and pressing a kiss to his jaw. “Soooo…. what’ca doingggg” The glee in your voice was evident, making Tom groan and shut his eyes.

“I hate you, you know that right?”

“No you don’t… but you were watching a primary school video on fractions, if I’m not so mistaken?” He sighed deeply, making a point of turning the paper with his scribbles over to obscure it.

“Nova’s homework.. she couldn’t do it and neither could I, so then she basically screamed at me for being thick and udseless and then had a breakdown.”

Now you felt guilty. This was a bit of a sore spot with Tom, he always for some reason felt inferior because of his academic ability. Which was stupid- mainly because he was the most clever and talented man you’d ever met. Just…. Just not at fraction.

“Oh T… you could’ve just left it for me to do with her, I don’t mind.”

“That’s not the point Y/n.” He snapped a little, shrugging your arms off him and spinning in the chair so he could face you. “She’s my daughter and I should be able to help her! It’s not like it’s that hard, it’s just I’m unbelievable thick.”

“Tom stop. Look - you can do this I assure you, it’s just been a long old time ‘kay? Your rusty and that’s only natural.”

“I really don’t think I could ev-“

“Can I teach you? It’s just the method and then I promise you’ll get it.”

It took a bit of persuasion but eventually Tom agreed, letting you pull the corner chair forward to beside his desk so you could demonstrate it to him. To be fair, he really could do it- just a bit of familiarising on the ‘stick-change-flip’ method. The way the lightbulb moment literally caused his face to light up; scurrying to do the question for himself, tongue sticking out in the process; then presenting it to you proudly - well it had you melting in your seat.

“See! That took all of 5 minutes and you got it.” You elbowed his side by leaning forward in the chair, which instead of letting go, Tom reached and caught, before pulling you up and round. You landed with you bum perched on the edge of the mahogany desk, Tom now stood up- his legs in-between your parted thighs - your feet hooking round the back of knees.

“It’s all down to my incredibly talented teacher.”

“No…. No I really don’t think it is” You mused with a soft voice, fingers instinctively going to the nape of his neck - twirling the little curls round your fingertips.

“Well even so… I think I could teach you a thing or two too.” Never one to mull on anything, Tom’s tone had immediately switched to something a lot more… mischievous.

“Not even going to ask about my day? Wheres the chat mr smooth?” He had to repress the grin at your smirk because as much as you infuriated the hell out of him - you also had this weird ability of making him feel so entranced and helpless. He relented with a sarcastic chime.

“Fine, how was your day love.”

“Good…. but I have a feeling you’re about to make it a whole lot better.”

That was all the signals he needed to lean forward, in doing so forcing you back until your back landed completely on the cool wood. His lips feathered yours, both hands pinned either side of your head.

“Oh darling… you have no idea.”

#tom holland #tomholland #tom holland fluff #tom holland x reader #dad!tom #tom holland x y/n #tom holland x you #fluff #Tom Holland angst

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literaryobsession · 2 years

Text

lost || mirio x fem!reader

summary: you saw Mirio Togata’s journey from entering UA to the Shie Hassakai mission

warning: mentions of fighting and death

word count: 1822

chapters: i , iii , iv , v , vi , vii , viii

CHAPTER II - NORTH STAR

"You found me again, Y/N!" Mirio chuckled as he towered over me and Tamaki on the first day of classes. "Did I leave too much glow on the ground?" Honestly, on most days he does. Mirio is a social butterfly who went everywhere and can talk to everyone.

"No, sunny, you were simply taller than everyone else." I poked him on the cheek before turning towards Tamaki, "Ready for today, Tama?"

He sulked and shook his head. It was a problem for him to meet new people, which was unfortunate because there will be a lot today.

"Ah! You should be excited that we're meeting new friends!" As always, Mirio brightened us up before herding us towards our new classroom. I walked by Tamaki, almost watching over him because he always had the tendency to sneak off to hide someplace where it is just him and darkness.

"We'll be with you every step of the way, okay Tama?" I told him as we stepped into the classroom.

Tamaki smiled a bit, "Thank you."

I leaned back on my seat as Pro Hero Thirteen talked about outer space. Although we were given the privilege to be taught by Pro Heroes, UA also focuses on academics for all of its courses and because I didn't have the strongest quirk in the class, I made sure I was keeping up with my studies.

Sitting right beside me was Nejire Hado, a pretty girl who made lots of friends on her first day. She glowed a soft lilac, which was soothing on the eyes.

Somewhere behind me was Tamaki, who although was also very good with his studies, made no effort to recite in class. He simply sunk on his seat.

"Star."

"Mmm?" I turned my head with Mirio's voice calling me but I paused when the class seemed surprised that I responded.

Chuckling from her beside the board, Thirteen broke the silence, "Ms. Y/N, I believe Mr. Togata was talking to me and yes, you are absolutely right." She then proceeded to write the answer down.

I blushed and saw Mirio grinning wide at me before giving me two thumbs up.

"Do you have a hero name ready, Ms. Y/N?" Midnight stopped beside my seat as she glanced at my empty whiteboard. "None yet?"

I sighed and shook my head, "No, Midnight. I can't think of anything good for me."

Just before Midnight could respond, the ever-confident Mirio Togata marched to the front and grinned wide. "I have my hero name ready! I will be called Lemillion!"

"Ah! How interesting! Why Lemillion?" Midnight turned her attention towards the bright boy.

"Because I plan to save at least a million people!" He announced to the entire class which Midnight loved immensely. Then, without leaving the front, Mirio looked at me, "No hero name yet, Y/N?"

"Mirio, you can get off the podium first." I chuckled nervously before hiding my whiteboard from him.

"I know what your hero name is!" His face brightened considerably after frowning just a few seconds ago. "You can be North Star!"

To which Midnight replied, "Why should she be North Star?" I turned to my teacher, why is she humoring him further?

"Because Y/N can find almost anything and anyone! According to Thirteen, the North Star gives direction. Y/N can give direction!" He answered almost immediately as if he had been thinking about it for a while now.

And that was how I got my hero name.

North Star.

By the time we were in our second year, Nejire started hanging out with us. She found our little group cute so she decided to join in the fun. She still had a lot of friends but by this time, we were all constantly together.

"Y/N!" Nejire bounced over my direction as I entered the cafeteria. She wrapped her arms around me and giggled before letting go, "I missed you!"

"I was sick for a day, Nejire." I linked arms with her as she pulled me towards an empty table. Tamaki and Mirio followed close behind.

"We'll get your lunch, star. Don't move!" Mirio pulled Tamaki away before I can even complain.

I sighed, nothing can stop Mirio once he sets his mind on something so I just joined Nejire. "What happened while I was gone?"

"Miri was worried about you the entire day yesterday." Nejire smiled knowingly.

"Weren't you also worried about me?" I tried to ignore her words, mainly because she would go on teasing me.

She puffed her cheeks and pouted, "I was! But you should have seen Mirio! He was like a lost puppy without his star." Nejire's eyes twinkled. "I always told you he liked you, why isn't it obvious?"

"Because," I answered.

"No! You can't do that to me. Tamaki can't say anything about it but I can." Nejire insisted, "I have always thought you and Mirio were dating. Even on the first day, you two seemed like boyfriend-girlfriend."

"Pfft."

Nejire glanced at me and giggled, "Just admit it."

"I don't have anything to admit." I denied it, wondering it if was obvious that I was developing some sort of crush on Mirio Togata.

"Admit what?" Speak of the devil.

The two handed us our lunch before they took their seats. Tamaki sat close to me, wary of all the people around him. Mirio sat beside Nejire, across Tamaki so he can see him.

"What was that about admitting something?" Mirio inquired again.

"We were having girl talk, Miri. Don't be such a gossip." Nejire waved him off before glancing at me.

When we got into our third and last year, my three friends have been declared as the Big Three.

It was announced during the first assembly of the third year. Mirio, Tamaki, and Nejire were recognized on stage for their hard work, dedication, and power. Principal Nezu was so proud of them, much like I was.

No no, I would argue to that.

No one was more proud than I am.

I watched them train every single day. They all went from clumsy first years to almost Pro Heroes.

Nejire, who once levitated for a whole two minutes before crashing, could now manipulate her energy so she can both levitate for long periods of time and make energy waves at the same time.

Tamaki, who used to transform clumsily into different animals, could now control which part of him and which animal part would manifest.

Mirio, who I used to find stuck through walls, could now permeate easily everywhere and manipulate how and when to.

It was so amazing how they improved.

Of course, I stayed as I was. The only improvement I seemed to have made was the length of time I could be able to see the glow - Principal Nezu once told me that they were actually auras but we were all used to calling them glows that we never stopped.

"Ah, that was embarrassing!" Mirio told me as we all went back to our classrooms. Nejire laughed but I can tell she was proud of herself.

"Troublesome," Tamaki murmured beside him.

"You were all awesome, guys." I told them, "Imagine being the Big Three!" It was a privilege given to the most powerful third years of the batch. "That was so cool!"

"No! It would be cool if you were right there with us." The tall blond laid his arm around my shoulders. He used to be thinner than this! How can his arm feel so heavy?

I squirmed underneath his arm, "Miri! Too heavy!"

"Oh! Sorry, star." He let me go, "But really? You should be there."

"No. I didn't qualify. I'm not as strong as you guys are." I took my seat as soon as we entered the classroom. Because Mirio insisted, we were all at the back of the classroom. He was too tall to sit with us so he dragged us behind everyone else.

"You know that's not true! Sir Nighteye knows you're strong so you are." He pointed out.

Mirio and I were working for Sir Nighteye's agency for Hero Work-Studies. For some reason, he accepted me because I made him laugh over the story of how I met Mirio. I worked closely with Bubble Girl as we closely tracked the prowling villains in the area.

"You are so biased, Mirio Togata." I shook my head. There was nothing wrong about acknowledging that you were not as good as other people but Mirio often takes it as a sign that I was bashing myself which he doesn't like.

Mirio pouted beside me. "Star."

"I'm sorry I called you that." There is no way to be even remotely irritated at this guy.

"Who am I?" He pouted even more.

"Lemillion?"

"No."

"Miri?"

"Try again."

I know which answer he wanted, "Sunny."

"Did you hear?" Nejire walked over to our table in the library. "The first years were attacked earlier."

Tamaki lifted his eyes from his book, "What? The first years? Were villains able to enter UA finally? No. I didn't hear the alarm. How can they be attacked? Are we attacked?"

"No no, they were attacked at USJ." She informed us, sitting down and sharing more of the news, "Some of them were injured but it was incredible because they faced off with villains!"

"Villains? They're first years!" Tamaki mumbled then he continued to whisper incoherently beside us, sinking away in the far corner of the room.

And then, Mirio appeared. He was running excitedly towards us. "Did you hear? Aren't they amazing?"

"Mirio! Eraser Head was injured!" Nejire scolded him.

"Yes but these are the first years we'll meet soon! I can't wait to see them!" Mirio wrapped his arms around me, hugging me in excitement.

"Calm down, Miri. You will not be meeting them any time soon. Why don't you calm down and..." I paused because Mirio was already planning to meet the Class I-A on his own. "No Mirio, no. You'll scare them off."

"But I am so excited!" He pressed his cheek against mine.

"I know." It was practically oozing off him, "But the kids should first enjoy the Sports Festival and their possible internship first before you..."

"Discourage them." Nejire finished and I nodded.

Defeated, Mirio let me go and settled on a chair beside me. He dumped his face on the table, moaning and groaning in protest.

Nejire looked pointedly at me then at the blond. I sighed and shrugged, knowing she wanted me to do something to make Mirio stop.

"Sunny?"

The boy groaned.

"Here." I offered my hand to him. He smiled quickly and rested his cheek on my palm. I was actually asking him to hold my hand because I would usually discourage him as a lot of people already teased us about our relationship. "This works too."

"It does." Mirio agreed as he closed his eyes, contentment painted on his face.

#my hero academia #boku no hero fanfic #boku no hero academia #mirio togata #mirio x you #mirio x reader

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potionsprefect · 3 years

Text

One Split Second

Pairings: Ethan Ramsey x Victoria Clarke

Word count: 2.4k

Summary: An incident in the hospital sends shockwaves

Rating: T

Category: angst/trauma (but there’s a happy ending)

Victoria Clarke walked the corridors of Bloom Edenbrook, smiling to fellow doctors and nurses who were attending to patients. She headed over to the admin desk to pick up a new patient chart, having previously discharged her last one.

“Hi Ines. Any interesting cases come in today?” Victoria asked as she approached the doctor.

“Hiya Victoria. Take your pick. The sooner we discharge these patients, the better. How’s the wedding planning coming along?” Ines replied brightly.

“We’re getting there. These last few months are stressful making sure everything’s in order. I’ve already fallen out with my sister-in-law twice over my nieces bridesmaid dress.” Victoria sighed.

“Oh no. I’m sorry to hear that. What was it over? Angie had a similar problem with hers and opted for none in the end!” Ines laughed slightly.

“I wanted my niece Isabella to wear a headband on the day but my sister-in-law disagreed saying she would find it itchy. She wanted her to wear a flower crown but I’m not a big fan of those. This was two weeks ago and we haven’t really spoken since.” Victoria sighed.

Victoria loved her sister in law Erin but she really wished she had listened to what she was trying to point out. Erin was adamant that Isabella wouldn’t wear the headband but Victoria had said she had worn them before. Erin said she knew her daughter best and that she wouldn’t wear one and Victoria couldn’t persuade her. They hadn’t spoken since.

“Oh I’m sorry. Nine times out of ten the stress leading up to a wedding is usually always something to do with bridesmaids. But all of that won’t spoil your big day! I’m so excited for you!”

“Thanks Ines.” Victoria smiled.

“Instead of taking your pick, I’ve got one case here for you.” Ines pointed to the whiteboard. “It’s just been assigned to you which I found a little strange but I guess it’s nothing abnormal. Here’s the chart.” Ines handed Victoria a standard looking chart.

“Thanks Ines” Victoria smiled as she walked off down the corridor and into the elevator to see the said patient.

Her route to the patients room took her past her fiancé’s office. She saw him through the window, working away at the laptop in front of him. Victoria made a mental note to go visit him once she has assessed her new patient.

Finding the correct room, Victoria opened the door and noticed the curtains were drawn around the bed.

“Mr Embleton?” Victoria pulled back the curtain and froze in her steps.

“Well well well. Hello Victoria. What a nice surprise seeing you here.” A young man smirked from his bedside.

“George Embleton?! What are you doing here?” Victoria stepped back.

“What does it look like I’m doing here? I’ve injured my leg. I need stitches.” George pointed to his leg. “And you’re going to be the one to do it.”

“Why me?”

“Because I said so.” George replied.

Victoria eyed the young man she had once been at school with. He had always been a nasty piece of work. What was he doing in Boston?

Victoria grabbed the suturing kit and pulled up a stool and set to work on stitching George’s leg. Victoria could just see out the corner of his eye him watching her, almost as if he was waiting for her to make a mistake.

“So what are you doing here in Boston?”

“A simple hello would’ve sufficed. But as you’re clearly so desperate, I’m here for a conference. Not that it’s any of your business.” George replied.

“Part of my job is to make conversation to keep the patients at ease, whether I know them or not is irrelevant.” Victoria replied not looking up from her work.

“You always were a mouthy little cow at school, shame your attitude hasn’t changed.”

“And you’re still treating me like you did all these years later. And for the record, the Wilkinson School of Dancing thought I was amazing, no matter what your little friends told you.” Victoria looked up at him.

“Keep telling yourself that Clarke, I’m not the one who fumbled up a big performance.” George shrugged.

“Only after you shouted out that you’d seen less fat on a piece of steak than my thighs.” Victoria said eyes burning with tears.

Dance used to be her life. She thought about becoming a professional dancer instead of a doctor but that one performance shattered her confidence that she never danced in front of an audience again.

“Wasn’t lying though was I?”

“Not even your friends could persuade you to dial it down a bit. Did someone hurt you in another life and you were reborn so you could be hellbent on getting revenge?” Victoria hit back. He wasn’t going to come here and terrorise her. Not now and not ever.

“Shut your mouth.” George snapped.

“Luckily for you I will. Because I’m done. I’ll get you your discharge paper and you can get the hell out of here so I never have to see your face again.” Victoria said standing up.

As Victoria turned her back, what she didn’t know was that George had a lighter in his hand and a cigarette in the other. She also didn’t notice when she originally walked into the room that he had an IV in his arm.

What happened next, seemed to happen in slow motion. George flicked the lighter and Victoria found herself thrown to the floor, her ears ringing, vision blurry, she could just about make out an orange flame before everything went black

— — — — —

Ethan headed down the stairs, a small spring in his step. Life really couldn’t be much better. He was about to marry the love of his life in a few months and he was looking forward to starting a new life with her.

“Doctor Ramsey!” A voice called behind him. Ethan turned round to see Sienna walking towards him, chart in hand.

“Doctor Trinh.” Ethan nodded as she came and stood next to him.

“I just wanted to check that you are ok. Victoria mentioned she was having a slight disagreement with her sister in law over wedding planning and I wanted to check that you’re not caught in the middle.”

“That’s very kind of you Sienna.” Ethan chuckled.

“Just trying to be a better person every chance I get.” Sienna shrugged.

“There’s a lot of people out in the world who would be grateful for you checking up on them. I am definitely one of them.” Ethan smiled.

“Thank you. So tell me. Has the storm weathered or are the clouds still rolling?” Sienna laughed a little.

“To be honest it’s just raining at this point. They haven’t spoken since but the storm clouds have evaporated. William and I are trying to make peace but Erin is standing firm by her decision.” Ethan sighed.

“I’m sure she’ll come around. It’s Victoria’s and your wedding in the end. What Victoria wants should be the final decision.” Sienna said.

“I hope so. I just don’t want that to overshadow the big day.”

“It won’t. All that matters that day is you two and your happiness. Besides, we’ve all been planning a special present for the two of you so even if the wedding goes wrong, you’ll have something to cheer you up.” Sienna laughed a little.

“Thanks Sienna, although I hope-“

BOOM!

The noise was deafening. Everyone within a few feet of the blast were thrown off their feet. Glass shattered everywhere and there was the smell of smoke and a bright orange flame.

Ethan lifted his head and saw others slowly getting to their feet. He looked round and saw Sienna lying a few feet away, covered in blood.

“Sienna! Are you okay?” Ethan moved over to her, helping her get to her feet.

“Yeah I think so. Is that blood?” She felt her forehead and felt something sticky. “Oh god.”

“Go and get yourself cleaned up.” Ethan said.

“No no I’m okay. I’ll be fine.” Sienna insisted. “Where did this explosion come from?”

“I don’t know. We need to open this door.” Ethan said.

He decided to break the door down not knowing what to expect behind it. Once he kicked the door off it’s hinges his heart stopped.

There on the floor, laid his beautiful fiancé. Ethan dropped to his knees and cradled her head in his hands, tears forming in his eyes.

“Oh my god!” Sienna cried. “I’ll go grab a gurney!” She hurried off and came back with two nurses who were pushing a gurney.

“Do blood work and get her vitals. And we need a head CT just to be sure.” Ethan barked as he picked up his soon to be bride and laid her gently on the gurney.

“Got it, we’ll look after her.” Sienna reassured him. She knew he wanted to stay but his anger was high. He needed to stay calm and seeing Victoria how she was wasn’t going to help anyone.

“Sienna-“

“No Ethan. She’ll be okay. She’s in safe hands. Help others who are injured and find out what the hell has happened.” Sienna instructed as she wheeled Victoria away to a trauma room.

Ethan watched her be wheeled away by the nurses, panic still rushing though his veins. His thoughts were interrupted by an object approaching him out the corner of his eye.

“I am here to help. Please do not interfere with my work.” Binx’s cheery voice echoed.

“Yes yes carry on you overgrown pile of nuisance.” Ethan huffed.

“You sound angry. I am trained to-“

Ethan punched him.

— — — — —

The bright lights were beginning to irritate her, voices swarmed around, not to mention the pounding as if someone was hitting her head with a hammer.

“I think she’s waking up!” A familiar voice said. Victoria opened her eyes to see a dozen pair of eyes looking down at her.

“Victoria? Can you hear me?” Sienna voice said.

“Yeah I... what happened?” Victoria said groggily.

“There was an explosion in one of the rooms. Luckily you’re not too badly injured.” Sienna replied.

“Shame about the other guy.” Jackie said.

“Other guy?” Victoria asked. Then it hit her. “Oh my god! My patient!” Victoria sat up.

“Woah Vic calm down! He’s okay. Well kind of. He wasn’t badly injured, but he was arrested.” Bryce said from the foot of the bed.

“What?!”

“Yeah it turns out the saline bags had ether in them, one spark and then everything just blew up. He apparently had a lighter in his pocket.” Elijah said.

“He said he knew you. Who was he?” Rafael asked from where he was sat.

“I... I went to school with him. He used to bully me relentless.” Victoria sighed.

“So how comes you were assigned to him?” Sienna asked.

“I may have an answer to that.” Jackie said. Everyone looked at her as she turned to Victoria, looking at her sympathetically. “You know the lab technician Eliza Fitzgerald? Turns out they’re cousins. She was the one who put the saline bags in even though he didn’t require them. And she put your name on the board at his request. They’re both in custody now.”

“But why?” Bryce said.

“Because he hates me. And he clearly wanted to step everything up a notch.” Victoria said tears rolling down her face.

“We’d never let anyone hurt you. You’ll always have us and Ethan.” Sienna put an arm around her.

“Speaking of Ethan why isn’t he round my bedside? And where’s Aurora?”

“Patching up your fiancées hand. He and Binx had an unfortunate encounter earlier.” Elijah chuckled.

“It was quite a sight to see.” Rafael laughed.

“He’s also barking out orders to the hospital board about employee safety. I don’t think I’ve ever seen Naveen look so wary of him.” Jackie said.

“I’ve made a mental note to never cross Ramsey’s path.” Bryce chuckled.

“I’ll page him, we’ll come by and see you tomorrow.” Sienna gave Victoria a hug. The rest of the group filtered out the room as Victoria gazed out into the dark sky, the city sparkling under the moonlight.

“You need to stop scaring me Rookie.” A voice suddenly said. Victoria looked towards the door to see her fiancée hurrying over to her bed, wrapping her up in his arms when he got close enough.

“I’m so sorry Ethan.” Victoria sighed leaning into his embrace.

“What on earth are you apologising for? You’ve got nothing to be sorry for.” Ethan said kissing her cheek, running a hand through her hair. “Dr Varma explained everything to me.”

“I thought I could handle it. I had no idea what he was doing.”

“You don’t need to explain yourself to me. He’s locked up, far away from you, he can’t hurt you again.”

“I know and I’m glad. Although from what I’ve heard, it sounds like I’m not the only one who ran into an old foe today.” Victoria chuckled slightly, picking up Ethan’s hand that was wrapped in a bandage and kissed it.

“That calculator made its final equation.” Ethan chuckled resting his chin on top of Victoria’s head.

“I wish I was there to see it.” Victoria smiled.

“You wouldn’t have stopped talking about it for weeks.”

“Of course. And I think everyone would be gossiping as well. I heard you went to the boards and gave them a tough time.”

“I did what I was obliged to do, not just as your fiancé but as your boss. Our doctors should be safe when they are in work, everything could’ve ended up so different tonight.” Ethan sighed.

“Luckily it didn’t.” Victoria smiled.

“Indeed. I love you, you know.” Ethan looked at her, cupping her face in his hands.

“I love you too. I can’t wait to marry you.” Victoria smiled.

“And I can’t wait to marry you.” Ethan smiled kissing her passionately. The two began to lose themselves in each other’s kiss before the vibrating of a phone forced them to break apart.

“Who’s that?” Ethan kissed her cheek, nuzzling his nose there.

“It’s Erin.” Victoria said confused. “You were right, I’m sorry.” She looked at Ethan.

“Sounds like she’s willing to compromise about the headband.” Ethan chuckled tightening his arms around her.

“Sounds like she is.” Victoria stared at her phone.

“Come on, you need sleep.” Ethan took her phone and put it away and forced Victoria to lie down before he laid down next to her.

“Are you staying the night?” Victoria looked up at him.

“I’m not going anywhere.” Ethan replied.

“Good. I want a cuddle.”

“You always want a cuddle.”

“You give the best cuddles, I always want more.”

The couple drifted off to sleep in each other’s arms.

— — — — —

Well that was a ride! But we love a happy ending!

Let me know if you would like to be tagged

Tag list:

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a-w-g-x-blog · 5 years

Text

Mr Barakat & Mr Gaskarth

Hi!! Ive never really written any fan fictions or imagines before, so if this isnt that good im sorry. Ill try my hardest though:)

I walk through the school gates texting my best friend Aria. Im basically just ranting to her about how stressed- but excited i am because i have Mr Barakat first period. She sends me a message saying: “Yo i see u”, i look up in attempt to look for her and i see her straight away. I make my way towards her, running faster than i ever thought was possible.

“Hey whats up? Youre stressing so much calm down” Aria says to me while patting my back. Im crouched over, puffing from running.

You see, im not that good at exercise... at all.

*bell rings* “Come on lets go to class. I bet you’re just so excited to see Mr Barakat” aria says and nudges me in the side, i give her a threatening look in response. She stops.

I walk into the class room and make direct eye contact with Mr Barakat, it sent shivers down my spine. He smiled and i smiled back.

I walked to my usual seat at the back of the classroom and sat down next to aria. we talked for about a minute before mr Barakat decided to get up and quiet down the class. he started writing some stuff up on the whiteboard and instructed us on what to do for this lesson, of course, I wasn't listening. I was just paying attention to his pretty little face. he's adorable. ....and super hot.

I didn't do my work or pay attention to the stuff he was telling the classing was just looking at him. he was a really nice ass btw. r e a l l y n i c e. sometimes I just wanna poke it, buuuuuuuuut I can't really do that.

as I'm just staring, daydreaming, yknow, the usual, aria nudges me over and over again, truing to get my attention. I finally snap out of it. “HES COMING OVER” she whisper yelled at me. I look up and see him slowly making his way over to our desk. I immediately freak the fuck out and get really nervous.

“hey, y/n, can I see you after class? its important” he says to me and leans on my desk.

“y- yes of- of course mr Barakat” I stutter, but manage to get it out of my stupid mouth.

“great ill see you later” he says, and walks off.

I. nearly. screamed.

and so did aria..

she nudged my side and make a weird face.

“hm?” I said.

“HE ASKED UIIU TP DTASY BSCK ASFTERBCLSS” she said, I hardly understood a word she said, but I do understand why she was freaking out so much. he really did ask to see me after class, but it'll probably be something very different to what were both hoping.

see, my friend Aria has a ~crush~ on her music teacher, miss Page, and I, have a crush on mr Barakat, .......and another teacher called mr Gaskarth, yep. two crushes at once. lemme tell you its not fun. aria and I basically just fangirl a lot over our ‘teacher crushes’.

When the end of period bell rang, aria laughed and ran out of the classroom yelling ‘HAVE FUN!’.

...and at this point i wanted to die.

I walked up to the front of the classroom to his desk and stood there silently while he finished off talking to another student. When it was just him and i in the room he started talking.

“Like i said, this is important. Y/n youre failing my class horribly and im not sure why, would you like to explain?” He said in quite a serious tone. Now im scared.

“Uhm im not totally sure why im failing Mr Barakat im very sorr-“ he cut me off,

“so you dont know why youre failing?” He asked confused.

“N- no. Im sorry.” When really, i did know. It was because i never gave a damn about what he was saying i was only ever paying attention to his body.

“Hm okay well try a bit harder i guess... the only reason i can think of is that you always seem to be daydreamimg in class. Sooooooo might wanna stop that. Anyways see ya later alligator” he said and laughed. His laugh is adorable.

I smiled and waved goodbye, and walked out of the classroom. So.. he notices im day dreaming... that means he looks at me omg he knows i actually exist, unlike all the other teachers who just seem to ignore my whole existence. ...not mr gaskarth though hes nice too.

I made my way to the cola and met up with aria.

“OMG OMG OMG WHAT HAPPENED DID YOU KISS OMG WHAT HAPPENED” she yelled in my face, extremely loudly, just so everyone could hear.

“No. We did not. He simply talked to me about my grades and how i need to pay attention in class instead of daydreaming..” i said quite calmy.

Aria frowned.

We talked for the rest of recess and went to our next class, math. Ugh i hate our math teacher. So. Much.

I dont pay attention, i just think about mr barakat, aaaand then aria reminds me that i have music with him this afternoon. I instantly get nervous. Music with mr gaskarth always makes me nervous.. beause its really obvious when you didnt pay attention. Like, he could be explaining all this stuff, and then when he tells you to go play this particular instrument, you have no idea what the fuck he wants you to do with it. So its alwas nerve wracking.

*Le time skip*

The end of period bell goes, and i start making my way to music, aria and i part half way as she has cooking. Ha. Suck shit bitCh.

Im surprisingly the first one to the classroom, i slowly walk in and wave to mr gaskarth. He smiles and waves back.

“Do you know where the rest of the class is?” He asks me.

“Uhm no sorry im not sure.. i was wondering why i was the first one here haha..” I mentally face palm myself for being so awkward.

“Well, i guess we can just hang out until they all show up” he said and smiled.

I grinned and nodded. Oh man. Yes.

“So what’ve you been up to lately? Hows your day been so far?” He asks and smiles and then takes a sip of water from his bottle.

“Ehh its been okay i guess... the only two good parts of today were first period when i had mr barakat and now when i have you.” I laughed and so did he, i even saw him turn a slight shade of red. it was so cute. “Mr barakat talked to me after class and told me im failing because i daydream too much in class” i said and blushed, becuase damn i was embarrassed that i said that. God dammit i hate myself.

“Aw, well i mean you do daydream a lot y/n” he said and laughed.

I looked down at the floor and awkwardly laughed.

And just then the class walks in.

“Yo gaskarth sorry were late some kid got in a fight it was lit” some kid said. (Yes, murder me all youd like for that sentence).

“Oh.. its okay I guess” mr gaskarth said and re-positioned himself in his seat. Everyone sat down and i sat at the back of the room like i always do.

He started going on about some music shit.. i dont know what. I like music, well... listening to it. Music class? I hate it, its so boring, the only thing i like about it is my fucking teacher.

His lecture about what i think was about.... opera or some shit ended and he instructed us to all go get a keyboard and play a certain song. Now, you see... i cannot, and i mean CANNOT play keyboard. I am so bad at it. But mr gaskarth has given me an A on all my keyboard tasks anyways when i cant even do them.. hes nice with stuff like that. I wonder if he does it for anyone else...

I sat down at a keyboard and pressed the g note over.. and over... and over again for nearly 45 minutes, until last period had finished. Of course, i was looking at what mr gaskarth was doing while hitting the g note. He was adorable... his little smirk and the cute faces he makes are just, perfectly adorable.

When the end of bell rang, i got up, collected my stuff and headed to the door, but i felt a hand grab my arm and stop me in my tracks. I look behind me to see who it was, just expecting a random person in my class, it was actually mr gaskarth. I blushed like mad and i saw that he could see that. He nervously laughed and scratched his head while looking away cutely.

“So uh.. i just wanted to tell you that you look really nice today. Like, your hair and your makeup its just-“ i cut him off.

“THANK YOU” i practically yelled....

He laughed. “Youre welcome, youre very pretty. I heard some people calling you emo and ugly earlier.. and i didnt know what to do because i think you actually look great today” he said and smiled at me.

“Thank you, you really dont know how much that means to me, mr gaskarth.” I said and smiled sweetly and blushed again.

“Well... you should get going. Have a nice rest of the day” he said as i was leaving and smiled.

“You too, mr gaskarth” i replied, smiled, and waved him goodbye, he did too.

I made my way out of school and started walking home.

I hate that i like teachers... and two of them... why cant i just like 1 person? And can they not be a goddamn teacher? I sighed and continued my walk home.

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wickedbananas · 6 years

Text

Reputation Management SEO: How to Own Your Branded Keywords in Google - Whiteboard Friday

Posted by randfish

A searcher's first experience with your brand happens on Google's SERPs — not your website. Having the ability to influence their organic first impression can go a long way toward improving both customer perception of your brand and conversion rates. In today's Whiteboard Friday, Rand takes us through the inherent challenges of reputation management SEO and tactics for doing it effectively.

Click on the whiteboard image above to open a high-resolution version in a new tab!

Video Transcription

Howdy, Moz fans, and welcome to another edition of Whiteboard Friday. This week we are chatting about reputation management SEO.

So it turns out I've been having a number of conversations with many of you in the Moz community and many friends of mine in the startup and entrepreneurship worlds about this problem that happens pretty consistently, which is essentially that folks who are searching for your brand in Google experience their first touch before they ever get to your site, their first experience with your brand is through Google's search result page. This SERP, controlling what appears here, what it says, how it says it, who is ranking, where they're ranking, all of those kinds of things, can have a strong input on a bunch of things.

The challenge

We know that the search results' content can impact...

Your conversion rate. People see that the reviews are generally poor or the wording is confusing or it creates questions in their mind that your content doesn't answer. That can hurt your conversion rate.

It can hurt amplification. People who see you in here, who think that there is something bad or negative about you, might be less likely to link to you or share or talk about you.

It can impact customer satisfaction. Customers who are going to buy from you but see something negative in the search results might be more likely to complain about it. Or if they see that you have a lower review or ranking or whatnot, they may be more likely to contribute a negative one than if they had seen that you had stellar ones. Their expectations are being biased by what's in these search results. A lot of times it is totally unfair.

So many of the conversations I've been having, for example with folks in the startup space, are like, "Hey, people are reviewing my product. We barely exist yet. We don't have these people as customers. We feel like maybe we're getting astroturfed by competitors, or someone is just jumping in here and trying to profit off the fact that we have a bunch of brand search now." So pretty frustrating.

How can we influence this page to maximize positive impact for our brand?

There are, however, some ways to address it. In order to change these results, make them better, Minted, for example, of which I should mention I used to be on Minted's Board of Directors, and so I believe my wife and I still have some stock in that company. So full disclosure there. But Minted, they're selling holiday cards. The holiday card market is about to heat up before November and December here in the United States, which is the Christmas holiday season, and that's when they sell a lot of these cards. So we can do a few things.

I. Change who ranks. So potentially remove some and add some new ones in here, give Google some different options. We could change the ranking order. So we could say, "Hey, we prefer this be lower down and this other one be higher up." We can change that through SEO.

II. Change the content of the ranking pages. If you have poor reviews or if someone has written about you in a particular way and you wish to change that, there are ways to influence that as well.

III. Change the SERP features. So we may be able to get images, for example, of Minted's cards up top, which would maybe make people more likely to purchase them, especially if they're exceptionally beautiful.

IV. Add in top stories. If Minted has some great press about them, we could try and nudge Google to use stuff from Google News in here. Maybe we could change what's in related searches, those types of things.

V. Shift search demand. So if it's the case that you're finding that people start typing "Minted" and then maybe are search suggested "Minted versus competitor X" or "Minted card problems" or whatever it is, I don't think either of those are actually in the suggest, but there are plenty of companies who do have that issue. When that's the case, you can also shift the search demand.

Reputation management tactics

Here are a number of tactics that I actually worked on with the help of Moz's Head of SEO, Britney Muller. Britney and I came up with a bunch of tactics, so many that they won't entirely fit on here, but we can describe a few more for you in the comments.

A. Directing link to URLs off your site (Helps with 1 & 2). First off, links are still a big influencer of a lot of the content that you see here. So it is the case that because Yelp is a powerful domain and they have lots of links, potentially even have lots of links to this page about Minted, it's the case that changing up those links, redirecting some of them, adding new links to places, linking out from your own site, linking from articles you contribute to, linking from, for example, the CEO's bio or a prominent influencer on the team's bio when they go and speak at events or contribute to sources, or when Minted makes donations, or when they support public causes, or when they're written about in the press, changing those links and where they point to can have a positive impact.

One of the problems that we see is that a lot of brands think, "All my links about my brand should always go to my homepage." That's not actually the case. It could be the case that you actually want to find, hey, maybe we would like our Facebook page to rank higher. Or hey, we wrote a great piece on Medium about our engineering practices or our diversity practices or how we give back to our community. Let's see if we can point some of our links to that.

B. Pitching journalists or bloggers or editors or content creators on the web (Helps with 1, 4, a little 3), of any kind, to write about you and your products with brand titled pieces. This is on e of the biggest elements that gets missing. For example, a journalist for the San Francisco Chronicle might write a piece about Minted and say something like, "At this startup, it's not unusual to find blah, blah, blah." What you want to do is go, "Come on, man, just put the word 'Minted' in the title of the piece." If they do, you've got a much better shot of having that piece potentially rank in here. So that's something that whoever you're working with on that content creation side, and maybe a reporter at the Chronicle would be much more difficult to do this, but a blogger who's writing about you or a reviewer, someone who's friendly to you, that type of a pitch would be much more likely to have some opportunity in there. It can get into the top stories SERP feature as well.

C. Crafting your own content (Helps with 1, a little 3). If they're not going to do it for you, you can craft your own content. You can do this in two kinds of ways. One is for open platforms like Medium.com or Huffington Post or Forbes or Inc. or LinkedIn, these places that accept those, or guest accepting publications that are much pickier, that are much more rarely taking input, but that rank well in your field. You don't have to think about this exclusively from a link building perspective. In fact, you don't care if the links are nofollow. You don't care if they give you no links at all. What you're trying to do is get your name, your title, your keywords into the title element of the post that's being put up.

D. You can influence reviews (Helps with 3 & 5). Depending on the site, it's different from site to site. So I'm putting TOS acceptable, terms of service acceptable nudges to your happy customers and prompt diligent support to the unhappy ones. So Yelp, for example, says, "Don't solicit directly reviews, but you are allowed to say, 'Our business is featured on Yelp.'" For someone like Minted, Yelp is mostly physical places, and while Minted technically has a location in San Francisco, their offices, it's kind of odd that this is what's ranking here. In fact, I wouldn't expect this to be. I think this is a strange result to have for an online-focused company, to have their physical location in there. So certainly by nudging folks who are using Minted to rather than contribute to their Facebook reviews or their Google reviews to actually say, "Hey, we're also on Yelp. If you've been happy with us, you can check us out there." Not go leave us a review there, but we have a presence.

E. Filing trademark violations (Helps with 1 & 3). So this is a legal path and legal angle, but it works in a couple of different ways. You can do a letter or an email from your attorney's office, and oftentimes that will shut things down. In fact, brief story, a friend of mine, who has a company, found that their product was featured on Amazon's website. They don't sell on Amazon. No one is reselling on Amazon. In fact, the product mostly hasn't even shipped yet. When they looked at the reviews, because they haven't sold very many of their product, it's an expensive product, none of the people who had left reviews were actually their customers. So they went, "What is going on here?" Well, it turns out Amazon, in order to list your product, needs your trademark permission. So they can send an attorney's note to Amazon saying, "Hey, you are using our product, our trademark, our brand name, our visuals, our photos without permission. You need to take that down."

The other way you can go about this is the Digital Millennium Copyright Act (DMCA) protocols. You can do this directly through Google, where you file and say basically, "Hey, they've taken copyrighted content from us and they're using it on their website, and that's illegal." Google will actually remove them from the search results. This is not necessarily a legal angle, but I bet you didn't know this. A few years ago I had an article on Wikipedia about me, Rand Fishkin. There was like a Wikipedia piece. I don't like that. Wikipedia, it's uncontrollable. Because I'm in the SEO world, I don't have a very good relationship with Wikipedia's editors. So I actually lobbied them, on the talk page of the article about me, to have it removed. There are a number of conditions that Wikipedia has where a page can be removed. I believe I got mine removed under the not notable enough category, which I think probably still applies. That was very successful. So wonderfully, now, Wikipedia doesn't rank for my name anymore, which means I can control the SERPs much more easily. So a potential there too.

F. Using brand advertising and/or influencer marketing to nudge searchers towards different phrases (Helps with 5). So what you call your products, how you market yourself is often how people will search for you. If Minted wanted to change this from Minted cards to minted photo cards, and they really like the results from minted photo cards and those had better conversion rates, they could start branding that through their advertising and their influencer marketing.

G. Surrounding your brand name, a similar way, with common text, anchor phrases, and links to help create or reinforce an association that Google builds around language (Helps with 4 & 5). In that example I said before, having Minted plus a link to their photo cards page or Minted photo cards appearing on the web, not only their own website but everywhere else out there more commonly than Minted cards will bias related searches and search suggest. We've tested this. You can actually use anchor text and surrounding text to sort of bias, in addition to how people search, how Google shows it.

H. Leverage some platforms that rank well and influence SERP features (Helps with 2 & 4). So rather than just trying to get into the normal organic results, we might say, "Hey, I want some images here. Aha, Pinterest is doing phenomenal work at image SEO. If I put up a bunch of pictures from Minted, of Minted's cards or photo cards on Pinterest, I have a much better shot at ranking in and triggering the image results." You can do the same thing with YouTube for videos. You can do the same thing with new sites and for what's called the top stories feature. The same thing with local and local review sites for the maps and local results feature. So all kinds of ways to do that.

More...

Four final topics before we wrap up.

Registering and using separate domains? Should I register and use a separate domain, like MintedCardReviews, that's owned by Minted? Generally not. It's not impossible to do reputation management SEO through that, but it can be difficult. I'm not saying you might not want to give it a spin now and then, but generally that's sort of like creating your own reviews, your own site. Google often recognizes those and looks behind the domain registration wall, and potentially you have very little opportunity to rank for those, plus you're doing a ton of link building and that kind of stuff. Better to leverage someone's platform, who can already rank, usually.

Negative SEO attacks. You might remember the story from a couple weeks ago, in Fast Company, where Casper, the mattress brand, was basically accused of and found mostly to be generally guilty of going after and buying negative links to a review site that was giving them poor reviews, giving their mattresses poor reviews, and to minimal effect. I think, especially nowadays, this is much less effective than it was a few years ago following Google's last Penguin update. But certainly I would not recommend it. If you get found out for it, you can be sued too.

What about buying reviewers and review sites? This is what Casper ended up doing. So that site they were buying negative links against, they ended up just making an offer and buying out the person who owned it. Certainly it is a way to go. I don't know if it's the most ethical or honest thing to do, but it is a possibility.

Monitoring brand and rankings. Finally, I would urge you to, if you're not experiencing these today, but you're worried about them, definitely monitor your brand. You could use something like a Fresh Web Explorer or Mention.com or Talkwalker. And your rankings too. You want to be tracking your rankings so that you can see who's popping in there and who's not. Obviously, there are lots of SEO tools to do that.

All right, everyone, thanks for joining us, and we'll see again next week for another edition of Whiteboard Friday. Take care.

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godtier-rose · 7 years

Text

healing is hard

I’ve recently went through something so unreal to me that I’m still honestly pretty emotional and still working through it. I kept a little measly journal while I was in a psych ward, and I have now been home for almost a week and have typed up all six days I had spent there. This is going to be such a LONG post, but if you are struggling, or just curious about what a psych ward was like from my point of view, go on and read this.

I want others to know that they aren't alone with their suicidal thoughts. I feel shy and a little embarrassed talking about mine, and my depression, but thats what landed me in there. I didn't ask for help.

My sister gave me “It’s Kind of a Funny Story” while I was in there, and it just felt nice to read something that someone else went through that I was then going through. Thats why I wrote every day in my little booklet while I was in there.

I was given a second chance that others do not get. People have already denied my experience. I don’t care. People who try to tell you that what happened to you wasn’t real, literally don’t matter. I didn’t try to kill myself to prove anything to anyone. I didn’t plan on surviving. But I lived.

Here are my days, as best recalled and sloppily written as I can manage, not being the best writer:

day 0 - last day

the walk to publix is simple. after spending an hour or so browsing the web for lethal doses of drugs, I settle on tylenol pm. 8 is dangerous. I can do that, I tell myself. I buy a bottle and a lunchable ( I have beer at home right? I think so), last meal goals? I almost run home, i’m grossly excited to die. sickening. but I was told one that I would never be remembered. I feel at peace. I won’t have to think about living after i’m gone, not about my depression, not about my feelings, money, stress, no consequences. living is so hard and dying is so easy.

no one else is home, I planned this perfectly. one handful, one beer. repeat. repeat. feel dizzy. fall around the room. knock shit over. people come home. I babble nonsense and say i’m going to bed. my note has been written. I tell no one what i’m doing, I don’t want to be stopped. I don’t want to survive this. no texts and no tweets, people will find out eventually. who cares, not my problem anymore.

drink. swallow more pills. drink. swallow. I stopped counting at 9 beers and 20 something tylenol. I hadn’t eaten all day, my lunchable is long forgotten. i’m a 5’1”, 98 pounds, this should do it. I don’t remember how much I ingest after that.

I black out, finally. i’m ready to die.

day 0 part 2 - not yet

and then???????

I wake up. mouth dry. vision so blurry I panic. I can barely stand. I think i’m going to be sick but nothing comes out. breathing hurts. everything hurts, everything is heavy, wavy,confusing.

i didn’t die. I was given another chance. panic, my body is shutting down, I text my sister, I call poison control, i’m too scared to dial 911. i’m not important or worth it.

I decide to get a fucking uber.(someone told me an ambulance ride is $1,000, fuck that) he pulls up and goes “...hospital???” and i’m standing there, swaying. Yes. please. he freaks out and seems confused, but drives fast and rushes me in. a man has me fill out paperwork and then he asks what’s wrong. I tell him I swallowed more than 20 tylenol to kill myself. I don’t remember how many I swallowed after 20, I don’t know how much I drank after that. he calls out a stretcher and i’m rushed away. all of my things are taken from me. i’m changed into a hospital gown (butt cheeks OUT, hospital gowns are embarrassing ) they take my blood, they put an IV into me (I almost pass out when I feel the cold go inside my vein, what the fuck) I don’t know what they pump into me but it feels weird and i’m freaked out. tabs are placed all over my body, i’m hooked up to an EKG machine. charcoal tablets( I think ? something for my stomach or liver they say? I'm not a doctor I don't know ) are taken. the nurse asks “honey why would you do this? why are you sad? what is there to be sad about?” a lot. she says i’m lucky that i’m still alive, the amount of alcohol and acetaminophen I consumed and still had in my body should have killed me or shut down my liver. I wanted to say “that was the goal” but I shut up as she took my vitals.

hours pass, I ask for my phone and they say I can look at it once...only once, and make it just a few minutes. then they put it in a bag with my clothes and purse. nurses and doctors walk past my room and peek in and whisper. one finally goes “is this her? the suicide ?” a woman from another room yells back “Yeah that’s the baker act”. i’m embarrassed. nurses and doctors keep stopping by my room to look in and I keep trying to avoid their eyes. I ask to use the restroom and I have to pee with the door open in the middle of the hospital, i’m not allowed to close it (suicide means 24 hour watch).I hate this. I ask my nurse if i’m going home tonight, she says “no baby, we can’t let you go home” I start crying. I call my sister from the nurses flip phone and tell her i’m not coming home.

it’s almost midnight now, hospital food is awful and i’m watching chopped on the tv above my bed. another nurse told me god saved my life. another tells me i’m “too young to be sad”.

“the baker act is being transferred” that’s what i’m called, i’m the suicide. the baker act. another stretcher comes, i’m loaded on. another hospital. I get to ride in an ambulance for the first time, the paramedics think it’s funny when I tell them that I took an uber to the hospital. “I bet it was cheaper, that’s for sure.”

they take me 10 minutes away, to a place that has a mental health unit. I have to sit downstairs in a room to wait for a bed. I go to the bathroom and a nurse yells at me and he slams the door open, saying “you can’t close this, you have to go with the door open!” i’m given a turkey sandwich and a little fruit cup, sitting in a reclining chair, it’s 2 am when they say I can go upstairs now. a screaming man was brought in when I was leaving, the nurses yelling at him saying he’s here because he was found naked in the bushes waving a samurai sword. I laugh and a nurse asks me what’s so funny.

I meet someone up on the 6th floor, the psych ward floor. She takes me to a room and I have to strip down. she marks a body chart with my tattoos, my burns, my cuts. i’m asked for the millionth time why i’m there. she gives me a new gown and brings me to my room. it’s a plain as it gets, and my roommate is asleep. it’s 2:30am.

I lay down in the most basic bed with this pillow that’s literally filled with something paper like. I sleep like shit.

day 1 in the psych ward

i am woken up again at 6am for vitals. I fall back to sleep until my roommate and I wake up to an announcement at 8:30. we stay in bed and talk a little. she’s here for swallowing 50 xanax, I say “shit, you beat me, I blacked out at 20 something tylenol” she’s impressed. she’s a 46 year old mother. kara. a doctor comes to see us and talks about the severity of what we both have done, tells us what meds they will be putting us on. we leave our room and look around, a nurse tells us we missed breakfast, but she gets us some cereal and juice. this place is full of interesting people, I watch in awe. a woman (marlene)keeps saying she’s frank sinatras daughter and that someone keeps burning her with cigarettes (no smoking allowed and she just yelled that it was happening just then, when no one was around her) another woman (isabelle) claims she works for the phone company, and takes one of the hospitals phones and takes it apart (breaks it) and says she got the bug out. a man (joe) won’t stop yelling for nurses. another woman (mary) keeps petting everyone’s hair. me and kara stick close to each other that morning. I speak with a case manager, who tells me i’ll be here a few days because of how severe my case is. whatever. I call my sister on the cord phone they have on the wall, ask her to bring me some books and clothes. I feel embarrassed to be walking around in the hospital gown. I tell her “it says we have arts and crafts today at 1:45”, she can’t stop laughing, “are you fucking serious???” it literally says Arts and Crafts on the daily events whiteboard.

I ask a nurse if I can shower, she gives me a towel and unlocks the shower door, where an open shower with no cover or curtain is, but I can lock the door.a broken soap dispenser holds a shampoo/bodywash combo (LAME), and there’s a few bandaids on the shower floor. I have to stand on my tiptoes to get close to the water. this sucks. after my shower it’s “process group” time, where kara and i get to meet some of the others, talk about our feelings, the works. kristie, sherri, carl, natalie, andrew, and myself and kara are the most sane and coherent. we all sit near each other at lunch. kristie is here for cutting herself, sherri for OD’ing, carl for suicidal thoughts, andrew for trying to slit his throat on drugs. I️ get mystery meatloaf for lunch. kara asks the nurse where to get a toothbrush after lunch, the nurse goes “maybe if you left your room and ask, you’d get one earlier.�� I get defensive of my roomie and say “well ma’am i’m sorry we didn’t exactly pack for this, the plan wasn’t to make it here alive” kara, kristie, carrie, and andrew lose it, they can’t stop laughing. the nurse walks away.

someone tells me that after lunch a woman comes around with a menu, and you can order your lunch for the next day. I order chicken parm and mac n cheese and breakfast for others and cereal for myself. I order dinner for kara because she’s napping and I don’t want her to be cursed with the mystery meatloaf again.

after lunch is arts and crafts, where I make my sister a bracelet and then help a man from the other wing make a bracelet for his daughter.

after arts and crafts is a bit of free time, me and kara sit together and talk with a few of the others. the days feel so long here. my sister brings me clothes, makeup, toiletries and books, but i’m not allowed to see her. she gave me “Its kind of a funny story” and said that I️ had to read it because the kid gets baker acted. she brought me the extra clothes and stuff I asked for, I wander around and give clothes to some of my friends who aren’t able to have someone bring them any. I get conditioner, face wash, shampoo, body wash, and lotion, and become the toiletry mom who hands out and shares it with everyone who wants to use it in the shower.

eventually it’s dinner, and since we only got to order for the next day, kara and I are stuck with meatloaf again. I call elspeth after dinner and tell her about my day, tell her not to tell anybody i’m here, not even my parents, tell her to tell them my phone is dead and i’m at a friends, I don’t want anyone to know yet. i’ll y’all when i’m out and ready. she says she got mad and told some people what I did, but they didn’t believe her. that’s fine, I tell her they can never contact me ever again because they don’t care. I have nothing to prove. I lived and am now locked in a god damn mental ward. I have more important things in my life besides caring about people acting like they know what I did and why I did it. my goal was to be dead and not have to deal with this, but I got another shot so let me fucking be. i tell her there is visitation tomorrow from 6pm-8pm. I tell her that one of my friends was going to hang out with me, and that I can’t make it. also that I was messaging another friend and that she can tell him what happened, he will be understanding and caring. (shoutout to my sister for holding everything together while I could only contact the outside world through her via a phone with a cord)

after that I lie in bed and read my toradora manga elspeth also brought me. vitals are checked. a doctor ask me how i’m feeling, etc.

eventually we get snack time? which is juice, popcorn, bananas, and bread with PB&J.

finally it’s bedtime, my first day is complete. this all feels surreal. I write everything in the back of a booklet I was given earlier. I sleep like shit again.

day two, the days are still so long

6 am, vitals again. back to sleep. an announcement at 8 am gets me and Kara awake, it says there’s “grooming” taking place, where you’re allowed to shave your facial hair or armpits in front of the nurses, in a sink, and also they have mouth wash. great.

8:30, breakfast. the board says that there’s pet therapy today, and visitation tonight!!!!

process group again. I shower. lunch. my food isn’t as awful as the meatloaf but it’s still hospital food. carl tells me I have to go to the meds window to ask for my meds, but warns me they will have me sign a paper. they don’t tell you, but the paper is a voluntary admission form that once you sign, your baker act is no longer valid and you can only leave if a doctor says you can. I say that’s BS because I wanna go home after my 72 hours. he says if I don’t sign, they just re-baker act you. no way. I go to the window and ask for my meds, and the nurse gives me a paper and says “sign this to get your medication”. it’s the voluntary admission form. I ask her if I sign this, what happens. she said it’s the “first step towards getting better”. I said “if I sign this my baker act is removed and i’m becoming a voluntary patient right?” she says “well....yes, but it’s the first step towards getting better.” I ask her what happens if I don’t sign it. she goes “....well then you will probably be here a longer time :(“ I end up signing the papers, i’m fucked either way. I didn’t even want to take prozac or be i’m this place.

pet therapy gives us a golden retriever named JR who is so cute and licks my face. I love him. it brightened a lot of people’s days. after dinner we get visitation, everyone eats fast and me and kara stay behind to help the nurses clean up.

i’m so excited for visitation. i️ told my sister she can bring someone with her. kara’s family and daughter are coming too, I get to meet them. elspeth comes and brings an old friend, I hug her and him for so long, it feels so good. you find out who is really there for you. I tell them all about my crazy day and how there was a bra left on the floor in the public room and how people keep acting out. I give elspeth the bracelet I made her in arts and crafts, I meet kara’s family. it made my day. after visitation is snacks, a young girl comes in and I feel instantly protective of her. I ask her if she has clothes and she says no, so after I sneak extra snacks for her, I run to my room and gather up a shirt and pants, lotion, and some of the graham crackers packs i snuck from snack time, I run back and give them all to her, tell her that i’m in room 604 and she can ask me for anything. I tell her how this place runs, as if i’m a pro even though i’ve been here for 2 days. she’s so thankful, her name is Destinee.

eventually, it’s bedtime again. I journal and fall into another shitty sleep.

day threeeeee...get me out of here

once again, 6 am vitals. back to sleep until 8 am announcements. I decide to get my butt up and shave my armpits in a sink during grooming time. we aren’t allowed to shave our legs, but whatever i’ll take what I can get.

my day follows a constant schedule. always breakfast at 8:30, process group, I shower, the board tells me today is more arts and crafts and bingo tonight. kara, kristie and I sit in our room and talk about cam girls and people who buy feet pictures. kara is fascinated that kristie and I know so much about the dirty web.

I start reading “It’s Kind of a Funny Story” and it’s so similar to my situation. Craig is baker acted and he’s taken to the 6th floor (i’m on the 6th floor, are all psych wards there??). he talks about the food, the people, even the shape of the ward (shaped like an H), which is what my psych ward is shaped like ! it’s a good book, I feel like the author right now, as I type up my experiences. being here is honestly so crazy I just had to write about it.

there’s another group and this time it’s a mix of all the wings, (I am in the East Wing, the west wing is the violent or dangerous patients.) one guy from the west wing tries to start a fight with Cheryl, the rec therapist. he leaves angry.

in arts and crafts I become notorious for being able to find any letter bead asked of me, maria from the west wing says any letter and I dig through the bead box and find it for her. I help another guy make a ring. I make a bracelet for someone who cares about me.

lunch is late because the guy who got mad during group, started a fight in the dining hall and all of us from the east wing watched from the window. he threw his tray and food was everywhere. we see him on the floor and find out he was probably sedated.

we eat, continue our day. I read my book and hang in my bed. kara’s family brought magazines for us, so we share those and read about the outside world. I miss my phone and the internet. I talk to a doctor who says I won’t be going home this weekend. (it’s friday today, so she says maybe monday because of how severe my case is.) kara gets the same news. the doctors all say “well imagine how bad it would look if we release you now and you kill yourself, you were in our care, that would be on our hands.” what a lame excuse.

later is dinner, our table always consists of the same group of people, a nurse says “why do you all sit together always???” we love it. we laugh and all share what we have witch each other.

bingo is next, where carl says you can win prizes, and he’s gonna try to win some deodorant because the nurses keep refusing to give anyone any. that’s so sad. I win a game and give carl the deodorant, he says I didn’t have to do that.

snacks. then bed.

day four!!!!!

same basic schedule, except today it says game day for our activity.

we get to the dining hall and it’s decked out with a wii, basket ball hoops, a ping pong table, and a bunch of other board games. andrew and I play wii bowling, and then I play jenga with kara.

kristie and carl have gone home, I miss them already but I hope they are doing okay. a new guy named paul joins us all, we tell him what’s up. me, destinee, sherri, and paul all sit on the hallway floor and talk about crazy shit. a new woman named virgina walks around and spills her tea everywhere, talking about being american and carrying a stack of 8 books that she occasionally reads out loud to nobody in particular.

we have a different night nurse, his name is richard and he’s literally the best. he tells us at snack time that he’s opened the “patio” (a gated in balcony connected to the dining hall that none of the nurses ever feel like opening because they don’t want to watch us) I literally run and andrew makes fun of the faces i’m making because i’m so excited to breathe outside air.

after that, richard pulls out a box full of movies and say we can all have a movie night in the community tv living room. everyone decides on jeepers creepers 2. it was a great night.

I continue to sleep like shit, and I have a dream about my ex.

day 5! when can I leave???

it’s sunday and kara has to miss her mothers surprise party. we want to go home! there aren’t even any case managers here today, so we can’t even talk to anyone. we MIGHT go home tomorrow, we are told. not for sure. sherri goes home tomorrow!!! I give her one of my sweaters to keep and we exchange numbers for when we are on the outside.

football is on the community tv and I call my friend and say “watch this, your team is gonna win and this other team is gonna lose.” his team wins and I can’t stop laughing, I was just kidding but it somehow worked.

my day still follows the basic schedule.

day 6: FALSE HOPE

i’m not going home today! lame!!!!! a doctor tells me there’s no discharge order for me today, but there’s one for tomorrow! i’ll take it.

the board says today is music and drum therapy. also there will be games tonight in the dining hall.

the loud guy who yells constantly, joe, is leaving today. we all secretly cheer when he leaves, because he just yelled at people to make his bed and to come to his room. now i can read without having to here someone yelling “NURSEEEEEEE” down the hall every 3 minutes.

drum therapy is fun, we all get to sit and bang in drums to describe how we are feeling.

music therapy is just “pick one song on youtube and toni the rec therapist will play it on the TV” I pick human by the killers.

kara and I play jenga for games night, it’s our thing now. richard is here again and we are so happy, that means patio and movie night. my last night is spent surrounded by my support group as we laugh on the patio, sharing a blanket with kara as we watch Disturbia, and drawing pictures for destinee until it’s time for bed. I make sure I have everyone’s numbers written in the back of my booklet. I ask the meds window for something to help me sleep, i’m too anxious and know I won’t fall asleep tonight. they give me ativan ? and I go to bed. I finally don’t sleep like shit.

Day 7: Freedom

IM GOINNNG HOMEEEE!!!!!

I wake up excited and make sure I get together my belongings. I’m visited by doctors and case managers, nurses give me plastic bags to put stuff in. I make sure I give nurse millie a big hug. kara isnt leaving until tomorrow, so i give her a big hug too. the community board says tonight is karaoke night, and I feel bad that I have to miss it, but I leave before lunch. the hospital drives me home in a van, and i’m so excited when I step outside. I start crying and the driver brings me home. I cry again. I take the worlds longest shower and I go get some chick fil a. I sit outside for hours. I hold baby kitty and start crying. I check all my social media. I reply to texts. I sit my mom down and tell her what happened. I do not tell my dad or my brother. my stepdad is in germany and I will tell him when he’s home. ———- afterthoughts:

the mental health system is fucked. not one doctor or therapist or psychiatrist really helped anyone in that psych ward. if you asked for underwear or deodorant the nurses wouldn’t want to give you any, they said “well you have one pair of underwear already.” some nurses and doctors were kind, but not one of them had any type of sensitivity or empathy. my first three days there, half the nurses assumed I was one of the drug addicts and kept trying to give me nicotine patches and tried having me go to AA meetings. in group “therapy” we were asked how we felt and that was it. the doctors asked us from 1-10 our depression and anxiety, and then gave us meds. we were told if we tried to leave after our 72 hour baker act, that we would just be re-baker acted and be there longer. asking questions was like a game of “which nurse do we ask so that they don’t say no or ignore us” I was not given any type of one on one sessions with a therapist. I was just repeatedly asked “why would you do this? what do you have to be sad about?” they made an appointment for 7 days after I left, never contacted my sister, and let me leave. I swore every night when I prayed (I feel cheesy but I also feel like I owe god my life at this point) that when i’m out, I will put together a box of clothes and books and stuff for arts and crafts and game nights. they have six books and hardly any crafts, and almost no clothes for people who come in with nothing and have to wear the hospital robes. people deserve better. everyone in there survived something that others don’t get to, people need help. this felt like the hospital just wanted our money for keeping us there longer. it’s not fair. I felt like a prisoner. everyone did. a man raped his roommate in our wing and all they did was move him to the west wing. kara and I had to ask to have our room locked from the outside so that we didn’t have to keep going to bed scared.

it felt surreal, but now i’m home and want to help in any way I can. i’m blessed to have met my roommate, we just went to church together and had a fake thanksgiving with my family and her daughter. we call each other every day. i’ve only been home 6 days, but every day I remind myself that i’m alive for a reason. I take my meds. I text my friends. I do my makeup and eat every day. i’m finally 102 pounds and not 94 pounds. I have grand openings for work lined up. i’m going to puerto rico with my church for a missions trip in a few months, to help with hurricane relief. i’m going to help as many people as I can.

I hope that writing all of this just kinda helps. I don’t want people to think they are alone. I did not plan to live, I planned to die. I didn’t die. there are people who literally said i’m faking it. but those people don’t matter. I didn’t get drunk and swallow over 20 tylenol pm and survive, and spend 6 days in the hell that was that psych ward, to have anyone tell me my experience didn’t happen or was for attention. I don’t care if you are trying to die or if you commit and survive, you’re important and deserve care, attention, and help. I deserved every hug and kiss and call and text from people when I was out of there. I have such an amazing support system. I have friends who aren’t judging me, who say “i’m so happy you’re alive emily, let’s hang out. i’m so glad you failed, I love having you in my life.”

I have only told hardly a few people, this is my public account of as much as I can remember. I don’t want any pity. I lived.

I’m going to keep living. I’m going to work hard, I’m going to buy nice clothes and makeup, i’m going to travel and open new stores for my job, I’m going to pour myself out and connect and train my teams, I’m going to stay up late watching anime and cartoons, and eat junk food and party with my friends, i’m going to get tattoos, pet every cat, make art and finish school, i’m going to hang with my sister and my family, and i’m going to heal and find love and care for myself and for another person again. i’m gonna give as much as I can and love and be kind. I’m not perfect but neither are you. We all have flaws so just damn love and embrace and smile at each other. Help each other.

Thank you to everyone who has been so patient and caring and supportive. I love you all so much and I can’t wait to continue my life with a new passion and outlook. 💘

#personal #tw suicide #long post #sorry its fucking long

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someinstant · 6 years

Text

A Letter to My Students, (or How to Raise Hell Without Our Help)

Hey, guys.

I want to talk to you today about schools, protests, and your rights-- and powers-- as students.

I’m writing this here, and not saying this directly to you in class because I’m over a barrel on this one: I teach in a public school in a conservative area, and I have no union behind me to support my advocacy on your behalf. That means I have limited legal protections if I choose to protest openly at school.

I find this separation of politics and education ridiculous and harmful, frankly: why treat politics as though it’s something to avoid? Every aspect of our lives is part of the fabric of power and policy, and a failure to understand or discuss that makes us less effective as citizens and involved members of our communities. If I act like talking politics is toxic, if I model that behavior for my students, guess what happens? We wind up with generations of citizens who don’t know how to discuss ideas and policy constructively, and I’m rather convinced that’s part of the reason we’re in this mess in the first place.

I should probably state that I’m a high school social studies teacher, and this-- the notion of public schools as being an institution which has inherently political goals-- is where I live. It’s why I teach at a public school and not a private one. That was-- and is-- a political choice for me: I sincerely believe that we as a community have an obligation to lift each other up through education, and that every kid deserves a challenging, relevant, and creative education, no matter what.

There is nothing I love more than teaching, and no one I love more than my students. I know that sounds terribly cliche, but it’s the truth: y’all make me so proud I can’t breathe sometimes.

And I’m so proud of what I see students doing right now in this country, and I want to help however I can. I have called my state and local representatives daily since the shooting at Stoneman Douglas. I’ll continue to do so. I have set up a meeting with my school administrators, and several colleagues and I are planning to go to the next school board meeting to make comments. I’ve donated money. I plan on going to the #MarchforOurLives near me on March 24th. And I vote.

Oh, man, do I vote.

But I’m limited in what I can do in the classroom.

I cannot tell you how much I want to walk out with my students on March 14th and April 20th. But if I do, I’m fairly sure I won’t be allowed to walk back in-- and I have to think about this long-term. I have to weigh what I can do in the classroom, and what I can do outside of it. And I know I’m effective in the classroom, and what I do there matters. I need to be there, for a lot of reasons.

So here’s what I can do. I’m going to try to help you figure out how to save yourselves, because I don’t know that I can do it for you. So. Here we go:

I. Organize Yourselves Outside of School

The temptation is going to be to try to do your political organizing inside the school building, before or after hours, because that’s where you are. But if your school is anything like mine, that means you’ll likely have to register as a club or organization to get access to facilities, and that means you’ll need a faculty sponsor. And that means we’re responsible for making sure you don’t violate school or district policy.

We all need plausible deniability on this, guys. If I know kids are organizing something that is against school policy, I have a professional obligation to report it. If you’re planning a walkout or something that might be frowned upon by your administration, do your organizing at someone’s house, at the public library, at the coffee shop, at the park down the street.

II. Don’t Just Organize Your Friends

If you want your actions to really take root, you need a coalition of voices. If you and your friends are talking about taking action, that’s fantastic. But what about everyone else at your school? Who else is interested? High school is really, really inherently clique-y: make a concerted effort and reach out. If you’ve only got one segment of the student population in your group, why is that? Are you really hearing all voices if everyone in your organization looks like you?

III. Make Plans and Set Goals

If you want change you’re going to need to have priorities. What is it you want? Do you want school-wide change? District-wide? State? National? What problem are you trying to solve? Be concrete. Do you want more resource officers in your school? Do you want the doors replaced so that they open inwards and can be braced against intruders? Do you want universal background checks for guns and ammo?

Get a whiteboard or some paper and start listing it out. Don’t just talk and argue back and forth: write it down-- all of it-- and then prioritize. What is your school-wide goal? Your district goal? State? National?

Once you figure out what your Big Goal might be, work backwards: what steps do you need to take to get there? It’s not going to happen overnight, so what are the first things you need to do? Take it one bite of the apple at a time.

IV. Get Wonky and Research

Once you’ve figured out what you want, or at least what your targeted concerns are-- break out those research skills we’ve been trying to teach you for ages. For real: I know you probably hate hearing this, but you’re going to need to hit the library and pull some sources on this, especially if your goals are rooted in policy. If you want to change legislation, you’re going to need to know:

*What the existing laws say on the subject at a local/state/national level

*How your representatives have voted on those issues in the past

*What policy work might be in the pipeline on the subject

This means you’re going to have to familiarize yourself with the terms of debate. Like, when I call my senators about gun control, if I want to know what they’ve said on the subject, I search their campaign websites because their staffers keep those babies updated with every speech and press release. But I don’t search for “Gun control;” with my senators, that’s a non-starter. Instead, I search for “Second Amendment,” because they’ll talk about that, but not gun violence.

So you’re going to need someone (or many someones) on research. Make SURE your sourcework is solid; be prepared to be questioned-- over and over and over-- about the validity of your argument. Come armed with a bibliography and correct quotes. Bring the receipts.

V. Divide and Conquer

You don’t all have the same skill sets. In your first couple of meetings, I’d strongly suggest that you have everyone write down what skills they have, what they’re good at, and what they think they MIGHT be good at. Do you have people who don’t mind speaking in public? It’s good to know who they are. Do you have organizers among you? Find them. Who’s the best at research? Technology? Who can write? Do you have artists?

Artists might be good for posters, or t-shirt design, or flyers. Your writers might help with speeches, if that’s where you want to go, or press releases, or social media management. Find something for everyone to do; this needs to be collaborative and organized. Figure out who is responsible for what, and hold each other accountable.

VI. Know the Consequences

I do not, in the slightest, want to scare you away from taking action in whatever way you see fit, provided that you harm no one. (That last bit is so, so important. Please. Folks out there are going to want to discredit you however they can. Don’t hurt yourselves or others, guys.) But I do want you to go into this clear-eyed and purposeful.

So if you decide to walk out or protest at school, make sure you know the disciplinary code inside and out. Look on your school and district websites: does protest or a walk out fall under student disruptions to learning? Or is there particular material in your district’s code of conduct that protects your right to protest? This is going to vary wildly depending on your local school district.

I’ve been thinking about this aspect of student protest a lot lately; the walk out on March 14th is scheduled for 10:00, which is right at class change before second period for us. I think I’m going to just forget to take attendance that day, which might help in preventing a situation where students are penalized for participation. I certainly won’t fill out any administrative referrals on this matter-- but I can’t speak for other teachers. So. You’d best know what consequences you’re looking at: are we talking about detention? ISS? OSS? Expulsion? Could you be removed from leadership positions within your other activities as a result? For those of you who are seniors, what does this do to your potential college or career plans?

Again, this isn’t to scare you away from acting. If anything, it’s to make sure that you know exactly what power structures you’re up against before you start. If you know what the punishments are, you can prepare for them effectively.

If you’re not sure what the consequences are, I really think you need to do the next part:

VII. Get Your Administration and/or School Board on Record

Schedule a meeting with them BEFORE you take any action that directly involves your school or district. Go as a group, and take an adult ally with you (I’ll talk more about this in a moment). Have a list of topics and questions you want to address. Take notes during the meeting. Push for a definitive answer on questions like: what are the consequences to a walk out? Can we protest on school property? You need an answer to that one, by the way: it’s not a good look for schools to call the police to remove you for trespassing, but you need an answer so you can plan for any possible responses.

Think of it this way: by meeting with your administration or school board before you protest, you’re showing that you’re willing to pursue all possible options for dialogue and change. That’s important.

VIII. Find Adult Allies and Supporters

A lot of you have got these are home: your parents. If you can-- and I won’t say that all you will have that support at home, because I’ve been a teenager and also I’ve been teaching them long enough to know that it’s not that easy-- ask them for their support. Their instinct is going to want to be to protect you, to take hold of the megaphone and do the political version of the Driving Mom Arm, but as far as you’re able to do so, I’d suggest that you ask them to stand behind you, not in front. Other adults are likely to take you more seriously if you’ve got adults with you-- which is a separately unfair issue-- but you need to make it absolutely clear that YOU are the ones speaking.

Sit down with your group and try to figure out: who are the adults in your orbit who you can ask for help? What resources do you have, collectively? Is there someone at your place of worship who’s good at organizing? Is your sister in law school? Who can drive you where you need to go?

And I know a lot of you are going to say: your teachers might be the ones you look to for help and support in this. And some of us may be able to help you directly with school action-- but some of us may not be able to. Any action I take in support of my students in a walk out is likely going to have to be in my guise as a private citizen. So be aware of our limitations as employees of our respective school districts.

IX. Be Focused and On-Message in Every Action

We teach you this when you write essays: make sure your thesis is clear, and provide supporting evidence.

If you choose to protest or take a particular mass action, have a unified message that you can ALL explain. One of the things that makes our modern politicians so effective-- and so damn frustrating-- is how good they are at messaging. You need ONE message, ONE thesis for each action, and you need to practice bringing every conversation you have, every question you field, back to that ONE point. So if you’re protesting for tighter gun controls outside your state capitol and someone says, “But gun control laws don’t work; Illinois has some of the strictest gun laws in the nation and has incredible rates of gun violence,” you need to know your shit and know how to pivot. Acceptable answers might include:

* “But Indiana, which is right next door to Illinois, has very weak gun laws, and a huge percentage of the guns used in crimes in Chicago come through Indiana. Which is why it is so important that we address gun control here, in _________, at our local level.”

* “That argument, at its heart, argues against the very idea of rule of law: because people break laws, no laws should exist. I think that’s a terribly pessimistic way to approach a problem, which is why I’m here, advocating for _____________.”

Always end with what you want. Practice in your groups. Role play. Get an adult to pepper you with questions. If you’ve got people in your group with public speaking experience-- debate team, mock trial, Model UN, theater, whatever-- have them work with the group on good public speaking skills. It’s okay if you’re nervous, and it’s okay if you get tongue-tied. But it’s easier to go public if you’ve practiced what you’re going to say and how you want to say it.

X. Go Public

Don’t just retweet or reblog. Y’all are SO GOOD with social media, but the people you need to reach aren’t necessarily the ones on IG or Twitter or Tumblr. (I am not saying don’t use those platforms; use them. Use them a LOT and use them wisely.) But you need to use traditional media, too. Media cycles are usually short, because the conversation stalls out on a given topic. Don’t let it.

Ask for help, or look up how to write a good press release. If you’re planning a protest or school walk out, you need to let the people with cameras and printing presses know, because the people whose minds you need to change? The people who are putting up roadblocks to progress? Those are the media forms they use. Get on local news. Write to your local or regional paper. I’d suggest contacting the reporter at the education desk-- sometimes there’s a dedicated blog or column that deals with that subject, and they’re more likely to be interested in what students have to say. Hell, start with your school paper if you can’t go bigger. If you’ve got a video production class in your school, get the students who know how to do video editing and who have the resources to help you make your own videos and content for media release. Got techie types in your group? You might want a website. Get a mission statement up there, put up your press releases, and use it as a rallying point.

XI. Be Careful About Money

Oh my god, PLEASE be careful with this. Decide how you’re going to handle money or fundraising-- if that’s what you want to do-- before you do it. If you’re going to collect funds for a given cause, you’re going to need to figure out how to do that. You’re probably going to need an adult on this-- preferably one with an accounting background. Depending on how big you go, you’re going to need to do some legal stuff to set up non-profits and such, and I am not at all the person to advise you on that. But I will say: you want to be able to account for every dollar you take in, and every dollar you spent. Spreadsheets are going to be your friend.

And be thoughtful about the motives of folks who want to donate money to you: what is it they want? Is there anything hanging on to the money that is being offered? Just-- be careful with this.

XII. Respect Each Other

You’re not always going to agree with everyone in your group. You’re going to have different priorities, sometimes. You may ultimately find that you’re not working towards the same goal. You may find that you don’t have the energy, or the time, or the resources to keep going. But remember: you started this because you cared about each other, your school, your community, and maybe also your country. No matter what else happens, remember that. Those are positions worthy of respect. Allow for graceful exits, evolution, and debate. Lift each other up, because this is going to be hard.

And if anyone else has suggestions, feel free to add them in. I want y’all to be armed to the teeth with the best information we can give you.

#stoneman douglas #stoneman shooting #parkland #student protest #marchforourlives #gun control #protest #walkout #womensmarch #gun violence #march for our lives #sandy hook #school shooting #nra #student activism #neveragain #never again

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captainjellyroll · 7 years

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{UKUS} A Wish Upon A Star

((Note: This is the only the first chapter ;u; so I will only be sending this in unless Tea-senpai wants another chapter when it’s done))

Alfred kept his head low as he walked into the intensely decorated classroom. The students were only five years old, being in the first grade, but it was filled with all sorts of technology. The desks had touch screens, and styluses to go with them. Speakers in the corners played quiet music, which Alfred of course enjoyed. But he wasn’t meant to enjoy it. Not really. The other students made that clear. Everyone here was an heir or heiress of a big time company, meaning they had lots of cash. Something that Alfred wasn’t familiar with. He stared quietly at all the children with their neatly pressed clothes, pretty hairstyles, and brand new backpacks.

Brand new. That was a foreign concept to Alfred. Nothing he ever got was brand new. Everything he had ever received had been a hand-me-down of some sort. He was the odd one out in this strange place, an old baby doll lost amidst a sea of shiny, new dress-up dolls. He trudged quietly back to his seat, the desk in the very back in the room. He set his old, ratted My Little Pony backpack down on the floor next to his seat, quietly climbing up into it.

He could feel the disgusted stares of the other students around him, their lips pulled back into sneers and hateful grins. Oh, how Alfred wished he could disappear, to make these children’s wishes come true. But he couldn’t. His mother and father were depending on him to get a good education, and go to college. They hadn’t been able to, and Alfred was the reason. Alfred rested his elbows on his desk, to which one of the little girls let out a shriek. “Ew! The peasant is touching the desk! Nobody gave him his flea bath, they’re gonna get everywhere now!” Alfred looked down, slowly withdrawing his elbows from the desk.

The class erupted into snickers, and his face burned with shame. He lowered his head and sniffled, scrubbing at his eyes with his hands. It wasn’t his fault that his family was poor. Well, that wasn’t true. It was his fault. Alfred’s mother had gotten pregnant with him while she was in high school, forcing her to drop out. His father had dropped out with her to help care for Alfred. They were too busy to go back to school so they could go to college, and it was his fault. He knew it.

“Mr. Jones?” Alfred’s head shot up as the teacher called his name. She was standing at the front of the room, smiling slightly. “Could you come up here, please? There’s someone I’d like you to meet.” Alfred gulped and nodded, sliding from his chair and trudging up to the front of the room. As he walked, he finally noticed the boy standing by the teacher’s side. He had shaggy blonde hair, bright green eyes, and the thickest eyebrows he had ever seen. It was odd. He thought everything about rich kids was supposed to be kept perfect.

“Mr. Jones, I’d like you to meet Arthur Kirkland. He shall be your guide, and your special buddy for the duration of your stay. You will have contact with him for your entire school career, up until the point when you graduate. And, maybe even beyond that, if you so choose.” The boy, Arthur, smiled and stuck out his hand.

“It’s a pleasure to meet you, Alfred,” he said in a kind voice. Alfred gulped, shoving his hand in his pocket.

“Y-You shouldn’t touch me…” he whispered. “Y-You’ll get dirty…"

Arthur blinked, looking up at the teacher. She gave a gentle smile. "The other students pick on him a lot, due to his parents working as janitors here, instead of being major CEOs like everyone else’s. He may be a bit shy at first, but he’ll warm up to you, I’m sure.” Alfred shifted quietly on the floor, his gaze locked on the floor before he turned, heading back to his desk. Arthur picked up his things and followed, taking the seat next to him.

“What sort of things do you like, Alfred?” Arthur asked curiously, since it was obvious that most of his things were old hand-me-downs. He looked at the backpack, smiling as he recognized Twilight Sparkle on the pouch. “Do you like My Little Pony?”

Alfred nodded, hugging the bag close. He looked as if he were ashamed of it. Arthur smiled brightly. “I like it too! Who’s your favorite pony?” Alfred’s eyes lit up slightly, and he wiped at his runny nose.

“Rainbow Dash…” he whispered.

Arthur nodded eagerly. “She’s great, but I also like Twilight Sparkle!” Alfred slowly began to smile, slowly creeping out of his shell.

“She looks so pretty as an alicorn…” he whispered shyly, and Arthur nodded again.

“She does!” His eyes sparkled, and he shuffled closer so they were sharing the large desk. Alfred’s eyes widened, he seemed to be surprised by the fact that a rich kid actually wanted to be near him. Alfred could even hear the snickers of the other children, laughing at how his only friend was his school-issued one, from the buddy system the school had implemented. Arthur seemed to notice, and frowned deeply. “Don’t mind them. They’re just a bunch of tossers who don’t know what real friendship is.”

Alfred smiled slightly, his eyes shining. He felt so happy to be with Arthur, to actually have a friend. “Thank you, Artie! I-I mean, Arthur…” He bit his lip, not sure if Arthur wanted a nickname. Arthur just smiled.

“I prefer Arthur,” he murmured softly, his eyes shining gently. “I’ve never had a nickname, so I would prefer Arthur until I’m used to the idea.” Alfred nodded, understanding completely. He didn’t like some of the nicknames the other children were giving him, but he was essentially powerless to stop it. At least he had one person on his side.

The teacher rapped her knuckles on the whiteboard, her signal to the children that class was about to start. Everyone scrambled to their seats, giving Arthur and Alfred a wide berth. They eyed the two of them with such a fierce look of disgust, like they had just become a nasty stain on the lush, white carpeting. Neither of them cared, though.

~~~~~~~~~

Lunch time rolled around. On the contrary to many other children, Alfred hated lunch time. Even the kids who brought lunches from home had much fancier meals than he brought. He couldn’t even afford the school lunches, so it was nothing but a measly peanut butter and jelly sandwich for him, every single day.

However, this lunch time was different. Alfred had someone to sit with today. He sat at his usual spot, underneath the tree at the edge of the schoolyard, waiting happily for Arthur to appear. He was so excited, his little feet kicking up little clouds in the dirt, his eyes eagerly scanning the yard. Eventually, he spotted the familiar blocky eyebrows and emerald eyes across the yard. He raised a hand, waving enthusiastically.

Arthur gave a bright smile, heading over to join him. He sat down in the grass, tilting his head back to look up at the cherry tree. “It’s very pretty… I wonder why no one else sits here?”

Alfred frowned slightly. “Because I sit here…” he whispered. “No one wants to sit with me.” Arthur tilted his head, frowning.

“I’m here, aren’t I?” Alfred paused, his eyes going wide.

“I-I… You’re right…” Alfred smiled happily. “You actually want to be here with me…” Arthur nodded, his own happiness shining in his eyes. Arthur reached his hand out, his eyes sparkling as he waited for Alfred to take his.

Alfred reached out with happy smile, gently lacing their fingers together. “I’m so glad to have a friend like you!” he said happily. “I followed what Tiana said, and I wished upon a star!”

==========

.... Q___Q wow, i think about this submission a lot uwahhhhh

this is super nice and sweet, i dont usually get exposed to much UKUS stuff since im in my little USUK bubble, but this is really nice and refreshing..!!

im going to be honest; im not the biggest fan of “school bullying” premises. it honestly kinda triggers me, as ive stated in my FAQ. but this was still a nice read, it makes my heart feel warm and fuzzy <3

i love it so much, thank you for sharing!!

#but please keep in mind for that next time #that i dont particularly like seeing school bullying plots #;;w;;#but thank you so much!!!#submission #ukus #usuk #long post #fic

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pearlieeetew · 5 years

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Clinical Work Experience Day 2 [19/02/2019]

Today I had the opportunity to attend a general meeting about current outliers staying at the wards. The general meeting consists of consultants, junior doctors, nurses, and pharmacists. They discussed about what medications each outlier is prescribed and the quantity they take each day. It was a very organised meeting, and they have a whiteboard to record any care plans they have for the patients, as well as the level of therapy the patients are going through. The board is used to update the patient's condition as well, and from the meeting I learnt that every doctor's objective for their patients is to ensure they are healed as fast as possible to be discharged, not only because there is a limited space in the NHS, but also because prolonged stay at the hospital might deteriorate a patient's mental wellbeing. I was impressed at the communication between the nurses, junior doctors and consultants. However, this meeting made me realize that doctors are not as perfect as we think they are meant to be. During the meeting, the doctors do not know what is wrong with some of their patients and they have a lot of insecurities in what kind of medicine is needed to treat them or what therapy they need to feel better. Although the insecurities were there, the doctors were resilient and still strive to do their best to give their patients a world-class treatment. I could see that they care about each and every one of their patients.

Ward Rounds at Geriatrics Ward 14F

Dr Edward's ward team went to revisit Patient X after her allergic reaction. Dr Edwards talked very calmly and slowly in simple terms to Patient X so that she would not feel distressed. I found out that the redness is form inflammation and that she had a temporary memory loss, as well as delirium. The doctors made note that Patient X was allergic to penicillin in her drug chart. A drug chart is chart that lists all of the drugs that are prescribed by the doctors to the nurses and pharmacists working at the ward. Only doctors are able to prescribe or withdraw medication. Nurses are not allowed to prescribe anything and are to follow the doctor's instructions only. After the updates of the drug chart, Dr Edwards listened to any wishes Patient X had, like what she would like for breakfast or lunch. Dr Edwards told me that it was important that the patients could have whatever they like if possible, so that their mental wellbeing is not affected while having a prolonged stay in the hospital.

Café Club

After having ward checks with Dr Edwards, I had the opportunity to attend a café club session. Café Club is a session where patients, carers and staff can interact. It takes place in social and reminiscence spaces that have been designed as dementia friendly and therapeutic. Day rooms form an important part of patients' recovery as they are encouraged to grow in confidence to leave their beds, move around and socialise. It also helps nurses to ensure that the patients have some normality in their lives. During the Café Club, I helped the nurses serve tea, cakes and biscuits to the elderly patients. I conversed with them about their lives before they came to the hospital, their lives when they were younger, family and friends. I find that the Café Club is a very important factor when it comes to the caring of elderly patients. The Café Club also aids in decreasing PJ Paralysis among the elderly patients in the hospital. The nurses and occupational therapists showed empathy and were very chatty towards the patients, so that they would not feel alone and avoid developing mild depression.

Teaching Classes with Dr Edwards

I learnt from Dr Edwards that one of the jobs of being a consultant was that she has to teach medical students in the hospital itself, and as a doctor you would need teaching skills which is extremely crucial. As the Royal London Hospital is attached to Barts and The London School of Medicine and Dentistry, medical students will come over to the hospital to gain experience from patient contact and learn from the consultants. Today, two students were given the task to explain what an ECG (Electrocardiogram) is to me. The reason why Dr Edwards asks them to explain to me is because they might have an encounter where they are expected to explain to a family member or a relative what the problem is with the patient, and to do that, they must explain the information in its simplest terms so that an ordinary person is able to understand it without any extensive knowledge of medicine. I was able to understand it very well. An electrocardiogram basically measures electrical impulses from the body, using 12 leads that are attached throughout your body. Afterwards, the students had a discussion with Dr Edwards about a patient's ECG, and they try to diagnose the patient with references to X-rays to the chest and a CT scan. In an examination of an x-ray of the chest, doctors are expected to examine the lungs, ribs, throat (trachea), diaphragm and heart for any anomalies. I also learnt that some doctors do not agree on some diagnosis on some of the patients, and because of that, doctors from different departments often meet up and work together in order to correctly diagnose a patient and ensures that the diagnosis is correct before any surgeries, prescription of medication or therapy.

Patient Death Meeting

After lunch, I attended a meeting to discuss about patient deaths. As the geriatrics ward specialises in older people, there is a much higher rate of deaths per month compared to any other departments in the hospital. Despite that, the doctors have meetings in order to find out the cause of death and how they can improve themselves and the system in the ward care to reduce the number of deaths if possible. I witnessed the doctors discussing about the care of conditions of the patients up till their deaths and improving communication between doctors and nurses alike. Based on each person's death, they have a NCEPOD (National Confidential Enquiry into Patient Outcome and Death) score, where they vote from grades A to E in terms of whether the patient received high quality care till the end of their lives (A), or the patient's death could be an unavoidable one (E). I was very impressed by the amount of dedication each and every doctor put into to further improve themselves, despite some of them are already at the top of their respective fields.

Ward Rounds at Geriatrics Ward (14E)

I followed junior doctor Dr Laura to take blood samples from outliers for blood tests. Dr Laura taught me that taking blood samples might be a simple task to a doctor, but doctors must always make sure that the patients are in no discomfort during the taking of the blood. Some people might be more difficult to bleed, which might cause bruising and blood clots to form. Before taking blood, a tourniquet is tied around the arm. The vein must be felt and it must be bouncy under the fingertips so that blood can be drawn easily. If it is under field (not bouncy) a vacuum might be created and no blood will come out. Dr Laura also taught me that taking blood is not only limited to arms and wrists, but also to the legs. In fact, taking blood from the legs is much less painful for older men! Another tip from Dr Laura to make the veins stand out more is to scrub the veins with alcohol to make it stand out. Dr Laura advised me that although these small facts might not be very significant, it's the little things that sometimes makes things more efficient and causes the least discomfort to patients, as the doctor's duty is also to ensure their patients feel as little pain as possible. Dr Laura also taught me how to insert a cannula for an IV drip. As she said, the bounciness of the vein is important, but other factors are important as well. The octopus of the cannula needs to flushed beforehand with the solution or medication, to ensure that there are no air bubbles in the syringe or octopus when inserting it into a patient and to avoid air embolism.

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ecto-american · 5 years

Text

Worldbuilding

DannyMay 2019 themed story, I’m not late I’m just going my own pace pls be nice to me

Day 8: Worldbuilding (shh it's close enough)

Maddie knew that she was lying. It was really weird. Jazz wasn't much of a liar. She rarely did anything that would warrant needing to lie, so knowing that Jazz was lying to her...it made her uneasy.

She glanced in the review mirror at Phantom and Jazz as she drove. Phantom was laying in the backseat, head propped up on a pillow that rested in Jazz's lap. Jazz had brought the whiteboard along, having let it rest on the floorboards along with the markers. She was speaking softly to Phantom some nice, comforting words, words that Maddie was sure Phantom would never be able to remember. He had instantly dozed off upon being given more pain reliever. Jack ended up carrying him to the RV.

Jack didn't speak much, aside from a brief phone calls he had made. In a final ditch effort to see where Danny was, he had called Valerie's dad. Maddie knew that he and Valerie had broken up a while ago, but from how her son spoke, they still seemed to be friendly and on good terms with each other. Once more, it was reported that nobody had seen Danny. It caused Maddie some stress, especially given the reactions of the duo in the back.

Jazz had frozen up anxiously. Even Phantom, having briefly woken up upon hearing Jack's loud voice, had stiffened. They were hiding something. Maddie just knew that they both had knowledge of where Danny was. But why were they hiding it? Danny was a good kid. She doubted he'd have gotten into something like drugs. Maybe a secret girlfriend? But Jazz would spill the beans if that was the case, to prevent all the worrying.

The other was another call to the hospital, stating that they were nearly there. From what Jack had described, they were understandably skeptical of the situation. Ghost hunters, asking human doctors to help them heal a ghost? It sounded insane. But for some reason, Phantom was incredibly popular in town. It wasn't just the local youth that looked up to him. Adults, her own peers, were looking at this kid as a hero.

She pulled into the hospital parking lot, and as promised, there was somebody waiting outside for them. A skeptical looking pair of nurses looked surprised upon Maddie pulling up. Jack rolled down the window.

"Hey, we had called ahead?" Jack half-asked aloud, almost hesitant.

"Oh, yeah," the first nurse nodded. "May I see?"

Maddie put the RV in park, and she and Jack both exited. Jazz opened the door for them. By now, Jazz had helped Phantom sit up properly into the seat. One of the nurses stepped up to properly see inside, holding onto a door handle. Maddie could see the heartbreak on the nurse's face. She used her free hand to lightly touch Phantom's swollen face, trying to get a feel for the injury as Phantom let out a small whimper.

"How's it look?" her coworker asked. A glance and a mouthing of the words "really bad" was all it took for the other to nod. "I'll go get a stretcher."

Why they didn't already have one ready, Maddie wasn't sure. It almost irritated her, but she decided to not let that get to her. It only took a few moments for the other nurse to return, along with another staff member. Carefully, they began to help Phantom out of the RV and onto the stretcher.

"Will you be staying?" one had turned to ask the Fentons.

"I wanna stay!" Jazz blurted out. Maddie stared at her daughter. Jazz had gotten the whiteboard out, clutching it tightly to her chest with a fist full of markers. In return, Jazz had shot Maddie a pitiful look. "Please, Mom?"

"Honey, your dad's going to be taking you back for the college tour," Maddie reminded her. Jazz's lip quivered. "And I need to get home to make sure Danny gets to bed at a reasonable hour.

"We can't just leave him here all alone," Jazz lightly argued. "I'll just skip the college tour."

Skip the college tour?

Who on Earth was this girl, and what did she do with Jasmine Fenton?

"Jazz, you've been waiting a long time for this tour," Maddie scolded. "You're not going to skip it." Jack lightly nudged his wife.

"Mads, she's kinda right," he whispered. "Phantom's a ghost. They may not be able to treat him correctly. And this would be a great chance to study his ecto-biology and get some tests."

Maddie thought for a moment, studying Phantom as he was settled in on the stretcher. A nurse was talking to him in a very motherly tone about how they were going to take good care of him. Phantom barely seemed to notice, staring off into seemingly nothing.

"I'll stay," Maddie finally decided with a light sigh. Jack grinned.

"Jazz and I will swing by the house, and we'll bring you the other car and some stuff to take samples and what-not," Jack offered. Maddie seemed to brighten at the idea of finally getting a solid ectoplasm sample from Phantom, one that wasn't contaminated by being on the ground or splattered against a wall, and all the ecto-biological information they could collect.

"Can you pack me my kindle, and the charger and one for my phone?" Maddie requested. "I feel like I'll be here a while."

"You got it, babe," Jack replied. Maddie glanced at Jazz. She had no clue how her daughter really was feeling at this point. Her face had turned blank of emotion, a bit pale.

"We'll be back, then," Jazz said slowly. She offered the board and markers to Maddie, and she accepted them.

"I'll see you in a bit, sweetie," Maddie told her, leaning down to peck her forehead lovingly. Jazz smiled weakly at her, and she gave Jack a quick peck as well.

"So you're staying?" a nurse questioned. Maddie nodded. "Well come on, let's see what we can do."

Maddie gave a brief wave to her family as they loaded back up in the RV. She glanced at the staff as they were assuring Phantom was comfortable on the stretcher.

"Sorry hon, we're just going to put this over you to avoid any drama wheeling you back," the other nurse apologized. Phantom gave a half nod and wheeze. She pulled a white sheet over his form before they began to wheel him inside, the ghost hunter following shortly after.

123456798

Maddie sat with the whiteboard in Phantom's private room. Thankfully, nobody outside of hospital staff had noticed him being wheeled in, nor did people seem to give much thought as to why Maddie herself was there. After some debate and confused questions on how they'd even proceed, Maddie and the nurses had decided that the only thing keeping Phantom in bed would be an IV drip of pain medication that was slowly relieving his pain. The ghost had been changed out of her son's shirt and what was left of his jumpsuit into a hospital gown.

She had begun to take notes on everything she was learning so far on her phone. Phantom could drink water, even specifically asking for it. Whether or not it was a need or just a thing he could do, he still could drink it. He appears to feel pain. He has bones, teeth. Human medicines work on him to a certain extent it seemed. But how? Lightly tapping her foot, she sighed. Phantom was such an eternal mystery.

A soft knock at the door caught her attention, and it startled Phantom awake. The door opened, and a short brunette doctor entered, giving a warm smile.

"Hello, I'm Dr. Carrington, I'll be taking care of you today," she introduced herself. She reached out to shake Maddie's hand, before going over to do the same with Phantom. Phantom was staring at her curiously as he accepted her hand.

"I'm Maddie Fenton, I'm one half of the Fentons ghost research and hunting team," Maddie replied. Dr. Carrington nodded knowingly, despite still looking a bit puzzled. Maddie knew why. A ghost hunter. Helping a ghost. It wasn't your everyday sight.

"So, the problem seems kind of obvious to me. Your jaw hurts pretty bad, huh?" Dr. Carrington sounded very sympathetic. Phantom gave a half-nod. "Don't worry, dear, we'll see what we can do about it. But firstly, we're going to try and get some basic information about you, okay?"

Phantom nodded.

"He hasn't really been able to talk, so we've been using this," Maddie said, and she held up the board.

"That's perfectly fine," Dr. Carrington replied, and she began to flip through her clipboard. "Can you give him the board, and we can get started?"

Maddie nodded, and she shifted to hand Phantom the board and a marker. Phantom accepted both of them. He uncapped the marker and testingly scribbled on the board. Maddie hummed curiously.

"He's a lot more alert now," she noted to the doctor. Dr. Carrington glanced at Phantom in between her writing on the paper.

"How was he before?" she asked.

"Very...unresponsive," Maddie explained. "Could barely focus, unable to write much on the board before. Jazz, my daughter, could only really get information out of him by writing stuff on the board and having him pick, like gesturing to yes or no." Dr. Carrington made an impressed noise.

"Very smart of her," she commented, and she jotted that down. "It was likely a symptom of being in shock and in pain, but now he's likely more stable due to consistent medication and just simply time giving him a chance to recover. So, Danny, right?" It was weird to hear Phantom being called Danny. It...felt almost chilling to remember that Phantom shared a name with her son.

Phantom nodded.

"Alright, Danny, so can you tell me a little bit about you? Date of birth, where you were born, any allergies, any pre-existing medical conditions?" Dr. Carrington asked.

Phantom began to scribble on the board. Maddie watched him closely as Phantom was able to steadily hold the marker and write. Dr. Carrington waited patiently before he finally turned the board to her. She silently read it to herself.

"My goodness, you've been through a lot," she said almost in awe.

"May I see?" Maddie questioned. Phantom stared at her, wide eyed. Dr. Carrington lightly ruffled his hair.

"You don't have to show," she assured him. "It can be doctor-patient confidentiality."

Maddie frowned. She was doing all this to help this town's menace, and she wasn't going to get any access to this information? It was absolutely insulting. Dr. Carrington began to focus on writing down what Phantom had written on the board while the ghost and ghost hunter locked in a staring contest.

Finally, Phantom shyly broke his gaze. He hesitantly handed Maddie the board. She accepted it, and she scanned what Phantom had written in response.

4/3, 16, born in Wisconsin, allergic to penicillin

And the worst part was the previous medical conditions. Phantom had instead made a list of previous injuries. They were very vague and to the point. Stab to chest breathing issues, broken nose breathing, crushed knee chronic pain, ecto-gun to face headaches. Near the end, it seemed as if Phantom had begun to run out of space, despite having more to say. His handwriting got smaller and smaller.

Maddie reluctantly gave Phantom the board back, and she leaned back in her chair as she watched the doctor begin to ask Phantom what had happened. She jotted down in her phone the information Phantom had provided, and it hit her. Phantom's information matched her son's exactly. Same birthday, same age, same birth state, same allergy. It sent a shiver up her spine as she stared. This...the absolute odds of this being just a coincidence were simply too outlandish.

Soon, Phantom turned the board to the doctor. She silently read it, and her face paled the further she read. Maddie was dying of curiosity. The hunter leaned forward, trying to grasp a peak. Phantom glanced at her, and he soon turned the board to her. And she felt herself grow a bit numb at the words.

Fought Skulker. Wanted my pelt. Choked me out. Woke up strapped down on table because of cutting. He hit jaw so I couldn't ghostly wail.

"How did you escape?" Maddie asked aloud. Phantom didn't look at her, or make any moves to write down how.

"So it's not just your jaw?" the doctor changed the subject. She pointed to Phantom's neck with her pen. "I could see the cut on your neck, but didn't know it was...due to that. May we see?"

Phantom nodded. Dr. Carrington helped him sit up and pull the hospital gown off his shoulders and forwards. The bandaging Jack had done earlier was done with a gentle care, and specks of green ectoplasm had begun to bleed through. The doctor picked up some medical scissors to cut away the bandaging, carefully pulling them off.

Maddie had gone hunting before. She grew up in Alabama, and she remembered her dad showing her and her sister how to skin what they hunted. The carefully made cut was a lot cleaner and less graphic than she had imagined. It wasn't the half-hazardly passionate cut that she was expecting, something that would tell her that this skinning was just a feral ghost action. It was definitely intentional. Somebody really did want to skin Phantom.

"Oh my, this is really something," Dr. Carrington murmured to herself. "But I think this should heal just fine. It looks like you got lucky on this front." She smiled warmly at him. "Just some stitches, which we'll likely do during surgery. But right now, I wanna go ahead and get some X-rays of your jaw and chest. Alright?" Phantom gave a light nod. "Excellent. The nurse will be here in a second to take you. And then we'll see what all we can do for you, alright?" She lightly patted Phantom's shoulder, and she flashed the two a smile before leaving the room.

123456789

Two men in white suits walked up to the desk. The bald, more built one reached into his inner shirt pocket to produce a badge. The other, a fairly skinny white haired young man, fumbled and searched his pockets in a brief panic before copying his partner, also producing his badge.

"I'm Agent K, this is Agent G from the Guys in White," the first one spoke. "We're here for the arrest of a Danny Phantom. We were informed that he was admitted here as a patient about an hour ago."

The woman working behind the station looked worried, and she began to flip through some papers on her desk.

"Um, I can direct you to the doctor assigned to work his case," she said hesitantly. "Or, actually, let me page her."

"That would be very helpful, thank you," Agent K spoke.

The employee paged the doctor, and the agents waited patiently. Agent G leaned into the other agent.

"When he gets out, can I taze him?" he asked quietly. Agent K rolled his eyes.

"No," he told him sternly, keeping his voice low as to not attract unwanted attention. "Not unless he attacks you. There's civilians here, we can't afford that kind of casualty. We're to take him in as quietly and quickly as we can to avoid property damage."

Agent G said nothing, standing quietly for a moment. He rocked on his heels, fidgeting while Agent K stood nearly as still as a statue.

"...So when do I shoot the ecto-gun?"

Agent K took his sunglasses off to rub at his eyes tiredly. Rookies.

"You don't unless there's a clear and present danger," Agent K scowled. He put his sunglasses on, despite being inside. "Calm down, or I'm going to make you sit in the car."

Agent G frowned, but he didn't say anything else. He sighed boredly, checking his watch. Agent K kept his eyes locked on the doors that led further into the hospital.

Nearly twenty minutes later, Dr. Carrington came out accompanied by a woman in a nice business suit, holding a file folder full of papers. They went to the station, speaking briefly with the worker who pointed out the agents. They approached them. Agent K nudged Agent G, who stopped fidgeting and stood straight with him.

"Hello, I'm Dr. Carrington, and this is one of the lawyers who represent the hospital, Elizabeth Ohmer," she introduced herself and her companion. Ohmer nodded. "I understand that you're here for my patient?"

"Yes, we're from the Guys in White," Agent K did the talking, once again pulling out his badge. Agent G copied him. "We understand that you have a ghost named Danny Phantom in your care, and we have a warrant for him to be released into our custody immediately."

"Well, as government officials, you should know that you need to wait until the suspect has received the proper care and is discharged before you can bring them into custody," the lawyer reminded him with a frown. Agent K frowned in return.

"He's wanted for felony level offenses," Agent K informed her. "We have a right to bring him in for questioning for his criminal offenses. You are interfering with the law, and I suggest you hand over the ghost before you get arrested too."

"We've done nothing wrong," Ohmer kept a level tone and voice with them, despite giving them a certain Look. Agent K didn't flinch, though the rookie was quickly growing intimidated. "Mr. Phantom is in no condition to talk to you nor be discharged at this time. You are welcome to stay here and wait for him to recover, we have plenty of coffee and magazines that you can read while you wait. But you should know that there's absolutely no way that I'm letting this kid leave the hospital until he's had treatment and can be assured that he's on a steady recovery path. Mr. Phantom is a self-reported minor at sixteen, meaning that even if you have him wanted for felony offenses, in the state of Illinois, you still have to have a youth officer present for questioning purposes and for processing once you've charged them."

Ohmer reached into her folder file to hand Agent K a piece of paper. The agent accepted it, silently reading the contents. It was simply a packet from a legal document, highlighted in bright yellow being the parts of note. It detailed what she said. He looked up at her.

"You can't apply United States laws to a ghost," Agent K argued. Agent G remained silent. Dr. Carrington shrugged.

"Given that Mr. Phantom self-reported that he was born in Wisconsin, that makes him a minor citizen of the United States, so I think we can apply those laws to him. If you question him without a youth officer in this hospital, I can and will contact the media, state and police about how you've violated the civil rights of the town's celebrity. I don't think that you also want to risk a lawsuit from Mr. Phantom himself over it,," she replied. She pulled out another piece of paper, similar to the other. A description of the legal rights that were arguably applicable to Phantom, with more highlights. Agent K's face visibly dropped in defeat as he took it. "You're not the first government agent to walk into the hospital, and you won't be the last. Now of course, you are allowed to stick around if you really want to, but you may not talk to him at this time until both Mr. Phantom is ready to receive visitors and you have a youth officer."

Agent K narrowed his eyes, his anger hidden by his sunglasses. They came prepared for him, and this was imposing a problem. A problem on the worst kind of scale: Legal loopholes and technicalities.

"As of now, Mr. Phantom's undergoing some tests so we can figure out how best to treat him," Dr. Carrington spoke up. "He will likely not be ready or able to talk to any officers until tomorrow, the very earliest."

"What are the details of his condition?" Agent K questioned.

"All I can say at this time is that we're still assessing what the problem is," the doctor replied. "Would you like security to escort you out, or would you like to wait?"

Agent K took a deep breath and exhaled harshly in frustration. Agent G's head glanced back and forth between the hospital employees and his coworker, anxiously waiting.

"...We'll be in the waiting room," Agent K finally said. Dr. Carrington and Ohmer nodded. "We still have a warrant, and Mr. Phantom is to be released to our custody upon being discharged. And you are still to alert us if there is any security or physical threat from Phantom. He is a massive threat to Amity Park's safety, and we cannot just leave the area."

"Alright. We'll call you if either of those happen," she replied. "But be warned. You will be here a while."

Agent K didn't reply, simply giving a brief nod before turning. He lightly nudged Agent G.

"Come on, rookie," he told him, and they moved to take a seat.

They settled into seats, and the second they sat, Agent G began to fidget before leaning into Agent K.

"So what?" he asked quietly. "We taze him later?" Agent K sighed.

"No, you moron," he hissed. "I'm going to update the boss, and then we wait." Agent G looked dumbfounded.

"Just...wait?" he asked. "But I thought we'd have a cool shootout, ya know? With ecto-guns and blast shields, and then of course I save a hot nurse who's so thankful I saved her she-"

"Shut up," Agent K grumbled, pulling out his cell phone. He couldn't wait for Agent O to get back from vacation so, if nothing else, he had somebody else to help deal with yet another trigger happy rookie. "The Guys in White is mostly paperwork and waiting."

"And you're cool with that?"

"We get paid by the hour, and I've been catching up on Game of Thrones," Agent K explained, hitting his boss's contact info and slumping in his seat.

123456789

Dr. Carrington and Maddie stood together with as they looked at the X-rays. All of this was fascinating, the knowledge that Phantom had a skeletal system, and that it was basically a human's. They were a bit silent as they studied the images before them. The door opened, but they paid no attention to it, and the surgeon came up to them. He let out a low whistle the second he saw them.

"Damn," he spoke in awe.

"Seven fractures," Dr. Carrington agreed. She held up his pen to the X-rays as she spoke. "You can see the comminuted fracture, and he's also got four other oblique fractures. Plus seven missing teeth, five more are badly damaged and tongue nearly chopped off. Kid went through hell."

"We're going to need to basically wire this kid back in one piece," the surgeon agreed. He also used his pen to point out injuries. "His left side has most of the damage, it looks like a hard impact."

"Yeah, he reported being in a fight with another ghost," Maddie spoke up.

"Mrs. Fenton, will you be joining us in surgery?" the surgeon asked. He hesitated. "Of course, we typically would never. But given the circumstances, we may need your expertise." Maddie nodded.

"Yes, I'll be happy to assist," she replied. "It'll be a good chance to really study some of Phantom's anatomy."

"You're going to have only this chance," Dr. Carrington said with a grimace. "The Guys in White have a warrant for his arrest. When he gets discharged, they'll likely be taking him in." Maddie raised an eyebrow.

"Waiting? That doesn't sound like the Guys in White," Maddie commented. The doctor smiled at her.

"Legal loopholes and technicalities mean we can keep him here until I discharge him," she replied, and she gave a sigh. "But if you can, Mrs. Fenton, can you see what you can do? To keep him from having to go to the Guys in White?"

"I don't have anything that could help," Maddie told her with a helpless shrug. "The Guys in White have jurisdiction over us."

"There must be something," the surgeon frowned. "Isn't there any kind of ghost related laws? Or something?"

"I may just need to advise him to get a lawyer," Dr. Carrington mused to herself. "But I don't know how well that'd work. The Guys in White operate in a different kind of court system I think, like the military? Does that sound about right?"

"Why are you so worried about this anyway?" Maddie questioned. "Phantom's done terrible things."

"He's sixteen, Maddie," the doctor spoke quietly. "I have a daughter his age. He's just a kid doing his best. You can look at him and just...you can just kind of tell. I've had patients come in who were people he rescued from burning buildings and car accidents. Evil ghosts don't do that. Evil beings don't do that. He's been doing a lot of good, really working to make a change. I don't want to see the Guys in White hurting him for that."

Maddie thought about her own sixteen year old. Danny. He shared so many similarities with Phantom, it was scary. And it couldn't be a coincidence. Why hadn't he called her yet? Something was very wrong.

"I'll have to see what I can come up with," Maddie sighed. "But for now, what do we need to prepare?"

Dr. Carrington nodded, and she began to speak more in depth about the possible surgery plans. Maddie watched as the two doctors debated the best course of action. This was going to be a long night.

#broken ectoplasm #danny phantom #maddie fenton #jazz fenton #jack fenton #dannymay #dannymay 19 #my dannymay #my dannymay19 #worldbuilding #I tried to be as accurate as I could with injuries and the law but I'm sorry if it's off oaishfg #I TRIED STICKER #my phics #phics

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seomiamiseo · 6 years

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Reputation Management SEO: How to Own Your Branded Keywords in Google - Whiteboard Friday

Posted by randfish

Click on the whiteboard image above to open a high-resolution version in a new tab!

Video Transcription

Howdy, Moz fans, and welcome to another edition of Whiteboard Friday. This week we are chatting about reputation management SEO.

The challenge

We know that the search results' content can impact...

It can hurt amplification. People who see you in here, who think that there is something bad or negative about you, might be less likely to link to you or share or talk about you.

How can we influence this page to maximize positive impact for our brand?

II. Change the content of the ranking pages. If you have poor reviews or if someone has written about you in a particular way and you wish to change that, there are ways to influence that as well.

Reputation management tactics

More...

Four final topics before we wrap up.

All right, everyone, thanks for joining us, and we'll see again next week for another edition of Whiteboard Friday. Take care.

Video transcription by Speechpad.com

via Blogger https://ift.tt/2JFhVXE

#SEO MIAMI

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localbizlift · 6 years

Text

Reputation Management SEO: How to Own Your Branded Keywords in Google - Whiteboard Friday

Posted by randfish

Click on the whiteboard image above to open a high-resolution version in a new tab!

Video Transcription

Howdy, Moz fans, and welcome to another edition of Whiteboard Friday. This week we are chatting about reputation management SEO.

The challenge

We know that the search results' content can impact...

It can hurt amplification. People who see you in here, who think that there is something bad or negative about you, might be less likely to link to you or share or talk about you.

How can we influence this page to maximize positive impact for our brand?

II. Change the content of the ranking pages. If you have poor reviews or if someone has written about you in a particular way and you wish to change that, there are ways to influence that as well.

Reputation management tactics

More...

Four final topics before we wrap up.

All right, everyone, thanks for joining us, and we'll see again next week for another edition of Whiteboard Friday. Take care.

Video transcription by Speechpad.com

#marketing

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i-wouldnt-kill-a-dragon · 6 years

Text

Reputation Management SEO: How to Own Your Branded Keywords in Google - Whiteboard Friday

Posted by randfish

Click on the whiteboard image above to open a high-resolution version in a new tab!

Video Transcription

Howdy, Moz fans, and welcome to another edition of Whiteboard Friday. This week we are chatting about reputation management SEO.

The challenge

We know that the search results' content can impact...

It can hurt amplification. People who see you in here, who think that there is something bad or negative about you, might be less likely to link to you or share or talk about you.

How can we influence this page to maximize positive impact for our brand?

II. Change the content of the ranking pages. If you have poor reviews or if someone has written about you in a particular way and you wish to change that, there are ways to influence that as well.

Reputation management tactics

More...

Four final topics before we wrap up.

All right, everyone, thanks for joining us, and we'll see again next week for another edition of Whiteboard Friday. Take care.

Video transcription by Speechpad.com

from The Moz Blog https://ift.tt/2O2njaJ http://www.webmasterforum.ws/long-tail-pro-review-platinum-discount

#The Moz Blog

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deannanaylor · 6 years

Text

Reputation Management SEO: How to Own Your Branded Keywords in Google - Whiteboard Friday

Posted by randfish

A searcher’s first experience with your brand happens on Google’s SERPs — not your website. Having the ability to influence their organic first impression can go a long way toward improving both customer perception of your brand and conversion rates. In today’s Whiteboard Friday, Rand takes us through the inherent challenges of reputation management SEO and tactics for doing it effectively.

Click on the whiteboard image above to open a high-resolution version in a new tab!

Video Transcription

Howdy, Moz fans, and welcome to another edition of Whiteboard Friday. This week we are chatting about reputation management SEO.

So it turns out I’ve been having a number of conversations with many of you in the Moz community and many friends of mine in the startup and entrepreneurship worlds about this problem that happens pretty consistently, which is essentially that folks who are searching for your brand in Google experience their first touch before they ever get to your site, their first experience with your brand is through Google’s search result page. This SERP, controlling what appears here, what it says, how it says it, who is ranking, where they’re ranking, all of those kinds of things, can have a strong input on a bunch of things.

The challenge

We know that the search results’ content can impact…

Your conversion rate. People see that the reviews are generally poor or the wording is confusing or it creates questions in their mind that your content doesn’t answer. That can hurt your conversion rate.

It can hurt amplification. People who see you in here, who think that there is something bad or negative about you, might be less likely to link to you or share or talk about you.

It can impact customer satisfaction. Customers who are going to buy from you but see something negative in the search results might be more likely to complain about it. Or if they see that you have a lower review or ranking or whatnot, they may be more likely to contribute a negative one than if they had seen that you had stellar ones. Their expectations are being biased by what’s in these search results. A lot of times it is totally unfair.

So many of the conversations I’ve been having, for example with folks in the startup space, are like, “Hey, people are reviewing my product. We barely exist yet. We don’t have these people as customers. We feel like maybe we’re getting astroturfed by competitors, or someone is just jumping in here and trying to profit off the fact that we have a bunch of brand search now.” So pretty frustrating.

How can we influence this page to maximize positive impact for our brand?

There are, however, some ways to address it. In order to change these results, make them better, Minted, for example, of which I should mention I used to be on Minted’s Board of Directors, and so I believe my wife and I still have some stock in that company. So full disclosure there. But Minted, they’re selling holiday cards. The holiday card market is about to heat up before November and December here in the United States, which is the Christmas holiday season, and that’s when they sell a lot of these cards. So we can do a few things.

I. Change who ranks. So potentially remove some and add some new ones in here, give Google some different options. We could change the ranking order. So we could say, “Hey, we prefer this be lower down and this other one be higher up.” We can change that through SEO.

II. Change the content of the ranking pages. If you have poor reviews or if someone has written about you in a particular way and you wish to change that, there are ways to influence that as well.

III. Change the SERP features. So we may be able to get images, for example, of Minted’s cards up top, which would maybe make people more likely to purchase them, especially if they’re exceptionally beautiful.

IV. Add in top stories. If Minted has some great press about them, we could try and nudge Google to use stuff from Google News in here. Maybe we could change what’s in related searches, those types of things.

V. Shift search demand. So if it’s the case that you’re finding that people start typing “Minted” and then maybe are search suggested “Minted versus competitor X” or “Minted card problems” or whatever it is, I don’t think either of those are actually in the suggest, but there are plenty of companies who do have that issue. When that’s the case, you can also shift the search demand.

Reputation management tactics

Here are a number of tactics that I actually worked on with the help of Moz’s Head of SEO, Britney Muller. Britney and I came up with a bunch of tactics, so many that they won’t entirely fit on here, but we can describe a few more for you in the comments.

A. Directing link to URLs off your site (Helps with 1 & 2). First off, links are still a big influencer of a lot of the content that you see here. So it is the case that because Yelp is a powerful domain and they have lots of links, potentially even have lots of links to this page about Minted, it’s the case that changing up those links, redirecting some of them, adding new links to places, linking out from your own site, linking from articles you contribute to, linking from, for example, the CEO’s bio or a prominent influencer on the team’s bio when they go and speak at events or contribute to sources, or when Minted makes donations, or when they support public causes, or when they’re written about in the press, changing those links and where they point to can have a positive impact.

One of the problems that we see is that a lot of brands think, “All my links about my brand should always go to my homepage.” That’s not actually the case. It could be the case that you actually want to find, hey, maybe we would like our Facebook page to rank higher. Or hey, we wrote a great piece on Medium about our engineering practices or our diversity practices or how we give back to our community. Let’s see if we can point some of our links to that.

B. Pitching journalists or bloggers or editors or content creators on the web (Helps with 1, 4, a little 3), of any kind, to write about you and your products with brand titled pieces. This is on e of the biggest elements that gets missing. For example, a journalist for the San Francisco Chronicle might write a piece about Minted and say something like, “At this startup, it’s not unusual to find blah, blah, blah.” What you want to do is go, “Come on, man, just put the word ‘Minted’ in the title of the piece.” If they do, you’ve got a much better shot of having that piece potentially rank in here. So that’s something that whoever you’re working with on that content creation side, and maybe a reporter at the Chronicle would be much more difficult to do this, but a blogger who’s writing about you or a reviewer, someone who’s friendly to you, that type of a pitch would be much more likely to have some opportunity in there. It can get into the top stories SERP feature as well.

C. Crafting your own content (Helps with 1, a little 3). If they’re not going to do it for you, you can craft your own content. You can do this in two kinds of ways. One is for open platforms like Medium.com or Huffington Post or Forbes or Inc. or LinkedIn, these places that accept those, or guest accepting publications that are much pickier, that are much more rarely taking input, but that rank well in your field. You don’t have to think about this exclusively from a link building perspective. In fact, you don’t care if the links are nofollow. You don’t care if they give you no links at all. What you’re trying to do is get your name, your title, your keywords into the title element of the post that’s being put up.

D. You can influence reviews (Helps with 3 & 5). Depending on the site, it’s different from site to site. So I’m putting TOS acceptable, terms of service acceptable nudges to your happy customers and prompt diligent support to the unhappy ones. So Yelp, for example, says, “Don’t solicit directly reviews, but you are allowed to say, 'Our business is featured on Yelp.’” For someone like Minted, Yelp is mostly physical places, and while Minted technically has a location in San Francisco, their offices, it’s kind of odd that this is what’s ranking here. In fact, I wouldn’t expect this to be. I think this is a strange result to have for an online-focused company, to have their physical location in there. So certainly by nudging folks who are using Minted to rather than contribute to their Facebook reviews or their Google reviews to actually say, “Hey, we’re also on Yelp. If you’ve been happy with us, you can check us out there.” Not go leave us a review there, but we have a presence.

E. Filing trademark violations (Helps with 1 & 3). So this is a legal path and legal angle, but it works in a couple of different ways. You can do a letter or an email from your attorney’s office, and oftentimes that will shut things down. In fact, brief story, a friend of mine, who has a company, found that their product was featured on Amazon’s website. They don’t sell on Amazon. No one is reselling on Amazon. In fact, the product mostly hasn’t even shipped yet. When they looked at the reviews, because they haven’t sold very many of their product, it’s an expensive product, none of the people who had left reviews were actually their customers. So they went, “What is going on here?” Well, it turns out Amazon, in order to list your product, needs your trademark permission. So they can send an attorney’s note to Amazon saying, “Hey, you are using our product, our trademark, our brand name, our visuals, our photos without permission. You need to take that down.”

The other way you can go about this is the Digital Millennium Copyright Act (DMCA) protocols. You can do this directly through Google, where you file and say basically, “Hey, they’ve taken copyrighted content from us and they’re using it on their website, and that’s illegal.” Google will actually remove them from the search results. This is not necessarily a legal angle, but I bet you didn’t know this. A few years ago I had an article on Wikipedia about me, Rand Fishkin. There was like a Wikipedia piece. I don’t like that. Wikipedia, it’s uncontrollable. Because I’m in the SEO world, I don’t have a very good relationship with Wikipedia’s editors. So I actually lobbied them, on the talk page of the article about me, to have it removed. There are a number of conditions that Wikipedia has where a page can be removed. I believe I got mine removed under the not notable enough category, which I think probably still applies. That was very successful. So wonderfully, now, Wikipedia doesn’t rank for my name anymore, which means I can control the SERPs much more easily. So a potential there too.

G. Surrounding your brand name, a similar way, with common text, anchor phrases, and links to help create or reinforce an association that Google builds around language (Helps with 4 & 5). In that example I said before, having Minted plus a link to their photo cards page or Minted photo cards appearing on the web, not only their own website but everywhere else out there more commonly than Minted cards will bias related searches and search suggest. We’ve tested this. You can actually use anchor text and surrounding text to sort of bias, in addition to how people search, how Google shows it.

H. Leverage some platforms that rank well and influence SERP features (Helps with 2 & 4). So rather than just trying to get into the normal organic results, we might say, “Hey, I want some images here. Aha, Pinterest is doing phenomenal work at image SEO. If I put up a bunch of pictures from Minted, of Minted’s cards or photo cards on Pinterest, I have a much better shot at ranking in and triggering the image results.” You can do the same thing with YouTube for videos. You can do the same thing with new sites and for what’s called the top stories feature. The same thing with local and local review sites for the maps and local results feature. So all kinds of ways to do that.

More…

Four final topics before we wrap up.

Registering and using separate domains? Should I register and use a separate domain, like MintedCardReviews, that’s owned by Minted? Generally not. It’s not impossible to do reputation management SEO through that, but it can be difficult. I’m not saying you might not want to give it a spin now and then, but generally that’s sort of like creating your own reviews, your own site. Google often recognizes those and looks behind the domain registration wall, and potentially you have very little opportunity to rank for those, plus you’re doing a ton of link building and that kind of stuff. Better to leverage someone’s platform, who can already rank, usually.

Negative SEO attacks. You might remember the story from a couple weeks ago, in Fast Company, where Casper, the mattress brand, was basically accused of and found mostly to be generally guilty of going after and buying negative links to a review site that was giving them poor reviews, giving their mattresses poor reviews, and to minimal effect. I think, especially nowadays, this is much less effective than it was a few years ago following Google’s last Penguin update. But certainly I would not recommend it. If you get found out for it, you can be sued too.

What about buying reviewers and review sites? This is what Casper ended up doing. So that site they were buying negative links against, they ended up just making an offer and buying out the person who owned it. Certainly it is a way to go. I don’t know if it’s the most ethical or honest thing to do, but it is a possibility.

Monitoring brand and rankings. Finally, I would urge you to, if you’re not experiencing these today, but you’re worried about them, definitely monitor your brand. You could use something like a Fresh Web Explorer or Mention.com or Talkwalker. And your rankings too. You want to be tracking your rankings so that you can see who’s popping in there and who’s not. Obviously, there are lots of SEO tools to do that.

All right, everyone, thanks for joining us, and we’ll see again next week for another edition of Whiteboard Friday. Take care.

Video transcription by Speechpad.com

Reputation Management SEO: How to Own Your Branded Keywords in Google - Whiteboard Friday published first on http://goproski.com/

#go pro ski #ski video #ski crazed

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