Surely features and possibilities are x100 now and some of this might be nostalgy but likely other boomers share some of these views
1) despite abysmal network speeds ( my first was "speedy 7kB/s, that's 7seconds to download just react-dom.js ) pages were still relatively fast. Often it feels pages are just slower these days
2) caching and back/forward worked great. It was possible to fly through history browsing history going back/forward. Also many sites worked surprisingly well offline
3) google search used to provide results where the search term actually appeared
4) it was much easier to find actual information on pages, now it's 90% images and empty space with sny meaningful information tucked away in some modal or corner.
5) forums had much better UX, it was possible to find posts that you saw earlier, see which threads had new replies, read the actual posts as thread, no upvote/downvote bs etc.
6) less hyperactivity in UI. Now it's constant jumps, transitions, modals, multistep forms and such. I still prefer to wait and get a complete page instead of content flashing in from every direction

I have a mind mapping app that has been running well on Android for a few years now. I have been trying to publish it for iOS and MacOS for some time now. On iOS (as an app) and MacOS (in the browser for testing) I have a problem with the export. The app is a project in Angular, Cordova, Typescript. The problem only occurs in the Safari browser, which is also used in the Cordova version for iOS. I was able to test it on my Mac and an iPhone. The error does not occur on the Mac in Chrome.
The error
If I export a mind map that contains images as an image (.png), the images of the nodes are not displayed in the exports. Everything else in the map is exported correctly, only the images are missing. Only when I export the map three times are the images present in the export. If I add a new image and export it again, the image is only visible in the exported image after 3 exports. It is interesting that the export as SVG, which I also offer, contains the images of the nodes. So the SVG string that I create has all the necessary information.
The base
The mind map consists of various things. HTML and CSS for the frames, lines etc... The images of the nodes are saved as Base64 and each node is in a Foreign Object.
Example of the SVG export
Mindmap with 2 nodes and the Base64 characters of the node images have been replaced with XXX.

This is how I create the .png file to be exported.
I can view all this content in the map view of the app. When exporting to an image, I take this information, turn it into an SVG, have the browser draw it on the canvas and then output it as a graphic. Something must be going wrong at this point.

private exportAsImage( mindMap: MindMap, scale?: number, type: string = "png" ): Observable { return new Observable(o => { this.progress.start(this.progress.PROGRESS_MAJOR); this.mmpMap.export(this.mapVizService.getExportClassList(mindMap), (svgStr: string) => { this.exportService.imageFromSVGString(svgStr, type, scale).pipe( switchMap(img => of( Utils.dataURItoFileObject( img.dataUri, `${Utils.sanitizeFilename(mindMap.title)}.${type}` ) ) ), switchMap((fileObject: FileObject) => this.mapsService.saveAsTemp(fileObject, true, { message: this.translate.instant("mdz.mindmap.saveas.message"), // subject: this.translate.instant("mdz.mindmap.saveas.subject"), subject: fileObject.name, url: `www.myURL.com` }, true) ) ).subscribe(() => { this.progress.stop(this.progress.PROGRESS_MAJOR); o.next(); o.complete(); }, err => { this.progress.stop(this.progress.PROGRESS_MAJOR); o.error(err); o.complete(); }); }) }); } 

What I have already tried.
I have already tested various things such as time delays etc..., none of which change anything. It seems to me that it's a combination of the caching and the order or speed at which the images are loaded. Only the speed can't be, because built-in delays don't change anything.
My guess
But it must have something to do with Safari because on the Mac in Chrome it runs without problems... Maybe it can't handle so many base64 images or it exports faster than it renders? Whereby the SVG export contains all the information and when I open the SVG, all the content is also displayed in the browser in seconds. So something must happen when painting on the canvas and outputting as an image.
It doesn't really make sense, I'm really at the end of my ideas. What can you do?
I really hope you can help me. A mind mapping app without image export makes little sense. And since the app otherwise works great, I'm really getting desperate. :(
Thanks a lot!
Rob

There's a new movement on social media called "Blackout 2024" sparked by celebrities' views (or lack thereof) on Palestine.
Context:
Last week's Met Gala highlighted the disparity between celebrity opulence and global suffering. Influencer Haley Baylee (real name Haley Kalil) posed in an extravagant floral gown, saying, "Let them eat cake" along with a TikTok sound. This phrase, attributed to Marie Antoinette, symbolizes an out-of-touch attitude toward the suffering of the masses. Although historians doubt she actually said it, the phrase remains a powerful symbol of severe wealth inequality.
Photos of the Met Gala flooded social media alongside images of Israel's attack on Rafah in the southern Gaza Strip. The stark contrast between celebrities displaying wealth and Palestinians mourning their dead shocked the world. People compared it to The Hunger Games, where the wealthy Capitol residents dressed opulently while children died in the games. The book series' author, Suzanne Collins, drew inspiration from flipping between Iraq War coverage and reality TV shows.
The Blackout 2024 Movement:
TikTok user @ladyfromtheoutside started the Blackout 2024 movement, frustrated with celebrities' silence on Palestine. "It’s time to block all the celebrities, influencers, and wealthy socialites who are not using their resources to help those in dire need," she said in a video with 2.5 million views. "We gave them their platforms. It’s time to take it back, take our views away, our likes, our comments, our money."
People have differing views on who deserves to be blocked. For example, some believe Billie Eilish should be boycotted for not posting about Palestine, while others argue her Ceasefire pin at the Oscars showed her stance.
Celebrities Respond:
Some celebrities have spoken out. Haley Baylee posted a nearly 9-minute apology video, explaining she wasn't an official Met Gala guest but a host interviewing celebs. She claimed ignorance on the Palestine issue, which drew backlash. Critics argued that in the seven months since the attacks began, there has been ample time to educate oneself.
Three days ago, Lizzo posted a TikTok sharing GoFundMe pages and organizations helping people in Palestine, Sudan, and Congo, stating she had donated to all three. Commenters pointed out the timing and questioned why a millionaire asked regular people to donate.
Impact:
The campaign seems to be making an impact. Haley Baylee's follower count dropped from 10 million to 9.9 million. Social media users claim Kim Kardashian also lost followers after her ambiguous "Free everybody" comment to a "Free Palestine" protestor.
Operation Blockout:
Online critics argue that events like the annual Met Gala, where elite figures from the fashion world showcase their extravagant styles, highlight the disconnect between such opulence and pressing social issues. As attendees dazzled in dramatic attire, protests in support of Palestine were underway just blocks away in New York City. This juxtaposition sparked the inception of "Operation Blockout."
TikTok users such as @blockout2024, who is credited with founding the celebrity blocking campaign, have called out several of the world's biggest names. Users, from Kim Kardashian to Taylor Swift to Justin Bieber, did not hold back. In one video, @blockout2024 said followers have "full control of celebrities' money and lives." "When we hate on them, they make money. When we praise them, they make money. But when we block their social media accounts and completely forget their names, they lose it all," he said. "The amount of attention we give them and the amount of engagement we give them is their direct currency. Take it from them."
Reducing celebrities' followers aims to pressure them to highlight issues in Palestine and Sudan. Jenny, a TikTok user from Vietnam, told The New Arab that "the genocide going on in Palestine" prompted her to join the campaign. "The algorithm of TikTok allows anyone, regardless of age, sex, or societal status, to go viral if their content aligns with the interests of other users. That's why the portrayal of any social issue on TikTok is non-biased and very authentic since it's the voice of mundane people like you and me," she said.
"I've never been able to comprehend the power of social media until I saw a whole movement to support Palestine, Congo, and Sudan start from TikTok. Especially among Gen-Zs, who are perceived to be the generation that's much more sensitive to social matters."
The 22-year-old TikToker reiterated that with power comes responsibility, adding that celebrities' silence has contributed to the miseducation of humanitarian crises worldwide. "I personally feel so much rage at why people can put so much effort into participating in a lavish event, which costs thousands of dollars while being completely ignorant of the fact that people are being bombed to pieces on the other side of the world," she told The New Arab. "The Met Gala 2024 depicted the imbalance of power and resource distribution in our society."

Please use this thread to ask any lawn care questions that you may have. There are no stupid questions. This includes weed, fungus, insect, and grass identification. For help on asking a question, please refer to the "How to Get the Most out of Your Post" section at the top of the sidebar.
Check out the sidebar if you're interested in more information on plant hardiness zones, identifying problems, weed control, fertilizer, establishing grass, and organic methods. Also, you may contact your local Cooperative Extension Service for local info.
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Include a photo of the problem. You can upload to imgur.com for free and it's easy to do. One photo should contain enough information for people to understand the immediate area around the problem (dense shade, extremely sloped, etc.). Other photos should include close-ups of the grass or weed in question: such as this, this, or this. The more photos or context to the situation will help us identify the problem and propose some solutions.

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I tried to find a good photo of the mural that used to be on the Tory Street side of Moore Wilsons on google images but there doesn't seem to be any that exist. It's the one with the produce floating.
Does anyone have a photo of it?

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Wade took a breath as he picked up his old duffel bag, now loaded with his DD uniform and a few other items from the Ceres mines as he slotted it to his side, with the large band handle around his neck. Having gathered his belongings, he joined Tina, who was waiting near the ship's open bay door as he walked over to her. The couple watched several of the other troopers inside marching out as well, some carrying crates of supplies and items out of the craft as they departed for the base outside. Kelly was one of the last ones still on board, checking on a section of the cargo bay as she did what Wade presumed was some maintenance work.
With the way now clear, Wade and Tina stepped off the transport, glancing at the massive base around them as they touched the roughened pavement. Throughout the large landing port were several more chameleon dropships, their crews disembarking with similar items and loads of rescued drones aboard. Beyond the ships were several hangar bays and fighter craft, mostly A-20s and their space-borne cousins docked in lines going across the pad. And beyond the landing zone, towering over several buildings at the base, were the few cruisers docked to the large clamps holding them in place.
Walking ahead with Tina, Wade observed some of the departing Coalition troops as they neared one of several tents stationed near an inactive group of planes, the military personnel interacting and exchanging the crates with the Coalition officers upon reaching each other. Hearing a low roar of engines from afar, the lover drones looked upward to see the large USN warship that was present at the factory earlier, having followed the transport convoy home and now was beginning to descend for landing. Wade gave a silent gasp as he caught a glimpse of the ship's name and SIC number at the side, remembering it from the ship he and Ron saw while returning to Earth.
"Always a wondrous thing to see, isn't it Wade?" Tina said as she and her boyfriend watched the ship slowly come lower to the unoccupied dockyard clamps below it.
"Sure is, wonder how they built those babies?" Wade replied as the two looked upon the landing starship, the former worker drone smirking as he added, "I could've swore I saw that same exact ship over Henderson when Ron and I came back, before we got mugged earlier."
Tina glanced to Wade with surprise as she spoke up on his claim. "Really? Well, that had to be the one that helped our friends here back at the factory. I think I saw the same name on it too!"
"Wouldn't surprise me, seeing all that's happened today." Wade replied as he chortled a bit, Tina doing the same as the former spoke further. "I wonder, what kind of ship is the... Vickers again? You know?"
"Autumn class, dear. A heavy destroyer variant, not as strong as those enormous Yamato dreadnoughts or Adelaide battlecruisers, but she'll put up a good fight for whatever comes at her." Tina explained as she held back another chuckle, thinking of her education on various USN craft as she teased Wade lightly. "You know, I may just have to grab one of those ship roster tabs when we get in the base. I'd love to show you all they got in their arsenal."
Wade chortled again as he gave his thoughts on the idea. "Well, it wouldn't be bad to have a little more knowledge in ship-story."
Tina almost burst out laughing at his crude pun, Wade smiling at her as F and Nathan jogged over to the two, the latter carrying his own backpack behind him as he spoke. "Well, not a bad place, huh? You guys heading to the clearance station?"
"Oh yes, we were just admiring the ships around us while we walked." Tina said with a stifled laugh, easing herself as she chatted with her new friends. Wade, however, was quickly overcome with panic as he remembered something. Checking his pockets, his fears were confirmed as he failed to find one of his key possessions: his ID card. Wade felt he must have lost it when he was stripped of his old clothing while in the factory.
Oh no, guys? I don't think I can pass through." Wade said with greenish-yellow circles for eyes as Tina and the others looked to him in concern, the drone feeling through his pockets once more before stating his issue. "My ID, they must've taken it off me when they turned me into a disassembly drone!" Wade began to hyperventilate lightly as he grew fearful of the potential outcomes when they reached the security gate ahead. "Oouuugghh, if I don't have my ID, they'll have to keep me lo-"
"Wade, Wade... it's okay. I'll have them make a pass for you, surely we can get them to after getting them to understand what's happened." Tina stated as she put her hand to Wade's chest, who eased his panic as he looked to his girlfriend.
"Yeah, and besides Wade, those people over there went around gathering what ever items the company stole from the drones during their conversion. I'm sure that once they find it, they'll have it sent off to be given back to you!" Nathan said as F nodded in agreement, shunting Wade's panic out of him with their words as he replied to the hopeful responses.
"Right, yeah, they should do that. Sorry." Holding Tina's hand, Wade spoke to her once more. "Lead the way."
Tina nodded to Wade before the two began to walk over to the security gate nearby, several people, drones and humans alike, already in the line as they checked themselves in to the base to relax after the hard-fought battle. Once they reached the line, the four stood together as they waited for the line to slowly go up, more troops and rescued drones coming over to add to the long line. During the wait, a loud, mechanical 'SLAM' erupted through the air, prompting Wade and Tina to glance over to the direction of the noise. The two felt at ease once more as they saw the Vickers finally landed at the base, the loud clang being the docking clamps attaching to the ships hull just moments ago.
As the line moved up further to the gate, Wade and Tina caught sight of a pair of A-20 aircraft passing over them, the two watching as the planes slowed down while descending onto the runway nearby. The four drones' collective viewing of the fighters landing ceased as they caught sight of J, who took flight as she departed the transport nearby before flying over to the tents near the hangar bays.
"Huh, wonder what she's over there for?" Nathan said as he observed J landing onto the ground in front of one of the tents.
"Probably checking on the drones we got back, or meeting up with one of those commanders there." F said as she motioned an arm towards the tents, J walking under one as she made her way to one of the soldiers coming over to her. "Seems like the latter, from the looks of it."
Wade shrugged as he responded to the group's pondering over J's actions. "Well, she'll be here with us if we need her, right? Shouldn't be much to worry about."
Returning their focus to the line ahead, Wade and his team waited as the line moved up over the next few minutes, moving impressively fast as the people in front cleared themselves in one at a time. Eventually, the four of them were up, Tina stepping up to show her ID for clearance. "Hello, it's been a busy day, hasn't it?"
The security agent smirked at Tina's small-talk. "Hah, not too busy here until you all showed up."
As the guard finished scanning Tina's ID, she handed the card back to her as she raised a finger to begin her request. "Oh, um, there's a little issue we need to resolve." Putting a hand to Wade's arm, Tina explained her boyfriend. "This is my dear friend Wade, Wade Carter. We both managed to escape that blasted factory with the help of those Coalition folks there." Wade gave a pleading look as Tina continued. "Unfortunately, Wade was converted into a disassembly drone before he was rescued, and it seems those people at the company took all his belongings he had on him, including his ID. Do you think there's... anyway you could write up something to let him by?"
Stepping forward, F gave her end of the story. "I can vouch for him, Ma'am. Wade and I we're among the teams helping in getting the worker drones out of the factory during the operation." The disassembly drone pulled out a pair of cards as she finished her explanation, one of them being her company-issued Disassembly Service Passcard, which resembled a normal civilian ID in appearance, save for the 'JCJenson (In Spaaace!) Logo on the top left and hazard markings around the rim of the card. As for the other card, it was a well worn, still legitimate ID card, showing F as how she appeared when she was a worker drone. At the side of her picture was a name with an initial. "FELICITY A LEE"
Taking the two cards in her hand, she looked them over and scanned them as Nathan tried to back Wade up as well. "So can I, Ma'am! I helped there too, when he was under the company's control. We all got him out of the factory so we could get him back in order." Pulling out his own ID, Nathan handed it out as the guard returned F's IDs to her.
The guard accepted Nathan's ID as she spoke over what to do with Wade. "Well, normally it takes clearance from higher ranked personnel here to allow someone inside without a legitimate form of identification. We can't just take someone's word on things like this, after all." Tina seemed to frown in disappointment as the guard explained her protocols, Wade looking down at the ground as he felt his worries were about to be proven correct. Going over Nathan's ID further, she gave an intrigued expression at the card before continuing. "Huh, interesting. Got two veteran folks here, I see?" She glanced to Nathan and F as she said that, taking into account their former military background as the former spoke up.
"Three, actually. My pal Kurtis is somewhere back there, I think. He should be heading down here later this evening." The guard glanced back at Nathan's ID as she took in the veteran drone's reply, sighing as she decided to make a slight amendment to the issue put before her and the four friends.
"Well, seeing you two here, I believe I can write something up. The Major won't be happy with me for this, but I think I can trust you with appropriate behavior." Taking a small sticky name-tag, the woman pulled out a pen before starting to write on it. Initially, she glanced to Wade, who stated his name again before she began to write his name on the tag. Once she was finished, the guard gave the tag to Wade, who slapped it onto his jacket before she spoke to him. "You should be fine to enter for the most part, just stick close to your friends and don't cause any trouble. Understood?"
Wade gave a stern salute to the security officer, who held back a chuckle at the honest, yet amusing effort the disassembly drone showed to her. Giving a simple nod and a flick of her hand, she permitted Wade and his friends entrance to the base, the four walking past the walkway barricades as they made their way past the gate.
Wade let out a heavy sigh of relief as he thanked his allies. "I owe you both so much for this, thanks!"
"Don't mention it, Wade." F said warmly as she and Nathan laughed at his joyful face.
"Yeah, just doing what any good friend should." Nathan said as Tina wrapped an arm around Wade, holding him tightly as the two walked together.
Looking to his girlfriend, Wade spoke to Tina about what to do next. "Well, since we're in, you wanna go fi-" He ceased his words as he remembered that there was someone else they needed to find amongst the base. "Oh, I almost forgot about her,"
"Jasmine!" Tina and Wade said aloud together as the former remembered her sister, Wade's words snapping her mind to Jasmine in an instant. "We should look for her, you think she might be here somewhere?"
"Probably. If they got Ron after they captured me, they have to 've picked her up too." Wade stated, Nathan raising a hand as he offered to help.
"I could go looking for her! You know what she looks like?" Readying a holo-projector, he tried to display an image of Jasmine from one of his many memories of her. The picture was, while pixelated and under a blue hue, incredibly well-detailed. And for Nathan, that was all he needed to see to note Jasmine's appearance in his memory. Nodding, he spoke again to his friends. "Got it! I'll see if she's around!" Then, turning to run down one of the paths leading to a nearby base facility, he stopped as he asked one more question. "Oh! One more thing, you got a smartcomm on ya, Wade?"
Readying one from his holo-projector hand, he nodded as he spoke into it. "Seems so, though I don't seem to have all my contacts added in."
Running back over, Nathan pulled out his own smartcomm before putting it up against Wade's hand one, allowing the two devices to exchange information. Upon the devices beeping, Wade and Nathan nodded to each other, the former ignoring a pop-up that stated, "New Contact Added" while the latter spoke once more. "Okay, I'll call you once I spot her!" With that, he began running down the path once more, intent on finding Tina's sister at the base, wherever she could be.
"Fowley! Her last name's Fowley!" Tina said aloud to the departing Nathan, hoping he heard her words before turning away from the miner drone and facing Wade and F again.
As Tina sighed in partial relief, Wade put his own arm around her before asking the question he tried to ask before. "So, uh, with that out of the way for now... You wanna go look for one of those ship tabs?"
Putting a hand to Wade's chest, Tina smiled as she replied. "Oh, certainly." Then, as the three began walking down a different path that Nathan hadn't taken, the pilot drone continued with a chuckle. "I hear they have a place here that sells model kits too!"
...
Jasmine sat in silent sorrow as she took another gulp of her glass of Proxi-Vodka, a tasty, but heavy alcoholic beverage produced at the colony of Proxima 2... and one of Jasmine's preferred drinks to have when she wasn't in a good mood. When she awoke after being stunned by the station guards, she found that she was just recovered by a group that called themselves the 'United Earth Coalition', and that her drone friend, Tina, was unfortunately taken by the JCJenson corporation to be turned into one of their horrid disassembly drones. While the people that saved her offered to help her find Tina, so far there had been no luck in doing so. No successful calls, no response from Wade nor Ron, nothing.
The whole situation widdled at her like scrapes to her form, slowly draining any bit of hope that she had in finding her sister. And once the mission at that factory was over, the ship began heading back to the Nellis Base to escort the recovered drones back to a safe area. Unfortunately for Jasmine, Tina's presence was not given confirmation. Alone, she walked off to one of the bars down at the base, specifically Drexler's Cantina, one of the more popular bars down at the military starport. Thankfully, though she didn't openly exhibit feelings of wanting to be alone in her wallowing, she was glad the place was nearly barren of patrons, with only a few at a couple of tables within the bar.
The stage at the back of the bar also had a few singer drones performing aloud, the lead singer girl reciting the words of a quiet, yet exciting song that, instrumentally, consisted of a strange mix of bass, techno, and a hint of opera. The song itself was one Jasmine had heard a good many times before in her life, known as, 'You Complete My World' by a decades old Earth band by the name of HeartStar. The song, as Jasmine and many others who'd heard it interpreted it, was about someone who described their world like a puzzle, and that the one whom the main singer cared for beyond all was the only thing that could keep their world from shattering into ruin before them.
An oddly fitting tune, given what had just happened on the JCJ Central earlier. For all Jasmine knew, Tina was either alive beyond her knowledge, hopefully searching for her wherever she could, or, the answer Jasmine feared... Dead.
Not wanting to even consider the thought, the human pilot took another swig of the colonial Vodka, relishing in its taste before forcing herself to swallow, almost gagging from the strength of the drink. Easing herself, she glanced out to one of the windows of the bar, taking the faint glimpse of night into her eyes. Then, looking to the clock at the wall ahead of her, she saw the time was about a little over an hour to 10 pm. Jasmine gave a sigh to herself, certain she would be alone for the rest of the night.
Unbeknownst to her, however, Jasmine had been spied upon a little while ago. Nathan, in his search for the woman Tina called Jasmine Fowley, had spotted a woman matching the physical appearance of the target. Knowing Jasmine wouldn't know who he was if he tried to talk to her himself, Nathan immediately went looking for Wade, easing his return to his team by calling the former worker drone and signaling him about his findings.
Deciding to check on the news, Jasmine slowly pulled out her smartcomm, resisting her urge to press the contacts button as she tapped the news app. Looking through it, she spotted a recent story that was posted just over an hour ago, titled, "JCJenson 'Recall' effort sabotaged by joint Government/Militia forces! The Truth Exposed!" Above the article was a video, a play button in front of it teasing Jasmine. Curious over this sudden development, she pressed the button, her attention in complete focus on the video as it began to play.
After the news station's logo appeared on-screen for a short few seconds, the current host for the story, Mrs. Tiffany Joy, appeared at her seat before beginning the story. "Good evening, this is Nevada-78, I'm your host, Tiffany Joy. Tonight, we start with a rapid development for the 'drone recall' incidents propagated by the business conglomerate JCJenson In Space. Throughout the afternoon up to now, several advanced factories under the ownership of the corporation have fallen under violent assault by various militarized forces, ranging from official United Nations operatives to private militia groups with varying goals." The small screen to Joy's left shifted to show the state of Nevada, zooming into it to show a portion of the Mojave desert as Joy continued her story.
"Among these facilities, one such factory based right here in southern Nevada has recently succumbed to the successful efforts of the USN Defense Force and a group by the name of the United Earth Coalition, an alliance consisting of humans and automatons working to create a unified world for both species." The screen shifted again to show the logo for the UEC, which appeared as one half of a human head outline and another of a drone's, along with two arms behind the heads belonging to both beings pictured. "With the attack having concluded just hours ago, we have reporters gathering at the New Nellis Staryards near Henderson City to bring you the aftermath of the conflict. We go to Mr. Jelico, on the scene in five."
The camera shifted after the countdown of five to show Mr. Jelico in front of the camera, the cameraman filming a large tent housing several worker drones being tended to by the base soldiers. "Alright, Jelico here, we're on station at New Nellis. What you're all seeing here are some of the recovered worker drones, many of them were pretty spooked by the events that unfolded in that factory earlier." As the camera panned over the lot of drones, some of them looked to the camera, curious at the news crew filming them as Jelico continued. "A few of them are real glad to be here, Joy. Seems like they feel safe here, as far as I can tell."
As the camera moved to show Jelico again, a plane could be seen taking off as he spoke. "Yeah, these people did them quite a service. The staff here are working to find their original owners and families, it'll probably be a little bit before they can get them all home." The camera switched once again to another view of the base, the lights of various buildings illuminating the night as the news story continued.
At the entrance, Nathan pushed open the door to the bar, the chime failing to catch anyone's attention as he, Wade, F and Tina stepped inside. Carefully pointing at Jasmine, he whispered to Tina, "That's her, from the looks of it. She's been here for a good minute!"
Taking another drink of the Proxi-Vodka, Jasmine listened further to the story. "The authorities didn't just recover a majority of the worker drones taken into the factory, however. A recent update provided by Mrs. Yuka, shows her interviewing a disassembly drone who claims to be among the unfortunate drones the assault force failed to save before their conversion."
"Jasmine!" Tina called out, the voice instantly grabbing the woman's attention as she paused the news story. Swiftly turning her head, her heart began pounding with immense excitement as she saw her drone sister, who grinned upon seeing her face.
"Tina!" Jasmine said aloud, somewhat weakly from her previous wallowing as she tried to run over to her sister, landing on her knees as the two embraced in a flush of emotions. Wade and his friends stood behind the two girls as they hugged each other, clinging onto one another as tightly as they could give. Jasmine seemed to erupt with a pained cough as she allowed some of her sorrow out of her heart, Tina carressing her back in a comforting manner as she held back her own tears. The sisters held the hug for a long moment, not daring to let go of one another for fear of losing each other again. Eventually, however, they did, the two sisters taking heavy breaths as Jasmine spoke up while wiping her face. "I thought I'd lost you."
"Can't say I didn't feel the same way, love." Tina replied as she broke out in light laughter, glancing to Wade before continuing. "But, fortunately, those Coalition boys helped out quite a bit. Though, not as much as my knight in his new armor."
Standing herself up, Jasmine took Tina's helping hand as she looked to the one her sister spoke of. A grateful smile formed on Jasmine's face as she saw Wade, standing in front of her and Tina as he returned the expression. Looking upon her family friend, Jasmine noticed something... different about Wade. He was taller now, his arms were shaped like white cones rather than the silver bendy tubes he and Tina normally had. As for his face, his pure green eyes were replaced with a set of greenish-yellow ones, and above his forehead was a band holding five yellow bulbs that she didn't know the function of.
While the pieces started to click together in her head, Jasmine took Wade's held out hand as she spoke to him. "Wade, I'm so glad to see you! You look different, too. Did something... happen to you?" She already guessed it by this point, but feigned confusion as she opted to hear Wade's take on the matter.
"Yeah, I hope you don't mind your sister dating a vampire from now on." Tina chortled in amusement at Wade's comment at himself, Jasmine raising an eyebrow in confusion at the former worker drone as he returned his expression to a more sincere smile. "The company got me too, and unlike the workers we got out... they managed to turn me into a disassembly drone. From now on, I'm gonna need to take in more oil than I usually did before I was turned. My cooling system's not as good as it should be, from what I've heard." Pulling out his two full canteens, Wade finished his partial explanation. "Don't worry, though. I've got some to keep me down."
Jasmine took in the news with immense surprise, noticing the hazard stripes at the rims of Wade's arms as she replied to her friend. "Oh... Well, if Tina's fine with it, then I see no problem with that, Wade." Admittedly, she was a bit unnerved by the change, concerned for both him and Tina's safety due to this supposed oil coolant issue. Trying to sound as nice as she could on the matter, Jasmine hesitantly asked Wade, "Though... I am a bit concerned with that bad cooling problem you mention. You... don't think you would-"
"Hurt Tina?!" Wade assumed, understanding Jasmine's concern as he gave a horrified glance to the two sisters. Standing with his fists to his hips, he gave his answer to Jasmine's presumed question. "Don't even say such a thing, Jasmine. I'd rather overheat than dare strike her."
Admittedly amused as well as concerned for Wade's selflessness, Tina chuckled at him before speaking up on the matter. "Now now, Wade. It won't be so bad. We'll manage."
Jasmine nodded as she agreed with her sister's optimistic view on the problem. "Indeed we will, we always do." Then, taking notice of the other two drones in the room, Jasmine smiled at them before speaking again. "Ah, I see you brought some friends too."
Wade and Tina glanced over to Nathan and F upon Jasmine's statement, the two friends smiling pleasantly as Wade spoke up. "Oh, yeah. These are some of my work buddies from Ceres, Jasmine. This is Nathan, I first met him when Ron and I came to the mines, showed us around a bit too." Putting a hand on F's shoulder, Wade introduced her too. "And this is Serial Designation F, or, just F. She was one of the guards keeping watch on the place while we worked."
F seemed to blush out of embarrassment as she remembered her and Wade's first meeting. "I... did come off a little rough on them when they first came in, though. Stopped Nathan's touring run too. Just following colony protocol."
Nathan patted F's back as he tried to ease F's guilt. "Oh, it's nothing F. We had to start work in a few minutes anyway. Besides, it's a bit more fun exploring the place yourself without a guide." He winked at the others as he finished his praise. "Trust me, it really is."
Wade, Tina and Jasmine all chuckled at their friend's amusing words, F joining in as she replied to Nathan's encouragement. "Alright, alright."
Walking up to the two, Tina put her hand onto Nathan's as she gave her own praises. "And they may not look like it, dear, but Nathan and F were both formerly in the military, from what Wade's told me."
Jasmine gave a proud smirk at the two as she responded to her sister's claim. "Well, that's quite something. Did she tell you we used to fly for them some years back?"
"Oh, she did, Mrs. Fowley." Nathan replied as he chuckled lightly, F giving a smile of her own as she added her own part to the story.
"Yeah, and given what's happening now, maybe they might call you back for service again. Wade told me you two were excellent pilots."
It was now Jasmine's turn to blush as she chuckled from the compliment, knowing Wade's high praise for her and her sister's flying as she replied. "Well, I can't say that's wrong, Tina saved the day during the flight back here. We ran into an asteroid cluster while in the middle of a jump."
Wade patted Tina on her back as he quietly cheered his love on. "That's what I'm talking about, she's a wonder among the stars, I'm telling you!"
The group fell into an excited fit of laughter at the conversation, a few of the bar patrons taking notice of the bunch as they eventually ceased their joyful moment.
As everyone calmed down, Jasmine spoke up, intending to bring the discussion to another place. "Well, with all that said, it feels great to see you all here. It was such a terrible day after all those company folk showed up." Then, as she scanned the group of friends around her, she noticed someone else missing from this puzzle. "Hey, uh... is Ron here? Did he head off somewhere?"
The mood was quickly put down to a mournful aura as Wade and Tina glanced to the floor in sadness, Nathan and F giving uncomfortable postures as they awaited for someone to speak up on the matter.
Eventually, Wade was the one to open his mouth, breathing steadily as he tried to speak to Jasmine. "Um, Jasmine? Things, uh... really took a nose dive after we got captured. You think we could find a place to sit? It's a lot to talk about."
Looking to the four drones with concern, Jasmine eased her returning fear as she nodded to Wade in agreement. "...Sure, there's plenty of space at the table here." Pointing her arm to the table, which was surrounded by a U-shaped seating bench, Wade and his friends began to move to the table as Tina spoke up.
"I can get us some drinks for the talk, you all want anything?"
"Just some oil, thanks. "Wade answered as F and Nathan gave their own nods to Tina, the drone girl walking over to the bartender near the stage as she went to purchase some beverages.
Sitting down, Jasmine picked up her smartcomm from the table, glancing to it as she spoke up on her half-finished drink. "Heh, and to think I was drowning myself in this drag of a drink before. Probably have to find a different glass."
"Proxi-Vodka? Haven't seen you touch that since we lost Aunt Susan." Wade said solemnly as he examined Jasmine's drink, sighing as he reluctantly continued. "Well, maybe it can go for a few more sips."
Looking to the vodka, Jasmine nodded as she put her smartcomm in her pocket. "I figured, I didn't think this was gonna sound good."
"I wish it did." Wade replied as Tina walked back to the table, a plate of three oil glasses resting on her careful hand as she set it down.
After delivering the drinks, Tina took a seat next to Wade, holding his hand as Jasmine spoke up. "So, where do we start this terrible story?"
Wade gulped a bit as he began to recount the events that transpired today. "Well, it all started when Ron and I came back from the mining colony."

Dad wants me to choose 2 monitors for him to use with his Macbook.
He is sure that he wants two 16:9 monitors with size = 24-27" and resolution = 2K-4K. Sounds like he got a good idea of the size & pixel density he wants from looking at his colleagues' monitors, as well as how he wants to use these monitors.
He expects to use these 2 monitors to view CAD models/3d animations & marketing content produced by his team on top of normal office tasks, so I'm thinking he would benefit from response times & color accuracy that's somewhat decent, although not necessarily top-notch.
I could just start googling for 24-27", 2K-4K monitors that reviews say have half-decent response times & color accuracy, but the problem is the computer he wants to use. He wants to use two 2K-4K monitors as alernative screens for his Macbook Pro (this one:https://support.apple.com/en-us/111893).
1) I want to confirm if this laptop is even capable of projecting image to two such monitors without encountering issues, and if it can, at what framerates. I have little experience with laptops, but to my knowledge their GPUs are quite a step down from desktop ones, and I don't want to purchase something expensive that he can't benefit from (for example Monitor Unboxed in one of their videos recommended 144hz 2K/4K monitors for productivity which idk if the Macbook can even meaningfully utilize).
2) Also, assuming that this is a good idea, the Macbook in question only has two USB Type-C ports (Thunderbolt/USB4). I take that means that he will likely need some kind of convertehub to connect to most monitors? Or should I look specifically for Monitors that come with something that would plug right in? I have little experience with such devices, especially on the Mac-friendly side.
We live in Sydney, Australia.

European warehouse
Here is the link (Banggood): INSE P20 300W Pet Grooming Vacuum Kit [EU]
Current price is 105.99 USD. The lowest price in my database is 116.99 USD.There're already 4 records in DB. Price monitoring since 14.9.2023!
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Have fun.
Pretty good deal with big price discount.
Telegram: https://t.me/couponsfromchinacom
FB Page: https://www.facebook.com/CouponsFromChinaCom
FB group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/couponsfromchinacom/
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Website: https://couponsfromchina.com
Image: https://imgaz2.staticbg.com/thumb/large/oaupload/banggood/images/9C/CD/ddf53d40-2406-4e08-9759-dafdaced5cb7.jpg

Welcome to Rowing's weekly technique thread!
If you're looking for feedback on your technique on or off the water you're in the right place. Post text, images, or videos of whatever you want feedback on, and Rowing will try and help.
Please host your video somewhere on the internet (YouTube, Streamable, Dropbox, Amazon Photos, Google Drive, wherever) and link it here.
This is a judgement free zone, so be respectful, positive and keep criticism constructive.
Please note that separate posts asking for feedback are still allowed, but only if they are large enough to warrant their own post.
If you don't want to upload a video, you can use the RowerUp service to get an AI computer form check. Currently this service is free.

Here is the link (Banggood): 3 in 1 10000mAh USB Rechargeable Camping Fan with LED Light
Current price is 33.99 USD. The lowest price in my database is 39.99 USD.There're already 2 records in DB. Price monitoring since 10.5.2024!
Do you want e-mail PRICE ALERTS or you're here from Google and coupon doesn't work anymore? Check out current coupons for 3 in 1 10000mAh USB Rechargeable Camping Fan with LED Light on self-updating website right there: https://couponsfromchina.com/in-10000mah-usb-rechargeable-camping-fan-with-led-light/
Have fun.
That is a deal! That is a discount!
Telegram: https://t.me/couponsfromchinacom
FB Page: https://www.facebook.com/CouponsFromChinaCom
FB group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/couponsfromchinacom/
Reddit: https://www.reddit.com/couponsfromchina/
Website: https://couponsfromchina.com
Image: https://imgaz3.staticbg.com/thumb/large/oaupload/banggood/images/50/95/f7e2fb58-7c0e-4a6c-afb2-3b3ad53f443e.jpg

Marketing is one of the most crucial operation for a Shopify store. There are lot’s of tactics Marketing is one of the most crucial operation for a Shopify store. There are lot’s of tactics to grow quickly and none of them not working. Well, if you looking for a way to create solid marketing plan, then this guide is for you. In this guide you’ll learn

• Definition of Marketing
• Market Research, Competitor Analysis and Defining Your Target Market
• Brand Identity and How to Create Your Branding
• Go-to-Market Strategy and Defining Your Marketing Strategy
• Inbound and Outbound Marketing Channels
• Marketing Plan Template
• FAQs

Definition of Marketing

American Marketing Association defines marketing as activity, set of institutions, and processes for creating, communicating, delivering, and exchanging offerings that have value for customers, clients, partners, and society at large. Source
What do you see here?

1. Marketing is not about activities, it contains activities, set of institutions and process.
2. Function of marketing is not generating sales. It’s creating, communicating, delivering and exchanging offerings that has value.
3. In this post we’ll focus on Shopify stores marketing. However in the big picture marketing has not limited with companies. Marketing can be done within organization or society.

Let’s summarize what marketing definition for a Shopify store. Marketing will create, communicate, deliver and exchange offers that have value for customers. As you can see main subject in here is customers. Because of this, I’ll put customers as the center of this guide. Everything we’ll do has to something with them.

Market Research, Competitor Analysis and Defining Your Target Market

This is a practical guide for marketing so I want to continue with a hypothetical Shopify stores for each steps.
Let’s say we have a Shopify store that has some high-end, organic baby clothes targeting new parents.

Market Research

How can we do the market research?
Let’s say you have a new Shopify store that has less than 500 order per month. You can hire expensive agencies, expensive experts to research the market, create market reports for you, etc. Even if you do that, I highly suspicious if it helps you.
However you can talk with your new-parent friends. Ask them about how do they decide to buy baby clothes? What they are looking for before completing their purchases? Do they get any expert opinion before making buying decision? How do they search online and what they want to see? Is there any great YouTube channels about this.
Don’t have any friends? Checkout your friends not a new-parents but parents and ask similar questions to them. If you also don’t have them, try to make new born friends. I know how hard it is but let’s be honest here. If you don’t know anybody in your target audience, how do you manage to get know them? All of the successful stores I saw they have direct relationship with their target audience.
When you make your research with real people, then you can extend your project to online. Try to search as they do. What do you find? Deep in dive and take your notes.

Competitor Analysis

When you done this market research, you’ll also see there are some other brands. This is a huge subject but let’s call these brands as competitor for now.
Now it’s time to analyze them.

1. Checkout their branding strategy.
2. What are their value propositions?
3. What is hot about them? Return guarantee, free shipping etc.
4. What is not hot about them? Poor product or store design, low UX on the website, etc.
5. What people think about them? Google reviews, Trust pilot reviews, product reviews on the store.
6. Are there any partnership or influencer program they’re running?
7. What is their Google/YouTube campaign strategy? Check it here.
8. What is their Facebook/Instagram campaign strategy? Check it here.

Create a spreadsheet with all of this information. We’ll use this when working on positioning and marketing strategy.

Define Your Target Market

What do you say about our target market? Can all of new parents be our target market?
Nope, it can’t. You need to deep dive into your market and find a sub-segment, a niche that will need your products much better than anybody else and afford it easily.
This is what I called ideal customer profile (ICP). Check out what is ideal customer profile and how to create your ideal customer profile posts to learn more about the concept.
For our hypothetical store, ICP can be something like this;
Demographics

• Age: 25-45 years old
• Gender: Primarily women, but also some men
• Education: College degree or higher
• Income: $75,000+ per household
• Location: Urban areas
• Occupation: Professionals, entrepreneurs, stay-at-home parents

Psychographics

• Values: Health, wellness, sustainability, social responsibility
• Lifestyle: Active, eco-conscious, family-oriented
• Interests: Organic food, natural products, children’s activities
• Media consumption: Social media, parenting blogs, magazines
• Shopping habits: Researches purchases thoroughly, values quality over price

Pain Points

• Concerns about harmful chemicals in baby clothes
• Difficulty finding stylish and affordable organic baby clothes
• Wants to make sustainable choices for their children

Needs

• High-quality, organic baby clothes that are safe and healthy for their children
• Unique and stylish designs that make their children look and feel good
• A brand that shares their values and commitment to sustainability

Buying Behaviors

• Researches products online before making a purchase
• Reads reviews and testimonials from other parents
• Shops at specialty stores and online retailers
• Willing to pay a premium for quality and sustainability

After creating ICP, it’s important to spend some time on empathy map. Don’t forget to check it, too.
Now we know our baby clothes Shopify store market, customer’s buying process and our ideal customer profile.

Brand Identity and How to Create Your Branding

I’ll follow the American Marketing Association (AMA) in here too.
First look at brand definition. AMA defines brand as “any distinctive feature like a name, term, design, or symbol that identifies goods or services”.
Branding is for creating and managing your brand’s identity. It involves your mission, values, culture and public image.
I’m not an expert on brand, but I know how branding can be effective for your conversions and performance. Here are some checklist for you.

1. Design consistency is the key. Your visual identity should be consistent across social media, Shopify store, emails, product detail pages, etc.
2. Copy consistency is the key. Your communication style should be consistent across social media, Shopify store, emails, product detail pages, etc.
3. Experience consistency is the key. Let’s say your brand looks like a high-end brand and when a new visitor visit your store first they see is an annoying popup saying want to get 10% OFF. This is simply how to destroy your brand.
4. Craft a story and stick to it. What makes you create this brand? Faces behind the brand. This is a huge leverage for creating trust and building bonds.

Go-to-Market Strategy and Defining Your Marketing Strategy

So far we identified our target market and ideal customer profile. Check out competitors and creates the branding for our store.
Now it’s time to work on go-to-market strategy and crafting our marketing strategy.

Go-to-Market Strategy

Let’s say you recently launched your Shopify store or add a new line of products.
You need a plan to introduce your store or new products to the market. This is what we called go-to-market(GTM) strategy.
Main goal of the GTM is letting people know that there is a new brand or product line. It’s similar to launch marketing. Key message here is there is a new products/brand launched and it offer the best for you. Give it a try, you’ll love it.
All of your messages and communication should be parallel to this process.
Our focus is convincing people to try our products/brand. So I always offer a special campaign just for the launch to give people to a reason to try your products/brand.
For our hypothetical Shopify store we can run a special campaign for launch like;

• Free shipping until X date.
• 5 different boy and girl bundle with 40% OFF to try our products.

Marketing Strategy

This is your plan of actions to sell or advertise your products. Now we can talk about selling part of the marketing.
Let’s say you have GREAT advertising creatives and a huge budget and just spending it. Don’t wait to crack the code and having lot’s of sales.
Your marketing strategy should be follow sales funnel. If you don’t have a high-converting sales funnel, you can’t expect people to buy from you. Check out How to Build High Converting Sales Funnel For Shopify post.
AIDA Sales Funnel Framework
Now we can continue with our hypothetical store example. We’re selling high-end, organic baby clothes on our store. We crafted our ICP, empathy map, work on branding and created our story.

Example Marketing Strategy

First step we’ll work on attention step. Our focus is getting attention of our target market attention.
We can create a educative e-book like “7 Harmful Chemicals Commonly Used in Baby Clothes and How to Avoid Them” and run some campaigns targeted new parents on social network (Facebook, Instagram or YouTube)
This ads will land on a landing page that gives brief information about why we should pay attention to chemicals in baby clothes for our little ones and make a promise like “I spend my last 5 years about researching chemicals on baby clothes and prepare this book for you and your little one”. Also there can be a quick video about our story explaining our expertise in this field and why we’re building this brand.
We can ask for their email address to share the book with them. When they enter their email address, we’ll send them this ebook.
After first email with the ebook, we can send a few more emails with easy to digest information about chemicals.
This will create an expertise image on our target customers and start to create a bond with them. Not a bad start, right?
At the same time we can use this content on our social media, right? Quick videos, infographics and posts about the chemicals in the baby clothes.
After getting a few thousands subscribers we can organize a webinar to answer questions. This will also a great content for re-used social media content and creating trust and expert image.
Then we can share a time-limited promotion with this people for a bundle. Like we’re running a campaign and these 5 chemical free baby clothes bundles 10% discounted until next week!
We can send emails about it and use this campaign for remarketing for only people who show interest in our e-book and webinar.
This is a very brief template of marketing plan.
Now let’s take a look at more common one.

• Post product photos on social media with lot’s of hashtags
• Run a Meta campaign without any targeting, land people on product detail page
• Give them WELCOME10 discount if they enter their email address
• Send them 15 emails in the next 5 days to maximize your sales.

It’s time for you. Which one do you want to choose? All of the experts recommending this without even asking who are your customers. Can you believe it?
Don’t forget that marketing strategy is not a hope. It’s a well documented plan of actions designed for turning strangers into customers.

Inbound and Outbound Marketing Channels

Inside the marketing strategy, channels plays a vital role. There are lot’s of ways to group channels. I’ll use most basic one.
Inbound Marketing Channels: With the inbound marketing your customers will find you and start the interaction. Most common channel for inbound marketing is organic search engine optimization.
After creating high quality content, when customers search something online, they can see your articles and first interaction happens.
Outbound Marketing Channels: With the outbound marketing you reach out to customers. Facebook/Instagram/YouTube ads, influencer marketing, display ads, podcast ads can be count in this category.
As you can imagine inbound marketing channels takes lot’s of efforts and time however over the time you’ll have organic marketing channel and it brings you customer without needing any budget.
Outbound marketing channels generally works with advertisement models and you need budgets to run these channels.
Most of time I recommend to start with outbound marketing channels and then invest inbound marketing channels overtime. Don’t forget to check Mastering Paid Ads For Shopify post.
Succesful marketing plans should be supported by high converting growth and conversion plans. Don’t forget to check Growth Guide For Shopify and Conversion Optimization Guide For Shopify too.
to grow quickly and none of them not working. Well, if you looking for a way to create solid marketing plan, then this guide is for you. In this guide you’ll learn

• Definition of Marketing
• Market Research, Competitor Analysis and Defining Your Target Market
• Brand Identity and How to Create Your Branding
• Go-to-Market Strategy and Defining Your Marketing Strategy
• Inbound and Outbound Marketing Channels
• Marketing Plan Template
• FAQs

Definition of Marketing

American Marketing Association defines marketing as activity, set of institutions, and processes for creating, communicating, delivering, and exchanging offerings that have value for customers, clients, partners, and society at large. Source
What do you see here?

1. Marketing is not about activities, it contains activities, set of institutions and process.
2. Function of marketing is not generating sales. It’s creating, communicating, delivering and exchanging offerings that has value.
3. In this post we’ll focus on Shopify stores marketing. However in the big picture marketing has not limited with companies. Marketing can be done within organization or society.

Let’s summarize what marketing definition for a Shopify store. Marketing will create, communicate, deliver and exchange offers that have value for customers. As you can see main subject in here is customers. Because of this, I’ll put customers as the center of this guide. Everything we’ll do has to something with them.

Market Research, Competitor Analysis and Defining Your Target Market

This is a practical guide for marketing so I want to continue with a hypothetical Shopify stores for each steps.
Let’s say we have a Shopify store that has some high-end, organic baby clothes targeting new parents.

Market Research

How can we do the market research?
Let’s say you have a new Shopify store that has less than 500 order per month. You can hire expensive agencies, expensive experts to research the market, create market reports for you, etc. Even if you do that, I highly suspicious if it helps you.
However you can talk with your new-parent friends. Ask them about how do they decide to buy baby clothes? What they are looking for before completing their purchases? Do they get any expert opinion before making buying decision? How do they search online and what they want to see? Is there any great YouTube channels about this.
Don’t have any friends? Checkout your friends not a new-parents but parents and ask similar questions to them. If you also don’t have them, try to make new born friends. I know how hard it is but let’s be honest here. If you don’t know anybody in your target audience, how do you manage to get know them? All of the successful stores I saw they have direct relationship with their target audience.
When you make your research with real people, then you can extend your project to online. Try to search as they do. What do you find? Deep in dive and take your notes.

Competitor Analysis

When you done this market research, you’ll also see there are some other brands. This is a huge subject but let’s call these brands as competitor for now.
Now it’s time to analyze them.

1. Checkout their branding strategy.
2. What are their value propositions?
3. What is hot about them? Return guarantee, free shipping etc.
4. What is not hot about them? Poor product or store design, low UX on the website, etc.
5. What people think about them? Google reviews, Trust pilot reviews, product reviews on the store.
6. Are there any partnership or influencer program they’re running?
7. What is their Google/YouTube campaign strategy? Check it here.
8. What is their Facebook/Instagram campaign strategy? Check it here.

Create a spreadsheet with all of this information. We’ll use this when working on positioning and marketing strategy.

Define Your Target Market

What do you say about our target market? Can all of new parents be our target market?
Nope, it can’t. You need to deep dive into your market and find a sub-segment, a niche that will need your products much better than anybody else and afford it easily.
This is what I called ideal customer profile (ICP). Check out what is ideal customer profile and how to create your ideal customer profile posts to learn more about the concept.
For our hypothetical store, ICP can be something like this;
Demographics

• Age: 25-45 years old
• Gender: Primarily women, but also some men
• Education: College degree or higher
• Income: $75,000+ per household
• Location: Urban areas
• Occupation: Professionals, entrepreneurs, stay-at-home parents

Psychographics

• Values: Health, wellness, sustainability, social responsibility
• Lifestyle: Active, eco-conscious, family-oriented
• Interests: Organic food, natural products, children’s activities
• Media consumption: Social media, parenting blogs, magazines
• Shopping habits: Researches purchases thoroughly, values quality over price

Pain Points

• Concerns about harmful chemicals in baby clothes
• Difficulty finding stylish and affordable organic baby clothes
• Wants to make sustainable choices for their children

Needs

• High-quality, organic baby clothes that are safe and healthy for their children
• Unique and stylish designs that make their children look and feel good
• A brand that shares their values and commitment to sustainability

Buying Behaviors

• Researches products online before making a purchase
• Reads reviews and testimonials from other parents
• Shops at specialty stores and online retailers
• Willing to pay a premium for quality and sustainability

After creating ICP, it’s important to spend some time on empathy map. Don’t forget to check it, too.
Now we know our baby clothes Shopify store market, customer’s buying process and our ideal customer profile.

Brand Identity and How to Create Your Branding

I’ll follow the American Marketing Association (AMA) in here too.
First look at brand definition. AMA defines brand as “any distinctive feature like a name, term, design, or symbol that identifies goods or services”.
Branding is for creating and managing your brand’s identity. It involves your mission, values, culture and public image.
I’m not an expert on brand, but I know how branding can be effective for your conversions and performance. Here are some checklist for you.

1. Design consistency is the key. Your visual identity should be consistent across social media, Shopify store, emails, product detail pages, etc.
2. Copy consistency is the key. Your communication style should be consistent across social media, Shopify store, emails, product detail pages, etc.
3. Experience consistency is the key. Let’s say your brand looks like a high-end brand and when a new visitor visit your store first they see is an annoying popup saying want to get 10% OFF. This is simply how to destroy your brand.
4. Craft a story and stick to it. What makes you create this brand? Faces behind the brand. This is a huge leverage for creating trust and building bonds.

Go-to-Market Strategy and Defining Your Marketing Strategy

So far we identified our target market and ideal customer profile. Check out competitors and creates the branding for our store.
Now it’s time to work on go-to-market strategy and crafting our marketing strategy.

Go-to-Market Strategy

Let’s say you recently launched your Shopify store or add a new line of products.
You need a plan to introduce your store or new products to the market. This is what we called go-to-market(GTM) strategy.
Main goal of the GTM is letting people know that there is a new brand or product line. It’s similar to launch marketing. Key message here is there is a new products/brand launched and it offer the best for you. Give it a try, you’ll love it.
All of your messages and communication should be parallel to this process.
Our focus is convincing people to try our products/brand. So I always offer a special campaign just for the launch to give people to a reason to try your products/brand.
For our hypothetical Shopify store we can run a special campaign for launch like;

• Free shipping until X date.
• 5 different boy and girl bundle with 40% OFF to try our products.

Marketing Strategy

This is your plan of actions to sell or advertise your products. Now we can talk about selling part of the marketing.
Let’s say you have GREAT advertising creatives and a huge budget and just spending it. Don’t wait to crack the code and having lot’s of sales.
Your marketing strategy should be follow sales funnel. If you don’t have a high-converting sales funnel, you can’t expect people to buy from you. Check out How to Build High Converting Sales Funnel For Shopify post.
This article first published at MarketingLib.
Don't forget to check Growth Suite on Shopify App Store.

Good Day Beauties, we're looking for models to create lifestyle content for us. All the work details are mentioned in the video please watch it to know what we want from you.
Video Link
Models Recruited will be given $20 sign on bonus.
Location Requirements: Models only from Southeast Asia are only given priorities for now.
This is the process: 1. Screening 2. Completing of Requirements 3. Profile Registration 4. Approval

1. Screening (DM with these details if interested)
2. Fil up this form:

Name: Age: Birthdate: Location: Do you have kids? I yes, how many and how old? Social Media LINK (All social media LINK): And send 10 BEST PHOTOS (Must be near, not far, must not have a shades, or eyeglasses, not with facemasks, must be solo,with full body and close up)
Note: Social medias must be "Single-looking profile" or "Single". Having kids is fine, but relationship in profile is automatic reject.

1. Completing of Requirements:

• 50 Lifestyle Photos (Old Photos is fine as long as it's still quality, you can use your photos that is already posted on your social media) (Maximum 5 photos with family, Maximum 5 Private Photos)
• 20 Lifestyle Videos (Must be 20 seconds above each, no tiktok watermark, you can use Tiktok videos but make sure remove the watermark at Snaptik.com or Ssstik.io Must not have vape, cigarette or liquor on the video, super daring videos (almost nude) are NOT allowed) (With partner NOT ALLOWED)
• Photo of ID with birthdate, ID Number & photo (Must not be expired within 6 months, you can use any IDs)
• Questionnaire (Will be provided to the scout once there's already passed models, this are just about personal information like height, weight, etc.)

1. Profile Registration

• Once the Models already completed all requirements, she just need to wait 2-5 days before the profile will be registered. There are times that it will be later than that if, example, the model needs to send another ID, because the ID photo is not readable, or the date is already expired, etc.

1. Approval

• This only takes 1 day

Good Day Beauties, we're looking for models to create lifestyle content for us. All the work details are mentioned in the video please watch it to know what we want from you.
Video Link
Models Recruited will be given $20 sign on bonus.
Location Requirements: Models only from Southeast Asia are only given priorities for now.
This is the process: 1. Screening 2. Completing of Requirements 3. Profile Registration 4. Approval

1. Screening (DM with these details if interested)
2. Fil up this form:

Name: Age: Birthdate: Location: Do you have kids? I yes, how many and how old? Social Media LINK (All social media LINK): And send 10 BEST PHOTOS (Must be near, not far, must not have a shades, or eyeglasses, not with facemasks, must be solo,with full body and close up)
Note: Social medias must be "Single-looking profile" or "Single". Having kids is fine, but relationship in profile is automatic reject.

1. Completing of Requirements:

• 50 Lifestyle Photos (Old Photos is fine as long as it's still quality, you can use your photos that is already posted on your social media) (Maximum 5 photos with family, Maximum 5 Private Photos)
• 20 Lifestyle Videos (Must be 20 seconds above each, no tiktok watermark, you can use Tiktok videos but make sure remove the watermark at Snaptik.com or Ssstik.io Must not have vape, cigarette or liquor on the video, super daring videos (almost nude) are NOT allowed) (With partner NOT ALLOWED)
• Photo of ID with birthdate, ID Number & photo (Must not be expired within 6 months, you can use any IDs)
• Questionnaire (Will be provided to the scout once there's already passed models, this are just about personal information like height, weight, etc.)

1. Profile Registration

• Once the Models already completed all requirements, she just need to wait 2-5 days before the profile will be registered. There are times that it will be later than that if, example, the model needs to send another ID, because the ID photo is not readable, or the date is already expired, etc.

1. Approval

• This only takes 1 day

Shot Shot Fruit
Japanese name: Shotto Shotto no Mi
The user becomes a "Camera Human", the only biological change being a slit in their forearm for photos and film reel to print from.
Abilities:
Instant Development By miming the action of taking a photo with a camera, the user is able to Instantly capture a photo of their perspective which then prints from their forearm. Certain effects can be applied to individuals within the photo. Effects are one at a time, or if the photo is damaged they are negated.
Action Shot By miming the action of holding a digital video camera, the user is able to capture 10s of footage which then gets transferred to film reels.
Moveset:
Freeze Frame The user is able to apply this effect to an individual in a captured image, this causes them to freeze in place indefinitely.
Slow Mo The targeted individual forcibly moves in slow mo.
Take Two The targeted individual is forcibly reverted back to the position they were in 10s prior.
Jump Cut This ability causes the target within the photo to repeat the motion they've just completed.
Match Cut Match cut only works if the user has captured multiple photos contains the targeted individual. They are able to force the individual to revert back to the motions being completed in the images.
Establishing Shot This ability allows information of subjects within an image to become known.
Film Review This ability allows the user to project an image or reel they are holding.
Surround Sound Audio from the capture Action Shot can be projected.
Events prior Shows events 5s before the captured action shot.
Next Scene Shows events 5s after Action Shot.
Awakening:
With mastery and awakening, the Shotto Shotto no Mi grants the user the ability to retrieve any memory from the previous 24 hours to convert into a film reel.
Along with a couple extra abilities.
Over the Shoulder The user can capture an Instant Development or Action Shot from the perspective of any living thing within their line of site.
Cut to Camera # Number dependant on the amount of living things within a captured photo, the user can then see the point of view of any of the living things in that specific moment captured.
Extreme Long Shot By focusing on a target within a photo, the user can then see the wider environment of their current location.
Birds Eye View Similar to Extreme Long Shot though with a higher angle.
Close Up The user can zoom in on an individuals face to capture image or action shot.
Limitations:
The fruit has very little combative potential, though dependant on the user it can still be useful. Also as stated, moveset is completely dependant on the status of the photo. If it were to be damaged in anyway it dissapears in a flash of light.
The fruit is ideal for an espionage specialist.

GPT-4o was announced a few hours ago by OpenAI, and although the announcement livestream is great, the real gold nuggets are in the 22 demo videos they posted on their channel.
I watched all of them, and here are the key takeaways and use cases we all should know. 👍🏻

A. The Ultimate Learning Partner

What is it? Give GPT-4o a view of the math problem you’re working on, or the objects you want to learn the language translation of, and it can teach you like no other tool can.
Why should you care? Imagine when you can hook up GPT-4o to something like the Meta Rayban glasses: then you can always have it teach you about whatever you are looking at. That can be a math problem, an object you want translated, a painting you want the history of, or a product that you want get the reviews of online. This single feature alone has incredibly many use-cases!
🔗 Video 7, Video 8

B. The Perfect Teams Meeting Assistant

What is it? Having an AI assistant during Teams meetings, whom you can talk to the same way you talk to your colleagues.
Why should you care? Their demo didn’t expound on the possibilities yet, but some of them can be…

• having the AI summarise the minutes and next steps from the meeting
• having the AI look up info in your company data and documentation pages (e.g. “what’s the sales from this month last year?”)
• having the AI work on data analysis problems with you (e.g. “create a chart showing sales over the past 5 years and report on trends”)

🔗 Video 5

C. Prepare for Interviews like Never Before

What is it? Have GPT-4o act like the company you’re interviewing for.
Why should you care? What’s changed is that the AI can now “see” you. So instead of just giving feedback on what you say, it can also give feedback on how you say it. Layer this on top of an AI avatar and maybe you can simulate the interview itself in the future?
🔗 Video 11

D. Your Personal Language Translator, wherever you go

What is it? Ask ChatGPT to translate between languages, and then speak normally.
Why should you care? Because of how conversational GPT-4o has become, the AI now helps not just with translating the words, but also the intonation of what you’re intending to say. Now pair this with GPT-enabled earphones in a few years, and you pretty much can understand any language (AirPods x ChatGPT, anyone?)
🔗 Video 3

E. Share Screen with your AI Coding Assistant

What is it? Share screen with your AI partner, and have them guide you through your work.
Why should you care? Now this is definitely something that will happen pretty soon. Being able to “share screen” to your AI assistant can help not just with coding, but even with other non-programmer tasks such as work in excel, powerpoint, etc.
🔗 Video 20

F. A future where AIs interact with each other

What is it? Two GPT-4o’s interacting with each other, that sounds indistinguishable from two people talking. (They even sang a song together!)
Why should you care? Well there’s a couple of use cases:

• can you imagine AI influencers talking to each other live on Tiktok? Layer this conversation with AI avatars and this will be a step beyond the artificial influencers you have today (e.g. the next level of lilmiquela maybe?)
• can this be how “walled” AIs can work together in the future? example: Meta’s AI would only have access to facebook’s data, while Google’s AI would only have access to google’s - will the two AIs be able interact in a similar fashion to the demo, albeit behind-the-scenes?

🔗 Video 2

G. AI Caretaking?

What is it? Asking GPT-4o to "train” your pets
Why should you care? Given GPT-4o’s access to vision, can you now have AI personal trainers for your pets? Imagine being able to have it connect to a smart dog-treat dispenser, and have the AI use that to teach your dog new tricks!
🔗 Video 12

H. Brainstorm with two GPTs

What is it? The demo shows how you can talk to two GPT-4o’s at once
Why should you care? The demo video is centered around harmonizing singing for some reason, but I think the real use case is being able to brainstorm with two specific AI personalities at once:

• one’s a Devil’s Advocate, the other’s the Angel’s advocate?
• one provides the Pros (the Optimist), the other gives the Cons (the Pessimist)?
• maybe Disney can even give a future experience where you can talk to Joy and Sadness from the movie Inside Out? - that would be interesting!

🔗 Video 10

I. Accessibility for the Blind

What is it? Have GPT-4o look at your surroundings and describe it for you
Why should you care? Imagine sending it the visual feed from something like the Meta Rayban glasses, and your AI assistant can literally describe what you’re seeing, and help you navigate your surroundings like never before (e.g. “is what I’m holding a jar of peanut butter, or a jar of vegemite?”). This will definitely be a game-changer for how the visually impaired lives their daily lives.

🔗 Video 13

If this has been in any way useful, I hope you can check out RoboNuggets where I originally shared this and other AI-related practical knowledge! (The links to the video demos are also there). My goal is not "AI daily news", as there's already too many of those, but instead share useful knowledge for everyone to take full advantage of the new AI normal. Cheers! 🥚

Hey Founders!
Inspired by people posting Bento Grid designs on social media showcasing their wins, achievements, project statistics, etc. which were manually edited in Figma, I decided to automate it with a simple, 100% free tool everyone could use without prior design skills.
It's 100% free 💚, easy to use, customizable, and you can copy or download your bento grid as a PNG file ready to share on social media to skyrocket your views!

• 100% free to use, no sign-up
• no watermark
• HQ image export
• customizable, has a dynamic layout with boxes and rows
• emoji supported

Try the Free Bento Grid Generator and let me know your feedback!
Building it was fun. I hope you generate some stunning Bento Grids with it 😎
Let me know your feedback, I made it as a strategy marketing through free tools to try position on some keywords in Google!

Our site was growing steadily over time since 2021. No black hat, no pbn, no schemes. Just plain old content creation. Also not just "Do 10 things in XY" but interviews, honest reviews, community-based and also truly unique insights.
We got hit by the HCU as many others here. First we said: "Why could this happen.. we do good!" but with the weeks and months passing by we realised more and more that we weere building on a rotten foundation.
So we packed it, we were motivated and changed:

• AD-Density -35 %
• Deleted 1,500 bad articles
• Disavowed (heavily) spammy backlinks
• reworked 300+ articles
• Starting implementing a colorcoded TLDR at the start of an article
• built Silos and Clusters, improved internal linking in genereal
• combined content that was otherwise to fluffy or seemed like we did it just to hit an LTK.
• created author pages with references, articles, and personal information as well as contact
• built about us page with deep insights into our history, the numbers we drive and our community.
• built tag pages for (we are gaming) every game with 4 tabs: Latest, News, Guides & Wiki, Exclusive (the wiki also got a link tree of some sort so people can manouver thru the content more easily)
• we integrated a better search.
• people can now mark articles as their favorit to easily come back and read on
• We built our socials like FB, Twitter and YouTube.
• We built natural backlinks from authoritative sites and companies in our niche.
• We improved design overall to make the website look more modern
• We improved minor things like: text sizes and gaps, colors and images. improved on alt text and got rid of many plugins we did not really need, deleted thousands of images we dont need anymore. And so much more.

So here is the real deal: For weeks, I sit on my desk just barely doing the things I want to do.. But after like 30 minutes my stomach twists, my heart races and so on. We laid off ALL employees but 1, and so we are with 3 people now. My Biz partner, me and the one who is left. But the others arent motivated too. They probably feel the same as I.
I want this to recover and I have some points left like: Improving CWV, creating more Clusters and Silos and rewriting more articles. But somehow I cant manage to bring myself to do it. The realistic fear of this never going to be better is just so crippling.
We are also in contact with many other publishers who got hit from the HCU.. they feel similar, they dont know what do, and Google is not doing anything. They are dodging every question about the HCU... I guess they dont know themselves what is really going on with their HCU and the Algo...
And then I see people with the most barebone (literally 1990 looking) websites that use OUR content and/or scraping dozens of other websites just doing fine. One of our direct competitors surged from around 5 to 10k views per day to over 300,000 views. And they do the exact same content as we did..
Life is not fair, I get that, but at this point im so crippled from all of this. I cant move on, I cant do it, no matter how much I want to. Do you feel the same, is there anything I can do? Or do I need to call it an end and let it go?