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By Dua Rashid / Gizmodo

The video platform will skip right to the end of your video every time you try to play it

YouTube has been at war with ad blockers for quite some time now and has employed various tactics to keep users off those extensions. Its most recent defence strategy is to skip right to the end of the video you’re playing. If you try replaying it, it’ll do that again. If you tap anywhere on the timeline, your video will buffer indefinitely. Here’s what it looks like in action.

This isn’t its first attempt at curbing ad blockers on the platform. I used to be a loyal AdBlock user, but I was forced to disable the extension for YouTube to work on my laptop. As far as I can remember, one of its first moves was to send a pop-up warning saying, “Video playback is blocked unless YouTube is allowlisted or the ad blocker is disabled.” However, users could close that pop-up and resume watching their videos.

Next, it tried to make videos unplayable by showing a never-ending loading screen. Then it refused to do even that and would pop up an immovable prompt to disable the ad blocker.

This latest move is frustrating, and that’s the point. There was a time when its ads were tolerable, but with the recent increase of ads on the video platform, users are finding it extremely hard to sit through a 20-second unskippable ad followed by a 5-second skippable one. Ad runtime isn’t proportionate to a video’s length, which adds to the bizarreness.

Google is aware of its monopoly over the video-sharing industry and has jacked up its ad-free Premium tier prices to $14 monthly. It has also extended its crackdown on mobile, resulting in buffering issues and error messages for users who dare to use an ad blocker on their phones.

So far, one of the most popular ad blockers, AdBlock, has been handling YouTube’s measures quite well by tweaking its code and tackling every new strategy that YouTube utilizes. This is how it’s managed to survive multiple crackdowns. But YouTube, too, manages to quickly counter these new changes in this years-long cat-and-mouse game between YouTube and AdBlock.

Users have also figured out workarounds. Some are switching to AdBlock alternatives, such as uBlock Origin, while others recommend browser substitutes like Brave to fix the issue. A few disappointed consumers are also considering bidding farewell to the platform. Still, with no major video-sharing platforms to act as replacements, I doubt their boycott will be sustainable.

A version of this article originally appeared on Gizmodo.

Feature Image Credit: PixieMe (Shutterstock)

By Dua Rashid / Gizmodo

Sourced from Quartz

By Marjolein Dilven

With lots of work options to choose from, we have compiled a list of the top 21 low-stress jobs after retirement that offer the perfect mix of low tension and ample benefits. 

After a lifetime of work, most retirees are looking for a low-stress job that will allow them to enjoy their golden years.

Read on to find out how to start making money in your golden years!

1. Blogging

Blogging can be a low-stress job after retirement. It can be a great way to remain connected to the world and share your thoughts and ideas with others, and it can also be a way of making money.

You need to keep in mind a few things if you want to start a blog. Find a niche that you are passionate about because having a specialization will make it easier to write quality content that people will want to read. Also, you need to be consistent with your blogging.

When you want to make money online, one of the best ways is to start your own blog. With Bluehost, you can create your blog for $60 per year. With this exclusive link, you get a 50% discount and a free domain name (value $15).

✨ Start My Blog Today

2. Survey Sites

Many survey sites, such as Swagbucks, can help you make money after retirement. These sites will ask you your opinions on various products and services. In return, you will get paid for your time and feedback. A great way to make extra money post-retirement! You can use the money to pay for leisure activities or travel.

Ensure you understand how the site works and what you must do, and be honest when answering online surveys. The site will only pay you if your responses are accurate. It may take some time to earn enough money to cover your expenses, but stick with it, and you will be able to make some extra money during your retirement years.

If you’re looking to get started on some survey sites, check out the following platforms:

3. Delivery Driver

One easy way to make extra cash after retirement is to become a delivery driver. You can find delivery driver jobs on websites like Craigslist or Indeed.

Delivery driver jobs usually involve driving to different locations and delivering products or food to customers. Some delivery driver jobs may also require you to do some light lifting. If you’re interested in becoming a delivery driver, familiarize yourself with the job duties and requirements before applying.

Most delivery driver jobs don’t require a lot of experience or training, so it’s an excellent option for retirees who want to make some extra money.

The most popular platform out there is DoorDash, an American online food ordering and delivery platform where you can make $500 a week delivering food. To learn more about the platform, check our full DoorDash review here.

Make Money With DoorDash $$$

4. Dog Walker

If you love dogs and are looking for a low-stress job after retirement, dog walking might be the ideal job for you. This job doesn’t require much time or energy, and you can do it at your own pace.

With this job, you can spend time outdoors and get some exercise, which is excellent for your health. Also, you can spend time with adorable dogs!

Nowadays, the most popular pet walking and sitting app is Rover, where you can also offer dog care and cat sitting, and other animal care services. You can earn over $1,000 monthly, and you get flexible working hours, too!

CHECK OUT ROVER

5. Proof-reader

Do you want to make extra money, and do you love checking someone else’s spelling, typography, and formatting? Proofreading is the job for you.

As a proof-reader, you can help people increase the quality of their writing. You can point out mistakes and get paid for doing so. The best part is that you can do this entirely on your own timeline, from the comfort of your home.

If you are serious about becoming a proof-reader, there are different courses that you can follow. One of them is Proofread Anywhere, a popular training course by Caitlin Pyle that prepares you for the best remote proofreading jobs in the market. Caitlin made over $36,000 per year part-time as a proof-reader, so this has some high-income potential.

Try out her completely FREE workshop if you feel stuck and love to make some extra money. You will learn how to start proofreading and, most importantly, where to find clients.

FREE WORKSHOP – SIGN ME UP

6. Focus Group Participant

After retirement, being a focus group participant is a great way to spend your time and get paid to help researchers!

You will be assisting researchers in learning more about how people think and feel, and you won’t have to stress making any decisions. It can be a low-stress job, and you’ll get to know new people and learn about different things. You might enjoy it so much that you decide to do more focus groups in the future!

Do you want to know our favourite focus groups? You can check out:

    • Survey Junkie is where you go for online paid focus groups that pay up to $150 per session. Check out our full Survey Junkie review for more details, or go to the Survey Junkie site directly.
    • I’ve personally used Respondent and love checking out what they currently have to offer. They pay up to $250 an hour, and I’ve made over $500 with them over the last year.

7. Transcriptionist

Transcriptionists can be a low-stress job after retirement because it is a freelance job that you can do from home. It does not require a lot of interaction with others, and you can decide when you work, so it can be an excellent job for someone who wants to work alone.

There are many transcription jobs available because this job is in high demand. The pay is per hour, and the hours are flexible. Overall, transcriptionists can have a low-stress job after retirement.

If you’re looking for a free introduction to transcription, you can check out this free mini-course from General Transcription. The founder and CEO, Janet Shaughnessy, has put over 10+ years of experience with transcribing in this mini-course. She also created the only course ever approved by the AAERT (American Association of Electronic Reporters and Transcribers).

Yes, Sign me up (FREE)

8. Virtual Assistant

After retirement, you can search online for virtual assistant jobs or start your own business as a freelance virtual assistant.

Many websites list virtual assistant jobs, and many of these jobs are flexible enough to allow you to work from home. If you want to continue working in a traditional office environment, you can also look for virtual assistant jobs with companies that have remote work options.

Do you want to know where to start? Here are the 275+ services that you can start offering as a virtual assistant.

Make Money As A VA

9. Tutoring

Tutoring is a great option for retirees because it’s a flexible, part-time job with short hours. It can be a good way to help students learn and prepare for their future.

To begin your career as a tutor, first, you will need to understand the subject you will be teaching. For example, if you have legal practice or law school experience, you may be best suited for LSAT tutoring online. Playing to your specialism will always be the most lucrative.

If you are interested in tutoring, you can do a few things to get started. First, you can start by advertising your services online or in your local community. You can also contact your local schools or libraries to see if they require tutors.

10. Freelance Writing

Freelance writing can be a great way to earn money while doing something you love.

It offers a lot of flexibility, allowing you to work from home or anywhere else. Also, since there is no boss to report to, you can set your hours on the job and do as much or as little work as you wish.

If you’re interested in freelance writing, there are a few things you can do to get started. First, research the types of writing that interest you and find out who hires freelancers for projects. Then, start building your portfolio by writing articles and blog posts for free. Once you have a few samples to show potential clients, you can start pitching your services.

11. Pet Sitter

After retirement, you can work as a pet sitter and earn income. Doing so will allow you to stay active and social while also providing a valuable service to your community. You can also use the pet sitting business to travel and see new places, as pet sitting is a portable business.

Be a pet sitter and get the opportunity to form long-lasting bonds with your clients and their pets. This job is a gratifying experience, as you will be providing love and companionship to animals who need it. In addition, working as a pet sitter can help keep you physically active and mentally sharp, as you will constantly be on the go.

12. Rideshare Driver

A rideshare driver is an excellent job after retirement because you can set your hours without a boss. You also get to meet new people and see new places. A nice job for someone who wants to stay busy after retirement.

Before working in this job, you might need to purchase additional insurance because your insurance may not cover you if you get into an accident while working.

But, overall, becoming a rideshare driver is a great way to make extra money after retirement. Companies like Uber and Lyft can help you get started.

13. Craft Selling

Another low-stress job option you can consider after leaving your previous career is to sell crafts from home.

Craft selling can be a good side hustle idea. It can be a great social activity, allowing retirees to meet new people and make new friends. Moreover, setting up your business as a crafts seller can be relatively easy and inexpensive.

14. Furniture Flipper

When you retire, one of the essential things to consider is finding a job that fits your new lifestyle. A low-stress job is ideal, and furniture flipping may be the perfect fit.

Furniture flipping is a great way to make money while enjoying your retirement. It doesn’t require much time or effort, and you can set your hours. Plus, it’s a fun way to find hidden treasures and give them new life.

If you’re feeling creative, you can add your personal touch by adding some decorative details. Once the furniture is finished, you can sell it for a profit or use it in your own home.

15. Chat Moderator

Many people worry about what they will do after they retire, and they may have difficulty transitioning to a low-stress job that doesn’t require them to wake up early or stay up late. Being a chat moderator is an excellent option for you: you can work from home, set your hours, and help people worldwide.

Chat moderators help keep online chatrooms and forums organized and fun. They may also help resolve conflicts between users if you’re looking for a low-stress job after retirement.

16. Translator

Translators can work from home, which can be an excellent option for retirees who want to stay busy and engaged in their retirement years. Translators need to have a good sense of grammar and syntax, which can be valuable for those looking to keep their minds active.

And finally, translators can often choose their hours, which can be a big plus for retirees who want to flex their schedules. So if you want a low-stress job after retirement, why not give this a shot!

17. Voiceover Artist

Many people choose to retire and then return to work in a low-stress job. A terrific way to enjoy your retirement, you can still have some structure and find a new purpose in your life.

Being a voiceover artist is one of the best gigs for retirees. It doesn’t require a lot of physical activity: all you need is a strong voice and the ability to read off a script. You can often work from home, an excellent perk for retirees.

Alternatively, it’s possible to become a phone actress when you love talking to people and connecting to them.

18. Vlogging

Many retirees worry about what they will do with their time after leaving the workforce. An excellent option for those looking for a low-stress job is vlogging.

Vlogging can be a great way to stay connected to the world, sharing your thoughts and experiences with others while making money. You can earn money through sponsorships, advertising, product placement, etc.

If you’re interested in vlogging, you can make money on YouTube like Demolition Ranch or learn how to make money on Snapchat.

19. Charity Work

There are many low-stress jobs that people can take up after retirement. These jobs can provide a sense of fulfilment and purpose. One of them is charity work.

Charity work can be gratifying, both emotionally and spiritually, and it can help people feel connected to their community and make a difference. There are many different types of charity work, so people can surely find one that matches their interests and skills.

20. Personal Shopper

If you’re searching for a side gig that doesn’t require a lot of physical activity, consider becoming a personal shopper. This job lets you work from home and set your hours.

As a personal shopper, you will be responsible for helping clients find the perfect items for their needs. So, if you want to stay active and earn extra money, this job is it!

21. Retirement Planner

Being a retirement planner has its merit. You get flexible hours, choose the clients you work with, and help people in a similar situation. It’s also an excellent way to stay mentally stimulated, which might give you a renewed sense of purpose and helps in keeping you social.

Additionally, the money you get paid for being a retirement planner is exceptionally lucrative, helping supplement your passive income in retirement and making the transition easier.

Conclusion – Low-Stress Jobs After Retirement

Working in low-stress jobs after retirement can bring many benefits to your physical, emotional, and mental well-being. Your income from these gigs will also add to your savings for emergencies or dream vacations.

With these tips on low-stress jobs after retirementyou can renew your sense of purpose, and your twilight years can be more comfortable. May your golden years shine more brightly!

By Marjolein Dilven

Sourced from Radical Fire

By Steve Hall

Hey there! Navigating the digital landscape can feel overwhelming. What strategies do you use to make your brand stand out in a competitive market? There are numerous ways of enhancing online presence, from crafting engaging social media posts and optimizing for SEO to improving user experience design. Just picture a brand voice that is so compelling and visuals that are so attractive that the audience has to keep returning for more. Whether you’re a pro at digital marketing or just starting, we’ve got your back. Let’s dive deep into ten creative strategies to elevate your brand’s online presence, creating long-term relationships with your client base. Ready to stand out? Here we go!

1. Develop a Unique Brand Voice

A unique brand voice is essential for a firm footing in today’s online world. Your brand voice should be consistent across all channels on which it is present to communicate company values, culture, and personality. Begin by identifying your tone–are you formal, casual, funny, or serious? You must find one that matches your target audience’s expectations and likes.

For example, if you work in the tech industry, you may want a professional yet friendly tone. Apple uses language like this: clear and plain but always representative of innovation and simplicity. On the other end of the spectrum, Wendy’s brand uses humour on its social networks, leading to high engagement rates as well as customer loyalty.

Stay consistent with everything, from blog posts to tweets, because they must reflect this particular tone wherever possible. Imagine one tweet, for instance, by your sustainable fashion label saying, “Every thread tells a story about sustainability # join us in making fashion green again.” This uniform tone helps develop an identity recognizable across platforms while forging deeper connections with customers.

Periodically review your brand guidelines, too, as they may need modifications when trends change, or people start having new preferences. This could mean adjusting your tone for relevance or updating the language to reflect new corporate values. A brand voice serves as your unique selling point, differentiating you from competitors and creating trust among your clients, who will keep coming back.

2. Leverage High-Quality Visual Content

High-quality visuals are crucial for capturing your audience’s attention and effectively communicating your brand’s message. Images and videos naturally appeal to people, making them powerful tools for engagement. Use professional photography and graphic design to ensure your visuals look well-polished.

You can present complex data using infographics that are eye-catching and easily understandable. For instance, a health brand could use an infographic showing the benefits of having a balanced diet, which grabs attention while educating at the same time. Infographics are known to be shared more frequently than other kinds of content, hence increasing their reach.

Video content is another powerful way of doing this; examples include tutorials, behind-the-scenes looks, or customer testimonials that enhance interaction levels–for example, creating a behind-the-scenes video of how your team makes products can add a human touch to your brand and strengthen its customer bond. On the other hand, customer testimonials increase social proof, thus improving credibility.

Ensure all visual elements are optimized for different platforms and devices, too, so that a high-resolution image on a website may be equally impressive on mobile devices. Use tools like Photoshop or online services like Canva to maintain quality standards when working on various formats.

By strategically implementing high-quality visuals, you can make your brand more appealing and engaging and achieve better results from marketing efforts.

3. Search Engine Optimization (SEO)

Search engine optimization (SEO) is essential for increasing your brand’s visibility on the internet. Conduct extensive keyword research to determine the terms or phrases your target market uses most frequently. Tools like Google Keyword Planner or Ahrefs can help you discover these valuable keywords. Integrate these keywords naturally into your website content, blog posts, and metadata, ensuring they flow seamlessly and enhance readability.

Creating high-quality, informative content that responds to your audience’s needs and interests is crucial. For example, writing detailed guides on using specific equipment or explaining why you should engage in various workouts would help attract organic traffic if you sell fitness gear. This enhances a brand’s search ranking and makes it an expert within its niche.

Make sure a mobile-friendly site that loads fast. Google’s mobile-first indexing using a mobile-optimized site can lift your rankings significantly. The above tool, Google’s Mobile-Friendly Test, will confirm if you are compatible with mobile devices while helping improve your website’s performance. A quicker-loading site improves user experience and reduces bounce rates, positively influencing SEO.

Keep updating your content regularly to make it new and relevant. Use analytics tools like Google Analytics to get insights about which content works best among your audience and adjust accordingly. Your team can continuously refine your SEO strategy to maintain your brand’s online presence and reach effectively.

4. Engage with Influencers

Working with influencers can significantly expand your brand’s reach and credibility. You may begin by identifying influencers who share your brand values and have a large following in your niche area of expertise. For example, if you own a beauty brand, partnering with popular beauty vloggers or Instagram personalities would make sense, thus exposing your products to a broader but more targeted audience.

Ensure that the influencers you choose genuinely support your brand and its products because authenticity is vital; followers can quickly tell when a partnership feels forced or fake, which could damage their trust in both parties involved as well as tarnish reputations – one way this could happen would be if an established fitness influencer creates a workout video using your fitness equipment while highlighting its benefits to engage their followers.

Many types of collaborations can be considered, such as product reviews, sponsored posts, or social media takeovers where the influencer takes control over your brand’s platforms for some time; however, sponsored posts work best when they include use and discussion about the company promoting the product. This provides social proof alongside building trust amongst potential customers, thus leading to higher conversion rates. Similarly, takeovers also help bring brands closer together, allowing them to promote each other’s fans to experience different sides of either business through a shared content creation process.

Always use analytics during such periods to track performance. Hence, engagement is measured vis-à-vis return on investment (ROI); remember that partnering strategically with the right people and ensuring authenticity throughout collaborations will not only increase visibility among wider audiences but also enhance credibility within the same space, thereby leading to increased interaction levels across the board.

5. Utilize Social Media Effectively

Social media platforms are excellent tools for establishing an online presence; therefore, use them wisely by developing detailed strategies tailored towards each platform and following them religiously till results start showing up. Start with regular posting. Just keep yourself visible at all times; let’s say you can come up with exciting contents that last a few seconds before disappearing like smoke on an Instagram story or reel so that users may notice them quickly due to their nature being short, snappy, and visually appealing (use of videos). LinkedIn is great for professional updates, networking opportunities, and sharing industry news and thought leadership articles.

The worst thing you can do on social media is not engage. Respond fast to comments and messages; this way, people will know they matter to you, too. Jump into conversations where your brand has some relevance, or even better, participate in those trending within your niche area. Doing so increases both party’s visibility–no one should ever feel left out here. Hosting live sessions, such as Q&As or product launches, can also create real-time interaction, fostering a sense of community and immediacy.

Consistency matters most; therefore, always be there lest somebody assume otherwise. Then everything goes downhill from that point onwards, only to realize later when it’s too late, giving wrong impressions about being inactive or uninterested in certain things altogether. Create a content calendar that covers all aspects of social media platforms, ensuring regularity across the board while using features to their fullest potential. Twitter polls could help gather opinions. In contrast, Facebook groups to build a community around your brand.

Monitor performance using analytics tools because, through them, we get to know what works best, enabling us to make necessary adjustments to improve engagement levels further, extending reach even more than before. This applies equally well whether targeted or mass markets are involved. Such being the case, it’s always good practice to keep oneself up-to-date with the latest trends regarding how people interact with various types of media associated with different devices since these two things tend to evolve hand-in-hand over time given technological advancements in the communication sector; thus, if done correctly social media can become a powerful tool for keeping brands top-of-mind among audiences which leads into sustained interest levels forever more.

6. Create High-Quality Written Content

Creating high-quality written content, including blog posts, articles, whitepapers, and case studies, is essential for attracting and retaining your audience. Focus on producing informative, engaging content relevant to your audience’s interests and needs. Well-researched and well-written content can establish your brand as an authority in your industry, driving traffic to your website and encouraging repeat visits. Regularly update your written content to ensure it remains current and valuable.

Thorough research is the foundation of any good content. For example, if you have a tech-focused brand, writing detailed guides on current tech trends or doing deep dives into new gadgets with reviews can help attract a loyal following. Make sure your content is well-structured with clear headings and concise paragraphs so that it is easy to follow and understand.

Using data and statistics to back up your points will add credibility to your words. Visual aids such as charts or graphs can also help make complex information more digestible for readers. Keep your work updated regularly to reflect the latest happenings and remain relevant.

Speak to your audience’s pain points by providing actionable solutions they can apply immediately. For instance, a finance services company could share practical tips on managing personal finances that help people solve real problems. Encourage interaction with comments or feedback sections, building a community around your content.

Creating high-quality written materials establishes trust among readers while positioning one’s brand as an industry authority figure, thus driving traffic over time.

7. Invest in Paid Advertising

Investing in paid advertising like Google Ads or social media ads can immediately boost brand visibility. These allow you to direct your message according to specific demographics, interests, and behaviours, ensuring it reaches the ideal audience.

Define the target group first. For example, if you own a fitness company, target people who are enthusiastic about health and well-being. Facebook and Instagram are platforms where one can create attention-grabbing advertisements using captivating imagery and as few words as possible that make the viewers’ eyes glued to them. A short video of someone doing a new workout or an endorsement from a happy client might be good ideas.

Track your ad’s performance regularly through analytics tools. This could include click-through rates, conversion rates, or even return on ad spend (ROAS). The information will help you determine what is working and what isn’t so that you can review your strategies accordingly. For example, when one ad set does well, you may increase its spending limit or use similar tricks in subsequent campaigns.

To achieve a balance between paid ads, use organic approaches. They make both immediate traffic jams and popularity while at the same time building long-term relationships with customers. Integration of both methods ensures a higher online presence and sustained growth of brands rather than either alone.

8. Foster Community Engagement

Loyalty and long-term engagement can be promoted through community building around your brand. A brand’s audience’s interaction with it is critically important in fostering familiarity with the people interested in its products. Use social media groups, forums, or specialized community sections on your website to boost conversation. For example, you may have a Facebook group where enthusiasts congregate and talk about everything concerning the brand: discussions, advice, and shared experiences.

You can also run contests or feature customer stories that encourage user-generated content. For example, by having customers submit pictures of themselves using your product to participate in a photo contest, you may increase awareness and make customers feel like they are part of its making process. You can demonstrate appreciation for this work on their websites or the company’s SNS and online networks.

Furthermore, active involvement entails responding to questions, supporting, and sharing valuable insights in these communities. If a customer asks you something in your forum, reply quickly and try to help them with whatever issue they might face. This positions your brand as friendly and trustworthy.

Also, regular events like live Q&A sessions, webinars, or community challenges would ensure sustained involvement among participants at any given time. These events provide real-time interaction and feedback opportunities, strengthening your brand’s and its community’s bond.

Moreover, creating solid and engaged communities can turn them into powerful advocates for your brand. Members likely share positive experiences with others, organically expanding their reach. Therefore, improving buyer loyalty through vibrant communities leads to evangelism networks that ensure long-term success.

9. Implement Email Marketing

Email marketing is among the most successful ways to connect with and interest customers. Construct an email list by providing helpful content like free manuals, exclusive discounts, or special event passes in return for email sign-ups. For example, an industry insights eBook can attract subscribers who want more information about your expertise.

Divide your email list into segments so that you can send personalized messages to different groups within your audience. Marketers can base segments on age, location, buying history, or any other relevant factors–this will allow you to make every message count by tailoring it specifically toward their needs and interests. You might find that people who have just bought something from you would appreciate some tips on using it better, while those who’ve subscribed for years might love hearing about loyalty discounts.

Send out newsletters regularly that contain updates and promotions, but don’t forget about valuable content, either! Share behind-the-scenes glimpses into your company culture or upcoming product launches so that people stay engaged with what you’re doing, even if there’s nothing new for them right now. Make sure all emails are designed well enough to look good on mobiles, too – most of us read our mail on phones these days.

Measure open rates, click-through rates (CTRs), and conversion rates (CVRs) using analytics tools like Google Analytics or Mailchimp’s built-in reports. These numbers will help identify which parts of each campaign worked best and why, allowing future improvements in targeting efforts. For example, if many people click through product reviews, maybe try including more such links next time.

Consistently adjust your strategy using the data you gather. Experiment with different subject line content formats and send times to see what works best. By implementing a thoughtful, data-driven email marketing strategy, you can maintain strong engagement with your audience and drive consistent traffic and sales for your brand.

10. Monitor and Adapt Your Strategy

Due to its dynamic nature, the digital landscape requires constant reviewing and adaptation to your online strategy. This can begin with using analytics tools that enable you to observe how efficient your content, social media, SEO efforts, and paid advertising are. Tools such as Google Analytics, SEMrush, and social media insights can help one understand what works and what doesn’t

Identify trends and patterns in your data. For example, if one blog post consistently attracts massive traffic, create more in this style. On the other hand, if a particular social media campaign fails to capture any audience’s attention, the designers may have mis designed it, and thus, it needs readjustment. Therefore, those facts in the form of data drive decisions, which are very important when optimizing strategies.

They are keeping up with industry trends and emerging technologies to stay ahead of the curve. Subscribe to industry newsletters, attend webinars, and follow industry leaders for insights on recent developments. For instance, as marketing tools become increasingly AI-powered, there are various new ways through which brands can customize customer interactions while enhancing efficiency.

For marketers to truly understand their target market preferences, they need regular feedback. Therefore, let your clients give you feedback about their needs through multiple channels, like surveys–for example, after purchasing products–feedback forms or engaging them directly on social media platforms such as Facebook, Twitter, etc. Companies can determine customer satisfaction rates by issuing brief surveys after purchase to identify areas for improvement.

Thus, adapting your strategies based on these findings will ensure that your brand remains relevant and effectively attains its goals. By continually monitoring and refining your approach, you will successfully navigate through the ever-changing digital landscape while maintaining robust engagements, achieving long-term success for your brand.

Summing Up

In conclusion, elevating your brand’s online presence requires a multifaceted approach that blends unique content, strategic partnerships, and continuous optimization. By implementing these ten creative strategies, you’ll build a strong, engaging, and recognizable online presence that drives growth and success for your brand. Ready to take your brand to the next level? Start by crafting your unique brand voice, leveraging high-quality visuals, and engaging with influencers. Don’t forget to monitor and adapt your strategy to stay ahead of the competition. Dive into these strategies today and watch your brand thrive online!

By Steve Hall

Sourced from AdRANTS

By Shannon Thaler

The CEO of WPP fell victim to an elaborate deepfake scam that involved voice-cloning the boss to solicit money and personal details from the company’s workforce.

Mark Read, the CEO of WPP, a London-based communications and advertising company whose clients include Dell, Wendy’s, Victoria’s Secret and Coca-Cola, saw his voice cloned and likeness stolen by fraudsters who created a WhatsApp account seemingly belonging to him.

They were using a publicly available photo of Read as the profile picture to trick fellow users, according to an email explaining the scam and sent to WPP’s leadership earlier reviewed by the Guardian.

WPP CEO Mark Read’s voice and likeness were stolen as part of an elaborate deepfake scam to get the advertising giant’s fellow leaders to hand over their personal details and funds.REUTERS

The WhatsApp account was used to set up a Microsoft Teams meetings with another WPP executive.

During the meeting, the crooks deployed a fake, artificial intelligence-generated video of Read — also known as a “deepfake” — including the voice cloning.

They also tried using the meeting’s chat function to impersonate Read and target a fellow “agency leader” at WPP — whose market cap sits around $11.3 billion — by asking them to hand over money and other personal details, according to the Guardian.

“Fortunately the attackers were not successful,” Read wrote in the email obtained by the Guardian.

“We all need to be vigilant to the techniques that go beyond emails to take advantage of virtual meetings, AI and deepfakes.”

A WPP spokesperson confirmed to The Post that the attempt at scamming the company’s leadership was unsuccessful.

“Thanks to the vigilance of our people, including the executive concerned, the incident was prevented,” the company rep added.

The scammers reportedly used a photo of Read to set up a WhatsApp account, which was then used to make a Microsoft Teams account to communicate with other WPP leaders while pretending to be Read.diy13 – stock.adobe.com

It wasn’t immediately clear which other WPP executives were involved in the scheme, or when the attack attempt took place.

WPP’s spokesperson declined to provide further details about the scam.

“We have seen increasing sophistication in the cyber-attacks on our colleagues, and those targeted at senior leaders in particular,” Read added in the email, per the Guardian, in reference to the myriad ways in which criminals can impersonate real people.

Read’s email included a number of bullet points that he advised recipients to look out for as red flags, including requests for passports, money transfers and any mention of a “secret acquisition, transaction or payment that no one else knows about.”

WPP, a London-based communications and advertising company whose clients include Dell, Wendy’s, Victoria’s Secret and Coca-Cola, confirmed to The Post that the scammers were unsuccessful in tricking its executives.AFP via Getty Images

“Just because the account has my photo doesn’t mean it’s me,” Read said in the email, according to the Guardian.

The Post has sought comment from WPP, which includes a notice on its Contacts landing page that its “name and those of its agencies have been fraudulently used by third parties.”

Deepfake audio has been on the rise as deepfake images have become a hotly debated topic among AI firms.

While Google has recently moved to distance itself from the dark side of AI, cracking down on the creation of deepfakes — most of which are pornographic — as it deems them “egregious,” ChatGPT maker OpenAI is reportedly considering allowing users to create AI-generated pornography and other explicit content with its tech tools.

Deepfakes like the graphic nude images of Taylor Swift, however, will be banned.

Deepfakes mostly involve fake pornographic images, with celebrities like Taylor Swift, Bella Hadid and US Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez falling victim.AFP via Getty Images

The Sam Altman-run company said it is “exploring whether we can responsibly provide the ability to generate NSFW (not-safe-for-work) content in age-appropriate contexts.”

“We look forward to better understanding user and societal expectations of model behaviour in this area,” OpenAI added, noting that examples could include “erotica, extreme gore, slurs and unsolicited profanity.”

OpenAI’s foray into creating fake X-rated content comes just months after it unveiled revolutionary new software that can produce high-caliber video in response to a few simple text queries called Sora.

The technology marks a dazzling breakthrough from the ChatGPT maker that could also take concerns about deepfakes and ripoffs of licensed content to a new level.

By Shannon Thaler

Sourced from New York Post

  • A side job can help you grow wealth and pay down outstanding debt.
  • Make sure to use a legitimate online platform when seeking ways to make extra money.
  • Take care not to overwork yourself. Evaluate your budget and decide how much you really need to work.

If you’re in need of some extra income, there are numerous opportunities to take on a side job or complete some basic tasks and earn money. While some options won’t earn you much, they may be enough to help you make that credit card payment or cover the cost of gas for your car.

Here are 20 ways to make money online and offline while maintaining some flexibility in your schedule.

Skills-based work

There are many ways to make money if you have a special skill. Here are a few options to consider.

1. Freelance writing

As a freelance content writer, you take on assignments to write articles, blogs, technical pieces and other types of content. In this type of work, you’ll typically earn a certain amount per word or a set rate that you agree upon with the company. You could find yourself writing on anything from higher education to product marketing content, or you can choose to write on topics that you’re particularly experienced in. Upwork, FlexJobs and Fiverr are a few sites that connect freelancers to clients.

  • Difficulty level: Easy to medium
  • Potential earnings: $73,690 per year

2. Graphic design

Much like content writing, graphic design work is in high demand. You’ll need to have a good grasp of popular design software, such as Adobe products, and establish a solid portfolio. Do some online research and you should be able to find gigs on freelancing platforms like Fiverr.

  • Difficulty level: Easy to medium
  • Potential earnings: $58,910 per year

3. Negotiate bills

Instead of earning money from work, you could get some extra cash by cutting down on expenses that might be higher than they should be. There’s a chance that one of your bills, such as an internet bill, healthcare bill or rent, can be negotiated for a lower price. It often requires speaking to the provider and explaining why the bill should be lowered. Or, you could download an app to do that for you — apps like Trim and Rocket Money hire experts to negotiate bills for consumers. They come with a fee, but it could be worth it for the amount that you end up saving.

  • Difficulty level: Easy
  • Potential earnings: You can save hundreds each year by negotiating your bills.

4. Manage social media accounts

Many businesses and organizations struggle or don’t have the resources to navigate social media and keep their accounts updated. It can be an overwhelming task if a business doesn’t have enough staff to prioritize it. For this reason, many companies are willing to pay others to manage and update their various pages, whether that’s Instagram, YouTube, Facebook, TikTok, LinkedIn or something else.

  • Difficulty level: Easy
  • Potential earnings: $64,845 per year

5. Teach a language

If you’re fluent in speaking English or another language, use your knowledge to teach others. The best part is you don’t even need to have teaching experience in many cases, and some websites will even provide lesson plans for you to follow. You can sign up with platforms like iTalki, where anyone with relevant skills can sign up to become a language tutor.

  • Difficulty level: Medium
  • Potential earnings: $60,560 per year

6. Work as a research participant

Want some quick money without doing much work? Look into market research. Lots of companies look for input from consumers on products and services and want your opinion. Typically, all it involves is you using or testing a product or service then writing a review, answering a survey or discussing it with other testers.

  • Difficulty level: Easy
  • Potential earnings: Varies depending on the study.

7. Tutor

If teaching sounds like something you would enjoy and be good at, look into online tutoring opportunities. You can choose to teach subject matters that you’re interested in and have experience and/or knowledge in. With Chegg, you can become an online tutor and teach students via video. Studypool allows students to post questions and will pay you to answer them.

  • Difficulty level: Medium
  • Potential earnings: $39,580 per year

Physical labour

If you’re handy, you can earn money by completing physical tasks.

8. Maintenance work

If you’re a handy person, you could market your skills to friends and neighbours. Not everyone is handy, so this can be a much appreciated skill that people are willing to pay for. By doing maintenance work on the side, you could be working on anything from repairs to minor plumbing.

Check out the Handy app if you’re interested in getting paid for maintenance work.

  •  Difficulty level: Medium
  •  Potential earnings: $46,700 per year

9. Yard work

If you’re not very handy but still want to work with your hands, yard work can be an excellent way to make some money on the side. Shovel snow, mow the lawn, rake leaves — many people are willing to pay for someone else to do work around their yard. You can search for job postings locally or use a site like TaskRabbit that has a category dedicated to yard work.

  •  Difficulty level: Easy to medium
  •  Potential earnings: $17 an hour

10. Do chores

TaskRabbit is an app that focuses on matching people who need chores done with people who are looking to earn some money. This could include simple tasks from moving furniture to cleaning someone’s kitchen. Just set your rate and availability so people can then hire you on the platform.

  • Difficulty level: Easy
  • Potential earnings: $18 an hour

11. Babysit

By watching other people’s children, you can easily make quite a bit of money, especially if you specialize in working with kids who have special needs or are trained for emergency situations. On websites like Care.com, you can find plenty of families looking for a trusted babysitter. Care.com will take care of background checks and asks applicants other important questions parents will want to know about you.

  • Difficulty level: Medium
  • Potential earnings: $30,370 per year

12. Walk dogs or pet sit

If child care isn’t your thing, there are also plenty of ways to make a few bucks watching people’s pets or walking their dogs. Consider downloading the Rover or Wag apps. These apps can connect you to pet owners looking for some help with their furry friends. As you build up good reviews, that can help you land more gigs on the app over time.

  •  Difficulty level: Easy to medium
  •  Potential earnings: $31,830 per year

Sales and donation ideas

Look through your closet, attic and other storage spaces. You could have valuable items that can be turned into quick cash.

13. Sell products on an online marketplace

Creative and artistic? Consider selling your wares on an online marketplace like Etsy or Depop, where people regularly visit to purchase jewellery, art pieces, clothing and trinkets. To break even, be sure to budget the cost of materials and shipping compared to how much you’re charging your customers. Also remember that there are often listing fees and/or transaction fees for utilizing online marketplaces.

  • Difficulty level: Easy
  • Potential earnings: $81,617 per year

14. Flip used furniture

Handy with furniture and good at finding a bargain? Purchasing cheap furniture and fixing it up to work and look better could earn you some money if you’re able to sell it to someone. Consider posting your work online or set up a booth at a flea market.

  • Difficulty level: Easy
  • Potential earnings: Varies

15. Rent out your place or room

Renting out your home to traveling strangers is an excellent way to make some money. If you’re someone who isn’t home much — perhaps you travel often — or you have an extra bedroom, offering your home up as an Airbnb might be the best way for you to make some extra cash. Set your house rules, get some nice photos of your home and establish a schedule for when your home would be available.

  • Difficulty level: Easy to medium
  • Potential earnings: $40,000 per year

16. Donate plasma

Donating plasma is one way you can make some extra money while also helping out those in need. Plasma is needed by patients suffering from a variety of medical complications, such as severe burns and blood clotting problems. How much you earn will vary depending on the plasma donation centre — if you donate regularly, you could earn up to $500 per month. Each state or city may have different requirements so be sure to check with the plasma donation centre you’re planning to visit.

  • Difficulty: Easy
  • Potential earnings: $500 per month

17. Sell used products

Have an old gaming console or an old phone that’s gathering dust on the shelf? From Facebook Marketplace to apps like Decluttr, there are a lot of buyers out there looking to get their hands on used, affordable tech. You could even go as far as purchasing electronics and fix them or refurbish them before selling them off again for a higher price.

  • Difficulty: Easy
  • Potential earnings: Varies

Transportation services

If you have great driving skills and reliable transportation, you can get paid for providing transportation and food delivery services.

18. Drive for Uber or Lyft

If you have a fairly new car and a good driving record, driving for a ridesharing service like Uber or Lyft can be an easy and flexible way to make some quick money on the side. You can work on a schedule that fits your lifestyle, whether that means working early mornings, nights or weekends.

  • Difficulty: Easy to medium
  • Potential earnings: $19 per hour

19. Food delivery

If driving people around for Uber doesn’t sound right for you, maybe delivering food is a better fit. With services like UberEats, Grubhub and Doordash, you can contour your work schedule as a driver around your normal schedule and deliver food orders. Plus, one of the perks of delivering food is that you can do it in your car, bicycle or even just by walking.

  • Difficulty: Easy
  • Potential earnings: $57,000 per year

20. Become a grocery shopper

During the COVID-19 pandemic, many people tried to avoid going to the grocery store as much as possible. As life begins to normalize, many customers still want to avoid visiting the grocery store. If you’re looking to make some extra cash, you can apply to become an Instacart shopper to pick up and deliver groceries for people.

  • Difficulty: Easy
  • Potential earnings: $37,273 per year

Bottom line

No matter which route you take to get some extra cash, make sure that if you’re using an online platform it’s legitimate. Check reviews and look into what the site’s verification process is like.

It’s also important to consider your own spending habits before overworking yourself. If it feels like you’re overloaded, consider where you might be able to make changes in your budget or work on developing savings habits.

Feature Image Credit: Images by GettyImages; Illustration by Hunter Newton/Bankrate

By Sheiresa McRae Ngo

Sheiresa McRae Ngo is a staff writer at Bankrate. She is known for her expertise in personal finance and consumer affairs topics. Sheiresa’s goal is to help people with budgeting and saving money. Her work has been featured in CBS MoneyWatch, Credit.com, Yahoo Finance, GOBankingRates, and MSN, among many others. She also contributed to two CNN segments on debt management.

Sourced from Bankrate

By Christiana Jolaoso

A website is like a business salesperson working around the clock, but without optimization, it can encounter relegation quickly, hiding at the bottom of search results when potential clients look to engage your services or buy a product you offer. However, with effective website optimization, search engines like Google can place you on top and bring visitors who’ll enjoy navigating your website. They’ll also find what they want and buy from you. Let’s look at tips you can leverage to bring desired results.

Why Is Website Optimization Important?

Optimizing your website makes it easier for potential customers to find you. With relevant content and strategic website structure, search engines are more likely to point those who inquire about your industry or services in your direction. With appropriate and quality content on your website, visitors will find solutions to their needs, establishing your brand as an authority. Their smooth interaction with your website also increases the chance of potential customers converting into buying customers who keep returning.

Website Optimization Tips

Web optimization typically focuses on search engine optimization (SEO), user experience (UX) and customer conversion.

Website Optimization for SEO

Plenty of SEO statistics tell us why optimizing your website for search engines is essential. Here’s how to set up your website for success using SEO techniques.

​​1. Get an SEO Audit

Before optimizing your website, get an SEO audit to discover its state. An SEO audit analyses an entire website, including website codes, indexing, loading speed, broken links, status code errors, content accuracy and backlinks, to verify the crawlability of your website by search engines. An SEO audit analysis also reveals your compliance with Google’s E-E-A-T (experience, expertise, authoritativeness and trustworthiness) guidelines. Google Search Console and Google Analytics are great tools for conducting SEO audits.

2. Improve Your Website Structure

Search engines crawl your website to include your pages in search results, so improve your website’s structure and fix technical SEO issues to make it easy for the bots to find your content. Do these:

  • Use the structured data technique to organize your website in a language search engines understand.
  • Ensure your URLs have a consistent structure.
  • Build an Extensible Markup Language (XML) sitemap.
  • Fix broken links and remove duplicate content on your website.
  • Enhance your website’s crawlability by submitting your website to search engines, especially after updating pages.

You can use Schema.org to optimize your website structure.

3. Embrace Content Marketing

Content marketing is the planning, creation and distribution of search-engine-optimized content, which educates visitors about your products, services or industry. Here’s how to use it to optimize your website:

  • Integrate your website with social media platforms and share posts or direct your audience to blog posts on your website.
  • Create landing pages with direct value propositions and clear and visible calls-to-action (CTAs) to compel people to buy from you.
  • Start a blog with regular posts to inform visitors about industry trends, product updates and how to use your product or service. Include relevant keywords to attract more potential customers.
  • Reach out to customers and subscribers regularly, providing them with the latest updates on your product, service or industry. There are several email marketing software for this.

4. Optimize On-Page Content

Google runs around 99,000 search queries per second, adding up to 8.5 billion searches each day. You’ll be left behind if your website isn’t optimized for organic Google search. Some ways to optimize the content on your pages:

  • Regularly create blog posts with relevant and up-to-date information about your product, service or industry and follow blog SEO practices that bring conversions.
  • Integrate relevant keywords in titles, headings, alternative text and the body of landing pages or blog posts.
  • Include header tags, meta titles and descriptions for all pages and blog posts.
  • Add internal and external links and valuable images to your pages.

Using SEO tools, such as Yoast, will help optimize your web pages.

5. Conduct Keyword Research

Keyword research is a necessary part of SEO marketing. Locate relevant keywords your target customers actively Google and include them on your website to rank higher on search engine results. Tools like Google Keyword Planner and Google Trends are helpful keyword research tools.

6. Set Up Internal Linking

Link from one page on your website to another to make it easier for visitors and search engines to navigate. You can also place a navigation menu or links in your website footer to guide visitors through your website.

7. Build Backlinks

Backlinks from high-quality sites will increase your website’s organic traffic since Google interprets their reference to you to mean that your website is credible. So, create content worth sharing and get other websites to link their content to yours. Still, one quality backlink is better than several low-quality backlinks, so source backlinks from trustworthy websites. Also, don’t buy backlinks as Google penalizes websites that buy backlinks against its Webmaster Guidelines. Check backlink status and manage link features with SEO software, such as Moz ProAhrefs and Semrush.

8. Check Out Your Competition

Find out how your competition approaches SEO. Tools, such as Semrush, explore competitor keyword rankings and examine how much organic traffic follows specific keywords. Knowing these metrics will guide you in approaching SEO in a manner that keeps you on equal footing with competitors. It also helps you identify opportunities to differentiate your brand and stay above them.

9. Update Old Content

Websites have pages and posts that underperform or become outdated with time. Optimize your website by regularly analysing and updating such content. Find out where there’s traffic decline and update content to meet current search engine guidelines or usual changes.

Website Optimization for UX

User experience tells how users interact with your website, which often gives them an idea of what it would look like to engage your service or use your product.

10. Implement UX Web Design Practices

Users form an opinion about your website in 0.05 seconds, so you need to design your website to support the smooth transitioning of first-time visitors to returning customers. Here are a few web design practices to follow:

  • Include straightforward menus at the website header and footer to help users find your primary pages easily.
  • Include CTA buttons, such as “Start a free trial” and “Buy Now,” at visible locations so that visitors can locate them quickly.
  • Improve the sales funnel by including conversion steps, such as a how-to guide on becoming a member of your program.

11. Speed up Your Site

According to Google, 53% of those visiting your website on their mobile devices will leave if it takes too long to load. Also, page speed is one of Google’s ranking factors, which can penalize your site if it is slow. For faster page loading:

  • Remove unnecessary characters, such as plenty of spaces between lines.
  • Set up a content delivery network (CDN) with a hosting provider, such as Hostinger to improve your website performance via static content replication.
  • Use software or plugins to fix static pages.
  • Use only high-quality visuals and optimize your images to fit your website’s specifications.

Tools, such as PageSpeed Insights and GTmetrix, will give you valuable insight into how fast your site loads across devices and what you need to do to make your website pages load faster.

12. Prioritize Mobile Responsiveness

According to Statista, in 2023, mobile devices generated 58% of the global website traffic. Google uses a mobile-first approach, crawling the mobile version of a website’s content for indexing to determine its ranking in search engine result pages (SERPs). That’s why you should follow the mobile SEO tips below to optimize your website for all devices, including tablets and smartphones:

  • Select a theme that adjusts your site layout and design to various screens when developing a website.
  • Implement straightforward navigation by making the search box easy to find and using drop-down menus that mobile users can navigate easily.
  • Use short meta titles that give a glimpse of what the content on a page is about.
  • Place CTA buttons at locations that are easy to find and tap on a mobile device.

Any of the best website builders or website design software platforms will help you create mobile responsive websites.

13. Personalize Your Website

While good structure and content can drive potential customers to your site, delivering a personalized experience makes visitors stay. When designing your small business website, use geotargeting to include customized features, such as targeted offers and behaviour-based product recommendations. It will help you deliver content that aligns with users’ unique needs.

14. Make Your Website Accessible

Ensure every visitor, including those with specific disabilities, who use assistive technologies, such as screen readers, can read your web pages easily. Web accessibility best practices include:

  • Adding headings to pages to explain their content.
  • Adding alternative text to images and consider Google’s image SEO pointers.
  • Using the 4:5:1 colour contrast ratio to make your website readable to colour blind visitors.
  • Inserting audio or video captions to explain your content.

Use tools, such as VEED and Happy Scribe to optimize your website for accessibility.

Website Optimization for Conversions

Beyond driving visitors to your site, optimize your website to convert visitors to loyal customers better. You’ll get the most out of your site traffic by following the steps below.

15. Understand Your Target Market

For conversion purposes, start your web optimization process by answering these questions:

  • Who are your ideal customers?
  • Why do they need your product?
  • Are they currently using a competitor’s product?
  • How much are they paying your competitors?
  • What are the pain points their current purchase is yet to solve?

Answering these questions and using tools, such as Google Analytics, will help you create accurate reader or buyer personas.

16. Analyse User Behaviour

The next step is to track how visitors interact with your website. Tools, such as Google Analytics, Google Search Console, and VWO’s heatmap generator will give you a holistic view of visitors’ interaction with each website page. You’ll see how they get into your sales funnel, their interactions with your website, which pages obtain clicks and which have higher bounce rates. Outline what customers require at each stage and embed fitting content and keywords.

17. Tailor Website Copy for Customers

The words on your website matter a lot. One time, a company added a word to its headline and the new headline increased conversion by nearly 90%. To ensure each webpage provides a roadmap leading to conversion, create content that is informative and relevant to customers and crawlable by search engines. A few copywriting best practices to follow:

  • Use compelling headlines to address your customer’s pain points.
  • Highlight the benefits of your product or service, not just the features you offer
  • Use bullet points to summarize your brand’s selling points.
  • Address the reader directly, using words like “you” and “your.”
  • Edit your copy to be clear and concise.
  • Insert clear CTA buttons on landing pages.

 

18. Use Social Proof To Increase Trust

Review customer feedback to understand their experience with your product and identify new features to add and those requiring an update. Then, use positive customer feedback to earn the trust of first-time visitors. Include their testimonials and case studies on your website so potential customers can see how you can help them.

19. Measure and Monitor Website Performance

Effective website optimization requires regular monitoring. Besides tracking sales, measure CTA button clicks, trial signups and email subscriptions. You can calculate your conversion rate by dividing the number of conversions by the number of website visitors. The result indicates your website performance and helps you know where you are and whether or not you need to review your current actions or move in a different direction.

More Pro Tips on Optimizing Your Website

When we interviewed expert sources, they emphasized three website optimization tips that most business owners neglect when it comes to web optimization.

  1. Use A/B testing tools or the WordPress UpdraftPlus plugin to back up your website before implementing changes to prevent losses from plugin errors, hosting glitches, hard drive crashes or accidental deletion.
  2. Test and run experiments on your website with A/B testing and multivariate testing tools to determine which user experience strategies, SEO techniques or conversion steps work best for your customer journey.
  3. Get familiar with relevant updates. For example, search engines update their algorithm often. In the past five years, Google completed 36 major algorithm updates. An alternative option is engaging the services of SEO, UX and content marketing experts.

Bottom Line

Website Optimization is necessary if you want to stand out from your competition. Pay attention to your website structure and content, which affect both search engine rankings and the overall experience of your website users. Following the tips we’ve shared with you will set you up for effective website optimization, which enhances customer conversion and retention.

Feature Image Credit: Getty

By Christiana Jolaoso

Sourced from Forbes

By Patrick Kulp

There are a lot more AI entities attempting to join your professional network on LinkedIn these days.

From conversational tools for recruiters to newly announced AI-augmented learning features, the Microsoft-owned jobs platform is taking full advantage of its parent company’s AI resources. This week, LinkedIn said it will make its various AI tools generally available to its Premium subscribers.

The rollout comes at a time when it seems like one can’t navigate any online platform without stumbling upon an AI feature freshly jammed into it. Big Tech companies like Meta, Amazon, and Microsoft are all attempting to suss out where the latest wave of generative AI might best play a role in user experience.

But LinkedIn VP of Engineering Prashanthi Padmanabhan told us she sees this latest wave of generative models as an extension of AI that has already governed the updates feed, personalized guidance, and other parts of LinkedIn’s platform in the background for years.

Secret agents: To manage the many hats that LinkedIn’s AI wears, the company has developed a system of behind-the-scenes agents, or generative AI tools, that can perform tasks beyond simple chatbots. It taps a system called retrieval-augmented generation (RAG) to evaluate a user query and route it to one of these agents, which include models dedicated to “job assessment,” “company understanding,” and “takeaways for posts.”

Padmanabhan said the agents-based system and the RAG pipeline can help to add context to, say, a draft message from a recruiter to a job seeker by pulling information from each of their profiles and skills.

“​​We want to make sure that this agent that is acting behind the scenes, which is essentially a model, it takes this information that is contextual to this job seeker and this recruiter, and it’s actually making sure that this message it’s going to produce as a draft message for you is personalized for that interaction,” Padmanabhan said.

Tweak tally: Once LinkedIn has served up a draft message, Padmanabhan said the platform encourages users to review and edit it. The company then measures a stat called “edit distance,” which collects data around how much the user tweaks the message from the AI-produced draft before they send it off. Padmanabhan said this information is used to tune the system.

“In the generative AI space, you can sort of get that first 80% right very quickly. It’s that last 20%, it’s the last mile that actually takes a lot of iteration,” she said. “Using a combination of both human reviews and member feedback is what’s guard railing this experience.”

Anyone who’s recently had a search engine advise them to add glue to their pizza knows how wonky generative AI responses can be without appropriate guardrails. That review process will be especially important as LinkedIn begins pushing AI into its LinkedIn Learning offering as of this week with help from some of the course instructors on the platform, who can now earn royalties based on usage.

“The more this technology becomes powerful, and it gets better in how to control hallucinations and how to improve accuracy of response, it’s just going to open up a lot of avenues for us,” Padmanabhan said.

Feature Image Credit: Francis Scialabba

By Patrick Kulp

Sourced from Tech Brew

By Melissa Daniels

Throughout 2023, Grove Collaborative customers began to notice that something was missing from the household supply company’s website. Luckily, they had an outlet to speak up: Grove Co.’s invite-only, VIP subscriber Facebook group.

Some users said they missed the Free and Clear products because of allergies. Others didn’t care for scents. At least one customer used it to clean guinea pig cages. “They are sensitive little critters and it’s best not use scents around them,” the post said.

CMO Jennie Perry said the product hadn’t been selling well so the product team had decided to discontinue it. But after seeing the VIP customer feedback, Grove’s team reversed course and continued to keep the Free and Clear scent available across all products.

Grove is one of many companies that’s found a relatively low-investment way to stay close to customers by having a robust Facebook group. With tens of thousands of customers weighing in on products and shopping experiences, the groups are part post-purchase loyalty strategy and part focus group. And at a time when newer and splashier apps like TikTok are commanding interest — and pulling ad dollars away from Meta — the humble, organic Facebook group remains a strong feedback loop for many brands.

Meta’s latest earnings report said the company is seeing healthy growth, with about 3.24 billion daily users across all of its properties including Instagram, Messenger and WhatsApp up from 3.19 billion last quarter. But on Facebook, particularly, overall use has flattened. Since 2016, the percentage of U.S. adults who have said they use Facebook has stayed roughly the same. About 60% of time on the app is spent watching videos.

Still, some brands are finding that groups are thriving. A Meta spokesperson told Modern Retail that the majority of Facebook users are a member of 15 or more groups. About 100 million group joins are made each day

Other brands that operate active Facebook groups include Instapot, which has roughly 3 million users in a public group swapping recipes. Peloton has a private group for members nearing half a million people. However, smaller direct-to-consumer brands have taken to administering smaller groups where they focus on interacting with the members however they see fit. Travel startup No Reception Club runs a Facebook group of about 7,800 people that includes brand updates but is also a valuable advice forum for parents looking to travel with young kids. Portland Leather Goods, known for its handbags and totes, has an “Insiders” group of more than 122,000 people. Users frequently share posts of their collections to effusive praise, while admins who work for PLG post about upcoming drops or sales and answer any questions.

For years, brands have used groups to form an online community and tap into a goldmine of data. But in this current environment, the strategy is proving to be even more cost-effective. From an operational standpoint, a Facebook group requires a brand to check in multiple times a day, even if it only posts itself occasionally. But unlike ads, there’s no up-front cost to play.

While Grove has a community manager for the group, Perry said it’s a daily must-read for many members of the team. That includes dropping screenshots in a cross-department Slack channel where different teams, from customer service to operations, can stay in the loop. “There are a lot of eyes on the channel because the data is so valuable,” Perry said.

Grove dubs its Facebook group The Pantry, which is open to customers who are existing subscribers. Perry said the company will occasionally clean out the members list with people who are no longer active and open it up to invite newer members. But she said keeping it at its current size allows Grove to have a more intimate conversation and relationship with its VIPs.

The brand will occasionally post its own messages, like opportunities for free samples or early access to sales. It might run polls on potential new scents or product names or have AMA sessions with a health advisor for the brand. One recent poll asked users what kind of soap refiller they are — such as, if they wait until the bottle is empty or like to keep it full. But Perry said the true benefits lie in the customers’ interactions with one another — like trading ideas on how to reuse the small concentrate bottles or best practices for cleaning wood floors.

“We announce new products but that actually isn’t as valuable as it is when a customer says ‘I found this new thing, has anybody else tried it?’ And then you’ll have 15 other customers comment ‘I did and I love it,’ or ‘No, it doesn’t do this.’ And there is constant communication like that.”

Claudia Ratterman, director analyst with Gartner, said organic content typically doesn’t get as much engagement as sponsored ads. Ratterman said that can be mitigated by pages or groups full of authentic content. Customers are most likely to engage with brand content they find informative and entertaining, like behind-the-scenes videos or tutorials. Gartner research shows that about 53% of people say they’ll engage with brands on social media.

But, Ratterman said, investing in organic reach can be a time commitment for brands and may not immediately increase sales. It’s more about giving customers what they are looking for in terms of authentic content — and building loyalty in the process.

“It’s a long-term vision versus the short-term of, ‘do we make a quick sale?’” she said. “If you show me a more authentic community, you’re building that trust you don’t get on ads. You’re getting to see the real side of the brand.”

Ratterman also said that R&D can be a costly process for brands. Cutting out budgets for focus groups for a Facebook poll could be a money-saving swap, and help test out an idea before spending more to develop and scale it.

This tactic has been useful for many of the DTC brands that operate Facebook groups for loyal fans. Brian Tate, founder of breakfast brand Oats Overnight, said the official Facebook group is a key way that the brand receives feedback about its new flavours.

About 80% of the company’s $150 million in revenue is driven by direct-to-consumer sales, the vast majority of which are subscriptions. Roughly 260,000 subscribers receive Oats Overnight deliveries on a regular basis, including a rotating “Flavour in Development” made by the in-house food science team. Subscribers can fill out a post-order survey to share thief feedback on the prospective flavour. But over on Facebook, around 82,000 Oats Overnights subscribers can also weigh in.

“We’re getting around 2,500 comments a day just talking about oatmeal, which is pretty wild,” Tate said.

The four-year-old company now has about 45 flavours, most of which were developed through this digital feedback loop. As far as the group itself, Tate occasionally jumps into the chat, as do Oats Overnight’s community manager and social team. But it’s largely a hands-off operation, Tate said. He said he’s open to criticism around flavours people don’t like or why — like a decision to remove chunks of banana from a flavour that otherwise was a hit.

“I think when you’re a big company it’s very challenging to do this because you’re looking at the customer through retail data and focus groups, which is pretty far removed,” he said. “Facebook groups [are] a way to bridge that gap and keep us close.”

Over at Grove, The Pantry is also inspiration for new products to add. Commenters may ask to see specific third-party brands sold on the marketplace so they can add them to their subscriptions. For example, since 2020, customers have been asking Grove to carry products from the period care startup The Honey Pot. A Grove spokesperson told Modern Retail that when the calls first began, the company didn’t have the inventory to supply the marketplace. But the conversation has continued and Grove Co. now aims to start selling The Honey Pot in the second half of this year.

There’s also overall consumer sentiment to absorb. Grove’s Perry said that includes people who may criticize the company around its sustainability goals and branding — some people will offer ideas on how to cut down plastic or improve the recyclability of packaging, while others may debate non-toxic claims. like where and how it decides to use plastic or why it sells products manufactured overseas that may have a high carbon footprint. “They are at the bleeding edge of sustainability,” Perry said of some of the group’s members, “and they have a high bar.”

But that, too, is valuable feedback. Perry said such concerns help the company frame its own conversations around sustainability. It often images one of its top commenters during conversations, wondering what they would say about a decision.

“We get a tremendous amount of benefit from the learning of just listening to customers,” she said.

By Melissa Daniels

Sourced from ModernRetail

By Rachel Wells

If you’re looking to start out as a freelancer this year, you’ve no doubt heard of popular freelance platforms such as Upwork, Fiverr, and People Per Hour.

And while these all have their place, the unfortunate reality is that, much of the time, they are over-saturated (especially in some sectors and freelance job categories).

As the freelancing and the side hustle or gig or economy increases in popularity and widespread adoption by professionals globally, almost everyone is setting their sights on these freelancing websites and it becomes much more difficult to obtain work without being overcrowded or not noticed at all due to the competition.

Consequently, you end up being back at square one: endlessly looking for work, and lowering your fees to ridiculously low prices in a desperate bid to have enough income to boost your salary or to live on full-time.

To this end, within this article are compiled five freelancing websites which may not be as wildly popular when you initially think of freelancing, but nonetheless, are effective and gather a niche crowd of customers and clients.

What To Consider Before Joining A Freelance Platform

Since they are so niche, there are a couple things you need to bear in mind:

You Need To Be Niche

Places such as Upwork can be viewed as more general job boards such as Indeed, while freelance job platforms such as the ones listed below, can be compared to places such as Dice, which is exclusively focused on tech. Therefore, you need to ensure that you have a set goal and purpose as a freelancer. You need to have a very specific set of skills, and stick by them. You should also be able to clearly articulate what value you bring to a specific industry or niche.

Entry Requirements

While on the topic of exclusivity, it’s very useful to bear in mind that these freelance websites are not mere job boards. They exist as a freelance marketplace, providing high value to their clients who search for freelance talent on their platforms, and they also exist to ensure you as a freelancer are protected and abide by their ethics.

Therefore, you may find it more difficult to get in the door with these freelance communities more than any other platform that accepts your profile within a few short hours after you sign up.

For this reason, it’s essential to know how to sell yourself, and most of all, to be patient, persistent, and follow all their guidance and instructions for what they’re looking for in freelancers.

5 Websites To Get Freelance Jobs

Here are a few of the niche, or “elite,” freelance job platforms that you may or may not have heard of. They raise the bar for freelance talent and as such, it would be very useful at this stage to have a portfolio before applying or setting up your profile with them. You need to be extremely confident in your skills and abilities. Otherwise, you may be sorely disappointed.

1. Catalant Technologies

This freelance platform is dedicated to freelancers looking for consulting projects. Their consulting project categories include corporate strategy, supply chain, HR, sales and marketing, and digital transformation.

2. Gigged AI

Gigged AI is a UK-based skills-focused freelance talent platform that connects you with freelance work according to your skills. These skills can range from project management, to stakeholder management, to business analysis, and social media management.

3. Contra.com

Contra is a commission-free freelance platform that helps you find a variety of freelance jobs suited to your profile, and enables you to create invoices and manage your workflow.

4. Gun.io

To be a freelancer on Gun.io, you need to be a developer and you need to pass comprehensive vetting. They make it clear that they are looking for world-class, “exceptional developers.” After screening and profile creation, you would have an intro call with the Gun.io team and then be introduced to their clients to get the ball rolling.

5. DesignHill

DesignHill is a creative marketplace for graphic designs, from logo creation, to stationery, brochures, and packaging. As a designer, you would be competing for your design to be selected in a design project competition, and if your design is selected, the client will request to work with you further on edits.

So when it comes to freelance websites, if you think you’ve seen them all, chances are you’re missing out on a ton of freelance job opportunities. With a little digging, you can find a wide array of freelance opportunities and projects to work on.

Feature Image Credit: GETTY

By Rachel Wells

Follow me on Twitter or LinkedIn. Check out my website.

LinkedIn Top Voice. Silver winner of the London Chamber of Commerce’s Young Business Person of The Year 2024. The 24-year-old founder and CEO of Rachel Wells Coaching. Youtuber. Launching an AI start-up soon. Started coaching when I was 14 years old…… read more

Sourced from Forbes

Pinterest has sometimes been known as the un-social social media platform because of how most people use it for inspiration and not to really interact with others. If you are a frequent solo user on Pinterest, you might wish that you could share your boards with others. With a 2024 update, Pinterest has finally made this a dream come true with board Sharing.

How to Share a Pinterest Board on Instagram or Other Platforms

Users have always been able to share their boards with others by sending them directly on Pinterest, over text, or just taking screenshots of them. This was usually clunky though, as the screenshot may not capture the whole board and texting someone your board is just sending them a link. The new board sharing feature is much more efficient—it creates a beautiful video of your board, which you can easily share on other social media platforms like Instagram.

Here is how to share a Pinterest board with the video method:

  1. In the Pinterest app, tap your profile icon at the bottom and find the board you want to share.
  2. Tap the Share icon in the top right.
  3. Tap either Download to download the video and send it to others or Add to story to share it immediately on Instagram.

You can also choose to copy the link to your board before sharing it on your Instagram story. Then, you can add the link to the Instagram story, allowing everyone to tap and view your board directly on Pinterest.

If you choose Add to story, you will be directed to Instagram, where you can make any edits before posting and use all the things you can add to your Instagram story. If you download the video, you can still upload it to your Instagram story later, just like would add any photo or video. Additionally, you can share it on other social media platforms like TikTok, Snapchat, or anywhere else!

What Is The Best Way to Share a Pinterest Board?

Most users want a large audience to view their Pinterest board when sharing it. The best way to achieve this may vary for each person, but generally, you should share it where you have the most followers and garner the most views. For many people, the best platform for this is their Instagram story. The visually appealing nature of the video format aligns well with Instagram’s emphasis on aesthetics.

Sharing your Pinterest board on your Snapchat or TikTok story may also be effective. The video generated by Pinterest is designed to fit your entire phone screen, making it well-suited for platforms that don’t crop the video. This also means it’s best not to post it as an Instagram carousel post or similar, as it will be cut off.

Instagram and Facebook tend to limit the visibility of Reels content from other platforms like Pinterest, so it’s better not to post it as a Reel. Pinterest boards also don’t quite fit as regular TikTok posts, as photo galleries are already popular on TikTok.

Why I Share Pinterest Boards

Sharing Pinterest boards makes it easy for me to share my style with my friends and followers online, especially on Instagram, where aesthetics are so important. Sharing a Pinterest board adds to my personality on my profile, and I can start a conversation with others who like my ideas. This helps me find the most popular trends on Pinterest.

Of course, not every Pinterest board is meant for sharing; some are to inspire myself or plan out a project, while others are just for fun and help to show what the latest styles are.

Whether you want to inspire your followers, collaborate with others, or simply show off your latest finds, Pinterest’s board sharing feature makes it easier than ever to connect with your audience and get the most out of your curated collections.

By 

Sourced from MUO