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HostGator Cloud Web Hosting Review (2019)

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If you’re in the market for a new web hosting service, HostGator is certainly an option that will come on your radar. It’s a reputable company within the web hosting industry.

Like most web hosts, HostGator has a wide range of plans, options, and hosting types to accommodate the needs of different websites.

Today, I want to put more emphasis on the HostGator Cloud.

Cloud hosting is new compared to other types of web hosting. Rather than your website being hosted on a local server, it’s hosted on multiple remote servers.

One of the biggest benefits of cloud hosting is the ability to scale on-demand. So it’s a great option for fast-growing websites with high volatility in their site traffic.

For those of you who are interested in using the cloud to host your website, I strongly recommend that you review my analysis of HostGator Cloud. I’ll cover their plans, pricing, benefits, and everything else that you need to know before finalizing your decision.

HostGator Cloud Web Hosting Plans

There are three cloud plans offered by HostGator. The cloud uses premium hardware, low-density servers, and multiple layers for caching. As a result, this speeds up your page loading times.

As your traffic increases, HostGator Cloud plans make it possible for you to increase your resources with a click on-demand. All of this happens without any downtime, reboots, or data migrations.

Regardless of the plan you choose, you’ll have access to HostGator’s intuitive dashboard. From here, you’ll be able to monitor all of the metrics related to your website’s performance.

That’s what you’ll use to allocate any additional resources accordingly. Basically, you have complete control of your usage with the HostGator Cloud.

Let’s take a closer look at each individual cloud hosting plan.

Hatchling Cloud

The Hatchling Cloud is the entry-level cloud hosting plan from HostGator. It’s made for hosting one domain and has 2 GB of RAM.

Like all cloud plans, the Hatchling comes with a free SSL certificate.

Pricing for this plan starts at $4.95 per month as an introductory offer. Your contract will renew at $8.95 per month.

You can add on SiteLock monitoring, CodeGuard site backups, professional email, and HostGator SEO tools for additional annual fees.

This plan is best for new websites that want to be hosted on the cloud. Even though you can allocate new resources on demand, you’ll likely want to upgrade as your total monthly traffic increases.

Baby Cloud

Here’s a quick glance at what the Baby Cloud offers compared to the Hatchling.

As you can see, the Baby Cloud can host unlimited domains, and has twice as much available CPU space, and double the memory.

The rate for new cloud customers is $7.95 per month, before renewing at $11.95 per month. Right now they’re running a deal where you can actually get the introductory rate reduced down to $6.57 per month, which is a great value.

All you need to do is sign up and the discount will automatically be applied at the checkout.

This is the most popular cloud hosting plan offered by HostGator. I’d say it will likely be the option that’s the most suitable for the majority of you.

Business Cloud

The Business Cloud is HostGator’s top-tier cloud hosting plan. Like the Baby Cloud, it also hosts an unlimited number of domains on a single plan.

However, the Business plan comes with access to 6 cores, as opposed to just 2 or 4 cores on the Hatchling and Baby plans. Your HostGator Business Cloud also has access to 6 GB of RAM.

It’s the only cloud hosting plan that comes standard with a dedicated IP address. This feature is not available on the Hatchling plan and it costs an additional $4 per month on the Baby Cloud plan.

Considering that the Business Cloud starts at $9.95 per month, that extra feature is a great value. However, it’s worth noting that renewals jump up to $17.95 per month once your initial contract expires.

Alternative Hostgator hosting options

While the primary focus of this review is on the HostGator Cloud, I would be doing you a disservice if I didn’t mention the other hosting options offered by this provider.

Cloud hosting isn’t for everyone. So if you’re in the market for a more traditional type of web hosting plan, you may want to consider one of these options as an alternative.

Dedicated server hosting

With a dedicated server, your website will be renting a physical server from HostGator. This server will only be used for your site.

It’s a faster option than shared or VPS hosting since you won’t be sharing any resources, storage, or bandwidth with other websites.

Dedicated servers are ideal for those of you who are a bit more tech-savvy. If you want complete control over your server in terms of security and flexibility, this is your best bet.

Pricing for HostGator dedicated servers starts at:

• $118.99 per month for the Value Server
• $138.99 per month for the Power Server
• $148.98 per month for the Enterprise Server

Compared to the cloud hosting plans, these dedicated servers are priced significantly higher.

VPS hosting

Virtual private servers from HostGator give you flexible software options. You’ll gain full root access, which gives you added control in your environment.

The VPS plans are a step up from shared hosting, but not quite as in-depth or expensive as the dedicated servers. For comparison purposes, let’s take a look at how these VPS plans are priced, so you can weigh them as an option against cloud hosting.

• Snappy 2000 — $29.95 per month
• Snappy 4000 — $39.95 per month
• Snappy 8000 — $49.95 per month

If you’re already using cPannel for web hosting, SiteGround will migrate you to VPS hosting for free.

Shared hosting

If you’re on a budget and don’t want to use the cloud, shared hosting is the bottom-tier plan offered by HostGator.

Plans start at $2.75 per month, $3.95 per month, and $5.95 per month, respectively.

The problem with this option is that you’re going to be sharing resources with other websites. So if those sites have traffic spikes or higher volumes of visitors, it will impact the metrics on your site as well.

So if you want to save some money, but don’t want to sacrifice performance, cloud hosting will be a better option for you. Shared hosting doesn’t give you the flexibility to manage your resources the way that cloud hosting does.

Benefits of HostGator Cloud for web hosting

Now that you’ve had a chance to see some of the other types of web hosting offered by HostGator, let’s get back to focusing on the HostGator Cloud.

The following benefits refer specifically to the cloud plans. So for those of you who are considering one of those alternative options, I can’t guarantee the same advantages.

High uptimes and fast load times

When measuring the performance of a web hosting service, uptime and page loading speeds are two of the most important metrics to consider. Let’s take a look at how a HostGator Cloud test website performed so far this year.

Over the past six months, HostGator Cloud had a 99.995% average uptime rate. That’s about as exceptional as it gets.

As you can see from the table above, the page loading speed fluctuates quite a bit so far this year. The fastest average monthly response time was 280 ms, while the slowest was 736 ms. But on average, the response time in 2019 is 514 ms.

Truthfully, it’s definitely not the fastest loading time we’ve seen. But with that said, it’s still very fast, and far from the slowest.

Based on these numbers, I can’t say that you’ll be disappointed with your uptimes or loading speed if you decide to go with a cloud hosting plan from HostGator.

User-friendly

HostGator Cloud is very easy to use. It’s a great option for beginners, as well as users who have more experience with web hosting.

The cloud plans make it possible for you to allocate your resources as needed whenever you’re experiencing traffic spikes. That’s not the case with their other plans, which would require you to upgrade as you reached limitations on resources.

Even if you’ve never done this before, the interface is very easy to manage.

Another reason why HostGator Cloud is so user-friendly is because you won’t have to worry about outrageous pricing. These plans don’t surprise you with monthly overage fees when you exceed your plan limits. That’s a major downside of other web hosting plans.

Lots of freebies

The reason why cloud hosting from HostGator is so fast is because it doesn’t rely on typical servers. Instead, the servers from remote data centers work in unison with a person’s web browser to limit the number of resources required to host the website.

Things like managed cloud resources, data mirroring, and integrated caching make this possible, which comes free with your cloud hosting plan.

Furthermore, you’ll get free server monitoring to alert you if there are any hardware problems.

When you sign up for HostGator cloud, you’ll have access to cPannel as well. As I said before, you’ll get a free migration if you’ve been using cPannel with your current web host.

Easy access to customer support

HostGator Cloud comes with 24/7/365 customer support, which is crucial for web hosting. My favorite part about this is their support portal.

Rather than having to pick up the phone or chat online, there’s a good chance you can find the answer to your question here.

Here’s an example of a tutorial that explains the step-by-step process of how to add resources to your cloud hosting plan.

HostGator has tons of these for nearly every aspect of cloud hosting. It’s a quick way to find a solution to your problem.

With that said, phone support and live chat is always available as well. Personally, I prefer live chat as opposed to picking up the phone. But you’ll have both options depending on your personal preference.

Other considerations

Based on the benefits that we just discussed, I think we’ve established that HostGator Cloud is a top choice to consider if you want to use cloud hosting. But with that said, there are a couple of things that you need to keep in mind before you make that decision.

I briefly touched on this earlier when we discussed the cloud hosting plans, but the initial rates are just introductory offers. When your contract renews, you’ll be paying more.

Depending on your plan, you can expect prices to increase by roughly 80%.

While HostGator has its fair share of freebies, there are also some upsells along the way as well. Some of these are automatically checked off in your shopping cart, so make sure you review that page thoroughly before you commit to anything.

Conclusion

Overall, HostGator is a reputable name in the web hosting space. Their cloud hosting service is a great option for those of you who want to take advantage of cloud website hosting.

If you compare those plans to their standard shared hosting options, the cloud is the superior choice in my opinion.

However, if you don’t think cloud hosting is for you then you could always consider VPS or dedicated server hosting from HostGator as well.

For those of you who still aren’t convinced on the HostGator Cloud, you can check out my list of the best web hosting services for some other viable options.

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June 30, 2019 at 02:20PM

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All Over Instagram, This Japanese Brand’s New Skincare Routine Will Save Your Sanity

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I may be young, but that doesn’t mean I’m not worried about the physical signs of aging. After all, wrinkles come from all places, and I’m notorious for frowning, squinting and pursing my lips even though I know those expressions cause wrinkles. Sigh. When will I learn? As the deep divot between my brows from frowning will tell you, not soon enough.

I know I’m not alone here, and I know there are literally thousands of marketers, brands and social influencers out there, touting the benefits of anti-aging products that should be used even before your skin starts to show the telltale signs. Some of these products designed to prevent wrinkles, sagging, dark spots and fine lines might be too good to be true.

But I’ve recently stumbled across a brand called OMONO, and it’s getting some good hype on social media that piqued my curiosity. It’s not a cream, serum or a treatment: it’s a drinkable powder. Yes, you heard me, a beauty product you can drink. It can be mixed into your morning coffee, juice or glass of lemon water and is specifically designed to address the signs of aging from the inside out.

I’ve been using it for about two weeks without changing my skincare routine and I can already tell a difference. My skin is smoother, my pores are smaller (even the craters on my nose, thank God!) and the wrinkles around my eyes are much less pronounced even with all the smiling I do on a daily basis. I’m not saying it’s a miracle product but at less than $2.50 per day for a 60-day course, it’s got to be pretty darn close!

How it works

We’ve all heard the saying: you are what you eat. OMONO’s proven formula is designed to work from the inside out, transforming your skin’s elasticity and texture and even improving the strength of your hair and nails. With ingredients like collagen, which enhances the elasticity of the skin, and hyaluronic acid, which infuses moisture, the benefits are many and the results are quick.

Granted, results are going to vary given your unique set of genetic predispositions, diet, lifestyle and environment, but what better way to achieve results that are more than skin-deep than to go past the skin and straight to the source? I know I’m overloading on clichés but – wait for it – it truly is what’s on the inside that counts.

(Are you hearing crickets? Me too.)

Anyway, there’s also a 60-day money-back guarantee, so you can try OMONO without worrying about incurring the cost of yet another product that doesn’t work for you. Return policies for beauty and skincare products are the bane of my existence, but thankfully OMONO makes it super easy: if you don’t get results you love, you don’t pay.

Routines, reimagined

OMONO’s biggest claim to fame is the simplification of your skincare routine, something that I’ll admit, I was a little skeptical about. I drew the short straw in the genetics department and since I was a kid, I’ve struggled with problematic dry skin, deep pores and sagging in places no 20-something should be sagging in.

To keep it as fair as possible, I didn’t change my skincare routine one bit when I started using it. I wanted to make sure that it truly was the powder that was making a difference and not some other product I removed or introduced. For $149.98, I got a 60-day supply of the power packets, which I religiously consumed once a day on an empty stomach (which is recommended for best results).

Since starting OMONO, I have definitely noticed a difference in the size of my pores and the texture of my skin. I no longer need to slather on too much moisturizer and primer before applying my foundation, and all of my makeup goes on so smoothly, which saves me time in the morning that, let’s be real, I’d rather use for my beauty sleep. My fine lines and wrinkles under and around my eyes have also faded and my bare face carries a more youthful look overall.

So if you, like me, are someone who wants to retain their youthful skin for as long as possible, but can’t make up your mind from the overload of product choices on social media, try a supplement instead. Obviously, I’d recommend OMONO, and those results have inspired me to care more for my skin and body overall.

The post All Over Instagram, This Japanese Brand’s New Skincare Routine Will Save Your Sanity appeared first on Social Media Explorer.

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June 30, 2019 at 11:48AM

Best Ways to Verify Your Business Name Online

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If you are planning to start a business or you plan on changing the name of your existing business, you want first of all to check that there are no other businesses with that name with whom you are likely to conflict. After all, you want to have your unique brand available so that you can create a marketing plan around it. You would not want to create your brand and then have another company steal your clients! It would be sensible therefore to be able to make a search to see what other businesses are operating under your planned name before beginning the process. You want to be able to search for companies, you want to check domain names and social media handles.

In order to verify your business name online, one way would be to go through the process of checking each of the areas individually, which is obviously going to be somewhat time consuming, but perfectly possible.

LLCs

Corporations should be registered and you will be able to check this in your state department website by conducting a LLC name search. Remember that not every company will choose to register, some may prefer to wait until they are caught out. It is also worth remembering that sole traders do not need to register, so an internet search may provide you with something.

Trademarks

If you are planning to start your new business in the US, it would be worth checking to see if your business name has been trademarked by someone else. You can do this by checking the database for trademarked names by making a search with the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office.

Domains

You can search and find a company who specialise in domain name registration, there are a number of companies who do this, then follow the instructions to make a search.

Social Handles

You will have to decide on which of the platforms that you intend to use and then go about checking with each one.

internet Search

You should make a point of searching through all of the search engines using the names that you are planning for your company. This should provide you with some interesting results as you may or may not find companies with the same name but what can happen is that you find a company with a very similar name and it may be that that would create enough of a conflict for you to consider something else.

If that all sounds like a bit too much effort and remember, you should continue to make checks even after you have registered a business name as there is really nothing to stop someone copying your name, there are companies who will make all of the checks for you. You can pay for this service or if you are sensible, you can find a company who will do this free of charge, saving you a great deal of time and effort and leaving you free to concentrate on other aspects of your business. 

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June 30, 2019 at 05:48AM

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How Customer Reviews Help Your SEO

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Online customer reviews have consistently been shown to have the most impact on search rankings, especially for local search. A study in collaboration with the University Of California Irvine found that online reviews, or rather the keywords used in them, were the most important factor in local search, particularly with the Google Local Pack and Google Maps. And that means a better click-through-rate and more conversions. Here’s how they work.

How Online Reviews Help Your SEO

• They are a source of fresh and relevant content. You’re well aware that one of the main things a search engine considers is how often you put new content on your site and how relevant it is to the subject. But if you’re not always adding new products or have the time or budget to post regular blog articles, what to do? Why, you let your customers do it for you. You can feed online customer reviews to your website, social media sites, and review platforms to generate the fresh and relevant content you need, and you can automate the process, showing that your sites are active and valuable to your customers.
• Reviews generate SEO attributes for you. You use all the usual tools to boost your search ranking including keywords, internal links, and backlinks. Online reviews put your customers to work building links and writing keywords to enhance your SEO so you don’t have to.
• They help you choose long-tail keywords. Most of your keywords are general search terms that are very competitive. Long-tail keywords are more specific and much less competitive and easier to rank for. Determining which long-tail keywords are effective can be a problem though. Analyzing your online reviews allows you to determine the phrases your customers actually use when talking about you to create better long-tail keywords.
• Reviews are good for both auto and manual SEO. Search algorithms and spiders aren’t the only things scrutinizing your site and your online reviews. Google uses real people called search quality evaluators, judging things like reputation, expertise, popularity, and honesty, among other things. Positive customer reviews are effective for both rating methods.
• They increase click-through rates and conversions. Surveys have shown that the star rating displayed in search results is the first and most important factor that consumers consider when evaluating a business, and one study has shown that a good star rating can boost your click-through rates by as much as 35%. Yet another study by the Spiegel Research Center found that positive reviews can increase conversion rates by 270% on average.

Online customer reviews are a powerful tool to enhance your SEO efforts and increase click-through rates and conversions, but only if you employ the resources to make effective use of them.

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June 30, 2019 at 05:43AM

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How does social media affect your debt, and how to limit the effect?

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Are you tired of being intimidated by the flashy lifestyles on Facebook, little kids wearing outfits that cost more than your monthly wages, or luxurious holidays that would put the Obamas to shame? Well, cage the urge my fiscal friend and face reality, because social media intimidation could affect your bank statement as well as your mental health if you don’t. Many people have had to borrow, exceed their credit card limits, and obtained loans, all in the name of keeping with their virtual friends on social media. What many fail to grasp is that nobody is Instagramming their crap boiler or their dodgy cookers on Twitter. However, if you’ve been sucked into this illusion of luxurious spending, and you’ve splashed the cash beyond your financial muscles, there is still a way out after all, and that is what this article is about – how to handle your social media influenced debts.

Overspending

Before social media came into our world, people only had to keep up with their colleagues and friends. Now it’s millions of people across the globe. In your timeline, you’d see Jane from college posting her brand-new Mercedes. Then you’ll go to Instagram, only to find David from your Church showing off how he spent his last holiday. So, in order to keep up, you’ll also buy that pair of lust-worthy heels someone posted on Facebook or the latest iPhone. In the end, it makes you feel better until you check your bank balance, or your credit card statement arrives. Overspending has damaged many people’s financial status and led them into debt. There is, however, a debt management solution for you – if you need help with debt – in order to handle this well. However, if your case hasn’t resulted in debt yet, there is also a recommendation for you, so that you won’t have to deal with the burden of debts.

• Create a budget

This is perhaps the ultimate way to get a solid handle on your money. If you have a budget you live by, it would be nearly impossible for you to overspend, even when you are bombarded with the urge to splash the cash on social media. If you have a working budget – which you’ve created based on your income – you’ll have a good idea about how much money is left for savings and luxuries, after you’ve considered your necessary expenses. Think about it, if you only have $200 to spend on luxuries every month, and a friend posts some flashy shoes on her timeline which costs $350. You obviously cannot afford that, because your budget doesn’t allow that. This is an excellent way to channel your money in the right direction.

FOMO

Fear of missing out – we’ve all felt it at one point or the other. Social media portrays everyone’s lives as being perfect, and this has led many people into obtaining loans, raising their credit card limits, personal loans, and so many others. Your friends are heading out for dinner, but you don’t have the money to go – so you dip into your credit card. The girls are going on a girls trip to Miami, and you don’t want to miss out – so, you obtain a personal loan. Your brother is getting married, but they told you, don’t worry, you only have to pay for the transport fare – so, you break your budget, and get into debt. So, once in a while, FOMO gets the better of every one of us, and we splash the cash. But, the consequence lives in our financial books, and in the end, we have to deal with our debts. Has FOMO led you into significant debt, are you struggling to fulfill your monthly debt repayment, is your creditor breathing down your neck? Well, there is still a way out, after all.

• Renegotiation

If social media intimidation has led you into borrowing, and now you can’t keep up with the payments, this is the ideal solution for you – because what you need is debt help. There are many ways to cut-out your debt burden, but none are without their cons. However, if you find yourself struggling with social media influenced debt, then you might want to consider an Individual Voluntary Arrangement.  Since they were first introduced under the Insolvency Act 1986, IVA’s have helped thousands of people across the UK to get themselves out of debt and firmly on the path to a much more positive financial future. So, if you’ve overspent due to social media pressure, IVA can help you out, by renegotiating your debt repayment plan with your creditor.

Social media pressure is capable of wooing anyone into spending, even those with stringent purses. But you’ve just got to stay disciplined, and in case you can’t resist the urge, and you end up in debt, always remember there is still a solution after all.

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June 30, 2019 at 02:53AM

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Using Social Media to Promote HVAC Services

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Every HVAC contractor may have different goals when it comes to using social media to promote the business. Whether you want to grow your customer base by tenfold or engage with current customers, you need a solid social media marketing strategy.

Here are some specific ideas you put into action today to expand your presence on Twitter, Facebook, Instagram and other platforms.

Fan-Only Incentives

You can entice clients and prospects to follow you via special incentives only available on social media. Let your customers know that following you on Twitter and Facebook can net them discounts and coupons in their newsfeeds. Release new coupons with expiration dates each month. This gives them a reason to come back to your site regularly.

Share Insights with Your Community

One of the best things you can do to attract attention on social media is to provide actionable information to your clients and prospective clients. You can also share sites with insights into the industry, such as High Performance HVAC Heating and Cooling Reviews.

Before and After Photos

Technicians may see interesting, scary and funny these in the course of their work. Taking photos to share on social media provides a line of communication with your customers. It also helps you build name recognition with anyone who sees the post in a shared post or retweet.

Another great way to exploit image-driven social media is to take before and after photos. What better way is there to advertise the good work that you’ve done. People also love behind-the-scenes exclusives, so post pictures of your techs in action.

Links to Blog Articles

Your blog is one of the best resources to promote your business on social media. Post links to recent blog topics that encourage comments and conversation. Once people go to the blog, you have a much better chance of keeping them on your page. If they currently need HVAC services, chances are that they will call you first.

Helpful Hints

Helping customers with DIY tips earns goodwill and gives you a chance to showcase your expertise. There’s nothing like sharing knowledge to show others that you have it. Gaining authority wins over the hearts and minds of homeowners and gives you one foot in the door to earning their business. You might think that it’s bad business to show customers how to perform small fixes on their units, but that couldn’t be further from the truth. Show them how to keep their garbage disposal fresh and they’ll call you when the AC needs to be replaced.

Keep it Positive

Sharing family pictures is also an effective way to get people to relate to you. In fact, most positive posts are going to work to your advantage and leave clients with a good feeling about you working on their HVAC systems.

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June 30, 2019 at 02:17AM

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TikTok Self-Serve Ads Platform to Launch

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June 29, 2019 at 05:03AM

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Tesla’s in-dash sketchpad gets a boost in next update, music tools coming later

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Tesla owners will be better able to express themselves artistically using their in-vehicle infotainment touchscreen with the next update of their vehicle’s in-car software. Tesla revealed via Twitter today that the forthcoming software update will bring improved Sketchpad features, providing essential upgrades to an Easter Egg it first debuted over two years ago that lets Tesla owners doodle in their cars.

In response to a request from a fan asking for Tesla’s in-car drawing software (this is a weird phrase to be writing) to add a color picker, saturation controls and an undo history, Tesla noted that new features are coming in the next big update planned for Tesla vehicle software. It sounds like all of those could be on the menu, based on this tweet, and that might not be the end of the improvements in store.

In May, Tesla CEO Elon Musk responded to another Twitter fan who was requesting animation support. Musk replied just a simple ‘Ok’ but given his general meme love, I would not at all be surprised if the next version of Sketchpad supports GIF output.

Musk also noted at around the same time that “Every Tesla should have good art & music creation software” which does not actually seem like an essential accoutrement for a vehicle at all, but then again Musk is a billionaire and I am not.

The CEO also followed up with some more details on what he has in mind for music curation: A ‘little music tool’ to be released later, and even in-car karaoke.

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June 28, 2019 at 03:01PM

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Apple tries out the ‘choose-your-own adventure’ Twitter thread format that recently went viral

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It looks like choose-your-own-adventure Twitter games won’t be a one-hit wonder, now that Apple’s social team has adopted the format. A new tweet from the @AppleTV Twitter account today helps users find a movie to watch by having them click through a series of Twitter threads. However, their effort (so far at least) pales compared with the original viral sensation — a Twitter choose-your-own-adventure style game that blew up earlier this month, where Twitter users try to not get fired as Beyoncé’s new assistant.

If you haven’t seen this masterpiece of Twitter handiwork, give yourself a break this Friday and go try it. It’s great fun.

The game is played by presenting you with a multiple choice question. You then click on your answer from among the Twitter replies presented by the original poster.

For example, you start your day by ordering Queen Bey her breakfast. You’re asked to choose between ordering a five-star breakfast or granola and yogurt. If you choose the former (spoiler alert!), you’re fired. If you click the right answer, you move on to the next task.

Further questions take you to new threads where you choose things like who Beyoncé should FaceTime, what activity you suggest while she waits for hair and makeup, what song to play for her when she asks for music, when she should get dressed for the event and where, whether you should photobomb her on the red carpet to fix her dress, where she sits at an event, and so on.

The game isn’t always simple A/B choices, either. The answers lead you down different paths. Your choice may not immediately result in being fired, but still could later on. For instance, if you send Beyoncé swimming, there’s no way to save your job when the next set of choices comes.

According to a TIME profile, the idea for the thread came from 19-year-old student Landon Rivera, who lives in L.A.

The thread, now which now has over a quarter million Twitter likes, was noticed by celebs like Chrissy Teigen and Questlove, the report also noted

After the Beyoncé game blew up into a viral hit, the creator started new threads about being Cardi B’s bodyguard and getting away with murder. These haven’t yet taken off to the extent the original Beyoncé thread did, which today stands at over 250K Likes on the thread placeholder tweet, and 97,300 retweets.

While it’s interesting that Apple’s social media team has now copycatted the idea, their choose-your-own-adventure thread falls short.

Actually, really short.

In fact, it’s not much of an adventure at all.

Instead, the movie suggestion thread doesn’t go much further than letting your pick between two movie watching scenarios, then directs you into a genre of your choosing…then, it dead ends with a movie suggestion.

This overlooks the reasons the Beyoncé game went viral in the first place: because it was lengthy, complex, multi-branched, and funny. You could get down several threads deep into the thing and then get booted out and lose.

The questions themselves also prompted commentary from those who knew Beyoncé actual habits (or at least, thought they did.)

Social media teams looking to replicate this formula for their own success will need to do more than create a handful of quick-to-end threads with little payoff. Either invest the serious effort in designing a clever branching narrative or just tweet as usual.

 

 

 

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via Twitter – TechCrunch https://techcrunch.com

June 28, 2019 at 02:01PM

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Facebook reveals plan for policy-reviewing ‘Supreme Court’

https://ift.tt/2YjyO2j

Created to review controversial content decisions made by Facebook, the "Supreme Court" would be a 40-person board of diverse backgrounds set to a particular rulebook.

Read more here. Read more...

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June 28, 2019 at 01:52PM