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livingcorner · 3 years

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The Anatomy of a Kitchen Faucet@|what is a kitchen faucet@|https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/om7y2-iYZE8d23umcGdXIt4EOEo=/154×0:2744×1356/fit-in/1200×630/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/19637472/kitchen_faucets_x_banner.jpg@|25

Of all the working parts in a kitchen, the faucet might be the one we use the most. According to the EPA, each American uses an average of 88 gallons of water a day, and a lot of it is to wash hands, rinse off produce, fill the tea kettle, or simply get a glass of water.

Today, these workaholic fixtures come in a wider variety of price points than ever before. You can purchase a kitchen faucet for as little as $15, although we recommend spending more than that to ensure its durability. After all, if you’re going to be using your kitchen faucet so frequently, it’s best to buy one that’ll last.

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Better manufacturing and engineering help today’s faucets stay drip-free and longer-lasting, and quick-connect fittings have made them a cinch to install. Meanwhile, the number of designs and features has exploded into a dizzying array of choices. No matter how fancy or simple the faucet, however, they all contain the same basic elements. We’ll examine these in more detail below.

Kitchen Sink Faucet Parts

Harry Campbell

Before you purchase a new faucet, settle on the sink first. Its size, shape, and features will determine where the faucet should be mounted and how much reach the spout should have.

Also make sure you measure the spout’s height. It should ideally be tall enough to clear your deepest pot, but not so tall that water splashes everywhere when it hits the sink. Make sure there’s enough room behind and beside the faucet to clean around the body and to use the handle comfortably.

Aerator

Illustration by Harry Campbell

Starting at the tip of the faucet, this is the part (typically made of mesh) that breaks up the water flow into multiple small streams to dilute the water with air. Aerators reduce the volume of water flowing while maintaining the feeling of a high-pressure flow, greatly reducing splashing in the sink.

Spout

Illustration by Harry Campbell

The spout is the part of the faucet that most people notice first; it’s the part that delivers water from the body to the sink and it can be distinctive in its design. A straight spout provides a long reach with a low profile. A gooseneck spout has an elegant, high-arc shape that comes in handy for filling deep pots. The shepherd’s crook design is shaped just as it sounds and offers extra clearance along with a bit of intrigue. And an articulating spout features multiple joints that let you direct the water stream to where it’s needed.

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In addition to these style considerations, it’s important to anticipate how you’ll be using your spout in the kitchen. Pull-out versions have a retractable sprayer head that docks on the spout; the pull-out heads, available in several spout styles, are held in place by gravity.

On the other hand, pull-down spouts (generally fitted to the gooseneck design) require a magnetized or locking dock to stay put when not in use. There are also hands-free spouts, which turn on with the help of a foot pedal or motion sensor.

Handle

Illustration by Harry Campbell

When it comes to the faucet handle, which opens and closes the valve, your choices are one or two. The single handle is easy for people of all ages and abilities to use. It can be mounted on top of the spout, on either side of it, on the front, or beside it, requiring a separate hole. The two-handle faucet has a whole extra handle to worry about, but its timeless charm is an attractive feature for any kitchen.

Valve

Illustration by Harry Campbell

To control water flow and temperature, today’s faucets use cartridge valves that enclose all the working parts in a single, easy-to-replace unit (meaning no washers to swap out). Some valves are made of plastic or metal, but the best ones house a pair of hard, smooth ceramic discs that rarely leak and aren’t affected by hard‑water deposits. The discs can crack if they snag any debris, so make sure to flush your supply lines before installing the faucet. (Supply lines connect the house’s hot and cold-water pipes.)

Cartridge valves differ by faucet make and model. If you ever need to replace one, order it directly from the manufacturer.

Body

Illustration by Harry Campbell

The body is where the hot and cold water are mixed before passing through the spout. In a single-hole design, hot and cold water are combined in a one-piece casting that also houses the valves. This type of body is available in one- or two-handle designs.

With the bridge design, a pipe joining two separate valves blends the hot and cold water before it reaches the spout. This look isn’t very common but is sometimes featured in period designs.

A third option is the widespread body, which requires three holes. It mixes the hot and cold water like a bridge-style faucet, but the pipe is hidden beneath the counter.

Mount

Illustration by Harry Campbell

What will the faucet be attached to? A deck mount, where the faucet is connected to the sink, is the most common option, and it’s simple to install if there’s enough clearance between the sink and the wall. It requires holes in the countertop or sink.

A second option is to attach the faucet to the wall, which has the benefit of freeing up countertop space and making cleanup easier. But this isn’t a good idea for exterior walls in cold climates, where pipes may freeze.

Common Materials: Brass, Stainless Steel, Plastic, Zinc

Photo by Courtesy of Kohler

Standard options for the faucet material include brass, stainless steel, plastic, and zinc. Brass is the most popular choice. It’s durable and easy to cast, and companies offer a wide variety of models and finishes. Some have sprayer heads made of plastic, so they weigh less and stay cool to the touch; other parts might be made of zinc.

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Brass is usually alloyed with lead to make it easier to cast. By law, faucets sold in the U.S. can’t contain more than 8 percent lead, but even that amount can contaminate water sitting in the faucet body for more than a few hours. Running the tap for a few seconds will flush it out. California and Vermont have enacted a stricter standard, a “maximum weighted average” of no more than 0.25 percent. Do your research so you know what you’re buying.

Solid stainless steel is another good choice, but it’s more expensive than brass. (Don’t confuse it with stainless-steel finishes applied over brass.) Some companies apply a clear protective coating to stainless steel to shield it from water spots and fingerprints.

Plastic or zinc faucets are the least durable option. They may be designed to look like brass, but they’re made from a much cheaper material. The best way to tell them apart is to pick them up—plastic and zinc are light, while brass has heft to it.

Finish application

Photo by Courtesy of Danze

The oldest and most common method of applying a finish to a faucet is electroplating. The faucet is dipped in a bath of dissolved metal that adheres to the surface when a current is applied. It offers a durable, long-lasting finish, but the plating is susceptible to harsh cleansers.

A more expensive technique is to use physical vapor deposition (PVD). The faucet is placed in a vacuum and bombarded with metallic ions that bond to the surface. This results in a very hard, tough finish that doesn’t need a clear coat.

And then there’s powder-coating, where the faucet is sprayed with a dry powder that cures when exposed to heat. Powder-coating leads to an even, thick finish, but it’s not as durable as PVD or electroplating.

Installation tips

Photo by Courtesy of Moen

New faucets are so easy to install that you barely need tools to do it. If you’re removing an old faucet, use a heat gun or hair dryer to loosen any rusted-on nuts. Remove the nuts with water-pump pliers or a basin wrench.

If you have a stone countertop, skip the plumber’s putty, which contains oil that can stain the stone. Otherwise, use the putty to form a seal between the faucet base and the countertop. Most modern faucets have an O-ring in the base and don’t require a sealant. [external_footer]

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amourdefraise · 4 years

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Using an Internet Business and Passive Income As a Lifestyle Design Aid

The question I've been thinking lately is this: what exactly is lifestyle design? It was only a couple of weeks ago that I first heard the expression lifestyle design. I had no idea what exactly that meant, but in very basic terms I understood a lifestyle was how a person lives, and design is development. But, to make your own lifestyle? I didn't quite understand the idea. Lifestyle design is such a new term that it is not even on Wikipedia yet, but effective Internet business gurus are using it like we use air to breathe.

So, I decided to do some research. I learned that lifestyle design, really creating your own lifestyle and living how you want to live, is something which is extremely real. Folks like Timothy Ferriss, writer of The 4-Hour Workweek, has done things in his lifetime to live precisely how he wants to live. He is a nationwide Chinese Kickboxing Champion, a break dancer in Taiwan, celebrity and a multi-millionaire. He is able to do these things because he's created businesses and uses outsourcing allowing him to just have to work four hours each week, which opens up more. I want that.

You probably feel that his life is how it is due to the decisions and actions he's made. Although that is true, how we describe him with regard to lifestyle design is another way around: "He took particular actions and made particular decisions depending on the type of life he wants to live." I believe many people, myself included, never actually consider the specific lifestyle that we want to live.

Yes, we do have goals and work very difficult for them (retirement, millions of dollars, having a business ), but we hardly ever think of the lifestyle we desire, and how we want our everyday lives to be. We make decisions and work hard for our objectives, but do we do the exact same for our ideal lifestyle? If a person has earned $500,000 in a calendar year, they might have reached or exceeded their objective. However, if it took them 90 hours a week to get there, they might not be living their ideal lifestyle.

See the difference? It is true that everyone will have different ideas of what their ideal lifestyle ought to be. You need to actually consider it, deep down inside about how exactly you want your life to be. That having been said, if you make a passive income, then you are able to easily design your own lifestyle. That excess paycheck in your bank account not only provides you more cash, but it can also give you more freedom and time to do whatever it is you need to do. By way of instance, I really enjoy working in a workplace.

At exactly the exact same time, I do not need to work 8 hours a day since I would rather spend more time with my loved ones. Earning a passive income enables me to do this since I simply work part-time while earning the same amount of money (maybe even more) like I had been working 8 hours per day with earning no passive income. Also, my fiancee and I really like to travel. Say we would like to take a 1 month holiday in an exotic place every year.

Why do I need to use the amount from the income I make? I will just create a new passive income stream (a new item, site, what have you) and use that money for traveling. This way, I don't risk an effect on the other components of my life. I am designing my own way of life. It is not about working X hours for X dollars. It is about working hard today, so you can reap the benefits and live how you want to, later. Earning passive income generates freedom.

It is definitely easier said than done, obviously - but with some hard work and determination, we will have the ability to design the lifestyle we need using the benefits of earning a passive income, which we're working for today. Pat Flynn is an entrepreneur, business owner and blogger who writes and teaches about his successful online passive income adventures. He owns several businesses that need only a couple hours of work weekly, and in his free time he helps others achieve their dreams of producing several passive income flows also.

Lifestyle Retailing For Entrepreneurial Retailers

How can it be that retailers such as Urban Outfitters, Anthropology, The Buckle, Aeropostale and Hot Topic appear to have the ability to defy gravity? In the past several quarters, each one of these retailers have very favorable posted outcomes in an environment where very few publicly traded retailers posted a comp shop growth of any sort. How are these stores able to do exactly what apparently nobody else can, especially in the specialty shop segment? Every one of those stores is testament to how a powerful, concentrated retailer can succeed spectacularly even in the toughest of economic times.

Richard Hayne, founder and chairman of the business, has been widely quoted for his belief that"big is the enemy of trendy", and lots of observers have pointed out that the firm would rather start a new notion in proven markets compared to saturate every last retail corner with new shops. They go on to note that no two shops are alike, that every store is given a whole lot of freedom, and that the company puts a premium on implementation.

All these are valuable points to remove from the narrative, but there is another lesson to be drawn that is specifically applicable for any small, entrepreneurial merchant building a successful, sustainable approach to the future. Walk in an Urban Outfitters or an Anthropology shop and you immediately feel that there is something different going on there. They are selling accessories and apparel, that's obvious once you walk in the door, but there is also home furnishings and décor, in addition to publications and knick-knacks, even furniture here and there. Then you notice the shop design, fixturing and décor, the salespeople and the clients... the clients.

The consumers would be the giveaway to this story. This store is not so much about stuff since it's about a mindset, an attitude, a lifestyle. Building a shop around a mindset or a lifestyle is not necessarily new, but rarely has it been achieved on the scale and with the effect that you experience when you walk into these stores. Here you can glimpse the future of retailing in a market driven, Long Tail world, and at such shops you can quickly grasp the immense potential for small entrepreneurial. It has been known as lifestyle retailing.

In actuality, the very best small entrepreneurial merchants have been practicing lifestyle retailing for ages. Lifestyle retailing starts from a totally different premise than conventional retailing. It may seem as a tiny cliché to state that lifestyle retailing is customer-centric, however, as you see when you walk into an Urban Outfitters or an Anthropology shop, that really is the identifying characteristic. Standard retailing begins with the services and products to be offered. This might be caused by an entrepreneur's particular product experience, possibly an entrepreneur's background in a very specific industry.

It's product driven, and asks the question,"That is what we sell, who can we sell it to?" Growth is often described as enlarging the consumer base, reaching a wider audience, finding more customers to sell to, and is measured most directly by trade counts. It's customer driven, focused on a narrowly defined client who identifies with the mindset and lifestyle, and aspires to be a part of it.

It starts with the question,"These are our customers, what can we provide them that fully reflect the lifestyle they aspire to. In lifestyle retailing, the physical shop itself directly defines the lifestyle, in its own décor and ambiance. The shop is unique, distinctive and Profession. It's not only a presentation of product, it's a carefully considered synergy of space, materials, textures, colours, sounds, and aromas intended to excite the senses. Stepping into the shop is to completely immerse yourself in the lifestyle, to have the lifestyle and all that it signifies. The salespeople expand the expertise, with their knowledge, enthusiasm and interest, in the very manner they engage their guests.

They're actors on a stage, except this isn't behaving; for them this is real life. Their dress, hair, fashion, speech and vocabulary are an essential part of the experience, for they are the very embodiment of their lifestyle. They interact with clients as they want with intimates, for to be a part of their lifestyle is profoundly personal. Their customers are a part of this group, in a profoundly sociological manner. And in this context, business is transacted. Price isn't quite as significant an issue as in other retail plans, because clients are not merely buying merchandise, they are engaging in the area, in the lifestyle.

Assortments are often shallow and broad as opposed to deep and narrow because the lifestyle is the driver, and new things are the key to regular visits and units per trade. The merchandise itself may appear to be very optional, but actually is as essential as milk and bread since it is so closely related to the client's sense of individuality. It is, by definition, a fashion business.

Since the retail landscape fragments involving large-scale company retailing descending further into price-driven commoditization of mass market product, and every customer's desire for things they treasure as a manifestation of the unique interests, identity and lifestyle, the chance for entrepreneurial merchants is clear. A retail strategy built and promoted passionately around a personally held, clearly defined lifestyle or interest is the path to building a powerful retail presence and a very prosperous business.

#lifestyle #business #income #passive income #lifestyle retailing #retailers

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thenamelessbaroness · 7 years

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Strange Magic Week 2017 - Friday: Modern Fantasy

When the Y2K bug hit (look it up if you’re under the age of 25) a lot of so-called specialists predicted a lot of awful things happening. Something that HAD NOT been foreseen was that the NA35 experiment at the Super Proton Synchrotron would go haywire, (in a way that should have been impossible, protested the scientists involved) and simply delete the barrier between two alternate universes.

One second, fireworks and champagne and Auld Lang Syne. The next, a complete overlay of one world onto another. Across the globe, trees suddenly appeared inside houses, waterfalls tumbled down the sides of skyscrapers, briar hedges blocked off roads, giant flowers popped up in the middle of sidewalks, and everyone started screaming.

It took most people a good two minutes before they figured out that some of the screams were coming from “people” who had not been standing with them two minutes and one second ago. And these people had wings. Or fangs. Or claws. Or were simply all-over furry.

And then there was some more screaming.

All in all, 12:01am, January 1st, 2000 had been really exciting. And loud.

By the time the “authorities” had figured out, at least a semblance, of what had happened (which took months), most of the populations of both worlds had come to an easy understanding with each other. Most of the humans thought the natural additions to their cities and homes, seamlessly blended into the very structure of the materials, (which scientists also protested should be impossible) were charming. Who hadn’t dreamed of having a tree in their bedroom when they were a child? Plus, the hole in the Ozone layer had healed over, and the air was fresher than it had been in centuries. So what if all that came with a few flying people.

And the Fae found the world that had suddenly appeared over their own fascinating. How these creatures like them, yet not, had overcome challenges without the use of wings, or fangs, or claws, or conveniently sized flora. And they REALLY liked human fashion. Elves were particularly enthusiastic early adopters of roller blades.

By New Year’s Day, 2001 humans and Fae were celebrating their brave new world, side-by-side, as friends.

But, of course, not all is peace and love, no matter how cool the house trees are.

Travelling in a car, Marianne had asked a human friend about the giant blinking sign to the side of the highway. Instead of displaying the travel time to the next major intersection, as usual, it was flashing a car description and a series of numbers.

“Oh, sad. That’s an Amber Alert.”

“What’s that?”

“Someone kidnapped some kid. They know the car that took them, so the police post up the description and the license plate in hope that someone will spot them and call the cops.”

“Kidnapped…?” Marianne murmured. She couldn’t help but flash back to the feeling of helplessness and horror she’d felt when Bog had flown away with her baby sister in a bag. Sure, that all worked out in the end, but the fact that kidnappings happened often enough in this world that there was a procedure for them? It made her blood run cold. And then, it boiled.

“So that’s the color of the car, and the numbers on its butt?” Marianne demanded, unclipping her seatbelt.

Her friend giggled at the description of a license plate. “Yeah, Marianne, those are the numbers on its butt. Hey, wait--!”

But Marianne had already thrown open the passenger door and thrown herself into the air.

“Shit.”

Marianne scoured the traffic jammed highway, closely examining every silver car she came across. Finally, she spotted the right one. She knew it before she even checked the numbers. A little tear-streaked face was pressed to the window, occasionally pounding on it before being hauled roughly back out of sight.

Marianne saw red. She dove and landed as heavily as she could on the hood of the car, spreading her wings to block the driver’s view. He swerved wildly, trying to shake her. She had way too much practice keeping her feet on swooping, diving leaves to let mere two-dimensional movement budge her. She laughed into the windshield and held on.

The horn blared, and streams of profanity issues from behind the glass, but eventually the driver slowed to a stop before he hit something. Then he leapt out of the car and grabbed for her wrist. Which is exactly what she’d been hoping for. She let herself be hauled off the hood, but then continued to fall, pulling on her “captor,” until he stumbled and fell over her. A good shove with her legs flipped him neatly over her head, and she followed. Once she was on top of him, Marianne punched him soundly in the face until he conked out. And then twice more, just for good measure.

Then she turned to the open door, and realized she had absolutely no idea how to deal with a human child.

“So…” she said, as the quite little human creature peeked out the door. “Are you okay? Do you want to get out of there?” Marianne reached out, but the child backed away into the shadows of the car, letting out a miserable wail. Marianne gritted her teeth.

“You idiot.” A flutter of wings heralded the arrival of her sister. “You’re scaring her.”

“Dawn, what are you doing here?”

“Your friend pulled into a McDonald’s and called me about the stunt you were pulling. I figured you’d need help.” Dawn turned toward the car, crouched down and held out her hand, beaming her best feel-better smile.

“It’s okay. Marianne is tough, and kind of scary, but she’s a good guy, I promise.” The little child slowly put the hand it didn’t have stuffed in its mouth into Dawn’s, and let herself be pulled out of the car. She latched onto Dawn’s leg and buried her face in her thigh.

“What in tha blazes?” came a guttural shout from on high.

“Hi, Bog,” Marianne called back, cheerfully. “Just getting some exercise!”

Bog landed next to the unconscious man, who wasn’t quite as unconscious as before, and crossed his arms. “He doesn’t look like much exercise ta me.”

When the man began to sit up, Bog planted a foot on his chest. “I doan think so,” he said, his long, pointy face a trifle too close to the human’s, who blanched, laid back down, and appeared to be trying to play dead.

Just then several police cruisers, lights blazing, roared down the shoulder and pulled to a stop. Before any of the officers could so much as open their doors, one flung open and a tearful woman raced the rest of the way toward their little group.

“SUSIE!” she shrieked.

The little human turned her face a few degrees out of Dawn’s skirts to peer at the approaching woman. “MAMA!” she cried, and pushed off from Dawn, her little legs pumping away as she ran up the concrete.

Marianne, Dawn, and Bog smiled as the pair was reunited. Marianne and Bog smiled even wider when the woman, holding her child close, marched up to their group and began screaming at, and kicking, the prone man. Bog backed carefully way, not wanting to get caught in the crossfire.

Marianne drew them a little further from the commotion and took Bog’s and Dawn’s hands.

“Bog, Dawn… Did you guys know that this happens all the time? So often that there are procedures for dealing with kidnappings?” To her gratification, her love and her sister both seemed as horrified as she did.

And so, their little vigilante career began. And in the many years since that first incident, they grew well into their roles.

If there was a kidnapped child, or any child in danger, a woman trying to flee her abuser, someone trying to get out of a gang, anyone who was up against a force more powerful than themselves, and the police couldn’t, or wouldn’t help them, they might find themselves surrounded by a quartet of mad Fae.

Bog was the Monster. He was big, and scary, and intimidating, and could back it all up with that staff of his. He was frequently a blind for Marianne to hide behind, just before she leapt out and really laid into the bad guys. And for some of the kids, he was complete safety. A Monster bigger, and badder, and scarier than the one they were escaping, and who was 100% on their side. Nothing could be safer.

Marianne was the Brawler. Her slight form and feminine look encouraged overconfidence and stupidity from some of the worst baddies, making them far easier to take down. And she was relentless when it came to chasing down, or chasing away, kidnappers or abusers. For some of the little girls, and older women for that matter, she was a role model of strength, and that made them feel safe.

Sunny was the Hacker. He LOVED the human’s new and ever changing technologies. He could set up a security or surveillance system in an hour, track down people by their e-mail, intercept police radio chatter, and quite a few other things he wouldn’t talk about that were, perhaps, a smidge on the wrong side of legality. His small form, big smile, and generally stationary position at his computers had prompted many a shy child to curl up, trustingly in his lap.

And Dawn was the Angel. She learned everything she could about the law, and about social services available to victims. She smoothed over ruffled feathers with police and other authorities. She was the sweet smile and soft voice that could soothe almost any fear. And she worked tirelessly to strengthen her wings. If push came to shove, her job was to scoop up the vulnerable and shoot straight into the heavens with them, and she had better be fast.

Dawn actually came around to thinking of all four of them as Angels. She even went so far as to call Bog one, as he was carrying around the tiny form of a sleeping girl who had become particularly attached to him. She learned a couple new, naughty words that night.

As revenge she tried to get Sunny to see if he could influence the “internet” to call them all Angels, but Sunny told her it was a no-go.

“Apparently, we’re already known as Superheroes,” he said.

“Ooooo, what’s a Superhero?” she asked.

#strange magic #strange magic week #modern fantasy #the bog king #marianne #dawn #sunny

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classicrewind · 7 years

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Tomorrow Never Knows

Chapter Nine

The break hardly seemed to last a day before it was time for new term to begin. Classes resumed once more and Anna was thrown back into the ebb and flow that was her hectic life. With the album launch right around the corner and a world tour soon to follow, she was kept busy at Swan Song. This left little time for her outside of school and the Times for anything other than her day to day activities. Tonight was the English department’s student-faculty gala to kick off the new term. She never looked forward to these events as they forced her to hide her entire relationship with Paul. Anna was in her office, tackling her already immense workload in the peace and quiet until Paul was to return from lecture. Her head was buried inside an Oscar Wilde book when she heard a light rap at the door. Peering up from the pages, she crossed the room before pulling it open. A young woman stood on the other side. A student. She was tall, thin, beautiful. About the age of twenty-one or so, she had long, strawberry blonde hair and bright blue eyes that stared widely all around. "What can I help you with?" Anna asked, pulling the door open wide. One of Paul’s students. "Is - Is Pau - I mean, Professor Andrews in?" Shaking her head, Anna leaned against the door frame. "No, I’m afraid not. He’s in his last lecture of the day. Is there something I can help you with?" The girl shook her head vigorously before tucking a strand of hair behind her ear. "Oh, uh, no thank you. I just really needed to see him." Puzzled by her anxious demeanor, Anna narrowed her eyes slightly. Sensing her confusion, the girl blurted out again. "Oh, that’s not what I meant! I’m in his American Lit class, but I’ll just, uh, stop back later." She said, turning to head back down the hall. Anna held her hand out for a second, stopping the girl. "One second, let me just get your name, and I’ll let him know you’ve stopped by." She stopped, staring up into Anna’s eyes. "I’m Carolyn." She then proceeded to stick her hand out. Anna felt all of her breath leave her system as she wracked her brain trying to remember where she’d heard the name before. ‘You are never to call here again, Carolyn. Do you hear me?’ It was Christmas Eve. She could feel sweat start to form on the back of her neck as she finally recognized the girl in front of her. C. Slowly taking Carolyn’s hand, she shook it. "Nice to meet you, I’ll him know you came by." "Will you both be at the mixer tonight?" She asked, smoothing out a wrinkle in her dress. Anna swallowed thickly before nodding. "Y - yes." "Then, I’ll probably see you later!" She said before flouncing out the door and down the corridor. Anna immediately closed the office door behind her before falling back against it. Breathe. Anna, breathe. Dropping her hands, she crossed the room back over to her desk before resuming her place. Without thinking, she picked up the telephone and called Swan Song. Within two rings, Peter picked up. "Hi, Peter. Is Jim in today?" She asked him, cradling the phone between her ear and shoulder. "Nope. Stepped out about twenty minutes ago. Sorry, Anna." As soon as the words left his mouth, she could hear rustling on the other end of the line before Robert’s voice came through. "Anna? You there?" She smiled at the sound of his always cheerful voice. "Hello, Robert. How are you?" "Uh - oh. What’s wrong?" As she took a breath to answer, she heard some mumbling over the line before hearing Peter yell out something along the lines of ‘Get your own fucking office’ before the door slammed shut behind him.

She closed her eyes, taking in the silence on the other end of the line. She took a deep breath before starting. "I’ve just got a lot on my mind, I guess. Maybe it’s just starting to get to me, I don’t know." "Talk to me. Tell me about it." And she wanted to, really. But she couldn’t. She could barely tell Jim half of what was going on in her head. She shook her head. "Oh, it’s nothing. School stuff. Why don’t you tell me about your day? That would make me happy." He chuckled. "Well, if you say so. Let’s see, the Prince of Peace woke up soundly this morning, as he usually does on wonderful days like these. The sun was streaming through his curtains and he awoke with a feeling that today was going to be a good day..." As he started the beginnings of a fantastic rendition, Anna felt herself finally relax, leaning back into her desk chair. A distraction was exactly what she needed. "And that’s how he came to be on the phone with just the nicest girl one could meet. Anna, I think her name was? Yes, he could never forget a name like that." He laughed. "Do you feel better now?" He asked her, his voice returning once more to its normal caliber. She laughed softly. "Yes, thank you. That was just what I needed. If he returns to studio, could you just let Jim know I called?" "Of course. Anything for you, dear. You have a good night, okay?" "You too, your majesty." As she placed the phone back in the receiver, her eyes followed Paul as he entered the office. Shutting the door behind him, he set his briefcase down on his desk. "Who was that?" "Swan Song. Peter had a few last minute alterations before the launch next week." She could sense him starting to grow tense as she finished her sentence. Quickly, she changed the subject, crossing one leg over the other. "How was lecture?" Sitting down at his desk, he leaned back in his chair, placing his hands behind his head. "Long. And today isn’t even close to being over yet.” His voice dropped to a hush as he rubbed his eyes. “God, all I want to do is just climb into bed with you and blow this whole thing off." She felt butterflies form in her stomach as the words left his mouth. Feeling a smile tug at the corners of her lips, she reached for him."Me too." She said softly, crossing the room to his desk. Within a moment he reached up as she stood before him and wrapped his arms around her waist, pulling her to him. She swiftly climbed into his lap, straddling him before placing one hand lightly upon on his cheek. Her thumb traced softly over his lips. "Can’t we stay in tonight? When was the last time we just stayed in bed?" She murmured before placing her lips gently upon his. "Far too long." He replied, his hands slipping swiftly up her blouse, meeting her breasts with ease. She slowly let her head fall back as he cupped each of them, letting his thumbs flick over her now erect nipples. "Oh, Paul." "My sweet Anna. All mine." He whispered before using one hand to reach under her skirt. Finding her panties, he pulled the material to the side before slipping his fingers between her folds. "And you’re absolutely soaking." He growled, drawing in a breath. "Oh, my - Paul." She gasped out as her hips began to grind against his growing erection. He let his thumb flick erratically over her clit, watching in excitement as she began to unravel. "Oh, please. Please." She softly begged to him as he slowly inserted his fingers into her. "Only if you’ll promise to be a quiet little girl for me, okay?" He responded, gripping her hips tightly, rendering her motionless. Anna opened her eyes, nodding vigorously as she met his gaze. Quickly Paul unfastened his belt buckle, swiftly pulling out his erection. Placing his hands under her bum, he slowly lifted her up before placing himself at her entrance. Closing her eyes once more, she gently lowered herself back down, moaning loudly as the entire length of him filled her up. Immediately, Paul placed his hand over her mouth. "I told you, you must be quiet. Do you hear me?" Biting her lip, she nodded once more as he began to establish a steady pace. Still straddling him, she spread her legs wider, granting him easier access as his entire length was drilled into her.

"Oh, Paul - oh - my - " Her voice was strained as she whimpered as softly as she could. His pace soon grew quick and rough he gripped her hips and tore up into her. “All mine. Do you hear me?" He whispered as he gripped the ends of her hair, pulling on them. “Let me hear you say it. Now.” He ordered, tugging hard on her hair. Anna let out a loud moan somewhere between pain and pleasure as Paul held her head back. “I - I'm yours. I b – belong to you.” She stammered, her whimpers growing subsequently louder as his pace grew faster. He quickly clamped his hand back over her mouth. “You’re doing so good, don’t spoil it now. I don’t want to have to punish you.” His breath was hot in her ear as she gasped as softly as she could.“Oh – I”

As punishment, Paul bucked as hard as he could into her, causing her to cry out. He kept his hand tight against her mouth as he roughly fucked her. She held nothing back as she moaned loudly into his palm, her cries unrelenting. He felt a surge of lust tear through him as his hips continued to thrust needlessly up into her. "That’s my girl." He murmured before letting out a deep, guttural moan. He was close, and judging by the gasps coming from her mouth he could tell she wasn’t far behind. He dropped his hand from her lips and tightly gripped her hips once more before giving her everything he had left in him. Her eyes wide, she bit her lip hard, trying her best to conceal the sounds escaping her. "I – I’m close - Paul." She whimpered, arching her back as he held her in place, guiding her up and down. Within moments, his thrusts began to grow sloppy as he reached climax.He was close too, and Anna’s strangled cries were sending him straight over the edge. Letting out another moan, he allowed himself release. She followed soon after, riding it out to his rapidly slowing pace. Gasping quietly, she collapsed against his chest. Her chest was heaving as she struggled to regain her breath. Slipping his hands once more under her skirt, Paul rested his hands on her bum before murmuring, "You know I love you, right?" She lifted her head from his chest before gazing up into his deep brown eyes. She responded with a brief nod. "And I love you." The words felt strangely foreign on her tongue, like a language she used to speak but now she no longer understood. She brushed a lock of hair from her face before pulling her blouse back down over her bare chest. She sat up straight and adjusted his tie. Wrapping her arms around his neck, she kissed him delicately. Her soft lips met his innocently before she pulled away. He gripped her bum once more before his hands made their way up to her flushed cheeks. "Come on. We’ve got a party to get ready for."

As Paul put the car in park and killed the lights, he turned to Anna. "I’ll go in first, you follow a few minutes after?" She nodded her head languidly. "Of course. I’ll see you in there." She hated this. Hated having to pretend. But it was unavoidable. She watched him step out of the car before quickly heading inside the dean’s mansion. Rolling her window down a crack, she pulled out a half empty pack of cigarettes from her coat pocket and lit one. Leaning her head back, she thought about Carolyn. She really is beautiful. Is he happy with her? Happier than he is with me? Why hasn’t he left me? As she ashed part of her cigarette out the window, she felt her eyes start to well. Today was a roller coaster of a day. A quickie in the office? When has he ever acted like that with me? Paul had become completely unpredictable; a loving partner one day, and a controlling, secretive bastard the next. She couldn’t keep up anymore, it was too tiring. And now that she’d finally come face to face with the other woman in the picture, it was the icing on the cake. But he still loves me. Maybe that’s why he hasn’t left me. She blew out a heavy cloud of smoke before flicking the butt out the window. Rolling it back up, she spritzed some perfume on her neck before stepping out of the car. Pulling her coat tight against her, she took a deep breath and headed into the mansion. "Anna, you look lovely tonight. How are you?" She was greeted by the dean of the English department, Angela. "Thank you. I’m well. And you?" She replied, handing her coat to the doorman. "Just fine. Are classes going well? You still enjoying your T.A. position?" She inquired. "Yes, everything is fine. It’s looking to be another good term." Angela smiled before turning to another professor who’d just entered the mansion. Taking the opportunity to slip out of sight, she headed into the main hall. Nestled in the corner was the bar. She kept an observant eye out for Paul as she made her way over, but he was currently nowhere to be seen. "Riesling, please." As the bartender poured her drink, she turned back to the scene unfolding in front of her. God, I hate these. Professors mingled left and right, most simply trying to talk over each other, as if to proclaim that their ideas were more important. These things were always the same. One big pissing contest. Her attention was soon caught by a gaggle of students entering the room. Immediately she spotted Carolyn amongst them, wearing a pale blue dress, her long hair curled softly. Unconsciously, Anna looked down at her own black dress. She could feel a sense of inadequacy wash over her.

She reached up and ran a tentative hand through her auburn hair. Biting her lip, she grabbed her drink from off the bar and took a generous sip, followed by another. "Slow down, you don’t want to make a scene tonight." She heard Paul murmur from behind her. Turning around, she gave him a half-smile. "Can’t help it. You know these things bring it out of me." "Well, watch yourself. I don’t want to have to hold your hair back because you couldn’t control yourself." He replied coldly before taking a small sip of his scotch. Here we go again. Her smile faded as she watched his attention slowly drift away from her. "I’ll be fine. Don’t worry about me." She replied as he continued to look straight through her. She slowly turned to follow his line of sight. Without looking yet, she already knew. Carolyn.

There she stood across the room talking to a professor, her head thrown back in laughter. Anna took another sip of wine before turning back to Paul. "I wish we were home. We could pick up where we left off earlier..." She offered, toying with his tie, desperately trying to recapture his attention. He tore his eyes from across the room before glaring at her. "Shh! For Christ sakes, people can hear you! Keep your voice down." He hissed, his brows furrowing in irritation. Immediately she felt the sting of rejection as his attention returned once more to the beautiful girl across the room. She frowned, scuffing the toe of her shoe against the floor. "I’m sorry. I just really don’t want to be here." He sighed heavily in annoyance. "Then go. No one’s forcing you to be here." And you’d like that very much, wouldn’t you? She finished off her glass of wine before setting it down on the bar. As she opened her mouth to speak, he cut her off. "Look stay or don’t stay, but don’t expect me to run after you." Fucking typical. Paul downed the last of his drink before setting it on the bar and making a beeline for Carolyn.

Crossing her arms, she bit her lip watching him cross the room. Heading straight over to Carolyn and two other professors, he stuck his hand out, greeting them. Anna watched as she took his hand eagerly, gazing up into his eyes. He stared back down at her, breaking out in a smile before greeting the others. As she continued to observe from afar, she noticed that Carolyn’s eyes never left Paul. She watched him intently with a look in her eyes that Anna recognized immediately. It was the same way in which she herself looked at him. Love.She's in love with him. She couldn’t watch anymore. Glancing anxiously around the room, she headed to the stairs, slowly making her way up them. Reaching the top, she wandered aimlessly before coming to a door, slightly ajar. Pushing it open, she was happy to find an empty study. Quietly shutting the door behind her, she crossed the room, making her way to the telephone that sat on the desk. She took a seat before dialing the number she’d had in her head all day. She began to smile as she held the phone tight against her ear. She imagined his soft voice uttering her name as it sounded through the other end of the line. Anna. It warmed her from the inside out as she pictured him at home, waiting to hear her voice as anxiously as she waited to hear his. However, the phone continued to ring with no answer. She continued to wait, her hope diminishing with each consecutive ring. Slowing tearing the phone away from her ear, she placed it back on the receiver before buying her head in hands. She sat there for a moment, in the peace and quiet trying her hardest to silence the deafening thoughts that were invading her mind. Eventually she found her way back downstairs, heading once more to the bar for another drink. "Anna? Is that you? Wow, it’s been a long time! How are you?" Picking up her drink, Anna turned to find an old friend from her undergraduate years standing beside her. "Carrie! It’s good to see you again. How are things?" She asked, embracing her former colleague. Carrie eventually pulled away, bringing her left hand up to her face. "I got engaged!" She squealed before taking a sip of her drink. Anna smiled, taking Carrie’s hand in hers, inspecting the diamond. "It’s beautiful, really. Have you set a date yet?" She shook her head, glancing at her ring. "Not yet. But hopefully within the year. As silly as it sounds, I just want to be married already!" "No," Anna replied longingly. "It’s not silly." She felt herself drift out of body as Carrie droned on about how things were since the last time they’d spoke. When Anna first met Paul, she remembered imagining her wedding day. She was naive, foolish to have gotten the cart so far ahead of the horse. She had been twenty years old, and was already wishing herself to be the bride of the first man who ever really took an affection to her.

But she’d felt something, something strong enough to imagine spending the rest of her days by his side. A simple dress, a small ceremony, a beautiful exchange of vows. That was all she wanted, something beautiful, easy. Fast forward three years, how was she to know how things would unfold? Would I still marry him if he were to propose today? "What about you? You have anyone special?" Carrie’s voice brought Anna back down to the ground. "Huh? Oh - No. No one special." She replied, shaking her head. "You will. Someone will stumble upon you, and - poof - nothing will be the same afterward. You’ll get swept away, and life will be so good to you. I can just see it now." She smiled, stroking her arm softly. Anna gave her a half-smile. Carrie. The eternal dreamer. Hopeful optimist. Anna admired her for that, so much so that she began to feel guilty for not keeping in touch through the last few years. But then she remembered how much easier it was go it alone these days. "God, it’s so good to see you, Anna! I had grown so used to your phone calls, every week just so we could catch up, keep each other sane through those crazy terms, and then one day they just stopped. And I never heard from you again. It was like you disappeared or something." Carrie gushed, embracing her once more. "I’m – I’m still here." She whispered, hugging her friend back, holding back the tears that threatened to form. She’d forgotten how much she’d missed having a friend to confide in. Carrie had been the closest thing to a confidant when she first moved to the city. "I’m sorry, Carrie. Really." She murmured, slowly pulling away. "It’s okay. I understand. Life gets in the way sometimes, things slip through the cracks." Carrie smiled. As Anna took a small sip of wine, she noticed Paul entering the main hall. Carolyn strode in close behind, her wide, blue eyes darting around the room as her hands busied themselves anxiously fixing her tangled curls. Paul was nursing another scotch and soda as the two quickly made their separate ways. She happily flounced her way to a small group of students while Paul turned to speak with Angela. Anna felt a hard blow to her stomach as her mind expertly pieced together where exactly they’d just been. His haphazardly buttoned shirt, the mussed hair. Anna knew. She couldn’t think straight, struggling to process Carrie’s words, as her pulse began to quicken.

All she could see was his hands on her, his lips on hers, as she gripped him tightly. Her piercing blue orbs never losing sight of his brown ones while his lips familiarized themselves with every inch of her body. Their gasps sounding in perfect harmony. Their bodies loosely intertwined. Anna couldn’t stop them, stop it. Glancing back at her friend, she excused herself. "It was so good to see you, but I really should be heading out now. I’m sorry." Carrie reached out, resting her hand on Anna’s forearm. "Let’s keep in touch, okay?" "Of course. I’ll call you." Anna reassured her before heading straight out of the main hall. Leaving Carrie at the bar, she felt bile rise in her throat. She reached the bathroom before shutting it behind her and dropping to her knees. She dry heaved into the toilet bowl a few times before falling back against the bathroom wall. Closing her eyes, she buried her face in her hands. Fucking asshole. Right in front of my face. At least have the decency to do it when I’m not around. She heard a soft rap on the bathroom door before an urgent voice called out from the other side. "Anna. Open up. I know you’re in there." She quickly stood up, flushing the toilet. "Just give me a minute. I’ll be out in a second." A moment later, Paul stepped inside before locking the door behind him. "Told you if you didn’t control yourself you’d end up here." He said smugly, glancing over at her as she stood with her back to him at the bathroom sink. Something made her look up at the mirror and right into his eyes. Their deep shade of brown appeared almost black as they gazed back at her. Their depth photographed permanently in her brain. She whipped around, gripping the counter tightly. "Me? Control myself? You’ve got to be kidding me." She spat, her eyes narrowing in his direction. "Yeah, you’re clearly out of control, Anna. Listen to yourself. You need to go home. I said I didn’t want to have to look after you when you’re like this, and now you’ve ruined my night." He crossed the room to her, grabbing her arm. "You’re leaving. Let’s go." Anna forcefully shook herself from his grip. "I’m not drunk. I’ve had two glasses of wine tonight. I’m fine. I can’t say the same for you." He crossed his arms. "What the fuck is that supposed to mean? I’ve barely had anything to drink tonight. I don’t know what you’re insinuating Anna, but you better cut it out." She stood up straight, meeting his cold dark gaze. "Carolyn." Anna watched as his body slowly grew tense and rigid. She knew she was treading on thin ice, but she couldn’t let it go.

"What?" He sputtered. "Carolyn. Your student." She repeated, her fixed gaze now burning a hole through him. "What about her, Anna?" He asked, slowly stepping toward her, his face mere inches from hers. "Go on." He sneered, taunting her. She thought she would be sick again. He knows. Oh, God. He knows that I know. Swallowing thickly, she stammered, "She - she came by the office today. Seemed pretty desperate to see you." Weak. Weak. Weak. You can’t do anything right, can you? "And?" He pressed, his eyes as sharp as glass. He wanted her to say it. Say what she knew in her heart to be true. But she couldn’t. Try as hard as she might, the words just wouldn’t leave her mouth. "I - I saw the way, the way you were looking at her tonight." She began, her voice growing stronger with each second. Say it. "You’ve been saying that I’m the one who needs to control myself, but it’s you." She pushed him away from her. Say it, Anna. "I know what you’ve done - what you’ve been doing. And you had the audacity to do it to me while we were out together?" Her voice grew louder and more shrill as she barreled on. "After you made love to me, you - you go and - " Paul’s fist struck her face forcefully as she fell back into the bathroom counter. "Shut up. You hear me? Shut the hell up." He hissed at her. She grew limp in his grasp as he shook her violently. You don’t know what the hell you’re talking about. You’re drunk and you’re absolutely out of control. How dare you try and accuse me of things when all I’ve ever been is faithful to you. I don’t know if the same can be said about you." He spat, gripping her arms tightly. "You’re full of shit, Paul. And you know it." She gasped loudly, wrenching herself from his grip, holding one hand over her injured eye. "Y – you’re a fucking liar." She began to weep silently as Paul loomed over her. "Carolyn. She’s beautiful, isn’t she? Much prettier than me. I - I bet she’s real nice in bed too - does she know how to satisfy you? Tend to your every need? ‘Cause clearly I just don’t cut it anymore."

He slapped her. And then he slapped her again. "Shut your fucking mouth, Anna. I’m warning you right now. I’m not about to lose this job, my tenure over a lying little slut like you." He threatened as someone knocked upon the bathroom door. “Give me a second, please." Paul called out before turning back to Anna who was now cowering, her face in her hands. "We’re leaving. Now." He yanked her up before wrenching the door open and stepping out. Luckily whoever had been waiting outside had given up and went in search of a vacant bathroom. The hallway was empty as he ushered her out before pushing her in the direction of the foyer. "Get your coat and wait for me here. I’ll be right back. And don’t fucking move." He ordered quietly before heading back into the main hall. Anna quickly put her coat on before stepping outside, careful not to let anyone notice her. She spared no second as she allowed her feet to carry her away from the house as she headed in the direction of the station. Glancing at her watch, it was quarter to ten. She had thirty minutes to make it there before the next train would depart. She arrived with ten minutes to spare, quickly purchasing a ticket to Pangbourne. She didn’t care how angry Paul would be when he discovered she’d left. She’d had enough for one night. She just wanted to see him. Hear his voice. Feel his touch. She craved it, every ounce of her being was dying to be with him. She could practically count the minutes until she was to his front door. So she waited, impatient as ever as the train barreled down the tracks, making its way to him. She closed her eyes and focused on the lull of the train as she began to calm down. Her eye was throbbing immensely, but she was able to block it out as she began to recite one of her favorite poems, line by line, in her head. ‘When I see myself it is still as I was back then, beside the well, staring into the hollowed gourd half filled with water, where the dark braid grazing the left shoulder was recorded though the face was featureless of which they did not say She has the look of one who seeks some greater and destroying passion:’ The ride felt three times as long to reach the station in Pangbourne. Keeping her head down, she walked briskly through the terminals before reaching the front. Stepping out, she glanced at her watch once more, quarter after eleven. She eventually hailed a cab, praying he would still be awake by the time she arrived.

Paying the driver, Anna stepped out of the car and practically sprinted to his front step. She waited until the car pulled away from the curb to turn to the door. Frantically she knocked on the door before beginning to pace silently across the top step. A minute passed with no answer, so she knocked again. Come on, come on, come on."Please be up, please, please be up." She whispered urgently, glancing up at the darkened windows in the upstairs bedroom. Desperate, she felt her breath hitch in her throat as tears stung her eyes. The cold wind was blowing hard as she panicked out on the front step. She couldn’t go home, but she certainly couldn’t stay out here all night. There’s got to be a spare. The thought popped into her head only moments before she began carefully overturning the few potted plants that encircled his front stoop. With no luck, she gave up before lifting the small mat in front of the door. There it was, a small brass key nestled underneath. She scooped it up, glancing over her shoulder. Carefully, she slipped the key into the lock and let herself into the home. It was cold, bitterly cold inside. He’s not here. She slipped the key back under the mat before locking the door once more behind her. She took the stairs two at a time as she unconsciously made her way straight to his bedroom. She kept the lights off as she slipped her coat off, letting it fall to the floor. Throwing open his closet doors, she pulled out a thick, oversized sweater before tossing it onto the bed. She made her way to his dresser drawers, pulling a pair of socks out. Kicking her shoes off, she then slipped her dress over her head before tossing it into the heap with her coat. Picking the sweater up, she slipped it on over her head before pulling the socks on. She scrambled into his bed, pulling the blankets tight around herself as she tried to get warm. Her eye was beginning to swell already, and her face was stinging from Paul’s hand. She replayed the scene over and over in her mind as she squeezed her eyes shut. "You don’t know what the hell you’re talking about..." But I do, Paul. I do.

She felt foolish for saying anything at all. She knew it wasn’t going to end well, but she had no idea it would be this bad. Before she knew it, the words had left her mouth and she couldn’t take them back. She hesitantly raised a hand to her left eye, letting her fingers lightly graze over the slowly bruising socket. She burst into tears as the pain throbbed behind her eyelids. The area was already swelling a great deal. She gasped loudly into the pillow, helplessly crying out. Stupid, stupid girl. When will you ever learn? You will never win. Gripping the blankets tight around her, she continued to break down, letting the sound of her muffled cries lull her to sleep.

- "Shit, would you look at the time? It’s already after one!" Bonzo barked from across the bar. Jimmy looked down at his watch before finishing off the rest of his drink. "Yeah, I should probably head out. We’ve got two meetings in the morning. Can you believe the album launches in a week? It’s already fucking February! Where does the time go?" "I dunno. But as soon as you find out, let me know. I’m looking to get some of it back, you know?" He laughed, downing his last shot of whiskey. Jimmy paid his tab before placing a cigarette between his lips. "You wanna crash at my place or are you good to go home?" He pushed the empty shot glass away from him before standing up. "I’m good. Pat’s probably still waiting up for me anyway." He paid his tab before following Jimmy out of the bar. "See you tomorrow, take care of yourself." Jimmy said, blowing out a stream of smoke. Bonzo’s face was cast in an orange glow as he lit a cigarette. "You too." Jimmy watched Bonzo amble down the street before he hailed a cab. He gave the driver his address before leaning back in the seat, closing his eyes. When he opened them, he had arrived home safe and sound. The wind was whistling loudly through the trees as he stepped out of the car. He pulled his coat tightly against him as he slipped his key into the front door.

He hung his coat up on the rack by the door before heading to the thermostat. He switched the heat on before rubbing his hands together for warmth. He heard the telltale click of the furnace turning on as he slowly climbed the stairs. He noticed his bedroom door was slightly ajar when he made it the top of the stairs. He carefully reached his room, slowly pushing the door open. Anna. He spotted her clothes in a pile by the bed before he noticed her petite frame bundled up in his blankets. He smiled, taking the sight of her in. This was something he’d wanted without even realizing it. He wanted to come home to her. He carefully shut the door behind him before slipping his shoes off. He pulled his shirt up and over his head before fumbling with his belt. Stepping out of his jeans, he slowly slipped into bed beside her. As he sidled up next to her, Anna came to, flinching violently as Jimmy’s hand rested gently on her arm. She began to cry, holding her hands over face, turning away from him. "Hey! Hey, it’s just me. It’s okay - Anna, it’s okay." He coaxed her, moving back to give her some space. Her body continued to wrack with silent sobs as she cowered away from him. "Its okay, it’s just me. I’m not gonna hurt you. You’re safe." He said gently, his eyes flooded in concern. What did he do to her? He knew this was Paul’s doing. He couldn’t see her face as her back was still turned to him, but Jimmy was fearing the worst. After a few minutes, Anna finally turned to face him, slowly removing her hands from her tear-stained face. She opened her eyes, staring into his deep emerald ones, her lip trembling. He drew in a deep breath when he took her in. Her swollen eye was turning black and blue. He thought he was going to be sick. "Paul did this to you?" He asked, trying his best to remain calm. Her eyes welled with tears as she let out the tiniest of nods. "I’m gonna kill him. Really. That sick bastard." He spat, feeling his blood boil in anger. He was close to losing it. Anna’s eyes widened in fear as she reached out and grabbed him. "N - no! Jim, don’t. Please, d – don’t do anything. It will only make things worse." She pleaded to him, tears spilling down her cheeks. "I’m begging you, please don’t." He held her hand in his. "What am I supposed to do? What do you want me to do?" "Just - just be here, with me. Please. I need you. All day, all I wanted was to see you, hear your voice. You have no idea h - how much I needed you." She murmured, sniffling.

"Anna, I - I can’t just let this go. This is really bad." He tried, his hands grasping hers. "I don’t need you to save me, Jim. I don’t need to be fixed." She stiffened, her eyes growing cold. Her walls crumbled as quickly as they were put up. She squeezed her eyes shut as tears began to fall once more. She sobbed silently before continuing. “I just – can’t you just be here for me? Just – just tell me you’re gonna be here when I wake up, okay?” "I will. I’ll be right here. I’m not going any where.” He murmured. “It’s just – how could someone –“ He was cut off by her soft voice. "Jim, it's okay. It was an accident. Accidents happen. You’re here now, and that’s all that matters to me." As she gazed up into his eyes, he thought he would be sick. She was so willing to leave it all behind her, let it go like it never even happened. He was at a loss of what to do. This was no fucking accident. She turned onto her other side, so her back was to him. He slowly sidled up next to her, carefully draping his arm over her protectively. Anna grabbed his hand immediately, slowly pushing it away from her. "N - Not yet. I can’t. I’m just not there yet. Please don't be mad." Backing away, Jimmy gave her some space before pulling the blankets loosely around the both of them. "Of course I’m not mad." If anything, he felt sorry for her, sorry that due to Paul’s abusive tendencies she struggled with handling the simplest forms of intimacy. He was saddened by how fragile Paul had made her. They both lay there completely silent for awhile as the minutes passed, to the point where he had figured she had eventually fallen back to sleep. However, his mind was too preoccupied to even bother with trying to catch any sleep. When he closed his eyes, all he could see was her. It was becoming all too much. The sound of her soft voice brought him back from the edge of his thoughts. "I’m, I’m in love with you, Jim." She murmured, her voice barely audible. "You don’t have to reciprocate, or even say anything at all, I just - I really needed to say it. Out loud. I’m hopelessly falling for you, and I don’t know what I’m gonna do." Jimmy closed his eyes, sending his thoughts away. He could smell the remnants of her perfume as it lingered around him. He was in love with her too. Burdened by how much he’d grown to care for her. She’d grown to become a part of him, a part that filled in so many of his shortcomings. Quite simply, she held him together.

So why couldn’t he get the words out? There they were, bouncing around his head all day, making appearances whenever he heard her name or saw her face, but never once did they pass his lips, no matter how desperately he wanted to utter them.

Anna remained completely still and silent in the moments that passed as Jimmy lay beside her. Furrowing his brows, he squeezed his eyes shut before opening them once more. I really don’t deserve her, do I?

He opened his mouth to speak before closing it. He’d never been one for putting himself out there, to be susceptible or vulnerable. It simply wasn’t in his nature to open himself up like that. But I’m trying, Goddamnit, I’m trying. He knew she needed him to, before it was too late.

#srry this took for-fucking-ever lmao #i figured i'd do a double for yall #led zeppelin fanfic #led zeppelin fanfiction #jimmy page fanfic #jimmy page fan fiction #tomorrow never knows

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tuess · 5 years

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Manufacturing demand: those damn Spotify commericals

(disclaimer: this essay has nothing to do with the usual content of this blog. I’m just annoyed)

AS A PRODUCT of modern market forces and the growth of online revenue, Spotify’s business model in itself is, while controversial, not entirely remarkable. The idea of making people look at ads to make money off something that anyone can access is so widely accepted that it is not perceived as remarkable anymore. Most of the internet’s major content-displaying and content-producing platforms (think Google, YouTube, Facebook, Tumblr, etc) use advertising to generate revenue and keep their platforms more or less open-access. Sometimes this is paired with a flat-fee membership that gives the user extra benefits, which brings in much more money for companies than advertising fees. Last year, 90% of Spotify’s revenue was sourced from it’s Spotify Premium membership deals (link).

Spotify’s business model has been criticised for many things - first and foremost amongst them, that it is unfair to the artists whose works are being streamed. Artists make significantly less money from a track streamed on Spotify than a track bought in an online music store or sold physically, especially since Spotify pays the rights holders to the music, who then have deals with the artists themselves as to what share they receive. To avoid public outcries (like when Taylor Swift removed her music from Spotify in 2014), it’s in Spotify’s interest to be able to pay artists as much as possible while retaining a sustainable business model. D. A. Wallach, former Artist in Residence of Spotify, stated in an interview with Hypebot that “[on] iTunes, the average listener spends $60 dollars a year into the creative community, whereas Spotify Premium users spend $120 per year” (link).

Considering the necessity of Premium-user revenues for Spotify’s business model, it makes sense that they’d want to encourage as many users as possible to switch to Premium. In a certain sense, this is a good thing. Premium users contribute much more to artist and platform support than free users, which, especially with it being difficult to make a living out of sheer artistry alone, helps support the music industry and continue artistic freedom. Furthermore, Spotify has rolled out perks for Premium users, such as an infinite amount of ‘skips,’ the ability to download songs and play them offline, and no ad breaks. About 46% of users paid for Premium in the second quarter of 2018, up from 26% of users in the first quarter of 2015 (link). That’s a significant jump, especially compared to the percentiles of similar platforms. Youtube had 1.5 million paying users in the summer of 2016, less than 0.2% of its reach of about a billion people (link).

Why are Spotify users so eager to pay for premium? It could be the result of a changing mindset of the consumer. Paying for other “do or die” online services such as Netflix, cloud storage, or fast shipping has become much more common. It doesn’t seem unreasonable any more to pay money for music over the internet that you could also get for free, especially when it’s framed as supporting the artists. However, there is another aspect at play. Convenience is a key word here. Spotify is convenient - it has one of, if not the largest, libraries of accessible modern music on its services, and it’s familiar and easy to use. However, it would only make sense to pay for convenience if there were some lack of convenience in the free service. To make things easier, Spotify has identified three inconveniences for you, and is willing to tell you all about how terrible they are on the in-app ads (1).

The first inconvenience are the ads that play periodically between songs. Ads are about 30 seconds long, come in groups of two or three, and appear maybe every five songs, or about once every fifteen minutes. Drawing from a study performed on a small sample size (my own listening experience), about a third of the ads on Spotify can be ascribed to Spotify talking about how terrible it is to have ads interrupting your music. The irony of this is not lost on the writers of the ads; one particular version runs something like “don’t you hate ads that interrupt your music?” to which a voice replies “like you’re doing right now?”. “Exactly,” the first voice replies, and segues into the benefits of Spotify Premium. This type of advertising, while manipulative, is not exactly subversive. Spotify recognises that it is perpetuating the inconvenience experienced by the user, and it uses this to tempt the user into paying to get rid of it. This particular inconvenience, that of the advertisements, can be accepted by pretty much anyone on the internet to be a necessary part of experiencing content. It is, in the modern day and age, just how things are. Spotify perpetuates it by actively putting out ads as well, but this is not so much shocking as it is annoying.

The second inconvenience, however, is a lot more manipulative. Spotify also runs a line of advertising that boasts of the possibility to download songs offline and listen to them anywhere, without running up data costs. The inconvenience is that one has to choose between data costs and not listening to music. This is an artificially created inconvenience, albeit not one solely devised by Spotify. Music’s presence in the life of any one given person has steadily increased over the previous century with the invention of first the radio, then the walkman, and later the iPod and smartphone. Where 50 years ago it would have seemed ludicrous to be constantly listening to music, now six hours without music during a plane ride is seen as hugely inconvenient (according to a speaker in one of the ads). The necessity of music to young people is understandable - a playlist staves off boredom and prevents random guys on the train from trying to make conversation - but fundamentally artificial in nature. It is not really a problem not to have access to music anywhere, at any time, but current social standards allow Spotify to frame it as such. The solution to this problem? Buy Spotify Premium, of course.

The second inconvenience, that of inaccessibility, is therefore a result of a wider social movement towards “on demand” services and instant gratification. The third, however, is one entirely of Spotify’s own devising. 52% of Spotify users listen on the mobile app (link), which has two significant features. The first is that songs are automatically scrambled, meaning that every playlist plays in a random order. The second is that users have six “skips” per hour. Both of these features are artificially imposed. In other words, they are a result of Spotify’s decisions about the set up of the app, not of technological or legal limitations. Together, they have the effect of limiting the choice a user has about what songs they choose to play. In itself, this doesn’t sound like an inconvenience. After all, other platforms are essentially the same - you can’t choose what song is going to play next on the radio, and it sounds like more effort to constantly have to select which song you want to hear next. Spotify disagrees.

The third inconvenience Spotify identifies is thus that of the lack of choice. The reasoning of the line of ads is that it is limiting to not being able to choose exactly what songs play, and that this limiting is similar to social limits placed around, for example, how much ice cream one can reasonably eat. Leaving aside the obvious comment about how eating an entire bucket of Ben and Jerry’s is not great for your health, this is an inconvenience that Spotify has artificially constructed and is artificially perpetuating. Meanwhile, the advertisements frame this as the fault of social constructions that its Premium services bravely help the user break. The logic here is obviously twisted: Spotify, the imposer of the construction, is providing the tool to break through the construction. The dilemma provided in the advertisements is false, and furthermore is damaging to the actual debate about the importance of social constructions and the breaking thereof. By casting the freedom to choose which song to play next as an important freedom, Spotify inadvertently trivialises more fundamental questions about freedom.

There is a distinct tension between the first two inconveniences, centred around streaming more music more consistently, and the last one, centred around being able to pick and choose your music. It seems counterintuitive that having to go through a constant selection process of what song you “feel” like hearing would be more convenient than simply selecting a playlist and pressing go. This is again connected to the idea of gratification. The Spotify ads encourage the idea that you should hear what you want to hear - literally.

Nevertheless, Spotify’s artificial restrictions (and the removal thereof with Premium) are effective. In 2015, 78% of mobile Spotify users were Premium users (link) . That number has probably grown in the past few years. The withholding of certain services (and the active impairment of some) to ‘free’ users allows Spotify to manufacture a demand for Premium that would otherwise not exist, using the in-app advertisements, social desire for constant entertainment, and a false dilemma based around freedom of choice. It must be reiterated that Spotify is not a bad thing - Premium is Spotify’s main revenue source, and every company has the right to maximise that income. Furthermore, Premium users support artists and ensure the free distribution and creation of music. Regardless, the advertisements that motivate users to switch to Premium are, like most advertisements, most definitely not free from criticism. The Spotify advertisements are a prime example of a company’s willingness to use its own platform to perpetuate its services. After all, one man’s annoyance is another man’s profit.

(1) I listen to the Dutch Spotify, so these ads may not be like your local ads. I’m willing to bet that they’re pretty similar though.

#spotify #essay #unrelated #advertising

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azvolrien · 5 years

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Anchored Tempest - Chapter Seven

In which there is a lot of yelling.

~~~

“What is this ‘beast-bond’ you keep talking about?” asked Una as Nirali fetched a wide-brimmed hat and the three of them began the climb back to the surface. “I know you have Rohone and Ikara has Tsheer, and I suppose it must have something to do with all the animals running about in here, but…”

Karash frowned with mild puzzlement. “Humans don’t have it? You have Star.”

“The link I have with her is more a dragon thing than a human thing.”

Karash shrugged, with acceptance if not with full understanding. “The beast-bond, then. All orcs have a certain…” He screwed up his face in thought. “I don’t know the right word. A certain understanding, I suppose, with animals. We can pick up on their emotions, their wants, and communicate with them to some extent. But when an orc reaches adulthood, we can choose to…” He broke off to confer with Nirali in a stream of Orcish too quick and too complex for Una to follow.

Nirali put her hat on and tied a string beneath her chin. “We can choose either to keep that general empathy, or we can find a single companion. The link forged with a bond-beast is much stronger and deeper, more concentrated; communication is easier and can be much more detailed. But it comes at the cost of losing that empathy with all animals.”

“And it just… happens? You just pick an animal and focus on them to make that bond?”

“It’s a little more complicated,” said Karash. “But you have the basics there. Is that not how your, your dragon-bond was made?”

“No, I had to swallow some of her blood to make the link.”

“Interesting,” said Nirali. “Not very hygienic, but interesting.”

“How did you bond with her by accident if you had to swallow her blood?” asked Karash, staring.

Una sighed. “She was injured, I was treating her wounds… A drop of her blood got on my hand and I licked it off without thinking. Boom. Dragon-bond.”

“The Sky Kings probably did it with a lot more ceremony,” said Nirali.

“Probably, yes. So, your… pre-bond beast empathy thing – does it work with other species of person, or just animals?”

“I’m not picking anything up from you,” said Nirali. “So current evidence suggests that it’s just animals.”

Una paused, considering that. “What about monkeys? Humans, elves and orcs are still all related to one degree or another – maybe it only works with non-primates.”

“I… I don’t know,” said Nirali.

“I’ve never met anyone with a bond-monkey,” said Karash. “But I can’t say with certainty that they don’t exist.”

“And what’s an elf?” asked Nirali.

“It’s… Like a human, closely related, but with pointy ears.”

Nirali studied the side of Una’s head. “Your ears are pointy.”

“I’m only half-elf. You should see my father; the points of his ears come all the way up here.” Una held up one hand level with the top of her head. “Full-blooded humans have round ears. Half-and-halfs like me usually end up somewhere in the middle.”

“You’ll have to introduce us to your family some day,” said Karash as he twisted his shoulders to fit back through the entrance tunnel and edged along to the ladder. “But for now, you’ll have to settle for introducing Nirali to Star.”

They emerged by the lion rock one-by-one. Nirali adjusted her hat, blinking in the light coming through the leaves, and opened her mouth to speak, but before any words made it out she was cut off by the shriek of a furious rukh. All three of them followed the noise at a sprint.

The valley came to an end in a small corrie, where caves had been dug into the steep walls around a central firepit. Tsheer, Rohone and Star had all made themselves comfortable in the largest cave with Ikara standing guard outside, but their peace had not lasted long; three rukha older and bigger than Tsheer surrounded the cave mouth, their riders perched on their shoulders with spears at the ready. Tsheer sat up on his haunches, mantling his wings and fluffing out his feathers to block the cave interior from sight. Rohone stood at his side, swinging his head to and fro as if daring the other rukha to brave his huge tusks. Ikara sat cross-legged on the ground before both of them with her spear across her knees and an expression like thunder on her face.

One of the unfamiliar orcs bared her teeth and hefted her spear, aiming squarely at Ikara. The other two whipped around in their saddles in shock, but Karash acted before either of them. With a bellow as loud as any of Rohone’s, he broke into a dead run, made a leap totally at odds with his size, and tackled the Windsister right off her rukh’s back. The rukh twisted around, jaws gaping as if to clamp down on his head and drag him away from its bond-mate, but Rohone charged out from the cave and slammed into the rukh, hooking his tusks beneath its wings and wrapping his trunk around its waist to lift it clear of the ground and fling it away to crash into a tree.

Karash got to his feet, breathing hard, and spoke roughly in Orcish to the other Windkindred. Una understood just enough to tell he was angry, which she had already gathered.

Nirali strode out from the trees to pin the tackled orc flat on her back with one foot over her breastbone. The rukh disentangled itself from the tree and arched its back, preparing to rejoin the fight, but subsided at a signal from the orc astride the biggest rukh, a female about Nirali’s size and age but with dark brown fur and skin the same olive as Ikara.

For a few seconds there was peace; the corrie was silent but for the rustle of the leaves and the breathing of the winded combatants. Karash smoothed down his fur and beckoned Una out of the trees.

“Introductions,” growled Karash. “Una – the idiot on the ground is Ashnak. The quiet one there is Kedeer. This,” he gestured to the brown-furred orc, “is Tagra. Ashnak, Kedeer, Tagra – Una.”

Nirali, after a stern glare at Ashnak, lifted her foot from her chest and allowed her to stand up. The Windkindred stared at Una for a moment, before all three of them started shouting at once. Ikara, still sitting on the ground, sighed and rubbed her forehead. Karash looked at Rohone, who lifted his trunk and gave a deafening trumpet.

Quiet reigned once again. Tagra tested the edge of her spearhead with her thumb, looked around at everyone, and said one word in Orcish that even Una understood.

“Explain.”

Karash, Ikara, Nirali and – through translation – Una went through the whole story for what felt like the hundredth time. Tagra remained utterly stone-faced throughout it all, but listened without interrupting. When they had finished, she turned to look at the cave which Tsheer still blocked.

“Let’s see this ‘dragon’, then,” she said, Karash still translating.

Ikara stood up, planting the butt of her spear against the earth, and laid a hand on the leading edge of Tsheer’s wing. He settled down, smoothing his feathers and folding his wings. Una stepped forwards, but Tagra fixed her with a glare that required no translation before she got far. She retreated back to Nirali, squared her shoulders, and silently asked Star to show herself.

Star hoped Una knew what she was doing. Scales scraped against the walls of the cave; the leathery membrane of her wings rustled as she crawled forwards. She paused for the briefest moment, lifted her head, and emerged into the light.

Nirali made an undignified high-pitched sound and ran forwards to meet her before anyone else could act.

“Oh, she’s beautiful!” she said, bobbing from side to side to see Star’s head from all possible angles. “The sheen on those scales, they’re like blued steel, and those fantastic eyes – she must have terrific sight! Here, here, stand up, let me see your wingspan-” Star, after a baffled glance at Una, reared up on her hind legs and spread her wings. “Interesting, very interesting – she’s much the same size as a rukh, but her conformation isn’t quite the same, her wings are a different shape even disregarding that hers are webbed and theirs are feathered, and – may I? – she’s warm! It makes sense, they do breathe fire, but I expected cold blood from her scales… She is warm-blooded, yes?” This last question was directed at Una as Star settled back on all fours. “She hasn’t just been basking in the sun?”

“She’s been hiding in a cave!”

“Yes, warm-blooded, then. Can you open your mouth? A little wider. Thank you.” Nirali hooked her fingers over Star’s lower teeth and peered into her mouth. “Of course, I’m already familiar with their dentition, but this is the first look I’ve had at their soft tissues. Her tongue is pointed, not forked, that’s something I always wondered about, and… I don’t see any additional passages at the back of her throat that look like they’ll emit flame. I don’t suppose you could give me a demonstration?”

Finally, somebody was giving Star the admiration she deserved. She looked around for the safest place to aim, before tipping her head back and sending a fifty-foot jet of fire directly upwards.

Nirali rubbed her chin. “Interesting, interesting… It looks as if ignition doesn’t actually take place in her throat, but about halfway along her mouth. So unless her innards generate some form of gas that combusts on contact with the air… But I doubt she would have the same kind of control if that were the case.” She looked at Una and grinned, covering as much of her lower teeth as her tusks would allow with her lip. “I’m sorry, I know I’m rambling, but until now this has all just been theory to me. This is my first proper look at anything really approaching the magic of the Sky Kings.”

The Sky Kings had nothing to do with it; Star’s magic was her own. Una chuckled and passed the message on to Nirali.

Tagra’s mouth had slowly opened more and more throughout the entire exchange, but she kept her spear at the ready. Finally she stood forward and rapped the blade against a stone to silence Nirali’s ongoing enthusiasm. Karash sidled around to quietly translate for Una as Tagra spoke.

“It’s difficult to be frightened of a creature when you’ve just seen it let Nirali shove her arm down its throat,” she said, “but none of this changes the problem. Maybe this god is harmless, maybe this rider means well. That doesn’t wipe away centuries of pain and death under their ancestors’ yoke. Say that, somehow, they make it up to the Tempest Spires. They find evidence that the last of the gods escaped – to the east, to the west, to the south, whichever way. Then what happens, hm? They fly out and find them, and take them back to their mountains in the north?” Tagra turned to look directly at Una. “What makes you so certain they’ll agree to that, and won’t just come back here to burn everything we’ve built since the Last Revolt?”

Una swallowed hard and pinched the bridge of her nose, thinking. The Last Revolt had been six hundred years ago – within the lifespan of a dragon with a couple of centuries to spare. If any dragons had escaped, it was not impossible that they would personally remember what had happened. Finally, she gave the only answer she felt was honest.

“Because I won’t allow that to happen.”

Tagra looked her up and down. “You. You – you strange skinny creature with your tiny god – will personally hold back the vengeance of a beast akin to Voice of the Mountain.”

“Ikara the Black slew Voice of the Mountain, and she and her rukh can’t have been much bigger than me and Star,” said Una.

Tagra’s brows drew together in a dark scowl. “Don’t you dare presume to compare yourself to Ikara the Black.”

“I’m just pointing out that it’s possible.”

Tagra’s scowl did not relax. Una sighed and turned to Karash. “How well will Tagra respond to boasting?”

“Depends if you can back it up.”

“What’s most likely to impress her?”

“Oh, anything martial, really. Use your judgement.”

“Right.” Una took a deep breath, pulled off her gloves, and cracked her knuckles. Star settled down to see how this would go.

“My name is Una Falkari Smith. I am the daughter of the last full-blooded Falkari shapeshifter and one of the strongest wizards who ever lived, and I can assure you that their powers did not cancel each other out when I was born. When I was a twelve-year-old apprentice I matched wills with the fire that consumed my school dormitory and held it at bay; by the time I left the school to travel I was a trained warmage of such a level that in tactical discussions I am assessed as artillery.

“I spent one week in the city of Pontevena and its criminal underworld still offers prayers to any god that will listen that I never come back. The bandit clans of the Dragon’s Teeth mountains call me the Red Wolf, when they’re not too scared to speak of me at all. When the King of the Sea People threatened my home and my family, I beat him almost to death and well past the point where he could ever hope to raise an armada again.

“I am a wizard, a shapeshifter and a dragon rider, from a nation that has stood against the might of an empire for as long as the orcs have been free of the Sky Kings. There is magic in my blood that most people don’t even know exists, and if I say that I will not permit something…” Una flexed her wrists, growing her fingernails into claws, “…it is not. Going. To happen.”

Tagra stalked forwards to stand eye-to-eye with Una. “Prove it,” she growled.

Una glanced up at the steep slope above the valley. “I suggest you stand back.” Tagra did not move. Una shrugged. “Up to you.”

She held up both hands, curling her fingers into cages without quite clenching her fists, and narrowed her eyes in concentration as the air within the cages began to shimmer and roil. The shimmer brightened into a fearsome white glow; she brought her hands together before it grew too bright to look at, took aim, and flung both hands out palm-first. A fist-sized ball of concentrated concussive force flew from her hands to strike the mountainside. Solid rock shattered under the force and exploded out into open space, cascading down into the valley, but before it could strike any of them Una lifted one hand above her head, palm towards the sky. The rocks bounced off an invisible shield a few feet above their heads and fell harmlessly to the ground.

There were several seconds of total silence. Karash straightened up and ceased covering his head with his arms. Nirali crawled out from the shelter of Star’s wing.

“Have I convinced you?” asked Una.

Tagra did not reply. Kedeer climbed down from her rukh’s back and poked one of the boulders with her toes, then spoke to Tagra in Orcish quiet enough that Karash just shrugged when Una looked at him.

At long last, Tagra took a very deep breath through her nose and slowly let it out in a long sigh, rubbing one hand across her face and back over her scalp. “Take them up to the Valley of the Fallen God,” she said. “Maybe they can make some sense of the Sky Stone there.” She turned back to Una. “Make me regret it, and I’ll make you regret it.”

~~~

Orcish society in general doesn’t really go in for formal hierarchies (the Sky Kings kind of put them off the idea), but Tagra is probably the closest the Windkindred have to a leader. This usually just means she gets called on to settle disputes a lot.

#az writes stories

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minnievirizarry · 6 years

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Facebook vs Twitter: Which is Best for Your Brand?

Let’s face it, you know you need to promote your business on social media. In fact, around 2.56 billion global social media users join the ranks each day on mobile, creating an astronomical audience for companies of every shape and size. The question is, which social platform should you be spending your marketing moola with?

Facebook and Twitter are essentially the crème de la crème of social networks. These senior class channels have outranked sites like Google+ and Pinterest for decades, and their versatility makes them perfect for connecting with a broad audience. Though both platforms have seen their ups and downs lately, they remain the most popular choice for many marketers–and for good reason.

Twitter and Facebook are adaptable, innovative and ready to pivot to suit the needs of customers. What’s more, Sprout Social integrates with both!

So, if both channels are so great, how do you decide between Facebook vs. Twitter, and which one you want to use?

Facebook vs. Twitter: By the Numbers

If the information produced by the comScore Digital Future report in 2016 is anything to go by, then it’s tough to find a social media channel that can out-perform Facebook in terms of users.

As the grand-daddy of the social media age, Facebook has a lead that’s seemingly impossible to catch up with. At least, for the meanwhile. However, that doesn’t mean that Twitter hasn’t got value to offer up too. Let’s look at the stats:

Facebook Statistics:

75% of male internet users and 83% of female internet users are active on Facebook

22% of the world currently uses Facebook

Facebook had 2 billion monthly active users at of the end of 2017

Twitter Statistics:

81% of millennials check Twitter once a day

Twitter has 330 million monthly active users

3 billion Twitter accounts have been created

83% of the world’s leaders are on Twitter

Facebook vs. Twitter: Audience

Choosing the right channel for your company when it comes to Facebook vs Twitter isn’t just about finding the “best” platform, but one that allows you to connect with the right audience.

Facebook is easily the most active social media network, particularly when you consider it owns WhatsApp and Instagram. This unique channel appeals to a range of generations, who seem to be drawn to the idea of connecting with their family, keeping tabs on friends and making sure that they have access to their favorite brands too.

On Facebook, one of the fastest growing markets is seniors. Over recent years, the channel has become increasingly appealing to baby boomers, with around 41% of individuals between 65-74 years-old logging on with a Facebook account.

If anything, this is a testament to Facebook’s ease-of-use and accessibility. However, these statistics also indicate Facebook may no longer be the “trendy” platform of the day. Despite a drop in online youth, of course, stats still show that Facebook is leading the pack for overall audience penetration.

On the other hand, Twitter demographics show 23% of its users are between 30-49 years old, while 36% are between the ages of 18 and 29.

This fast-paced channel appeals more to younger customers. Despite its relatively small monthly user base, Twitter has another advantage for audience access. This platform isn’t just popular with the average consumer. Journalists, politicians and celebrities all frequently use it too. This means that Twitter is often the place to find trending news.

Do plenty of research to discover where your target customer spends their time, then use your data to determine whether you’re better suited to Facebook or Twitter.

Facebook vs. Twitter: Engagement

Engagement is the key to success on social media. According to one study from Forrester, for every one million Twitter followers, brands can expect about 300 interactions. On the other hand, for every million Facebook followers, there’s an average of 700 interactions.

Other studies suggest that Facebook users leave roughly 5 billion comments on brand pages every month.

Perhaps one of the most obvious advantages Facebook has over Twitter is that companies have more time to make an impact on their audience. Tweets can get wiped off a stream within a matter of minutes, meaning that brands have to constantly post just to get in front of the right people at the right time.

Another point worth noting is how “addictive” Facebook is according to statistics. In the graph above, showcasing how often Facebook users access their social apps during the day, you see that the average customer logs on at least eight times during a 24-hour period, compared to only five times for Twitter.

However, it’s worth noting that Twitter does face a common problem faced by many business owners. The fast-paced nature of this social platform helps companies to communicate with customers who are easily-distracted and overwhelmed by short attention spans.

In other words, it gives you a chance to hone your message into conversion-ready bite-sized chunks.

Facebook vs. Twitter: Functionality

Importantly, Facebook and Twitter aren’t necessarily meant for the same thing. Twitter is a fast-paced way for customers to discover new content and see what’s trending in their social world. Facebook, on the other hand, is about connecting with family and enjoying moments of deeper engagement.

Twitter is like an elevator pitch for your brand–a way of getting your point across quickly and connect yourself to important news topics. With “Live Events,” you promote your content to a wider audience and achieve some great social PR.

While Facebook is a great platform to use when you’re reaching out to customers, it’s much harder to get likes on a Facebook page than it is to earn a follower on Twitter. Companies with Facebook accounts often must work much harder to engage their audience. While Facebook does allow you to share more information than Twitter, it also requires a more in-depth marketing campaign.

One of the elements that both Twitter and Facebook have experimented with is video. As customers from almost every background shift toward visual content, video has become a great way for brands to connect with their followers.

Twitter purchased Periscope to stream live video to clients, helping brands to show off their authentic, transparent side. Facebook then followed up with a similar approach in the form of Facebook Live – one of the most popular streaming services in the world today.

Since it launched in 2015, Facebook Live has grown by over 330%.

According to statistics, Facebook users watch around 100 million hours of video each day. This means Facebook is now contending with YouTube for viewership. Knowing how your followers use their social channels could be the key to making sure you launch the right campaigns for engagement.

Facebook Vs Twitter: Advertising Opportunities

Finally, when it comes to social media advertising, both Twitter and Facebook make it easy to establish and track campaigns for your brand.

One of the biggest benefits of Facebook Advertising is that it offers targeted reach for customers. Narrow your search until you’re focusing attention on only the clients most likely to purchase your products and services.

This will help keep prices low for your paid campaigns. However, it’s worth noting that Facebook Ad prices are only going up. According to the 2017 Earnings Report delivered by Facebook, the average price per ad increased by 35% during 2017, while ad impressions only increased by 10%.

The popularity of Facebook means the space is more saturated. Companies need to try harder and spend more to get the attention of their audience. On the other hand, Twitter might not be as focused as Facebook when it comes to targeting, but it’s a lot less competitive.

With the right Twitter tools, you can use lead generation cards and other resources to get leads and stats for your campaigns faster.

With the power of Sprout Social and Simply Measured together, it’s easier to measure ad strategies to see what’s most shared publicly and privately. Our tools help brands gain a competitive advantage within your industry so you’re confident with your social media efforts. Give us a try today!

Unique Features of Facebook for Marketing

Aside from incredible targeting features, Facebook marketers can also tap into:

Pages to watch: This feature allows companies to keep track of competitor pages, which help you create a more compelling advertising strategy.

Apps analytics: This feature helps brands understand how people are using their Facebook app.

Facebook Messenger for Business: A more recent feature of Facebook advertising, this chat solution allows customers to ask questions, or send queries to companies for a quick response.

Detailed analytics: Under your “posts” tab, you can tap into the detailed analytics of your posts, audience, engagement levels and so on. This makes it easier to assess the success rate of each campaign.

Unique Features of Twitter for Marketing

While Twitter might not be quite as focused when it comes to Facebook marketing campaigns, it’s still a useful way to generate business leads. Some of the features available include:

“Go Live” buttons for Periscope: Like Facebook Live, you can simply click on the “Go Live” button when composing your tweets to broadcast your thoughts directly to Twitter users.

Twitter Cards: Gather emails and generate leads for your brand easier than ever. Also track your ROI from Twitter Ads and see your stats on each campaign.

Anti-harassment features: Make sure you’re building a strong reputation and generating trust with your audience with anti-harassment features intended to make users feel safer on the Twitter network.

If you’re not using a paid advertising campaign on Twitter or Facebook, then the best thing you can do is use a tool like Sprout Social for social media management to assess your performance.

This will ensure that you can see what kind of engagement your Tweets and Facebook posts are getting. Ideally, it might be helpful to start by posting a few messages on both Facebook and Twitter, so you can evaluate which one is giving your specific brand the best results.

Choosing the Right Channel for Social Media

Ultimately, it will be up to you to decide whether Facebook or Twitter is right for you, and your marketing campaigns. Just because Facebook has a wider reach doesn’t necessarily mean it’s the best choice for every company. The fast-paced nature of Twitter, along with the fact that it appeals to world leaders, politicians, and journalists can make it ideal for organizations who want to stay ahead of the curve.

Both Twitter and Facebook deliver information and spread brand awareness in unique ways. While there may be some user crossover, each platform serves brands differently, which is why most companies prefer to use a combination of both channels in their social media marketing campaigns.

To determine which solution is right for you, experiment with a profile on Twitter and Facebook, test your results and try to find a healthy balance between each channel.

This post Facebook vs Twitter: Which is Best for Your Brand? originally appeared on Sprout Social.

from SM Tips By Minnie https://sproutsocial.com/insights/facebook-vs-twitter/

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adolphkwinter · 6 years

Text

5 Reasons Why Nobody is Engaging With Your Social Posts (and How to Fix it)

Your content is poppin’. Polished and proofed, you’ve put this piece of content through the wringer to get it ready.

Now all you have to do is let people know where it is and wait for those likes, retweets, and accolades to start rolling in.

So you keep waiting.

And waiting.

Nothing happens. You might have built it, but the users aren’t coming to find it, contrary to the old adage. What gives?

Why isn’t your content (or product) getting the engagement you expected?

In 2018, if your social media strategy isn’t working in conjunction with your content strategy, you’re falling behind the curve.

There’s a reason 10% of professional marketers report social media marketing as the strategy most likely to yield big rewards in 2018.

The bad news: sabotaging your brand on social media is easy and potentially irreparable. If your social strategy isn’t getting the kind of engagement you want, you may be committing one of these five self-sabotaging social media sins:

Denying what people want

Forgetting to make room for new (older) users

Skipping movie day

Letting little errors cripple credibility

Talking without listening

The great news: I’m going to show you to fix them.

Social sabotage #1: Denying what people want

An estimated 73% of Americans report using YouTube. Facebook comes in at a respectable 68%. Instagram ranks as the third most popular platform at 35%.

Brand engagement and social media interactions are also on the rise. Nearly 50% of millennials and generation Xers follow brands on social media.

In other words, there’s never been a better opportunity or wider net to cast for social media engagement. But what users want from their social media experience with a brand may surprise you.

For one, they want something real.

They want real people, real interactions, and real, unbridled human connection. And they aren’t going to accept auto-spamming Twitter bots in place of it.

Social media users expect a lot out of a brand.

Sprout Social also found while 86% of users want to see a brand come to life on Facebook, only 27% of them want to see the same personality on Snapchat.

For an example of someone who demonstrates a ‘real’ approach, take a look at Twitter-crowned mogul Elon Musk:

Tunnels

— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) March 10, 2018

Elon Musk perfectly implements four of the seven desired brand traits with this tweet alone.

He’s honest: whatever you might think of The Boring Company’s progress or projects, they’re definitely ambitious. (I’d say they’re reaching for the stars, but that’s SpaceX.)

He’s friendly: is there any easier way to get people to laugh than to laugh with them? Poking fun at his own image and goals fosters a sense of connection.

Sure, he might be different from us, but he’s not disconnected. That matters.

By giving users the option of calling his tunnel system a “stupid hole in the ground” or an “impossible pipe dream,” he’s putting users in a place of power.

That matters even more.

Don’t do this. Also, I want to be clear that a flamethrower is a super terrible idea. Definitely don’t buy one. Unless you like fun.

A post shared by Elon Musk (@elonmusk) on Jan 27, 2018 at 5:29pm PST

Elon’s prowess isn’t limited to Twitter alone.

Look at his earlier Instagram post for the now-infamous “Not a Flamethrower.” He engages users with the same masterful sense of wit.

While we can’t all be Musk, we can take a page out of his book. He knows what people want from him on social media and delivers consistently.

More Than Personality

But the want for honesty and realness isn’t exclusive to personality alone: users also care a lot about a brand’s position on real-world events.

You may want to avoid the can of worms that come with political stances, but your users? They want to know where you fall on the issues.

Users identified education, immigration, and the environment as the most important issues for brands to take a position on.

So if you’re avoiding taking a stance on an issue or worried about seeming too unprofessional on social media, stop. The stats just don’t back up that approach.

The real human essence of the brand is what makes a brand worth someone’s time. They want to see that come through loud and clear.

For proof of how being social pays, look no further than Shareaholic’s 2017 Traffic Report.

As you can see, although web traffic driven through social media has declined somewhat, it still accounts for 25.6% of visitors.

That’s 1 out of every 4 of your visitors. Borrowing a line from the mildly misquoted Queen of France, if your users want cake, let them have cake. You can’t afford not to.

Social sabotage #2: Forgetting to make room for new (older) users

The social sphere is changing. I know, I know: it’s always changing, but there’s more than just one new up-and-coming generation to contend with in your social media strategy.

All across the board, social media use is up among different age demographics and at its highest rate ever.

One of the most rapidly emerging user groups is the retirement age adult. They’re also one of the least talked about groups in social media marketing.

Increasing at a rate up to as much as one new user every 8 seconds until 2030, ignoring this user group as part of your social media strategy is untenable.

“But wait,” you say, “Doesn’t that user group have the lowest social media adoption rates?”

(Okay, maybe that’s not quite how you say it.)

Although that’s true, the answer isn’t as black and white as it seems.

When you look at social media’s rapid growth and increased technology adoption rates, it’s clear that social media isn’t strictly a “young man’s game”anymore.

To see this in action, look no further than total Internet users in the older adult demographic.

Up from 14% in 2010, a 2017 survey by the Pew Research Center reveals that 67% of respondents in the 65+ age group use the Internet on a regular basis.

Now that we’ve covered the importance of the older generation, what do you need to know to add them as an integral part of your user base on social media?

For one, that they’re not that different from their younger counterparts.

Like others, they use social media to foster personal connections, keep in touch with family, and are concerned about their privacy.

Unlike others, they sometimes struggle to suppress extraneous information and stimuli.

The W3C, the international organization which sets usability standards, has this to say about older adults:

“…cognitive ability – including reduced short-term memory, difficulty concentrating, and being easily distracted, making it difficult to follow navigation and complete online tasks.”

In other words, busy images, moving .gifs, and anything else that can tax their cognitive load can be a crippling barrier to social engagement.

For instance, take a look at one of Lay’s more recent tweets:

Need a date? Say hello to Sweet Southern Heat Barbecue!

pic.twitter.com/9Th7F8YDvu

— LAY'S (@LAYS) February 27, 2018

This tweet is simple and visually compelling while staying accessible for a wide variety of people.

On the other hand, consider this tweet:

Do you like coming up with chip flavors? Do you like chances at $1 Million? Then #DoUsAFlavor is for you! https://t.co/SEJyH6Azxx

— LAY'S (@LAYS) March 6, 2017

Highly saturated and featuring more than one focal point, the use of visuals here could potentially stress older adult users.

It may also exclude users who experience red-green color vision deficiency, which includes 1 in 12 men and 1 in 200 women.

Ensuring your social media is engaging requires keeping it accessible for every potential user group.

And with a population swiftly set to become 20% of the total United States population those user groups should include adults over the age of 65.

Here’s the bottom line: If you’re not including older adults as part of your social engagement strategy, you’re alienating a very large (and growing) user base.

Keep your posts simple, resist the urge to throw eye-bleed neon colors around it, and get to know your elders. They’re here to stay.

Social sabotage #3: Skipping movie day

You’re in fourth grade. You walk into the classroom to see a true and trusted friend: a bulky, unwieldy cart with a big screen TV the size of Arizona. Dimmed lights herald the elation of your classmates.

It’s movie day.

If you’re not recreating this experience for your audience, you’re missing out on engagement in a big way.

In a December 2017 survey, 83% of respondents said they would consider sharing relevant video content with their network.

And video is expected to keep growing by significant leaps.

Cisco forecasts, “…Internet video streaming and downloads are beginning to take a larger share of bandwidth and will grow to more than 81 percent of all consumer Internet traffic by 2021.”

Does this mean that every post has to include a custom-made video? Unless you’re working with Elon Musk’s budget, then no, that probably won’t be the case.

But it should include a link to relevant video content, whether it’s a supplement or the show-stopper for your post.

Keep in mind that videos do more than make your posts more engaging. They make your brand more engaging.

Bill Shander, CEO and founder of Beehive Media, calls this transition the difference between “water cooler talk” and “the cafe.”

While the water cooler talk provides brief snippets and headlines, the cafe talk is a much deeper level of engagement. When users enter this stage, they commit more time to learning about the content and the brand associated with it.

There’s a reason I’m spending $144,000 on video content alone this year.

So the next time you post to social media, help your audience return to the days of yore with a timely, snappy video and make every post a movie day.

It’s that easy.

Social sabotage #4: Letting little errors cripple credibility

Have you ever written, proofed, polished, and double-checked a Facebook post or tweet, only to come back a few hours later and find a glaring typo?

“It’s not that bad,” you say, searching for the edit button anxiously, “Maybe no one else noticed.”

Unfortunately, that’s probably not true.

Making simple grammatical or spelling mistakes can tax your engagement and wallet significantly.

Consider this Q3 2017 report from Sprout Social about reactions to seeing other users issue “call-outs” on social media.

While this report looked at brand behaviors, the implication for being “called-out” on your mistakes is clear.

(And it will happen.)

It invites skepticism in first-time users and new customers. Skepticism, in turn, makes your conversion rate much harder to maintain.

But while that may not be surprising, what is surprising is the origin of many of these mistakes.

Basically, it’s your brain’s fault, not yours.

To understand how you make these mistakes, you have to get a little insight into… well, sight.

More specifically, you need to understand how your eyes and brain work together to perform the highly unnatural act of reading.

Here’s how it goes:

You read one word at a time. The places where your eyes rest are called fixations.

And you don’t actually read all of the words or the whole page.

You just think you’re reading the whole page because your eyes are moving like the interstate at 4 am in a rapid series of saccades.

As you shift to each word with a saccade, your brain tries to offset the burden by anticipating and connecting the words ahead.

You don’t actually read most transition words (a, an, and, etc.) You just assume them.

Take a look at this graphic. Read the words first and then follow the arrows.

This represents the usual reading pattern of high-literacy readers. Do you notice how they skip short words entirely?

In fact, you rarely read words by the letter. You read most words as a whole according to their shape, according to Microsoft’s Mike Jacobs.

But what does that have to do with typos?

When you’re proofreading, you’re relying on the shape of the letters to create the architecture of the word.

Add to it that you’ve probably read the same thing six times in a row, and your brain starts filling in the details and cutting attentional corners.

You easily read “than” as “then.” “Is” becomes “as,” “an” becomes “and,” and so on.

Sure, you know the difference. But do your followers know you know? If not, your credibility will take a hit.

So will your budget if you’re discussing prices or rate changes on your social media channel.

(Unlike the New York City’s Metropolitan Transportation Authority’s $250,000 misprint, your social post should be easier to correct.)

But while there’s no definitive way to overcome this problem, there are a few steps you can take to mitigate it.

Here are some of the most popular techniques:

Walk away and coming back to proof later. It’s even better if it’s overnight.

Grab a second set of eyes. Their brains aren’t primed to autocorrect and can catch things faster.

Read your post aloud. Add funny voices if it helps. Disney characters can liven things up (and really confuse/concern your coworkers).

Use a service like Grammarly to catch contextual errors.

Social sabotage #5: Talking without listening

Social media is becoming the preferred medium for interaction. 56% of consumers report they’d rather fire off an emoji than pick up a phone.

Imagine their discontent when those brands are unresponsive.

Increasingly, customers and followers want more than just content: they want interaction.

Is the solution to respond to every single tweet, email, or comment? Sure, if it was possible. But it’s not.

Instead, you should focus on being aware of them and try to be at least marginally more engaging than a slab of concrete.

Enter social listening.

Social listening isn’t a spring chicken in technology anymore, but it may still be a new area for many fledgling marketers.

67% of marketing leaders report the use of social listening tools, while 20% report the intention to start using them in the coming year.

But don’t worry. If you missed out on the social listening train before or haven’t jumped on the automation track, you can still get your ticket.

Hootsuite is one of the most highly-ranked tools available. And best of all, it’s free for individuals for up to three social accounts.

Here’s how to turn your social ears up and get your listening game on point:

Head over to Hootsuite.

Hover over the word “plans” to see the drop-down menu and select the highlighted area for a free account.

Click on the green signup button.

Fill in your information or link one of your social media accounts. You’ll need to link your accounts on the next screen, so feel free to use either option.

Link up to three social channels by clicking on their respective icons.

Fill out the last signup screen and click the blue submit button.

Rejoice! Open your new Hootsuite dashboard. Use the modal on the right to set up your first monitoring stream by clicking on the third option.

Your linked social media accounts should already be ready to go. Use the down arrow to toggle between accounts.

Open your “mentions” panel by clicking on the button with the large @ symbol. Peruse your mentions and start deciding who and how to reply.

Now that you have a bird’s-eye view on your social feeds, you can manage your engagement from one dashboard and never miss a beat with your followers.

In turn, you can engage them more. They’ll reciprocate by engaging you more.

So fire up that dashboard and start hitting “reply” to keep your fans happy and your critics soothed.

Conclusion

Social media engagement is critical for conversion rates and brand growth, but it’s easy to get wrong. Too easy.

People want more than just a branded message or trophy personality on social media. At its highest use rates ever, users clamor for honesty, friendliness, and humor from brands.

They also want brands to take real positions on real issues. Conventional strategy may say to avoid hot-button issues, but that isn’t what your users are saying. Listen to them.

Older adults are quickly rising up as one of the largest user populations and are expected to comprise one in every five people in the coming years in the US.

So if you’re not considering the baby boomers as part of your strategy, you’re missing out.

Videos resonate with people. You don’t have to produce a new video every time you put out a new post, but you should provide users with a relevant video option to dive deeper.

Small mistakes happen. Even the most polished and copyedited brands in the world let a typo slip through – it’s the human brain’s fault.

But your users won’t see it that way. Consistently letting errors pile up can put a serious damper on your engagement and credibility.

Those mistakes become cumulative, as does the damage to your brand.

It’s not enough to talk to your users: you need to be talking with them. Brands that interact with users on social media forge deeper connections and stronger followings.

Fortunately, there are a lot of great tools to help you keep track of social media conversations and take part. Hootsuite is one of the best and free for individuals.

If you’ve been committing these five social-sabotaging sins, it’s time to repent and make good. Give the people what they want, and you’ll get the engagement you want in return.

What’s been the most surprisingly successful engagement strategy for your brand?

About the Author: Neil Patel is the cofounder of Neil Patel Digital.

from Online Marketing Tips https://blog.kissmetrics.com/engaging-with-your-social-posts/

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ericsburden-blog · 6 years