The crows she feeds obviously have their own little lives. They go about their business, and they spot *pretty thing* or /unique thing/ in question. What gets me is that the *first* thing on their minds as recipient of this thing is the little girl that feeds them.
They spot a thing, and immediately must think, “that nice girl with delicious foodstuffs must have this to show my gratitude.”
It’s actually more than that, though, if you read the articles or watch the videos. This has taken place over YEARS- it started with these birds following this little girl around because she was a messy eater and it has turned into a ritual for the family. They have a water station and food stations where they daily set out things for these birds and sometimes (but not always), these birds leave ‘payment’ behind for the food.
BUT WAIT THERE’S MORE
These birds are not just taking food and leaving shinies. These birds are watching over this family now. Their lives have become involved. These crows are keeping track of this girl and her mother even when they are out of the yard. How do we know?
One of them is a photographer, and one day while she was photographing some stuff on a bridge, she dropped her camera’s lenscap over the edge. There was no way she could get it back, so she left it. When she got home, the lenscap was sitting on the edge of one of the feeding stations, waiting for her.
Not only were the birds following and watching over her, they were smart enough to realize she dropped an Important Thing and cared enough to bring it back to her.
8 Essential Elements of a Social Media Marketing Strategy
#7: Allocate Budget and Resources
According to recent data from Google, 30% of respondents say that social media has its own new and distinct budget. Of those respondents, 8.7% say their social media budget is pulled from traditional marketing media (i.e., TV, print and radio).
I found it interesting that 2/3 of respondents say they plan to increase their social media budget during the upcoming cycle.
Social media marketing is increasingly becoming a priority.
To budget for social media marketing, look at the tactics you’ve chosen to achieve your business goals and objectives.
Make a comprehensive list of the tools you need (e.g., social media monitoring, email marketing and CRM), services you’ll outsource (e.g., graphic design or video production) and any advertising you’ll purchase. Next to each, include the annual projected cost so you can have a high-level view of what you’re investing in and how it affects your marketing budget.
Many businesses establish their budget first, and then select which tactics fit that budget. I take the opposite approach. I establish a strategy first, and then determine the budget that fits that strategy.
If your strategy execution fees exceed your budget estimate, prioritize your tactics according to their ROI timeframe. The tactics with the fastest ROI (e.g., advertising and social referral) take priority because they generate instant profit you can later invest into long-term tactics (fan acquisition, quality content creation or long-term engagement).
One of the most common pieces of writing advice is to read. Important, but vague. An easy way to analyze novels to become a better writer is to sort what you read into what you don’t like and what you do like. Spend some time thinking–whether alone, in writing, or through conversation–about what makes you like or dislike the writing, and brainstorm ways that the writing could have been improved or changed.
Here are some possible dislikes and likes that you might notice when reading:
What You Don’t Like:
Boring spots that you skim through
Unnecessary scenes that don’t advance the plot
Confusing sub-plots
Chunky dialogue
Characters acting outside their character
Poorly done tropes
Too much telling, not enough showing
Too much showing, not enough telling
Overly flowery prose
Big words for the sake of big words
One-dimensional villains
Lack of distinctive voices
What You Do Like:
Twists on tropes
Scenes where you felt like you were a part of that world
Characters you think about after the book ends
Clever plot twists
Good information reveal
Villains and antagonists that keep you on your toes
Characters that know what they want
Characters forced to make sacrifices
Side-characters that have personalities of their own
Scenes so intense that you find yourself peeking at the next page
In reference to never using the word ‘very’ when writing, Mark Twain said, “Substitute ‘damn’ every time you’re inclined to write ‘very’; Your editor will delete it and the writing will be just as it should be.” Source
every time you forget an idea you didn’t write down because you thought you’d remember it, the idea is put back into the database and allocated to the next available writer
1) PLEASE check Google and the Master List BEFORE asking your question.
2) NO QUESTIONS REQUIRING SPECIALIST KNOWLEDGE in specialist fields. I’m not a doctor, lawyer, etc.
3) NO QUESTIONS ABOUT social, health, or medical issues of any kind. (Policy here.)
4) PLEASE DO NOT ASK how to portray or how to describe something, or how to write a particular scene or situation.
5) PLEASE DO NOT ASK for resources on a particular subject. Find your own via Google.
6) NEED HELP WRITING EMOTIONS? Read this post.
7) Need help with webcomics? Go here.
- Please understand I may not see newer asks before I answer older ones
- Please do not ask if I answered your question. It’s your job to keep track. Archive is here
- Please label multi-part asks part 1, part 2, etc. and provide URL when referring to previous posts
- Please direct questions about social and health issues to a more qualified blog. Suggestions below.
Additional resources:
Diversity Cross-Check help from a variety of backgrounds and experiences
Non-Binary Character Reference helps with characters not on gender binary
Writing in Variance answers questions related to sexual and gender diversity
Writing with Color will answer writing questions related to race and ethnicity
Question wasn’t answered? Go here.
At my VS/Pink (they’re attached) I get a shopper’s bag (the Pink one not the VS one because it has more solid colours at the bottom) and go around filling it up with everything that I want (undies, headbands, sports bras, bikinis - anything without a tag- which surprisingly there was a lot of!) and then i fill the rest of the bag with sweaters/leggings/ and more bulky things to cover what i have at the bottom. Then I go to the change room were they usually don’t count- ESPECIALLY if you’re super friendly and ask how their day’s been!!
(I always ask “Can I use my PINK gift card in the VS section too?” just to show them I’ll “actually” buy something, while waving around an empty card I stole awhile ago and wrote “$250 - Happy Birthday, love you!” or something on it.
Then I fill up my own bags (my purse and also a Lululemon shopping bag because they’re sold and button closed at the top) with everything that doesn’t have tags on (double checking every last item) and then give back half and keep half. Sometime I even ask “where do you recommend me to get these leggings hemmed? They’re a bit long for me!” Then I just saunter out the door :) and usually have a stupid smile on my face because of how excited I am to get such a big haul! haha
Hope this helps! If you have any questions feel free to ask!
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