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Is Facebook Losing Altitude?

Facebook is having more tough times. Last week their stock dropped 19%, resulting in a net loss of $119 Billion. Is this the end for Facebook?

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Is Facebook Losing Altitude?
Facebook is having more tough times. Last week their stock dropped 19%, resulting in a net loss of $119 Billion. That’s “billion” with a “b.” The once meteoric Facebook is having trouble with growth. That’s not surprising as they’re still recovering from the Cambridge Analytica Scandal from back in March. This forced the social media giant to implement new policies when it comes to protecting their users’ privacy. This new direction for Facebook is proving problematic. Here’s why.

Kite on a String

When Facebook launched, the concept of social media was still relatively new. They were a kite on a windy day with maybe one or two other kites in the air at the time. So Mark Zuckerberg sends up his new kite and the winds are strong. Before long, other people want to play with it as well. Zuckerberg, wanting to expand on the idea, allows them to attach a string to the kite. These new users then tell their friends about it and they want to attach a string. What once was a kite that only Harvard students could attach their strings too, is now a massive one that’s got strings all over the world. A good analogy for Facebook. Like a real kite with over 2.23 billion strings, manning such a thing becomes unwieldy. It also doesn’t help that the once clear sky is now full of other kites, with other strings. When kites, and organizations, become that big, the people in charge stop seeing the minute details. They hire other people to take care of those things for them. They turn their focus to the bigger picture. It’s no longer about a small kite with only a few million strings. When it’s that small, a handful of people can manage the day-to-day tasks of keeping the kite in the air and keeping the users happy. It’s now about keeping something so big aloft, keeping the users happy, not letting other kites swoop in and cut strings, and making sure international governments are okay with that thing in their airspace.

The Cambridge Analytica String

Back in 2014, Cambridge Analytica, a political consulting firm in Great Britain, began to check each string holder. Or, to keep with the metaphor, they read the string- every strand. Some strands are meant to be public. This is, after all, social media. Some strands were not meant to be read by outside parties. Minor details like people’s personal information. Cambridge Analytica read the strands and used that information in their consulting. This is unethical. Worse than that, the British government argued that Facebook should have done more to keep something like this from happening. Facebook has since been fined. In reaction to the fine, they’ve rolled out new algorithms, procedures, policies, and methods of protecting people’s data. To keep the kite in the air, in an ethical way, Facebook is working harder to keep people from reading all the strands in the strings that attach to the kite. It’s a new direction. Directing something with 2.23 billion users, be a kite or an organization, is going to take some hard work.

The Stock String

With the Cambridge Analytica Scandal three months old, Facebook released a report on the status of their kite-flying. It did not sit well with investors. Investors were worried about the decline in new users, and that new apps and policies had hurt revenue growth. Facebook’s loss of $119 billion in one day may the biggest single-day loss in history. Something that big may seem like writing on the wall for Facebook. The beginning of the end. It may not be.

The Future String

To recover from the Cambridge Analytica Scandal, Facebook implemented a slew of new efforts to better protect users’ privacy. For a while, it seemed as if every day there was a new notification on the newsfeed that “Facebook cares about your privacy.” That was why. It’s calmed down now, but it’s not completely over. These new measures by Facebook are a part of a larger shift in the company’s direction. Now Facebook is working to keep their users’ information more guarded and use it less for advertising and third-party companies. This direction means that ad revenues will go down, as already indicated in Facebook’s most recent earnings report. Couple that with the fallout from the Cambridge Analytica Scandal, and it’s natural that such a hit would happen. Maybe not as bad as $119 billion. For Facebook to stick to their goals of greater protection is admirable, if a little late in the game. Investors and analysts aren’t too worried either. While it was a one-hundred-nineteen Billion dollar drop, Facebook is getting adjusted to new internal policies. Advertisers and third-parties are still catching up as well. With this new direction, Facebook is working to drive up engagement with their users’, a better idea than just inundating the newsfeed with ads. And when your newsfeed becomes less cluttered by these pointless ads, it’s a welcome sight.

Pull the String

With Facebook taking this new direction, the future is full of interesting opportunities.

A Shift in Social Media

Social media, for all its positive attributes, is somewhat annoying. Instead of interacting with human beings, we’re interacting with virtual representations of people. This is helpful for staying in touch with people who live far away, or for celebrities and politicians. It’s not helpful for the people who are in the same room. Facebook could be on the cutting edge of the next trend in social media. Less time staring at a screen and more time doing the things that get posted on newsfeeds. How Facebook will manage to do that is anybody’s guess. Given the amount of brain power they employ, it’s well within their reach.

More Ethical Business Practices

Facebook got caught for doing something bad and is now trying to rectify the situation. It’s a long road, but Facebook can stand as an example of what to do before a company runs into an ethical dilemma. And how to pay attention to third-party users and what they end up using the data for. With the world becoming more and more digital, data seems to be the currency. Not in the sense of blockchain and cryptocurrency. In the sense that people’s lives are getting reduced to ones and zeros. When everything about a person can simply be downloaded, the issue becomes “who can we trust.” Facebook is working to prove that they can be trusted with that information. If they can pull it off, then they’ll be back on the rise as more and more people will entrust them with their personal data.

Tie the String

Before you can connect to social media, you must be able to connect to the internet. By checking out the best Spectrum internet packages you can feel safe knowing you’re getting a secure connection with our providers. Because what good is it if you get the best speeds but are not confident your information is secure? When it comes to that, you’re probably better off going outside and flying a kite.

Google Gets a Grammar Check

For those without a Microsoft 365 account, Google Docs does a passable-to-decent job of creating a document. It doesn't have a grammar check feature...yet.

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Google Gets a Grammar Check
For those without a Microsoft 365 account, Google Docs does a passable-to-decent job of creating a document. It comes free with all Gmail accounts as part of G-Suite, so it’s nice to know it’s there when a document program is needed in a pinch. It has a big flaw though. No grammar check feature.

Grammar Misses

There are those times when one is writing a document, that the words are flowing as fast as thoughts. The fingers blur over the keys. And words appear on the screen. Then comes the editing. Reading along, sentence by sentence, discovering thoughts made tangible in a flurry of activity- but what’s this? Is there supposed to be an apostrophe for “its” or not? Small mistakes like this, grammatically, happen all the time. Thanks to grammar check features, they’re quickly solved and reduce the amount of time it takes to edit a document. As a writer, I speak to the helpfulness of these things as I have to write constantly every day for work and for pleasure. Grammar check features, though helpful, are not 100% secure though. Which is why having a second set of eyes is always a good idea. For writers like me, however, this sometimes a luxury. For Google to start implementing this feature into Docs means there will be another option available to match Microsoft Word. There’s no news of Docs becoming a fee-based service. That means another word processing application that can check grammar and spelling will likely attract a lot of attention.

Microsoft Word

Everyone knows Word. It’s often listed under “required skills” on a job application. Should you find yourself working in the publishing industry, you’ll discover Microsoft Word is the program you’ll end up working with the most. Queries coming in a format other than Word are quickly tossed out. Word, as of this writing, has the most sophisticated grammar check feature available to the public. If you’re using the most recent version of Word, you’ll notice the double-blue lines underneath words or phrases that are spelled correctly. If they were misspelled, they’d have that red, squiggly line underneath. No, the double-blue line is for grammar. Left click anywhere on that double-blue line and a pop-up window will appear with suggestions that are grammatically correct. Microsoft has worked on this grammar check feature for years. A big reason for its level of sophistication is because Microsoft launched Word back in the eighties. Ever since then, they’ve been working to improve the program. I may not have been the best student in English (I was worse in math), but after years of writing, I can say with confidence, that my grammar is much better because of my experience. It’s the same with Microsoft Word.

Grammarly

I work primarily in Word. The rough draft of this article was written in Word, in fact. To post my work, however, I go through applications that don’t have Word’s years of experience to check my grammar. As a hedge against possible embarrassment, I’ve signed up for the free version of Grammarly. At first, my pride prevented me from doing this. I had Microsoft Word, after all, why go with a young upstart? That pride, however, went away quickly when I realized there was no grammar check feature installed on the software used for our website. I hastily signed up for the free version of Grammarly. Unlike Word, Grammarly uses an AI to check my work. Grammarly, in their own words, uses a sophisticated artificial intelligence system to analyze each sentence. Now, on every email, social media comment, or online form that I fill out, a spinning green circle waits for me to finish so it can check if I’ve been grammatically correct. Not politically correct, spiritually correct, but grammatically correct. When done, it’ll turn red with a number on it, stating how many offenses to grammar that I’ve committed. I have yet to write something grammatically correct the first time through. I guess I’m still human then. Grammarly is helpful that way. It does not, however, work with Google Docs.

Google Docs

Google Docs does have a spell-check feature. This is basic and easy to install. It’s simply a dictionary app hooked up the word processing program to check my spelling against its database of words. Soon, Google will roll out their grammar check feature. In the beginning, it will only be available to business customers. If your company uses Google heavily, then contact the G-Suite administrator to have it unlocked on your profile…that is, when it rolls out. This grammar check feature doesn’t have the years of experience that Word has. Instead, it’s based on Google Translate. As it’s been described, Google will be using the same technology they use for their Google Translate app. This technology translates multiple languages, using machine translation. What Google has done here is plug in “perfect grammar” into the “translate to” field. Your writing will fill in the “translate from” field. It’s a clever use of the technology. How well it does in catching every grammatical mistake remains to be seen. But, as some great writer said: “Nothing ventured is nothing gained.” Maybe it was Chaucer?

On Writing

To me, Google Docs getting a grammar check feature is big news. To others, it’s a passing piece of news. Those are the types of people who don’t check their Dictionary App every day to learn the “Word of the Day.” Today it’s blinkered, by the way. Having a program check your grammar as you write is a tool that does more for you than you realize. Before something like this existed, a real person had to sit and double check your writing. And they usually had a well-worn copy of a style guide sitting next to them as they did this. Automation has taken this away and AI appears to be taking it over. Though this is good news, don’t mistake AI as the savior of writing. While Artificial Intelligence can do things for you, it can not- try as it might- speak for you. That’s something you do for yourself. And writing is a way to do that. With a grammar check feature, whether it be in Word, Google Docs, or Grammarly, you can hedge against sounding idiotic. But, to sound genuine, that’s something that can only be done by you and no one else. One last note, whether you write online, or write in Word and then copy-paste it into an online platform, make sure your internet is fast and reliable. Check out the best Spectrum internet bundles to see what’s available in your area and how much you can save. Then get to writing!

1 Cool Technique to Breathe Away Frustration

When you're angry,the worst thing someone can say to you is “calm down,just breathe okay!”This isn’t sound advice. Try this breathing technique instead.

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1 Cool Technique to Breathe Away Frustration
During those moments of extreme frustration, anger, or confusion, the worst thing someone can say to you is “calm down, just breathe okay!” This isn’t sound advice. “Never in the history of calming down has anyone ever calmed down by being told to calm down.” This quote has shown up in various permutations across the internet. Be it Twitter, Reddit, Facebook, Instagram, Pinterest, LinkedIn, or some other social media platform, someone has said this. Or put it in a meme. Commanding someone to calm down isn’t going to work. It'll likely have the opposite effect.

What to Do?

There is nothing wrong with getting angry, frustrated, or confused. A weird push has gone out these days to “not let things get to you.” While that would be great, we live in an imperfect world. We’re imperfect people. You’re going to get angry. Don’t run from it. (On the flip side, don’t use it as an excuse to get mad about anything and everything) Instead, know that people, events, even movies, will make you angry. When that happens, and it feels as if the whole world is against you… Or you can’t believe someone can be that stupid… Or the bottom fell out… Breathe.

A “Secret” Breathing Technique

This breathing technique, believed to be popularized by the Navy Seals, uses a natural function of your own body to interrupt and reset your most powerful resource. It’s your mind. By breathing, adjusting the rhythm and pace of your breathing, your mind will react in a positive way. At first, this was called a “secret” technique, but given there’s plenty of articles, posts, and even this clip- https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pq5EOFWYDCI -it’s safe to say the technique isn’t all that secret anymore. What matters is practicing this technique and utilizing it when you read about yet another politician saying something stupid.  

How to Breathe

Mark Divine, the author of the Time article above, dubbed it “Box Breathing.” (I’m not sure who came up with the technique, but it gained in popularity after that article) Inhale for four seconds. Hold your breath for four seconds. Exhale for four seconds. Hold for four seconds. Repeat. And continue to repeat until you feel your head clear. (Tom Wolfe, the instructor in the clip, uses a five count. The four-count has worked for me. Try out both to see which one is more effective for you) I speak from experience when I say that this does help, indeed, clear my head. Once my heart rate slows, I’m able to be more rational. I can recall a few specific times that I wasn’t “calm” after doing the Boxed Breathing. I was more rational though, so that’s a plus! Make sure you don’t do a long count though. Unless you want to pass out. That would be a little extreme.

More Than Just Calming Down

Boxed Breathing, if you want to keep calling it that, is helpful for more than just clearing your head. This technique is useful for stressful situations of any kind. When I’m writing and the words just aren’t coming, I sometimes focus on my breathing to clear my head. Once my head is cleared, the words come easier. It’s not a “magic bullet” for any sort of anxiety, but a tool to help take the edge off. I’ve also used a modified version for running. Don’t do a four count, but a three or a two-count. I’ve tried it on runs before and even did it this morning to confirm this hypothesis. My head does clear a little and I’m able to work past the pain in my legs to keep going. This is how I’ve managed to improve my pace. I’m no cross-country star, but it’s at least getting me through my half-marathon training. We’ll see if it helps when I run the entire 13.1 miles. Boxed Breathing is also helpful for tests. A nice little side-gig I had was proctoring tests. Texas has these standardized tests twice a year. For a good day’s pay, I got to proctor and monitor students testing. One such student, whom I was informed had anxiety issues, would breathe in a certain rhythm. She started this before the test began and continued until she completed it. Then she looked very relieved. I’m not sure if it was Boxed Breathing, but it worked for her.

Prep

There’s no need to prepare for this, it just takes focus to time the breathing. It can be used in anticipation of those special events where you know you can get aggravated. Start timing your breathing—in for four, hold for four, out for four, hold for four—and keep that up as long as necessary. If you keep you breathing quiet, no one will notice. Another situation you can use it in is when that “special” someone starts talking and your blood immediately starts boiling. In for four. Hold for four. Out for four. Hold for four. Repeat. They can keep talking while you work to keep your head clear. When they’re done spouting whatever insanity they take as fact, you’ll be ready. You can then add your opinion, or maybe not say anything at all. And just walk away. Boxed Breathing is a helpful tool that requires no extra gizmos or apps to use, just a little practice. There are other breathing techniques, from the Navy Seals and other fitness professionals, that you can use to keep your head clear in the moment. Just make sure to bundle your internet first. Look for the best Spectrum internet deals in your area so you can save money, time, and frustration. And the next time someone stupidly tells you to “calm down,” you’ll already be breathing and clearing your head so you can articulate exactly what you’re feeling. As well as how ignorant they are.

Switching to a Hobby

Who'd have thought that a Marine would learn knitting while on active duty? This odd pastime reveals much more about the benefits of a hobby.

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Switching to a Hobby
The United States Marine Corps is known for their tough attitude and warrior ethos. Marines are trained to fight and to endure the toughest of conditions. Imagine my surprise when a friend of mine, while an active-duty Marine, detailed that it was here, amid the most ardent defenders of our Nation, that he learned to knit. Knitting? I was much younger at the time and very ignorant, so I laughed. He smiled back and told me it was therapeutic. Even ten years later he’s still knitting as a pastime. Part of the reason, as it was explained to me, was because the action of knitting put his mind at ease and kept his hands busy, causing his body to relax. It’s still unclear to me if this was part of his boot camp training or he’d learned it from another Marine. What is clear is the concept of a hobby that provides respite and comfort.

Good for the Body

When the nerves are jangling, or something is keeping your mind occupied, a hobby is a good way to distract yourself. There is the argument that taking your focus off the problem won’t help you find an answer, this isn’t true. By keeping our mind locked in on a problem that we’re trying to fix, we’re using up all our brain power, and not allowing our mind to process what’s going on. Taking our focus off an issue, even for a short time, allows the creative side of our minds to handle it while the front of our brains can handle something else. Therefore, the advice to “sleep on it” is so helpful. Our minds will bounce the issue around our subconscious while our bodies get some rest. Upon waking the creative side has had a chance to come up with possible solutions. The downside is sometimes our problems crop up in our dreams. For the Marine mentioned above, knitting distracted him from issues he was facing and allowed him to keep a cool head. Hobbies, by and large, have this effect on us. This distraction is helpful as we’re able to distance ourselves from problems in our lives, our jobs, and with our families. But there are more benefits to hobbies, for now, let’s focus on implementing one.

Switching to a Hobby

The Switch Framework is helpful when it comes to implementing a new hobby into your life. First, find a hobby you enjoy. This is how you’ll motivate the elephant. Once you’ve figured out a pastime that you look forward to, head to the internet to find resources. With its ability to connect people all over the world, the internet is a great place to find fellow enthusiasts. These hobbyists are always eager to lend a helping hand, give advice, or share ideas with their passions. This is how you’re direct the rider and shape the path. There’s a hidden benefit to all this. As the internet of today seems to be a swamp filled with angry people all eager to scream their opinions, as well as blast those of others, hobbyists are the opposite. Instead of trying to scare or berate, hobbyists instead are eager to “talk shop.” It’s not about winning a political debate for them, it’s about helping a fellow enthusiast enjoy the craft.

Which Hobby to Pick?

Much like my marine friend, there are hobbies that occupy the hands; knitting, crochet, basket weaving, etc. There’s also hobbies for history buffs, kids, crafty people, outdoor adventure seekers, sports junkies, music lovers, nature lovers, families, hobbies to sharpen your mind, and also, hobbies that can earn you money. The key here is to find something that you like to do, is relatively easy to get started, and can fit into your schedule. The scheduling part will be hard at first, as you’re going to be figuring out the nuances of the hobby, as well as how it fits into the nuances of your life. Refer back to the Switch Framework, as well as relying on your fellow enthusiasts to keep you going. Getting started is the most exciting part of a hobby and can also be the hardest. Once the newness wears off, sticking with it can get difficult. This may also be a sign that this hobby isn’t for you. That’s okay. Just as it’s important to find what you like, it’s also important to find out what you don’t like.

Connect to a Bigger Network

Finding a network of fellow hobbyists can make all the difference between discovering, and sticking, with a new hobby. New worlds await you as you begin your search for your new hobby. Before you do, check out the best Spectrum internet bundles. By bundling your internet you can secure a better connection as well as save some cash for that new hobby!

2 Million Reasons Netflix May Be Losing Their Edge

Netflix has spent over $8,000,000,000 (that’s billion with a B),racked up 112 Emmy Nominations…but they may be losing their edge.

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2 Million Reasons Netflix May Be Losing Their Edge
Netflix has spent over $8,000,000,000 (that’s billion with a B), racked up 112 Emmy Nominations…but they may be losing their edge. Despite their big push in creating original content and knocking HBO off their throne, they’ve missed their forecast of new subscribers for the second quarter of 2018, by 2 million. This has happened three times in the past ten years, so it’s not as shocking as one would think. Of course, Netflix’s stock dropped more than 14% in response to this. And now executives for Netflix, as well as outside business analysts, are asking why this happened.

Whose Fault Is It?

The blame, according to executives, lies on poor internal forecasting…and not the recent hike in prices for new and veteran subscribers. Forecasting is, at best, a guess. Meteorologists for the local news are guessing every day that the weather will turn out a certain way. There’s sophisticated technology, models, and years of training that go into it. Underneath it all, however, they are still guessing. Analysts in the world of business and finance are making a prediction when they forecast the future. And if we know anything about the future, we know it’s going to be wildly different than what we assume it will be. To blame a miss of 2 million subscribers on poor internal forecasting is a little short-sighted. Because when the weather turns, do you go after your local meteorologist?

What Can They Do About It?

While Netflix didn’t gain those 2 million new subscribers, there hasn’t been any news that they’ve lost any either. Netflix retains its current subscriber base of 130 million globally. They’re still a powerhouse to deal with and after besting HBO in Emmy Nominations, they’ve done well in positioning themselves to finish strong for 2018. Now, HBO is working on reclaiming that dominance and has already laid out their first weapon; Joss Whedon. On July 16th, it was announced that Whedon’s new show, The Nevers, will be on HBO. The network beat out Netflix in a bidding war to get the show and ordered the series directly…without ever seeing a pilot. HBO is taking the smart path by focusing on new content. Netflix can do the same by doubling-down on their content. By keeping their subscribers satisfied with their shows, the streaming giant can still grow their subscribers organically. Because a satisfied viewer is likely to recommend the show to their friends. For Netflix to artificially raise their number of subscribers, they should set their sites a little more realistically.

Think Strategically

Without those 2 million subscribers, the streaming giant will lose a little bit of momentum. Not a lot, just a little. There’s no harm in being cautious though, as the executives at Netflix have a right to be. What they can do is get ready for awards season. Netflix can continue to campaign for their shows that helped them get those 112 Emmy nominations. They’re in a good spot to walk home with the most wins this year and deal an even bigger blow to their biggest competitor, HBO. There’s also the Golden Globes coming up. These awards shows seem to mirror each other when it comes to nominations, so don’t be surprised if Netflix beats out HBO for Golden Globes as well. Netflix should keep on campaigning like they normally do.

The Forecast for Netflix

So long as Netflix doesn’t panic or commit a knee-jerk reaction, they’ll be fine. History is rife with companies, and people, who reacted to something small and created a big problem. Just think of The Pig War. In 1859, a single hog was caught rooting in a farmer’s potatoes. To save his potatoes, the farmer, an American, shot the hog, owned by a British man. Tensions rose when one accused the other of foul play. Soon the hog’s death became an act of aggression by Americans’ towards the British. US soldiers were sent to the island, British Navy ships were sent to bolster the British merchants there. All because a hog got out and ate a few potatoes. The executives of Netflix just need to keep their cool. Things like this can happen and it’s important to remember that this was based on forecasted data. One shouldn’t invest too much in the predictions of the future from a single source. What Netflix should be interested in is HBO’s plan to reclaim their throne. As the networks continue to battle it out, their main weapons will be content- shows. The harder they work to beat the other, the better the shows will be. If this turns out to not be the case, then someone else will swoop in and claim dominance. Be it Netflix, HBO, Amazon, or someone else, make sure you don’t miss your favorite shows by checking out the best Spectrum internet deals. You can also save yourself some money in the process!