Black History

Are you stumped about content marketing? It seems like it’s all you hear about these days in digital marketing.

That isn’t without good reason. 72% of marketers said that relevant content was their most important SEO strategy.

The question is, how can you make content marketing work for you?

Below are five content marketing trends in 2019 to look out for.


1. Less Click Bait

Getting people to see your content is one of the hardest tasks out there. This problem led many marketers to use clickbait titles that encouraged people to read their articles.

But people are starting to wise up. They want to read relevant content, not sensational headlines.

Content creators will continue to create better content that people want to read. It’s what will bring people back to their sites and build up trust with their audiences.

2. Voice Search

As AI has improved over the past few years, it’s led to better voice search. More searches are now voice searches as a result.

This change means that content marketers will need to start optimizing for voice SEO.

People ask questions out loud differently than they type them. We will see new keywords to optimize for as a result.

3. Increase in Alternative Formats

Text has dominated the web for a long time. That’s changing now.

Video, in particular, is making up more consumption than ever. 45% of people watch more than an hour of video per day online. This number is likely to increase in the future.

There's pornography, and then there's smut for the smart — you know, the kind of (c)literate writing that can both turn you on and make you think with its inimitable wit and tone. Although a lot of sex-positive theory can be dry and academic, there are plenty of sex-positive blogs that are the exact opposite, infusing informative personal essays, sex toy reviews, op-ed pieces, news and the like with just enough sleaze to make it go down easy.




As the pediatric of a sex-positive blog (shameless plug!) I firmly believe that the world needs not just more sex positivity, but more sex-positive writing in its myriad forms. You can talk the talk all you want, but it's even better when you can broadcast it worldwide to the horny masses using the interwebs. Whether you're discussing the ins and outs of the female orgasm, dating, relationships, sex toys, the politics of sex work, slut-shaming, or STDs, there can never be enough sex-positive perspectives to lead our sad, repressed country to sexual enlightenment.

Here are five sex-positive blogs you should check out, because sharing is caring, and never more so than when it comes to matters of your part(s):

1. How To Make Me Come

This unique tumblr features contributions by women detailing their orgasmic exploits. The anonymous essays are both heartwarming and partwarming, giving voice to diverse perspectives on female sexuality and sexual pleasure.

2. F*ck Feast

Oakland-based sex-positive feminist Pilar Reyes runs this site, which alternates between engaging narratives of her sexploits, vintage porn, sex toy reviews, and incisive political commentary.

Quinn watched her for a moment and brushed his thumb over her chin.

She took his hand and kissed his palm as she pushed back against him, forcing him to retreat a step.


"But I have one rule I will never break," she said.

"And that would be?"

"No sex in the kitchen."

He raised his eyebrows. "Crissy, we've talked about this. If you're not ready..."

She placed her hand against his cheek and kissed him, lightly, sweetly.

"I am," she said.



"That's really not why I invited you here. I promise."
for," she said, taking a ste floor.

Quinn placed p forward, pushing Quinn back another step. He bumped into the table and sent a bag of groceries sprawling across the table
 and spilling on the his hands on her hips an d here ld  at a safe distance.

"Are you sure? Absolutely sure?"

She hooked two fingers in his belt loop and tugged him closer. "Stop asking me that and keep doing what you were doing earlier."

He hesitated for only a moment as he studied her before he took her hands and walked backwards into his bedroom. It was a tiny, tiny bedroom, stacked with boxes, some still sealed, others with clothing and shoes spilling out of them, and still others lying empty. But there was a bed, sitting on the floor, with a pile of disheveled blankets and pillows. It was far from familiar for either of them, this new territory they were heading into together, but it was comfortable and it was soft and she had Quinn by her side. Crissy needed nothing else.

Everyone knows that classic teen movie scene: the fairy-tale first time with the candles, romance and perfect sex. But sex isn’t always what it is in the movies. In fact, it almost never is. Put two people together with little to no sexual experience, and you’re in for a much different experience than the glamorous and effortless sex scenes of many teen movies. Not to mention many of these films neglect real-life issues: sexually transmitted diseases (STDs), consent and discussions about birth control and possible pregnancy. The players are always heterosexual; rarely do the fairy-tale first times delve into the queer realm and same-sex relationships. Oh, and the assumption is you live happily ever after with your first partner, which almost never happens. Your first time may be awkward, funny or uncomfortable, but it likely won’t be a pretty movie. Sorry to break the rose-colored glasses, but it’s time for some real first times.


Eighteen-year-old Matt of New Jersey had this to say about the first time. “Everyone thinks that sex is the best thing ever or that their first time is the best thing ever, but it isn’t.” Matt goes on to say, “There is this facade that you will end up loving the first person you have sex with. I haven’t talked to him in forever. The whole fairytale of the rainbows and sunshine is all a lie.”

Sex can be romantic, don’t get us wrong. But regardless of how much you prepared by discussing safer sex and using condoms and/or using hormonal birth control, sex can still be weird the first time, and that’s OK. It can take some time and lots of communication to get the romance you may be looking for.

If you’re having sex to maintain a relationship or cure a broken one, it can be even more awkward.

“My first time was so awkward,” explains Erica, 17, of Nebraska. “It was with my ex-boyfriend the morning after prom in the back seat of his car. I thought the sex would make things better between us. The passion and emotions were there, temporarily I guess. Afterwards, I hated him more than ever, and he didn’t even speak to me until months later. I lost my boy and my virginity. It’s sad.”

LOS ANGELES – While it has long been assumed that risqué movies can cause risky behavior, there is now scientific data to back it up.

According to a new study conducted by psychological scientists at Dartmouth University, children who watch features films with sexual content have a tendency to start having sex at a younger age, have more casual sexual partners, and engage in unsafe sexual practices.

Using 1,228 participants aged 12-14, the study – entitled “Greater Exposure to Sexual Content in Popular Movies Predicts Earlier Sexual Debut and Increased Risk-Taking” – has raised renewed concern over the potentially dangerous affect Hollywood has on adolescents. What many have found particularly disturbing is that the sexual content is not only limited to R-rated films. Researchers found that 68 percent of G, 82 percent of PG, and 85 percent of PG-13 rated movies of the 684 movies included in the study contained sexual situations.



“Impressionable children and teens are influenced by the media they consume. Over 60 years of research and over 3,000 studies now have linked violent media content and aggression, cigarette smoking in films and the likelihood teens will take-up smoking, and more recently, exposure to sexual content in entertainment and early onset of sexual activity in teens,” Melissa Henson, Director of Communications and Public Education at the Parents Television Council (PTC), an organization that monitors connections between a child’s media consumption and their behavior, told FOX411’s Pop Tarts column.

Before recruiting participants, the authors coded the movies for seconds of sexual content, which was defined as any sexual act, from passionate kissing all the way to intercourse. G-rated movies like “The Princess Diaries” contained 42 seconds of sexually-related material, PG-13 movie “Meet Joe Black” had 170 seconds, while another PG-rated movie “My Big Fat Greek Wedding” had 78 seconds.

Having group sex is a pretty common sexual fantasy. The idea of being intimate with multiple partners at once in a mass of raw sexuality and passion is certainly appealing. But when it comes to actually having group sex, there's a lot to keep in mind, and if you're new to the scene it can be overwhelming to get started. To help, the experts at Juicebox Love + Sex, a personal guide for all things sex, dating, and relationships; have some tips for making the most out of your group sex experience.


Types of Group Sex

Threesomes

Threesomes are a good introduction for couples who want to explore an open relationship and group sex. Some couples are open to bringing a third partner into the bedroom for a single encounter or on a more regular basis. In heterosexual relationships, the third tends to be another woman, since some straight men are uncomfortable with the idea of sleeping with a man. If a straight woman is interested in exploring sex with another man and her husband isn’t, then swinging may be a better option.



Swinging

Popularized in the 1960's, swinging typically involves two couples swapping partners at the same time. This is usually done at the same location and could even occur in the same room. Swinging is a great option for couples who want to have sex with other people in a clearly defined situation.

Play Parties

A play party is an occasion where people engage in sex openly. People typically picture a giant orgy, but remember that it's a party first! There will be people socializing, that may not be engaging in sexual activities -- and that's totally okay! Play parties are about experiencing sex in front of other people, which requires both voyeurs and exhibitionists. Every play party is different, so you will want to check with the host about rules and etiquette. Keep in mind, there is typically a vetting process where you need to apply. If you are a single man, it’s more difficult to join a threesome or play party. Single men typically need to bring a woman (it could just be a friend). Play parties are easier to find for people near a major city like New York and San Francisco or you could consider throwing your own. For a successful play party, the host needs to understand how to create a safe, open, and inclusive environment. For this reason, women-led and queer-led parties are the gold standard.

In 2016 Zaira Wasim wowed us in Dangal, as a soft-looking young girl forced into a tough-tough wrestling ring by a ‘hanikarak bapu’. Then in 2017 she was once again super bright in Secret Superstar. This time around too there was a hanikarak bapu in the picture, but seriously darker. He is a brutal but everyday character, beating down the women in the family in the name of religion and tradition. He won’t tolerate his daughter singing. The lengthy post put out on Zaira’s social media account, in an uncanny echo of the pressures depicted in Secret Superstar, has her renouncing acting on account of “the basic fundamentals of my religion”.



In whichever direction this story develops, it has undoubtedly got people wrestling with a complex question, what do we mean when we say we want women to have agency? To make their own choices? Because women who are criticizing the choice to ditch a career for faith are making a fair point: Isn’t this part of the mindset that keeps female workforce participation rates ridiculously low in India? Too many of the women who actually have a choice about this, put paid work on the backburner for the family or family values.

I am a glass half full person. The way I choose to look at it is this, Zaira Wasim has proved to be an amazing, ambitious human being in her first 18 years on this planet. She has already carved out a career that millions would envy. In public interactions she has held her own with the best in the business, like Aamir Khan. If today she chooses to quit Bollywood for religion, I think even in that sphere she would carve out a formidable journey. And nobody knows which places that journey would take her next. Her fertile reinventions of the Self could continue to realize excellence in surprising ways. So I wish this young woman the best.

When director Sandeep Reddy was questioned about the scene in his film where the character Kabir Singh slaps Preeti, this was his response. He went on to add how ‘physical demonstration’ is symptomatic of being vested in a relationship; that women who found this portrayal offensive and haven’t experienced this ‘kind of love’ have probably never loved.
Sandeep Reddy Vanga’s words might seem jarring, but put them within the Indian patriarchal concept, and you would find a lot of people eschew the same opinion. It is partially because we believe, and are constantly taught, about the superiority of men. Within that frame, comes in the space to make errors more freely, which we label as ‘flawed character’. The reason why Bollywood so often turns to tried and tested trope of the bad boy turns good for ‘the girl’. We are made to hopelessly believe in the rectifying power of love, and I don’t entirely counter that. I do believe affection and communication can help people change. My problem with the narrative that Kabir Singh presents is not that it is a misogynistic abusive relationship sold as a story of jilted lovers; it is that the director believes the character is right in doing so. 



When the interviewer asked Sandeep why Preeti didn’t do anything when Kabir kissed her, he said that she could’ve “slapped him” but she didn’t because that was her way of giving “consent”, as evidenced by her silence. Silence may not translate as consent. To interpret it so is unfair. I will not victimize Preeti; this was not her story. But Kabir Singh is a textbook example of an abuser – he treats people around him like they mean nothing. His hypermasculinity is romanticized; he is a great guy stuck in an unfortunate love story and he ensures that he subdues his girlfriend; he forces Preeti to befriend a plump girl because “healthy chicks are loyal; they gel well with pretty chicks.” He has been given some redeeming qualities – great surgeon, apparently liberal, fights for his love and the likes. But they seem forced as if purposefully added to will the audience into submission, and lull us into a false sense of resonance with the character.

Indian Cinema has always paid big bucks to see the rise and meteoric fall of the protagonist – the two Devdas movies and even Dev-D caught their fair share of eyeballs. There is something weirdly cathartic about self-destructive men drowning their sorrows in liquor, riding high on the back of unbridled vices of life. Bollywood has birthed and born flawed characters; as an audience, we are mature enough to differentiate between a work of fiction and reality. We are capable of deciding what is right and wrong for us.What is deplorable in Reddy’s statement is the endorsement of abusive behavior, peddled in the package of ‘flawed character’,

Our skin is the body’s largest organ and has the potential to absorb everything that we put on it. This is less of a concern when wearing organic and natural fibres made with natural dyes, but what if you’re not?

Unlike food and beauty, our clothing doesn’t come with an itemised list of ingredients (like synthetic or natural dyes) that have gone into its manufacturing. Instead, these chemicals (many of which are known carcinogens and hormone disruptors) are undisclosed and well hidden within the fabric. This can present a potential danger to our health and the environment, with reported impacts ranging from allergic reactions to respiratory diseases.




Many of these chemicals are still present in our clothes when we buy them, both intentionally and unintentionally. There is no strict global regulation on the use of toxic chemicals in the textile industry, and in many garment producing countries there is little to no regulation at all, so it can be difficult to know just what chemicals are hidden in our clothing. As with beauty, we prefer to know what we are putting on our body, so here are some synthetic chemicals we watch out for:

Synthetic Chemicals to Avoid

AZO dyes are commonly used to colour fabric. According to industry organisation Common Objective, around 60-80% of all fabric colourants in use today are AZO dyes2. They produce a long lasting and vibrant colour, which makes them appealing to manufacturers. However, some AZO dyes release chemicals known as aromatic amines, some of which have been associated with cancer and skin allergies in workers employed in the manufacture of AZO dyes3. Luckily, the EU has restricted the use of AZO dyes that release amines in any textiles that come into contact with human skin.

PHTHALATES AND PLASTICISERS

These chemicals are used to make plastic more flexible and durable, and are commonly used in screen-printing processes. 

You can be eating the healthiest foods, using the cleanest beauty products and moving your body regularly, but if you’re not caring for your mind it is hard to consider yourself truly healthy.

Less stress heightened focus, and better sleep is just a few of the benefits associated with a regular meditation practice. Think of meditation as an exercise for your brain, working to rewire your thinking to enhance the positive traits like focus and decision-making, while diminishing the negative traits like stress, anxiety and brain fog. Meditating every now and then is a great step and you’re sure to notice small changes after each practice, however, a regular meditation practice is the key to experiencing the full spectrum of benefits.

We asked some #ContentApproved brand founders why and how they meditate to achieve the most out of life. Read on for their meditation tips & tricks to inspire you in your own practice.



Meditation Tips from Brand Founders

ZOË LIND VAN’T HOF, WUNDER WORKSHOP

I start my morning with ‘Breath of Fire’ and Sat Nam mantra. Both are rooted in Kundalini Yoga. I find these meditation practices invigorating and they allow me to bring all my attention to the ‘here and now’ before I start a busy day.

I love using the Third Ear App or Insight Timer when I am at home or traveling. There are also several teachers that I love – Guru Jagat, Emily Lacy, Palma Michel and Eleanor Phelan from Sen Wellness.

TATA HARPER

I absolutely have a regular meditation practice! I’ve been practicing meditation for about five years. I find it so grounding, particularly with my hectic schedule.

Depending on the amount of time I have, I’ll do different things and use different techniques. If I’m alone and walking between meetings I’ll sometimes do active meditation. When I have more time, like when I’m on planes, I’ll do chakra balancing meditation. I also practice visual meditation, usually before bed but especially when traveling in different time zones. In the morning, I like to do breathing exercises to start my day feeling more centred.

Want to know the top 10 vape models on Instagram?

Vape models make the vape culture sizzle. They’re the entrepreneurs and talent on Instagram and other social media networks that everyone who loves vaping wants to become and follow.

These sassy girls promote vape brands. Whether it’s their own brand or they work for your favorite vape stores and vape suppliers.

If you love vaping, here are the top ten vape models you want to follow. But before you do, check out this ultimate vape shop.

The Top Ten: Vaping Models to Follow on Instagram

Here are the best vape models to follow on Instagram. They each have their own style and thousands and some, millions of followers.

Let’s smoke!



1. @pandorablue

From Orlando, Floria, Pandorablue is the queen of vaping with 1.6 million followers. She promotes a variety of vape juices you’ll love and creates a cool community environment in her Instagram posts.

This smoking hot model gets attention. She is the current top model vaper on Instagram and the hottest promoter.

2. @misaliaa

Misaliaa is a beautiful and talented vape model from Malaysia. She’s pretty young and has a lot of tricks she performs for her Instagram followers.

What’s important to her is quality. Her content about the performance. With 232k followers, she knows how to get things done.

Her followers recognize her efforts to put on an outstanding show. They know she works hard to make it all happen.

People and companies hire amazon experts in order to maximize the Amazon marketplace channel. The group either feels like they should outsource management to the pro’s or that they don’t have enough time to handle the channel along with all the other priorities.

If you find yourself looking to outsource your Amazon business, or you are putting up a listing to hire an amazon specialist, consider these 20+ factors.




1. Amazon Consulting Expert must know Amazon SEO

The top priority should be to find an Amazon expert who knows Amazon SEO.

Note that Amazon is indeed a search engine, a search engine for products. And Amazon SEO is a distinct flavor of optimization ice cream. Check out this article if you want to learn about Amazon SEO and Amazon Listing Optimization.

While some shoppers still turn to Google (search engines) for their initial product search, Amazon has already become the predominant means of searching for products. 55% of product searches 1st start on Amazon now..

Is it important to you that your website shows up at the top of google for your niche? Exactly. The same holds true of your products on Amazon. You need your product listings to outperform the competition, and a large part of that is linked to Amazon SEO.

hat’s why you need an Amazon consulting expert who knows the ranking factor exploits that will give your products an edge in the search results.

Trust me, we have learned a thing or two after generating 12,000,000 orders on marketplaces.

Are you using social media to promote your real estate business? Do you know if your efforts are actually working?

A good social media management strategy will help you stay on top of your online profiles. It will also ensure that your messages are reaching the right people.

Ready to grow your business and online presence? Read on for some great tips on social media management for realtors:

What Is Social Media Management?

Social media management for realtors (or any businessperson, for that matter) is all about networking and monitoring your online presence. It involves building relationships and replying to the messages you receive online.

It’s not just putting up a Facebook post once a day. You need to make sure you’re engaging your audience and sharing posts that help boost your bottom line.



Why Is Social Media Management for Realtors Important?

If you’ve been in the real estate business for some time, you know that word of mouth is key to success. A good reputation can help you sell more homes and bring in new buyers.

Social media takes word of mouth to the next level.

When you have a solid social media strategy, you can tap into what’s being said about you and your brand. Plus, it’s a great way to learn about your competitors and your industry.

Are you using social media to promote your real estate business? Do you know if your efforts are actually working?

A good social media management strategy will help you stay on top of your online profiles. It will also ensure that your messages are reaching the right people.

Ready to grow your business and online presence? Read on for some great tips on social media management for realtors:

What Is Social Media Management?

Social media management for realtors (or any businessperson, for that matter) is all about networking and monitoring your online presence. It involves building relationships and replying to the messages you receive online.