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Meta tags are HTML tags that provide information about a webpage‘s content to search engines and users. View the full article

Google Search ranking volatility spiked and heated again over the past 24-hours or so. I am seeing renewed chatter spike up yesterday, January 29th and continue through today. I am also seeing that some of the tracking tools are showing an increase in ranking volatility within Google Search over the past day.View the full article

A content calendar helps you plan, organize, and schedule content. Learn how to build one. View the full article

Did you know there is a quick way to directly generate an access request for Service Area Businesses in Google Maps? This is apparently not so new but also not widely known.View the full article

The start-up’s breakthrough confounds outworn prejudices about the two countries View the full article

Common SEO KPIs include organic visibility, keyword rankings, organic click-through rate (CTR), and conversions. View the full article

Ginny Marvin, the Google Ads Liaison, explained why Google is only letting you add up to 100 negative keywords to your campaign-level negative keywords within your Performance Max campaigns on Google Ads.View the full article

Curious about the timeline for schema markup to affect search engine rankings? Explore the factors that influence schema implementation and its impact on rankings. The post Ask An SEO: How Long Does It Take For Schema To Rank? appeared first on Search Engine Journal. View the full article

SEO is like a never-ending story. There are always things to do. And these things need your undivided attention, from keyword research to content audits and performance reporting. Many of these are repetitive, recurring, and time-consuming. And that’s why you need SEO automation. Table of contents What is SEO automation? The benefits of SEO automation Tasks you can automate right now How to get started with SEO automation Final thoughts on automating your SEO What is SEO automation? By automating SEO, you use tools and software to do the repetitive optimization tasks for you. These tools don’t eliminate the need for a person to be involved, but they can do the heavy lifting. These tasks often contain data-heavy and time-consuming work. Think of all the manual work you must do to run an SEO campaign. You have to crawl your website for technical errors, do keyword research, track how your ranking develops, and generate insightful reports — important work but tedious. SEO automation tools take these tasks and do them for you. These tools work faster and more accurately than you do. As a result, you can focus on the fun stuff — the creative and strategic work. For example, you could manually try to find broken links on your site, but that would take forever. An automated tool can do that in minutes and provide a nice report. For your content, keyword research tools can generate a list of terms to target in just a few minutes. You’ll even get search volume data and information about the level of competition. The benefits of SEO automation Automating your SEO has many advantages. Handing over repetitive tasks can save you a lot of time, leaving you with more time to work on your strategy and content. Automation is also more accurate in handling data, which leads to fewer errors and, thus, more dependable data. SEO automation streamlines your work and allows you to scale quickly once your site grows. Tasks you can automate right now Today, most SEO automation tools are designed to handle specific tasks. We’ll list the most common tasks you can automate. Keyword research Keyword research is the foundation of SEO. It is also very time-consuming to do manually. You’re looking at search volumes, competition, relevancy, and more, and you’ll have to make deductions from that. It’s not weird that almost everyone uses keyword research tools such as Semrush and Wincher to do the hard work. Keyword research tools can automatically: Generate lists with relevant keywords for your topic or niche. Give essential supporting data such as search volume and difficulty. Suggest related keywords that you can use to build up your. Here’s an example. Let’s say you run a gardening blog. Keyword research tools like Semrush can identify not only popular keywords like “best gardening tools” but also related terms such as “gardening tool maintenance” or “best hoes for gardening in specific conditions.” These insights allow you to build content clusters that improve your site’s authority. Content optimization Content optimization is another field in which SEO automation comes in. For instance, Yoast SEO can analyze your content to make sure it is properly optimized for search engines. An SEO tool like this gives feedback on: How you use keywords in your content and suggest improvements to make. How readable is your content, and are your sentences too complex? Where and how you can add relevant links to other content on your site. Improvements to make to your meta descriptions and titles (with AI in Yoast SEO’s case) Yoast SEO is a very popular plugin for WordPress and Shopify. It helps you optimize each post or page on your site to make it user-friendly, search-engine-friendly, and, of course, make that process as easy as possible. Website audits Automatically auditing your website regularly is also a popular form of SEO automation. Such an audit can help you catch issues that might influence your site’s performance. These can include: Broken links. Slow loading speeds. Missing meta tags. Duplicate content. Tools like Screaming Frog or Sitebulb can perform these audits automatically. These tools even let you schedule recurring audits, so you’re always updated on your site’s health. In addition, the tools provide actionable reports that highlight what needs fixing. Rank tracking There are many ways to gauge your site’s performance; one of the most important is to check its rankings. However, tracking your rankings manually is a lot of work. Luckily, rank-tracking tools such as Wincher, Semrush, and Ahrefs make this incredibly easy. These tools automate this process and provide you with regular updates on your keyword positions. Among the things these tools can track are: Changes in your rankings over time. The performance of specific target keywords. Competitor rankings for similar keywords. You get all kinds of reporting for your rankings. Plus, with the built-in alerting systems, you are always on top of things without constantly monitoring them. SEO reporting Another part of your SEO work that can be automated is reporting. Building custom reports is grueling work that can take hours of precious time. Luckily, tools like Looker Studio can combine data from different sources, such as Google Analytics, Search Console, Semrush, and others, to build custom dashboards that update automatically. With proper SEO automation tools, you can create reusable templates for your reports, so you have something predefined to start from. These can also be generated automatically at scheduled times to save you even more time. How to get started with SEO automation At one point, you will be ready to start automating your SEO workflow. But where do you start? Find the tasks you need to automate Think about your work and find the tasks that take the most time or recur most often. Such tasks are often the best options to automate. For example, if you spend much of your time on reporting, that would be a good option. Choose the right tools Not all tools are created equal, so choose one that does what you want them to do. Here are some options, but there are many others. Yoast SEO: Optimizes on-page SEO and provides content suggestions. Semrush: Offers keyword research, content outlines, and optimization Google Search Console: Tracks performance and identifies site issues. Screaming Frog: Conducts in-depth site audits. Looker Studio: Automates reporting by integrating with Google Analytics and other data sources. Start small Diving head-first into SEO automation might be exciting, but it will probably not end well. Please start small. Pick a couple of time-consuming tasks and see how you can make them more manageable and insightful. Once you see what works and what doesn’t, build from there. Final thoughts on automating your SEO SEO automation is a handy way to save time, improve data accuracy, and scale your work. We’re not looking to replace people but rather support them in their jobs. Tools can do many tasks, from keyword research to audits and data analysis. This leaves you more time for your high-impact work! Start small and experiment with a range of tools. You’ll find what works and what doesn’t, which will help you fine-tune your process. Ultimately, you want SEO automation to help you work smarter, not harder. The post SEO automation: Tools and tips for SEO success appeared first on Yoast. View the full article

A marketing funnel is a model of the customer journey that represents the buying stages people go through. View the full article

We recently covered how you can now drag and drop menu items for your restaurant in your Google Business Profiles. But Google also seemed to add the ability to move menu items between sections of your menu and the ability to batch edit pricing of menu items.View the full article

Ever heard the term “recession?” Chances are, your definition is quite different from what economists actually mean when they use the word. In this article, we’ll take a closer look at what a recession is and explore some of the reasons why this economic decline happens. What Does Recession Mean? A recession is a decline in economic activity spread across the economy, lasting more than a few months. Recessions are characterized by a drop in gross domestic product, higher unemployment, and falling prices in financial markets. In the United States, a recession is typically defined as two consecutive quarters of negative economic growth. What Causes a Recession? There isn’t just one cause of a recession; rather, recessions usually arise from a mix of different factors. Here, we will explore the six primary reasons that can lead to a recession: Decrease in Consumer Spending and Economic Growth Consumer spending is a key driver of a growing economy. When people stop spending money, businesses make less money and are forced to cut back on their own spending. This can lead to layoffs and a decrease in production, which further reduces consumer spending and creates a feedback loop that can cause a recession. Cutbacks in Business Investment Business investments are essential for driving economic activity and growth. When companies begin to scale back their investment efforts, a number of consequences can arise: Delayed Expansion: Businesses might postpone or abandon plans for expansion, such as opening new branches or introducing new product lines. This not only affects the immediate prospects of the company but can also ripple through the economy by affecting related sectors and job markets. Reduced Capital Expenditures: A decline in spending on critical machinery, technology, or infrastructure can adversely affect the industries that provide these goods and services, exacerbating the economic downturn and potentially causing supply chain disruptions. Impact on Employment: With reduced investment projects, there’s often a direct impact on job creation. This can result in layoffs or a hiring freeze, which, in turn, affects consumer spending and confidence, further straining the economy. READ MORE: 19 Recession-Proof Businesses Government Cuts Back on Spending Government spending can also play a role in causing a recession. When the government reduces its spending, it may result in fewer jobs and a decline in production. Decrease in Exports One of the pivotal contributors to a country’s economic well-being is its ability to sell goods and services to other countries. When there’s a significant decline in exports: Trade Balance Impact: The trade balance, which is the difference between a country’s exports and imports, can go into a deficit if the exports decrease sharply. Persistent trade deficits can drain a country’s foreign reserves and lead to unfavorable trade terms. Decreased Production: Reduced demand from international markets can cause factories and producers to cut back on their production. This can lead to a domino effect where related industries, such as logistics and suppliers, also face reduced demand. Job Losses: As production declines, there’s often a subsequent reduction in the workforce. Industries that heavily rely on exports might lay off employees or halt hiring, leading to increased unemployment rates. Reduced Income for Government: Export duties and taxes are a significant source of revenue for many governments. A slump in exports means lesser income for the government, which can affect public spending and investments. Negative Impact on Currency Value: Consistent decrease in exports can lead to a devaluation of the national currency. A weaker currency can make imports more expensive, which can increase the cost of living and reduce purchasing power. Reduced Business Confidence: Prolonged periods of decreased exports can erode business confidence. Investors and businesses might become reluctant to invest in sectors that are export-heavy, fearing continued lack of demand from international markets. Increase in Imports An increase in imports can also cause a recession. When we buy more goods and services from other countries, it can lead to a decrease in production and jobs here at home. Interest Rates Increasing An increase in interest rates can also cause a recession. When the Federal Reserve Bank raises interest rates, it becomes more expensive to borrow money. This can lead to a decrease in investment and consumer spending, which can lead to a decrease in production and jobs. Summary AspectImpact Delayed ExpansionPostponed or cancelled growth plans, affecting company prospects and related sectors. Reduced Capital ExpendituresDecrease in spending on machinery, tech, or infrastructure, impacting related industries and causing supply chain disruptions. Impact on EmploymentLayoffs or hiring freezes due to reduced projects, decreasing consumer spending and overall economic confidence. Economic Indicators of a Recession There are several key economic indicators that can help to show whether or not an economy is experiencing a recession. When an economic analysis is performed, these indicators are often taken into account in order to give a more accurate picture of the current state of the economy. Let’s take a look at four indicators of a recession: A Significant Decline in Economic Activity One of the most obvious indicators of a recession is a significant decline in activity in the economy for consecutive quarters. This can be measured in various ways, but one of the most common is to look at the gross domestic product (GDP). GDP is the total value of all goods and services produced within a country’s borders in a given period of time, and it is often used as a measure of a country’s economic health. Rising Unemployment Rate Another key indicator of a recession is the rise of the unemployment rate. When people lose their jobs, they have less money to spend, which can lead to a decrease in consumer spending and a further decline in activity in the economy. Plummeting Stock Market A plummeting stock market is another key indicator of a recession. When the stock market crashes, it can signal that investors are losing confidence in the economy and are selling off their assets. This can lead to a decline in economic activity as well. Decrease in Housing Prices Finally, a decrease in housing prices is another key indicator of a recession. When housing prices go down, it can signal that the economy is weak and that people are not interested in buying homes. This can lead to more foreclosures and a decrease in the value of homes, which can further hurt the economy. Recessions and Business in Economic Research In business, as in life, we are subject to the ebb and flow of cycles. Recessions are a part of these business cycles. They’re periods of slowdown or contraction during which businesses experience decreased demand for their products or services. As a result, they may cut back on production, lay off workers, or otherwise scale back their operations. How Long Do Recessions Last? This is a question that’s been asked since the world economy collapsed in the wake of World War II. In the years immediately following the war, the world was in the grips of a global recession. It lasted for more than a decade and saw unemployment levels reach unprecedented heights. T hen there was the gulf war recession, which began in 1990 as a result of the Gulf War, and it lasted just over two consecutive quarters. How Do Recessions Work? A recession is when people stop buying stuff, and it’s a part of the business cycle. That’s all. The act of not buying stuff is called “deleveraging.” Deleveraging is when people and businesses reduce their debt levels by paying off their loans and credit lines. This is done by either selling assets or increasing savings. Once people start deleveraging, the economy slows down because there is less money being spent. This leads to layoffs and more businesses going bankrupt. The further the economy falls, the more deleveraging occurs and the deeper the recession becomes. Recession Vs. Depression An economic recession is a period of temporary decline in the economy during which trade and industrial activity are reduced. A depression is a more prolonged and severe period of the economy being in a decline that typically involves a sharp decrease in output, employment, and prices (deflation). They’re alike in that both economic downturns feature declining output and employment. However, depressions tend to be significantly more severe, with more pronounced reductions in both output and employment. Strategies for Businesses During a Recession In times of a recession, businesses must confront economic challenges that challenge their resilience and adaptability. Although a recession can create obstacles, it also provides an opportunity for companies to reevaluate their strategies, optimize their operations, and seek out new paths for growth. Here’s a guide on how businesses can fortify themselves during these challenging times: Cost Management and Efficiency Streamline Operations: Review your business operations for any inefficiencies that can be eliminated. Streamlining processes can lead to significant cost savings. Flexible Work Arrangements: Consider flexible work arrangements such as remote work or reduced hours to lower operational costs while maintaining productivity. Negotiate with Suppliers: Re-negotiate terms with suppliers or explore alternative suppliers to reduce costs. Strong relationships with suppliers can be leveraged for more favorable payment terms or discounts. Diversification and Innovation Explore New Markets: Diversification can be key to surviving a recession. Explore new markets or demographics that may be less affected by the economic downturn. Innovate: View the recession as a chance to innovate. Creating new products or services can generate extra revenue streams and provide you with a competitive advantage. Adapt to Consumer Needs: Stay attuned to changing consumer behaviors and adapt your offerings accordingly. Value-oriented products or services may be more appealing during economic hardships. Strengthening Customer Relationships Enhance Customer Service: Exceptional customer service can set your business apart during tough times. Focus on building strong relationships with your existing customer base. Loyalty Programs: Implement or enhance loyalty programs to encourage repeat business and deepen customer loyalty. Communicate Transparently: Keep your customers informed about how your business is navigating the recession. Transparent communication can foster trust and support. Financial Planning and Access to Capital Maintain a Cash Reserve: Aim to maintain a healthy cash reserve to cushion against reduced cash flow. This can provide financial stability and flexibility during uncertain times. Explore Financing Options: Be aware of financing options available, including government grants, loans, or lines of credit that can provide a financial lifeline if needed. Revisit Budgets and Forecasts: Regularly update your financial forecasts and budgets to reflect current economic conditions. This will help you make informed decisions and plan for the future. Planning Ahead and Taking The Positives Recessions have come and gone since the beginning of our country’s existence, and they’ll continue to do so. Economic research shows they’re a natural part of the business cycle, and while they can be painful, they’re also a necessary part of the economy’s growth. Believe it or not, there are some benefits to a recession, such as: Recessions can be a time of great opportunity – Many people are able to buy homes and invest in businesses at bargain prices. They can force businesses to become leaner and more efficient – This can lead to increased productivity and profitability in the long run. Recessions can lead to innovation – Necessity is the mother of invention, and businesses may be forced to develop new products and services to survive during a recession. While a recession poses undeniable challenges, it also compels businesses to become more agile, efficient, and innovative. By focusing on cost management, diversification, customer relationships, and financial planning, businesses can not only weather the storm but also emerge stronger. The key is to see the recession not merely as a time for survival but as a chance for reflection, adaptation, and growth. READ MORE: What Happens During a Recession? Your Complete Guide How to Prepare for a Recession Image: Depositphotos This article, "What is a Recession?" was first published on Small Business Trends View the full article

Ever heard the term “recession?” Chances are, your definition is quite different from what economists actually mean when they use the word. In this article, we’ll take a closer look at what a recession is and explore some of the reasons why this economic decline happens. What Does Recession Mean? A recession is a decline in economic activity spread across the economy, lasting more than a few months. Recessions are characterized by a drop in gross domestic product, higher unemployment, and falling prices in financial markets. In the United States, a recession is typically defined as two consecutive quarters of negative economic growth. What Causes a Recession? There isn’t just one cause of a recession; rather, recessions usually arise from a mix of different factors. Here, we will explore the six primary reasons that can lead to a recession: Decrease in Consumer Spending and Economic Growth Consumer spending is a key driver of a growing economy. When people stop spending money, businesses make less money and are forced to cut back on their own spending. This can lead to layoffs and a decrease in production, which further reduces consumer spending and creates a feedback loop that can cause a recession. Cutbacks in Business Investment Business investments are essential for driving economic activity and growth. When companies begin to scale back their investment efforts, a number of consequences can arise: Delayed Expansion: Businesses might postpone or abandon plans for expansion, such as opening new branches or introducing new product lines. This not only affects the immediate prospects of the company but can also ripple through the economy by affecting related sectors and job markets. Reduced Capital Expenditures: A decline in spending on critical machinery, technology, or infrastructure can adversely affect the industries that provide these goods and services, exacerbating the economic downturn and potentially causing supply chain disruptions. Impact on Employment: With reduced investment projects, there’s often a direct impact on job creation. This can result in layoffs or a hiring freeze, which, in turn, affects consumer spending and confidence, further straining the economy. READ MORE: 19 Recession-Proof Businesses Government Cuts Back on Spending Government spending can also play a role in causing a recession. When the government reduces its spending, it may result in fewer jobs and a decline in production. Decrease in Exports One of the pivotal contributors to a country’s economic well-being is its ability to sell goods and services to other countries. When there’s a significant decline in exports: Trade Balance Impact: The trade balance, which is the difference between a country’s exports and imports, can go into a deficit if the exports decrease sharply. Persistent trade deficits can drain a country’s foreign reserves and lead to unfavorable trade terms. Decreased Production: Reduced demand from international markets can cause factories and producers to cut back on their production. This can lead to a domino effect where related industries, such as logistics and suppliers, also face reduced demand. Job Losses: As production declines, there’s often a subsequent reduction in the workforce. Industries that heavily rely on exports might lay off employees or halt hiring, leading to increased unemployment rates. Reduced Income for Government: Export duties and taxes are a significant source of revenue for many governments. A slump in exports means lesser income for the government, which can affect public spending and investments. Negative Impact on Currency Value: Consistent decrease in exports can lead to a devaluation of the national currency. A weaker currency can make imports more expensive, which can increase the cost of living and reduce purchasing power. Reduced Business Confidence: Prolonged periods of decreased exports can erode business confidence. Investors and businesses might become reluctant to invest in sectors that are export-heavy, fearing continued lack of demand from international markets. Increase in Imports An increase in imports can also cause a recession. When we buy more goods and services from other countries, it can lead to a decrease in production and jobs here at home. Interest Rates Increasing An increase in interest rates can also cause a recession. When the Federal Reserve Bank raises interest rates, it becomes more expensive to borrow money. This can lead to a decrease in investment and consumer spending, which can lead to a decrease in production and jobs. Summary AspectImpact Delayed ExpansionPostponed or cancelled growth plans, affecting company prospects and related sectors. Reduced Capital ExpendituresDecrease in spending on machinery, tech, or infrastructure, impacting related industries and causing supply chain disruptions. Impact on EmploymentLayoffs or hiring freezes due to reduced projects, decreasing consumer spending and overall economic confidence. Economic Indicators of a Recession There are several key economic indicators that can help to show whether or not an economy is experiencing a recession. When an economic analysis is performed, these indicators are often taken into account in order to give a more accurate picture of the current state of the economy. Let’s take a look at four indicators of a recession: A Significant Decline in Economic Activity One of the most obvious indicators of a recession is a significant decline in activity in the economy for consecutive quarters. This can be measured in various ways, but one of the most common is to look at the gross domestic product (GDP). GDP is the total value of all goods and services produced within a country’s borders in a given period of time, and it is often used as a measure of a country’s economic health. Rising Unemployment Rate Another key indicator of a recession is the rise of the unemployment rate. When people lose their jobs, they have less money to spend, which can lead to a decrease in consumer spending and a further decline in activity in the economy. Plummeting Stock Market A plummeting stock market is another key indicator of a recession. When the stock market crashes, it can signal that investors are losing confidence in the economy and are selling off their assets. This can lead to a decline in economic activity as well. Decrease in Housing Prices Finally, a decrease in housing prices is another key indicator of a recession. When housing prices go down, it can signal that the economy is weak and that people are not interested in buying homes. This can lead to more foreclosures and a decrease in the value of homes, which can further hurt the economy. Recessions and Business in Economic Research In business, as in life, we are subject to the ebb and flow of cycles. Recessions are a part of these business cycles. They’re periods of slowdown or contraction during which businesses experience decreased demand for their products or services. As a result, they may cut back on production, lay off workers, or otherwise scale back their operations. How Long Do Recessions Last? This is a question that’s been asked since the world economy collapsed in the wake of World War II. In the years immediately following the war, the world was in the grips of a global recession. It lasted for more than a decade and saw unemployment levels reach unprecedented heights. T hen there was the gulf war recession, which began in 1990 as a result of the Gulf War, and it lasted just over two consecutive quarters. How Do Recessions Work? A recession is when people stop buying stuff, and it’s a part of the business cycle. That’s all. The act of not buying stuff is called “deleveraging.” Deleveraging is when people and businesses reduce their debt levels by paying off their loans and credit lines. This is done by either selling assets or increasing savings. Once people start deleveraging, the economy slows down because there is less money being spent. This leads to layoffs and more businesses going bankrupt. The further the economy falls, the more deleveraging occurs and the deeper the recession becomes. Recession Vs. Depression An economic recession is a period of temporary decline in the economy during which trade and industrial activity are reduced. A depression is a more prolonged and severe period of the economy being in a decline that typically involves a sharp decrease in output, employment, and prices (deflation). They’re alike in that both economic downturns feature declining output and employment. However, depressions tend to be significantly more severe, with more pronounced reductions in both output and employment. Strategies for Businesses During a Recession In times of a recession, businesses must confront economic challenges that challenge their resilience and adaptability. Although a recession can create obstacles, it also provides an opportunity for companies to reevaluate their strategies, optimize their operations, and seek out new paths for growth. Here’s a guide on how businesses can fortify themselves during these challenging times: Cost Management and Efficiency Streamline Operations: Review your business operations for any inefficiencies that can be eliminated. Streamlining processes can lead to significant cost savings. Flexible Work Arrangements: Consider flexible work arrangements such as remote work or reduced hours to lower operational costs while maintaining productivity. Negotiate with Suppliers: Re-negotiate terms with suppliers or explore alternative suppliers to reduce costs. Strong relationships with suppliers can be leveraged for more favorable payment terms or discounts. Diversification and Innovation Explore New Markets: Diversification can be key to surviving a recession. Explore new markets or demographics that may be less affected by the economic downturn. Innovate: View the recession as a chance to innovate. Creating new products or services can generate extra revenue streams and provide you with a competitive advantage. Adapt to Consumer Needs: Stay attuned to changing consumer behaviors and adapt your offerings accordingly. Value-oriented products or services may be more appealing during economic hardships. Strengthening Customer Relationships Enhance Customer Service: Exceptional customer service can set your business apart during tough times. Focus on building strong relationships with your existing customer base. Loyalty Programs: Implement or enhance loyalty programs to encourage repeat business and deepen customer loyalty. Communicate Transparently: Keep your customers informed about how your business is navigating the recession. Transparent communication can foster trust and support. Financial Planning and Access to Capital Maintain a Cash Reserve: Aim to maintain a healthy cash reserve to cushion against reduced cash flow. This can provide financial stability and flexibility during uncertain times. Explore Financing Options: Be aware of financing options available, including government grants, loans, or lines of credit that can provide a financial lifeline if needed. Revisit Budgets and Forecasts: Regularly update your financial forecasts and budgets to reflect current economic conditions. This will help you make informed decisions and plan for the future. Planning Ahead and Taking The Positives Recessions have come and gone since the beginning of our country’s existence, and they’ll continue to do so. Economic research shows they’re a natural part of the business cycle, and while they can be painful, they’re also a necessary part of the economy’s growth. Believe it or not, there are some benefits to a recession, such as: Recessions can be a time of great opportunity – Many people are able to buy homes and invest in businesses at bargain prices. They can force businesses to become leaner and more efficient – This can lead to increased productivity and profitability in the long run. Recessions can lead to innovation – Necessity is the mother of invention, and businesses may be forced to develop new products and services to survive during a recession. While a recession poses undeniable challenges, it also compels businesses to become more agile, efficient, and innovative. By focusing on cost management, diversification, customer relationships, and financial planning, businesses can not only weather the storm but also emerge stronger. The key is to see the recession not merely as a time for survival but as a chance for reflection, adaptation, and growth. READ MORE: What Happens During a Recession? Your Complete Guide How to Prepare for a Recession Image: Depositphotos This article, "What is a Recession?" was first published on Small Business Trends View the full article

Total addressable market is the revenue a company would make if it sold to 100% of the people in its market. View the full article

In early December, Sundar Pichai, the CEO of Google, said Google is starting to test powering AI Overviews with Gemini 2.0. Well, we may be starting to see some of that in the wild, with much deeper and detailed AI Overviews and citations.View the full article

Microsoft reported its second quarter 2025 earnings and it showed that its search and advertising revenue was up 21%. The previous quarter it was up 18%, then 19% but before than it was 12% and 8% - so things are looking more positive.View the full article

US group has pushed heavily into facilities needed to feed AI boom amid breakneck spending by Big TechView the full article

Nearly three in five people worldwide—a significant 58%—plan to look for a new job in 2025. That’s a lot of people in the hunt and if you’re one of them, it can feel a bit overwhelming. It doesn’t help that many job seekers are also feeling stuck, applying to more positions than ever yet hearing back less often. The shifting job market, influenced by more competition and the growth of AI, has made old strategies less effective. To succeed, job seekers need to rethink their strategy—focusing on roles that align with their skills, crafting tailored applications, and finding ways to stand out. The good news? With a clear, intentional approach, you can navigate these challenges and make meaningful progress in your career. Here’s how to take control of your job search in 2025: Be Adaptable: Go where the opportunities are The job market is changing quickly. Consider this: Nearly three-quarters of today’s fastest-growing roles—think Artificial Intelligence Engineer or Chief Growth Officer—didn’t even exist 25 years ago. It’s a good reminder that building a sustainable career means staying ahead of the curve. Identify which skills are in demand and which industries are growing. Resources like LinkedIn’s Jobs on the Rise report can be helpful in spotting trends. For example, we’re seeing a willingness among job seekers to pivot into new industries. Making such a leap begins with assessing your transferable skills—attributes like communication, leadership, problem-solving, and adaptability—and exploring how they align with roles in unfamiliar sectors. By pairing curiosity with preparation, you can position yourself as a strong candidate in emerging fields. Highlight your expertise Simply claiming expertise isn’t enough—you need to show it. Hiring managers look for specific skills, so align your profile and résumé with the job description. Highlight achievements that show how your skills have produced results. Update your LinkedIn profile as well; listing at least five key skills can help you get up to 5.6 times more profile views from recruiters. Think of this as your opportunity to build a digital portfolio that speaks for you. Whether it’s showcasing a project, sharing industry insights, or highlighting new skills you’ve gained, your profile can become a dynamic representation of your expertise and professional brand. Focus on quality over quantity Applying to as many jobs as possible might seem like a good strategy, but it’s not effective. Instead, focus on quality instead of quantity. To help you be more strategic in the roles you’re applying for, consider using LinkedIn’s new job match feature to see how your skills and experience line up with what hiring managers are looking for. It can also help you identify any skills you may be missing that could improve your chances of hearing back from recruiters. And, take the time to customize your application—writing a cover letter tailored to the role lets you clearly explain how you can meet its needs. It may seem like overkill, but it will help you stand out to employers. Navigating the current job market doesn’t have to be frustrating. Small, focused actions—like improving your profile, expanding your network, or learning a new skill—can move you closer to your next role. In a fast-changing job market, being focused and strategic is the best way to stay ahead. View the full article

Christian Sewing has ‘firm confidence’ lender will hit returns target this year as it reviews weaker unitsView the full article

Starting a new business can come with numerous organizational expenses that can add up quickly. Fortunately, the IRS offers a deduction for startup costs that can help ease the financial burden. In this guide, we’ll explain everything you need to know about startup cost deduction and how to take advantage of it in the future. What is the startup cost deduction? The startup cost deduction is a tax provision that allows entrepreneurs and small business owners to deduct a portion of their startup expenses from their taxable income in the year they begin conducting business. The deduction is intended to help offset the costs involved with starting a business, which can include expenses such as market research, legal fees, incorporation fees, and advertising costs. To qualify for the startup cost deduction, the business must be a new business, the expenses must be incurred before the business begins operations, and the expenses must be necessary and ordinary for the type of business being started. The amount of the startup cost deduction is limited to $5,000 for the first year of business, with any remaining startup costs being amortized over a 15-year period. However, businesses whose startup costs exceed $50,000 in total face a reduced limit on their deduction. The best way to get you going in the right direction is to have a business startup checklist. The list can include anything from getting financing to finding legal help and even knowing tax terms. A thorough checklist can keep you from making rash decisions. Who can benefit from the startup costs deduction? New businesses that have incurred startup costs can benefit from the startup cost deduction. This includes entrepreneurs who have recently started a business, as well as those who are in the process of starting one. The deduction is available to businesses of all types and sizes, including sole proprietorships, partnerships, and corporations. What business startup costs are deductible? When starting a business, it’s essential to understand what costs are deductible. Deductible startup costs and deductible organizational costs are two categories that can help new business owners save on taxes. Understanding which expenses fit into these categories can greatly impact a business’s financial success. Deductible Startup Costs When starting a new business, there are many costs that need to be considered. Fortunately, some of these costs may be tax-deductible, helping new business owners save money on their taxes. These deductible business startup expenses include costs that are necessary when starting or buying an active trade or business, such as: Research and development expenses may include costs incurred related to the creation and testing of prototypes, the development of new technologies, labor supply, or the refinement of existing products or services. Market research expenses may include costs paid related to surveys, focus groups, or other research methods to understand potential customers’ needs and preferences. Advertising and promotion expenses can encompass costs associated with the development and distribution of marketing materials, including brochures, flyers, and advertisements. Employee training costs may include expenses related to onboarding new employees, such as training materials, instructor fees, and travel expenses. Equipment and supplies costs may include expenses related to purchasing or leasing equipment and supplies necessary to operate the business. Professional fees, such as legal and accounting fees, may be incurred to help with business registration, tax preparation, and other legal or financial matters. Rent and utilities during the startup phase such as rent for office or retail space, as well as utilities such as electricity, water, and internet service. Deductible Organizational Costs Deductible organizational costs are expenses that arise during the establishment of a corporation or partnership. These costs encompass: Legal and accounting fees associated with incorporation or partnership formation can encompass costs for preparing legal documents, including articles of incorporation and partnership agreements, along with any consulting fees from accountants or lawyers. State fees for incorporating or registering the business may include expenses such as filing fees or franchise taxes required to register the business with the state. Organizational meeting costs may include expenses related to the initial meetings of the corporation or partnership, such as travel and lodging expenses for shareholders or partners. Fees for obtaining licenses and permits can encompass the costs associated with acquiring the essential permits and licenses needed to operate the business. Costs associated with transferring assets to the new business may also be tax-deductible. These costs may include expenses related to transferring assets such as real estate, inventory, or intellectual property to the new business. What startup business expenses are not deductible? While there are many startup costs that are deductible, not all expenses qualify. Some costs, such as personal expenses or those incurred before the business is operational, cannot be deducted. Here are examples of startup costs that are not deductible: Personal expenses Capital expenses Research and experimentation costs before the business begins operations Expenses for acquiring intangible assets like patents and copyrights Costs related to acquiring an existing business Expenses related to issuing stock or other securities Fines and penalties Expenses for lobbying or political activities Costs related to tax-exempt income or other tax-exempt entities Expenses for creating or administering a pension plan or trust Costs related to issuing tax-exempt securities or financing through tax-exempt bonds When can you take the startup costs deduction? You can claim the startup costs deduction in the year your business starts. This deduction applies to expenses related to the creation or exploration of a new business, including costs for market research and advertising. The maximum amount of startup costs that can be deducted in the first year is $5,000, with any remaining balance being amortized over a period of 15 years. It’s important to keep accurate records and consult with a tax professional to ensure you are taking advantage of all available tax deductions. How do you calculate startup costs for a small business? Calculating startup costs for a small business involves identifying all expenses necessary to get the business up and running. These expenses may encompass a variety of items, ranging from market research and legal fees to equipment and supplies. To calculate the total startup costs, list each expense and its associated cost and add them together. It’s important to be thorough in identifying all necessary expenses, as underestimating startup costs can lead to financial strain later on. A solid understanding of startup costs is critical for creating a viable business plan and securing the necessary funding for a successful launch. How do you claim the startup costs deduction? Claiming the startup costs deduction can help reduce the tax burden for new businesses. To take advantage of this deduction, there are specific steps that must be followed when filing an IRS tax return. Here are the steps to claim the startup costs deduction: Determine if your business is eligible: To claim the startup costs deduction, your business must have started within the current tax year and incurred expenses related to starting up the business. Calculate your startup costs: The startup costs include any expenses incurred in preparing to operate the business, such as legal and accounting fees, market research, and advertising costs. Choose between deduction or amortization: You have the option of either deducting startup costs up to $5,000 in the first year or amortizing the expenses over a period of time, generally 15 years. File the appropriate tax form: Based on your business entity type, you must submit either Form 1120, 1120-S, 1065, or 1040. Filing the correct form is essential for claiming the startup costs deduction. Include the deduction on your tax return: After calculating the amount of the deduction or amortization, make sure to record it on the correct line of your tax return. This step is crucial to maximize the tax benefit from the startup costs deduction. How much can be claimed with the startup costs deduction? The amount that can be claimed with the startup costs deduction is limited to $5,000 in the first year of business. If your total startup costs exceed $50,000, the deduction will be reduced by the excess amount. Any remaining expenses not deducted in the first year can be amortized and claimed over a period of 180 months. Can an LLC deduct startup costs? Yes, an LLC can deduct startup costs on its tax return. However, the deduction is subject to certain limitations and eligibility requirements. The IRS considers startup costs as capital expenses that are necessary to get the business up and running. It’s important to consult with a tax professional to ensure you are accurately reporting all eligible expenses and taking advantage of all available deductions. Can a sole proprietor deduct startup costs? Yes, a sole proprietor can deduct startup costs on their tax return, subject to certain limits and requirements. The startup costs must be ordinary and necessary expenses incurred in the course of starting the business and cannot exceed $5,000 in the first year, with any remaining costs spread out over 15 years. Can an independent contractor deduct startup costs? Yes, independent contractors may be able to deduct startup costs associated with their business, such as equipment purchases and marketing expenses, on their tax returns. Just like for LLCs and sole proprietors, the deduction is limited to $5,000 in the first year of business and any remaining costs can be spread out. Can you deduct startup costs with no income? If a business owner has no income during the year in which they incur startup costs, they may still be able to deduct these costs on their tax return. The deduction may be limited in the first year and carried forward to future years. Can you depreciate startup costs? Some startup costs, such as equipment purchases or property improvements, may be depreciated over time on a business owner’s tax return. As mentioned previously, the ability to depreciate startup costs on a business owner’s tax return may be limited by certain eligibility requirements established by the IRS. Image: Envato Elements This article, "Your Guide to the Startup Costs Deduction" was first published on Small Business Trends View the full article

Starting a new business can come with numerous organizational expenses that can add up quickly. Fortunately, the IRS offers a deduction for startup costs that can help ease the financial burden. In this guide, we’ll explain everything you need to know about startup cost deduction and how to take advantage of it in the future. What is the startup cost deduction? The startup cost deduction is a tax provision that allows entrepreneurs and small business owners to deduct a portion of their startup expenses from their taxable income in the year they begin conducting business. The deduction is intended to help offset the costs involved with starting a business, which can include expenses such as market research, legal fees, incorporation fees, and advertising costs. To qualify for the startup cost deduction, the business must be a new business, the expenses must be incurred before the business begins operations, and the expenses must be necessary and ordinary for the type of business being started. The amount of the startup cost deduction is limited to $5,000 for the first year of business, with any remaining startup costs being amortized over a 15-year period. However, businesses whose startup costs exceed $50,000 in total face a reduced limit on their deduction. The best way to get you going in the right direction is to have a business startup checklist. The list can include anything from getting financing to finding legal help and even knowing tax terms. A thorough checklist can keep you from making rash decisions. Who can benefit from the startup costs deduction? New businesses that have incurred startup costs can benefit from the startup cost deduction. This includes entrepreneurs who have recently started a business, as well as those who are in the process of starting one. The deduction is available to businesses of all types and sizes, including sole proprietorships, partnerships, and corporations. What business startup costs are deductible? When starting a business, it’s essential to understand what costs are deductible. Deductible startup costs and deductible organizational costs are two categories that can help new business owners save on taxes. Understanding which expenses fit into these categories can greatly impact a business’s financial success. Deductible Startup Costs When starting a new business, there are many costs that need to be considered. Fortunately, some of these costs may be tax-deductible, helping new business owners save money on their taxes. These deductible business startup expenses include costs that are necessary when starting or buying an active trade or business, such as: Research and development expenses may include costs incurred related to the creation and testing of prototypes, the development of new technologies, labor supply, or the refinement of existing products or services. Market research expenses may include costs paid related to surveys, focus groups, or other research methods to understand potential customers’ needs and preferences. Advertising and promotion expenses can encompass costs associated with the development and distribution of marketing materials, including brochures, flyers, and advertisements. Employee training costs may include expenses related to onboarding new employees, such as training materials, instructor fees, and travel expenses. Equipment and supplies costs may include expenses related to purchasing or leasing equipment and supplies necessary to operate the business. Professional fees, such as legal and accounting fees, may be incurred to help with business registration, tax preparation, and other legal or financial matters. Rent and utilities during the startup phase such as rent for office or retail space, as well as utilities such as electricity, water, and internet service. Deductible Organizational Costs Deductible organizational costs are expenses that arise during the establishment of a corporation or partnership. These costs encompass: Legal and accounting fees associated with incorporation or partnership formation can encompass costs for preparing legal documents, including articles of incorporation and partnership agreements, along with any consulting fees from accountants or lawyers. State fees for incorporating or registering the business may include expenses such as filing fees or franchise taxes required to register the business with the state. Organizational meeting costs may include expenses related to the initial meetings of the corporation or partnership, such as travel and lodging expenses for shareholders or partners. Fees for obtaining licenses and permits can encompass the costs associated with acquiring the essential permits and licenses needed to operate the business. Costs associated with transferring assets to the new business may also be tax-deductible. These costs may include expenses related to transferring assets such as real estate, inventory, or intellectual property to the new business. What startup business expenses are not deductible? While there are many startup costs that are deductible, not all expenses qualify. Some costs, such as personal expenses or those incurred before the business is operational, cannot be deducted. Here are examples of startup costs that are not deductible: Personal expenses Capital expenses Research and experimentation costs before the business begins operations Expenses for acquiring intangible assets like patents and copyrights Costs related to acquiring an existing business Expenses related to issuing stock or other securities Fines and penalties Expenses for lobbying or political activities Costs related to tax-exempt income or other tax-exempt entities Expenses for creating or administering a pension plan or trust Costs related to issuing tax-exempt securities or financing through tax-exempt bonds When can you take the startup costs deduction? You can claim the startup costs deduction in the year your business starts. This deduction applies to expenses related to the creation or exploration of a new business, including costs for market research and advertising. The maximum amount of startup costs that can be deducted in the first year is $5,000, with any remaining balance being amortized over a period of 15 years. It’s important to keep accurate records and consult with a tax professional to ensure you are taking advantage of all available tax deductions. How do you calculate startup costs for a small business? Calculating startup costs for a small business involves identifying all expenses necessary to get the business up and running. These expenses may encompass a variety of items, ranging from market research and legal fees to equipment and supplies. To calculate the total startup costs, list each expense and its associated cost and add them together. It’s important to be thorough in identifying all necessary expenses, as underestimating startup costs can lead to financial strain later on. A solid understanding of startup costs is critical for creating a viable business plan and securing the necessary funding for a successful launch. How do you claim the startup costs deduction? Claiming the startup costs deduction can help reduce the tax burden for new businesses. To take advantage of this deduction, there are specific steps that must be followed when filing an IRS tax return. Here are the steps to claim the startup costs deduction: Determine if your business is eligible: To claim the startup costs deduction, your business must have started within the current tax year and incurred expenses related to starting up the business. Calculate your startup costs: The startup costs include any expenses incurred in preparing to operate the business, such as legal and accounting fees, market research, and advertising costs. Choose between deduction or amortization: You have the option of either deducting startup costs up to $5,000 in the first year or amortizing the expenses over a period of time, generally 15 years. File the appropriate tax form: Based on your business entity type, you must submit either Form 1120, 1120-S, 1065, or 1040. Filing the correct form is essential for claiming the startup costs deduction. Include the deduction on your tax return: After calculating the amount of the deduction or amortization, make sure to record it on the correct line of your tax return. This step is crucial to maximize the tax benefit from the startup costs deduction. How much can be claimed with the startup costs deduction? The amount that can be claimed with the startup costs deduction is limited to $5,000 in the first year of business. If your total startup costs exceed $50,000, the deduction will be reduced by the excess amount. Any remaining expenses not deducted in the first year can be amortized and claimed over a period of 180 months. Can an LLC deduct startup costs? Yes, an LLC can deduct startup costs on its tax return. However, the deduction is subject to certain limitations and eligibility requirements. The IRS considers startup costs as capital expenses that are necessary to get the business up and running. It’s important to consult with a tax professional to ensure you are accurately reporting all eligible expenses and taking advantage of all available deductions. Can a sole proprietor deduct startup costs? Yes, a sole proprietor can deduct startup costs on their tax return, subject to certain limits and requirements. The startup costs must be ordinary and necessary expenses incurred in the course of starting the business and cannot exceed $5,000 in the first year, with any remaining costs spread out over 15 years. Can an independent contractor deduct startup costs? Yes, independent contractors may be able to deduct startup costs associated with their business, such as equipment purchases and marketing expenses, on their tax returns. Just like for LLCs and sole proprietors, the deduction is limited to $5,000 in the first year of business and any remaining costs can be spread out. Can you deduct startup costs with no income? If a business owner has no income during the year in which they incur startup costs, they may still be able to deduct these costs on their tax return. The deduction may be limited in the first year and carried forward to future years. Can you depreciate startup costs? Some startup costs, such as equipment purchases or property improvements, may be depreciated over time on a business owner’s tax return. As mentioned previously, the ability to depreciate startup costs on a business owner’s tax return may be limited by certain eligibility requirements established by the IRS. Image: Envato Elements This article, "Your Guide to the Startup Costs Deduction" was first published on Small Business Trends View the full article

I still believe that links should be a part of your SEO strategy, but they shouldn’t be your whole strategy. A while back, I answered the question, “Do links still matter for rankings?” by disavowing all links to a few blogs.…Read more ›View the full article

Is what’s good for America’s richest men also good for America?View the full article

It was the year 2000. We survived Y2K and sat at our computers obsessed with a strange new game called The Sims. It was the first game I ever played where the protagonist could be late to work, forget to take out the garbage, or be so preoccupied by the doldrums of life that they might pee themselves. I, alongside millions, was hooked and could not articulate why. Born from the mind of Will Wright—the same designer who bucked the industry’s penchant for arcade games for world simulators like SimCity—The Sims is almost as hard to define now as it was then. Is it a virtual dollhouse? A simulacrum of suburban life? A neighborhood of tamagotchis with jobs? An HGTV home improvement show crossed with Real Housewives? [Image: EA] By design, whatever you call The Sims may reflect on you more than it. From its earliest days, The Sims universe has attempted to be anything but prescriptive—right down to its progressive view on relationships without labels or gender expectations. Twenty-five years later, the franchise, now owned by EA, has amassed half a billion players. The Sims 4 came out over a decade ago at this point, but after it became free-to-play in 2022, its popularity ballooned to reach 85 million players, and it’s released 17 expansions that allow people to do everything from arguing over family inheritance to convening a court of vampires. For the 25th anniversary, I sat down with two creatives that have been with the franchise since the original game to discuss their core design approach of The Sims, what’s kept players obsessed, and why fewer of these little characters are peeing themselves these days. [Image: EA] A funhouse mirror of the world The Sims may have a quiet premise—create a character and their home, choose a profession, and socialize with neighbors—but nothing about the presentation from there is literal. Through every bit of its art, design, and animation, the world balances the mundane with the zany. That not only brings an element of fun to The Sims; it expands what’s plausible at any moment. “We definitely talk more about being relatable than realistic, which means that we do lean more dramatic in our acting and our animation,” says Lyndsay Pearson, VP of franchise creative for The Sims. “That’s partially because of the way you play the game: You’re far away [from characters], you need to be able to read it. But also because that supports the world and the stories we’re trying to enable.” Each gesture of these little characters is exaggerated, as if they’re actors on a stage being read from the audience, even though you’re just sitting at your computer. That ensures that the mundane feels interesting. [Image: EA] “When you’re cooking, or going to sleep, or making up the bed, or doing these life actions, a lot of your players actually want to experience them in this extremely whimsical and playful fashion. Nobody wants to see that in a replica of actual real life the exact same way,” says Nawwaf Barakat, senior animation director for The Sims. “So it needs to be telling its own story every single time. It needs to look interesting the 1,000th time you’ve actually seen it.” The tone of those moments isn’t merely legible or entertaining; they also highlight the farce, expanding what’s possible in the world. “We’ve described it as a fun house mirror to the world, where it looks familiar enough that you can relate to it and feel like, ‘Oh, if I if I take out the trash, I understand the chain of events and the rules of this universe,’ but it’s all skewed so that when a giant monster pops out of the trash, I’m not surprised. [The design] explains that these things can coexist.” [Image: EA] Implying so the player can infer While players enjoy rich, multigenerational stories in The Sims—complete with love, backstabbing, and sudden plot twists—in fact, the design team admits that most of this narrative takes place in your head. “The Sims is really a game of interpretation,” says Barakat. “It’s amazing how much our players will actually fill the stories in themselves.” A key idea behind fiction, born from The University of Iowa’s Writers’ Workshop, is that the writer should imply so the reader can infer. The Sims is designed to do this across a character’s relationships. The Sims speak in Simlish (gibberish that sounds almost like English). You can broach a topic, like “brag about promotion,” but responses from characters are always in either Simlish or word clouds filled with simplistic, emoji-like images. [Image: EA] Many players try to tell multi-generational stories in the game, and recently, The Sims released an expansion all about death and family legacy. The challenge was about creating an opportunity for these stories without determining the plot ahead of time. “We added enough conversation dialog choices or enough icons in the thought balloons to get them to think about the character or think about a gravestone, that you could make that story kind of happen,” says Pearson. “So, we have to carve out those spaces, particularly to leave room for that interpretation to say, ‘Oh, this could be them all mourning at a wake,’ but it could also be, ‘They’re all fighting at a wake.’” [Image: EA] These techniques almost sound silly to deconstruct, but they’re also at the core of how iconography and symbology works across culture. There are points where interpretations are shared, and points where they diverge. Everything in between is the fun of criticism IRL—and where the opportunity for differing interpretations around narrative exist in The Sims. “You see comments online sometimes about how deep our game is, how we thought of everything,” says Barakat. “And we’re like, ‘Wow, we didn’t really think about that!’ It was our players building that story based off of all the elements we provided.” [Image: EA] By avoiding labels, not only is The Sims less prescriptive, it is also more inclusive. (You won’t find Republicans and Democrats in The Sims, for instance.) Since the earliest days of the game, relationships spanned gender boundaries without specific labels around status. Today, The Sims 4 does allow players to very deeply specify a character’s gender and sexual identity (and even if they lactate), but still, the way this background plays out in actual game logic can be fluid and, again, unlabeled. Sims may fight, but they don’t judge. [Image: EA] “Is polyamory just the absence of jealousy? Because functionally, that’s kind of what it is. If you decide what gets jealous of what, the player then can infer a lot of different types of relationships of that,” says Pearson. “And we don’t have to label all of them. We don’t have to provide specific definitions and restrictions. We sort of just have to open up space, which is a really interesting design challenge . . . we say, ‘What’s the lowest common denominator that would unlock a lot of these things?’” [Image: EA] Building forgivable failure (like, why Sims still pee themselves) You cannot win The Sims 4. But you cannot lose either. The way that the franchise has handled the topic of failure has evolved over time, climbing Maslov’s hierarchy of needs to be less about survival than everything else in life. “When you go back and play The Sims 1, it is very hard to keep your Sims alive. They caught fire all the time. It was a very dangerous world in The Sims 1, the plate spinning was really hard,” says Pearson. “So, when we moved into The Sims 2, we wanted to introduce a different level of pushback, a little bit higher up the sort of chain of needs.” Sims began failing at the meta layers of life, like being too lonely. [Image: EA] But by The Sims 3 and 4, everything got a little bit easier about life. “Your Sims don’t fail so much as they just aren’t thriving, and that you can do so much more when you’re working with them, nurturing them, and pushing them along the way,” says Pearson. Screenshot Micromanaging has been tuned down in interest of choose-your-own-adventure story charting. If you aren’t spending every moment feeding yourself so you don’t starve, or showering so you don’t stink, you can spend more time, say, turning an entire town into vampires. But notably, you still need to tend to your Sim. You even need to make sure that they use the bathroom now and again, or else, yes, after 25 years, they will still pee themselves. This micromanagement isn’t just gamification to keep the player active, but core to the emotional draw of The Sims. “There’s a certain amount of pushback that the game still needs for you to believe that these are little people that need you, and that could be a mode of failure, like having an accident or starving. We try to make those entertaining as well: things like being hit by a meteor because you were stargazing for too long,” says Pearson. “Because at the end of the day, that is a reminder that there is a little bit of humanity in them that you need to pay attention to, and that you can’t just treat them like some ants and it’s fine if they die. You want to care about them.“ And perhaps that’s the real appeal of The Sims after two and a half decades. In a world where we constantly dehumanize one another, reflexively hating people as avatars on social media, The Sims offers another way—where even a few polygons and lines of code can be worthy of our care. View the full article

Reid Hoffman returns to Rapid Response to explore today’s AI landscape, and the future promised by a concept he calls “superagency.” Hoffman shares his vision for what an AI-infused workday will soon look like, how we should address society’s greatest fears about technology, and more. As we enter a daunting new era—politically, socially, and technologically—Hoffman urges listeners to choose curiosity over fear. This is an abridged transcript of an interview from Rapid Response, hosted by Robert Safian, former editor-in-chief of Fast Company. From the team behind the Masters of Scale podcast, Rapid Response features candid conversations with today’s top business leaders navigating real-time challenges. Subscribe to Rapid Response wherever you get your podcasts to ensure you never miss an episode. So you have a new book out today called Superagency with coauthor Greg Beato. Some people have called the book a surprisingly positive take on AI and on humanity. I think the surprise is less about you being optimistic than about the topic, that there’s so much skepticism right now about the future of both AI and humanity. Can you start first by defining the word agency, and then what superagency is beyond that? So agency is our ability to express ourselves in the world, to make choices, to configure our environment, to say, “This is . . . what I want to have happen to me, to my environment around me.” Obviously nobody has infinite agency, but we all have some agency, and we aspire to that as part of what we do. AI, like other kinds of general-purpose technologies that have come before, gives us superpowers. Superpowers are like a car gives you superpower for mobility, the phone gives you superpowers for connectivity and information. AI gives you superpowers for the entire world of information, navigation, decision-making, etc. And what superagency is, is not just when you as an individual get the superpower, but when you and many of the people around you, when millions of people throughout society also get that superpower. Just as a car doesn’t just transform your mobility, your ability to go somewhere, when other people’s mobility is similarly transformed, like a doctor can come for a house call, a friend can come to visit. So the society that you experience with this kind of superagency is when many people get the same superpowers, and we’re all benefiting from our own and from others’. I mean, the fears around AI, I guess, are that AI will eventually limit human control. And when you’re talking about superagency, you’re sort of positing the opposite, that we’re going to have more control. Well, it’s actually different, but more in some important ways. These technological transformations of agency are never only additive. They’re mostly additive. Like the car is broadly additive. But of course, if your agency was previously that you were a driver of a horse carriage, that agency changes. Like when you have a phone, you can reach out to other people, but other people can also reach out to you. So you’re available. Agency kind of transforms in these cases. You can already see it if you start playing with these agents. You can now do things and accomplish things that you couldn’t accomplish before, which unlocks your ability to learn things, your ability to communicate things, your ability to do things faster and in more interesting ways. That’s part of the reason why it’s really important that we actually play with these technologies. We engage with them. We do serious things with them. We do what I call in the book “iterative deployment,” and that’s what’s so important for us all engaging on this path heading towards superagency. You’ve been preaching about the potential of AI for some time. You wrote a book with ChatGPT to demonstrate the potential. You’ve made digital twins of yourself to try demystifying it. Not everyone is convinced. What do you feel like you have to fight most in getting people over this, and what prompted you to do the book now as a way to try to make that change? My biggest hope and persuasion is that people who are AI fearful or skeptical may begin to add some AI curiosity and kind of say, “Hey, look, I should try to play with this.” Part of what superagency is about is to say, look, it doesn’t just matter for yourself, but it’s other people getting exposure to this that will also be good for your life. For example, if you think about the fact that I have a smartphone, I have a medical assistant that is as good or better than the average doctor. Would you rather have a radiologist read your X-ray scan, or would you rather have a radiologist with an AI? And the answer is with an AI every day of the week, eight days a week, because that then gives me a much better health outcome. So it’s not just me and my superpowers, but other people gaining superpowers also helps me. Even if I’m not engaging quite the way you would like me to most, I’m still going to get some of the benefits of this. It’s going to be part of cultural changes. Ultimately how people get to adopting and adapting their lifestyle to these new technologies is because they begin to see, “Oh, actually, in fact, this is a new, very good thing.” As opposed to when cars were first introduced, they were considered so dangerous that they had to have a person walking in front of them, waving an orange flag. Now, we got rid of that regulation very quickly. And it’s like, okay, well, they’re dangerous, but can we contain and shape the danger in ways that are small relative to this massive benefit of superagency and mobility? AI acting on its own seems to be what scares people the most about it. But I’ve thought that the likelihood that I’m going to lose my job to an AI alone may happen at some point, but I’m more likely now to lose my job to someone who uses AI better than I do, right? Although if I’m losing my job, maybe it doesn’t matter that much either way, which one I’m losing it to. Part of the thing that I love about thinking about technology is whenever you think there’s a problem, including a problem created by technology, you think, Can technology be a solution? So, yes, I do think that a lot of jobs will then start requiring the use of AI and AI agents as part of being professional. It’s a little bit like if you said, “Hey, I’m a professional today, and I don’t use a computer,” or “I don’t use a smartphone.” It’s like, no, not really good. So there are technological requirements, which increase with new tool sets for doing jobs, and AI is definitely going to be one of those. That being said, part of the solution, you go, “Oh, my God, am I going to be out of a job?” Well, actually . . . this gets back to the book being for technologists and thinking about human agency: How do we help people have their agency to learn the new skills and say, “Hey, yes, my job is going to be taken over by a human using an AI.” Well, how about that human being me? Or, okay, so this particular one doesn’t work, but how can the AI help me find a different job? In many ways, I think we will naturally get there, but I think, you know, just because we’ll naturally get there doesn’t mean we can’t get there better by being intentional in having design. It’s one of the reasons I identify myself as a bloomer in the book versus a zoomer, because I don’t think that everything will just be great with technology. I think we have to steer it intentionally, because when human beings encounter new general-purpose technologies as early as the printing press, all the rest of them, we mess up in various ways. We handle the transition of new technologies badly. And part of the reason why I’m doing this book, this podcast, things like this, is to try to say, “Let’s do this transition much better.” It doesn’t mean we won’t have suffering in the transition. But if you embrace it with some agency, we can possibly make that both less painful and have more opportunities. We are entering into the cognitive industrial revolution, and all you have to do is look at any simple books about the industrial revolution to recognize transitions can be painful. Let’s do this one better. View the full article