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This article is posted with permission from our partner MacPaw. MacPaw makes Mac + iOS apps that have been installed on over 30 million devices worldwide. Freelancers Union members receive 30 days of free unlimited access to CleanMyMacX and Setapp: https://freelancersunion.org/resources/perks/macpaw/ You've probably heard whispers about Venmo scams. Despite being a convenient and generally secure way to send and receive money, it’s a favorite playground for scammers who devise clever ways to trick people out of their cash. At Moonlock, MacPaw’s cybersecurity division, we’ve dug into the world of Venmo scams to help you stay one step ahead of scammers. Below, you’ll find the most common schemes, how they work, and ways to protect yourself. Venmo scams and how they workVenmo scams come in all shapes and sizes, but the goal is always the same: trick you into parting with your money. Scammers use phishing emails, fake texts, spoofed calls, or even paper checks to create believable ruses. Here’s a rundown of the most common scams and how they catch people off guard. Venmo upgrade account scamIn this scam, you get an email claiming your Venmo activity becomes limited until you pay a one-time fee to “upgrade.” It might look and sound official, but it’s pure fiction. The scammer will happily take your $250, or however much they think they can squeeze out of you, and disappear. Venmo x Facebook Marketplace scamFacebook Marketplace is a treasure trove for secondhand finds, but scammers are lurking there, too. They’ll post fake listings and insist you pay upfront via Venmo. Once the money’s sent, the item you’re expecting will never arrive, and neither will the refund. Venmo support scamIf someone claiming to be from Venmo calls or texts you, proceed with caution. Scammers spoof phone numbers to make them look legit and then ask for your login credentials or account details. Once they have that information, they’ll drain your account in no time. Accidental transfer fraudA scammer uses a stolen credit card to send you money, then claims it was an accident, and asks you to refund it. You oblige, thinking it’s harmless, but when the stolen card is flagged, the original payment gets reversed. At the end, you end up without the money you “refunded.” Phishing scamsThese scams arrive as urgent emails claiming your Venmo account has an issue that needs immediate fixing. The email includes a link to a fake website designed to steal your credentials or infect your device with malware. Fake prizesYou’ve won something amazing! All you have to do is pay a small fee via Venmo for shipping. Spoiler alert: there’s no prize, and your shipping fee goes straight into the pocket of scammers. Overpayment scamYou won’t believe it, but scammers can even send you a paper check for this one. They pay you in exchange for a purchase or a service, but the amount is more than you requested. Then scammers demand that you refund the difference via Venmo. Once you do, the original payment is reversed and scammers keep your refund for good. Does Venmo have built-in protection?Unfortunately, Venmo doesn’t offer much recourse if you’ve been scammed. Once the money is sent, it’s out of your hands unless the recipient willingly refunds it. You can report scams through Venmo’s Help Center, but the chances of getting your money back are slim. To be on the safe side, it’s better to enable security features like Face ID and PIN codes to lock strangers out of the app. You can also turn on two-factor authentication on your account to ensure that no one uses your account other than you. Another option is to turn on private mode, so only your friends and connections will see your account. This way, scammers will have less personal information about you to use in social engineering tactics. Signs of Venmo fraudScammers are crafty, but they often follow predictable patterns. Here’s how to spot the red flags. A stranger contacts youIf someone you don’t know emails, calls, or messages you claiming to be from Venmo, be cautious. Venmo rarely initiates contact and never asks for personal information. A sense of urgencyScammers thrive on panic. Their messages are designed to make you act fast and without thinking by emphasizing urgency or danger. Spelling and grammar mistakes Professional companies rarely send messages with typos or awkward phrasing. Sloppy writing is often a giveaway of a scam. Requests for personal information or moneyEvery scam has a purpose, and it usually comes down to one of two things: stealing your personal information or taking your money. If someone asks for anything along these lines, consider it a glaring red flag. Final thoughtsScams can be unsettling, but a little caution goes a long way. Keep an eye out for suspicious messages, links, and calls, and always double-check before sending money or sharing personal information. The best way to protect yourself is to stay vigilant and take proactive measures: Turn on two-factor authentication for an extra layer of security. Features like Face ID, Touch ID, or PIN codes can also help keep your account locked down.Never send money to strangers. If someone you don’t know requests money, think twice before sending it. Scammers rely on impulsive decisions.Maximize your privacy and security settings to limit who can see your activity and account information.View the full article

This article is posted with permission from our partner MacPaw. MacPaw makes Mac + iOS apps that have been installed on over 30 million devices worldwide. Freelancers Union members receive 30 days of free unlimited access to CleanMyMacX and Setapp: https://freelancersunion.org/resources/perks/macpaw/ You've probably heard whispers about Venmo scams. Despite being a convenient and generally secure way to send and receive money, it’s a favorite playground for scammers who devise clever ways to trick people out of their cash. At Moonlock, MacPaw’s cybersecurity division, we’ve dug into the world of Venmo scams to help you stay one step ahead of scammers. Below, you’ll find the most common schemes, how they work, and ways to protect yourself. Venmo scams and how they workVenmo scams come in all shapes and sizes, but the goal is always the same: trick you into parting with your money. Scammers use phishing emails, fake texts, spoofed calls, or even paper checks to create believable ruses. Here’s a rundown of the most common scams and how they catch people off guard. Venmo upgrade account scamIn this scam, you get an email claiming your Venmo activity becomes limited until you pay a one-time fee to “upgrade.” It might look and sound official, but it’s pure fiction. The scammer will happily take your $250, or however much they think they can squeeze out of you, and disappear. Venmo x Facebook Marketplace scamFacebook Marketplace is a treasure trove for secondhand finds, but scammers are lurking there, too. They’ll post fake listings and insist you pay upfront via Venmo. Once the money’s sent, the item you’re expecting will never arrive, and neither will the refund. Venmo support scamIf someone claiming to be from Venmo calls or texts you, proceed with caution. Scammers spoof phone numbers to make them look legit and then ask for your login credentials or account details. Once they have that information, they’ll drain your account in no time. Accidental transfer fraudA scammer uses a stolen credit card to send you money, then claims it was an accident, and asks you to refund it. You oblige, thinking it’s harmless, but when the stolen card is flagged, the original payment gets reversed. At the end, you end up without the money you “refunded.” Phishing scamsThese scams arrive as urgent emails claiming your Venmo account has an issue that needs immediate fixing. The email includes a link to a fake website designed to steal your credentials or infect your device with malware. Fake prizesYou’ve won something amazing! All you have to do is pay a small fee via Venmo for shipping. Spoiler alert: there’s no prize, and your shipping fee goes straight into the pocket of scammers. Overpayment scamYou won’t believe it, but scammers can even send you a paper check for this one. They pay you in exchange for a purchase or a service, but the amount is more than you requested. Then scammers demand that you refund the difference via Venmo. Once you do, the original payment is reversed and scammers keep your refund for good. Does Venmo have built-in protection?Unfortunately, Venmo doesn’t offer much recourse if you’ve been scammed. Once the money is sent, it’s out of your hands unless the recipient willingly refunds it. You can report scams through Venmo’s Help Center, but the chances of getting your money back are slim. To be on the safe side, it’s better to enable security features like Face ID and PIN codes to lock strangers out of the app. You can also turn on two-factor authentication on your account to ensure that no one uses your account other than you. Another option is to turn on private mode, so only your friends and connections will see your account. This way, scammers will have less personal information about you to use in social engineering tactics. Signs of Venmo fraudScammers are crafty, but they often follow predictable patterns. Here’s how to spot the red flags. A stranger contacts youIf someone you don’t know emails, calls, or messages you claiming to be from Venmo, be cautious. Venmo rarely initiates contact and never asks for personal information. A sense of urgencyScammers thrive on panic. Their messages are designed to make you act fast and without thinking by emphasizing urgency or danger. Spelling and grammar mistakes Professional companies rarely send messages with typos or awkward phrasing. Sloppy writing is often a giveaway of a scam. Requests for personal information or moneyEvery scam has a purpose, and it usually comes down to one of two things: stealing your personal information or taking your money. If someone asks for anything along these lines, consider it a glaring red flag. Final thoughtsScams can be unsettling, but a little caution goes a long way. Keep an eye out for suspicious messages, links, and calls, and always double-check before sending money or sharing personal information. The best way to protect yourself is to stay vigilant and take proactive measures: Turn on two-factor authentication for an extra layer of security. Features like Face ID, Touch ID, or PIN codes can also help keep your account locked down.Never send money to strangers. If someone you don’t know requests money, think twice before sending it. Scammers rely on impulsive decisions.Maximize your privacy and security settings to limit who can see your activity and account information.View the full article

This article is posted with permission from our partner MacPaw. MacPaw makes Mac + iOS apps that have been installed on over 30 million devices worldwide. Freelancers Union members receive 30 days of free unlimited access to CleanMyMacX and Setapp: https://freelancersunion.org/resources/perks/macpaw/ Freelancing often occurs in the digital realm, where safeguarding personal information is essential. National Data Privacy Week, celebrated from January 27 – 31, serves as a timely reminder to take control of our data. Online activities leave a significant digital footprint, so understanding how to manage and secure this data is more important than ever. MacPaw is dedicated to empowering individuals with the tools and knowledge to take control of personal and professional data. What Data Privacy Week is about?Data Privacy Week, initiated in 2022 by the National Cybersecurity Alliance, is an annual campaign highlighting the importance of data protection and privacy in our increasingly digital world. The week reminds us how much personal information is collected by websites, apps, and services, often driven by advertising goals. This data usually goes beyond browsing habits; it might include highly sensitive details like Social Security numbers, health records, or addresses. In charge of the dataThe easiest way is to stop using technology – but let's take a trickier solution where we don't have to give up on the internet. Even though it's almost impossible to control all the bits of data collected, we can choose what to disclose. It's not rocket science; repeatable, simple steps can make a difference in protecting our personal information. We must understand the trade-offs between convenience and privacy, make informed decisions on what data to share, and use the right tools. Data Privacy in PracticeHere are some tips to safeguard your data privacy: Accept or decline?Before accepting all the data processing a website or app asks for, make a quick check. Be mindful when granting permissions and understand why certain data might be necessary. After this practice, you might want to alternate some apps that require a lot of unnecessary information. Settings update tooRemember to check the privacy settings of your apps and devices. Make sure that apps only access essential data. If they ask for too much, you have all the power to align permissions. Browse safeVPN is an effective way to enhance online privacy, and ClearVPN is an excellent choice. It ensures your connection is secure and private with top-tier encryption and concealed IP and upholds a strict no-logs policy. It allows your online activity and personal information to be safe. Getting rid of unused appsCheck your app list. If you haven’t used an app in a while, it is likely time to delete it. CleanMyMac will be handy for this case. Regularly reviewing the apps both prevents unnecessary apps from collecting data and allows you to free up memory on your device. Protecting Your Digital WorldData Privacy Week is an ideal time to reflect on how we manage our digital footprint and take steps toward stronger data protection. By adopting mindful online practices and utilizing trustworthy tools, we can make meaningful progress safeguarding our personal information. Your data is valuable—take charge and protect it. View the full article

This article is posted with permission from our partner MacPaw. MacPaw makes Mac + iOS apps that have been installed on over 30 million devices worldwide. Freelancers Union members receive 30 days of free unlimited access to CleanMyMacX and Setapp: https://freelancersunion.org/resources/perks/macpaw/ Freelancing often occurs in the digital realm, where safeguarding personal information is essential. National Data Privacy Week, celebrated from January 27 – 31, serves as a timely reminder to take control of our data. Online activities leave a significant digital footprint, so understanding how to manage and secure this data is more important than ever. MacPaw is dedicated to empowering individuals with the tools and knowledge to take control of personal and professional data. What Data Privacy Week is about?Data Privacy Week, initiated in 2022 by the National Cybersecurity Alliance, is an annual campaign highlighting the importance of data protection and privacy in our increasingly digital world. The week reminds us how much personal information is collected by websites, apps, and services, often driven by advertising goals. This data usually goes beyond browsing habits; it might include highly sensitive details like Social Security numbers, health records, or addresses. In charge of the dataThe easiest way is to stop using technology – but let's take a trickier solution where we don't have to give up on the internet. Even though it's almost impossible to control all the bits of data collected, we can choose what to disclose. It's not rocket science; repeatable, simple steps can make a difference in protecting our personal information. We must understand the trade-offs between convenience and privacy, make informed decisions on what data to share, and use the right tools. Data Privacy in PracticeHere are some tips to safeguard your data privacy: Accept or decline?Before accepting all the data processing a website or app asks for, make a quick check. Be mindful when granting permissions and understand why certain data might be necessary. After this practice, you might want to alternate some apps that require a lot of unnecessary information. Settings update tooRemember to check the privacy settings of your apps and devices. Make sure that apps only access essential data. If they ask for too much, you have all the power to align permissions. Browse safeVPN is an effective way to enhance online privacy, and ClearVPN is an excellent choice. It ensures your connection is secure and private with top-tier encryption and concealed IP and upholds a strict no-logs policy. It allows your online activity and personal information to be safe. Getting rid of unused appsCheck your app list. If you haven’t used an app in a while, it is likely time to delete it. CleanMyMac will be handy for this case. Regularly reviewing the apps both prevents unnecessary apps from collecting data and allows you to free up memory on your device. Protecting Your Digital WorldData Privacy Week is an ideal time to reflect on how we manage our digital footprint and take steps toward stronger data protection. By adopting mindful online practices and utilizing trustworthy tools, we can make meaningful progress safeguarding our personal information. Your data is valuable—take charge and protect it. View the full article

At Ahrefs, we have a team of extremely skilled (and very human) designers, but not everyone has that luxury. I wanted to know: are AI image generators useful for spinning up quick social media posts, creating blog post graphics, or…Read more ›View the full article

Uncertainty is an understatement when it comes to TikTok's future in the United States. After users in the U.S. were unable to log in to TikTok the day the TikTok ban took effect, TikTok restored its service the following day. After which, the White House issued an executive order on January 20th, 2025, granting a 75-day extension to delay enforcement of the TikTok ban and pursue a deal involving a U.S. ownership stake in ByteDance, TikTok's parent company. The 75-day extension will give ByteDance until April 4th, 2025 – when the extension is set to expire – to divest ownership of the company. The legal situation between TikTok and the U.S. is still unfolding. As it stands, TikTok is available in the U.S., and Buffer users with TikTok connected to their accounts should be able to post as usual. If that is not the case, please reach out to our team. Several legal factors are in play, so we expect this situation to evolve over the coming weeks. We will continue to update this blog post and inform Buffer users of any changes that may impact their Buffer accounts. The TikTok ban and your social media strategyIf you work in social media, it’s nothing new to adapt and change your strategy based on the ever-changing algorithms and the rise and fall of social networks. (Who else was on Vine? 🙋🏻‍♀️) But, of course, we wish you didn’t have to. TikTok has become one of the most widely used social media platforms, with over 170 million users in the U.S. alone, and is credited with impacting trends and cultural shifts. Though the TikTok ban is expected to be temporary, it's a great time to consider expanding and diversifying your social media strategy. The good news is that you've already done most of the work if you've been consistently creating video content for TikTok — our data shows that video is far and away the best type of content on all social media platforms for reach and engagement. Instagram Reels and YouTube Shorts are the most similar to TikTok, and Facebook Reels is also a promising channel to explore. LinkedIn, too, is expanding its video features, so you may want to look there as well if it makes sense for your target audience. TikTok being unavailable in the U.S is also an unfriendly reminder of the importance of growing an audience on the platforms and services you have more control over. It’s a good time to keep your website up to date, get set up with a link-in-bio tool, and ensure you’re leveraging your newsletter to its fullest potential. This situation is still in flux, and we don't know what the outcome will be. For now, the best thing to do is stay informed. We’ll keep this blog post updated as we learn more. View the full article

The start of the year is always a good moment to start or update your SEO roadmap. This is a structured collection of tasks you plan to do to enhance your site’s performance. If you already have one, great! If not, read this article to find out what you can do and why you need an SEO strategy. Table of contents What is an SEO roadmap? Why do you need an SEO roadmap for that? How to create an SEO roadmap Define your goals and priorities Audit your website Estimate time and resources Review and adjust A roadmap is the groundwork for SEO success What is an SEO roadmap? An SEO roadmap is a strategic outline for enhancing a website’s visibility in search engines. It consists of all the SEO tasks you wish to perform in a given period of time. These tasks encompass keyword research, content strategy, and technical SEO. We need a plan showing how people find our product or business. Once we know that, we’ll need to write content strategically targeting these people. At the same time, we’ll find a way to improve our website’s technical aspects to ensure it performs flawlessly. The goal is to connect your SEO plan to the broader business goals. This will help you focus on the right things for the desired results. Of course, this isn’t just about performing better and properly managing your resources. It helps allocate time and budget effectively to areas with the most impact. Setting up and managing an SEO strategy has many benefits. It provides a solid framework for tracking performance and fine-tuning it where necessary, helping you target the right people and stay ahead of the competition. Why do you need an SEO roadmap for that? While it’s easy to jump right into the SEO work you need to do, it’s better to have a roadmap. An SEO roadmap helps your decision-making process. It helps you prioritize the activities that drive the most value. And it gives you a sense of direction. Setting up such an SEO roadmap will help you increase your website’s visibility in search. It will also help you target the right audiences and reduce costs by focusing on high-impact areas. Your new strategy should support the overarching business goals. Often, that’s increasing sales. By increasing organic traffic, you can boost sales and revenue. It could also support brand awareness. Enhancing your brand’s presence in search engines makes it more recognizable. Plus, you’ll want to engage customers. Building a solid, holistic SEO strategy also keeps you agile. You’re much more on top of things and able to respond to changes in search history trends or market conditions. This is another thing that gives you a leg up over a slightly less well-prepared competitor. How to create an SEO roadmap Before creating an SEO plan, you need to collect some insights. Clearly define what you want to achieve, and audit your site to get a feel for the issues you must fix. Then, the budget and availability of resources must be figured out to get the updates done. When you have everything, you can build out your SEO roadmap. Define your goals and priorities Creating a successful SEO roadmap begins with setting clear goals and establishing priorities. This step helps focus all efforts and align them with broader business objectives. Set SMART goals The most important thing is to work in a structured manner. You need a framework to verify if the work you’re planning is feasible and measurable. Here’s how to effectively define your goals and priorities using SMART criteria. Set SMART goals: Goals should be Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Relevant, and Time-bound. This framework ensures clarity and direction. Specific: Clearly describe what you want to achieve. For instance, instead of saying “increase traffic,” specify “increase organic traffic by 20%.” Measurable: Use metrics to track progress and evaluate success. Example: “Reach 50,000 monthly page views by the end of Q2.” Achievable: Make sure the goals are realistic. Think about your resources and constraints. Consider current performance as a baseline. Relevant: Align goals with business objectives. If brand awareness is your number one goal, focus on increasing visibility in search engine results. Time-bound: Set a deadline to create urgency. Example: “Achieve a top 3 ranking for targeted keywords within six months.” Of course, there are many other options. Consider frameworks like the Eisenhower Matrix to prioritize tasks by urgency and importance. This method helps you prioritize tasks by urgency and importance, sorting them into four categories: do first, schedule, delegate, and don’t do. Use this matrix to categorize SEO tasks, focusing first on urgent and important ones, like fixing critical site errors. Align with business objectives Your SEO goals should fall in line with your overall business strategy. This way, SEO efforts will help your company achieve its goals. For example, if your company wants to grow its market share in a particular area, you should focus on local SEO. This means targeting local keywords and directories. Not all tasks are created equal, so determine which ones will have the biggest impact and put them on your SEO roadmap first. Look for tasks that are easy to do and give you quick results, like fixing high-traffic pages. Also, focus on projects that match your main business goals, even if they take more time and resources. Remember to meet with all the important people to ensure that your SEO goals are what they want and that they fit with the whole company’s goals. Talk to the marketing, sales, and product teams to understand what they want and how SEO can help them achieve it. Audit your website Conducting a thorough website audit is critical in creating an effective SEO roadmap. This process helps identify strengths, weaknesses, and opportunities for improvement. You can add the audit findings as improvement tasks to your roadmap. Do a content audit Most of the time, people find your website through your content. As such, it’s an essential part of your SEO strategy. But your content might have become a tangled mess if you’ve been at it for a while. A content audit can help inform your SEO roadmap and help you untangle that mess. Review your existing content and see if it (still) meets user needs and aligns with your goals. Then, look for content gaps to determine whether your audience is interested in a topic you haven’t discussed on your site yet. If you find these or other opportunities, add them as tasks on your roadmap. Don’t forget to check the on-page SEO of your key pages. You can do a proper content audit by hand, but tools like Semrush and Ahrefs make this process much more manageable. Do a technical SEO audit A technical audit will help uncover performance issues with the site. These issues might prevent search engines or users from properly accessing your site. First, crawl your website using tools like Screaming Frog to see if it can be accessed properly. Uncover crawl errors and find out what’s happening on pages that are not available — accidental or not. Check for broken links or 404 errors and add these to your task list. Evaluate and improve page load times, as speed affects user experience and rankings. Don’t forget Google’s core web vitals. Also, check that your site is responsive and functions well on mobile devices. You should add those tasks to the roadmap if you find technical issues on your site that you want or need to fix. Check the user experience Every year, user experience is getting more important if you want to perform well in search engines. Make sure that your site is easy to navigate. It should have a logical structure that helps users find information quickly. Analyze site bounce rates and time to identify pages needing improvement. Again, if you find improvements to be made, add them to your SEO roadmap as tasks so you can work on them in a structured way. Analyze the backlink profile The web is built around links, and while links have become slightly less important over the years, they’re still an important topic for search engines. In your audit, please look at your backlinks and see if you can acquire high-quality, relevant backlinks. Unless you have a manual action for spam from Google, it probably isn’t worth your time to disavow all the toxic links pointing to your site. Estimate time and resources Before you fill out your SEO roadmap, you need to estimate accurately the time and resources you have available to you. Doing so helps set realistic timelines to achieve your SEO goals. Evaluate team strengths and capabilities When working with a team, assess the skills available to determine who can handle specific SEO tasks. Also, understand the workload your team can handle alongside other responsibilities. Budget planning While you need enough people for your project, you also need a budget. Find the tools and technologies you need for SEO and budget accordingly. Also, decide if you need additional expertise, such as hiring freelancers or an SEO agency. Set realistic timelines It’s important to set realistic goals and timelines for the project. Give each task in your SEO roadmap a deadline. If you’ve looked at your tasks in detail, you know how long it would take. Do consider delays, as things will likely have a different duration than you thought before — even if you thought it through. Don’t forget to plan work for different teams in advance so they know when to come in. Prioritize tasks based on resources Look ahead and see if you can mix quick wins with long-term projects. It’s good to have successful moments during the project, not only at the end. Focus on optimizing existing high-traffic pages first while planning a longer-term content strategy. Make sure that the most critical tasks receive proper attention and resources. Review and adjust Your SEO roadmap is never set and done — there are always things to adjust for whatever reason. It’s important to review and adjust your strategy regularly. This helps you refine your plans and jump on new opportunities. Or, you can finally fix that pesky new thing that keeps popping up. Schedule regular reviews Don’t just wait for reviews to happen — plan them in advance. Conduct in-depth reviews every quarter to evaluate the overall effectiveness of your SEO strategy. In addition, you should hold monthly meetings to discuss ongoing tasks, recent results, and anything that needs priority. Analyze performance data Analyze all data thoroughly before making decisions. Examine all relevant data, including traffic, keyword rankings, and conversion rates, to get a complete picture of performance. From that data, identify your successes and failures. Determine which strategies are working well and which need reevaluation. Get feedback from stakeholders Ask your teammates for their views on what’s working and what’s not. If possible, hold feedback sessions to develop new solutions for issues. When necessary, ask customers or executives for insights on how you can make sure that the SEO plan supports overarching goals. Refine goals and strategy For all your research, refine your goals to reflect the necessary changes. If you performed better than you thought, why not take those goals up a notch? If not, see what you can do to improve. Also, don’t forget to place manhours in areas that need the most help. Implement changes and track impact When you’ve collected all your insights and know what you need to do, you should develop a plan to implement them. For example, you could update your content strategy or invest in different platforms to compete. Of course, you need to monitor the effect of the changes you made to your SEO strategy — and adjust if necessary! A roadmap is the groundwork for SEO success This guide provides the steps needed to develop an effective SEO plan. It helps you find long-term success for your roadmap while aligning it with broader business objectives. Be sure to work diligently on the tasks in your strategy and analyze and adjust if needed. Do you need help keeping up with SEO? Be sure to sign up for one of our SEO webinars! The post How to create an effective SEO roadmap appeared first on Yoast. View the full article

Redirects are important for your site‘s user experience and SEO. Learn how to redirect URLs on WordPress. View the full article

Meta has announced a new mobile video editing app called Edits, which will be available in app stores in February 2025. The announcement comes hot on the heels of ByteDance's CapCut temporary removal from major app stores as part of the TikTok ban, leaving creators scrambling for alternatives. The timing is no coincidence, of course. Meta has a history of making strategic moves to fill market gaps. Remember when they launched Instagram Reels right after TikTok's ban in India? Or how Threads emerged as X (formerly Twitter) was going through changes? Still, the news will be a welcome surprise to Instagram Reels creators — particularly since it looks like it’s going to be a pretty powerful app! Instagram head Adam Mosseri shared some interesting details about the app on Instagram and Threads — along with a video he actually filmed in Edits. I’ll be honest: even though I’m a bit of a CapCut fan, I’m pretty excited about everything Mosseri has teased so far. Here’s a look at everything we know about the new video editing app (watch this space — I’ll update this article as soon as I’ve had some hands-on time with Instagram’s Edits!). It’s going to be a 'full creative suite'Source: Apple App StoreMosseri made it clear in his announcement that Edits isn't just another video editing app — it's positioning itself as a comprehensive creative toolkit for mobile video creators. "It's more than a video editing app, it's a full suite of creative tools," Mosseri explained on Threads. Here's what creators can expect: Standard video editing features, of courseA higher-quality camera (which Mosseri himself used for the announcement)A dedicated inspiration tab, featuring trending audio and ideas to spark your ownA space to save your own ideas and draftsDraft sharing capabilities for collaborationDetailed insights for videos shared on Instagram It’s for ‘serious mobile creators’Edits is for creators who are serious about mobile video production. As Mosseri put it, "It's more for creators than casual video makers." He specifically called out that there would be no templates on the app. That said, it’s definitely not going to work for those creating full YouTube videos or similar. For one thing, there will be no desktop version of the app. An ‘incomplete’ version will drop in FebruaryMosseri revealed that the Edits team has been working with a group of creators to improve the app for a few months, and they’re looking to expand this group in the coming weeks. iOS users can preorder the app now, which they’ll be able to download next month. Mosseri mentioned that the Android app is coming “soon,” which implies Android users might have to wait slightly longer to get their hands on Edits. If you're eager to dive in, Mosseri has one request: patience. "The first version is going to be incomplete," he admits, suggesting this is just the beginning of what could be a significant evolution in mobile video creation tools. The real question now is: Will Edits fill the CapCut-shaped hole in creators' toolkits — even now that U.S. creators might not have to say goodbye to CapCut at all? I'll be keeping a close eye on this one and updating as more details emerge. Are you planning to give Edits a try when it launches? I’d love to hear your thoughts. Drop them in the comments below! View the full article

If you’re not an experienced content creator, it might be difficult to determine the best length for Instagram Reels to get the best results. And knowing the ideal number isn’t everything – your metrics might tell you something entirely different. In this article, we explore everything you need to know about the ideal length of Instagram Reels and other Instagram content – according to the team themselves. How long can Instagram Reels be?Instagram Reels can be anywhere from 15 seconds to 3 minutes in length. Previously, Reels were capped at 90 seconds, until Instagram increased the length of video uploads in January 2025. "We’ve heard a lot of feedback from a lot of you creators out there that 90 seconds is just too short," Instagram head Adam Mosseri said in a video, "So we’re hoping that upping that limit up to three minutes will help you tell the stories that you really want to tell.” Technically speaking, you can upload videos as long as 15 minutes on Instagram. However, Instagram sets very clear boundaries for how long a reel should be to perform well (this is an important caveat). When filming a video within the Instagram app, users can choose from various specific durations —15 seconds, 30 seconds, 60 seconds, and 90 seconds. Everything from the reel templates to the ideas you’re shown all cap at the 90-second mark, and you won’t be able to film additional clips. (At the time, of writing, the 3-minute update had not yet rolled out to all users.) But while you can’t make reels longer than 90 seconds within the app, you can upload longer videos than the available time limits in the content uploading section of your app. The video will just be cut off after the allowed time elapses. 💡Plan, organize, and schedule your Instagram Reels with Buffer. Here’s how →Once you’re done editing your video, add eye-catching graphics, a call-to-action (CTA), and hashtags to increase your content’s discoverability in the Instagram feed. Can you upload longer Instagram Reels?Yes, you can upload any video up to 15 minutes, and it will automatically be turned into a reel. When you upload a video filmed or edited outside the Instagram camera, there’s no need to choose a specific video length. You’ll have access to most of the same editing tools and functionality of the reels process (no music or extra clips, so make sure to add that before you upload). Make sure your video fits the expected Instagram Reels dimensions of 1080 x 1920 pixels so it fits neatly into the feed and gives the full-screen experience. If you want to upload a longer reel, simply go to your camera roll and select the video or videos you’d like to upload and they’ll pop up in the editing area. ⚠️Note that these videos are not prioritized by the Instagram algorithm and will not be recommended in the reels tab, but they can be viewed on the Feed and on your profile.How long should an Instagram Reel be?Adam Mosseri, CEO of Instagram, has previously shared that uploading reels longer than 90 seconds could hurt distribution (though we expect this to extend to up to 3 minutes once the update is fully rolled out). However, length is not the only factor you have to consider – things like high-quality visuals and effective messaging are also vital when it comes to social content and holding user attention. Many creators work around the suggested limit for video lengths by directing their followers to "read more" in the captions. They create very short videos that are pleasing to watch in a loop while their audience reads through the captions or engages in the comments. How long can an Instagram Story be?An Instagram Story can be up to 60 seconds long and will disappear after 24 hours. You can add multiple 60-second videos if you want. Previously, longer videos were broken down into 15-second clips as they were uploaded to Stories, but now the maximum length is 60 seconds, and it remains as a single video. They also won’t appear in your main feed, other users' For You Pages, or following feeds. Your Stories will only be visible when followers tap on your profile photo, either while viewing your profile or within the DMs or messages tab. Here’s a quick tutorial to film or upload content to your Story on Instagram: Tap the Create button – the + icon at the bottom center of the screen when you open the appSwipe to the Story option, which is the second option in the bottom centerRecord your Story or upload your content by tapping the bottom left of your screenAdd your stickers, music, or text.Hit the → button to upload!How long can Instagram carousels be?Instagram carousels can have up to 10 photos or videos. Users on mobile can view carousel posts by swiping left, while desktop users can click through using the arrow button on the right-hand side of a post. To create an Instagram carousel post, choose Post in the creation area and hit the overlapping squares in the middle right of the screen to select multiple images and videos. You can add trending sounds or music to your Instagram carousel by clicking on the music symbol in the top right corner of your screen. Make sure your track of choice doesn’t run out before the user has finished swiping through the carousel. The length of Instagram Reels vs. TikToks vs. YouTube ShortsTikTok videos can be up to 30 minutes long, depending on your region. The maximum video length for YouTube Shorts is 3 minutes (any new videos longer than that will be published as regular YouTube videos but keeping the portrait aspect ratio). And of course, the ideal time limit for Instagram Reels is also 3 minutes seconds, but you can upload videos of up to 15-minutes in length. Reels was Instagram’s response to the rise of TikTok’s short-form content, although TikTok seems to be leaving the short-form space behind to compete with longer-form YouTube videos. The platforms don’t feel all that different. In fact, it’s common for creators to use Instagram Reels on TikTok and YouTube Shorts — we even recommend doing so for more visibility on your posts. 💡It’s important to remember that the Instagram algorithm penalizes content with a watermark from other platforms, which is something to consider when cross-posting video content.Refine your social media strategy for short-form videoWhile crossposting your content is the smart choice, especially to ease the content creation process, it’s wise to pick a primary social media platform for your videos and create your content with your target audience’s needs and preferences in mind. If you’re stuck on which short-form video platform is best for you, you might want to create a social media marketing strategy. Everyone from influencers to social media managers finds this process helpful. This social strategy guide will get you started and guide you through some questions to help you make the best choice for your social media goals. Finally, instead of focusing solely on the length of your videos, remember you have to produce quality content on Instagram, too. Your videos should perform well as long as you’re making reels that users find interesting and useful. View the full article

Learn the four types of keywords in SEO and how to optimize your content to rank for each type of keyword. View the full article

Battambang is on the Northern Line that operates between Poipet and Phnom Penh. Here is what to expect on the train from Battambang to Phnom Penh. Battambang – Phnom Penh train details The Northern Line is the train line from Phnom Penh to Poipet (on the Cambodia-Thailand border). There is usually one train per day in each direction between Phnom Penh and Poipet, but at the time of my visit the Battambang-Poipet section wasn’t operating. Depart Battambang: 3:00 pm Arrive Phnom Penh: 9:30 pm The official booking site is at https://royalrailway.easybook.com. I use Baolau to buy Cambodia train tickets. If you are overlanding from Bangkok to Phnom Penh, there is a train from Bangkok to Ban Klong Luk Border. From this station you can walk across the border to Poipet. From Poipet to Battambang you will need to get a van or taxi as there is currently no train service. Battambang Station Battambang Station is in the city centre, 450 metres from the riverfront. There are no shops inside the station, which is fair enough considering there is only one train per day in each direction. Some food vendors show up before the train, but you would be better off to have lunch first and bring your own snacks. There wasn’t anyone at the ticket office when I arrived, and the only travel information was this timetable written on a whiteboard. Onboard Battambang – Phnom Penh service This service featured two carriages with padded bench seats. The train is a diesel multiple unit (DMU), which means the engine is inside the carriage and not a separate locomotive. The carriage with the engine was noisier, so I sat in the last carriage. The carriages have fans and the windows can be opened. The combination of fan and open air made for a comfortable journey. There were only 10 people onboard when the train departed, so there was no worry about not getting a ticket. I still prefer to book in advance, especially if this is a preplanned travel event that I don’t want to miss. I enjoy these trains with open windows. The combination of fresh air and feeling closer to the landscape makes for an enjoyable journey. I also know that these trains will soon be a thing of the past. It should go without saying that you shouldn’t stick your arm or head out of the window. The train has a toilet onboard. The line is a single track, so if there is a train coming in the other direction then one of the trains has to wait at a passing loop. The train made some stops along the way to drop off passengers and parcels. We also had to stop for some cows that were on the track. The train toots its horn frequently as there are many unmanned level crossings. It’s a slow trip but it’s more scenic than by going by road. The train goes through rice fields, and seeing the occasional temple in the distance is a special sight. Pursat Station The main stop in between Battambang and Phnom Penh is at Pursat. The train stops for 30 minutes here, so it’s the only chance to buy food or drinks on the trip. There are food vendors next to the station. This is a popular stop with more people getting on here to go to Phnom Penh. [A Pursat cat wondering if it should go to Phnom Penh.] Phnom Penh Railway Station The train is scheduled to arrive in Phnom Penh at 9.30, and on my trip it arrived at 9.35pm. [Battambang train at Phnom Penh.] On the platform to the left is the Kiha train that operates from Phnom Penh to Sihanoukville, which was my next trip. The Kiha train will eventually operate on the Phnom Penh to Poipet service, so this trip report will become a historical archive of what the the train used to look like. There are tuktuks waiting outside the station, but I used Grab app to book a taxi from the station. This train travel review is part of the Southeast Asia railways guide. View the full article

This post was written by Alison Green and published on Ask a Manager. It’s five answers to five questions. Here we go… 1. Job candidate’s name is a slur I recently reviewed a job application from a candidate whose given name is a slur. It’s not unheard of for people to be named this and there are still plenty of folks who don’t realize it is a slur. It’s not obscure knowledge by any means, but it’s definitely not as commonly understood to be harmful as more well-known slurs. The thing is, I know that it’s a slur and I don’t think I can address someone by a word that I know is harmful even though it’s their name and what they prefer to be called. The position is still open so I may get so many better qualified candidates that it doesn’t matter, but if I do end up needing to interview them … what am I supposed to do? Ours is a very informal work environment and everyone around me knows that I make a point of addressing everyone without titles or honorifics, including elected officials we work with. I don’t know their gender but if I find it out and end up using Mr. or Ms. Last Name, that would really stand out. Most people don’t choose their own names and I know what a pain it is to have your name legally changed, having done that myself, so I don’t want to exclude a good candidate because of this thing they probably didn’t choose. And yet, I don’t think I have it in me to say “Hey Racial Slur, can you finish up that TPS report for Bobby by end of day?” What is the right thing to do here? People should be called by their names, even if you’re uncomfortable with it. There are names in other languages that sound identical to obscene words in English, and those people should be called by their names too; this is no different. The important distinction is that in this usage, it’s their name, not a slur. In fairness, I do think there are some limits to this. If someone legally changed their name to King Of Turd Mountain and wanted to be called that, I think it would be reasonable to decline to play along (particularly when it comes to listing that name on your company website and so forth) … but someone going out of their way to try to be provocative/make people uncomfortable is a very different situation than someone just going by their given name. 2. Exec is marketing a job as a “roommate opportunity” I work for a nonprofit that serves people with disabilities. This week, a senior vice president sent an all-staff email advertising a roommate opportunity. He said his daughter, who lives with disabilities, is looking for a roommate and it’s a great deal — free rent! You get a stipend! You just have to split utilities! Oh, and be available every night on call if she needs help using the bathroom or with any other emergencies. A home health aide works with her during the day. Once again, he’s sharing this as a “roommate opportunity.” It’s … an overnight home health aide opportunity. And for the stipend, it is well below minimum wage (plus, a home health aide wouldn’t be expected to pay utilities!). It sounds like there’s no contract so there’s also no agreement upon things like time off, coverage, etc. You’d be on call every single night. In addition to serving people with disabilities, our organization also tries to hire people with disabilities. In addition, given the nature of the field, many of the people in the entry-level tier, doing things like helping people use the toilet, tend to be low socioeconomic status themselves and are often from immigrant communities that are more vulnerable to exploitation and/or less savvy about American workplace expectations. This “generous offer” feels really exploitative and inappropriate. It seems unethical in general for an SVP to try to recruit an under-the-table home aide for his daughter from his own staff. The nature of our work makes it even weirder; I would expect someone in our field to understand why this is unethical. What are your thoughts? Is this completely insane? You are correct: it’s exploitative, and it would be inappropriate anywhere but is particularly misplaced at your organization. I’m sure he’s thinking “here’s an audience that’s particularly sensitized to the needs of the disabled and who might appreciate this ‘great deal’” … but, as you point out, it’s very much not a great deal to work every night for less than minimum wage, and he’s misusing his position by marketing it to people he has power over. Someone high-up in your organization should have flagged it. (Well, really, he himself should have realized before sending it that it wasn’t okay, but since that didn’t happen, someone else should have flagged it.) 3. Can I book an earlier flight to a conference than everyone else? In a few weeks, I am being sent on a big work trip to a four-day convention, my first one, although I have been with the company for many years in various roles. For a variety of reasons, such as plantar fasciitis, difficulty flying, autism/ADHD, and already being in a state of burnout, this is going to be an extremely hard trip for me. I’ve been told to expect 12+ hours on my feet and an additional 3-4 hours of dinner meetings each night. I cannot get out of it. I have a good reputation and am in a mid-level role with a lot of responsibility, but not compared to the other attendees from my company who are all 5+ levels above me on the org chart. Their assistants have booked them all on a flight that leaves at 6 pm after work the night before the conference starts, meaning we would not even be getting to our hotel rooms until 1 am the night before the convention. How bad would the optics be if I booked a flight earlier in the afternoon so I could be in bed at a reasonable hour? I am in charge of my own flight arrangements. I will also need some additional accommodation on the airplane that will be embarrassing to ask for openly in front of everybody. Knowing the company culture, I actually think flying out a day early to ostensibly see a friend or relative before the convention would go over way better than implying I can’t run on four hours of sleep like they all can, but I don’t want to lie. You know your company culture better than I do, but for the record: in most companies, it would be absolutely fine to say, “I don’t want to be exhausted for the first day of the conference, so I booked an earlier flight.” And that’s if you even needed to say anything at all; in a lot of cases you could just quietly book a reasonable flight and then, if asked if you were driving to the airport with the others, could just matter-of-factly say, “Oh, my flight leaves a couple of hours earlier.” But if you don’t think that will go over well, it’s perfectly fine to use a cover story. “I’m flying out a little earlier to meet a family member who lives there” may be a lie but it’s a lie that doesn’t harm anyone, doesn’t affect anyone but you, and is reasonable if it’s in service of avoiding company dysfunction (and preserving your privacy around on-flight accommodations). 4. What does a career coach do? I am unhappy in my current job and have been trying unsuccessfully to find something new for years now. I have multiple arts degrees and a job history that should translate into a good fill for most generic office jobs. However, I am totally overwhelmed about how to find these sorts of jobs and what they might be called in various industries so that I can apply. So I found a career coach, hoping that she could take a look at my skill set and help me track down jobs I would qualify for or translate my skill set for a particular industry. I honestly don’t care where I work or what I do — I just want to be paid fairly and not work with total jerks. However, that wasn’t what she seemed capable of doing. She was more like a high school guidance counsellor, making me take a number of personality and aptitude tests and asking a lot of questions about my “dream job.” One, I do not dream of labor, and two, I had my “dream job” and was chased out due to rampant sexual harassment and other bad behavior. I stayed way too long and developed anxiety issues because it was my “dream.” “Dream jobs” are a trap. I could not get her to move on to actually applying for jobs because she was so hung up on me finding passion for a career, and that’s just never going to happen. I’ve reached out to a few other “career coaches” and they all seemed to be in the same zone: helping me find my passion. I have passion, it’s just not for work. Did I just find a bunch of really bad coaches? Or is this what coaches do, and what I really need is another “assistance in finding work” person that’s called something else? This is indeed what a lot of career coaches, maybe even the majority, do. They’re often the live version of that old What Color is Your Parachute? book. You could try screening them by being very, very explicit before hiring someone that what you need is help figuring out what you’d be qualified for, not what you would be motivated by, but even then, unless you find someone unusually good, I’d worry that they’ll fall back on the “passion” framework. That doesn’t mean it’s impossible to find, but it does mean you’re going to have to do a lot of pre-screening before engaging someone. Part of the problem is that there aren’t any particular qualifications required to be a career coach, so just because someone is calling themselves that doesn’t mean they’ll have any expertise at understanding the range of jobs out there and what would make someone a good match for an employer hiring for that job (versus the “let’s explore your inner world” bent that you’ve been encountering). You’d probably have an easier time if you can identify a handful of industries you’re interested in and then seek out recruiters who work in those fields; they’re better equipped to help you position yourself as a candidate than many coaches are. (To be clear, recruiters work for employers, not candidates — but if you have skills they’re looking for, good ones can help match you to those jobs.) But that’s a little different than what you’re looking for. 5. Should I pay $600 for a certification I need for a job I’d like? I’m trying to decide if I should study for and spend the money to take a board certification test. I’ve been working at my company for five years and have been a working, licensed professional for 14. I have an interest in moving more into a corporate role, and have a big interest into moving into a computer-based role. However those jobs are very rare to open up and are highly competitive when they do. There is a different, more regulatory role in the health system that has opened up recently. It requires a specific, niche board certification. I emailed the hiring manager asking if they would consider hiring someone with a “certification within 6 months of hire” clause and was told no. The cost of signing up for the test is $600. I think I could do well in the role and would enjoy it, and it also works closely with the department I want to move into. But it’s hard to fathom spending that much money for the sake of a job I may not even get an interview for. Would the certification also make you a stronger candidate for other jobs that you’d want to apply for — and would you be a compelling candidate for those jobs once you had the certification? If so, it could be a worthwhile investment. But if not, I don’t recommend spending $600 just for a chance to be considered for a single job. View the full article

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This post was written by Alison Green and published on Ask a Manager. I’m off for the holiday, so here’s an older post from the archives. This was originally published in 2018. A reader writes: I have a problem with a coworker and have been hesitant to send this to you as it seems petty but it has been bugging me for awhile. It started as a pet peeve but has moved into something bigger the more she does it. This coworker, I’ll call her Eleanor, demands you say “please” whenever someone asks her to do anything work related. Some examples would be as follows: “Eleanor, can you email me those forecasts for next quarter so I can get this project to our boss?” “Only if you say please.” “Eleanor, can I call you about this crisis so we can work out a plan of action?” “Only if you say please.” Generally I do say please, but on those occasions I forget I don’t want to be talked to like a three-year-old. This feels like a silly power play and it is a game I don’t want to play. She even does this to her boss! Another concern is that she is doing this to our customers and I feel like this does damage to our reputation and makes us seem difficult to work with. How do I respond when Eleanor says this to me without being rude (and without playing her game)? Is it that big of a deal that she is doing this to our customers as well? Should I just let that go? That’s incredibly obnoxious. “Only if you say please” is a statement that’s really only okay for a parent to say to a child, in the process of teaching said child manners. It’s not okay to chastise other adults with it, and it’s definitely not okay to say it repeatedly in a work context. (Once or twice as a joke is a different thing.) If Eleanor feels she’s not spoken to with sufficient courtesy, that’s something she can address with people — but this isn’t the way to do it. And I doubt that’s what this is about anyway. This sounds more like she seized on this as a cutesy response or is, as you suggest, a power play. Or maybe it’s become a tic and she barely realizes how often she does it. But regardless, it’s inappropriate and annoying. Your options: 1. Just make a point of saying “please” whenever you ask her for anything so that you short-circuit the annoyance. This feels like giving in, but it might be the most direct route to not having to deal with it … although it doesn’t solve the problem of her doing it to customers. 2. Tell her to cut it out: “Eleanor, we’re all adults here, and constantly responding that way is slowing things down and frankly coming across differently than you probably intend for it to. Could you stop?” (But if she responds to that with “only if you say please,” you have my blessing to make a voodoo doll of her and ritually destroy it.) 3. Tell her to cut it out, option 2: “If you feel I’m not treating you with sufficient respect, I’d certainly want to know about it, but I’d like respect back from you as well — so I’m asking you not to chastise me this way every time I need something from you.” 4. Ask your boss to tell her to cut it out: “Could you ask Eleanor to cut out the ‘only if you say please’ stuff? It was irritating enough when it was her constant refrain with just us, but she’s now saying it to customers, and I’ve got to think it’s putting them off.” (This is the kind of thing that some bosses would gladly handle and others would want you to handle yourself, so you’ve got to know your boss for this one.) Also, I guarantee you that Eleanor is annoying the crap out of everyone in her family. View the full article

It might take longer than you expect, but it’s so worthwhile. By Frank Stitely The Relentless CPA Go PRO for members-only access to more Frank Stitely. View the full article

It might take longer than you expect, but it’s so worthwhile. By Frank Stitely The Relentless CPA Go PRO for members-only access to more Frank Stitely. View the full article

Technology is moving quickly. Are you keeping up? By Alan Anderson, CPA Transforming Audit for the Future Go PRO for members-only access to more Alan Anderson. View the full article

Technology is moving quickly. Are you keeping up? By Alan Anderson, CPA Transforming Audit for the Future Go PRO for members-only access to more Alan Anderson. View the full article

Go PRO for members-only access to more CPA Trendlines Research. View the full article

Go PRO for members-only access to more CPA Trendlines Research. View the full article

This post was written by Alison Green and published on Ask a Manager. I’m off for the holiday, so here’s an older post from the archives. This was originally published in 2018. A reader writes: My company has a ridiculous late fine policy: you will be fined $2 for every minute, starting from 9:01 a.m. So if you come in at 9:05 a.m., that’s $10 you gotta pay up in cash. (This is not somewhere where down-to-the-minute coverage would be essential. It’s just typical deskbound, back-end work. I can see why the receptionist who gets the calls will need to be there smack on the dot, but the rest of us — not really.) I’ve been here for over a year, and have been fined maybe three times. They were for 9:01 a.m., 9:02 a.m. and 9:08 a.m. I was intensely annoyed and embarrassed, but okay, I can still absorb the $2-$16 financial pinch. I hate this policy because it nickel and dimes employees down to the first minute, and at a very high rate. I hate this policy because coming in at 9:01 a.m. does not makes you any less productive than the dude who came in at 9:00 a.m., whose bloody computer is still starting up. A few days ago, I overslept for the first time. I somehow slept through my usual TWO alarms and woke up with a start at 8:30 a.m. — an hour late. I immediately texted my manager that I had overslept and asked if it was possible to get an emergency, UNPAID, half-day leave. I had calculated that coming in an hour late would result in a $120 fine, which is painfully difficult for me to absorb. I’m a junior employee. My manager said no. She wanted me to come in anyway because “it’s the right thing to do.” I cried some tears of frustration, but told her okay and rushed like hell down, but not before racking up 45 minutes worth of late fine — $90. Alison, I understand that she wants me to be punished accordingly. I accept that sleeping through two alarms was all on me. At the same time — and I don’t know if this matters — I’m a relatively high performer at work. I truly enjoy what I do and do a decent job at it. I just received a glowing annual appraisal and got publicly commended by the director, in spite of my young age (this is my first job out of college) and junior position. Furthermore, I work overtime every day because my workload is high, even though we don’t get any overtime pay. And I’m not chronically late — this was my first time oversleeping. And yet, my manager rejected my request for an UNPAID, half-day leave. Technically, she is right and I deserved it. But I don’t think being rigidly strict here was warranted. Am I just entitled for feeling this way? If you divide my monthly salary by 30 days, $90 is what I earn in one day. I will have to cough up an entire day’s salary (worth three weeks of lunch expenses!) for this, and my manager was cool with that? I’m fuming, yet I don’t know if I have the right to be. Part of me wants to talk about this with my manager to see if it could’ve been handled differently — if I could’ve been given the unpaid, half-day leave. Is this worth revisiting with her about, and if so, how should I approach it? This is utter bullshit. I am IRATE over this. If you’re not in a job where coverage matters (like one where you need to answer phones or meet with clients starting at a precise time), then it really, really doesn’t matter if you’re two minutes late. I would think it was ridiculous for a manager even just to have a stern talk with someone for being two minutes late in a job where it doesn’t have any practical impact — but fining you? No. You are a professional adult holding down a professional job. The entire concept of fining you is offensive and ridiculous. If your manager has a problem with your time of arrival, she can do what a decent manager would do and talk to you about it. If it continues after that, she can decide what the consequences are. But they need to be normal work consequences (up to and including firing you if it’s that big of a deal, although I’m skeptical that it should be) — it can’t be digging through your wallet and taking whatever cash she finds there, or insisting you cut off two inches of your hair, or that you change your name to Xavier Sebastian Pumpernickel. And it can’t be making you turn over your own money for the privilege of working there. Or at least it shouldn’t be. Legally, though, in a lot of cases it would be allowed. I talked with employment lawyer Donna Ballman, author of the excellent book Stand Up For Yourself Without Getting Fired, who agreed that federal law does allow this, as long the fine doesn’t take your pay for that period below minimum wage. But she noted that you might live in a state that prohibits it, and it’s worth checking into that. Also, if you’re non-exempt, they can dock your pay for the actual time you were late … although if you’re exempt, that docking could negate your exempt status, make you effectively non-exempt, and mean that you’d be entitled to overtime pay when you work over 40 hours in a week. (There’s an explanation about exempt and non-exempt here, but the gist is that “exempt” is a government classification meaning that the nature of the work you do makes you exempt from receiving overtime pay. If you’re exempt, they can’t dock your pay when you work fewer hours. If they do that anyway, they can end up owing you overtime pay, including retroactively.) Donna also pointed out: “The other thing I’d say you’d have to look at is the reason the employee was late. If it was to care for a sick child, spouse or parent, then punishing them might violate FMLA. If it related to a disability, then they might be violating the Americans With Disabilities Act. If it’s applied unevenly, then other discrimination laws could kick in. I’d say an employer doing this is, number one, a terrible employer, and, number two, taking a huge risk that they are violating some law.” As for what you can do here … First, it’s worth looking into the potential legal issues Donna raises. If there’s a legal violation here, your employers deserves to have someone pursue it. Second, look into whether you’re correctly classified as exempt. You said you don’t get overtime pay even when you work overtime, which means they’re treating you as exempt. I would bet good money that they’ve misclassified you (which many employers do), especially considering that this is your first job out of school and first jobs often don’t meet the bar to be exempt. And if that’s the case, they owe you a ton of overtime back pay. Even if you ultimately choose not to pursue that, it would be really handy leverage to have in any discussions about the fining. Third, recalibrate your expectations. Because this is your first job after college, you might be thinking this is more acceptable than it actually is. But it’s not normal to treated salaried professionals this way. It’s not something you should expect to find at future jobs. It’s not something you should be okay with now. And you have every right to be fuming about that $90 fine. You are not being entitled. You are being absolutely, entirely reasonable. So fourth, go back and talk to your manager. Say something like this: “I’m asking you to waive this $90 fine. $90 is what I earn in a day. I can’t afford to pay back an entire day’s salary. I work overtime every day, and it makes no sense for me to work long hours when I’m not given even a minute of leeway on the other end. I’m not chronically late, and I do excellent work. I don’t think I should be subject to a financial hardship for a one-time occurrence.” Fifth, consider pushing back on this entire abhorrent policy with a group of your coworkers. People have unionized over less. * I make a commission if you use that Amazon link. Read an update to this letter here. View the full article

Your data's probably already exposed. Quick Tech Talk With Steve Yoss CPE Today Go PRO for members-only access to more Stephen Yoss. View the full article

Your data's probably already exposed. Quick Tech Talk With Steve Yoss CPE Today Go PRO for members-only access to more Stephen Yoss. View the full article

January 20, 2025 Hey folks, I wanted to share a little trick I've been loving lately: it's called brown noise. Unlike white noise, it's deeper and more soothing, helping me stay locked in when writing, brainstorming, or clearing out my inbox; plus, it helps me with anxiety. Pair it with noise-canceling headphones, and it's productivity gold. If you want to try it, I recommend ​this 12-hour track​ with no loops or fades. Vic Our Favorite Articles 💯Remote Jobs Paying $100,000 Or More Are Making a Comeback (CNBC)Six-figure remote jobs are back on the rise, and here’s the kicker—they’re popping up in more industries than ever before. ​Check it out​. Remote Work Is a Game-Changer For Addressing Burnout In Workers (The Conversation)Remote work is burnout’s kryptonite—flexibility, balance, and no soul-crushing commutes (as long as you know when to shut the laptop). ​Read on​. In Maine, Remote Work Gives Prisoners a Lifeline (Boston Globe)At Maine’s Mountain View prison, remote jobs are helping inmates build skills, earn money, and prepare for a better life after release. ​Read more​. Why ‘Work-From-Anywhere’ Isn’t Going Anywhere In 2025 (Forbes)The office is out, and work from anywhere is in. ​Keep reading​. This Week's Sponsor 🙌Too many emails? Declutter your inbox with Meco, your home for reading newsletters. Try it for free Remotive Jobs 💼Is this job for you? 👉 ​Customer Support Specialist at Clipboard Health​ (LATAM, EMEA, UK, Canada) 👉 ​Migrations Engineer at Discourse​ (EMEA, Americas) 👉 ​System Administrator at Discourse​ (Americas) 👉 ​Software Engineer - Customer Projects - Americas at Discourse​ (Americas) 👉 ​Senior Backend Developer at Mimo GmbH​ (EMEA, UK) 👉 ​​​​Backend Engineer at Clerkie​ (USA) 👉 ​iOS Developer at nooro​ (USA) 👉 ​​Senior Sharepoint Developer at Proxify​ (CET +/- 3 HOURS) 👉 ​Senior Business Intelligence Engineer at Proxify​ (CET +/- 3 HOURS) 👉 ​Senior Next.js Developer at Proxify​ (CET +/- 3 HOURS) 👉 ​Senior DevOps Engineer (AWS) at Proxify​ (CET +/- 3 HOURS) Free Guides & Tools​Public Job Board​We curate 2,000 remote jobs so you don't have to! ​Find your remote job →​ ​Exclusive Webinar​3 Mistakes to Avoid When Looking For A Remote Startup Job (And What To Do Instead) ​Register for free →​ ​Job Search Tips​Looking for a remote job? Here are our tips to help you work remotely ​Check it out → View the full article