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A reader writes: My fiancé and I just broke up after 6.5 years together. The underlying factors contributing to the split had been percolating for a long time, but the actual break-up happened very suddenly and unexpectedly, and I’m in a lot of pain right now. I was wondering if you had any scripts for how to broach this subject at work. I’ve talked about my partner, his career, our upcoming wedding, etc. a lot to my coworkers, and many of them have met him. I don’t know how to now announce that we broke up without trauma-dumping, but obviously I can’t just pretend that we’re still together. I’m sorry! You don’t need to make a big announcement at all. You can simply stop mentioning him and if it comes up organically (like if someone asks a question about him or is otherwise says something that clearly assumes you’re still together), you can say, “Oh, we’re not together anymore.” The person might look sad and say they’re sorry to hear it, and you can say “thank you” and quickly pivot to a different topic. That’s really it! People at work aren’t likely to be expecting you to go into the details, and it’s perfectly fine to just deliver the news when it’s directly relevant and not let the conversation get mired in it. If at some point it gets weird that people are clearly still assuming your wedding is approaching, you can always address it more proactively (“I’d mentioned I’d be out in November for my wedding and honeymoon, but Ray and I actually split up so unfortunately that’s no longer the plan”) but the same principles apply — don’t dwell on it, don’t give details, just deliver the basic fact of it and leave it there. The post how should I let coworkers know my fiancé and I broke up? appeared first on Ask a Manager. View the full article

The latest Wi-Fi news from around the world - enjoy. The post Roundup: Enterprise WLAN market grows 16%, Tokyo installs Passpoint, and Purple lights up city Wi-Fi in Newcastle appeared first on Wi-Fi NOW Global. View the full article

Fast tracking is a powerful schedule compression technique in project management that overlaps tasks to shorten timelines without increasing costs. This guide explains how it works, when to use it,and lots of useful information about this technique. Ideal for PMs managing tight deadlines, shifting scopes, or limited resources. The post What is Fast Tracking in Project Management? appeared first on The Digital Project Manager. View the full article

Most office routines aren’t exactly thrilling: you answer emails, survive meetings that could have been a Slack message, and silently curse your coworker for not saving the spreadsheet you need on the shared drive. But some offices have embraced the weird and wonderful, establishing traditions that range from hilarious to outright bizarre. At Slate today, I shared 15 of the greatest work traditions I’ve heard about from readers. (And it’s probably significant that all of these traditions appear to have developed organically! None of these stem from organized team-building or “mandatory fun.”) You can read it here. The post the 15 greatest office traditions you’ve never heard of appeared first on Ask a Manager. View the full article

The modern meeting has undergone a radical transformation. What was once a simple gathering in a conference room has become a complex hybrid affair, with participants scattered across offices, homes, and time zones. While this shift has brought about unprecedented flexibility, it has also introduced a new set of challenges, one of the most frustrating being the simple question: "Can you see me?" View the full article

Today, we’re excited to welcome Yoast AI Summarize to our growing family of AI features. Just like our other AI tools, this new feature is designed to make your publishing process faster and easier by putting powerful, practical AI right where you work, in the WordPress Block Editor. Yoast AI Summarize is perfect for bloggers, content teams, agencies, and publishers who want to give readers instant value while also making sure their posts clearly communicate the intended message. What does Yoast AI Summarize do? You’ve finished drafting your post, great! But before you hit “Publish,” wouldn’t it be helpful to instantly see the core points your content is actually conveying? That’s exactly what Yoast AI Summarize does. With one click, you can insert a Key Takeaways block into your content. Yoast AI Summarize scans your post’s main body and creates a short, bullet-point summary, giving your readers a quick, scannable snapshot, and giving you a chance to check if your post is truly saying what you want it to. How you can access the new feature Yoast AI Summarize is automatically available to all Yoast SEO Premium customers. Just make sure you’ve updated to the latest version and granted consent to use AI. Once enabled, simply: Open your post in the WordPress Block Editor. Add the new block from the “Yoast AI Blocks” section Click to generate summary, and watch your Key Takeaways section appear in seconds. Where you can use Yoast AI Summarize Right now, Yoast AI Summarize works in the WordPress Block Editor on posts and pages. The block is fully editable, you can change the title, rewrite bullet points, or move it anywhere in your content flow. Pricing and usage There are no hidden costs for Yoast AI Summarize, it’s included in Yoast SEO Premium. Like our other AI features, it uses our spark counter to track usage. A spark is a single click on an AI feature. Generating one summary = one spark. Your spark counter resets at the start of each month. There’s currently no hard limit, so you can experiment freely. Limitations Yoast AI Summarize is currently in beta. That means you may notice a few restrictions: Only available in the WordPress Block Editor. Summaries are excluded from Yoast SEO and Readability Analysis to protect your scores. Currently works only on published or drafted content within supported blocks. For very long posts, it may take a few seconds for the summary to generate. Try out Yoast AI Summarize today Upgrade to Yoast SEO Premium to unlock this and all our AI features, including the award-nominated Yoast AI Generate and the powerful Yoast AI Optimize. With Yoast AI Summarize, you can work faster, keep your content aligned with your intent, and give your readers instant value with clear, scannable takeaways. Update to the latest version and try it out today! The post New: From longform to key takeaways, in seconds. Meet Yoast AI Summarize appeared first on Yoast. View the full article

Test results were released in a recent blog by among others Technical Leader Wireless Shreyas Trivedi. The post Cisco demonstrates up to 40% lower latency using Multiple Resource Units (MRU) and puncturing in Wi-Fi 7 appeared first on Wi-Fi NOW Global. View the full article

Hello folks, With the rise of AI, individualism has taken on a new dimension. Now that anyone can generate content, the value of original thought has never been higher. And if thoughts were cows, then yes—the chase for the purple one would officially be on. What sparks your most original self, I wonder? Here are four articles that, each from its own angle, encourage exploration and staying true to yourself. -Maja Our Favorite Articles 💯The Leverage Paradox (Indie Hackers)AI turned the staircase into an escalator—faster, yes, but the leverage paradox means the climb is now longer and more crowded. 👉 ​Keep reading​. The Power of Being an Amateur (HBR)The article argues that curiosity, playfulness, and the willingness to learn like an amateur can fuel innovation and resilience, and make one a better leader. 👉 ​Read on​. Moldova’s Digital Nomad Visa (Allwork)Moldova will soon launch one of the lowest-cost digital nomad visas available in Europe. And really, there’s no place like a new place to spark creativity—don’t you agree? 👉 ​Find out more​. Remote Work Essentials Worth Buying (Remotive)From comfort boosters to productivity helpers, our list of 10 budget-friendly essentials can help turn your home office into a smarter, cozier space. 👉 ​Check it out​. This Week's Sponsor 🙌Too many emails? Declutter your inbox with Meco, your home for reading newsletters. Try it for free ​Remotive​ Jobs 💼Let's get you hired! These teams are hiring now: 💻 Engineering 👉 ​Odoo Developer at YouNav​ (Europe) 👉 ​Senior React Native Developer at Proxify​ (CET +/- 3 hours) 👉 ​Senior Data Engineer at Proxify​ (Europe) 🗯 Marketing 👉 ​Social Media Manager/Shitposter@ Fun Ecom Co at JLS Trading Co​ (Worldwide) 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 →​ Join the Remotive newsletter Subscribe to get our latest content by email. Success! Now check your email to confirm your subscription. There was an error submitting your subscription. Please try again. Email address Subscribe Powered by ConvertKit View the full article

The tax rules around how freelance income gets reported are changing again, thanks to the newly passed One Big Beautiful Bill (OBBBA). While the intent is to simplify paperwork and modernize outdated thresholds, the rollout has created plenty of confusion—especially around Form 1099-K and its shifting requirements. For many freelancers, 1099s come in fast and furious during tax season. Understanding these new changes is important so that your records are up to date and you are aware of the tax implications on your freelance income. Key 1099 Updates Under OBBBA The following is a breakdown of the key updates and how to stay compliant under the OBBB. Form 1099-MISC and 1099-NEC thresholds are increasing. Starting with payments made in 2026, businesses will only need to issue these forms if they pay a freelancer or contractor $2,000 or more in a calendar year. This is a significant jump from the previous $600 threshold.Form 1099-K thresholds are reverting to the original standard: $20,000 in payments and more than 200 transactions. This change overrides the previously planned lower thresholds of $2,500 in 2025 and $600 in 2026.Beginning in 2027, the $2,000 threshold for 1099-MISC and 1099-NEC will be adjusted annually for inflation.Reporting Freelance Income: What You Still Need to Do Even with higher income reporting thresholds, your responsibility to report income has not changed. All of your freelance income is taxable, whether or not you receive a 1099. For example, if you earn $1,500 from a client in any tax year and do not receive a 1099-NEC, you are still required to report that income on your tax return. Third-party platforms like PayPal, Venmo, Stripe, and Square are considered third-party settlement organizations (TPSOs). They issue 1099-Ks when the $20,000 and 200 transaction threshold is met. Personal transfers, like splitting a dinner bill, are not reportable—but business transactions are. Good recordkeeping is essential. Reconciling your actual income with what is reported on 1099-Ks helps prevent double-reporting and ensures accurate tax filings. Without clean records, you risk errors that could trigger audits or penalties. Quick Guide to 1099 Forms There are multiple versions of 1099s that you must file, depending on where your income is derived from: Form 1099-MISC reports miscellaneous income such as rent, prizes, awards, and legal settlements.Form 1099-NEC reports non-employee compensation for contractors and freelancers.Form 1099-K reports payments processed through third-party networks and credit card processors.Fortunately, as long as your client or third-party payment platform uses the correct form, you should not need to determine the form to be used. Just be sure to check the forms you do receive and any that you issue to contractors yourself to make sure they are correct. The Bottom Line on 1099s Reporting Changes for Freelancers OBBBA may aim to simplify tax reporting, but freelancers still need to stay vigilant. Keep detailed records, understand which forms apply to your income, and consult a tax professional if you are unsure how these changes affect your business. Staying ahead of these changes will make your income tax reporting much easier come tax time View the full article

The tax rules around how freelance income gets reported are changing again, thanks to the newly passed One Big Beautiful Bill (OBBBA). While the intent is to simplify paperwork and modernize outdated thresholds, the rollout has created plenty of confusion—especially around Form 1099-K and its shifting requirements. For many freelancers, 1099s come in fast and furious during tax season. Understanding these new changes is important so that your records are up to date and you are aware of the tax implications on your freelance income. Key 1099 Updates Under OBBBA The following is a breakdown of the key updates and how to stay compliant under the OBBB. Form 1099-MISC and 1099-NEC thresholds are increasing. Starting with payments made in 2026, businesses will only need to issue these forms if they pay a freelancer or contractor $2,000 or more in a calendar year. This is a significant jump from the previous $600 threshold.Form 1099-K thresholds are reverting to the original standard: $20,000 in payments and more than 200 transactions. This change overrides the previously planned lower thresholds of $2,500 in 2025 and $600 in 2026.Beginning in 2027, the $2,000 threshold for 1099-MISC and 1099-NEC will be adjusted annually for inflation.Reporting Freelance Income: What You Still Need to Do Even with higher income reporting thresholds, your responsibility to report income has not changed. All of your freelance income is taxable, whether or not you receive a 1099. For example, if you earn $1,500 from a client in any tax year and do not receive a 1099-NEC, you are still required to report that income on your tax return. Third-party platforms like PayPal, Venmo, Stripe, and Square are considered third-party settlement organizations (TPSOs). They issue 1099-Ks when the $20,000 and 200 transaction threshold is met. Personal transfers, like splitting a dinner bill, are not reportable—but business transactions are. Good recordkeeping is essential. Reconciling your actual income with what is reported on 1099-Ks helps prevent double-reporting and ensures accurate tax filings. Without clean records, you risk errors that could trigger audits or penalties. Quick Guide to 1099 Forms There are multiple versions of 1099s that you must file, depending on where your income is derived from: Form 1099-MISC reports miscellaneous income such as rent, prizes, awards, and legal settlements.Form 1099-NEC reports non-employee compensation for contractors and freelancers.Form 1099-K reports payments processed through third-party networks and credit card processors.Fortunately, as long as your client or third-party payment platform uses the correct form, you should not need to determine the form to be used. Just be sure to check the forms you do receive and any that you issue to contractors yourself to make sure they are correct. The Bottom Line on 1099s Reporting Changes for Freelancers OBBBA may aim to simplify tax reporting, but freelancers still need to stay vigilant. Keep detailed records, understand which forms apply to your income, and consult a tax professional if you are unsure how these changes affect your business. Staying ahead of these changes will make your income tax reporting much easier come tax time View the full article

I'm not TikTok famous. I don’t have a blue checkmark on Instagram, nor am I a LinkedIn Top Voice. But I have a modest following across all three platforms, which I have been able to monetize. I’m what some influencer marketers might call a nano-influencer, comfortably in that under-10K follower range. (I prefer the term nano-creator, but potato, potahto.) It’s not a full-time income — this year, I’ve netted around $3,000 directly from my content. But that’s if you don’t consider the spin-off work that has come from my social media presence, like freelance writing gigs and podcast hosting. Since I create content outside of my full-time job at Buffer and don’t spend more than a couple of hours a week on it, I’m pretty proud of that. Even more so because I haven’t been focused on it for very long. I started getting a bit more serious about monetizing my work in 2024, a little over a year ago. I’ve always loved creating content and had already built up a modest following on Instagram and a growing one on LinkedIn. I’d also just started experimenting with TikTok (you can read more about how I got to my first 1,000 followers on TikTok here). In that short time, I’ve learned a lot about monetizing as a nano-creator. I thought I’d unpack some of that here. So: if you’ve ever wondered whether it’s possible to turn a small, engaged audience into income — it is! You don’t need a massive audience, but you do need strategy, consistency, and a strong, authentic voice. Let’s talk about it. Jump to a section: Why nano-influencers have a unique advantage The main ways I make money as a nano-influencer How I find brand partnerships (or how they find me) What I’ve learned about pricing and value Don’t let imposter syndrome get in your way More resources for nano-creators Why nano-influencers have a unique advantageI’m not rushing to ‘beat the algorithm’ or ‘maximize my growth.’ That’s because I feel like I’ve found a sweet spot in the nano-influencer category, at least for my bandwidth. I have the capacity for around three posts across platforms per week. This, I’ve found, is enough for modest growth on Instagram and TikTok, and moderate on LinkedIn. Keeping within this cadence — and therefore, follower range — also allows me to actually connect with the folks who enjoy my content. I can thoughtfully respond to messages and comments, rather than post and ghost. Which means my engagement rate is really good, if I do say so myself. For example, the engagement rate for my last sponsored post on Instagram was around 5.8%. According to Buffer’s Instagram Benchmarks data, the median engagement rate for my follower category is around 4.1%. Many brands find the higher engagement rates that smaller creators can offer to be far more beneficial than dizzying follower counts. That’s not the only reason to partner with nano-creators, either. Let’s review them all: High engagement rates. As I unpacked above, a smaller audience usually means a tighter-knit community.Authenticity. People follow nano-creators because they’re relatable. We’re not “influencers” in the celebrity sense — we’re friends who happen to share tips, reviews, or behind-the-scenes peeks.Cost-effectiveness. To be candid, we’re more budget-friendly for brands that don’t have much money to spend on influencer campaigns. For a brand, working with 20 nano-creators might bring better ROI (return on investment) than one big influencer.The main ways I make money as a nano-influencerThere are loads of ways to monetize on Instagram, TikTok, LinkedIn, and beyond. Think affiliate programs, brand partnerships, or even direct monetization on the platform. I’ve not fully explored all of them yet, so this overview is not the be-all and end-all (definitely check out the guides linked above for more ideas). Rather, it’s a look at what’s working for me right now. Brand partnerships and sponsored postsThis is the most obvious (and most talked about) income stream, so let’s start here. I have dabbled in sponsored content on Instagram over the years, but it was inconsistent and never amounted to much. More often than not, it was a product-for-post trade exchange. (Now that I’ve wised up a bit, I’m hesitant about deals like this. Free leggings are great, but they aren’t going to pay the bills! I’ll touch on this again later.) Also, Instagram is no longer my heavy hitter. There’s been a boom in interest in LinkedIn creators over the past few years. I’ve seen relatively fast growth there, and it’s my primary platform right now. LinkedIn has really started investing in creator functionality (which I chatted about with Callie Schweitzer, LinkedIn’s Head of Scaled Programs, about in this episode of Buffer Chat podcast). This, in turn, has opened doors for both creators and brands, on a platform where users tend to have more buying power. In other words, it’s a fast-growth space that influencer marketers are keeping a close eye on. So it's no surprise that investing in LinkedIn growth kicked off my monetization journey, and it was pretty organic, too. Over the past few months, I’ve partnered with several brands, all of which contacted me (more on this below). They were mostly interested in my LinkedIn content, but most of them were keen to bundle Instagram and TikTok into the deal as well. Freelance opportunitiesThis is more of an indirect win of my social media presence, but it has afforded me opportunities I’d not have had without it. Being a nano-influencer has helped me land freelance work. That’s not just content writing, either. My content about podcasting and brand communities has helped me land a steady, part-time gig as a podcast host and community advisor. For me, freelance services often bring in more income than partnerships do. If you’re a nano-creator with another skillset (design, copywriting, photography, etc.), lean into this. Share your work publicly, and you might be surprised at who comes knocking. Affiliate marketingMy affiliate marketing earnings have been small — seriously, like under $5. Still, this feels like an area of untapped potential for me, particularly since income here is a little more passive. It also lends itself super well to content I love creating about my cosy desk set-up. Before I get ahead of myself: Affiliate marketing is a system where you earn a commission when someone buys a product or service through your unique referral link. The customer gets a recommendation they trust, the brand benefits from the sale, and you pocket a small percentage. Win-win-win. I’ve set myself up on Amazon Associates, which allows me to create tracking links for the products I share. I’ve created a little storefront of products I love and would wholeheartedly recommend on my Buffer Start Page. (You can create your own Start Page for free, by the way!) If someone buys a product after following one of my affiliate links, I’ll earn a small percentage of that sale. Amazon Associates does have some fairly low rates (I won’t earn more than 3–4% for most sales), but it’s tough to beat for ease of use. Most folks already have Amazon accounts, and there’s little to no friction for them when it comes to buying. The downside is that I’m based in South Africa, and there’s no local version of the program. My SA followers make up a good chunk of my audience and are less inclined to shop there. US, UK, and EU-based creators will definitely have more luck here. And Amazon is far from the only option — I’m actively exploring affiliate programs offered by my favorite tools and tech, where the rates are far better for creators. I’ll be sure to share when I have cracked that! How I find brand partnerships (or how they find me)Brand partnerships are my most direct and lucrative source of income and non-creator, so let’s dig in here a bit. The $3,000 I mentioned at the top of this article? All earned from brand partnerships in 2025. You’re probably thinking this involved a fair bit of cold outreach — but it didn’t, interestingly enough. I’ve never actually landed a brand partnership from pitching a brand. I have done so here and there, but never successfully. (My phenomenal teammate Tami Oladipo has, though — more on that in her guide to landing your first LinkedIn partnership here.) Pitching might still be absolutely worthwhile for you, so definitely give it a bash if you’re just starting out with monetizing. For me, though, there are a few things that have worked far better for landing brand partnerships. Here is what I recommend for nano-creators looking to work with brands. 1. Get clear on your niche(s)There’s a reason you hear this advice from loads of creators. It works! Still, choosing a niche doesn’t have to mean painting yourself into a corner. Even if it’s several connected niches (you could call these content pillars, too!). For me, that’s marketing, remote work, productivity, and tech/tools. They’re connected enough to make sense under one brand (me), but give me the freedom to experiment. For example, if a productivity software brand were looking for creators to partner with and came across my profile, they wouldn’t be put off by my posts about cozy working or my home office. But if they find themselves bogged down by a mishmash of content about gaming, books, and musical theatre (some of the other great loves of my life), they might question brand alignment. 2. Post about brands you already loveYour pitch is going to reach a very crowded inbox. But an engaging reel about a brand you’d love to partner with? That will definitely make their team sit up and take notice. I’ve found that tagging brands in authentic, non-sponsored content often sparks a conversation. For example, sharing how I use a particular tool in my workflow or why I swear by a certain product has led to reposts, DMs, and eventually paid partnerships. It’s essentially a live demo of how you’d showcase them if they did pay you. From the other side of the fence (I’ve worked on influencer campaigns as a marketer), partnerships are just so much better when the creator genuinely loves the brand. If I were kicking off a new campaign, I’d pick a small, sincere creator over a macro-influencer who has never heard of my product every single time. So post about your favorite products, services, and brands. It’s great content anyway, and it might get you on their partnership team’s radar. 3. Be as professional as you would in your day jobOnce you’ve kicked off a conversation with brands (or vice versa!), be professional. I learned this from another Buffer Chat episode with Jayde I. Powell. She touched on how brands were surprised when she behaved professionally, and it stuck with me (thanks, Jayde!). That means: Reply timeously.Meet deadlines.Have a professional system for your ideas and content reviews (really — don’t copy and paste things into DMs where there is no way for the brand to comment or make suggestions).Follow up. Share links to posts when they are live, share post performance before brands ask you for numbers.It might sound really obvious. But when creator work is not your 9 to 5, it’s really easy to slip into quick, casual responses via DMs, and missing deadlines. Basic professionalism is the table stakes for closing a deal. Or, as happened in my case, booking a new, longer-term partnership after a smooth first collaboration. Yay! 4. Try a creator marketplaceA huge unlock for me has been signing up for Passionfroot. Passionfroot is a marketplace that connects creators with brands. You set up a profile like mine that acts almost like a digital media kit, list your rates and offerings, and brands can reach out directly with collaboration opportunities. It streamlines the back-and-forth (think contracts, briefs, and payments) so you’re not juggling everything over email or DMs. A screenshot of my Passionfroot storefrontIt’s not the only option out there, either. Platforms like Aspire, Collabstr, and Grin also act as intermediaries between creators and brands, each with slightly different features. Some take a commission, while others charge brands to list opportunities — so it’s worth experimenting with a few to see which feels right for you. Through Passionfroot, I’ve already completed one partnership with a brand that found me on there. I’ve also received about a dozen more requests — most of which I turned down because they weren’t a good fit or I simply didn’t have the time. Still, it’s been brilliant in terms of visibility and options. ⚡Multiple channels like me? I rely on Buffer to help me crosspost and minimize the admin! Get Buffer for free →What I’ve learned about pricing and valueOne of the trickiest parts of making money as a nano-influencer is figuring out how much to charge. I’ve made mistakes here — underpricing myself, saying yes to free products when I should have asked for payment, and comparing my rates to creators in totally different niches. For transparency, my rates typically fall between $300 and $600 per post, depending on the scope. Here’s what I’ve learned: Know your worth, but stay flexible. A smaller budget isn’t always a dealbreaker if the brand offers something else valuable (like visibility or long-term partnership potential).If a product exchange is good for you, go for it! It’s not my thing right now, but it might work for you. It can also be a lightweight way to start building a portfolio.Packages are a great way to boost income. This could look like sharing three posts at a slightly lower rate over several weeks, or throwing in another platform or two at a slightly higher rate. In the case of the latter, it won’t involve much extra work for you, but could double or triple exposure for the brand (which is why you can charge more — win-win).Be clear on usage rights. Sponsored posts don’t automatically mean brands get to use your content in their own ads. It’s standard to charge extra for ad usage — after all, the brand is leveraging your likeness, tone, and trust. A good rule of thumb is to charge 50–100% of your base rate per month of usage (so if you charge $400 for a post, you’d add another $200–$400 for each month the brand wants to run it as an ad).Don’t let imposter syndrome get in your wayWhether you have 1,000 followers or 10,000, if you’ve nurtured that community, that is enough! It’s easy to feel like having a smaller following isn’t worth much, but I’d argue that, in some ways, it’s worth way more. If you take one thing away from this article, let it be this: don’t let imposter syndrome stop you from getting started. If you have any questions about getting started with monetization as a nano-creator, I’d love to help! You can find me (of course!) on LinkedIn, TikTok, and Instagram, as well as Threads. More resources for nano-creatorsHow to Get Your First 1,000 Followers Across All Major Social Media Platforms: The Ultimate Guide7 Simple Habits to Help You Get Better at Creating Content More ConsistentlyHow to Create Your Own Influencer Media Kit (+ Examples from Creators)View the full article

Last fall, a Norwegian psychology professor named Lars Dehli was asked to give a lecture on intelligence. It had been a while since he had taught the topic, so he looked forward to revisiting it. As he explained in ​an essay​ about the experience, he decided to start the lecture by discussing the so-called Flynn Effect—the well-known phenomenon, first observed by James Flynn, whereby measured IQ scores have been steadily increasing since World War II. “It’s always fun to tell students that their generation is the smartest people who have ever lived,” Dehli wrote. But as he gathered data to build an up-to-date chart, he was “very surprised” by what he discovered: “IQ has actually started to fall.” Dehli was not the first person to notice this decline. In recent years, a growing number of researchers have been documenting what has become known as the Reverse Flynn Effect. Consider, for example, ​a recent paper​ published in the journal Intelligence that studied IQ scores over time in an American population. It found a steady decline in almost every intelligence metric studied as part of a 35-item assessment. Here’s a chart that shows these declines broken out by education level: There’s no consensus on the causes of the Reverse Flynn Effect. But in a ​recent podcast appearance​, James Mariott, a critic and columnist for The Times of London, summarized a hypothesis that has been gaining traction: as we switch our information consumption from print to digital devices, our ability to think deeply degrades. As Marriott explains: “Print requires us to make a logical case for a subject. A really significant feature of books is that if you make a case in print, you have to make it logically add up. You can’t just assert things in the way you can on TikTok or on YouTube…print privileges a whole way of thinking and a whole way of processing the world that is logical, that is more rational, that is more dense information, that is more intellectually challenging. If you lose these things in our culture, which I think we really are in the process of losing them, it’s not surprising that people are getting stupider…and that we seem to find that IQ is declining.” The data on the Reverse Flynn Effect includes several pieces of evidence that support Marriott’s claims. The IQ reversal, for example, seems to begin right around 2010—the point at which smartphones began their rapid ascent to ubiquity. In addition, according to the Northwestern study, the demographic suffering the steepest declines is 18 to 22-year-olds, who also happen to be the heaviest users of smartphones. As with most psychological findings, it is unlikely that we will ever fully attribute this effect to a single, specific cause. But based on common sense and lived experience, there’s certainly a ring of truth to this device hypothesis. It’s grown standard to say things like, “my phone is making me so dumb!”, but this is often intended to be a figure of speech; a self-deprecating shorthand for the reality that the things we do on our phone are dumb, or that we spend less time doing “smart” activities than we used to. If these technological interpretations of the Reverse Flynn Effect hold up, it might turn out that this quip is way more literal than we may have originally assumed. The post On the Reverse Flynn Effect appeared first on Cal Newport. View the full article

Last fall, a Norwegian psychology professor named Lars Dehli was asked to give a lecture on intelligence. It had been a while since he had taught the topic, so he looked forward to revisiting it. As he explained in ​an essay​ about the experience, he decided to start the lecture by discussing the so-called Flynn Effect—the well-known phenomenon, first observed by James Flynn, whereby measured IQ scores have been steadily increasing since World War II. “It’s always fun to tell students that their generation is the smartest people who have ever lived,” Dehli wrote. But as he gathered data to build an up-to-date chart, he was “very surprised” by what he discovered: “IQ has actually started to fall.” Dehli was not the first person to notice this decline. In recent years, a growing number of researchers have been documenting what has become known as the Reverse Flynn Effect. Consider, for example, ​a recent paper​ published in the journal Intelligence that studied IQ scores over time in an American population. It found a steady decline in almost every intelligence metric studied as part of a 35-item assessment. Here’s a chart that shows these declines broken out by education level: There’s no consensus on the causes of the Reverse Flynn Effect. But in a ​recent podcast appearance​, James Mariott, a critic and columnist for The Times of London, summarized a hypothesis that has been gaining traction: as we switch our information consumption from print to digital devices, our ability to think deeply degrades. As Marriott explains: “Print requires us to make a logical case for a subject. A really significant feature of books is that if you make a case in print, you have to make it logically add up. You can’t just assert things in the way you can on TikTok or on YouTube…print privileges a whole way of thinking and a whole way of processing the world that is logical, that is more rational, that is more dense information, that is more intellectually challenging. If you lose these things in our culture, which I think we really are in the process of losing them, it’s not surprising that people are getting stupider…and that we seem to find that IQ is declining.” The data on the Reverse Flynn Effect includes several pieces of evidence that support Marriott’s claims. The IQ reversal, for example, seems to begin right around 2010—the point at which smartphones began their rapid ascent to ubiquity. In addition, according to the Northwestern study, the demographic suffering the steepest declines is 18 to 22-year-olds, who also happen to be the heaviest users of smartphones. As with most psychological findings, it is unlikely that we will ever fully attribute this effect to a single, specific cause. But based on common sense and lived experience, there’s certainly a ring of truth to this device hypothesis. It’s grown standard to say things like, “my phone is making me so dumb!”, but this is often intended to be a figure of speech; a self-deprecating shorthand for the reality that the things we do on our phone are dumb, or that we spend less time doing “smart” activities than we used to. If these technological interpretations of the Reverse Flynn Effect hold up, it might turn out that this quip is way more literal than we may have originally assumed. The post On the Reverse Flynn Effect appeared first on Cal Newport. View the full article

Fall feels like productivity’s new year. The summer haze fades, the air sharpens, and suddenly you remember what sharpened pencils smell like and spend far too much time shopping for the perfect bullet journal. But here’s the problem: motivation lasts about as long as the caffeine buzz from a venti pumpkin spice latte. You might The post The Fall Focus Challenge: one month to reclaim your workday appeared first on RescueTime Blog. View the full article

The data integration market is projected to reach $30.27 billion by 2030, according to data from Grand View Research. With the average organization using hundreds of SaaS applications, sometimes with overlapping purposes, data integrations are rapidly becoming an essential part of day-to-day operations. Data integration tools allow the automation of essential processes, the centralization of data from multiple sources, and the elimination of data silos. In this guide, you’ll get a list of the 10 best data integration tools on the market to help you choose the right solution. What are data integration tools? Data integration tools connect software platforms to keep data in sync between them. This allows teams to have access to all the information they need from the tools they use more, even if some of that data comes from other platforms. On the surface, data integrations seem simple. Data starts in one tool and ends up in another. But there’s more going on under the hood, including: Real-time synchronization, which regularly checks tools for updates and carries them over near-instantly. Data transformation, which turns data in one tool into a format compatible with other tools. Automated workflows, sequences of integrations and actions that handle even complex data transfers, so you can focus on more important work. Dedicated data integration platforms can be pretty technical, and you’ll usually need the support of an IT or software expert to set one up. But that’s not always the case. Some integration solutions are no harder to set up than any other software tool you’re already using, and they’ll serve just fine as a data integration platform. Types of data integration tools Here’s a quick list of some of the most popular types of data integration tools: ETL tools: Extract, transform, and load tools take data out of software platforms and load it into a data warehouse which is then used as the single source of truth for all other tools. Two-way sync: Tools like Unito create two-way relationships between data sets in multiple tools, automatically keeping data up-to-date as you work. iPaaS tools: Integration Platform as a Service platforms give you a single platform from which you can build integrations for a variety of tools. RPA platforms: Robotic Process Automation allows users to build “robot” agents that can take any action a human user can. This allows for the automation of even complex processes through multiple tools. How to choose the right tool Before you choose a tool, you need to evaluate the following: Available integrations: Does the tool support the platforms you need to integrate? Does it only support some of them? Ease of use: Some platforms take months to deploy and require significant technical resources, or even third-party consultants. Others can be deployed in days by a single person. Which type is a better fit for you? Security features: Most data integration platforms have robust security features, but some are more secure than others. Look for certifications like SOC 2 and compliance with regulations like GDPR and CCPA. Scalability: If you work in a large organization with significant data needs, you need a tool that’s built with larger organizations in mind. Cost: Quickly calculate how much you’d pay for a given data integration tool and you’ll be able to eliminate tools that don’t fit your budget. The 10 best data integration tools Most of these platforms have some kind of visual interface you can use for integrating data without advanced technical knowledge, and they offer similar features. Usually, choosing the right data integration tool means finding the one that has the best support for your data sources at a price point that makes sense for you. Unito: Best no-code two-way sync platform Unito is a no-code integration platform with some of the deepest two-way integrations for the most popular tools on the market, including Google Sheets, Microsoft Excel, Airtable, Asana, Trello, Jira, and more. With a single Unito flow, you can build a two-way relationship between two data sources, syncing data back and forth between them. Say you’re using an Airtable base to manage your sales pipeline and a Google Sheets spreadsheet to track all your leads. With a Unito flow, you could sync those contacts from Google Sheets to Airtable and keep them updated no matter where changes happen. So if one of your salespeople learns that a contact updated their phone number, you can have it updated across both data sources — no matter where it’s actually changed. Best for: Real-time collaboration across tools. Key features: Two-way sync across 60+ applications 12-minute average setup time Field-level mapping with custom rules SOC 2 Type II certified Historical data migration Informatica PowerCenter Informatica’s platform allows advanced technical users to build any kind of workflow they need, with support for over 50,000 data sources, including AWS (Amazon Web Services), Microsoft Azure, Google Cloud, Salesforce, and more. Whether you’re working through a one-time migration or need ongoing data integration, Informatica is a strong platform. Best for: Enterprises that want to centralize information in a data warehouse. Key Features: Comprehensive ETL/ELT capabilities Advanced data quality tools Enterprise security and compliance Big data and cloud support AWS Glue AWS Glue is a fully managed data integration platform that lets you extract data from multiple sources and centralize it. This platform uses Apache Spark, an open-source analytics engine for processing large amounts of data — enabling it to work through complex data integration workflows at scale without a complicated user interface. Because it’s run by Amazon, AWS Glue works seamlessly with other Amazon services you might already be using. Best for: Organizations already using AWS infrastructure. Key Features: Pay-per-use serverless model Automatic schema discovery Built-in data catalog Native AWS integration Dell Boomi A cloud-based data integration tool from the makers of a laptop you might be using to read this article right now, Dell Boomi has a visual interface that allows anyone to build integrations quickly without any coding knowledge. This platform is used by companies like Expedia, AT&T, LinkedIn, and American Express to transfer data from over 300,000 apps. Best for: Mid-market companies that need flexible integrations with minimal coding. Key Features: Visual integration designer 300,000+ app connections Pre-built process templates API management tools IBM DataStage For large enterprises with complex data needs, IBM DataStage is a strong choice. Its visual interface is built with collaboration in mind, meaning that your entire team can plug in their data sources — no coding experience required. With its advanced data cleansing features, IBM DataStage keeps crucial information accurate and consistent, meaning your decisions can always be backed up by quality data. Best for: Large enterprises requiring sophisticated data quality and governance capabilities with collaborative development environments. Key Features: Advanced data quality and cleansing tools Collaborative development environment for team workflows Parallel processing capabilities for high-volume data Integration with IBM ecosystem (Watson, Cloud Pak) Comprehensive audit trails and lineage tracking Visual job design with reusable components Pentaho While it’s really a business intelligence platform at its core, Pentaho still has some strong features that make it a great data integration tool. Here’s something that really sets it apart from other platforms, though; there’s both a paid version for enterprise businesses and an open-source community version. So if you need a data integration solution for cheap — meaning free — it’s worth trying out the open-source version first. Best for: Organizations needing integrated business intelligence and data integration in a single platform. Key Features: Integrated BI and data integration suite Visual report and dashboard builders Open-source community edition available Real-time analytics capabilities Comprehensive data visualization tools ETL designer with drag-and-drop interface SnapLogic SnapLogic is a cloud-based data integration platform that empowers you to pull information from all your data sources and push it to a central location that’s always up to date. This platform uses intelligent connectors called Snaps to automate and streamline the data integration process — meaning you can deploy an integration in a fraction of the time it would take with other software. SnapLogic supports more than 500 data sources, and is used by companies like Adobe, Sony, Wendy’s, and WD-40. Best for: Teams seeking AI-powered assistance in building and maintaining integrations with enterprise-grade capabilities. Key Features: AI-assisted pipeline creation and optimization 500+ pre-built “Snaps” (intelligent connectors) Self-service data preparation tools Real-time and batch processing capabilities Built-in data governance and monitoring Visual pipeline designer with auto-suggestions Zigiwave Zigiwave is a workflow management platform with data integration features that support data sources like Jira, Azure DevOps, Salesforce, Datadog, and GitHub. The platform’s cloud-based architecture means that it will scale with your organization and is flexible enough for all kinds of needs. Its simple visual interface ensures that anyone can use it, regardless of skill level. Best for: Mid-market companies needing workflow management with integrated data synchronization for DevOps and project management tools. Key Features: Workflow automation with data integration capabilities Support for DevOps tools (Jira, Azure DevOps, GitHub) Cloud-based scalable architecture Simple visual interface for non-technical users Real-time synchronization between platforms Custom field mapping and transformation rules DCKAP DCKAP is an easy-to-use data integration platform that enables connections between different business systems, such as CRM, e-commerce platforms, and ERP. Within DCKAP integrations, you can find HubSpot, Shopify, BigCommerce, Adobe Commerce, Epicor, and much more. This flexible and customizable tool provides updated information that helps make effective business decisions. By giving everyone access to the same accurate information, the DCKAP integrator improves communication between teams and departments. Best for: E-commerce and retail businesses needing seamless integration between CRM, ERP, and e-commerce platforms. Key Features: Pre-built connectors for e-commerce platforms (Shopify, BigCommerce, Adobe Commerce) ERP system integration (Epicor, SAP, NetSuite) CRM connectivity (HubSpot, Salesforce) Real-time inventory and order synchronization Customer data unification across touchpoints Automated pricing and catalog updates Apache NiFi Apache NiFi is an open-source, robust data integration tool with a user-friendly platform that’s best for designing, automating, and managing data flows. It’s most often used as an ETL tool — or extract, transform, load. This free open-source tool is great for technical users who want to quickly start building better data management workflows without a huge price tag. Best for: Technical teams requiring maximum customization and control over data flows with enterprise-grade security and provenance tracking. Key Features: Visual data flow design and management Real-time stream processing capabilities Extensive processor library for data transformation Complete data provenance and lineage tracking Cluster-based architecture for high availability Fine-grained security controls and user management Integrate your data Data is crucial for making better decisions at every level of an organization, from top-level executives to individual contributors. But when data is scattered across multiple sources, it’s tough to know what’s accurate and what’s out of date. With the right data integration platform, you can ensure that everyone has access to the latest data, no matter where they’re working from. Data integration FAQ What’s the difference between ETL and data integration? ETL (extract, transform, load) tools move data from multiple sources to a central data warehouse. That warehouse then becomes the single source of truth, and it’s often used for analysis. Data integration creates one-to-one relationships between individual tools. What are data integration tools? Data integration tools usually allow business users (meaning those who don’t have advanced technical skills) to pull important data from some platforms and push it to others. Some can be more difficult to use, meaning that someone with more technical skills (like an IT professional or data engineer) needs to set them up so they’ll work properly. Data integration tools come in different forms, including: ETL (extract, transform, load) and reverse ETL tools. Trigger and action automation tools. Customer data platforms. Two-way sync tools. What are some examples of data integration? Data integration is incredibly common across most organizations, so much so that you may not even be aware how it affects your daily work. Here are a few examples of workflows that rely heavily on data integration: Customer relationship management: Working with customers creates a ton of data. There’s contact information, individual interactions, documents, deals, and more. With data integration, you can keep all your customer data at the fingertips of the people who really need it. Project management: While some projects might exist entirely in a single tool, most need to pull data from multiple sources. With data integration, your project managers can run everything from their project management app of choice while having access to all the information their project needs. Reporting: Data integration solutions are crucial for reporting workflows. After all, reporting is all about taking information from one source and representing it in a particular way for a particular audience. Data integration allows you to automate most of your reporting, giving you more time to focus on getting insights from your reports. Pre-sales support: Your sales team can’t just push their way through every problem. Sometimes, they need support from an expert — like a lawyer or a developer — to answer specific questions. Other times, they just need a bit of extra data to know exactly what a prospect needs. Data integration tools are essential for this work. Coordinated software development: Software development rarely happens in isolation anymore. These projects often require the input of project managers and stakeholders throughout the organization. Data integration tools are often essential to getting development updates and feedback to the right places. What are some of the best data integration tools? Usually, the best tool is the one that can integrate data for your data source of choice for the best price. Here are some of the top integration tools on the market. Unito Informatica AWS Glue Dell Boomi IBM DataStage Pentaho SnapLogic Zigiwave Apache NiFi Recent updates September 5th, 2025: We added statistics about the size of the integration market in the introduction. We also reworked the first section to focus more on data integration tools rather than data integration broadly. We also added a section listing the most popular types of data integration tools. We also added selection criteria for data integration tools. We added key features and the best use case to each entry. View the full article

Recently, I led a special workshop in partnership with Freelancers Union called RESET: Reconnect With Your Creative Self. It wasn’t about doing more. It wasn’t about productivity hacks. It was about honesty. Once the room felt safe enough to be real, something powerful happened: We named the kind of stuck that doesn’t budge. Not the “I need to plan better” kind—but the kind that makes you wonder: Why can’t I move forward?What am I even doing?Is it me—or is the world just too much right now?The RESET MomentSo we moved. We danced. We breathed. Not to perform—but to remember: Underneath all the noise, there’s still a pulse. A voice.A reason you began.RESET isn’t about fixing. It’s about clearing space—so you can feel again. So you can listen again. When Creating Becomes SurvivingAnne, one of the instructors in my ASTC Teaching Method professional development program, started the course with her best foot forward. She was passionate, excited, and ready to contribute her full creative self. But then, life caught up. The bills piled up. The days got shorter. The responsibilities got heavier. And slowly, her creativity faded into the background. She wasn’t creating anymore—she was surviving. When she came to me, she wasn’t asking for tools or choreography. She had shut down. Her energy was depleted. But more than that—she felt ashamed of her own reality. “Why can’t I do this?” She asked. I stopped her and made one thing very clear: “You can. And this is not your reality.” Then I shared two truths I believe every creative needs to hear: You are not failing. You’re just one step closer to moving forward. You just need to learn how to give yourself permission to take that step.No one is going to tell you when it’s time to recalibrate. That’s your job. And it’s hard.As artists, we need to be more intentional about surrounding ourselves with a community that not only fuels our creativity—but holds us accountable to it. (Which Anne had.) So here’s the good news: Help was on the way. We paused. Not to fix—but to feel. We started mapping out how to be present again— and how to reconnect with her creativity. That’s when the shift began. Not because she pushed harder—but because she gave herself permission to make space for creativity and the right support to manage it. Anne didn’t put on a band-aid. By pausing, she moved forward. Why We Need to PauseAs creatives, our creativity is one of the most precious things in our lives. We need to nurture it—by growing, listening, and challenging ourselves. In a world that spins so fast, it’s easy to lose track—and with it, our creative power. What usually happens is the tendency to watch or follow someone else’s strategy. But here’s the thing: We can’t follow someone else’s path. There’s no blueprint for our voice. We are the ones building the map as we go. Our role in the world is to be the engine that sparks what didn’t exist before. We may not always produce tangible products— but we are the ones providing the hope, imagination, and vision at their core. Sometimes, we raise people from darkness without even knowing it. Sometimes, we speak to the child who feels different and become their invisible best friend. Sometimes, we save lives. We make space for the stories that haven’t been told. But we’re not just storytellers—we’re advocates for change and starters of legacies. And to do that, we need space. Stillness. Breath. We need clarity. There is a way forward. There is support. So ask yourself: What would happen if I gave myself permission to begin again? Keep the RESET AliveIf something in this blog stirred something in you, if you’re ready to stop pushing and start reconnecting — you’re not alone. I’m opening space for a new round of RESET: Reconnect With Your Creative Self, a workshop experience designed to help you pause, reflect, and move forward, on your terms. Want to be the first to know when registration opens? Email me with “RESET” in the subject line Give yourself permission to start again. View the full article

Recently, I led a special workshop in partnership with Freelancers Union called RESET: Reconnect With Your Creative Self. It wasn’t about doing more. It wasn’t about productivity hacks. It was about honesty. Once the room felt safe enough to be real, something powerful happened: We named the kind of stuck that doesn’t budge. Not the “I need to plan better” kind—but the kind that makes you wonder: Why can’t I move forward?What am I even doing?Is it me—or is the world just too much right now?The RESET MomentSo we moved. We danced. We breathed. Not to perform—but to remember: Underneath all the noise, there’s still a pulse. A voice.A reason you began.RESET isn’t about fixing. It’s about clearing space—so you can feel again. So you can listen again. When Creating Becomes SurvivingAnne, one of the instructors in my ASTC Teaching Method professional development program, started the course with her best foot forward. She was passionate, excited, and ready to contribute her full creative self. But then, life caught up. The bills piled up. The days got shorter. The responsibilities got heavier. And slowly, her creativity faded into the background. She wasn’t creating anymore—she was surviving. When she came to me, she wasn’t asking for tools or choreography. She had shut down. Her energy was depleted. But more than that—she felt ashamed of her own reality. “Why can’t I do this?” She asked. I stopped her and made one thing very clear: “You can. And this is not your reality.” Then I shared two truths I believe every creative needs to hear: You are not failing. You’re just one step closer to moving forward. You just need to learn how to give yourself permission to take that step.No one is going to tell you when it’s time to recalibrate. That’s your job. And it’s hard.As artists, we need to be more intentional about surrounding ourselves with a community that not only fuels our creativity—but holds us accountable to it. (Which Anne had.) So here’s the good news: Help was on the way. We paused. Not to fix—but to feel. We started mapping out how to be present again— and how to reconnect with her creativity. That’s when the shift began. Not because she pushed harder—but because she gave herself permission to make space for creativity and the right support to manage it. Anne didn’t put on a band-aid. By pausing, she moved forward. Why We Need to PauseAs creatives, our creativity is one of the most precious things in our lives. We need to nurture it—by growing, listening, and challenging ourselves. In a world that spins so fast, it’s easy to lose track—and with it, our creative power. What usually happens is the tendency to watch or follow someone else’s strategy. But here’s the thing: We can’t follow someone else’s path. There’s no blueprint for our voice. We are the ones building the map as we go. Our role in the world is to be the engine that sparks what didn’t exist before. We may not always produce tangible products— but we are the ones providing the hope, imagination, and vision at their core. Sometimes, we raise people from darkness without even knowing it. Sometimes, we speak to the child who feels different and become their invisible best friend. Sometimes, we save lives. We make space for the stories that haven’t been told. But we’re not just storytellers—we’re advocates for change and starters of legacies. And to do that, we need space. Stillness. Breath. We need clarity. There is a way forward. There is support. So ask yourself: What would happen if I gave myself permission to begin again? Keep the RESET AliveIf something in this blog stirred something in you, if you’re ready to stop pushing and start reconnecting — you’re not alone. I’m opening space for a new round of RESET: Reconnect With Your Creative Self, a workshop experience designed to help you pause, reflect, and move forward, on your terms. Want to be the first to know when registration opens? Email me with “RESET” in the subject line Give yourself permission to start again. View the full article

QuantalRF says the road to better Wi-Fi RF doesn't need to involve the digital interventions. The post QuantalRF brings back analog RF innovation for Wi-Fi FEMs, superseding non-linear FEMs & DPD, company says appeared first on Wi-Fi NOW Global. View the full article

Data silos aren’t just inconvenient. They can completely derail important projects and create misunderstandings between departments. Worse, they’re expensive. According to data from Gartner, poor data quality costs organizations $12.9 million a year on average. Poor data quality can be caused by improper practices and rigid workflows but, in most organizations, data silos are the primary contributor. Think about the tools you use every day, like Salesforce, ServiceNow, or Jira. How easy is it for a team working in one of them to get the data they need from other sources? Can they easily share their data with someone else? Typical solutions to data silos often don’t work. Copying and pasting data between tools is time-consuming and forcing everyone to use a single tool rarely sticks. Enterprise teams need no-code integration platforms that can be deployed in days, not months, while truly syncing data back and forth between tools. Here’s a breakdown of these platforms—and of your options. What is a no-code integration platform? A no-code integration platform is a piece of software that bridges the gap between two (or more) other platforms, moving data between them without forcing you to write code to set them up. Typically, these platforms offer a visual interface you can use to build and customize your integration. Some have drag-and-drop builders, while others will use dropdowns and search bars. These platforms come in a wide range of different types: If-this-then-that automation: These platforms allow users to choose a trigger in one tool and an action in the other to set up their integration. Once set up, the integration will automatically look for that trigger and perform the requested action whenever it’s found. These are some of the most popular integration tools, especially with small teams. Native integrations: These are found right in the tools you’re looking to integrate and are typically built by the same company that built the tool. Their functionality can vary, but their primary advantage is ease of access. Usually, they’re more limited than third-party integration platforms, whether that’s in features or in available integrations. Two-way sync: These integration platforms create a bidirectional relationship between work items (e.g., tasks, issues, spreadsheet rows) in one tool and matching work items in another. That way, anyone working one tool automatically updates the data in the other without any extra work, and vice-versa. iPaaS: Short for integration platform as a service, these no-code integration platforms give you a single place for building all the integrations you need. Some offer two-way syncing, others don’t. They typically require more technical ability than other no-code integration platforms. iSaaS: Short for integration software as a service, these platforms serve a similar function to iPaaS solutions, but are typically far less complex to set up. Similarly, some will offer a two-way sync while others might not. Some of these solutions only offer one-way automations, which can push data from one tool to another, but don’t allow any further interaction with that data once it’s moved. Two-way sync solutions are the only platforms that allow teams in multiple tools to interact with the same set of data from any tool. Similarly, some solutions require significant time and technical resources to set up, while others can be deployed in days. This is an important dimension to investigate before choosing a platform. Why basic automation tools fall short for growing teams Automation tools are often the first type of no-code integration platform most teams investigate. They are popular and often used by individuals to automate their own personal workflows. But if you try to use these platforms to support workflows for enterprise teams, you’ll run into some issues: One-way syncing limitations: Automation solutions can only move data in one direction. This might be enough for some workflows, but it can be artificially limiting or even catastrophic for others. Since many users try to build chains of automations to support more complex workflows, they can accidentally create infinite loops and other issues that corrupt their data. Template restrictions: Many automation solutions use pre-built templates to give their users access to a breadth of integrations that can be deployed quickly. But whenever your needs fall outside of these templates, you’ll have to do some significant work to get your automations working exactly as you need them to. Scaling problems: Automation platforms typically set their pricing based on the number of work items you need to automate. For the workflows enterprise teams rely on, this can quickly get prohibitively expensive. Maintenance overhead: When you build a long chain of automations to support complex workflows, you’re unwittingly signing yourself up for complex troubleshooting and maintenance tasks. When a single automation stops working, it can break the whole chain, involving hours or days of troubleshooting to get everything working right. Security concerns: Some of the most popular automation platforms are consumer-grade, meaning they don’t have the stringent security requirements enterprise platforms require. Automation platforms are easy to set up and use, but the hidden costs that come with them pile up over time. That’s why most enterprise organizations need no-code integration platforms that are built with their needs in mind. Key features of enterprise-ready no-code integration platforms Not all no-code integration platforms are ready for enterprise needs, even if they go beyond simple automations. When you need a platform that can truly support your workflows, look for the following. Bidirectional data synchronization Also known as a two-way sync, this is an essential feature for no-code integration platforms. Enterprise organizations use hundreds of apps in their day-to-day operations, and maintaining proper data flow between them is a herculean task. A two-way sync platform means everyone working in these apps has all the data they need, without a long, complex chain of automations to support it all. True two-way sync solutions also include features like automated conflict resolution and historical data handling, ensuring you’re always working with the most up-to-date data, no matter how many versions there are in your ecosystem. Enterprise security and compliance Enterprise organizations handle a massive amount of data, both from their customers and from their own internal processes. Integration platforms made for individuals and small teams rarely have the security features your organization needs. When looking for an integration, you should keep an eye out for the following: SOC 2 certification: Short for System and Organization Controls 2, this certification demonstrates that the organization behind an integration platform meets stringent security, availability, and data processing requirements. Data privacy compliance: Regulations like GDPR (General Data Protection Regulation) and CCPA (California Consumer Privacy Act) govern what organizations must do to protect the data of their customers. Because data integration often interacts directly with this data, the platform you choose has to support your efforts to meet these requirements. On-premise support: Not all integration platforms support on-premise installations of popular software like Jira or ServiceNow. On-premise software gives you more control, and a lack of support for these installations can completely disqualify an integration solution. Role-based access controls: An enterprise-ready integration solution should give you the ability to finely control the permissions of each user, ensuring they only have access to the projects and features they absolutely need. Advanced workflow configuration Enterprise organizations need integration solutions that go beyond the simple triggers found in automation platforms. The workflows these tools integrate can be quite complex, with multiple moving pieces that can completely alter the outcome of a workflow. An integration solution needs to keep up with built-in conditional logic that enables it to take the correct action as your workflow changes. You also need the ability to customize your integration beyond basic capabilities. Custom field support is an important feature, allowing integrations to support more fields than what’s already built into your tools. Similarly, advanced filtering rules, field mappings, and other custom data transformation capabilities are essential. Scalability and performance An enterprise-ready integration solution has to scale with you. Your teams can send a massive amount of data back and forth for even the simplest workflows, meaning any integration you use has to support this. Some integration solutions may limit the number of API (application programming interface) requests your tools make, reducing the amount of data you can sync reliably. Finally, you need a guarantee that the infrastructure an integration solution uses can scale with your needs. Not all providers can achieve this. 3 examples of no-code integration platforms With a slew of integration platforms out there, you could easily spend months just researching your options. Let’s cut that time down significantly. Here are the top three no-code integration platforms available today, as well as how suited they are to enterprise teams. Unito Unito is a no-code integration platform with the deepest two-way integrations for some of the most popular enterprise tools on the market, including Jira, ServiceNow, Smartsheet, Azure DevOps, Asana, and more. A single Unito flow can connect projects, databases, or spreadsheets across tools, automatically syncing data back and forth between them. It’s one of the few platforms on the market offering a true bidirectional sync that enterprise teams can rely on. Best for: Unito is best suited for enterprise teams that want a bidirectional sync with no compromises. If you need an enterprise-ready platform that truly allows you to work from your tool of choice with all the data you need at your fingertips, it’s the best option. Main drawback: Unito’s integration library is more limited than other options on this list, focusing on enterprise-grade connectors like Jira (both Cloud and Data Center), Smartsheet, ServiceNow, and Asana. Want to see if Unito is the best option for your team? Talk with sales Zapier Zapier is one of the most popular automation platforms out there, with thousands of integrations available. This tool uses “if-this-then-that” logic, allowing users to quickly build automations around triggers and actions. For example, you could build an automation that creates a task in Asana to match new spreadsheet rows in Google Sheets or that updates a specific field in an Asana task when a similar field is updated in another task. Best for: Small teams or larger teams with simpler workflows. If you need an automation right now, no matter which tools you’re using, then Zapier is a solid option. Main drawback: As an automation platform, Zapier can be pretty limited for most enterprise teams. Unless you’re willing to build a long chain of automations that requires regular maintenance, you won’t get as much out of Zapier as some other platforms. Want to see how Zapier compares against a two-way sync platform? Check out this breakdown. Make (formerly Integromat) Make is an AI-powered, no-code development platform that allows users to automate workflows, manage AI agents, and more, from the same visual drag-and-drop interface. It’s one of the most advanced tools on this list, offering deep flow control, data manipulation, and custom integration support. Best for: Enterprise teams with the technical resources to fully build out and customize their integrations. If you have the right skill level, you can leverage deep integrations that will support even the most complex workflows. Main drawback: Deploying, running, and maintaining integrations built with Make can take a significant amount of time and technical resources. For some teams, the ROI just simply isn’t there. Choosing the right no-code integration platform for your team Basic automation may work for simple workflows and small teams, but it won’t cut it for enterprise organizations. True bidirectional synchronization is the only integration technology robust enough to support complex needs while being easy enough to use to deploy in days instead of months. Solutions that scale with you, with a total cost of ownership that doesn’t include expensive third-party experts, are the way to go. While integrations solutions can be deployed at scale across a number of use cases, it’s best to start with a few, high-impact needs and scale gradually from there. Want to see why Unito is the best no-code integration solution for enterprise teams? Talk with sales View the full article

IDEAS shared have the power to expand perspectives, change thinking, and move lives. Here are two ideas for the curious mind to engage with: I. Hemant Taneja on radical collaboration: “Lobbing ‘disruptive’ innovations like random hand grenades into such large, established, and important sectors usually only changes things on the fringes. Those who work on the inside, who have spent their lives in their professions, get the sense that outsiders are invading and telling them they are outmoded or worthless, so they understandably push back. They might outright reject the innovation—or lobby to get policymakers to regulate the innovation away. Systemic transformation gets throttled when these disruptors fail to work with the system. Disruption needs to be disrupted, so to speak, by radical collaboration.” Source: The Transformation Principles: How to Create Enduring Change II. Rolf Dobelli on values: “When it comes to important issues, values allow you to have radical flexibility. Once you’ve defined your values clearly, you don’t have to weigh the pros and cons every time you are faced with a decision. It’s already been made for you.” Source: The Art of the Good Life: 52 Surprising Shortcuts to Happiness, Wealth, and Success * * * Look for these ideas every Thursday on the Leading Blog. Find more ideas on the LeadingThoughts index. * * * Follow us on Instagram and X for additional leadership and personal development ideas. View the full article

Table of contents What are product variations in ecommerce? Why do product variations matter for customers? How do product variations support your ecommerce SEO strategies? Increase in keyword targeting Richer content for search engines and AI engines Improved user engagement and longer sessions Better structured data for enhanced search results Blueprint for optimizing your product variations Technical implementation of product variations Media content optimization for ecommerce product variations SEO tips for product variations Common product variation ecommerce errors to avoid Ready to unfold all variations? Product variations are more than just an ecommerce feature. They give your customers choices, whether it’s size, color, style, or material, while helping your store stand out in competitive search results. When optimized correctly, product variations do more than display available options. They improve the customer experience by making shopping easier. At the same time, they boost conversions by catering to diverse needs and support your SEO strategy by targeting more keywords. This guide will explain the best practices for product variations and show you how to optimize them for search engines and customers so your ecommerce site can grow in traffic, rankings, and sales. What are product variations in ecommerce? Product variations or product variants are different versions of the same product designed to give customers options. These variations can be based on attributes like size, color, material, style, or capacity. Instead of creating multiple product listings, variations group all options under a single product, making it easier for customers to browse and purchase. For example, when you search for an iPhone on Amazon, you’ll see options for different colors and storage capacities, all available on a single page. This setup lets customers explore multiple choices without leaving the main product page. Managing product variations depends on the platform you use: In WooCommerce, product variations are created using attributes such as size or color, and then assigning values to those attributes. Store owners can upload unique images, set prices, and adjust stock for each variation Read more: Variable Products Documentation – WooCommerce In Shopify, variations are managed under the ‘Variants’ section of a product. You can add options like size, color, or material, and then assign values. Each variant can have its own price, SKU, and image, making it simple to customize how the variations appear in your store Read more: Shopify Help Center – Adding variants Why do product variations matter for customers? Okay, now let’s see why you need product variants and not upload each option as a completely separate product. Think of it this way: customers don’t want to scroll through endless listings just to compare a black t-shirt with a white one or a 64GB phone with a 128GB version. Variations keep everything in one place, making shopping smoother and more intuitive. Here’s why product variations are so important for your customers: Improved shopping experience: Variants reduce unnecessary clicks and allow customers to compare options side by side within a single product page. This saves time and makes decision-making easier Higher conversions and lower bounce rates: When customers find their preferred size, color, or feature right away, they are more likely to complete a purchase instead of leaving your store Reduced purchase anxiety: Variants ensure customers do not feel limited by stock. Seeing multiple choices available decreases the chance of cart abandonment Personalization and satisfaction: Offering customers options empowers them to choose a product that feels tailor-made for them, improving overall satisfaction Indirect SEO benefits: A better shopping experience often leads to longer session durations, fewer bounces, and more engagement. These signals may indirectly support stronger SEO performance, as they align with positive user experience metrics How do product variations support your ecommerce SEO strategies? Product variations are not just about creating a better shopping experience; they also bring direct ecommerce SEO benefits that can help your store attract more qualified traffic. When optimized correctly, variants can make your product pages richer, more discoverable, and more engaging. Increase in keyword targeting Variants allow you to target a wider range of long-tail keywords that reflect real customer search behavior. For example, instead of only competing for ‘men’s wallet,’ you can rank for ‘men’s black leather wallet’ or ‘slim men’s brown wallet.’ These specific keywords usually carry higher purchase intent and face less competition Richer content for search engines and AI engines Each variation allows you to add unique attributes, descriptions, and specifications. This creates a more detailed and content-rich product page that search engines and AI-driven engines (like ChatGPT or Google’s AI Overviews) value when surfacing answers and shaping brand perception. Improved user engagement and longer sessions A well-structured page that clearly displays variations keeps users from bouncing to competitor sites when they don’t immediately find their preferred option. Instead, they spend more time exploring, comparing, and interacting with your store, which indirectly supports SEO through stronger engagement signals. Better structured data for enhanced search results When product variants are properly marked up with structured data, search engines can display rich snippets that include price ranges, availability, color options, and reviews. This not only makes your listings stand out but also boosts click-through rates (CTRs) from search results. Yoast SEO’s Structure data feature describes your product content as a single interconnected schema graph that search engines can easily understand. This helps them interpret your product variations more accurately and increases your chances of getting rich results, from product details to FAQs. In short, optimized product variants make your product pages more keyword-diverse, content-rich, and engaging while also improving how your store is presented in search results and generative AI chat replies. Blueprint for optimizing your product variations Here’s the part you’ve been waiting for: how to optimize your product variations for SEO, conversions, and user experience. In this section, we’ll cover the right technical implementation, smart SEO tactics, and the common mistakes you’ll want to avoid. Technical implementation of product variations Getting the technical setup right is the foundation for optimizing your product variations for both ecommerce SEO and user experience. Poor implementation can lead to crawl inefficiencies, duplicate content, and a confusing buyer journey. Here’s how to approach it effectively: Handling variations in URLs One of the biggest decisions you’ll make is how to structure URLs for your product variations: Parameters (e.g., ?color=red&size=12): Good for filtering and faceted navigation, but they can create crawl bloat if not managed properly. Always define URL parameters in Google Search Console and use canonical tags to consolidate signals Separate pages for each variation (e.g., /red-dress-size-12): This can be useful when specific variations have significant search demand (like ‘iPhone 15 Pro Max 512GB Blue’). However, it requires careful duplication management and unique, optimized content for each page Single product page with dropdowns or swatches: The most common approach for ecommerce stores, as it consolidates SEO signals into one canonical page while providing users with all available variations in one place Takeaway: Use a hybrid approach. Keep a single master product page, but only create dedicated variation URLs for high-demand search queries (with unique descriptions, images, and structured data). Note: only create dedicated variation URLs if you can add unique value (content/images), otherwise, it risks duplication Internal linking best practices Internal linking is crucial in helping search engines understand the relationships between your main product page and its variations. Always link back to the parent product page from any variation-specific pages Ensure your category pages link to the main product page, not every single variation (to prevent diluting crawl equity) Use descriptive anchor text when linking internally, e.g., ‘men’s black leather wallet’ rather than just ‘wallet’ The Internal linking suggestions feature in Yoast SEO Premium is a real time-saver. As you write, it recommends relevant pages and posts so you can easily connect variations, parent products, and related content. This not only strengthens your site structure and boosts SEO but also ensures visitors enjoy a seamless browsing experience. A smarter analysis in Yoast SEO PremiumYoast SEO Premium has a smart content analysis that helps you take your content to the next level! Get Yoast SEO Premium »Only $118.80 / year (ex VAT) Takeaway: Build a clean hierarchy where category pages → main product pages → variations, ensuring both users and crawlers can navigate easily. Managing faceted navigation and filters Filters (like size, color, brand, or price) enhance user experience but can create SEO challenges if every filter combination generates a new crawlable URL. Use <nofollow or noindex for low-value filter pages (like ‘price under $20’ if it doesn’t add SEO value) Block irrelevant filter parameters in robots.txt to prevent crawl bloat For valuable filters (e.g., ‘red running shoes’), allow them to be indexed and optimize the content Takeaway: Conduct a filter audit in Google Search Console. Identify which filtered URLs actually drive impressions and clicks, and only allow those to be indexable. Media content optimization for ecommerce product variations When it comes to product variations, visuals and supporting media play a critical role in both SEO and conversions. Shoppers often make purchase decisions based on how well they can visualize a specific variation. In fact, 75% of online shoppers rely on product images when making purchasing decisions. Also read: Image SEO: Optimizing images for search engines Here’s how you can optimize media content for ecommerce product variations: Use unique images for each variation Avoid using the same generic image across all variations. Display each color, size, material, or feature with its own high-quality image set. For example, if you sell a t-shirt in six colors, show each color separately to help customers make confident choices. Leverage 360° views and videos Showcase variations with interactive media like 360° spins or short product videos. For example, a ‘black leather recliner’ video demonstrates texture and function more effectively than a static image, leading to higher engagement and conversions. Optimize alt text, file names, and metadata Every image should have descriptive, keyword-rich alt text that specifies the variation. Instead of writing ‘red shoe,’ use ‘women’s red running shoe size 8.’ File names (e.g., womens-red-running-shoe-size8.webp) and captions should also reinforce the variation for better indexing. Implement structured data for media Use the Product schema to explicitly define images and videos for each variation. Including structured data ensures that Google and AI-driven engines like ChatGPT can clearly interpret your variation visuals and display them in rich results or AI summaries. For instance, assigning images to specific SKUs (via image markup) makes it easier for search engines to show the correct variation in shopping results. SEO tips for product variations Optimizing product variations for SEO requires more than attractive visuals and solid descriptions. You need to apply some proven SEO techniques to ensure search engines correctly interpret your product pages and users get the best possible experience. Here are a few key practices every ecommerce store owner should follow: Use canonical tags to avoid duplicate content issues Product variations often generate multiple URLs, which can cause duplicate content problems. Canonical tags help solve this by pointing to the primary version of a page, consolidating ranking signals, and avoiding internal competition. Yoast simplifies this process by automatically inserting canonical URL tags on your product pages. This ensures search engines know which version to prioritize, prevents diluted link equity, and even consolidates social shares under the original page. For store owners, this means less technical overhead and stronger, cleaner rankings. Apply global product identifiers (GTIN, MPN, ISBN) where relevant Global product identifiers like GTINs, MPNs, and ISBNs act as unique fingerprints for your products. They help Google and other search engines correctly match your items in their vast index, which improves the accuracy of search listings and reduces confusion with similar products. They also add credibility, since customers can cross-check these identifiers before purchase. With Yoast WooCommerce SEO, adding these identifiers becomes much easier. The plugin reminds you to fill in missing SKUs, GTINs, or EANs for each product variation and automatically outputs them in structured data. This not only helps your products qualify for rich results but also ensures that no variant is left incomplete from an SEO standpoint. Buy WooCommerce SEO now!Unlock powerful features and much more for your online store with Yoast WooCommerce SEO! Get Yoast WooCommerce SEO »Only $178.80 / year (ex VAT) Regularly audit Google Search Console data to track performance Google Search Console is a goldmine for understanding how product variations are performing. By monitoring which variant pages are driving impressions, clicks, and conversions, you can refine your SEO strategy. For example, if certain variants attract little traffic but consume crawl budget, it might be better to consolidate them under canonical tags. Regular audits also help you detect indexing issues, thin content problems, or underperforming structured data. This keeps your product catalogue lean, crawl-efficient, and focused on driving meaningful organic traffic. Also read: How to check the performance of rich results in Google Search Console Common product variation ecommerce errors to avoid Even if you’ve implemented the right technical setup, added structured data, and optimized your media content, a few small mistakes can undo all that effort. To make sure your product variations support SEO and conversions instead of hurting them, here are some common pitfalls to avoid: Duplicate content: Creating separate standalone pages for each variation (like size or color) without consolidation leads to content duplication. This confuses search engines and dilutes rankings across multiple weak pages Poor user experience: If your variation options are hidden, unclear, or slow to load, users struggle to make choices. This friction reduces conversions and increases bounce rates Incorrect structured data: Applying schema inaccurately can cause search engines to display the wrong product details in search results, damaging credibility and visibility Thin content: Not providing unique descriptions, images, or metadata for each variation leaves the page with little value. Search engines tend to down-rank such content, reducing discoverability Crawl bloat: Generating too many low-value variation URLs (like separate pages for every minor option) wastes crawl budget and prevents high-priority pages from being indexed efficiently. Additionally, it could dilute internal link equity By keeping these errors in check, you’ll ensure your product variation strategy strengthens your SEO and user experience instead of working against them. Ready to unfold all variations? Product variations are not just small details hidden in your catalogue. They play a major role in how both search engines and shoppers experience your store. When done right, they prevent duplicate content issues, improve crawl efficiency, deliver richer search results, and create a seamless journey for your customers. The key is to treat product variations as part of your overall SEO strategy, not as an afterthought. Every unique image, structured snippet, and clear variation option makes your store more visible, more reliable, and more profitable. This is where Yoast SEO becomes a game-changer. With automatic structured data, smart handling of canonical URLs, and advanced content optimization tools, Yoast helps you get product variations right the first time. The post Optimizing ecommerce product variations for SEO and conversions appeared first on Yoast. View the full article

Summer’s winding down. Mornings feel crisp, evenings come sooner, kids are back at school, and many of us are settling into our home offices again. It’s the right moment to “layer” your workspace the way you layer your clothes—small, thoughtful upgrades that make long days more comfortable, focused, and calm. Think warmth and lighting, smarter ergonomics for longer stretches at the desk, and simple routines that keep energy steady when the rain starts tapping the window. For this guide, we asked our Remotive community and team members what actually moves the needle—what helps them hit deep focus, stay healthy, and feel good in their space. The result is a practical, budget-friendly list of 10 essentials: a mix of comfort boosters, productivity helpers, and tiny luxuries that make work-from-home even more desirable. A great ergonomic chair Obvious, yes, but anyone who’s sat in a bad chair knows this is non-negotiable. Ergonomic chairs used to be a splurge, but budget brands have made them more accessible. Look for adjustable height, lumbar support, and armrests that let your shoulders relax. We love these and these. Desk Your desk should sit at the right height, with enough space for all your tools—screens, keyboard, speakers, even the cat - we don't judge. :) Keep elbows at a right angle, monitor at arm’s length, and tilt to reduce glare. To keep yourself active, rotate short standing sessions. How cool is this desk for that purpose? Deborah Hudson/PixabayCalendar/planner Digital tools are great, but a physical planner or wall calendar gives your office that “work” feel. It keeps time visible and adds a decorative touch. A quick Friday review in ink—just two lines—is enough to close the week and give Monday a head start. We love the simple designs Muji and Sterling Ink deliver.Good lighting Finding balance isn’t always easy—too bright strains, too dim relaxes you into nap mode. Use a desk lamp from the side to avoid glare, and add a soft backlight behind your monitor. BenQ lamps caught our attention for both design and features.Water bottle Coffee and tea need limits, but water is always a win and a favorite bottle makes hydration more enjoyable. Pair it with snacks that won’t spike then crash: fruit and nuts, yogurt and berries, or crackers and cheese. Love Chilly's for the functionality and design. Silence (good headphones) Many workers named silence as a most wanted home-office perk. You can’t buy quiet, but you can soften noise with quality headphones. They improve calls, shut out distractions, and back up focus sessions with music. When they're coming in these colors, they add to the office beauty, too. Elice Moore/UnsplashMicrophone Alongside headphones, a good mic makes sure people hear you clearly. This pocket size wireless companion, placed a hand’s breadth from your mouth, cuts echo and fuzz so people hear you, not your room.Scented candle Scents bring the outdoors in—ocean breeze, forest rain, or crisp apple. Keep a few candles to match weather & your mood. This one is a splurge, but swears to bring the summer right into your office. So many great ones to be found here as well.Plants Plants instantly warm up a workspace. They make a room feel alive and welcoming, while boosting mood and freshness. Choose species that fit your light and space, and scatter them across shelves, tables, or floors. Check this page for inspiration.Martine Auvray/PixabayPet (animal rescue) Many remote workers say pets are their favorite office perk. If the timing is right, adopting can make your workspace someone else’s forever home. Think through routines, quiet times for calls, and vet costs to keep the commitment sustainable.Final note: pick one comfort upgrade and one mood cue to start. Tweak a lamp, pour some water, light a citrus candle, and let cozy and productive work together. And whether you’re already working remotely or still searching, don’t miss our newsletter for updates—or browse remote jobs today! Join the Remotive newsletter Subscribe to get our latest content by email. Success! Now check your email to confirm your subscription. There was an error submitting your subscription. Please try again. Email address Subscribe Powered by ConvertKit View the full article

Tap, tap. Hello, is anyone there? 🎤 Getting views on YouTube can feel like talking to an empty room — especially if you’re just starting out. But don’t let that feeling discourage you. It’s all part of the process. And, with the right tactics, it's definitely possible to get more views on YouTube in 2025. Even if you’re a complete newbie! In this article, I’ll share 13 tried-and-tested tips on how to get more views on YouTube. Whether you’re someone who just created their channel or you’ve been stuck on the same average viewership numbers for a while, there’s something here for everyone. Jump to a section: 1. Focus on your idea first 2. Think of your YouTube channel like a TV show 3. Treat your thumbnails and titles like hooks 4. Add keywords in your title, description, tags, and subtitles 5. Hop on niche and platform-related trends 6. Cross-promote your YouTube videos on other channels 7. Repurpose your long-form videos for YouTube Shorts 8. Collaborate with other creators in your niche 9. Use YouTube cards and end screens 10. Analyze your YouTube analytics 11. Engage your audience in the first 30 seconds 12. Post when your viewers are online 13. Remember YouTube is a long game 1. Focus on your idea first It’s easy to get swept up in filming, editing, and thumbnails, without really spending much time and energy on your video idea itself. But beautiful sets, fancy thumbnails, and slick editing can’t make up for a weak video topic. You want to find video ideas that are familiar and unexpected. In other words, something they’re already interested in (familiar) but also something they want to learn more about (unexpected). Great video ideas start with a deep understanding of your audience. “You need to understand your ideal viewer,” says YouTube creator Cara Nicole. “Ask yourself: What are they already interested in? How do they want to be talked to? What news and cultural trends are they paying attention to? That gives you a starting point for making videos that resonate.” There are plenty of ways to find content ideas for YouTube, but here are my three favorite ones (all beginner-friendly): How to find great YouTube ideasGoogleSearch for a question your audience would look for on Google. If you’re a productivity creator, try searching ‘how to be productive’ on Google.” Look for the ‘People also ask’ and ‘People also search for’ sections. These are real audience questions — and you might even find a ready-made title in them. You can take this further by searching for more specific questions your audience is asking. For example, if you’re making videos for someone struggling to be productive while working from home, search for “how to be productive while working from home.” You’ll find plenty of ideas in the ‘People also ask’ and ‘People also search for’ sections. YouTube Trends In YouTube Studio, you’ll find an “Trends” tab under the “Analytics” section. You’ll find ideas based on what your audience watches and what you’ve already posted. Some of them might be a hit and miss, but you can find some inspiration here, directly from YouTube! Try typing a basic query into the YouTube search bar to see top keywords and how popular they are. You’ll also find some videos similar to the ones you’ve searched for below. Question comments and YouTube CommunityThis one’s simple: Listen to your audience and see what follow-up questions they have left on your videos. You can try this on other platforms too — not just YouTube. If you’re new to YouTube and don’t have a lot of comments from your audience, do a competitor analysis and check the comment section of creators in your niche. What are the follow-up questions people have? These can be your future video ideas. To find breakout ideas, go to a competitor’s profile and click on the ‘Popular’ tab.. These are the videos that outperformed the others. If it’s a topic you can make your own, it could be a winning idea for your channel. Jade Beason, founder at Social People Agency, also suggests doing the same exercise using YouTube’s search bar: “Search broad topics around your niche and then filter it based on content shared within the last month or year (depending on how popular and time-sensitive your niche is),” she recommends. “Then, look for any videos that received more views than the number of subscribers that the creator has. That’s a clear sign that it was pushed out by YouTube’s algorithm,” Jade says “Repeat this process to see if you can find any inspiration or patterns for your future video topics. But remember to use other creators’ videos for inspiration, not imitation.” Similarly, if you have a tiny audience on YouTube already, you can also use the YouTube Community Posts to communicate with your audience and test content ideas. For example, YouTuber Alina tested the waters about a topic with a Community Post on YouTube. Once there was enough interest, she turned it into a video. How to make your YouTube ideas stand outOnce you figure out your video ideas, the next problem is that YouTube is extremely competitive and saturated in almost every niche. How do you stand out? “Analyze the market and then find your competitive edge,” recommends YouTuber Ali Abdaal. “Think in which domains can you stand out — for example, depth of research, storytelling, editing, relatability, or authenticity.” This is consistent with what YouTube employee, Rene Ritchie, recommends, too: “What makes you different? What makes you interesting? If you're just going to copy what somebody else does — unless you can do it so significantly better that people will just rush to you — it's probably gonna be really hard,” he says. “But if you can figure out what makes you unique, I think there are just unlimited possibilities.” A great example of this is Cleo Abrams. Her YouTube videos are all about optimistic tech. But her stand out quality is the depth of research on every topic and the stunning animations. SourceAnother way to stand out is to adapt a format from a different or adjacent niche into your YouTube videos. “You can kind of take things over from different niches. Let's say it's golf. Are there any other niches that have a certain level of adjacency to golf? You can apply [similar] formats in so many niches,” says YouTuber Paddy Galloway. “It sounds simple, but so much of our success through my consulting company is by seeing what is working in different niches. What is a format that other people are not doing yet that we could bring over and adapt?” For example, I spotted this video titled “the 1-page business plan that made me $200K+ in 2024” on my home page. Here’s how creators from different niches could adapt this idea: Food creator: the 1 easy breakfast recipe that helped me reach my protein goalProductivity creator: the 1 productivity technique that saved me 5 hours a weekFinance creator: the 1 financial advice that helped me save $10K in 2025Your video ideas are the foundation of your YouTube channel. Before you worry about thumbnails or SEO (search engine optimization) tweaks, make sure your ideas are solid and your unique edge is clear. 2. Think of your YouTube channel like a TV showYouTube’s playlist feature is one of the best ways to encourage viewers to binge-watch your videos. But to use playlists, you have to think strategically and lay video topics on top of one another. “I think people underestimate the power of viewer journeys. Someone comes in to watch your video. They should be able to watch 2, 3, or 4 videos immediately after that. Binging is probably the fastest way to grow a channel,” says Rene. “If you start giving them a bunch of things that don't really relate to them, it's the equivalent of a TV show that doesn't have consistent episodes; it's always a different show.” “If you create a video about how to fix your washing machine one day and how to fix your refrigerator the next week, it's very unlikely people are going to have those two problems back to back,” he explains with an example. “But if you create a series about how to fix your dishwasher, best parts to fix your dishwasher, how to make sure you don't need to fix your dishwasher, then people who watch those videos are going to have three, four videos to keep watching.” Content series are an excellent way to keep your audience coming back for more on many social media platforms. And YouTube is no different. Take Cara Nicole’s financial audit series — I keep coming back to these because I want to know which character she’ll pick next, which concepts are consistent across multiple characters, etc. The arc builds and continues. I finish one and immediately want to watch the next. “Once you’re publishing regularly, you can use analytics and comments to see what’s actually hitting. That’s how most of my series came about. I noticed one video concept was performing really well, and I expanded it into a playlist or recurring theme,” says Cara. “Don’t expect to have a perfect content strategy from day one. Instead, start by making things your ideal viewer would care about. Then pay close attention to what’s working. Over time, you’ll find patterns that can evolve into signature series.” Another great example is Makari Espe. She has multiple YouTube playlists on her channel, all of which are about different challenges she has undertaken to make her life better. Once you start watching, it’s hard not to click the next video — you want to see how she fares. It also helps that her video ideas are in that ‘familiar but unexpected’ category we talked about earlier. So, while forming your YouTube strategy, think of related video topics that you can convert into an episodic series. This will help you create a domino effect and get more views on your videos — especially if a single one in the series goes viral. It’s also a great strategy to build a loyal community and gain more subscribers on your channel. 3. Treat your thumbnails and titles like hooksYouTube is a click-and-watch social media platform (except for YouTube Shorts). Unlike Facebook, Instagram, or TikTok, a video doesn’t automatically pop up in your feed while you’re scrolling. Instead, you have to make a decision to click the thumbnail and title that looks enticing to you. “Your titles and thumbnails and concepts need to be sufficiently intriguing that someone actually clicks on the video,” says Ali. This means it doesn’t matter how great your video content is if your thumbnails and title aren't grabbing the attention of your audience. You have to earn every YouTube view — whether it comes from the homepage, suggested feed, or search. Someone checks the thumbnail and the title to decide whether or not they want to watch your video. “Most teams first make a video that they think is going to be great, then scramble to find a title and thumbnail. That’s completely backwards,” says Ryan Hashemi, who has managed many YouTube channels via his agency and led Jubilee’s YouTube channel to five billion views. “If you don’t have a must-click title and thumbnail before you shoot, don’t make that video. 40% of your effort should just be focused on this one step, up-front.” Take the case of one of Paddy’s clients, Tim Gabe. Paddy’s team tweaked the thumbnail of one of his most popular videos and that video ended up getting 40 times (!!) more views per day. 💡Here’s a more detailed guide on how you can create scroll-stopping YouTube thumbnails.Your video titles should include relevant keywords (more on that in a bit) — and use classic hooks to spark curiosity. Take a relatively newer channel, Smart Adjacent. All titles that Jonathan Huynh (creator behind the channel) uses are keywords people search for and leverage the curiosity gap. (Also: Notice how he’s also leveraging the ‘think of it like a TV show’ tip we discussed earlier? When you watch one, you’re likely to watch another.) The short of it: Making excellent YouTube videos isn’t enough to get more views. If you want to reach a broader audience, you must also pay equal attention to creating scroll-stopping thumbnails and curiosity-driven titles. 4. Add keywords in your title, description, tags, and subtitlesViewers find your videos in search, home feed, or suggested videos. Your YouTube views can come from any of these places. But if you’re a new YouTube creator, it’s best to focus your efforts on search. “It’s quite difficult to rank in YouTube’s algorithm on the home page when you’re new,” says Jade. “If you’re answering a question and optimizing videos for search, you can still get a lot of views even if you don’t have a large audience.” Now, to push your videos to rank higher, you need to do keyword research to understand what your audience is searching for and then add relevant keywords in your video. How do you practice keyword research? First: Think like your audience. What keywords would you type in the search bar if you were in their shoes? What problems does your target audience face? Next, use free SEO tools (or paid if you can!) to help you refine these keywords. YouTube’s own search bar can help, too. Type in a question and look at the auto-fill suggestions — those are long-tail keywords people are searching.” Try to find more long-tail keywords in your keyword research for YouTube — especially if you’re a new channel and/or in a competitive niche. Creating videos about niche problems your audience faces will help your videos rank higher and rack up more YouTube views. Now, once you’ve done your keyword research, sprinkle relevant keywords in four places to rank higher in search results: Video title: Your video title should contain the primary keyword you’re targeting.Video descriptions: Your video descriptions should contain relevant keywords (primary and secondary) without keyword stuffing. Add them naturally to help the YouTube algorithm understand what your video is about.Video tags: Video tags help the algorithm understand what your video is about — only you can see them. Select niche and broad keywords in your YouTube tags.YouTube subtitles: YouTube listens to what you’re saying in the video content, too, via auto-generated subtitles (or custom ones you’ve uploaded). Say relevant keywords you’re targeting in your video to optimize it for search.💡Dive deep into YouTube SEO using this guide.5. Hop on niche and platform-related trendsTrending content can act like a springboard to get more YouTube views — especially if you’re a new channel. YouTube, like any other social channel, pushes trending content at the front of viewers’ feeds. “Trends are one of the best ways to get people in the door. When you’re new, audiences don’t know who you are yet, so attaching your content to something already getting attention (whether that’s a trending product, news story, or keyword people are searching for) gives you a natural boost,” says Cara. “For me now, trends are still very helpful — I hear about a lot of them directly from my viewers in comments and DMs — but once you’ve built some trust with your audience, you also have more freedom to explore. You can experiment with topics that are a little less “searchable” but more original or aligned with your voice, because people are clicking for you and not just the topic.” Use Google Trends to find trending keywords and create a new video targeting that term. People are likely searching for it, too, so don’t forget to optimize your video for SEO. On Google Trends, you can select “YouTube Search” specifically to also see which keywords are seeing a rise on the platform. There are also certain formats that become popular on YouTube. “Right now, very popular on YouTube is the ‘I tried it.’ I tried every hamburger. I tried every French fry. I tried every airplane. I tried every video game. There's someone who has some expertise in that topic, tries a variety of things, and rates them,” says Rene. “There's a variety of popular formats and you see those by just looking at popular videos on YouTube. See if any of those relate to you. Don't copy them, but see what inspiration they can give.” You can spot these platform-centric trends by spending time on YouTube and monitoring content creators in the same niche — especially the mega-successful ones. The established creators often not only jump on trends early, but also sometimes create them for their respective niches. But remember that doesn’t mean you should copy the big creators — only choose trends you can make your own. This is especially true if you’re in a lifestyle niche category. “The biggest mistake I see creators making is that they copy other creators who are already big and have an audience. You can’t look at Emma Chamberlin and think you can create vlogs like ‘day in my life’ that aren’t wrapped in value,” Jade says. “If you’re starting out, you have to convince people to care about what you have to say and why they should watch your videos. Viewers don’t trust that your video content is valuable enough (yet) to just click on your video without any context.” Another note when it comes to trending video content: Don’t rely too much on them to increase views on your videos. Yes, they’ll likely get more engagement, but your YouTube presence should have a mix of evergreen and trending videos. “We usually think of trending content as the ‘entry point’ and evergreen videos as the ‘library’ that keeps viewers coming back. When a parenting trend spikes or a baby product launches, we create a timely video to capture search and suggested traffic. However, we always pair that with an evergreen topic we know will remain relevant several years later, such as developmental milestone guides or sleep training tips,” says co-founder of the Fathercraft channel, Paul Zalewski. “This mix means we benefit from short-term spikes without creating a boom-and-bust cycle. Over the years, our evergreen videos have become a steady traffic backbone, with trending ones acting as growth accelerators.” Long-form video content on YouTube has one of the highest shelf life in the social media world. You want to capitalize on this fact to get YouTube views not just today, but for years. If you create videos on evergreen topics, people will reference them for months (if not years). 6. Cross-promote your YouTube videos on other channelsIf you already have a social presence on other social platforms — like Instagram or TikTok — use it to promote your channel and get more YouTube views. Cross-promoting is one of the easiest ways to reach more people who already like your content and are likely to subscribe to your channel. For example, Bibi-Jane Angelica often promotes her YouTube channel by posting teasers from the full video as Instagram Reels. SourceAnd cross-promotion isn’t limited to social media. You can also promote your video via other digital marketing channels, such as blogs and email newsletters. At Buffer, we often promote relevant videos from our YouTube channel within our long-form blog content. Cross-promotion doesn’t just boost YouTube videos — it helps you get more value from every video you make. 💡 Find more ways to repurpose and promote your videos: The Complete Guide to Content Repurposing7. Repurpose your long-form videos for YouTube ShortsViewers on YouTube today enjoy YouTube Shorts as much as long-form video content. Shorts presents an excellent opportunity to convert short-form video viewers into loyal subscribers. “If you want to bring viewers to your long-form video, remember people won’t click through just because you want them to. You have to make them want to,” says Rene. “It’s a big deal for a viewer to move from a shorts video to a long video, so you have to make it worth it. “I was watching an engineering video about how the solar sail works on the satellite. The creator said if you want to see how the whole satellite works, click here for the complete video. And I do want to know how it all works.” But it’s important to deliver on that promise right away, she adds. “If you don't reward that experience when they click through, the viewer might not stay. So you want to make sure you get their attention, same as the thumbnail. Get the click, same as the thumbnail. Reward it in the video, same as the thumbnail.” Some viewers just prefer to watch YouTube Shorts, so to make them switch, you have to work extra hard to tempt them. Many podcasts on YouTube do this by teasing snippets of the conversation in a YouTube Short, which makes viewers keen to know more. SourceYou can also use these repurposed YouTube Shorts to promote your channel on Instagram, TikTok, and other short-form video channels. And you can schedule all these short-form videos in one go using Buffer. It’s your all-in-one scheduler, so you can keep promoting your videos across an extended timeline instead of giving it a shout-out once and letting it collect dust. ⚡Schedule your first YouTube Short.YouTube Shorts area a great way to test ideas, too. “We are experimenting with ideas that could be long-form. It takes us at least a month to create a long-form video. The question is: Which idea should you spend your time on?” says creator Cleo Abrams. “One of the ways is exploring the idea as a short and then maybe make a long video [if it’s successful].” Apart from the quantitative aspects of testing a short’s performance, pay attention to the comments. Are people engaging with the topic? Are they asking more questions? That might be a positive signal that it’s a good topic to explore with long-form videos. If you can, edit your short clips to add a custom call-to-action — like “watch the full video to learn more” or “would you like to learn more on this topic?” — to give even more power to your YouTube Shorts. YouTube Shorts can attract more viewers and help you monetize via the Creator Pool and YouTube Partner Program (learn more about it in our guide to monetizing YouTube Shorts). 8. Collaborate with other creators in your nicheCollaborations are an easy way to get in front of more relevant viewers. Collaborating helps you reach new subscribers — and injects freshness into your content. “We keep collaborations highly targeted, only appearing on channels where the audience closely matches ours. The primary objective is to ensure that the subscriber conversion rate is high,” says Paul. “I have realized that cross-promotion works best when we each create unique-value-driven content for the other's audience rather than just swapping shout-outs.” I agree: I’ve watched some plain shout-out videos that feel more like barter YouTube ads than authentic collaborations. My favorite example of how to do creator partnerships right is the collaboration between booktubers Haley Pham, Sara Carrolli, and Destiny Sidwell. They met in person to swap their five-star reads, and each creator posted a unique video to their channel — helping them reach new viewers. Now, you don’t need to meet in person to collaborate with another creator — it’s difficult if you want to partner with creators across the world and reach a global audience. Instead, each of you can shoot your segments and stitch them together. The goal is to make the collab feel fun, authentic, and creative. 9. Use YouTube cards and end screensCards are the videos recommended midway to viewers, and end screens are videos recommended at the end of a video. These are excellent places to promote other videos in your channel. It goes back to the TV show concept we talked about — redirect viewers to what they should watch next in your channel and help them easily find related videos. “At the end of each video we publish, we link to a related video in a series rather than a generic subscribe prompt,” says Paul. “Our main goal is to encourage binge-watching, which builds familiarity and loyalty.” Be intentional and specific about which video you recommend your viewers watch next. End screens may seem like a small thing — but they not only help you get more YouTube views, but also build trust with people and convert them to subscribers. 10. Analyze your YouTube analyticsYour YouTube analytics are a goldmine of ways to improve performance. Pay attention to your: Click-through rate: A lower click-through rate (but higher impressions) suggests that your title and thumbnail need improvement. YouTube is recommending your videos, but people aren’t clicking on them.Watch time: This is how long viewers watched your video. Aim for sticking them till the end (so you can use those end screens to recommend more videos). Check where exactly viewers drop off the most — analyze what you can improve to keep people hooked in that moment and implement what you learn in future videos.Where people find your videos: You can also see the traffic source to understand where most of your YouTube views come from — home page, search results, suggested videos. This can help you double down on the source that’s working best for you. Audience: You can see the demographics of your subscribers, returning viewers, unique new monthly viewers, and a lot more.There’s a lot to learn from your YouTube analytics. Look for outlier videos — they can show you what’s resonating and where to go next. “Start looking at the audience tab and analytics, and see what videos are growing your audience. You can go in and look at the comments and see what people are reacting to. You want to figure out what they like about you, what they love about you, what is distinct about you that they're getting that they're not getting from any other channel,” says Rene. “There's almost infinite content and very finite attention. People have to make a lot of choices. So why did they choose you? Once you understand why they're choosing you, you can start giving them more of that love.” It makes sense: Qualitative assessment is just as crucial to not only get more YouTube views, but also convert them to subscribers. Show up in the comment section of your videos and ask your viewers what they like, what they want more of, what you can improve, etc. 11. Engage your audience in the first 30 secondsThe first 30 seconds of your video have a significant influence on your overall video’s performance. YouTube views start to count once 30 seconds pass (in long-form videos)A viewer decides whether to watch the video in the first 30 seconds“For us, one of the turning points was refining the first 30 seconds of each video. We mainly focused on scripting concise, empathetic intros that immediately addressed the viewer's pain point,” says Paul. “This strategy helped us break through plateaus because view retention in that opening window heavily influences YouTube's recommendations.” Think of the first 30 seconds of your video as the second pitch (the first is the title and thumbnail). Use all the hook principles — visual, auditory, and textual — to hold your audience’s attention and invite them to hang with you for the remaining duration of your video. 🪝Learn more about how to craft A+ hooks: The Anatomy of a Great HookWhile the first 30 seconds are crucial, don’t forget to edit your complete videos with great care and attention to keep viewers hooked till the end. “The single most important thing for me has been respecting my audience’s time. That means getting to the point quickly (don’t bury your main idea three minutes in) and cutting the fluff (avoid repeating yourself or dragging out tangents),” says Cara. “I write all of my videos as full scripts. It’s basically like writing an essay: I start with a hook and thesis, then break it into three main points or “body paragraphs,” and finish with a conclusion. That structure makes sure everything feels tight and purposeful, rather than rambling. On top of that, I weave in my own voice—humor, commentary, little asides—because personality keeps people engaged just as much as information does.” Editing takes practice. But scripting your videos upfront helps you avoid fluff from the start 🎬Related reading: Best Video Editing Software in 2025 — 15 Free + Paid Tools12. Post when your viewers are onlineSharing a video right when your audience is online is an easy way to collect more YouTube views. According to our analysis of one million posts, the best time to get more YouTube views is by posting on Wednesdays at 4 p.m. Other posting times that get relatively higher views are Thursday at 4 p.m. and Monday at 4 p.m. Learn more about the worst times to post, too: While it’s not as impactful as cracking YouTube SEO, creating quality videos, and a scroll-stopping title and thumbnail combo, it’s a relatively low-effort box to tick. 13. Remember YouTube is a long gameHonestly, YouTube might be one of the most difficult channels to grow on — simply because long-form video content requires more effort to create, edit, and promote. Comparatively, Instagram and TikTok offer quick(er) wins. But YouTube is also one of the best social networks to grow on because it’s been around for ages and it’s not going anywhere either. It’s a social platform and search engine rolled into one and the content you create here garners views for much longer than other platforms. “I often hear that folks want to lightly “test” YouTube and see if there is anything worth investing more in after a few months,” says Ryan. “YouTube isn’t something you dip a toe into. It rewards consistency and compounds significantly over time.” So if your views aren’t climbing as fast as you’d like to despite doing everything right, hang in there, keep experimenting and solidifying your basics — it might take some time, but it will happen. You got this. Slow and steady wins the raceYouTube is one of those platforms that demands lots of patience and growing pains — but the payoff is 100% worth it. Some of your favorite YouTubers have been uploading videos on the network for years (if not decades) — so trust that you’ll get there, too. The only boring hack is to keep at it. Don’t give up too early. And if it feels a little too overwhelming, grab some quick wins and lessons by posting consistently on YouTube Shorts. Use Buffer to plan, repurpose, and schedule your videos. Start for free. View the full article

Sri Racha is a city on the Bay of Bangkok in Chonburi province. The city is in between Bang Saen (the closest beach to Bangkok) and Pattaya, and it is part of the Pattaya-Chonburi Metropolitan Area. Most people would be familiar with Sriracha for the sauce, though the most famous Sriracha sauce brand is made by a Vietnamese immigrant in America and not from Thailand. This name is so famous that it messes with search results when looking for anything to do with the city of Sri Racha. I was interested to visit Sri Racha as it’s known as the Little Osaka of Thailand. Sri Racha got this title as it’s an industrial hub that includes Japanese car manufacturers. Japanese workers live in Sri Racha, and now it has also become a retirement city for Japanese. I visited Sri Racha in January 2025, and these are my notes from that trip. There are numerous buses that depart from Ekkamai Station in Bangkok. The bus stop in Sri Racha is on the side of the road in front of Robinson department store. Being dumped on the side of the road is not a dignified arrival, but it turns out that this is as central as it gets. [Robinson on Sukhumvit Rd, Sri Racha.] The main road that goes through Sri Racha is Sukhumvit Road (the same Sukhumvit Road in Bangkok), and the most useful area for visitors is between Sukhumvit Road and the sea. I guessed that the best area to stay was near Robinson, so that turned out to be an inspired guess. After dropping off my bags I walked towards the sea. There is not a coast promenade here so it’s hard to get a view of the sea. There is no real beach here and it is a port city, so there was never a need to make a seaside promenade. There is an old village on the seafront with houses on stilts. There are some guesthouses here that I didn’t see online. These guesthouses reminded me of the jetty guesthouses in Hua Hin that are still operating (for now). The pier is the best place to get a view of the city and its relation to the sea. There are some colourful old working fishing boats here. There is a better stretch of seafront north of the pier at Surasak Montri Public Park. The park includes an artificial beach, but it’s near a waste water runoff and the water was black when I was there. This is why I don’t swim anywhere in the Bay of Bangkok. Apart from the polluted water, the seafront park is pleasant. It would be a nice place to live if you are happy with a sea view and are not interested in swimming. There are new apartment towers near the park with sea views. The park includes a running/skating circuit, and it was good to see that kids were putting it to use. I wandered more around the area between Sukhumvit Road and the sea, and the Osaka of Thailand nickname is apparent with the amount of Japanese restaurants and bars. There is a karaoke bar area that caters for Japanese, and it was odd to walk through such an area and not be called out. Westerners are not the target audience here. There are some cool bars that would not look out of place in Osaka, such as Rat Fink Bar. I don’t drink, so I can’t vouch for the bar scene. There isn’t a hipster cafe scene here yet, but I found good coffee at Meloso Coffee Roaster (part of Raphael Bakery). [Latte at Meloso Coffee Roaster.] I read online that Sriracha is the only place in Thailand where the government office sign has Japanese language. There is also a torii gate in the city, so yes, there is a distinct Japanese presence in Sri Racha. There are many Japanese restaurants here, so I tried out some ramen places while I was there. [Ramen at Izakaya Ryoma.] I’m not against fusion food, so when I saw this ramen truck serving tom yum ramen I had to try it. [Le Mong Ramen Truck] Tom yum is the Thai hot and sour soup, and ramen is the classic Japanese noodle soup. I love both, but would they work as a combination? It was a tasty soup, but every mouthful was constantly confusing to be tasting ramen ingredients in a tom yum broth. Overall I felt that this Thai-Japanese fusion was an appropriate soup to try in Sri Racha. [Tom Yum and Ramen, together at last.] There is also a typical Thai night market in front of the Pacific Park mall. This has all the usual Thai night market staples if you are ramened out. Ferries for Ko Si Chang depart from Sri Racha. Ko Si Chang is the closest island to Bangkok that is open to the public, and I have listed that in my guide to the closest beaches and islands to Bangkok. Ferries depart from a little island that is connected by a pier. I didn’t go to Ko Si Chang on this trip, but I walked along the pier to Ko Loi, so I can technically say that I have been to another island in Thailand. [Walkway to Ko Loi.] The only obvious tourists I saw in Sri Racha were at the pier coming from and going to Ko Si Chang. There is a wat on the island, which was something of interest to visit if you aren’t getting a ferry. The walk is worth it to get a sea view of the Sri Racha skyline. There is a train station in Sri Racha, but the train is infrequent and slow, and the station is far inland. I took the same train from Bangkok to Pattaya, and I only took it to see what it was like. I am waiting for the 3-airport high-speed railway to open, which will stop at Sri Racha. I noticed on my wanders around the city some old engines. [Old engine near the Surasak Montri Public Park.] I presume there were used to haul freight from the port, but I have not found any info about this. [Old engine near the Sriracha Town Municipality Office.] If I was a proper island bagger I would have gone to Ko Si Chang, but I passed that opportunity to visit another island. I might end up back here if/when the high-speed railway opens. View the full article

The new tool is the sixth WLAN Pi testing device created by the non-profit WLAN Pi team since 2016. The post Just released: Community-created ‘WLAN Pi Go’ is the pocket multi-tool that runs all the tests a Wi-Fi engineer needs appeared first on Wi-Fi NOW Global. View the full article