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This post was written by Alison Green and published on Ask a Manager. A reader writes: This is a community organizing issue, but it is ultimately about working closely with someone where there’s conflict, and one where I think a professional approach might be most useful. I (they/them) am a leader in a social justice-oriented community organization along with someone I’ll call Paul (he/they). We have the same type of leadership position, and we’re both quite active so we communicate daily and are in meetings at least once a week. We’ve been in conflict for four months, since I told Paul that the way Paul interrupts, criticizes, corrects, scolds, and dismisses me and other folks who were assigned female at birth feels sexist. Paul’s response? They didn’t really understand how that could be, because they aren’t “that attached to masculinity,” but they would take my word for it. However, Paul’s behavior hasn’t changed, and I have subsequently found out that two people have stepped away from the organization because of what they also perceived as sexism from Paul. Regularly — sometimes multiple times in a week — I have to be really direct saying “don’t interrupt me” or “I just answered that question,” etc. At times, this disrespectful behavior impacts the group’s work, such as when Paul speaks for me on an issue where they don’t have correct information or when Paul goes behind my back and gives instructions to someone I’m assigned to work with that are in tension with what I’m telling that person. In these situations, I have been telling Paul that this is frustrating/unacceptable/etc., admittedly sometimes with annoyance. Paul often responds that they are confused and don’t understand what they did. Sometimes, I also get long rants with expletives, personal remarks, and accusations. It’s inappropriate behavior, even if I am communicating very unclearly, which is what Paul believes is the problem. Paul has recently been pursuing a diagnosis of autism, and it feels to me that they are weaponizing this new diagnosis, which is not fair to other autistic people in our organization, who don’t behave this way. There’s no “boss” or HR in this situation, but there are a few people we both trust and who have the cultural capital to potentially help us try to move toward a better way of working together. One of them has heard us each out and feels that we need to make a written agreement about how we will interact so that Paul has clear rules to follow. My concern is that I have repeatedly communicated what isn’t acceptable to me, and Paul hasn’t changed their behavior. I’m struggling to figure out how I would write up a list of rules that Paul would respect. Moreover, this really isn’t an issue just between Paul and me; it’s more about Paul’s behavior in general. Other options include me leaving the group, which is possible though not ideal, and another option is that I continue to just hold boundaries with Paul (trying to always communicate extremely clearly!), which is also not ideal but is something I could do. Paul is certainly not the first person I’ve worked with who has treated me in a way I experience as sexist! I know Paul doesn’t want either of these options; they want a list of rules. I’m wondering what guidance you would offer on how to proceed. Is it worth trying the written agreement to see if it helps? What would I even put in such a list? What options haven’t I considered? I wrote back and asked, “Does anyone have the authority to fire Paul or otherwise remove him from the group?” The answer: As far as I know, there is no process in our org for removing someone for this level of problematic behavior. The biggest problem here is that there’s no mechanism for removing someone who’s driven off multiple people. You’ve already lost two people because of Paul. Is the organization willing to continue losing people just to avoid getting rid of him? I think that’s the bigger issue, even though it’s not the one you’re writing to me about. As a leader in the organization, you have the standing to bring that to the rest of the leadership and argue that the org needs to be willing to remove volunteers who won’t follow a basic code of conduct or are otherwise disruptive or harmful to the organization. As for the idea of a written list of rules for Paul … eh. You’ve already told him what needs to change — he needs to stop interrupting, criticizing, scolding, and dismissing other members of the group — and he claims not to understand. I’m skeptical that putting it in writing is going to suddenly open his eyes. But sure, if this idea of a written list is being pushed by others in your leadership, you might as well write up the list so that you can say you’ve done it and there’s no question that Paul has been clearly told what needs to change. (And if autism is in play, the list could genuinely be helpful.) In addition to covering the interrupting, criticizing, scolding, and dismissing other members of the group, you should also include that Paul can’t send ranting emails with expletives and personal insults. But I think you also need to be thinking about what’s going to happen if/when he continues to be an ass despite receiving the list. Right now your org can’t figure out how to resolve this because it’s denying itself an essential tool in running a healthy organization (the willingness to part ways with someone) and this is unlikely to be solved until that changes. To be clear, that doesn’t even mean you’ll definitely need to cut Paul loose (although I suspect you will). Sometimes just making it clear that’s an option on the table will get the person to change their behavior. Either way, though, being willing to do that is an absolutely crucial part of running a effective organization that people won’t keep fleeing from. View the full article

When big-name sponsors put their logo on your event materials, they’re essentially saying: “This event matters.” We know this firsthand because event sponsorships have been a big part of our marketing strategy. We’ve spent an estimated $500,000 on them, sponsoring…Read more ›View the full article

AI unit is boosted by first external funding round led by OpenAI-backer Thrive CapitalView the full article

In Uganda’s Mbale district, famous for its production of arabica coffee, a plague of plastic bags locally known as buveera is creeping beyond the city. It’s a problem that has long littered the landscape in Kampala, the capital, where buveera are woven into the fabric of daily life. They show up in layers of excavated dirt roads and clog waterways. But now, they can be found in remote areas of farmland, too. Some of the debris includes the thick plastic bags used for planting coffee seeds in nurseries. Some farmers are complaining, said Wilson Watira, head of a cultural board for the coffee-growing Bamasaba people. “They are concerned—those farmers who know the effects of buveera on the land,” he said. Around the world, plastics find their way into farm fields. Climate change makes agricultural plastic, already a necessity for many crops, even more unavoidable for some farmers. Meanwhile, research continues to show that itty-bitty microplastics alter ecosystems and end up in human bodies. Scientists, farmers, and consumers all worry about how that’s affecting human health, and many seek solutions. But industry experts say it’s difficult to know where plastic ends up or get rid of it completely, even with the best intentions of reuse and recycling programs. According to a 2021 report on plastics in agriculture by the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization, soils are one of the main receptors of agricultural plastics. Some studies have estimated that soils are more polluted by microplastics than the oceans. “These things are being released at such a huge, huge scale that it’s going to require major engineering solutions,” said Sarah Zack, an Illinois-Indiana Sea Grant Great Lakes Contaminant Specialist who communicates about microplastics to the public. Why researchers want to study plastics in farm fields Microparticles of plastic that come from items like clothes, medications, and beauty products sometimes appear in fertilizer made from the solid byproducts of wastewater treatment—called biosolids—which can also be smelly and toxic to nearby residents depending on the treatment process used. Some seeds are coated in plastic polymers designed to strategically disintegrate at the right time of the season, used in containers to hold pesticides or stretched over fields to lock in moisture. But the agriculture industry itself only accounts for a little over 3% of all plastics used globally. About 40% of all plastics are used in packaging, including single-use plastic food and beverage containers. Microplastics, which the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration defines as being smaller than five millimeters long, are their largest at about the size of a pencil eraser. Some are much smaller. Studies have already shown that microplastics can be taken up by plants on land or plankton in the ocean and subsequently eaten by animals or humans. Scientists are still studying the long-term effects of the plastic that’s been found in human organs. Early findings suggest possible links to a host of health conditions including heart disease and some cancers. Despite “significant research gaps,” the evidence related to the land-based food chain “is certainly raising alarm,” said Lev Neretin, environment lead at the FAO, which is currently working on another technical report looking deeper into the problem of microplastic pollution in soils and crops. A study out this month in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences found that microplastics pollution can even impact plants’ ability to photosynthesize, the process of turning light from the sun into energy. That doesn’t “justify excessive concern” but does “underscore food security risks that necessitate scientific attention,” wrote Fei Dang, one of the study’s authors. Climate change making matters worse The use of plastics has quadrupled over the past 30 years. Plastic is ubiquitous. And most of the world’s plastic goes to landfills, pollutes the environment, or is burned. Less than 10% of plastics are recycled. At the same time, some farmers are becoming more reliant on plastics to shelter crops from the effects of extreme weather. They’re using tarps, hoop houses, and other technology to try to control conditions for their crops. And they’re depending more on chemicals like pesticides and fertilizers to buffer against unreliable weather and more pervasive pest issues. “Through global warming, we have less and less arable land to make crops on. But we need more crops. So therefore the demand on agricultural chemicals is increasing,” said Ole Rosgaard, president and CEO of Greif, a company that makes packaging used for industrial agriculture products like pesticides and other chemicals. Extreme weather, fueled by climate change, also contributes to the breakdown and transport of agricultural plastics. Beating sun can wear on materials over time. And more frequent and intense rainfall events in some areas could drive more plastic particles running into fields and eventually waterways, said Maryam Salehi, an associate professor of civil and environmental engineering at the University of Missouri. Can agriculture escape the plastic problem? This past winter, leaders from around the world gathered in South Korea to produce the first legally binding global treaty on plastics pollution. They didn’t reach an agreement, but the negotiations are scheduled to resume in August. Neretin said the FAO produced a provisional, voluntary code of conduct on sustainable management of plastics in agriculture. But without a formal treaty in place, most countries don’t have a strong incentive to follow it. “The mood is certainly not cheery, that’s for sure,” he said, adding global cooperation “takes time, but the problem does not disappear.” Without political will, much of the onus falls on companies. Rosgaard, of Greif, said that his company has worked to make their products recyclable, and that farmers have incentives to return them because they can get paid in exchange. But he added it’s sometimes hard to prevent people from just burning the plastic or letting it end up in fields or waterways. “We just don’t know where they end up all the time,” he said. Some want to stop the flow of plastic and microplastic waste into ecosystems. Boluwatife Olubusoye, a Ph.D. candidate at the University of Mississippi, is trying to see whether biochar, remains of organic matter and plant waste burned under controlled conditions, can filter out microplastics that run from farm fields into waterways. His early experiments have shown promise. He said he was motivated by the feeling that there was “never any timely solution in terms of plastic waste” ending up in fields in the first place, especially in developing countries. Even for farmers who care about plastics in soils, it can be challenging for them to do anything about it. In Uganda, owners of nursery beds cannot afford proper seedling trays, so they resort to cheaply made plastic bags used to germinate seeds, said Jacob Ogola, an independent agronomist there. Farmers hardest hit by climate change are least able to reduce the presence of cheap plastic waste in soils. That frustrates Innocent Piloya, an agroecology entrepreneur who grows coffee in rural Uganda with her company Ribbo Coffee. “It’s like little farmers fighting plastic manufacturers,” she said. Walling reported from Chicago. The Associated Press’ climate and environmental coverage receives financial support from multiple private foundations. AP is solely responsible for all content. Find AP’s standards for working with philanthropies, a list of supporters and funded coverage areas at AP.org. —Melina Walling and Rodney Muhumuza, Associated Press View the full article

The real 80/20 rule, also known as the Pareto Principle, is a saying that asserts 80% of outcomes come from 20% of all causes. You can use it to organize your to-do list, among other things. But to many young men, 80/20 means something very different. Young men are not alright. Masculinity is growing more toxic by the day. Online incel communities are growing, and the most receptive audience to poisonous ideas about gender seems to be children. This week's column isn't going to be fun: I'm explaining one of the guiding principles of the incel movement, and discussing a TikToker devoted to changing her red pill son's mind. And I can't talk about toxic masculinity without mentioning Elon Musk! Spray some deodorizer and let's jump into the dank, upsetting world of incel beliefs. What is the 80/20 rule?The Netflix series Adolescence, is currently the buzziest show on streaming, a harrowing exploration of the inner world of an angry young boy accused of murdering one of his classmates, a girl who spurned him. One of the teenage characters mentions the “80/20 rule” as a way of explaining the incel/red pill culture that's central to the murder plot. Put simply, the 80/20 rule is an axiom that states 80% of women are attracted to only 20% of men, and understanding the pervasiveness of this belief is essential to understanding online misogyny. Different communities of toxic dudes believe different weird things—many "looksmaxxers" think breaking your own facial bones can make you more attractive; red pill dudes believe men have to psychologically manipulate women into liking them—but the 80/20 rule is nearly universally accepted. The idea seems to have originated in a post on Medium that was written 10 years ago. Taken on its own terms, the article is a fairly interesting, though methodologically flawed, look at the distribution of “likes” on dating site Tinder. Incel types ignored the problems with the research, ignored the context (it’s only about Tinder likes), and accepted the 80/20 Rule as a hard-to-swallow truth that explains how women relate to men. Even though the Medium post concludes that most men who want to meet women would be “better off just going to a bar or joining some coed recreational sports team” than using Tinder, incels decided the 80/20 rule meant something like "all women are shallow," and/or "it's not my fault that no woman wants to spend time with me." For 10 years, incels and the incel-adjacent have expanded on the theory and repeated it to each other so many times that it’s rarely questioned in those spaces. If anyone you're talking to mentions the 80/20 rule in an affirmative context, you know you’re talking to someone who has a specific set of (wrong) beliefs, and who doesn’t have a large enough social circle to compare what they read on the internet to the way people act in real life. But is there anything you can do about it? Maybe. Viral video of the week: De-pilling a red pill son The creator of in this week's viral video, IAmRchlPrkr, is a mother trying to deprogram her teenage son. He has accepted some beliefs of the "red pill" community, a branch of incels, and she is not into it. She first saw the problem when her child told her "all women are gold-diggers." There's a lot going on with that phrase. Despite bristling and yelling "not all men!" when anyone generalizes their own gender, the toxic male community is dominated by the idea that women are all the same: a Borg-like collective looking for the most attractive 20% of men, or the men with the most gold to dig. This isn't new. In her 1998 book Intercourse, Andrea Dworkin could have been describing the incels of 2025 when she wrote, "the first tenet of male supremacist ideology is that men have a self and that women must, by definition, lack it." The difference is how sexist ideas that were once relegated to obscure corners of society have infiltrated the mainstream to the extent that literal children are repeating them to their mothers. (As with most of societal ills, we can thank the internet for that.) Maybe this TikToker mom has the right approach to returning some sanity: When her son tells her, "all women are gold-diggers," she responds with "Which women?" and "name one woman who is a gold-digger." Of course he can't. Because the incel philosophy falls apart in the face of actual relationships with real humans. What is "serious hat Soyjack?"A fitting response to me quoting Andrew Dworkin in an earnest post about online masculinity is serious hat Soyjak: Credit: SoyGemVault - Deviant Art Created by DevianArt user SoyGemArt, Serious Hat is a Wojak posted to comment on people who are, well, too serious online. (If you're asking "what's a wojak?" I have previously covered the subject.) Elon musk gamer drama continuesSpeaking of toxic men: Elon Musk! If you’re an adult, you probably know Musk best as the CEO of an electric car company or as a dedicated public servant with creative ideas about how forks work. But kids know a different Elon Musk: Gamer Elon. Gamer Elon is seen as the ultimate sweat, and Gamer Elon recently mixed it up on X with the official account of video game Assassin’s Creed and got roasted like a Costco chicken. The online dust-up started when ex-game developer @grummz made a post about streamer Hasan Piker, who he labeled a terrorist (because that’s what you do on X when you disagree with someone about public policy): This Tweet is currently unavailable. It might be loading or has been removed. This led Musk, who is a grown adult, to post: This Tweet is currently unavailable. It might be loading or has been removed. And then: This Tweet is currently unavailable. It might be loading or has been removed. At this point, the official account of the video game at the center of the fight Assassin’s Creed: Shadows brought gasoline to the flame war. This Tweet is currently unavailable. It might be loading or has been removed. The Assassin’s Creed post was viewed over 52 million times. It references the all-but-confirmed rumor that Elon Musk, a grown adult with a major position of power within the United States government, pays someone so gamers will think he’s really good at Path of Exile 2, a video game where you pretend to be an elf. What does "come eat lobster with a monster" mean?I don't want to leave you with all these toxic men, so let's end with a funny meme. Back in 2020, then-Twitter user @blanketm9 changed the world forever when they tweeted: This Tweet is currently unavailable. It might be loading or has been removed. Their post lay dormant until 2023, when a user (whose original post and name has been lost to history) added the context of a text conversation, complete with a "straight man." Credit: iFunny Things were quiet for a couple years, then, for reasons unknown, the meme started truly taking off this month. I guess the time is right for posts like these: This Tweet is currently unavailable. It might be loading or has been removed. This Tweet is currently unavailable. It might be loading or has been removed. This Tweet is currently unavailable. It might be loading or has been removed. This Tweet is currently unavailable. It might be loading or has been removed. View the full article

Predict future cash flows effortlessly with Microsoft Excel’s Forecast ETS function. Quick Tech Talk With Steve Yoss CPE Today Go PRO for members-only access to more Stephen Yoss. View the full article

Predict future cash flows effortlessly with Microsoft Excel’s Forecast ETS function. Quick Tech Talk With Steve Yoss CPE Today Go PRO for members-only access to more Stephen Yoss. View the full article

Recruiting top talent isn't enough. Firms must master retention. By CPA Trendlines Research Go PRO for members-only access to more CPA Trendlines Research. View the full article

Recruiting top talent isn't enough. Firms must master retention. By CPA Trendlines Research Go PRO for members-only access to more CPA Trendlines Research. View the full article

Reddit Ads is introducing a suite of new tools aimed at helping small and medium-sized businesses (SMBs) streamline campaign management, optimize ad performance, and improve data accuracy. Easier Campaign Setup and Management: Campaign Import. Reddit Ads now allows advertisers to import campaigns directly from Meta in just three steps. After signing into their Meta account within Reddit Ads Manager, users can select an ad account and campaign to import, then customize it to fit Reddit’s platform. This seamless process enables advertisers to leverage high-performing Meta ads on Reddit quickly. Simplified Campaign QA. A new review page in the Reddit Ads Manager now consolidates all campaign details for a clear overview. Advertisers can easily identify errors or inconsistencies and make edits before publishing. Enhanced Signal Quality and Conversion Tracking: 1-Click GTM Integration for Reddit Pixel. Setting up Reddit’s website conversions tag just got easier. With the new Google Tag Manager (GTM) integration, advertisers can install the Reddit Pixel in a few clicks, enabling fast and accurate conversion tracking. This simplifies measuring customer journeys and optimizing lower-funnel strategies. Event Manager QA. The Events Manager’s enhanced Events Overview page now provides a detailed breakdown of conversion events from the Reddit Pixel or Conversions API (CAPI). This update helps advertisers verify event data accuracy, troubleshoot issues, and run effective lower-funnel campaigns. Why we care. The new Campaign Import feature lets advertisers quickly repurpose high-performing Meta ads on Reddit, saving time and effort. The simplified QA tools helps with quality checking to reduce as many errors as possible before launch, while the 1-click GTM integration and improved Event Manager provide deeper insights into customer behavior and campaign performance Bottom line. These updates reflect Reddit’s ongoing commitment to making its ad platform more accessible and effective for SMBs. By reducing setup friction and providing better visibility into campaign performance, Reddit Ads aims to help businesses reach niche communities and drive impactful results. View the full article

Here is a recap of what happened in the search forums today, through the eyes of the Search Engine Roundtable and other search forums on the web. I posted three different Google March 2025 core update polls...View the full article

Summer is on the way—at least for those of us in the northern hemisphere—and Google has pushed out some useful upgrades across several apps to make your travel planning a little easier (and a little more reliant on AI). First, the AI Overviews that you've no doubt noticed up at the top of Google search results are being expanded to cover travel itineraries for regions and countries, as well as cities. All you need to do is ask for a plan for a certain place (like the south of France), together with any requirements (such as kids or a specific budget), and the AI will do the rest. You get a day-by-day breakdown of where you should go and what you should do, and you can check out photos and reviews left by other users—as well as quickly share recommendations via Google Docs or Gmail, if you have fellow travelers. This is live now for U.S. users, but heed Google's own warning that generative AI is experimental: Double-check the details with information from actual human beings. AI Overviews can now produce itineraries for regions and countries. Credit: Google Secondly, there's a new price tracking option over at google.com/hotels. This works like it already does for Google Flights, where Google will email you if prices change for certain dates at a hotel you've got your eye on—so you can grab a bargain quickly. It's a useful feature for saving money on plane tickets, so it's good to see it available for hotels too. This feature is now rolling out globally. Third, there's going to be a new Screenshots feature in Google Maps: If you choose to enable it, the app will scan your screenshots for place names, and quickly get you to those spots on the map. If you're someone who's always collecting screen grabs of places you want to visit, this should prove helpful, and all the AI text detection work is done locally. This place recognition feature seems to be based on text alone, rather than combining images and text, so your screenshots will need recognizable locations that appear as text. This is appearing now in Google Maps for iOS for U.S. users, and is apparently "coming soon" to Google Maps for Android. Google Maps is now able to pick out places from your screenshots. Credit: Google And there's another recent AI upgrade for Google Maps that isn't mentioned in Google's latest official blog post. As spotted by Android Authority, if you select a place in Google Maps on Android and then enable Gemini with a voice command or button push, you get an Ask about place shortcut above the main input box. You can then ask whatever you want about the selected location. It's not a new feature, but it's now easier to get to. Back to Google's official announcements: The last two are more reminders about features that have already gone live. As Lifehacker reported a couple of weeks ago, custom Gemini Gems AI bots are now available to all users, with or without a Gemini Advanced subscription—so anyone can create a Gem specifically for travel advice (from popular spots to visit, to what to pack), Google suggests. Finally, Google again promotes the capabilities of Google Lens for your travels. In the Google app for Android and iOS, you're able to tap the Lens (camera) icon in the search box, snap a picture, and ask questions about what you're looking at—like "what is this used for?" or "what's the history of this place?" You then get AI-powered responses above regular search results. View the full article

While Prime Video hasn't released a full list of content coming to the platform in April, the streamer is dropping a handful of original series and films throughout the month. Étoile (April 24), a new series from the creator of Gilmore Girls and Prime Video's hit The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel, is a drama/comedy about the competitive world of dance set in New York and Paris. The eight-episode show also stars The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel cast members Luke Kirby and Gideon Glick. Fans of horror and gore (and Kevin Bacon) may want to catch action series The Bondsman (April 3), in which Bacon plays a murdered bondsman who has been resurrected by the devil and sent on a mission to collect demons that have escaped from hell. Also in the action genre (and for fans of Die Hard) is new original film G20 (April 10), in which Viola Davis stars as the U.S. president trying to save the world when the G20 summit is taken over by terrorists. Prime Video's April lineup includes new seasons of two reality shows, starting with the second installment of America’s Test Kitchen: The Next Generation (April 1). The culinary competition hosted by Jeannie Mai and judge Dan Souza pits 11 aspiring cooks against each other for a spot on America's Test Kitchen. At the end of the month, fashion personalities Clinton Kelly and Stacy London—of What Not To Wear fame—will reunite for Wear Whatever The F You Want (April 29), a reimagining of their original style-makeover show. Here are all the originals coming to Prime Video in April. What’s coming to Prime Video in April 2025Available April 1America's Test Kitchen: The Next Generation Available April 3The Bondsman Available April 8Mobile Suit Gundam GQuuuuuuX Spy High Available April 10G20 Available April 13Godfather of Harlem Available April 17#1 Happy Family USA Leverage: Redemption (US + UK only) Available April 18LOL: Se Rir, Já Era! Available April 24Étoile Available April 29Wear Whatever The F You Want View the full article

On Friday, a 7.7 magnitude earthquake hit Myanmar in the northern part of the country. Reuters reports the quake’s epicenter was about 17.2 km (about 10.6 miles) from Mandalay, the country’s second-largest city with a population of about 1.5 million people. The quake destroyed buildings, roads, bridges, and other critical infrastructure in the country. So far, 1,700 people have been confirmed dead and 3,400 injured, but officials say the final death toll may pass 10,000. The quake also hit neighboring Thailand, bringing down a 33-story building with people inside. In Myanmar, the effects of the natural disaster are intensified due to the civil war the country has been engulfed in since 2021. As a result of the conflict, many of the country’s public services, infrastructure, and access to aid were already operating under reduced efficiency. Outside observers, including journalists, have also been limited, which now makes it hard to get a full sense of the true devastation in the Southeast Asian nation. How to donate to Myanmar’s earthquake victims There are ways people outside the country can help Myanmar earthquake victims. This comes via donating to various international relief organizations. Here are five agencies you can donate to right now to help the earthquake victims in Myanmar. Doctors Without Borders (Médecins Sans Frontières): The nongovernmental organization (NGO) provides doctors on the ground to help those who are injured. You can donate to Doctors Without Borders here. International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies: The IFRC is accepting donations for Myanmar earthquake initiatives on its dedicated Myanmar earthquake portal. Donations will help the agency provide the urgent support that is needed on the ground. You can donate to the IFRC here. Project HOPE: The humanitarian organization is deploying staff in the region to help with supply chains and to get health professionals, medicines, and other medical supplies to the people who need it the most. You can donate to Project HOPE here. Save the Children: There are a large number of children in Myanmar who have been affected by the quake. The organization’s Save the Children’s Emergency Fund is designed to provide assistance, including shelter. You can donate to Save the Children here. UN Crisis Relief: Run by the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA), UN Crisis Relief collects donations to distribute to organizations working on the front lines of humanitarian crises. Donations will go to support lifesaving assistance for the victims of the quake. You can donate to UN Crisis Relief here. View the full article

The deal, expected to close by the end of 2025, will place Mr. Cooper CEO Jay Bray as president and CEO of Rocket Mortgage. View the full article

With the rise of AI-powered features, search engines are not just directing users to information but delivering answers directly. This shift is redefining how people interact with the web, raising questions about the future of SEO, content discovery, and digital marketing. Here’s what’s coming next. From ChatGPT to Grok 3: The breakneck pace of AI advancements The world has seen rapid and significant advances in AI technology and large language models (LLMs) within two years. Looking back just three years ago, Google’s Gemini and Meta’s LLAMA did not exist, and OpenAI’s ChatGPT was later released in late November 2022. Fast-forward to January 2025, the public was introduced to DeepSeek R1. This open-source large language reasoning model astounded the AI community with its speed, efficiency, and affordability, especially compared to OpenAI’s o1 GPT model. A few weeks later, Elon Musk’s company xAI launched Grok 3, which impressed users by topping a key AI leaderboard with its complexity and fewer guardrails (see: unhinged mode). More recently, Anthropic released Claude 3.7 Sonnet and Claude Code, an LLM that excels at code creation and debugging to a degree that has made many software engineers a bit uneasy. These LLMs are just the beginning of AI’s rapid progress, with more breakthroughs on the way. Google’s AI Mode: A glimpse of the future AI isn’t just bringing new products – it’s transforming existing ones, too. On March 5, Google announced they were expanding AI Overviews with a new experimental feature called AI Mode. This interactive feature allows users to: Engage with web search in a chat-like manner through multimodal understanding. Refine long-tail queries in a back-and-forth manner. AI Mode, powered by Gemini 2.0, enhances research using a “query fan-out” technique to gather real-time data from multiple sources and generate detailed, in-depth summaries. This may make SEOs uncomfortable, as it potentially reduces clicks to publisher sites and further promotes a zero-click ecosystem. With Google integrating Gemini 2.0 into its suite of products and its dominance of 89% of the search industry, its AI innovations demand close attention. These technologies will likely be added to search, and AI Mode offers a preview of what’s ahead. Two terms for the future of search: Agentic and deep research We’ll likely hear two terms used more often in the AI and search space: Agentic AI models. Deep research models. Deep research models can browse the web and focus on conducting intensive, in-depth research to provide users with informative summaries on complex topics. Unlike previous LLMs, which use a single-step information retrieval system through RAG (retrieval-augmented generation), deep research and agentic models can: Conduct multi-step research through a series of actions, pulling information from multiple sources to provide comprehensive summaries to the user. Take proactive actions, such as executing tasks and complex instructions. Google’s Project Mariner and OpenAI’s Operator already showcase these capabilities by allowing users to perform tasks within their browsers while understanding multi-modal elements such as text, images, and forms. Dig deeper: How to use OpenAI’s Deep Research for smarter SEO strategies How these models could change search Suppose you want to plan a trip to Tokyo and know the best season to go, the weather, and where to stay. Typically, this type of research takes a few days or weeks, and you gather information from various sources, such as travel websites or YouTube videos. A deep research model can do the heavy lifting by searching the web, gathering information, and summarizing relevant content, which saves you time. It can also “read, listen, and watch” various sources to provide a thorough answer. An agentic model could also book your hotels and flights, navigating checkout flows to complete the purchase. AI is moving in this direction as companies like Google work toward AGI (artificial general intelligence) – machines that can reason across diverse tasks like humans. Deep research and agentic models are key milestones in building practical AI solutions for everyday use. AI Overviews have already impacted click behavior and organic traffic. Now, we must consider these AI features’ long-term effects on the content ecosystem. Get the newsletter search marketers rely on. Business email address Sign me up! Processing... See terms. What could the future search landscape look like? Google’s AI Overviews and agentic advancements are here to stay. If AI Mode succeeds, it will be the first deep research feature in Google Search. So, what’s next for the search landscape? Here are some possibilities. Continual rise of zero-click searches Since launching in May 2024, AI Overviews have significantly reduced clicks to informational queries. As AI search capabilities advance, users will likely rely even more on AI tools for quick answers rather than clicking through to websites or articles. AI Mode and future search innovations could accelerate this shift by prioritizing fast, AI-generated summaries over traditional browsing. As zero-click searches become the norm, you must rethink how you measure value and engagement. Traditional KPIs may no longer accurately reflect user behavior, so focusing on brand visibility and awareness will be more critical than ever. Increased personalization LLMs and AI systems are revolutionizing search by personalizing responses with unmatched speed and scale, surpassing traditional algorithms. Leveraging Google’s vast user data, AI can train on existing information and refine queries in real-time to deliver more tailored results. As these systems continuously learn, they will become even better at recognizing, remembering, and adapting to individual user preferences. As AI-driven search becomes more personalized, it’s worth considering whether hyper-niche content is the key to reaching your audience. Multimodal search Google’s AI-powered multimodal capabilities are already embedded in many of its products, including Project Astra, an AI assistant unveiled at Google I/O 2024. During a live demonstration, Astra used multiple tools – such as Google Lens – to identify objects in real time and respond to voice queries. In my own experience at Google I/O, the AI assistant: Accurately classified animal figurines. Distinguished between similar names (“Bob” vs. “Rob”). Even created a story about the figures. While some of these advanced features haven’t been integrated into Google Search yet, multimodal search through Google Lens and voice search is already shaping how users submit queries. As Google develops these capabilities, you should anticipate what’s next, look beyond text-based queries, and optimize for image, video, and audio search. Dig deeper: From search to AI agents: The future of digital experiences Commercial queries can still draw users to websites AI-generated results have reduced clicks for informational queries, but commercial and transactional searches still offer opportunities for website traffic. During the decision-making process, potential buyers research extensively – comparing products, reading reviews, and exploring multiple channels before making a purchase. While it’s unclear how AI-generated search will impact this journey, think about how AI can streamline multi-touchpoint decision-making while still driving users to your website. When users move closer to making a purchase, user-generated content – like reviews – will still play a crucial role in conversions. Content quality still rules Despite AI’s growing role in search, one thing remains constant: high-quality content is essential. Whether users rely on traditional search engines or LLMs, visibility will still depend on the strength of the content itself. Since both Google Search and LLMs use RAG to pull from vast datasets, ensuring these systems have access to accurate, high-quality information is critical. Content demonstrating E-E-A-T (experience, expertise, authoritativeness, and trustworthiness) will continue to rank higher in AI-driven search results. Your brand will also play a bigger role in search visibility, making it essential to create valuable, well-optimized content across multiple formats. Dig deeper: Decoding Google’s E-E-A-T: A comprehensive guide to quality assessment signals View the full article

Want to appear in AI-generated search results? E-E-A-T is key. Learn how to establish authority so AI models and search engines rely on your content. The post The Role Of E-E-A-T In AI Narratives: Building Brand Authority For Search Success appeared first on Search Engine Journal. View the full article

In the iOS 18.2 update, Apple gave users a dedicated Default Apps tab, finally letting us pick our own default apps for messages and calls. Unfortunately, not many apps have been updated to take advantage of this yet. I previously talked about DefaultSMS, which takes over the default messaging app and redirects it to WhatsApp, Signal, or Telegram, but at least one of those now has an official option that you can use instead. Yes, WhatsApp has finally been updated the to support the Default Apps feature. This means you can now make WhatsApp the default Calling and Messaging app on iPhone. But does this mean you can stop using the Phone app and Messaging app altogether? Not exactly. Think of it more like a shortcut. When applicable, you can use this feature to quickly call someone using WhatsApp Audio, or open up a text conversation in WhatsApp, directly from the Phone app or anywhere you see a phone number. How to make WhatsApp the default app for calls and messagesFirst, let's talk about how to make this happen. On your iPhone running the latest iOS 18 build, go to Settings > Apps > Default Apps. Credit: Khamosh Pathak Scroll to the Messaging and Calling sections. Here, choose WhatsApp as the default. How the iPhone's default calling and messaging app features workThe default feature doesn't mean that you can simply replace the Phone app and Messages app. When you get an incoming SMS or Apple iMessage, it will still show up in the Messages app. And when you get a phone call, you'll still see it in the Phone app. Credit: Khamosh Pathak In this context, "default app" means that when you tap the Message button or the Call button for a contact in your Phone app or Contacts app, it will now open a call or message with them via WhatsApp app directly. This essentially serves as a shortcut, rather than a full replacement for the apps that come with your phone. After you change your default calling or messaging app, when you open a contact card and tap the Call button or Message button for the first time, you'll get an overflow menu where WhatsApp will be the first and default option. You can pick another option to change your default if you like. From then on, tapping the Call button will directly call the contact using WhatsApp Audio (or whatever you changed your default to), unless you change your default again in your iPhone settings. From there, you're all set... mostly. If your contact doesn't have WhatsApp, WhatsApp will simply tell that they're not on WhatsApp, at which point you'll have to manually open the Phone or Messages app to reach out instead. View the full article

As small businesses grow their size, project management becomes an increasingly important part of the process. It’s easy to deviate from a standard process when there’s only one employee, or a small handful, but trying to herd a team of dozens or hundreds is impossible without tools to guide them along the same path. Good news: While product management software may seem like the domain of enterprise organizations, small businesses stand to benefit substantially from this offering. Use cases abound, starting with setting up a small business itself. New owners can leverage the software to track and comply with legal requirements, maintain visibility into tax preparation, and monitor marketing efforts. Freelancers and independent contractors benefit from the ability to manage personal deliverables and follow up on payments while simultaneously establishing a process for new work. And, as new employees become onboarded, a centralized knowledge-sharing database points them in the right direction. Here are a few ways small businesses can level up how they implement project management solutions, including the technology that can support these efforts: Centralized Ideation Without communication, businesses simply cannot grow. It’s essential that all employees remain on the same page to reduce the chances of doubling up on work or misquoting a price to a potential customer. Still, those early days are special because your employees are unfiltered and perhaps bolder and more willing to take risks. you’ll want to keep everything for posterity. Even if a company employs only a few employees, it must establish a space, accessible to everyone, where team members can brainstorm and share ideas. A shared document works, for a time, but even better results come from a more formalized online project forum. This format helps keep ideas from becoming muddled with one another and enables commenting on each part of an idea. Using a forum also ensures employees can’t accidentally delete text that someone else had written, and an archived forum can serve as a place to peruse old ideas for the purposes of inspiring new ones. Small businesses need to also consider how knowledge is going to be shared within their organization, particularly around onboarding. As the number of employees grows, so, too, will the level of difficulty in disseminating information from the top down, facilitating communication bottlenecks. Project management software often includes the ability to create a Wiki where this essential information can live. By centralizing this information, companies can send articles to clients, as well, to help with onboarding or troubleshooting, reducing the number of resources required for customer service. The presence of a Wiki can also send a strong message to new employees that a company is listening—that everyone’s input is important and can lead to lasting change. Robust R&D Tracking In a time when much data has become democratized, a robust focus on R&D is essential for any growing business that wants to maintain a competitive edge over its competitors. However, this process can feel especially nebulous for newer businesses who don’t employ a full-time R&D department and rely on its staff to innovate when operations are slow—which they rarely are. Robust R&D begins with an accurate understanding of how a business operates. For that, project management software may help accumulate the necessary data. Employees can start utilizing timesheets to determine where they spend the majority of their time and how some of that can be cordoned off for R&D efforts or reorganized to remove road blocks. In fact, some project management software packages come equipped with AI assistants that can assist with tracking and consolidating data, easing the burden on employees. Then, once enough information has been gathered, small businesses can begin setting milestones to break down R&D activities into manageable, bite-sized chunks to be assigned to the appropriate employees. It’s important these tasks include deadlines and deliverables, as well as ensuring they fit within a larger framework of how the company is hoping to evolve. By establishing limitations and accountability, employees will feel like they’re part of the process and will feel empowered to speak up when they encounter issues. For the sake of producing a high-quality product, it’s important for small businesses to maintain a spot where employees can log these issues, saving time tracking them down when teams are ready to perform triage. Production Processes It’s understandable if small businesses accumulate numerous ideas for growth without follow-through. Time is of the essence, and putting out fires will always take precedence over operating in the theoretical. Gantt Charts, available within project management software, can help. These tools help visualize production timelines so managers can track progress and adjust schedules as new information crops up so as not to derail or delay delivery. Once these charts are in place, managers can also receive visibility into resource use to make better use of available team members. For small businesses, this piece of the puzzle is essential; every minute counts when trying to maximize employees’ time. The above processes are meaningless if no one can monitor their success, which is where analytics play a huge part. Production metrics can be fed into an analytics program and measured against past performance and previously stated goals, keeping everyone on target and allowing stakeholders to operate knowing a project’s entire context. This guides improvements and establishes a precedent for data-driven decision-making that hopefully carries on throughout a company’s lifetime. Once again, software in modern product management suites folds many of these functions into a single package, unified within a company’s existing infrastructure, to keep the train running on time. Technology Toolkit Small businesses need to realize they’re not on their own. Owners aren’t the first to launch a company, and they certainly won’t be the last. It’s important to learn from those that came before and establish a foundation for what’s to come, and technology can aid with this effort. The last year has seen an explosion in software capabilities and a general increase in affordability and access across the board. The most successful small businesses are the ones taking full advantage of what’s on offer by managing the most important project: growing their company. This article, "How Small Businesses Can Manage Projects Intelligently for Sustained Growth" was first published on Small Business Trends View the full article

As small businesses grow their size, project management becomes an increasingly important part of the process. It’s easy to deviate from a standard process when there’s only one employee, or a small handful, but trying to herd a team of dozens or hundreds is impossible without tools to guide them along the same path. Good news: While product management software may seem like the domain of enterprise organizations, small businesses stand to benefit substantially from this offering. Use cases abound, starting with setting up a small business itself. New owners can leverage the software to track and comply with legal requirements, maintain visibility into tax preparation, and monitor marketing efforts. Freelancers and independent contractors benefit from the ability to manage personal deliverables and follow up on payments while simultaneously establishing a process for new work. And, as new employees become onboarded, a centralized knowledge-sharing database points them in the right direction. Here are a few ways small businesses can level up how they implement project management solutions, including the technology that can support these efforts: Centralized Ideation Without communication, businesses simply cannot grow. It’s essential that all employees remain on the same page to reduce the chances of doubling up on work or misquoting a price to a potential customer. Still, those early days are special because your employees are unfiltered and perhaps bolder and more willing to take risks. you’ll want to keep everything for posterity. Even if a company employs only a few employees, it must establish a space, accessible to everyone, where team members can brainstorm and share ideas. A shared document works, for a time, but even better results come from a more formalized online project forum. This format helps keep ideas from becoming muddled with one another and enables commenting on each part of an idea. Using a forum also ensures employees can’t accidentally delete text that someone else had written, and an archived forum can serve as a place to peruse old ideas for the purposes of inspiring new ones. Small businesses need to also consider how knowledge is going to be shared within their organization, particularly around onboarding. As the number of employees grows, so, too, will the level of difficulty in disseminating information from the top down, facilitating communication bottlenecks. Project management software often includes the ability to create a Wiki where this essential information can live. By centralizing this information, companies can send articles to clients, as well, to help with onboarding or troubleshooting, reducing the number of resources required for customer service. The presence of a Wiki can also send a strong message to new employees that a company is listening—that everyone’s input is important and can lead to lasting change. Robust R&D Tracking In a time when much data has become democratized, a robust focus on R&D is essential for any growing business that wants to maintain a competitive edge over its competitors. However, this process can feel especially nebulous for newer businesses who don’t employ a full-time R&D department and rely on its staff to innovate when operations are slow—which they rarely are. Robust R&D begins with an accurate understanding of how a business operates. For that, project management software may help accumulate the necessary data. Employees can start utilizing timesheets to determine where they spend the majority of their time and how some of that can be cordoned off for R&D efforts or reorganized to remove road blocks. In fact, some project management software packages come equipped with AI assistants that can assist with tracking and consolidating data, easing the burden on employees. Then, once enough information has been gathered, small businesses can begin setting milestones to break down R&D activities into manageable, bite-sized chunks to be assigned to the appropriate employees. It’s important these tasks include deadlines and deliverables, as well as ensuring they fit within a larger framework of how the company is hoping to evolve. By establishing limitations and accountability, employees will feel like they’re part of the process and will feel empowered to speak up when they encounter issues. For the sake of producing a high-quality product, it’s important for small businesses to maintain a spot where employees can log these issues, saving time tracking them down when teams are ready to perform triage. Production Processes It’s understandable if small businesses accumulate numerous ideas for growth without follow-through. Time is of the essence, and putting out fires will always take precedence over operating in the theoretical. Gantt Charts, available within project management software, can help. These tools help visualize production timelines so managers can track progress and adjust schedules as new information crops up so as not to derail or delay delivery. Once these charts are in place, managers can also receive visibility into resource use to make better use of available team members. For small businesses, this piece of the puzzle is essential; every minute counts when trying to maximize employees’ time. The above processes are meaningless if no one can monitor their success, which is where analytics play a huge part. Production metrics can be fed into an analytics program and measured against past performance and previously stated goals, keeping everyone on target and allowing stakeholders to operate knowing a project’s entire context. This guides improvements and establishes a precedent for data-driven decision-making that hopefully carries on throughout a company’s lifetime. Once again, software in modern product management suites folds many of these functions into a single package, unified within a company’s existing infrastructure, to keep the train running on time. Technology Toolkit Small businesses need to realize they’re not on their own. Owners aren’t the first to launch a company, and they certainly won’t be the last. It’s important to learn from those that came before and establish a foundation for what’s to come, and technology can aid with this effort. The last year has seen an explosion in software capabilities and a general increase in affordability and access across the board. The most successful small businesses are the ones taking full advantage of what’s on offer by managing the most important project: growing their company. This article, "How Small Businesses Can Manage Projects Intelligently for Sustained Growth" was first published on Small Business Trends View the full article

Join us on April 9, 2025 and learn from the experts how to enhance your SEO strategy with proven Digital PR techniques. The post Win Higher-Quality Links: The PR Approach To SEO Success [Webinar] appeared first on Search Engine Journal. View the full article

As much as I love hostels, there is something nice about the luxuriousness of a hotel: the clean room, comfy bed, desk, iron, strong shower, and bottled soap for the taking (errr…I mean borrowing). They are a quiet, relaxing respite from the world. But luxury comes at a price. Hotels aren’t cheap and I hate spending money on a room I am only going to be in for a few hours. Often, even at my age, I would much rather stay in a hostel (private room though!), which costs less, has more social interaction, and doesn’t make you feel as removed from the destination you’re staying at. I always feel hotels are isolating, like a concrete bubble keeping you out of the place you’re visiting. That said, the older I get, the more I use hotel points, and the more I travel for work, the more I find myself staying in hotels, especially if it’s a short trip. I’ve spent years looking at websites trying to find the best ways to get the best rates on hotel rooms because the budget traveler in me hates spending a lot of money. Post-COVID, hotel prices have increased a lot and it seems there are fewer and fewer bargains these days. But there are a lot of ways to actually get a good deal and stack deals on deals to lower the cost of your room. Let me show you how. Want to travel the world for free? Download my free guide to points and miles and learn how to master the one thing all travel experts do to save money and get free flights and accommodation! Enter your info below to get the guide sent to you right away: Get the free guide How to Book Cheap Hotels Here is how to find the cheapest hotel in one simple step: First, go to Google and type in where you want to go. For example, “New York City hotels.” That’s it. Google will pull results from all the major booking websites and tell you what site is the cheapest. You just go there and book your hotel. That’s why it’s the best booking site because, rather than searching every website individually, you can just go to Google, find which website has the cheapest rate, and book there. It saves a lot of time! Here’s a step-by-step guide: Click on the “View hotels” button at the bottom of the first result section to go to Google’s hotel searching hub. Next, put in your dates and filters to narrow your search until you find a hotel you like in your price range. You’ll be able to sort by lowest price and look at the map to book by location. You can even see typical pricing trends for your dates by clicking on “what you’ll pay.” Click on the “view prices” button for a hotel and you’ll be presented with all your booking options. Find the lowest price and head to that website. Just keep in mind that the top results are usually ads, so scroll down to make sure you aren’t missing out on any deals. Once you’ve found the lowest price, book at that website! But, before you actually book the room, there are a couple of other tips you need to know about to ensure you get the best price possible: 1. Contact the hotel directly Find the hotel, call them up, and ask them to match the offer (they usually will since it saves them on commission). If they are a big global brand, the big benefit to direct bookings is that you only earn loyalty points and status when you book direct, so if you love earning points and miles, don’t book their rooms elsewhere! 2. Use points The best way to save money on a hotel room is to not have to pay for it. Collect hotel points through branded credit cards or transferring them from a Chase, Capital One, etc., and book a free room. I save thousands upon thousands of dollars a year doing this. Here are my favorite hotel cards to get you started. 3. Use discount rates like AAA or AARP If you are part of the AARP or AAA you can get special rates that are cheaper. Fun fact: Anyone can join the AARP. I’m a member. They have amazing travel benefits (including deals on hotels and British Airways flights). It’s well worth the membership. 4. Use Mr.Rebates or Rakuten If the lowest rate is through a major booking site like Booking.com, Expedia, or Hotels.com, go through Mr. Rebates or Rakuten. By using their links, you’ll get 1–10% back. It’s a little extra savings that can add up over time. I never do any online shopping without going to these sites (they have deals for everything). 5. Book a mystery deal Both Priceline and Hotwire offer cheaper rates on hotel bookings where you don’t get the full reservation details up front. On Hotwire’s Hot Rates and Priceline’s Express Deals, you’ll see the general neighborhood as well as star rating of the property and amenities offered, just not the exact hotel itself. With Priceline’s Pricebreakers deals, you’ll be guaranteed one of three hotels that they group together (you just won’t know which one until you book). You can save 30–60% off with these deals if you can tolerate a bit of the unknown! 6. Sign up for Booking.com’s loyalty program Booking.com offers members 10–20% off bookings. They definitely helped a lot. Before you sign up for their loyalty programs before you book with them! 7. Get discounted gift cards You can book major hotel chains with hotel gift cards. Check out a website like Giftcardgranny.com for discounted gift cards and use it to book your hotel. (Gift card purchases also count toward point earnings and status.) 8. Buy someone else’s reservation with Roomer Often people can’t go on a trip and can’t cancel the reservation, so rather than lose the money, hotels put these rooms on Roomer, where they sell it at a discount to earn some money back. I’ve never used this website, but I’ve heard good things about it. *** Hotel pricing is a lot more set than airline pricing and tends to fluctuate less. I wouldn’t spend hours searching hotel websites or days tracking prices like people do with airline prices. I’d spend, at the most, 30 minutes on booking a hotel. Just follow the steps above to get a cheap hotel by using my favorite (and what have been shown to be the best) hotel booking websites listed here so you get a good deal and enjoy your trip quicker. And if you find yourself staying in a lot of hotels, it might be worth looking into getting a hotel credit card so that you can start earning points towards free stays (free is always better than cheap)! Stop paying full price for travel! Download my free guide to points and miles and learn how to use points and miles for free travel! It's how all the pros travel so much! In this guide, I'll show you: How to Pick a Credit Card How to Earn Up to 10x Miles on Your Spending How to Redeem Your Points And a Ton of Other Money Saving Tips! Get the guide Book Your Trip: Logistical Tips and Tricks Book Your Flight Find a cheap flight by using Skyscanner. It’s my favorite search engine because it searches websites and airlines around the globe so you always know no stone is being left unturned. Book Your Accommodation You can book your hostel with Hostelworld. If you want to stay somewhere other than a hostel, use Booking.com as it consistently returns the cheapest rates for guesthouses and hotels. Don’t Forget Travel Insurance Travel insurance will protect you against illness, injury, theft, and cancellations. It’s comprehensive protection in case anything goes wrong. I never go on a trip without it as I’ve had to use it many times in the past. My favorite companies that offer the best service and value are: SafetyWing (best for budget travelers) World Nomads (best for mid-range travelers) InsureMyTrip (for those 70 and over) Medjet (for additional evacuation coverage) Want to Travel for Free? Travel credit cards allow you to earn points that can be redeemed for free flights and accommodation — all without any extra spending. Check out my guide to picking the right card and my current favorites to get started and see the latest best deals. Need a Rental Car? Discover Cars is a budget-friendly international car rental website. No matter where you’re headed, they’ll be able to find the best — and cheapest — rental for your trip! Need Help Finding Activities for Your Trip? Get Your Guide is a huge online marketplace where you can find cool walking tours, fun excursions, skip-the-line tickets, private guides, and more. Ready to Book Your Trip? Check out my resource page for the best companies to use when you travel. I list all the ones I use when I travel. They are the best in class and you can’t go wrong using them on your trip. The post How to Find Cheap Hotels (And Which Sites to Use!) appeared first on Nomadic Matt's Travel Site. View the full article

We may earn a commission from links on this page. What exactly makes a movie a “classic” varies wildly and with the viewer, as does the appropriate timescale. For some, a movie from a decade ago might be eligible (I call these movie fans “children”). For others, you have to go back much further. Today, I’m going to do the latter, taking a look at some of the great (or, at least, greatly entertaining) movies that were released no later than the tail end of the 1970s. (Even if I find it personally distressing to label movies younger than I am “classics.”) Quibbling over semantics aside, these offerings prove how deeply rewarding it is to dig through the back catalog of motion picture history now and again. In the Heat of the Night (1967) Virgil Tibbs’ (Sidney Poitier) entry into Sparta, Mississippi, at the outset of this steamy, socially conscious cop thriller unfolds like a scene from a horror movie, making clear the peril of a Black man in a southern town after dark. That’s of course before the sheriff realizes that Mr. Tibbs is the only one who can solve a murder. Though its politics are dated, this Norman Jewison-directed Oscar winner remains a landmark film of the Civil Rights movement. You can stream In the Heat of the Night on Pluto TV and MGM+ or rent it from Prime Video. In the Heat of the Night (1967) at Prime Video Learn More Learn More at Prime Video Rocky (1976) The long-running franchise has had its ups (the Creed films) and downs (that robot butler in Rocky IV), but the original remains one of the ultimate sports movies, with a ton of heart buoyed by characters who feel like real people. (It beat out Network and Taxi Driver for Best Picture and it’s hard to be mad about it.) You can stream Rocky on Pluto TV or rent it from Prime Video. Rocky (1976) at Prime Video Learn More Learn More at Prime Video All About Eve (1950) I’m not sure that Hollywood ever turned out a sharper, funnier script than this one. If Bette Davis had only done All About Eve, she’d still be a legend. Is it one of the best black-and-white movies ever made? Yes. You can rent All About Eve from Prime Video. All About Eve (1950) at Prime Video Learn More Learn More at Prime Video Sounder (1972) Cicely Tyson and Paul Winfield are phenomenal in this drama about a family of deep South, Depression-era sharecroppers struggling to survive and to stay together. You can stream Sounder on Pluto TV, Prime Video, and Peacock. Sounder (1972) at Peacock Learn More Learn More at Peacock Casablanca (1940) Everybody’s favorite golden-age Hollywood movie came by its reputation fairly: Bogart and Bergman have tremendous chemistry, and the film blends the doomed romance vibes with real suspense and a sense of humor that keeps the wartime atmosphere from getting too heavy. You can stream Casablanca on Max or rent it from Prime Video. Casablanca (1940) at Max Learn More Learn More at Max Jeanne Dielman, 32 Quai des Commerce (1975) Recently named the best movie ever made in a stupidly controversial Sight & Sound critics’ poll, Chantal Ackerman’s three-hours-plus epic shows us three days in the life of a Brussels single mother. It’s gripping and tragic in its depiction of day-to-day drudgery, even as part-time sex worker Jeanne’s tricks turn out to be the least interesting parts of her day. You can stream Jeanne Dielman on Max and The Criterion Channel or rent it from Prime Video. Jeanne Dielman, 32 Quai des Commerce (1975) at Max Learn More Learn More at Max Black Girl (1966) The movie that brought international attention to sub-Saharan African cinema. Black Girl stars Mbissine Thérèse Diop as Diouana, who is isolated and treated as less than human by her French employers as she reflects on her earlier life in Senegal. You can stream Black Girl on Max, The Criterion Channel, and Prime Video. Black Girl (1966) at Max Learn More Learn More at Max Metropolis (1927) Fritz Lang’s story of a future city starkly divided between the haves and the have-nots remains visually stunning, and its themes are no less relevant now than they were nearly a century ago. You can stream Metropolis on The Roku Channel, Kanopy, Pluto TV, and Kino or rent it from Prime Video. Metropolis (1927) at Prime Video Learn More Learn More at Prime Video Only Angels Have Wings (1939) Snappy dialogue, interesting, believable characters, and women who are at least as cool and interesting as the men: This Howard Hawks’ romantic adventure is mostly about pilots just hanging out in a South American town, with every takeoff and landing a potential tragedy. You can rent Only Angels Have Wings from Prime Video. Only Angels Have Wings (1939) at Prime Video Learn More Learn More at Prime Video The French Connection (1971) Maybe not Gene Hackman's best movie, but it's the one that made him a star, and it's not hard to see why. It's a tense, uncompromising crime drama about a troubled, borderline-dirty cop that nonetheless boasts thrilling action and one of the best car chases in movie history. You can stream The French Connection on Prime Video. The French Connection (1971) Learn More Learn More Some Like It Hot (1959) Two musicians get in drag in order to escape from mobsters in this classic Billy Wilder vehicle for Marilyn Monroe, at the peak of her powers here. Nobody’s perfect, but this movie is close. You can stream Some Like It Hot on The Roku Channel, Pluto TV, and MGM+ or rent it from Prime Video. Some Like It Hot (1959) at Prime Video Learn More Learn More at Prime Video 2001: A Space Odyssey (1968) A deliberately paced mind-bender, Stanley Kubrick and company take us from the origins of violence to a hypnotically engaging and highly detailed mid-century modern future where we come face to face with our own evolution. You can stream 2001 on Max or rent it from Prime Video. 2001: A Space Odyssey (1968) at Max Learn More Learn More at Max The Taking of Pelham One Two Three (1974) A very satisfying and thoroughly unpretentious crime thriller in which four men hijack a New York City subway train, demanding money in exchange for a release of their hostages and the car itself. The high tension and NYC setting are highlights, as is the cast: Walter Matthau as the lead police lieutenant is believably human while adding a touch of humor. Héctor Elizondo, Martin Balsam, Robert Shaw, Jerry Stiller, and Doris Roberts also put in solid performances. You can stream The Taking of Pelham One Two Three on MGM+ and Pluto TV or rent it from Prime Video. The Taking of Pelham One Two Three (1974) at Prime Video Learn More Learn More at Prime Video The Last Picture Show (1971) Another flashback to a bygone era, this one set in a dying small town in Texas. One of the best movies of the 1970s, Peter Bogdanovich’s breakout is mercifully free of the rosy glow that the high-school films of the ‘70s leaned into. You can stream The Last Picture Show on The Criterion Channel or rent it from Prime Video. The Last Picture Show (1971) at Prime Video Learn More Learn More at Prime Video Singin’ in the Rain (1952) A cinematic slice of pure joy, with a number of truly great musical numbers punctuated by some genuinely hilarious performances. For my money, the best musical of the era (and far weirder than you’re probably imagining). You can stream Singin' in the Rain on Max or rent it from Prime Video. Singin’ in the Rain (1952) at Max Learn More Learn More at Max The Umbrellas of Cherbourg (1964) A soaring, candy-colored musical about young lovers (Catherine Deneuve and Nino Castelnuovo) separated by circumstance in the titular city. Pretty much every word is sung. In French. Watch it anyway! You can stream The Umbrellas of Cherbourg on Max, The Criterion Channel, and Kanopy or rent it from Prime Video. The Umbrellas of Cherbourg (1964) at Prime Video Learn More Learn More at Prime Video Stormy Weather (1943) There's not a ton of plot here, with the film serving instead as a showcase for the talents of some of the biggest Black talent in Hollywood of the era. And that's plenty. Starring Bill Robinson, better known as Mr. Bojangles, the movie is presented as a retrospective of his life, with Lena Horne offering up an indelible, thrilling performance of the title song. Cab Calloway and Fats Waller also appear and perform, as does Casablanca's Paul Dooley. You can rent Stormy Weather from Prime Video. Stormy Weather (1943) at Prime Video Learn More Learn More at Prime Video Stagecoach (1939)Travelers on the titular stagecoach find their lives threatened by both vengeful criminals and Apache warriors while traveling from Tonto, Arizona Territory, to Lordsburg, New Mexico. In many ways the prototypical Western, the movie's well-drawn characters and unconventional sympathies (the sex worker here is the hero; the straight-laced banker is no good) make it a much-copied, but never replicated, genre standout. You can stream Stagecoach on Prime Video, Max, The Criterion Channel, and Pluto TV or rent it from Prime Video. Stagecoach (1939) at Max Learn More Learn More at Max Sleeping Beauty (1959) A bomb upon its initial release, time has been very, very kind to this story of the somnolent princess and her wicked adversary, Maleficent. Its art style, inspired by Medieval tapestry work, is among Disney's most beautiful, bar none. You can stream Sleeping Beauty on Disney+ or rent it from Prime Video. Sleeping Beauty (1959) at Disney+ Learn More Learn More at Disney+ The Lady Vanishes (1938) A (relatively) early triumph for Hitchcock, the director assembles a memorable cast on a train from which sweet, kindly Miss Froy (Dame May Whitty) has, well, vanished. Only Iris Henderson (Margaret Lockwood) seems to remember that Miss Froy even got on the train, leading to a brisk, clever, often quite funny, mystery. You can stream The Lady Vanishes on Max, The Criterion Channel, and Pluto TV or rent it from Prime Video. The Lady Vanishes (1938) Learn More Learn More The Muppet Movie (1979) Kermit and company set out on a road trip in this essential Muppets origin story (sort of, approximately) that kicks off with a heartwarming rendition of "Rainbow Connection" and then leads us on a journey across America to fame and fortune in Hollywood—not without some obstacles along the way. The songs are wildly memorable, and Jim Henson's trademark blend of heart and silliness (with an oddly believable tone) is well in place. The Muppets have never been (quite) done better. You can stream The Muppet Movie on Disney+ or rent it from Prime Video. The Muppet Movie (1979) at Disney+ Learn More Learn More at Disney+ Night Nurse (1931) A pre-code classic, Night Nurse stars the great Barbara Stanwyck as sexy trainee nurse Lora Hart, who uncovers a plot to kill some kids in order to get control of a trust fund. For all that drama, the movie is brisk and fun, and it's immensely satisfying to watch Lora come out swinging when her patients are in danger. You can stream Night Nurse on Max or rent it from Prime Video. Night Nurse (1931) at Max Learn More Learn More at Max 8½ (1963) If not Federico Fellini's finest, it's right up there. The very meta story involves a writer/director (played by Marcello Mastroianni) struggling with writer's block while trying to get his science fiction movie off the ground. Wildly visually inventive, it's a fabulous film about the art of moviemaking. You can stream 8 1/2 on Max, the Criterion Channel, and Kanopy, or rent it from Prime Video. 8½ (1963) at Max Learn More Learn More at Max Godzilla (1954) There's plenty of city-stomping action in this, the original kaiju film, but also a poignance and deep resonance for Japan, a country then only just coming to grips with both nuclear horror and its own actions during World War II. As 2023's Godzilla Minus One reminded us, the monster was born out of real trauma. You can stream Godzilla on Max and The Criterion Channel or rent it from Prime Video. Godzilla (1954) at Max Learn More Learn More at Max Odds Against Tomorrow (1959) A noir essential with a classic setup (a disgraced cop enlists a couple of old associates to rob a bank) complicated by the skin color of the film's lead Johnny Ingram, played by Harry Belafonte. Noir characters are pretty much always doomed, but here it's not just that their plan is shoddy—it's that confidently racist Earl Slater (a believably seething Robert Ryan) is never going to be able to make it work. It all builds to an appropriately apocalyptic climax. You can stream Odds Against Tomorrow on Prime Video and The Roku Channel. Odds Against Tomorrow (1959) at Prime Video Learn More Learn More at Prime Video Sunset Boulevard (1950) Gloria Swanson was just 50 when she was cast as the horrifyingly outdated silent-film star at the center of this very dark comedy/film noir. Doesn’t matter; she kills it. You can stream Sunset Boulevard on Kanopy or rent it from Prime Video. Sunset Boulevard (1950) at Prime Video Learn More Learn More at Prime Video Sunrise (1927) With some of the most brilliant cinematography and camerawork of the silent era, F. W. Murnau tells a story of romance (and attempted murder) that feels epic, even with stakes that, ultimately, aren’t any bigger than the marriage between the film’s troubled couple. You can stream Sunrise on The Roku Channel or rent it from Prime Video. Sunrise (1927) at Prime Video Learn More Learn More at Prime Video The Rocky Horror Picture Show (1975) Just an old-fashioned love story about the romance between a young engaged couple, a genderfluid scientist, and a jacked lab experiment. A cult classic now too famous to qualify as a cult classic, and for good reason. You can rent The Rocky Horror Picture Show from Prime Video. The Rocky Horror Picture Show (1975) at Prime Video Learn More Learn More at Prime Video The Wizard of Oz (1939) A sweet-seeming Kansas girl heads off to the magical Land of Oz, announcing her arrival by murdering a lady and stealing her shoes. Only one thing to do at that point, really: take out her sister, as well. You can stream The Wizard of Oz on Max or rent it from Prime Video. The Wizard of Oz (1939) at Max Learn More Learn More at Max Psycho (1960) Near the tail-end of his career, Alfred Hitchcock reinvented American horror cinema and introduced the definitive screen slasher: Norman Bates’ mother and best friend, Norma. You can rent Psycho from Prime Video. Psycho (1960) at Prime Video Learn More Learn More at Prime Video It Happened One Night (1934) Frank Capra’s risqué romantic comedy swept the Academy Awards in its year, with leads Clark Gable and Claudette Colbert making for a brilliant pairing in the movie that defined the rom-com, and remains among the best of the form. You can stream It Happened One Night on The Criterion Channel or rent it from Prime Video. It Happened One Night (1934) at Prime Video Learn More Learn More at Prime Video Cooley High (1974) Cochise (Lawrence-Hilton Jacobs), a basketball star, and Preach (Glynn Turman), an aspiring playwright, plot to play hooky during their final weeks of senior year. Their plan leads to a series of adventures and misadventures that look very much like the stuff of a more typical teen comedy, before the comedy slowly gives way to more serious introspection. This movie had a profound influence on filmmakers from John Singleton to Spike Lee. You can stream Cooley High on The Roku Channel, Pluto TV, and Prime Video. Cooley High (1974) at Prime Video Learn More Learn More at Prime Video The Best Years of Our Lives (1946) A postwar drama made right in the thick of things, exploring the high cost of World War II on returning soldiers. Sharp, well-observed performances from veterans like Myrna Loy and and Fredric March, as well as from newcomer Harold Russell, a then-recent veteran who won one of the film's many Oscars for his performance. A smart and impressively honest movie that must have taken a lot of courage to make. You can stream The Best Years of Our Lives on Prime Video, Kanopy, Pluto TV, and Peacock. The Best Years of Our Lives (1946) at Peacock Learn More Learn More at Peacock Kwaidan (1964) This Japanese anthology of horror-tinged stories isn't necessarily terrifying, but it is one of the most stunningly beautiful, and sumptuously designed films that you're likely to find this side of Japanese folklore. A highly influential film, it kicks off with the story of a horribly wronged woman and her very long, very black hair. You can stream Kwaidan on Max and The Criterion Channel or rent it from Prime Video. Kwaidan (1964) at Max Learn More Learn More at Max Monty Python and the Holy Grail (1975) This historical drama brings Medieval Europe to stunning life with its depiction of Arthur, King of the Britons (Graham Chapman), scouring the English countryside in search of men brave enough to join his Knights of the Round Table, desperate to figure out if swallows can, indeed, carry coconuts. It’s all deeply serious. (Cough cough.) You can stream Monty Python and the Holy Grail on Prime Video, The Roku Channel, Pluto TV, and Britbox. Monty Python and the Holy Grail (1975) at Prime Video Learn More Learn More at Prime Video The Godfather (1972) It’s said by many that the second film is better—and they’re not wrong, though the first is a similarly brilliant piece of filmmaking, and absolutely the place to start when watching or rewatching Francis Ford Coppola’s saga. You can stream The Godfather on Paramount+ or rent it from Prime Video. The Godfather (1972) at Paramount+ Learn More Learn More at Paramount+ M (1931) Peter Lorre is chilling as a murderer of children in Fritz Lang’s thriller. Aside from being a masterful film in its own right, M influenced every crime drama, serial killer film, and police procedural that’s come along since. You can stream M on Max, Kanopy, and The Criterion Channel or rent it from Prime Video. M (1931) at Max Learn More Learn More at Max Gilda (1946) One of the greatest and most entertaining noir films of its era also foregrounds one of the hottest bisexual love triangles you’re likely to find in film. You can rent Gilda from Prime Video. Gilda (1946) at Prime Video Learn More Learn More at Prime Video Mildred Pierce (1945) Joan Crawford is at her very dramatic best in this story of a mother dealing with a hyper-entitled snotbag of a daughter. Joan and director Michael Curtiz take all of the great noir trappings of the era (including murder) and put a single mother at the center of them. Now central in her filmography, this was a comeback for Joan at the time, and proved that she could still pack cinemas as a middle-aged woman. You can stream Mildred Pierce on Max or rent it from Prime Video. Mildred Pierce (1945) at Prime Video Learn More Learn More at Prime Video Superman (1978) In our highly dystopian present, every third movie is a superhero punch-'em-up. But not so in 1978, when Richard Donner directed the original (more or less) and best (more or less). Christopher Reeve remains a steadfast combination of believable sincerity and dorky charm, generating real chemistry with Margot Kidder's Lois Lane. You can stream Superman on Max or rent it from Prime Video. Superman (1978) at Max Learn More Learn More at Max The Seventh Seal (1957) Max von Sydow stars as a medieval knight in Ingmar Bergman's dark fantasy about finding human connection in the absence of faith. The film tells its story using some of the most indelible imagery in the history of cinema—anyone for a game of chess? With death? You can stream The Seventh Seal on Max, The Criterion Channel, and Kanopy. The Seventh Seal (1957) at Max Learn More Learn More at Max Citizen Kane (1941) The pretentious film student's answer to the question: "What's the greatest film of all time?" is, as it happens, a genuinely great film. It's an appropriately dark and wildly innovative commentary on the corrupting powers of money and American-style capitalism. In those regards, it hasn't aged a day. You can rent Citizen Kane from Prime Video. Citizen Kane (1941) at Prime Video Learn More Learn More at Prime Video Battleship Potemkin (1925) So rousing is Sergei Eisenstein's film, set during the early Russian Revolution of 1905, that you'll be cheering on the rebellion that lead to the birth of the Soviet Union (where this film was no less controversial than elsewhere). Among the movie's many brilliantly directed moments is the iconic Odessa Steps sequence, which has been referenced by everyone from Laurel and Hardy to Denis Villeneuve. You can stream Battleship Potemkin on Max, The Roku Channel, Kanopy, Kino, and The Criterion Channel or rent it from Prime Video. Battleship Potemkin (1925) at Max Learn More Learn More at Max It's a Mad Mad Mad Mad World (1963) This all-star road race film is goofy, sure, but it's also got a mean streak a mile wide—and I absolutely mean that as a compliment. The cast all compete to make it across the state of California to collect a chunk of money that they've learned is buried in a state park. It's cute watching Milton Berle, Ethel Merman, Mickey Rooney, Jonathan Winters, Eddie Anderson, Sid Caesar and others team up to get the money—but it's even better when they fall out and start fighting tooth and nail, all alongside crooked cop Spencer Tracy. You can stream It's a Mad Mad Mad Mad World on Prime Video, Kanopy, and Pluto TV. It's a Mad Mad Mad Mad World (1963) at Prime Video Learn More Learn More at Prime Video Judgment at Nuremberg (1961) The all-star cast can be a little distracting, but Stanley Kramer’s courtroom drama remains powerful and depressingly relevant in its depiction of normal, everyday people driven to commit atrocities with only minimal encouragement. You can stream Judgment at Nuremberg on MGM+ and Pluto TV or rent it from Apple TV. Judgment at Nuremberg (1961) at Apple TV Learn More Learn More at Apple TV Monsieur Hulot's Holiday (1953) The first in a series of charming, and increasingly inventive comedies from the great director (and star) Jacques Tati. M. Hulot feels like a silent film character in a world of sound, and, indeed, the focus here is less on dialogue than in the inadvertent ways in which our hero brings absolute chaos wherever he goes. There's a method to the comedy, as well, Tati finding satisfaction in seeing the thin veneers of the comfortable, snobby, rich vacationers worn away. You can stream M. Hulot's Holiday on Max and The Criterion Channel or rent it from Prime Video. Monsieur Hulot's Holiday (1953) at Max Learn More Learn More at Max Carnival of Souls (1962) This deeply haunting, low-budget independent beat George Romero's Night of the Living Dead to the punch by around five years, following a young woman (Candace Hilligoss) through a dark night of her own. Thoroughly eerie, it's a movie that stays with you, like it or not. You can stream Carnival of Souls on Max, The Roku Channel, AMC+, MGM+, The Criterion Channel, Kanopy, Shudder, and Pluto TV or rent it from Prime Video. Carnival of Souls (1962) at Max Learn More Learn More at Max The Sound of Music (1965) The hills are alive, etc., as a charmingly goofy nun-in-training gets a job at the home of an Austrian aristocrat. What starts out as a very hummable sing-a-long takes a dark turn as the shadow of Nazi Germany comes to loom. That genuine threat elevates Julie Andrews' breakout into something as meaningful as it is fun. You can stream The Sound of Music on Disney+ and Hulu or rent it from Prime Video. The Sound of Music (1965) at Disney+ Learn More Learn More at Disney+ Pather Panchali (1955) India’s answer to the French New Wave, Satyajit Ray’s gorgeous but down-to-earth drama finds universal truths in the fraught relationships between desperately poor Apu, his sister Durga, and their mother, Sarbajaya. (The subsequent two films in what would eventually become known as the Apu Trilogy are just as great.) You can stream Pather Panchali on Max, The Criterion Collection, and Kanopy or rent it from Prime Video. Pather Panchali (1955) at Max Learn More Learn More at Max Sherlock Jr. (1924) The General is often seen as Buster Keaton’s masterpiece, but I prefer Sherlock Jr., in which a normal schlub finds himself, literally, drawn into the movies. It’s an acrobatic and often hilarious journey into film history. You can stream Sherlock Jr. on The Criterion Channel, Kanopy, and Kino or rent it from Prime Video. Sherlock Jr. (1924) at Prime Video Learn More Learn More at Prime Video Funny Girl (1968) Barbra Streisand broke through in a big way in this funny (naturally), moving, and ultimately epic story about the rise of real-life comedian Fanny Brice and her troubled romance with Nicky Arnstein (Omar Sharif). It’s like buttah. You can stream Funny Girl on Prime Video. Funny Girl (1968) at Prime Video Learn More Learn More at Prime Video His Girl Friday (1940) One of the films that defined the sharp, fast-talking screwball comedy genre, with Rosalind Russell and Cary Grant as an ex-married newshound couple trying to uncover the truth behind the story of a convicted murderer. You can stream His Girl Friday on Prime Video, MGM+, The Roku Channel, Kanopy, Pluto TV, and Shout Factory TV. His Girl Friday (1940) at Prime Video Learn More Learn More at Prime Video Bride of Frankenstein (1935) On the eve of his wedding, Dr. Frankenstein finds himself drawn into temptation when his old mentor shows up in town. The two run off together with every intention of giving birth to new life. You can rent Bride of Frankenstein from Prime Video. Bride of Frankenstein (1935) at Prime Video Learn More Learn More at Prime Video Modern Times (1936) Ever feel like you’re just a cog in the capitalist machinery of life? Charlie Chaplin’s masterpiece is the perfect movie for anyone who’s ever been stuck in a rut at work. You can stream Modern Times on Prime Video, Max, The Criterion Channel, and Kanopy. Modern Times (1936) at Max Learn More Learn More at Max Rashomon (1950) Akira Kurosawa’s samurai tale is not only wildly influential, it’s also film’s definitive statement on the unreliability of memory and the ease with which we spin stories for our own benefit. A warrior’s murder is recounted by a series of characters, each with a similar tale, but with details that vary in crucial ways. You can stream Rashomon on Max and The Criterion Channel or rent it from Prime Video. Rashomon (1950) at Max Learn More Learn More at Max Jaws (1975) Steven Spielberg created the thrilling, harrowing summer blockbuster to beat them all way back in 1975, shaping the cinematic landscape we’re still living in, for better or worse. You can rent Jaws from Prime Video. Jaws (1975) at Prime Video Learn More Learn More at Prime Video High Noon (1952) It’s hard to believe, all these decades later, that this simple story of a sheriff abandoned by a terrified town was one of the most controversial films of its era. There’s a lot going on here just under the surface, including a strong defiance of the Red Scare and its accompanying Hollywood blacklist. You can rent High Noon from Prime Video. High Noon (1952) at Prime Video Learn More Learn More at Prime Video Carrie (1976) One of Stephen King’s earliest works translates into this memorably bloody coming-of-age story about a shy young woman (Sissy Spacek) with growing telekenetic powers, caught between her controlling mother at home and her cruel classmates at school. You can stream Carrie on MGM+ and Max or rent it from Prime Video. Carrie (1976) at Max Learn More Learn More at Max The Night of the Hunter (1955) Actor Charles Laughton's sole directorial effort is a wildly impressive one, with serial-killing preacher Harry Powell (Robert Mitchum) charming and then terrorizing a rural West Virginia family during the Great Depression. Audiences at the time found it impossibly weird and arty, and often weren't thrilled with Laughton's take on religious hypocrisy. Time has revealed it as a taut, idiosyncratic masterpiece. You can stream Night of the Hunter on Pluto TV and Prime Video. The Night of the Hunter (1955) at Prime Video Learn More Learn More at Prime Video A Raisin in the Sun (1961) Sidney Poitier, Ruby Dee, Claudia McNeil, Diana Sands, Roy Glenn, and Louis Gossett Jr. star in this family drama about a Black family about to come into a small windfall, and the intergenerational conflict and trauma that impacts the ways in which family members want to spend it, and even their their definitions of a better life. You can rent A Raisin in the Sun from Prime Video. A Raisin in the Sun (1961) at Prime Video Learn More Learn More at Prime Video View the full article

Ever wondered why some of your ecommerce products or blog posts never appear on Google? The way your site handles pagination could be the reason. This article explores the complexities of pagination – what it is, whether your site needs it for SEO, and how it affects search in 2025. What is pagination? Examples of pagination in action. Why is pagination important for SEO? Google’s deprecation of rel=prev/next. Why pagination is still important in 2025: The infinite scroll debate. How JavaScript can interfere with pagination. How to handle indexing and canonical tags for paginated URLs. What is pagination? Pagination is the coding and technical framework on webpages that allows content to be divided across multiple pages while remaining thematically connected to the original parent page. When a single page contains too much content to load efficiently, pagination helps by breaking it into smaller sections. This improves user experience and unburdens the client (i.e., web browser) from loading too much information – much of which may not even be reviewed by the user. Examples of pagination in action Product listings One common example of pagination is navigating multiple pages of product results within a single product feed or category. Let’s look at Virgin Experience Days, a site that sells gifted experiences similar to Red Letter Days. Take their Mother’s Day experiences page: https://www.virginexperiencedays.co.uk/mothers-day-gifts Scroll down to the “All Mother’s Day Experiences & Gift Ideas Experiences” section, and you’ll see a staggering 1,635 experiences to choose from. That’s a lot. Clearly, listing all of them on a single page wouldn’t be practical. It would result in excessive vertical scrolling and could slow down page loading times. Further down the page, you’ll find pagination links: Clicking a pagination link moves users to separate product listing pages, such as page 2: https://www.virginexperiencedays.co.uk/mothers-day-gifts?page=2 In the URL, ?page=2 appears as a parameter extension, a common pagination syntax. Variations include ?p=2 or /page/2/, but the purpose remains the same – allowing users to browse additional pages of listings. Even major retailers like Amazon use similar pagination structures. Pagination also helps search engines discover deeply nested products. If a site is so large that all its products can’t be listed in a single XML sitemap, pagination links provide an additional way for crawlers to access them. Even when XML sitemaps are in place, internal linking remains important for SEO. While pagination links aren’t the strongest ranking signal, they serve a foundational role in ensuring content is discoverable. Dig deeper: Internal linking for ecommerce: The ultimate guide Blog and news feeds Pagination isn’t limited to product listings, it’s also widely used in blog and news feeds. Take Search Engine Land’s SEO article archive: https://searchengineland.com/library/seo In this page, you can access a feed of all SEO-related posts on Search Engine Land. Scrolling down, you’ll find pagination links. Clicking “2” takes you to the next set of SEO articles: https://searchengineland.com/library/seo/page/2 Pagination inside content Pagination can also exist within individual pieces of content rather than at a feed level. For example, some news websites paginate comment sections when a single article receives thousands of comments. Similarly, forum threads with extensive discussions often use pagination to break up replies across multiple pages. Consider this post from WPBeginner: https://www.wpbeginner.com/beginners-guide/how-to-choose-the-best-blogging-platform/ Scroll to the bottom, and you’ll see that even the comment section uses pagination to organize user responses. Why is pagination important for SEO? Pagination plays a crucial role in SEO for several reasons: Indexing Without pagination, search crawlers may struggle to find deeply nested content such as blog posts, news articles, products, and comments. Crawl efficiency Pagination increases the number of URLs on a site, which might seem counterproductive to efficient crawling. However, most search engines recognize common pagination structures – even without rich markup. This understanding allows them to prioritize crawling more valuable content while ignoring less important paginated pages. Internal linking Pagination also contributes to internal linking. While pagination links don’t carry significant link authority, they provide structure. Google tends to pay less attention to orphaned pages – those without inbound links – so pagination can help ensure content remains connected. Managing content duplication If URLs aren’t structured properly, search engines may mistakenly identify them as duplicate content. Pagination isn’t as strong a signal for content consolidation as redirects or canonical tags. Still, when implemented correctly, it helps search engines differentiate between paginated pages and true duplicates. Google’s deprecation of rel=prev/next Google previously supported rel=prev/next for declaring paginated content. However, in March 2019, it was revealed that Google had not used this markup for some time. As a result, these tags are no longer necessary in a website’s code. Google likely used rel=prev/next to study common pagination structures. Over time, those insights were integrated into its core algorithms, making the markup redundant. Some SEOs believe these tags may still help with crawling, but there is little evidence to support this. If your site doesn’t use this markup, there’s no need to worry. Google can still recognize paginated URLs. If your site uses it, there’s also no urgent need to remove it, as it won’t negatively impact your SEO. Get the newsletter search marketers rely on. Business email address Sign me up! Processing... See terms. Why pagination is still important in 2025: The infinite scroll debate Alternate methods for browsing large amounts of content have emerged over the past couple of decades. “View more” or “Load more” buttons often appear under comment streams, while infinite scroll or lazy-loaded feeds are common for posts and products. Some argue these features are more user-friendly. Originally pioneered by social networks such as Twitter (now X), this form of navigation helped boost social interactions. Some websites have adopted it, but why isn’t it more widespread? From an SEO perspective, the issue is that search engine crawlers interact with webpages in a limited way. While headless browsers may sometimes execute JavaScript-based content during a page load, search crawlers typically don’t “scroll down” to trigger new content. A search engine bot certainly won’t scroll indefinitely to load everything. As a result, websites relying solely on infinite scroll or lazy loading risk orphaning articles, products, and comments over time. For major news brands with strong SEO authority and extensive XML sitemaps, this may not be a concern. The trade-off between SEO and user experience may be acceptable. But for most websites, implementing these technologies is likely a bad idea. Search crawlers may not spend time scrolling through content feeds, but they will click hyperlinks – including pagination links. How JavaScript can interfere with pagination Even if your site doesn’t use infinite scroll plugins, JavaScript can still interfere with pagination. Since July 2024, Google has at least attempted to render JavaScript for all visited pages. However, details on this remain vague. Does Google render all pages, including JavaScript, at the time of the crawl? Or is execution deferred to a separate processing queue? How does this affect Google’s ranking algorithms? Does Google make initial determinations before executing JavaScript weeks later? There are no definitive answers to these questions. What we do know is that “dynamic rendering is on the decline,” according to the 2024 Web Almanac SEO Chapter. If Google’s effort to execute JavaScript for all crawled pages is progressing well – which seems unlikely given the potential efficiency drawbacks – why are so many sites reverting to a non-dynamic state? This doesn’t mean JavaScript use is disappearing. Instead, more sites may be shifting to server-side or edge-side rendering. If your site uses traditional pagination but JavaScript interferes with pagination links, it can still lead to crawling issues. For example, your site might use traditional pagination links, but the main content of your page is lazy-loaded. In turn, the pagination links only appear when a user (or bot) scrolls the page. Dig deeper: A guide to diagnosing common JavaScript SEO issues How to handle indexing and canonical tags for paginated URLs SEO professionals often recommend using canonical tags to point paginated URLs to their parent pages, marking them as non-canonical. This practice was especially common before Google introduced rel=prev/next. Since Google deprecated rel=prev/next, many SEOs remain uncertain about the best way to handle pagination URLs. Avoid blocking paginated content via robots.txt or with canonical tags. Doing so prevents Google from crawling or indexing those pages. In the case of news posts, certain comment exchanges might be considered valuable by Google, potentially connecting a paginated version of an article with keywords that wouldn’t otherwise be associated with it. This can generate free traffic – something worth keeping in 2025. Similarly, restricting the crawling and indexing of paginated product feeds could leave some products effectively soft-orphaned. In SEO, there’s a tendency to chase perfection and aim for complete crawl control. But being overly aggressive here can do more harm than good, so tread carefully. There are cases where it makes sense to de-canonicalize or limit the crawling of paginated URLs. Before taking that step, make sure you have data showing that crawl-efficiency issues outweigh the potential free traffic gains. If you don’t have that data, don’t block the URLs. Simple! View the full article

Now that the Google March 2025 core update is done, I wanted to share some polls I spotted on this update, including some I posted myself. The theme is, most said their rankings stayed the same, while many saw declines and improvements with the update. Which tells us, this was a normal core update.View the full article