Jessica M. Laccetti

Advanced Copywriting Techniques to Boost Your Content

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Wed, 26 Jun 2024 21:01:00 +0000

Welcome, word wizards and content creators! If you're here, you're ready to take your copywriting skills to the next level. Today, we're diving into some advanced copywriting techniques that will transform your content from good to irresistible. Whether you're crafting web copy, emails, or social media posts, these tips will help you engage your audience and boost your results. So, let's get started!

Writing for Different Mediums

First up, let's talk about adapting your style for different mediums. Not all copy is created equal, and understanding the nuances of each platform is key to making your words work their magic.

Web Copy: When writing for websites, clarity is king. Visitors should immediately understand what you're offering and why it matters. Use short paragraphs, bullet points, and compelling headlines to guide readers through your content.

Email Copy: Emails are all about personalization and urgency. Start with an attention-grabbing subject line and keep your message concise. Use direct language and include a clear call to action (CTA) to prompt immediate response.

Social Media: Social media is your playground for creativity. Each platform has its vibe, so tailor your tone accordingly. Use engaging visuals, emojis, and hashtags to increase visibility and interaction.

Persuasive Writing Techniques

Next, let's dive into the art of persuasion. The best copy not only informs but also inspires action. Here are some advanced techniques to help you do just that:

Emotional Appeal: People make decisions based on emotions, so tap into those feelings. Whether it's excitement, fear, or joy, evoke emotions that resonate with your audience. Share stories, use vivid imagery, and create a connection that goes beyond the screen.

Storytelling: Storytelling isn't just for bedtime. It's a powerful tool in your copywriting arsenal. Craft narratives that highlight your brand's journey, showcase customer success stories, or illustrate the benefits of your product in a relatable way.

Strong CTAs: Your call to action is the climax of your copy. Make it bold, clear, and compelling. Use action verbs like "discover," "unlock," or "transform" to create a sense of urgency and desire.

SEO Copywriting

In this digital age, visibility is everything. To ensure your content gets found, you need to master the art of SEO copywriting. Here's how:

Keyword Integration: Naturally weave your target keywords into your copy. Aim for a seamless flow that doesn’t disrupt the reader’s experience. For example, incorporate "advanced copywriting techniques" in a way that feels organic and informative.

Meta Descriptions and Titles: Craft catchy and keyword-rich meta descriptions and titles. These elements play a crucial role in search engine rankings and click-through rates, so make them count.

Internal Linking: Keep readers engaged and on your site longer by linking to other relevant blog posts and pages. This not only improves SEO but also enhances user experience.

Data-Driven Copywriting

Numbers don’t lie. Using analytics and feedback to refine your copy can lead to significant improvements. Here's how to leverage data for better results:

Analytics Tools: Utilize tools like Google Analytics to track your content's performance. Look at metrics like bounce rate, time on page, and conversion rates to gauge effectiveness.

Customer Feedback: Listen to your audience. Use surveys, comments, and direct feedback to understand what resonates and what falls flat. Adjust your copy accordingly to meet their needs and preferences.

Split Testing: Implement A/B testing to compare different versions of your copy. Test variables like headlines, CTAs, and layouts to see what drives the best results.

A/B Testing and Optimization

Continuous improvement is the name of the game. A/B testing is your secret weapon for optimizing content. Here's how to do it right:

Define Variables: Choose one element to test at a time, whether it's a headline, CTA, or image. This helps you pinpoint what makes the difference.

Run Tests Simultaneously: Ensure your tests run simultaneously to avoid skewed results due to external factors like time of day or audience segment.

Analyze and Implement: Once you have your results, analyze the data and implement the winning variation. Keep testing and refining to continually enhance your copy’s performance.

Putting It All Together

There you have it—advanced copywriting techniques to boost your content and captivate your audience. Remember, great copywriting is a blend of art and science. It’s about understanding your audience, telling compelling stories, and using data to drive decisions (and content). So, go ahead and apply these techniques.

Experiment, learn, and watch your content, tweak, and repeat.

Happy writing, and may your words work wonders!

Is Generative AI your Classroom Hero?

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Tue, 23 Jan 2024 22:23:00 +0000

While many focus on the more apparent benefits of AI in education, such as automated grading or personalized learning paths, several underrated aspects of Generative AI can significantly enhance our learning experience. Here, are some lesser-known yet impactful ways GenAI can help learners.

*NB. always double check because AI is not infallible*

Clarify Complex Concepts: One of the most remarkable abilities of GenAI is to act as a clarifying agent. When students encounter complex or abstract concepts, understanding them can be a challenge. This is where AI steps in. By rephrasing and explaining these ideas in simpler terms, GenAI helps students grasp difficult topics more effectively. It's like having a personalized tutor who simplifies and demystifies complex subjects and ideas, making them more accessible.

Expand Research Horizons: The vastness of information available today can be overwhelming for students conducting research. GenAI serves as a powerful tool to broaden research scope. It can quickly sift through extensive databases and academic resources, suggesting relevant articles, papers, and materials that might otherwise remain undiscovered. This feature of GenAI not only saves time but also introduces learners to a wider range of sources, enriching their research quality.

Stimulate Critical Thinking: Critical thinking is a crucial skill in academia and beyond. GenAI can play a pivotal role in fostering this skill by presenting learners with diverse perspectives and counter-arguments. When students are exposed to differing viewpoints, especially those they hadn't considered, it encourages deeper inquiry and critical analysis. This aspect of GenAI is invaluable in developing well-rounded, critical thinkers who can approach problems from multiple angles.

Refine Writing Skills: Writing is an essential part of academic life, and GenAI can be instrumental in enhancing writing abilities. From drafting essays and papers to brainstorming ideas, AI can offer stylistic suggestions, improve grammar, and help structure thoughts coherently. This interactive process not only refines writing skills but also nurtures creativity and expression. This will be useful too for classrooms with learners who have a different first language.

Improve Revision Processes: The revision phase is where learning truly solidifies. GenAI aids in this process by providing immediate, actionable feedback on written work. This allows for iterative improvements, enabling learners to understand and rectify their mistakes in real time. Such prompt feedback accelerates the learning process and can deepen understanding.

GenAI might well be an unsung hero in your educational journey. The capabilities of GenAI in education extend far beyond the conventional uses we often hear about. Its role in clarifying concepts, expanding research, stimulating critical thinking, refining writing skills, and enhancing the revision process represents just a fraction of its potential in the academic sphere. As educators and learners, embracing these facets of GenAI can lead to a more enriched, efficient, and comprehensive learning experience.

The future of learning is intertwined with technological advancements. By integrating GenAI into our educational practices, we open the door to a world where learning is synonymous with active engagement with knowledge; it's dynamic, interactive, and deeply meaningful.

Optimise for Voice Search

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Fri, 12 Jan 2024 16:51:00 +0000

Are you ready to revolutionize your website's SEO for the voice search era? In a digital world where over 50% of searches are soon to be voice-activated, understanding how to optimise your stories is no longer optional - it's essential. Voice search is not just a trend; it's a fundamental shift in how users search for information online. This shift requires a different approach to content creation, one that prioritises natural language and a more conversational tone.

My biggest search optimisation take-aways from writing for a virtual assistant (the one that starts with an "a"):

Be Conversational:

The key to successful voice search content is to mimic the natural, conversational style of human speech. This includes understanding the nuances and variations in how people phrase their queries. (Do research if you don't know this).

Be Concise:

Voice search algorithms favour direct and concise answers. My experience has taught me how to distill complex information into clear, straightforward responses – a vital skill for optimizing voice search content.

Context Matters:

Writing for AI assistants involves a deep understanding of context and user intent. This is crucial for voice search, where the context can significantly influence the meaning and relevance of a query.

Business Impact:

Leveraging my background in AI-driven content creation, I offer unique services to businesses looking to optimize their online presence for voice search:

Personalised: Develop a tailored approach that aligns with your business goals and audience's voice search behaviours.

Focus on natural language but continue to write in an engaging style to keep your audience coming back for more. In other words, as always, don't just write for search; write for your audience.

#ReelsVsTikTok: The Game Has Changed!

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Fri, 22 Dec 2023 18:10:00 +0000

READY?!! Let's get to it. 👇🏽👇🏽

👀 In the always changing landscape of marketing, staying ahead means not just keeping up with the trends, but also understanding how to strategically leverage them. The latest industry insights from Emplifi's video performance analysis reveal a significant shift: the rise of Instagram Reels as leading digital engagement.

🗝 The Emergence of Instagram Reels

Instagram Reels, initially viewed as a response to the TikTok's popularity, have now carved out their unique space. According to Emplifi’s review of thousands of posts across major platforms, Instagram Reels are outperforming not only TikTok clips but also other forms of video content in driving views and engagement.

📈 The Data Speaks

The data is compelling: longer Reels clips, OVER 90-seconds, are generating more views than shorter counterparts. This trend is a clear indicator of changing user preferences, with audiences increasingly gravitating towards more immersive and extensive video experiences.

📉Facebook Reels are also following a similar trajectory, garnering significantly more views compared to traditional video uploads.

🕰️ What This Means for Brands

For brands, this shift represents both a challenge and an opportunity. The now usual approach to social media content, often reliant on short-form videos and Stories, needs re-evaluation. Embrifi’s findings suggest that longer Instagram Reels can be a potent tool in a brand's engagement strategy, capable of driving higher engagement and reaching broader audiences.

(Caveat - I am generalising! Each brand is different and local businesses and niche may well use different tactics)

📊 Actionable Insights

As brands plan their content strategies for 2024, incorporating longer Reels into their social media mix could be a strategic move. The key lies in producing content that is not only entertaining but also provides value, keeping viewers engaged and coming back for more.

⚠️ Looking Ahead ⚠️

While these trends offer a roadmap, it’s important to remember that every brand's audience is unique. The effectiveness of Instagram Reels, or any other content format, should ultimately be measured against specific audience engagement and brand goals. (See earlier caveat)

📓 Read On 👇🏽

For a comprehensive understanding of these trends and to explore how they can be adapted to your brand’s strategy, read Emplifi’s full report. There are valuable insights for advertisers and social media marketers looking to refine their approach and capitalize on these emerging trends.

https://emplifi.io/press/emplifi-reports-instagram-reels-outperformed-other-video-content-instagram-facebook-tiktok

Located Leaderhip: Above OR Below the Line

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Wed, 27 Sep 2023 16:20:00 +0000

Recently, at an event, a video about leadership was shared with us as something to think about. The video was about "locating" your thinking as above or below the line. The video did raise some important points about how we can all be open to change and get out of a mindset of not having enough (time, energy, money). The above the line thinking highlighted the importance of being open to learning, of questioning and play.

While I'm thinking about this, I'm wondering about the binary. As a leader we are asked to locate ourselves as either above or below the line. But who decides on the line? Can the line change depending on circumstance or environment? Does what is above the line and below change depending on your location as a person and the role of equity? Is the line the space for a while male as it is for a brown or Indigenous woman? What about a younger leader?

Overall, the idea for us to be reflective and self-aware is an important one, but inculcating binaries seems at odds with critical understanding of equity and diversity. Rather than distinct categories, perhaps we should consider the power structures as work in these binaries and recognise that our leadership can ebb and flow between these margins. We can question situated leadership and unpack binaries to think and lead more inclusively.

If you're interested, the video is here.

9 KEY Tips for Strategic Storytellers using AI

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Wed, 23 Aug 2023 18:52:00 +0000

I've just read an article - The AI revolution means marketers can get back to marketing - by Marie Gulin-Merle (Google's global VP of ads marketing).

With the advancements in AI, strategic storytellers, now have a range of AI-powered tools to enhance every stage of the marketing process. These tools can generate insights, ideas, content, and connections, enabling marketers to focus on storytelling and business outcomes.

Here are the top 9 take-aways from her article.

AI's Impact: There are now SO many tools that can enhance efficiency and creativity across various tasks (but you still need someone who knows how to write and a subject matter expert #justsaying)
Generative AI: You can more easily find patterns by using AI to generating insights, content, and connections.
Content Challenges: You might be stuck on what to write about? AI can help you narrow down ideas and generate variations to see which you prefer and which works best with your audience.
AI-Powered Scalability: AI-powered tools can scale creative concepts to various formats with precision, freeing up time for refining core creative ideas.
Diverse Assets: AI can generate a variety of assets, including social copy, landing pages, emails, alternate ad copies, formatted videos, and tailored ads (and more).
Google: Google has been integrating AI into its ad products since 2015, using it for creative testing, campaign optimization, and measurement. Check out Bard.
Measurement and Privacy: AI can help address challenges posed by digital privacy concerns by utilizing fewer signals while maintaining trusted measurement.
Google's Approach: Google is taking a responsible approach to AI by addressing risks and incorporating innovations to enhance user experience and privacy. Read more about Google's AI Principals here.
AI Essentials: Augment and amplify. AI can help but it can't replace us (yet....)

5 Essential Features of YOUR Business Website

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Thu, 22 Jun 2023 16:58:00 +0000

In today's 24/7 online landscape, your business website holds the key to success. It serves as your virtual storefront, a platform to engage with your audience, and a powerful marketing tool. But with countless possibilities, it's crucial to determine which features and functionality are essential. In this blog post, I'll take a data-driven approach to help you make informed decisions and create a website that truly meets your business's needs.

🛜 Mobile Responsiveness: Captivating the Growing Mobile Audience Did you know that more than half of global website traffic comes from mobile devices? A mobile-responsive website is no longer an option but a necessity. Statistics reveal that 88% of consumers won't return after a poor mobile experience. Optimize your website for various screen sizes and provide a seamless user experience across devices to capture and retain your mobile audience.

🧭 Intuitive Navigation: Guiding Users to What They Seek Unattractive content or layout can cause 38% of visitors to disengage from a website. Clear and intuitive navigation is essential for guiding users through your site, ensuring they find what they need effortlessly. Incorporate a well-structured menu, logical page hierarchy, and prominent calls-to-action to enhance user experience and keep visitors engaged.

📸 Compelling Visuals: Making a Lasting First Impression In the blink of an eye, users form an opinion about your website within 0.05 seconds. Captivating visuals, including high-quality images, videos, and graphics, can instantly grab their attention and convey your brand's professionalism. Invest in visually appealing design elements that align with your brand identity, creating a memorable and engaging user experience.

📧 📱Contact Information and Call-to-Action: Driving Conversions Connecting with your audience should be effortless. Display your contact information prominently, including phone numbers, email addresses, and social media links. Strategic placement of persuasive call-to-action buttons or forms throughout your website encourages conversions, inquiries, subscriptions, or purchases. Personalized CTAs have been proven to convert 202% better than generic ones, so tailor your calls-to-action to specific user segments or stages of the buyer's journey.

🏎️ Speed and Performance: Optimal User Satisfaction Users expect websites to load quickly, with 47% of consumers anticipating a two-second or less loading time. Slow-loading sites not only frustrate users but also impact search engine rankings. Optimize your website's speed and performance by compressing images, minimizing code, leveraging caching techniques, and investing in reliable hosting solutions. A faster website leads to improved user satisfaction, increased conversions, and higher search engine visibility.

🌟 Crafting a successful business website requires careful consideration of essential features and functionality aligned with your goals. Leverage data and statistics to make informed decisions that cater to your audience's needs and maximize your online presence. Remember, a well-designed and functional website is not just a digital asset; it's a powerful tool that drives growth, enhances brand reputation, and propels your business toward success!

Secrets of Successful Storytelling

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Thu, 15 Jun 2023 20:50:00 +0000

There's me at Inventures in Calgary...but tell me what is your story of what's happening in the left of the photo?

Hey there, fellow storytellers! Have you ever wondered what sets apart a remarkable story from a forgettable one? How do some narratives capture our hearts, inspire us, and leave an indelible mark on our lives? Well, get ready, because today we're diving deep into the secrets behind successful storytelling. Buckle up and get ready to unleash the power of storytelling!

Embrace Emotions: Let's dive right into the heart of successful storytelling. Emotions are the fuel that drives engagement and connection. Craft a story that touches your audience on a deep level, inspiring them, making them laugh, or even shedding a tear.
Craft Characters that Feel Alive: Characters breathe life into your narrative. They are the heroes your audience can relate to, root for, and *learn* from. Develop compelling characters that mirror the hopes, dreams, and struggles of your audience.
Weave an Irresistible Path. Want to keep your audience on the edge of their seats? Unveil unexpected twists, create suspense, and ignite curiosity.
Paint with Words. Words can be a sensory experience too. Consider how you can engage your audience's senses through vivid descriptions, evocative imagery, and striking visuals. Paint a picture that lingers in their minds and invites them to step into your world.
Stay True to You. Authenticity is the secret sauce that transforms a good story into an unforgettable one. Stay true to your unique voice, values, and beliefs. It's through authenticity that you forge a genuine connection with your audience. Ever wonder why the #relatable is so popular?
Embrace Conflict: Captivating stories thrive on conflict (often). It's the catalyst that drives change, sparks growth, and fuels transformation. Embrace the challenges, setbacks, and obstacles in your narrative. Show how your characters rise above adversity, inspiring your audience to do the same. As an example, consider the Apple "Think Different" campaign, way back in '97. That campaign, appearing to respond to IBM's "Think," highlighted the conflict between conformity and individuality, encouraging people to break free from the expected and embrace their unique perspectives. Not only was there a contrast between the old and the new, but the new perspective was so enticing.

So, here are some of the foundational secrets behind successful storytelling. (Ok, so so much secrets but the alliteration works great!)

Now it's your turn! Unleash your creativity, harness the power of words, and set off on your own storytelling journey.

Remember, the world is waiting for your *unique* voice and your own authentic stories.

Keep crafting, fellow storytellers, and may your narratives change your world, one word at a time.

Living a Life Fuelled with Curiosity?

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Fri, 14 Apr 2023 17:03:00 +0000

Earlier this week a friend and I heard Elizabeth Gilbert speak. I loved the book and then film of Eat, Pray, Love (not least for the views of Rome and Naples) and I also like the idea of using curiosity to fuel life.

But…and this is where I’m not sure why there is a but.

I think it is because Gilbert situated her talk, her approach, as not just *a* way of life but as a *better* way of life. She did say she spent years living this way so she could authentically tell us it is a better way but…She speaks from a place of privilege and I feel, she didn’t really acknowledge that. I listened to this talk shortly after hearing Jody Wilson-Raybould talk about being “inbetweeners” and part of True Reconciliation is knowing “how to navigate the space of the new, the evolving and the changing,” and “who embrace, at once, recognizing and respecting distinction and diversity, and interdependence, cohesion and unity.” However, Wilson-Raybould does situate her lens and she explains that other Indigenous people won’t necessarily agree with her. I think it is the clarity that Wilson-Raybould is speaking through her lens, her lived experience and the teachings she received. No *one* way is *the* way for all. But the act of self-reflection and the act of asking about the voices that aren’t included is important.

Gilbert’s own creative project involved asking others what they are excited about rather than the usual quotidian questions about the weather or their work. This question doesn’t take into account people who are struggling or people who are experiencing micro-agressions in their daily lives or or or. It doesn’t account for a lot of the “complicated reality” as Wilson-Raybould terms it. Maybe it is about living our lives with action that “challenges, elevates, and advances” (which is how Wilson-Raybould describes true reconciliation). And of course, these actions depend on who we are, where we are, what we are experiencing. These actions will vary for each of us and there is no one that is better than another; there are only choices that we can make that fit within our own personal lived realities. We can look to our own lives to uncover our own bias and then transform our own thinking.

That, surely, is a life filled with curiosity.

The Power of Web Design for Women in Business?

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Thu, 08 Dec 2022 20:12:00 +0000

As a woman in business, it's essential to have a professional and engaging website that showcases your brand and values, and connects with your audience. A well-designed website can help you stand out from the competition, attract and retain customers, and grow your business online.
But what makes web design so powerful for female entrepreneurs? Here are some key benefits of web design for women in business:
A professional website can help to establish your credibility and reputation as a woman in business. A well-designed website showcases your expertise and professionalism and can help to build trust and confidence with your audience.
Web design can help to differentiate your business from other women-owned businesses and make you stand out in a crowded market. By incorporating your unique brand and values into your website design, you can create a memorable and distinct online presence that sets you apart from the competition.
Web design can help to improve the user experience for your website visitors. A well-designed website is easy to navigate, engaging, and provides a seamless experience for your audience, which can help to increase customer satisfaction and engagement.
Web design can help to drive traffic and leads to your website. By optimizing your website for search engines and incorporating effective call-to-actions, you can increase the visibility of your website and attract more potential customers to your business.
Web design can help to grow your business online. By creating a professional and engaging website that showcases your brand and values, you can expand your reach, connect with new customers, and ultimately drive more business and revenue.
In short, web design is an essential tool for women in business. It can help to establish your credibility, differentiate your business, improve the user experience, drive traffic and leads, and grow your business online. If you're a woman in business, don't underestimate the power of web design – it could be the key to unlocking your entrepreneurial success.

Questions? Let me know!

Data Colonization

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Thu, 16 Jun 2022 17:03:00 +0000

I just attended an insightful presentation by Nick Couldry (Professor of Media Communications and Social Theory at the London School of Economics and Political Science) and Ulises Mejias (Professor of Communication Studies & director of the Institute for Global Engagement at the State University of New York).

The discussion centred on ideas put forward in their book: The Costs of Connection: How Data Colonizes Human Life and Appropriates it for Capitalism. By reviewing the benefits and limits of these emerging proposals for digital sovereignty (like what's happening in the EU right now) Couldry and Mejias discussed how we can use this to help government respond, react, and act in this space of data colonialism.

Resisting it will require strategies that decolonise thinking but remaining aware of the paradox too, as Mejjas explained, that "colonisation was always a partnership between the state and corporations."

Read more about the presentation series: https://brussels-school.be/event/data-sovereignty-seminar-series

Limiting Beliefs and your Business Mindset

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Thu, 09 Jun 2022 20:08:00 +0000

What do you really want?!

🎈 success?
🎈 freedom?
🎈 ability to serve more?
🎈 make an impact?

What you probably don’t want are those limiting beliefs.
I'm just not...
It's easy to get stuck in that loop.

It's easy to look around and see successes of your peers and wonder if you'll get there, why you're not there, what you're doing wrong.

Business growth is incremental and it can be challenging.

Holding on to these kinds of negative thoughts stops you from moving forward and from growing your business.

Instead of wondering if you're good enough ask yourself if your belief is valid and accurate.

🤨 Does your website need to be ready and if so, what does ready look like?
🤨 What is your specific experience that makes you qualified?
🤨 If you feel like you don't have enough, write down your priorities that you MUST to do to make your business happen.
🤨 Why do you think you should be further along? Everyone's view of success is different and that peer who you think is further along probably has different views and is working forward too.
🤨 Perfection is not the goal. Good enough. Set your goals and review analytics and benchmarks. Surpassing them is gravy.

So, what do you REALLY want for your business?

Twitter Tips

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Tue, 19 Apr 2022 23:50:00 +0000

Twitter might be old school (cast your mind waaaay back to 2006) but it has over 217 million users!

With 500 millions tweets sent per DAY, how do you make yours stand out?

- - > use images!

Twitter has these tips for optimizing tweets with images.

Come back for more small biz tips!

Facebook Business Introduces Free Templates for Small Biz

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Sun, 03 Apr 2022 16:37:00 +0000

Facebook (erm…Meta) has brought out some free templates designed to help small businesses manage their social media.

Small businesses are often pulled in a myriad of directions and I have seen how challenging it is to keep up consistent posting (👋 that’s why I help small businesses create & implement a digital strategy).

While I prefer Canva for the unlimited branding options, these Facebook templates can help you get started.

Google Search Console for Mobile Optimization

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Mon, 28 Mar 2022 16:40:00 +0000

39% of people will bounce from your site if it takes too long to load.

💡 How do you know if it’s slow?

Go to Google Search Console and click the Mobile Usability option on the left-hand side.

Check if you have any red for pages that load slowly. If it’s all green you are mobile optimized ✅

Monday Motivation

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Mon, 14 Mar 2022 16:31:00 +0000

👏🏽 It's Monday!

🏆 Go get your success! 🏆

✨ Type AGREE to affirm!! ✨

International Women's Day 2022

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Tue, 08 Mar 2022 16:35:00 +0000

It's Women's Day and we continue to demand equitable opportunities, supports, responsibilities, and more!

Today's Google Doodle highlights the many faceted lives of women. Though women are equal to men, there continues to exist a deep disparity; especially if you are a Black woman, Indigenous woman, Latina woman, Multiracial woman, or identify as non-binary, trans, or genderqueer.

Some of the pronounced statistics:
🚩 women earn 78.6 cents to a man's dollar (Stats Can.)
🚩 1.5 million of women in Canada live in poverty (Stats Can.)
🚩 10X more women than men have fallen out of the workforce since 2020 (RBC Economics Report)

Check out canadianwomen.org/the-facts for more recent statistics.

So, our collective work continues. Maya Angelou had it right: "We may encounter many defeats, but we must not be defeated."

See the doodle and more information about it here: https://www.google.com/doodles/international-womens-day-2022

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Mon, 07 Mar 2022 17:40:00 +0000

🧠 Analysis paralysis no more! Here’s how to write great content.

☝🏽First, know your niche (who are you creating for? Who is your ideal client? Who will benefit most from your transformation service?). Once you know that, you can create your content.

☝🏽Content that brings value to people; in other words, content that is relevant ✔️, adds knowledge ✔️, is usable ✔️, and is clearly from the point of view of an expert ✔️ (if not, your ideal client probably knows it already!).

📖In my example I’m working on posts that educate, entertain, inspire, and promote (the services/product).

🏝 You can see in this example I’m creating content for a financial advisor who wants to highlight the idea of 🔥 FIRE (Financial Independence, Retire Early). Sounds good right?! 😎

So for each type of post, I’m creating content that aligns.

For the educate post I’m going to write about 5 Steps to Take Now to Retire Early. For the entertain post I’m going to find or create a meme about getting to 65 and not being able to retire (this also plays up on the fear of missing out and calls people to action). ⏸ Pause the video to read the other examples.

All of these posts are aligned with the content pillar of retiring early and they all will help the financial advisor’s audience want to take the right steps for their unique journey to early retirement.

🧐But, as I always say, keep an eye on your analytics to help you see which types of posts resonate with your audience and create more of those!

Questions? Want some help mapping out content pillars?! Let me know 😊.

Politics and Campaigning for Grade Six Students

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Thu, 20 Jan 2022 17:50:00 +0000

Hi Everyone!

Thanks for popping over to my corner of the internet.

I’ve put together a few slides to review what I think are important aspects of communicating, especially when you are hoping for votes.

I’ll look forward to your questions in the comments.

6 Steps for Etsy SEO Success

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Thu, 06 Aug 2020 00:17:00 +0000

Just over two weeks ago I finished setting up and optimizing an Etsy store for a client who is making handmade masks. They come in fabulous patterns and different sizes. And guess what...she’s now sold out! That’s because I took into account Etsy’s search algorithm and optimized the Etsy store for exactly that (and her masks are AWESOME!).

What is the Etsy search, you ask? Well, it is a bit like google in the sense it doesn’t simply rely on key search terms. Etsy uses something called ranking and also query matching. Of course the actual algorithms underpinning these ideas are complicated but I think it’s fair to say that ranking is how high your product/item appears in the search results and query matching is how well your listing matches the shopper’s search.

Now, some of the elements you have control over in your Etsy shop, you can and should optimize!

Think about how you optimize your website for search (H1 tags, keywords, alt text etc…) and do that for your product listings. Make sure your titles, tags/keywords, categories all match what your customers are searching for. Keywords that match exactly will be featured higher on the results page. As Etsy explains:
Exact phrase matches are stronger than matches on individual words. For example, a search for “banana backpack” would return all items with the words “banana” and “backpack” in the tags or title, but items with “banana backpack” in the title would be considered a closer match.
If a word or phrase in a buyer’s search appears in both the title and tags of a listing, the search algorithm considers that listing more relevant than a listing with that word or phrase in the tags or title alone.
Words at the beginning of titles are considered more important than words at the end.

Location matters if your shop is based in Canada, Europe, or Australia, because items more local to you are ranked slightly higher in the search results.

Of course everyone is looking for a deal (or perceived deal), so shops that offer free shipping also rank higher.

Conversions. The more your store/product convert, the higher your products will appear. This really relates to how many people click over to your product listing or shop and then complete a purchase. For Etsy, part of this conversion also includes if people favourite your item. (You'll see this happen with Amazon listings as well). The more people that do this, the more Etsy prioritizes your shop as relevant and appealing. Ergo, you are higher up in the search results.

Just as we’ve noticed warnings via google and FB that certain articles are older than say, two years; the more updated and recent your listing, the better your products fare in Etsy search, albeit for a limited time. If you create a brand new item, Etsy will temporarily give it a leg up to appear higher in search before other elements have time to be tested (that optimization we were talking about).

Reviews! Happy customers are better for search ranking. Think of the google reviews you might receive on your GMB (Google My Business) listing; well, that’s what you want for your Etsy shop. Raving customers and authentic responses to any negative reviews all help you rank higher.

There are a few little tweaks but if you focus on improving these six steps, you will be well on your way to Etsy success! Also, check out Etsy's own Seller Handbook with loads of tips to implement: https://www.etsy.com/seller-handbook/search?query=customer+service

Tools: 30 Options for Analytics

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Sat, 16 Nov 2019 19:10:00 +0000

30 of the Best Web Analytics Tools to Optimize Your Results (Updated February 2019)

Last Updated On: February 28th, 2019

At its core, effective brand marketing is all about analytics.

Regardless of the strategies and platforms that you choose, it is essential for marketers to discover what works, what doesn’t, and what has a scope of improvement.

Using analytics is the best way to learn how to maximize results. Which is why about 52% of companies adopted this strategy by 2017.

With your website being the centre of all of your marketing efforts, analyzing its overall performance is even more important.

There are a plethora of web analytics tools to help you understand your website traffic, page views, clicks, keywords that attract traffic, and more.

You can use these valuable insights to optimize your site for an improved user experience and greater conversions.

Let’s take a look at 30 of the best web analytics tools that can help you optimize your website.

Web Analytics Tool #1 – Finteza

Finteza is a detailed website analytics tool to track and measure your website performance. It does not just provide basic analytics features like traffic and sources analytics, but also provides insights into your audience demographics and conversions.

Moreover, Finteza has a built-in advertising engine that can help you sell ad space on your website and accept payments. It helps you create sales funnels and provides audience behavior analysis at all stages of the process.

Finteza allows you to build funnels across all website pages, explore user behavior from different sources and find weak zones. The system features 15 reports enabling you to analyze your target audience in detail. Besides, with comprehensive botnet analysis and complex user behavior tracking, Finteza is able to detect 12 types of low-quality traffic from each channel.

In essence, Finteza is much more than just an analytics tool. It is a complete marketing tool for your website. And, the best part is that it can be set up quickly and integrates with over 50 CMSs.

Click here to get a comprehensive web analytics report for your website.

Web Analytics Tool #2. Mouseflow

The best web analytics tools: If you want to see how visitors are using your website, you should consider using Mouseflow. Their session recording and heatmaps features are an ideal solution for you.

They can help you observe your website visitors’ behavior, understand the problems your users are facing, and fix pain points immediately.

You can also view details like how users interact with your forms, and which fields are causing them to leave a form before completing it.

This information can you optimize your website interface for faster and improved conversions.

Web Analytics Tool #3. GoingUp

The best web analytics tools: GoingUp provides a range of effective web analytics tools to help you improve your website performance.

It is a free service that provides you live web stats including visitor location, traffic trends, visitor maps, actions, and referring keywords.

It also includes SEO-related tools and page optimization features to help you attract, engage, and retain your website visitors.

Web Analytics Tool #4. Statcounter

The best web analytics tools: One of the most powerful real-time web analytics tools, Statcounter makes it easy for you to understand your visitors’ activity.

It comes with a wide range of analytics features such as real-time visual maps, navigation paths, and data of pages with a higher bounce rate. You can also filter these stats by browser type, country, referral site, and more options.

Over 2 million websites are using it to get useful insights, which can help them attract more traffic and improve their user experience.

Web Analytics Tool #5. Clicky

The best web analytics tools: Around 1.1 million websites use this amazing web analytics tool to gain real-time data about their visitor traffic.

Clicky provides detailed information about every visitor’s activity and allows you to react to your traffic.

You can divide your visitors into specific segments, which makes it easier for you to target a particular visitor group. Filter and sort your visitors based on your business needs.

You get minute-to-minute reporting of your visitors’ activity through heatmaps. You can further view these heatmaps by visitor, page, or segment.

The tool also monitors your site’s up time from seven different locations in the world.

Web Analytics Tool #6. Woopra

The best web analytics tools: If you want to optimize your customer experience to drive engagement and improve retention, Woopra is an ideal choice for you.

It is one of those web analytics tools that provide you with all answers related to your customers’ buying journey.

You get detailed information about what users are doing, who is making payments, or opening emails.

You can use its inbuilt automation to trigger custom real-time actions when a customer interactions with you. This can help you build stronger customer relationships.

Web Analytics Tool #7. Chartbeat

The best web analytics tools: Chartbeat provides you with real-time insights around your published content across channels and devices.

It tells you about who is reading your content, which topics resonate with your audience, and which trending topics you can leverage.

Besides providing details around reader engagement, it also lets you see all your sites’ traffic in a single page.

You can further optimize the content on your website for improved engagement by running headline tests.

Web Analytics Tool #8. Google Analytics

The best web analytics tools: Google Analytics is one of the most preferred web analytics tools in the market. This feature-packed tool guides businesses to do faster and smarter marketing for free.

It helps you understand your visitors, identify the reason behind their visits, see the pages they viewed, how much time they spend, and track whether they converted or not.

You can also see which content and website elements are performing well and which aren’t.

Once you get this in-depth data, you can use it to optimize your marketing strategies for better results.

Web Analytics Tool #9. Piwik PRO

The best web analytics tools: Another useful tool in this list of the best web analytics tools, Piwik PRO, provides you 100% control over your visitors’ data.

You can easily track, monitor, and review user activity on your website.

Piwik PRO provides you access to in-depth data and reports presented in an easy-to-understand format. This includes on-site campaign reports, user profiles, customer journey maps, and the overall digital footprints of your users.

Besides the usual traffic data, you can also set notifications for certain events that happen on your website. This will help you react immediately and deliver better customer service.

Web Analytics Tool #10. Mint

The best web analytics tools: If you’re looking for your most popular pages or products, you should definitely try using Mint.

With a low license fee, this tool comes loaded with a number of useful features for brands and marketers.

Gain valuable website stats with Mint to stay ahead of your competition.

Discover how users interact with your site and see patterns that may develop over weeks, months, or years. Then you can improve your site’s interface and usability to meet your visitors’ needs.

Web Analytics Tool #11. GoSquared

The best web analytics tools: With real-time insights about your website traffic, GoSquared allows you to constantly measure your marketing efforts with daily email reports. These reports contain key metrics like traffic volume, bounce rate, traffic spikes, and downtime.

Track every visitor on your website with details about their location, traffic source, pages they view, and the actions they take. Then optimize your site for more conversions.

Web Analytics Tool #12. Adobe Analytics

The best web analytics tools: Its ability to provide real-time actionable insights on your website traffic makes this one of the best web analytics tools in the market.

Adobe Analytics takes data analysis to the next level by providing incredibly-detailed information.

With this tool, you can discover every minute detail about your visitors’ journey and page views. Organize the data you collect.

You can even segment your visitors into groups – create limitless visitor segments and compare their behaviors.

However, this tool is quite expensive, and you’ll need time to learn how to make the most out of its robust capabilities.

Web Analytics Tool #13. Mixpanel

Mixpanel is a useful tool to get actionable insights into your users’ journey.

Rather than tracking page views, it measures actions taken by users. Actions may include a video streaming or a post share.

It is an event-centric web analytics tool that allows you to see how users interact with your products and campaigns.

It uses machine learning and advanced statistics to uncover any trends in your data. This analysis helps you figure out the best ways to drive more engagement.

Web Analytics Tool #14. Gauges

The best web analytics tools: Gauges brings you easy-to-understand web traffic stats in real-time.

You can use this amazing web analytics tool to monitor the performance of multiple sites. This is why many marketers prefer using Gauges to manage multiple brand sites at one place.

You should consider this tool for getting the visitor information you need.

Know your visitors, where they come from, what makes them stay, and how you can convert every visit into a purchase or a subscription.

Web Analytics Tool #15. FoxMetrics

The best web analytics tools: FoxMetrics is more than a web analytics tool.

Besides providing you with valuable visitor data, it also allows you to analyze stats, personalize user experience, and target them for improved conversions.

It provides a plethora of personalization and conversion tools. You can build unique segments of your visitors based on their behavior.

It makes it easier for you to target them effectively with personalized messages. Personalization further helps enhance the overall effectiveness of your campaigns.

Web Analytics Tool #16. Open Web Analytics

The best web analytics tools: Open Web Analytics (OWA) helps you track and analyze the way visitors interact with your websites and applications. It comes with inbuilt support for tracking and monitoring WordPress sites too.

You can watch your visitors’ mouse trails and heatmaps to analyze where they spend their time on your site.

OWA tells you about the number of unique visitors, their session duration, bounce rate. It also allows you to integrate goals.

However, you can’t monitor the stats for all your websites in one place, which makes some marketers avoid using it.

Web Analytics Tool #17. Parse.ly

The best web analytics tools: This web analytics tool helps you understand your audience and what they care about.

It provides effective content performance tracking data in real-time to help you understand what content works for your audience.

Many bloggers, brands, and marketers use Parse.ly to figure out the content that can engage and grow their audiences.

Besides content performance tracking, it also gives you insights about your traffic source and how you can improve their user experience.

If you use the data provided by these web analytics tools, you can optimize your site for visitor retention and conversions.

Web Analytics Tool #18. Clicktale

The best web analytics tools: It is another powerful tool among the best web analytics tools available in the market. It allows you to see your visitors’ experience from their perspective.

Clicktale provides you with useful visitor data through heatmaps, detailed reports, and individual session replays.

Heatmaps show you how users are interacting with your site’s navigation menus, product pages, and shopping cart.

You can use this data to discover website issues, improve user experience and conversions, and reduce cart abandonment.

Web Analytics Tool #19. Optimizely

The best web analytics tools: Test your website for performance, products, and revenue generation through Optimizely.

It is high time that you stop experimenting with your website based on guesswork. Instead, use actual data to optimize your site for better results.

It is one of the most cost-effective web analytics tools in the market that tests your site for design, user interface, user experience, call-to-actions, and performance.

Rely on real data from your visitors’ journey to optimize for conversions.

Web Analytics Tool #20. Adblock Analytics

The best web analytics tools: Adblock analytics is one of the fastest freemium web analytics tools in the market.

It allows you to track your website traffic with real-time detailed information about your visitors. See who visits your site, where they found you, what they are interested in, and the pages they view.

It is quite easy to use and understand how your website is performing among visitors.

You should analyze the data it provides to discover pain points. Then fix the website elements that could be pissing off your visitors.

Web Analytics Tool #21. Etracker

The best web analytics tools: This web analytics tool is available in different languages such as English, Spanish, French, and German.

It provides you with real-time website visitor statistics. And it can be used as a plugin with ePages, WordPress, and Drupal sites.

With etracker, you get a faster and easier access to greater insights about your visitors’ journey. You can see which areas they use the most and where they scroll through integrated heatmaps.

It helps you monitor the effectiveness of your marketing campaigns. See which products your users view, which products they remove from the cart, and which product categories or subcategories work best.

This can help you use your marketing efforts for the right pages and products.

Web Analytics Tool #22. Segment

The best web analytics tools: Segment is an incredibly easy-to-use web analytics tool that provides you with useful customer data. This feature-packed tool easily integrates dozens of third-party software into your site.

You get to see what your visitors do, why they do it, and how you can improve their experience on your site.

You can also create custom events and track their results. With exclusive customer data by Segment, you can automate your marketing efforts and optimize your site for improved sales.

Web Analytics Tool #23. BrightEdge

The best web analytics tools: Using artificial intelligence, BrightEdge is helping businesses to understand what their customers are looking for.

It helps you determine trending topics, the type of content your audience likes, how you can optimize it, and how your published content is performing.

SEO executives, digital and content marketers, and brands are using BrightEdge to capitalize on content market demands.

You can use this web analytics tool to analyze valuable low-competition keywords that can help you improve your site’s ranking.

Web Analytics Tool #24. BuzzStream

The best web analytics tools: BuzzStream is better known as an influencer marketing tool that helps you find, reach, and collaborate with influencers.

Many brands are using this tool to reach out to authoritative sites for pitching their website content. Doing this can help you get high-quality backlinks, which can boost your site’s rankings.

Other than its outreaching and email automation features, it also helps in tracking web analytics.

You can use it to keep track of all your backlinks and website conversions. And, it also provides deep insights into which marketing strategies work well and which don’t.

Web Analytics Tool #25. ActualMetrics

The best web analytics tools: Angelfish by ActualMetrics is a secure, on-premise web analytics tool that helps you track your website visitor activity. It is one of the most secure web analytics tools as all your data remains confined to your network.

You get complete access to visitors’ details such as their usernames, navigation paths, IP addresses, and marketing responses.

It also tells you about traffic spike analysis, user segments, hidden visitor tracking, and site errors.

Web Analytics Tool #26. Heap

The best web analytics tools: Heap allows you to capture, track, and monitor every user interaction on your website. This includes tracking all the clicks, taps, page views, submits, emails, and transactions that your visitors make.

The best part about Heap is that you don’t have to write or insert a tracking code. If you’re not a tech-savvy person, you can still use Heap to see real-time visitor data.

The graphs and reports provided by this web analytics tool can help you make smarter decisions for your business.

Web Analytics Tool #27. Histats

The best web analytics tools: Histats is a simple web analytics tool that provides simpler reports on your visitor activity. It provides access to real-time visitor stats, detailed historical logs, comparisons, and custom targeting.

It is a free tool that allows you to see your popular pages, recent visits, most active visitors, visitors’ location, clicks, and trends. You can monitor up to 300 sites per account.

Web Analytics Tool #28. HubSpot

The best web analytics tools: HubSpot brings you a bunch of useful website visitor data at your fingertips. The reports include metrics like traffic, session duration, bounce rate, engagement, average time on site, form fills, and new visitors.

With inbuilt analytics, reports, and dashboards, it gets easier for you to analyze the data in a smarter way.

These insights will help you understand your website data and put it to use. You can drive more conversions by showing different offers with smart CTAs.

Web Analytics Tool #29. Inspectlet

The best web analytics tools: Inspectlet tells you everything that your visitors do on your website, their mouse cursor movement, scroll, and clicks through recorded sessions and heatmaps.

You no longer have to wonder how your visitors use your site and what they’re looking for.

This tool allows you to analyze these insights to understand their mindset, where they’re getting confused, and what getting their attention.

With this, you can discover the best ways to optimize your site for increasing conversions.

Web Analytics Tool #30. W3Counter

The best web analytics tools: W3Counter provides you with easy-to-understand web stats reports to track your visitor activity. See who visited you, how they reach you, their location, the languages they know, and the devices they used to visit your site.

Analyze the content they’re looking for on your site using this web analytics tool. You can further implement your findings to engage them, improve conversions, and drive greater sales.

Bonus Tool: Crazy Egg

The best web analytics tools: This amazing tool shows you how your visitors engage with your website, how they navigate across different web pages, where they get stuck, and what they’re actually looking for.

With easy-to-understand, visual heatmaps and overlays, you can watch your visitors’ entire activity. This includes each and every movement of their cursor and areas they click. You can use this information to utilize your site’s higher activity areas in a better way.

The best thing about Crazy Egg is that you can easily integrate it with your WordPress and Shopify sites.

Deep Learning & Chatbots

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Tue, 02 Apr 2019 16:52:00 +0000

Have a read of this excellent series:

Training a Goal-Oriented Chatbot with Deep Reinforcement Learning — Part I
Part I: Introduction and Training Loop

Max BrennerFollow
Dec 1, 2018

In this series we are going to be learning about goal-oriented chatbots and training one with deep reinforcement learning in python! All from scratch! The code for this tutorial series can be found here.
Contents of Series

Part I: Introduction and Training Loop

Part II: DQN Agent

Part III: Dialogue State Tracker

Part IV: User Simulator and Error Model Controller

Part V: Running the Agent and Future Research

What is a Goal-Oriented Chatbot?

A goal-oriented (GO) chatbot attempts to solve a specific problem for a user. These chatbots can help people book a ticket, find a reservation, etc. There are two main ways to train a GO chatbot: Supervised learning with an encoder-decoder that directly maps user dialogue to responses and reinforcement learning which trains a chatbot through trial-and-error conversations with either real users or a rule-based user simulator. GO chatbots trained through deep reinforcement learning is a very exciting and a ripe research field with numerous practical applications!
Dialogue System

The dialogue system for a GO chatbot using reinforcement learning is split into 3 main parts: The Dialogue Manager (DM), Natural Language Understanding (NLU) unit and Natural Language Generator (NLG) unit. Furthermore, the DM is split into the Dialogue State Tracker (DST) or just State Tracker (ST) and the policy for the agent itself, which is represented by a neural network in many cases. In addition the system loop contains a user with a user goal. A user goal represents what the user wishes to get out of the conversation which in the case of the diagram below is a restaurant reservation.
Dialogue flow for a GO chatbot system

In this loop, the user utters something which is processed by the NLU component into what’s known as a semantic frame which is a lower-level representation of a natural language utterance that can be processed by the agent. The DST processes the user dialogue act (semantic frame) and the history of the current conversation into a state representation that can be used by the agent’s policy. This state is then fed as input into the policy or neural network of the agent and outcomes an action in the form of a semantic frame. A database (DB) can also be queried to add information to the agent action such as restaurant info or movie ticket info. The agent (also known as “system” in this diagram) action is then processed by the NLG component which converts it to natural language for the user to read.
MiuLab TC-Bot
Dialogue flow for TC-Bot

This tutorial and accompanying code is based off a dialogue system by MiuLab called TC-Bot. The main contribution of their paper is that it shows how to simulate a user using basic rules so that the agent can be trained with reinforcement learning very quickly, compared to training an agent with real people. Other papers have done this as well but this paper stands out as a good example (with code!) of how to make a successful training system.
User Simulator and Error Model Controller

We will go into more detail on the user sim later in the series but for now understand that it is a deterministic rule-based simulator that attempts to model a real user. In this case it is based on user agenda modeling which means it uses an internal state that represents the constraints and needs of the user sim. This internal state keeps track of the current conversation as well as what it still needs to do to complete its current goal. The goal is picked randomly from a list of available user goals where a goal consists of a set of constraints and other information that guides the actions of the user sim as it attempts to fulfill its current goal. The error model controller (EMC) is used to add error to the user sim’s action at the level of the semantic frame which was shown to improve the results of training.
What you Should Know for this Tutorial Series

Here is a list of things that you should know that will not be covered in this series but are important to be able to understand the code:
Know how to code in python pretty well
Know how to work with dictionaries in python as we will be using them a lot!
Know how to code a simple DQN
Know how to make a very simple neural network model with Keras

We will be coding in Python ≥ 3.5, Keras (any recent version) and of course numpy.

Now let’s move on to the data we will be using! We will be running over train.py in this part.

Movie Ticket Data

Database: The database is of movie tickets with different attributes or slots. Here are the a few of the items (in no particular order):

It is organized as a dictionary with the keys being the index of the ticket as a long (like integer) and the values also as dictionaries which contain the movie info that ticket represents. As you can see not all of the tickets have the same attributes present and obviously not always the same values!

Database Dictionary: Another file contains a dictionary where the keys are the different slots that can be in a ticket and the values are lists of the possible values for each slot. Here are a few of the different items (truncated value lists):

User Goal List: Finally, we have the user goals as a list of dictionaries that contain request and inform slots of each goal. We will go into more detail on what this means later. Examples:

The goal with this database is for the agent to find a ticket that fits the user’s constraints which is given by that episode’s user goal. This is no easy task as each ticket is unique and most have different slots!
Anatomy of an Action

It is very important to understand the anatomy of an action in this system. Both the user sim and the agent take as input and output actions in the form of semantic frames, if we ignore the natural language for a second. An action contains an intent, and inform and request slots. Slot in this tutorial series means key, value pair usually referring to a single inform or request. For example, in the dict {‘starttime’: ’tonight’, ‘theater’: ’regal 16’}, ‘starttime’: ’tonight’ and ‘theater’: ’regal 16’ are both slots. Example actions:

The intent represents the type of action it is, listed below. The rest of the action is split into inform slots which contain constraints and request slots which contain information that needs to be filled out. The list of possible keys are listed in dialogue_config.py and their values in the database dict mentioned above. A inform slot is information that the sender wishes the receiver to know. It is made of a key from the list of keys, and a value from that key’s list of values. A request slot contains a key the sender wants to find a value for from the receiver. So it is a key from the list of keys and ‘UNK’ as the value which means “unknown” as the sender does not know what value works for this slot yet.
All Intents
Inform: to provide constraints in the form of inform slots
Request: to ask for request slots to be filled with values
Thanks: only used by the user; it just indicates to the agent that it has done something good or that the user is ready to finish a conversation
Match Found: only used by the agent; indicates to the user that it has a match that it thinks will fulfill the user goal
Reject: only used by the user; only used in response to the agent’s action having an intent of match found to indicate that the match did not fit its constraints
Done: agent uses this to close the conversation and see if it has completed the current goal, user action has this intent automatically when the episode has gone on too long
State

A state is created by the ST as input for the agent to select an appropriate action. It is a numpy array of useful information from the history of the current conversation. We will go more in depth on this in part II.

Now that the bookkeeping is done, lets get to the training loop and some code!

Training an Agent

Our training loop

This diagram represents the flow of a single round, one complete loop, in training. The 4 main parts of this system are the agent dqn_agent, dialogue state tracker state_tracker, user (or user simulator) user and EMC emc.Let’s walk through the stages of one round:
Get the current state which is equivalent to the previous next state OR an initial state if this is the start of the episode and send it as input to the agent’s get action method
Get the agent’s action and send it to the ST update method for an agent action: The ST updates its own history of the current conversation in this method as well as updating the agent action with database query information
The updated agent action is sent as input into the user’s step method: In step the user sim crafts its own rule-based response and also outputs reward and success information (not depicted)
The user action is infused with error by the EMC
The user action with error is sent as input into the ST update method for user actions: Similar to ST update with agent action method, however, it just saves information in its history, it does not update the user action in an important way
Finally, the next state is output from get state of the ST and this completes the current experience tuple of the round which is added to the memory of the agent

Code of diagram

An important note is that as with any DQN agent the memory buffer is filled to some extent in a “warm-up” stage. Unlike in many uses for DQNs in games the agent does not take random actions in this stage. Instead, during warm-up it uses a very simple rule-based algorithm, which will be explained in part II.

As you can see we are not using any natural language (NL) components, so actions will always be semantic frames. In this series we are training the DM which does not require NL. NLG and NLU are pretrained separately from the agent and are not necessary to understand how to train an agent with DRL. Don’t fret! You will still learn plenty and honestly learning how to train the agent with DRL is much more interesting then knowing how to train NL components with supervised learning. Take a look at part V of this series to see where you can learn about adding NL components!
Episode Reset

Before we get to the warm-up and training loops here is the episode reset function which is called before every episode. Also take note that a conversation is the same thing as an episode, and I use them interchangeably.

In short, episode reset refreshes the objects and gets the initial user action of the episode.
Warm-up the Agent

First, we define the outer loop to run only until the agent’s memory has been filled to WARMUP_MEM or its memory buffer is full altogether. Next we have to reset the episode each loop and get the initial state. The inner loop runs run_round(state, warmup=True) until done == true meaning the episode is over.
Train the Agent

Ignoring some of the additional variables, the loop is very much the same as warm-up. The main difference so far is that this method ends its outer loop when the number of episodes has reached NUM_EP_TRAIN.
How the Training Block Works

After every period of a certain number of episodes (TRAIN_FREQ) the agent is trained with its memory of experiences.
If the success rate of that period is greater than or equal to the current best success rate (initialized to 0.0 at the start of train_run()) AND it is higher than some SUCCESS_RATE_THRESHOLD, then the agent’s memory is emptied.This is to get rid of older experiences that are based on actions of the previous version of the agent’s model i.e. actions that were taken by a less optimal model. This then allows newer experiences from the better version of the model to fill the memory. This way the training and performance is stabilized.
Next the agent’s behavior model weights are copied into the target model which is required in all DQNs used today to stabilize learning.
Finally, the the agent is trained which means the current memory is used to improve the model’s weights.

Summary of Training

Take a look at the complete code in train.py to get the whole picture!
Load the database data
Create the objects
Call warmup_run()
Call train_run()

That is it for the main training loop of a GO chatbot trained with DRL. It’s important to understand the diagram. Next we will learn about the agent, the kinds of actions it can take, the warm-up policy and the internal weight optimization process.

See you there!

Goop and Netflix

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Thu, 07 Feb 2019 16:35:00 +0000

“It is very frustrating whenever these pseudoscientific voices get a bigger platform,” said Timothy Caulfield, a professor of health law and science policy at the University of Alberta, author of Is Gwyneth Paltrow Wrong About Everything? and the host of a Netflix show, A User’s Guide to Cheating Death.”

Read more here.

Crowdfunding for Cancer Meds?

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Tue, 08 Jan 2019 16:14:00 +0000

A study tracked cancer patients using crowdfunding to pay for homeopathy. The results are troubling

Survey counts 220 cancer patients who turned to GoFundMe to pay for homeopathy

CBC News · Posted: Jan 05, 2019 9:00 AM ET | Last Updated: January 5

While homeopathic products are licensed by Health Canada, they are based on the idea that water has memory and that the more something is diluted the more powerful it becomes. (Josh Reynolds/Associated Press)

It's not hard to imagine the impulse of newly diagnosed cancer patients to want to use every means available for their treatment or to avoid its debilitating side effects.

But what if one of those methods is rejected by our health-care system because, after years of study, there's no convincing evidence that it's of any help? Where the health-care system won't cover the cost, there's always crowdfunding to pay for it.

Health policy researchers from Simon Fraser University (SFU) and University of Alberta wanted to find out how often cancer patients or their supporters turned to the popular crowdfunding platform, GoFundMe, to raise money for complementary treatment that includes homeopathy — a 200-year-old belief system based on the non-scientific claims that water has memory and the more something is diluted the more powerful it becomes.

The analysis published in The Lancet identified 220 active fundraising campaigns in June 2018. Of these patients, 85 per cent were based in the U.S., 10 per cent in Canada and four per cent in Europe.

Homeopathy lacks 'reliable evidence,' Australian review concludes

Almost half of cancer patients sought some kind of alternative treatment, the study found, but the researchers did not approve of this trend.

"There are clear risks associated with this trend, including concerns that desperate patients can be exploited or that the ... treatment could be harmful, or result in an adverse interaction with conventional therapy," the study said.

Of greater interest to the researchers was the motivation of cancer patients to seek out non-conventional treatment, which research has shown can actually reduce their chances of survival if it delays evidence-based cancer care.

Campaigns perpetuated unproven health claims

Thirty-eight per cent of patients used homeopathy in addition to conventional treatment, often because they believed it "enhanced" what they were getting from more modern medicine.

Twenty-nine per cent rejected normal cancer treatment altogether because they didn't trust pharmaceuticals or simply wanted something more "natural" like homeopathy.

Thirty-one per cent of people used homeopathy as their last hope, because further conventional cancer treatment wasn't possible for medical or financial reasons.

I was a little bit surprised and disturbed by how many people were actively using crowdfunding to turn away from effective treatments.- Jeremy Snyder

The findings didn't surprise the study's co-author, SFU ethicist Jeremy Snyder, who has previously studied how GoFundMe is used to raise money for questionable or bogus stem cell treatments.

"I understand the rationale of wanting to try everything," he said. "But I was a little bit surprised and disturbed by how many people were actively using crowdfunding to turn away from effective treatments."

GoFundMe and other crowdfunding medical campaigns pose ethical dilemma

Even more troubling, said Snyder, is how the campaigns made "black and white" claims such as "outstanding healing results."

Oncologist Dr. Daniel Rayson said complementary therapy practitioners need to warn patients about the limitations of their treatments. (CBC)

"These are really powerful statements. They reach a lot of people."

Snyder's research was able to verify that about 28 per cent of the patients died after the start of their campaigns, which he suspects is an understated number because of the difficulty in trying to confirm their status.

A study in the Journal of the National Cancer Institute found use of alternative medicine was associated with a higher risk of death than conventional cancer treatment, particularly for breast and colorectal cancers. The risk was highest for those who delayed or refused conventional treatment.

'Clear potential harm'

Halifax oncologist, Dr. Daniel Rayson, said Snyder's study flags a real concern about how pursuing "natural alternatives" when all other treatment has failed may end up delaying critical end-of-life care.

"And that is a clear potential harm of using complementary therapy to the exclusion of everything else … filling the time with a lot of other [alternative] therapies that can delay other very effective supportive care."

Rayson said he's also troubled by the amount of faith patients in the study placed on homeopathy or other treatments.

He said, just like conventional treatment, "complementary therapy practitioners need to be more straight up about the limitations since these patients are all vulnerable."

Evidence or not: alternative health makes inroads into public system

Still, Rayson said doctors should be careful to not "shut down" conversations about complementary care, which he said he faces daily from patients.

$35,000 for acupuncture and Chinese medicine

When Kristin Kolb was diagnosed with breast cancer in 2014 at age 40, she said she was "blindsided."

Kristin Kolb, 44, raised money on GoFundMe to pay for acupuncture, traditional Chinese medicine, and holistic nutrition to complement the breast cancer treatment she received under B.C.'s health care system. (Lisa Marie Songy)

She said her friends and family urged her to get complementary treatment alongside her conventional cancer care in Vancouver.

A friend asked to set up a GoFundMe campaign. "I didn't even know what it was," she said.

Within a year she raised $35,000 that allowed her to go to Vancouver's Integrative Cancer Centre, which offers acupuncture, reiki and "holistic nutrition." Kolb said she didn't seek out homeopathy specifically.

Kolb's doctors seemed indifferent about the acupuncture and Chinese medicine she was taking.

"They weren't against complementary treatment, but they weren't for complementary treatment either. They didn't discourage me from it."

#Instagram & Top 5 Metrics to Track

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Tue, 16 Oct 2018 15:12:00 +0000

IG officially hit 1 billion monthly active users earlier this year, and over 400 million people now use Instagram Stories every day.

Users aren’t the only ones who love Instagram though—marketers and brands are going nuts over the network. It’s visually appealing, extremely popular, and offers a super friendly ecosystem for businesses.

After all, 80% of Instagram users follow at least one branded account, and 60% say they use the platform to discover new products. Advertisers have clearly noticed this, as they’re set to spend over 10 billion dollars on Instagram ads in 2019.

But how do you know if you’re doing Instagram right? How do you know if your social media strategy is working or if you’re meeting your quarterly goals?

That’s why you need to be looking at your Instagram analytics.

To go straight to our top five countdown of the most important Instagram metrics to track, just click the links below:

5. Follower growth

4. Audience demographics

3. Website clicks

2. Reach

1. Engagement rate