# Success King Marketing Inc Your Onestop Digital Info-Products - Best eBooks Storefront - Site: https://skmarketsinc.com/ ## New Plugin Hides WordPress 5 Upgrade Nags - Link: https://skmarketsinc.com/new-plugin-hides-wordpress-5-upgrade-nags/ - Published: 2026-10-15T07:30:57+02:00 - Author: skminc Here’s a nice, simple plugin to use if you want to hide the “Update to WordPress 5” nag alert from your site’s dashboard. . If you’re like me, and you may be since you’re reading this post,  you get ideas for apps , websites and services all the time. I know I do. What I am bad at is actually executing these ideas. Sometimes I write a little code, other times I buy a domain name that would fit my idea and then life happens and before you know it I have a bunch of folders, some code and domain names but no real sites to speak of.  I’m trying to break that cycle. .  I kept looking for higher ed roles, interviewed for several (including a few full-day on campus interviews) but nothing went my way. What can you do — it happens. Over the last 6 years since I left higher ed, I’ve seen so many amazing people leave the industry. It started pre-pandemic, the last 3 years have really been hard on higher education and there’s been a large exodus of talent. There are a lot of reasons for that, and we know many of them (pay, remote work, career advancement, difficult environments, the big sea change in education, and so on.) There has been a very large brain drain, and that’s a bummer. I’m bummed because I love higher ed and it’s important. I don’t know what the future holds for it, but I believe in what its about. I have one child a year away from finishing college and one a year away from starting. They’re working with amazing faculty and staff and taking advantage of all the opportunities they can. It’s so critical as they get ready to go out into the world. Back in 2013 or 2014, I created a very quick and dirty job search website that provided links to the HR listing pages of colleges and universities around me in Cleveland, where I live. I was curious about what was out there, and made a simple tool. I shared it with some folks on my team, and added more cities like Erie and Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. It was just for me mostly, and had very little in terms of design or usability. I did, however, notice that a few schools featured  RSS feeds, and I added a note in my code to someday build out a feature that would grab those job posts and show them on the page without needing another click. The idea nagged at me. I took me 7 or 8 years, but I finally built it. ) — it’s also where my son attends. I threw in their RSS feed and to my surprise, it worked. There were 15 jobs in a custom post type I created. Interesting… I continued to iterate on features and data structures. The goal in my mind was to build something I didn’t have to babysit. I wanted to add schools to it, import their posts and make sure the data goes to the right place. It started out well. I found more and more schools whose applicant tracking system (ATS) offered RSS or Atom feeds. A decent amount do but the vast majority of them to do not. Too many are closed systems, which is fine, but it stinks to not share that data. One thing that the plugins we have and the code I’ve written so far doesn’t do ( except for a few tests) is scrape pages to get job postings. The ones I’ve tried to scape use the same system so I can re-use my code but many obfuscate their code and don’t let you make requests to data like JSON feeds (looking at you, Workday.) If anyone has written a scraper for any of these ATS sites, let me know. . Have you tried to find a good domain name lately? It’s difficult. !), it’s ready for use. I’ve polling about 90 schools and the site now has over 7,700 jobs. It polls schools daily, gets new jobs, edits existing job and deletes jobs that are no longer posted. We’ve created some cool searching ability (by keyword, state or both.) I think it would be cool to allow people to create job search alerts, but that’s down the road. I’ve got a nice feature list going. We also have a logo. I had one made awhile ago for another app (it’s on the list to build) and we all love it so it’s got a graduation cap now. Why an octopus? It’s got eight legs. Our agency also has an 8 in it. Made sense at the time. I’m thinking of calling it Tako. , where we are a Gold Agency Partner and are big fans. They’ve made our lives much easier. I’m sharing it here because there are still some folks who subscribe to this blog via email so I hope you’ll open it and visit it. You may still work in higher ed, so I’d love your feedback and ideas on how to make this the best job search tool possible. ? Better yet, if you know of someone who is searching for the next stop in their career, please share it with them. We’re adding new schools every day and if just one person finds an amazing opportunity from the site, then all the work and time will have been worth it. Me? I’m glad to get one of these ideas out of my head and out there into the world. Thanks and Happy New Year Career! . ## Why are so many people’s marketing lists stale? - Link: https://skmarketsinc.com/why-are-so-many-peoples-marketing-lists-stale/ - Published: 2026-10-15T07:30:56+02:00 - Author: If your systems don’t talk to each other, you could be sending mixed messages to your potential customers and dissauding them from buying from you. The post Why are so many people’s marketing lists stale? appeared first on HighEdWebTech. If you’re like me, and you may be since you’re reading this post,  you get ideas for apps , websites and services all the time. I know I do. What I am bad at is actually executing these ideas. Sometimes I write a little code, other times I buy a domain name that would fit my idea and then life happens and before you know it I have a bunch of folders, some code and domain names but no real sites to speak of.  I’m trying to break that cycle. I worked in higher ed from 1998 to 2016. It was both the best and hardest career choice I could have made and it was awesome. I met so many awesome colleagues, team members, friends and more across that time. I left and went to the private sector for two years, but it wasn’t a great fit. At that point, I went full-time on my own at my digital agency, Gas Mark 8.  I kept looking for higher ed roles, interviewed for several (including a few full-day on campus interviews) but nothing went my way. What can you do — it happens. Over the last 6 years since I left higher ed, I’ve seen so many amazing people leave the industry. It started pre-pandemic, the last 3 years have really been hard on higher education and there’s been a large exodus of talent. There are a lot of reasons for that, and we know many of them (pay, remote work, career advancement, difficult environments, the big sea change in education, and so on.) There has been a very large brain drain, and that’s a bummer. I’m bummed because I love higher ed and it’s important. I don’t know what the future holds for it, but I believe in what its about. I have one child a year away from finishing college and one a year away from starting. They’re working with amazing faculty and staff and taking advantage of all the opportunities they can. It’s so critical as they get ready to go out into the world. Back in 2013 or 2014, I created a very quick and dirty job search website that provided links to the HR listing pages of colleges and universities around me in Cleveland, where I live. I was curious about what was out there, and made a simple tool. I shared it with some folks on my team, and added more cities like Erie and Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. It was just for me mostly, and had very little in terms of design or usability. I did, however, notice that a few schools featured  RSS feeds, and I added a note in my code to someday build out a feature that would grab those job posts and show them on the page without needing another click. The idea nagged at me. I took me 7 or 8 years, but I finally built it. Before Christmas, I was going through some folders of code and old sites and found the old job site I made. “Finally,” I thought, “there has to be an easy way to build this.” In about 15 minutes, I spun up a WordPress dev site, installed some of the tools we use at Gas Mark 8 and got to work. I started with the last school I worked at (miss you, JCU) — it’s also where my son attends. I threw in their RSS feed and to my surprise, it worked. There were 15 jobs in a custom post type I created. Interesting… I continued to iterate on features and data structures. The goal in my mind was to build something I didn’t have to babysit. I wanted to add schools to it, import their posts and make sure the data goes to the right place. It started out well. I found more and more schools whose applicant tracking system (ATS) offered RSS or Atom feeds. A decent amount do but the vast majority of them to do not. TMany are closed systems, which is fine, but it stinks to not share that data. One thing that the plugins we have and the code I’ve written so far doesn’t do ( except for a few tests) is scrape pages to get job postings. The ones I’ve tried to scape use the same system so I can re-use my code but many obfuscate their code and don’t let you make requests to data like JSON feeds (looking at you, Workday.) If anyone has written a scraper for any of these ATS sites, let me know. Once the jobs were coming in, the actual web site  needed a layout, design, UI and most importantly a name. Let me introduce you to CollegeAndUniversity.careers. Have you tried to find a good domain name lately? It’s difficult. After a few weeks of work and getting some help (thanks, Dylan!), it’s ready for use. I’ve polling about 90 schools and the site now has over 7,700 jobs. It polls schools daily, gets new jobs, edits existing job and deletes jobs that are no longer posted. We’ve created some cool searching ability (by keyword, state or both.) I think it would be cool to allow people to create job search alerts, but that’s down the road. I’ve got a nice feature list going. We also have a logo. I had one made awhile ago for another app (it’s on the list to build) and we all love it so it’s got a graduation cap now. Why an octopus? It’s got eight legs. Our agency also has an 8 in it. Made sense at the time. I’m thinking of calling it Tako. The site is built in WordPress and uses Elementor. I did the design in XD and we built it from there. It uses WP All Import Pro to poll all the schools and import the jobs. I wrote some PHP to scrape a few sites that didn’t have feeds. It’s OK but not the best. The site is hosted at Cloudways, where we are a Gold Agency Partner and are big fans. They’ve made our lives much easier. I’m sharing it here because there are still some folks who subscribe to this blog via email so I hope you’ll open it and visit it. You may still work in higher ed, so I’d love your feedback and ideas on how to make this the best job search tool possible. If you have a second, would you mind checking it out? Better yet, if you know of someone who is searching for the next stop in their career, please share it with them. We’re adding new schools every day and if just one person finds an amazing opportunity from the site, then all the work and time will have been worth it. Me? I’m glad to get one of these ideas out of my head and out there into the world. Thanks and Happy New Year Career! The post I decided to build a job search site appeared first on HighEdWebTech. ## I am a creative. - Link: https://skmarketsinc.com/i-am-a-creative/ - Published: 2026-10-07T20:32:50+02:00 - Author: skminc I am a creative. What I do is alchemy. It is a mystery. I do not so much do it, as let it be done through me. I am a creative. Not all creative people like this label. Not all see themselves this way. Some creative people see science in what they do. That is their truth, and I respect it. Maybe I even envy them, a little. But my process is different— my being is different. Apologizing and qualifying in advance is a distraction. That’s what my brain does to sabotage me. I set it aside for now. I can come back later to apologize and qualify. After I’ve said what I came to say. Which is hard enough.  _Except when it is easy and flows like a river of wine._ Sometimes it _does_ come that way. Sometimes what I need to create comes in an instant. I have learned not to say it at that moment, because if you admit that sometimes the idea just comes and it is the best idea and you know it is the best idea, they think you don’t work hard enough. Sometimes I work and work and work until the idea comes. Sometimes it comes instantly and I don’t tell anyone for three days. Sometimes I’m so excited by the idea that came instantly that I blurt it out, can’t help myself. Like a boy who found a prize in his Cracker Jacks. Sometimes I get away with this. Sometimes other people agree: yes, that _is_ the best idea. Most times they don’t and I regret having  given way to enthusiasm.  Enthusiasm is best saved for the meeting where it will make a difference. Not the casual get-together that precedes that meeting by two other meetings. Nobody knows why we have all these meetings. We keep saying we’re doing away with them, but then just finding other ways to have them. Sometimes they are even good. But other times they are a distraction from the actual work. The proportion between when meetings are useful, and when they are a pitiful distraction, varies, depending on what you do and where you do it. And who you are and how you do it. Again I digress. I am a creative. _That_ is the theme. Sometimes many hours of hard and patient work produce something that is barely serviceable. Sometimes I have to accept that and move on to the next project. ## Don’t ask about process. I am a creative. I am a creative. I don’t control my dreams. And I don’t control my best ideas. I can hammer away, surround myself with facts or images, and sometimes that works. I can go for a walk, and sometimes that works. I can be making dinner and there’s a Eureka having nothing to do with sizzling oil and bubbling pots. Often I know what to do the instant I wake up. And then, almost as often, as I become conscious and part of the world again, the idea that would have saved me turns to vanishing dust in a mindless wind of oblivion. For creativity, I believe, comes from that other world. The one we enter in dreams, and perhaps, before birth and after death. But that’s for poets to wonder, and I am not a poet. I am a creative. And it’s for theologians to mass armies about in their creative world that they insist is real. But that is another digression. And a depressing one. Maybe on a much more important topic than whether I am a creative or not. But still a digression from what I came here to say. Sometimes the process is avoidance. And agony. You know the cliché about the tortured artist? It’s true, even when the artist (and let’s put that noun in quotes) is trying to write a soft drink jingle, a callback in a tired sitcom, a budget request. Some people who hate being called creative may be closeted creatives, but that’s between them and their gods. No offense meant. Your truth is true, too. But mine is for me.  ## Creatives recognize creatives. Creatives recognize creatives like queers recognize queers, like real rappers recognize real rappers, like cons know cons. Creatives feel massive respect for creatives. We love, honor, emulate, and practically deify the great ones. To deify any human is, of course, a tragic mistake. We have been warned. We know better. We know people are just people. They squabble, they are lonely, they regret their most important decisions, they are poor and hungry, they can be cruel, they can be just as stupid as we can, because, like us, they are clay. But. But. But they make this amazing thing. They birth something that did not exist before them, and could not exist without them. They are the mothers of ideas. And I suppose, since it’s just lying there, I have to add that they are the mothers of invention. _Ba dum bum! _OK, that’s done. Continue. Creatives belittle our own small achievements, because we compare them to those of the great ones. Beautiful animation! Well, I’m no Miyazaki. Now THAT is greatness. That is greatness straight from the mind of God. This half-starved little thing that _I_ made? It more or less fell off the back of the turnip truck. And the turnips weren’t even fresh. Creatives knows that, at best, they are Salieri. Even the creatives who are Mozart believe that.  I am a creative. I haven’t worked in advertising in 30 years, but in my nightmares, it’s my former creative directors who judge me. And they are right to do so. I am too lazy, too facile, and when it real ## User Research Is Storytelling - Link: https://skmarketsinc.com/user-research-is-storytelling/ - Published: 2026-10-07T20:32:49+02:00 - Author: skminc Ever since I was a boy, I’ve been fascinated with movies. I loved the characters and the excitement—but most of all the stories. I wanted to be an actor. And I believed that I’d get to do the things that Indiana Jones did and go on exciting adventures. I even dreamed up ideas for movies that my friends and I could make and star in. But they never went any further. I did, however, end up working in user experience( UX). Now, I realize that there’s an element of theater to UX—I hadn’t really considered it before, but user research is storytelling. And to get the most out of user research, you need to tell a good story where you bring stakeholders—the product team and decision makers—along and get them interested in learning more. Think of your favorite movie. More than likely it follows a three-act structure that’s commonly seen in storytelling: the setup, the conflict, and the resolution. The first act shows what exists today, and it helps you get to know the characters and the challenges and problems that they face. Act two introduces the conflict, where the action is. Here, problems grow or get worse. And the third and final act is the resolution. This is where the issues are resolved and the characters learn and change. I believe that this structure is also a great way to think about user research, and I think that it can be especially helpful in explaining user research to others. ## **Use storytelling as a structure to do research** It’s sad to say, but many have come to see research as being expendable. If budgets or timelines are tight, research tends to be one of the first things to go. Instead of investing in research, some product managers rely on designers or—worse—their own opinion to make the “right” choices for users based on their experience or accepted best practices. That may get teams some of the way, but that approach can so easily miss out on solving users’ real problems. To remain user-centered, this is something we should avoid. User research elevates design. It keeps it on track, pointing to problems and opportunities. Being aware of the issues with your product and reacting to them can help you stay ahead of your competitors. In the three-act structure, each act corresponds to a part of the process, and each part is critical to telling the whole story. Let’s look at the different acts and how they align with user research. ### Act one: setup The setup is all about understanding the background, and that’s where foundational research comes in. _Foundational research_ (also called _generative_, _discovery_, or _initial_ research) helps you understand users and identify their problems. You’re learning about what exists today, the challenges users have, and how the challenges affect them—just like in the movies. To do foundational research, you can conduct contextual inquiries or diary studies (or both!), which can help you start to identify problems as well as opportunities. It doesn’t need to be a huge investment in time or money. Erika Hall writes about minimum viable ethnography, which can be as simple as spending 15 minutes with a user and asking them one thing: “‘Walk me through your day yesterday.’ That’s it. Present that one request. Shut up and listen to them for 15 minutes. Do your damndest to keep yourself and your interests out of it. Bam, you’re doing ethnography.” According to Hall, _“_[This] will probably prove quite illuminating. In the highly unlikely case that you didn’t learn anything new or useful, carry on with enhanced confidence in your direction.”   This makes total sense to me. And I love that this makes user research so accessible. You don’t need to prepare a lot of documentation; you can just recruit participants and do it! This can yield a wealth of information about your users, and it’ll help you better understand them and what’s going on in their lives. That’s really what act one is all about: understanding where users are coming from.  Jared Spool talks about the importance of foundational research and how it should form the bulk of your research. If you can draw from any additional user data that you can get your hands on, such as surveys or analytics, that can supplement what you’ve heard in the foundational studies or even point to areas that need further investigation. Together, all this data paints a clearer picture of the state of things and all its shortcomings. And that’s the beginning of a compelling story. It’s the point in the plot where you realize that the main characters—or the users in this case—are facing challenges that they need to overcome. Like in the movies, this is where you start to build empathy for the characters and root for them to succeed. And hopefully stakeholders are now doing the same. Their sympathy may be with their business, which could be losing money because users can’t complete certain tasks. Or maybe they do empathize with users’ struggles. Either way, act one is your initial hook to get the stakeholders interested and invested. Once stakeholders begin to understand the value of foundational research, that can open d ## Design Dialects: Breaking the Rules, Not the System - Link: https://skmarketsinc.com/design-dialects-breaking-the-rules-not-the-system/ - Published: 2026-10-07T20:32:49+02:00 - Author: skminc _“Language is not merely a set of unrelated sounds, clauses, rules, and meanings; it is a totally coherent system bound to context and behavior.”_ — Kenneth L. Pike The web has accents. So should our design systems. ## **Design Systems as Living Languages** Design systems aren’t component libraries—they’re living languages. **Tokens** are phonemes, **components** are words, **patterns** are phrases, **layouts** are sentences. The conversations we build with users become the stories our products tell. But here’s what we’ve forgotten: the more fluently a language is spoken, the more accents it can support without losing meaning. English in Scotland differs from English in Sydney, yet both are unmistakably English. The language adapts to context while preserving core meaning. This couldn’t be more obvious to me, a Brazilian Portuguese speaker, who learned English with an American accent, and lives in Sydney. Our design systems must work the same way. Rigid adherence to visual rules creates brittle systems that break under contextual pressure. Fluent systems bend without breaking. **Consistency becomes a prison** The promise of design systems was simple: consistent components would accelerate development and unify experiences. But as systems matured and products grew more complex, that promise has become a prison. Teams file “exception” requests by the hundreds. Products launch with workarounds instead of system components. Designers spend more time defending consistency than solving user problems. Our design systems must learn to speak **dialects**. **A design dialect is a systematic adaptation of a design system that maintains core principles while developing new patterns for specific contexts.** Unlike one- off customizations or brand themes, dialects preserve the system’s essential grammar while expanding its vocabulary to serve different users, environments, or constraints. ## **When Perfect Consistency Fails** At Booking.com, I learned this lesson the hard way. We A/B-tested everything—color, copy, button shapes, even logo colors. As a professional with a graphic design education and experience building brand style guides, I found this shocking. While everyone fell in love with Airbnb’s pristine design system, Booking grew into a giant without ever considering visual consistency.   The chaos taught me something profound: **consistency isn’t ROI; solved problems are.** At Shopify. Polaris () was our crown jewel—a mature design language perfect for merchants on laptops. As a product team, we were expected to adopt Polaris as-is. Then my fulfillment team hit an “Oh, Ship!” moment, as we faced the challenge of building an app for warehouse pickers using our interface on shared, battered Android scanners in dim aisles, wearing thick gloves, scanning dozens of items per minute, many with limited levels of English understanding. Task completion with standard Polaris: **0%**. Every component that worked beautifully for merchants failed completely for pickers. White backgrounds created glare. 44px tap targets were invisible to gloved fingers. Sentence-case labels took too long to parse. Multi-step flows confused non-native speakers. We faced a choice: abandon Polaris entirely, or _teach it to speak warehouse_. ## **The Birth of a Dialect** We chose evolution over revolution. Working within Polaris’s core principles—clarity, efficiency, consistency—we developed what we now call a **design dialect**: | **Constraint** | **Fluent Move** | **Rationale** | | Glare & low light | Dark surfaces + light text | Reduce glare on low-DPI screens | | Gloves & haste | 90px tap targets (~2cm) | Accommodate thick gloves | | Multilingual | Single-task screens, plain language | Reduce cognitive load | **Result:** Task completion jumped from **0% to 100%**. Onboarding time dropped from three weeks to one shift. This wasn’t customization or theming—this was a **dialect**: a systematic adaptation that maintained Polaris’s core grammar while developing new vocabulary for a specific context. Polaris hadn’t failed; it had learned to speak warehouse. ## **The Flexibility Framework** At Atlassian, working on the Jira platform—itself a system within the larger Atlassian system—I pushed for formalizing this insight. With dozens of products shari ## Designed for a Dead Language: What Language Apps Reveal About Bad Product Design - Link: https://skmarketsinc.com/designed-for-a-dead-language-what-language-apps-reveal-about-bad-product-design/ - Published: 2026-10-07T20:32:48+02:00 - Author: skminc ## How a centuries-old teaching method shaped modern language apps—and what entrepreneurs can learn about designing digital products that solve the right problems. **Author:** Awung Ngang **Website:** [Success King Marketing Inc.](https://dnd.ius.temporary.site/)** Category:** Blog Insights | Digital Learning | Product Design --- ## Introduction: When Old Ideas Get a Digital Makeover What if the biggest problem with some modern language apps isn’t their technology, but the centuries-old idea behind them? Imagine putting a horse carriage engine inside a modern electric car. The exterior might look futuristic, but the underlying design would still limit what the vehicle could achieve. Something similar happened in language education. Many modern learning tools use sophisticated technology to deliver exercises built around an older teaching tradition: memorizing grammar rules, translating sentences, and demonstrating knowledge through tests. Understanding how this happened reveals a powerful lesson for digital entrepreneurs:** a better interface cannot compensate for a product designed around the wrong outcome.** Let’s explore the history, examine the limitations, and uncover practical lessons for building digital products that deliver genuine value. ## 1. The Historical Mistake That Shaped Language Education In eighteenth- and nineteenth-century Europe, schools needed methods that could teach large numbers of students and assess their progress consistently. Grammar and translation offered a structured approach that worked particularly well for written examinations. Johann Valentin Meidinger’s French grammar textbook became influential, with 37 editions published by 1857. The grammar-translation approach subsequently became widespread in European language education. [1] The method made sense for certain objectives, especially reading classical texts and demonstrating grammatical knowledge. But when applied to living languages, it could leave a crucial gap: knowing the rules did not necessarily mean being able to communicate spontaneously. The historical lesson isn’t that grammar is useless. It’s that a method suited to one purpose can become inadequate when the purpose changes. **Practical takeaway:** Before building a product, define the outcome users actually want—not merely the activities you can conveniently measure. `[[⌊Startup turns textbooks into TikTok-style educational feed⌉](https://i0.wp.com/dnd.ius.temporary.site/wp-content/uploads/2026/10/Startup-turns-textbooks-into-TikTok-style-educational-feed.webp?ssl=1) Historical language textbook transitioning into a modern language-learning app.]` ## 2. Knowing the Rules Isn’t the Same as Using the Skill You can memorize hundreds of vocabulary words and still freeze when someone asks you a simple question in another language. This distinction between knowing about a skill and performing it matters. Linguist Stephen Krashen explored the difference between conscious language learning and the more implicit processes involved in acquiring language in his 1982 work on second- language acquisition. His framework remains influential, although researchers have debated aspects of his theory. [2] In everyday terms, studying rules and using a language in real conversations are related but distinct activities. The same principle applies beyond education. Reading about marketing doesn’t automatically make someone a skilled marketer. Watching tutorials about entrepreneurship doesn’t guarantee that someone can build a viable business. **Practical takeaway:** Pair learning materials with opportunities to practice, receive feedback, and solve realistic problems. ## 3. How Modern Apps Repackage Old Assumptions Today’s digital learning products can make education more convenient, engaging, and accessible. Features such as reminders, streaks, interactive exercises, and spaced-repetition flashcards can support regular practice. However, engagement is not identical to achievement. A learner might complete lessons every day without becoming comfortable in an unscripted conversation. Likewise, a customer might spend hours inside a business platform without making meaningful progress toward a business goal. This doesn’t mean every language app fails or that traditional exercises have no value. It means the product’s success metrics must match its promised outcome. **Practical takeaway:** Track meaningful results alongside activity. For an educational product, that could mean practical skill assessments, real-world application, or progress toward a clearly defined learning goal. `[: Split-screen visual comparing a completed lesson streak with a real-world conversation.]` ## 4. The Product Design Trap: Measuring What Is Easy Here is where the story becomes especially relevant to digital entrepreneurs. It is often easier to count clicks, downloads, completed lessons, and daily visits than to measure whether customers have solved their original problem. These numbers can be useful, but they are proxies—not proof of value. A digital course might generate impressive enrollment figures while students struggle to apply its lessons. An eBook might attract thousands of downloads but fail to help readers take action. A marketing tool might boast numerous features without making the user’s workflow easier. The danger is optimizing a product for the dashboard instead of the customer. **Practical takeaway:** Ask customers what changed after using your product. Combine usage statistics with feedback, completion outcomes, and evidence of practical improvement. ## 5. Build Digital Products Around Real Human Needs The alternative isn’t to abandon structure, automation, or measurement. It’s to use those tools in service of a meaningful outcome. For language learning, that could mean combining vocabulary practice with listening, speaking, contextual examples, and conversation. For an online business, it could mean pairing an instructional eBook with worksheets, implementation checklists, templates, and practical examples. For a digital platform, it could mean helping users move from discovering a resource to applying it successfully. This is an opportunity for **SKMarkets Inc.** to emphasize the connection between digital resources and practical action through its eBooks, eCourses, information products, and downloadable materials. A resource becomes more useful when customers understand not only what it teaches, but also how to apply it. **Practical takeaway:** Design every product around a simple question: What should the customer be able to do after using this? `[[⌊“Entrepreneur applying digital course lessons to a business project.”⌉](https://i0.wp.com/dnd.ius.temporary.site/wp-content/uploads/2026/10/Entrepreneur-applying-digital-course-lessons-to-a-business-project.webp?ssl=1): Entrepreneur applying an online course lesson using a laptop, workbook, and practical business checklist.]` ## 6. The Future Belongs to Products That Deliver Outcomes Technology will continue to change how people learn, work, and build businesses. Artificial intelligence, interactive platforms, and personalized learning experiences create new possibilities. But technological sophistication alone doesn’t guarantee a better experience. The strongest products combine convenience with relevance. They remove unnecessary friction, help users practice essential skills, and make progress easier to understand. For entrepreneurs, this means testing assumptions rather than treating them as permanent truths. Listen to customers, observe where they struggle, and improve the product based on what genuinely helps them succeed. **Practical takeaway:** Review your product regularly. Identify one major customer challenge, test a practical improvement, and evaluate whether the change produces a better outcome. --- ## What This Means for Success King Marketing Inc. At Success King Marketing Inc., the opportunity is to make digital resources more than information sitting on a screen. The goal is to help users turn knowledge into informed decisions, practical skills, and meaningful progress. Explore [SKMarkets Inc.](https://dnd.ius.temporary.site/) for digital resources and business insights, and look for opportunities to connect what you learn with what you do next. For entrepreneurs, the broader message is simple: don’t just build products that people use. Build products that help people accomplish something worthwhile. ## Conclusion: Don’t Digitize the Wrong Idea The history of language education shows how an approach developed for one purpose can persist long after its limitations become apparent. Modern technology can improve an old method without necessarily solving its underlying problem. The lesson extends to every corner of the digital economy. Engagement matters, but outcomes matter more. Features matter, but usefulness matters more. And innovation means more than making an existing process look modern. For creators, marketers, educators, and entrepreneurs, the challenge is to question inherited assumptions and design around real human needs. **The next breakthrough may not come from adding another feature. It may come from asking whether you’re solving the right problem in the first place.** --- ## Internal Links for SKMarkets Inc. Add these links where the corresponding pages exist on your website. The suggested paths below are placeholders until you confirm the actual URLs. * **Digital resources:** [Explore SKMarkets Inc.](https://dnd.ius.temporary.site/) * **Digital entrepreneurship:** `[Digital Entrepreneurship Guide]` * **Online marketing:** `[[Digital Marketing Strategies](https://dnd.ius.temporary.site/product/100-digital-marketing-tips-2026/)]` * **Learning resources:** `[[eBooks and eCourses](https://dnd.ius.temporary.site/shop/)]` ## Related Posts to Publish or Link 1. **Why Customer Outcomes Matter More Than Website Traffic** 2. **How to Turn Digital Knowledge Into Practical Business Skills** 3. **The Difference Between Learning a Skill and Mastering It** 4. **How to Build Digital Products People Actually Need** 5. **Engagement vs. Results: The Metrics Every Online Entrepreneur Should Understand** `[[⌊Startup turns textbooks into TikTok-style educational feed⌉](https://i0.wp.com/dnd.ius.temporary.site/wp-content/uploads/2026/10/Startup-turns-textbooks-into-TikTok-style-educational-feed.webp?ssl=1)“ Design for Results” message.]` ## References [1] Howatt, A. P. R., and related historical scholarship on the grammar-translation method. See _The Grammar–Translation Method_ overview, ScienceDirect Topics: [https://www.sciencedirect.com/topics/social-sciences/translation-method](https://www.sciencedirect.com/topics/social-sciences/translation-method) [2] Krashen, Stephen D. (1982). “Acquiring a Second Language.” _World Englishes_, 1(3), 97–101. [https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1467-971X.1982.tb00476.x](https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1467-971X.1982.tb00476.x) **Editorial note:** This article is an interpretive discussion of language education and product design, not a claim that every language app uses the same method or that grammar instruction is inherently ineffective. ## Creative Coding AI Guide for Creators Marketers & Non-Techs - Link: https://skmarketsinc.com/vibe-coding-basics-guide-for-creators-marketers-non-techs/ - Published: 2026-10-07T18:04:41+02:00 - Author: skminc ## **A Practical Beginner’s Quick Guide to AI Coding Tools, Setup, Security, Prompting, and Small Projects** **Author: Success King Marketing Inc.** **Website:** [https://skmarketsinc.com](https://dnd.ius.temporary.site/) >   Creative coding ai guide for beginners, from someone who isn’t a developer. The tools, the setup, the security basics, and what to build first as a creator or marketer. **[[⌊Vibe Coding for Beginers1.⌉](https://i0.wp.com/dnd.ius.temporary.site/wp-content/uploads/2026/10/624674800.webp?ssl=1)]** _A non-technical creator using an AI coding assistant to build a simple personal productivity app._ Creative Coding Basics Quick Guide > Where to Vibe Code: The Toolkit You Need > You can vibe code with very little. Before choosing the AI tools you’ll use, decide > where to build them. > You don’t have to host tools online—they can live entirely on your device. The > trade-off: they’re harder to open on a phone and may require a more advanced AI > tool. > Two options: > Browser > * Use an online environment where much of the setup is handled for you. > * Good for beginners since you don’t need to understand every backend detail. > Laptop > * Work locally for more control over files, projects, code, version history, > and your development environment. > Neither is inherently better. For beginners, pick the option that makes the project > easiest to understand while keeping your work organized and backed up. > **Get Access to Full Beginner AI Guide;** > > ### 󠀁[Vibe Coding Basics — Quick Guide for Creators, Marketers & Non-Techs](https://skmarketsinc.abacusai.app/blog/vibe-coding-basics-quick-guide-for-creators-marketers)󠁿 >   --- ## Continue Learning With Success King Marketing Inc. **Learn Today. Build Tomorrow.** Explore our eBooks, Blog Insights, digital resources, and selected affiliate opportunities at: **[https://skmarketsinc.com](https://dnd.ius.temporary.site/)** > [⌊Beginner AI coding Toolkit⌉⌊Beginner AI coding Toolkit⌉[ > _Professional creator > at “Learn Today. Build Tomorrow.” call-to-action._ **Author:** Success King Marketing Inc. **Website:** [https://skmarketsinc.com](https://dnd.ius.temporary.site/) ## Can You Schedule Substack Notes? - Link: https://skmarketsinc.com/can-you-schedule-substack-notes/ - Published: 2026-10-07T18:04:40+02:00 - Author: skminc Yes, you can schedule Substack Notes. Learn the two methods; via Substack and Buffer.( image) Yes, you can schedule Substack Notes. You can do it in two ways: directly in Substack or through Buffer, which lets you plan Notes on the same calendar as your other channels, send the same Note to LinkedIn, Threads, X, and Bluesky, and see which Notes brought in subscribers. Both are free. We’ll walk through how it works, where Substack's built-in scheduler falls short, and what I've learned from scheduling a Note every day this month for Buffer's own publication. #### Jump to a section: * [How to schedule a Note inside Substack](https://skmarketsinc.com/can-you-schedule-substack-notes/#how-to-schedule-a-note-inside-substack) * [How to schedule Substack Notes with Buffer](https://skmarketsinc.com/can-you-schedule-substack-notes/#how-to-schedule-substack-notes-with-buffer) * [What I've learned from posting a Note a day](https://skmarketsinc.com/can-you-schedule-substack-notes/#what-ive-learned-from-posting-a-note-a-day) * [Substack Notes scheduling FAQ](https://skmarketsinc.com/can-you-schedule-substack-notes/#substack-notes-scheduling-faq) * [Pick a time and let it post](https://skmarketsinc.com/can-you-schedule-substack-notes/#pick-a-time-and-let-it-post) * [More Substack resources](https://skmarketsinc.com/can-you-schedule-substack-notes/#more-substack-resources) ## How to schedule a Note inside Substack Substack added native scheduling for Notes on March 23, 2026, on web, iOS, and Android. Before that, the only options were a third-party extension or posting manually. Here's how it works on the web: 1. Open Substack and click the plus + button, then **Note** (or **Create → Note** if you’re on your profile) to start a new Note. (image) (image) 2. Write the Note as you normally would. You can add images, links, video, and create polls. (image) 1. Click the **calendar icon** at the bottom of the composer. 2. Pick a date and time. Substack uses your local time zone. (image) 3. Click **Save**, then **Schedule**. On the iOS and Android apps, tap the **plus** **+** button to start a Note, write it, then tap the three dot **⋯** menu and choose **Schedule**. (image) (image) (image) Every scheduled Note lands in your **Drafts**, with the publish time shown underneath. You can open one from there to edit it or change the time before it goes out. Substack lets you schedule up to three months ahead. ### What the native scheduler doesn't do There's no calendar view, so you're reading a list of drafts rather than seeing your week of planned content. You can also only schedule one Note at a time. And you can't send the same Note to another platform, and there's no per-Note reporting beyond the likes, replies, and restacks you can see on the Note itself. For a writer posting a couple of Notes a week, this is fine, great even. But once Notes become a daily habit, or one of several channels you're keeping up with, you may start to want more. And this is where Buffer comes in. ## How to schedule Substack Notes with Buffer Buffer's Substack integration is built on Substack's official API, and it treats your Substack account like any other channel: connect it once, and Notes show up on the same calendar and in the same composer as your LinkedIn, Threads, X, Instagram, and Bluesky posts. Scheduled Notes publish directly at the time you set. There's no reminder step or" finish this in the Substack app" notification. 1. Log in to Buffer (or create a free account) and go to **Channels → Connect a channel**. (image) (image) 2. Choose **Substack** and sign in to authorize Buffer. (image) 3. Click **Create Post**, select your Substack channel, and write your Note. You can add images, a link, or a video. (image) 4. If you want the same Note to go out to LinkedIn, Threads, X, or Bluesky, select those channels too and tweak each version until you’re satisified. (image) 5. Pick a time (or use one of your set posting slots) and click **Schedule**. (image) Once a Note is live, Buffer's analytics show impressions, engagement, follows, as well as how many free and paid subscribers each Note brought in. (image) Because your other channels sit in the same dashboard, you can put a Note next to the LinkedIn version of the same idea and compare performance as well. ### Two more ways to use Substack in Buffer 1. You can add your Substack publication as a **feed** in Buffer, which pulls your published posts in ## The 11 Best Social Media Management Tools in 2026 — Tried + Tested - Link: https://skmarketsinc.com/the-11-best-social-media-management-tools-in-2026-tried-tested/ - Published: 2026-10-07T18:04:39+02:00 - Author: skminc The 11 best social media management tools for 2026, tried and tested by a social media marketer + creator — from free creator picks to enterprise platforms, with pricing and who each is for.(image) Managing multiple social media platforms — whether for yourself or for a brand — means juggling a lot at once. On any given day, you are creating posts, repurposing content, staying on top of trends, reviewing detailed analytics, and more. If you’re a creator or a small business owner managing your social media presence yourself, all of this is in addition to running your business. Phew! The good news: there are plenty of social media management tools that can lighten the load — and maybe even make the work feel… less like work? The social media management tools on this list are the ones I recommend to creators, marketers, agency owners, and my mates. But why should you care what I have to say? Well, I'm a journalist turned content marketer and creator. I've managed social media platforms for tabloids, lifestyle magazines, SaaS tech brands, and, of course, myself. I have 30K+ followers across TikTok, Instagram, LinkedIn, Threads, YouTube, and X. Plus, I am obsessed with tools (seriously, it's my weird ADHD hyperfixation). So when I tell you I have been around the block with social media management tools, I'm not kidding! 🤓 So if you're on the hunt for a social media management tool to make your work online just a little smoother (and more fun!), you're in the right place! If you're just here for a quick recommendation, here's a summary: Key takeaways Best overall for creators and small-medium businesses: Buffer — per-channel pricing from $6/mo and a free plan for up to 3 channels. Best for enterprise teams: Sprinklr and Sprout Social handle the heavy social listening and influencer work, but both are on the pricier end, so they only make sense at real scale. Best for Pinterest: Tailwind — a purpose-built, official Pinterest partner from $29.99/mo. Best for B2B: Oktopost — campaign-tagged posts and buyer-journey tracking (pricing on request). Best if you have a Substack: Buffer. Buffer is one of the few platforms that supports Substack Notes. Best for DM and comment automation: Manychat — 24/7 chat automation across Instagram, Facebook, TikTok (beta), and WhatsApp from $14/mo. Watch the scaling cost: pricing is usually per user or per channel, so check what it'll cost you 12 months from now, not just right now. Entry plans run $6–$30/mo; enterprise tools reach $199/mo per seat or custom quotes. Jump to a section: What are social media management tools? Comparison table of the 11 best social media management tools 1. Buffer 2. Hootsuite 3. Tailwind 4. SocialPilot 5. Zoho Social 6. Sprout Social 7. Oktopost 8. Later 9. Socialinsider 10. Manychat 11. Sprinklr What should you look for in social media management apps? FAQs about social media management tools More social media management resources What are social media management tools? Social media management tools are apps that let you plan, schedule, publish, engage with, and analyze content across multiple social networks from a single dashboard — instead of logging in and out of each platform separately. Most combine scheduling, a handy unified inbox for comments and DMs, and analytics, and they range from free creator plans to enterprise suites with social listening and CRM built in. A good social media management tool is so much more than just a hefty set of features. It's software that you actually want to use every single day. Comparison table of the 11 best social media management tools These are 11 top social media management tools. They vary from beginner-friendly tools to enterprise-level platforms requiring deep analytics and CRM integration. Whatever your needs, I can pretty much guarantee this list has got you covered. Here's a quick summary: .smm-table-wrap { overflow-x: auto; margin: 1.5rem 0; font-family: Figtree, -apple-system, BlinkMacSystemFont, "Segoe UI", Roboto, sans-serif; } .smm-table { width: 100%; border-collapse: collapse; font-size: 0.95rem; line-height: 1.45; color: #1e1b2e; } .smm-table caption { caption-side: top; text-align: left; font-weight: 700; font-size: 1.05rem; padding: 0 0 0.75rem; color: #1e1b2e; } .smm-table thead th { background: #f4f1fb; text-align: left; font-weight: 700; padding: 0.75rem 0.9rem; border-bottom: 2px solid #d9d2f0; white-space: nowrap; } .smm-table tbody th { text-align: left; font-weight: 700; padding: 0.7rem 0.9rem; border-bottom: 1px solid #ece9f5; white-space: nowrap; } .smm-table tbody td { padding: 0.7rem 0.9rem; border-bottom: 1px solid #ece9f5; verti ## What You Need to Know About Collaborative Posts on LinkedIn - Link: https://skmarketsinc.com/what-you-need-to-know-about-collaborative-posts-on-linkedin/ - Published: 2026-10-07T18:04:38+02:00 - Author: skminc LinkedIn just launched Collaborative Posts. Here’s everything we know so far.(image) I spotted a post in my LinkedIn morning scroll from Austin Null — and it stopped me in my tracks because it had two names at the top instead of one. So I commented: is that what I think it is? He said it was Then Mya Shell, who I'd done a collab-style post for brand partnership the week before (ironically!), tagged me on LinkedIn's own announcement: Collaborative Posts are coming. The short version: soon, two or more people, plus LinkedIn Pages (!), can share one post together, with every collaborator listed at the top. It's in beta with creators and brands now (I guess I missed my invite in the mail) and will roll out over the coming months. As someone who has been using collab posts on Instagram forever and will get a lot of use out of this feature on LinkedIn, I figured I'd write up everything we know so far. If you've used Instagram's collab posts, you know the shape. On LinkedIn, where your name next to a brand carries professional weight, the stakes are even higher. Here's what they are, how they'll work, and why they matter most for the creator– brand relationship. ## What is a LinkedIn Collaborative Post? A LinkedIn Collaborative Post lets two or more accounts (people and pages) publish the same post together. Every collaborator's name sits at the top, and the post lands in all of their networks at once, not just the original author's. Quick note: this isn't the same as LinkedIn's Collaborative Articles, the AI-prompted explainers you get invited to "add your perspective" to. Collaborative posts are about co-authoring one post with people you’re connected with. This is also a step above tagging/mentioning. All participants get equal credit, and the post will appear in all their followers' feeds, giving the post way more mileage. ## How LinkedIn Collaborative Posts work LinkedIn has confirmed the basics in a help article. The setup is an invite-and- accept flow, much like Instagram. One account creates the post and invites collaborators, which can be personal profiles or pages. Until an invited account accepts, no one sees them listed on the post. Once they accept, every collaborator's name appears at the top, and the post shows up across all their networks. Collaborating as a page works a little differently: a super admin has to be in the loop. They can allow members and other pages to collaborate with the page, and they get notified of invitations as long as collaboration notifications are switched on (Me → Settings → Notifications → Collaborations). ### How to create a collab post on LinkedIn Start a post as you normally would and look in the top bar for the option to add a collaborator. You can add up to 5 per post. From your profile, go to Me → Settings → Notifications → Collaborations. If you run a page, make sure a super admin does this too, because a Page can't appear as a collaborator until someone accepts on its behalf. A few things worth lining up before then: * **Know who you'd co-author with.** Make a short list of the creators, brands, or Pages whose name you'd actually want next to yours. * **Tidy the front door.** A collab post sends new people to your profile, so check that your headline, banner, and recent posts say what you want them to. * **Have a post worth sharing.** The feature adds reach; it doesn't make the content good. Save your stronger ideas for the partnerships that matter. 💡You can plan and schedule your LinkedIn content in Buffer. Get started here → ## Why this matters most for creators and brands Collab posts are a credibility trade, and the value runs in both directions. When a creator co-authors with a brand's page, each side gives the other something it can't easily buy on its own. The creator brings their voice and an audience that actually engages, instead of a logo posting into the void. The brand brings a co- sign: its name at the top of your post, next to yours, in front of everyone who sees it. People underrate that second part. A tag is easy to ignore. Shared authorship reads as an endorsement, and on LinkedIn, that endorsement is professional currency. If you're early or mid-career, an established brand publicly attaching its name to your work can be worth even more than the extra impressions. It also changes the dynamic. This isn't a brand 'renting' a creator's audience for a day, as they would in a regular sponsored post. Both names are at the top, so both audiences and both reputations are in it together. The timing tracks, too. LinkedIn launched its first Creator Marketplace in June, built to connect brands with creators directly. Collaborative posts are part of what that connection looks like in the feed. ## 6 ways creators and brands can use LinkedIn collab posts Most of these tips mirror what already works on Instagram, adjusted for how people show up on LinkedIn. 1. **Brand partnerships.** This is the obvious one. A creator and a brand page co- author a single post, so the partnership reaches both audiences and reads as a real collaboration instead of a paid mention. 2. **Co-marketing with a peer.** Two creators, or t