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Articles by Scott McDowell
AI Shopping Assistants: How They Work and How Businesses Can Adapt — Squarespace
For more than two decades, online shopping followed a familiar rhythm. A customer searched for a product or service, browsed through multiple results, compared options across tabs, read reviews, and eventually made a decision. Search engines acted as directories, and websites did the heavy lifting of persuasion. AI shopping assistants are beginning to compress the entire journey.
What Is Brand Awareness? How to Build and Measure It Effectively — Squarespace
If you’ve ever wondered why certain brands seem to be everywhere—on your social feeds, in search results, or in casual conversations—it isn’t luck. It’s the result of intentional brand awareness strategies. As AI-powered search reshapes how people discover businesses, brand awareness has become more important than ever. Awareness is about building familiarity and trust so that when your audience thinks of a product, service, or idea, your brand comes to mind first.
Email Subject Lines: Best Practices and Examples – Squarespace
For entrepreneurs, small business owners, and creatives who are new to email marketing, one of the biggest obstacles is getting your audience to click “open.” That’s where a good subject line can make a major difference. Your subject line is the first—and sometimes only—chance you get to make an impression. It’s the headline of your email, the hook that pulls readers in.
Small Business Tariffs: Impacts and What to Do – Squarespace
Tariffs aren’t just a matter for multinational corporations, they also impact small businesses and entrepreneurs. Tariffs can influence everything from your pricing to how you communicate with customers, especially if you’re selling physical goods or relying on materials and components to create what you sell. Understanding how tariffs work, where they show up in your supply chain, and how to respond to rising costs can help you protect your business and plan ahead.
10 AI Business Ideas to Explore in 2025 – Squarespace
Artificial intelligence is no longer just a hot trend, it’s becoming a foundational layer in how businesses are built and operated. For entrepreneurs with a bit of technical know-how, AI can open up a world of opportunities. In this guide, we’ll explore promising AI business ideas, how to evaluate which ones suit your skills and goals, and what to consider as you turn your idea into a revenue-generating venture.
How to Do Keyword Research: A Beginner's Guide – Squarespace
If you’ve ever heard the advice to work keywords into your website copy but didn’t know where to start, you’re not alone. Search engine optimization (SEO) can be one of the most confusing parts of running a website. For many website owners, it’s clear that SEO matters—but the “how” feels like a mystery. At the heart of SEO are search keywords: the words and phrases we type into search engines to find answers, products, or services.
AI and Brand Strategy: Tips and Use Cases – Squarespace
AI is more than a content tool—it can act as an assistant in breaking down complex (and not-so-complex) branding tasks for your business. Whether it’s helping you to create workflows and automations, analyze the branding of your competitors, create a logo, or develop a tone of voice for your business, AI assistants can cut down on time and effort. How can you leverage AI to help build your brand? We’ll highlight some practical examples and tools to get you started.
10 AI Prompt Examples for Websites – Squarespace
Can generative AI help you build a website? There’s a lot of hype around generative AI and it can seem overwhelming to the uninitiated—particularly when it comes to creating the correct prompts to get the results you need. Generative AI can be a useful tool to streamline website improvements. But how specifically can AI assist in making your website more effective? It’s all about creating the right prompts. This guide will provide you with actionable ideas to start using AI in your website creation.
How to Create a Business Plan: A Complete Guide – Squarespace
A business plan is a helpful step to create a roadmap as you start or start to grow your business. This guide will explain the value of having a business plan and provide a detailed, step-by-step process to help you create one. Think of a business plan as more than just a theoretical overview. It is a practical, actionable resource that informs your business as you grow. What is a business plan?
6 Discount Strategies for Online Stores – Squarespace
Discounts can be a powerful lever to increase sales figures and build customer loyalty. Using discounts effectively, however, requires an understanding of the types of discounts at your disposal and knowing when to deploy them. Using discounts in a strategic way will delight your customers and pay dividends for your business. Take the time to learn how to develop a discount strategy and experiment with different types of discounts to find out what works best for you and your business.
6 Confirmation Email Template Examples – Squarespace
Confirmation emails may seem like something clients and customers view as an afterthought, but they’re an important part of your overall email marketing strategy. Whenever a customer buys something online, registers for a course, or signs up for your email list, an automatic confirmation email acts as their digital receipt and provides clarity about their transaction. It’s also another opportunity to interact with them and make an impression.
What Are Digital Products? 11 Types You Can Sell Online – Squarespace
In the past few years, the market for digital products has flourished, offering endless opportunities for aspiring creatives and entrepreneurs. But what exactly is a digital product, and how does it fit into your business? Digital products include any non-physical product, from video classes to memberships and art downloads. Many content creators and creatives view digital products as the best way to earn passive income.
What Is A Link In Bio? – Squarespace
It’s no secret that social media platforms have become essential tools for personal branding, content creation, and networking. Whether you're a content creator, entrepreneur, or simply an avid social media user, you've no doubt come across the phrase "link in bio" while scrolling through Instagram or TikTok. But what exactly does it mean, and why is it important to have a link in bio for your own project or business?
A Beginner’s Guide to Ecommerce SEO – Squarespace
SEO (search engine optimization) is a reliable, cost-effective, and useful method of gaining traction for your ecommerce brand. With so many online stores vying for attention, having a solid SEO strategy can make all the difference in attracting new customers and making sales. Optimizing your site for search means putting a simple strategy in place to help your products show up on the front page of search engine results.
How to Come Up With a Brand Name – Squarespace
As the first point of contact between you and your audience, a well-thought-out brand name can have a significant impact on the success of your business. The process can also be fun and rewarding, and it will help you see your business or product from the eyes of a customer. Qualities of a good brand name A brand name isn’t merely a label, it’s a powerful tool that shapes perceptions and leaves a lasting impression.
How to Price a Product: Strategies and Simple Steps – Squarespace
Pricing isn't simply assigning a number to your product or service—it's the linchpin of your success. Yet, for new entrepreneurs, figuring out how to price your product can be a challenge. Pricing is an art—one that requires a blend of intuition, data-driven insights, and a basic knowledge of customer behavior. Understanding the strategies and steps behind pricing products and services will empower you to make informed decisions and steer your business toward sustained growth from the start.
This is Where I'll Be
Two Worlds Colliding How is it possible for time to go so fast and so slow all at once? The final days are both a lifetime and a rush. Five days become four, and then three, and then two. Yet experiencing each moment with such vivid attention gives the pace the sort of timelessness only reserved for these once-in-a-lifetime events. The Northern Terminus approaches. Hours after leaving the Southern Terminus six months ago, I marveled at how quickly the real world drifted away. This was my life now.
The Last Hurdle: Washington Weather
North from White Pass It’s a quick turnaround in Portland. We arrive at night and are out the next morning for a three hour ride to White Pass. There’s a whole cluster of hikers at the store, none of whom we’ve met before. White Pass to Snoqualmie Pass is pretty straightforward. We meet a few new people in passing, and have a lunch just before Snoqualmie with some of Head Start’s friends from Seattle. We enjoy dinner at the brewery at the pass, and so far things are smooth and enjoyable.
Sierra Dots Connected and Bound for the Border
Sonora Pass to Yosemite With a little bit of runaround, we successfully recalibrate our permits to head south out of Sonora Pass. On this day, it’s a personal record for a late start: 5pm. It’s dark by eight now, being the end of August, and Head Start and I hit some snow fields as the sun goes down. In 2023, the melt may not be complete before the winter comes. With spikes on and a full moon out, we get through the snow fields and go about seven more miles before making a late night camp.
SNOBO and Back in California
The overnight bus from Portland gets into Redding around 5am. I had very low expectations, so in a relative sense feel rested from my few hours of sleep. After a resupply at the 24-hour grocery store, an early morning diner breakfast and getting kicked off of a patch of grass where we were taking a nap, we get on a 10am bus to Burney. At Burney, a trail angel shuttles us to Old Station and we are back to the spot where we headed north back in June.
Southern Washington: The End of Act Two
The Bridge of the Gods Waterfalls abound as we walk the Eagle Creek trail down to the Columbia River, with Tunnel Falls being the crown jewel. The scars of the 2017 fire are still evident, but the green has thankfully come back with vigor. Tunnel Falls in the Columbia Gorge In Cascade Locks, we congregate with Portland friends and family throughout the day and evening. After a night of camping at the trailhead, it’s time to cross into Washington.
Fighting Through the Blues
Welcome to Oregon The final miles of California come at dusk on the first of July. Blowdowns abound one last time, as if California is trying to slow us down: don’t go, we’ve had so much fun, stay just a few more minutes! In the near darkness, we cross the state border. The miles into Ashland are a stark contrast to much of northern California, as these are noticeably maintained and manicured. Trail magic seems to be everywhere. Crater Lake at sunset and sunrise was monumental.
The SnoBos arrive in NorCal
Avoiding the Blues Dash, from somewhere around Mammoth, sends a message: “How’s NorCal?” The responses from the group are varied, but all are accurate. “Thunderstorms and dirt.” “Butterflies and wildflowers.” “Bushwhacking and blowdowns.” The Northern California section of the PCT is often associated with The Blues. From time to time we reflect on why this may be. Theories include the relative monotony compared to the Sierra and that most years trekkers reach the halfway point around Lassen.
Glen, Pinchot and Mather Passes
Prologue On our way out at Kearsarge Pass, we saw people we knew heading back in to make the trek to Bishop Pass. This planted the seed, but by the time we got to Bishop town, we were already considering the return. Mini Chimi decided to flip to Truckee, and Mantis and Journey Man had a flight to catch in a week for a graduation and wedding. They decided the margin for error was too tight to risk the return to the Sierra, which was good foresight.
Forester Pass - The Trek
The Days Leading Up We leave Lone Pine at the crack of dawn, and through various rides, road walking and snow hiking we arrive at Trail Pass and make camp. After a 2am wake-up the next morning, we start walking an hour later with a goal of fourteen miles. I have some nausea early on, and quickly become paranoid that I’ve either got a stomach bug or the altitude is affecting me. I straggle behind and Dash gives me a pep talk that helps me snap out of my inner worry.
Kennedy Meadows to Lone Pine
Day One Cowboy camping on the General Store porch, I wake at 6:00 as the first footsteps start creaking the deck boards in search of coffee. We intend to leave around 7:30, but one more pancake breakfast is too tempting so it ends up being a 9am departure. Before heading out, I pick up the guitar and we serenade Sheriff (who has to remain a week to rest his knee) with “Leaving on a Jet Plane.” We all hug a tearful goodbye and we are off. See you down the trail, Sheriff.
Kennedy Meadows: The End of Act One
Note: to aid in anonymity, I will use trail names for people who have them, and initials for those who do not yet have trail names. A Bittersweet Reset For 703 miles, the experience becomes more familiar and feels like home. There are about twenty people in my bubble, and on any given day I am hiking, camping, or towning with a few of them. In most years, this might continue ad infinitum to the opposite border.
The Retirement of the Zookeeper
The Moment Climbing out of Agua Dulce, around mile 460, I stop to look out on the valley below. Bluejay, Turtlewolf and H are fifteen minutes ahead of me and I am alone with my thoughts amidst the overgrown trail and sprawling views. It’s in this moment that a new wave of introspection hits me. I’ve become familiar with taking time for gratitude on the trail, but now I’m thinking of forgiveness: to myself and to all I’ve ever wronged.
A Challenging Week and Decision Time
Note: to aid in anonymity, I will use trail names for people who have them, and initials for those who do not yet have trail names. Mt. Baden-Powell Bluejay, H. and myself arrive at Vincent Gap around three in the afternoon on a Monday, and intend to go halfway up the mountain today to split the climb into two sections. It takes us about thirty minutes of slipping in the slush to realize we may as well go back to the snow-free parking lot and regroup for a morning effort.
Mountains Favored in Decisive Game Three
Note: to aid in anonymity, I will use trail names for people who have them, and initials for those who do not yet have trail names. J has become Dash, and C has become Blue Jay. Sports Talk San Jacinto took the upper hand in the Mountains’ opening game versus the Hikers, pushing them off trail in the early days of April.
Today the Sky is Blue
Note: to aid in anonymity throughout the future posts, I will use trail names for people who have them, and initials for those who do not yet have trail names. The Journey Begins Morning wind whistles through the slats of the border wall. It’s 4:30 on a Monday morning and I’ve been up since the wind started rocking my tent at CLEEF around three.
The Count Down (Part Two)
Trepidation – Three Weeks Out Someone asked me a couple of weeks ago if I was excited about the upcoming adventure. I couldn’t think of a word at the time, but I told them it felt more like I felt when I was going to get my wisdom teeth out. I know it will be good for me once it happens, the date keeps marching relentlessly toward me, and the aching nervousness never really subsides. Excitement happened two months ago. Now it looms. It’s trepidation.
The Count Down (Part One)
When I first started writing this four weeks ago, I had the idea that it would be interesting to track the week by week preparations and emotions as the launch date approaches. “Here’s what I’m thinking at week eight! Here’s what I’m thinking at week seven!” As it turned out, the trajectory wasn’t so much of an increasing line as you might see on a graph, but more of a scatter plot. If I even accurately remember what a scatter plot is.
The Other Big Three
The more you prepare for a trek, the more you always hear about the “big three.” Sleep system, shelter, and pack. As cognizant as I am of those in my planning, I’d like to spend a minute talking about what might be considered the other big three: Mental, Physical and Logistics. I would wager that all of us who embark on this monumental endeavor expect to finish. The statistics vary, but from what I’ve read in general only about a quarter of us will make it all the way.
The PCT Permit Application Day
Morning check in Coffee, check. Laptop, check. Trail bracelet my mom made for me for my birthday, check. My good luck charm for the day. It’s 7:30 and I want to make sure I’m clear on the process before work gets going for a couple of hours this morning. The portal opening time for getting our thru-hike permits is slated for 10:30 Pacific. In today’s proceedings, the PCTA allots 35 northbound permits per day from March 1st to May 31st, with a second round of 15 per day to occur in January.
A Long Time Coming, a Long Way to Go
A dream for another year At fourteen years old, I first heard about the Pacific Crest Trail. I had aspirations to hike it with my dad before high school was over, even though my dad and I had never gone backpacking before nor would it be feasible to squeeze it into a summer break. This year isn’t the year. In my mid twenties, I hiked in Yosemite on three separate occasions with coworkers, a mini annual tradition.
Facts You Should Know
Do you know how long the shortest war the world has ever seen lasted for? Or how about which country in the world has the most volcanoes? What about the former name of New York?
Inference of Exposure Leads to Reversal of Summary Judgment against Boiler Defendant | Lexology
Plaintiffs filed suit against several defendants including Cleaver Brooks “CB” alleging that their decedent, Ronald Callanan, developed and passed from asbestosis as a result of his exposure to defendants’ products. Specifically, Plaintiffs alleged that Callanan worked with David Wolfe at FM Engineering as a field inspector. Their work included inspecting CB boilers but Wolfe was unable to testify that he saw Callanan inspect those boilers because they worked independently from one another.
Sailor’s Transferred Mesothelioma Case Dismissed for Lack of Jurisdiction | Lexology
United States Court of Appeals, Third Circuit. Plaintiff William Traser filed suit against multiple defendants in the United States District Court for Michigan. Mr. Traser passed away from mesothelioma two years later. His case was then consolidated into the Multidistrict Litigation (“MDL”) in 1991. Thereafter, his case was transferred to the Eastern District of Pennsylvania.
The Secrets To Building A Team Of Decision Makers
We’re at a moment in time where top-down planning is increasingly ineffective. Change is the only constant. Rather than set a plan with rigid parts to have others deliver on, as a leader it’s more efficient to set strategic direction and priorities, then hand over incremental decisions to smart specialists. A good leader can locate the calm in any situation, and then relay that sense of control to the team.
Minna Citron Exhibition at Palitz Gallery Includes Works Never Before Exhibited
The Palitz Gallery presents “Accidental, Elemental, Abstraction: Minna Citron” now on view at the Palitz Gallery, located in Syracuse University’s Lubin House at 11 E. 61st St., New York City. Exhibition hours are Monday-Friday, 10 a.m. to 5 p.m., with the exhibition running through Aug. 16 but closed July 4. It is free and open to the public. Contact 212.826.0320 or lubin@syr.edu for more information. Minna Citron, [abstract collage], 1985.
Dan Mall: Replace the Internship with the Apprenticeship
In the creative world, you go to school and learn your craft then enter the field to do your work. However, this straight edge process has left out a middle phase for the educated people that need to learn by doing (because the jobs they want are only available for the already qualified candidate). Superfriendly Director, Dan Mall proposes an apprenticeship as that middle phase – a nine-month program dedicated to teaching the young and talented designer to inevitably be that qualified candidate.
The 50th Anniversary of the Fair Housing Act and Current Status of the Act Today
Media, Law & Policy The 50th Anniversary of the Fair Housing Act and Current Status of the Act Today Accusations have been brought against the Department of Housing and Urban Development and Secretary Ben Carson to pull back on enforcement of fair housing. Paula Johnson, a professor of law at Syracuse University College of Law offers insight on this issue and the 50th anniversary of the Fair Housing Act that will be celebrated in April.
Works for Upright Bass and Amplifier, by Luke Stewart
Digital Album Streaming + Download Includes unlimited streaming via the free Bandcamp app, plus high-quality download in MP3, FLAC and more. Purchasable with gift card Buy Digital Album $7 USD or more Send as Gift 2nd Pressing Limited Edition Cassette Cassette + Digital Album First pressing of 175 is OOP. This is now the 2nd pressing of 100 copies. Includes unlimited streaming of Works for Upright Bass and Amplifier via the free Bandcamp app, plus high-quality download in MP3, FLAC and more.
Ret. Vice Admiral Robert Murrett on North Korea and diplomacy talks
Vice Adm. Robert B. Murrett (Ret.), a professor of practice at Syracuse University’s Maxwell School and Deputy Director of the Institute of National Security and Counterterrorism, offered comments on the apparent breakthrough with North Korea and its offer to put its nuclear weapons on the bargaining table. Murrett specializes in national security, international relations, military, and defense strategy and his comments are below.
McDowell: We can't afford climate change
By Scott McDowellMcDowell lives in Craig County. He has a M.S. degree in Environmental Science and Engineering from Virginia Tech and has worked as an environmental professional in private consulting and state government for more than 30 years.We just had four hurricanes in a row. Many people lost their lives. Houston got 40 inches of rain in a couple days, more than most of the east coast gets in an entire year. Estimated damage — $150-180 billion.
McDowell: We can't afford climate change
McDowell lives in Craig County. He has a M.S. degree in Environmental Science and Engineering from Virginia Tech and has worked as an environmental professional in private consulting and state government for more than 30 years.We just had four hurricanes in a row. Many people lost their lives. Houston got 40 inches of rain in a couple days, more than most of the east coast gets in an entire year. Estimated damage — $150-180 billion.
Use “Weird Rules” To Boost Your Creativity - 99U
Ten years ago, Stanford professor Robert I. Sutton wrote a book on how to manage for maximum creativity called Weird Ideas That Work . After studying some of the most innovative people and companies, Sutton concluded that what is right for routine work is consistently wrong for creative work. The best way to manage for creativity, he discovered, is to simply take every tried-and-true management trope and do the opposite.
Call of the Wild: Jack London’s Advice on Honing Your Creative Craft - 99U
Sometimes its hard to know where to start. In John Barleycorn, Jack London’s vivid memoir, he describes a predicament familiar to many an aspiring artist: “My difficulty was that I had no one to advise me. I didn’t know a soul who had written or who had ever tried to write. I didn’t even know one reporter.”While much of Barleycorn is a grim warning about the slow train of alcoholism, the book also feels like an act of mentorship.
‘Wanderlust: Travel Photography from the Syracuse University Art Collection’ Now Open at Palitz Gallery
“Wanderlust” explores how a variety of artists from the late 1800s until today have captured landscapes, either near or far, in order to give viewers a glimpse of diverse and varied places. Defined by the Photographic Society of America as an image that expresses the characteristic features or culture of a land as they are found naturally, with no geographic limitations, the genre of travel photography has intrigued artists since the dawn of photography in the 1830s.
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