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The ChekMarc App Wants To Change How Social Media Works – Forbes

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Being online is dangerous for a whole host of reasons, including identity theft issues and compromising your bank accounts. But, over the last few years, social media has also become a hotbed of flame wars and finely nuanced disagreements.

I’ve even come to the point where I’ve wondered how much value there is in posting about anything personal or sharing struggles, knowing that someone will swoop in and point out some abject fallacy or minor discrepancy. It’s not like I think of Twitter or Facebook as the best place to seek out advice, because admitting you don’t know something opens you up to attacks.

That’s why I became so interested in the new ChekMarc app that launches today. I’m not sure I love the name, since I keep thinking it is spelled CheckMarq or some other way. (In truth, the name is a sly reference to the founder Marc Kaplan, a one-time partner at Deloitte.) The name also reminds me of an accounting app, but that’s okay. I like what they’re doing.

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Over the last few weeks, I tested a private beta version. Here’s how it all works. The basic idea is that you can connect with people in a safe environment, then become either a mentor or seek mentoring from other users. I had to prove my identity by scanning my driver’s license and going through a verification process. After that, a verification icon lets other users know you are safe and won’t start harassing them. If you do, there’s at least a paper trail. 

To this day, all you need in order to register for Twitter is an email address. It’s anonymity has created a cesspool of trolls with keyboards. On ChekMarc, the vibe is completely different. I posted a message as an Explorer (someone seeking advice) and interacted with several nice people. It’s actually a bit jarring. Wait, that’s your real name? You mean you are not hiding behind an email address and are not a cranky troll living in a basement somewhere?

Once you realize you are in safe confines, it changes everything. All of the interactions felt different because it seemed like the barrier of anonymity no longer exists. I decided to become a Catalyst as well (help others). I mentioned how I’m writing a new book and have been a journalist for the last 20 years. Slowly but surely, a few people started messaging me. 

At first, you don’t see real names or an identity, but you can agree to start chatting with those who have also been verified. A business consultant contacted me about book writing, and we ended up chatting on the phone. I gave her advice about starting on Medium.com as a place to post her stories, and also mentioned the new site Wattpad. She seemed grateful, and I enjoyed being able to share my knowledge without wondering if it was a waste of time.

Is the ChekMarc interface perfect? Not really. I enjoy testing new apps like this and seeing how they progress. Even during the beta period, the company changed a few settings. A training video used to pull up a whole new browser but now plays at the site, for example. At first, you couldn’t click the logo to go back home on the site. I’d prefer if the home page showed me recent posts or my own inbox, but there’s a lot of potential here. I like that the app is meant to help you find answers and a mentor and it’s a place where experts can help others.

I doubt Facebook is worried. Twitter might not have to change their policies. And yet, who knows? I want mentoring to become a much bigger part of social media as well, and create real connections between people that have meaning and purpose beyond a “like.” 

I hope the app takes off, and I’ll be going back to find more writers looking to expand their boundaries.

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Taylor Swift's new album apparently leaks, causing social media chaos – CBC News

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The hype for Taylor Swift’s new album went into overdrive as it appeared to leak online two days ahead of its Friday release.

Swifties started sharing tracks on X that they claimed were from the singer’s upcoming album, The Tortured Poets Department, saying they came from a Google Drive link containing all 17 songs.

Some fans were upset by the leak and said they would wait until Friday to listen while others started frantically posting fake links on X to bury the “real” tracks.

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“Raise your hand if ur an ACTUAL Taylor Swift fan and aren’t listening to leaks,” one user wrote.

Several media outlets reported that X briefly blocked the search term “Taylor Swift leak” on Wednesday.

CBC has reached out to Swift’s publicist for comment.

Swift announced the release, her 11th studio album and the first with all new songs since 2022’s Midnights, at the Grammy Awards ceremony in February.

Fans have been speculating about the lyrical themes that would appear on The Tortured Poets Department, based in part on a physical “library installation” that opened Tuesday in Los Angeles, curated with items that drop hints and references to the inspirations behind the album.

Swift’s 2022 album Midnights, which featured the hit Anti-Hero, also leaked online ahead of its scheduled release date, and went on to win the Grammy for album of the year. Swift’s previous albums 1989, Reputation and Lover also leaked ahead of their official releases. 

The singer is in the midst of her billion-dollar-grossing Eras tour, which is moving through the U.S. and is scheduled to conclude in Vancouver in December. 

Swift was added to Forbes magazine’s annual new billionaires list earlier this month, with Forbes saying she was the first musician to become a billionaire based solely on her songs and performances. 

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DJT Stock Jumps. The Truth Social Owner Is Showing Stockholders How to Block Short Sellers. – Barron's

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DJT Stock Jumps. The Truth Social Owner Is Showing Stockholders How to Block Short Sellers.  Barron’s

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Taylor Swift's new album allegedly 'leaked' on social media and it's causing a frenzy – CTV News

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Social media can be a divisive place, but even more so when it comes to Taylor Swift.

A Google Drive link allegedly containing 17 tracks that are purportedly from Swift’s eagerly awaited “The Tortured Poets Department” album has been making the rounds on the internet in the past day and people are equal parts mad, sad and happy about it.

CNN has reached out to Swift’s representative for comment.

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The actual album is slated to drop at midnight Friday, but the claimed leak is both being hailed and nailed by Swift’s supporters.

One person shared a drawing of a young woman asleep in a sparkly bed with sparkly blankets on X, writing, “How I slept last night knowing I’m going to hear TTPD for the very first time tonight cause I haven’t listened to any leaks.”

Yet another person posted a video of two models walking and wrote, “Me and my bestie on our way to listen to #TSTTPD leaks.”

On Thursday, “Taylor Swift leaks” was a prevented search phrase on X.

The general consensus among those who have decided to be “leak free” appears to be that they are the true Swifties – as her hard core fan base is known – because they don’t believe the singer would have sanctioned such a “leak.”

Swift herself has gone to great lengths to prevent unintended early releases in the past.

“I have a lot of maybe, maybe-not-irrational fears of security invasion, wiretaps, people eavesdropping,” Swift said of her music during an 2014 appearance on” Jimmy Kimmel Live.” She added that her “1989” album only existed on her phone, “covered in cat stickers and the volume buttons don’t work very well because there’s candy stuck in there,” for nearly two years.

“The Tortured Poets Department” is Swift’s 11th album and comes after she became the first woman and only solo artist to win the Grammy for album of the year three times.

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