My breakup with Social Media

Hondred: Thanks for meeting me on short notice. I have been trying to have this conversation with you for a while but it’s been difficult getting the words out of my mouth.
SM: Y didn’t u just link up on Whatsapp or DM me on twitter or something?
Hondred: I could have but I prefer doing this face to face as opposed to sending messages and stuff.
SM: K so wassup?
Hondred: There is no easy way to say this but here goes. I don’t think this relationship thing is working. There is too much going on. Every minute something is happening and let’s face it you hog and demand attention.
SM: Gimme a min. Sori I didn’t get dat I was responding 2 ma gal on Twitter. Say that again.
Hondred: (Shaking my head) your attitude just confirms it. I don’t see you adding any value to my life right now. At first I thought I did but lately I realize that I am too connected to you. So I know things I shouldn’t know and I feel obliged to respond and act a certain way online with you. I don’t believe the impact I want to make is what we have right now so I think we should break up.
SM: WOW! I definitely didn’t see that comin. But can’t we work things out?
Hondred: I don’t know. When I think about everything and add your bad grammar and spelling to the mix. It makes things even more complicated. I mean don’t get me wrong I see the importance of having you with me, it’s just that right now I need some space. Maybe when my head is clear and I am less stressed I will find a way of making this relationship work.
So the conversation above never happened but in a fantasy world somewhere, this could have been the way I broke up with social media.
I don’t know about you but sometimes the notifications, information and updates feels overwhelming and stressful that one needs to take a break from social media.
For a couple of weeks now that’s what I have done and honestly it has given me clarity and insight on the toxicity that social media can cause in ones life.
Constantly being on your phone and being out of touch with reality has its negatives. Without the right perspective and balance one can end up prioritizing their phone and social media than family or personal life. Peoples lives on social media rarely mirror their reality. The selfies at the malls proclaiming life is good do not reflect what is in the fridge or what one is having for supper that night.
There was a time where every morning I woke up I would check my phone for updates on how many likes I had received or how many people have read my blog post. Is this what I live for? I feel sad even thinking about it.
As a Christian it affected me because I was not spending time in the Word as I wanted to due to me prioritizing activities on social media and leaving no time for God.
As an independent artist it’s crazy because you have to develop content to put up to keep fans and potential fans informed and interested in your brand. Without a team to help you it becomes extremely difficult especially when you are juggling a 9 to 5 as well.
Welcome to my world. At a point I was blogging about something each day. It was quite the challenge and I rather enjoyed those times but being realistic it took up a lot of time and often I felt like I was forcing and rushing the content than actually talking about stuff in a manner that will bring about impact.
I guess it boils down to the question of “why bother?”
I mean I could choose to be an observer and not contribute on social media. However, I take the gift that God has blessed me with as an artist and realize that part of being the light and salt of the earth is to share information that helps, encourages or brings about positive change.
Keeping quiet for me is quite selfish for there is a lot I experience daily that I believe the world can benefit from. This specific blog post is an example and I am doing this to connect with others who I know go through emotions similar to those which I have shared in this post.
I just have to plan my social media life better in a way that doesn’t bring about stress. I should do it for the love and not for the likes. For the impact and not the stats. Remember, just because the stats do not reflect your desires doesn’t mean your work has not impacted someone.
People have walked up to me and reminded about some things I had done in the past on social media which I never thought gathered any attention. You will be surprised the kind of offline action that social media has. It’s just difficult to report on but it does happen.
So if you are like me and broke up with social media or are considering breaking with her/him. Try reflecting instead on how you can make the relationship more meaningful and less toxic.
Keep it One HONDRED!

I'm An Android But Want To Be An Iphone

There are moments in our life when we envy. Its not a good feeling but when we are in that moment we want to be someone other than ourselves. 
I have experienced this at different stages in my life. I am however grateful that my faith in God led me to realize that I am unique, beautiful and capable of great things. 
Believe it or not but someone envies you. Even if you don’t think you are worth much, someone would kill to be in your shoes or live your life. So we got be grateful for what we have got. 
I know it’s not easy and this inspiration literally just fell on my lap. So I wrote this poem using smart phone technology that I feel will paint a different picture of envy. 
I know android lovers will be pissed at why I am making android envious of iphone but don’t take it personally ………. also don’t ask for my opinion on that as well.
Well here is the piece I hope you like it:
I’m an android dreaming about going to the big Apple to become an iphone.
Thus every night I sleep in 4g to enable the connection to be faster.
My pastor claims my dream is impossible.
I say he doesn’t believe in miracles, 
For my cousins in Dubai and China have already made the change and are now iOS 
I Own Self, is selfishness claimed the pastor
Why do you wanna change from unique to oblique?
Delete your unique to deplete your belief that you are beautiful?
Not content with your content
No longer seek consent from your beauty cos you think that it is nonsense
So your conscience now condescends
And I wonder whether you descend into an illusion of greatness or whether you are all together
LOST!
I may expand on it later but for now this is the poem. Here is a pic for you to share on instagram if you like.

Remember keep it One HONDRED!

Me, My Smart Phone & I

For the past decade there has been a gradual decline in our heads as we go about our daily lives. We seem to be bent towards a downward spiral into a world filled with the very same people but providing experiences in an addictive environment.
This strange behavior is as a result of a drug called the “smart phone”. A piece of consumable, lithium powered tech that we plug our selves into daily and have become a somewhat necessary accessory to life. You have one, I have one and the whole world seems to either have one or looking forward to making a purchase.
How many of us can go without our phones for a week?
You don’t need to utter a word. I can literally feel your internal reactions from a distance. Some females eye brows rose soo high that they had to reapply their eye liner.
Look  at the pot calling the kettle black. I myself can not go without my phone for a week. 
Are you crazy? How do I stay in contact with my school group chat? How do I stay updated on the happenings and funny stuff happening across the world? It will be torture or in other words, similar to a week of light off (lights out) and no alternative power source for a dada bee ( spoilt or privileged ) child.
For some of us our phones are like a new found organ of the human body. I am not even sure whether we feed off the phones or the phones feed off us. There is so much data being transferred from analytics via our browsers and social media and app interactions that the accuracy depicted in the cover image by Ray Styles is disturbing. If it doesn’t disturb you then the phone you are reading from may have replaced your head that contains that thing used to think and react and …….. I am trying to dumb it down for the undisturbed please bear with me.
In the image, our heads are replaced with our precious devices and seems to ask with a concerned tone, whether we have lost or are losing our minds.
Smart Phones Assist Us
Smart phones provide great assistance in many day to day instances. Google maps for instance has converted average phone users into believers. 
A lot of people have trusted the white mans technology (google maps) and ditched the stop and ask for directions approach of the past. 
Instead of looking for the plantain seller as a land mark, a digital assistant now slangs (speaks with a foreign accent) to you and notifies you when you are to make a turn. People however did not take their math seriously on a practical level; so when the digital assistance says 
“in 200 meters turn left” 
Ghanaians are sometimes not sure whether it means they should go “aaaaaaaaaaa” (another Ghanaian term for “go on for a while”) or get ready to turn shortly.
This and other essential apps however, is not my reason for concern. My concern is targeted towards our blind acceptance of news found on social media and the web. 
So Are We Losing Our Minds?
On a daily basis we are bombarded with content from various sources and because this is channeled through our so called smart devices, there is a tendency to believe any story with a good narrative and media. 
What happened to verifying the news source? How did we as a people become so gaullible? I guess the term “smart” phone creates the illusion that the phone will prompt either via a warning sound or vibration if the news is fake. Wherever we assumed this notion from is still a mystery.
This is an occurring issue across globe affecting both the educated and uneducated. People just tend to believe anything just because it was derived from a google search result page. 
Are We Blinding Ourselves?
A closer look at the cover image shows the individual in the picture using their thumbs to gouge their eyes as if to suggest that they are not needed anymore. The laughing emoticon in the screen on the phone in the image also suggests that technology finds our blind acceptance behaviour funny. 
Maybe I am reading too much into this picture by Ray Styles, but events of 2016 have proved to me that a lot of people have been misinformed about stuff as a result of them refusing to look deeper into the truth of the matter.
The past US elections and death of Fidel Castro are just examples of situations where the internet has been used to sway people’s perceptions on issues. Trusted media houses are no longer as trust worthy. There is so much faith in reputation or the lack thereof, despite the  power that lies in our hands via our smartphones to make things clear. Maybe our heads are really being replaced by smartphones.
Have Our Heads Really Been Replaced By Smartphones?
For those people who are constantly on their phones in social gatherings or in the company of people or people who don’t find Ray’s art work which I have used as the cover picture disturbing,  I answer, YES!
Some are also constantly posing for selfies at every chance they get with the aim of telling their yet to be fans, of their star studded life of swag against the backdrop of a Shoprite store or mall car park.
Don’t even get me started on Snap Chatters.
The older generation seem immune to this head conversion though. The generation I worry about greatly are the new breed of children that are being born. If the head goes, which other body part will be next?
Should We Be Worried?
YES! We should.
Smart phones are not bad. I guess they have just become the equivalent of alcohol. People are drunk on their phones  and do not want to put them away.
So much good can come out of these devices but we tend to be focused more on selfies and gossip as opposed to reading more and contributing towards Information.
We hold so much power in our hands that we believe our brains are inferior. Let’s be weary of our behaviour and social etiquette surrounding our devices. It’s definitely a new day but could easily turn into a nightmare.
I want to thank my friend Ray Styles, for providing me with inspiration in the form of his art for this article. Do well to follow him on social media and follow his works.
Keep it One HONDRED!

Vodafone & Tigo – I can't "Twi Kɔ” cos "Mi suro"

My hopes of winning over 10,000 GHC in cash are over. 
My crime? 
I don’t buy scratch cards.
Am I the only person feeling ripped off?
As a user of both Tigo and Vodafone services I feel their current scratch and win promotion doesn’t favor me. I believe there are others like me and thus the reason for my rant this morning.
Vodafone and Tigo have both launched a scratch and win promotion which is ongoing. Vodafone’s “Yee Twi Kɔ”and Tigo’s “Wo suro aaa wondi” are set up to get their customers buying airtime in the hope of winning a prize.
Unfortunately my chances at winning any of the attractive prizes, which often are in the form cash, is non existent because I do not purchase scratch cards to attain airtime. Either postpaid handles the airtime or it is transferred via mobile money or Express Pay.
Considering that the digital methods of accessing airtime exist and save the networks money, I find it difficult to understand why users who purchase airtime outside of scratch cards can’t participate in the promotion.
I feel that in a Ghana where a cashless society is being pushed by the banks and even the networks, that it is important to to level the playing field rather than make one method of accessing airtime superior.
The reward for scratching a card can win you over 10,000 GHC. Meanwhile purchasing airtime digitally just offers you convenience. If you ask me it seems as if both companies prefer customers buying scratch cards than purchasing airtime digitally.
I just think that both Tigo and Vodafone should come up with a scheme to allow their customers who purchase airtime digitally to benefit from the ongoing scratch and win promotion.
Post paid customers can be given tokens or sent at random, a digital ticket that puts them into a raffle to win one of the prizes. This can come with conditions such as early payment of bills. 
For those who purchase digitally, each time a purchase is made a digital ticket can be sent to the user to enter a raffle to stand the the chance of winning.
What do you think about my suggestion?
Stay winning and remember to always keep it One HONDRED!

Mobile Money Fund Raising in Church

How many of us have sat in church and witnessed fundraising turn into an auction? Starting at about 1000 GHC all the way to 1 GHC for a worthy cause. 
During this auction, members of the congregation usually walk up to either receive envelopes, to bring cash later or drop cheques or cash in baskets. One can describe this as a social class exercise, a status walk or the physical manifestation of the social ladder.
When I find myself in such situations I either give my contribution after church is done or give it to someone to drop in the basket for me. 
I am not here to discuss whether the cause for such funding is worthy. I am here to offer a proposition for conducting this exercise in a more covert manner.

Matthew 6:1 - Don't Do Good Deeds Publicly
Matthew 6:1 – Don’t Do Good Deeds Publicly

Matthew 6:1 emphasizes the need for us to go about doing good undercover. The goal is not for us to receive praise but for God to be celebrated for using us to do good. Churches should encourage such giving and have faith that the congregation will give. 
As mentioned in God Loves A Cheerful Giver, I believe mobile money technology provide churches a means to go about collecting money efficiently and offering convenience to its members. 
I personally feel that the advent of social media, email and the Internet provide churches a means of communication with their members that go beyond Sunday service. 
In my view, churches conduct fund raising on Sunday’s because they feel its the only time they can get memebers attention and money. Many pledges have gone unpaid for as a result of this notion.
Mobile money changes this narrative from a “Sunday only” venture to one that can be conducted anytime. It thus provokes churches to gather details of the members and visitors in order to continue communication after Sunday service.
To showcase the above in action let’s assume that a church on average has a thousand members. It’s trying to raise funds to assist in the paying of hospital bills for a members surgery which is estimated at 4000 GHC.
The church makes an announcement in church on Sunday appealing for funds and continues to engage the congregation via SMS, whatsapp, email and its social media platforms. 
The campaign is simple: 
Donate 2GHC or more to help pay for John Doe’s surgery of 4000 GHC.
Everyday the word should go out including a report of the current state of the fund raiser, informing members of how far their collective efforts have gone.
If half of the members give 2 GHC each week, that amounts to 4000 GHC after a month. This is less intimidating and allows the church to work collectively.
I don’t know about you but I am more than willing to give 2 GHC every week for a worthy cause. Unfortunately this opportunity is untapped and thousands of 2GHC are up for grabs each week without being claimed. The variables can be changed but I believe the message is clear.
Churches should utilize mobile money and digital marketing to enhance their activities. It’s the way things are done now and probably the way of the future. The earlier churches start the earlier they reap.
Keep it One HONDRED!

God Loves A Cheerful Giver

How many Ghanaian Christians would like to deposit their tithes and offering one time in church via mobile money?
I have been asking people this very question for a couple of weeks now and have received mixed responses. 
I have not conducted a wide enough survey to have conclusive results but my findings so far have revealed that Christians are more comfortable with tithes being transferred via mobile money than offering.
What is it about offering that makes people uncomfortable about transferring it digitally?
People feel something is missing when offering is transffered via a transaction. (Maybe a blessing is not received when money is sent over the phone.) 
Maybe there is a fear that people wouldn’t give money in church and lean on the “I sent it via mobile money” excuse.
In my opinion, the advent of mobile money provides churches with an opportunity to both make their congregation more generous and raise more funds.
I for one last month reserved a fixed amount of cash for offering and found that I gave more than the past months because I had planned for it. Previous months found me playing wheel of fortune with my offering amount. 
“Is it too small?” 
“I need to buy something after church so I can’t give that much”
“My money is finished so I can only give this amount”
This and many more are excuses I have made in the past due to my failure to plan for the month. As a result I end up not being a cheerful giver.

2nd Corinthians 9:6-7 MSG
2nd Corinthians 9:6-7 MSG

In 2nd Corinthians we are told about God’s view on giving. Whilst this is not specifically in an offering context it still applies. For the many blessings I received knowingly and unknowingly, I believe I owe the Lord a respectable token of appreciation in the form of an offering. In order for me not to disrespect that token I set it aside each month. 
Last month I was able to go through without needing to borrow from the offering account. I would like to however just set the money aside by transferring it into the churches account. Mobile money is preferred because it is more convenient.
So if my suggestion is implemented, will I stop giving offering at church?
 No. 
I however will view such offerings as top ups and will probably want to do it via the mobile money platform.
I must caution myself however that people may not view my not giving offering on Sunday kindly. Ghanaians in my view are very traditional in nature. (Even the idea of Bibles on smart devices do not appeal to some.)
Matthew 6:1
Matthew 6:1

The anonymity of mobile money is what appeals to me. Matthew 6 does a good job of giving us an idea of how God prefers we conduct our giving. Mobile money helps in this regard. Grace however is needed to carry one through a service amidst eyes that look to guilt trip or force you into throwing air into the offering basket to put your conscience and minds of onlookers at ease. 
(The hypocrisy that sometimes surrounds churches is staggering.)
Other benefits of conducting offerings via mobile moneyinclude:

  1. Security: offering sent via mobile money is not handled by ushers and there is a paper trail of transactions.
  2. Anytime Offering: Offerings can be given anytime and not restricted to Sunday.
  3. Environmental: Envelopes used for tithes and other offerings will be reduced thus saving envelopes expenditure and as a result reducing paper wastage.

So how many offerings should a church collect on Sunday? I for one believe in taking one offering at church and also not a fan of funds being raised during Sunday service. I will however speak on that tomorrow.
So as you keep it ONE HONDRED! What do you think about mobile money and church offering?

Mobile Money – The Future

I had the privilege of attending a presentation by Ebenezer Twum Asante, the CEO of MTN some weeks back on mobile money. Here are some of the highlights of the presentation that I want to bring to your attention:

  • 35% of airtime is bought through physical means. 65% through digital means.
  • MTN currently piloting near field technology .
  • Debit card/credit card will probably be needless in the future. 
  • Money may be retained in the space as opposed to cashing in and cashing out.
  • Mobile money alone is responsible for over 10% of deposits in the banking system.
  • Current research shows that the central bank should raise the limit allowed.
  • Transaction size growing including amount transacted.
  • Security is as safe as the banks.
  • Scams still major concern but mainly because of literacy level
  • Mobile money is better placed to handle money laundering since they are able to deal with it in real time. Alerts are sent once a transaction occurs that triggers suspicious activity. Central banks and security agencies are contacted in realtime. 

Makes me wonder why we are still using cheques.

(I just want to highlight that though this article is about mobile money, it’s not referring entirely to MTN. It involves the other networks as well. It’s just that MTN is privileged to have mobile money associated with its name.)
I started using mobile money actively in 2016. I had been registered but never saw the need to use it till I needed to pay someone and found it more convenient to use digital means.
Since then I have found it to be an excellent medium of moving money in Ghana and find it irritating that my bank hasn’t yet integrated it into their systems.
As a millennial, these developments are exciting because it breaks down the red tape associated with money transfer.
Ghana due to scams on credit cards and other fraudulent activities, have been sidelined and thus payment platforms such as PayPal are not easily accessible. This restricts e-commerce to a privileged few.
Mobile money is just the beginning of e-commerce in Ghana. Technology such as Slyde Pay and Express Pay facilitate everyday transactions at the touch of a button or screen expanding payment opportunities. 
Ghana is gradually moving towards a future where our smart phones become more than just communication devices. They will become our wallets, ticket or boarding pass holders and identity documents.
I foresee payroll being run on mobile money platforms soon. It may even be used as a means to provide credit since your service provider has an idea of your cellular history and a bit more. 
In this digital age where the future is uncertain, I urge businesses to begin adopting mobile money and e-commerce. That’s the future. With the way technology is moving I strongly believe that our laptops will shrink to become our cell phones. The power we hold now in our phones keeps growing. Hard drive space, processing power, camera specifications and more keep evolving each day. 
So let’s position ourselves for the future. I look forward to my church adopting mobile money for offerings ?.
(I will definitely be blogging about mobile money in church. That will be such a hot topic)
Keep it One HONDRED!

Pokemon Go Ignorance

Yesterday Niantic’s PokemonGo became available on app stores of both Android and IOS for a number of African countries.
Avid players of the game like myself in Africa were happy to be acknowledged but like everyone else in the world, was hoping for an update to make the game more interesting.
My happiness was short lived when I came across certain comments on PokemonGoNews’s Twitter feed showing gross ignorance, painting a very clear picture that discrimination is not going away any time soon.
Here are the comments I found:

The third tweet is more ignorance than anything. So I can ignore it.
No! I can’t.
How do you call yourself Jesus on Twitter and say dumb stuff.  It’s 2016 for crying out loud, there is a smartphone everywhere! 
The first two tweets are just the worst. People’s thoughts on Africa are just stupid. It’s inexcusable to think that Africa doesn’t have cellular technology.
Even if you think otherwise, why would Niantic bother? Their data on their servers suggest that the game activity in Ghana is active enough to warrant to open it up on our app stores.
It’s amazing that the smartphones that the above tweets originated from couldn’t be used to double check their thoughts on a search engine before posting.
My initial reaction to the tweets was anger and then dissapointment, that with all this awesomeness that technology provides us, we are still far behind.
The tweets were unwarranted but let’s give them the benefit of the doubt and assume they don’t know that Africa has smartphones and not everyone is hustling for food.
You know what, I can’t.
I can’t wrap my head around it.
In the great words of Ghanaian comedian Lil Win, “I don’t think far”.
Even if we are hustling for food, some of us are using a smartphone to get that food and as we munch on our jollof (or whatever it is we have for lunch) we may catch a Dragonite or Pikachu in the process.

Google Pixel – Will You Buy One?

Google yesterday released its new smartphone, Pixel and though efforts by the Alphabet company to sway IOS users, my bet is that Apple won’t lose much of its pie in market share. 
I can’t however say the same for other Android phone manufacturers like Samsung, HTC and Huawei. 
As we await consumers response to the release, I want to point out few points from yesterday’s presentation that I found interesting.
Best Apple Jab
Though many punches were thrown at Apple at yesterday’s presentation (of which I don’t think we’re enough to make Tim Cook flinch), a nice uppercut was thrown which got me laughing really hard. 
The colour names of the Pixel phone:

  • Quite Black
  • Really Blue
  • Very Silver

I found this the highlight of the presentation as it mocked the iPhone 7 new colour announcement: Jet Black 
(Jet Black is not really a new colour if black already was an option for consumers. I bet some were expecting indigo lol)
Why can’t people just stick to the colours we are used to for smartphones: Good ol Red, Chelsea Blue, Man City Light Blue, MTN Yellow and ECG Black ?. (I will take ECG Black anyday by the way, just don’t charge me)
Photos and Camera
I should have guessed that the name of the phone was related to its camera and photo features. 
With 12 MP in the back and 8 MP in the front (along with other specs I won’t bore the non technical person with), this is apparently the best camera on a smartphone yet according to DxOMark which gave it an 89 rating. (That’s better than the IPhone 7 plus if you were wondering).
If you are like me and aren’t moved by that, Pixel takes it a step further and adds that Google offers FREE UNLIMITED STORAGE of photos in original quality on Google Photos. 
(Wonderful Google, now give me free credit to buy the phone and I won’t bother you this Christmas)
Aside these two features everything was same old news. 
Pixel is a great phone entering into the market. You can pre-order one now or like others wait till MegaPixel comes out LOL.
(I am not sure whether MegaPixel is their next model but it sure is a good name)

Pixel-The New Google Phone

Are you looking to buy a new android smart phone? If you are you then you timed your buying just right because Google (The company that some see as the Internet) is releasing its new smart phone handset dubbed Pixel, tomorrow 4th October 2016.
But what happened to Nexus? Why did Google start over? 
I have not yet found answers to these questions but Pixel’s rumored features alongside other Google technology such as Google Allo, the messaging app designed to make us do and say more in our instant messaging chat rooms (watch out Whatsapp, someone wants your spot reaaaaaaal baaaaaaad!) shadow the reason for the company’s branding changes.
I guess Google just want to be more in control of the hardware that houses Android. 
The phone looks sweet though. I am tempted to call it the Google iPhone since it debuts with an XL version as well. 
There price range is rumored to be about the same as its Apple and Samsung counterparts. My bet is that they would slowly overtake the Android handset market.
I hear a 15 minute charge will give the phone 7 hours battery life. This looks likely as the Nexus 6 in this article provided 6 hours battery life after a 15 minute charge. (That was in 2014. Did we have to wait 2 more years to add an extra hour? ?)
Below are the specifications of both phones according to Carphone Warehouse:
Pixel – Specifications
Software: Android 7.1
Display: 5″ FHD AMOLED (1920×1080, 441ppi) Gorilla Glass 4
Processor: 2.15GHz Snapdragon 821 (quad-core, 64-bit)
RAM: 4GB
Camera: Rear: 12.3MP (f/2.0, 1.55um), Image stabilization. Front: 8MP
Battery: 2770mAh Fast charging 
Storage: 32GB or 128GB No microSD support
Other: Fingerprint scanner, NFC, 3.5mm headphone, USB Type-C
Dimensions: 143.8 x 69.5 x 8.6 mm 143 grams
SIM: Nano
Pixel XL – Specifications
Software: Android 7.1
Display: 5.5″ QHD AMOLED (2560×1440, 534ppi) Gorilla Glass 4
Processor: 2.15GHz Snapdragon 821 (quad-core, 64-bit)
RAM: 4GB
Camera: Rear: 12.3MP (f/2.0, 1.55um), Image stabilization. Front: 8MP
Battery: 3450mAh Fast charging
Storage: 32GB or 128GB No microSD support
Other: Fingerprint scanner, NFC, 3.5mm headphone, USB Type-C
Dimensions: 154.7 x 75.7 x 8.6 mm 168 grams
SIM: Nano
The phone looks promising but until the launch tomorrow that’s about all I have on this scoop. Will discuss the features more after the launch.