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MoviePass goes back to movie-a-day monthly plan after brief switch
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As Bloomberg reported, MoviePass, which helps feed peoples film habits by giving them movie theater passes for a monthly fee, recently dropped its monthly subscription price to $9.95... - photo by Herb Scribner
That was quick.

Less than three weeks after switching up its subscription service plan, MoviePass will once again allow customers to see one movie per day as a part of its monthly subscription service, according to Variety.

MoviePass now has two available plans. The MoviePass Unlimited plan offers subscribers a new movie every day for $9.95 per month. Theres also the limited-time MoviePass plan that costs $7.95 per month and offers users three movies a month along with an extended free three-month trial of iHeartRadio All-Access.

Customers will be billed monthly for both plans.

The popular plan was changed on April 13 when the company announced a new $29.95 three-month-plan that gave users four movies a month and a free trial to iHeartRadios All-Access streaming package.

The change made subscribers and critics alike think the company was running out of money.

Last week, MoviePass CEO Mitch Lowe told The Hollywood Reporter that he was unsure the unlimited service would ever return.

But in a new interview, Lowe told Variety the plan was never to stop selling the unlimited package.

We never planned to abandon the flagship product that everybody loves, he said. Any time weve done a promotional package, weve taken the monthly plan off our site.

Lowe said the unlimited package was stopped because he didnt want to hinder the iHeartRadio promotion.

Its marketing 101, he said, according to Variety. We wanted to focus everybody on this partnership promotion. If people knew the (movie-a-day) plan was coming back, they might not be interested in the iHeartRadio deal.

MoviePass business model has remained in question since the company became popular last fall. AMC Theatres called the service a small-fringe player, saying the company could never hold up with its low prices.

According to Variety, Lowe said he isnt worried about the direction of the company. He said he feels MoviePass will make money by using data obtained from customers something hes talked about before, to much controversy to run ads that help the business.

Thats just really relative to how much cash we have at any one time in the bank, Lowe said. We have a constantly evolving business model. Were getting more and more occasional moviegoers and cutting back on fraud and abuse. I feel very confident about our trend lines and I know were going to continue as a going concern and continue to be popular.

In February, the marketing and data company Helios and Matheson Analytics announced that it bought even more stock in MoviePass, bringing its total stock to 78 percent.

The increased stock will help HMNY support MoviePass' working capital and operational requirements, as well as to support the expansion of MoviePass' business plans and objectives, according to the press release.

HMNY said it has advanced $45,545,000 to MoviePass.
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How to avoid 'sharenting' and other paparazzi parenting habits
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A recent study revealed parents often spend up to two hours staging a single photo of his or her child to post online. - photo by Amy Iverson
Before having kids, some people just dont appreciate their friends baby posts. But after having a child of their own, three fourths of new parents jump right on the parental social media bandwagon. If you have become a member of this group, there are some rules to follow for posting responsibly.

Much of a parents worry is how to teach their children to use social media responsibly. We talk with our kids about privacy, oversharing, and setting restrictions on their devices to keep them safe. But parents themselves need to look in the digital mirror once in a while. Before having children, it doesnt take as much effort to think about what to post online. Its up to us to decide what we share about our own lives. But once you become a parent, there are many questions to think about regarding what is appropriate to post about your kids on social media.

In a recent survey, kids clothing subscription company Mac and Mia surveyed 2000 new parents to find out how they are documenting their kids lives on social media, and what concerns they may have.

First of all, people without children seem to feel a bit differently about the onslaught of baby pictures online than those who are parents. 18 percent of people say before they had kids, they were annoyed by their friends baby posts. But after having children of their own, 73 percent admit they post progress pictures of their little ones every single month.

Not only are new parents letting the world know each time their baby is a month older, but they are posting about their kids every few days or so. Men and women report they post 6-7 times per month about their baby.

And while 70 percent of new parents say the benefit of using social media is how easy it is to help family and friends feel involved, there are some downsides. Here are a few tips to avoid the pitfall of becoming paparazzi parents.

Dont miss the moment

In the Mac and Mia survey, some parents admitted to spending up to two hours to get the perfect shot of their baby. That seems a little extreme. New and old parents alike should be careful about spending so much time taking pictures and videos that they dont enjoy the moment. Years ago, I decided to never live an experience through my phone. A study by Linda Henkel, a psychology professor at Fairfield University in Connecticut, found that when people took pictures of objects in an art museum, they didnt remember the objects as well as if they simply observed them.

This photo-taking impairment effect can happen to parents as well. If we are so consumed by getting the perfect photo, we can miss out on the moment all together, and our memory of it will suffer.

Dont forget about privacy

60 percent of couples say they have discussed rules and boundaries for posting their babys photos, according to the Mac and Mia survey. Even so, men are 34 percent more likely to publish baby posts on public accounts. If parents are concerned about their childrens privacy, keeping photos off of public accounts is a given.

In the Washington Post, Stacey Steinberg, a legal skills professor at the University of Florida, and Bahareh Keith, a Portland pediatrician, wrote that sharing too much information about kids online puts them at risk. They write that all that sharenting can make it easier for data thieves to target out kids for identity theft. Check that your privacy settings are where they should be and never share identifying information like full names and birth dates.

Dont be paparazzi parents

36 percent of parents say they take issue when their childs photo is posted online by someone else. Responsible social media users will always ask permission before posting a photo of another child. But parents should also think about whether their own children will take issue with their own posted photos a few years down the road.

When parents are constantly snapping pictures and throwing them on social media, it can be easy to forget to pause and make sure the post is appropriate. I always use the billboard example with my kids. I ask them to picture whatever they are posting going up on a billboard in our neighborhood. If they are okay with that, then their post is probably fine. Parents should ask themselves this same question when posting about their children. But they should also ask themselves if their child would be OK with this post on a billboard in 15 years. If it would cause embarrassment or humiliation, it might be best to keep it private.

Once children reach an appropriate age, parents should include them in the process of deciding what pictures are OK to post. Researchers at the University of Michigan surveyed 10- to 17-year-olds and found children believe their parents should ask permission more than parents think they should. The kids in the survey said sharing happy family moments, or accomplishments in sports, school and hobbies is fine. But when the post is negative (like when a child is disciplined) or embarrassing (think naked baby pictures or messy hair), kids say to keep it off social media.
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