Mitch Joel's Blog: Six Pixels of Separation, page 103

The Politics Of Building A New Social Network And More On CHOM 97.7 FM

Every Monday morning at 7:10 am, I am on air at CHOM 97.7 FM radio out of Montreal (home base). It’s not a long segment – about 10 minutes every week – to decode the future. We discuss everything that is happening in the world of technology, digital media and culture. The good folks at CHOM 97.7 FM are posting these segments weekly on i Heart Radio, if you’re interested in hearing more about what’s happening in the transformation of our digital world. I’m really excited about these weekly hits, because this is the radio station that I grew up listening to, and it really is a fun treat to be invited to the Mornings Rock with Terry DiMonte morning show. The segment is called, CTRL ALT Delete with Mitch Joel.

This week we discussed:

Politics alert. The former President of the United States is creating his own social media network that will go live in a few months. Many have tried this before (Lady Gaga’s Little Monsters comes to mind). Is it possible for this politician to pull this off? While most of our kids have become inundated by screen time (thanks, Covid 19!), it seems like we’ve all forgotten how concerned we were (pre-pandemic) with just how much time our kids were spending on screens and, more importantly, what content they were being exposed to (and the people that they were connecting with). Instagram is planning to build a version of their popular app that can be used by children under the age of 13. Instagram is owned by Facebook.Remote work. Work from home. Hybrid work models. WeWork. There are many thoughts on what happens as the world gets vaccinated, and we get back to whatever “normal” work is. Google just announced a $7 billion bet on the post-pandemic office. In short: Google is taking more office space. They believe that “coming together” is core to its culture. I’d argue that it’s core to culture, innovation, and professional development. App of the Week: Zoom Escaper – you can self-sabotage your own audio, making it unbearable to others (and an easy out for yourself if Zoom is burning you out).

You can also listen in via I Heart Radio. 

Mitch Joel · CTRL ALT Delete – CHOM 97.7 FM – March 22nd, 2021

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Tom Peters On Excellence Now – Live From Clubhouse – This Week’s Six Pixels of Separation Podcast

Episode #767 of Six Pixels of Separation is now live and ready for you to listen to.

The patron saint of management strategy and business thinking is Tom Peters. Full stop. When I think of Tom Peters, there is only one word that comes to mind: Legend. He is that. He is the “oracle of business” to me, personally (and for many others) when it comes to business, business book writing, public speaking, personal branding, and how to show up. If you want to know how much his work and thinking has impacted my life, you can click back about nine years to when I wrote a very public love letter to him (here it is: Dear Tom Peters). From the moment I first read The Project 50 – close to twenty years ago – to every book, program and article that he’s put out, I have been a fan. To say that I studied his public speaking style and adopted it for my own would not be a lie. A bio for Tom Peters? Where to begin? In 1982 he co-authored the seminal business book, In Search Of Excellence, which has been named one of the top three business books of the century by NPR. For my dollar, he’s changed almost everything I thought I knew about business through a series of books called, The Reinventing Work Series 50 List Books. In 2003, I devoured Re-Imagine! Business Excellence In A Disruptive Age, and it still sits within arm’s reach on my desk (one of the only books to do so). In 1987 he wrote the article, The Brand Called You, in Fast Company and it – literally – ushered in the era of individuals as brands (so, don’t believe those who think that they created the notion of a personal brand… it was Tom). His list of accolades and awards could fill a book. Now he is back with his (gasp!) last book, Excellence Now – Extreme Humanism. To mix things up, I invited Tom into Clubhouse (for his first time along with Shelley Dolley). Enjoy the conversation…

You can grab the latest episode of Six Pixels of Separation here (or feel free to subscribe via iTunes): Six Pixels of Separation #767.

Before you go… if you enjoyed this, please subscribe (all new content arrives in your inbox). It’s easy, it’s free and it’s right here.

SPOS #767 – Tom Peters On Excellence Now – Live From Clubhouse

Welcome to episode #767 of Six Pixels of Separation.

Here it is: Six Pixels of Separation – Episode #767 – Host: Mitch Joel. The patron saint of management strategy and business thinking is Tom Peters. Full stop. When I think of Tom Peters, there is only one word that comes to mind: Legend. He is that. He is the “oracle of business” to me, personally (and for many others) when it comes to business, business book writing, public speaking, personal branding, and how to show up. If you want to know how much his work and thinking has impacted my life, you can click back about nine years to when I wrote a very public love letter to him (here it is: Dear Tom Peters). From the moment I first read The Project 50 – close to twenty years ago – to every book, program and article that he’s put out, I have been a fan. To say that I studied his public speaking style and adopted it for my own would not be a lie. A bio for Tom Peters? Where to begin? In 1982 he co-authored the seminal business book, In Search Of Excellence, which has been named one of the top three business books of the century by NPR. For my dollar, he’s changed almost everything I thought I knew about business through a series of books called, The Reinventing Work Series 50 List Books. In 2003, I devoured Re-Imagine! Business Excellence In A Disruptive Age, and it still sits within arm’s reach on my desk (one of the only books to do so). In 1987 he wrote the article, The Brand Called You, in Fast Company and it – literally – ushered in the era of individuals as brands (so, don’t believe those who think that they created the notion of a personal brand… it was Tom). His list of accolades and awards could fill a book. Now he is back with his (gasp!) last book, Excellence Now – Extreme Humanism. To mix things up, I invited Tom into Clubhouse (for his first time along with Shelley Dolley). Enjoy the conversation…

Running time: 1:29:30.Hello from beautiful Montreal.Subscribe over at Apple Podcasts.Please visit and leave comments on the blog – Six Pixels of Separation.Feel free to connect to me directly on Facebook here: Mitch Joel on Facebook.or you can connect on LinkedIn.…or on Twitter.Here is my conversation with Tom Peters.Excellence Now – Extreme Humanism.In Search Of Excellence.The Project 50.Re-Imagine! Business Excellence In A Disruptive Age.The Brand Called You.Follow Tom on Twitter.This week’s music: David Usher ‘St. Lawrence River’.

Download the Podcast here: Six Pixels of Separation – Episode #767 – Host: Mitch Joel.

Before you go… if you enjoyed this, please subscribe (all new content arrives in your inbox). It’s easy, it’s free and it’s right here.

Six Links Worthy of Your Attention #560

Is there one link, story, picture or thought that you saw online this week that you think somebody you know must see?

My friends: Alistair Croll (Solve for Interesting, Tilt the Windmill, Interesting Bits, HBS, chair of Strata, Startupfest, FWD50, and Scaletechconf; author of Lean Analytics and some other books), Hugh McGuire (Rebus Foundation, PressBooks, LibriVox) and I decided that every week the three of us are going to share one link for one another (for a total of six links) that each individual feels the other person “must see.”

Check out these six links that we’re recommending to one another: 

The Paradox of Genius: Why Long-Term Thinking Wins – NfX. “The paradox of startups is that you need relentless tactical focus, but you need to hitch that wagon to a long-term vision of how the world is changing. This great post by James Currier summarizes a conversation (linked in the piece) with Kevin Kelly, who has been thinking about the future more than anyone else that I know. It’s a fascinating list of points that try to connect the here and now to the future species we’re becoming.” (Alistair for Hugh). The End of Silicon Valley as We Know It? – O’Reilly . “The only person who can compete with Kevin on long-term speculation is Tim O’Reilly. It’s thanks to Tim that I got to spend a late night talking with Kevin and Ray Ozzie about how to detect sentient life in the universe (spoiler alert: Look for extropy, the inverse of entropy, where energy is being converted into concentrations of organization and structure). Tim’s success rate at predicting tomorrow – from digital government, to open source, to rethinking venture capital – is unparalleled. So, if you want to understand the changes that COVID, tech, global competition, and alternate financing models are having on the Valley, this is as good of a roadmap as you’ll get.” (Alistair for Mitch). The Sovietization of the American Press – National Post . “Can we post about politics at all? Well… I will, because this is about media? Anyway, the ongoing polarization of our societies does seem to be butting up against big media’s ‘issue framing’ restrictions. Certain topics are only ‘allowed’ to be talked about in certain ways in mainstream media (think immigration in the USA: it is possible to object to open borders without being a racist; but the topic on the mainly-left only seems to get presented as an either or question). There is a sense that media is back in comfortland in the US, where policies that were abhorrent last year are suddenly fine.” (Hugh for Alistair). Bruce Cockburn – If I had a Rocket Launcher – Austin City Limits – YouTube . “Incredible live version of an old 80s Canadian legend’s classic tune. Amazingly, there are just two musicians on this stage.” (Hugh for Mitch). Bitcoin’s Greatest Feature Is Also Its Existential Threat – Wired . “The other week, I launched my own ‘Creator Coin’ on Rally.io (it’s called the $WRITE coin). If I’m being honest, I’m no expert on cryptocurrency and what the potential might be for me to maintain my own coin. At a simplistic level, it sounds ‘interesting’ to build a unique economy around writing and writers. Still, lots to learn. And, learning is what I am doing. What’s the point of cryptocurrency? How do we get beyond the enormous hype that it currently has? Does it make sense for money to no longer be regulated (or backed) by governments? Is that even possible? This article looks at some of these questions. And, as it always seems, it will leave you with more questions than answers…” (Mitch for Alistair). The Buzzy, Chatty, Out-of-Control Rise of Clubhouse – Wired . “This past week, Clubhouse (the drop-in social audio app that is all the rage these days) celebrated it’s first anniversary. Still, it’s invite only. Still, it’s iOS only. There are claims that as many as 15-20 million people have downloaded the app. It is worth over one billion dollars (if you believe the large investments these startups get based on their valuation). I’m still tinkering with it (my username is mitchjoel, if you want to follow me), and I have a great time recording live podcasts on the platform. Still, for everything I like about Clubhouse, there is much more about the platform that makes me wonder how safe it truly is (and how ‘credible’ many of the so-called influencers on the platform actually are). With that, if you can step away from the drama, it’s a fascinating concept, and step forward in live audio consumption and creation. Will it stick? We shall see.” (Mitch for Hugh). 

Feel free to share these links and add your picks on Twitter, Facebook, in the comments below or wherever you play.

Are you interested in what’s next? How to decode the future? I publish between 2-3 times per week and then the Six Pixels of Separation Podcast comes out every Sunday. Feel free to subscribe (and tell your friends ;): 

Should Instagram Remove “Likes”? – Tech Tuesday In Two Minutes

Are “Likes” Toxic For Us Humans?

In case you had not noticed, Instagram has been hiding the like counter for some users (a glitch or a test?).
Is that putting your mind at ease or stressing you out?
The truth is that you can still see how many people like a piece of content that you create (you just have to click around more).
The truth is that you may not see how many people have liked a piece of content on someone else’s profile.
This is happening in places like Canada, Australia, Brazil, Italy, and others.
This is happening (on a smaller scale) in the United States.

Will this be a better Instagram experience?

Will other social media platforms do the same?
Is this better for well-being and mental health?
Are likes just a silly vanity metric to begin with?

This is what Heather Backman and I discussed this morning over on Jack 103 FM for a couple of minutes.

What is Tech Tuesday?

If you ever find yourself wondering… What, exactly, is the point of TikTok? How can I make myself look better on a Zoom? Reddit? What’s that about? How do I help my kids be safer online? Who’s the latest creator and streamer that I should be checking out?

You are not alone.

Every Tuesday – for just a few minutes – I join Heather Backman (my old buddy from her days on CHOM FM) on the air at Jack 103 (Rogers Sports & Media) to give a quick blast about the current state of technology, media and Internet culture. We’re calling the segment Tech Tuesday (and we do it in just a few minutes).

Subscribe to get it free in your inbox right here.

Mitch Joel · Tech Tuesday – Jack 103 FM – Should Instagram Remove "Likes"? – March 16th 2021

Once the segment goes live on Jack 103, I will post it here for you to listen in, learn, share and engage….

The 69 Million Dollar JPG And More On CHOM 97.7 FM

Every Monday morning at 7:10 am, I am on air at CHOM 97.7 FM radio out of Montreal (home base). It’s not a long segment – about 10 minutes every week – to decode the future. We discuss everything that is happening in the world of technology, digital media and culture. The good folks at CHOM 97.7 FM are posting these segments weekly on i Heart Radio, if you’re interested in hearing more about what’s happening in the transformation of our digital world. I’m really excited about these weekly hits, because this is the radio station that I grew up listening to, and it really is a fun treat to be invited to the Mornings Rock with Terry DiMonte morning show. The segment is called, CTRL ALT Delete with Mitch Joel.

This week we discussed:

Last week we discussed NFTs (Non-fungible tokens). Or, digital pieces, that can now be assigned as unique (or a limited series). Well, one of the most-hyped NFTs was a piece of digital art called, Everydays – The First 5000 Days, by a digital artist known as Beeple. The JPG file sold for $69 million at auction at Christies.Drones can film some crazy things. Like this incredible single-shot video that has impressed Hollywood… and it should. 90 seconds of a drone filming a bowling alley. A wild ride. It’s a wild ride.How do we teach self-driving cars to prevent real-world crashes (and, more importantly, deaths)? Well, Waymo (part of Alphabet/Google) started using AI, machine learning and more to simulate real-world crashes to prove that self-driving cars can prevent deaths. This is a fascinating story about how the company used real-world fatal crashed that took place in Arizona – over a decade – to create an autonomous vehicle that is better at driving than humans. The results? Astonishing. App of the Week: Nemo’s Dreamscapes – Oldies playing in another room with the sounds of fireplaces, weather, and more to help you relax, chill, and even fall asleep.

You can also listen in via I Heart Radio. 

Mitch Joel · CTRL ALT Delete – CHOM 97.7 FM – March 15th, 2021

Before you go… if you enjoyed this, please subscribe (all new content arrives in your inbox). It’s easy, it’s free and it’s right here.

Kevin Kolbe On Great Video And The Creator Economy – This Week’s Six Pixels of Separation Podcast

Episode #766 of Six Pixels of Separation is now live and ready for you to listen to.

If you have had to deep dive into presenting via video (who didn’t?), odds are that you have heard about Ecamm Live (which is a great software for the Mac that enables anyone to make their livestream, Zoom meeting, virtual presentation really standout). Ecamm has done a phenomenal job of recruiting those in the creator space to be both brand evangelists and help bring these video experts to a much broader audience. That’s where I first became captivated by Kevin Kolbe, his livestreams, and his knowledge of what it takes to create compelling video. Kevin sees himself as a video coach and content creator, who has a passion for helping people use video to share their gifts and make an impact in the world. His background is much deeper than his current high profile YouTubing world. He started our as a radio DJ, then went into television and creative direction. As the TV industry changed, Kevin decided to use his experience and passion for creating content to start his own video marketing business. His own video content has really helped me fast-forward my skills through his tips, tutorials, insights and storytelling. Want to amp up your video skills? Enjoy the conversation…

You can grab the latest episode of Six Pixels of Separation here (or feel free to subscribe via iTunes): Six Pixels of Separation #766.

Before you go… if you enjoyed this, please subscribe (all new content arrives in your inbox). It’s easy, it’s free and it’s right here.

SPOS #766 – Kevin Kolbe On Great Video And The Creator Economy

Welcome to episode #766 of Six Pixels of Separation.

Here it is: Six Pixels of Separation – Episode #766 – Host: Mitch Joel. If you have had to deep dive into presenting via video (who didn’t?), odds are that you have heard about Ecamm Live (which is a great software for the Mac that enables anyone to make their livestream, Zoom meeting, virtual presentation really standout). Ecamm has done a phenomenal job of recruiting those in the creator space to be both brand evangelists and help bring these video experts to a much broader audience. That’s where I first became captivated by Kevin Kolbe, his livestreams, and his knowledge of what it takes to create compelling video. Kevin sees himself as a video coach and content creator, who has a passion for helping people use video to share their gifts and make an impact in the world. His background is much deeper than his current high profile YouTubing world. He started our as a radio DJ, then went into television and creative direction. As the TV industry changed, Kevin decided to use his experience and passion for creating content to start his own video marketing business. His own video content has really helped me fast-forward my skills through his tips, tutorials, insights and storytelling. Want to amp up your video skills? Enjoy the conversation…

Running time: 1:03:11.Hello from beautiful Montreal.Subscribe over at Apple Podcasts.Please visit and leave comments on the blog – Six Pixels of Separation.Feel free to connect to me directly on Facebook here: Mitch Joel on Facebook.or you can connect on LinkedIn.…or on Twitter.Here is my conversation with Kevin Kolbe.Kevin’s YouTube channel.Follow Kevin on Instagram.Follow Kevin on Twitter.This week’s music: David Usher ‘St. Lawrence River’.

Download the Podcast here: Six Pixels of Separation – Episode #766 – Host: Mitch Joel.

Before you go… if you enjoyed this, please subscribe (all new content arrives in your inbox). It’s easy, it’s free and it’s right here.

Six Links Worthy of Your Attention #559

Is there one link, story, picture or thought that you saw online this week that you think somebody you know must see?

My friends: Alistair Croll (Solve for Interesting, Tilt the Windmill, Interesting Bits, HBS, chair of Strata, Startupfest, FWD50, and Scaletechconf; author of Lean Analytics and some other books), Hugh McGuire (Rebus Foundation, PressBooks, LibriVox) and I decided that every week the three of us are going to share one link for one another (for a total of six links) that each individual feels the other person “must see.”

Check out these six links that we’re recommending to one another: 

Watch the winners of this year’s ‘Dance Your Ph.D.’ contest – Science Magazine. “Heard about this on NPR, but it’s been running since 2008. It’s like the Nobel Prize meets TikTok. Ph.D graduates dance and sing their work. I also accidentally learned some things.” (Alistair for Hugh). The problem of CryptoArt – Studio Joanie Lemercier . “A non-fungible token is a digitally unique artifact. And NFTs are being traded at outrageous prices. But there are a few problems: First, the NFT isn’t the art. It’s more like an autograph. There’s no guarantee the artist won’t sign more autographs in future, or that they won’t sign other things. Second, as with cryptocurrency, they use ‘proof of work’ to guarantee authenticity, and that work comes from energy. Artist Joanie Lemercier stopped making NFTs when she realized that her ‘release of six CryptoArt works consumed in 10 seconds more electricity than [her] entire studio over the past 2 years.’ File under ‘Why We Can’t Have Nice Things.'” (Alistair for Mitch). The Value of Truth – Boston Review . “More on our epistemological crisis, our loss in the agreement in how we know what we know, brought on by a cocktail of the the web, social platforms, AI algorithms, and humans being humans.” (Hugh for Alistair).  Relax and Learn to Love the Stocks Bubble – Bloomberg Opinion . “An interesting take on the usefulness of stock bubbles: they flood funding into promising technologies, and hence accelerate development. Even if many of the companies that bubbles fund fail — and lots of people lose their shirts — there is still a societal benefit of a big bump to development and deployment of new tech. An example: in the mid 1840s there was a US stock bubble around the new tech of the telegraph. More than 23,280 miles of telegraph network cables were deployed during the frenzy; then the stock market crashed, investors lost a pile of money. But in the end, there was a vast telegraph network in the US, compared with France where a state-run/regulated monopoly put down a mere 750 miles of cables.” (Hugh for MItch).  20+ Clubhouse Tools for Marketers – Social Media Examiner . “I am still deep in the weeds on Clubhouse (I’m mitchjoel over there) – the new drop-in audio/social audio platform that seems to be all the rage. As with all social networks, people start figuring out fun and interesting ways to promote themselves, their rooms, and even their own clubs. How to design your avatar, how to spruce up you bio, how to promote an event, where better analytics may be, and much more. Well, the good people at Social Media Examiner compiled a great list of amazing resources (some are apps and some are web-based) that will really help you amp up your Clubhouse experience (especially in you’re into marketing).” (Mitch for Alistair). The Creator Economy Needs a Middle Class – Harvard Business Review . “There is much buzz around the idea of the ‘creator economy.’ There’s a push to ensure that creators get paid. One could ask: Do all creators deserve to be paid? I do not think they should. People pay when they experience value, and there are a lot (too many) creators who probably should not be compensated for their work (apologies… the world of selling creative work is not a fair one). This is a fascinating piece that every creator should read. In fact, anybody who thinks about all of the free content that’s out there might benefit from taking a deeper dive into the economics of those who create. Currently, it feels like there’s only an upper class in this economy… should there be more?” (Mitch for Hugh). 

Feel free to share these links and add your picks on Twitter, Facebook, in the comments below or wherever you play.

Are you interested in what’s next? How to decode the future? I publish between 2-3 times per week and then the Six Pixels of Separation Podcast comes out every Sunday. Feel free to subscribe (and tell your friends ;): 

My New Creator Coin $WRITE Is Live – Tech Tuesday In Two Minutes

Last week I  launched my own economy.

That sounds too braggadocios. This is actually a collaboration with a company called Rally.io that has launched something called Creator Coins. Here’s how their website explains it:

“Creator Coins are digital currencies that represent the brands of Creators. Creator Coins are the first in the long line of customizable, Creator-branded blockchain tools on the Rally Network. Creator Coins are actual cryptocurrencies that live on Rally’s private Ethereum sidechain. Creator Coins are not mined, but rather they are minted and backed by $RLY, the Rally Network’s ERC-20 token. When a Creator Coin is minted, a certain amount of $RLY is essentially embedded within that Creator Coin. Creator Coin is a tool for Creators to provide unique intrinsic value to their fans. Rally’s design for Creator Coins focuses on maximizing liquidity from real demand, and there are a number of measures taken to provide a safe and secure environment for all users.”

Welcome to the $WRITE coin.

I’m probably one of the first writers in the world to have their own Creator Coin, so being able to name it $WRITE (I could have named it anything between 3-5 characters) is very special, and enables me to make this an economy for writers. What does that mean? Right now, maybe not so much, but I can imagine a future when I can thank readers (or people who comment or share my work) with $WRITE tokens, or how about supporting other authors with $WRITE… and there are more plans in the works. If you want to try this out, go ahead at sign-up at Rally.io for your free wallet, send me a note with your Rally ID or username, and I’ll send you some coins (my treat).

The bigger idea…

What if – in the not-so-distant future – communities, readers, other writers, fans, patrons and customers not only gathered based on their passions and interest, but an actual economy could emerge from (or be a part of) these communities? One where we can all “tip” and “help” one another by not only spending, buying or holding $WRITE coins (and the like), but by using this currency to build the writing community, and fund new and exciting projects? In truth, everything and anything is possible. Big thanks to Jeremiah Oywang and the Rally team for making this a reality!

This is what Heather Backman and I discussed this morning over on Jack 103 FM for a couple of minutes.

What is Tech Tuesday?

If you ever find yourself wondering… What, exactly, is the point of TikTok? How can I make myself look better on a Zoom? Reddit? What’s that about? How do I help my kids be safer online? Who’s the latest creator and streamer that I should be checking out?

You are not alone.

Every Tuesday – for just a few minutes – I join Heather Backman (my old buddy from her days on CHOM FM) on the air at Jack 103 (Rogers Sports & Media) to give a quick blast about the current state of technology, media and Internet culture. We’re calling the segment Tech Tuesday (and we do it in just a few minutes).

Subscribe to get it free in your inbox right here.

Once the segment goes live on Jack 103, I will post it here for you to listen in, learn, share and engage….

Mitch Joel · My New Creator Coin $WRITE Is Live – Tech Tuesday – Jack 103 – Tuesday, March 9th, 2021