Mitch Joel's Blog: Six Pixels of Separation, page 127

Six Links Worthy of Your Attention #510

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, 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: 

How the Escalator Forever Changed Our Sense of Space – Smithsonian Magazine . “I first read this a while back, and thought of sharing it. Well, on Tuesday at around 1am, I broke my leg in two places (‘don’t go back to those two places,’ quipped my ever-helpful friends). Not saving orphans or anything glamorous or enviable—I just tripped and landed on my leg. Genius. Given that stairs are now my enemy, I thought this might be interesting.” (Alistair for Hugh).
The making of Amazon Prime, the internet’s most successful and devastating membership program – Recode . “We humans have a strange knack for inventing things just in time. Too much information? Here’s Google. And today: Social distancing? Have abundant videoconferencing and on-demand delivery. Much of this logistical success comes from Amazon Prime pushing others to deliver more, faster. For the first time, this week, I noticed that the ‘warehouse deals’ have vanished from Amazon—a sure sign they’re maxed out—but in these difficult times, the trucks are still rolling. Here’s how they got there.” (Alistair for Mitch).
Sandra Washing Her Hands – Jack Gill – YouTube . “PSA.” (Hugh for Alistair).
How to wash your hands (Chameleon Version) – Tell Me How? – YouTube . “PSA.” (Hugh for Mitch).
The Virus Is a Reminder of Something Lost Long Ago – The Atlantic . “I hope that the writer of this article is right. I really do. Have you noticed how different life is? Not because we’re indoors. Not because most places are closed. I mean how we actually are? What is truly important? Is this virus the great reboot? Will we be changed once this is all over? I think humans are humans. Once this gets settled, we will probably go back to the speed, hustle and increasingly-faster lives that we have all faced. I hope we do go back to business ‘as normal’ (whatever that means), but it would be nice if things stayed simpler and less hurried. I can hope.” (Mitch for Alistair). 
Home Schooling for Beginners – Comic Book University – YouTube . “I’ve been following Professor Bill at Comic Book University for a while. I love his weekly review of the new comic books that are coming out, and how he thinks about the world of comic books. Some YouTubers make a ton of money doing this kind of work, Bill does not. So, he’s also a teacher (he teaches English to people overseas via the Internet). He has a lot of experience as a teacher – including home schooling. With that, I was both surprised and happy to see this video on his comic book channel. It’s smart. It’s not stressful for parents. It’s very informative and – most importantly – it’s filled with simple and cheap ways to get your kids learning, and have fun while doing it (Uno and lots of card games).” (Mitch for Hugh). 

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

Forget Amazon. Merchants Need To Worry About This…

It’s not Amazon that small businesses have to worry about. It’s themselves.

My friend, Tom Webster, noted (on Facebook) how sad it was for him to see the closure of so many small businesses in Boston, as he went for his daily run along Charles Street.

Montreal is no different.

Add in our recent “big dig” construction and infrastructure repairs, and it’s all one big hot mess for local merchants. It became clear to Tom, that many of these local businesses will not be able to open after the pandemic. They simply won’t make it. Their loss will probably be Amazon‘s gain. Tom puts it best: “That’s no great revelation, but knowing that many of our truly local retailers won’t be coming back from this, it made me feel a little resentful.”

Amazon is massive and only becoming bigger, as more and more people stay home and keep self-isolating.

This creates an ever-more reliant habit on Amazon and other e-commerce players. As more and more people are forced to shop online – and the event horizon for life to return to normal is nowhere in sight – the question remains: Will people ever go back to these local merchants or did they become habituated to online shopping by pandemic/design? In the past few weeks, I’ve seen countless beautiful stories of local merchants going that extra mile to help out those in their community. As the merchant’s hours and ability to operate shrunk due to government/health demands, it seems like everyone (merchants and neighbors alike) became more human… more of a community.

I’m a comic book nerd.

Every Wednesday is new comic book day. If you know this, you’re a nerd too. I take pride in supporting my local comic book shop. As the pandemic spread, I found the shop being more present and helpful. Suddenly, the store was willing to deliver comics to your door, allow you to call them when you arrive so that your comics can be brought out (instead of having to go into the store), be more amenable to how people might like to buy their books, and more. 

All good services. All good ideas.

Suddenly, the high-end sushi shop (that no one could get a reservation at) is taking orders by phone and online. They’re allowing for pickup and are offering free delivery. On the one hand, we all want to support our local businesses. We need them. We want them. They are a part of the fabric of our communities. On the other hand, all of these value-added services and accommodations are happening because they are desperate to stay afloat.
This is a grand display of all of the things that could have been done by these local businesses to keep Amazon at arm’s length. To make their business Amazon-proof.

And that’s the rub.

Where have you been for all of these years, merchants?
Why didn’t you launch these initiatives years ago, when Amazon started picking up steam?
Shouldn’t these initiatives always be a part of what you offer?

It’s not the pandemic.

When I walk into my local stationary/pen/paper store and the price of a pen is five dollars (but it’s two dollars on Amazon), it becomes that small business owner’s choice to lose that customer. Don’t make us shop elsewhere.
We don’t leave for that purchase. We leave forever. Changing for the pandemic seems to be about the local merchant’s own survival. Changing years ago for the onslaught of Amazon would have been about offering real value and differentiation for their community and customers. The same offering, real value and differentiation that customers are seeing today.

Know this:

My heart bleeds for local merchants.
I support local merchants with every chance that I get.
I just wish many of them had supported us customers more prior to the pandemic, to provide value rather than doing anything and everything for self preservation in this moment.
Their efforts make me skeptical and cynical.
I don’t like feeling this way.
Customers don’t like feeling this way.
The next hurdle that these locals merchants will face as things (hopefully) return to normal may be scarier than Amazon:

Consumers are spending less.

Aren’t we? As we self-isolate, clean up our homes (because there’s not that much else do), we’re also looking (closely) at our expenses. We’re limited in our movement, so we’re limited in our spend. Consumers will question what they need and want as we leave this hibernation (whenever that will be). Local merchants (all merchants) are being put on notice. It will be less about price and service, and much more about this question:

Do I really need this?

Merchants (of all shapes and sizes) better start solving for this problem today.

We all have plenty of time to think about it.

There Are Ways To Be Kinder On Social Media

Much kinder.

Here are just a few…

Try to be an expert in only the areas that you are truly an expert in.
Be helpful not promotional.
Create because you want to share.
Create because you have questions that are unanswered.
Share (but only share if you are confident in the source and truth of the information).
If you’re not sure, Snopes is a good place to start.
Know the difference between news, commentary and individual opinion.
All best practices are just one company’s way of showing what worked for them. 
It may not work for you. 
It probably won’t.
Most people are much luckier than they are smart, skilled and/or experienced.
Timing is often a major factor in success.
Timing can’t be timed.
Your feeds should be a salon-like environment for everyone to grow.
Know that everything you post can and will be used against you in the court of public opinion.
Know that everything you share in text messages, private groups and other messaging applications could also be used against you in the court of public opinion.
If you are posting on someone else’s page (or group), do not post links to your own blog, website, podcast, articles about yourself. Social media works best when we support each other and not use it to drive traffic. 
Adam Grant says it best: Give don’t take.
If you only post to take, it hurts the entire community.
Social media is only successful if you invest your own social currency. Give your feedback and your support to others. Even a “like” helps feed the community. 
If you’re thinking of posting on someone’s feed, and it starts with… “I hope this is ok to post…”, just message the person before you post it and ask them privately.
Social media is a democracy. Social media is for free speech.
My personal page (and the groups that I manage) are not a democracy. Free speech doesn’t apply. My page. My rules. If you don’t like it, you can post on your own page or find another space.
If something smells off, doesn’t make sense to you, or doesn’t fit the conversation it can (and should) be removed. 
Personal pages don’t have to be political. Again, the person who runs the page has every right to delete that which they don’t agree with.
Social media doesn’t have to be political. Being political is a choice.
If you posted something in a group or on someone else’s page that you already posted on your personal page or on other social media platforms, that’s called “carpet-bombing.” It’s (usually) selfish. 
If you think that something you posted on your own page also has relevance or meaning on someone else’s page or private group, tweak it and make it specific/original to the needs of the members there. Also feel free to ask first before posting (see above).
Working through ideas and problems (and being wrong) on these platforms is healthy and should be embraced.
Be creative.
Be open.
Be personable.
Be kind.

Any additional ways to be kinder? Feel free to add them…

(h/t to Scott Stratten for many of the ideas above that I have tweaked and refined).

What Do You Miss?

Here’s what I miss:

A handshake. 
A high five. 
A hug. 
A two-cheek kiss. 
An early morning walk without having to cross the street or keep my distance from humans. 
Waiting for the cafe to open (up and at ’em early). 
Working without the looming fear of catching a virus. 
An early morning almond milk latte with a friend or someone with a business idea. 
Settling into my office and looking forward to a bustling day of business conversations and meetings. 
Deciding where to eat lunch (and with whom). 
Reaching out to authors and thinkers, asking them to be a guest on my podcast, and not worrying that the ask might sound out of line. 
Not paying attention to the news and every news update. 
Not worrying about every surface that I touch. 
Not worrying about touching my face.
Not worrying about wearing gloves. 
Not worrying if I have enough food and supplies. 
Not worrying about the health of family and friends. 
Not worrying about whether or not I washed my hands enough. 
Making plans to see a concert. 
Going to the bookstore. 
Going to a concert. 
Weekly visits to my local comic book store. 
Going into pen shops. 
Running into people on the street. 
The library. 
The recreation center. 
Extra curricular activities. 
Booking flights. 
Visiting different cities, airports and hotels. 
Speaking in front of audiences. 
Meeting people at events. 
A filled inbox.
Not enough time to meet all of the people that I want to meet.
Struggling to find the time to read a book.
Coming home.

I miss you.

What do you miss?

An App To Curb The Spread of Covid 19 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 – about 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 of me blathering on about what’s happening in the 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:

Here’s an interesting idea to make sure that people are following the rules of social distancing and self-isolation: “An app that tracks where you have been and who you have crossed paths with—and then shares this personal data with other users in a privacy-preserving way—could help curb the spread of Covid 19, says Ramesh Raskar at the MIT Media Lab, who leads the team behind it. Called Private Kit: Safe Paths, the free and open-source app was developed by people at MIT and Harvard, as well as software engineers at companies such as Facebook and Uber, who worked on it in their free time.” The idea? The new app would say if you’ve crossed paths with someone who is infected by using the already-existing tracking technology is all mobile device. Smart? Privacy issues? The right thing to do when people aren’t following the rules and laws? Source: MIT Technology Review – A new app would say if you’ve crossed paths with someone who is infected. 
Do you work from home, but are used to working in an office and being around people? Work you prefer to not work alone? Leave it to bestselling author, Seth Godin, to have a great idea. He launched Akimbo Virtual Coworking. It’s a virtual coworking space for people who would prefer to not work alone. It includes many features like a community discussion board, a constant Zoom video feed/conference, so that you can see others working as well, live conversation and Q&A with Seth, speed connecting opportunities, resources and more. So smart for those who need to be around people to get things done.
Sounds like something out of a spy thriller movie or one about corrupt companies. “From 9/11 to coronavirus, big emergencies call for big responses – like how some firms move to secret empty offices in undisclosed locations to stay safe.” I always wondered about those big office buildings with no signs that seem so out of place in random suburbs. Maybe they are all “ghost offices”? Source: BBC – WorkLife – How firms move to secret offices amid Covid 19.
App of the Week: Houseparty.

You can also listen in via I Heart Radio.

Jeremy Gutsche On How To Create The Future – This Week’s Six Pixels of Separation Podcast

Episode #716 of Six Pixels of Separation is now live and ready for you to listen to.

My buddy Jeremy Gutsche was last on this show about five years ago. He’s back. Jeremy is a bestselling author, innovation expert, and one of the most sought-after keynote speakers on the planet. He’s also the CEO of Trend Hunter (the world’s number one trend website and innovation consultancy). His team specializes in filtering opportunity and making change happen during times of chaos and change (perfect timing these days). In total, his team is relied on by close to 700 brands, billionaires and CEOs to predict and create the future, including Google, Disney, Starbucks, Adidas, and he’s even helped NASA prototype the Journey to Mars. Jeremy recently published another book. Create The Future (which also includes a foreword from Malcolm Gladwell) looks at tactics for disruptive thinking. Then, if you flip the book over, his older book (Exploiting Chaos) has been revised and updated with the new title, The Innovation Handbook. So, two books in one! 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 #716.

SPOS #716 – Jeremy Gutsche On How To Create The Future

Welcome to episode #716 of Six Pixels of Separation.

Here it is: Six Pixels of Separation – Episode #716 – Host: Mitch Joel. My buddy Jeremy Gutsche was last on this show about five years ago. He’s back. Jeremy is a bestselling author, innovation expert, and one of the most sought-after keynote speakers on the planet. He’s also the CEO of Trend Hunter (the world’s number one trend website and innovation consultancy). His team specializes in filtering opportunity and making change happen during times of chaos and change (perfect timing these days). In total, his team is relied on by close to 700 brands, billionaires and CEOs to predict and create the future, including Google, Disney, Starbucks, Adidas, and he’s even helped NASA prototype the Journey to Mars. Jeremy recently published another book. Create The Future (which also includes a foreword from Malcolm Gladwell) looks at tactics for disruptive thinking. Then, if you flip the book over, his older book (Exploiting Chaos) has been revised and updated with the new title, The Innovation Handbook. So, two books in one! Enjoy the conversation…

Running time: 1:00:15.
Hello from beautiful Montreal.
Subscribe over at iTunes.
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 Jeremy Gutsche.
Create The Future.
Exploiting Chaos.
Trend Hunter.
Follow Jeremy on Instagram.
Follow Jeremy on Twitter.
This week’s music: David Usher ‘St. Lawrence River’.

Download the Podcast here: Six Pixels of Separation – Episode #716 – Host: Mitch Joel.

Six Links Worthy of Your Attention #509

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, 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 Internet’s Original Sin – The Atlantic . “Somewhere along the way, we decided everything should be free. This article is from 2014 (most stuff in my feeds and browser history is about politics, diseases, or both, so I’m digging into the wayback machine here.) As Jeff Jarvis says, advertising is failure. It means you failed to get a subscriber or sell a thing. Ads have a perverse incentive—get clicks, which means you have to trigger outrage or tribalism. If I’m hopeful of current times, it’s because, like a forest fire, collective action thins the canopy of selfishness so new things can grow.” (Alistair for Hugh).
Musicians Algorithmically Generate Every Possible Melody, Release Them to Public Domain – Vice . “Fight fire with fire. Fight trolls with algorithms. Rather than forcing composers to tiptoe around accidentally re-using a melody, these computer scientists (and musicians!) generated 300,000 melodies a second, saved the results to a hard drive, and then put it in the public domain. It’s amazing what we can accomplish when nobody cares who gets credit. I imagine there are some good basslines in here too. ;-)” (Alistair for Mitch).
‘Astounding new finds’ suggest ancient empire may be hiding in plain sight – Science . “I love these articles about discovering the scale of Mayan cities.” (Hugh for Alistair). 
The lost art of deep listening: Choose an album. Lose the phone. Close your eyes. – Los Angeles Times . “Relaxing ain’t easy these days. So, get yourself some good earphones, and your favourite album from when you were 17 years old, put your phone out of reach, and just listen to the whole thing.” (Hugh for Mitch).
On Confinement – The Book of Life . “How are we holding up? Locked up in our houses. Kids with no classes, maybe some via tech and lots of mindless screen time. We’re trying (desperately) to think about anything else other than the virus. What a strange few weeks (for some, months) this has been. How we handle the time alone will speak loudly to who we are as real people. Take a read. Get comfy.” (Mitch for Alistair).
My Failed Attempts To Hoard Anything At All – The New Yorker . “One of my favorite writers in the world, David Sedaris, just published his latest essay. It’s about hoarding. Or how not to hoard like he does (which is to say that he’s not good at it – at all). And, after reading this article, you kinda hope that all humans would be equally bad at it. It might make everyone’s life easier.” (Mitch for Hugh).

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

Don’t Run Out of The Future

Don’t run out of the future.

Dark clouds don’t mean that there’s not a big blue sky that is up there, always present and much bigger than those clouds.
Dark clouds are just this moment.
We need those dark clouds.
You can’t have a big blue sky without occasional dark clouds.
That’s the deal.
That’s how it works.
If you’re you’re struggling with that concept today, check out the book, The Happiness Trap by Russ Harris.

We can’t cancel the future.

Don’t do it.
It’s ok to feel it.
Today.
Tomorrow.
A little past that.
These are truly weird and strange times.
Strange days indeed.
But you must find the good in today and the greatness in tomorrow.
If you’re struggling with that concept today, check out Man’s Search For Meaning by Viktor Frankl.

The best ideas start today and harvest into the future.

This doesn’t mean that you have to be productive today.
This doesn’t mean that you have to crater everything that you did before and start again.
This does mean that opportunity is still abound.

This I believe:

The next great innovations are fermenting as these words hits your eyes.
The thinking.
The dreaming.
The daydreaming.
The walking.
The notes.
The time away.
The time to let ideas marinate.
Problems that you have been twisting in your mind’s wind are being solved inside of you right now.
Because of this moment.

The virus didn’t just stop work and the economy.

The virus stopped your hamster from being on its wheel.
The virus is now letting your brain have access to things other than your day to day work and regular schedule.
The virus is like a long, hot shower, and your brain is doing what it does.

Allow your brain to think other things.

Even negative thoughts that you haven’t had in a while will spark new and different thoughts.
Let your brain (and body) float down this stream.
Do not try to fight the current.
Float with the current.
There is nothing wrong with floating.
There is nothing wrong with the current.

You are floating towards your future.

The future will be different.
The future will be better.
The future will be filled with new ideas, innovations (and, yes, new challenges).
When your thoughts wander up to the dark clouds, don’t forget about the big blue sky over those clouds.
That’s where your future is.
Keep going.

Don’t run out of the future.

It Took A Global Pandemic To Change How We Work

Is it possible for brands to stay relevant? Does working from home really work? Where have all the freelancers gone?

This past Sunday, I discussed the hottest app going (no, it’s not TikTok)… Zoom. If your kids are now being schooled at home (and have the tech), if you’re a remote worker (who isn’t these days?), it seems like Zoom (not Skype, not WebEx, not FaceTime, etc… is the video conferencing weapon choice. So much so that Microsoft sees Zoom as an “emerging threat,” according to this article from The Verge. Do you wish that you had invested early in Zoom? Well, as the public markets collapse, Zoom’s stock has zoomed up over 75% since this past December. The question is this: does Zoom validate the work from home movement? Do we no longer need offices? Beyond new issues of privacy (Zoom Calls Aren’t as Private as You May Think. Here’s What You Should Know – Consumer Reports) and zoombombing (How to prevent your Zoom meetings being Zoom-bombed by trolls – ZD Net), what are the implications and possible outcomes of a global remote workforce? This, and other current topics (driven by the questions above) were discussed along with Joseph Jaffe (The HMS Beagle), Angela Natividad (Hurrah and contributor at Muse by Clio), Julian Zilberbrand (Viacom) and host Bob Knorpp (always a good human) on the very excellent BeanCast Podcast (which I’ve been fortunate to be a guest on in the past). I don’t know what it is about BeanCast, Bob Knorpp and these other panelists, but there is always “something in the water” when we record these conversations that brings out a lot of stimulating ideas and insights (and some friendly disagreements too!).

Are you ready for this deep dive into the world of marketing? Here is: BeanCast #585 – It Took A Global Pandemic.

For about an hour, we discussed the following topics:

Brands Trying To Stay Relevant.
The WFH Reality.
The Impact on Freelancers.
Facebook’s New Look.

Take a listen and jump into the fray…