Mitch Joel's Blog: Six Pixels of Separation, page 174

The Age Of Discovery With Chris Kutarna - This Week's Six Pixels Of Separation Podcast

Episode #546 of Six Pixels of Separation - The Mirum Podcast is now live and ready for you to listen to.

Chris Kutarna's life has been a fascinating and global journey of both personal discovery and of sharing how our world's connectedness is changing everything. He's the co-author of an amazing book called, Age of Discovery - Navigating the Risks and Rewards of Our New Renaissance, that he co-authroed with Ian Goldin. Born Saskatchewan, on the Canadian Prairies, he's lived in places like Australia and New Zealand. He's a fellow of the Oxford Martin School and has a doctorate in politics. He lived in China for several years (and speaks Mandarin). He's been a two-time Governor General's Medallist, a Sauvé Fellow and Commonwealth Scholar, and a former consultant with the Boston Consulting Group... and entrepreneur. These days, he divides his time between London, Beijing and Regina. So, what exactly is this "new renaissance" period? 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 - The Mirum Podcast #546.

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Happy Holidays

Let's start with this: don't be so hard on yourself.

I'm talking to myself here (maybe to you as well). There were plenty of things that I didn't get done this past year. Some of it professionally, some of it personally, some of it for my community. In fact, I could argue that it wasn't just stuff that I didn't get done, it was also stuff that I used to be more responsible with, that I let go by the wayside. Candidly, that's the stuff that really keeps me up at night. The stuff I used to have a handle on and be so resolute with, that I just let go. I read enough and engage enough to know better. Whether it's eating right, reading more books, exercising, taking the time to meditate, writing with a more regular pace, or amping up my skills in whatever new digital channels are captivating audiences all over the world.

It would be so easy to be hard on myself. 

Sure, there are days when I don't want to face myself in the mirror. Then, there are days like this. Snow gently tumbles to the ground outside, the office hums with both the work that needs to get done, and an excitement over the upcoming break for the holidays. It makes me (maybe you) realize that there must always be that tension between the good and bad for great things to break through. It can't always be smooth, easy and on-schedule. We need the choas (maybe even some self-loathing) to figure out what must change. With that change a new habit is formed. From that habit something more sustainable is built. Being motivated is one thing, being clear with your expectations and intentional in your work will change your personal culture. It's something that I am going to strive (a lot) harder for moving forward.

So... Happy Holidays!

Whether 2016 empowered you to be your best, or whether this year beat you down, tomorrow (truly is) a new day. Enjoy this holiday season with your family and friends. Reflect on the good. Don't shy away from the bad. And, as you make your plans for 2017, here's a little something to keep the fire burning...

Watch this: 40 Inspirational Speeches In Two Minutes. 

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Six Links Worthy Of Your Attention #340

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 (BitCurrent, Year One Labs, GigaOM, Human 2.0, Solve For Interesting, the author of Complete Web Monitoring, Managing Bandwidth: Deploying QOS in Enterprise Networks and Lean Analytics), Hugh McGuire (PressBooks, LibriVox, iambik and co-author of Book: A Futurist's Manifesto) 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: 

For The Sake Of The Country, Here Are Some Politically Neutral Meerkat Facts - The New Yorker. "As I write this, the last breath of partisan hope exhales across North America as the electoral college confirms the president-elect. So, I appreciated this nonpartisan news." (Alistair for Hugh).
Masturbation, penis size, rough sex: What Indians ask doctors online since no one will tell them at home - Quartz . "No, Mitch, I didn't just choose this for the potty-mouthed headline. It's a fascinating piece for two reasons. First, anything done in India is done at massive scale; their young, connected population is forcing the government to tackle serious civic challenges. And second, anonymity is a great way to find out what really worries people. In that vein, the thrust of this article is thrilling. Ahem." (Alistair for Mitch.)
Is Particle Physics About to Crack Wide Open? - Scientific American . "The year 2016 shook my understanding of the fundamental laws of the (political) universe. Looks like physics might be shaking too." (Hugh for Alistair).
Ikea to teenagers: stop hiding in closets until closing and then having illegal "sleepovers" in our stores - BoingBoing . "It is very hard for me to find links to things I have read that don't rhyme with 'Ump.' But, I got a kick out of this." (Hugh for Mitch).
Scientists fired lasers at antimatter in an experiment that probes the deepest human question: why are we here? - Quartz . "I, literally, did a LOL when I read the headline. It's such a human thing. 'How does this work?' 'I dunno.' 'Let's try to blow it up!' Well, it may not be that stupid of an idea after all. 'Called the ALPHA experiment, it involves firing a laser at some atoms of antihydrogen to see if they behave the same way as normal, ordinary matter. And so far, it looks like it does. The problem with that is if matter and antimatter act that way, we shouldn't be here.' Whoa." (Mitch for Alistair).
41 Epic Sites With Breathtaking Stock Photos You Can Use For Free - Thomas Oppong - Medium . "'Tis the season, so here's a little gift. We all know how bad most presentations still are. Here's my hard, fast and easy rule for better presentations: skip the text. Learn/know your content and use visuals to reinforce the words that are coming out of your mouth. The closer you can make it into a story and not a 'data puke' (as my buddy, Avinash Kaushik, calls it), the better it will go. The problem, of course, is that images can be hard to find, and you want to use them legally. Well, here's some great solutions for you... and they're all free. My personal favourite is Unsplash. Enjoy!" (Mitch for Hugh).

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

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Uber's Self-Driving Cars, Yahoo Hacked, Last Minute Tech Gift Ideas And More - The Week's CTRL ALT Delete Segment On CHOM 97.7 FM

Every Monday morning at 7:10 am, I am a guest contributor on CHOM 97.7 FM radio broadcasting out of Montreal (home base). It's not a long segment - about 5 to 10 minutes every week - about everything that is happening in the world of technology and digital media. The good folks at CHOM 97.7 FM are posting these segments weekly on iHeart Radio, if you're interested in hearing more of me blathering away. I'm really excited about this opportunity, because this is the radio station that I grew up on listening to, and it really is a fun treat to be invited to the Mornings Rock with Terry and Heather B. morning show. The segment is called, CTRL ALT Delete with Mitch Joel.

This week we discussed: 

In need of some last minute tech gift ideas? There are many! Quality headphones, Bluetooth speakers, external batteries for the smartphone and more! Lots of great ideas for gifts, that people would never buy for themselves. 
Uber self-driving cars were available for use last week in San Francisco... if you can believe it. Already, there's some problems. The California Department of Motor Vehicles says that Uber needs a permit to test these vehicles. Uber says otherwise. So, the technology is here but the government is holding it back? Or, is Uber trying to defy legislation... yet again? 
Poor Yahoo. Actually, poor Yahoo users. Just 3 months after disclosing that a 2014 hack stole details from over 500 million user accounts, the company says that there was another hack (this time, from 2013) which is believed to have affected over 1 billion accounts. This is a senstive time for users and for Yahoo. Yahoo is on the verge of being acquired by AOL/Verizon for around $4.8 billion, but this could either put the deal on ice or reduce the value of Yahoo (by a lot). Back in Canada, Yahoo is now facing a proposed Class Action Suit on behalf of Canadians with a proposed $50 million suit (a similar one is building momentum in the US).
My buddy, Chris O'Neill, is the CEO of Evernote. He had a tough week. The note taking/saving company changed it privacy policy last week in a effort to take advantage of forthcoming machine learning features. The wording of the policy sounded like users would be allowing their data to shared with Evernote employees. Not good. Thankfully, Chris clarified the situation, and is in the process of re-wroking the privacy policy, but it speaks to challenges that all companies face when they must adapt to a new/different world. 
App of the week: Houseparty.

Take a listen right here.

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Beyond The Entrepreneur's Myth With Michael Gerber - This Week's Six Pixels Of Separation Podcast

Episode #545 of Six Pixels of Separation - The Mirum Podcast is now live and ready for you to listen to.

Very few business thinkers have influenced me as much as Michael Gerber. His best-selling book, The E-Myth, made me rethink everything (from a business and a motivational perspective). It also came at the perfect time... just as Twist Image (now Mirum) was starting to take shape. Originally published in 1995, and now available in fifteen languages, The E-Myth Revisited has become the indispensable handbook for millions of small business owners, franchisors, and entrepreneurs alike. Recently, Gerber continued publishing books like The Dreaming Room (a book that helps entrepreneurs practice a new approach to creative and strategic thinking) then Awakening The Entrepreneur Within and now, Beyond The E-Myth. This is his simple (hard to do) eight-styes process to help entrepreneurs move to a place of working "on" the business instead of "in" it. It's a phenomenal read and Gerber's insights on business success will surprise you. 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 - The Mirum Podcast #545.

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Every Piece Of Your Attention Is Being Monetized

Advertising is a data-driven beast with big money underneath it. 

Advertising is nearly half-a-trillion dollar business (you may want to read: The End Of Advertising (Easy There)). This doesn't include ancillary businesses and/or the entire marketing technology industry (this is just the media spending side of things). Advertising serves one core purpose: generate increasing revenues by putting messages in front of consumers. There's a famous saying that goes something like: if you can't see the product, you're the product. Well, it turns out that our industry has evolved this to a new level: Even when you can see the product, you are still the product.

How did the attraction and re-selling of attention - as a business model - come about? 

Many who think deeply about the media landscape often surmise that advertising (in relation to platforms like newspapers, etc...) could have been a mistake. That this, specific, business model is not only flawed, but should have never been. Because of this, publishers should move away from the ad-supported model and figure out new forms of revenue (get people to pay for content?). Easier said than done. Look no further than the Yahoo news this week. Over one billion users' information has been hacked. So, even after Yahoo used their users to generate revenue from their attention, their personal data is now being spread out all over the internet, and available for others to buy and manipulate at will. Yes, your data - even after it was already monetized - is being moved to the black market and being re-sold (not by Yahoo, but it is still being monetized). Your attention was the business model, but it's layered now with your data as well. From a less nefarious perspective, your data is often sold or resold within these large media companies for additional revenue (think retargeting and even affiliate marketing initiatives).

How did the harvesting of human attention for dollars happen?

This is the type of topic that Tim Wu has tackled in his latest book, The Attention Merchants - The Epic Scramble To Get Inside Our Heads. Tim is a professor at Columbia Law School, director of the Poliak Center at Columbia Journalism School and a contributing writer at The New Yorker. He is best known for his work on Net Neutrality theory (he coined that term!), as well as being the bestselling author of The Master Switch. In 2013 he was named one of America's 100 Most Influential Lawyers. To help promote The Attention Merchants, Wu recently gave a Talks At Google, and it could well be one of the most important pieces of video content that you will watch this weekend.

Here it is: Tim Wu - The Attention Merchants - Talks At Google.

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Six Links Worthy Of Your Attention #339

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 (BitCurrent, Year One Labs, GigaOM, Human 2.0, Solve For Interesting, the author of Complete Web Monitoring, Managing Bandwidth: Deploying QOS in Enterprise Networks and Lean Analytics), Hugh McGuire (PressBooks, LibriVox, iambik and co-author of Book: A Futurist's Manifesto) 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: 

25 Words That Are Their Own Opposites - Mental Floss . "One of the challenges that AI developers face, is giving an algorithm enough context to understand the data. This applies in medicine (as my friend, Dr. Jon Kanevsky, pointed out, saying someone has elevated temperature, blood pressure, and heartrate may mean they're sick -- or jogging.) This is an entertaining list that rather proves the point." (Alistair for Hugh).
The 2016 Hater's Guide To The Williams-Sonoma Catalog - Adequate Man . "A perennial favorite to get you ready for the holiday season. 'I hope you like tartan, because it is the IN pattern this Christmas. Everything must be tartan this year: the cookware, the table linens, the ribbons, THE CHILDREN.'" (Alistair for Mitch).
The Russian "Firehose of Falsehood" Propaganda Model - Rand . "I promise (ha!) these will be my last election-related links for a while. I hope. Anyway: The Rand Corporation takes a stab at analyzing what looks like a pretty complicated propaganda universe (this is a PDF download)." (Hugh for Alistair).
2016 Post-Election Sanity Guide - Scott Berkun . "If you feel like the world has been turned upside down, Scott Berkun has some ideas of things you ought to start doing to ground yourself, and the world around you." (Hugh for Mitch).
The Great A.I. Awakening - The New York Times Magazine . "Google did something huge. It's dramatic. Not enough people are talking about it. For years, the company always claimed that they were a 'mobile-first' organization. Well, just this year, they changed their mind. Now, they're saying that they are an 'AI-first' organization. Many are sitting on the sidelines, when it comes to machine learning and artificial intelligence. They're looking at it, much in the same way they think about 'big data'. Well, this is a huge deal. Read this. Ruminate on it. Now, what is your business going to do about it?" (Mitch for Alistair). 
16 Overall Favorite Books of 2016 - Brain Pickings . "A couple of week's back, I posted my list of the best business books of 2016 (you can check it out here: The 15 Best Business Books Of 2016). I consider myself fairly well-read in the non-fiction genre. Still Brain Pickings just released their top picks for 2016 and... well... I have not read one single book on their list. It both depressed and inspired me. Apparently, there is some serious and deep learning to be done over the holiday season, and Brain Pickings just provided me with a super wishlist of reads. How many of these did you read?" (Mitch for Hugh).

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

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Where Is Content Marketing Headed In 2017?

Here's my prediction for content marketing in 2017...

The "owned" versus "rented" platform discussion is naturally going to shift to a (mostly) rented strategy (think "hub and hub" instead of "hub and spoke" model). Instead of brands trying to drive eyeballs back to their owned sites, blogs, newsrooms, articles, etc... they are going to focus much more on creating and engaging with content wherever their consumers are (this, is mostly, places like Facebook, LinkedIn, Medium, etc...). I believe that a strong, intelligent and well-pursued content distribution strategy will become more important than the content marketing strategy for many brands. Namely: brands know how to create great content, now they're going to focus on where that content can gain the most audience and how they are going to pay/boost it to garner attention. There will be more complicated and interesting times ahead for marketers... for sure.

What's going on here?

The Six Pixels of Separation content strategy that Mirum has been nurturing and developing since 2003 is going to be more challenged than ever to get you (and people who have never heard of us) to sit up and take notice. Most consumers no longer venture out to explore corporate websites and blogs. They live and breathe in social media spaces like Facebook, Instagram, Snapchat, LinkedIn, YouTube and beyond. From a purely text-based content consumption perspective, they're more inclined to stay within LinkedIn or play in spaces like Medium. Consumers will still stay true to both the major publication publishers as well as their trusted trade and industry publications. So, what happens when your company posts a brilliant article to the corporate blog? Candidly, it's getting harder (and more expensive - in terms of time and money) to get consumers to head over there, consume and care. Time and time again, brands are arriving at the same reality: if they post the same article on Facebook, LinkedIn, Medium or their industry trade publication's website, it gets tons of more action, attention and care. This is where content distribution strategies trumps content marketing. This is also an indicator that buckling down on your owned property (instead of growing your reach and attention where the consumers are) could be a more costly (and risky) proposition. The value, of course, is now coming from those brands that have built up their email lists and are offering their clients (and prospective customers) more exclusive and valuable content via email. This will come as a shock to those who (wrongly) think that email is dead and/or on its way out. Email is only dying for those that have been using the channel as a way to advertise (ad nauseam) to their list, and not to those who are nurturing, respectful and engaging with that most trusted database.

What else is happening in content marketing for 2017?

This was the question that the good people at Content Marketing Institute (hi there, Joe Pulizzi!) asked a bunch of leading industry professionals. The result is a meaty, quick-hit of what we all have to think about over the coming twelve months. In this year's edition of 60+ Predictions On Content Marketing In 2017, you'll better understand the type of content, platforms, technologies and businesses that are going to shape the landscape moving forward. I want to personally thank Joe and the team at CMI for including me in this initiative. 

You can check it out right here: 60+ Predictions On Content Marketing In 2017.

Content Marketing Predictions 2017 from Content Marketing Institute

What is your prediction for content marketing in 2017?

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Stop Sharing. Start Listening (To Yourself)

There's a new trend taking shape: listen and think.

Maybe it's not so much a "new trend," as it is a reboot of something well-worn and well-known. There's an ad that is gaining viral buzz and mass attention, this past week. It's from Nike. They want you to get out there and run more (no surprise). So, how do they deliver a message like this in a world where's we're not only obsessed with those smartphones in our pockets, but we're also training with these devices (and others) to track, share and optimize our exercise? Is it so binary? Can we exercise without the technology? Are we truly wasting time trolling the Facebook feed, when we should be "out there" making ourselves better and experiencing more than we're currently consuming? What if I told you that we could be wasting more than thirty years of our life thumbing through (mostly) useless information in social media that (mostly) makes us feel inferior, or like we're not accomplishing enough with our own lives? This is what Nike's ad is telling us.

Take a look: Nike - Time Is Precious.

At the same time, famed author and thinker, Neil Pasricha, is back with a brand new TEDx Talk called, How do you maximize your tiny, short life? Neil has led an incredible life and career. He is the New York Times bestselling author of The Book of Awesome and The Happiness Equation. His books have been published in over a dozen languages, spent seven years and counting on bestseller lists, and sold millions of copies. Yes, millions of copies. Neil is a Harvard MBA and spent a decade running Leadership Development at Walmart. He is one of the most popular TEDx speakers of all time, and he had an idea for a new TED Talk that was less about the "talk" and more about the "listen." Quiet. He asks these really important life questions... and then thinks about the answers to these questions. In silence. The way he asks the questions... and the huge amounts of space and silence in between will encourage (or force) you to answer these questions for yourself. It's mesmerizing. 

Take a look: How do you maximize your tiny, short life? - Neil Pasricha - TEDxToronto.

What do you do with your time?

The Nike ad and Neil Pasricha's TEDx Talk reminded me of something very important: stop rushing and start thinking. Obvious to you? How often do you really do this? The ad and the talk made me realize just how much faster life has become for me. The ad and the talk made me realize how life has - without question - gotten in the way of personal time for growth, silence and reflection this past year. Maybe it's the pending Holidays (and the break that comes along with it). Maybe it's just the speed with which lives and information are being shared at scale. Whatever the cause, within these two pieces of content, there is a re-think moment for me. Quiet, listening, deep thinking and focus. These aren't just words that should be easily tossed around. They are actionable and valuable opportunities.

Time to take the time to advantage of them. No need to wait for a New Year's Resolution to make that happen.

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Working In A More Connected Space

There is an irony happening in the modern workplace.

Many claim that they no longer need the office and the business infrastructure of yesteryear to get things done. Connectivity has changed everything. All of us can work from from anywhere. Have smartphone, tablet and laptop (one or any combination of those will work), and we're good to go. Meetings can be held at the local coffee shop. After all, didn't Starbucks chairman and CEO, Howard Schultz, invent the "third place" to work, with his cafes on (nearly) every corner? Where do you think this content is being created? In my office, at a local cafe, at home, on the beach, a random airport lounge... does it matter? These changes have forced organizations - of all shapes and sizes - to rethink what it means to "work." Some think this is because millennials are thinking about work in a different way. All of this means companies (large and small) are looking at policies around flexitime, working from home, bring your device to work, no fixed desks for employees and more. In fact, it would be hard to argue that office, office spaces and how we work has quickly become one of the most important conversations about business today, in relation to what success looks like.

The perks. Oh, the perks.

The competition for top talent has also become fierce. Companies now cross-streams offering similar services to that of their business suppliers, and the competition has increased for most industries with players that are entering their markets who have never been there before (if you think this is just hyperbole, check out the article that I wrote earlier this year about the competitive landscape of marketing agencies: Disruption, Disruption Everywhere). When this happens, companies adapt. We've all heard about (and are dealing with) the wonderful things that companies like Google, Facebook, etc... offer their employees (free gourmet meals, massages, house cleaning services, free dental work, beer carts and more).

Wait, don't these two ideologies act in conflict with one another?  

If we can work from anywhere, why are the most progressive brands building these incredible campus-like offices (look at what Apple is about to unleash, and feel free to check out what Facebook's HQ in Silicon Valley looks like). Why are companies like Breather and WeWork growing with their unique business models around office space? Why are more and more freelancers paying to sit in co-working spaces? If we truly are flexible, able to work from anywhere and beyond, why do the best of the best build these unique and very different spaces for work to happen? Apple's campus is a giant circle to manifest Steve Jobs' long-held philosophy that the best work happens when there are "casual collisions" in the workplace - when people from different departments and levels collide, chat and connect. Most of the newer and more endearing offices are less about their snack selection, and much more about creating spaces where people can work in a more efficient way. Spaces like this encourage people to work longer and harder. It's not hard to cynical. These environments are very similar to what's happening in Las Vegas casinos. These spaces block out the outside world, ensure that all necessities are readily available to keep you focused on what matters most to the owners (in Vegas, it's gambling... at the office, it's about getting the best work out of you and I).

What does the future hold for the office space?

One of our main competitors at Mirum, is digital agency R/GA. They have long been a juggernaut in the marketing and communications space. Their leadership is smart, well-spoken and the agency has been responsible for creating (and co-creating) some of the most forward-thinking initiatives for brands. As they have grown, like our business, they have outgrown their workspace. If New York City lacks one thing, it is space. Real estate is at a premium. Still, R/GA not only needed a space to accommodate over six hundred people, but iit needed a space that would blend the modern way that people like to work with the realities of a super-competitive landscape. Their new office needed to excite both team members and clients alike. Not only did they build a campus that would do this, but they enlisted famed documentary filmmaker, Gary Hustwit (If you have not see his work on Helvetica, Objectified or Urbanized, you do not know what you're missing) to not only capture what the company built, but also added perspective about the past, present and future of the office. What could have been a corporate video produced for posterity and naval-gazing, is actually a fascinating documentary about how space can work to stimulate the best work, what offices are, what they mean in this day and age and how our work spaces affect us. 

So, is the future of work in your lap and hands or at these incredible buildings of inspiration? 

Watch the 60-minute documentary right here: Workplace.

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