Jeff Noble's Blog, page 22

Calling a Facebook foul

I’m calling a Facebook foul. I’ll let you be the judge. It has to do with the amount of traffic and metrics from Facebook to my blog. I can measure this because I have a Facebook page for my blog.

Before you check out because this sounds “geeky,” here’s why you should read on: censorship. You may have heard that many have claimed that social media monopolies such as Facebook and Twitter are intentionally screening or limiting (and even limiting the accounts) of those who disagree with their political and philosophical perspectives.

I wouldn’t have thought it would apply to my little blog until I saw the numbers. I have taken the metrics of the past year of my blog on its Facebook page and drilled down.

[image error]June – Dec 2019[image error]Dec 2018 – Mar 2019[image error]Apr – May 2019[image error]May 2019

It started in April. My last post of “normal” impressions was a review I did of the CSB Christ Chronological Bible. Normally my posts on Facebook garner at least 400 impressions per post. I noticed in April that there were seven posts that didn’t get above 50 impressions! That’s never happened before.

So I broke it down over the past year:

June – Dec 2018, 12 articles: 432 avg impressions Dec – March 2019, 12 articles: 474 avg April – May 2019, 12 articles: 108 avg7 articles under 50!5 articles under 290! May 2019, 5 articles: 128 avgBut that included one article that I had a $5 credit and PROMOTED. That one article got 524 impressions. Removing that from the mix:4 articles: 29 avgNone over 50!



What does this mean?

I have no idea to be honest. It seems like it’s empirical evidence that Facebook has turned off the spigot a few times on my blog recently. There was a brief period from April 26 – May 13 that posts were averaging over 200 impressions, though that’s still much lower than normal. There’s NO adequate explanation to me for posts to receive less than 50 impressions!

Of course, it could be:

I’ve offended 90% of the people who follow my blog on Facebook.My writing has changed dramatically and even my mom isn’t liking what I write any longer.Those who normally follow my blog all had their computers and mobile devices break for the past month and a half so they couldn’t visit my site from Facebook.



Or: Facebook changed its algorithm

In January 2018, Mark Zuckerberg announced:

“Recently we’ve gotten feedback from our community that public content — posts from businesses, brands and media — is crowding out the personal moments that lead us to connect more with each other… As we roll this out, you’ll see less public content like posts from businesses, brands, and media. And the public content you see more will be held to the same standard — it should encourage meaningful interactions between people.”

MARK ZUCKERBERG

Malicious or intentional change?



[image error]Credit: Pew Research

That’s the question. If traffic numerics obviously decline equally for all sites, it’s not an issue, but last year, there was growing concern that all traffic was not being influenced equally. This was confirmed by others who began noticing their traffic from Facebook to their blogs and sites began to change. Interestingly and anecdotally, it seemed to be mainly Christian and politically conservative sites that noticed the traffic change – some were hit very hard.

A study by Western Journal determined that Facebook’s algorithm change disproportionately impacted conservative sites.

It’s not just Facebook.

Twitter and Google have both been guilty of sneaky tactics. Twitter has been caught actively suspending user of accounts of conservatives. This was overt in April when they suspended the user account for the pro-life movie Unplanned on its opening weekend. Google has been caught manipulating search results. In September 2018, Brad Parscale penned an editorial for USA Today titled Donald Trump is Right: More than Facebook & Twitter, Google threatens democracy, online freedom.

During the 2016 presidential campaign, Google was accused of manipulating search results to favor Hillary Clinton’s candidacy. Also, research at Harvard University found that Google’s search rankings are not objective, and in 2017, the company was fined billions of dollars by the European Union for manipulating search results.

parscale, usa today

What to do?

Until someone creates Facebook or Twitter alternatives, we are stuck. While I hate that it’s harder to reach beyond a limited circle of influence with this little blog, I have no alternatives but to use Facebook and Twitter. Not using them would essentially be moving off the internet.

For those of you who just randomly read a few blogs, you probably feel so far removed and powerless to help. However, there’s a few things you CAN do. If you are on Facebook or Twitter:

Don’t just “like” a post. Share it. That’s the main way to bypass Facebook’s algorithms. When you share a post and leave a brief comment on it, Facebook treats that as “conversation” and it allows your friendship circle to see it. No longer does just “liking” a post help others see it as well.Read blogs and leave comments. Blogs are a way for the underdog to take back the internet. Don’t allow Facebook or Twitter or Google to curate your content. Use Feedly or WordPress or some other website/app to track a few good blogs (I hope journeyguy.com makes your list), and reward the blogger by leaving regular comments. Interact. Don’t just spectate. It encourages the author and lets them know their keyboard pecking makes a difference. It also encourages real journalism from ordinary citizens.Balance your news intake. No longer can we believe what the MSM serves us. Intentionally read opposing viewpoints and then reach your own informed, discerning conclusion. Some of the best news is coming from independent sites these days. Get familiar with conservative and liberal sites and read. Think for yourself. It’s one of the best uses for Twitter. I have a list of “News Shapers” that contains leading influencers from a variety of views in order to have a broader perspective.



More reading:



It Isn’t Your Imagination: Twitter Treats Conservatives More Harshly Than Liberals – Quillette, 2/12/2019A June 2018 Pew poll found that 72% of Americans believe that social media companies censor views they don’t like, with members of the public being four times more likely to report a belief that such institutions favor liberals over conservatives than the opposite.Is It Time to Regulate Social Media? – Quillette, 9/13/2019Conservatives are furious over Facebook’s algorithm change – Salon, 3/29/2018“More than 30 former journalists now serve in the Obama administration — nothing comparable happens in G.O.P. administrations.” – New York Times op-ed, 11/11/2015Check out the Media Research Center and if you have 4 minutes, watch this helpful video documenting liberal media bias.

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Your email is controlling you

The article began with a simple question:

How much time does email waste in your office?

The article in Forbes relates that information technology firm Atos combats email bloat in their company by setting up rules for email. After reading, I began thinking about the following as possible time savers:

Suggestions for controlling email

Keep your email apps closed except for certain designated hours during the day. What would it look like to only have your email app open for two hours during work?
Condense your emails to lists/bullets for easy readability among your coworkers and regular teams. This reduces read-time and enhances clarity.
Don’t send emails immediately. Save as drafts and send at designated times. This will allow you to add to or edit emails. Instead of sending multiple emails to the same person about each thing you think about, you condense it to one per day (if that).
Take email notifications off your devices so that you’re not conditioned to look at your email All.The.Time.
Retrain yourself to not default to emails or texts each time you think about something. Make a “to-do” list about what you need to communicate and compose your emails during the designated times mentioned above.

Atos found that its managers spent anywhere from 5-20 hours a week just writing and answering emails. If you’re ok with that, great. But why not assess how much time you’re on email?

Wisdom in waiting

Also consider the wisdom of waiting to write good emails. Sometimes we attempt to communicate too much over email, and people cannot hear our tone. Devoid of relational content or at times insensitive to cultural perspectives, we may inadvertently send a missile instead of a missive. It’s worth remembering the email that set Yale University on PC fire in 2016.

For seven years I lived and worked on two college campuses, and a growing number of students report avoiding controversial topics — such as the limits of religious tolerance or transgender rights — for fear of uttering “unacceptable” language or otherwise stepping out of line. As a student observed in the Yale Daily News, the concept of campus civility now requires adherence to specific ideology — not only commitment to respectful dialogue. (Erika Christakis)

Be wary of reacting in writing emails

There are some emails you’ll receive that violate every suggestion I’ve mentioned and even common sense decency. You’ll get a missile in your inbox that is poorly written, obviously composed in haste and perhaps even in “heat.” You’ll be tempted to react and fire off a response. Don’t. Consider Scott McKnight’s four rules before writing an angry email.

Consider apps

There’s a plethora of new apps available – some that even let you “unsend” in a certain amount of time. Take some time to look around at what email apps are available to help you manage your email. Whether it’s a new app, creating folders, automated rules for certain recipients, etc, it’s worth your time to think about how you interact with your email. Thoughtless email engagement guarantees that you’re wasting your time and scattering your focus.

Wrap-Up

Hitting “send” is just too easy. There’s so much to think about before you get lost in email scatterverse. Consider that every next email you read may deal with a completely different topic/strategy/crisis/issue. It’s hard for us to shift in thought and emotion so quickly.

So before you open that email app and “get to work” (and especially if you’re in ministry or thought leadership), think about how much time you’re going to spend first. Read. Reflect. Think strategically about best responses and timing. Set up a few folders on your email app to differentiate the types of emails you’ve got. Do something. And unplug. Don’t be email “on” all the time.

Life’s too short to spend it in send mode.

Further Reading

Email Is Not Broken; We Are by Joshua Lyman on Lifehacker
Inbox 10,000: Some Thoughts After A Month Away From Email by MG Siegler on Techcrunch
Get More Done by Checking Your Email Only Twice a Day on Time Management Ninja

 

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Tim Cook doesn’t “Think Different”

Ah, Steve Jobs, how we miss you.

“Think Different” was your mantra upon your return to Apple in 1997 to pull it out of it stumbling. Interestingly, at the time Apple had degenerated into offering too much. Beige box computers reigned, and we saw things like the Macintosh LC, aka the Domino’s pizza box Mac. And yes, I owned one.

Steve, you came and you refined Apple’s misguided division of focus and gave us breath-taking innovation. You ushered in another computer revolution (as if the first Macintosh wasn’t enough!). Then you stunned the music industry with 10,000 songs in your hand. And that still wasn’t all. You blew open the cellular phone industry with not only 10,000 songs in your hand, but a computer/phone in your hand that you could interact with by touch. You have forever defined pure innovation.

What would you think these days about your chosen successor’s path?

Under Tim Cook’s leadership, we’ve gotten.. more. Not different. Just more. Everything is incremental. Bigger phones. (Do we really want bigger phones?!) Face ID. Nope. Elimination of useful ports on pro model laptops. Nope. But we DO have more and “better.” Just not “different.”

“Think Different” has become:

Make. Money.

And make money Apple has. Its financial prospects and health have never been better. It was the first company to cross the $700 billion valuation mark. [Source]

Apple’s Different.

However, all Apple loyalists know that is the “new Apple” is different indeed.

No one will be able to say for quite a while whether the Apple Watch or new services like Apple Pay or the $3 billion acquisition of headphone maker and music service Beats last year will prove financially successful.

Fortune Magazine

Of course, Apple loyalists want a financially healthy company, but we also want innovation. We want pride. We miss the days of the cheekiness of an Apple that would produce “Hey, I’m a Mac, and I’m a PC” commercials that would nail the differences every time in a snarky way. It was fun being a Mac user, enduring insults about “that’s not a real computer.”

Today’s Apple has lost its personality, its verve, its daring.



[image error]

Instead, the latest product is a.. wait for it.. a credit card. Sure, it may be easier to use than everyone else’s, and it will undoubtedly earn Apple a pile of cash (see the common denominator here?), but did we really want pretty graphs about where we’re spending our money?

Here’s some marketing slogans for you:

“We’ll make your debt pretty.” “Spend different.” (Just. Spend.)“iSwipe”



Political involvement

At a recent commencement address at Tulane University, Cook seemed more concerned with parroting the politically correct than inspiring innovation in the next generation. His apology for his generation was an empty attempt at engendering sympathy and support as in reference to climate change he opined, “We’ve been too focused on the fight and not focused enough on progress.” 

This generation isn’t inspired by apologies but by leadership. When we do something worthy of imitating or following, it inspires involvement and innovation.

Get ready for more not different.

Unfortunately, I am beginning to liken Tim Cook’s leadership of Apple to Gil Amelio’s, but with financial health. That’s another story for another day. In the meantime, Apple’s vaunted WWDC is coming up in June where they will announce more “next,” and unless the ghost of Steve has something up his sleeve, we will see “more, better, faster, bigger” and credit cards. Not different.

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Tired of Facebook defaulting to “Top Stories?”

[image error]Facebook. Ugh. Go away.

But until you do, make it easier on us all.

Back in 2012, I stumbled on some code to help fix what FB broke when you could no longer invite all your friends in a friend list to an event.

These days, FB defaults – every time – to showing you “top stories.” This means that you never see the most recent stories and will miss stuff if you’re like me and only check into FB every now and then.

I griped about it, and a friend sent me this URL to replacewww.facebook.com with in my bookmark, and it loads up to “most recent” every time now.

“https://www.facebook.com/?sk=h_chr“

You’re welcome.

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Why can’t type on the new Macbook Pro 2018?!

I stumbled on Michael Hyatt’s post “3 Reasons I Returned My New Macbook Pro with Touch Bar for a Refund: I Fear Apple May Be Losing Its Product Mojo” on accident. I recently upgraded to one of these Macbook, and since doing so, my typing has noticeably slowed. More mistakes. More frustrations.

I was looking for anecdotal stories from others to see why I type worse on the new Macbook Pro keyboard. Maybe others were having the same problem? I discovered there are ALL SORTS OF PROBLEMS with these keyboards. However, all my keys work fine. I just don’t type as well as I did on my Macbook Pro 2015.

I have owned a LOT of Macs, and I totally agree with Hyatt about this Touch Bar. It’s just.. frivolous and really not needed. I want the option of a new Macbook Pro without it.

The Touch Bar is a solution in search of a problem. You can’t touch type with it, so this requires you to take your eyes off the screen to use it. And for what? There’s really nothing it offers that you can’t do already with your mouse, TrackPad gestures, or keyboard. ~ Michael Hyatt

Little did I know..

I upgraded from a 2015 Macbook Pro. Little did I know that some people consider it the standard for typing on MacBooks.

Apple, I’m worried

I’ve been a fan boy since 1988. But guys, Apple is no longer innovating. They are incrementing. Marginal improvements here and there. I stand by my 2015 blog entry – Seven things Apple doesn’t do well. From iPhones with forced Face Recognition (bring back the home button!) to laptops with this dumb Touch Bar and the elimination of helpful ports.. these MacBooks are supposed to be for Pros! Hyatt is right:

As a professional, I count on Apple to deliver great tools that make me more productive. In my opinion, the MacBook Pro fails to do that.

More

Why I think Apple is missing the iPhone mark
Why I got rid of my iPhone X
Get Siri-us, Apple

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Guest Blogger: The Best Job I Never Had

[image error] Let me introduce Aaron Peck to you (again). He’s written as a guest blogger here before. He is currently a Therapeutic Day Treatment Counselor working with elementary-age kids with National Counseling Group. He served on staff with us at Northstar Church before that. Aaron blogs consistently over at the Confusing Middle. He’s also a dependable movie buddy. I asked him to write about “The Best Job I Never Had.”
The best job I never had?

That’s a tough one. How do I know it’s the “best” if I’ve never had it? Seems like a grass-is-always-greener kind of thing.

But I’m getting ahead of myself. Hey. I’m Aaron. But you can call me A-A-Ron, everyone else does.

I look back at my life and I don’t have any regrets about anything that I have or haven’t done. That’s because I’m aware that every decision, for better or worse, has led me to where I am today. Even the ones that I look back on realizing they were kind of boneheaded decisions, I can see where God was at work, constantly using me, the people around me, my circumstances, to shape me into the man he was shaping me into. But just because I have no regrets doesn’t mean I’m not able to look back and wonder, “What if?”

Bluefield College

For undergrad, I attended Bluefield College in Bluefield, Virginia. Don’t worry if you’ve never heard of it. There are only about a dozen of us who have. It was a great school and I loved each of my five years there. That’s right, I had a super senior year. Don’t judge… I got two degrees out of it. Anyway, when I started out as a freshman, I had all these grand plans of getting a degree in education and becoming a teacher.

Third grade

I had an amazing third grade teacher, Mrs. Caldwell. Her influence made me want to teach elementary school. I always thought that, if she could have as much fun as she seemed to have teaching and make learning as much fun as she made it for her class, then it must be a pretty awesome way to make a living. Then I went through the registration process and realized just how much work was involved with majoring in elementary education. At that point, I decided that teaching wasn’t for me. Because I was lazy.

Fast forward a few years. I was working as a day treatment counselor in an elementary school. Being in classrooms each and every day reminded me of how badly I’d wanted to be a teacher when I was younger. I looked back fondly on so many of the teachers I had growing up and thought about the impact they had on my life. I wanted to have that kind of impact on classrooms full of kids, too. Don’t get me wrong, I’m sure that, as a counselor, I was making an impact on the kids I was working with. But, mostly, I just felt like the bad guy, correcting negative behaviors and attempting to encourage positive behaviors. But mostly correcting negative behaviors because kids these days!

Teaching?

That desire to become a teacher didn’t go away. So I attempted to pursue it. I looked into my options in the Commonwealth of Virginia and saw that I could work toward teacher licensure and a master’s degree all at the same time. And I could do it online from the comfort of my own home. That’s the dream! Y’all, I got one semester in and just couldn’t do it. The program was intense. And trying to do that on top of a full-time job (which required me to commute, spending two hours a day in my car) and a part-time job to make ends meet just didn’t work out.

And in case you’re wondering, I didn’t drop the program because of laziness this time. I’ve matured since freshman year of college. I’m much more self aware. When means I realize that I’m a horrible procrastinator and not having a rigid class schedule like I’d have had were I taking classes on campus somewhere meant that I just couldn’t seem to make time to get all my assignments done in a reasonable amount of time. Oh, I got them all done all right. I just got them all done at the last second when they were piled on top of each other. That’s a great way to develop an ulcer.

I believe that teaching is one of the noblest professions out there. And it’s a mostly thankless one. It takes a special kind of glutton for punishment to do what a teacher does day in and day out. It’s common knowledge that our nation’s teachers are overqualified and undercompensated for all that they do. Not to toot my own horn, but I think I’d have made a pretty decent teacher if I’d ever stuck with either of the programs that would have led me down that path. But I also know that I would have gotten into the job and questioned on more than one occasion if I thought it was worth it. I hope I would come to the conclusion that, yes, it’s all worth it. But I’m sure I’d have questioned it.

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Reform kings: Trump and Josiah

In 2016, I blogged about Donald Trump being a sort of King Cyrus figure. For those of you not familiar with Old Testament history, I’d encourage you to review that entry. Events in Israel in 2018 seemed to confirm that others saw similarities between Trump and Cyrus as well. (Trump led the relocation of the U.S. Embassy to Jerusalem.

59% of Jewish Israelis have a favorable opinion of the president, including more than 70% of Haredi Jews and non-Haredi religious Jews. Even among secular Israeli Jews, 45% have favorable views of Trump. (Source)

This entry is a comparison of Trump to another Old Testament king, and then to that king’s great grandfather. Both kings inherited a corrupt government, and both kings set about reform zealously.

Disclaimer

I’ve hesitated to blog about President Trump. He is a lightning rod not just for criticism but for vile, profanity-laced and even violent retaliation for those who dare to voice support of him or his policies. Maybe I should begin this entry with a disclaimer that would make my Christian friends and church leaders, my community acquaintances and random blog guests more comfortable. How’s this?

The views you’re about to read do not endorse President Trump’s character (I’ve never met him and don’t have a relationship with him). My views are my own. My allegiance is not first to our country but to a living, loving God who is fully revealed in the person of Jesus Christ. My views, therefore, are informed and, I hope, inspired by the Bible, which I earnestly believe is unfailing, true, and precise. My views are not always right. They are just that – my views.

[image error] King Josiah

Just as King Josiah in the Old Testament (2 Kings 22-23) had inherited a corrupt government and set about with zeal to reform it, so has Trump. Their motivations are strikingly different. Josiah did so as a result of hearing scripture read to him and realizing how far Israel had drifted from God’s standards.Trump is bent on reform to Make America Great Again and is quick to claim personal credit.

There is a profound lesson for Trump from 2 Chronicles 35. Josiah was a beloved leader, but at the end of his life, he trusted his own instincts instead of consulting with God, and it didn’t end well. The lesson is to surround yourself with and listen to wise, godly counsel.

Israel’s history is peppered with bad kings and interrupted by a few good kings that preserved the nation from divine judgement.

Interestingly, it was Josiah’s great grandfather Hezekiah who first instituted significant reforms in Israel which were subsequently lost when his son Manasseh (Josiah’s grandfather) became king.

A word of warning for the President from Hezekiah’s experience: 2 Chronicles 22 records that the king’s success and reforms stoked his pride, and it was his pride that led to a great illness. Progress can be lost if humility is not cultivated.

More reform on the way?

One of President Trump’s emphases has been negotiating a peace deal with Israel in the Middle East. Jared Kushner has made dozens of trips to countries in the region, reportedly asking what it would take for each country to embrace peace with Israel. According to a May 3, 2019 Newsweek article:

Though Kushner admitted it would not be a “smart money bet” to back the success of the White House plan, he told Washington Institute executive director Robert Satloff that the blueprint would hopefully revive discussion and lead to breakthroughs in the peace process.

“What we will be able to put together is a solution that we believe is a good starting point for the political issues, and then an outline for what can be done to help these people start living a better life,” Kushner explained.

It remains to be seen just how much of a reformer Trump will become known for, but two and a half years into his presidency shows an almost manic intensity for “draining the swamp” even as his determination to bring reform to the Middle East may focus on MIGA (Make Israel Great Again).

More Reading

2018, the year Donald Trump upended the US-Israel relationship

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Random Thoughts: Blog vs Twitter, Twitter purge, country music, random quotes, advice to grads

What do YOU do with your “random thoughts?” Do you collect them in an app or do you just forget them? I’m a note-taking and Siri abuser.

I use Siri a lot to collect my thoughts in notes. When I’m out and about, I find myself leaving quick notes to myself. In addition, I take notes of almost every meeting I have. Sometimes someone will say something remarkably profound, and I’ll write it down. Other times, I’ll come across a gem of a quote for later reference in a message or personal reflection. What follows are truly random thoughts that have been sitting in my Notes app.

What if I posted quick status updates here on my blog instead of Twitter, photos here instead of Instagram?

I don’t think I’d reach as many people as I might on those social media platforms. However, perhaps my audience would be more engaged? What if I stopped giving my content away to social media platforms and centralized it here? I think it’s a swimming-upstream #resist attempt. However, I am growing more concerned and aware of the ongoing censorship of social media platforms.

And as long as I’m talking about social media…

How is it possible that I still have less than 1000 followers on the Tweeter?

I’ve been on Twitter since 2007! Last year, I saw my follower list get a massive hit when Twitter claimed it was purging fake accounts. But here’s the thing.. I’ve been obsessive about making sure that people that follow me are real. If I ever had a junk account or spam account attempt to follow me, I blocked them – for 12 years. Seriously. So I don’t buy it. I’m back up to 962 as of this post.

Country music

Some of the richness of country music is just that we get so wound up in life and problems and details – that going fishing may actually be deeply spiritual and a good remedy. I’m a country music fan (REAL country music, that is), and when I’m mowing or running, I’ll often be listening to the lyrics of the latest country songs. Some of the ballads have moved me. Walker Hayes’ song “Craig” is like that.

A few quotes

I’ll attribute as many as I can. Sometimes I hear people on our church staff or members when I’m meeting with them say really profound things. I write them down and transfer them to Evernote on occasion.

When the mind settles the soul speaks.

Two years ago, I was saying “do you have any questions?”. Last year I switched to “what questions do you have?” It made a difference. Today I tried “ask me two questions”. And they did! And those ?s led to more ?s. It amazes me that the littlest things have such a big impact! (Andre Sasser tweet)

“His [God] works are all great in wonder even when they are not great in size; in fact, in the minute objects of the microscope we behold as great wonders as even the telescope can reveal.” (Charles Spurgeon)

“God is not glorified by making OUR plans succeed.”

“A small drop of ink, produces that which makes thousands, perhaps millions, think.” (Lord Byron)

Advice to graduates

I wish I could remember who said all this:

Invest in spiritual community. My best memories are those.
Don’t worry that much about school to where it keeps you from serving the Lord or from bldg relationships well. When I trust the Lord with my time, I was able to get things done.
Take time to reflect on what the Lord has done. You’ll see Gods activity better. Produces gratitude.
Find people you admire and want to model life after and cling to them.
Don’t be afraid to date but always be confident in waiting.

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Mother’s Day win

Mother’s Day gifts are something that give men conniptions. There’s so much pressure! This year, it was a toss-up.. or should I say… throw?

I think I knocked Mother’s Day out of the park this year… and now I’ve had a suggestion by Ben Coulter to give one of these throws and a copy of my book to every first-time guest at Northstar Church.

Wendy’s vs Five Guys

[image error]Many of you know that Wendy’s is my favorite fast-food place. In fact, there’s only one place that comes close to displacing it in my heart, and that’s the shining display of deliciousness at Golden Coral, but that’s another post for another day.

A friend showed me a post by Steven Baum, pastor of First Baptist Church of West Albuquerque, New Mexico that compared Wendy’s and Five Guys.

After reading it, I contacted him and asked permission (which he graciously granted) to post his comparisons here.

Wendy’s vs Five Guys:

Both use fresh, never frozen beef.
Both use American cheese.
Both cook burgers on flat grills.
Both use iceberg lettuce and what I presume are hothouse tomatoes.
5G has sesame seed buns, Wendy’s has seedless–but really the bread bit is the same.
5G has more toppings (fair, I’ll give you that), but how can a palmful of vegetables be worth the extra $4 just for the burger?
Fries are cut from whole potatoes in both places. 5G uses peanut oil to cook, and I assume Wendy’s uses canola–but let’s be honest, neither hold a candle to Chick-fil-A waffle fries.
5G gives you free peanuts. But a little cheeseburger, small order of fries and soda cost me $12 at 5G–trust me, you’re paying for the peanuts.

His conclusion?

I’d rather just pack my own pickles and go to Wendy’s.

I agree, Steven.

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