Reading Time: 2 min There are a lot of influences in our lives, but word of mouth is still the top reason why people buy products and services. Ads are important, marketing is important, but people buy most often based on what other people have to say. Of that word of mouth, how much happens online? Most people guess […]
Trust
Accurate facts that mislead
Reading Time: 2 min I’ve always been fascinated by accurate stats that can be misleading. For example, Simpson’s Paradox explains why Reggie Miller was more accurate than Larry Bird in both three-point shots and two-point shots, but Bird was more accurate when you combine them. Or you have the fact that Chick-Fil-A is mathematically the fastest drive-thru restaurant, but […]
Using RSS to sniff out AI
Reading Time: 2 min While RSS has almost completely disappeared from the tech landscape, I’m still a big fan of it. I get the majority of my information via RSS, and it’s fantastic. If you’re not familiar with RSS, it’s essentially a way to subscribe to news sites and blogs. It’s not unlike getting email updates on every new […]
Be willing to look bad
Reading Time: 2 min Being willing to look bad, admit defeat, or answer a question with “I don’t know” are all difficult things to do, but they all ultimately can make you a better person. As a “five” on the enneagram, this hits particularly close to home (here is more about the enneagram if you’re not familiar with it). […]
Know, respect, trust
Reading Time: < 1 min We’ve all heard the saying that we buy things from people that we “know, like and trust”, and I agree with that. I’d much rather purchase something from someone that I know, who I find likable, and who I trust. In recently reading the book “How Clients Buy“, the authors worded it slightly differently every […]
Theoretically altruistic journalism
Reading Time: 2 min The latest episode of the “You’re Wrong About” podcast focuses on phones, and makes the argument that phones are generally a good thing for people to have — even teens. Included in the show was a discussion on the potential ban of TikTok, where they shared: And it’s not about improving these systems or improving […]
Sifting through the chaff and grain
Reading Time: < 1 min There are certain people in your life that are indispensable. They can be indispensable in various ways, but I loved this description from Dinah Maria Craik (from her book “A Life for a Life“, as shared in Kevin Paul Scott’s “Inspired Every Day“). Dinah said: “Oh the comfort of feeling safe with a person, having […]
Productivity versus activity
Reading Time: 2 min An interesting article recently came out about Wells Fargo firing more than a dozen employees who were faking their work. From the article: “The staffers, all in the firm’s wealth- and investment-management unit, were “discharged after review of allegations involving simulation of keyboard activity creating impression of active work,” according to disclosures filed with the […]
Personalized advice coming from noreply
Reading Time: < 1 min I’ve shared my distain for emails coming from “noreply” many times on this blog. My general feeling is that if a company wants to reach out to send me information, they should be willing to accept an email response back from me to dig in deeper. If the content they sent to me isn’t important […]
Bugging 24,990 people to make 10 sales
Reading Time: 2 min I’ve shared my disdain for cold email many times on here, and a recent video that I watched help to prove my point. Similar to how I follow both sides of political contests online, I also keep an eye on cold emailers spammers to see what their latest techniques are. I was watching a video […]