• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar

Chris Brogan Media: Digital Presence

A Great Digital Presence is No Longer Optional

  • Home
  • About
  • Contact
  • Stories
  • Newsletter
  • Show Search
Hide Search
You are here: Home › Stories › Archives for Internet

Internet

Bring the Edge to the Center and the Center to the Edge

chrisbrogan · April 6, 2018 ·

If you’ve known me for a while, maybe you’re wondering, “What’s Chris up to right now? Why is he talking about stuff like AI, blockchain, chatbots, and the IoT?” I know. It feels weird, because maybe you have me categorized wrong like lots of people do. Maybe you thought I was supposed to talk about tweets and emails forever, as if they were ever the goal and not just the delivery mechanism.

Not going to happen.

What’s Exciting is The Marketplace

I love the reality that’s upon us right now. The marketplace of old, that physical crossroads where merchants and the community intersected to exchange goods, has long since vanished. Sure, a few bazaars happen out in the world, but mostly for show. They make good tourist pictures.

The marketplace now is at the edge. It’s where we are. And so is the community. So are the opportunities. Everything is at the edge. It’s nowhere. You don’t have to BE somewhere any more, if you don’t want. Or, if the somewhere part is important, you can bring what you need to the edge.

Bring the Edge to the Center and the Center to the Edge

I can be face down in writing this and say aloud, “Alexa, order me some more AA batteries,” and they’ll arrive two days from now without me having to think anything more about it. I’m at the center of the marketplace wherever I am. Amazon’s Echo platform is an Internet of Things (IoT) play that hints ever so vaguely at what we’ll all be doing naturally in the next few years.

My cultural intentions are easier to facilitate. My community of shared interest is easier to thread together. With blockchain, I’ll very soon be able to order the KIND of electrical power I want to pay for (water, wind, solar) and thus be able to vote for my beliefs with my dollars. ( This is what I mean.)

The same way web tools like blogs and YouTube and Twitter and so on have allowed more and more people to be media stars, the NEXT layer of all this will be driven by blockchain and IoT and chatbots and AI and we’ll have a lot more control of our data, a lot more options for extracting and sharing value, and many ways to curate and create the kind of interactions we want to have.

Social Networks for the Edge

Just as all the big social networks are feeling fatter and less about “us,” all the little dating apps and simpler social networks are picking up steam because they’re allowing like minded communities to form and bring all these people around all these various edges to a joined center.

It starts with dating apps (Tinder, Grindr, Bumble, etc) and moves into whatever other interests people want to gather around. I googled “Cannabis social network” and there were a dozen or more. I googled “LGBT social network” and found plenty. Vegan? Yep. Whatever you want to search for, there are now smaller and simpler social networks hiding in the shadows of the “big guys.”

Data as Fuel and as Center-Makers

What comes soon (it’s here already, but just not evenly distributed) are all the innovations in data being more available, faster, and able to be tailored to our interests. Right now we use Cortana and Google Home to initiate requests. Soon, our virtual assistants will sift massive stacks of information to pick what we teach them we care about. Oh, there’s a Babymetal concert tomorrow in Boston AND tickets are only $50 AND two other people I know and like who like Babymetal have already said yes? Sure. Buy it. Done.

Right now, there’s either no data, too much data, or no way to do something useful quickly with data for many of us. That will change. And as it does, the tools we use to work with that information will adapt and grow and learn to anticipate our needs and bring what matters to us to the center.

The Story Continues

The stories I’m telling through my Podcast and my Amazon Flash Briefing and via my newsletter (and my forthcoming book) are all building towards helping us figure this all out. The same way I showed you (and continue to show you) how blogs and podcasts and video are neato, I want to help you find your way through all the new stuff.
What’s the best way to build a chatbot that won’t upset your customers?
How can you thread together a few simple blockchain apps and suddenly get more business from the big guys?
What will AI look like when it’s just a service you rent the way you pay for web hosting?
That’s what I’m working on with you.
I’ll bring all those weird edges to our mutual center. Are you with me? It’s going to get even more crazy (but in only the best of ways)!

If this has been interesting

Consider grabbing my newsletter. It’s only going up from here.





One of Blockchain's Super Powers is Trust

chrisbrogan · March 3, 2018 ·

In 2009, Julien Smith and I wrote Trust Agents. It was a book about how to be human across the web. Now, almost a decade later, I’m hot on the trail of how companies can extend their business relationships even more, and how emerging technologies like blockchain are helping deliver TRUST at a distance.

China’s answer to Amazon, JD, has just started using blockchain to validate the authenticity of beef. Before I read the article, I hadn’t really considered just how much of what we buy is based on hearsay and assurances. Did I just get Wagyu or Kobe beef? That’s what the label says. But how do I know?

The blockchain is a different kind of transmission system the way the internet is. In the case of the internet, we move INFORMATION around. With the blockchain, we move the verification of VALUE around. It’s not that different from the internet, but it’s early days and hard to explain easily.

One big difference is that the blockchain uses very distributed systems to prove that everything is what it says it is, and that it’s virtually unhackable. That means that if thousands of distributed systems all agree with a piece of information that you can trust (huge exclamation points and yellow highlighter here) that what is stated is accurate.

This is big. To be able to digitize trust will be a huge step forward in how we do what we do. And I can’t think of a single company that won’t benefit from equipping these changes.
—
If this is interesting to you, consider getting my newsletter. I’ll cover this more in coming issues:





Amazon Alexa, The Need for Better CRM, and Trust

chrisbrogan · December 30, 2017 ·

Amazon Alexa and Google Home have the same problem: they can do some really clever things that make them feel “real” to us, but the illusion is easily shattered. You might think “So what? That’s Amazon’s and Google’s problem.” But the thing is you need this, too.

Smart Speakers Aren’t All That Smart

I can say, “Alexa, who am I?” She’ll say back, “You told me your name is Chris.” I can then say, “Alexa, my son’s name is Harold.” She will say: “Sorry. I can’t help you with that.” Meaning that the information really has nowhere to go. But this context is important. Let me explain out.

First, Alexa DOES know my voice from other people’s voices. If my son Harold says, “Alexa, who am I?” she won’t be able to answer it. She doesn’t reply that he is Chris.

So that means that somewhere there’s a data “match” to my voice. Meaning, there’s some record stored in Alexa that says “Chris Brogan” is logged into this Alexa unit and I have a matching voice print for what I’m expecting him to sound like. Right?

But why, then, does Amazon need my “voice password” when I order something with Alexa? If she knows my voice is different than my son’s, why does she need a four digit passcode? Isn’t my voice a pretty good passcode? I guess “someone” could record my voice or splice up recordings to sound like I’m ordering them a Bugatti. So maybe that’s why. But I think it’s because Alexa was built to be dumber than we think.

(Note: every single time I’m saying Alexa, I mean Alexa/Google/Siri/Cortana)

And every time I’m talking about these big companies, I want you to think about YOUR place in this, because that’s upon you faster than you think. Voice interaction is here now. Amazon Echo and Echo Dot were the #1 purchased Christmas gift in 2017 on Amazon’s site, and the Alexa app was the most downloaded app on both the iTunes and Google Play store the next day.

Our CRM Needs to Get Smarter

Every company that sells something has a Customer/Client Relationship Management software (CRM). Whether or not they want it, they keep some kind of record of your purchase history tied to a phone number or a credit card or an email address. I suppose in more modern systems we can set the “unique key” to whatever we think will be most permanent. But every system has records of this nature.

But if you look at these, they are often mostly “dumb” data. You bought this thing on that date. You paid with this form of payment. The product was shipped there. All good to know, but not really smart enough.

I’ll tell you a simple one. “Alexa, my son’s name is Harold. Say hi to Harold.”

I want Alexa to be able to store that data record and link it for me. I want to be able to say, “Alexa, did Harold add anything to his wish list last night?” Hell. I want him to be able to say, “Good morning, Alexa” and her answer back, “Hey Harold.”

A lot of hotels are starting to add the option to use your favorite Internet apps there as well. When I check into the Residence Inn, I stick my Netflix (or Hulu or YouTube, etc) account into the room TV so I can binge Peaky Blinders on the big screen instead of my laptop.

Some hotels are adding smart speakers to their rooms so I can ask Alexa everything I ask her at home. (I’m in a hotel room writing this and I’ve tried talking to her about six times so far.) But will those also be tied to my account? And will it know I’m in a different location? And will my skills already be transferable to it?

Remembering is Part of Trust

This is basic, but also deeply true. Ask Jacq. If she tells me something she thinks is important and I forget what it was she told me, it hurts her feelings. She takes every instance of me forgetting (which happens a lot) as a slight against our relationship.

We humans tend to feel this way. We want to be known. We want to be remembered. I told you I’m staying in a hotel room as I write this. I’ve been to this property probably 20+ times over the last year. When I walk through the door, I want pretty much everyone working to give me that “Norrrrrm!” greeting (from Cheers – it was a TV show. Look it up!).

So when chatbots and robots and voice apps can’t remember the absolute basics, it FEELS (and we definitely do feel emotions around these technologies) like someone (your company) has forgotten us. That feeling is massively negative to some and simply negative to many. If you treat me like a first time buyer, it shows me what little value you place on my loyalty or commerce.

Start with CRM

At this point, you might not be building your own chatbots, but what has to come first no matter what is a better way to store and access the data that will make the experience better for all those involved. The ability to capture non-sales-related data and “knowledge” about your customer, I believe, will be the most overlooked competitive business opportunity of 2018 and beyond.(tweetable)

This isn’t massively hard work. Build in some fields to capture some more potential information, when available. Allow it to have flexible labeling sometimes. Because my example was “son” doesn’t mean that someone wants to add in “dog” and “stepdaughter” and “crazy uncle.” And then keep working out what other information might be useful to store that benefits both you and your buyer.

I promise that as “smart” speakers proliferate, the novelty phase will wear off quickly. We will not only demand more of companies using bots and voice interfaces, but we’ll gravitate towards those companies who treat us through these artificial interfaces like we matter and like we belong. The gee whiz phase is now. You still have time. Help make the distance between your business and me smarter. Please?

Video Game Scholarships. Black Spider-Man. The Future of Cashless Commerce – The Brief for 12.11.17

chrisbrogan · December 11, 2017 ·

Here are the notes from the Chris Brogan Media broadcast for 12/11/17. (You can watch this on my Facebook account).
The goal of these posts is that there are trends and ideas here that might impact your business now or soon. Think on the stories here and look for ways to adjust your business accordingly. If ever you’re stuck, get in touch with me and I can help.
This live video was all shot using Ecamm Live (client), the best way to do Facebook Live for Mac.
Please note that all links may be affiliate links. If someone is a client, I’ll call that out specifically.

Stories Shared

Your kid play a lot of video games? Do YOU? You can maybe get a scholarship for that.
Lytro is dead. Sometimes the bleeding edge means you’ll lose memories. Is that worth it?
I learn a lot from looking at Africa. The cashless economy points to some interesting trends, because they’re actually ahead of us in some ways.
And hey, with all this Bitcoin mania, it’s important to remember that bank robbery comes with all technologies.
This is so brief. I’ll explain it in the video. This is smart engineer humor about the Internet of Things and security.
Now this is nuts. 3D printing wifi? I still can’t fully figure this out. I’ll let Chris Garrett at Maker Hacks sort it out first.
They say all publicity is good publicity. Sean Spicer making fun of Dippin Dots SOLD LOTS OF DOTS for the company.
Sometimes, my creative friends want to invent the world. This app shows you that sometimes, a really simple small idea can change the world in even bigger ways.
It’s the end of the year, so YouTube has released their 2017 Rewind video. While it’s interesting, I saw several videos that were more interesting. I’ll explain in the video above.
Nerd alert. You can mix Destiny 2 with Alexa and get this cool game-based voice assistant. Here’s why this is interesting: usually this is tech for little kids.
Congrats to Sony for putting the new Miles Morales Spider-Man on screen. Okay, so it’s animated, but it’s a good move!
Hey, if this has been interesting, consider picking up my weekly newsletter. It’s all unique ideas by me about how to improve buyer interactions and grow your business. Give it a peek

What ELSE is News?

You want to get featured on the Chris Brogan Media show? Drop me an email: [email protected] and let me know what’s news!

Please Get My Newsletter

My newsletter is the best work I do every week. You can get yours here.

Why I Keep Pushing So Hard About Blockchain

chrisbrogan · November 21, 2017 ·

If you’ve paid any attention to me over the last several weeks and months, I’ve repeatedly said that blockchain as a technology is a huge and major shift that will impact many businesses (probably yours) in the next handful of years. I’ve also said repeatedly that you need to get out in front of it and learn more now so that you don’t repeat the mistakes you made in the DOT COM days, when you thought that might just be a whim. Remember then? Right. So let’s get real about blockchain.

First, I know. It’s really boring

What blockchain is that the internet wasn’t is that blockchain is boring. It’s about keeping better records. The whole system is about matching “ledgers” between lots of distributed computers. Are you snoring yet? I would be. BUT that doesn’t make it unimportant. It means you still have to know about it, but it might be tricky to stay focused. Just keep reminding yourself that you will be very far behind really quickly, and that mistake will cost you lots of money. That’s how I’m staying motivated, at least.

But it’s necessary

Blockchain will take a lot of the “mystique” of annoying processes away. Wondering about car repairs won’t just be a single company’s job. You’ll just have access to it. Finding out whether the deed to your land is accurate to the actual fence posts in the yard will be a few clicks away. Everything where you have to bother a lawyer about detail gathering will be part of this. It’s important.
Contracts. Real estate. Financial transactions. That’s what blockchain does. Boring. But necessary.

The Basics

I’ve started collecting a lot of resources to help you with this. The FULL list is here.
But these are a good start:
Here’s investor and venture perspectives on blockchain.
IBM’s explanation (they’re a big player here already).
This is a fun guide that has a bunch of ways of explaining it.
Here’s a Udemy course that might help. Plus, it’s very inexpensive.
And again, check out the whole pile of resources I made for you here.

Also grab my newsletter

I don’t write about blockchain all the time. That would be about as boring as blockchain, but I do try to show you possible paths through the coming months and years and how this tech might help you drive better human interactions. For that, get my newsletter, which isn’t the same as this blog:





  • « Go to Previous Page
  • Go to page 1
  • Go to page 2
  • Go to page 3
  • Go to page 4
  • Interim pages omitted …
  • Go to page 48
  • Go to Next Page »

Primary Sidebar

Grab my newsletter:

By getting thisnewsletter, you agree to my Privacy Policy. Got questions? Reach out.

Categories

  • Blogging (356)
  • Book Review (3)
  • Branding (73)
  • Business (1,138)
  • Chris Brogan (235)
  • Community (496)
  • Conferences (97)
  • Content Marketing (96)
  • Guest (1)
  • How To (737)
  • Internet (236)
  • Marketing (554)
  • Social Media (932)
  • Social Networking (11)
  • Speaking (173)
  • Storytelling (56)
  • Strategy (157)
  • Technology (224)
  • Trends (8)
  • Uncategorized (209)

Most Recent Posts:

  • My 3 Words for 2021 January 1, 2021
  • How the Beast is Us – by Chloë Forbes-Kindlen October 26, 2020
  • Company Culture at a Distance July 19, 2020
  • Personal Branding is Vital Now July 5, 2020
  • Content Marketing in 2020 July 3, 2020