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Technology

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:





Internet, Technology

Gambling with Cryptocurrency, Replacing Lawyers, and Captain Phasma of Star Wars – The Brief for 10.24.17

chrisbrogan · October 24, 2017 ·

Here are the notes from the Chris Brogan Media broadcast for 10/24/17. (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

Using blockchain as a payment tool seems to be coming faster than ever, and Mastercard is one example of that.
Payment news! Google has rolled out their Pay with Google service and with just a few little bits of code, this can be implemented in lots of places. Customers want options on how to pay, so this is always worth checking out.
Comcast is evidently looking into using blockchain as part of their premium advertising and customer data platform.
But this one really bears thinking about. Evidently, you can resolve disputes online using blockchain technology and crowdsourcing to settle legal claims that normally were only the purview of lawyers. This isn’t even like “Uber for lawyers” but more like Airbnb vs hotels.
You know I love covering esports. Well, esports gambling is evidently arriving faster as Unikrn raises $31 million for a cryptocurrency specifically used for gambling on esports. This whole link is basically the future times three, right?
I rarely want to be all “I told you so” but I’ve never liked Snapchat much and I think their spectacles are silly. Well evidently, at least a few hundred thousand people agree with me as there are that many unsold spectacles in warehouses.
Teaching EVERYONE to code is pretty much a requirement for what comes next. Kids have a new ally in a cool Minecraft coding platform. Since launch, you could always do a little bit of programming inside Minecraft, but this is different. Pretty neat stuff.
In plant-based news, it’s interesting to note that the guy behind Lunchables and Slim Jims is now pushing plant-based meat. This fits with the trend of the secret to adopting a plant-based lifestyle is to start with convenience foods.
On the other end of the spectrum, evidently Subway is faltering, and they have some weird ideas on how to recover. We’re doing poorly. Let’s launch some sub-brands. But worse is what corporate says they want to do. (Read the article or watch my news.)
Booking hotels isn’t exactly hard, but most websites are a bit overloaded. Now you can use Slack to book with just the name of the city and your arrival and departure dates. The hotel sends back a few options, and you pick the one you want with a “thumbs up” emoji to book it. Oooooo.
Not cosplay, but nerd news. One of the biggest letdowns of Star Wars: The Force Awakens, was Captain Phasma. She looked cool. She supposedly had a major role in the story. But that’s not what went down on screen. Now there’s a novel out about everyone’s mysterious favorite captain, complete with complex backstory and a lot more Phasma action. (This has nothing to do with business, but then, you and I have lives outside of work, right?)
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.

Business, Chris Brogan, How To, Social Media, Technology

I Get a Lot of Things Wrong

chrisbrogan · October 23, 2017 ·

It’s become something of a strategy for me to jump into something, try to do it, fail, and then learn a little bit in the process. I learn more by failing than by studying something to death. But that’s not all.

I Get a Lot of Things Wrong

I get people wrong. I forget that not everyone should be taken at face value. For me, I just don’t know how to be a lot of different versions of myself. I’m me. No matter if you see me on a stage in front of thousands or say hi to me while I’m peeing in the men’s room, I’m the same guy. (Though I’m not going to shake your hand in the men’s room.) I take everyone at face value anyway, and then am willing to be wrong about them.

I get technology wrong. Sometimes, I think something is really dumb. Like putting text on photos. I thought that was dumb (said so in 2012). But emojis and gifs and text on photos is a HUGE part of how people communicate now. Whether or not you like it is immaterial. It’s what it is. I will always get some tech wrong. And other times, I’ll be right but it’ll take you 3 years to know it.

I get business wrong. I constantly bet too early on trends. I also fall into the marketer’s dilemma of thinking that of COURSE you know why this is vital. And then you forget to buy it. And I feel dumb.

I get content marketing wrong. I’ve been just posting those CBMXXX post titles for a while on this blog and was getting complaints. I felt like “screw that. Click just one and it’ll all make sense.” But. Um. I was wrong.

Wrong is Okay

I’m a fan of wrong. Because it also means that I’m learning and progressing and experimenting and that I’ll have the chance to learn from my experiments and exploration.

If my job is to help you use tech to drive better human interactions, I’m going to have to stay ahead of the curve so I can tell you where the dragons are. If I’m turning the NEXT into the NOW and giving you ways to turn insights into opportunities, that means I’ll probably have a few failures in the lab before I can give you a tried and true thing.

I’d rather be wrong than out of date. I’d rather be wrong than certain of something no one else cares about any longer.

Mistakes will happen, that’s for sure. But I’ll share the learning from those, too. And you’ll appreciate that.
Right?

Business, Content Marketing, How To, Marketing, Strategy, Technology

Which of These Trends Might Impact You Most?

chrisbrogan · October 23, 2017 ·

Here are the notes from the Chris Brogan Media broadcast for 10/23/17. (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

More blockchain in the news. Mastercard has set up a B2B payments platform using blockchain technology (but not Bitcoin).
Banks just love it, even while they despise Bitcoin. Bank of America is looking to roll out a blockchain-based processing system.
The context for why you should care and what you should be thinking is: “What kind of changes might this make to my business? Should I look into how I’ll go about accepting different payment methods? Are there benefits to blockchain systems that I haven’t even considered yet?”
Related, it seems McDonalds and other restaurants are switching to paying employees DAILY. I can’t imagine the accounting misery that must make, plus processing challenges. This makes you wonder how to streamline payroll systems, and/or whether there are alternative methods to pay people at your organization.
Pretty cool to see the only all female whiskey company in the world. File this under: awesome stories of strong women doing cool business things and shining the light there. No other context required.
This seems like something that won’t affect you, but if cyber criminals turn off the US power grid, rest assured, that’ll affect you. Instead of just feeling helpless, what might you do to counter this? Do you have generators? What else? What are your business (and life) contingencies for sustained power loss?
Housing is at a premium in some parts of the world, and yet, if that’s where all the jobs are, people will find ways. These “coffins” in Hong Kong point to something I read about in Neuromancer as science fiction decades ago. But it’s real and here today. Is San Francisco next? And what does this mean for rural areas that have plenty of room?
Are we getting overwhelmed by holiday sales? Target says yes, and they plan to streamline their promotions. There’s lots hidden in the inferences made in this article.
I talk a lot about plant-based business. One reason is that it’s not a fad. It’s a response to a lot of changes in the larger ability to be able to feed the expanding population of the world. I also personally believe that choosing a plant-based diet means relieving some of the strain that the management of animal populations puts on the environment and resources. But further, there’s gold in those hills.
The Guardian was wondering about this, lately. They asked, wait, is vegan stuff a big business? (Hint: yes.)
I’ve reported a ton on veggie burgers. Evidently, another huge area we’ll see exploding are veggie shrimp alternatives. Look, lots of earlier veggie burgers (and some current ones) were awful. And imitation shrimp is often not all that delicious. But satisfying the growing protein needs of the population requires that we seek alternatives. This might be a thing.
Last one about plants. A recent study by the University of Alabama in Birmingham found that a plant-based diet changed breast cancer from inoperable to treatable, at least in Mice. That’s nuts.
I have no segue here. Remember the old XKCD comic about passwords being silly? Here’s a really cool password generator that makes some fairly serviceable passwords. You might want to look into changing a few of yours. I mean, really. pa55w0rd? We guessed it!
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.

Business, Chris Brogan, How To, Social Media, Technology

Leonardo DiCaprio Buys a Lot of Burgers and Could Blockchain Remove Google From Ads?

chrisbrogan · October 20, 2017 ·

All right, you boogers. You wore me down. I got SO MANY emails from you saying, “stop just labeling your posts with numbers. It doesn’t make me want to click. Well, I get it. I guess. I’m not making this damned show for myself, so I’d better do what you tell me to do. I get it. Okay! All right, already! 🙂 Scroll down!
Here are the notes from the Chris Brogan Media broadcast for 10/20/17. (You can watch this on my Facebook account).
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

Consider this: with so many information coming at us all the time, solitude is about to become a trend.
Speaking of trends, maybe you won’t buy those food prep boxes for you,
but would you buy them for Fido?

Women be warned: female freelancers aren’t making what the guys are. And before you say “no kidding,” take some action.
In the “sad trumbone” department, evidently very few US hospitals can digitally share records. Like…30%.
My favorite kind of “duh” news, now that more people are eating plant-based, produce farmers need to capitalize on that.
And hey ho, Leo! Leonardo DiCaprio is investing in Beyond Meat.
All this talk of food? This is a great article about understanding food deserts, which are still a thing, but they don’t have to be.
Foursquare (they’re still around?) just posted data on America’s favorite fast food chain. The answer? Chick Fil’A.
I talk a bunch about blockchain technology. Here’s how blockchain could remove Google from search based advertising.
I’m also keen on chatbots, but would you talk to a robot as your new therapist?. If you want to check it out, go to Woebot and get started on Facebook messenger. (It’s interesting.)
eSports are bigger and bigger. Now the Pinstripes are investing in their own esports team.
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.

Business, Chris Brogan, How To, Social Media, Speaking, Technology

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