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:

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.

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?

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.