My Take

I'm very big on networking. I like meeting people and finding out what they do. Since the pandemic hit in February/March 2020, I've had to switch my networking mentality from in-person networking to online networking.

With this switch to virtual something was lost. The connection felt when you're talking to someone in real life, was absent. But something, and many would say a number of things, changed for the better. Now I was able to meet people face-to-face through Zoom (et. al) from all over the world.

Groups like LunchClub.com came online and groups like Beacon here in the Delaware Valley, started doing virtual meetings. With these meetings, I saw a lot of attempts to make them like the business card exchanges of the pre-pandemic world. With breakout rooms, this was somewhat accomplished. But I noticed that the 1:1 that you would get at a business card exchange in person was lost. So, I started making it a habit to meet new people on LinkedIn and in these various groups and scheduling 1:1's with them where I could learn more about them individually and have quality conversations. And you know this plan worked. My network grew, my business, though it didn't grow as great as it did before the pandemic, grew.

Overall, 1:1s online are fantastic. And now that the world has opened up, I'm still doing these virtual 1:1s first and if the conversation turns into something where we should get coffee in real life, then I make it happen. It's become away to meet people and not commit to a drive to meet them without knowing it'll be worthwhile.

Do you guys do 1:1s, especially online? If you haven't you needs to start. If your nervous, don't be. The worse that happens is that the meeting is awkward, and you move on.

Web Finds

• Rob Howard: WordPress succeeds by embracing the superfans, not dismissing them
  I tend to agree with Rob on this. The leadership needs these superfans to evangelize and share the good word about WordPress. I fear if they keep alienating this group, WordPress will be worse for the wear.
• AI and the Age of Creative Superhumans
  I have to admit, I've noticed a new artform coming out. The art of writing a good prompt to get the desired outcome from an AI generator. AI is doing much more than just Text-To-Image, AI can now do, albeit comical mostly, chatbots with whomever you want to chat with. Just because AI can do things, doesn't mean there isn't a place for human-made art and services. AI should be embraced as a tool, not looked at as an adversary.
• The Supreme Court meets Andy Warhol, Prince and a case that could threaten creativity
  Plain and simple, copyright in this country needs reform. The case before the US Supreme Court might threaten creativity as it stands now and that's terrifying.
• Netflix Basic with Ads streaming launches in November
  It was bound to happen, but Netflix is offering an Ad-supported tier. You might be asking why I put this in a marketing newsletter. Because advertising on these platforms is a great way to market your b2c or in some cases, depending on the market, your b2b products or services.
• Big Tech employees are TikToking on the job — and their bosses don’t always like it
  I'm sure these "vlogs" are interesting, but from a security standpoint, Tiktok might not be the best choice of platforms to be using. Thoughts?
• My Twitter thread about using AI text-to-image generators and how that might or might not be in violation of a Google Guideline
  This very much a stream of conscious Tweet thread. I'd love your thoughts.
• What Should Plugin Developers Expect from WordPress?
  There is ruffled feathers in the WordPress community... again. This is some great commentary about the latest kerfuffle.

• Rob Howard: WordPress succeeds by embracing the superfans, not dismissing them
  I tend to agree with Rob on this. The leadership needs these superfans to evangelize and share the good word about WordPress. I fear if they keep alienating this group, WordPress will be worse for the wear.
• AI and the Age of Creative Superhumans
  I have to admit, I've noticed a new artform coming out. The art of writing a good prompt to get the desired outcome from an AI generator. AI is doing much more than just Text-To-Image, AI can now do, albeit comical mostly, chatbots with whomever you want to chat with. Just because AI can do things, doesn't mean there isn't a place for human-made art and services. AI should be embraced as a tool, not looked at as an adversary.
• The Supreme Court meets Andy Warhol, Prince and a case that could threaten creativity
  Plain and simple, copyright in this country needs reform. The case before the US Supreme Court might threaten creativity as it stands now and that's terrifying.
• Netflix Basic with Ads streaming launches in November
  It was bound to happen, but Netflix is offering an Ad-supported tier. You might be asking why I put this in a marketing newsletter. Because advertising on these platforms is a great way to market your b2c or in some cases, depending on the market, your b2b products or services.
• Big Tech employees are TikToking on the job — and their bosses don’t always like it
  I'm sure these "vlogs" are interesting, but from a security standpoint, Tiktok might not be the best choice of platforms to be using. Thoughts?
• My Twitter thread about using AI text-to-image generators and how that might or might not be in violation of a Google Guideline
  This very much a stream of conscious Tweet thread. I'd love your thoughts.
• What Should Plugin Developers Expect from WordPress?
  There is ruffled feathers in the WordPress community... again. This is some great commentary about the latest kerfuffle.
• Rob Howard: WordPress succeeds by embracing the superfans, not dismissing them
  I tend to agree with Rob on this. The leadership needs these superfans to evangelize and share the good word about WordPress. I fear if they keep alienating this group, WordPress will be worse for the wear.
• AI and the Age of Creative Superhumans
  I have to admit, I've noticed a new artform coming out. The art of writing a good prompt to get the desired outcome from an AI generator. AI is doing much more than just Text-To-Image, AI can now do, albeit comical mostly, chatbots with whomever you want to chat with. Just because AI can do things, doesn't mean there isn't a place for human-made art and services. AI should be embraced as a tool, not looked at as an adversary.
• The Supreme Court meets Andy Warhol, Prince and a case that could threaten creativity
  Plain and simple, copyright in this country needs reform. The case before the US Supreme Court might threaten creativity as it stands now and that's terrifying.
• Netflix Basic with Ads streaming launches in November
  It was bound to happen, but Netflix is offering an Ad-supported tier. You might be asking why I put this in a marketing newsletter. Because advertising on these platforms is a great way to market your b2c or in some cases, depending on the market, your b2b products or services.
• Big Tech employees are TikToking on the job — and their bosses don’t always like it
  I'm sure these "vlogs" are interesting, but from a security standpoint, Tiktok might not be the best choice of platforms to be using. Thoughts?
• My Twitter thread about using AI text-to-image generators and how that might or might not be in violation of a Google Guideline
  This very much a stream of conscious Tweet thread. I'd love your thoughts.
• What Should Plugin Developers Expect from WordPress?
  There is ruffled feathers in the WordPress community... again. This is some great commentary about the latest kerfuffle.
• Why Classic WordPress Themes Aren't Going Away
  Not a huge fan of the new block-based themes. I'm actually firmly in the Elementor page builder court, to be honest. With this in mind, classic themes aren't and shouldn't go anywhere. This is a good piece arguing that point.

Podcast Of Note

The Google Search Relations team has a podcast, which rather entertaining. It's called Search Off the Record. John Mueller and his cohorts talk about all things Google search in often hilarious hypothetical scenarios. Often what's said on this podcast can be found being pondered on over on Twitter in the SEO community, which can also be quite entertaining to watch. If you're interested in SEO and also what Google wants to talk about in relation to search, check this podcast out.

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Until next week, stay curious!