My Friday Thought… is about why make things so complicated?
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Bal’s Friday Thought…
Author: Bal Bansal
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Tech Tuesday!
We are all aware of the main social media platforms, such as Facebook, Twitter, Instagram…. the younger ones amongst us… Tik Tok, Snapchat, etc… Let’s be honest, there’s a fair few. But there’s one that’s taking the world by storm!
Clubhouse.
So imagine, in the real world, you’re at a conference. It’s a conference that has several rooms, several speakers. You look at the agenda, and highlight what interests you. You then go to the room, sit in the room and listen to the speaker(s). When you want to leave, you leave quietly, and you can join another room – where they may be talking about another interest of yours – and you sit there and listen to the speakers.
Now… Clubhouse, has all this… on an app. You can connect and follow people who you think are interesting, and when they start a room – you’ll be notified. And off course, people can follow you!
You can even create your own room! Have people join. Talk about what you want! You can make it private or keep it open for others to join.
I’ve been using it for a while. And I have to admit. I love it. I think it’s great. I’ve had my own room (where a few of us talked about football – in particular Nottingham Forest). I’ve joined lots of rooms, and listened – and like most things, some were good, some… not so.
On iOS only for the moment – but i’m sure they’ll be bringing it out on Android soon. Oh.. and you need to be invited. That’s right – it’s invite only… But when you sign up and wait – if people on the platform know you, then they can ‘let you in’. In addition, you get two invites to invite your friends!
Why is clubhouse so important?
- It’s all audio! – so you can carry on with your normal tasks, plug in your headphones – and off you go. The rise of podcasts has shown that more and more people are wanting to listen.
- Clubhouse says they do not record and store. So the room you create, the room you talk in… none of that conversation is stored so you can listen to it later. It’s all ‘real-time’. Like a real conference, where you’d listen to a person live… it’s exactly like that.
There are some watch outs though… whilst Clubhouse say they don’t record anything, some security folk found that they they will capture some of your personal data and information. So like all social media platforms, enjoy… (but be conscious of who’s watching.. or in this case, listening!)
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Week 6… 2021!
There’s no stopping to 2021!…. It continues to move at some speed and keep giving!! – So what’s it given this week, well… here’s my Top 2 Stories!!!
1. Coca-Cola to start selling drinks in a paper bottle!!!
That’s right – the iconic drinks company, is going to sell (as part of a test) drinks in paper bottles! The company’s Brussels-based research and development team is working with Danish startup The Paper Bottle Company on this project, with an ultimate goal for bottles that ‘can be recycled as paper.’ – Let’s be honest, isn’t this awesome! – It’s no secret that the planet is filled with plastic waste, including consumer products like plastic bottles — ones quickly used, then discarded, often making their way into landfills, lakes, and the ocean… so this, paper bottle, is only a good thing!
The plastic alternative features a ‘bio-based material’ as the external carton-like barrier, one made using sustainably-sourced wood. The bottle includes a recyclable plastic lining that holds the beverage.
2. What did you have for breakfast this morning? What do you normally have? – Had Weetabix in a while?…
This week, Twitter went mental! – When Weetabix tweeted this…
And…. Everyone, when I mean everyone… Everyone! Got involved… all the big twitter folk/brands/organisations started tweeting…
… What a great marketing exercise! – It even made the news! – Good Morning Britain talking about it (and trying it)… to the House of Commons! That’s right… MP’s spoke about it!!!
So with that… there’s a couple of things we’ve learnt this week, firstly – we need to do more for our planet. So many companies are working towards sustainable solutions… but we must do our bit.
And secondly, Weetabix took Social Media Engagement to another level this week. I’m hearing, sales of Weetabix and beans have gone through the roof!
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Bal’s Friday Thought…
Earlier this week, a video was shared to me… and it’s my Friday Thought today.
The video had a guy who has inspired me. When I was about 13, I started going to the gym – mainly to get stronger due to some bullying issues as I was the only Sikh kid in the school…. and it was then, my friend gave me a book. It was about a young kid, who had moved from Austria… worked out like mad… had this vision… and became Mr Olympia, Mr Universe… not once, but several times! (I’ve still got that book!)
What got me in the book… and it’s in the video also… is how he didn’t give up. He didn’t listen to all the people that said, it can’t happen.
Below is the video…. Enjoy.
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Tech Tuesday!
So recently, on my Instagram – I shared how I was annoyed about a post that AutoTrader had put up from their Twitter Acount.
AutoTrader – the UK’s largest automotive marketplace. I bought my recent car via AutoTrader! It used to sell it in paper form.. then with the introduction of the internet, it moved online… (app is available via App Store etc…), and promotes itself via social media.
62,000 followers on Twitter (Joined January 2009).
57,000 followers on Instagram (with over 2,211 posts).
359,000 followers on Facebook.
On the social media channels – they review cars, provide advice, etc..
So Bal, what’s your problem with them?
Well… they posted the below on Twitter…
Whilst I love the idea of a poll and seeing which car is better…. my annoyance was around the way to respond.
Firstly… I see the heart. So if I’m an Audi fan, then fine – I click the heart. BUT… if I’m a BMW fan… where’s the thumbs up? – do this mean I have to go into the comments and do a thumbs up? So… all of a sudden, I need to interact with the post, I need to comment, I need to make my vote count… IF I’m a BMW fan.
Facebook is the social media platform that has a ‘thumb’ for liking an image.
Now… this was shared by AutoTrader… but via a platform called Socialbakers. Basically, you can schedule posts and articles – and then platforms such as Socialbakers will publish them out at times when activity is at it’s peak…. allowing more people to view and engage.
It comes down to user experience.
In this day and age – when I can, click twice in amazon and have an item sent to my house, the experience for engagement should be quick, easy and simple!
So, whatever you do… wherever you do it… just think of who’s going to interact with it. Who’s going to do something with it! It’s the value someone will get out of it. There’s so much competition for eyes to be on your post – let’s be honest, firstly, there’s so many social media platforms. Then there’s so many posts… information, etc… how can you cut above everyone and have eyes on your post? – I won’t go into making good content… but key thing is ensuring it’s simple to read, simple to engage with… and simple to react to!
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Week 5… 2021!
Another busy week! – So much going on… everything from the Farmers Protest in India to how food prices are being increased in the UK! – it could be because of Brexit! (I think it is… especially hearing about how products and stock are being held at ports!!
So my 2 stories from the week…
- Nike Trainers – This is a new design of trainers that have been shared by Nike. You may be thinking, really… new trainers?… yes! – they are very easy to put on and take off. They have a hinge, so the shoe/trainer – effectively… splits in the middle, allowing easy access for your foot to come out… and go in! They are called the Nike GO FlyEase Trainer….
2. Tesla… no, I won’t be talking about Elon Musk taking a break from Twitter.. or the crypto currency he’s been endorsing… but more so, that the new steering wheel they’ll be having is legal in the UK!… AND…. be honest, how many of us, will think we are knight rider?! – Honestly, little things like these make me want to buy a Tesla… however, I did notice BMW have a ‘funky’ steering wheel in their new iX… all about the user experience!
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Bal’s Friday Thought…
Everyone is going through something… don’t judge. Support.
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Week 4… 2021!
And so it continues! – The argument between the EU and AstraZenca was one of the highlights… appears that the EU didn’t sign in time hence the delay in orders… and then the unfortunate news that Covid-19 hit 100,000 deaths in the UK.
For me… here’s my Top 2 takeaways from this week…
- Drivers.. are you ready? – there may be a new Road Pricing structure brought into place! – This is because the treasury is losing £2.4bn of fuel duty (this was due to lockdown) but with the introduction of electric cars… it’s estimated that there’ll be a £40bn black hole! (that’s right… 40 BILLION!). So the think tanks are looking at charging drivers per mile (they drive), and other options. Either way… be ready for a ‘new type of tax’ for drivers, as we try to go green!
- Get comfortable… Boris announced that schools will not open till 8th March (at the earliest). Looks like this new variant of Covid-19 is spreading alot quicker than anyone thought. So lockdown… may continue. Whilst the games on Kahoot, and the family video games may have dwindled… it’s important to keep talking. It’s looking that lockdown will be here for a while… so stay strong, keep talking – and if you have no one to talk there, there’s a number of organisations that you can reach out to. Please do share your thoughts with someone….
My Top Two takeaways…. Stay safe and make sure you talk during lockdown and as it seems to be staying for a while, please look after your mental health and whilst we’re not driving currently, be prepared for changes that are coming!
I did mention I’ll be starting my podcast again! – Glad to announce I have some lovely folk lined up!! So watch out when that is released…
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Bal’s Friday Thought…
Today’s thought…. reflects on the tough times we are all going through.
Let’s be honest – it’s not easy for many, the pandemic has hit many hard, still under lockdown, and with home-schooling for parents… the road ahead looks a little bumpy. But… keep going!
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Week 3… 2021!
Oh my…. it sure is a crazy year! And so it continues…. Joe Biden is sworn in as President of the United States of America, and started working on reversing a number of the items that Trump ‘did’…such as reinstating the USA into the Paris (Climate) Agreement.
So, what are my two highlights for the week gone…
- Liteboxer! – With lockdown continuing for the foreseeable future (until everyone is vaccinated), home working out continues to grow. Peloton has become huge – and continues to grow – but new to the market and growing very quickly is LiteBoxer. It’s $1,495 and called the Peloton for Boxing. Whilst it’s much more than a traditional punch bag… there’s so many more, new innovative, devices that are being released to help you continue as you were at home!
- PS5 – Got your PlayStation 5? – well… this week, there was a huge restock of the games of the games console… and it caused absolute chaos online! Over 160,000 people were trying to access Currys PC Works website at one point on Wednesday!! Now… there’s two elements to this…1) You can’t physically wait in line, so you have to be in a virtually queue…. and 2) Bots. Yes, Bots. One in particular Carnage Bot tweeted it had secured 2,000 PS5 consoles from Game’s supply of fresh stock! (How?… they scan the online retailers… and the exact second they’re released… the Bots go in and buy them!)
So there you go… boxing at home (guess Connor McGregor could utilize one of these machines!) and Bots taking your PS5’s.
Remember folks… stay safe!