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.
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!
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!
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…
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!
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.
This week, I’m inspired by Avaani. Aged 7. Her father I know, and the below was shared on Insta.
We’re all going through tough times… but one thing we can try to do more of is walking… and talking.
So go for that walk… take your headphones and have a talk (if the person is further away)… don’t let obstacles get in your way (but please, stay safe and keep your social distancing).
It’s all happening isn’t it! – But first things first, my apologies for not sharing my Friday Thought. I had a really busy week, and whilst I plan a lot of things, I just didn’t have enough time to get to releasing my Friday Thought.
But on a positive! – I’m on my second review of the week!!
What’s WhatsApp? – That’s right!! This could be the norm in a few years. So…. WhatsApp released new ‘conditions’ if you want to keep using their platform. As you may know, they are part of the Facebook group – and whilst your messages are encrypted end to end, they want to gather some other data about you – and share it. Now for them, it’s all about the experience, but many have become scared, thought it’s violating their privacy and started to switch to Signal and Telegram. Whilst I’m not going to tell you what to do… there’s some great articles out there – and if you do want me to tell you what to do… WhatsApp me!
China wants to build its own $306 billion use car market from scratch! Basically, they want to double the value of secondhand vehicle sales by 2025. Now China already has more then 270 million vehicles on it’s road… and estimated 15 million secondhand models were sold in 2019! Put some contrast on it… 173 people out of 1000 in China own a car… comparing that to the US, it’s 837. You can be sure to say, it’s all happening in China… wonder if the authors of AutoTrader are reading this?!
So here’s my top two stories of the week… I reckon it’s going to be a busy year, lots happening!! – and I’ll share my review of the week (or please get in touch with a better name!).
If you have any top stories to share – get in touch, or if there’s a particular topic you’d like me to share the latest on – happy to do so!
Wow… Can’t believe it. Only a week (and a bit) into 2021, and so much to talk about.
Let’s put aside everything that happened at Capitol Hill… (and the actions of Trump), and the vaccination roll out in the UK… (which is good), however this new strain of Covid isn’t…
And focus on a couple of things that have also hit the headlines.
Elon Musk. Richest man in the World. Took over from Jeff (Amazon ) Bezos. Two reasons why I like this news… Firstly, he’s done well with Tesla, SpaceX and his other ventures – he’s truly believed in them and continued to pursue them! and secondly, he actively reached out to folk to ask how he can donate his money and/or put it to good humanitarian use!
Hyundai and Apple. Getting together. To build an Electric Car… Apple have been trying for a while to get this project running, however, they’ve realised they need someone who has got the knowledge on cars. Step up Hyundai. They are doing very well at the moment. And when they announced they’re working with Apple, share price rose 20%! Why do I like this bit of news… well, it provides us options other than Tesla and a few others… and it shows you can’t do everything on your own, if you need help – ask for it! (no shame in asking for support).
I was thinking about replacing my Friday Thought with a round up, or at least 2 bits of tech/interesting news… however, I’ve been asked to keep the Friday Thought… so will slot this in elsewhere into the week!
Which takes me to my last point… what will 2021 bring?! We can clearly see the decrease in car sales (overall) however, the gap between sales of electric and combustion engine are closing in – meaning more electric cars are bring sold. Norway, however (with it’s Government grants, etc..) are the first country to sell more electric cars than petrol/diesel! (Well done Norway!)
Well, we’re on a lockdown for early part of 2021, and I don’t see much changing till Spring/Summer… which means, alot more homeworking, less travel and more hobbies? – of which, we all saw a number of people who took up their passions/hobbies and turned them into businesses! (which is great!) – some of you reading this and who follow me on social media, will know I joined the trend of baking. But with a slight twist, of doing vegan/eggless cakes. They came out quite tasty (not me just saying that!), and I started taking photos, sharing them on Instagram (@balsbakery), and started to get orders in! Been selling cakes, however – it’s probably something I won’t scale up into a business (just yet!) due to time…
So I’ll wrap up this Sunday Blog post with a few thoughts… 1. If you’ve got a passion, pursue it! and 2. This year, we’ll see a bigger shift towards more sustainable/environmentally friendly products (including cars).
