It Not’s Me, It’s You
By Cheval John
Everyone was enamored with the live streaming platform called Blab when the app came out in July of 2015.
We saw influencers like Kim Garst, Michael Stelzer, Sue B. Zimmerman using the platform to record their shows and provide valuable information to us about social media.
We also saw celebrities and brands like ESPN using the platform to record their shows.
Then we got the message from the CEO of blab that they were not investing more resources into the platform because they saw that the audience was only there for the hangout after the shows were over with, paraphrased.
Everyone of us knew that it was a matter of time before blab was going away for good.
So we look at alternatives to record our shows.
Then we got the message last night from the CEO that they were shutting down blab.
My reaction was mixed because blab was the reason why I became a better podcaster.
Plus, I met amazing people like Jackie Bernardi, Gerald DuBose, Victoria Taylor, and Vicki Fitch who I would not have met before.
And I had the opportunity to talk with Kelly Hungerford, Brian Fanzo, Rachel Miller, Christin Kardos, Adel de Meyer, Samantha Kelly and many more which I don’t have the space to mention.
Blab revolutionized live streaming because they had saved the audio in addition to video of the live streaming show.
They were the reason that many people who were not podcasters became podcasters.
Now I will get to the disappointment of blab.
The CEO of blab had a lack of communication with their users.
They did not give any warning of a change in direction of the platform.
I understand 100% that blab was their business and that the main goal is to be profitable.
However, they should have at least have the decency to let the users who was heavily invested in blab, know that they were moving in a different direction.
If they would have been more transparent about the change in direction of their business, I honestly believe that many people would have been cool with them.
And the fact that they decided to shut down everything without letting the people know about it was utterly classless.
They should have allowed the users of blab to have ample time to save their recordings so that they can have a track record of the interviews that they did on the social media platform.
It is so sad that the CEO had the audacity to blame most of the users for blab’s failure.
Other than the lack of transperency, blab opened up the possibilities to see that podcasters can also be live streamers.
Blab also allowed me to be featured on Ebony Magazine’s website.
What I can say is that I am thankful for the opportunity to record my show, What’s The Word on blab and later repurpose the show on BlogTalkRadio.
At the same time, I am grateful that I did not leave BlogTalkRadio entirely because if I had moved my show fully to blab, I would have regretted the decision above.
Now, I am using different live streaming platforms like Firetalk.com to record my show and putting that same show onto BlogTalkRadio.
The lesson that blab teaches us is to never put all of your resources in one social media platform because in the end, you will get burned.
People Trying To Catch All The Pokemon
By Cheval John
The Pokemon Go app has taken over the country since launching about three weeks ago.
Many people have been walking across cities like Houston trying to locate Pokemons that will allow them to arrive at the next level of the game.
Business establishments, sports venues like Texas A&M’s Kyle Field has been the hot spot for many to locate Pokemons.
The downside has been people have not been paying attention to where they were going while playing the Pokemon Go.
It has been a hazard to a degree in the same manner as people using snapchat while driving.
They have been some manuals for those who are playing the Pokemon Game that will keep them safe.
In the same way, I learned a harsh lesson about participating in a Twitter chat while using my smartphone.
No, I was not tweeting while driving as I don’t drive anymore.
However, this lesson I learned about participating in a Twitter chat with a smartphone can apply to anyone indirectly who are tweeting and driving.
I was participating in #sproutchat, a twitter chat hosted by Sarah Nagel of Sprout Social.
As the chat was moving along, I had difficulty in keeping up because the chat was moving along fast while I was receiving updates of the chat very late.
What ended up happening was that I was answering some questions way before Ms. Nagel had asked the question and it caused a lot of confusion to the other participants of the chat.
I felt really bad and I understood even more why a person should not participate in a Twitter chat with a smartphone.
What they should do is participate in the Twitter chat on their computer and use apps like Tweetchat to keep up with the conversation that is happening during the chat.
That way, everyone will not be confused when they are participating in a Twitter chat like #sproutchat.
This lesson above will help the people who are participating in the Pokemon Go game indirectly too.
To avoid my mistake of participating in a Twitter chat with a smartphone, listen to this episode of the Social Media Examiner podcast that features Twitter Marketing expert, Madalyn Sklar.
Also check out my recent What’s The Word shows featuring William S. Matthews and Laura Wilkinson, who will be covering the Olympic Games in Rio de Janiero, Brazil.
William S. Matthews
Laura Wilkinson
Becoming The Small Percentage Who Succeeds For Better
By Cheval John
We all have the same lottery ticket to a successful life.
Yet, about 2% of the world are successful for the better while the majority are struggling to succeed for a better life.
And let me clarify what I mean by the majority are struggling for a better life.
Half of those who are “struggling” are actually working at a company on salary and are in the middle class.
And the middle class is shrinking every year due to layoffs and companies moving positions overseas to cut costs.
So why is it that a small percentage of people are wealthy while the rest are “poor”
Here are three reasons why
1. The Wealthy Value Their Time
The wealthy view their time as a valuable resource.
They use their time wisely to develop their skills that will allow them to accumulate wealth for the better.
In the same way as the wealthy value their time, the elite athletes like Serena Williams, Lebron James, Maya Moore and former Olympian, Laura Wilkinson put in the quality hours to perfect their craft so that when it is time to perform in their respective sports, they will excel and outlast their competition.
2. The Wealthy Value Their Friendships
The wealthy understand that if they spend quality time with people who will uplift them, they will be able to succeed in their respective business.
They don’t spent their time with negative people who always complain because they understand that they can be dragged down to that same negative attitude.
3. The Wealthy Are Always Learning
The wealthy are reading books from influential people who have succeeded in their lives.
In today’s age, the wealthy are also listening to uplifting podcasts like the Eventual Millionaire, hosted by Jaime Masters.
And most are hosting their own podcast to learn from their fellow peers about how to accumulate wealth or in the case, how to run a business.
And since I want to be as successful for the better like Tamara McCleary, Christin Kardos, Brian Fanzo, Kelly Hungerford, and Mrs. Wilkinson, I decided to host my own podcast, What’s The Word to learn from the above people and also Kristyna Torres, who is successful in her own right with her business.
So if you want to be like the 2% of the world who are enjoying their lives for the better, then you must start using your time wisely to where you can accumulate wealth.
When you spend your time with the correct people, you will not be like those who will use any excuse for the reason why they are not succeeding in life.
Building A Legacy Through Consistency
By Cheval John
There were times when I wanted to quit my show, What’s The Word because I was not seeing the downloads compared to others who were killing it with their podcast.
There were so many cancellations at the last minute that I was wondering if hosting a podcast was worth it for the better.
I will admit that I have to fight those inner struggles of quitting my podcast even now because most still don’t understand why I host a podcast even though I am not seeing “immediate success for the better.”
I know that I must not quit my show because I love putting out great content that will benefit my listeners.
I am more focused on the long game with my show because I rather have a long track record of quality interviews than look for the “overnight success” of a show.
The rewards for the better is much more satisfying when you grow your podcast slowly due to hard work.
This constant reminder above is the true reason why I will continue to host my show on the platform, blogtalkradio even if I don’t see the large downloads of my show.
Also, to celebrate milestones like the 250th episode of the show with the guest of honor, Kerry O’Shea Gorgone.
Mrs. Gorgone truly brought value to my audience with her knowledge of privacy law and how to avoid copyright infringement with your live streaming shows which includes sporting events.
I allowed her to ask me a question on the show because she hosts a podcast as well called, Marketing Smarts.
So if you feel like quitting your podcast or business because you are not seeing immediate results for the better, I advise you to keep pressing on.
Because you will never know who you are impacting with your podcast.
Choose Your Social Media Platforms Wisely
By Cheval John
It seems like every few months we see the next big social media platform that would benefit us.
It’s a mad rush to jump onto that social media platform because of the fear of missing out.
In the last year and a half, live streaming platforms like Periscope, Snapchat, Blab have changed the game of how many businesses market themselves.
Then Facebook’s subsidiary, Instagram “created” Instagram Stories” about three weeks ago to rival Snapchat.
And recently, Google announced that they are shutting down Google + Hangouts On Air and moving their users to YouTube Live starting on September 12th.
It is understandable of why so many people are jumping onto live streaming platforms.
The advertising dollars are now in live streaming according to this New York Times article.
You might hear from many telling you that you need to be on this live streaming platform or that live streaming platform because many of your fellow entrepreneurs or professionals are there.
So a person can wonder which live streaming/social media platform should they or their business be on.
The answer is “it depends on where your audience is and which live streaming/social media platform you feel comfortable using.”
For example, the Sam Houston State University athletic department are only on Youtube, Instagram (Facebook) and Twitter because their audience want to see highlights from the sporting matchups that their teams participate in.
Ashley Johnson, owner of Mouth Marketing, LLC, told me on my show, What’s The Word, that she is not using Instagram Stories because they integrated Snapchat like features in their platform.
Ashley also said that she does not use Snapchat and was getting used to Instagram.
And for myself, I only use Twitter, Instagram, Snapchat, YouTube and LinkedIn because I feel comfortable using these platforms above.
Plus, I am trying out the live streaming platforms like Firetalk and Huzza.io to see which one works well for my podcast recordings (I was using Blab before they shut down their live streaming platform last weekend).
You do not want to jump onto the next big live streaming platform because other tells you to.
What you should do is focus on the social media/live streaming platform that works well for your business and your personal brand.
If you try to be great at all of the social media platforms, you will wind up burning yourself out and create a bad digital trail of your social media presence.
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