September 2017

The power of looking ahead

Never get so caught up in the past and present that you fail to see what’s ahead. Vision is a powerfully lucrative skill if you’re crazy enough to think you can change the world. From 1992… How rich is this lode? At one end of the spectrum is John Sculley, the chief executive of Apple Computer Inc., who …

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Meetings aren’t the answer.

Something we should all remember regardless of our line of work… Meetings aren’t the answer. Creating the right environment is. via March to NL Central crown just might be Joe Maddon’s best work as Cubs manager

Episode 123: Testing the Limits

Dr. Thomas Whitley and Rev. Sam Harrelson are joined again by David Ray Allen Jr. to cover the Final Four of the Bible Bracket Challenge. It gets bloody this week. Special Guest: David Ray Allen Jr.. Sponsored By: Sam Harrelson Consulting: Get a free estimate for your church or nonprofit’s website redesign or social media …

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Why doesn’t turning off Bluetooth on iOS actually turn off Bluetooth?

Another reason I tend to prefer Android is the ability to control things on a granular level. Does every user of a mobile device need that? Certainly not. Is Apple “wrong” for this “feature” design? That’s debatable. But it’s interesting to see how Android and iOS continue to develop along their own trajectories when it …

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Episode 122: Last Night on Earth

Dr. Thomas Whitley and Rev. Sam Harrelson compare their phones' home screens, discuss the relevance of Facebook to political campaigns, and continue the very contentious Bible Bracket Challenge Elite 8 Round to decide the Final Four. It's on. Support Thinking Religion Links: Thinking Religion is creating Podcasts | Patreon Thinking Religion Bible Bracket Challenge – …

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The Age of OutrAGE

The media is built for clicks now, and we were trying to see firsthand how it all works. I feel like I now understand on a much deeper level why Trump got elected. Negativity is what travels. So we learned more about how the internet functions, and how it’s an insane feedback loop. It’s like, …

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Your logo and Instagram content

Good advice to consider here, particularly for nonprofits and churches on slimmer marketing budgets looking to make the most impact possible on social media… What about content that doesn’t show a clear logo? What about companies with unbranded or non-logoed products? We’ve seen that a huge percentage of the content shared and posted on Pinterest …

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How should we regulate Facebook and Google’s advertising platforms?

So how does Facebook’s ad system work? Well, just like Google, it’s accessed through a self-service platform that lets you target your audiences using Facebook data. And because Facebook knows an awful lot about its users, you can target those users with astounding precision. You want women, 30–34, with two kids who live in the …

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FoxSports.com lost 88% of its pageviews after switching to all video

And true to expectation, that has shown up in the first substantially reported numbers about the traffic to FoxSports.com. SI’s Richard Deitsch reports that traffic dropped an astounding 88% since the “pivot to video.” Their traffic has gone from over 143 million in a monthly period to just under 17 million. via FoxSports.com has reportedly …

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Episode 121: That’s What Mordecai Said

Dr. Thomas Whitley and Rev. Sam Harrelson discuss new iPhones, playing the expectations game, and how mobile devices have transformed learning and worshipping. Then, they launch into the "Sweet 16" of the Bible Brackets Challenge. Sorry, Esther. Support Thinking Religion Links: Thinking Religion is creating Podcasts | Patreon Thinking Religion Bible Bracket Challenge – Challonge …

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What Does Your Brand Do?

Longevity and repetition are two of the hardest to use tools in a marketer’s toolbox, but also the most effective. via Marketing at millennials won’t save your tired brand | The Drum There are definitely some points in this post that I disagree with (importance of having a “famous” brand and working towards that being a …

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Using Video to Promote a Nonprofit

You should be using short form and live video (Periscope, Facebook Live, Snapchat) to promote your nonprofit’s efforts. It’s simple, easy, free, and can always be embedded back into your social media pages or website. Plus, it drives engagement much better than text or pictures in 2017. Interesting stats here… “A whopping 80% of users recall …

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John Deere Acquires AI Startup

Blue River’s key technology is called “see and spray.” It’s a set of cameras that fix onto crop sprayers and use deep learning to identify plants. If it sees a weed, it’ll hit it with pesticide; if it sees a crop, it’ll drop some fertilizer. All these parameters can be customized by the farmer, and …

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Episode 120: Stink Bug Theology

The Rev. Lauren Larkin joins Dr. Thomas Whitley and The Rev. Sam Harrelson in a discussion of how hermeneutics and worldviews affect our theologies and what sort of spaces we try to build. Special Guest: Lauren R.E. Larkin. Support Thinking Religion Links: lauren r.e. larkin (@laurenrelarkin) | Twitter Lust: Exposed, Forgiven and Embraced Between the …

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Working Through Fears

Whether you’re starting your own business or non-profit or trying to make an existing one feasible as a “job,” the fear that you encounter at 4am as you do the week’s invoicing and receipts in your head can be staggering. I know, I’ve definitely been there in the low tides of “working for yourself.” Our mind …

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Changing Conceptions of Work

NPR reported today: “Full-time employees have become the last resort. Companies will do anything to hire part-time, short-term, or contract positions.” In addition: “More and more people who are full-time employees need second jobs or side gigs in order to make ends meet.” Our world is not the same as it has been. The changing …

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AI Assistants and Important Meetings

That’s a worry I’ve heard before. Whether you’re a job seeker meeting a recruiter, an account manager calling a customer, or a novice getting coffee with an industry veteran, handing off communications to an assistant might give you pause. You might worry that you’ll blow the opportunity, come off impersonal or worse, arrogant. via How …

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Can Non-Profits Benefit from LinkedIn?

One of my favorite clients had this question on our weekly call this morning. I excitedly said “YES!” which feels a little odd. Going back through my blog archives here, you’ll see lots of instances over the last 10 years where I’ve written that LinkedIn “sucks” is “terrible” and “should not be used.” However, LinkedIn …

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