Wednesday, November 28, 2018

Episode 57: Ever Upward




Life presents us with many challenges. Some of us are met with those challenges from birth. Others find obstacles later in life in jobs or relationships. Regardless of your status in this world, there will be roadblocks before you.

What we'll be judged on is how we met those challenges, facing them head-on. Sometimes it's alone. Other times, it's with those we've gathered around us. One young man followed that path and years later, was met with the ultimate irony.

"Success comes to the lowly and to the poorly talented, but the special characteristic of a great person is to triumph over the disasters and panics of human life."
– Seneca


Download now (3.3 MB, 7:18)

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Links:


Credits:

Theme songAfternoon by Maestross is on a royalty-free license from Jamendo.com.

Image: Scene from Shakespeare's The Tempest by William Hogarth, 1735 (Wikipedia - public domain)

Subscribe on Apple PodcastsGoogle PodcastsSoundCloudSpotify, or Stitcher.

Or try this: ask Alexa or Google Home to "play the latest episode of The Full Monty podcast."


If you find this program valuable, please consider supporting it on Patreon. It covers the cost of hosting, email, music and more.

Monday, November 26, 2018

Cyber Insecurity — November 26, 2018


Don't let your self-worth be dictated by self-reflection alone; like a Black Mirror episode, China may require social credits to travel; what needs to happen before electric vehicles can take over the world; machine learning versus humans in digital ad campaigns — who won?; another retail bankruptcy, another ____; Facebook needs to stop digging; LinkedIn is going all Insta; traditional cable is hurting; are podcasts on track to kill radio?; Amazon suffered a dara breach before Black Friday; data scientists say marketers are clueless; Terry Gross' tips on how to talk to people; the podcast pick of the week may leave you with more questions than answers; and so much more in the Cyber Insecurity edition of The Full Monty for the week of November 26, 2018.



The Full Monty makes you smarter faster, by curating the essential business intelligence every week. Links are below with commentary in italics. Please sign up for our email updates to make sure you don't miss a thing.

Contents:

Announcements
Top Story
Artificial Intelligence / Autonomous
Communications / Marketing / Business Strategy
Retail Apocalypse
Platforms
Media
Privacy / Security / Regulatory
Measurement / Analytics / Data
Mental Nourishment

Announcements

I have only ONE thing to ask of you this week: 
Please share this update (via email or social platform of your choice) with a colleague or friend.

Thank you — you're the best!



Top Story

One of the stories in last week's Security section was about the Japanese cabinet minister in charge of cybersecurity who doesn't use a computer. Turns out it's worse: he doesn't understand cybersecurity either.

 It got me to thinking about how we can misjudge our own abilities, both underestimating and overestimating ourselves.

Talented people don't use their strengths to their fullest, and often it's because we don't understand what we do well. Then again, if we're regularly giving and getting feedback, it should help to square us to reality.

Recognizing what we have and what we have to be thankful for are two ways of getting our heads around things. And when we're more generous, we're repaid in multiples.

Sometimes we need to prove to ourselves that we oughtn't be insecure.

I'll have more thoughts on this in my weekly dose of Timeless Wisdom (make sure you're signed up for that, okay?).


About this week's image: The Incredulity of Saint Thomas by Caravaggio depicts the scene in which Thomas, one of the disciples of Jesus, who said that he wouldn't believe in the resurrection unless he touched the wounds. This gave rise to the phrase 'doubting Thomas,' or a skeptic who needs firsthand experience before they'll believe something.


Artificial Intelligence / Autonomous

The latest in AI, machine learning, bots, and blockchain, mobility, and autonomous everything.
Aʀᴛɪꜰɪᴄɪᴀʟ Iɴᴛᴇʟʟɪɢᴇɴᴄᴇ / Mᴀᴄʜɪɴᴇ Lᴇᴀʀɴɪɴɢ
Aᴜᴛᴏɴᴏᴍᴏᴜs / Mᴏʙɪʟɪᴛʏ


Communications / Marketing / Business Strategy

Industry developments and trends, including advertising & marketing, journalism, customer experience, content, and influencer relations.
Sᴛʀᴀᴛᴇɢʏ / Mᴀʀᴋᴇᴛɪɴɢ / Cᴏɴᴛᴇɴᴛ

Jᴏᴜʀɴᴀʟɪsᴍ / Cᴏᴍᴍᴜɴɪᴄᴀᴛɪᴏɴs / Rᴇᴘᴜᴛᴀᴛɪᴏɴ
“The only reason people do not know much is because they do not care to know. They are incurious. Incuriosity is the oddest and most foolish failing there is.
— Stephen Fry


SPONSOR


  • IRI combines highly comprehensive data sets — including consumers’ actual purchase behavior — advanced analytics, and robust technology to offer clients 3-4 times sales uplift and up to 70% improvement on return on advertising spend. Click here for more information on the impact of online ads to offline product sales. (IRI Worldwide)


Retail Apocalypse

Humans are a transactional species, and the practice — if not the very notion of what retail is  is undergoing a historical metamorphosis. 
  • Black Friday is the busiest time of the year for professional line sitters, who make up to $45 an hour. (Money) I had no idea this was a job. I could have been writing the newsletter from there. Or you could be supporting it on Patreon.
  • An anonymous man in Vermont called himself Santa Claus as he paid off everyone's layaway items in a local Walmart. (CNN)
  • Gap is looking at closing hundreds of underperforming stores that are hurting the brand. (Wall Street Journal)
  • David's Bridal is filing for Chapter 11 bankruptcy as it's — say it with me now — "saddled with hundreds of millions of dollars in debt from a private-equity buyout." (USA Today) When competing against newer players like Rent the Runway, it’s hard to see them thriving
  • Who's the dominant player in ecommerce? If you said Amazon with its 300 million customers, you'd be wrong. It's Alibaba, with 618 million customers in its native China. (Forbes) The two are on the cutting edge of all things digital, and that goes beyond ecommerce.


"Gratitude is not only the greatest of virtues, but the parent of all others."  – Cicero

Please share your gratitude for this newsletter by recommending it (publicly) to friends and colleauges. The more you do, the more you'll be helping other people discover it.


Platforms 

News to know about relevant social, virtual, and augmented reality platforms that may affect your business.
Fᴀᴄᴇʙᴏᴏᴋ / Iɴsᴛᴀɢʀᴀᴍ / WʜᴀᴛsAᴘᴘ
 Tᴡɪᴛᴛᴇʀ
  • Just six percent of bots on Twitter accounted for 31 percent of bad information. (Ars Technica) We've long known that a lie is halfway around the world before the truth is getting out of bed. But the current speed at which misinformation moves on Twitter is unprecedented.
Oᴛʜᴇʀ



Media

The latest in the world of streaming video, audio, and the advertising, pricing and bundling models related to them.
Vɪᴅᴇᴏ
Aᴜᴅɪᴏ
Please subscribe to The Full Monty podcast, our own 5-minute weekly business commentary.
Try this at home: "Alexa, play the latest episode of The Full Monty."

  

Privacy / Security / Regulatory

Business disruptions in the legal, regulatory, and computer security fields, from hacking to the on-demand economy and more.
Pʀɪᴠᴀᴄʏ / Sᴇᴄᴜʀɪᴛʏ / Hᴀᴄᴋɪɴɢ
  • The U.S. Postal Service just fixed a security weakness that allowed anyone who has an account at usps.com to view account details for some 60 million other users, and in some cases to modify account details on their behalf. (Krebs on Security)
  • Amazon has suffered a major data breach that caused customer names and email addresses to be disclosed on its website, just two days ahead of Black Friday. (The Guardian)
    • How to tell if the Amazon breach exposed your data to the public. (BGR)
  • Why do these massive data leaks keep happening? In short, because companies can afford it. (Motherboard) Until we make it too expensive for them, they'll keep happening too.
  • Advice for Cyber Monday: how to shop like a security pro. (Krebs on Security) Be careful out there.

Rᴇɢᴜʟᴀᴛᴏʀʏ / Oɴ-Dᴇᴍᴀɴᴅ Eᴄᴏɴᴏᴍʏ


Measurement / Analytics / Data

The future is not in plastics, but in data. Those who know how to measure and analyze it will rule the world.


    Speaking Engagements

    Always looking for recommendations for venues to share my stories. I connect our digital selves with classical influences, pointing out the universal human truths that can unlock the secret of retaining and growing customer relationshipsFeel free to contact me to discuss speaking to your organization or at an event you've been to recently where you think I might stand out.

    SPECIAL OFFER: from now through the end of 2018, I'll be offering a discount for up to five subscribers of The Full Monty. Book me to speak in 2019, and I'll speak to your group for 30 percent off my normal rate. Let's have a call to discuss it.




    Mental Nourishment

    Other links to help you reflect, improve, or simply learn something new.

    Top image creditThe Incredulity of Saint Thomas by Caravaggio, 1601-02 (Wikipedia, Public Domain) 

    Wednesday, November 21, 2018

    Episode 56: Giving Thanks

    Jennie Augusta Brownscombe - The First Thanksgiving at Plymouth



    Saying "thank you" just seems like a given. Or it used to. Someone bestows a gift of some sort on us, and we reply with our gratitude. But did you ever consider that expressing gratitude is a gift itself?

    We have the opportunity to impact those closest to us with respect and consideration, connecting with them on a deeper level. And it is partly through gratitude that we can deepen those relationships.


    Download now (2.7 MB, 6:05)

    I'd be grateful if you'd leave a rating or review for the show. It would help other people find us.


    Links:


    Credits:

    Theme songAfternoon by Maestross is on a royalty-free license from Jamendo.com.

    ImageThe First Thanksgiving at Plymouth by Jennie Augusta Brownscombe, 1914 (Wikipedia - public domain)

    Subscribe on Apple PodcastsGoogle PodcastsSoundCloudSpotify, or Stitcher.

    Or try this: ask Alexa or Google Home to "play the latest episode of The Full Monty podcast."


    If you find this program valuable, please consider supporting it on Patreon. It covers the cost of hosting, email, music and more.

    Monday, November 19, 2018

    The Zuck Stops Here — November 19, 2018

    William Hogarth - David Garrick as Richard III (1745)

    Facebook's leadership loses face; Harvard will school Congress on A.I.; autonomous vehicles may mean changing real estate norms; Lime's oh-so-Silicon Valley announcement; Amazon is reaping more ad dollars; the role of opposition research firms in business; Walmart slides into the #3 ecommerce slot; in-store and digital retail go hand-in-hand; Twitter might get an edit button; Netflix might get ads; podcasts are a seductive way to do storytelling; running cybersecurity without cyber; buying safe and secure products this holiday season; it's rewards time in ride-sharing; protecting data is a top priority for CMOs; why random acts of kindness work for all of us; starting a gratitude journal; plus the podcast pick of the week and so much more in the Zuck Stops Here edition of The Full Monty for the week of November 19, 2018.



    The Full Monty makes you smarter faster, by curating the essential business intelligence every week. Links are below with commentary in italics. Please sign up for our email updates to make sure you don't miss a thing. And check out The Full Monty on Flipboard.

    Contents:

    Announcements
    Top Story
    Artificial Intelligence / Autonomous
    Communications / Marketing / Business Strategy
    Retail Apocalypse
    Platforms
    Media
    Privacy / Security / Regulatory
    Measurement / Analytics / Data
    Mental Nourishment

    Announcements

    Please be sure that you're also signed up to get some timeless wisdom from my main site. There will be some changes coming soon, and I don't want you to miss out.

    Happy Thanksgiving if you're celebrating this week. I'm thankful that you welcome me into your inbox each week.



    Top Story

    The company that knows all about you doesn't want you to know all about it.

    Last week we learned just how far Facebook would (and allegedly) did go to keep its secrets under wraps. As if trust in Facebook wasn't already at an all-time low (and that's saying something), this seems to have finally set off alarm bells in Washington that Big Tech cannot be trusted.

    This isn't anything new, however. Even Plato predicted the folly of Facebook in Phaedrus regarding the invention of writing:
    "the parent or inventor of an art is not always the best judge of the utility or inutility of his own inventions to the users of them."

    And that by giving them the written word
    "you give your disciples not truth, but only the semblance of truth; they will be hearers of many things and will have learned nothing; they will appear to be omniscient and will generally know nothing; they will be tiresome company, having the show of wisdom without the reality."
    Even after being called out by the New York Times, word is that Mark Zuckerberg is as combative as ever. There doesn't seem to be an inkling of owning up to things from his corner.


    About this week's image: David Garrick as Richard III by William Hogarth depicts Garrick, greatest British actor of the 18th century, in the title role of Shakespeare's play of the same name. He is shown above in the tent scene before the Battle of Bosworth, haunted by the ghosts of all those he had murdered.


    Artificial Intelligence / Autonomous

    The latest in AI, machine learning, bots, and blockchain, mobility, and autonomous everything.
    Aʀᴛɪꜰɪᴄɪᴀʟ Iɴᴛᴇʟʟɪɢᴇɴᴄᴇ / Mᴀᴄʜɪɴᴇ Lᴇᴀʀɴɪɴɢ
    Aᴜᴛᴏɴᴏᴍᴏᴜs / Mᴏʙɪʟɪᴛʏ


    Communications / Marketing / Business Strategy

    Industry developments and trends, including advertising & marketing, journalism, customer experience, content, and influencer relations.
    Sᴛʀᴀᴛᴇɢʏ / Mᴀʀᴋᴇᴛɪɴɢ / Cᴏɴᴛᴇɴᴛ

    Jᴏᴜʀɴᴀʟɪsᴍ / Cᴏᴍᴍᴜɴɪᴄᴀᴛɪᴏɴs / Rᴇᴘᴜᴛᴀᴛɪᴏɴ


    SPONSOR


    • IRI combines highly comprehensive data sets — including consumers’ actual purchase behavior — advanced analytics, and robust technology to offer clients 3-4 times sales uplift and up to 70% improvement on return on advertising spend. Click here for more information on the impact of online ads to product sales. (IRI Worldwide)


    Retail Apocalypse

    Humans are a transactional species, and the practice — if not the very notion of what retail is  is undergoing a historical metamorphosis. 


    "Gratitude is not only the greatest of virtues, but the parent of all others."  – Cicero

    Please share your gratitude for this newsletter by recommending it (publicly) to friends and colleauges. The more you do, the more you'll be helping other people discover it.


    Platforms 

    News to know about relevant social, virtual, and augmented reality platforms that may affect your business.
    Fᴀᴄᴇʙᴏᴏᴋ / Iɴsᴛᴀɢʀᴀᴍ / WʜᴀᴛsAᴘᴘ
     Tᴡɪᴛᴛᴇʀ
    Oᴛʜᴇʀ



    Media

    The latest in the world of streaming video, audio, and the advertising, pricing and bundling models related to them.
    Vɪᴅᴇᴏ
    Aᴜᴅɪᴏ
    Please subscribe to The Full Monty podcast, our own 5-minute weekly business commentary.
    Try this at home: "Alexa, play the latest episode of The Full Monty."

      

    Privacy / Security / Regulatory

    Business disruptions in the legal, regulatory, and computer security fields, from hacking to the on-demand economy and more.
    Pʀɪᴠᴀᴄʏ / Sᴇᴄᴜʀɪᴛʏ / Hᴀᴄᴋɪɴɢ
     NY Times: Operation InfeKtion

    Rᴇɢᴜʟᴀᴛᴏʀʏ / Oɴ-Dᴇᴍᴀɴᴅ Eᴄᴏɴᴏᴍʏ
    • Uber announced growth in revenue and bookings, with a net loss of $1.07 billion. The company plans to go public next year, but has yet to turn a profit. (Axios)
    • Uber Rewards is a new loyalty program from Uber that creates incentives to use the app. (TechCrunch) Smart play by Uber here. It's akin to an airline loyalty program, and gives users tangible reasons to stick with Uber.
    • Not to be outdone, Lyft is launching a loyalty program in December, cleverly called Lyft Rewards. (TechCrunch) When companies compete, you win!


    Measurement / Analytics / Data

    The future is not in plastics, but in data. Those who know how to measure and analyze it will rule the world.


      Speaking Engagements

      Always looking for recommendations for venues to share my stories. I connect our digital selves with classical influences, pointing out the universal human truths that can unlock the secret of retaining and growing customer relationshipsFeel free to contact me to discuss speaking to your organization or at an event you've been to recently where you think I might stand out.

      SPECIAL OFFER: from now through the end of 2018, I'll be offering a discount for up to five subscribers of The Full Monty. Book me to speak in 2019, and I'll speak to your group for 30 percent off my normal rate. Let's have a call to discuss it.




      Mental Nourishment

      Other links to help you reflect, improve, or simply learn something new.


      Top image credit: David Garrick as Richard III by William Hogarth, 1745 (Wikimedia Commons, Public Domain) 

      Wednesday, November 14, 2018

      Episode 55: How Do You Define Charm?



      We've all been subject to the personality of certain charming people. It's kind of disconcerting, as you feel like you're on the string end of some Svengali.

      What is it about charm that gets people to take action without putting up a fight? How can we learn to be more charming in our daily lives? And what is charm, anyway?


      Download now (3.0 MB, 6:38)

      I'd be grateful if you'd leave a rating or review for the show. It would help other people find us.


      Links:


      Credits:

      Theme songAfternoon by Maestross is on a royalty-free license from Jamendo.com.

      ImageMars Disarmed by Venus by Jacques-Louis David, 1824 (Wikimedia Commons - public domain)

      Subscribe on Apple PodcastsGoogle PodcastsSoundCloudSpotify, or Stitcher.

      Or try this: ask Alexa or Google Home to "play the latest episode of The Full Monty podcast."


      If you find this program valuable, please consider supporting it on Patreon. It covers the cost of hosting, email, music and more.

      Monday, November 12, 2018

      Breathe — November 12, 2018


      Humanity beats technology (until it doesn't); A.I. isn't magic dust for your business; the variations in ethics of self-driving cars around the world; tech consultants are putting ad agencies on notice; why virality is less effective than word of mouth; Amazon's slow-growth grocery strategy has sparked competition; Yelp is yelping; Twitter and Facebook continue to battle trolls and suspect accounts; the cord-cutting continues, with 1.1 million households dumping cable in Q2; strong areas of growth ahead for podcasting; companies may be held to account for data privacy violations, and agency executives may be on the hook; mo data, mo problems; food innovation origins; tips on being well-liked and irresistible; plus the podcast pick of the week and so much more in the Breathe edition of The Full Monty for the week of November 12, 2018.



      The Full Monty makes you smarter faster, by curating the essential business intelligence every week. Links are below with commentary in italics. Please sign up for our email updates to make sure you don't miss a thing. And check out The Full Monty on Flipboard.

      Contents:

      Announcements
      Top Story
      Speaking Engagements
      Artificial Intelligence / Autonomous
      Communications / Marketing / Business Strategy
      Retail Apocalypse
      Platforms
      Media
      Privacy / Security / Regulatory
      Measurement / Analytics / Data
      Mental Nourishment

      Announcements

      Please be sure that you're also signed up to get some timeless wisdom from my main site. There will be some changes coming soon, and I don't want you to miss out.




      Top Story

      To-do lists, apps, pop-up notifications, reminders, calendars...the list goes on and on. We have scores of tools at our disposal to make life easier and less cluttered.

      We use technology to help segment our lives, follow news and sports, give us weather predictions, play fantasy football, browse through friends' photos, share memes, have debates...

      But technology doesn't solve our problems. It has given us additional problems to address, such as how to stop wasting time on the Internet.

      Instead, how about stepping away from or putting away the screen? We might just observe something. Or reconnect more deeply with a loved one. Or learn a little patience along the way.

      Breathe. Smell the flowers. Enjoy each other. It's something technology can't do or help you to do.


      About this week's image: On May 12, 1863, in the company of the journalist and explorer Fitz Hugh Ludlow, Albert Bierstadt departed on his second trip to the West. They camped in the Yosemite Valley, where Bierstadt captured a number of scenes of natural beauty. This painting depicts the huge jagged naturally occurring peaks that dwarf the figures in the foreground. Once again, nature towers over man.



      Speaking Engagements

      Always looking for recommendations for venues to share my stories. I connect our digital selves with classical influences, pointing out the universal human truths that can unlock the secret of retaining and growing customer relationshipsFeel free to contact me to discuss speaking to your organization or at an event you've been to recently where you think I might stand out.
      • IDEA: if you're looking to save some of your training and development budget and don't feel like sending multiple members of your team to a conference (high prices, time away from the office, questionable content), I've got an option for you: bring me in for a roundtable experience with your team for an hour or a half day.




      Artificial Intelligence / Autonomous

      The latest in AI, machine learning, bots, and blockchain, mobility, and autonomous everything.
      Aʀᴛɪꜰɪᴄɪᴀʟ Iɴᴛᴇʟʟɪɢᴇɴᴄᴇ / Mᴀᴄʜɪɴᴇ Lᴇᴀʀɴɪɴɢ
      Aᴜᴛᴏɴᴏᴍᴏᴜs / Mᴏʙɪʟɪᴛʏ


      Communications / Marketing / Business Strategy

      Industry developments and trends, including advertising & marketing, journalism, customer experience, content, and influencer relations.
      Sᴛʀᴀᴛᴇɢʏ / Mᴀʀᴋᴇᴛɪɴɢ / Cᴏɴᴛᴇɴᴛ

      Jᴏᴜʀɴᴀʟɪsᴍ / Cᴏᴍᴍᴜɴɪᴄᴀᴛɪᴏɴs / Rᴇᴘᴜᴛᴀᴛɪᴏɴ


      Retail Apocalypse

      Humans are a transactional species, and the practice — if not the very notion of what retail is  is undergoing a historical metamorphosis. 


      "Gratitude is not only the greatest of virtues, but the parent of all others."  – Cicero

      Please share your gratitude for this newsletter by recommending it (publicly) to friends and colleauges. The more you do, the more you'll be helping other people discover it.


      SPONSOR


      Platforms 

      News to know about relevant social, virtual, and augmented reality platforms that may affect your business.
      Fᴀᴄᴇʙᴏᴏᴋ / Iɴsᴛᴀɢʀᴀᴍ / WʜᴀᴛsAᴘᴘ
      Tᴡɪᴛᴛᴇʀ
      Oᴛʜᴇʀ



      Media

      The latest in the world of streaming video, audio, and the advertising, pricing and bundling models related to them.
      Vɪᴅᴇᴏ
      Aᴜᴅɪᴏ
      • Podcast listening is rising. Particularly strong areas of growth for podcasting: Android devices and cars. (Sydney Morning Herald)
      • Spotify is losing $1 billion a year. Could podcasts be an answer to its woes? (Rolling Stone)
      • Red Bull Radio announced that it struck a deal to stream worldwide via the smart speaker brand Sonos. (Variety)
      • Spotify debuted its first analytics tool aimed at publishers. The tool will offer daily streaming stats, including playlist performance, and view data across all the songwriters on their roster. (TechCrunch)
      • Program of the Week: Our pick this week is Imagined Life from Wondery. An immersive journey through the surprising moments and challenges that shaped someone’s life before they were famous. Clues are dropped along the way, but only at the end will you discover who 'you' are. A longer variation on our opening stories of The Full Monty podcast.
      And don't forget about The Full Monty podcast, our own 5-minute weekly business commentary. Try this: "Alexa, play the latest episode of The Full Monty."

        

      Privacy / Security / Regulatory

      Business disruptions in the legal, regulatory, and computer security fields, from hacking to the on-demand economy and more.
      Pʀɪᴠᴀᴄʏ / Sᴇᴄᴜʀɪᴛʏ / Hᴀᴄᴋɪɴɢ
      Rᴇɢᴜʟᴀᴛᴏʀʏ / Oɴ-Dᴇᴍᴀɴᴅ Eᴄᴏɴᴏᴍʏ


      Measurement / Analytics / Data

      The future is not in plastics, but in data. Those who know how to measure and analyze it will rule the world.


        Mental Nourishment

        Other links to help you reflect, improve, or simply learn something new.




        Do you like what you see here? Please subscribe to get essential digital news, hand-curated, and delivered to your inbox each week. And why not share this with some colleagues?


        Top image creditMerced River, Yosemite Valley by Albert Bierstadt, 1866 (Public Domain, via The Met) 

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