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Twitter is a public utility

I have been using Twitter for 12 years and I love it more than ever.

For me, Twitter is not a social network. It’s an interest community. An idea network. More like a protocol. A global conversation protocol.

Twitter the business

I have trouble viewing Twitter as a regular tech company. Of course, I want Twitter the company to be sustainable and profitable. But, Twitter has a history of not being very good at monetization. It looks like this has improved, as Twitter has been profitable for the past 5 quarters.

I might be mistaken (and I hope that I am), but I don’t believe Twitter will ever find a similarly strong business model as Google or Facebook. So while I couldn’t be more excited about Twitter the product, I am not similarly excited about Twitter the business.

The role of Twitter in society

I believe Twitter plays a different role. More one of a protocol and public utility. Twitter enables real-time global conversation, and it does it better than any other tool. Well, not fully global, as Twitter is currently blocked in China, which might never be resolved. But this is a different story.

A decentralized future?

Jack Dorsey, the CEO of Twitter, is also the CEO of Square, a mobile payments company. Both Jack and Square have been experimenting with and supporting Bitcoin for several years.

I have a strong conviction that the world is moving towards decentralization and privacy. Bitcoin and other cryptocurrencies are an important catalyst for that. So how could Twitter look like in a decentralized, censorship-resistant world?

It could be similar to Steemit. The central database would be decentralized on a distributed ledger. Created content could not be controlled or censored. It only could be moderated in a limited way on the client layer. There would be multiple clients and user-experiences.

Without a central database, the current business model would be heavily disrupted. There would be no data licensing. And advertising would be harder, as there would be multiple clients.

Conclusion

Is that the future of Twitter? I don’t know. What I do know is that I love Twitter and the work of Jack Dorsey, and I will be watching and continue to cheer from the sidelines.

—

This post has been inspired by the recent podcast episodes with Jack Dorsey, which allowed me to take a deep dive:

– Jack Dorsey on Roe Rogan Experience
– Jack Dorsey on Sam Harris
– Jack Dorsey on Tales from the Crypt
– Jack Dorsey on Stephan Livera


Checklist: The 6 Dumbest Push-Up Mistakes

Recently I stumbled upon this video that made me rethink and improve my push-up game.

Here’s the checklist:

Mistake #1: Not applying Full Range of Motion
Solution: Get all the way down (chest touches the floor), and all the way up. Don’t just do half push-ups like most people. Do full ones!

Mistake #2: Flaring your elbows out too wide
Solution: Tuck your elbows in as close to the body as possible.

Mistake #3: Not keeping a straight spine
Solution: Keep a proper and firm plank position.

Mistake #4: Going too fast
Solution: Go slow and do each repetition properly.

Mistake #5: Not breathing properly
Solution: Breathe in through your nose as you go down. As you go up, breathe out in a steady stream through your mouth.

Mistake #6: Not progressing with the movement
Solution: When you can’t do full push-ups yet, do them on your knees, but still applying all things above (especially, keeping a straight posture). When regular push-ups stop being hard, you can do weighted ones (e.g. putting a weight plate on your back) or plyo pushups (e.g. clapping your hands in between reps) or one-handed ones.

Watch the full demonstration video here.


Your chair is your enemy

Prolonged sitting increases the risk of multiple health conditions. Sitting is so normal for us that we seldom question it. I know I don’t.

I believe it’s useful to increase awareness and help battle our cultural sitting obsession. Here are some ideas:

Read while standing
I’ve recently started to read in a standing position. And I quite like it. I just put the book (or iPad) on a cleared shelf and read. Why haven’t I thought of this sooner?

Move every hour
Research has shown that moving 2–3 minutes at regular intervals lessens the harmful effects of inactivity. My Oura Ring sends me a push notification each hour if I don’t move. I receive many of those notifications! (Which has increased my awareness of this problem.)

Get a standing or treadmill desk
You can get a standing or even a treadmill desk. I’ve never used one, but I’d love to try it.

Take a walk with an audiobook
This is one of my favorite activities. You are outside, you move, and you learn.

Do a 7 minute workout in the morning
Most of us don’t move enough. There is no excuse for not doing a 4 min Tabata or 7 minute workout in the morning. You can do it anywhere, even in your underwear…

Earn your play time
Love to play an occasional game or surf social media? Then earn it! Do a set of squats, pushups or burpees before you are allowed to indulge. Recently, I got addicted to a new game, and after each 5-10 min round I did a set. “Getting fit by gaming”, it’s a whole new mindset. It felt pretty awesome.

Have other ideas? Let me know on Twitter.


Podcast Ads 101: How to Succeed with Podcast Sponsorship

My own experience shows that sponsoring podcasts can be very effective in driving awareness and sales. I have bought many things triggered by podcast ads, including supplements, clothing and even a new mattress.

Here are the success factors that made those sales happen:

A trusted host
Podcasts are very personal, and loyal listeners spend countless hours listening to their favorite hosts. I would only work with hosts that have earned a high level of personal connection and trust with its audience.

Let the host read the ads
When the host reads the ads, they feel much less intrusive and may even be perceived as useful information. Bonus points if the host ads his own twist to the ad text.

A product loved by the host
The absolute best conversion rate can be achieved when the host uses and loves your product, and includes his own experience/testimonial into the ad text. Most of my own purchases have been triggered by this factor.

A juicy coupon code
This serves two purposes. The consumer has a powerful call to action, and the advertiser can measure the effectiveness of the campaign.

A separate landing page
Sometimes, the company creates a unique landing page, e.g. yourproduct.com/john if the host goes by the name John. This can increase the conversion rate, because a testimonial or special promotion can be added.

Repeat the call to action
The call to action and URL should be repeated multiple times.

Frequency is key
It can take a long time for people to get the message. That is what frequency is for. Don’t book just one or two placements. Book 8, or 24 or 52 placements, spread out over a long period of time. Don’t stop when you or your employees are tired of hearing the ads. Consumers need regular reminders, even if they have purchased from you before. If you want repeat purchases, don’t stop the campaign.

Consider Media for Equity
Some entrepreneurs form a joint venture with podcast hosts. In such a deal, the podcast host gets a share of the business in return for its audience and influence. One such example is Onnit which has partnered with Joe Rogan.


6 Key Takeaways from Charlie Munger’s 2019 Daily Journal Annual Meeting

Charlie Munger, business partner of Warren Buffett, recently spoke at the 2019 Daily Journal Annual Meeting. You can watch the full recording here.

Here are my key takeaways:

#1: Fish where the fish are
For Charlie, that means China. High-quality companies in China are currently available for cheaper prices than similar companies in the USA.

#2: China
Charlie has outsourced his China investments to Li Lu. This is the only time he has ever given money to an external manager.

#3: Don’t be too active
As a value investor, you need to be okay with inactivity. Be a good picker and then hold for a very long time. For example, Charlie has held Berkshire Hathaway and Costco for many decades.

#4: No exit strategy
Charlie does not have an exit strategy or price target for his investments. He rarely sells.

#5: Have a “Too hard” bucket
Charlie has three categories when evaluating investing opportunities: Yes / No / Too hard. Especially the last category solves many problems. Charlie looks for the easy and obvious opportunities, and discards the rest.

#6: Charlie on Stoicism
He admires stoicism and has learned a lot from stoic thinkers. I didn’t expect anything else. In fact, I view Charlie and Warren as modern stoics!


The Cosmic Perspective

I am fascinated by space and the universe.

Recently I discovered Google Maps Space View. You can access it by going to Satellite view and then zooming all the way out (only on desktop).

You can turn the earth, see where the sun is and what parts of Earth are bright or dark.

As you can see, Earth is nothing else than a cabriolet spaceship, floating through darkness, lit by a burning star.

The Stoics advise us to regularly zoom out and watch things from the cosmic perspective. It helps to see things more clearly and not take ourselves too seriously.

So, sit back and enjoy the ride through darkness!


Zero Browser Tab Policy

Open browser tabs are just another nagging reminder of unfinished work. I used to have 5-10 open tabs on my laptop and 50-100 open tabs on my phone. It served as my reading list, my video list, things I was researching.

It didn’t feel right. And it was a source of anxiety.

Then, I implemented a Zero Browser Tab Policy. I now treat my tabs as an inbox that I bring to zero daily:

Now, my browsers feel clean. And whenever I work on something, it gets 100% of my attention, without that nagging reminder of something unfinished.

This is a simple improvement that made my life 1% better. Do enough of such 1% improvements, and they compound into something substantial!


Japanese Water Therapy

I started applying the Japanese Water Therapy. It suggests to drink about 1 liter of water right after waking up.

It makes intuitive sense to me.

The human body needs about 2-4 liters of water per day. As a heuristic, you can say it needs 100 ml per hour. So if you sleep for 8 hours, you might need 0.8 liters.

It also makes sense that it helps with flushing out toxins, and potentially preventing headaches.

I’ve been drinking 100-300 ml of water after waking up anyways, and now I’ve upped it to 1 liter.

Further reading:
[1] http://thegreencreator.com/japanese-water-therapy/
[2] https://alkaway.com/blog/drinking-water-wake-japanese-tradition/
[3] https://www.aox.com.sg/blog/wellness/ayurveda-way-japanese-water-therapy/

[Thank you Anuj Didwania for the inspiration.]




What I learned from Sam Zemurray, America’s Banana King

My learnings from The Fish That Ate The Whale about Sam Zemurray:

  • Fire people who can’t get the job done, and replace them by people who can.
  • Fast decisions. Don’t nibble. Get things done.
  • Get your hands dirty. Work hard. Go out to the fields with the machete. “We are here, they are there.”
  • Make gold out of other peoples trash (Sam did this with ripe bananas)
  • Invent things. Be innovative. The company missed to invent the banana box, because Sam was not there anymore. When Sam was there, they were the innovation leader.
  • Founder led companies are stronger than companies where the founding generation has already passed away.
  • Get creative with your solutions! E.g. Sam double purchased land that was owned by two different parties. His opponents hired lawyers. Sam just purchased it twice and got it done. (Effective vs. efficient)
  • Never complain. Just play the hand you are dealt.
  • Want to replace current management? Get enough proxies and fire the board.
  • Listen to the people on the front lines. They have the best information. Go to the docks. Talk to people (scuttlebutt method).
  • Companies have a lifecycle. Even the most innovative, most profitable or most powerful companies fade away. What are the characteristics of companies that survive for hundreds of years? They need to keep reinventing themselves. A young generation needs to take over and rebuild the business.
  • Keep a low profile. Don’t attract too much attention. Be a doer, not an attention seeker.
  • Give anonymously. If you don’t, you are not giving, you are trading (e.g. for status or reputation).

What have you learned? Let me know on Twitter.

(Thank you for recommending the book, Brent Beshore.)


The efficiency trap

Efficiency is often confused with effectiveness. It can be a trap.

“Efficiency is doing things right; effectiveness is doing the right things.”

Peter Drucker

You can be efficient in doing the wrong things. You can be efficient in doing things you shouldn’t even do. You can efficiently waste your time.

Too often, I make the same mistake. I’m optimizing prematurely. And not asking the important questions.

Efficiency asks us: How can we make this faster, cheaper, with less waste?

Effectiveness asks us: What is the job to be done? What is truly important? What can we eliminate, automate or delegate?

I re-learned this lesson in AI Superpowers by Kai-Fu Lee. China is often not very efficient, because they move super-fast and over-invest. Yet they are hugely effective, because they get the job done, and fast. Be it high-speed rail, mobile payments, or AI, China is brute-forcing its way to success.

You find the same in nature. A tree that produces thousands of seeds isn‘t very efficient. But it’s effective in growing its population.

Efficiency comes from scarcity. Effectiveness sees abundance. Better to waste some money or resources, than to waste time.

Now I understand why Stephen Covey named his bestseller 7 Habits of Highly Effective People and not 7 Habits of Highly Efficient People. (It’s a great book that I can highly recommend.)

To summarize:

Effectiveness first. Efficiency second.