I don’t watch many online videos. As I work to optimize my life for efficiency, I’ve tried to decrease my information diet and relentlessly prune things that aren’t actionable and don’t add long-term value.
This is especially true for videos because of the time it typically requires to watch one. Unless it is essential for visuals, I can read a number of articles and/or a transcript significantly faster.
That said, I do make time for some videos that either really interest me (see: Scott Boras Profiled) or come highly recommended (see: Jad Abumrad on the secrets of creative success) below.
Here are 6 videos I’ve watched in the last month or so and my favorite takeaways(s) from each:
You Are What You Tweet – Ricky Van Veen
Takeaways:
- Identity creation drives sharing, which enables you to find out and predict what will make something popular.
- You are who your last dozen tweets say you are.
- Content lives & dies based on how people can use it to say something about themselves.
- Bring your own audience. Example: magazine brings legitimacy & actor brings eyeballs.
- Media has become meritocracy.
Science, Storytelling, and “Gut Churn”: Jad Abumrad on the Secrets of Creative Success
Takeaway: Change cannot be planned and you only recognize that after the fact. Try to induce gut churn. If you experience the radical uncertainty that comes with creating something new without a template then you’re on the right track.
Fred Wilson on Higher Ed & Being a Contrarian
Takeaway: There are three separate business models for education – 1 million go in and 10K come out (online), 100 in 50 out (online curriculum + adult supervision), 100 in 90 out = traditional education (i.e. Wharton’s current business model). The future of education executes all 3 models.
Gary Vaynerchuck’s Toronto Keynote
Takeaways:
- Effort is the most limited supply in the world.
- Jab, Jab, Jab, Jab, Jab, Jab, Right Hook (i.e. giving a lot prior to asking for the sale/conversion & also the title of his next book)
- Acquisition is a commodity, but retention, lifetime value and percentage of the wallet is what matters
Scott Boras Profiled: Bloomberg Risk Takers
Takeaway: “If you’re trying to make a negotiation tough, you’re not a very good negotiator.” Your level of preparation BEFORE the negotiation in packaging your clients (or yourself), understanding their value (your value) and understanding what the team (your boss, a hiring manager) needs is the key to success.
Clay Shirky on why love makes open source communities work
Takeaway: The online tools we have enable people to turn love into a renewable building material; therefore, when evaluating a company/organization ask yourself, “Do the people who like it take care of each other?”
What’s your favorite online video? What other videos should I carve out some time to watch? Let me know in the comments!
Leave a Reply