Jan 20, 2021Thoughts on HonkA creative playground for your thumbs Time-stamped thoughts matter. I wish Benji and team the best and hope this makes me feel slightly foolish in the years to come. Go download it and give em a shot. Since being in the beta, I have been asking myself things like “what…5 min read5 min read
Jan 17, 2021Clubhouse: a *truly social* social networkThoughts from an early user on Clubhouse’s magic. First published in June 2020. I’ve been talk-on-the-phone-first for the last three years. You can read about some of those explorations over here and there. @ryandawidjan and small plug around for the next thing I’m doing around consumer communication with RIFF-→earsarethenewthumbs.com This…15 min read15 min read
Feb 28, 2019On-RampsWe’re loosing the stretch of road that comes before Come across an interesting person. You smash that Follow button. You may have learned about them in another context and then found they are active on twitter. You may have seen your friend tweeting with someone. Someone you follow RT’d something…3 min read3 min read
Feb 27, 2019Surface AreaYou can’t land the plane without a runway. The same is true for trying to land a cold email or DM. There are a few constants in the interactions of this digital world. people (or at least thinking they are) seeking signal over noise discovery of quality / relevant individuals…5 min read5 min read
Feb 21, 2019Consumer is a game of anglesThere’s the old adage, there are no new behaviors — just new ways to express, act on, and fulfill core human needs and wants. I think of needs and wants as the human highway. The stronger and more consistent the need (food, shelter, physical & social connection), the larger and…3 min read3 min read
Feb 21, 2019Convey it, don’t say itSneak-peaks are more powerful than messages. Communication is a game of angles, drive-bys, and re-directs. Digital assets (threads, screenshots, and docs) give you creative abilities to convey certain information to certain types of people. The most effective way to tell someone something is to let them see what you already…4 min read4 min read
Feb 19, 2019Aesthetic InflationPeople getting particular about pixels What we feel comfortable sharing in a social network may change or evolve over time. What was once commonplace to post now becomes cringeworthy and “not another one of those” moments. Aesthetic inflation is a steady increase in the baseline expectations of ‘quality’ and style…2 min read2 min read
Feb 18, 2019what is the Week Aheadfrom the ’16 archives. This is the Week Ahead (WA) format email I’ve been sending out on Sunday nights. The goal is simple: we all have close friends that we want to stay in sync with and friendly acquaintances we want to bring more into the fold. …4 min read4 min read
Feb 16, 2019Candidness CompressionPeople sometimes tend to forget that behind handles, usernames, and avatars exist real people. The nuanced social dynamics that you feel at a dinner party of five are still present in a group chat with those same five. …2 min read2 min read
