Listen: Episode 1

Andrew Trivette

I get asked all the time what I think about the latest third-party management apps for social networking, such as Buffer, Seesmic, HootSuite, etc. After responding recently with a rather long-winded email to a friend, I thought I might as well turn it into an article for everyone!

So which is the best tool to use? That all depends on what you want to do with it. But that's not the focus of this article! I want to talk about how to decide whether to use these tools in the first place!

These apps are great for businesses who want to broadcast information, and for many businesses that's all they're looking to do. But I tend not to use them much anymore, because broadcasting is not where the real potential of social media is at! What I've noticed over time is that while these apps definitely make it easier and quicker, people don't engage with the content as well as they do with manually posted content. There are several reasons for this:

1. Who Am I Talking Too?

Posting the same thing across multiple platforms(Facebook, Twitter, Google+, etc.) completely misunderstands that each platform is a different community that you communicate to differently. I wouldn't say the same thing at a retirement center as I would at a high school. (Perhaps similar, but not identical). We want to talk to each community, not just shout blindly to the world.

2. Humans vs Apps, Who Can be Trusted?

Posting apps are always second class citizens on Facebook, for good reason. When Facebook decides what content from pages to show people, and which to filter out, it's more likely to trust content that it knows was posted by a human being on it's own website/apps, and not potentially auto-generated spam through a third party application. I've used a wide range of apps, including Hootsuite, for the companies that I help on Facebook. If the client is willing, I've been moving people away from third party application, with good results! Humans communicating with humans is always better :)

3. Do I Really Need an App?

Scheduling a post is possible natively on Facebook without a third-party app. Many people don't realize this! As you can see below, there's a little clock icon in the corner when you go to post a new status. When you click on it, it'll give you the ability to set when you want it to post. Simple!

4. Are They Really Saving Time?

This is often overlooked. We tend towards using things that promise to save us time, because honestly who has extra time these days, right? But are they really saving enough time to be worth the downsides? How long does it really take to sit down and post the same thing to three social networks? 5 minutes maybe? Of that 5 minutes, how much is actually spent posting it? 30 seconds? Bingo! Most of our time is spent figuring out what to say, and how to say it! Is saving 20 secs per post really worth the downsides of less engagement, and less reach?

Plus, if you factor in the time it takes to become proficient with a new app, you may have lost your time savings for the next couple of years!

Conclusion

So there's my reasons! You won't go horribly wrong with a 3rd party tool, but if you don't absolutely need it, you'll see better returns without it.

If you don't have time to devote towards social media, then you don't have time(or the priorities) to be successful online! It's just that simple. Change your priorities, or just realize that you don't have time to go all the way. Don't try to fake an interest in social media just because it's a job requirement, or it's "the thing to do".

Sidenote: There are good reasons to use a third-party app. If you have some type of content that has to be posted every single day, or posted every time it changes(frequently), then a third-party app might be just the thing for you. Just make sure that it is not the main focus of your social efforts.

Andrew Trivette

In 3 weeks, I'll be launching a brand new podcast! May 20th is the big day! Digital Buildings will be focused on helping small businesses succeed online. With all of the clients that I work with, it's not possible for me to tell every person every single thing they could do to maximize the sites that I build for them. Here's an attempt at offering a little more help!

We'll focus on popular topics like content, SEO, marketing, developing a social strategy, and more in-depth topics like what it means to be a part of the online community. Anyone can be online, but being successful online is more than simply having a website. There's a huge difference between just setting up an online store, and creating something of real value online for your customers.

The real successes online are those that give first, and make money second, just as in real life! We'll talk about what that looks like, and focus on practical suggestions you can put into action immediately!

A new episode  of Digital Buildings will be broadcast every Monday @ 7pm cst.  (Also, late summer 2013 will see the release of a book of the same name!)

I'm looking forward to having some fun with this! Subscribe to the newsletter on the right to get updates as this project kicks off!

Andrew Trivette

So I've been refining my black bean burgers, and they're getting even better!

Here's the current recipe:

2 cans of drained and rinsed black beans

1 cup of oats

1 cup of flour

2 eggs

1/2 cup of water

Spices to taste(I used basil, paprika, black pepper, and salt)

That's it! You should be impressed that I used a measuring cup this time and got actual amounts!

Mash the beans until they're mostly soft, but not completely without texture. Add the rest of the ingredients and mix thoroughly. It will be a pretty sticky mixture. You could add more flour to help with this. I left it as is so that they wouldn't come out to dry(and they didn't!).

Fry 'em up! I used coconut oil.

Enjoy! This made 9 patties for me.

I'll post pictures if I get a chance before I finish them :)

Andrew Trivette

Last week I did a short Hangout to show the potential of Hangouts for professionals. Here's a few of the tips I covered in video, as well as a few bonus tips! These tips apply to any video chat, like Skype, not only Hangouts

1. Find a Quiet Environment
   Nobody wants to hear your dog barking, or kids screaming, or the tv blaring in the background!
2. Use a good microphone
   It doesn't need to be a $300 mic, but a good USB mic can go a long way towards making your audio a great experience for everyone else.
3. Get as close to the mic as reasonably possible
   No matter what type of mic you use, get as close to it as you possibly can.
4. The light in the room should be in front of you, not above or behind you.
   Find a way to diffuse the light if it's pointing right at you, or bounce it off of a white wall. This keeps from getting hard shadows that just aren't flattering, and even hide your eyes.
5. Have something black, and something white in view of the camera.
   Webcams are fairly good at their auto settings, but you can help yours out by giving it a clue as to what is truly black, and what is truly white. This gives the camera it's best chance at getting the full color scheme right.
6. Wear earbuds or headphones
   If your microphone can hear the audio from your speakers, and your computer doesn't have good noise-cancelling, you and everyone else on the video chat will have to deal with screeching feedback
7. Look into the camera, not just at your screen
   Even though you're looking right at the people in the hangout on your screen, and you feel like you're talking to them, from their perspective you're not looking at them. If you're going to be speaking for a long time, I recommend trying to look at the camera itself part of that time.

Andrew Trivette

Thoroughly enjoyed the production tonight at Cornerstone. Really great job! Here's a few phone pics of the night.

Andrew Trivette

Yesterday I did a live hangout to demonstrate some of the features of Google Hangouts to my friends. It's one thing to tell everyone how awesome Hangouts can be for their business, but it's another to actually show them!

Special thanks to Brian McDaniel for participating as a guest. We also had a nice crowd watching On Air. As with any technology demonstration, there were a few glitches! I've edited the show to replace a faulty video, so you can get the full training. Here it is in it's entirety!

Still have questions? Leave them in the comments below to get an answer!

Andrew Trivette

Maybe everyone else already knows this, but with all the greens I've been getting from the CSA, I've more than a few times had greens wilt pretty bad. I ran a cross a simple solution, soak the wilted greens in water with a little lemon juice. Come back in an hour or so, and you'll find your greens are as fresh and crisp as the day you got them!

Before and After:

Andrew Trivette

These were awesome! I've made similar ones before, but the addition of veggies actually made these better to me. More texture I guess. I've been looking for some more "stick-to-your-ribs", whole food recipes lately, and this one looks likes it's gonna make the short list of foods to keep around(also on the short list, homemade peanut butter!)

These were originally based on a recipe from about.com.

I made about 15 from this batch, but it could have made probably about 20 if I hadn't made them so thick(don't make them thick, they're harder to fry up!)

The Ingredients

All measurements approximate, I just dumped things in til it looked about right.

4 cans of black beans, drained
1 1/2 cups of whole wheat flour
1 small head of broccoli (maybe 1 cup), chopped finely
1 carrot, chopped finely
3-4 eggs - I forget how many actually I used :)
1 tbsp of minced garlic
Assorted spices (I think I used chili powder, and black pepper)
Salt (I actually forgot this, but they would have definitely been improved with a little salt)
1 cup French-fried onions (sauteed onions would have been just as good, but I used what was on hand)

So yes, next time I try to post a recipe, maybe I should remember to use measuring utensils, and make notes!

I just mixed everything up in a big bowl with a fork, and then mashed it with a potato masher until about half the beans where completely mashed, and everything was sticking together well.

Then it was just as easy as grabbing a gob of it and making patties, and frying them up in a little oil! These hold together really well because of the egg in them, so make them as thin as reasonably possible, so they cook evenly all the way through.

Be sure to add your favorite toppings. I like them with sauerkraut and mayo,  or barbecue sauce. Do they taste like a meat substitute? No! They're not supposed to. They're just another tasty sandwich filler besides meat.

On the list to try in the future:
- Add more ingredients for texture and flavor. Possibly oats, rice, corn, potatoes, and or beets.
- Maybe try a version with chickpeas(garbanzo beans) instead of black beans.
- Add salt. Forgot that this time!
- Bake after frying. I read an article that suggested frying til it's crispy on the outside, and then baking to firm up the center. Sounded like good advice!
- Make a vegan option. Flaxseed flour is supposed to be a decent binder substitute for eggs.

Enjoy!

Andrew Trivette

Whenever the economy is slow, you'll hear a lot of people who criticize getting a college degree as being a huge waste of time and money. But do you know who you almost never hear that from? Someone with a college degree! Now I can understand why higher education might seem like a waste, considering that it's 4+ years of your life, and the majority of people don't actually work in the same field as their degree. But what if there's more to it? I say there is! Let's look at a couple of ways a degree can make a difference in your life.

Disclaimer: This article is not meant to demean anyone without a degree. Not at all! It's just an honest discussion of a few of the advantages college can provide for motivated individuals! My perspective comes from having a college degree, but working in an unrelated field in which everything was self-taught. This article has been more than a month in the making because I realize that, regardless of intent, it could come across as an insult to my many friends without degrees.

1. Discipline

Do you know why employers like to hire someone with a degree, even when it's unrelated to their business? Because a degree says that you stuck with something for 4 years without seeing any results, and finished what you started! It says that you know how to work under pressure to meet deadlines on a regular basis. It also says that you know how to work on a wide variety of projects simultaneously, and keep them organized.

2. Critical Thinking

You know the easiest way to tell if someone has an education? Watch how fast they believe information without considering the source or checking multiple sources! Learning how to discern between information you want to agree with, and reliable information is a huge advantage in business, and in life in general!

3. Broad Horizons

Listen to an uneducated person, and you'll notice right off the bat that, as a rule, they don't know how to deal with differing opinions or beliefs. Their experiences are the only standard for how things ought to be for everyone! I believe close-minded might be a good way to describe it. Want to find someone who's willing to argue at the drop of a hat about a different opinion? Your chances are better among non-college graduates!

Why is that? In college you are bombarded with a slew of different ideas, and new facts that challenge your own ideas and opinions. The diversity of experiences, opinions, and teaching on a college campus fosters an awareness of different viewpoints. Many times you'll find your own pet ideas on the chopping block. That's a good thing!

4. Connections

Even a minimal involvement on campus will net you hundreds of connections with future leaders and business owners.  Even famous college dropouts like Mark Zuckerberg, and Larry Page made connections in college that helped them immensely on their path to success.

5. Personal Development

If college was just about learning a particular subject, there are much better alternatives! However, one of the most important parts of college is the fact that it teaches you the things that seem unrelated or unneeded in your field. Having a firm grasp on things like Math, English, Literature, History, and Communication  are a huge advantage, regardless of whether you go into sales or engineering. Look at the people who are successful in fields that don't require higher education. The odds of them having a degree are much greater!

Can you learn the same things at the "School of Hard Knocks"? Absolutely!  But you can expect to struggle through that "school" for about 10-20 years to learn as much as you could in the crucible known as college. You don't save 4 years of your life and thousands of dollars, you just take the long route, which can cost far more than a couple thousand dollars a year! Me? I'm happy to have gained 4 years of intense development so that I can build my dreams with a great foundation!

Andrew Trivette