Random Chat, Thoughts, Posts, and/or Rants Thread

[Jrjohnny]

It works, but it's very shortsighted. It's similar to prioritizing shareholders over customers: it makes more money in the short term at a huge loss in the long term. I've definitely watched videos with fabricated thumbnails so it got a view. But then I blocked the channel entirely.

But more is at risk: reputation.

Reputation is what holds everything together. If you have the cure to cancer and know how to sell but have a bad reputation, good luck getting blood out of a stone.

Many YouTubers with clickbait content have been hated on, and removed.

Basically: don’t mess up your reputation or else if you mess it up your screwed

 

Dislike ads? Remove them and support the forum: Subscribe to Fastlane Insiders.

[mikecarlooch]

Hi everyone,

I'm looking for very experienced developers to speak with on the phone.

Ideally, those that understand api integrations and are full stack developers..

I am really trying to figure out how to get something I need built, and what I should realistically be expecting to pay. some people are telling me $2000 some $20000 I really don't know who to believe.

We have customers who are waiting to buy this product but we need this one feature..

Anyone? or anyone know someone? Thank you

 

[MTF]

This is the new strategy in marketing where it's OK to use thumbnails that are complete lies, fabrications, or fake.

But marketers don't care because "It'S eFfeCtIve aNd MarKetinG GurU SaiD it OK To MaKE ShiT uP."

The saddest thing is that this is almost a requirement at this point. If you don't use it, your video will be most likely ignored. In the end, it's always the same thing with every platform. People who deceive, manipulate, or don't care about ethics are on top.

It works, but it's very shortsighted. It's similar to prioritizing shareholders over customers: it makes more money in the short term at a huge loss in the long term. I've definitely watched videos with fabricated thumbnails so it got a view. But then I blocked the channel entirely.

On average, I'd imagine that if you were to analyze 1,000 successful channels, probably at least 80% of them would use some kind of a fabricated thumbnail. So I think it works over the long term as well. People are just used to this, even if it annoys them.

 

[Black_Dragon43]

People who deceive, manipulate, or don't care about ethics are on top.

And when I say this, the fastlane community flogs me (esp. @BizyDad)

 

Dislike ads? Remove them and support the forum: Subscribe to Fastlane Insiders.

[rpeck90]

Hi everyone,

I'm looking for very experienced developers to speak with on the phone.

Ideally, those that understand api integrations and are full stack developers..

I am really trying to figure out how to get something I need built, and what I should realistically be expecting to pay. some people are telling me $2000 some $20000 I really don't know who to believe.

We have customers who are waiting to buy this product but we need this one feature..

Anyone? or anyone know someone? Thank you

You're welcome to talk to me if you like. I have significant full stack experience and have also worked with API integrations extensively. You can see my github here: richpeck - Overview

Some API integration code, if you wanted to see an example of previous work, is below.

This is the top part of a script which takes Shopify order data and pushes it to Google Sheets. Presently, what you see is production code but we'll be moving to a more substantive engine soon so no problem in me sharing it: -



I'd be happy to look over what you need and provide suggestions on an appropriate way to approach it - you're welcome to DM if you want. No need to pay for advice.

I am in the UK so would need to do Skype, Google Meets etc if you wanted to talk directly.

 

[loop101]

Stopmotion animation has always had a timeless appeal.

https://twitter.com/i/web/status/1742914934756032763

View: https://twitter.com/Rainmaker1973/status/1742914934756032763

 

[BizyDad]

The saddest thing is that this is almost a requirement at this point. If you don't use it, your video will be most likely ignored. In the end, it's always the same thing with every platform. People who deceive, manipulate, or don't care about ethics are on top.



On average, I'd imagine that if you were to analyze 1,000 successful channels, probably at least 80% of them would use some kind of a fabricated thumbnail. So I think it works over the long term as well. People are just used to this, even if it annoys them.

And when I say this, the fastlane community flogs me (esp. @BizyDad)

Since I was tagged, just for clarity. I "flog" when I perceive BD telling people this is how they should be to compete. I perceive MTF to be bemoaning a general state of affairs, not espousing a "can't beat 'em, join 'em" philosophy.

On average, I'd imagine that if you were to analyze 1,000 successful channels, probably at least 80% of them would use some kind of a fabricated thumbnail. So I think it works over the long term as well. People are just used to this, even if it annoys them.

FWIW, not sure what spaces you guys are in, but I haven't noticed this to be an issue on the YT channels I frequent. I suspect this advice hasn't seeped out there to "everyone" and is more a reflection of the niches you guys are looking through.

 

Dislike ads? Remove them and support the forum: Subscribe to Fastlane Insiders.

[MTF]

FWIW, not sure what spaces you guys are in, but I haven't noticed this to be an issue on the YT channels I frequent. I suspect this advice hasn't seeped out there to "everyone" and is more a reflection of the niches you guys are looking through.

Yeah I mostly tend to watch videos in the "I love watching your mouth wide open in shock" niche and "let's use a half-naked beautiful woman who doesn't appear in the video to sell it" niche.

Jokes aside, I've seen it in business, investment, fitness, self-improvement, language learning, and many more niches. Not necessarily from the channels I follow but the stuff I get recommended by YouTube.

 

[Jrjohnny]

FWIW, not sure what spaces you guys are in, but I haven't noticed this to be an issue on the YT channels I frequent. I suspect this advice hasn't seeped out there to "everyone" and is more a reflection of the niches you guys are looking through.

I was just trying trying to watch some NFL week 17 highlights

 

[MJ DeMarco]

Found on my today's DailySumo, words of wisdom for everyone, not just young people...

The thing is... I tend to view the world differently just every few years, I don't need 30.

 

Dislike ads? Remove them and support the forum: Subscribe to Fastlane Insiders.

[Black_Dragon43]

Since I was tagged, just for clarity. I "flog" when I perceive BD telling people this is how they should be to compete. I perceive MTF to be bemoaning a general state of affairs, not espousing a "can't beat 'em, join 'em" philosophy.

Buuuuut, if people who are unethical are on top, doesn’t that mean that you should be willing to be unethical if you want to climb to the top? I’m usually simply telling people that if they want to reach the very pinnacle of success materially speaking, then holding fast to their moral principles will be a hindrance.

This doesn’t mean that there won’t be people for whom their moral values will be more important than success. Nor does it mean that material success should be more important than moral values. Just that IF success is more important than moral values, then you should be willing to do what it takes.

 

[Robdavis]

Buuuuut, if people who are unethical are on top, doesn’t that mean that you should be willing to be unethical if you want to climb to the top? I’m usually simply telling people that if they want to reach the very pinnacle of success materially speaking, then holding fast to their moral principles will be a hindrance.

This doesn’t mean that there won’t be people for whom their moral values will be more important than success. Nor does it mean that material success should be more important than moral values. Just that IF success is more important than moral values, then you should be willing to do what it takes.

Hello Black Dragon,
Having read your post, I suspect that you are correct.

However, I that that where BizyDad has a problem is in this logical leap:

"if they want to reach the very pinnacle of success" ----->>>> "that IF success is more important than moral values".

Not speaking from experience, I suspect that you can reach a net worth of $10bn without needing to do anything unethical, it just seems to me that there is that much opportunity in the world.

So, in terms of advice given on this forum, no-one here (AFAIK) needs to think in terms of compromising ethics in order to achieve material results, it just doesn't apply to us. (Or Youtubers who aren't on the forum).

However, if Elon Musk came back to the forum and asked us "Have you got any ideas on how I can become a trillionaire?" and we worked out that the money was very important to him, then we might give him your advice that he would need to do whatever it takes to get that result.

It's worth mentioning though that going from $250bn to $1trn net worth, wouldn't improve someone's quality of life. It would just be an ego trip or some kind of power play.

As an aside, I suspect that if you want to do well in politics in the western world, that having ethics would be a hindrance. It certainly looks that way to me in the UK anyway.

 

[Black_Dragon43]

Not speaking from experience, I suspect that you can reach a net worth of $10bn without needing to do anything unethical, it just seems to me that there is that much opportunity in the world.

So, in terms of advice given on this forum, no-one here (AFAIK) needs to think in terms of compromising ethics in order to achieve material results, it just doesn't apply to us. (Or Youtubers who aren't on the forum).

I would agree that to reach a net worth of $1-50M you don’t need to be unethical.

However, the billions are another matter in my opinion. Does this mean that you can’t be an ethical billionaire? No. However, it does mean that your chances of getting there are severely lowered if you put your moral values above wealth assuming you start your life from 0.

As an aside, I suspect that if you want to do well in politics in the western world, that having ethics would be a hindrance. It certainly looks that way to me in the UK anyway.

I agree, except that I see the highest level of business as being no different than politics, merely, if you want, an extension of it.

At those levels, most of your money is made from BIG deals. Elon Musk made most of his money thanks to the government. Who rescued both Tesla and SpaceX several times, and awarded billions in contracts to the latter. You think that was done 100% ethically? I doubt it. Corners must have been cut when needed, principles had to be abandoned, because that’s what necessity demanded.

Personally, I will say that I don’t know ANYONE who made their money entirely without making ANY moral compromises. I do know many people who made their money by and large ethically. But even these people agreed to things like keeping the mistress of the ex-owner on payroll after buying the company and so on.

It’s not necessarily that they are unethical, but the people around them are unethical and, to get ahead, they have to at least turn a blind eye to it every now and then.

If you need millions in funding from the government to save your venture, and some government employee asks you for a $100,000 bribe, would you say no?

Even as an ethical person, I’d give the money without a second thought.

So my opinion is that at minimum you can’t be a saint and be involved in the works of the world. If you want to be a saint, the safest bet is to go to the monastery.

 

Dislike ads? Remove them and support the forum: Subscribe to Fastlane Insiders.

[Andy Black]

Hi everyone,

I'm looking for very experienced developers to speak with on the phone.

Ideally, those that understand api integrations and are full stack developers..

I am really trying to figure out how to get something I need built, and what I should realistically be expecting to pay. some people are telling me $2000 some $20000 I really don't know who to believe.

We have customers who are waiting to buy this product but we need this one feature..

Anyone? or anyone know someone? Thank you

@FastNAwesome ?

 

[Andy Black]

Buuuuut, if people who are unethical are on top, doesn’t that mean that you should be willing to be unethical if you want to climb to the top? I’m usually simply telling people that if they want to reach the very pinnacle of success materially speaking, then holding fast to their moral principles will be a hindrance.

This doesn’t mean that there won’t be people for whom their moral values will be more important than success. Nor does it mean that material success should be more important than moral values. Just that IF success is more important than moral values, then you should be willing to do what it takes.

Reminds me of the book "Give and Take". The Givers are at the bottom as they don't look out for themselves. The Matchers and Takers are ahead of them. The Givers appear again at the top. They Give, but have boundaries.

It's a book of course, but he did a load of studies.

At the end of the day I feel it's down to what we choose to believe, the type of life we want to live, and the type of person we aspire to be.

 

[Black_Dragon43]

At the end of the day I feel it's down to what we choose to believe, the type of life we want to live, and the type of person we aspire to be

I agree, I’m of the belief “what good is gaining the whole world if you’ll lose your soul” personally. But… it is a matter of values ultimately, not of practical considerations.

It’s also a matter of details. Nobody is completely unethical (unless maybe they’re a psychopath). So most people are neither white nor black, they’re different shades of grey.

For example, I’ve always helped people “disinterestedly”. In truth, just because I enjoy it. At school I’d help people study. In the forum I help people. On Reddit I help people, including people who I think have a 0% chance of ever paying me money.

So does that make me a good person?

Likewise you can take a part of my life and say BD refused to take copywriting projects that involved selling drugs or sex-related objects/services even when he first got started, was in need, and was offered great money for it.

It’s perfectly true. You could say “wow, what an upstanding guy BD is, he puts his morals over money”

But at the same time you could take another part of my life and say when asked if he had a case study of building a funnel in Clickfunnels, BD said yes, even though he had nothing. The client remembered BD sent the case study, so he got the project.

What now? Am I a bad person? So in this case BD put his money over his morals. Two similar scenarios with different outcomes.

That’s why this is all very hard to decide, because 99% of us are both good and bad, in different circumstances, though most of us try to justify our badness as “not bad” since we prefer seeing ourselves as good people.

The other issue here is that most of us are very good at hiding our true intentions from others, even, and perhaps especially from ourselves! So you may not even know why you’re doing something, and later on it turns out to have been to your advantage, even though at the time you weren’t consciously trying to gain an advantage. But your subconscious was at work.

Reminds me of the book "Give and Take". The Givers are at the bottom as they don't look out for themselves. The Matchers and Takers are ahead of them. The Givers appear again at the top. They Give, but have boundaries.

It's a book of course, but he did a load of studies.

It’s a good book, I enjoyed it.

I don’t think it reflects so much on the morality debate though. I believe you can be a “Giver” and “unethical” at the same time for example. You can enjoy giving to others without expecting anything in return, and yet value success over being a good person.

I don’t think, for example, a true Machiavellian would be classed as a “taker”. Because a true Machiavellian isn’t always taking, and will not always follow purely his short-term self-interest. Sometimes he may do things disinterestedly. People are complex.

Someone may have no problem stealing from a stranger but would never ever steal from his brother. Necessarily this person is good in some circumstances and bad in others.

 

Dislike ads? Remove them and support the forum: Subscribe to Fastlane Insiders.

[rjdgreat]

You allow other to exploits you because you're too scared to face your own destiny.

 

[Jrjohnny]

Recently found out the hard way polyester bedsheets and blankets will shock you and light up

 

[Daniel A]

If you've done the certification courses DigitalMarketer offers, did you, your employer, or others find them valuable?

Because I'm about to do a sprint from January to April 2024 to learn/relearn as much about marketing as possible, I need to be selective with where I put my time and energy.

Are there other learning resources you recommend? Thank you!

 

Dislike ads? Remove them and support the forum: Subscribe to Fastlane Insiders.

[MTF]

Some people are just on another level.

Ioannis Ikonomou (Greek: Ιωάννης Οικονόμου; born 1964) is a Greek translator who has been working for the European Commission in Brussels since 2002.[1] Considered a notable contemporary example of a polyglot, he knows 32 living languages including Greek, English, German, Italian, Spanish, French, Finnish, Danish, Russian, Swahili, Hebrew, Arabic, Mandarin and Bengali, and reportedly as many as 47 languages including dead languages like Old Church Slavonic. He speaks 21 out of 24 official EU languages.

(...)

Inspired by foreign tourists visiting Crete,[7] he began to study foreign languages at a young age: English at age five, when he moved to Athens with his family, German at seven, Italian at 10, Russian at 13, East African Swahili at 14, and Turkish at 16.[8] He had learned 15 languages by the age of 20.

 

[MJ DeMarco]

Some people are just on another level.

Alien DNA.

Joking aside, I think these people have access to areas of the brain most of us do not.

 

[MTF]

Joking aside, I think these people have access to areas of the brain most of us do not.

What I find most impressive is that he could speak 15 languages by the time he was 20. Most people don't even speak properly their own native language when they're 20 lol.

I can currently speak 3 languages and am learning the fourth (and can speak it a little already). I think that my practical limit (to keep them fresh and not forget any) is probably 5-6 langues at most. I can't imagine maintaining 32 languages.

 

Dislike ads? Remove them and support the forum: Subscribe to Fastlane Insiders.

[Kak]

Most people don't even speak properly their own native language when they're 20 lol.

Lol. More like ever.

I'm going to say only 60 percent of people are fluent and literate in a single language.

 

[MTF]

The following is from a freediving newsletter but this is such powerful life advice (also applies to this forum):

As someone who has been a full-time instructor since 2005 and taught over 1,000 students, I think I'm qualified to give you some advice on how to get the most out of your freediving class.


LISTEN!


It's a simple word, it's a simple action, but I'm shocked to see how much energy some students put into NOT LISTENING.


Constantly looking at their phone. Your "twitters" are not as important as the $1,000 you spent on the class.


Combative & argumentative attitude:


"That won't work for me."


"No one I know does that."


"That won't work for spearfishing."


"That has too many steps."


"Why can't I just do it my way?"


Some of my students are awesome, but I'm amazed at how much energy some students put into not learning.


My advice is simple: listen.


Here are 4 great goals for your class:





#1 I want to absorb more information from this instructor than anyone in the class.


#2 I want to implement the techniques the instructor is teaching more than any other student in the class.


#3 I commit to raising my hand and asking a question if I'm unsure of something during the classroom or pool session.


#4 I commit to asking for more feedback if I think I'm not executing a technique correctly.


That's how you get your money's worth from a class. Notice there is a competitive aspect to these goals. Absorb more than anyone, implement more than anyone.


Many freediving students are hyper-competitive, so now you have a worthy goal to compete for as opposed to diving deeper than everyone or holding your breath longer than everyone.


Most students goals are:


I want to dive to the maximum depth of the class.


I want to hold my breath to the maximum allowed in the class.


I want to prove to everyone in the class that I know more than anyone. - these people are the worst

Do you see how those goals have almost nothing to do with learning?


You can dive to the max of the class and hold your breath to the max of the class and still have the same bad technique you walked in the door with.


What the heck did you learn then?


Many students will think things like "that will never work for me," but if you don't actually implement and execute the technique, how would you know if it won't work for you?


Focus on implementing all the techniques being taught. Once you've perfected the technique, then and only then can you intelligently compare it to what you are currently doing.





My suggestion is to come into your freediving class with an open mind.


Think about why else you would give the instructor your hard-earned money?

 

[socaldude]

Some people are just on another level.

Yeah, this is why it’s very difficult to change or convince someone’s religious/political and world views.

I remember when I was 16 years old I used to always hear a loud a$$ train pass by in the middle of the night. It was clearly a train hauling a$$ blowing its air horn. And yet, there is no train in that area. There is no train even close. I would ask my family if they heard anything and they would say no.

Later I found a Facebook group that someone made making fun of the mysterious train that passes by at 3am. “The train that passes by XYZ area at 3am” . We would all make fun of and be dumb struck at how we all hear a train in the middle of the night. It was bizarre. Like WTF? Only certain people would hear it.

Some people are just wired to access certain parts of reality and others are not.

 

Dislike ads? Remove them and support the forum: Subscribe to Fastlane Insiders.

[loop101]

Is there a preferred book on how to write a non-fiction book? I see there are many books on Amazon, none of them appeared to stand out. Is there a "standard" or "bible"? This would be for a book demonstrating how some computer algorithms work.

I'm mostly concerned about all the legalese and attributions in the first few pages of a technical book.

On a side note, I find myself skipping over almost all "Kindle Unlimited" books that I could read for free. I have read so many that were garbage, I actually look for books that cost some money to read. With the Kindle Unlimited, the books may be free, but my time isn't, so I gave up on them. Has anyone else experienced this?

 

[Rabby]

Alien DNA.

Joking aside, I think these people have access to areas of the brain most of us do not.

That's the crux of it. But it's there and interest is the key to unlocking it. Individual potential is so underestimated.

 

[Andy Black]

The following is from a freediving newsletter but this is such powerful life advice (also applies to this forum):

Yep. That's a frustration for all instructors and coaches, regardless of subject.

 

Dislike ads? Remove them and support the forum: Subscribe to Fastlane Insiders.

[StrikingViper69]

Yep. That's a frustration for all instructors and coaches, regardless of subject.

Yup. Here’s a surprisingly common lesson problem I run into:

Me: play it slower
Student plays at the same speed
Me: no, I said play it slower
Student plays faster
Me: no, slower *demonstrates*
Student: oh, you mean play it slowly

I’m convinced 90% of my in person teaching over the last decade could be replaced with a tape recorder that alternates between “do it again” and “play it slowly”

 

[Two Dog]

Hi everyone,

I'm looking for very experienced developers to speak with on the phone.

Ideally, those that understand api integrations and are full stack developers..

I am really trying to figure out how to get something I need built, and what I should realistically be expecting to pay. some people are telling me $2000 some $20000 I really don't know who to believe.

We have customers who are waiting to buy this product but we need this one feature..

Anyone? or anyone know someone? Thank you

Hey, Mike.

Been hired many times and done the hiring far more.

That range is pretty typical. You're not going to get it sorted much tighter because it depends far more on the individual dev or shop. Publish the work scope, get 10-15 quotes from seemingly trustworthy devs (however you want to judge that - my criteria will be different than yours), toss the tossers (anyone who doesn't answer the handful of specific questions you should always include), throw out the top and bottom 15%, average the rest and you'll be in the right ballpark.

Example
* $500, 750, 1000, 1000, 2500 (toss low bids)
* $5000, 6000, 6500, 7000, 8000, 10,000 = $7,000 average
* 12,500, 15,000, 25,000 (toss high bids)

$7,000 makes it pretty likely you'll get it finished in a reasonable amount of time without too much pain in suffering.

That approach has worked as well as anything else over the years for outsourcing. The variability comes from the same things as hiring any contractor: free time to fill, just finished something similar and can reuse it, knows a newer platform for knocking it out in 1/5 the time, already familiar with the API, overeager sales department, etc. Derek Sivers has a good post on hiring devs here: How to hire a programmer to make your ideas happen | Derek Sivers.

Personally, I always hire two candidates for larger projects, tell them it's a competition and see who does the best job on Phase 1. For something over $15K, I'd even consider starting with three decent candidates to pick an eventual winner. Obviously, that costs more $$$ upfront, but the time wasted with a bad hire followed by even more time to replace them is really painful especially when customers are waiting. Feel free to DM.