I want to use this issue to update you with what's happening with me and this blog. I have learnt so much recently and I want to share some of that today. There have been things I have learnt about myself, AI, podcasts, new platforms, hosting a charity event, getting more involved in other events. It's been a kaleidoscope of experiences, and there have even been one or two celebrations.
A small note, the more astute of you will notice I have skipped an issue. I will get to that later!
Voice Notes Suck has been an amazing experience, I don't have another way to say it. From ideation to delivery, and the entire of Series 1 being released, I've really enjoyed it. The less enjoyable parts haven't felt like a chore, like they often do. And one of the best things has been being able to celebrate 'small' milestones. The experience of getting to 100 listens and 100 followers on X has been exciting. And there's plenty more coming that we will be able to celebrate.
Those celebrations are a great reminder of what can happen if we can reduce our expectations around our creative output. Especially if it's a new format and/or platform. Jay and I had some clear goals with what we wanted to deliver, but we kept reminding ourselves that meeting those goals wasn't about numbers or reach. It was about having fun and delivering the content that we want to deliver.
We genuinely believe we have found a unique format, and all of the feedback we have had so far confirms this. We want our podcast to be engaging, ask questions about topics that are relevant to creators and the digital community, to offer opinions without insisting they are facts and to encourage our listeners to explore the topics we discuss further. You know there's a link below. A follow on Spotify and a review would help us, add some smiles and increase the numbers I will share further down.
Apart from it being an amazing experience, celebration and some self promo for the upcoming YouTube launch, I want to talk about some of the lessons I've learnt, or had reinforced. I touched on expectations, regular readers will know I dip in and out of this topic a lot. That's because they have had a huge impact on how I feel about me. Because losing those expectations, or managing them a lot better, has helped me so much, I want to share that experience.
I want to simplify this by using some numbers, and I understand this isn't always easy, especially when the creative industry is your full time gig. However, take listens as the example. If we had expected 1,000 listens of Series 1, and we could have done based on several factors, both Jay and I would be feeling disappointed and likely disillusioned. That could potentially lead to anger, resentment and bitterness. That demotivates both of us and takes the enjoyment of the process away.
As it was, we didn't do that. we went in expecting 0 listens. And with the mindset that no brand new podcast, with brand new podcast hosts, and no new formats hit instant overnight success. We are aware that we will need to build our audience. Building audiences takes time, effort and likely some money at some point. Oh, and a little goodwill from any existing audiences.
such a great vibe
4
I'm a stats man (and I hope some 80's/90's kids involuntarily made some noises, out loud or in their head, it doesn't matter!), so I wanted to share some of the Voice Notes Suck stats so far. As of 28th July 2024 we have 8 Episodes, 176 Listens, 37 Spotify Followers, 18 Five Star Reviews, Listens from 13 Countries, 1,147 Spotify Impressions, 194 X Followers and 5 YouTube Subscribers (Series 1 soon).
Coming back to expectations, briefly I promise, these stats make me smile every time I look at them, primarily because I tempered my expectations. I am excited that the numbers are what they are. That we are having some impact, our podcast is enjoyable, our friends want to support us and this way it will remain fun. I've upskilled regarding AI, project management, organisation and planning whilst doing this too, although that can always get better.
YouTube. The main reason, because we can. There is a little hope that maybe one day AI can animate our conversations, but that is not down to either Jay or myself. For now, Jay has added waveform audio to provide some visual imagery. YouTube provides access to a different audience, the other game changer is it provides captions, or subtitles.
The Premiere of Episode 1, Pilot, is on Tuesday. I've even included a link below for you to click on and Subscribe!
I will save FCancer 24 for my next blog, before then I will be helping to host the Web3 Leader Summit on August 22nd. The latest event but together by Creative Owls and hosted in Spatial. Some amazing people are involved and I am grateful to be working with them. It will be streamed to multiple other platforms and all the information is available on Creative's website. Every one of these events feels like a level up. You really should attend if you can.
This is the first event of a rebranded community called Building The Future. You can find a community on X and there are plenty of people that I know and respect involved in this, including myself. I'm pretty certain what we've started with Polygon Alliance will be a part of this in some form or another. There are a lot of shared values.
As humanity goes more and more digital, and I believe there is still a lot of rom to go digital, more and more things happen digitally. Conferences, Seminars, Networking Events, Trade Fairs, call them what you will, but there is a need and want for this kind of digital event. My gratefulness extends to being at the forefront of this in the Web3 industry.
You can get tickets here, see the schedule and check out the sponsorship opportunities.
A small blog update. I will be sending an NFT to all the wallets I have on record when I get to 400 subscribers. I know I have been hovering close for a while. I don't really want to overly promote this blog for a couple of reasons. Mainly because it's a personal blog and not a newsletter or alpha call etc. And I don't want others to build expectations that won't be met. I want to add value for my readers and continue to enjoy the writing experience.
I think everyone should write, they don't have to splurge and spread it all over the internet like I do, but I still think it's important. It's a way to process, hold yourself accountable, explore thoughts and express feelings. I've been a little inconsistent, and I now have reminders to ensure these stay consistent moving forward.
That brings me to Issue 73. It will be released this week, but I shall not spam you with another email. It will be available to read on Paragraph and I will maybe share the link on socials, maybe. It's about expectations and the Euros, how mindset matters. It may need a tiny rewrite! I still have back issues that were on Revue to update. Something I want to do, but not sure when.
And then there's my photography that was on Revel. I will be using some of them as collectable images for my blogs. I want to see them go to good use, I really like some of those shots, and now Revel is no more, this is where I am at.
Separate to that, and before I go. New photo's I want on chain as collectibles are being uploaded to Uncut. There are 2 copies of my latest photo available, I know the next photo I am releasing there. Any holder of the collection could win a copy for free, as 5 copies of every release are given away.
You will have to click the collect button below to see the collectible image for todays blog, it is an image that has been on Revel previously.
Thank you for reading all about me. Sometimes it's good to be a little selfish. If this came across really pitchy, that's because it kind of is! I hope you got more out of it than that though (I certainly did), thanks for reading. Until next time.
