Amazing AI Chatbot Kidnaps TikTok As It Takes Over the Written World

It’s like Google and Siri had a baby, and she’s a genius!

Have you heard the massive buzz about this breakthrough AI tool?

I’ve been using the latest new AI tool, ChatGPT, for a few days now and it’s seriously impressive. People are finding it so mind-blowing that it’s taken over my TikTok feed with unsolicited endorsements. The latest rant was from @garyvee.

A key benefit is that ChatGPT’s dialog-based chatbot approach makes it super-easy to use. 

It also doesn’t suck that ChatGPT is free, non-commercial, and no strings attached (at least for now). I highly recommend that you give it a try. Access & more info here: https://openai.com/blog/chatgpt/

Here’s my Top 3 Reasons that I think ChatGBT is a game changer, via TikTok:

@joncombridges

It’s not every day that we get a new tool that we can immediately understand how it make our work more easeful and powerful. That’s why I’m excited about chatgpt, chatgptforcreators. It opens a window on the #future of how we will all someday very soon be using #AI and #AITools to be more Creative. #creativity

♬ Inspirational Background Music ( warm, motivation, determined, cinematic ) – four_track

Pro Tip: The better you get at asking questions, the better the output you’ll get. So take some time to think about what you want to ask and ask it in a clear and concise way.

COMING SOON: THE VIDEO MOJO CREATIVITY SANDBOX

Join Jon on a 3-Week learning adventure to ensure that you don’t die with your Creative Joy still stuck inside. This program is for you if you want to unleash your joyous, creative freedom. You will want to play in this “sandbox” in order to have a breakthrough in your creative self-expression.

Transform your creative life from a “want-to-have” into a valuable, ongoing practice. Register or learn more at: https://www.videocreator.me/

Please connect with Jon and/or subscribe to his free & informative email blasts here: https://play.combridges.com/links

Thanks for reading!


Storytelling as Wayfinding During Uncharted Times: New Video Mojo with Michael Kass

I admit it. I’m proud of the quality of content that’s coming out weekly via my Video Mojo WebShow™. It’s now much more than a video blog & podcast: It’s a fully-produced live, weekly webcast & formatted 1/2-hour program with awesome guests.

This week’s episode, recorded live last Friday, powerfully illuminates why storytelling is so much more than a “buzzword du jour.” If you understand the power of story, you can create a more engaging and vibrant social media and video presence.

To do that, you have to go beyond storytelling as a formula. Done well, story can open doors to whole other levels of engagement. And, it can help you find your way through the “uncharted times” that we are all living through, while revealing a path to more meaningful media.

If you’re ready to use story as a wayfinding tool (or at least ready to discover what that means), don’t miss this third “Collaborative Conversation” between myself and storytelling expert, Michael Kass.

In addition this “Collaborative Conversation,” every Video Mojo episode includes a quick commentary called “Tee It Up” and “Luscious Links” resource recommendations, as shown below.

Video Mojo welcomes your questions and comments in real time during Video Mojo LIVE! which streams every Friday at 10am PT / 1pm ET on our YouTube channel:
https://www.youtube.com/jonleland and via our Facebook Page: https://www.facebook.com/combridges.fb/live​. Please join us.

IN LAST WEEK’S EPISODE

Time markers/Table of contents:

  • Tee It Up: Wayfinding vs the Perfectionism Trap – 1:58
  • Collaborative Conversation: Michael Kass (Coach) – 3:11
  • Community Campfire: Q&A – 14:11
  • Luscious Links: The Biggest Bluff – 23:31

RESOURCE LINK:

Michael Kass: https://www.storyandspirit.org/

LUSCIOUS LINKS

3 PILLARS OF A VIBRANT VIDEO PRESENCE

Please join us and/or post a review or comment. It REALLY helps Video Mojo to be more visible when you like, review, or comment. All of the links are here:
https://play.combridges.com/links

Thanks!

Creatives, Christy Strauch Helps You Overcome Resistance & Get Your Work OUT!

Your Inner Critic is Not a Myth. It’s a Muse-Buster!

My “Collaborative Conversation” with coach and author Christy Strauch offers specific things you can do to dig in and move on so that your creative work gets out and touches the lives of others. That’s what we all want, right? Whether you are a fine artist or entrepreneur (or somewhere in between), there’s a ton of actionable inspiration here.

In addition this “Collaborative Conversation,” every Video Mojo episode includes a quick commentary called “Tee It Up” and “Luscious Links” resource recommendations, as shown below.

Video Mojo welcomes your questions and comments in real time during Video Mojo LIVE! which streams every Friday at 10am PT / 1pm ET on our YouTube channel:
https://www.youtube.com/jonleland and via our Facebook Page: https://www.facebook.com/combridges.fb/live​. Please join us.

ABOUT VIDEO MOJO

ComBridges’ mission is to help you have a more engaging social media presence and a more vibrant video presence. Our WebShow™, Video Mojo, combines timeless marketing principles with a playful exploration on the “bleeding edge” of digital video & social media strategies. Producer/host, Jon Leland, focuses on the human side of social media and offers decades of video experience as well as his visionary and up-to-the-minute insights as a media wizard and digital marketing strategist who currently leads his own social media marketing agency, ComBridges.

IN THIS EPISODE

Time markers/Table of contents:

  • Tee It Up: About Story – 1:38
  • Collaborative Conversation: Christy Strauch (Coach, Author) – 3:40
  • Community Campfire: Q&A – 14:43
  • Luscious Links: Morning Pages resources – 21:38

RESOURCE LINK:

LUSCIOUS LINKS

3 PILLARS OF A VIBRANT VIDEO PRESENCE
Pillar 1: Humanity – https://youtu.be/NGO1m_MFKB4
Pillar 2: Technology – https://youtu.be/g__BRLf0BKc
Pillar 3: Story – Live on 10/16/20 at 10am PT

I’d love to hear from you with any feedback, suggestions, or reviews. Please join us and/or post a review or comment via any of the links on this page:

https://play.combridges.com/links

Thanks!

Whole Lotta Streamin’ Goin’ On. Learn Why LIVE is the Next Big Thing in Social Engagement & New Tools We’re Using

Video Mojo continues as an exciting playful exploration of the bleeding edge of video. Our mission is to help you create a more engaging social media presence and to be your source for insights about how to create a more vibrant video presence.

If you want to know more about what I’m up to, last week’s episode was the transition from Video Mojo, the video blog, to Video Mojo LIVE, the webcast show (stay tuned and I will reveal the whole format). And, we will continue to offer edited versions including a podcast version for your listening convenience (links below). 😉

​This episode shows both a powerful set of new tools for live video streaming and provides a taste of how Video Mojo is evolving into a weekly LIVE webcast (every Friday at 10am PT) and podcast (iTunes, Spotify, etc.) that will be packed with valuable collaborative conversations, luscious links (various kinds of resource recommendations), and opportunities for you to “ask me anything” via the interactive technologies that we are now using.

​Please watch this video to see how we are engaging via live streaming and you are invited to join us any Friday at 10am PT on our YouTube Channel (subscribe), the ComBridges Facebook page (like), or my personal Facebook profile (follow).

Here are the resource links from this episode:

ECAMM LIVE(Live Streaming App)
https://www.ecamm.com/mac/ecammlive/?fp_ref=jon-77 (affiliate link)

LUSCIOUS LINKS:

* Henny Tha Bizness: https://www.hennythabizness.com/
“HOW TO SETUP A PROFESSIONAL LOOKING LIVESTREAM IN 2020 using ECAMM LIVE – MY QUARANTINE SETUP”
https://youtu.be/WSy-Me6znBQ
* Pat Flynn: https://www.smartpassiveincome.com/
“This is the Best Live Streaming Software for Mac – Full Tutorial”
https://youtu.be/z0ddCZOmgCM
* Ali Adbaal: https://aliabdaal.com/
“My Favourite Mac Apps in 2020 | What’s on my MacBook Pro?”
https://youtu.be/Kppgzbun71I
* Purple Air (air quality)
https://www2.purpleair.com/
* Whimsical (mind mapping with charts)
https://whimsical.com/
* Restream (multi-casting)
https://restream.io/

3 PILLARS OF A VIBRANT VIDEO PRESENCE​

OTHER CONNECTION POINTS

Thank you!

Digital Marketing Guidance: Better Choices Make a Better Business – This Changes Everything!

Is there such a thing as a “North Star” guidance system for your digital marketing? You bet there is.

And, it’s not a tip, trick or “recipe for success.” It’s WAY more valuable than that.

For me, connecting with what I call “the real Internet” is “the one in front of all the zeros.” It’s that important because it gives everything else meaning.

Click above to watch this week’s Video Mojo video blog & podcast episode.

Please watch and let me know if you agree. OK?

About Video Mojo

Video Mojo is a weekly video blog and podcast hosted by award-winning media innovator, Jon Leland. It combines timeless marketing principles with a playful exploration on the “bleeding edge” of digital video & social media.

Resource Links from this episode:

I’d love to hear what works for you and if you find this program useful. If you’ve got questions, feedback or suggestions, please comment below, or let’s connect (and leave us a review on Apple Podcasts or wherever):

VIDEO TRANSCRIPT:

Digital Marketing Guidance: Better Choices Make a Better Business – This Changes Everything!

Hi and welcome to Video Mojo!

My name is Jon Leland and this is a video blog and podcast that combines timeless marketing principles with the bleeding edge of marketing and video communications.

Today I am talking about something that can change everything! It’s the choices that we make in our business and really some of the fundamental choices that are like the north star that guides everything. You know, there are these “whys” and these passions, and when you have the discipline to take the time to listen for those they do make better business choices. It’s not just about money but about quality of life, quality of relationships and doing marketing and communications that are meaningful.

I started listening on Audible to the new James Taylor fragment of autobiography. It’s his first 21 years he calls it “Break Shot”. He opens that audio program with this quote.

“Perhaps art happens when the usual channels
are not available and you have to find a new path forward.
Sometimes in describing that new pathway,
we open a door that is useful to other people too.”

That’s kind of why I’m here. Because I’m opening doors for myself and exploring:

  • What do I want to say in this video blog?
  • How can I contribute?
  • Who are my tribe?
  • Where’s my community?

What I’ve remembered is that the internet is this multi-faceted thing. We all know that there are spammers and trolls out there and there are get rich quick marketing people. I do highly recommend that you avoid these, in particular, get rich quick ideas. “Here’s the formula, here’s the recipe, if you just follow this three-step process you’re guaranteed to make six figures.” I don’t think that’s how it works and I also don’t think that’s a north star.

I’ve really learned over the years that it’s not about the money, I like earning a living there’s nothing wrong with money, but I’ve found that there is a better internet and the better internet is based on real people who are doing authentic things.

I’m reminded of this story when I was on a video shoot in India. We were in an airport in a small city in India and it was kind of this relatively modern concrete impersonal dry cold kind of building, like airports tend to be. We were waiting for a delayed plane and one of the locals invited me to go for chai tea at a local chai walla – a local chai stand. We walked out of the airport around a corner and before we knew it we were with the local people in a local chai shop. It was warm and friendly and colorful like most of India, very much not like the airport. I said to myself, “Oh, this is the real India. Now we’re in the real India”.

I had a similar experience recently. I had a conversation with a marketer, the head of Marketing Showrunners, Jay Acunzo. And this conversation lit up my heart. He’s an authentic guy who I really think is about making a difference. Someone who is saying some very direct things about how we build real community. In this conversation, I went “Oh, this is the real internet! I remember there are people out here like that.”.

So that’s my invitation to you this week. Find your north star. Find real people, make real connections, build authentic relationships. There is a real internet out here and if you do that, it changes everything. You’ll make better choices that will give you a better life, better communities, and a more satisfying business.

So let me know what you think I really appreciate your kind attention and I do look forward to your feedback comments and suggestions.

Thanks again for watching. See you next week!

Watch to Learn Why WEEKLY Vlogging Is My New SuperPower + Why You Might Want to Join Me.

In just the last two months, video blogging or vlogging has changed my life and my business; and this breakthrough has led me to think of these weekly video posts as a new kind of “SuperPower.” 

As a digital marketing strategist, when I finally found the discipline to “eat my own cooking” and do videos every week, I knew it would be a positive step; but honestly, the results have exceeded these expectations. 

Check out this video, won’t you?

This Weeks Power Briefing, Watch to Learn Why WEEKLY Vlogging Is My New SUperPower + Why You Might Want to Join Me.

In this week’s video, I not only share how this practice is working for me, I unpack why any kind of regular blogging or vlogging is so powerful.

To make this point clear, I call on a quintessential video clip from Seth Godin and Tom Peters that I’ve used for years in my social media marketing workshops.

I also unveil the essence of a new video marketing offer that may help you get over the “hump” to do a weekly vlog yourself, including our system for social media video distribution. The truth is that it was separating the video production from the distribution that made this breakthrough possible!

Links and Videos for Resources Mentioned in this Week’s Edition:

Seth Godin & Tim Peters on Blogging

Thanks for watching! I look forward to your feedback.

Edited Video Transcript:

WEEKLY Vlogging Is My New SuperPower. Here’s Why You Might Want to Join Me.

Hi there, my name is Jon Leland and I’m a digital marketing strategist. And this is episode #8 of my video blog or Vlog Series about digital marketing and in particular about video marketing. I want to talk to you today about vlogging or video blogging and how dramatically it has changed my life and I think potentially even changed my business. 

The Power of Blogging

So, let me explain. First of all, blogging and vlogging are really, really valuable practices, and I’ve been wanting to do a weekly Vlog for years. And, finally, I have gotten myself over the hump and I have started doing it. Like I said, for eight weeks in a row now. And I want to share with you today about the ways that has changed my life and my business.

I’ve known from blogging the way that doing a regular practice, about getting my voice out there and how that changes things. Intuitively, I knew that vlogging was going to do that as well, but it really has done that and much more. 

I will post a video (link above) with Tom Peters and Seth Godin talking about blogging and they talk about how it really doesn’t even matter if anybody is reading it or in the case of a vlog if anybody is watching, 

“Blogging is free, it doesn’t matter if anyone reads it. What matters is the humility that comes from writing it. What matters is the metacognition of thinking about what you’re going to say. How do you explain yourself to the few employees or your cat or whoever is going to look at it? How do you force yourself to describe that in three paragraphs? Why you did something? How do you respond out loud?”  

Seth Godin

Because what happens is in the weekly practice of putting yourself out there, saying something that you intend to be useful and where you’re really trying to deliver some value doing that week after week really shifts something inside you. You’re able to go deeper, you’re able to discover more about what the value is that you want to share and that you want to communicate with other people. 

“I will simply say, my first post was in August of 2004. No single thing in the last 15 years professionally has been more important to my life than blogging.”

Tom Peters

So, your voice emerges and also your putting yourself out there with it. I know it’s going to sound very California, but as I experience it, there is an energy shift that happens by putting yourself out there in that way. 

Weekly Makes All the Difference

The other thing is the fact that I’m doing it weekly. This makes it a practice and gives it this ongoing continuity, such as when you want to learn to play golf or learn to play the piano, whatever. It’s a practice and going to the gym is another really good example. It takes time to build up “the muscle” and when you do it weekly, it has this power. I’ve talked in other videos about “The Power of Consistency”. 

So, when you do it weekly you build up that consistency and you begin to develop “the muscle” and just like going to the gym when you start doing it for awhile week after week, day after day it starts to feel good. 

And I’m proud to be telling you that I’ve made this commitment, I’m doing it every week and it’s  feeling good to me. It’s also getting me out there. I believe it’s making me more attractive and the last point that I want to make is the way it shifted my business. 

In the coming weeks, I’m going to be making an offer to help people get over the hump to do this. My offer will help them create their first three videos as part of a package and then take advantage of the distribution system that I’ve built and how I’m getting these videos out. 

Separating Production from Distribution Made This Possible

This reminds me of Derek Sivers, who founded CD Baby way back in the early days of the Internet. He invented CD Baby because he was a musician and he needed and wanted to sell CD’s. E-commerce hadn’t really been invented yet. He helped invent it and suddenly all these other musicians came to him and wanted help getting their CD’s out. 

Well, I needed video distribution because I wanted to do video blogs and I wanted to get it out. What helped me get over the hump was I separated the tasks for doing this out, separating video production from distribution. I now have a virtual assistant who’s helping me with the distribution.  In fact, we’ve designed a whole system where these videos are not only on YouTube, they are also native on Facebook, native on LinkedIn, native on Instagram TV and all have the subtitles and meta information… wherever you happen to be watching it. 

So video blogging really is a practice worth developing. I hope you can get over the hump and, if you’d like, I can help you do it,. 

However it works for you, and, let’s talk if you want help from me. Let me know because we have a system that can help you distribute and “watch this space” for the offer in coming weeks. 

As always, thanks again for your kind attention, I really appreciate it. See you next week!

Video: 3 Key Online Marketing Insights for 2019

This blog post features the following new video with my three key online marketing insights for 2019. For your reading convenience, scroll down, there is an edited transcript below the video.

Edited Video Transcript

As an online marketing strategist, I am committed to helping clients build authentic relationships that expand their influence and increase their sales.

I’m making this video to offer you three key insights that come from my experience as an online marketer that I think are particularly relevant for this new year, 2019:

  • The first is that ‘Instagram is the New Facebook”
  • The second is that “A Boost is Not Facebook Advertising’
  • The third is that ‘funnels are the new websites’.

And if some of those terms are not familiar to you, stay tuned because I’m going to explain each one of them. Let’s do this.

Instagram is the New Facebook

I say that Instagram is the new Facebook because we’re seeing engagement on Instagram that we’re no longer seeing on Facebook. Facebook is still the “monster” in the social media space; but in Instagram we’re seeing engagement, connections between people around like-interests that we’re no longer seeing on Facebook.

For example, I have a client that has thousands of followers on Facebook; but we’ve just started their Instagram account, and they’re only in the hundreds of followers there. However, the same post on Facebook and on Instagram is getting more engagement on Instagram. Instagram is that much more alive.

In addition, not only is it a visual medium, but the hashtags enable you to connect with real like-minded people who are interested in what it is that you’re posting about.

So ,for example, I put an inspirational quote up today on my Instagram feed. I hash-tagged #inspirationalquote, and Instagram showed me that there’s tens of millions of people who are interested in inspirational quotes. Likewise, when I do posts like this ones that I’ll do related to this video, and I hashtag #onlinemarketing, I will get other online marketing people or other people who are interested in online marketing to check out that post.

Bottom line, it’s working. It’s real engagement at an authentic level that we’re not seeing on Facebook anymore because that platform has become so busy and so noisy.

A Boost is Not Facebook Advertising

Speaking of Facebook, a boost is not Facebook advertising. And for those of you who don’t know what a boost is, that’s like the very simple form of Facebook advertising that Facebook offers. Now, a boost, technically, is Facebook advertising, but potato chips are also technically food. But, as all of you know, food is so much more rich and robust that just potato chips. Some people call it a culinary art. And there’s desserts and fruits and vegetables and salads. Food is a much bigger subject, and Facebook advertising is also a much bigger subject than just a boost.

You can do far more sophisticated things with targeting. You can reach people who have visited your website by using the pixel.

Even more importantly, you can communicate so much better by creating an ad rather than just boosting a post. So, Facebook advertising, like food, is a huge subject with lots of nuance and variety and sophistication.

So a boost, technically it’s Facebook advertising, but it’s not really Facebook advertising because when you do it using the Facebook Ad Manager, you can do so much more and be so much more effective.

Funnels are the New Websites

My third insight about online marketing for 2019, is that funnels are the new websites.

If you don’t know what a funnel is, it’s really a device to build engagement, to go from people that don’t know who you are and have never been exposed to you or who are “meeting” you for the first time, to move them via a “value chain” so that you get more and more of a relationship built by delivering value over time. For example, you might do this through webinars, through an email course, through email followup, etc. So with a funnel, there are sequences and strategies that build relationships over time.

Websites don’t really build relationships. At best, they are brochures. Once somebody comes to the website, what happens next? And how do you create engagement? And then once you get that email address, or get that follower, how do you get them to continue to receive value from you so that you can build the relationship over time and make an authentic connection?

So a funnel is a real strategy, and just like real relationships, it requires multiple touches. ‘Touches’ is a marketing term, but really what it means is that you continue to interact, that you continue to offer real value. And that’s the kind of stuff that builds real relationships.

In Conclusion

So, think about it:

  • Instagram is really worth doing. It’s the new Facebook.
  • Facebook advertising is much more than boosting, and
  • Building a funnel and doing an online strategy that really creates authentic engagement, that’ll make your online marketing much more effective, and more importantly, much more meaningful.

Bottom line, we are in this, not to create more “noise,” not to just sort of be a hustler who is trying to sell something; but really, we are doing online marketing to do business in a meaningful way where we contribute value. We seek to offer content and other forms of marketing that are both valuable for the longterm success of our businesses, of our lives, and ultimately, of the planet.

Facebook Live Social Video: I Gave It a Try. Here’s What Happened.

IT ALL STARTED ON INAUGURATION DAY…

I traveled from San Francisco to Washington, D.C. to protest during Trump’s inauguration and to be part of the Women’s March on Washington. I did a number of Facebook Live webcasts and the response blew my mind. One of the videos in that series (the second one below) has had well over 4,000 “views.”

How did that happen?

I got “high” with some help from my friends. Well, one friend in particular, Jeffrey Grimshaw who used a technique called “social bookmarking” that he learned from me. Go figure. 😉

Here’s our conversation recorded using Zoom Webinar and webcast via Facebook Live:

Here’s the Facebook Live video from the Mall in Washington, D.C. immediately after Trump’s Inauguration:

I’ll share more soon. For now here are two significant outcomes from this experiment:

  1. There’s been so much enthusiasm for social media action in response to Trump, including two different requests for educational programs about “Social Media for Social Action” that I’ve created a quickie website that includes those two course descriptions. Please contact me if you’re interested in a course like this in some form, in some place, or virtually.
  2. I’m doubling down on “Social Video.” It is going to become a major focus, including in some form on my Patreon channel (hint: this channel/community/tribe is a place where you can support my work if you are so moved.)

Much more to come. Stay tuned.

Blab: The New Social Video Streaming Platform ROCKS!

This is a quickie post to let you know about a surprisingly good new video streaming conversation platform called Blab. I just did my first Blab session and had 39 viewers from around the world. The recorded segment is embedded below. I was joined on-screen by video participants from Brazil, Argentina, and Philadelphia. 😉

I think this application is more user-friendly for multi-user video than anything I’ve seen (Spreecast, Google Hangouts, Skype, etc.) It is also way better than Periscope or Meerkat because it’s two-way. Those video streaming tools are really only one-way.

Blab now has a mobile app as well as desktop. And, now that I think about it, it’s not only two-way, it’s up to four-way, four simultaneous video participants. And that’s nicely complemented by a fully functional chat stream where you can paste URL’s and animated GIF’s as well as very nice Twitter integration.

One of the people who jumped in, Richard Berger, had this to say about our conversation:

[testimonial author=”Richard Berger, English Teacher”]”In just those few minutes my awareness of new social media/video streaming/website development was exploded, and now you got me “back at the drawing board”, thinking of applications for my teaching work. Thanks again!”[/testimonial]

Here’s my first session which was a spontaneous “Ask Me Anything” about websites, social media marketing, video, etc. Pretty dang fun! Please click “Watch Now” button on the image below to watch this Blab session, and feel free to scroll ahead to see the multiple participants. And, please let me know what you think. And stay tuned for a special Blab next week with Twitter Power author, Joel Comm, at 4pm PT on Friday, August 28th. Thanks!