Thoughts of the Day: Webinars, Meta, Alphabet, Websites, Rush, E*Com, Hybrid is a Caste

I originally posted on LinkedIN:

Thoughts of the day:

• Webinars are dying, stop doing them...
• Facebook/Meta is on the trail of AoL
• Google/Alphabet is the next AskJeeves
• Fancy, expensive websites are on the other side of the bell curve
• Livestreaming is the best thing to happen to radio since Rush
• EComm's uniqueness is fading; any high school student can stand up your "online ordering page"
• Hybrid work is worse than either full-plantation or full-remote

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Great response and queries from Brian Ruiz:

"Greg_ Walters

"What does work? Please provide some insight…"

1. Webinars, What will replace them????

Live stream and an open, less formal, more real, two-way presentation.  There are at least half-dozen platforms now.  I am critical of the status quo format. One-way, bland, scripted, and staged. They were terrible before Covid, now with so many other platforms/channels, the competition is heated. Polished, slick presentations turn people off - I believe this is generational. Livestreams are better and can be two with the audience. 

2. Facebook/Meta, What social media platform should we use for groups and interaction? 

Meta is manipulative and not B2B.  Use it to keep in contact with your parents. My parents still have an AoL email address. 

Unless you run a bar, restaurant, or specialty retail business(or similar) don't bother. Roll in all the censorship and you've got a cesspool of judgemental individuals - just like high school. I keep the account for family connections. 

3. Google, is there something better? 

Currently, I use Brave, Opera, Gener8, Chrome, & Edge - DuckDuckGo, and others for search. Like Meta, the opportunity for more and history of manipulation negate their "Don't Be Evil " core value of the 90s. Google is evil, that's why they changed its name. 

The searches reveal sponsored content. I remember the days when a search returned 'organic' results - today, the manipulation is ubiquitous. This is another generational aspect - those who never experienced an open internet do not see it. 

4. What type of websites should we focus on?

Single page, simple answers to any question a prospect may pose(They Ask, You Answer). No more 25k websites - natural CTAs, without 30-second follow-up pitch-slaps

5. What will replace live streaming?

Nothing. live-streaming is good.

6. How should we buy and sell online? 

Again, assume the prospect already knows what they want.  Price/Availability.  Frictionless.

7. Why does hybrid not work? 

Would you want to maintain two offices?  Data is coming in on added stress generated from hybrid work.  Every day an employee goes into the office, they are reminded why they h8 going into the office. Go one way or the other - I say #WFA, hybrid is torture.