“Authenticity” in the Digital Age

There’s a cardinal rule to effective digital writing. You have to write for attention first, then add whatever message you might have. Lead with value, lead with insights, and start with the outcome. That’s how writing for social media works right now, and it begs the question: is this still authentic self-presentation? Cory Zue pondered … Continue reading “Authenticity” in the Digital Age

Realistic Building in Public for Introverted Founders

As an introverted entrepreneur or creator, sharing your work and process in public can be challenging. Many of us tend to hunker down and focus on our products or projects, often to the exclusion of building an audience or engaging with potential customers or clients. But sharing your work and process in public has many … Continue reading Realistic Building in Public for Introverted Founders

Parasocial Relationships: Imaginary Friends of the Social Network Age

There are a lot of one-sided relationships on social media. They have many names: superfans, otakus, and stans. When you intimately know the personality, likes, dislikes, and the entire personal history of a person you've never met and never had any one-on-one interaction with, you're likely in a parasocial relationship. These are the imaginary friends … Continue reading Parasocial Relationships: Imaginary Friends of the Social Network Age

You Don’t Need to be an Extrovert to Build in Public — an Introvert’s Perspective

One of the major reasons people don’t start building in public is that they don’t want to stand in the proverbial spotlight. They don’t want to be exposed. Building in public is by definition a public act, and if you’re anything like me, you prefer keeping a low profile. At least, I usually do. But … Continue reading You Don’t Need to be an Extrovert to Build in Public — an Introvert’s Perspective

What Founders Can Learn from Professional WoW Gamers

If you want to see tenacity at work, watch professional gamers racing to be the first to kill the latest dungeon boss in World of Warcraft. Every time Activision Blizzard releases new dungeon content, the world's best guilds join the "Race to World First." They grind through days, sometimes weeks, of trying to overcome the … Continue reading What Founders Can Learn from Professional WoW Gamers