Friday Fuel - July 10th, 2020
Happy Friday and welcome to this week’s edition of Friday Fuel, a list of things I’ve been learning from or enjoying recently. On Monday, I’ll be announcing the details for a special giveaway that I have a feeling you’ll want to get involved in. All you have to do is keep sharing the newsletter.
Hint: It rhymes with pompous clocks.
If you’ve already been referred by someone looking to get a head start, you can sign up here.
📕What I’ve Been Reading - Coronavirus isn’t the only thing from China that has taken the world by storm in 2020. TikTok, owned by Chinese company ByteDance, has exploded in popularity over the last year. The app has over 1 billion users in 150+ countries, with over 175 million downloads in the United States alone. It’s by far and away the most addictive platform I’ve ever used. Like being in a room without windows, TikTok hides the clock on your phone when the app is open quickly turning a quick five-minute break into an hour-long, productivity sucking rabbit hole. This week the United States announced it was looking into banning the platform over concerns of China using the app as a trojan horse to capture immense amounts of our data. This isn’t the first time these concerns have been raised, prompting TikTok to appoint an American CEO and move its data centers out of China. A couple of months ago, a talented Reddit user claims to have reverse-engineered the app revealing some deeply concerning privacy concerns. I’ve never been one to complain over data privacy, but I have to admit this definitely made me consider deleting the app.
🎧What I’ve Been Listening To - Did you know that gut health can have an effect on confidence, personality, and outgoingness? This is one of the many studies Vanessa Van Edwards discusses in her appearance on Growth Mindset University. Vanessa is the best-selling author of Captivate: The Science of Succeeding With People and the founder of The Science of People an online platform that helps users succeed in business and life by understanding the intricacies of human behavior. Think of a modern day Dale Carnegie. There isn’t a dull moment in this 30 minute interview that covers personality, body language, hand gesticulation, “faking till you make it” and more. If you’re a psychology nerd like me, I’d also recommend Robert Greene’s episode on this show.
🤯What’s Blown My Mind - Quibi, a short form video content platform created by two famed Hollywood executives, raised over $1.75 billion before it launched smack during the middle of quarantine. It’s recently been reported that 90% of its users cancelled their accounts after the three-month free trial expired. More to come on this in Monday’s newsletter.
🧠A Tool I've Been Using - One of the best ways to get someone to promote your content is to make it easy for people to share it. When someone asks me to share something for them, even as someone who enjoys writing, I struggle with what to say. This tool solves this issue by giving those who click the link a pre-written tweet ready to share. Here’s an example. Don’t be shy, give it a shot. I was introduced to this by my friend Tyler who writes the Underdog Newsletter. If you enjoy a good sports underdog story, I highly recommend checking it out. High quality content on sports stories that you won’t find anywhere else.
Speaking of underdogs, I’ll be riding Jorge Masvidal (+190) in his UFC 251 title fight against Kamaru Usman this Saturday. Jorge’s 17-year fight career started in the backyards of Miami and has now lead him to UFC’s biggest stage. With this impromptu title bid, he hold the record for most UFC fights before earning a shot at the belt. Who do you have this weekend?
Thanks for reading,
Randy