March 2023
What a busy few months this has been!
Last month's newsletter was the first one since November. I was very happy to finally get the first one out in 2023. This newsletter has been in existence since 2011, but has not been very consistent. This is one of the things I told myself last year, that I wanted to make the newsletter the anchor of all my communication. The website contains all the content I create, the project I work on and the results I share. This newsletter is a monthly summary of that content, but it also allows me to share some of the behind-the-scenes stuff.
If you recently signed up, Hi! 🖐🏻 I'm Andrew and I run Digital.Done.Right. If you've come across my website, you've probably figured that out somehow. I like hearing from my readers so I know what interests you.
I've been thinking a lot and writing a lot, 2 to 3 articles a week. I really enjoy it and it is probably therapeutic. I read a lot and that makes me think about things. Those thoughts then clog up my brain and can get lost. Writing helps me unclog it. That sounds a little strange to read, but it's the closest thing to the truth.
One of the challenges that has bothered me for years is how to publish more content in German. I write much faster in English, but I also have many readers and followers (as well as customers) here in Germany, as well as in Switzerland/Austria. Last year I was told about a translation tool called DeepL. I had used Google for a while, but when I read the translations, I knew it was really not very good. Maybe my writing style makes it hard for a machine to do a good job. Whatever the reason, it just kept bothering me.
So, along came DeepL. I really don't know how I missed the news about this company. A startup from Cologne and a better translation tool than Google? I gave it a try and within a few days I was hooked! Now the 2-3 articles I write are all translated into German. It is not perfect, but it gets me really close. Publishing in 2 languages is, well, double the work, but so worth it. Oh, even this newsletter is being translated into German. The little link at the top of the mail will take you to the German version.
Ok, enough about translations. Here's this month's newsletter. I added a new section called "Online Growth Hacks" since I am working with a food truck operator and it seemed like a good idea. Podcasts have fallen off my radar but will be back soon.
I'd love to hear your thoughts on how this format is working for you. Also, what would you like to see more or less of? Anyway, thanks for being part of my journey.
Newsletter design
I have been thinking about what I want to share in this newsletter. Here are my current thoughts.
Tom Sawyer Travels (my updates)
Online Growth Hacks (industry specific, see below)
Growing your business online (my latest writings)
Latest podcasts
What else? (collection of thoughts)
Hope you enjoy the newsletter! ☺️
/Andrew
Tom Sawyer Travels
Here I share random experiences I make along the way. 👇🏻
Digital.Done.Right.
Online Growth hacks
I post on social media every Saturday one tip, idea or tool to grow your local business. As a subscriber you never miss a beat!
Growing your Local business online
Latest Podcasts
No new podcast made recently. All the time has been going into the relaunch of my business and podcasting has slipped. It will return!
What Else?
My random thoughts. ✌🏻
AI chat is everywhere!
You likely have seen the news or maybe you think it is just noise but geez the last few weeks have been interesting.
I wrote last month about how I was learning to get better results from ChatGPT using “Prompt Engineering”. Then the was not even dry on that newsletter and Microsoft announced their addition of a version of ChatGPT into Bing. Remember Bing. Steve Balmer (YouTube link) would always go on stage and say repeatedly “bing” “bing” and “bing”. Not to be upended, Google announced their AI-powered chat “Bard” from a rushed event in Paris.
There are many others who are building off of OpenAI’s systems to offer specialized services. Some of these are for realtors to write better captions for their properties. Others are aimed at building a website or optimizing your LinkedIn Profile. While a 22-year-old senior at Princeton wrote gptZero over the Christmas break that detects AI-created text. Here is a YouTube video where a chef challenges an AI to a cooking challenge.
I can promise you, this newsletter is all hand-crafted and will stay that way.
Hey, if you made it this far then, thanks! I hope it was worth your time and if you have a comment please leave one below. I am on a journey to learn how people and organizations are coping with this New Normal.
If you are interested in sharing your story or know of someone who might just reach out. Use the contact form here and leave me a short note. I would love to hear your story.
Thank you for coming here and sharing your time with me.
/Andrew
⚜️ ⚜️ ⚜️