May 07, 2023 — #31

Reading time: About 5 minutes, 1000 words
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False dichotomies

It is a world not of angels but of angles, where men speak of moral principles but act on power principles; A world where we are always moral and our enemies immoral.

~ Saul D. Alinsky

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Organic

The project started with the intent to regenerate a forgotten piece of land in a dense Coburg pocket. Felicity and her husband, architect Marc Bernstein, purchased the awkwardly shaped 250 square metre block to make it happen, but council deemed the land ‘undevelopable’, and banks were unwilling to approve finances.

~ Amelia Barnes from, An Ultra-Sustainable Home On An ‘Undevelopable’ Melbourne Site

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To be clear: The property is 250 square-meters, or ~1,700 square-feet. Get to a large computer screen. Get your beverage of choice. Then, click through and get lost on that site.

Meanwhile, the thing that struck me was the undulating ground cover outside the master bedroom. It’s good (but not particularly original) to use something that doesn’t require a lot of water (as opposed to turf grasses)—but to shape the ground into something interesting struck me as whimsical. If I don’t have to mow it, then it doesn’t need to be flat. I wonder where else, in the design of my own environment, am I stuck in my thinking.

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Age-old struggle

The world is in a constant conspiracy against the brave. It’s the age-old struggle—the roar of the crowd on one side and the voice of your conscience on the other.

~ Douglas MacArthur

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Wisdom and learning

Seek to learn constantly while you live; Do not wait in the faith that old age by itself will bring wisdom.

~ Solon

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Extraneous as passing fiction

After this era of great pilots is gone, as the era of great sea captains has gone — each nudged aside by the march of inventive genius, by steel cogs and copper discs and hair-thin wires on white faces that are dumb, but speak — it will be found, I think, that all the science of flying has been captured in the breadth of an instrument board, but not the religion of it. One day the stars will be as familiar to each man as the landmarks, the curves, and the hills on the road that leads to his door, and one day this will be an airborne life. But by then men will have forgotten how to fly; they will be passengers on machines whose conductors are carefully promoted to familiarity with labelled buttons, and in whose minds the knowledge of the sky and the wind and the way of weather will be extraneous as passing fiction.

~ Beryl Markham from, A Different Solitude: Pioneering Aviator Beryl Markham on What She Learned About Life in the Bottomless Night

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As if there’s anything I could write which would add to that.

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Listening

When you don’t know what to say, that’s okay. That shows you’re listening.

~ Anna Sale

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Together

Humanity has begun to understand that we will all rise or fall together—that we are bound together, as we live together. People are listening more and more to the voice which speaks this inside of us.

~ Lucy Malory

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Do you get my meaning?

And one of my goals as the communicator is to make it as easy as possible for you to get the meaning I’m intending to convey.

~ Shane Parrish from, Language: Why We Hear More Than Words

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The article also has a tidy explanation of irony. Irony (humor, sarcasm and many other linguistic forms) work so well because they are very powerful. A few words said and heard in person can transfer large ideas. The article goes all the way to mentioning our “power to attribute mental states to others.” A subtle and, frankly, amazing power of projection. My mental state, plus your mental state, plus my saying some words, should have gotten you to this other mental state. Heady stuff.

If I wrote, “That was fun.” you’re pretty sure those three words were only part of what the speaker was trying to convey. By default, we have to go with the literal interpretation, but feel we’ve been gypped. We feel the urge to skip back a few lines looking for hints to reveal the rest of the meaning meant to be conveyed. We are accustomed to having to write much more to get the same job done. I have to write: Then, with a wry smile, “That was fun.”

Which is all very interesting. But today, the question I have is: Wait. How did I ever get good at this insanely complex process without ever having anyone explicitly tell me anything about it?

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Charles St.John | Quick Wins for Business Online Presence

On Castbox.fm — Charles St.John | Quick Wins for Business Online Presence

How can fitness businesses, particularly Parkour gyms, enhance their online presence effectively with limited resources?

The interplay of websites, search engines, and social media for fitness marketing is unpacked.

There are, what I believe to be, relatively quickly implemented things that are fairly simple for marketing that can have massive payoffs. And then lots and lots of other things that can give you like that extra 10 percent, to get a couple more students […] but might take hundreds of more man hours.

~ Charles St. John (3:31)

The conversation explores the challenges and strategies for enhancing the online presence of fitness businesses, particularly Parkour gyms. Topics include domain name selection, which can significantly affect search engine visibility and customer acquisition. Suggestions include prioritizing a memorable, high-level domain and avoiding similar names to competitors. Emphasis is placed on focusing efforts on impactful marketing practices rather than getting bogged down by less rewarding tasks.

The discussion highlights three critical spheres of online presence: direct communication through a website and email, visibility in search engines like Google, and engagement on social media platforms such as Instagram and Facebook. Tools like Google Business Profiles and link management services such as Linktree are recommended for simplifying user interaction and driving conversions. Broader marketing strategies such as targeted ads and presence across multiple digital spaces are suggested for maximizing impact.

Takeaways

Effective domain names — Ensuring distinct and memorable domains helps in establishing a unique identity.

Online presence — Establishing a synergy between websites, search engines, and social media is critical.

Google tools — Utilizing Google Business Profiles for easier discovery and accurate information representation.

Ad management — Using platforms like Google Ads and Facebook Ads to track and refine marketing strategies.

Consistency in branding — Maintaining uniform handles and descriptions across platforms simplifies user recognition.

Conversion optimization — Leveraging tools like Linktree to guide users toward desired actions such as signups or purchases.

Resources

@stjohn.charles — Charles on Instagram

Charles St. John — On LinkedIn.

(Written with help from Chat-GPT.)

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