"Mean people waste energy fighting, struggle to build strong networks, and may be motivated by the wrong things. Kind people, meanwhile, have more opportunities to build relationships and work with others."

Kindness Is a Competitive Advantage

Andrew Yeung has some solid tips here. Being kind can be hard.

"One gathering creates an experience. Repeated experiences give people history together. [...] You start the network by creating the centre. You know it’s working when you’re no longer the centre of everything."

You Are The Media - How To Build A Network That Grows Beyond You

You Are The Media (YATM) wasn't on my radar until recently. This piece on building a network (community!) hit home. It's the same advice I've shared for years: Start small. Bring people together for something. Adjust your direction based on the group's needs. Keep it going.

"For advertisers and brands, the research demonstrates that podcasting isn’t just an effective medium for reach—it’s a medium built around connection. Instead of simply buying ads, what if brands helped fund listener meetups or live events? What if they supported causes that matter to the show and its listeners? There may be opportunities to become part of the community rather than simply advertise to it."

Coleman Insights · Podcasting's Superpower: The Power of Connection | Coleman Insights

Podcasting (and radio!) are intimate mediums. They're rituals of having someone else's voice in your head. Audiences have a shared experience of tuning in. Sponsors piggyback on that already. Now what if sponsors did more to facilitate shared experiences for those same members?

"The best ROI on your career likely won’t come from AI. Put yourself in the right spaces and connect with real people."

Dave Gerhardt · The best marketing education won't come from a course

Show up. Meet people. Be helpful. Repeat.

"I still like to link to things. That sounds almost ridiculous to point out… but when did we stop linking? The hyperlink may be one of the most beautiful ideas the internet ever gave us. Here’s something interesting… go somewhere else… read it yourself… explore that space… discover another voice… fall down your own rabbit hole."

Mitch Joel · A Kinder... Gentler Internet - Thinking With Mitch Joel, Formerly Six Pixels of Separation

This. Absolutely this. I've never been much of a creator. I'm more of a curator. Recaps and roundups are my happy place. The anti-zero-click. It's why I spun this new site up. I wanted to get back to that. Back to sharing what I'm reading and watching and thinking about, algorithms be damned.

"When you're observing, you see more things to be curious about. When you're curious, you ask more questions. And when you ask more questions, you start learning things that you wouldn't learn by just standing there thinking about them yourself."

Yurii Lazaruk · Week 78 - Look Above and Beyond 🔭

"What if we actually built something that could last? Something we enjoy running, that doesn't need to be sold to be considered a success? [...] Maybe the answer boils down to this: we're doing something we love as a job, we built something, from nothing, and we have the freedom to make our own choices."

Marie Martens, Tally

Kudos to Marie and the Tally team for bootstrapping to $6M in ARR in six years.