I was trying to look through search.twitter.com today and noticed that I got the fail whale of death.

As my frustration grew because I could not search something I needed (#betterdayschallenge) I noticed something very peculiar.

Check out what is in the top right corner:

Twitter and Tumblr joining forces?

At first I thought I was on a fake twitter site, but that couldn’t be because it was twitter.com/search.
Then I just thought it was a weird mistake that my computer started freaking out, but that too was not the issue.

The more I think about it, twitter and tumblr joining forces could be a very real possibility.

Here is a thought:
The reason twitter and tumblr could be joining forces on the search.twitter.com side of things is for the feature of gathering content, conversation, and news. As Gary Vee has made search.twitter.com a necessary for any business, tumblr could bring in some great features that allow people to follow conversations and gain more attention to conversations.

I would love to hear what you have to say on this. What could Twitter and Tumblr possibly be doing here?

You love Apple, I love Apple, we all love Apple.

No one is denying that they are one of the most beloved companies around.
As well, no one is arguing they are one of the wealthiest companies around.

Apple (specifically Steve Jobs) have figured out a way to build brand loyalty and also build their bank account.

Have you ever wondered how Apple has created this system of loyalty and revenue?

They have created a perfect circle monopoly. Let me explain…

The hottest thing out there right now is the iPhone 4s. Apple is selling 16 iPhone 4s every second (dang). One of the reasons these are selling so fast is the new personal assistant called Siri. 

This piece of technology has caused millions to upgrade to the new phone and ditch yesterday’s technology for the chance to interact with a robot (my dad even has one). The genius thing about Siri is that they barely created the technology. In fact, you could have gotten Siri long before the iPhone 4s was released. It was an app that was available for purchase in the app store. But Apple saw an opportunity. Quickly they remove the app from the store (this plays in later), bought the company, or technology, that created the app (for 200 million bucks), and made it their greatest feature in their newest form of technology.

This is the perfect circle of monopoly that Apple has created.
Figuring out a way to build a product that needs another product that works with other products.

Confused? How about this…

Apple releases the iPod in 2oo1, but the reason this release was so successful was the announcement of iTunes and more importantly the iTunes store. Now you could purchase music, for your purchased iPod and listen whenever you want. Let’s call this the foundation.

Building off  the foundation, Apple then released the iPhone that completely revolutionized smart phones, social media and business. But this technology was made possible because of the iPod. What also made the release of the iPhone so successful was the ability to download apps. Where do you download these apps? The iTunes Store. Let’s call this the building blocks.

So Apple has its foundation, they are starting to build their foundation up bigger and now it is time to put it over the top. So Apple, getting back to who they truly are (software), pushes their operating system forward even more by creating Lion, IOS5, and Final Cut Pro.

Apple now controls the technology you use, the way you use it, and why you use it. They own you :)

But lets take this perfect circle monopoly further.

Let’s say you are an app maker. You create an app like Angry Birds, one of the highest selling apps ever created, and make tons of money for creating a simple game that is addicting. Sounds great right? Well, Apple is smiling just as much as you are. Why? Because they make money off of you making money. So not only did they create a store that didn’t exist, then they created the technology to have things to sell in this store, they then created a market for themselves that made money for themselves. They are literally making millions by doing absolutely nothing.

Now are you seeing the perfect circle created?

So getting back to Siri. Apple sees the technology (in their own store), takes it down, buys it, puts it into their phone, and blows peoples minds.

So what can you learn from this?

Finding a way to create a foundation that allows you to put building blocks on top is the most important thing you can do to become “successful.” Many of us want to rush ahead and get over the mountain. But ultimately we have to start building the foundation that will allow us to stand on top of the mountain.

So how do we build this foundation? You start with small things. Gaining momentum by gaining little wins. You write that book outline, you start the blog, you research a product, you write your first song lyric, you take spanish lessons, you ask that girl or guy out on a date, you write down your dreams, you read a book.

These are the things that build a foundation that will later lead to other things. This foundation will be the thing that you continue to come back to over and over. Apple continued to come back to the iTunes Store and the iPod technology. This was what guided them.

We all need to find a way to build a foundation that allows us to move forward.

Go and start

*kyle

Tell me the last time you heard someone say:
“I am looking for someone really talented, does great work, and charges a lot of money.”

That just does not happen. If you had a dollar for every time someone said “looking for a _________ (insert design, music, food, or everything here) that is amazing and cheap” you would be someone who could afford paying top dollar for everything.

After having a conversation with a friend about the model his place of work has setup (cheap and excellent) for design work and then reading this tweet below:

I cannot hold my tongue anymore.

The idea of cheap and great really does not exist, at least not in the way you want it to exist. And yet the idea of cheap some how equates to receiving exactly what you want for little to no cost. That logic makes about as much sense as a 400lb man in skinny jeans.

You never hear someone say, “I am looking for the cheapest surgeon who does the best work” or “I am looking for the cheapest exterminator to get rid of my termite problem.” Those words are never uttered because they affect your way of life, and if it affects your life you want the best. So why is it that when looking for design, music, or products people expect everything to be cheap and great?

The problem that continues to rise for most is value. We are all looking for great value, the difference is in what we define as value. For most, value comes down to getting a great price and neglecting the results. But when we step back and look at “the value” we simply see that value comes down to results and what is produced. So if you spend $1000 on a website but make $2000 in advertising, well that is a great value. Value comes down to results of something, not the price of something.

Can we all agree today, this very moment, that great work does not come free. That you should never expect someone to deliver you an exceptional website for $200. And that there is no such thing as cheap and great.

Just remember, you get what you paid for.

*kyle

Wow

College doesn’t work. Don’t believe me? Ask any 20 something what their degree is and what their actual profession is and you will quickly start to see that college doesn’t work, at least in the way we measuring something “working.”

In our society today, success is all about what can be measure, what results can come from a given outcome. From the day we were born we were measured and tested. The formula is simple, A+B=C and if you keep quiet, make good grades and volunteer at the right places you too will be successful…one day. According to researchers, the unemployment rate among workers with at least a college degree is the highest it has been since the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics began tracking such data, in 1970. College is not working.

Continue the rest of the post here at Satuare Blog

Yesterday (September 20th) was a huge day for releasing music. Bands like Needtobreathe, Gungor, John Mark McMillan (JMM) and many more released new tunes for the world to hear.

Each album (except for JMM, he just released a single) was highly anticipated. The hype/build up of each album pushed thousands to purchase these albums and give them some non stop earplay. I was one of the thousands that listened to each album all day long in hopes of finding some great new music. To be honest, I was a bit disappointed.

Let me sum it all up, NeedToBreathe seemed to go for the CCM radio play style album, Gungor went concept and might have royally struck out, and JMM continues to do his own thing and still be brilliant.

I have listened to all of these albums multiple times (yes even JMM, shhhhhhhh) and have gone back and forth. In some ways I like the NeedToBreathe album, but after a while it starts to all blend in and sound the same and really just gets old. The concept album that Gungor put out is really good stuff, but I do not think it is the homerun that we were all expecting. I still am enjoying, I just don’t think thousands will. The shining star from this whole day was JMM. He some how released only a single and still won the day. It was different, showed a sign of growth, and something new. John Mark continues to put out music that doesn’t look to give in to the demands of his audience but instead comes from him.

That is the difference between the other two albums mentioned, JMM went for what he thinks we need to hear, the others seemed to go for what we wanted to hear.

I love listening to an album and not knowing what to expect. The problem with NeedToBreathe was that it was no different then what they have put out in the last four or five years. Their previous album, Outsiders, broke their typical mold and got outside of the box. This album felt typical, safe, and a little over produced. As well, Gungor’s album was exactly what I expected. Yes it is artsy and creative, but it seemed like they went a bit to far to be just that, that is why I say it struck out. They jumped expecting to be caught and no one was there for the trust fall portion of the adventure.

But the great thing about music is that it is all opinion and that is what I am giving you…my opinion.

I am interested to hear what you think?
Who won the music battle royal of Tuesday, September 20th 2011