Thoughts from an 8pm Warrior

YouTube is more than cute animal videos, funny stuff, and stupid stunts. It grew up today.

Ignore at your own risk.

Any 8pm Warrior trying to get their message out or sell a remarkable service should be using YouTube.  Video cameras are built into nearly every smart phone and nothing captures the personality of a business like video.  Nothing.

I’m sharing from experience as a producer of several online shows and video productions that were created to build community and sell a product in a social savvy way.  Video changes the game.

Here’s why YouTube matters:

• YouTube is the #2 search engine in the world (think SEO)
• It is the largest video-based social network
• Google+ is now integrated even closer with YouTube for additional community building (more on the way)
• YouTube is simple to use and even offers a free video editing feature
• Video is perfect for the Attention Era

YouTube made widespread changes to their channel formats today and I think it changes everything.  In the past it was millions of chaotic channels with long lists of video uploads that were hard to understand or group together.  Email subscription was the best way to keep up.  It was barely social.

That all changed today.

In what was probably the biggest upgrade since Google bought YouTube, channels can be restructured to display videos in the form of a series, much like a television network groups their shows together for DVR or On Demand.  It even tracks which episodes you’ve already watched in a series.

Each YouTube account also has a news feed feature, much like other social networks. To make it more social, the new YouTube is even more integrated with Google+, Facebook, and Twitter.  This makes it much easier for interested viewers to subscribe and interact with brands or personalities that they enjoy.  It keeps each channel fresh, even when no new videos are posted.

It’s a lot more like TV now.  It’s how it should be.

I really like it.

Channels Using the New YouTube Channel Upgrade

• My personal YouTube channel
• Insider Show (Reality Real Estate TV)
• Home Buyers Network (Innovative real estate brokerage)

You can see screenshots of the new upgrades below:

New YouTube Channel Design

New YouTube News Feed with Google+ Integration

If you have any questions about the new YouTube upgrade, feel free to post the questions below, on the 8pm Warriors Facebook discussion forum, or on twitter @Biebert. I’ll do my best to answer or point you in the right direction.

Have a great night,

Aaron@Biebert

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This Joe Paterno and Penn State leadership child molestation cover up is sickening.

What’s even worse is that some of it could have been easily avoided. The pain and shame so many feel right now was unnecessary.

It’s clear that some leaders at Penn State covered up disturbing crimes happening on their campus. I won’t point fingers at anyone in particular, but two people are now facing criminal charges. Others are facing moral charges from thousands of people who are wondering why they didn’t do more. Say more.

Care more.

Integrity is doing the right thing when no one is looking, not just the “legal minimum”. It means calling the cops when something like this happens, not just calling your boss.

I understand this would have been a major distraction and black eye for their successful football program at the time, but now it may be a crippling blow.

Leaders can work hard to achieve record success, but if they allow unethical behavior on their watch, it may all mean nothing. Regardless of records, legends, or stellar reputations, all leaders will fall when moral issues like this are ignored. There is more to life. There is more to success.  Leadership without honor is hollow.

Leaders must have their success and honor too.

“Success with Honor” is Penn State’s motto. Now they have neither.

Have an honorable night,

Aaron@Biebert

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Some of my favorite people just don’t know how to retire. Complete retirement is not in their DNA, not in their vocabulary.  They enjoy the war too much.

Andy Rooney worked up until 3 weeks before he died on Friday at the age of 92. He really loved the war.

Even though I’ve never met Andy Rooney, I admire his work ethic and passion.  Just imagine getting up for work after 92 years!  That’s almost 34,000 days.

He had many great experiences in his life:

• Lived through the Great Depression
• Witnessed World War II
• 62 years of marriage
• Wrote 15 books
• Produced over 1000 video essays for TV (most for 60 minutes)
• Won three Emmy Awards

For the record, I’m not against retiring.  I just hope I love what I’m doing so much that I can’t bear to stop.

Just like Andy Rooney.

Have a great night,

Aaron@Biebert

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I admit it.

On Saturday, I wrote Open Letter to the Occupy Wall Street Protesters after watching the news and seeing some of the silly signs the protesters were holding.

It was cold.  I was cold.

I was focused on myself.

I got so caught up in fighting back against these ideas, that I failed to realize my wide swipe at these folks would hurt real people.  People I know.  People that are hurting.

They didn’t need my lecture.  Most just needed my help.

Positive change is not about being right.  Without an understanding, being right does nothing but cause resentment.  When people focus on helping the other side, the real change begins.

We must seek to understand first, then offer help.  Once others see you’re not full of yourself, real dialogue happens.  Suddenly the weapons are put away.

I didn’t do that.  All I did was encourage those who already shared my beliefs and upset those who needed help.  I was wrong.

Please accept my apology.

Have an understanding night,

Aaron@Biebert

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Dear “Occupy Wall Street” protestor,

I am Wall Street.

No, I am not one of the top 1% who controls 40% of the wealth in the US, but I hope to be someday.  I also like investing in big companies and need them to be profitable for my savings.

You speak of greedy big companies not sharing their profits, but you forget that these companies were only created for profit.  It’s the reason people start companies.  Without a profit motive, there would be few big companies to employ people or create wealth for investors on Wall Street.

I understand you are frustrated right now with high unemployment, but it’s not the fault of Wall Street or big companies.  If you’ve been unemployed for a long time, it’s your fault.

Yep, your fault.

I’m not trying to be mean, but I think our grandparents who made it through the Great Depression would be rolling over in their graves if they saw you protesting “Wall Street”.  You should be out looking for a job, training for a job, or creating a job. Maybe it’s not your dream job, but there is work out there.

That’s what Americans used to do.  When the going gets tough, we should keep on going. We don’t waste time protesting a good thing.  Profit and success are good things.

These protests look foolish.

You blame Neoliberalism?  (explained here on Wikipedia)  You claim it’s the reason we don’t have jobs or can’t afford healthcare, education, food, or our mortgage.  Those are excuses.

Excuses and irresponsibility are the problem.

We have economic problems because consumers bought homes they shouldn’t have, borrowers got mortgages they shouldn’t have, banks made loans they shouldn’t have, companies insured assets they shouldn’t have, and investors bought securities they shouldn’t have.

Protesting won’t help.

It’s time for you to go hunting for income and profit.  No one else is going to fix your problem.  It’s time to be an 8pm Warrior.

Have a responsible night,

Aaron@Biebert

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Most of the people in my organization use iPhones and it’s been a disaster of a day.

To save any fellow iWarriors from losing the use of their phone/calendar/email reader and everything else connected to their iPhone, I wanted to give you a quick warning.

If you try to update the iPhone during peak times, you may lose the ability to connect to Apple’s servers and will be stuck in the middle of your update.  For some this may mean lost hours, to others I know, it meant a lost day.

The popularity is crashing the servers.

If you have any patience at all, it might be smart to wait until the dust clears.

If you’re one of those people, you may not want to read about the 200 new features on iOS 5.

It’ll be wonderful, but first you have to get through the disaster.

Sounds like real life sometimes.

Have an great night,

Aaron@Biebert

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I’ve been there.

Down in the dumps. Fired by the board. Doubting. Aching. Wondering.

Can I do it? Can I make it…

One of my inspirations was the story of a college dropout who started a company in his garage that grew so big it became the most valuable company on Earth. Along the way, he was fired from his own company, started two more, and eventually was asked to come back to his old company and save the day.

He was a warrior among warriors. He never stopped fighting.

Today he lost his battle with Pancreatic Cancer, a disease that claims 95% of its victims within five years. He fought for seven.

Along the way he accomplished amazing things.

When he was diagnosed with Pancreatic Cancer in 2004 he was successfully running both Apple and Pixar. Barron’s declared that Steve Jobs was “without a doubt” the most valuable CEO in the world. Fortune magazine named him the Smartest CEO on Earth.

You know the story…iPods, iPhones, iPads, and Macs. It was modern magic.

It was inspiring.

In some of my darkest moments in business, his story has reminded me of what is possible when you don’t give up doing the work you love.  His story reminds us to press on.

Here are some of the highlights:

• Born & Adopted (1955)
• Drops out of Reed College after one semester (1972)
• Jobs, Wozniak, and Wayne start Apple (1976)
• Power struggle leads to his forced exit from Apple (1984), so he starts NeXT (competitor)
• Creates Pixar Animation Studios (1986)
• Serves as executive producer of the first computer animated movie “Toy Story” (1995)
• Apple buys NeXT, Steve returns as CEO of Apple after 13 years (1997)
• Pancreatic Cancer attempts a hostile takeover (2004)
• Steve remains as CEO of Pixar until merger with the Walt Disney Company (2006)
• Jobs undergoes a Liver transplant (2009)
• Apple becomes the world #2 most valuable company and Barron’s declares that Steve Jobs is “without a doubt” the most valuable CEO in the world. (2011)

Thanks for the inspiration Steve. While any human life has it’s faults, few are as inspiring as yours.

The 8pm Warrior sky is a little darker tonight.

Aaron@Biebert

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He offers us advice on one way to help avoid this tragedy in the future:

“Here’s something you can do right now, right where you are, and you don’t even need a book to show you how: when that next person walks into your office, calls you on the phone, or sends you an email, stop to seriously ponder the question, “Why am I glad this person is on the planet?”

When you have the answer to that question, take it from your mind, put it into words, and give those words to that person.”

- Trey Pennington

Trey, a fellow 8pm Warrior, killed himself this morning at a church in Greenville, SC. He was an amazing speaker, thinker, writer, and warrior.  He had a beautiful mind. Trey also suffered from depression.

This tragedy reminds me of a quote:

“Be kind.  Everyone you meet is fighting a hard battle.”

- Plato

When I wrote the “Fighting a Hard Battle?  You’re Not Alone!” post in June, I was not surprised by how many of my fellow warriors felt the same way.  Pain is all around us.

• We must learn to share our battles.
• We must find the time to be kind.
• We must push ourselves to avoid tragedies like this.

If you need someone to talk to, let’s talk.  You’re worth it.

No warrior left behind.

Have a kind night,

Aaron@Biebert

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