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4 Things to Know about Podcasts

The internet is full of information that’s fighting for your attention. The simplest ways to put your own content out there is to create your own podcast.

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4 Things to Know about Podcasts
The internet, although an amazing place, is full of information that’s fighting for your attention. One of the simplest ways to put your own content out there is to create your own podcast. And since there is an abundance of technology available, you can get a podcast up and running easily and quickly. To start one, however, it helps to have some guidance. Of all the podcasters out there and podcast experts, I spoke with James Carbary of Sweet Fish Media. James and I connected through LinkedIn some time ago and when it came time to research podcasting, his name naturally came to mind. I’ve also listened to a few podcasts of his and I must say, they are top-notch. Sweet Fish Media creates podcasts for business-to-business companies, saving them time, frustration, and money. While their focus is B2B podcasting, James did have insight and valuable information on how you can start your own podcast.

Business Vs. Individual Podcasting

Sweet Fish Media produces the B2B Growth Podcast, focusing on how B2B executives can achieve explosive growth. But James’s experience extends beyond just business podcasts. Twice a week he produces a show where it’s just him talking about topics he’s interested in. These podcasts allow him to be more vulnerable and open about what he cares the most about. James does enjoy getting to talk with guests and learn about their businesses. It’s these individual episodes, however, that he gets the most enjoyment out of. It can be the same for you and your podcast. When it comes to business, you’ll have the advantage of reaching out to your ideal clients and asking them to be guests on your show. It’s a solid way to build relationships with the people you want to do business with. They get free exposure and you get to learn more about them and their business. This will give you better insight into solving their problems. For those who want to create a podcast without guests, it’s still a great way to get your voice out there. You get a chance to discuss what you’re passionate about. If you have a small business, or it’s just you, podcasts are a cheap way to market your service or product. Podcasts, however, require a lot of work.

What are You Going to Talk About?

Before you get to publish your first episode, you’ll need to determine the goal and direction of the podcast. For a business, James said, this is straightforward; brand your show around your ideal client. Say your business is promoting better patient care practices in the healthcare industry. Your ideal client would likely be hospital administrators, head nurses, patient-care specialists. A good brand would be “providing best practices for the patient care professional.” From there you can reach out to your ideal client and ask them to be a guest on your show to ask their expertise on the podcast. The brand would provide the topic to cover. The podcast itself would be a great starting point to discuss what kinds of practices would be a better fit for their hospital. When it comes to the individual podcaster, this will be easy so long as you keep the goal and topic broad. Too specific and you could run out of things to say before your podcast gets traction. Another word of caution from James; If you’re looking to garner a large audience, strap in. It’s going to take a long time to build up the following you want.

How Often?

Getting to talk about the cool stuff you want to talk about is an appealing endeavor. Like I’ve mentioned before, it’s going to take time to get some traction for the podcast. For business podcasts, traction translates to return-on-investment. When you’ve targeted your ideal client, James says, you should see ROI soon. There’s no set number of episodes to gauge this. But if you’re focused and have done your guest outreach well, then ROI will come on its own. For the individual, it’s a little tougher to gauge traction. You may only be looking for a certain number of downloads a week. You may want to see a certain amount of traffic back to your website. A podcast is helpful for upping these metrics, but the biggest factor here is frequency. With so many podcasts out there, James says, if you’re not putting out a new episode at least once a week, then you’ll get lost in the crowd.

What Goes Into an Episode?

Creating a podcast doesn’t need to be complicated. Some podcasters record their voice and upload it. Others, like the podcasts produced by Sweet Fish Media, have teams create the intros and outros, the ads, the background music, and edit and mix the audio. The bare minimum would be to have an intro and an outro around your individual recording. This can all be done from your phone. Download a few apps and you’ll be ready to go. To have quality, however, you’ll need to write scripts, prepare an ad, figure out your guest list, confirm your guests, interview, edit, mix, and finalize. And that’s just a short list. As you can see, it takes some time. Even if you’re planning on just doing the bare minimum, you still need to have a set up in place for each episode. This takes time to create too. James has a checklist of 26 items for launching a podcast. You can find this list on his website. The general rule is the more time you put into it, the more professional it will sound. Be prepared to put in the time for this endeavor to work.

Anything Else?

The internet is full of information on how a podcast “should” be made. It’s up to you to decide what’s going to be best for you and your podcast. Instead of searching the internet for the “best” podcasting source, just pick one that speaks to you. Pick one thought-leader and stick with them. James Carbary is a great source of information for when it comes to creating a podcast. Given he’s been successful in launching multiple podcasts, I would say his experience speaks for him. As I’ve mentioned before, he has a 26-point checklist available on the Sweet Fish Media website to walk you through the process. There’s just too much information to cover here, like finding the right audio, picking the right mics, and on and on. That’s why I went to an expert!

Coming to a Podcast Near You!

For every successful podcast, there’s about a hundred—possibly a thousand–podcasts that don’t make it. By taking the time to read up on what’s required, not to mention getting prepared, will give you an advantage over the bulk of the competition. It also helps to have an honest conversation as to whether a podcast is a project you can take on right now. They are a lot of work. To get one up and running, and to sustain it, will take a lot of time too. When it’s done right, your podcast will be a valuable tool in expanding your outreach and creating content. And that’s why podcasts are awesome, not just for the content they create, but the relationships that they can build. So go out there and find a podcast that speaks to you, if you haven’t already. Stream and download with the best internet packages so you don’t miss an episode. And then one day it’ll be you creating a podcast that’s driving traffic and building relationships!

4 Things to Know About Data Science

Data science is a growing field with rich opportunity. But what is it? And how can it be applied to nearly eveyr industry?

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4 Things to Know About Data Science
Back in 2011, Brad Pitt and Jonah Hill starred in the superb and underappreciated film, Moneyball. Based on Michael Lewis’ book of the same name, Moneyball explained how the poorest team in Major League Baseball, the Oakland Athletics, used data science to create a team. And not just any team, a team that went on a win streak of 20 games. The method to their madness, dubbed Sabermetrics, was a unique approach to analyzing data. Sabermetrics, at its heart, was taking large data sets and deciphering meaning from them. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TpBcwGOvO80 This is data science. For the longest time, Sabermetrics was looked down upon by the baseball elite. After the 2005 Boston Red Sox and the 2018 Houston Astros incorporated it into their strategies, it’s now considered a legitimate method for constructing a team. It’s not localized to the MLB though. Industries, far and wide, are opting to delve into data analysis. Through the thoughtful interpretation of these large numbers, data scientists are helping companies run more efficiently and solve problems. There’s more to data science than just looking at numbers.

It’s an Effective Means of Creating Positive Impact

In 2008 the housing bubble burst. This crisis expanded out beyond those in real estate. Marketing companies to restaurants felt the pinch here. The US economy, as a whole, went into a downturn. The Austin Technology Council, a peer group representative of technology companies in and around Austin, TX, was struggling. In 2009 there came a moment. The board was on the fence over whether to continue their mission or to dissolve the council itself. It was decided to put the vote on hold while the council performed an Economic Impact Study. The goal of the study was to find out if technology companies in the area were having any real effect at all. If the effect minimal, then the choice was clear. Through surveys, research, and of course, analysis, data was collected and handed over to data scientists. The data scientists were tasked with digging through the numbers and determining which pieces were relevant and which were not. They were crunching numbers in order to answer a question; can you measure the impact of a specific industry, like technology, in a given area. The answer was yes. To the tune of roughly $19,000,000,000. That’s $19 billion. Billion with a B. Thanks to the hard work of these data scientists, the ATC decided to remain in business and to focus its efforts on growing the tech community in Austin. This Economic Impact Study was part of the reason Austin has become known as the burgeoning center for technology. If other areas, say San Antonio, was to perform similar economic impact studies, it could set off a rebranding in that area as well. To do this, however, there is a need for data scientists who are qualified to figure out the data.

Data Science is a Reliable Field

Data science has been around for a long time. The reason it’s growing now is that of all the ways companies can capture data. With this uptick in data acquisition, there’s more data to analyze than there are people to analyze it. Companies will never stop gathering data. The practices and procedures may change, but there will always be data. And where there’s data, there is a need for a data scientist.

It’s a Growing Field

Every month LinkedIn reports on the state of the US workforce. It’s a monthly report that explains trends in hiring and retention, as well as providing the numbers to back it up. For August 2018, the Workforce Report stated a skills gap when it came to data scientists. In 2015, there were more data scientists available than there were jobs for them to fill. Now there’s a deficit in the United States of qualified data scientists. A deficit of 151,717, according to LinkedIn. Other sources state the field of data science will grow by as much as 20% by 2020. Good news for those who are interested in collecting data.

More Industries are Getting into Data Analytics

With companies growing and striving to compete in a more digital world, data is the main tool they focus on. This is where data scientists come in. It doesn’t matter if the company sells shoes, baseball bats or software, there will be data to analyze. Thus, a data scientist could enter almost any industry and find a place to apply their skills. Companies need to be able to look at all the numbers they’ve collected and make meaning out of it. Thus, the hard skills of knowing how to think critically, code, and math are a key advantage when it comes to finding a job. Just as important as the hard skills are the soft skills. Being able to communicate is always a deciding factor. Communicating the data in a meaningful way for those who may understand it is difficult. Those who can do it without alienating others will find their jobs secure and a certain degree of prestige. One could argue that knowing how to analyze data is enough. But think of it this way; Steve Jobs was brilliant. He was also exceptionally hard to work with. We don’t need another Steve Jobs. We do need brilliant people though.

The Benefits of Data Science

Applying data science is another difficult aspect of the job. Just being able to analyze the numbers and break down what they mean is not enough. A good data scientist applies that knowledge to solving the problem. They may even be able to spot a problem before it becomes too big of an issue. Most of the time, however, data science is the steady application of analyzing data. Then adjusting to changes in the industry. When its done right, and consistently maintained, amazing things can happen. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nK1jtVhimPA

More than Just Baseball

While it’s easy to point to Sabermetrics, and Moneyball, data science has applications far beyond baseball. And not just to the business world either. Data scientists do the hard job of culling useful stuff from dense information. Even here, at Bundle Your Internet, we’re analyzing data to find the best internet deals. There is someone always checking spreadsheets to make sure we’re not missing something. It’s not easy. If it were, then this writer would have probably gone into data science. Given my father did heavy research, which involved statistics, it wouldn’t be hard to see me going into some data-rich field. I didn’t do well with math though. There was always something to trip me up and I would get increasingly frustrated when it came to anything involving numbers. The issues only got worse when I got to high school. There, in the first semester of my freshman year, I flunked Algebra I. I had to work overtime to pull out a B for the second semester and average out the year to a C. Now I have a healthy respect for math. Better than that, I understand something about myself- I ain’t good at the maths. When I made it to college and majored in Art, I assumed I would be free of my own nemesis. Come to find out, however, that I still had to pass one college-level math course to complete my degree. Knowing that math was not a friend of mine, I went to the tutoring center every day to make sure I understood what I was supposed to do. And when finals came around, I studied for two days before my college algebra final. And I passed with a B! Now I can’t recall a single equation I learned. I just passed it. That’s all I care about. So I’ll stick to my words and leave the hard math to those who are interested in such endeavors. If math is something you enjoy, and not words, then look at data science. It’s sure to be a rewarding career. But you do have to ask yourself, what’s better; working with words or working with numbers?

4 Pros and Cons of Google Coach

Google is already working on a grammar checker for their Google Docs, and displaying data in all their searches. Now Google is rolling out Google Coach.

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4 Pros and Cons of Google Coach
Google is already working on a grammar checker for their Google Docs, and displaying data in all their searches. Now there’s news that Google is improving upon their fitness tracking app. Called Google Coach, this app is supposed to be a vast improvement over their Google Fit. Given Google Fit didn’t do so well, there’s a lot of room above that bar. It’s also another sign that Google is continuing to compete against Apple. The Apple Watch, Apples wearable timepiece/mini-iPhone/digital assistant, has already launched. As with most Apple products, it’s gaining in popularity. There’s even a special Nike+ edition. I’m not sure what makes it so special as you still need to download the Nike+ app to enjoy the benefit. But Google’s keeping pace. They’re set to roll out this new app to go with their wearable watch. It’ll integrate into their Wear OS and be able to provide a bevy of perks.

What You’ll Get

The Google Coach app is the typical fitness app. You’ll get to plug in your vital stats and it’ll track your heart rate and calories throughout the day. Google will also draw on other data from your footprint in Google to round out the data. While I’m sure this will be helpful, I’m sure it won’t be that easy. There will still be that initial set up where you punch in a bunch of information and answer questions. It will also come with notifications. To keep from being annoying, developers have mentioned the notifications will be “conversational.” Meaning they’ll be batched together and delivered only a few times during the day. There’ll also be suggestions. Suggestions on workouts, what to do in case you miss a workout, and meals. The suggestions will also be rolled into the batched notifications. While this sounds all well and good, Google could learn from the mistakes of others. These improvements, though helpful, are not without their drawbacks. Here’s four of them.

Wearable Technology

Wearable technology is a growing field these days. Since smartphones are loaded with ample storage and apps to “enhance” everything, technology companies are looking for the next gadget to pioneer. Enter the smartwatch. While cellphones did need a boost in intelligence, watches were already pretty smart. In fact, analog watches require more deductive reasoning to tell the time. This may sound like too much work, but studies have shown analog dials increase cognitive ability. Given technology is getting smaller and smaller, and faster and faster, it made sense to start packing technology onto your wrist.

Pros

You always have a helpful friend with you. Though small, these smartwatches can help track your health. Instead of leaving it to chance, you’re able to see your daily activity and adjust accordingly.

Cons

There’s something always watching you. These watches will track you all the time. On days when you’re sick, or just don’t feel that active, they’ll track that. Then they’ll remind you about it later. I’m all for healthy living. Part of that means taking a day to rest. And sometimes you need a mental break as well. For me, that means vegging out in front of the TV.

Notifications

These little dings, bleeps, and warbles are there to remind us when something comes in. It’s no different from a co-worker who walks up to let you know the meetings about to start. Or your kids reminding you they’re hungry.

Pros

The little dings keep us from forgetting important things. Maybe not every sound. But I count on my smartphone—and by extension, my smartwatch—to keep me up to date. I’m constantly setting reminders for myself. I’ve learned through plenty of errors that my own memory is not the most reliable.

Cons

You get harassed. A fitness app may mean well, but when it goes off at the end of a long day, it’s not helpful. That is the worst time to remind me “to reach your exercise goals.” Do we need another app to do that?

Suggestions

There are notifications, which remind you to do something. Then there’s suggestions, helpful hints to accomplish a goal. These aren’t ironclad directions. But they could help.

Pros

Figuring it all out on your own is hard. Every time I’ve decided to start a work out regimen, there’s always the question “what am I going to do?” Then follows “how often?” And “what time?” Suggestions help to figure out the right steps to take. I don’t have to research as much then. Which saves me time.

Cons

They can be condescending. Yesterday I ran four miles. I was proud of myself. I reached my exercise goal and then some. This morning I get a “suggestion” that I should work out because I was doing so well yesterday. That was yesterday. Today I’m tired from the workout and need a break. I don’t need a condescending “suggestion” to go work out.

Integration

Google Coach will undoubtedly work with other apps and features of a smartwatch. Google’s apps do a decent to good job of that across multiple platforms.

Pros

When it comes to a workout, all that technology can make it more difficult. I’ve noticed that cutting down on all the stuff I carry makes my workouts more enjoyable. I’m carrying less weight and it’s an excuse to get away from technology for a while. I keep my iPod mini and my smartwatch and that’s it. It’s nice…when it works.

Cons

When it doesn’t work it is beyond frustrating. Most of the time the apps work the way they’re supposed to. But when they don’t work, they do so at the worst time. The other day I was just about to start running. I opened the appropriate app and pushed start. Nothing happened. I pushed again. It still ignored me. I’m all dressed up for a workout and I’m wearing the stupid watch too. If I’m going to take it with me, it’s going to do its job. Or else I’m just carrying dead weight. Thanks to my frustration I ran a little harder that day and put up my best time in recent months. But running angry isn’t a good way to train for a half-marathon. If the app is supposed to streamline functionality, then it should streamline functionality. Any glitches or bugs need to be resolved quickly or else the smartwatch, along with the app, is useless for what it’s meant to do.

Getting in Shape

Ever since getting a smartwatch, I have noticed I’m more inclined to go for a run. While running I’m constantly checking my progress. This may not be the best use of it, but it distracts me. If run without it, I’m more likely to let the monotony of running get to me. This isn’t a theory, I’ve experienced it. Hence, why I’m okay with a smartwatch on my wrist and why I’m okay constantly checking it. The running is to clear my head for work. The watch is to distract me from the monotony of running. And my burning legs. When I get home, I ice my knees. During that time I pull out my phone and check my progress on my app. If it’s been working then it’ll be a pleasant experience. If not, I’ll grumble through trying to fix it. With a high-speed connection, I’m able to get through this process quickly. Make sure you have a good high-speed connection as well. Check out the best internet deals, and take one more worry off your plate. As for Google Coach, you’ll have to wait for the fall for it to roll out. But if they’ve learned from Apple, then it’ll be a better product to use. Only time will tell. Until then, are you training for something? What’s the best app to use for your workouts?

5 Tech Must-Haves for Your College Dorm Room

Soon classes at your local college will start. Here are five tech must-haves for dorm living to get the most out of your college experience.

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5 Tech Must-Haves for Your College Dorm Room
Soon classes at your local college will start. Before that happens, you’ll be moving into your dorm room. If you’re lucky and live close enough to home, then you won’t have to get a dorm room. Or if you’ve found a way to score off-campus housing. If not, then there here are five tech must-haves for dorm living.

1.      A Good Laptop

You will be writing, period. What kind of writing you do is up to you…or your professor. You might write emails to friends and family, writing social media posts, or when you have time, that paper that’s due tomorrow. A good laptop is essential these days. All room and board charges cover Wi-Fi, so you don’t have to worry about the bill. Be it an Apple, a Dell, HP, Toshiba, or any of the other brands, make surer you find one with 8 to 16GB of RAM, as well as a good amount of storage. Low RAM means a slow computer. I speak from experience as my college laptop was slow. This made for some frustrating nights as I tried to write.

2.      Virtual Storage

This never happened to me, but I remember a fellow college student running full on across campus to get to the computer lab. There was a paper due that was 70% of his grade and the class was in ten minutes. So he’d downloaded it onto a flash-drive and sprinted across campus. Virtual storage wasn’t what it is today, but there were options at the time. Us poor college students couldn’t afford it though. Get a free Gmail account and you’ll get access to Google Drive. This way you can work on papers, save a copy to Drive, and print them out anywhere you have access to your email. Just make sure there’s a printer installed, filled with paper and ink.

Bonus

Although a little bit more expensive, get an external hard drive. My wife, who wrote huge papers for her honors program, kept one and it saved her sanity on more than one occasion. While virtual storage is helpful, a solid backup is added peace-of-mind. So save yourself the stress. And that guy who bolted across campus to print out his paper? He dropped the flash-drive on his way and couldn’t find it. Save yourself the anxiety and get virtual storage.

3.      Bluetooth Speakers

Back in my day, it was all about the stereos with multiple-disc interchanges. I graduated before the iPod really took off, or the iPhone came out. Not by much, mind you, but yes, I went to college in a time when Discmans were still the “it” thing. With smaller, and portable, speakers available, you have music right there with you, no matter where you go. Create a playlist on your phone, pair with a Bluetooth speaker, and you can take this anywhere you go. Doesn’t matter if you’re studying or at a party, you’ll be your own DJ. Check out JBL, Canz, Bose, Sony, and other Bluetooth speaker makers to find the one that works for you and your budget. Another plus- if someone has a Bluetooth speaker in their room and you’re not digging the music, just pair your phone to it and play your own music!

4.      Noise Cancelling Headphones

Dorms will be noisy. Doesn’t matter the time of day, someone will be making noise. Invest in noise-canceling headphones, it’ll help save your sanity. You just never know when two guys next door will decide to pump up their sub-woofer to watch The Punisher. Even with headphones on, I couldn’t hear my own music. Therefore, noise-canceling would have been a good idea at the time. Bose, Plantronics, AKG, and Beats are just some of the manufacturers who make noise-canceling headphones. And they come highly rated! You can then shut off all outside noise while you study, or just listen to something other than your loud dormmates.

5.      A Smart TV

With smart TV’s so prevalent, you can find a good deal on one with good resolution and apps like Netflix, Hulu, and Amazon Prime. This will help cut down on all the clutter you have to take with you. Your movies and shows will be in one place, allowing you to save shelf space for…other things.

Bonus

Get a Chromecast, Roku Firestick, or Apple TV. These will make up for any apps or streaming services that don’t come with your smart TV. Or if you can’t get a smart TV at all, then you’ll have this as a backup. Since most dorms come with Wi-Fi, you’ll be able to stream and download that way and never miss the next episode of your favorite TV show.

Extra Bonus

The greatest thing about college is all the freedom you get to enjoy. The worst thing about college…is all the freedom you get to enjoy. You don’t have to figure it out on your own. Dorm life has been a constant for millions of people for years. Some of those people have gone on to write books about the experience. Find these on Amazon, Half-Price Books, BN.com, or download to your favorite eBook reader. This way you can learn from other’s mistakes so you can avoid making the same ones yourself.

Lucky Jim by Kingsley Amis

Published in 1954, detailing the exploits of a college professor who doesn’t want the job at all. It may help you get an idea of where your professors are coming from.

Free Stuff Guide for Everyone by Peter Sander

Everything is expensive these days. When you’re in college this will be a harsh reality to contend with. Get this helpful guide so you can find the best deals, discounts, or other ways of making your dollar go farther.

Goodnight Dorm Room: All the Advice I Wish I Got Before Going to College by Samuel Kaplan and Keith Riegert

A funny and honest look at college. This book helps you understand the realities of college, as well as the real world, as well as giving you hints on how to adapt to dorm living and get ahead.

Dorm Room Essentials Cookbook by Gina Meyers

Everyone has to eat. But cafeteria food gets old really fast. And eating out for every meal is not feasible. This cookbook clues you in on how to make snacks, meals, and desserts on a budget and in your own dorm room.

The Naked Roommate: And 107 Other Issues You Might Run Into in College by Harlan Cohen

If there’s a lot of people living in a close, confined space, then the numbers dictate that one of them will be weird. Handling roommates and dormmates is a part of college life. Best to get ahead of the game and buy this book.

The College Humor Guide to College by Ethan Trex and Streeter Seidell

Who better to guy you into college than the people who parody college living? By taking the humorous route, the book is more helpful than actual guidebooks.   There are more titles like these available. This list will get you started. Make sure you get these books and read them before classes start. This way you’ll be even more prepared for college than any high school prep class could have made you. Download the eBooks, audiobooks, or stream them to your device with reliable internet. To do that, check out the best cable and internet deals. This way you’ll save some money before you jet off to higher education.

5 Ways to Check Facebook Campaigns

Facebook found and banned 32 pages linked to "inauthentic behavior." With fake news becoming more and more prevalent, how can we guard against it?

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5 Ways to Check Facebook Campaigns
On July 31st of this year, Facebook announced they’d found and banned thirty-two pages that coordinated, what they call, inauthentic behavior. These pages were linked to campaigns that were designed to influence the upcoming mid-term elections in November. Back in March, Facebook had their Cambridge Analytica Scandal in which the political consulting firm had illegally gained private information from about 87 million Facebook users. Cambridge Analytica then used that information to plan ad campaigns. To prevent something like that happening again, Facebook has begun working with the FBI and hired on more human fact checkers for ad campaigns and to weed out suspicious accounts. This is reassuring to hear. At the same time, it’s frustrating. I read about these things happening and I get paranoid. It doesn’t help that I already get jittery for pointless reasons.

Gas Scare

I live in San Antonio, TX, and back in the fall of 2017, Hurricane Harvey hit the Texas coast. Houston bore the brunt of it. San Antonio was spared a lot of the flooding and destruction. A week later, however, rumors spread that there was not enough gas to go around for the entire state of Texas, or at least San Antonio. A run on the pumps ensued. I saw lines of cars about a mile long to get to pumps because everyone thought gas was going to run out. All these rumors turned out to be false. There was a hitch in the supply chain, but San Antonio had enough reserves on hand to handle a normal amount of people getting gas for a weekend. When an above average amount of people ran to the pumps to top off their tanks, that’s when there was a problem. Thanks to some misinformation, I had to put up with long lines at the pumps. Campaigns like this, be they viral or engineered, make me paranoid. I never know when it’s going to happen. When it comes to seeing ads or news stories on my Facebook feed, I am skeptical that they’re fabricated, or heavily skewed, to give the wrong impression. Sometimes the stories turn out to be true, other times they’re false. Like San Antonio running out of gas. So how can I know? Thanks to websites like factcheck.org, politifact.org, Washington Post’s Factchecker, snopes.com, and Decisive by Chip and Dan Heath, there are ways to combat my paranoia. They’re also helpful for determining if the information contained within is true or not. It’s not a process or a 100% effective method for ascertaining the validity of an article. These are helpful steps to keep me from reacting and doing something stupid…like all the idiots who drained San Antonio of gas in late August of 2017.

Check with Other Sources

I remember hearing about the gas scare as I left my house on a Thursday. I didn’t think much of it. In fact, I believed it to be false information. When I saw other cars pulling into the nearest station, I began to wonder. After some needless traffic, I arrived home and did a search. Come to find out, more than three news stations were running stories about the misinformation when it came to gas availability. I was right. By then, however, the scare had taken hold and gas stations went dry.

Doubt Your Assumptions

Hearing about the gas scare I first doubted it. When I saw the cars lining up, I could help but worry. Since so many people believed the news that San Antonio was about to run dry, it must have some truth to it, right? I started to second-guess myself and was tempted to get in line for the nearest station and wait to fuel up. When other people are reacting a certain way, it’s easy to assume they know what they’re doing. In this case, my grandpa had some wise words to share. Most of what he said wasn’t always wise, but every now and then he hit the mark. If the subject was assumptions, it was one of those rare moments- “When you assume, you make an ass out of you and me.” Another nugget of wisdom applied to this situation- “Never underestimate the power of stupid people in a large crowd.”

Take a Step Back

By checking other sources and taking a moment not to get caught up in the crowd, we’re giving ourselves a chance to clearly assess the situation. By distancing ourselves we’re able to get a better idea of what’s going on and see if there’s a real reason to worry. This option isn’t always available. You may have an impending deadline or find yourself without the time to clearly assess your surroundings.

Assess the Source

On Facebook, in the news, or when you’re hearing gossip from a friend, always—always—assess the source. Usually, it’s from one person or outlet and others took it and ran with it. It may take some time to figure out who said what and where the “knowledge” came from. But do yourself a favor and stop yourself from jumping to the conclusion because one person said something.

Accept Your Own Biases

This one is difficult, especially for me. After years of thinking a certain way, we’re going to look for sources that confirm what we’ve always believed to be true. Sometimes we’re correct in our thinking, something we’re not. But if only look to those sources that confirm what we want to hear, chances are high that we’ll make the situation worse. For example; I loved rainbow sherbet. It was my favorite ice cream for a long time. That is until my wife pointed out that it’s not ice cream. After debating her, heatedly, for two hours, it turns out I was wrong. I still like rainbow sherbet, but I’ve had to find a new favorite ice cream flavor.

Be Ready for an Answer You Don’t Like

When it came to the gas scare, I was right when I doubted there was a shortage of gas in the San Antonio area. When it came to rainbow sherbet, I was wrong even though I heatedly defended my position that sherbet is a dairy-based desert, hence, it’s ice cream. Sherbet, as it turns out, is juice based. It’s not ice cream. I’m still married though, so that’s good news. When it comes to something we believe—politically, ethically, religiously—there are those times when we’re proven wrong. It may be because we’re overconfident or doubt the validity of a counter-argument. It’s not easy to accept there’s a truth out there other than our own. It’s not the end of the world though. Much like rainbow sherbet, there are other ice cream flavors out there that we can enjoy.

The Cause

As people work to influence a wider audience, it’s up to us to double-check the validity of their claims. As for Facebook, we need to be aware of the amount of information that comes across our newsfeed and the fact that it’s not always 100% true. When it came to the gas scare of 2017, it turned out to be a viral post on Facebook that was completely unfounded. This only illustrates the need to check out the truth of a story before we begin to believe it.   And as always, check out the best internet and cable packages so you’re at least saving some money. Feel free to double check our numbers as we’re always hunting for the bundle deals to fit any budget and we’d rather get it right than make a sale.