Welcome to Fresh van Root newsletter #63. The end of the year is always time for summaries. And we also came up with a newsletter’s overview, even though Rolf is already enjoying his well-deserved vacation. We decided to recall the tips we posted in our newsletter throughout the year. So, after browsing all 22 issues we sent to you in 2021, I am ready to show you the most clicked and interesting stories from our newsletter.
Hi, I am Olena. And I have been working together with Rolf since 2020, mostly remotely, yet we manage to see each other in between the lockdowns. I usually support the creation of the Fresh van Root newsletter behind the scenes, but this time I am taking over while Rolf is out of office.
In case you missed our previous newsletter, here’s edition #62.
This is the last issue of this newsletter this year. Have a great holiday. Stay safe & fresh.
For all new subscribers, here’s what this newsletter is about: we are exploring content and apps at the intersection of marketing, productivity, content creation, and social media. This bi-weekly newsletter is a curated and concise summary of that exploration. Stay fresh. Olena
🧠 Hand-Picked Content
How to Write High-Quality Content (Blog, 15min) | Edition #49
“Writing is mostly thinking, and thinking is hard.” – Animalz shares their special 5-step-method for writing well: examine, explain, engage, engineer, and earn. Bonus: find a surprise angle and make every word count. More
Taliban 2.0 (Article, 20min) | Edition #55
They wear Apple watches, are versatile in using chat apps like WhatsApp to organize, and distribute their messages via Facebook pages. This long-read looks at the role that technology and social media have played in the retake of power of the terrorist group Taliban. More
How Much Marketing Tracking & Analytics Do You Need? (Blog, 5min) | Edition #55
I am critical of the extensive use of marketing tracking tools to collect tons of (often incorrect) data, which leads to wrong decisions. This article explains this problem and gives some ideas for improving it from the perspective of a SaaS marketer with years of experience. (Yes, it’s always easier to market a product people want). More
Web 3: The Building Blocks Explained For Beginners (Blog, 20min) | Edition #58
There is a potentially fundamental shift ahead in how the web could function in the future. You need to comprehend the underlying technology and concepts like Blockchain, Bitcoin, Etherum, non-fungible tokens, and more to understand it all. According to the early adopters, this means the next web (web3) will no longer be controlled by big corporations instead of by peer-to-peer networks. This blog post by Peter Yang aims at beginners and links to in-depth articles for each topic. More
Editor’s Pick “The Problem Is Him” (Article, 10min) | Edition #60
This is an interview with journalist Kara Swisher, who met Zuckerberg multiple times for the interviews. Her opinion is clear and plain: he is incapable of running a company that connects 2 billion people. More
Rethinking Webdesign for Mobile (Blog 10min) | Edition #61
The design process for websites most often starts with the desktop experience, and at the end of a project, we devote little time to testing it. The result is just a stacked version of the desktop experience, ignoring the user experience. This blog post gives illustrative examples of approaching different layout problems when bringing a desktop experience for mobile. More
🛠️ Tools & Apps & Services
How well your page ranks on Google search | Edition #44
Using this free SEO tool, you can check how well a page of yours ranks with a certain keyword. Screenshot | More
AI-Generated Videos for Marketing | Edition #50
Really impressed by the quality of this service called Synthesia. Feed the service with your text/images, and it creates a video with an avatar and voice of your choice. Useful for marketing, sales, HR, or whatever use-case you come up with. Watch the first video Rolf created | More
Editor’s Pick Another Tool To Record Videos in Your Browser | Edition #59
A pitch, a presentation, a product demo, and more. Tella is a fresh approach to recording videos in your browser. It allows you to combine multiple clips in one session. A great Loom alternative. Now also available as a Chrome extension. Check out the example Rolf created | More
Brand & Style Guides | Edition #54
Also called complete “Design Systems”. Lots of them are public to consume and learn from. This is a list of over 100 of them. More
Productivity: Draw Anything Together | Edition #57
Excalidraw is super easy to use in collaborative meetings. You can start with a blank canvas and invite your team buddies via link. No account is needed. Sketch, illustrate, draw, and more. More
A Course On Content Marketing | Edition #60
Rolf asked around for a great course on content marketing. This one was recommended from multiple sources. More
📣 Fresh van Root
Highlights from our own blog …
Run Your Marketing Retrospective With Metro Retro More
Connecting Your Twitter Profile With Email Newsletter Services Using Revue And Zapier More
How to Create a Waveform for a Video More
LinkedIn: Go After Your Competition’s Audience with Member Skill Targeting More
Todoist: From Lists to Boards More
Build An App For Your Newsletter Subscribers with Adalo More
🏞️ Your Next Wallpaper?
🔗 One More Link
Best Photos Of 2021
2021 in review by Bloomberg. Best photos made throughout the year divided into topics: climate, politics, economics, crypto, and, of course, COVID-19. More
Ron Haviv In The Interview For TEDxVienna
Since I’ve already mentioned photography, here’s my interview with the renowned and Emmy-nominated war photographer Ron Haviv who gave a talk at the TEDxVienna event “Untold” this October. More