Is TikTok Really Getting Banned? The Truth You Need to Know!

Welcome again to a different episode of the Area of interest Pursuits Information Podcast! 

This week, Jared Bauman and visitor host Thomas Smith are again at it once more, bringing you the newest headlines about AI, Google, and content material creation. They cowl loads on this episode, so that you gained’t wish to miss it.

The information kicks off this week with TikTok.

After offering a high-level timeline of events surrounding the TikTok ban, Thomas shares his expertise discovering ban-related information and different associated occasions that shocked him.

Though the app has been reinstated, the uncertainty surrounding its future definitely hasn’t gone away.

Take heed to the Full Episode

Do you agree that it’s like a sport of hen? Do you suppose a merger is in its future? Or would possibly it go away eternally?

Jared and Thomas make just a few predictions concerning the future. Do you agree? And what are the implications of this example for different gamers within the business? How do you are feeling about Jared’s feedback about platform threat?

Tune in to listen to the complete dialog!

Shifting alongside, they speak about how Google has been blocking SEO tools.

How was it found that they had been being blocked? Have you ever had an expertise much like Thomas? Do you agree along with his idea concerning the crackdown or about how corporations like Ahrefs and Semrush will reply?

The following merchandise up for dialogue is the new $500 billion AI company referred to as Stargate. Thomas explains the mission and a little bit of the drama round it

Do you agree with Jared’s takeaways from the story? Or with Thomas’ burrito analogy?

Lastly, they speak about how Google rejected the EU’s fact-checking requirements.

After Meta eradicated its reality checkers, Jared and Thomas surprise if there might be a domino impact. They speak concerning the totally different restrictions and necessities within the US and the EU, GDPR, cookies, and the way this resolution may have an effect on content material creators.

Shifting onto their Shiny Object Shenanigans, Jared goes first and talks about his two calculator web sites. He shares rankings and site visitors after being dwell for simply two weeks.

How are they doing to date? How have his plans modified? What attention-grabbing concepts does Thomas recommend?

When it’s Thomas’ flip, he provides a fast replace on his Toaster Man YouTube channel, so tune in to listen to these particulars, after which he talks about one other aspect hustle he’s engaged on: his meals publication. 

He talks about new subscribers and the way he’s getting them, and in addition how he’s monetizing the record. He shares his technique for brand new content material he’s creating and a few calculations to find out how a lot he may very well be making if he had been to scale this mission.

He and Jared draw some attention-grabbing conclusions from this mission. Take heed to the complete episode for all the main points.

As for his or her Bizarre Area of interest Websites, Jared goes first with a water site, which is actually a drip calculator that solutions the query: how a lot water does a leaky faucet waste?

They speak about the way it works, the place it may very well be used, and what different concepts it brings up for them.

Thomas shares his web site, he shares OzBcoz, a ukulele and guitar music database web site. How a lot natural site visitors is it getting? What lesson does he take away from this web site, whose design leaves loads to be desired?

He talks concerning the web site’s content material technique and monetization and why he thinks it’s doing very well.

And that concludes one other episode of the Area of interest Pursuits Information Podcast. Thanks for listening! Tell us what you suppose within the feedback.

See you subsequent Friday!

Transcript

Jared: All proper. Welcome to this week in area of interest pursuits information. My identify is Jared Bauman. Final week, we, we left you on a little bit of a cliffhanger with the upcoming information of a TikTok shutdown. Properly, loads’s occurred within the final seven days. Uh, as Thomas and I had been spending the primary a part of as we speak going by means of it to verify we had it within the correct order from shutdowns.

To restarts the entire 9 yards. We’ll cowl the timeline together with actually what’s subsequent for tick speak. That is our massive story as we speak, however there’s a variety of different issues which are occurring. The information, um, Google has been inflicting chaos for SEOs by blocking third get together instruments, so we’ll dive into these particulars.

We have some model new AI information, uh, model new to the tune of 500 billion. In order that’s sort of massive. We’ll handle that. Uh, I teased it. I am joined once more as we speak by Thomas Smith. So, in fact, we’ll be speaking all about aspect hustles and our bizarre area of interest websites as nicely. Welcome, Thomas.

Thomas: It is nice to be right here.

Jared: You picked an excellent week.

It is a good week. Um, we sort of needed to begin reducing tales as extra sort of crept up all through the week. And even as we speak we had been including stuff. So, uh, let’s attempt to get by means of it as shortly as we are able to. Let’s dive into the massive story. Tick tock. So final week, clearly we had been going into the upcoming shutdown that was going to occur on Sunday, you recognize, Saturday to Sunday, and nobody actually knew what was going to occur.

Though it was getting, it was wanting more and more possible. That we had been going to have this shutdown. So what ended up occurring? Let’s simply shortly undergo sort of a excessive stage timeline of occasions. After which we’ll get into, um, we’ll sort of get into among the particulars of what it means. Um, I’ve it up on display, an article by the BBC.

I am additionally going to take a look at an article by Forbes. There’s an awesome article by Forbes with a timeline. So midnight. Um, Japanese time on January nineteenth, the nationwide ban took impact and, um, principally TikTok has began shutting itself down and pulling every thing within the hour earlier than that. Um, uh, let’s examine, at 10 a.

m., uh, the following Sunday morning, principally, uh, uh, Trump, at the moment, you recognize, the incoming president of america introduced that he’ll signal an govt order. On Monday the twentieth that may delay that ban. Um, uh, there was some suggestions about this. Um, that allowed principally TikTok to begin restoring, uh, their, uh, their, their, their app.

Uh, by 1 p. m. Japanese on January nineteenth, some TikTok reporters, uh, customers have reported the app was again on-line. Um, after which we began principally going into the next day, which is the place, um, uh, let’s examine, I am looking for the proper time, however principally on January twentieth. Uh, at 8 20 p. m. Japanese, uh, Donald Trump signed an govt order halting the tick speak ban for 75 days and principally was saying, um, with the intent to find out that applicable plan of action with respect to tick speak and about, you recognize, we had been coping with this entire.

50 % possession managed by U. S. Pursuits. Um, there’s a variety of different particulars there. That is the excessive stage of what occurred. We’ll get into what occurs subsequent. Uh, thomas, you had been sort of watching this in actual time. Virtually. We’ve got truly a private story of yours to share right here in a second. What did I miss out on?

What did I miss? What are some particulars you suppose are vital on this?

Thomas: You realize, I feel one factor that startled folks is all people was sort of anticipating this band to enter impact on sunday after which saturday evening should you’re on the on the west coast. Unexpectedly you bought this message saying, Hey, tick tock is down.

All these information shops began to report it abruptly. And I used to be sort of anticipating, like we had been hinting at it, the final podcast, get up Sunday morning, you recognize, examine the cellphone, see if it is nonetheless going. And I bought this message. So Saturday evening I used to be scrambling, Oh my gosh, what occurred? And pulled it up and positive sufficient, you recognize, pulling up the tick tock app on my cellphone.

You had that little message that mentioned it wasn’t accessible. It took down another stuff too, which to me was even an even bigger deal. Um, CapCut went down, which is their video editor that I take advantage of for stuff, despite the fact that I am not likely that, that energetic on Tik TOK, uh, after which, you recognize, in fact there was the reversal of that on Sunday that you just talked about, so.

I feel there was a variety of swings round and lots of people did not notice the timeline. It was going to occur a lot sooner than they had been anticipating what I did, although, which is what you are seeing on the display right here. When you’re watching on the video is the 2nd. I noticed that that alert come up. Um, my form of day job is as I run a.

Company, a content material company. We do a variety of information images. So I pulled out my digital camera. I snapped an image of my hand holding the cellphone with that little message on there and submitted it to all of our totally different content material businesses and wakened the following morning and located it principally on the duvet of Wired journal in a information week.

So I really feel like I bought my bought my mileage out of this factor. However I feel for people who find themselves Our massive creators within the platform, it was very destabilizing. And likewise the sort of sudden swings forwards and backwards had been most likely even worse than the couple of hours that the app turned out to be down.

Jared: You realize, it is attention-grabbing you talked about that as a result of the, the fact right here is that it went down on Saturday evening.

And definitely should you’re on the West coast, like us or in different elements of the world, it might occur Saturday. You realize, we’ll name it late night, however definitely whereas most individuals are nonetheless awake, however should you’re on the East coast, it occurred, you recognize, sort of 11 midnight, you recognize, round that point, should you’re in Europe, it was occurring within the morning should you’re in Asia was, so it was occurring in actual time all through totally different time durations, nevertheless it was solely actually down.

I imply, how lengthy was it down for like 10, 11 hours in whole ultimately?

Thomas: Yeah, not lengthy, however I feel it is nonetheless all that uncertainty that we had raised on the final time we recorded final week. None of that has actually gone away. It is simply sort of been pushed a little bit bit additional down the road, like they kicked the can a little bit bit additional, however all of the questions on what in the end occurs with the platform, I feel are nonetheless on the market and perhaps even intensified as a result of it felt like this sport of hen, proper?

The place the courts had been saying, we will shut you down and ByteDance, the corporate behind TikTok was saying, we’re not going to promote. You realize, we’ll shut the app if now we have to. Nobody actually knew who was going to sort of give approach first. Finally, neither of them did. Uh, you recognize, the courts let the ban stand.

That was one thing we had been speculating about final week. And TikTok, lo and behold, shut down. And actually, it was simply this, this govt order that sort of kicks issues. I feel it is 75 days into the longer term that. Gave us a little bit bit extra of a timeline, however the identical issues are nonetheless there. And the identical uncertainty, I take into consideration the way forward for the app remains to be there.

So I feel what, what now we have to take a look at is will there in the end be a sale or a merger of TikTok into another, most likely U S primarily based firm. And one different element was that, uh, folks noticed that the CEO of ByteDance was on the inauguration, the brand new president on Monday. So that implies that there is some, you recognize.

Uh, help there and perhaps there’s going to be some sort of a merger that can hold the app going, however I feel no person anticipated essentially that both aspect was going to maintain going and no person blinked and that was actually the most important shock to me.

Jared: So the chief order was to offer 75 extra days for a chunk dance to, um, promote a stake within the platform or attain a take care of new president.

Donald Trump. Um, and so there’s sort of two choices there. You sort of talked about like what is going on to occur. Um, uh, I, I feel the, the push is for them to promote a 50 % stake to a U. S. primarily based group right here. We’ve got an article that bought printed on Saturday evening after which was up to date, um, uh, earlier this week on Tuesday.

And we will most likely begin seeing a variety of this. I’ve seen a variety of totally different rumors about who is likely to be in line to take a look at buying a part of it. Uh, that is perplexity. AI makes a bid to merge with TikTok U. S. Apparently they submitted a bid on Saturday to TikTok guardian ByteDance proposing the merger.

The brand new construction would enable for, you recognize, the present traders to redeem their fairness stakes, however would convey extra video to perplexity. Um, uh, you recognize, and so there’s simply sort of all these totally different theories about totally different folks. You talked concerning the inauguration and who was there. Um, however principally now we have like two and a half months, um, to, to determine one thing out.

Once more, we talked about this final week. It positive appears like we have got to have a TikTok in america. Um, it might be loopy to me to, I am shocked it truly went down for 12 hours, however it might be loopy within the massive scheme of issues for, I feel, TikTok to go away completely in america. And, uh, uh, you recognize, a number of articles are in response to the identical numbers we reported final week.

170 million customers. Appears like one thing’s bought to offer, and we have now bought two and a half months. So if I am doing my math proper, we’re into January. Uh, February, March, we’re sort of early to mid April, one thing’s bought to offer by then.

Thomas: Yeah, I imply, I feel a pair issues stand out to me concerning the future right here.

One is that if TikTok truly merged with Perplexity, that may be, I imply, that, that is an enormous menace to Google. That is an enormous menace to the gamers which are, which are within the conventional search house. As a result of when you concentrate on Google, yeah, you recognize, you’ve got bought the search engine, clearly, and that is the core product, however YouTube is a big piece of, of Google total by way of video content material, that is actually the place they’re sending a variety of site visitors, placing a variety of emphasis at this level.

Lots of people see video as the longer term, myself included, and take into consideration should you took the AI energy of perplexity on the one hand, which is superb, you recognize, they do an excellent job. I imply, they’re doing an awesome job on AI search and that appears to be the way forward for search. And then you definately’ve bought the longer term video, which is vertical video is even, even hotter than, than, uh, you recognize, most of YouTube or a variety of YouTube remains to be the form of conventional lengthy type horizontal.

So you are taking the, the principally most enjoyable vertical video platform and probably the most thrilling AI search, merge them collectively. You realize, we would not want the justice division to take down Google’s monopoly. This, that is one thing that actually phases some actual competitors that comes alongside.

Jared: I imply, I am not an skilled in mergers and acquisitions.

You realize, the ma world is, is, is, is just not our, our cup of tea right here, nevertheless it does really feel shocking that, you recognize, this has been round since April, this, this, uh, upcoming ban and want for, uh, tick speak to diversify its possession group, and clearly we all know that it is gone to the courts and that was one thing that wanted to occur and it is being resisted by chunk dance and people sorts of issues, however nonetheless.

To a point, why have not we seen extra suitors line up? Why have not we seen extra massive tech corporations line as much as, to sort of get entry to 170 million folks? Sure. There’s a variety of crossover. It is a meta and, and to, to all these different corporations, however nonetheless, like TikTok is the most well liked factor round proper now.

Vertical video is clearly seeming to be the longer term. Like I am shocked by perplexity AI. Sort of the primary greater participant we’re listening to about, they usually’re not massive gamers up towards a Google or a Meta or these different massive, you recognize, sort of fang corporations as they name it.

Thomas: Yeah, you recognize, I feel what occurs with these sorts of court docket circumstances is nothing for a very long time after which every thing abruptly, proper?

So like years can go the place there’s speak and there is laws and there is hearings and every thing and all people goes, eh, you recognize, we do not know, we’re simply going to look at it. After which abruptly it will probably change every thing. And so what I am past this. Is okay. Tick tock. Yeah. That is an enormous deal.

I wish to know what’s gonna occur with that. However what does this imply for another lengthy court docket circumstances that would abruptly have a consequence? Like,

Jared: yeah, clearly the

Thomas: Google antitrust, but additionally there’s all these pending circumstances towards open AI and there, you recognize, different kinds of. AI corporations over copyright and different challenges round that.

And all people, I really feel like, is simply sort of ready to see how that performs out, understanding, nicely, that is to date sooner or later, we’re not going to fret about it. However what if one thing much like this had been to occur there? I imply, the courts fairly clearly confirmed right here that they did not care about politics, they did not care about customers and the vertical movies that they wish to see.

They had been simply going to observe no matter directive they had been going to place down. They usually did not actually fear concerning the timeline or something. They might simply do this for another massive participant within the house. And we may see most likely even higher disruption in a single day. I imply, what would occur in the event that they instantly determined there was one thing mistaken with the best way OpenAI has skilled its fashions and mentioned, Nope, no chat GPT, you recognize, order shut to close that one down.

It may occur and it may occur simply as shortly as this. So that actually, I feel to me reveals, um, There’s threat right here, and these sorts of adjustments, despite the fact that they really feel gradual, it appears like, eh, nothing’s ever gonna occur. We have seen right here firsthand. It actually could make some massive adjustments.

Jared: It does set an attention-grabbing precedent for what’s coming ahead.

We all know that AI is, is, is in all of the governments in all of the, the, you recognize, with lawsuits and authorities interplay and stuff like that. So it does sort of set a precedent for the truth that in the event that they’re prepared to do that over one thing like TikTok, which. I do not actually have an issue with TikTok itself, simply its possession construction and among the, the, the, the info, uh, that the info that it has and has entry to by way of nationwide safety, if it, if it will probably adjudicate in that form of surroundings, what would it not do in an space the place we’re coping with, uh, different sorts of issues that AI can have a, have an curiosity in a job in.

So, uh, nicely, we’ll hold following alongside right here. I imply, I do not suppose you’ll want to maintain your breath anymore. Uh, I feel the loopy week is now going to settle into, uh, we’ll get updates as we get them, however, nevertheless it’s not. It is not prefer it’s years sooner or later. Like we sort of really feel with Google’s antitrust lawsuit, proper?

After we bought that consequence, we’re like, okay, it is going to be a very long time earlier than we truly see the outcomes of this. So I feel that this, whereas you do not have to carry your breath anymore, definitely we have nonetheless bought a pair months of volatility forward of us to see the place TikTok goes to land. And, um, I am going to simply shut out as a result of now we have so many tales we bought to get to, however I am going to shut out with sort of factor you mentioned.

Final week and one thing we bought to hammer down, like all of us are so accustomed to it. Simply platform threat. And simply, I feel this doesn’t assist cut back that platform threat or the trepidation that comes with, with that for, for Tik TOK customers and definitely individuals who use Tik TOK to market their enterprise or use {the marketplace} to promote their merchandise and so forth.

It may be a sort of anxious, nervous couple of months as we look forward to the ultimate outcomes there.

Thomas: Completely. Yeah. Diversify, get on a number of platforms. Positively.

Jared: Received a pair months right here to, to, to, to, to the following factor comes. Um, okay, let’s get into our second story. That is one I teased on the outset as nicely.

And this can be a Google seems to be blocking, um, search engine optimization instruments, search engine optimization rank checking instruments, um, and actually I’ve bought a few tales I am going to undergo. Um, from a excessive stage, this is not one thing that is been reported per se. This is not one thing that is been confirmed by Google, however principally, let me scroll down right here, there’s an awesome screenshot right here.

It’s like principally abruptly, beginning in mid January, about January ninth or tenth, The, um, you recognize, SEMrush and comparable net, all of them have these instruments that present total SERP volatility and, you recognize, within the weeks main as much as it, uh, for instance, we’ll use SEMrush, um, exercise, uh, uh, volatility had been within the very excessive vary.

Um, you recognize, uh, it is sort of scored one to 10 and it had been in a eight, 9 or 10 stage. For the previous a number of weeks, uh, it then on January ninth or tenth dropped down into a really regular 4 or 5 interval and sort of frolicked in that 4 or 5 or 6 vary. Now, usually that would not be all that bizarre.

You realize, now we have a variety of volatility generally, after which we do not have volatility generally sort of calm, not a variety of adjustments within the, within the SERPs. However all of them had been reporting the identical factor, and it wasn’t lining up with what everybody else was seeing. Everybody else was nonetheless reporting a lot of volatility, however all of the instruments had been saying that the volatility had gone away.

And so, that is sort of what led this complete, um, uh, sort of, you recognize, uh, I suppose we’ll simply name it a wanting into of what is been occurring and it does appear that, um, uh, principally Google has discovered some extra new methods to, uh, to, to sort of prohibit what these instruments are capable of, uh, to, to seek out and report on.

I will share this story right here. This story is a few days newer and it is, um, it is in search engine journals. Titled Google Causes World search engine optimization Instrument Outages. And it says Google is obstructing, let me do away with this pop up. Google is obstructing search consequence scraping, inflicting international outages at rank and key phrase monitoring providers.

Um, I am going to simply learn a line or two, uh, after which see should you’ve had any, should you’ve seen any of this, um, uh, Thomas in actual life. Uh, Google cracked down on net scrapers that harvest search outcomes knowledge triggering international outages at many in style rating instruments like SEMrush. that rely upon offering recent knowledge from search outcomes pages.

Um, what occurs if Google SERPs are fully blocked? A certain quantity of information supplied by monitoring providers have lengthy been extrapolated by algorithms from a wide range of knowledge sources. It is potential that a method across the present block is to extrapolate the info from different sources. Um, There’s a variety of particulars right here, however I am going to hold it excessive stage and cease there, or a minimum of pause there.

Uh, are you seeing this in actual life, Thomas, um, in both what you are doing or simply what you are studying on-line?

Thomas: You realize, I feel we have seen this loads over the longer timeframe. I do know that is once they’ve began to detect it, however there’s been a variety of instances the place all people anecdotally has seen their rankings go in all places.

And then you definately examine these volatility instruments and it is like, yep, clean crusing, all good. And I feel we had all as an business questioned, okay, are we simply being focused? Is it simply us? And we’re so tiny within the grand scheme of issues that we’re not displaying up on the volatility. And that is why it is displaying clean seas when, you recognize, we’re all seeing large adjustments.

And I feel this reveals that perhaps there’s been extra volatility than the instruments are choosing up as a result of Google is definitely actively blocking. The instruments from choosing up on that volatility. However to me, I feel that is in the end it is, it is AI overviews fault. I feel that is what it comes right down to. And the explanation for that’s these instruments have at all times existed in sort of a grey space.

Trigger technically it is towards Google’s phrases of service to scrape their outcomes. Proper. However they at all times tolerated it as a result of it most likely wasn’t that labor intensive for them to serve these additional queries. They most likely did not really feel like taking part in that cat and mouse sport. bunch of technical methods to get round these sorts of restrictions.

In order that they most likely simply sort of let it go and determine this can be a drop within the bucket within the total scheme of issues. However now that they are doing AI overviews and serving every question may cost them a pair cents versus fractions of fractions of a penny within the previous system. Immediately, should you’ve bought a bunch of those rank monitoring instruments, actually placing in each question beneath the solar to see the place issues are, they usually should make an summary for every a kind of.

I feel they’re waking up and going, okay, that is costing us loads. We higher put a cease to it. And so that is what I feel you are seeing is Google does not wish to spend all of the sources on serving AI overviews, that are expensive. These instruments that do not click on on adverts do not generate them many income. So we’re seeing a crackdown that we have not seen when it was low cost and simple to serve the queries.

Jared: Yeah. You realize, it is attention-grabbing. I, I feel it does speak about AI overviews in these articles fairly a bit, and I feel you are actually attending to the center of a variety of it. Um, uh, this is an, uh, in that article, that second article, this is a, a line that was shared. Um, they had been quoting a LinkedIn publish once they had been referencing this, however they mentioned it, this LinkedIn publish famous that a number of twos.

Instruments weren’t refreshing their content material, nevertheless it additionally famous that blocking hasn’t affected all knowledge suppliers. Systrix, MonitorRank had been nonetheless working. Somebody from an organization referred to as HaloScan reported that they made changes to renew scraping knowledge from Google and have recovered. Another person reported that one other software referred to as MyRankingMetrics remains to be reporting knowledge.

So no matter Google is doing is at the moment, is just not at the moment affecting all scrapers. It could be that Google is concentrating on sure scraping conduct. So. That is precisely out of the article, precisely to what you simply mentioned. It does appear to focus on AI overviews, most likely from a value standpoint. You realize, it is at all times been of their phrases of service, nevertheless it’s additionally making it very tough although, for SEOs to do their job.

It is already arduous sufficient to do their job with Google search console knowledge getting delayed and never getting reported on the similar fee it used to. It is also getting tougher to do our job with AI overviews on the whole. After which. Now you’ve got bought this type of stuff. So it is, um, yeah, it is a, it’s kind of of a thriller, nevertheless it’s slowly being uncovered to sort of be taught precisely what’s on the root of it.

Thomas: Yeah, you recognize, I feel in the end the, the The factor that is going to repair this for these corporations might be mockingly going to be AI. As a result of I imply, we simply noticed this morning as we’re recording this, that open AI launched their operators system. They’re rolling that out. It is principally an agent. So it is basically a, an AI that may go and do stuff for you on the web, similar to a person would.

And that’s the sort of factor that you possibly can leverage as even a person um, web site proprietor. To go and say, okay, go to go to the Google SERPs and scrape all my key phrases and discover out, you recognize, the place I rank and it might faux to be an individual and go and do it. And might Google detect that? It is most likely going to make use of your individual browser.

You realize, you set it up and also you let it sort of run for a pair hours and are available again. And it is like, you will have your individual non-public Ahrefs knowledge basically at that time. So I feel It is if they are going this route, they most likely took some easy steps to dam the obvious stuff, however the corporations that actually want that knowledge are going to seek out methods round it they usually’re most likely going to leverage their very own AI and we would find yourself in an arms race or is likely to be that Google will return to saying, nah, not value it.

And we’ll see these adjustments principally simply sort of sort of go away. Um, nevertheless it’s another reason, I feel, to look past rank trackers, proper? We have already seen. That they do not decide up a variety of sort of new key phrases. It is extra, it is tougher to know the place issues stand with AI overviews. To me, I’ve sort of moved away from them loads and simply gone in the direction of.

Extra understanding my very own knowledge and what my customers need. I feel that is labored fairly nicely. Um, and it makes me suppose that is form of like another reason to not, not depend on these fairly a lot as I might have most likely three years in the past.

Jared: Properly, I am going to have an instance of, of that actual situation in my, um, in my aspect hustle part as we speak.

In order that’s, uh, attention-grabbing to listen to you say. Uh, I am positive we’ll be speaking extra about that within the coming weeks as we sort of be taught extra details about that. For now, let’s, let’s transfer on. Uh, Thomas, that is actually a narrative that it is proper up your alley. I will flip it over to you right here as I pull it up on display.

It’s about this new 500 billion firm that’s created round this concept of AI. Um, share the story with us.

Thomas: Yeah. So principally there was an enormous announcement this week of a brand new firm referred to as Stargate. And that is an AI infrastructure mission, principally. And we noticed it introduced with Donald Trump, the brand new U.

S. president, together with Sam Altman from OpenAI. We have Oracle up there, and it is apparently partially bankrolled by SoftBank, which is an enormous investor within the tech sector. And principally the thought right here is to create the infrastructure. That corporations want to coach after which run these big AI fashions. And we have seen this occur most likely during the last couple of years the place new fashions have gotten an increasing number of intensive to run.

So when the primary GPT three, I feel it was when, uh, when Chad GPT first rolled out, uh, was the sort of state-of-the-art of LLMs, it did not use a variety of sources, it was definitely extra labor intensive to coach and to make use of. Then another techniques that had been on the market, like the normal Google search, however now with fashions like, Oh, one from open AI, the reasoning mannequin, the place you set in a question and it’d spend a minute or two working queries, basically within the background earlier than it responds, they use an insane quantity of computing energy.

And an unbelievable quantity of electrical energy. And so this initiative is principally a few of these massive corporations coming collectively, sort of doing this alongside the federal government, you recognize, think about what like a railroad would have finished 100 years in the past. It might be like, we’re constructing infrastructure. That is form of the twenty first century equal.

And the thought is they’ll come collectively and construct the info facilities and {the electrical} grid tie ins and stuff to have a agency basis to principally scale up these gigantic fashions. However there’s already drama as quickly as this bought introduced, you recognize, Elon Musk began, uh, principally trolling Sam Altman saying, you do not have the cash in place isn’t going to return collectively.

You realize, this can be a massive rip-off after which they went forwards and backwards. So there’s a variety of sort of enjoyable drama. I do not know the place it in the end land on this particular factor, nevertheless it’s a reminder that as we sort of alluded to with AI overviews and the associated fee there. These new AI instruments are so highly effective, however they require a lot energy to function.

And that is simply going to make it tougher and tougher and costlier over the long term.

Jared: You do not take into consideration this type of stuff once you go to speak, you BD and sort in your question, or once you feed it, like. You realize, 200 pages of knowledge and ask it to, to, to offer you totally different uh, knowledge factors and totally different solutions you may pull out of it.

Like there’s a lot computing energy that goes into this, not solely to construct these LLMs, however then to truly sort of service the makes use of of them. And sooner or later, you recognize, somebody’s bought to place collectively a plan that helps put this collectively by way of the infrastructure that is wanted. Um, to your level, it is, it is like, how does that have an effect on us each day?

It does not, you recognize, it is simply a variety of. Massive companies getting collectively and creating even greater companies, nevertheless it does a minimum of spotlight how vital the sort of the underbelly of the AI future is and the truth that it takes an immense quantity of sources. And I feel that is what that article actually highlighted to me is it is one thing that needs to be paid consideration to.

And you’ll’t simply snap your finger sooner or later once you want it and it is there, you need to plan and put together for it. And we’re already beginning to attain the sides of what is potential with the present knowledge facilities and infrastructure that is in place.

Thomas: Yeah, you recognize, I feel it is, it is massive and nebulous and sort of political, however the factor, the massive takeaway for our business, I feel, is that we’re getting an unbelievable cut price on AI that we’re utilizing as we speak.

Like, I consider it, I used DoorDash very early in its evolution, earlier than the pandemic, earlier than all people was utilizing it. And you possibly can purchase one thing you possibly can purchase a burrito or one thing for two and have it delivered throughout the town and it made no sense economically and it turned out that there was a ton of funding sort of attempting to construct the app and get it off the bottom.

And so you were not paying something near what it truly value. After which, in fact, that shifted and now it will value you 14 to have your burrito delivered. When you’re fortunate. Yeah, should you’re fortunate. Yeah, precisely. And I feel we’re seeing an analogous factor with AI proper now could be that we’re getting an enormous cut price.

We’re not getting charged something near what it truly prices to ship the AI providers that all of us can use. So should you’re implementing AI proper now, like that is the time to do it. Get as a lot as you may when it is low cost. You realize, get the equal of a variety of these 2 burritos when you can, as a result of in the end these things is so costly, the value goes to go up loads.

And early adopters, like lots of people in our business, Who’ve laid the foundations, gotten good at utilizing it effectively. We will be in an awesome, nice form to, you recognize, climate that.

Jared: Let’s simply briefly contact on this final story and just about solely as a result of it was one thing that ties carefully to what we talked about within the, within the weeks prior.

And this can be a story in Search Engine Journal. Google rejects EU’s name for reality checking in Search and YouTube. Um, Google rejects EU’s reality checking necessities because it pertains to Search and YouTube. Outline the brand new disinformation guidelines. Um, Yeah, principally, I am not going to spend a ton of time on this story, however it’s related as we talked a couple of couple weeks in the past.

Uh, or final two weeks in the past, I consider that Metta was eliminating their reality checkers. Um, and, uh, they had been sort of, uh, transferring on from this course of they’d had in place for a very long time to confirm, to validate, uh, that info was correct and true to battle towards misinformation. And we talked a few weeks in the past about, I consider it was Spencer and I that had been doing the podcast that week.

And we talked about like. Will there be a domino impact right here? You realize, prefer it does, does one firm resolve to chop this after which others observe appears, though we do not know in the event that they’re truly related to one another, that was meta, that is Google, nevertheless it does really feel like one other domino falling right here. Um, principally there’s this, um, disinformation code.

Uh, as a part of the Digital Companies Act, the DSA. Um, and, uh, uh, principally Google has argued that, uh, their present moderation instruments like SynthID watermarking and AI disclosures on YouTube are already efficient. He pointed to final 12 months’s elections as proof that Google can handle misinformation with out reality checking.

Uh, they usually confirmed their plan is to completely exit all reality checking commitments within the EU’s voluntary disinformation code earlier than it turns into obligatory beneath the DSA. Now, that is attention-grabbing. I did wish to get a second opinion on it from, from you, Thomas. Um, uh, you and I had been at a convention collectively on AI, a convention on, uh, uh, how the EU was dealing with this form of copyrighted info versus how the U.

S. was dealing with it. And so I, I do know you most likely have some ideas sort of being deeply embedded in, in this sort of, of copyrighted info because it pertains to this motion by Google. Because it pertains to what we talked a couple of couple weeks in the past with META.

Thomas: Yeah, you recognize, I feel Europe is often probably the most, um, I would say proactive or like restrictive by way of implementing these massive laws.

It finally ends up impacting what occurs in all places on this planet when, when this occurs, when Europe places some new factor in place. And that is the place we see GDPR, for instance, is a superb one. We see all these little issues that come up and say, would you like cookies? You realize, can we put cookies on it? You need to click on that button on each web site that you just go to.

And so a variety of these items that occur. Elsewhere on this planet, influence principally everybody. So I feel that is perhaps what we’re seeing right here is Google’s principally saying, nicely, you recognize, we’re not going to observe that. We’re principally going to choose out of it. And I feel for our business, you recognize, most of us are attempting our greatest to make good content material.

And perhaps some massive corporations, I am not going to call names. Uh, resolve that it isn’t good even when it’s, or we’re doing our greatest, however basically most of us are attempting to do an excellent job. And so I feel disinformation and misinformation was most likely indirectly a priority, however I do know I’ve created nice content material on YouTube, uploaded it, And bought flagged by some sort of content material filter for one thing that wasn’t in any respect current in there and simply gotten caught on this internet that is forged actually massive.

And so even should you’re doing an awesome job, you are doing all your greatest. There’s at all times that worry and it sort of holds you again the place you even like, I am considering I may give an instance of what occurred with my video and what I found out it was. However is that going to get this podcast flagged indirectly if I even say sure issues?

So I feel that is the place there’s this worry and self censorship that perhaps we do in our business when. We all know we’re going, we’re not going to run afoul of misinformation, however we’re apprehensive about getting caught within the internet. So something that sort of tones that down, that, that reality checking down, which may imply fewer false positives.

And we are able to really feel a little bit bit extra emboldened to only create the content material and, you recognize, say the issues we would like it to.

Jared: We’ll observe this because it progresses. Clearly it does have a variety of dovetails to what we do in our business. And on the similar time feels, you recognize, sort of greater stage, sort of above us, sort of political, sort of, sort of, sort of, so, you recognize, it, does it have an effect on us in some methods?

Sure. Um, nevertheless it’s info it is information. So we wish to be sure you knew about it. In all probability having to do with this type of, you recognize, the fallout from what occurred with Metta a few weeks in the past and different corporations sort of revisiting their insurance policies as nicely. So, whew, I, I, was that 5 tales? Was that six?

Oh my goodness. That was loads. Did a reasonably good job. I would say we’re like a minute over, so I am going to take the, uh, I am going to take the win there. Let’s transfer on to aspect hustles.

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Jared: thought I would focus this week on an replace on my, uh, on my calculator websites. Now I, I mentioned initially of 2025, I am like, man, we have been that includes these calculator web sites for the previous couple of years right here on the area of interest pursuits podcast, primarily on the bizarre area of interest part, and we’re at all times blown away.

By how these usually previous, antiquated, easy, full of adverts, calculator websites are getting a lot site visitors and rating with so little work being finished to them. So I wished to strive it. I wished to strive it. And so I sort of mentioned, I will do 5 this 12 months. Properly, A pair updates. First, let’s speak about calculator web site primary.

It has been dwell now on the time of recording for 14 days. Okay. And, um, uh, so I, I, I sort of blown away by how nicely it is doing with perspective for the document. So, uh, Google search console reveals that it is gotten 15 natural clicks within the final seven days. Ah, refs already has it rating for 5 key phrases, uh, and it is getting an estimated site visitors of about three and age refs.

So once more, 5 key phrases. Nice. Not a lot site visitors. Truthful sufficient. That’ll be the caveat. I record right here a little bit bit it is rating. Between quantity six, seven, and eight for its goal key phrase. Now it is a precise match area. So it is fairly simple to take a look at the area and determine what its goal key phrase is, nevertheless it’s rating quantity six, quantity seven, or quantity eight, it has been dwell for 14 days, uh, calculator web site, quantity two.

Was launched 9 days in the past, so i’ve bought two dwell now, um, google search console gsc Reveals 23 impressions, however no clicks within the final seven days So it is clearly listed. It is clearly getting impressions, nevertheless it has not gotten any site visitors but At the very least not from from natural from google now ahrefs then again Keep in mind the primary web site the location that’s getting site visitors was rating for 5 key phrases estimated site visitors of Of three, uh, 3, uh, principally 3, uh, folks monthly.

Ahrefs for this second web site. Already has it rating for 9 key phrases and getting an estimated site visitors of 20 natural visits monthly. And it is already sitting at quantity 9 for its goal key phrase. Now I might say that the second web site is concentrating on a harder key phrase than the primary web site. They’re each concentrating on key phrases that I am like, ah, you recognize, it is round a calculator matter.

They’re totally different subjects. And each of them are like, I feel they’re beatable. Proper? Like I attempted to choose. Some, some, um, some subjects that appeared just like the websites that had been rating both weren’t from sturdy domains or they had been previous websites that did not actually serve the person very nicely, however principally I am rating name it quantity six and quantity 9 for my goal search phrases.

Now that calculator mentioned quantity two, that, that, um. That focus on key phrase, it will get an estimated 600, uh, searches monthly. So it isn’t a horrible key phrase. And we all know you, you recognize, you may rank for extra than simply that one key phrase. So I suppose in abstract, I’ve gotten two of the 5 dwell and I really feel very proud of how shortly they’re rating.

Not solely getting listed, indexation alone today is tough sufficient. Um, they’re on recent domains. Um, however not solely how they’re being listed, however how they’re rating, they’re on web page one. Now the draw back is, they don’t seem to be getting a lot site visitors, let’s be clear, like, nobody’s gonna make Even a greenback at these ranges of site visitors, however we’re like one to 2 weeks in.

And I feel if we glance again at beginning web sites, I’ve began a variety of web sites through the years within the, you recognize, uh, during the last decade or so, that is actually fast for an internet site to get listed and begin getting rankings and site visitors.

Thomas: Yeah, that is lightning quick. I imply, I consider the, the sort of basic.

Google sandbox that we speak concerning the Google at all times denies it. Everyone knows it was there. It has been there takes most likely six months to 12 months to essentially begin to see a brand new area, particularly today with a content material web site, begin to rank, such as you mentioned, indexation. Processing a lot extra content material with a lot AI content material.

So indexing is slowed down. So to get a web site, not solely ranked, however getting precise site visitors, not simply displaying up any traps and getting this projected 20 that does not truly exist, however truly getting clicks in two weeks, I imply, that simply reveals not solely you clearly discovered a extremely good, uh, Space. I do not, I do not know what area of interest these websites are in, however you clearly discovered one thing good.

But in addition this actually reveals what Google’s on the lookout for today. Proper? I imply, it isn’t the content material web site. It is this type of stuff, one thing that does one thing, some software, one thing that provides the person a functionality that they can not duplicate with AI overview. So that’s superior. I imply, yeah, it isn’t so many clicks but, but when I instructed you I launched a model new content material web site and it is rating and it is getting clicks, you recognize, however any clicks in lower than two weeks.

You realize, you’d say, wow, you actually discovered one thing unbelievable, uh, to, to try this with this. And that, you recognize, one thing that sounds such as you inbuilt an, in a night, basically, that is superb.

Jared: Properly, and that, you recognize, going again a few weeks in the past, simply, you recognize, to, to, to what you mentioned, like each of those had been constructed with, um, chat GPT 01.

Um, uh, uh, uh, and I most likely may have used a code builder AI software, proper? Like, trigger they’ve these GPTs which are particularly code builders, however I simply used chat GPT, uh, the 01 mannequin to, to, to, to create the code. Um, I did customise the CSS as a result of I used to be capable of sort of look, uh, you recognize, dump the code right into a little bit of a sandbox and go, Oh, I do not actually like how that appears as a lot.

And so I used to be capable of, however I did not have to love give it particular directions. Like, you recognize, do that HTML, do that CSS. It was extra like, Hey, I need the colours to be softer. Hey, I need the buttons to be rounder. Hey. And it was capable of give me that. It solely took about, I take into consideration. An hour or much less to get that info out after which, um, simply drop it on the web site.

These are single single web page web sites. They are not fancy. They are not even WordPress builds. They’re simply HTML. Um, and so, you recognize, what is the lengthy play? Yeah. Hopefully hold getting some site visitors. Um, hopefully these websites proceed to rank for an increasing number of, uh, associated key phrases and hopefully transfer up the rankings for his or her goal key phrase.

Uh, drop some adverts on it. Um, and, uh, and perhaps go from there. I imply, clearly. You would begin to suppose a little bit bit greater, however I am not likely considering past that. However it does create a compelling use case for me to perhaps do greater than 5 this 12 months. You realize, if I can discover the subject. And yow will discover a, a, a calculator, a calculation that you just want in your every day life.

Uh, I imply, it, it is arduous to argue towards spending an hour and, you recognize, 10 on a site, uh, to place it up on shared internet hosting and simply see what occurs with it. It is fairly easy.

Thomas: Yeah. And I ponder when you get these established as these form of helpful websites, useful websites, if you’ll. Does that then unlock for you the power to develop them in additional of the normal sort of content material web site route?

As a result of I do know lots of people within the business, myself included, have seen, despite the fact that, once more, a Google function that Google denies exists, there appears to be this web site stage classifier that sort of says, this can be a area of interest content material web site. Do not give them any rankings. And if it is an e com web site, for instance, or, you recognize, a software web site like this, not solely will Google rank it for the software, however they will usually principally deal with the content material like they handled content material 4 years in the past earlier than all of the craziness occurred not too long ago.

So I ponder should you sort of get your self in good graces right here by having these calculator websites and it is a software and individuals are utilizing it as a software with that then unlock that you possibly can placed on the identical area, sort of extra your conventional. Content material and drop some adverts into that too, and begin to rank that content material.

Yeah, it actually will get my, it will get my thoughts going. Like as an alternative of what we have seen lots of people do within the house, which is take a content material web site, tack on a faux e com factor or a discussion board or one thing to attempt to revive it, you are sort of going the wrong way. You might have a legit software. Might you tack a content material web site on and monetize that?

Jared: It’s loopy to think about among the web sites I personal. Which have a variety of nice content material or we’ll name it good content material, you recognize, on it. Um, they usually’re virtually to the purpose the place we will see these software websites rank for extra key phrases fairly quickly than they at the moment rank for. It is, it is actually, it is actually attention-grabbing to your level, like the kind of web site it’s.

So, um, it is thrilling. It is cool. I suppose it is as far alongside as I may ever have hoped a pair weeks in. However, you recognize, I am not precisely, uh, I am not precisely going to retire, uh, subsequent week on this, so, it is, it is a steadiness, proper? Uh, okay, what have we bought occurring for you this weekend on this planet of aspect hustles?

Thomas: Yeah, so shortly, as a result of a number of folks wrote to me and requested, um, I am going to give a really fast replace on Toaster Man, my, uh, Extraordinarily experimental vertical video, YouTube channel. It is as much as 5, 700 views. Now, I made three extra movies. Considered one of them was learn how to hold your toaster very clear. Oh, spoiler alert, aluminum foil.

And that has gotten, I feel, 500, 600 views within the final 24 hours. I did one other one this morning. I am making pancakes. So, um, yeah, it isn’t, once more, very comparable. Not going to begin paying the payments anytime quickly, nevertheless it’s nonetheless getting traction, nonetheless getting folks visiting it. And I feel it reveals, you recognize, vertical video is once more, highly effective, however my actual one for this week, I wish to give an replace on one other mission that I shared final 12 months, which is my meals alert publication.

So for individuals who weren’t tuned in, then this can be a publication that I began fully accidentally on my principal web site, which is Bay space Telegraph. It is a native information web site and journey web site for the Bay space. Yeah. And San Francisco Bay space. And I began publishing some sort of like meals recall tales, meals, uh, sort of, you recognize, issues that occurred the place there was a meals recall, principally.

And I figured I am going to do that. I’d as nicely create a publication phase inside my principal publication. It is not a complete separate, uh, you recognize, convert package account or something like that. Only a phase and I am going to create a touchdown web page. For this meals alert publication, and I am going to drop it in on the finish of the article.

Properly, these articles began going viral, not alone web site, however on among the aggregators that I, that I labored with and I am tied into, and I, they, they’re very specific about sharing knowledge, however I am going to say, you recognize, they’re issues like. Uh, MSN and, uh, and you’ll see like sensible information, that sort of stuff. So the article began to get picked up there, despatched out to a nationwide viewers and folks began signing up for this text and, uh, it simply saved rising.

It is continued to develop. I’ve not likely finished a lot. I simply sometimes publish these tales. I am as much as 2,241 subscribers. Wow. One hundred percent natural. No effort in any respect. Typically I am going to get a day the place I am going to get like 30 or 40 new ones and I’ve no concept the place they got here from. I’ve cannot monitor it. I do not know like the place this has ended up, however some aggregator determined to floor one in all these tales and it goes get a semi viral someplace.

And I begin getting these new folks subscribing and, you recognize, you bought to determine the, this, the subscription fee right here, the convert fee have to be very low, proper? So it have to be getting tens of hundreds or a whole lot of hundreds of views to be getting, you recognize, a whole lot of subscribers, however as much as 2, 241 once more, one hundred pc natural.

And so what I’ve. So what I’ve finished to date, I hadn’t actually had any technique beginning to attempt to develop one. I am sending periodic emails out simply as a blast to this record. Mainly, after I publish a brand new story, that is about meals security or some sort of meals recall, I publish it on my web site. And I simply principally put a hyperlink into the publication and ship it out.

And that is been doing fairly nicely to date. It is at a couple of 33 % open fee, um, proper. Slightly below a couple of 7 % click on fee. And when folks click on by means of, these articles are then monetized with Mediavine, similar to on my principal web site. So it isn’t an enormous quantity of income, however you recognize, each time I ship one in all these out, it is getting some clicks and getting some extra site visitors.

And you’ll see the way it may fairly, fairly readily scale. Um, what I am doing in the meanwhile to attempt to sort of construct on it, I am establishing some sequences. To attempt to actually automate this so to do sort of like along with these bulletins the place there’s some massive meals recall or one thing occurs, you recognize, Costco’s eggs aren’t good and examine your fridge and go determine should you’ve bought on that sort of factor.

I am additionally attempting to write down extra evergreen articles. I’ve already finished a variety of meals. Yeah, a variety of meals articles, unusual meals, attention-grabbing stuff. So I began scheduling these as, um, sequence emails the place daily, should you’re a part of this record, you get, you recognize, some attention-grabbing or compelling meals associated article.

And it is issues like, I did a narrative about what’s in a Filet O Fish sandwich at McDonald’s. Uh, what the, what is the fish, you recognize, what’s, uh, truly been used there. What is the precise substances in a Costco sizzling canine. Tie into the podcast, um, and people tales have finished nicely. And so I’ve began scheduling these out and once more, they’re getting fairly strong, uh, click on throughs on that.

So I am considering if I simply schedule one per day within the sequence, each new one that will get into this, even when I am not doing any work goes to be getting these for, you recognize, 30 days, 60 days, nonetheless many days I schedule it out. And the economics, I might begin to get actually attention-grabbing. So I sort of did like some again of the serviette calculations.

I do a every day e-mail and perhaps I can bump up the clicking fee on that. If I put a number of tales in, perhaps make it a bit extra compelling, perhaps I may get 10 % even proper now, meaning I am getting perhaps 225 clicks per day. I bought a couple of 38 RPM on these tales. In order that’s like, you recognize, eight bucks a day, one thing like that.

Virtually 250 bucks a month. Um, so if I simply hold scaling that, perhaps I ought to, you recognize, purchase a subscriber. Ought to I do Fb adverts? I am unsure precisely learn how to, learn how to get extra folks in, however I am considering if I schedule these out, it’s very automated. And if I can simply develop that record a little bit bit, you recognize, this might truly change into a viable site visitors supply for my web site.

Jared: It is attention-grabbing to consider as nicely. Like if we return to what bought you these subscribers within the first place, it was writing these articles. That bought aggregated like I am additionally questioning if like one of the simplest ways to develop this text is simply to maintain writing these articles After which once you write these articles, they are often despatched to the publication, proper?

So you may virtually double dip by writing articles on subjects that your present publication would admire And like, and in addition would offer you, we’ll simply say extra irons within the fireplace for a web site to get picked, uh, uh, story to get picked up by an aggregator, go viral and get you extra subscribers within the course of.

Thomas: And it is even higher as a result of in the event that they’re ever inexperienced, I can write the article, get new subscribers from it, after which add it to the sequence. After which each, each new subscriber from then to eternally who indicators up goes to get that article within the sequence sooner or later, so long as they keep subscribed. So that you’re virtually not solely, yeah, getting your subscribers without cost, however you are constructing this little flywheel the place, you recognize, if I write one in all these a day.

And I do it for 100 days, I may cease and all these individuals are going to maintain getting these, or, you recognize, each new subscriber goes to be value an increasing number of to me as a result of they’ve extra emails they’re getting the place I haven’t got to raise a finger. So yeah, I feel, and I am most likely simply going to maintain doing this organically, however I am simply going to attempt to automate the content material as a lot as I can.

Jared: I feel it is nice. And I feel it is proof like, um, you are not attempting to signify your self as an skilled, however you may create one thing. Uh, round a subject. You are not an skilled in, you recognize, you do not have to essentially be an skilled in it. I’ll surprise. I ponder you. I’ve gotten to know you through the years.

You are only a naturally curious man. And I feel that side of your character implies that you are most likely going to have the ability to have an interest on this matter rather more than the common individual. I do surprise. About how attention-grabbing, you recognize, meals security is to you. And if that would find yourself being the explanation why you would possibly cease listening to this matter, however exterior of that, prefer it’s proof that you just actually can create a group and create a publication and create an expertise round one thing.

You are not an skilled in.

Thomas: Yeah. I imply, I am beginning to suppose, okay, this mannequin appears to work with this particular. Actually random kind of content material, however yeah, it isn’t, it isn’t so, it isn’t so attention-grabbing to sit down down and write, you recognize, 500 phrase piece about these are the eggs. That is the college to examine. That is, you recognize, all that sort of stuff.

It is not so enjoyable, however I am considering, is there one other matter that my web site ranks weirdly nicely for and will get weirdly, you recognize, massive quantities of site visitors over that? Yeah, I am truly all in favour of so one which stood out to me, and I am very early phases contemplating that is Starbucks. I’ve talked about this earlier than. My web site for some cause is outwardly an authority on Starbucks.

I get a variety of site visitors. If I write about Starbucks stuff, I like going to Starbucks appears to have a passionate group round it. I’ve seen this do nicely for different sort of massive manufacturers that folks like I shared final week concerning the, you recognize, what’s good at Dealer Joe’s web site. So I am considering, may I do one thing comparable the place I actually have a Fb web page, drive site visitors there, assessment new Starbucks stuff, get folks right into a publication, it is already doing nicely on the location, it is already stuff I am writing about, yeah, it will get my, it will get my wheel spinning like.

Yeah, perhaps not meals security in the long term, however may I take the identical mannequin, automated content material, natural publication development, and apply it to one thing the place I may see myself writing about it for an additional 5 years or no matter.

Jared: Uh, and we all know that you’d, you’d promptly drive right down to your native Starbucks to get the, uh, eye within the sky view of no matter you are speaking about.

Um, uh, referencing podcasts the place you’ve got truly gone and validated the, uh, McDonald’s, uh, ice cream machine and, uh, and such issues. So, uh, okay, nicely, uh, these are nice updates. I personally misplaced myself for a minute or two when you’re speaking, wanting over your toaster man. YouTube channel right here, and um, so I simply, I feel it is so fascinating, so attention-grabbing.

Um, yeah, you will have a video that is gotten over a thousand views now. Um, uh, so I feel it is nice. And I actually wish to watch the one that you’ve right here, Is it truly dangerous to stay a fork in a toaster? Inform me you truly demonstrated that dwell.

Thomas: I didn’t but, however folks had been very offended that it was simply sort of a scientific piece.

So I am considering I may need to do it, however I do not know learn how to do it safely. Hopefully, I imply, I may, I may double dip. It may find yourself being a cautionary story to share with the Meals Alert publication as nicely.

Jared: Proper. I can see, I can see some crossover right here, should you see what I am getting at between these two aspect hustles.

Anyhow. Anyhow. Uh, okay. Let’s get into bizarre niches. Um, I simply noticed that from the highest of yours and I am like, Oh my goodness. I do not know the place you provide you with these generally. Uh, mine’s a little bit little bit of a, I do not know, it is, it is, it is a, it is a very bizarre matter. Um, I believed it was enjoyable. Uh, I am going to share the backstory on it.

Um, let me pull it up right here after which I am going to share the, should you’re watching, you may see it, however should you’re not, I am going to provide the web site. Um, I am not going to learn you the URL as a result of it is, it is, it is like a authorities web site. So it isn’t a bizarre area of interest web site within the vein of, Hey, exit and begin this. Though, though it does, it does beg some questions right here, however it’s a very attention-grabbing web site and it is a drip calculator.

So I am on a complete calculator factor. So I felt, I sort of felt like I needed to go to the calculator web site right here and it is, um, it is beneath this vein of water science actions and it is by means of, um, the USGS. I do not know what that’s. I ought to’ve appeared it up, nevertheless it’s water. usgs. gov. So it is a authorities web site.

Um, and it is, it is this attention-grabbing factor, how a lot water does a leaking faucet waste? Now, I’ve usually considered this as a result of I am sort of, um, like, I do not like losing stuff. So, each time there’s been a leaky faucet, I’ve at all times come at it from the standpoint of, like, we’re losing water. Um, not from the standpo Level of like, how a lot are we losing or how a lot is that going to value me or how a lot I simply wish to get it fastened.

Trigger I do not like losing stuff. I hate throwing meals away if it, if it goes dangerous, however I believed this was actually attention-grabbing as a result of it actually tackles that query, you recognize? So it begins by saying there is no scientific definition of the amount of a faucet drip, however after measuring numerous kitchen and toilet sink taps for our calculations under, we will use 1 / 4 of a millimeter.

As the amount of a faucet drip and by these drip estimates, uh, 15, 140 drips equals one gallon. this fashion, it looks like that drop of water within the drain is fairly insignificant. Nevertheless, use the shape or calculator under to see how all these drops flowing in actual time can add as much as a flood. So it sort of provides us a few prompts.

There’s three drop downs right here. First off, and so Thomas, let’s do that dwell. I will, I will put it within the ball in your court docket. Be at liberty to go massive if you would like, you recognize, for For dramatic, uh, impact right here, however let’s speak primary, um, concerning the variety of drips per minute that you just suppose mentioned leaky faucet is, uh, uh, uh, is, is, is dripping at.

Thomas: I would say 30. Yeah. Drip each two seconds. In order that’s like

Jared: drip,

Thomas: drip, drip, one thing like that. You would not repair it. You would not hassle to repair it if it was doing that. Yeah.

Jared: It is annoying. Proper. However it’s like, do I actually wish to carve out the time to repair that? Okay. So we have got 30 drips per minute. Good. Now let’s speak concerning the variety of taps on common in every dwelling that you just suppose are doing this.

Now, once more, you would possibly simply say, Just one leaky faucet or perhaps say two leaky taps. Uh, perhaps you wish to go massive, they provide the choice of 1 to 5.

Thomas: Gotcha. Okay. I will go together with 4 taps. I am considering Bay Space, my demographic, you recognize, considering of the viewers I usually goal.

Jared: Okay. Let’s keep on with the Bay Space.

What number of houses do you wish to go for which have these, um, these leaky taps? And we’ll say perhaps within the Bay Space. Your, your dropdown right here provides you the selection of 1 all the best way as much as 1,000,000 houses.

Thomas: Okay. So my sort of audience is 980, 000 folks. That is the East Bay space that I cowl. So let’s go together with that.

All people in my whole adjustable viewers for my publication, uh, we’re, we’re to have a leaky faucet.

Jared: Okay. So we bought a million houses with 4 leaky taps every at 30 drips per minute. And if I hit the button right here, that’s, ah, my goodness, over 172 billion drips per day. Do I’ve that proper? Um, I feel I do, which accounts for 11 million gallons of water per day.

And 4 trillion gallons per 12 months. Once more, I feel I am studying these numbers, proper?

Thomas: That is loopy. Yeah. You realize, I like like once you initially shared this, I believed this was a web site that had some sensible goal in your personal, such as you had been saying, you recognize, determine how a lot your leaky faucet is costing you.

So, you recognize, you must repair it. However no, that is simply displaying you the theoretical leaky taps throughout a big inhabitants. I do not know what, what goal this might serve. Like, what does this web site exist to do? Okay, that is a terrifyingly great amount of water, however what am I purported to do? Go door to door and persuade my neighbors to repair their faucet?

Jared: Yeah, I imply, should you, should you have a look at the sidebar right here, proper? Like, um, you recognize, the problem questions is what this falls beneath. How a lot water falls throughout a storm? How a lot water does a dripping faucet waste? How a lot water does it take to develop a hamburger? I feel there’s I imply, speak about bizarre niches, uh, we may do a phase on every of these proper there.

Um, you recognize, it clearly is addressing like from a higher perspective, water scarcity, water cycles, you recognize, all these kinds of issues. And I feel it is simply a kind of issues that is meant to get you to consider it. You realize, um, I simply bought again from being out in nature for just a few days and it is actually arduous to explain to somebody the grandeur of a few of these locations till you go there and then you definately discover it is like, You continue to cannot describe it, nevertheless it means one thing extra once you’re there and I sort of really feel like to some extent A web site like that is sort of meant to place in perspective, like your leaky faucet won’t matter in a vacuum, however the reality is in case you have a leaky faucet, you are not addressing it.

So are so many others. And what does that imply for the bigger scope of water and that form of factor? However, um, I imply, any utility folks may have from this? Uh, I imply, I do not know. I do not, I do not get up within the morning. considering I bought an issue that I want a solution to by way of calculating how a lot water loss I’ve.

However on the similar time, it is fascinating to consider if they might construct that, and it is a quite simple calculator. I imply, what different, what may different folks do?

Thomas: Yeah, I consider this in a faculty context, you recognize, a part of a science curriculum or one thing like that. And I feel that is an vital factor should you’re considering of calculators.

I imply, you most likely are after listening to your early outcomes, individuals are most likely occupied with that. What may I construct? It may very well be one thing that solves a sensible enterprise associated drawback. However these sorts of academic calculators. I see that, I see folks use that on a regular basis, and I feel should you may create one thing {that a} bunch of scholars are going to make use of, or a instructor would possibly wish to use, or many academics would possibly wish to use of their curriculum, that would get substantial site visitors too, and which may not present up in a key phrase analysis software, as a result of folks won’t be placing it into Google, it’d simply be one thing that academics learn about, or, you recognize, put of their lesson plan, or no matter, so, yeah, it will get me considering, okay, that is extra of an academic factor, displaying you some details about this water science matter, Are there different sort of academic calculators you possibly can construct the place you won’t have a lot competitors?

Jared: Yeah, we featured a bizarre area of interest many many months again. I feel was hold the rating or one thing It was a calculator web site that was round scorekeeping, proper? And I feel we discovered a variety of academics had been utilizing it, you recognize, and it was being utilized in a variety of college techniques So good level. Okay, let’s transfer on to your bizarre.

It doesn’t should do with water to be clear I do not there’s any water connection ours aren’t related this week. I am going to pull it up on display when you speak about it

Thomas: So that is I do not even know learn how to appropriately pronounce it. The area is ozbcoz, O Z B C O Z. Um, you may see that the design of it is vitally, it is like 2007 WordPress, you recognize, inventory theme.

The title of the location is Jim’s Ukulele Songbook, due to course it’s, that flows from that area. Clearly, Oz As a result of could be Jim’s Ukulele Guitar Songbook. Um, however that is principally the most effective web site for ukulele tabs, that are the chords that you will play if you wish to play a preferred music in your ukulele.

And I play the ukulele. And I found this as a result of they’ve the most effective tabs. So that you go there and should you go and click on into songs, once more, the interface right here is, um, leaves loads to be desired. You’ll be able to pull up all of those in style songs.

Jared: And

Thomas: presumably Jim, uh, has gone by means of and principally listed out the chords and written every thing out for credible numbers.

Enormous database. Of songs, principally like every thing possible previous folks songs and basic songs all the best way as much as he’ll do fashionable songs from sort of modern artists. I do not know if he is bought assist or individuals are submitting issues right here, nevertheless it’s bought to be hundreds of songs. You would not comprehend it in any respect.

When you land that within the demand, most individuals are most likely discovering this by means of search. And it does get a reasonably substantial quantity of search site visitors. So most likely I checked out Ahrefs it is getting, they are saying about 49, 000 natural. So I suppose it is most likely loads greater than that. Um, yeah, it is, it seems like 47 as we’re it right here.

My guess is it is most likely greater. It is a DR 39. However I checked out SimilarWeb, they usually had been estimating one thing on the order of 300, 000 visits monthly. And that is sensible, as a result of you have to think about a variety of it is social, and a variety of direct site visitors. I imply, I do know if I will search for a brand new ukulele music to play, that is the primary place I am going.

I will put in that bizarre area, and I will land right here, and discover, you recognize, the most effective tabs to have the ability to play on my ukulele. So I feel the issues I take away from this, I imply, for one factor, should you’re doing one thing actually helpful, the area does not essentially matter in any respect. Like I do not know what the area is.

And you’ll see, you recognize, it is monetized with adverts is a PayPal donation type. Visitors, I feel has been, um, pretty, pretty constant. It noticed a bump, it noticed a decline, however I feel it is total been doing fairly nicely. Yeah. When you have a look at the general graph, it was up greater in 2023. It had a little bit of a fall, nevertheless it’s nonetheless in the long term, uh, fairly, fairly considerably, and I feel simply by doing one thing very well, you recognize, is whoever this health club is.

Do not understand how he is creating all this content material, however he is doing nice.

Jared: I imply it appears like So I simply was wanting right here and should you hover over the drop down it seems like there’s over 4 000 songs Um, it felt greater to be sincere with you, however I imply, it is simply there’s so many it is arduous to know meaning he’s Such as you mentioned, uh, documented the tabs for over 4, 000 songs on the ukulele.

That is completely a ton of labor.

Thomas: Yeah. And should you click on into any of them, it is bought all of the lyrics. It is bought your chords. It is bought some very nice options the place should you hover over a chord, it will present you the, uh, you recognize, learn how to play it principally. So it is tremendous useful and it is the design is simply so rudimentary, however I feel it is a good instance of a state of affairs the place design and branding do not matter in any respect.

If what you are doing is genuinely, genuinely useful, most likely does not have to fret about. Rating a variety of these things simply because it’s tremendous helpful and folks most likely spend a ton of time on the location. I imply, I take into consideration if I will be taught a brand new music, I am going to pull the location up. I may need it up for 45 minutes on my cellphone.

So I think about that the time on web page right here is simply astronomical.

Jared: Yeah. You realize, he is bought a login up right here too. I ponder what that have is like. I ponder if perhaps he is, I do not know. Do you get, um, is he getting, is he crowdsourcing a little bit of this, perhaps getting some assist from individuals who, who volunteer and donate music chords, uh, Tabs.

I am not a musician, as you may inform. Um, I am curious, uh, uh, what that, what that appears like.

Thomas: Yeah. I, perhaps there’s some sort of, uh, submission or he is getting from different locations and there is, there’s all types of different options. There’s, you may principally begin at scrolling mechanically. So you may sort of play alongside with out having to, uh, contact the cellphone to scroll.

It is bought YouTube movies of individuals taking part in these songs on the ukulele. Plenty of the instances you may undergo and see instance of some, anyone, uh, you recognize, taking part in very well. And a variety of the stuff that’s, uh, rating are simply the names of those songs, principally. So he is rating for some fairly massive music names, particularly once you have a look at, um, you recognize, sort of, uh, like conventional or songs that folks would possibly play a ton of.

I see Jingle Bell Rock ukulele in there, for instance, you recognize, all this type of stuff. It is yeah, he is most likely doing tremendous nicely of simply so many songs. And rating for these massive key phrases that individuals are placing in. And it is most likely bringing in individuals who aren’t even ukulele gamers. Plenty of these appear to have a guitar model.

And that appears to be doing even higher.

Jared: Properly, I used to be going to say, and I am not a musician. I am simply, I do not, I do not really feel just like the crossover between ukulele and guitar was there. They’re each a strumming instrument of kinds. However a few issues to notice by wanting on the key phrases he ranks once they’re on display right here is that The overwhelming majority of them would not have the phrase ukulele in them.

They’re simply extra generic chords. And it is virtually like he is finished such an excellent job making one thing that he ranks for the bigger matter. Proper. Um, uh, they usually’re, they’re all music names, uh, uh, like by no means going to offer you up chords, jingle bell rock, ukulele, however New York, New York chords. And so, uh, these are bigger search queries, you recognize, round a thousand per search question, uh, per a thousand, uh, uh, monthly sort of factor.

So. Um, it is virtually such as you mentioned, he is, he is finished so nicely that he ranks for the sort of these, perhaps these broader phrases that his web site is, is doing an excellent job of satisfying the person for.

Thomas: Yeah. Sadly, there’s many extra guitar gamers than us ukulele gamers on the market. So I can think about that, yeah, should you do an excellent job and there may be undoubtedly crossover, however I feel, um, it reveals, yeah.

When you do an awesome job of 1 factor, it is like, he sort of used the ukulele to get in, get his foot within the door basically. And now he is rating for one thing that is going to get a ton extra site visitors. And I additionally like that he has monetized, proper? Like I feel we see a variety of these websites which are ardour mission and folks do an awesome job, however they don’t seem to be doing something to monetize.

And this has fairly good advert monetization. And it seems prefer it’s fairly deliberate. The adverts are positioned in nice positioning, however the place they do not mess, mess with the content material. He is bought a donation type entrance and heart. He is clearly attempting to make some cash off of this and I wager it is doing very well for him.

Jared: Nice, nice web site to function. Um, and a great way to shut out, uh, tons occurring as we speak. And this week within the information, uh, we talked about tick speak and we’ll hold you posted that story. We, there’s a lot within the information. We did not get an opportunity to speak about Reddit and among the fallout from final week. We’ll.

I will say most likely handle that subsequent week. I do not wish to assure it. Who is aware of what is going on to occur within the information. It’d get pushed down one other week, prefer it did this week, however we’ll attempt to convey, attempt to convey Reddit again subsequent week and speak about the place they are going there. Uh, uh, total although, all people have an awesome weekend and we’ll see you once more.

Similar time, similar place subsequent week for the information. See ya.