April Reading Recs: Storytelling, Data Visualization Tools and TikTok

Is it better to work 25, 50 or 75 hours each week?

This is a trick question.

We’re conditioned to think that working more hours is better. Some even brag about how many hours they work. You can’t go onto Instagram or LinkedIn without seeing a bunch of #HustlePorn, or its close cousin, #StrugglePorn posts.

Yet, the more someone finds the need to brag about how many hours they are working, the more it is a sign that something is broken.

It is not about how many hours you work. Instead, it is about what you are doing in the time that you are working.

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Here are five things that I thought were worth sharing this month.

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Just For Fun

In other news, I recently rediscovered TikTok, which acquired Musical.ly. This social media app is interesting for several reasons including:

– It was the most downloaded app in 2018.
– It is the first Chinese app to gain mass appeal outside China.
– It is the first true video social media app.
– It is becoming more mainstream, and is starting to attract adults. In particular, there are a lot of police officers, firefighters, paramedics, nurses and U.S. military folks using the app. While it is still way too early to see if this app sticks, it worth checking it out for the awesomeness that are animal TikTok videos.

An earlier version of this post went out to my email subscribers. If you want to get first dibs on what I’m reading and the occasional update (I never send more than 2 emails per month), sign up here.

Jessica Malnik works with B2B SaaS and professional service firms to build marketing moat that compound over time using her signature content framework. As both a strategist and executor, she helps clients develop strategic content marketing roadmaps, scale content production, and provide guidance on campaigns and individual pieces.
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