2016

Vlog 007: The Mountains in the Summer

7/12/16

Family Weekend Getaway in the Mountains

youtu.be/_Z49bMpov…

Vlog 006: Summer Street Food Festival

7/6/16

This weekend summed up in 4 words: Friends, Festival, Food, Football!

youtu.be/yHDDPUMyF…

More videos and adventures on my Youtube Channel

Vlog 005: A visit to the Exotic Gardens of Eze

7/5/16

We went to Eze this past sunday. It’s a charming medieval village on the French Riviera. Its unique Exotic Gardens sit on top of the Mediterranean Sea.

youtu.be/Zu7C98cEC…

Vlog 004: Brexit Explained

6/28/16

My personal take on the big Brexit decision… I was heartbroken that day!

youtu.be/96kNJLHtn…

Vlog 003: Summer Life on the French Riviera

6/27/16

Concerts, Friends, Work, Life and more!

youtu.be/a880C4D4p…

Reflecting on my first year as a Freelancer

6/22/16

This past year has been a wild ride, to say the least. In May last year, I finished working for Realmac and started working as a contractor for a low-key B2B SaaS company.

Officially, I’m working like an employee, working the whole week on behalf of this one of a kind small business. They’ve been around since 1991, as old as I am, which is something to celebrate in this fast industry. And they cater to a very specific niche: offering a desktop software licensing & analytics solution for ISVs (independent software developers).

I’ve learnt a lot in this past year, and in the past few months, I’ve even managed to find the time and discipline to take on more client work and work on new projects.

projects

As a contractor, my #1 problem is: What happens if Primary Client is unhappy about my work? The answer is simple: I will need to find a new opportunity very very fast. Of course, living in Western Europe, there’s always plan Z: being unemployed for a couple of months until I figure things out, but I’m proud to have avoided any form of unemployment so far and would like to keep it that way.

To try and bypass this, I’m trying to save a little bit of money every month, as a safety net. At this point in time, let me tell you that the net is not nearly as comfortable as I’d hope it would be. Then again, I don’t think one would ever be satisfied about the size of a financial safety net.

Thankfully, I already have a few things going for me: I don’t have any debt, I’m able to pay my bills, and I’m slowly trying to get more money and experience from side-projects, missions, and other client work.

But this is not enough: I won’t always be in good health, or working for this client. And as someone who’s very pragmatic, I know that if I continue working as a freelancer, there likely will be some hard times where I won’t have either work OR an income. Thankfully, this is a risk I’ve acknowledged from Day One and I’m working on a generic roadmap, setting things up to try and avoid the downfall of freelancing.

Processed with VSCOcam with lv02 preset

So, at the time of writing this article, here are my short, mid-, and long-term plans:

Short term:

I’m continuing to work for the B2B company. It provides me with a lot of responsibilities, and I’m still learning a lot. It pays me moderately well, enough to afford to pay the rent and bills.

Mid-term:

I want to take on more client work. I’ve come to realise that for sole-traders such as myself, there’s a wealth of opportunities offering marketing services to smaller companies. The hard part is landing those early gigs.

Originally, I was thinking about working with local businesses: they clearly don’t have the money to afford a new website designed by a marketing agency, and they don’t have the time to spend on marketing campaign, social media, ads, SEO and all of these different topics. But maybe I could handle it for them, for a smaller fee. However, I’ve come to realise that most of the time, they aren’t willing to spend the money on those services, even at a discount compared to industry standards. And most of them are looking for an old-school “webmaster” to manage everything for them. My goal was to teach them how to manage their ecommerce websites or social media presence, not make a commitment for months (or worse, years to come.) It didn’t work out for me, but I have other things I can find and do.

In the short term, I have found some new clients that require my services, for completely different things that I handle day-to-day with the Primary Client. This helps me diversify my income, which is the single biggest threat to my existing working life.

Oh, and if you need some help with your website, marketing, or customers support, get in touch!

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Long-term:

That’s a very good question.

I’m trying to build an audience for my podcast, and I’d like that to start making a little bit of money on the side. It doesn’t have to be my full-time job, but I love having and sharing these conversation for the Digital Digest podcast, and I love hearing what people think about these interviews. My dream would be to have a financial complement, at the very least, if not relying on podcasting as a business.

I know it’s a long shot, but with patience, continued efforts, and good content, I’m confident that I can make it. It just might take a couple of years, and I’m OK with that: I knew it coming in, and, as Josh Long would say: “for every overnight success, there’s 10 years behind that.” I’m hoping that learning from the best helps me accelerate my learning process and avoid a few mistakes along the way.

For the rest, I really like the freedom that comes by being a location-independent freelancer. And I truly think that the what has been the hardest part so far, is now behind me: finding new clients and projects to work on. For the rest, I’m hoping to follow in the footsteps of my other independent friends (like Adam, Greg, Axelle and Paul) and trust that my passion, reputation, network and current gigs are enough to help me find some new work in the future.

And there you have it, a not-so-certain 5-year plan that could change today or tomorrow. Times are a-changin', hey?

Vlog 002: Rainy Weekend and Epic Coffee Fail

6/20/16

The second of my irregular vlogs brings the tale of a lazy rainy weekend, and some misadventures around town.

youtu.be/pdsabNrGf…

Allez Les Bleus —Something is in the air!

6/19/16

About 18 years ago, something incredible happened in France. It was in between the months of June and July 1998. Our team won the FIFA World Cup. Two years later, during the Euro, France won again, being the time ever that a team would win both titles back to back.

During this time, I was 7-9 then, you could really feel the excitement of young kids in school. This coincided with the time that we moved from the suburbs of Paris to the South of France. But nearly a thousand kilometres apart, the excitement was just as strong. The love that our people developed for the sport, the national team, and the local clubs was incredible. During that time period, our champions had given us so much hope, so much joy, and for a time, we felt on top of the world.

Ask anyone in France what Gloria Gaynor’s “I Will Survive” song represent to them, and if they were born before 1994, it’s likely that they’ll tell you about the ’98 World Cup.

youtu.be/nIvVXz-qE…

I felt the same type of reaction amongst my peers, but on a lower scale, back in 2007 when France hosted the Rugby World Cup. On a lower scale still, as Football is still the dominant sport here in France, by far. But since 2007, more and more people have started to follow rugby, partially as an attraction to the sport, and partly as a reaction to the bad culture that has been around football too.

See, when a rugbyman gets pushed down, he goes back up immediately. When football players hit the ground, they tend to dive and look for a foul, possibly a yellow or red card against the person who touched them. For a lot of people, myself included, this has become unbearable. The corruption around the sport, the ego of some of the massively overpaid superstars, the lack of humility, it all started feeling dishonest for me, and that’s why I’ve only kept in touch with big international competitions.

But this year, something is in the air, something I haven’t felt since 1998. This year, France is hosting the 2016 UEFA tournament, the “European Cup”. The team has slowly been renewed since 2014, with a lot of fresh blood, exciting talented players, and a new coach. And despite some controversies around the team and the staff, there remains an excitement in the air.

I haven’t felt this excited about football since 1998. I haven’t felt so proud and hopeful about this new French team in many years. And I hope that we win this competition, but even if we don’t, I hope that this team delivers and that they give it all that they’ve got.

It’s hard to host a competition and be on the opening match. No matter the discipline, there’s an immeasurable amount of pressure on the local team to win the first game, and to continue getting better, stronger, and to some extent, our 2-1 victory over Romania has been a huge relief.

But the most important, whether we win this year or not, is that this team learns to work well together. Because we can’t wait another 18 years to inspire our youth and our people. Allez Les Bleus, on est tous avec vous!

#Fiersdetrebleus

Vlog 001: Scary Football

6/17/16

Officially the first video in a series of …I guess you could call it irregular Vlogs?

youtu.be/gLPZWEa8m…

"The End of the Apple Man"

6/15/16

Katie Notopoulos for BuzzFeed:

"For women, safety while walking down the street is something we think about pretty much daily, most times we leave the house."

What I found most impressive during the keynote, behind feature updates and announcements, was Apple’s true commitment to diversity.

Between a very diverse keynote (4 women on stage, 3 people of color, and the incredible Bozoma St John - whom everyone is asking to see in upcoming keynotes), and features dedicated to security and to users with disabilities, it feels clear to me that no other company really tries to help their end-users who happen to be outside of the stereotypical Silicon Valley White Man.

Image courtesy of Wired ≠

Digital Digest | Eamonn Carey - Season 01 Episode 05

5/19/16

A chat with Eamonn Carey, Entrepreneur in Residence at Techstars. We discuss startups, technology hubs around the world, VC funding, The Bubble™… And what the hell is an Entrepreneur-in-Residence anyway?!

https://simplecast.com/e/36876?style=large

About Eamonn

Show notes

 

Digital Digest

Subscribe to the Digital Digest podcast via:

Also available on:

Finally, if you’d like to help:

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Amazing Chill Vol. 01

5/17/16

I’ve been meaning to do a bit more on the music front, so here’s a very special something I’ve cooked up overnight: a relaxing mix I’ve pulled out of some old Soundcloud favourites!

[mixcloud www.mixcloud.com/tibz/tibz… width=100% height=300 light=1]

 

Tracklist:

Blogging in 2016

5/9/16

My friend Adam Tinworth (of One Man & His Blog fame) has launched a more personal blog, called Coffee and Complexity, powered by Ghost.

As I had missed out on the launch of his new blog, I’ve decided to read the articles he had posted until now, including this one :

“I do NOT miss this aspect of blogging.”
A screenshot from Coffee and Complexity

One of the many reasons I’ve moved to Wordpress nowadays, boils down to a couple of things including the FTP technicality.

Tibz Approved
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PS: Someone remind me to clean my list of followed websites and blogs, in my RSS Feed please!

The Musical Internet time-sink

5/6/16

I want to talk about music today. Looking for 5 recommendations? Read on!

TL;DR:

Listen to the latest releases from these 5 talented artists:

The long story of how I got sucked in to Spotify

Recently, I’ve been listening to a lot more music, bringing the ratio of music-to-podcast back to a healthy 50%.

I needed something to work along to, and since re-reading this article, I figured, why not listen to something hard, heavy and filthy: Skrillex. Beats1 has actually given Skrillex his own show, called “OWSLA Radio”, after his own label. So I caught up on recent episodes here on Mixcloud:

[mixcloud www.mixcloud.com/PAUL_DI/o… width=100% height=400 light=1]

At some point in this sixth episode, Skrillex & co started shouting someone’s name: “Bibiii”. This part of the episode kinda stayed with me. So, earlier today, when I browsed through I-D’s website and saw a video feature about the lady in question, I decided to check it out.

Turns out that Bibi is actually a songwriter who’s written Rihanna’s “Bitch Better Have My Money”. And one of the background tracks in the video is from her. Something I had heard before but hadn’t had the chance to identify the singer at the time. I started listening to her on Spotify. She’s actually released her debut EP “Free The Real (Pt. #1)” today!

But her story also reminded me of another artist I really like: Jon Bellion. Jon is the songwriter behind Eminem’s 2013 hit “The Monster” (featuring …Rihanna, again). It even got him a Grammy.

youtu.be/EHkozMIXZ…

 

So then, I started adding Jon Bellion to my Spotify Listening Queue. I’ve been a fan of his for a couple of years now and can’t wait for his first studio album (“The Human Condition” —out June 10th.) I really like Jon’s style, and have so much respect for him because he’s able to write, sing, produce and record all on his own. He’s just ridiculously talented.

And then I looked over on Hypebeast Music, one of my favourite websites to keep up with music, only to realise that 3 albums that I expected had dropped.

  1. Kaytranada’s debut album “99.9%”
  2. James Blake’s new LP “The Colour in Anything”
  3. and on a more gangsta-related note, Skepta’s latest album “Konnichiwa”
Kaytranada

This album is SO GOOD! Kaytra is an incredibly talented beat maker and producer based out of Montreal. I’ve discovered him via Soulection’s iconic radio shows and I was so excited about his debut LP. And the man delivered!

This is a great album that will get you to jump, dance, vibe, and enjoy! And a possibly the album to play all summer long!

https://open.spotify.com/album/1dZZh7PvVgce1DDsDPzy8Z

 

James Blake

Like his previous albums, James Blake delivered a very ambiant and melancholic album. I love this type of music and this really did it for me. I feel like it’s gonna be on repeat all autumn/winter-long. It’s the kind of music you listen to on repeat on a rainy day, when the sky is grey and your mood is clearly meh.

But just like everything Blake touches, it’s really well produced. And I’ve absolutely loved “I need Forest Fire”, featuring… BON IVER (!!!)

At 17 tracks for a total of 76mn, it’s a long one, but definitely worth your while.

open.spotify.com/album/3W6…

 

Skepta

And finally, the return of the king of grime. I’m not too familiar with grime or with Skepta in general, but there’s been a lot of hype for this album, and around Skepta and grime in general, so it was very interesting for me to indulge in this artist’s world.

Wanna go full circle? Skepta is actually the brother of Julie Adenuga, one of the hosts of… Apple’s Beats 1 Radio.

https://open.spotify.com/album/2yegc4SUhhXxUXUavLHUqL

 

So there it is, the end of yet another busy week, with my musical recommendations:

No one kept Prince from a party.

4/27/16

Since the announcement of Prince’s passing, I’ve finally taken the time to educate myself and listen to his music, trying to learn from the different records he’s put out over the past 40 years.

Prince was an artist who’s transcended music: he was moving across other arts, has influenced the world of fashion, and was so influential that he’s amongst the handful of human beings that have done more for the acceptance of others, regardless of their identities, gender and sexuality, than most politicians, regulators, or even artists.

But coming back to the music, I was impressed to learn that he simply knew everything about music: creating and playing, of course, but also all of the technical aspects that go into making and publishing a record. Legend has it that he showed up to a Music Studio as a teenage musician, and impressed the owner so much that the latter gave him a job working some of the machines (remember this is the 80’s, we take it for granted that one could potentially create, produce and release an entire album from a computer or an iPad nowadays.)

I’ve done a lot of reading over the past week or so, adding articles from the New York Times, Pitchfork, the New Yorker, Rolling Stones, The Atlantic, and many others, on to my Instapaper queue. However the piece that’s actually done the best job at explaining who Prince was as an artist was probably the personal one written by Michael Oates-Palmer for Vox.com

I remember being again stunned by his guitar playing. He was so good at everything else — singing, songwriting, dancing, being his crazy self — that we so rarely talk about how phenomenal a guitar player he was.

That second part of the quote also hits the spot:

Think of that: probably the fourth skill in his toolbox, and he was one of the 10 greatest guitar players of all time. One of the only ones of the last 30 years where even if you hear just three-seconds of a lick, you instantly know it's him.

Properly listening and discovering Prince, I’ve come to realise that what I had in mind when thinking of “crazy 80’s guitar solo” was actually Prince. 80’s trademark sounds: Prince. Some of the biggest hits in the history of pop music? Yep: Prince too!

Between the deaths of Prince and David Bowie, 2016 has left a giant gap by taking away two seemingly immortal legends responsible for some of the best party anthems we’ve ever heard, at a time when the love and partying would be much appreciated. Like Bowie, Prince will be sorely missed, however I’m grateful to live in a day an age where it’s so easy to discover so much about these artists. Time to educate myself.

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Digital Digest | Josh Long - Season 01 Episode 04

4/20/16

My guest today is Josh Long, a designer by trade, but also a philosopher & entrepreneur in the real sense of the word.

https://simplecast.com/e/34901?style=large

About Josh:

Show Notes:

Podcast Recommandations

Inspiration

Digital Digest

Subscribe to the Digital Digest podcast via:

Also available on:

Finally, if you’d like to help:

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Let's talk about money...

4/16/16

As someone who’s working a lot in Customer Support, I have a handful of industry-resources I’m pretty open to read and catch-up on trends, etc…

In the latest email from We Support NYC, I came across this link, comparing average industry salaries.

Before I dive in, keep in mind that I’m technically a freelancer, contractor working remotely for a US-based company. I’ve worked in the industry since 2011, so I technically have 5 years behind me.

As pointed out by the post itself:

5 interesting facts about compensations in support

  • The median annual salary raise is 7%.

  • Your salary will increase by $10,000 raise after 3 years in support.

  • The gender inequality is still there. Women are paid 5.8% less than men.

  • Support people in the US make 40% more than in Western Europe

  • Working remote or having a technical background doesn't impact your salary.

Now, when I look at this number, considering the amount of work I undertake and other different factors I take into account. What's sad is that it doesn't there's a difference of about $20k going against me, compared with industry standards.

The golden rule of freelancing is that you should technically earn more than someone on a full-time job (about 20% or so I’ve heard), since you technically have more risks and taxes to balance with your work and professional services.

So I’m actually way under the standard, which bugs me a bit. Not so much the whole “comparing with others”, but more so knowing that I could earn so much more than I do now and that this higher income would help me move to a less risky situation.

Though I’ve been aware of this for a while and have already set in motion a few things that should help me. More on that really soon!

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About the new Kindle Oasis

4/15/16

This new Kindle looks great! I’m part of the minority of people loving this new slim industrial design. But at $289/289€/£269 , this is way too expansive to upgrade from my 2015 Kindle Paperwhite.

[youtube youtube.com/watch [≠]

Why your late twenties feel so stressful

4/14/16

An insightful article from the Harvard Business Review: it’s always great to hear about these things and realise that “It’s not just Me”…

hbr.org/video/emb…

You may have to disable your ad-block since they use proprietary players or their videos… (0_o').

Oh, and if you’re using the Ghostery plugin, to protect yourself from third-party advertising services, data-mining, and just for your privacy, you’ll have to temporarily deactivate Rich Relevance, reload, and then Kaltura.

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What do you do?

4/13/16

One of the most frequent yet hardest questions I’m asked these days is “What do you do?”

Since the beginning of the year, I’ve been asked this question more times than I can count, and every time, have given a different answer.

See, it’s very hard for me to answer this simple question. Am I a developer? No, but I can code. Am I a designer? Not at all, although I know how to use Graphic Design applications well enough to accommodate myself. Am I a web designer then? Not really, although I’ve been creating websites for clients. A (digital) marketer, maybe, then? Well, not really, and yet I’m all these things at once.

This is always a loaded question, and it’s harder to answer with relatives and people who don’t understand the web, or our industry. Because I’m hungry and I’ve got the attention span of a magpie, and since I’ve started freelancing in June 2015, I’ve worked on different projects.

Sure, as of writing these lines, I’m very much involved with my One Big Client, however, I’m also trying to take on more work on the side, that I manage over my weeknights and weekends, to complete my income and most of all, ensure that I don’t rely on a single client.

It’s been challenging, but it’s also allowed me to optimise the way I work to the point where I’ve found the time to launch two podcasts.

And circling back, it’s enabling me to live in this place I come from, the French Riviera, and work on other paid projects.

 

https://www.instagram.com/p/91qcAooyS2/

In concrete terms: I’ve been paid to handle a brand’s social media presence, I’ve been paid to write blog posts, I’ve been paid to create a website, I’ve been paid to help acquire new customers for a B2B company, and many other projects.

So what do I do? Well it depends: what do you need me to do, for you?

About Apple turning 40 years old

4/5/16

Apple won’t become boring with age. The company is just as exciting — and occasionally as unexpected — as they were 40 years ago. Of course, I owe Apple an unending debt: This is the company that made my life exciting, rewarding, and brought me to Silicon Valley.

A great note worth your time, from the man who almost became Apple’s CEO back in the 80’s. In his article, Mr Gassée reflects on his time at the company, and extends the reflection to the company itself.

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About HBO's Girls

4/4/16

During this single episode — which really only spans a single night — Marnie grows more as a person and a character than she did in any of Girls' past seasons.

HBO’s Girls has produced another great episode that goes in depth with one of its most quiet characters.

As I’ve pointed out on Twitter:

twitter.com/iTibz/sta…

My point here is that this show puts on characters that are both relatable, and yet incredibly self-destructing. So while it’s definitely worth watching to get an understanding of the millennial generation’s struggles and state of mind, I know for a fact that it does not reflect my personal life.

The characters, while being portrayed accurately, tend to be naive and go over the top as opposed to being realistic and rational. And while I know some of my peers can make the same mistakes, I also know that I myself, as well as many other friends, relatives, and people that I know, do not behave the same way.

Still, this episode was worth seeing, and this article worth reading!

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Hillary and the Youth Vote

4/3/16

Young people aren't dreaming. They're thinking. And we should listen to them.

An article worth reading. Maybe, just maybe, being naive and optimistic is a good thing.

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Digital Digest — Axelle Tessandier (Bonus Episode in French)

3/30/16

[mixcloud www.mixcloud.com/tibz/axel… %C3%A0-ceux-qui-le-veulent-le-plus-bonus-episode/ width=100% height=400]

 

Un épisode bonus avec Axelle Tessandier, tout en Français, et enregistré en Live à Paris, à la Gaieté Lyrique.

À propos d’Axelle

Retrouvez Axelle sur Twitter (@AxelleTess) ou sur son site internet Axl Agency

Liens & sujets dont on parle dans cet episode

Digital Digest

Pour vous abonner au podcast “Digital Digest” :

Sur les réseaux sociaux :

Pour être prévenu d’un nouvel épisode par email : abonnez vous ici

Enfin, pour faire un don, cliquez ici.

Maddy spent International Women's Day surrounded by men.

3/18/16

Somehow it is possible if you brave it. So if you possibly can, please start your own thing. Seek support and build your confidence from friends and great organisations like She Says, Ada’s List, the Female Entrepreneurs Association and the British Institute of Women Entrepreneurs.

In other words, Never give up on your projects, on what makes your heart ticks, and launch something that will put a dent in the universe! For women, but also for anyone else feeling frustrated

And if you’d like to hear more about She Says, we also discuss it with my friend Natalie on the latest episode of my podcast.

 

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Digital Digest - Episode 03: Paul Papadimitriou

3/16/16

Hello and Welcome to a new episode of the [Digital Digest](http://digest.digital) podcast!

This is the third episode, and today, I'm chatting with Paul Papadimitriou, who goes by the title of Innovation Scout. We're going to chat about his childhood and international background, discuss around the topic of Identity, and look into his career as an international consultant working with organisations all around the world.

There's plenty to unpack here, so without further adue: enjoy this new episode of the Digital Digest Podcast!

[mixcloud www.mixcloud.com/tibz/digi… width=100% height=400 autoplay=1] It’s been really fun to chat with Paul, and it was an absolute breeze to record this interview. He’s a well-traveled, curious man, and I’m very grateful that he shared so much about his life, his work, and his diverse career and travels. Hearing his tales of working with different businesses and organisations around the world is not just a consultant’s dream, but a personal aspiration of mine, and having someone of his caliber on my tiny little podcast was absolutely humbling.

Thanks again for listening, and I eagerly await to hear back from you, my dear listener!

### Learn about Paul:

Find Paul on Twitter (@Papadimitriou) and at papadimitriou.co. You can also listen to his different podcasts: Layovers, The Digital Loop, and keep an eye out for a new one coming very soon.

Links discussed in this episode :

Digital Digest

If you don’t want to miss out on future episodes of the Digital Digest podcast, make sure to subscribe :

The podcast is also available on:

Finally, if you’d like to help — I’ve enabled donations on the podcast’s page. Donating a small amount of money helps me make up for the hosting costs, and if I manage to get beyond the costs, I’ll may be able to record more frequently too (twice a month? Hallelujah!) Each donation is a unique and will not be a recurring payment every month: it’s a one time only kinda thing. Although if you wish to donate more, I’d be even more grateful :

Apple, the FBI and the Encryption debate...

3/15/16

While we believe the FBI’s intentions are good, it would be wrong for the government to force us to build a backdoor into our products. And ultimately, we fear that this demand would undermine the very freedoms and liberty our government is meant to protect.

The Tech industry at large has sent clear explanations to governments about the risks of creating “backdoor access”.

Everyone needs to understand that.

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John Oliver takes on Encryption

3/15/16

Last Week Tonight with John Oliver has turned into one of my favourite shows to watch on a weekly basis. Debunking insane policies of the US government, calling out corporate companies and lobbyists or putting Donald Trump in check.

His latest segment is a mandatory watch on the Encryption debate going on, with Apple and the San Bernardino’s shooter’s iPhone at its core:

[youtube=youtube.com/watch

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H&M&Caitlyn

3/14/16

I’m not a fan of fast-fashion, however, one has to salute the latest collaboration between H&M and… Caitlyn Jenner! Not only does the collection look pretty good, it’s also a great way to help mentalities evolve for the better around the acceptance of the LGBT community.

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Angel Haze interview

3/3/16

I think it’s lame that the industry is not a talent based thing, but about how well you sell yourself. It sucks.

Marketing ends up ruining everything! Even Hip-Hop!

 

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