Insights

What We Read This Week – November 24, 2017

November 24, 2017

Happy Black Friday, shoppers! For those of us in the retail industry, it truly is the most wonderful time of the year. If you need a break this weekend, our What We Read includes some very interesting stories—including some eye-popping numbers coming out of MJBizCon. Have a good weekend!

11 ways to prove the value of SEO to your boss

Whiteboard Bart here with another article on proving SEO value to your boss and how to communicate it. Some great, digestible discussion points related to digital visibility.

Bart Gottula, Senior Digital Strategist

How fiction becomes fact on social media

Nowadays, it’s becoming increasingly difficult for individuals to determine whether or not something they see on social media is true or not. Our newsfeeds are filled with headlines ranging from the believable topics to the outrageous claims. This begs the question, will social media be a reliable news source for people in the future?

Kaitlyn Ambrose, Content Producer

FCC plans to overturn U.S. net neutrality rules in December

It’s actually happening. Trump’s FCC is about to ruin the internet. And if that sounds like hyperbole to you, then please research the topic further. This is actually happening: The internet will now have fast and slow lanes. So, if you’re a startup or a small business, your website will now load slower than more established companies with budget to pay for the fast lane. This policy change comes directly from lobbying ISPs, who are desperate to bolster earnings. And it doesn’t take much to imagine how badly this will stifle our economy, stunt innovation, and extinguish disruption. Just think about it. Would Uber have broken through in the slow lane? Would Airbnb still be in business if users got slow lane treatment? What future game-changing disruptor will fail due to poor user experience in the slow lane? How many jobs is this going to cost our new economy? This decision is probably inevitable, but if you’re like me and want to scream at someone, visit battleforthenet.com.

CJ Powell, Writer

These health benefits prove that you should be using adult coloring books

Anything that can take me back to my childhood “art time” and can benefit me as an adult? Hellz yeah. Coloring… good for the soul.

Teri Springer, Senior Art Director

MJBizCon produces some eye-popping numbers

The COHNNABIS team traveled to Las Vegas last week for MJBizCon, the largest and most important industry event in cannabis, and we weren’t alone. Up nearly 8,000 people from last year, MJBizCon drew 18,121 attendees to the convention—a 67% increase year over year. This is seriously impressive growth for our emerging industry: Only five years ago (2012), MJBizCon drew 402 attendees total.

CJ Powell, Writer (again!)

What We Watched This Week – November 17, 2017