Framed v1.1.0

Enough time had elapsed between publishing Framed: A Villain’s Perspective on Social Media and recording the audiobook that it was like I was reading some chapters for the first time. I found mistakes in the book. Rather than continuously deploying changes and incrementing the “patch” version to v1.0.4 then v1.0.5 then v1.0.6, I decided to wait until I was finished recording the audiobook to release a substantial update labeled v1.1.0.

Today, I’m happy to announce that v1.1.0 is available for purchase! _{(If you already have the ebook, you’ll get this automatically)}

The majority of issues were in the final third of the book, which was somewhat rushed. There were logic errors (I used “Stories” in place of “Reels” somewhere), citations needed work, punctuation was missing, some choices my editor made changed the meaning of crucial sentences, and the “flow” was rough in parts.

I made more than 500 changes—first with the full re-read and then using a prose linter called Vale. During this review, I was reminded that I’m never truly happy with anything that I produce. What am I going to do? Rewrite Hackathon Hackers because it uses “API” too many times? Rewrite The Puppeteer Part II because its conclusion sucks? Redesign the cover because some guy said…?

I already rewrote the book once!!!

Looking back at the project, Framed is exactly what I wanted it to be. Under the microscope, though, there are probably a hundred more improvements I could make. Now, with v1.1.0 as well as some updates in others areas of my life, it’s time to stop fixating on minor adjustments.

Below, I’ve included roughly four hours of new podcast appearances. None of these had a set script so, provided you want to listen to me talk for several hours, you won’t find much overlap in what is discussed!

Podcast #1: Brilliant Ideas (24 min)

I spoke with Alyssa Bellisario in early March. This was actually one of the first five podcast interviews that I did. I came away feeling that this was a rough performance—it’s clear to me now that I was developing some of my hypotheses in real time. It didn’t make for a snappy interview, but this was the first time I was asked to reason through fake activity, safety, and the dead internet theory, and I’m glad Alyssa gave me the opportunity to share these ideas.

Podcast #2: Tech with Newton (67 min)

Newton Ameh, who has a technical background and a successful podcast, read Framed and constructed a detailed interview about my book. This was the first podcast that included references of specific page numbers, which I really appreciated.

This was one of the most thorough interviews I’ve done. I tried to match the depth of his questions with responses of equal depth. I was exhausted by the end, but I enjoyed being grilled with direct, purposeful questions.

Podcast #3: Mastering Tech Growth (103 min)

I dedicated parts of my book to discussing “hacking” because the term has come to mean so many different things. In the Mastering Tech Growth podcast, Mike took listeners through “growth hacking,” the role my systems played, and many other aspects of promoting businesses on the internet.

This is the raw, live-streamed video, so it might be a bit rough around the edges (notably, audio levels aren’t equalized), but I enjoyed the conversation so much that I thought it would be best to share it now.

If you’re planning on jogging a half marathon this summer, this 1 hour 43 minute podcast can help you get through it!

Podcast #4: Marketing in the Age of AI (26 min)

As you might imagine, I have opinions on marketing and on AI. Although my appearance on Emanuel Rose’s Marketing in the Age of AI podcast is only available as a live YouTube stream, it’s worth including here.

I hope that diehard fans can watch this early June interview and appreciate the growth in my presentation ability. This was one of my better interviews, covering a ton of ground rather concisely. I’m still not at the level where I’m dying to replay certain segments, but this was a fun one, and this is my pick if you’re only going to listen to one episode today.

Podcast #5: The Knowledge Stack (53 min)

Last week, I sat down with Jason Tilley for an incredibly wide ranging conversation. The Knowledge Stack is a new podcast with only a few episodes, but my feeling is that it is going to have broad appeal. Jason is a great host, and the interview combined some of the best aspects from podcasts I’ve enjoyed over the last few months. This was one of the very last podcasts that I’ll sit for, and I’m happy to end on this note.

Podcast #6: Callum Connects Micro Podcast (2 min)

On the topic of being an “influencer,” one thing that came up in some of my late April interviews was that I could probably make inroads as a fitness influencer. I’m pretty good at running. I have a great engagement rate on Strava. People come to me for training advice. People seem more interested to know that I’ve “run a marathon” than that I’ve “written a book.”

Starting off an interview with “I ran ten miles this morning” makes a stronger impression than I thought it would.

In the Callum Connects podcast, I channeled my journey to mid-life fitness into a short sound byte. The story is that—well, honestly, it’s so short that I don’t feel a need to summarize it.

When does the audiobook come out?

When I say that the audiobook is in post-production, I mean that I’ve completed one read-through with passable audio quality. The rule of thumb is that for each hour of recording, it takes 3-5 hours of editing (and potentially re-recording) to get things right. Once it’s ready, Amazon (Audible) will about two weeks to review. My goal is to have the audiobook out by the end of August.

Although about a dozen podcasts have yet to be aired, and I do plan to publish a special hardcover edition when I hit 1000 copies sold, this marks the end of the official promotional campaign for Framed: A Villain’s Perspective on Social Media. Thanks for following along. Extra thanks if you’ve purchased and read the book. The last few months have been a special time in my life and I’m excited to share more about my next project soon.