I am a huge fan of Michael Hyatt, his GetNoticed! theme, and Platform University. I really like how he is using the Smart Podcast Player, but I couldn’t figure out how to make it work when using RSS with MailChimp.
I really enjoy watching how Michael and his team accomplish what seems to be the impossible each week.
Recently I have considered reviving my podcast, so I turned my attention to how Michael does it.
The User Experience I Want to Emulate
In particular I want to be able to use RSS to feed my blog posts and my podcasts to my reading list.
I really like the look of the audio player that Michael uses. I don’t get around much so I had never seen this player before, and I just assumed that this was one of the custom coded things that Michael does for his site.
Not so.
Turns out the player is the Smart Podcast Player available (for a small fee) by Pat Flynn.
I subscribed to this WordPress plugin to test out the player on my site. I was very surprised to learn that the player does NOT survive the transition through RSS to my MailChimp emails!
Trouble in River City
After installing the plugin and putting the player in a test post on my bl0g, I sent the post to MailChimp.
No Smart Podcast Player appeared in the ensuing email.
At all.
Not even a hint that a player ever existed in the original post.
At first I found this really hard to believe. I thought for certain that the plugin was some HTML5 player that does well in email.
I had tested HTML5 players before, and I did not experience this problem. They survived the same RSS-to-MailChimp test with ease as evidenced in the following screen capture.
What to Do?
I took a second look at Michael’s email that I was using as a baseline. Turns out the “player” that shows in this email is not a player at all.
It is just an image with a built-in link.
This was confirmed after hearing back from the tech support person (Ray) at the Smart Podcast Player Support Team.
So now I have a dilemma.
Why do emails sent through MailChimp via RSS from the website show an image that does not exist in the blog post?
I can’t tell you exactly how long I beat my brains out over this.
I’m not a coder, but I eventually figured out how to do it. At least this method works for me.
Here’s the Answer
There are two parts – 1) the code that you’ll need, and 2) a clickable image that looks like the player
It turns out that you need to use something called a “fallback” image. Again, I’m not a coder, so I had never heard of this.
A fallback is your plan B in the event that something doesn’t load properly. In this case, if the player doesn’t load properly, then resort to plan B — our image that looks like the player.
The Code
I had to comb through the plugin code to learn how to call the plugin without using the shortcode. This is important because I could not figure out how to make the fallback image work while using the shortcode.
In the code snippet below you will notice that I do, however, start with the shortcode. Notice how the url field is empty and no other parameters are listed.
I had to do this to “wake up” the player to let it know I would be passing it some parameters. There must be some javascript here that calls the player to attention.
This is a critical step, so do not leave out this initial shortcode. I could not get the rest of this to work otherwise.
[smart_track_player url=" "]
<object class="smart-track-player" width="300" height="150" data-url="http://traffic.libsyn.com/Your_Podcast_Name/Your_Podcast_Episode.mp3" data-download="true"
data-speedcontrol="true" data-title="Your show title here" data-paid="true" data-social="true" data-social_twitter="true" data-social_facebook="true" data-social_gplus="true">
<a href="http://traffic.libsyn.com/Your_Podcast_Name/Your_Podcast_Episode.mp3"><img src="http://yourdomain.com/wp-content/uploads/20xx/yy/Your_Fallback_Image.png" alt="Click to hear Jason's Podcast" border="0" /></a>
<a href="https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/itunes_podcast_name/idXXXXXXXXX">Subscribe in iTunes</a></object>
In the event that you want to look for more parameters to pass in this html, try this:
Go to WordPress -> Plugins -> Editor
Select Smart Podcast Player from the dropdown
Find and double-click on smart-podcast-player/classes/core.php in the right-hand menu
I found all of the parameters I needed by going through this core.php file. Do a search on “<div” (yes, leave out the last “>”) and this should take you to about the middle of the file where the parameters live.
The Image
I created the image by creating an instance of the player and then simply taking a screen capture (on Macs, use command+shift+4).
You might be wondering how to get the player to look like the one that Michael uses. Notice how his player has only the arrow and the circle. The download icon, the speed icon, and the share icon are all missing.
If you want to create a version of this all you need to do is use the code above but strip out the parameters defining social and downloads, etc. Try pasting this code to your site.
Just preview the post and then take a screen capture of the image.
Trim out the left half of the bar with a photo/image editor. Otherwise, you will get a long thin bar (above) instead of a shorter one (below) which looks better on mobile.
Upload this to your WordPress media library and then put the image url in the first code snippet I provided.
The Results
Now I have a podcast post that functions much the way Michael’s does in that I can pass the “player” in an email that is generated through RSS!
[reminder]If I can answer any questions for you, just drop them into the Disqus box below.[/reminder]
What happened yesterday is yet one more reminder that people with a message can change the world.
I believe this world-changing ability is available to each and every one of us!
Blackfish director, Gabriela Cowperthwaite, not only created an award winning documentary on the treatment of orcas at SeaWorld. It turns out she added fire to a movement.
While SeaWorld had been under pressure from environmentalists in the past, Blackfish was the spark that ignited the powder keg.
[shareable cite=”Jason R Owens”]Each of us has the ability to change the world![/shareable]
Due to the relentless public pressure and mounting financial losses, the company had to take decisive action.
Yesterday SeaWorld announced the company is ending its orca breeding program which has drawn great criticism after the film.
SeaWorld has been listening and we’re changing…Society is changing and we’re changing with it. SeaWorld is finding new ways to continue to deliver on our purpose to inspire all our guests to take action to protect wild animals and wild places.
Cowperthwaite praised the announcement and added that she will continue to lobby for changes in the aquatic theme park industry.
Imagine what you can do.
Imagine the impact that your life can have.
[shareable cite=”Jason R Owens”]Who is going to change the world? YOU are![/shareable]
Keep dreaming.
Keep pressing.
Keep chasing.
Your efforts are going to lead somewhere.
Your work is going to change lives. In fact, your work is probably changing lives already!
We need you!
Keep fighting!
[reminder]How do you want to change the world? What cause do you want to champion, or what injustice do you want to see righted?[/reminder]
Life gave me one of those moments of clarity lately, the proverbial whack on the side of the head.
I’ve been teaching myself the ropes of online advertising off and on for the past 3 years. Truth is I’ve had limited success and could not figure out why for the longest time, but this week I had my breakthrough.
I had been following directions like…
Here is how you create a Facebook ad that will change your life:
Put a headline here.
Insert a picture there.
Choose your daily budget and wait for the money to roll in.
Most of the time I end up spending money with nothing to show for it.
Facebook ads are working for everyone else, right? I usually spend 4-5 days trying to get traction before getting completely frustrated.
Formula vs. Craftsmanship
In the most basic sense there are 2 different types of learning.
The first are what I what I will call formulaic learning.
How to change a starter in your car.
How to thread a sewing machine.
If you screw up installing your new starter, you’ll know right away. You can’t put it in backwards. You can’t even wire it backwards. The car will either work or it won’t.
Same goes for the sewing machine. If you route the thread incorrectly, it will snap or knot into a mess in short order.
Then there is the other type of learning — the type that tends more toward true art than paint-by-numbers. Like making a violin or making your own wine — this is a craft, not a formula.
[Tweet “The fast track to frustration is applying tips-and-techniques solutions to complex problems”]
Availability Bias
My breakthrough this week is realizing I fell for something called Availability Bias. Here’s how it works:
If we have a personal experience with something, or hear about it often, or read about it often, then we are more likely to give these things more weight when we are making a decision.
The same way that most people guess that there are more deaths by auto accident than by emphysema (the opposite is true). Emphysema deaths aren’t in the news often, so they are not top of mind with most people.
When I start looking for a solution to my online marketing woes I go — online — where I find a hundred online programs that:
Promise instant access
Imply anyone-can-do-this success
Since this is all I see, I inadvertently think one of these programs must hold the solution.
We Need Each Other
What I don’t see offered online is the more time-honored path. The path that is not paved with claims of instant anything.
I don’t see any offers for the path of apprenticeship within my community.
Turns out I could have saved myself a lot of time if I had just surrounded myself with people who are on the same journey I am.
I started sharing my roadblocks with several other people who are on the same path, a few are a little ahead of me. The insight they offered was simply…amazing!
[Tweet “We don’t need another online course. What we need is a group of peers to stick with us.”]
And the good news is that we are going to do it again!
Stay tuned for more details in the coming weeks about a very unique type of group that I’m forming
where we all have each other’s back
where those of us who are strong in one area can guide those of us who are not
where everyone comes out ahead
[Tweet “I am ready to stop doing it all on my own!”]
[reminder]In what areas of your business have you been banging your head? Where could you use a Guide? Continue the conversation on facebook, twitter, or linkedin.[/reminder]
Something really surprising happened when I ran an event this week. I wasn’t looking to receive such a deep confirmation in my calling.
Just to provide some context — I run a ton of short 2-hour and 4-hour workshops each year. I rarely do full-day events. In fact, I’ve only run two so far this year.
The first was The Sales Workshop back in March, and the second was my first ever AEPC workshop for Authors, Experts, and Product Creators.
I want to contrast these two events for you.
The Sales Workshop is my flagship product. I deliver around 30 of these engagements per year across the southeast, plus I have built out this product with a 6 disc audio series plus an online training program.
The Authors, Experts, & Product Creators (AEPC) event was designed for my affiliate tribe. It is a one day annual planning event where I brought in 4 guest speakers and gave people plenty of workshop time to work on their businesses.
In short, we find ways to work together and cross-promote each other throughout the year.
[Tweet “To Be Vulnerable – To Really Put Yourself Out There…Is to Live Courageously @BreneBrown”]
When I ran the full-day version of The Sales Workshop it was a LOT of work. I set an aggressive target and worked with my team of affiliates to fill the room. We met our goal, but it took a tremendous toll on me.
For the AEPC event I vowed I would not push myself so close to burnout. The class was a prototype and I wanted to start small before pushing it to a larger audience.
Surprise Results
Compared to The Sales Workshop I spent about 1/10th the time promoting the AEPC event and had 3x the fun.
Here’s what I didn’t expect.
They Want to Keep Meeting
The AEPC event was always billed as a once-a-year thing. Just me adding as much value as I can to my affiliates.
Toward the end one of the attendees said, “What now? I feel like we need to meet again. Otherwise I won’t know how his story turned out with the new business, and I won’t know how they are doing with their membership site.”
Several others agreed.
She was right. I had made no allowance for keeping the tribe connected to one another after the event.
Spoken Affirmation of My Calling
One of the attendees said, “This — working with these types of people, authors and experts — this is your calling.
I was blown away.
Never in all my time running presentations and events have I had someone say these words to me.
Word of Mouth
Another great piece of news came when I reconnected with yet another AEPC attendee.
She said, “Hey, I mentioned you on my podcast yesterday. I hope you don’t mind.”
Do I mind? Are you kidding?
I’ve never had someone mention me on their podcast after one of my events.
How to Create Your Own Surprises
What started out as a way to help my affiliates build their businesses has taken a surprisingly good turn.
I made no attempt to engineer these results. I don’t think I could have if I tried.
[Tweet “What started out as a way to help my affiliates has taken a surprisingly good turn.”]
Truth is I aimed for a goal, and reached it.
But I landed on something far greater than my initial goal.
I landed on a need within my community — a need that I can meet. Something that I can do to truly help people.
If you are looking for the “How To” from this post, here it is:
Put yourself out there.
Test things.
Try.
Repeat.
You have genius inside you.
Go find it!
[Tweet “You have genius inside you. Go find it!”]
[reminder]What surprising results have you found so far on your journey toward self-employment? Continue the conversation on facebook, twitter, or linkedin.[/reminder]
I picked up this Cannon Vixia HF R400 about 2 years ago on a Black Friday deal. It is the perfect entry-level camera and has more than enough features for me.
It records in full HD, has a 53X zoom, and has a memory card slot for easy file transfer.
I realize this is a small thing, but here’s one feature that I like the most about the camera: it has a standard microphone jack. So many of the other cameras I considered had special jacks that required an adapter from the manufacturer. Because it was going to be an additional hassle, I just skipped those models.
Tripod
Years ago I bought this tripod for something like $90 from BestBuy. Now I see that Amazon is relabeling it under a house name and the price is incredibly low at less than $25.00! Check out the AmazonBasics 60-Inch Lightweight Tripod with Bag.
This is not one of those flimsy, dinky tripods. This thing has some meat to it and stands at 60 inches (5 feet) tall. I have had mine for years and I highly recommend it.
There are 4 light heads in all. Each head contains 5 bulbs. Bulbs are controlled with 3 on/off switches giving you the ability to light 1, 2, 3, 4, or 5 lights at a time. You have total control.
Kit comes with bulbs, too!
I bought 4 lights because I wanted to have 2 lights on the background and 2 lights on me.
This exercise is designed to get you thinking about where you are and where you want to be in your life.
Let’s get started right away.
Take a few moments to write down in as much detail as possible where you are in your work life.
What job do you hold?
Who do you work with?
What responsibilities do you have?
How do you feel about your job?
If you were to be layed off tomorrow, how would you feel deep down?
The first set of questions is designed to get us to simply open our eyes. We must first take a hard and objective look at where we are. Where things are good, we have to admit them and celebrate them. Where things are not so good. We have to admit that.
This isn’t to say that we have to fix all the bad things about our situation because some of them just are not fixable.
This is simply taking stock of our situation.
Where Do You Want to Be?
Likewise, let’s do the same exercise on the other end of the spectrum.
Where would you like to be with respect to your work life?
What job would you hold?
Who would you work with?
Who would you like to be serving?
What kind(s) of work would you rather be doing?
Is your work related to a cause (i.e., clean drinking water for the under privileged)? If so, what draws you to this cause?
If you have a clear picture of work you would like to do, what are your next most logical steps?
If you need to get more clarity, what could you do to get a deeper understanding?
The second set of questions is designed to get us thinking in terms of possibilities, to paint our respective worlds anew with a magic brush. Given what we know about ourselves, where would we go from here?
Most of the time there is a huge difference between where we are and where we want to be. This is completely normal. You can begin taking steps toward a better future today. Want to learn more?
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Does God Play a Role?
There is a third set of questions that I will introduce here to get you thinking about what role, if any, that God plays in your work-related pursuits.
Do you feel God’s calling or wanting to speak with you regarding the current path you are on?
Do you have a sense that the place you are in is requiring you to be someone that you weren’t really made to be?
Do you feel there is something else, some other path that God may be calling you to pursue?
Is the concept of hearing from God outside of your norm, or have you embraced this notion before?
How to Get a Plan
When I was first struggling between where I was and where I wanted to be, I had no idea what steps to take next.
It took me a lot of trial and error, but I finally found my way.
Is there such a thing as a person having a calling? I wrestled with this for a very long time. What is the difference between my just wanting to do pursue a profession and my being called to it?
Right out of college I became an engineer. I love technology. I like taking things apart. I like figuring out how things work, and seeing if I can make them perform better.
Here I am years later and I realize that the themes of technology (in the form of using technical tools and solid research methods), taking things apart and figuring out how to improve them have never left me.
Nowadays, though, I don’t take apart expensive machinery or industrial computers. Instead, I’m more interested in how people function, how we can find work that really matters to us. I like seeing people perform “better” in terms of seeing them with a higher quality of life.
Was I really called to be an engineer? If so, did I forsake that calling when I left formal engineering years ago?
My approach here usually follows a pretty straight forward path:
I see a job or a role that looks pretty exciting, and seems like it would be fun.
I search every last opening I can find in an attempt to land the opportunity.
I get the deal, dive in, and have fun.
This was pretty much my approach for years.
Types of Calling
I do believe that people can be called to certain professions, but I don’t believe that is the only way that calling works. There are perhaps dozens of ways that people can be internally compelled toward a course in their lives. Some of which include a calling to:
Specific geographies – the Serengeti
Particular groups of people – the underprivileged
A cause – clean drinking water, micro loans
Using a certain set of skills – ZZZZZZZ
For me, I see myself falling in the latter category as I really enjoy applying my curiosity, my drive, my enthusiasm for good work, my technical bent, all of it in the name of making something or some process better for everyone. You see, I think the idea of being called to an occupation just doesn’t fit me because I could be happy in a wide range of jobs as long as I feel I am able to use my skills.
Not too long ago I had a contract position with a very large Fortune 500 company. I was happier in that job than I was in all the time I had been self-employed up to that point. I was so content in that role because I was using many of the same gifts and talents I listed above.
I was working with technology and people. I was able to learn what made this particular process work for the clients, and I was able to help them do something better and faster than before. You see? These are many of the same skills I loved using when I was an engineer.
The Spiritual Side of Calling
If you look at the first set of bullet points above I describe a rather me-focused approach my landing a job that I wanted. I want to bring this up again so I can contrast it with a very different type of calling.
Let’s call the first type of calling “I want” calling. I’m in the driver’s seat. I’m calling the shots.
The second type of calling I will call “I respond” calling, as in “This is being requested of me, so I’m responding”. Someone or something else is in the driver’s seat. There is a sense of serving the greater good. This second type of calling usually, but not always, involves more altruistic endeavors such as:
Teaching
Social work
Nursing
Animal care
Child care
Military service
The fundamental shift here from “I want” calling and “I respond” calling is that there is an internal desire being driven from some other source than money, ego, greed, or power.
The listener has somehow developed the capacity to hear what others are not wired internally to hear.
A very important sub-category of “I respond” calling involves when a person believes he or she is hearing from God.
The Call of the Wild Goose
I have been told that celtic christians used to use the term “the wild goose” when they referred to being on a mission from God (This is a far cry from our modern term, “wild goose chase”).
I will call this third type of calling “Invitation”.
Here, not only does the person have a sense of hearing, so to speak, but she also believes that God is the one doing the talking.
This is not limited to people who become pastors, missionaries, or who work for large para-church organizations. It
Every one of us striving for a better future will hit a point that deeply tests our resolve.
Life has currents that push against our dreams.
And these currents cause us to doubt ourselves, to doubt if we have anything to offer.
Stuck with the painful indecision that lies somewhere between uncertainty and lack of clarity, we find ourselves waffling. Making gains one day only to hit a setback the next.
You have to forget how unreasonable your dream is. You have to give yourself permission to be irrational.
You discover talent hidden deep within when you push into the place where you feel you should have given up long ago.
This is where you discover your greatness.
So, go down the rabbit hole. Chase those dreams of yours. Yes, you will look crazy. And someone, or many someones will try to talk you out of it.
And you may even fail.
But you have to go “all in”. You have to unpack for us everything you have to give.
Some people get their dreams handed to them.
For the rest of us, there comes a time when you have to fight for it.
In particular I want to be able to use RSS to feed my blog posts and my podcasts to my reading list.
