How to Build Your Own Web App in Five Easy Steps
Setting up GitHub and choosing your AI-enabled coding toolset I can’t code my way out of a wet paper bag. I’ve tried. I’ve lived through the eras of Perl, Ja...
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Industry Insights
Curated insights and guides focused on industry insights.
I Made a Chrome Extension!
And You Can Too. For free. And it's not hard at all. Towards the end of last year, I had this crazy idea to automate finding and storing articles I think are...
We Need to Teach AI Differently
We can’t teach AI the way we taught Windows; the old models just don’t apply. I think a lot about how to teach technology to people. I’ve been doing it for o...
Why You Need an “Heir and a Spare” for Your AI Toolkit
It's not convenient, but it is necessary. I was listening to a Wall Street Journal tech update podcast, and they were talking about the increasing cost of co...
The New Marketing Skill Isn't Prompting. It's Building.
And now we can build even faster and easier than ever—and it's awesome. A friend of mine posted on LinkedIn about running AI workshops with clients. Workshop...
Which AI Should You Pay For? Here's My Honest Answer.
I don't think it will surprise you, but it's also not what you might expect either. In nearly every workshop I hold, the same question comes up: > Which AI s...
Not Every Problem Needs a Smart Solution
Or how imploding an Artifact reminded me to not overthink things > If you'd like access to the premium content mentioned, subscribe to 30 Plus Days of AI on...
Stay Curious. The AI Capability Gap Is Closing Faster Than You Think.
Ted Lasso said a lot of smart things, "stay curious" but might be the best advice for today Anthropic released a really fascinating study today on AI, employ...
I Hate Giving AI Lectures
But I Love Doing AI Workshops > Get on the waitlist to attend the first sessions of Basecamp Canada! I’ve been teaching technology for over fifteen years. Fr...
We’re All Just Making This Up As We Go Along
And that’s not just a good thing, that’s the point I kneecapped my Claude Writing Project about thirty minutes after I gave it an “upgrade.” Here’s what happ...
Basecamp Canada Launched! Practical AI Training Without Fluff or Hype
Three things I want you to know and stuff I'm still building I’ve been quiet for a bit. A lot going on, like being heads down building a lot of AI training m...
Something’s happening here, and it’s actually very clear
AI is being adopted in companies faster than anything, ever. It’s time to gear up and get to it. Like everyone else and their brother, I have my own take on...
Announcing the launch of 30 Days of AI email series and premium Substack
Learning AI is crucial today, here's I can get you there in 30 days. I’m really excited to announce and launch my first premium Substack offering—30 Plus Day...
Things I want to do in 2026
Not resolutions, more like how to move the ball down the field I’m not a fan of New Year’s resolutions. I used to make them, but over the years I’ve slowly s...
How to Use AI Every Day and Not Feel Like It’s Work: Part 2 the next five things
I didn’t think I’d have more to say, I guess I was wrong. I didn’t intend for this to be a series, but as I was reading “Part 1,” I had some ideas that could...
No More Blank Page Stress: 4 Steps To Go from Scattered Thoughts to Polished Post with AI
Talking it out is an easy way to capture your thoughts and create great content—or other stuff. And you probably have everything you need on hand. I got this...
The CRAFT Framework: Practical AI Prompting for Marketers
To get more out of AI, you have to put more into it. CRAFT gives you a framework for giving AI tools the context they need to do the job. Plus bonus free, no...
My AI-enabled Process to Make a Marketing Lead Magnet in an Afternoon
I went down a rabbit hole so you don't have to. I’m going to give you fair warning before we start. The process I went through to make this lead magnet was r...
How to Use AI Every Day and Not Feel Like It’s Work
It's just another tech habit to build. And the first step is probably right in front of you. If you open LinkedIn right now, you’re going to see a litany of...
Google is Finally Beating Microsoft as a Leading Workplace App
Gemini 3.0 and the rest of Google's AI tools are eating everyone's lunch—Microsoft's included—and that will change how work gets done in the AI era. Microsof...
Curiosity Is the Only Superpower That Matters Today
You can learn anything, but you have to be curious first. Without curiosity, skills are just checklists on a resume. Update Nov 19: Here is the link to Mark’...
Subject: NOTICE OF CAPABILITY UPGRADE / ASSET AVAILABILITY
Classification: PUBLIC / NON-SENSITIVE Reference: OPERATION MOVEABLE FEAST Subject: NOTICE OF CAPABILITY UPGRADE / ASSET AVAILABILITY Classification: PUBLIC...
Why NotebookLM could become your next hub for all your work
This might have been Google's plan all along. The Gemini-powered RAG for all your research, work, and data. I think NotebookLM might be the most under-apprec...
My Podcast’s Audience Was Tuning Out. AI Gave Me the Time to Fix It.
Better tools make faster work to have the time to make stuff that matters I’ve been in the content game for a long time. Long enough to know that you can’t f...
The 5 Ps of AI Adoption
It takes five things to make AI work at work: preparation, practicality, purpose, people, and patience I gave a talk on AI recently, and as I was answering q...
Your Marketing Isn’t Working Because Your Brain Has Too Many Tabs Open
You can’t juggle it all and expect to have space to think about anything. Maybe a fractional CMO is the answer? Your day starts with a crisis in sales. Then...
Content Calendars, Planning, and AI Work Slop
Yes, you can use AI for content calendars and planning, but that's not the whole thing. I saw a great post on LinkedIn today by Rachel Sparacio-Foster that j...
No random acts of marketing
It’s process, not AI, that fixes this (but AI can help) Every marketing team is guilty of this, doesn’t matter if you’re one person or 100. Random acts of ma...
Reaching the end of the DMSC Chartered Marketers Course—Successfully
It wasn’t what I expected; it was better This essay was the last—non-graded—assignment to complete all my coursework to earn my Chartered Marketer designatio...
I’ll never go back to learning the same way again
Being part of the Chartered Marketers Program opened my eyes to what AI-powered learning can really be like. And it’s awesome. Plus a new, free workshop for...
Hi I’m Tris, and I’m a prompt hoarder
Endless inspiration, but you have to give back too I love finding and collecting prompts. Organizing them is something else entirely—I’m using Javelin now, t...
Smashing the Machines in Portland Won’t Stop the Future
Smashing the Machines in Portland Won’t Stop the Future Last week in Portland, Oregon, something happened that felt ripped from the history books. A reaction...
We need more than AI answers, we need AI guides
We aren't going to get better AI adoption by just winging it Navigating the AI Maze: Why Every Marketing Team Needs a Guide A couple of fantastic posts from...
ChatGPT-5 Is Here, But Let’s Not Distracted by the Shiny New Thing
Just because because the hammer is fancy, doesn't mean it's better Disclosure: I created a prompt do be a co-writer for me. It’s trained on my style, my quir...
Announcing My First Hands-on AI Workshop
I am extremely excited to announce the official launch of my hands-on AI for Content Marketers Workshop. This workshop was born out of the work I did develop...
Vibe coding games isn’t frivolous, it’s essential
Learning by doing to see what’s possible I started “vibe coding” before I even knew the term. My first foray was moving multivariate stats analysis of podcas...
Solving My Problems First
If you want to really understand what AI can do, you have to do it for yourself first. No, this post isn’t about me working through mental/emotional baggage...
Are you a carriage maker or a car dealer?
Henry Ford showed the world how to make things, now AI is unmaking them One of the themes I talked about in my post about the state of finding and hiring for...
Hiring today is like playing darts blindfolded
Do we even know what we’re aiming at? Right now I’m on the “looking for work” side of the job market table, but I’ve been on the other side too. I’ve hired p...
There is No Such Thing as a Secure Encryption Backdoor
> I wrote this post nearly 6 years ago while working for a company in the encrypted messaging space. That company is no longer around and has a problematic h...
5 Reasons Why Your Content Engine Is Failing
If you want your company to even have a chance of getting its message out, you have to create great content. The definitions of what “great” and “content” me...
Why You Need Me to Write for You
I'm just going to put this out there, I see a lot of people looking for a copywriter/content marketer/word wizard to boost/start/lead their content marketing...
The Secret to Success is Reinvention
I gave a career day talk at Imagine High, the local arts and technology high school here in Chilliwack. This is the kind of school where the kids who don't f...
Generative AI today makes me think it’s 1997 all over again
Websites were a dog’s breakfast back then, but they had to be to get here now Update March 26: Long-time colleague Richard MacManus wrote on Cybercultural ab...
Here we are, all over again
You might say I’m a bad blogger. I talk about writing everyday. I talk about what it takes to keep improving your craft. And yet, my blog here has languished...
Mark Evans on the rise of fractional CMO, LinkedIn, and storytelling
Episode 11 Show Notes This week I'm chatting with Mark Evans, a former journalist turned fractional CMO. Mark and I riff on what it means to be a fractional...
My Ink Stained Fingers Episode 10: Tod Maffin Radio to Marketing to Radio and Back
This week my guest is Tod Maffin (LinkedIn) who I met while he was at the CBC, which came after doing a stint in Marketing, which was preceded by radio journ...
Episode 9 Show Notes: Jordan Behan on Repurposing Content
This week I’m talking with my friend Jordan Behan of Narrate Creative about content, productizing services, and when you should think about outsourcing parts...
My Ink Stained Fingers Episode 8 Show Notes: Sheldon Levine and the data that fuels content
Social media is a strange business. You know people for years, but only as a round picture in your browser. Sheldon Levine and I have known each other since...
My Ink Stained Fingers Episode 7 Show Notes: Mind mapping and writing. Almost as good as chocolate and peanut butter
I was really excited to finally get a chance to chat with Chuck Frey. We’ve been in each other’s orbits for probably a decade, but we haven’t actually spoken...
My Ink Stained Fingers Episode 6 Show Notes: Brett Terpstra and creating tools for writers
Ever have those fan boy/fan girl moments where you get to talk with someone who you’ve admired for years? Yeah that was this episode. I got to talk with none...
My Ink Stained Fingers Episode 5 Show Notes: The Most Vibrant Content Marketing Group You'll Ever Find
This week I have my first guest on the show! Cassandra Jowett is the Senior Director of Marketing at Path Factory. Six years ago she started an in person gro...
We've lost our authenticity.
I was thinking about how I approach writing, how I approach what we call blogging now (aka content marketing). It's just not the same. I've noticed the posts...
Just Launching: My Ink Stained Fingers A New Podcast On Writing And Content Marketing
It’s been a while, but I thought it was time to podcast again I love making podcasts. My first one was my “Walkabout Podcast” I started in 2005 and ran for a...
Without a content process your content strategy will fail
Lack of process is the kryptonite to any content marketing strategy I’ve seen it happen time and time again. People develop a great content strategy then not...
Stop Overthinking SEO
This is how I’ve approached SEO for over a decade. No matter what Google does with its algorithms, the content I write ranks. I follow Matt Cutts’ advice fro...
Announcing the Content Marketing Production Engine Program
In the decade plus I've been doing content marketing for startups, SMBs, and enterprises, there's one sure thing that will derail any content marketing effor...
Life Gets in the Way
Life gets in the way. My goal, as I ramp up my content marketing and freelance writing business, was to post here everyday. Following the example of Mark Eva...
Coming Soon: Content Marketing Production Engine
I'm working on a content creation engine program for SaaS companies. As I've been gathering my thoughts on what makes a great content engine, I've hit on fiv...
Get Out of Your Head
It's hard to write for clients if you're always in your own head. But, not just your head, but your voice. The voice in your head that's speaking while you'r...
Let writers write, then edit
It's been misattributed to Ernest Hemingway for years, but "write drunk, edit sober" holds a lot more truth than you'd first think. Here's why. While, yes, t...
Creating a Great-and useful-Content Calendar
What's your favorite way to build a content calendar? I go between Asana and Trello myself, but more importantly, does your content calendar have everything...
What's Stopping Your Publishing
Ever feel like you generate a lot of great content ideas, even have great writers cranking out smart words, but never seem to get anything published? I was t...
What's Your Elevator Pitch?
When you have a great app or SaaS product, one of the hardest things to do is just explain it. You know your app the best. You know it inside and out. Every...
Closing One Chapter, Starting Another
Closing One Chapter, Starting Another 2004 - 2014 were great, but everything has to end It’s a sobering experience when you realize that over the past 16 yea...
3 Ways to Start Writing Great Content
Simple things to kick start your content marketing Doesn't matter who you are, marketer or not, you've heard content marketing is the new best practice for a...
How Gaming the System Worked Better For Everyone
What Weight Watchers teaches us about motivation Photo by Sean Thomas on Unsplash I've had to keep an eye on my weight since my first (medically supervised)...
Stop Playing Content Marketing Roulette
Make a plan, define a goal, and measure the results Photo by Kay on Unsplash There is a lot to starting off your content marketing program that starts off wi...
Marketing Is A Toolbox
Just a set of tools that if you master them, you can market anything Photo by Hunter Haley on Unsplash I’ll put a caveat here at the beginning—I’m a self-tau...
If you create content to go viral, you’ve already failed
You can’t plan on it. You can’t create for it. I see a lot of posts and tips on how to make your content go viral. Or how to get thousands of likes. Or share...
Monday Tip: Are you sure you want to that?
And by that I mean anything from blogging to podcasting to video But mostly video and podcasting. When I talk with people about their sites and their content...
To Blog or Not To Blog, That's the Wrong Question
Content marketing isn't solely about blogging or about words—It's about connecting Photo by Alejandro Escamilla on Unsplash If you had asked me ten, even fiv...
Planning Your Content with a Content Calendar (Free Downloadable Template)
Use a content calendar to amp up your content marketing strategy Photo by rawpixel on Unsplash I have been writing a good bit about, well, writing and creati...
3 Essential Parts of a Winning B2B Content Strategy
Photo by Austin Chan on Unsplash If you don't have these things, you don't have a strategy, you're just spraying and praying content. Building a content stra...
Monday Tip: Easy Outlines with Mind Maps
Having even a half decent, mostly complete outline is better than nothing Remember back in high school when you had to write your first term paper? After all...
If You Write Every Day, You Will Write Crap
Photo by Glenn Carstens-Peters on Unsplash Not all the time, but it will happen. And it’s okay. One of the best pieces of advice experienced writers give new...
5 Essential Power Tools for Better Blogging and Writing
Photo by rawpixel on Unsplash And a few extra tools and tips thrown in for good measure When I wrote my post about creating an ebook in a weekend, I glossed...
So, this is Gutenberg
Photo by Hannes Wolf on Unsplash I used to be right there testing beta versions of WordPress. Even on this, my live, production site. I've been out of that h...
How to Write and Publish an Ebook Over the Weekend
How hard could it be to publish an ebook in a couple days? Actually, not that hard. As I’ve been freelancing more, I’ve been thinking how to get more busines...
Monday Tip: Make Email Suck Less
SaneBox and Spark bring me close to email nerdvana Yes, yes Slack is awesome. Basecamp is killer and I love Asana. All of these tools are designed to reduce...
Father's Day Gift Guide for Geek Dads
10 things a geek dad would like to have that isn't a tie Photo by Juliane Liebermann on Unsplash Not that many of us wear ties any more. I don't think I've h...
Why You Should Hire Me To Create Your Content
It’s not the years under my belt, it’s how I relate to my audience \[caption id="attachment\5058" align="aligncenter" width="600"\] Ciprian Boiciuc\[/caption...
Content! Content! Get Your Content Here! I’m Freelancing Again.
In which our hero, revamps his neglected website, imports content from Medium, and says: “F\ck it, I like being a writer”. I'm back in the freelance writing...
How To Plan A Long-Term, Content-Driven Marketing Strategy
You see the mountain you need to climb, now how do you get there? “A woman on a ledge high over a wooded valley” by Mike Wilson on Unsplash Let’s get the who...
High gas prices might be the kick in the pants Vancouver needs
I’m no economist, but something has to give “Old, vintage and rusty blue gas pump located at a gas station at Los Alamos.” by Tim Mossholder on Unsplash One...
In Defense of a Diverse Reading List
I can’t tell you what sources I read, that’s not how it works Photo by Claudia on Unsplash One of the secrets to being a professional blogger (aka Content Ma...
Five Tips For Giving A Great Presentation
Or talk or speech or keynote. “A close-up of a microphone with a group of people in the blurred background” by Kane Reinholdtsen on Unsplash Here’s my trial...
Is That A Trick Question?
Interview questions are trick question, the trick is giving the answer you want Photo by Ian Schneider on Unsplash I’ve been doing a lot of interviews in the...
What To Do When The Creative Well Runs Dry
Dig another well, of course Photo by Antony Xia on Unsplash We use the creative well as a metaphor for where creativity comes from. With the exception of fol...
Sometimes simple is better than complicated
Stripping something down to the basics highlights skill and technique \[video width="852" height="480" mp4="https://media.trishussey.com/sim...
What Did You Create When You Were A Kid?
I created worlds of adventures, my daughter creates entire houses “A Great figurine from Guardians of The Galaxy and cactus plants sitting on a desk at Four...
A Manager’s Job Is To Raise The Team Up
Their own career will be just fine for it “Several people fist bumping over a busy workspace” by rawpixel.com on Unsplash I caught a post today on LinkedIn t...
The Facebook Debacle Proves We Still Suck At Explaining Tech
And by we I mean us techies, geeks, and social media experts Photo by Tom Sodoge on Unsplash There have been a lot of great posts on Facebook’s privacy debac...
Sometimes you have to call bullsh*t
Photo by Tobias Cornille on Unsplash When the assumption so flawed you really don’t have any choice or How I discovered my superpower and will no longer apol...
Five Steps to Level Up Your Marketing
Photo by Alex Grodkiewicz on Unsplash I’ve been talking with a lot of companies lately, and here’s what I’ve seen going right During my job hunt I’ve had a c...
I’m Not Going To Start The Next Awesome Cooking Blog
Sure I want to, but that isn’t the point Photo by Todd Quackenbush on Unsplash I love to cook. My mom taught me how to make her spaghetti sauce when I was 13...
Coming out of hiatus and other stuff too
Kinda hiatus, but more like life got in the way A beacon cutting through the crap I realized this morning while I was sending out my “portfolio” for a job ap...
Canada May Be The Last Bastion of a Free Internet
Let’s hope it stays that way As the FCC in the U.S. threatens to dismantle net neutrality, the Independent reports the in the U.K. Theresa May may just censo...
Is new and shiny enough to change things?
Does it matter if it isn’t? Photo by Gary Ullah. Lots of folks are talking about Mastodon, yes myself included, and over the past 24 hours I’ve seen more tha...
Communication is the glue between you and your customers
Not how to be sticky, but how to join and connect people Photo by Sam Cat This is something that I grapple with on a daily basis. My job, as you can see, is...
Innovation Requires Knowing It Can Be Done
How do you build more when you don’t think there is a place for more? I was chatting with Marshall Kirkpatrick about apps and what we’re up to. I think Marsh...
Mastodon isn’t the end of Twitter, it’s the begining
Remember needing several email accounts back in the day? If you thought Twitter droppings were bad… Yes, like all my geeky tech brethren I’ve opened a Mastod...
The Customer Experience of Getting My Car Fixed
A few simple things would have made things much better. I needed to get the driver’s-side side mirror fixed on my wife’s car. It had been bashed and wouldn’t...
It’s all about the whiteboards
I write a lot of stuff. And it all starts with a blank piece of glass I’ve been on a bit of a writing tear of late. Which is good because writing is literall...
Technology isn’t going to fix work
It’s up to us to figure this stuff out first I read a lot of Signal v. Noise. Even if I don’t use Basecamp at work, I connect with what Jason Fried and DHH s...