Dear Reader,

Greetings from @30,000 feet. As I start this final newsletter of the year, I’m returning from a short trip to London, visiting family and taking stock of what’s going to happen in the year to come.

2024 has been an personally transformative year*, but I've been reflecting on what we can do now in the AI and tech space now that we couldn't do a year ago.

Some examples:

• SAP’s Q3 Business AI release reduced manual data processing time from 30 minutes to 30 seconds
• Back in Q1 companies implementing AI-powered automation tools saw up to 40% productivity increase
• OpenAI made ChatGPT search available to all users, not just Plus subscribers
• Gartner projects AI PCs will make up 43% of all PC shipments by 2025

Really, that's not even the tip of the iceberg. I'm excited to see what advancements we'll be making in the coming months.

This week: Why you should start blogging again in 2025, everything online is the same and testing out a cool new AI app for iPad.

Let’s get to it.

✍🏻 It's beginning to look at lot like you should be blogging

I’m pleased to have had my perspective shared on Generative Search Optimisation (GEO) in this piece by Maya Middlemiss on ‘Generative AI: An e-⁠resident’s Guide to Boosting Productivity and Innovation’.

I maintain that if you’ve been on the fence over starting a blog or public-facing journal about you, your business, your perspectives etc., then now is as good a time to start as ever. If you want a step up in the content marketing game, then blog first, social later.

Traffic and Engagement

Businesses with blogs experience a 55% increase in visitors, and blogs have become increasingly important for marketing:

• 71% of B2B buyers consume blog content during their buying journey
• 76% of B2C marketers use blogs to distribute content
• Companies with blogs receive 97% more links to their websites

So what’s the takeaway here? Don’t put all your eggs in one basket and rely on social media sites and their algorithms to be responsible for hosting your ideas and outputs. Blog first, social after. You want to be bringing your audiences back to your site, where you can better control their user experience and your messaging.

And at the end of the day, when algorithms change, when ownership of social media sites potentially changes rules, ownership, political allegiances - what happens to your content?

🗑️ Everything online is the same

On a similar note, have you noticed how everything online is starting to become the same? They NYT has, and it's discussed in this opinion piece:

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The internet is increasingly filled with content that appears similar, lacking diversity and originality. Algorithms prioritise content that is likely to engage users, often leading to the suppression of unique or unconventional material in favor of more predictable, mainstream content.

I'll echo my point above - don't create content that satisfies the requirements of an algorithm. If you're going to start creating your blog (or newsletter, or podcast) in 2025, here are five ways you can combat creator content homogenisation:

1. Prioritise creating unique, meaningful content that reflects your voice and perspective rather than chasing algorithm-driven trends.
2. Share your work across multiple platforms, including niche or decentralised ones, to reduce dependency on algorithm-heavy spaces.
3. Engage directly with your audience through email lists, private communities, and interactive sessions to foster a loyal following outside the algorithm’s influence.
4. Partner with other creators to amplify reach and encourage diversity in the types of content shared and consumed.
5. Raise awareness about the impact of algorithms on content visibility and empower your audience to discover and support diverse, original works.

If you've got a new blog or newsletter, let me know about it!​

🔧 Tool testing: Apollo AI for iPad

Just before I left for my trip, I started using a new tool for iPadOS, called Apollo: “a client for chatting with open source AI and self-hosted LLMs’ that allows me to have access to my AI stack from one interface - including offline usage for some models. Using OpenRouter I can log into all the LLMs I’m subscribed to with Anthropic, Perplexity, OpenAI etc. and I can also download local LLMs on to my iPad, as seen pictured, and be able to carry on interactions without needing to be online.

Advantages

1. Privacy and Security: By running smaller LLMs directly on your device, Apollo ensures that your data remains private and secure, reducing the risk of data breaches associated with cloud-based services.
2. Custom Backend Support: Apollo allows you to connect to your own locally-hosted private LLMs. By running an LLM on your computer with tools like LM Studio or Ollama, you can use Apollo to host your own private ChatGPT-like mobile app for your family. 
3. OpenRouter Integration: With OpenRouter support, you can access a wide range of AI models, including both open-source models like Meta Llama 3 and closed-source models like OpenAI’s ChatGPT-4, by simply providing an OpenRouter API key. 
4. Customisable Client: Apollo serves as a customizable client for accessing language models from various sources, offering flexibility in choosing and managing the AI models that best suit your needs. 

If you have a relatively new iPad, you can give it a try.

🤖 GPT of the week: Ultimate Holiday Gift Guide

Well there’s about 1 day left until Christmas, so even though that really limits your ability to shop, you still might want to bookmark this GPT for any other gift-giving opportunities that come up in the new year.

This custom GPT takes the best gift guides from around the web and aggregates them into one queryable interface, making it easy to find trending, budget, luxury gifts and more, as recommended by Wirecutter, Vogue, Esquire, The Kid Should See This and others.

By making use of ChatGPT’s web lookup and a pre-configured knowledge base, users of this GPT can input what kind of person they’re trying to find a gift for, then be given options from nearly 50 curated lists from popular tech sites, tastemakers and trend setters all over the world.

🔗 Quick links

🎅🏼 Official NORAD Santa Tracker

The NORAD Santa Tracker has been a cherished Christmas tradition for nearly 70 years, bringing festive joy to families worldwide. It all began in 1955 with an unexpected twist—a misprinted phone number in a Sears advertisement encouraged children to call Santa Claus but instead reached the Continental Air Defense Command (CONAD). Colonel Harry Shoup, the officer on duty, embraced the holiday spirit by sharing updates on Santa’s whereabouts. This heartwarming initiative continued when NORAD (North American Aerospace Defense Command) took over in 1958, solidifying its place as a festive tradition.

In 1997, the NORAD Santa Tracker made its way online, opening up the magic of Santa’s journey to a global audience. Now, millions of users log in each Christmas Eve to follow Santa’s sleigh in real time as he delivers presents across the globe. The website, available in multiple languages, features interactive maps, holiday games, music, and even a countdown to Christmas. It’s a perfect blend of modern technology and nostalgic wonder, uniting generations in the excitement of tracking Santa’s progress. If you haven’t joined in the fun yet, this year could be the perfect time to start!

I’ll be taking a break from now until January to re-tool and get some exciting new offerings together for 2025. I hope you have a wonderful festive season, and I look forward to sharing more with you in the New Year!

Until then, stay safe and stay informed!

Jim

* I'm still looking for consulting gigs for Q1 2025, so please get in touch.​

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Made with ❤️ in Valencia by Jim Christian. For feedback, please reach out to hello@jimchristian.net. For custom GPTs, prompt libraries, general AI consulting and development, please visit Informatic AI.

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