Weekly News Update 9.4

 If you're listening to the latest Radcast News Update, here's Ryan and Riley.
 Hey guys, what's up?
 Welcome to the latest edition of the Radcast News Update.
 It's the first week of September, Riley.
 And I are here with you like always to give you this scoop.
 Let's not say all things.
 All things would be an over sell.
 But the big news of the week.
 Yeah, especially because we only hit on four topics.
 Everything.
 There's definitely, yeah.
 And none of them political in nature.
 That's true.
 I'm really just to talk about something that, or hear about something that's not politics.
 I know.
 And actually, I think for the most part, at least three of these are pretty like, I think they're good things.
 Yeah, I think they are too.
 So we've got four stories this week.
 And one in pop culture, a sad one, but we'll get to that.
 A local, actually local here in South Carolina, celebrity passed away.
 So we'll get to that shortly.
 But I hope everyone's been enjoying the episodes.
 We're going to keep these news segments going.
 So a little more topical each week.
 And we're getting ready to start our e-commerce slash digital commerce.
 Special.
 We'll talk about all things happening in the future of e-commerce and everything to do with digital commerce.
 And so excited about that.
 On me too.
 And I think it'll be, it's obviously really important right now, just because of the nature of sadly that, you know, word we don't like to talk about a lot.
 But in the nature of COVID, I do think that this is going to be a really nice series to bring some good insight on.
 So I'm excited for all the guests we have lined up and everything.
 Exactly.
 It looks like it's going to be a pretty, another diverse group of guests.
 I agree.
 I'm going to bring you all together, but it looks like we're going to cover lots of different parts of the ecosystem that is e-commerce.
 I agree.
 So let's get into some news.
 Yeah, no.
 First up, Facebook launches free paid online events for SBMs and others.
 So what exactly does this look like?
 Like what will this mean, Ryan?
 Well, essentially, you know, there's a couple of things here.
 You know, holistically and then specifically, hey, I like those holistically specific.
 But no, you've got a lot of things going on where there were going to be a lot of events.
 So shows, festivals, groups, B2B, like seminars and sales and anything in business traditionally, especially B2B marketing and sales is a bit driven.
 It's very a bit driven.
 Right, right.
 You go and learn about a lot of different vendors, different products or different services.
 And you know, you meet some of your best prospects there.
 Your best customers and it's way to meet and greet.
 So all of that's kind of gone by the wayside temporarily during COVID.
 And so Facebook is rolling out the ability, you know, all these events have started to kind of go online.
 You see these, I see them, I get them in my email box a lot.
 Invited to an event.
 It's, you know, essentially a glorified webinar in some ways where it's, I don't want to dumb it down there or make it diminish it.
 But it's, you know, an online version of the event where you might have digital experiences with the product.
 Because traditionally, if you go to like a B2B event, you might have, there's booths and different things and different vendors that you walk around and see.
 And these events bring to life these experiences in a more digital way.
 You might see product and services through videos or there's just interactive events that happen and Facebook is turning this on and making it free.
 SMBs on the platform.
 So you can sell tickets to the events.
 You can set up the events.
 But Facebook is doing all that stuff right?
 Yeah, they're going to, they're, they're, they're setting up the technology and the mechanism for the events.
 Okay.
 And a lot of this they already had with some of their group things and technologies that are already there.
 I think they just bundled it together and it's going to be free at least for the first year for SMBs, which is huge.
 I mean, because having actually looked at for a few clients and just kind of exploring the possibilities of online group meeting software or event software.
 It's pricey.
 And so I can't speak to obviously the features or the how robust.
 It's Facebook.
 They've got money.
 So I'm sure it's going to be a nice experience.
 But you can sell tickets to the event.
 You can manage the entire process.
 I think from marketing running ads to the event and the actual payment of the, I think the actual payment of the event.
 Like if you're buying tickets or something, it's all done through through this Facebook.
 Yeah. So I mean, Facebook's been drawing out a lot of ad credits for small business.
 They've been, you know, doing their part.
 Another, they've been getting a bad rap lately.
 There's been boycotting and different things.
 And we're going to refrain on the red cast from passing any judgment on any one platform and keep it straight down the line of the news.
 Exactly.
 But the, the function outing the service, the intent of this seems great.
 And it seems like a great way for businesses to leverage a way to have these events and not have a cost or an infrastructure issue right off the bat.
 Well, because I think even in the beginning, I, I know a lot of workout gyms were having online videos done and then live streaming them to Facebook for their classes.
 But I think this would give them a way to still do that.
 But it provides everything else they need.
 The promotion of it, the payment, the processing, everything.
 Well, it's funny you say that.
 I think you're going to see hybrid.
 You know, my mind didn't go there.
 My mind went to more of the traditional trade show route events.
 But it's interesting that you go there.
 It'll be it.
 It will be cool to see the ways people use this service.
 I hope people like that take advantage of it because it's sad.
 I mean, people that, you know, had gyms.
 I'm only thinking gyms because in the beginning of COVID, I was that person that was live streaming the Facebook gym, you know.
 But I think they should, you know, be able to take advantage of it.
 Are you a total of time star now?
 And I didn't know it.
 You didn't know that.
 Like, are you there?
 Like yelling at people going, come on, Sally, go.
 You can do that.
 Yeah.
 100 more.
 Exactly.
 No, it's not me.
 But I can't do that.
 Cool.
 What's next?
 Next is the Google inventory search.
 Let's see.
 Google is expanding organic surfaces across Google to search.
 So a lot of the things that were originally to my understanding products that are originally coming up when you type in something on Google.
 For my understanding, aren't coming up the same way because they're giving you more content.
 More of the same product versus ones that paid higher to be at the top.
 Is that my understanding of it?
 Yeah.
 Well, you have Google shopping and, you know, the search bar is getting really complex.
 It used to be one search.
 Then you've got, now you've got shopping.
 You've got images.
 You've got videos.
 New followers.
 Exactly.
 And so you had the shopping tag.
 So like I say, I'm looking for a certain clone and I tap it in and then I hit shopping.
 Those are usually paid ads that are there.
 And you manage that through your ad platform or Google my business or depending on how you set it up.
 But those are paid.
 And now what they're doing is introducing non-paid or organic shopping results that will show up in the base.
 Like everything overview all whatever that cat.
 I think it's all the category for Google.
 So you'll see those shopping options there.
 Oh, interesting.
 It's really organic and it'll be listed out at different retailers.
 And so it's again interesting to see because everything I feel like it was starting to get to pay to play on Google.
 Which, hey, it's their network.
 It's their prerogative.
 But it's interesting to see non-paid organic listings for shopping that's going to be in the all the everything feed.
 So do you think that's going to be in the long term actually more beneficial?
 Or do you think it's actually going to hurt more business?
 I think it will help.
 You know, I think it's helping.
 Look, this is all because e-commerce is booming.
 You know, back to the other things we've been talking about with the series coming out and everything.
 Like we've got a match and some kerosene on the fire right now of e-commerce.
 And so many more people are shopping for goods online.
 You know, that everyone was doing Amazon.
 So it's not like it wasn't here.
 I don't want to overstate that.
 But at the same time, like everybody's getting into the online game.
 When you can't open your retail store, you get desperate.
 You're open and you're selling online.
 And so with that influx, you're going to see these types of products and services just grow across Google.
 And look, this is a play for Google because they've been losing search share to Amazon.
 Because most people now think about your behavior.
 I know I'm looking for a product, not like just a person or a random functional search.
 Google still owns that.
 But product search has specific things that you're looking to buy.
 Amazon, the search bar has become the mainstay for where most and a lot of people are going.
 Google's still right there neck and neck with them.
 But this is a play for Google to get back into that prime number one position for product searches.
 That's a good point.
 That's a good point.
 Because I'm definitely the person that's going on Amazon.
 And I'm like, OK, I know I want a whiteboard with a drawer.
 And that's what I'm typing in until I find what I'm looking for.
 I wouldn't do that on Amazon.
 I still do most of mine actually through Google because I like to see.
 Because I've been eight out of 10 times the convenience and everything with Amazon.
 It usually wins out.
 See, that's me.
 Yeah.
 I have gotten burned a few times where I just it was, you know, something obscured.
 I don't even remember what I was buying.
 Where I just went to Amazon.
 I bought it whatever.
 And then I did like a search for it like a couple days later.
 Maybe even for it shipped to me.
 And there was a retailer that had free shipping online and it was like $30 cheaper.
 I mean, it was like $100 purchase.
 It was like $138 Amazon.
 So usually you get the best deal on Amazon.
 And you got the convenience.
 You got your pay structure.
 You get so easy to check out.
 I use you everyone.
 That's why they're doing so well.
 That's what Jeff Bezos is worth $100 billion now.
 But I like to double.
 I kind of stick to my Google still for even product shopping.
 Because I like to just double check.
 And this is accidentally to even another reason to do it.
 So you can kind of cross check.
 Availability stock.
 And I've noticed, you know, with COVID.
 Right.
 Stock and certain things that I never had to worry about.
 Stock isn't as available.
 Supply chains have been, you know, obviously disrupted.
 Right. Right.
 So there's certain things.
 I'm not talking about Lysol wipes that were gone like, you know, day one.
 This toilet paper.
 Yeah.
 But I mean, just normal things like that I expect to be there.
 The stocks haven't been what they were.
 That seems to be getting better.
 But nonetheless, so Google.
 More shopping options.
 More organic.
 And another place to get your price.
 And you can do this through Google My Business.
 You upload your product catalog.
 Google My Business or Google Search Console.
 I think those details are still coming out.
 But the you upload your product feed there.
 You link it with your site.
 You can do all that stuff and automate some of these steps to get approved.
 And so that you're in that organic listing for products that you're selling
 with people you're searching for.
 And then our last, like, I guess, tech news today is the topic,
 which I'm actually very excited about this.
 Twitter is having this more explained reason why something is trending on Twitter.
 And so to my understanding, they're kind of redoing the app a little bit with a lot more updates
 where you're going on the search feed.
 And you see, seriously, I was a victim of this all the time.
 Like, I would see something up there and I'd be like,
 OK, why the hell is this trending?
 Like, who is this person?
 And why is this happening?
 Did you know it was tweeted, like, over half a million times last year,
 like, why is this tweeting?
 Like, why is this trending?
 Didn't surprise me.
 Which doesn't surprise me at all.
 And I think Twitter, I mean, they made a good point.
 If that's being tweeted that many times,
 we're not doing our job right for people to have access to appropriate information
 because I think a lot of time there was a point made that a lot of time people see
 a celebrity's name coming up in the trending feed.
 They're like, oh, my gosh, they died.
 Yeah.
 And they're like, oh, my gosh, we have to tweet about it.
 Oh, everyone died.
 And then they're like, wait a minute.
 Who died?
 And then everyone's freaking out.
 Someone thinks Miley Cyrus has died.
 Yeah.
 And then it's like, wait a minute.
 No one died.
 She didn't die.
 She was trending because her new album came out or whatever it was.
 But she wouldn't know that unless you did all the other background research,
 which I guess, in theory, wouldn't actually take you that long.
 But thankfully, Twitter is going to, I guess, make it a lot easier for everyone
 to understand why things are trending.
 Yeah.
 I've been victim of that.
 I've definitely gone and been like, what?
 Why is that?
 It's like somebody, like a band guy, I know, or something like Dave Matthews is not dead.
 Do not tell me that.
 Don't tell me, you know, and it's like, no, it's just he won, you know, seven grand
 research.
 I mean, like, you know, and you make that assumption and it has not been easy
 because all you see is the one keyword, you know, the name of the person,
 the name of some random thing that you have no idea.
 And then you just start assuming.
 Yeah.
 You put your own thoughts together.
 You know, I'm going to talk about the spread of this information.
 Well, get you leaving the platform because what you end up doing is you end up googling.
 And, you know, I'm not saying Twitter is competing with Google, but let's, hey,
 they want your eyeballs in Twitter, because they want you reading that feed
 and looking at those ads.
 Exactly.
 And if you're not getting your answer from Twitter, you're going to go somewhere else
 to get your answer.
 Exactly.
 So I think it's good that Twitter is doing this.
 I think it's great.
 And it'll be interesting to see, because I noticed that it will pin
 the most relevant, or I guess they're determined this organically,
 to what that trending topic is.
 So if it's a person's name, they're going to organically choose
 and pin a tweet that you see with that trending thing.
 So be interesting to see how the algorithm pars out.
 You know, if it's always, it's probably going to do like anything else.
 It's, you know, celebrities or whoever's verified users
 or the most, you know, active people on there.
 I don't know if you just hope it's still the right information.
 Exactly.
 Well, that will be interesting too.
 No, like that'll be the people start trying to trick the,
 exactly.
 The pinned tweet for, for that search or for that trending topic.
 Exactly.
 I feel like I would be, I feel like I would be so much more okay
 with information if I saw like a work cited page at the end of a Twitter.
 So where are you getting this information?
 That's that check.
 Yeah, exactly.
 You click on the pinned tweet and then you go down the,
 the rabbit hole that I go down is reading on the comments.
 I mean, God, I get lost.
 Like, I spend, I don't know how much time I don't know.
 It's a big world.
 I mean, you know, I tweet some, like I tried to, you know, stay active
 and I was a lot more active before mainly consuming for me, like news and stuff.
 God, it's like a, it is a complete rabbit hole going in the comments.
 Like, especially this politics stuff.
 I'm like, oh, God.
 Oh, you made a good point.
 Then I'm like, oh, though, how is he going to come?
 What's his response back in the end?
 Like, I'm dying to see the next one.
 Is he going to leave it alone or what is he going to be, you know?
 And then it gets so like, oh, juvenile, real quick.
 Oh.
 Name calling.
 Yeah.
 How old are we?
 Yeah.
 Yeah.
 Well, anyway, cool, cool feature.
 I'm excited.
 Overdo.
 Definitely, but I'm looking forward to that one coming out.
 And then, um, completely changing gears to just, um,
 remembering Chadwick Boseman, um, legendary actor,
 legendary artist and, um, South Carolina native.
 Yeah, Anderson, South Carolina, which is about 30 minutes down the road
 from where we sit doing this podcast in Greenville, South Carolina.
 Yeah.
 So definitely one of our own right down the road.
 Yeah.
 I'm actually, they're having a memorial tonight at the sports
 entertainment center tonight at seven for him.
 Nice.
 They're seating up to 12,000.
 Oh, Cal.
 That's who it will be full.
 I guarantee you.
 And great actor, Black Panther, unbelievable.
 But as much as I liked Black Panther, like some of these other movies he was in, um,
 not all of which I've seen.
 I've been admittedly, like, seeing the previews of them now with, unfortunately, his passing.
 But the range that he had in acting, his ability to sing, like, he can dance.
 I'm like, dude, this guy was going to be a, I mean, is our idiot legend, but was
 going to be a legend in 43 years.
 He's my age.
 I mean, I'm 43.
 So you're talking about hitting home.
 Right.
 You know, we, he had the world at his hands in a lot of ways.
 But you could have everything, but if you don't have your health.
 So, uh, colon cancer, which my grandfather actually died of.
 Um, so, but was much older than him.
 Um, was 70.
 And, you know, so that hit home for me.
 And, you know, there's screenings and everything else for that.
 So I encourage people to, to follow that.
 But just really saddened his.
 It is really saddened.
 It's, I think a lot of things kind of come into play here.
 He was diagnosed in 2016 in the amount of movies he did in that time frame.
 And he was already diagnosed with stage three.
 And it was on its way to stage four.
 I mean, by the time he passed, it was stage four.
 So just realizing to your point, realizing the scope of film that he did in that time frame.
 And everybody has come out and said they had no idea.
 Like I, I didn't know, you know, like he's been battling this, doing these high, high intense movies.
 Yeah.
 I mean, and he going through a chemo and other things and not talking about.
 And during this time, when did 24 come out?
 The one he was talking about, when he was Babe Ruth.
 Yeah, I don't know what the date was.
 I don't know what the date was.
 But regardless.
 Regardless the, it's, you know, so many people like Doug you were wrong.
 I don't know how, if I had, how come would none of us want to have cancer or go through these things.
 But, and I, until you go through it, you don't know how you act.
 So many people that go through it.
 And maybe they feel like they should share their story in the midst of it because they're trying to, you know, make people aware.
 But the, the courage in the, I don't know, the selfless aspect of not kind of wearing it on his sleeve.
 And just battling through it, like coming to work every day, you know, in secret, you know, battling it, doing everything that he could.
 But not making it a story about him.
 About, okay, you know, great, budding legend actor that, and I'm, and I'm dealing with cancer right.
 You know, like that could have been the story.
 And it would have been fine.
 But I really admire that he just kept that to himself.
 And man, I mean, just speaks to his character and his, you know, not making about him.
 It stayed about the movie, it stayed about the work that he did.
 And not about, you know, the cancer.
 So I really admire him for that.
 I agree. I think he had a dedication for his art.
 And that was what his life was.
 It wasn't about other parts of his life.
 His life was the art of acting, you know, and I think he gave his all in that and all the, all the respect and honor for him.
 Incredibly sad. Incredibly sad.
 I think that's all the news for today.
 It is.
 Yeah, it ends on a sad note.
 But we have a lot of new information coming up to you guys on the Radcast.
 So be staying up to date on that.
 All right, guys, Ryan Offward, Riley Clark.
 We will see you next time.
 Follow along at the.rad.cast on Instagram and theradcast.com online.
 See you next time.
 Have a great Labor Day.
 To listen to full episodes or to contact us, visit us on the web at theradcast.com.
 Or follow our host at Ryan Offward on Instagram.
 Thanks for tuning in.