I enjoy Federico Viticci in the many podcasts I listen to, though he can on and on …
If I’m recalling correctly, he switched from OmniFocus then to Goodtasks. In a recent Connected episode talking about Obsidian he mentioned a custom plugin for Todoist. Is he now using Todoist? This, on top of switching from Hey (don’t recall what he used before), to Google, but now considering Fastmail.
Obviously, he is a tech writer so such change makes sense and Lord knows, I’ve made enough of my own changes.
Do you get the impression he is now using Todoist?
Yes, that was his focus in the episode but it was only weeks ago that he was enthusiastic about Goodtasks. I’m not criticizing at all, I’ve been on my own app spirit quest lately. I’m more intrigued than anything.
It’s useful when your whole job involves being familiar with all the software that’s new & cool. Far less useful when learning the software can’t be argued to be part of your actual job.
Same here. It’s a young man’s game, though. I don’t have the energy for it. He does, he enjoys it, he’s good at it, and he makes a living doing it. More power to him (no pun intended).
I’m in “there is no new frontier, we have got to make it here” mode…
… meaning “pick one that’s good enough and make it work”. That, for me, is OmniFocus. Because of OmniAutomation and general faith in Omni Group. For others it’ll be something for else. Likewise Drafts rather than Obsidian.
But I can see why Federico is driven to experiment; That’s part of why he has the job he has and why I listen to him…
… If people try something experimental with an app or service I’m not using - whether more taking or todo app - I think about how I might try it with the relevant app I am using.
I find that I need to change what I am using every 18 month or it becomes stale - ie. my productivity drops because I am board with the process. However, if I move to a new “shiny” I gather some good momentum - and these days, a switch is usually just an hour of logistics that can be done whilst watching Netflix.
That’s pretty unfair. Federico, nor anyone else who is honest in this business, mixes content and advertising in that way. If we use a product that is a sponsor, we’re free to say that, but our opinions aren’t for sale.
You want to back up that libelous accusation with something, or are you just here to casually assassinate someone’s character?
Federico has used and recommended a ton of apps and services which have never sponsored anything he’s done. The fact that he likes and recommends apps/services that then also want to support his work is nearly impossible to avoid.
It would be like David and Stephen deciding not to use 1Password, which they used before 1Password was a sponsor of the show, so as to appear not to be biased towards 1Password.
And, of course, one of his biggest topics for the past several years has been Shortcuts. Apple’s not paying for any of that. In fact, Apple routinely breaks stuff that he writes.
You may think you were just joking, but playing with someone’s professional reputation is no joke.
I’m not a tremendous fan of Viticci’s work and I find his empathetic recommendations of software pretty unreliable since he changes workflows so often, but I never would think there would be any dishonesty behind this. This accusation is gratuitous, uncalled for, and you should remove it. And if it’s an attempt at humour, it’s a failed one.
It’s neither humor nor an accusation or even a personal attack. It is a summary of personal perception expressed in form of modifying a common quote.
If anyone else’s opinion differs from mine that is more than 100% fine with me.
I personally do not see any reason for sugar coating or censoring.—Yet, for the sake of not offending those with thin skin, I will revert it to the original quote by removing the term “sponsors” after the crossed out “people”.
To be clear, I have high empathy for the unstable occupation of tech bloggers/podcasters/youtubers. If your livelihood depends on jumping to the new and shiny to catch every short wave of interest in hope to strike a nerve and convert inbound search traffic to readers/customers, it’s tough.
Yet, in turn, and especially due to that imbalance and the co-dependency, an objective and reliable opinion is hard to find. You find more valid criticism in forums like this or personal blogs than you will ever find amongst podcasters/bloggers etc., whose main income stream is … well, ads. Be it from existing regular sponsors or the potential ones in the future.
Because of this, the issue of tap-dancing around criticism is especially prevalent with mid-tier “influencers”. Unless you have reached a market-moving critical mass, a lot of your voiced opinions are often skewed and have to be taken with an extra grain of salt.
If someone jumps from tool to tool in a matter of weeks like a feather in the wind it at least should raise an eyebrow.
The sheer existence of this thread and discussions proves a point. Some “influencers” just handle it better than others.
I’d like to emphatically clarify that I was not criticizing Federico. As I said above, I enjoy him. I also learn a great deal from him. I’m sure he is much smarter than I am.
My post was intended to elicit clarification regarding his current app choice for task management, Todoist? It was not intended to elicit criticism of him. I also noted that his use of lots of tools reflects his role as a tech writer.
I encourage us, including myself, to protect the reputations of others. Along those lines, though intended as humor, I should not have said, “though he can on and on …” That was an unnecessary assessment on my part.
I think that is because at one point he had a podcast focused exclusively on the iPad and, if I’m not mistaken, he has historically used his iPad for most/much of his work. But I agree, it is easier on the Mac!
This post is an opinion.
The previous one was a gratuitous attack.
It’s not about sugar coating, it’s about being simply decent with another person. You can criticize without attacking the integrity of someone. It’s easy to criticize « thin skin » when you’re not on the receiving end of the attack.
Ah… I see… a slight variation on the “I was only kidding” response. Ok.
How magnanimous.
There’s a big difference between “raising an eyebrow” and accusing… oh, sorry… “making a personal perception” that someone is corrupt and untrustworthy.
Don’t expect anyone to believe for a second that you don’t know the difference.
I doubt you’ll find any “influencers” handle an accusation of bias towards sponsors lightly.
Anyone who casually makes accusations and then claims to have “empathy” for the people they’re accusing is definitely cause for raising an eyebrow, at the very least.
Federico is charming, he’s fun to listen to, and I sometimes learn things about the technology I use. That’s pretty much all I look for in a tech podcaster.
I’m more intrigued than anything.