🚀 This AI Is Smarter Than Your Last Web Designer

...And Other Truths From Our April 25 Meeting

Hey 👋,

Imagine a meeting where the tech broke, soap went bad and AI avatars tried (and failed) to sound human, all before my Pepsi kicked in.

That was our April 25th catch-up and trust me, you’ll want the highlights (plus a few shade trees planted along the way). 🌳

Ready to laugh and learn how to survive digital chaos like a boss? Let’s get into it. 🏊‍♀️

📝 TL;DR:

• New tools? Cool. Glitches? Cooler. 🙃
• Avatars: Talking, moving, still creepy.
• Lavender > Everything. Including your fancy soap.
• Brand your business like your life depends on it. (It kinda does.)
• WordPress plugins: Because who doesn’t like a surprise hack?

⚡ First, We Fought the Tech...and the Tech Won

Ever start a meeting and immediately your mic betrays you?

No one couldn't hear. I tried out Meethour for the 1st time live, didn't know what I was doing. None of the session was was recorded on video. Hooray for Krisp! Krisp isn't just for noise cancellation anymore. Actually, I can't vouch for the noise cancellation part, however the speech to text transcriptions and summaries are GREAT! Everyone was side-eyeing their laptops like "Really? Today?"

Here's a thought:

When was the last time your tech threw a tantrum mid-meeting...and did you survive with your sanity intact?

Lesson learned: Backup everything. Even your backup.

🛠️ New Tools, New Headaches

I confessed that I thought that I was tired paying Zoom $171.09 and counting per year. (Anyone else 🙋🏽‍♀️)? When I had other tech I could be using like:

• Airmeet
• OneStream Live or
• BeLive

We also spilled tea on tools like meetin and Butter, because when in doubt, find something cheaper and cuter.

But beware: Not every shiny tool knows what it's doing. Some are all sparkle, no substance.

Ask yourself:

Are you picking tools for how they look...or how they work?

🎭 AI Avatars: Cute Concept, Robotic Reality

Can AI help our Notebook LM sound better or different? Maybe.

Can they sound less like Siri’s awkward cousin? Not yet.

We tried, the avatars tried harder; but for now, it’s giving:

🎙️ "Hello, I am definitely not a robot. Please buy my course."

Question to ponder:

Would you trust a robot voice to tell your founder story?

🎓 Leadership Courses That Don’t Suck

Nobody wants another "blah blah leadership" course.

Zakia & Patrick dropped knowledge on aligning your strategies with your objectives, because experiential learning> death by PowerPoint.

Question:

Is your course giving energy...or putting people to sleep?

🎨 Sistering Your Brand Like a Pro

Sistering: matching your colors, fonts and vibe across platforms.

Because if your LinkedIn looks like a law firm but your website screams Etsy hippie?

Houston, you have a branding problem.

Think about it:

Does your brand look like one big happy family...or an awkward family reunion?

🤖 Mantis AI: The Assistant You Deserve

Meet Manus.im: our new AI buddy who builds websites, drafts newsletters and probably could run your whole business if you asked nicely.

Warning: If your AI agent works harder than your team...you might need new humans. 👀

Serious moment:

How are you using AI to work smarter (not harder)?

🛡️ WordPress: The Good, The Bad, The Hacked

WordPress plugins = hacker playgrounds. 🎢

One bad update and boom, your website’s selling crypto to retirees.

Solution?

• Get managed care.
• Ditch 50 plugins you don't even use.
• Maybe move to platforms that don’t stab you in the back. 👀.)

Gut check:

Is your website secretly plotting against you right now?

💬 Final Thoughts:

We laughed. We cried (over WordPress). We plotted our world domination through better branding and smarter AI. 💅🏽

👉 Don’t wait until your site gets hijacked.

Listen to the AI recap. Take the wins. Dodge the drama.

Thanks for being part of the ride, , you're the real MVP. 🏆

Until next time: Keep it smart. Keep it sassy. Keep it secure.

*Keep Moving Forward!

Ericka Bates

– Talk Virtual / Virtual Summiteers Team

P.S.

Reminder!

The Jason Hodge is joining us this Friday, May 2nd, at 10AM ET for his

Event Innovators Insights Session! He'll be speak on Mastering Clarity, Pillars, and AI: Building Your Business Foundation with Strategic Storytelling. Get ready to uncover how to align your values, strengthen your business pillars and use AI to boost your strategic storytelling. You won't want to miss this one!