Informed Podcast by Mark Williams. The podcast for LinkedIn™️ users Mark Williams

This week I chat with Merrill Charette a long timer listener to the podcast (and a podcaster himself!) about his upbringing, experiences and how he ended up in the maritime industry.
I really enjoyed chatting with Merrill who is a fascinating character and a great raconteur. In this interview we cover;
How he grew up the '6th child' with his other siblings being 5 Old English Sheepdogs!
His very sports orientated childhood and his (and his fathers) obsession with Lacrosse
The benefits of focus and determination to achieve his potential in lacrosse
How he attended 4 high schools in 5 years experiencing bullying at every turn
Tough love from his father
Why he gave up lacrosse and rebuilt his identity
Dealing with authority (when you know they are wrong)
The 1000 Origami Crane Challenge and how it changed him
Completing a challenging 2,200-mile trek along the Appalachian Trail
Quitting law school
The difference between moving on and giving up
How a random comment from a stranger "You could always live on a boat" led him to the maritime industry.
How he negotiated for and bought his first boat
How he taught himself to sail his first voyage from New York to Boston
Finding a new community of boat owners
Becoming a boating entrepreneur as an outsider to the industry
Artificial intelligence and the maritime industry

This week in the podcast I complete my review of Uplift Live with the speakers from the afternoon sessions
Gillian Whitney  
Kevin D. Turner 
Tiina Jarvet
Richard van der Blom 
Also in this edition;
New ‘Takeaways’ on Articles & posts New video feed on mobile An excellent example of brand partnership with influencer Post of the week

My thoughts and feedback on Uplift Live
UpLift Live is an in-person, LinkedIn-focused conference that took place for the first time on 21 March 2024 in Birmingham, UK.

With the demise of Creator mode, or the opening of creator mode to everyone (however you wish to view it!) imminent, it probably opens up the possibility of all LinkedIn™️ users having the opportunity to create their own newsletters.
So it seems a good time to have a new look at this feature so that you can decide whether you will be be going down that track.
That plus;
A new mysterious 'Who viewed your profile' filter.
Your comment doesn't comply with our policies!
AI enhancements drive an increase in LinkedIn™️ Premium subscriptions.
A sneaky way to get 3 months premium free.
How AI features are being assessed
Native AI post generation. Is it any good?
Post of the week

This month we will see Creator mode disappearing and with it, the obligation to have 'Follow' as the primary option on your profile so I thought it was worth revisiting the persistent question...Connect or Follow?
That plus;
New Recruiter & Learning tools that assist retention but might also have the the polar opposite impact!
New Privacy setting
New option for profile custom CTA button
Feedback from last week regarding the homepage feed
Post of the week.

Has your feed changed recently? Are you seeing posts from people who are unfamiliar to you?
This may be due to LinkedIn™️ deciding that they know what 'quality' content looks like.
Not you...you are clearly not in a position to decide this for yourself!
This week I discuss what we can do to fix this.
That plus;
AI comments are getting very annoying!
The real reason customised invitations are being limited and a cool workaround.
A very sneaky change to your data privacy settings
Saved posts feature urgently needs updating
My take on Public groups
Profile verification favours men!
Post of the week