Leon Hitchens IV | Thoughts, stories and ideas

My Thoughts on the 2021 Tesla Model 3 Standard Range Plus (LFP Model)

I am a car enthusiast by any means, but buying a Tesla has always been a dream. I finally got one & wanted to share my thoughts on the Model 3!

Personal

Mid-Year 2021 Update

It's almost the end of 2021! Another year of Covid-19 with precautions and vaccinations. The summer flew by, and I haven't provided any updates. Primarily, I fell off of Twitter, Instagram, and blogging. I wasn't giving updates because we bought a house just outside of San Antonio, Texas. It's a

How I Feel Productive when I'm Unproductive

Have you ever had a day that felt productive, but once you lookback at the day's accomplishments, you realize you were unproductive? I've felt that a lot over the past couple of weeks. I have been finishing work, feeling busy, and getting tasks done. Then when I look back, I

Ghost 4.0 Update Gives a Self-Hosted Substack Alternative

Ghost 4.0 came out today! It's been a long delayed update, partly due to COVID, but it's finally here for everyone. Ghost 4.0 - Newsletters, memberships, subscriptions - all in one place | Product HuntNo betas. Just dreams.Product HuntJohn O’NolanProduct Hunt Launch for Ghost 4.0The update

Personal

The Gold Age of Gadgets is Over

I finally upgraded my iPhone 8 Plus to an iPhone 12. While the upgrade is a significant overhaul, it doesn't feel like a major change. It's practically the same phone with the same apps. I copied over the previous iPhone data, making it feel like the same device. I am

Productivity

Async Work is Freedom

I often read about freedom from a 9-to-5 job. While most of these folks tell you to pursue a startup, have a side hustle, or start freelancing. They don't realize you don't have to leave your 9-to-5; you have to leave the traditional 9-to-5 requirements. As companies are going fully

Marketing

Which is better for audio - Twitter Spaces or Clubhouse?

I recently got an invite for Clubhouse, and I discovered how to access Twitter Spaces. Both have apps have the same concept. Each offers open rooms for anyone to talk about current events or around any topic that you could imagine. Clubhouse is currently iOS only, plus it requires an

Productivity

Take More Professional Screenshots in Seconds with Screely

I'm always sharing screenshots! They're often quick screenshots of a graph on Google Analytics or something on a web page that I want to share with a friend or client. They're not pretty or appealing. Now, not all screenshots have to be special. Sometimes though, I want to make something

Personal

2020 Look Back & Review

I don't think anyone could've predicted what would happen over 2020. I wrote in the 2019 recap that "I didn't want to set any lofty goals." Best choice ever! Instead of doing the standard recap, goal setting, and resolution for 2021, I am adopting Yearly Themes. I first discovered Yearly

Productivity

I joined the Notion App Bandwagon

I finally caved and joined the Notion bandwagon. I first found out about Notion via ProductHunt in late 2018. Then I started playing with the app in early 2019. At the time, I used Bear for note-taking on my Mac. I also heavily used Google Docs, Sheets, & Slides. All

No Code

[No Code] How to Build a Course with WordPress

I am working with a client to launch a Google Ads course via WordPress. I am tasked with not only marketing the course but also building the course. I decided to develop the course website myself, doing all with No-Code. All Total, to build a fully functioning WordPress based course,

Personal

My Review of the Smart Oura Ring

My first introduction with the Oura Ring came from Kevin Rose - the founder of Digg, and later went on to found Zero Fasting. Kevin recommended Oura Ring to his newsletter readers back in Aug 2017. At the time, the Ring was bulky and much larger. It was the first

Marketing

Switching from Google Analytics to Privacy-Focused Fathom Analytics

The most consequential conversation online these days is around privacy. How do users consent to be tracked?What information should companies and brands collect on users?As a marketer, I have used Google Analytics and other fairly invasive tracking tools. I see daily the amount of data collected from the

Newsletter

Newsletter 1: WWDC 2020

Welcome to the newsletter! The first edition in the reboot, at least. I've done a personal newsletter in the past, where I shared exciting stories and recapped what I wrote around the web. This reincarnation will share a similar base but include topical updates from what's happening. This means, I

Newsletter

Adding Memberships & a Newsletter to my Blog

I have dabbled with blogging personally, but I never stuck with it with or set a schedule. I have made new years resolutions and tweeted that I would blog more, but it never amounted to more than a few articles sporadically. This story isn't much different from that of others

Personal

My New Obsession - Fortnite

I've always been into video games, but now I have been highly obsessed with Fortnite. I played the battle-royale game back when PUBG was coming into the spotlight in early 2018. Back then, the game had a different feel, and I played once or twice and didn't touch it again

Personal

I archived my WordPress Blog by Making it Static

Since early 2013, I ran a technology blog called Digital Bounds. In January of 2019, I decided it was time to sunset the project. I worked on the site for over seven years. I published thousands of articles, wrote dozens of reviews, and had the chance to travel to CES,

Personal

Work from Home Transition

Working from home can be a difficult transition for some employees and businesses. Many have never had the opportunity to work from home, whether its because their employer didn't have a policy on it or they didn't feel productive and focused at home. Now, with the COVID-19 crisis, work from

Personal

Updating my personal brand & logo

It's been a while since I’ve updated my personal brand online. I have more recently started focusing on my personal site, Twitter, and profiles online. I sunsetted my tech blog - Digital Bounds. Now, I am writing on this blog more often than I was in the past. I

Personal

2019 Lookback and Review

2019 was a big year. It is an end of a decade, even if you disagree its ending the 2010's and starting the 2020's. A few people have pointed out that the new decade doesn't begin till the END of 2020. Really? Is that how you want to

Marketing

How to write an SEO friendly blog post

If you're using content to gain traffic, you're thinking about search engine optimization. In the previous blog post, I highlighted how important SEO is for growing a blog. I only briefly mentioned how optimizing for search helped me grow Digital Bounds over the years. I started planning how I could

Marketing

7 Tips for building a successful blog

Before I started my career in digital marketing as a digital strategist, I began my career online blogging. I grew up when blogs like Gizmodo, Engadget, and Android Authority, were coming to age. I experienced the tail end of the "golden age of blogging." I started a technology blog online,

Marketing

Google Ads charges for clicks in India even if you only target the United States

I manage Google Ads and other paid platforms for companies through Digiboost. I work with platforms like Google Ads, Facebook Ads, DoubleClick, Buy Sell Ads and direct buys for startups and small businesses. I've managed thousands of dollars to a few hundred dollars for companies. I've set up small campaigns

Marketing

Common Facebook Ad Mistakes

I work with Facebook Ads daily, managing ads for SaaS businesses at Digiboost. Facebook Ad campaigns that are well-crafted can drive high-quality traffic and leads at lower costs than other platforms. I've seen Facebook drive leads to small businesses, e-commerce sites, and even b2b businesses. When accounts don't have a

Marketing

5 Things you didn't know about online advertising

Online advertising is a growing business - it's estimated to be a $15 billion industry. That's larger than the TV advertising industry by leaps and bounds! I'm the lead digital strategist at Digiboost, which works with small businesses and SaaS startups in San Antonio. I've learned a lot about digital