Closing out 2021 & BIG changes for 2022

0:00Hey, it's Tim here. In this one, I'm just

0:02talking to the camera, nothing to share

0:03other than to close out the year on the

0:05channel.

0:06Yes, seems a bit odd closing out the year

0:08in November, end of November, but this is

0:11actually when I typically re-evaluate the

0:14channel.

0:14You might have even noticed things like my

0:15thumbnails have changed because yes, I

0:18actually review a lot of the stuff around

0:19the channel roundabout this time and then I

0:21change it for the year ahead roundabout

0:24this time.

0:25But I'm winding down for a couple of

0:27important reasons. It is nearly the year

0:29end. This time last year I wind down at

0:31this point because I had a son that

0:33welcomed into the family and in the next

0:36few weeks, fingers crossed, we're hoping

0:38for another arrival as well into the family

0:40.

0:40So we'll be five strong here in the Naguena

0:43family and we're super excited for that. So

0:45in essence, I need to be winding down for

0:47that because I need to be present and fully

0:50involved with all of that.

0:52Now, in terms of the channel itself, we're

0:54going into 2022 and we've got a couple of

0:56exciting things that we want to do. The

0:59first one is I'd love to do a review of

1:01Tableau 2021 in general.

1:04I'd love to review all the features that

1:05came up. So if you've got some thoughts

1:07about that, let me know what you think.

1:08There's also a bunch of content around 21.4

1:12. I'll make that as and when I can and then

1:14I'll put it out essentially.

1:16So that's obviously going to happen. It's

1:17hopefully going to come out in the next few

1:19weeks. I don't know when. So when it does

1:21come out, what you'll probably watch is

1:23something prerecorded using the prerelease.

1:26But I'll obviously have to validate that

1:27the features haven't changed. So what I

1:29tend to do if I do do some prerecording, I

1:32open up the actual release, double check

1:34things work the way they should be, check

1:36the release notes and the documentation.

1:38And if they work, I release the video and

1:40if they don't, I rerecord the video and

1:42talk about the bugs or whatever. So that

1:44will be sort of happening as and when 21.4

1:47comes out.

1:48Now in terms of the future of the channel,

1:50man, I don't want to sort of take this too

1:52seriously. But I think there's an important

1:55point here where we do need to change. The

1:57channel is called Tableau Tim.

1:59But when I did a survey asking, look what

2:01people would want to see going forward in

2:03terms of other software, all tricks came

2:05out top. But there's equally a lot of love

2:07for Snowflake and AWS as well in some other

2:10respects.

2:11And then obviously the other technologies

2:12around that with things like five train as

2:14well. So I'm just in some in terms of the

2:16survey ran on LinkedIn and YouTube, I'll

2:18put these up on screen.

2:20It was really interesting to see the

2:21outcome of that. Okay. So in order to cover

2:23those, I can't just have the channel called

2:25Tableau Tim because that would, in essence,

2:27send the wrong message to those communities

2:29if they joined.

2:30But also, Tableau Tim is me, that's sort of

2:32my identity. And we can kind of stop being

2:35narcissistic on this channel and find a

2:36better name that's more encompassing for

2:38the kind of content and the community that

2:39I'm trying to foster.

2:41So I think the channel name will probably

2:43change at some point next year. So look out

2:45for that, look out for that when it happens

2:48. The other thing is, it might not just be

2:50me on the channel.

2:52To keep making content at the level that I

2:54make it and to keep sort of, I take a lot

2:56of pride in that, take a lot of pride in

2:58making it at that level. I don't need to

3:00make it at that level.

3:02I could equally make content using a lot

3:04lower sort of resources and, you know,

3:07capability. But I just enjoy doing it the

3:09way I do it. And that's sort of part of my

3:12identity.

3:13So I'm going to keep doing that. But what I

3:15do want to do is bring someone onto the

3:17channel as well to help make other content.

3:20Because I'm not an expert at everything.

3:22Essentially, I learned from other people.

3:24And if I just continue to sit here and make

3:26videos about everything, you'll think that

3:29I'm a jack of all trades and the master of

3:31none. I'm Tableau Tim, I think I know Table

3:32au the best.

3:32So it might make sense to bring other

3:33people to make some of the other videos on

3:35the channel. So I'm not going to say who

3:37that is, or when or whatever. When they are

3:40ready to make content on the channel, they

3:42'll make content on the channel, and you'll

3:44see it.

3:45By that point, the name of the channel

3:46probably will have changed. So be sure to

3:48look out for that. And I think it's going

3:50to be a really interesting transition

3:52because what it should mean for you is we

3:54'll be able to cover more topics and more

3:56content all at the same time,

3:59while still giving each and every bit of

4:01content the same focus that it has today,

4:03because we'll have two people making

4:06content, spending the same amount of time

4:08focusing on that content and hopefully to

4:10the same standard as well that you've been

4:12used to as well.

4:13So that's, that's something I'm really

4:15excited about. The very final thing is

4:17something that I call Tableau sketch notes.

4:20Now, two years ago, I made this explainer

4:21about what is Tableau. And when I released

4:23it, it went viral very quickly and it hit

4:252000 views and sort of got forgotten about.

4:29And what happens is, though, the YouTube

4:31sort of looks at the performance of videos

4:33and just starts sharing the video out to

4:35people when they search for content and

4:37then Google does the same thing. And today

4:40we've arrived at 350 views, okay, not 350

4:43views 350,000 views, I should say.

4:47So, that format worked really, really well,

4:49I noticed that roughly six months into the

4:52sort of analytics of the channel. And so I

4:55synthesize what I could from that I synthes

4:57ize what people liked from that I took the

5:00comments and feedback, and I put it into

5:03another video explainer about Tableau prep,

5:05exactly the same format, exactly the same

5:07narration.

5:08Those are animated, edited, and done

5:10entirely by me, I do the whole entire thing

5:12I, I write the script, I edit them, I narr

5:14ate them, and then I put them on screen,

5:16that is an entirely end to end process done

5:18by me check out the blog post, I'll try and

5:21put it up on the screen.

5:23It's actually over here, not there, I can't

5:25get my bearings right. But nonetheless, I

5:28put up on screen, that is an entirely

5:30intensive process. Those 10 minute videos

5:33take about a week, I'm talking like seven

5:36proper working days to make the first one

5:38took a lot longer because of course, I was

5:41a new technique, I wasn't used to it.

5:42And they're still not great. They don't use

5:44proper animation skills. But the format

5:46works really, really well. And so what I've

5:48been thinking of doing is taking that

5:50format to the next level. What if next year

5:53, I made slightly less content that you're

5:55used to.

5:56So some of the stuff I make throughout the

5:58year, maybe on specific angles or specific

6:00features. And I focused in on that specific

6:03technique. And more importantly, I helped

6:05with this initiative around data literacy.

6:08So not just showing you how to do things in

6:10Tableau, but adding the data literacy

6:13elements. That's what those sort of Tableau

6:15sketch notes do already, they bring you

6:17into the world of Tableau without shoving

6:19Tableau in your face and explaining

6:21concepts to you in a very neutral way.

6:23Now I've also had the opportunity to work

6:25on that format. In other places, I've

6:28actually worked alongside Tableau, making a

6:30series of videos that they've called

6:33picture this essentially was around COVID

6:35talking about different areas of this

6:38particular, you know, pandemic and how data

6:42has been used to sort of turn it around.

6:43So you can go check that out on the COVID-

6:4419 data hub, a few of them are on YouTube, I

6:46'll put them up in the description as well.

6:48But you can also go check them out on the

6:50Tableau website. I've really enjoyed making

6:52those. And the most prominent one was

6:53probably the do no harm guide, I actually

6:56had a lot of fun working with Tableau to

6:58make that I just, you know, brought it to

7:00life, I didn't sort of write the do no harm

7:02guide, but it was amazing to be part of

7:04that project. Really, really enjoyed it.

7:06So I've really sort of enjoyed getting this

7:08sort of really interesting narration and

7:10you know, storytelling format. And I think

7:13it works. I think it could work even better

7:16if it's given the focus and time.

7:18So that's why I've termed it Tableau sketch

7:19notes, because in many ways, I'm taking

7:21what I think is a sketch note in technique,

7:23and I'm turning it into videos. But what I

7:25'd love to do is turn it back into a static

7:28format to taking the video format that I've

7:31made, and turning into a static format,

7:33which would then make it a fantastic

7:35resource for the community to go and learn

7:37topics in pretty much any aspect of

7:39analytics, not just Tableau. So concepts,

7:43for example, concepts like joins and unions

7:45, all those kinds of things, things that

7:47have been explained multiple times.

7:49But I think we can put a really nice spin

7:50to it with this particular format. So I'm

7:53calling it Tableau sketch notes, you'll see

7:55a lot more about it on the channel, you'll

7:57see me mention it multiple times, I haven't

7:59got anything to show right now, because

8:01everything is pretty much just a script.

8:03And, you know, a template as it were, where

8:06I sort of see this going, is that I hope to

8:09see this appear as a couple of things, I'd

8:12love it to go from video to a static format

8:15, a web page, some sort of resource that you

8:18could sort of use.

8:20And then I'd love it to go from that into a

8:22physical thing, something in your hand, not

8:25a book, I'm not a fan of books, because I

8:27don't think they're accessible. That's just

8:30my opinion, you might have a different one.

8:33But the majority of people that watch my

8:33videos are in countries that just don't

8:34have the economic models to support

8:37something like a book, especially once you

8:39factor in the fees and terms that you know,

8:41everyone who gets involved in publishing

8:43needs to put into them to make them a

8:44success.

8:45So books would be a good mechanism to do it

8:47. But I think I have to sort of make it far

8:49more accessible than that. So you might

8:51have something that ends up being like a

8:53book, but I'm not going to sort of do it in

8:55the traditional way, if that makes sense,

8:58it might be something that's maybe free to

9:00the community as an, you know, a digital

9:03edition or something like that.

9:04And then something that then comes out as

9:06more static sort of substantial thing that

9:08will come out in a different format,

9:10something that can be shared something that

9:12can be enjoyed by a group of people because

9:14learning is also not sometimes a personal

9:16thing. Sometimes learning is a social thing

9:19.

9:19And I'd love this resource to be exactly

9:21that something that you can maybe use in a

9:23classroom context, if you're a teacher,

9:25maybe use in office context, if you're a

9:28mentor to someone and you know that in an

9:30analytics context, maybe your organization

9:32training up your staff, and you want some

9:34resources to help do that.

9:36This would hopefully be a great resource

9:46for that. So I'm super excited about it. If

9:50we're talking about when to expect to see

9:50this, like if this if everything works out,

9:51this will probably land at some point in

9:51like 2024 2025.

9:52Like we're talking a really long timeframe,

9:54the videos will come out starting next year

9:56, absolutely. But the final the final

9:59tangible thing, the thing that I have in my

10:01vision right now is 2024 2025, that kind of

10:04timeframe. So you'll see lots of small bits

10:08build up on the channel, you'll see new

10:10websites that I'll start talking about as

10:12well.

10:13The separate to Tableau Tim, and you'll

10:15also maybe see new people here on the

10:16channel helping make that a reality. So

10:19that's me talking about the change that's

10:21coming. I think I really do need the help

10:23to kind of take this to the next level.

10:26But as when I start to sort of call out on

10:27the community to sort of help with that

10:29project, you'll know about it first,

10:31obviously. And yeah, in other places where

10:33I am things like Twitter and so on and so

10:36forth, you'll also see that.

10:38The very last thing is, I think I need to

10:40sort of tone down on social platforms. And

10:43I don't mean that in a negative way. I just

10:46think that there is so much.

10:50So my video cut out. But anyway, the time I

10:52spend on social platforms is probably some

10:54of the hardest time I sort of find

10:56justifying. So the platform I'm thinking of

10:58here is Twitter, obviously, YouTube is a

11:00social platform.

11:02So, of course, I spend a lot of time on

11:04YouTube, because that's where the content

11:06goes. But in terms of other places I spend

11:08my time on LinkedIn and Twitter, you might

11:11see me be less.

11:13What's the word? You might see me post less

11:17on those platforms, okay, you might see me

11:19be less active, you might see me not rep

11:20lying to messages, not spending time because

11:22I think what I need to do to make time for

11:24the things that matter back here at home,

11:27but also in my professional life, and also

11:29with some of these projects I need to do is

11:31to spend less time on those platforms and

11:33more time working on these things really

11:34focus on these things that I want to do.

11:37So that will mean that my Twitter profile

11:39will probably become more of a bot profile,

11:41because I will typically only maybe

11:44announce a video once a week rather than

11:46announcing every video, I'll probably only

11:48announce the odd one here and there.

11:50And on LinkedIn, rather than announce every

11:52video, I'll probably only announce the odd

11:53one here and there. And I'll probably

11:55announce more of the things I want you to

11:57sort of engage with things like Tableau

11:59sketch notes and other stuff as well, when

12:02they are available and ready,

12:03because I kind of think I don't want to

12:04contribute to the noise that sometimes

12:06generated on these platforms. Sometimes we

12:08get into this sort of hype fest where we

12:10have to be on these things every single day

12:12, data fan this data fan that and I think I

12:16think I'm falling into that trap a little

12:17bit.

12:18So I'm going to sort of step back from it,

12:20recede a little bit, let other people step

12:22up to the platform as well. There's so many

12:24other people making great content, there's

12:27just not enough time to keep up with it.

12:28So whilst I focus on the things I need to,

12:30I think you're going to see less of me on

12:31those platforms. But here on YouTube, you

12:33'll continue to see everything. So if you

12:35want to know the latest and greatest,

12:38subscribe.

12:39The other place you'll see me a lot is in

12:40my Discord. Yes, I have a Discord channel,

12:43I have 100 members. And I'm going to spend

12:45more time there because the people that

12:47come there, essentially have engaged with

12:49the channel in some way or form.

12:51Interestingly, I don't sort of generally

12:53advertise a Discord,

12:55the people who've got there have either

12:56made it to the end of some content and

12:58found the link or read the description and

13:00found it there. And they also know what it

13:01is. So they've gone and joined it.

13:04I need to sort of start building that

13:06community and cultivating that community as

13:08well. So I'm going to switch my focus to

13:10really serving the people in that community

13:13as best as I can and using a bit of help to

13:15do that as well.

13:17So if you want to sort of keep interacting

13:18with me in a more sort of, you know,

13:20interesting way, the comments on YouTube

13:22are going to be one of the best places but

13:24then probably the other best place will be

13:26Discord.

13:27And with Twitter and LinkedIn, I'm just

13:29going to tone it down because I just don't

13:31think they are offering me any value at the

13:33moment for the things I want to work on and

13:36focus on. I think I know what I want to do.

13:39And those platforms really sort of designed

13:41to sort of distract you if that makes sense

13:43. So to some people that will sound crazy.

13:46But for me, I think that's the really

13:47important thing to do. So that's what I'm

13:49going to do.

13:50So that's me closing out the year. That's

13:52me sort of setting the boundaries of what I

13:54want to work on and the changes coming up.

13:57I think it's fair to do this because it's

13:58super important, I think, to really value

14:00your audience.

14:02So if you have some opinions on that, let

14:04me know in the comments below. If you're

14:06excited, let me know in the comments below.

14:09If you want a sneak peek, let me know in

14:10the comments below.

14:12And I will from time to time reply to

14:13people and sort of bring them in some way

14:15or form and ask them if they'd like to sort

14:17of take part. Maybe I'll put a link to some

14:20sort of sign up form so you can kind of get

14:22a sneak peek of some of the stuff I'm

14:23working on.

14:25But in the Discord channel, this stuff will

14:26always be there. So I've already posted a

14:28few sneak peeks in there as well. So if you

14:30don't know what Discord is, I encourage you

14:32to just to try it, Google it. Think of it

14:34as Slack but far less formal.

14:37Slack is like the professional Discord, if

14:39that makes sense. Discord is a very sort of

14:41unique platform. It's actually designed by

14:45gamers. Slack was also designed by gamers,

14:47interestingly.

14:49They both have channels, they both have

14:51sort of groups and stuff like that. In fact

14:53, some of the features in Slack, like hudd

14:55les, have been copied from Discord.

14:58So I'm using Discord because it's free for

15:00communities, it's a great place to go, it

15:02has a bunch of features like screen sharing

15:05that Slack just doesn't have.

15:07And it can also support really large groups

15:09of people, right from two people getting on

15:12a screen share to do something, all the way

15:14to big groups of people.

15:16And it can even do things like live streams

15:17internally in the platform. So whilst

15:19things are hyped down, that's where I'm

15:21going to spend more time helping people.

15:23And if you head on in there, you'll find me

15:25sort of quite active as well. So that's me.

15:29I'll see you in 2022. Thanks for watching.

15:32(bouncy hip hop music)