Category Archives: General

Buy European

General

Sports shoes manufactured in Europe

Most of us wear sports shoes.

Might we support European brands going forward?


This list is based on a discussion in r/BuyFromEU.
Most brands produce some models in Europe, but not all. Always check the product label or description.

Brands and official websites

Note to check before buying:
“Made in Europe” is not always consistent across collections.
If origin matters to you, verify each model before buying.

Building an SPA with Lovable.ai

General

I’ve been playing with Lovable.ai. I generated a mobile-first SPA for low-bandwidth use, including hreflang, Schema and all the other Tech SEO features that I want as a Digital Marketer.

Exciting. Reached the end of my Lovable credits for the month and I need to subscribe now….

What can I say? I like it. It’s exciting. Great way to build prototypes.

Granted: You do need knowledge of web development and web servers.

I also tried blink. But the trial is way more restrictive. And i don’t have access to a Git repository of my generated code like i do with Lovable.

Your thoughts?

Changing domains for a WordPress site

General

If you are changing the domain of your WordPress site, keep in mind you also need to change domain names within your WordPress instance. Thanks, Cyon.ch.

Some notes as a reminder for myself:

Change WordPress site URL settings

In the WordPress admin, go to Settings > General.
Edit the two fields:

  • WordPress Address (URL)
  • Site Address (URL)

Set both to your new domain (e.g. https://newdomain.com)

Save changes.

If you lose access or the site breaks, you can override via wp-config.php or directly in the database (see next steps).

Update references in the database

Many internal links, images, etc. still point to the old domain. You should replace those. Options:

Use a plugin like Better Search Replace to search old domain > new domain.

Coffee shortage in Blantyre

General

During my recent visit to Blantyre, there was no local coffee in the shelves.

I’ve never experienced a coffee shortage in Blantyre.

I assume there’s not one reason but multiple reasons.

First, it’s not the season for new beans. Off season.

Secondly, I believe because of the lower coffee harvest in Brazil and higher prices, more coffee beans went into export.

If you know more, let me know in the comments.

Thank you

General

Addis ground staff is the best. Our flight was delayed due to bad weather in Chileka. We arrived at 23:45 and our connection was scheduled to leave at 0:05. In any other airport, we would have been alone and would have missed the flight. Addis ground staff did magic and we reached our connection. And even our suitcases arrived. Thank you.

Searching

General

I asked ChatGPT to write a blog post about search.

summer time

Here’s the generated text for your perusal:

How to Search in May 2025 (and Actually Learn Something)

Search in 2025 is no longer about keywords and blue links. It’s about working with AI agents that think through your query, read the web, and return something far more useful than a list of URLs.

Whether you’re researching for work, writing content, or just trying to understand a complex topic, here’s how search works best right now—from my perspective as a long-time blogger and web explorer.

1. ChatGPT + o3 + Web Search

This combo is my go-to.

  • Why it works: The o3 model is currently the most capable general-purpose AI OpenAI offers. When combined with search access, it behaves like a mini analyst—summarizing, clustering, and even generating content with a point of view.
  • Great for: Thought leadership posts, growth strategy, market synthesis.
  • Example prompt to try:

“Act as a B2B SaaS growth strategist. Think step-by-step: 1) grab the 10 best articles on buyer psychology 2) cluster their learnings into three themes; 3) craft one copy angle per theme that sells a $49 HR upskilling course. After thinking, output a single 70-word post that blends the strongest angle with a CTA—no emojis, no fluff.”

It’s like giving an intern a research brief—but they return in 30 seconds with something halfway ready to publish.

2. Grok + DeeperSearch (on X)

Yes, Grok—the AI chatbot integrated into X (formerly Twitter)—has quietly become a powerful search tool for real-time trends.

  • Why it works: “DeeperSearch” lets you scan the firehose of breaking news, creator commentary, and policy moves, especially around AI.
  • Great for: Headline scouting, social listening, quick post drafts.
  • Example prompt:

“Example Q: ‘Top AI-policy headline today?’ Example A: ‘? EU weighs export caps on frontier models.’ Now—using DeeperSearch—write exactly 30 fresh X posts (?130 chars each, start with ?) on the biggest AI-founder moves announced today.”

It’s fast, punchy, and tailored to the social-media pulse.

3. Perplexity + Research Mode

Perplexity was once the “AI of search.” It’s evolved into a lean research assistant for professionals.

  • Why it works: You can choose the model, cite sources inline, and generate multi-step reasoning—especially strong in B2B or startup contexts.
  • Great for: Metrics, funding analysis, decision support.
  • Example prompt:

“Begin as a skeptical angel investor reviewing 2025 funnel-conversion data on $7 tripwire offers; list three red-flag metrics with live sources. Then switch voice to a CRO-obsessed growth lead; for every red flag propose one AI-driven fix projected to lift CVR ?20%. Footnote every data point with link references.”

It’s like giving GPT a Harvard Business Review hat.

4. ChatGPT + Deep Research Mode

When you need to go deep—not fast.

  • Why it works: “Deep Research” lets GPT generate long-form, structured reports, pulling from live sources when enabled.
  • Great for: TAM analysis, diligence reports, technical overviews.
  • Example prompt:

“Act as a private-equity analyst. Produce a 15-page diligence report on the total addressable market, growth drivers, competitive moats, and acquisition multiples for AI-powered LinkedIn-content tools aimed at SMBs. Use APA citations and close with a one-page investment memo summarizing risk-reward in plain English.”

This is real research, not just regurgitated blog summaries.

Final Thoughts

In May 2025, search isn’t just search anymore—it’s promptcraft. Knowing how to ask matters just as much as where you ask. And the best queries don’t just request information; they give structure, tone, and context.

— End of AI-generated text

I think one thing is clear. We are reading a ton of AI-generated articles in our daily streams.

Be wary.

Use AI like a productivity tool.

What won’t go away are:

ideas

opinions

insight

the need to create content for your company that describe your service or product in plain language.

the skill to position your service or product.

the need to generate citations and cross-references from 3rd party sites, e.g. press articles, podcasts, Reddit threads, 3rd party events and press coverage.

It seems only 1 out of 4 of the references AI uses are from a brand’s own site.

Where are we going?

General

I spent Saturday evening and Sunday chatting about AI and prompting and social media.

Some of my observations:

I see less online chatter about translating the prompt itself.

I write prompts in English, even for German tasks.

There’s still lots of “suspense” on what will emerge and what effect it will have on Content Marketing and Social Media.

I believe a higher volume of articles and more social media posts at mediocre quality will have a detrimental overall effect.

Many managers are at saturation point. Seeing 3 to 4 video posts per week from your social media contacts is too much. People cannot keep up.

Focus on being honest.

Focus on usefulness.

Please help #Malawi

General, Malawi-related

Southern Malawi was hit by Cyclone Freddy.

My home city, Blantyre, was hit badly. Many parts of the city experienced flash floods and mud slides. Soche, Manja, Ndirande, Chilomoni, Machinjiri.

Other parts of southern Malawi are suffering. Mulanje, Thuchila, Phalombe, the lower Shire, Zomba.

The equivalent of 6 months of rain fell within a few days.

The destruction is unprecedented. Many areas are cut off as bridges and roads have been washed away.

The worst storm in decades.

I have been watching Cyclone Freddy since the end of February. All along, I was worried it would hit southern Malawi.

I experienced Cyclone Ana last year.

And now Cyclone Freddy.

Since last weekend, I’ve been reading and amplifying tweets from Malawi. Connecting with friends on Whatsapp.

My thanks go out to Onjezani Kenani and team for their immediate response. You are heroes. Zikomo.

To all of my readers: Please don’t forget Malawi.

Please help Malawians to rebuild their livelihoods.

Buy Malawian products.

There are many world-class products. Macadamia nuts. Kilombero rice. Soybeans. Groundnuts.

Coffee from Satemwa, Mzuzu, Njuli, Chipunga, Namikango.

Tea from Mulanje and Thyolo.

Ask your local café to offer Malawian coffee and Malawian tea.

Consider travelling to visit Lake Malawi. Lakeshore hotels and cottages are open.

Support faith-based charities and local help organizations. My family founded and maintains Chombo children’s home in Chirimba, Blantyre together with a dedicated team.

Together we will help and rebuild.

Ancient poetry that I heard today:

God is our refuge and strength, an ever-present help in trouble. Therefore we will not fear, though the earth give way and the mountains fall into the heart of the sea, though its waters roar and foam and the mountains quake with their surging.

Psalm Chapter 46: Verse 1 to 3

I love this poem sent to me via Whatsapp

A CRY FROM MALAWI
by Nyambeye Wa Salanje

Amidst the rolling hills
and plains of green,
A storm has brewed, a tempest unforeseen.
Cyclone Freddy, with its fierce might,
Has plunged Malawi into a never-ending night.

The rain has fallen, incessant and unrelenting,
Floods have ravaged, nature’s wrath unyielding.
The rivers have swollen, their banks overflowing,
Roads and bridges destroyed, the damage ongoing.

The land is scarred, the mud and stones a grave,
As lives are lost, and families left to grieve.
Electricity is gone, water pumping halted,
Hunger looms, crops destroyed, the people dejected.

Oh God, hear our plea, and see us through this plight,
Send us your love, your mercy, your light.
We call upon the world, to lend us a hand,
To help us stand again, and rebuild this land.

Malawi may be battered, but its spirit remains strong,
Its people resilient, despite all that’s gone wrong.
Together we shall rise, and overcome this test,
For our hearts beat as one, with hope and faith, we shall rest.

Via Whatsapp

My robotic future

General, german, tech, ,

I chatted* Facebook support to get an issue at the day job fixed.

The Facebook support person decides to call me.

I answer the phone and don’t understand a single word.

Another call. The same experience.

Having spoken to a lot of support hotlines, I know the company wants my consent to record the call.

don't be a robot
“Don’t be a robot”

A robot is reading a German text with a strong American accent. I have a Swiss cell phone, live in the German-speaking part of Switzerland, and I am German-speaking. A German message is good.

However, a robot trained on American English will get the pronunciation totally wrong.

It was incomprehensible. Gibberish.

I chat with the Facebook support person. They still want to call me.

I try to press the usual keys, and get in on the 4th or 5th call.

Rather than dissing the robot for not knowing how to pronounce German, I say test your client-facing interfaces and channels. Most people will give up.

*to show I am 199% comfortable using digital.

Less is more: Creating display ads in different sizes

General

The challenge:
For 6Sense display and Google Display networks, I encounter ad sizes which are incredibly small (for mobile use).

landing
A poster ad promoting a garden event in Lausanne in 2019

Display ad sizes vary immensely. There are very wide banners. Skinny and tall skyscraper ads. Squares. Oblongs. For use on desktop and mobile.

At work, I pick a mix of sizes for desktop and mobile.

Unfortunately, despite guidelines and templates, our “texts on ads” tend to be too long. Especially for mobile sizes.

Pédaler, ça réchauffe!
Ad in Geneva promoting cycling

My analogy for paid digital creative copywriters:

Consider a poster ad along the side of a road. You are travelling on that road on a motorbike at about 50 km/h, with your mind full of your own tasks, thoughts, ideas, emotions.
You pass the poster ad.
The question is: What will you be able to grasp “in one glance” from that poster ad while driving past?

if you think about it, it's so weird that companies can hang a poster showing some glass, metal and plastic
People walking past a Samsung ad at Basel SBB train station

Digital ads flow past you as you travel from web page to page.

Minimum requirements:

  • Easy-to-read
  • Clear message
  • Able to grasp message in 1 glance (or, increase curiosity, so that they look again)
  • Shorter is better

Developing Future Sales pipeline:
I want display ads to be memorable.

In B2B advertising, 95% of the time our potential clients are not in market. However, when those 5% come, I want to be “top of mind”.

fcb-poster
Creative FC Basel ad.

Your tips? Any learnings to share with me?

(All photos are snapshots of posters that I noticed while cycling or walking or travelling. IMHO, you can learn a ton by observing. At my day job, I don’t do physical ads. I prepare digital ads for B2B.)

The CMS of the day

General, wordpress

WordPress dominates the CMS market. A statistic floated by this week, citing over 60% market share.

Via this useful GSC template for GDS, I landed on this page, discussing the dilemma of choosing the right CMS. Wanting to switch from WordPress to a new CMS is about:

  • Questioning my current usage. Do I need all the features WordPress offers?
  • Can I do better with a newer CMS?
  • Am I ready to break things to start from scratch?

Given that this WordPress install is more of a playground for me.

A sandbox to try things and reflect on articles I read.

A place to collect snapshots and memories. I happily don’t worry much about which CMS to use.

I’ve reduced on plugins. Planning to kick out even more.

I am more baffled by the fact that I am still using the same CMS. 18 years later. I think that continuity is valuable.

We have it in our own hands to reduce WordPress bloat.

Memory Corrosion

General

Besides demand generation, being invested in brand activities to be “top of mind” when clients move into the buying phase is super important. Here’s a recent piece that I bookmarked on LinkedIn.

“95% of B2B buyers are not in-market for your products right now.”

This LinkedIn Marketing article describes a concept called memory corrosion.

“When given the choice between reach and frequency, one should choose reach”. Source: LinkedIn

Chiperoni weather

General

When temperatures drop in Blantyre, tweets show up in my timeline. Kuzizira. Rainy drizzle weather. It’s chiperoni time in June and July.

I am far away from Blantyre in sunny and warm Basel.

Enjoying a very warm and sunny European summer.

Trying to get into the habit of writing on my own blog instead of someone else’s social media platform. I love reading old blog posts here on Chiperoni.ch.

Perhaps I can revive the habit and post regular updates?

June has been a great month in terms of personal sporting activities. I found a good cadence. I hope I can keep up the momentum in July. My motto is: Every little bit counts.

I found out that cycling in my neighbourhood is a way to catch up on those activity kilometres that I used to do on my daily bicycle commute. With less red lights and car traffic. Note to myself: do more of that.

summer time
Summer time


Coffee from Chipunga, near Mzuzu

africa, General, Malawi-related, ,

I finished drinking my souvenir of Malawi coffee last week.

I like the strong, rich flavour of Malawi coffee. It’s strong, it’s chocolatey, it’s earthy.

Each time I wonder how I could help to promote Malawi coffee and its unique taste in Europe. Rather than importing green beans, could we import roasted beans? Rather than mixing different kinds of beans, could we promote single origin coffee? How would I start? What do I need to consider?

finished drinking my packet of Chipunga coffee from Mzuzu in Malawi. I love the strong flavour.
Malawi Coffee

If you are interested in learning more about Chipunga, they have a website.

Chipunga Coffee is grown at a high elevation in a cool, wet climate, on terraces of deep-brown-reddish free-draining soils.

Chipunga Farms Ltd

There is a cool project where you can subscribe to receive different kinds of Malawi coffee. Currently, on a hiatus it seems, but please check out A Coffee Basket from Malawi.