token by token

Tomorrow the second issue of @tokenbytoken_ai goes out! Before that, I wanted to share something I've been meaning to record for a while. A video about why I built this newsletter, and why I think the way it's curated actually matters. 6 years ago I started @deararchitects with a simple idea: send techies only the things that earned a place in their week. 286 issues later, that hasn't changed. The Micro-Frontends newsletter followed the same logic. Curation isn't a side activity for me. It's the work. In the video I explain what that actually looks like behind the scenes, why most #AI newsletters miss the point, and what makes Token by Token different. If you've been wondering whether it's worth the subscription, watch this before issue 2 lands tomorrow. LINK IN THE COMMENTS 👇

Facilitating the first session of the new @InfoQ Certified Architect cohort this week reminded me why external validation is so critical at the senior level. We spent 4 hours in a live working group and instead of just talking about Strategic Domain-Driven Design, the attendees actually broke into groups to map out subdomains and define the architecture characteristics to apply on each of them. Then each group had to explain their technical reasoning and let peers from other enterprise companies challenge their approach. We capped it off by analyzing the @BBC news modernization, great talk from delivered during Qcon London, and I challenged everyone to apply an architecture canvas to their own systems for this week. The real knowledge required to think like an architect is found when you discover how people in completely different industries tackle the exact same problems you face. If you want to move from making architectural calls on your own to pressure-testing them with a trusted peer group, I would love to see you in the May or June cohorts. Take a look at the syllabus and join us here: certification.qconferences.com #SoftwareArchitecture #TechLeadership #InfoQ #QCon #DDD

12 hours after sending issue 1 of Token by Token: 50% open rate, 15% click rate. I know what you're thinking. First issue, curious subscribers, novelty effect and you're probably right, the second issue will tell me a lot more. But for something that's been live less than a day, I'll take it 😉 If you read it, I want to know what landed and what didn't. Reply to the email, find me here, whatever works. The only way to make issue 2 better than issue 1 is to hear from the people who actually read it. tokenbytoken.ai If you read it, what stayed with you?

Today is THE DAY! After weeks of writing about what @tokenbytoken_ai would be, the first issue lands in a few hours. I'll be honest, there's always a gap between the idea of something and the thing itself, so I kept asking myself one question while putting this together: would I save this? Five resources inside. Each one earned its place. If you haven't subscribed yet, now is the time! tokenbytoken.ai I'm curious, what's the first thing you look for when you open a new newsletter for the first time? #ai #aiml #genai

Last year someone replied to a @deararchitects issue with three words. "I saved this." Not "great issue." Not "loved this one." Just that. I was curious and I replied to the message. He told me he keeps a folder on his mail app because it's part of the things he actually wants to come back to. Most newsletters never make it there. I asked why Dear Architects did. "There's always something in it for me. But it never tries to give me everything." I've thought about that a lot since. That's the bar for @tokenbytoken_ai too. First issue THIS week. SUBSCRIBE NOW -> tokenbytoken.ai What's the last thing you actually saved to come back to? And did you? #ai #newsletter #upcominglaunch #engineers #architects #tech