In response to the inevitable shower of deals and special offers on Black Friday, Cyber Monday, and beyond, Chuck Joiner, David Ginsburg, Brian Flanigan-Arthurs, Jeff Gamet, Marty Jencius, Eric Bolden, and Jim Rea share some of their holiday acquisitions and why the made them. The panel also covers "fake" discounts, deal fatigue, and why loyal customers often miss out while still celebrating the fun of finding genuinely useful gear.

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Show Notes:

Chapters:

[0:00] Black Friday/Cyber Monday kickoff and sponsor message
[1:11] Panel introductions and holiday check-in
[7:05] Big tech buys: lights, Stream Decks, docks, cameras
[9:34] Software deals and productivity tools
[12:38] Choosing not to buy—and why that's OK
[17:22] Sponsor spotlight and discussion reset
[19:05] Stream Deck Plus knobs and workflow ideas
[21:27] Discoverability and deal overload
[26:26] Ongoing sales vs. true deadlines
[28:41] Storage upgrades and hardware bargains
[30:57] "Deals that aren't deals" and shopping fatigue
[34:46] Loyalty vs. new-customer discounts
[35:38] Wrap-up thoughts on value and restraint

Links:

Elgato Key Light
https://amzn.to/4q8e1Lq

Elgato Stream Deck XL – Advanced Studio Controller, 32 macro keys
https://amzn.to/4rXIjlO

Insta360 Link 2 - PTZ 4K Webcam for PC/Mac, 1/2" Sensor, AI Tracking, HDR, AI Noise-Canceling Mic
https://amzn.to/4rXZAeA

Elgato Stream Deck +
https://amzn.to/4qcTV2T

Keyboard Maestro Field Guide
https://learn.macsparky.com/p/km

NASA Apollo Lunar Roving Vehicle
https://www.lego.com/en-us/product/nasa-apollo-lunar-roving-vehicle-lrv-42182

Guests:

Eric Bolden is into macOS, plants, sci-fi, food, and is a rural internet supporter. You can connect with him on Twitter, by email at embolden@mac.com, on Mastodon at @eabolden@techhub.social, on his blog, Trending At Work, and as co-host on The Vision ProFiles podcast.

Brian Flanigan-Arthurs is an educator with a passion for providing results-driven, innovative learning strategies for all students, but particularly those who are at-risk. He is also a tech enthusiast who has a particular affinity for Apple since he first used the Apple IIGS as a student. You can contact Brian on twitter as @brian8944. He also recently opened a Mastodon account at @brian8944@mastodon.cloud.

Jeff Gamet is a technology blogger, podcaster, author, and public speaker. Previously, he was The Mac Observer's Managing Editor, and the TextExpander Evangelist for Smile. He has presented at Macworld Expo, RSA Conference, several WordCamp events, along with many other conferences. You can find him on several podcasts such as The Mac Show, The Big Show, MacVoices, Mac OS Ken, This Week in iOS, and more. Jeff is easy to find on social media as @jgamet on Twitter and Instagram, jeffgamet on LinkedIn., @jgamet@mastodon.social on Mastodon, and on his YouTube Channel at YouTube.com/jgamet.

David Ginsburg is the host of the weekly podcast In Touch With iOS where he discusses all things iOS, iPhone, iPad, Apple TV, Apple Watch, and related technologies. He is an IT professional supporting Mac, iOS and Windows users. Visit his YouTube channel at https://youtube.com/daveg65 and find and follow him on Twitter @daveg65 and on Mastodon at @daveg65@mastodon.cloud.

Dr. Marty Jencius has been an Associate Professor of Counseling at Kent State University since 2000. He has over 120 publications in books, chapters, journal articles, and others, along with 200 podcasts related to counseling, counselor education, and faculty life. His technology interest led him to develop the counseling profession 'firsts,' including listservs, a web-based peer-reviewed journal, The Journal of Technology in Counseling, teaching and conferencing in virtual worlds as the founder of Counselor Education in Second Life, and podcast founder/producer of CounselorAudioSource.net and ThePodTalk.net. Currently, he produces a podcast about counseling and life questions, the Circular Firing Squad, and digital video interviews with legacies capturing the history of the counseling field. This is also co-host of The Vision ProFiles podcast. Generally, Marty is chasing the newest tech trends, which explains his interest in A.I. for teaching, research, and productivity. Marty is an active presenter and past president of the NorthEast Ohio Apple Corp (NEOAC).

Jim Rea built his own computer from scratch in 1975, started programming in 1977, and has been an independent Mac developer continuously since 1984. He is the founder of ProVUE Development, and the author of Panorama X, ProVUE's ultra fast RAM based database software for the macOS platform. He's been a speaker at MacTech, MacWorld Expo and other industry conferences. Follow Jim at provue.com and via @provuejim@techhub.social on Mastodon.

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Connect:

Web:
http://macvoices.com

Twitter:
http://www.twitter.com/chuckjoiner
http://www.twitter.com/macvoices

Mastodon:
https://mastodon.cloud/@chuckjoiner

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http://www.facebook.com/chuck.joiner

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MacVoices Group on Facebook:
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LinkedIn:
https://www.linkedin.com/in/chuckjoiner/

Instagram:
https://www.instagram.com/chuckjoiner/

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MacVoices #25320: Live! - The MacVoices Live! Panel's Holiday Purchases

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