“We are no longer creating things for our fans; we are creating content that resonates with a fickle algorithm.”

Hans Scharler

My blogger compatriot, @starchamber, sent me a link to a YouTube video with the text, “So good.” When they send me a link, I watch it. They were right; it was… so good.

I love Jack Conte’s story, passion, and life work. Most of us will never be in Jack’s position, but we can create our art and cultivate a true fan base. Just don’t expect to win the lottery like Jack.

Content Creator

My biggest takeaway from Jack Conte’s SXSW talk is that we need to step back as content creators, drop the content gaming, and focus on a small set of fans. The algorithmic nature of platforms like TikTok means consumers do not need to follow. We open the app, strap in, and hope the algorithm hits. Their goal is to keep us strapped in as long as possible, not to engage with creators.

What’s next? Creator Sustainablity.

Patreon, Discord, and Kajabi focus on building the tools creators need to build sustainable businesses. The future of creativity on the internet lies in creators focusing on building deep connections with their fans rather than chasing virality and algorithmic reach. In other words… creators need to stay true to their vision and make things that matter to them rather than what they think will get the most views. Part of sustainability is having an income. We must focus on meeting our needs, creating, putting ourselves out there, and creating opportunities for others to engage with us. It is counter-intuitive in this current culture. Going viral is where it’s at… right? The place to be is where creators can make things for a truly invested audience.

“I want to say something that matters to somebody. I want to say something that only I can say because of whatever experience I’ve had and my lived experience, something that is uniquely pointed to me.”

Jack Conte

What are you creating? What are you putting out there?

And… subscribe to the mailing list if you would like to support my creative work.

My name is Hans Scharler. I am a community builder.

My goal with this series of blog posts is to explore AI and community and how community will drive change in business. Community is about being authentic and taking your members along with you. We form a symbiotic relationship as we build movements together.

Community is the only way companies will differentiate themselves in this era of AI.

Hans Scharler

Figuring out where to start this series of blog posts was challenging—a quandary, if you will. Do I explain the value proposition of community? Do I provide all of the background and context? Well, I decided to kick off this series with my hypothesis: community is the only way companies will differentiate themselves in the era of AI.

Let’s first acknowledge the sweeping wave of AI’s influence, from sophisticated tools like ChatGPT and its underlying large language model and transformer technology to image generation from simple language prompts. AI has completely changed how businesses work; they just might not know it yet. Recent breakthroughs, services, and combinations of services have brought about a level playing field. This means that your current technical edge in the marketplace will erode quickly, as anyone with text prompting can duplicate a feature of your app, game, or service. They can’t, however, duplicate your community.

That’s where having a community-driven strategy comes in. It’s a new way of doing things that moves the focus away from simple transactions and toward building relationships with users and customers. This happens by being authentic and getting people involved. Companies can use the power of their communities to not only survive but to thrive in this brave new world.

Key Takeaway

If you take one takeaway away, then take this one takeaway away… You must shift your organization’s plan to a community-driven marketing and development strategy in the age of AI. With AI leveling the playing field, companies must find new ways to set themselves apart and build long-lasting relationships with their users and customers. The community-driven approach is a powerful way to solve problems because it lets businesses take advantage of the huge potential of human connection and shared growth.

What lies at the very core of community-driven marketing and development? This approach can be summed up in three key points: fostering relationships that benefit both parties, making sure people stay engaged, and fostering growth for everyone

• Relationships are the bedrock of any successful community-driven initiative. By genuinely interacting with users and customers, organizations can learn a lot about their wants, pain points, and goals. This open conversation helps companies learn more about the people they want to reach, so they can make sure their products and services are right for them. In turn, customers feel heard and appreciated, which builds trust and loyalty that go beyond simple transactions.
• Consistent participation is the most important thing for keeping a community-driven approach alive. Customers today get a lot of marketing messages and have shorter and shorter attention spans, so companies must always find ways to keep their audience interested. This can be done in a number of ways, such as by providing useful content, making it easy for people to talk to each other, and giving members of the community special perks. By making people feel like they belong and are part of a group, businesses can not only keep their customers but also turn them into passionate brand advocates.
• Shared growth is the ultimate goal of community-driven marketing and development. By getting customers and users involved in the ideation, creation, and improvement of products and services, companies can give their customers and users a sense of ownership and pride. This way of working together makes sure that products and services change to meet the ever-changing needs of the market and gives users and customers the power to help the company succeed. As a result, businesses can enjoy sustainable growth and a competitive edge in the market.

Community-driven marketing and development is no longer just an option in the age of AI; it is an absolute must. Businesses can use the power of community to stand out in a crowded market and reach new heights of success by embracing the ideas of relationships, sustained engagement, and shared growth.

Subscribe, comment, and let’s explore this together. Welcome to The Age of Authenticity.

The role of a product manager is pivotal, akin to that of a conductor orchestrating a symphony. This multifaceted position has steadily evolved from a mere function within teams to a central axis around which entire organizations revolve. Product management is the art and science of balancing the often-dissimilar worlds of what customers want and what engineers can do. Its job is to make sure that the products delivered meet market needs while also being technically and financially possible.

I spent 20 years in engineering and transitioned to product management four years ago. I have had a wonderful experience in this second career. A lot of what David Meyer shared resonated with me and also helped me understand some of what I experienced more deeply. Josh always knows what to share at the right time. I wanted to share the takeaways of the episode, but I encourage anyone remotely connected to product management to watch, absorb, and process the full interview.

“If you’re rocking it as a product manager, everybody thinks you suck. If sales loves you engineering hates you because you’re chasing deals and you’re not thinking about the long-term future. If engineering loves you sales hates you because you’re just doing long-term stuff and you’re never helping them close deals.”

David Meyer

David Meyer believes there is a balance between technical know-how and customer-centered approaches. He also talks about the strategic use of data, the importance of communication and leadership, and the need to keep a human connection and truth-seeking behavior as the basis for good product management and company growth.

Key Takeaways and Insights About Product Management

• Diverse professional backgrounds, especially in engineering, can provide a unique perspective in product management.
• Negative customer feedback is more valuable than positive feedback for product improvement.
• Data should inform decision-making but not dictate it; focus on metrics that reflect true customer value.
• Effective leadership requires human connection and tailored communication.
• Hiring should prioritize curiosity and truth-seeking, and scaling challenges include maintaining connections with individual contributors.
• Keep product review meetings small and ensure thorough documentation in remote settings.
• Great leaders inspire by shaping a vision of the future and balancing ambition with truth-seeking.

Tips to Grow as a Product Manager

1. Spend time using your product as your customers do. Engage with customer support to understand the issues users face and participate in user research to gain deeper insights.
2. Foster strong relationships with teams outside of product management, such as sales, marketing, customer success, and engineering. Understanding their challenges and goals can help you align the product strategy with company-wide objectives.
3. Tailor your communication to different stakeholders. For instance, engineers may need more technical details, while executives are likely interested in high-level impacts on business objectives.
4. Become proficient in interpreting data and extracting actionable insights. This means not just looking at the numbers but understanding what they mean for user behavior and business outcomes.
5. While data is critical, it’s also important to balance it with market trends and customer insights that may not be fully captured in your analytics.
6. Keep up-to-date with new technologies, methodologies, and competitive landscape shifts. This can help you anticipate changes and adapt your product strategy accordingly.
7. Regularly seek feedback on your performance and areas for growth. Find mentors or coaches who can provide guidance and challenge your thinking.

It turns out that the dimensions are just Full HD (1920 x 1080) dimensions flipped. We are used to wide screens, but our phones are vertical. So, YouTube Short video dimensions are 1080 x 1920. I tried that on my computer to record a section of my screen, and I couldn’t get this flipped dimension to fit since I have a wide-screen monitor. I settled on 540 x 960 as the appropriate Camtasia dimensions for creating YouTube Shorts. This is just half of the flipped Full HD dimensions, but it fits on my wide-screen monitor.

When you go to export the video, remember to keep these dimensions and output the video as an MP4. Share with me your next viral YouTube Short.

.

Here are the top Google search queries that found my blog:

Based on these results, I think that I should write a whole lot more about me and fantasy football to get some of that SEO juice. The next article is going to be titled “Hans Scharler on Fantasy Football and ChatGPT using ThingSpeak and Arduino”. I couldn’t help myself. I asked ChatGPT to “write a quick blog post using the title, ‘Hans Scharler on Fantasy Football and ChatGPT using ThingSpeak and Arduino’, and LOL.

Hans Scharler on Fantasy Football and ChatGPT using ThingSpeak and Arduino

Written by ChatGPT

In the mesmerizing world of tech innovation, where the realms of sports, artificial intelligence, and DIY electronics collide, we discover an eclectic mix of passion, ingenuity, and foresight. One notable individual striding in this intersection is Hans Scharler, a name synonymous with IoT and connected devices. In a candid conversation, Hans divulges his insights on amalgamating fantasy football, ChatGPT, ThingSpeak, and Arduino to create an unprecedented experience for enthusiasts.

Merging Worlds

Scharler, co-founder of ThingSpeak, an open-source IoT platform, is renowned for his significant contributions to making IoT accessible to enthusiasts and professionals alike. When asked about the marriage between IoT and fantasy football, Hans couldn’t mask his excitement. He is endeavoring to unite these seemingly disparate worlds, leveraging the prowess of OpenAI’s ChatGPT and the versatility of Arduino.

Fantasy Football Meets AI

For the uninitiated, fantasy football is a virtual game where participants assemble imaginary or virtual teams of real players in a professional sport. These teams compete based on the statistical performance of those players in actual games. Scharler’s innovation is in integrating ChatGPT, enabling real-time, intelligent conversations to augment the gaming experience.

With the infusion of ChatGPT, players can engage in intelligent dialogues, seek advice, and get instantaneous, data-driven responses. ChatGPT helps in interpreting complex data, offering insights, and even predicting outcomes based on historical data and current trends.

ThingSpeak and Arduino: The Power Duo

ThingSpeak provides the much-needed platform where data from various sources, including player statistics, team performance, and other dynamic variables, converge. It allows the seamless integration of data, which is then processed and made available for insightful analytics.

Arduino, with its open-source electronics platform, plays a pivotal role in collecting real-time data. Combined with ThingSpeak, it provides a dynamic and real-time data processing capability. Scharler highlighted the ease of connecting sensors and creating interactive dashboards to monitor and analyze data.

The Future Ahead

As we delved deeper into the conversation, Scharler’s vision became evidently clear. A future where fantasy football is not just a passive experience but an interactive journey. AI, with platforms like ChatGPT, is not just a responsive entity but an interactive, intelligent companion that enhances the engagement level of the game.

In Scharler’s world, every fantasy football enthusiast is equipped with personalized insights, intelligent advice, and predictive analytics—all in real-time. The blend of ThingSpeak and Arduino ensures that this isn’t a distant dream but a tangible reality, waiting to transform the landscape of fantasy football.

The fusion of fantasy football with AI and IoT is a testimony to the limitless possibilities that innovation encapsulates. Hans Scharler is not just a tech enthusiast but a visionary who sees connections where others see chasms. As we concluded our engaging discourse, one thing became glaringly evident: the future of fantasy football is not just intelligent but fantastically interconnected, and it’s unfolding before our very eyes.

Using DALL-E 3 (Beta) to Generate a Hero Image

After ChatGPT wrote this interesting blog post based on a title, I asked ChatGPT to write an image generation prompt.

Generate an engaging and vibrant visual representation that encapsulates the integration of Fantasy Football, ChatGPT, ThingSpeak, and Arduino, inspired by the innovative insights of Hans Scharler. The image should illustrate the seamless flow of real-time data processing, intelligent AI conversations, and interactive gaming experience. Incorporate elements that symbolize IoT, artificial intelligence, and fantasy football, ensuring each element is distinctly represented yet harmoniously integrated to convey a futuristic, interconnected digital ecosystem.

DALL-E 3 produced four variations of the hero image with the exact prompt that produced it. From here, you can refine and explore options based on the variation that you like.

So, what are you interested in? I like to explore new things and dig deeper into things that I love.

I blog about once per week and try to keep it interesting. I will post about Community, AI, IoT, and occasionally, Life. My goal is to write About Things and make things interesting. I welcome ideas and look forward to sharing more with you and engaging with you in the comments.

Change is life.

My previous attempts worked out well, but I recently found out that AutoHotkey has changed their configuration files and the project now defaults to AutoHotkey v2 with AutoHotkey v1/v1.1 being deprecated. I have updated my tutorial to AutoHotkey v2.

Big picture. We are going to install the Norwii Presenter software, configure the buttons on the presenter remote, and create a custom AutoHotkey v2 script to intercept the button presses and send them to PowerPoint. If you don’t do this, the presenter remote will only work when PowerPoint is in focus. That works well in some situations, but it doesn’t work as well for online meetings where you are moving around your desktop to monitor the chat, look a response, or find a document.

Buy a Norwii Presenter Remote on Amazon. I like the Norwii N28 model with its not easy to miss big button for advancing slides, but the other models are lovely too. The N28 is wireless and most buttons are customizable. I also like this model since it uses a AAA battery instead of a rechargeable battery. The rechargeable model sounds like a good idea, but I have found out that it is always dead when you want to use it. With the replaceable battery model, you just replace the battery if it is dead. From my experience and usage, the AAA battery lasts almost a year.

Install the Norwii Presenter Utility for Windows. This software has the driver for the wireless dongle and also a tool for remapping the buttons of your remote to new buttons. You can remap all of the buttons (except the laser pointer button). The software is not necessarily easy to use, but it gets the job done. Other presentation remotes lack the ability to be reprogrammed. This is why I love the Norwii models.

Customize the Norwii Presenter buttons. Click on the Customize tab in the utility and make sure N28 (M) is selected as the model. Under each key configure the short press function for each mapping that you have in AutoHotkey (more on that in a moment). The big yellow button is known as the “Page down” key. I use Shift + F12 to advance my slides in PowerPoint. you can do the other buttons if you like. I have experimented with programing all of the buttons to advance the slides. That way I don’t have to fumble around trying to pick the right button in the heat of the moment. But, I have expanded this to backing up a slide (page up key) and exiting the presentation with the enter key. I practiced a few times to get this right. Let me know in the comments what works for you.

Also, make sure that the Norwii Presenter Utility starts up with Windows. This will make sure that the utility is running in the background after you reboot to install Windows updates. Click the Setup tab and select, “Start Norwii Presenter after Windows startup.”

Install and configure AutoHotkey. We are going to use an awesome utility for Windows PCs called AutoHotkey. This utility listen for your custom key presses redirects the controls to PowerPoint. Let me warn you now ff this is your first time using AutoHotkey. You are going to get addicted to automation. YOU HAVE BEEN WARNED.

Install AutoHotkey v2 on your Windows PC. AHK will run in the background waiting for keyboard commands that match the rules that you have created. For help, check out the documentation and the Hello World video on YouTube. I know, it will be daunting at first, but a community of people for the last decade have been creating videos, examples, and tutorials. You just might be inspired to automate other computing tasks. My goal is to map Shift+F12 and Shift+F11 to Page Up and Page Down. Page Up and Page Down are keyboard shortcuts for PowerPoint.

1. Right-click on your desktop
2. Find “New” in the menu
3. Click “AutoHotkey Script” inside the “New” menu
4. Name it PowerPoint.ahk
5. Right-click on PowerPoint.ahk and click “Edit Script”
6. Enter the this AutoHotkey 2 code and save the file:

#Requires AutoHotkey v2.0

;; Key Bindings for AutoHotkey v2 and PowerPoint
;; nothans.com/powerpoint

; Bind to Shift+F12 - Advance slide or start presenting from the last slide
+F12::
{    
    if WinExist("PowerPoint Slide Show")
    {
        WinActivate
        Send "{PgDn}"
        return
    }
    else
    {
        if WinExist("ahk_exe POWERPNT.EXE") {
             WinActivate
	     Send "+{F5}"	
        }        
        return
    }
}

; Bind to Shift+F11 - Go back one slide
+F11::
{
    if WinExist("PowerPoint Slide Show")
    {
        WinActivate
        Send "{PgUp}"
        return
    }

    return
}

; Bind to Shift+F8 - Exit slideshow
+F8::
{       
    if WinExist("PowerPoint Slide Show")
    {
        WinActivate
        Send "{Esc}"
	return
    }

    return
}

; Bind to Shift+F7 - Advance slide or start presenting from the first slide
+F7::
{    
    if WinExist("PowerPoint Slide Show")
    {
        WinActivate
        Send "{PgDn}"
        return
    }
    else
    {
        if WinExist("ahk_exe POWERPNT.EXE") {
             WinActivate
	     Send "{F5}"	
        }        
        return
    }
}

For more AutoHotkey button mappings, check out my GitHub repository.

Use your new power to deliver the ultimate PowerPoint presentation. Now that you are all powerful, open PowerPoint and click the big yellow button on the Norwii N28 remote. This will put your presentation into presentation mode. Click the big yellow button again. Your slides or animations advance. Click it again. Your slides advance. It is a beautiful thing.

Elgato Stream Deck Control

You can use the same AutoHotkey v2 configuration to control PowerPoint from the Elgato Stream Deck or Elgato Stream Deck Pedal as well.

1. Open up the Stream Deck Software and search for “Hotkey”

2. Drag the Hotkey option to an open button

3. Click into the Hotkey field and wait for it say, “Observing keystrokes…”, and press Shift+F12

4. Rename the title to, “Advance”, and set the icon to the forward icon

5. Create Stream Deck hotkeys for the rest of the key bindings in your AutoHotkey v2 configuration and enjoy the power!

Let me know in the comments if you try this out. Also, let me know if you have some tricks for PowerPoint or other Windows apps. I am always looking to optimize.

“7 Powers: The Foundations of Business Strategy” is a book written by Hamilton Helmer released in 2016. It is considered a seminal text in business strategy and has been influential in many industries.

The book presents a framework for understanding, analyzing, and changing a company’s position in the market, whether you’re an entrepreneur, a business veteran, or a student of business strategy. The framework is built around the concept of “7 Powers,” each of which represents a specific business condition that allows companies to sustain profits against rival forces.

The 7 Powers

1. Scale Economies: The company’s costs decline as its volume increases.
2. Network Economies: The value of the company’s product increases as the number of users grows.
3. Counter-Positioning: A newcomer adopts a new, superior business model which the incumbent does not mimic due to anticipated damage to their existing business.
4. Switching Costs: It is hard for customers to switch to competitors because of the high costs (economic, emotional, etc.).
5. Branding: Customers trust and therefore prefer the company’s product, allowing it to charge a premium price.
6. Cornered Resource: The company has privileged access to a valuable resource.
7. Process Power: The company has superior methods of production that provide it with a cost advantage.

Each of these Powers can create a barrier to entry for competitors and give the company a competitive edge, allowing it to sustain its profitability over the long term.

The Prepared Mind

There are lots of nuggets in the book, but the biggest takeaway for me was this idea of the prepared mind.

“The Prepared Mind” is a concept put forth by Louis Pasteur, a 19th-century French biologist, who said, “Chance favors the prepared mind.”

“Chance favors the prepared mind.”

Louis Pasteur

In the context of strategy and business decision-making, having a prepared mind means that you are ready to recognize and seize opportunities as they arise. This preparation typically involves having a solid understanding of your environment, including industry trends, market dynamics, and competitive forces. It also includes an understanding of your own organization’s strengths, weaknesses, and strategic position.

Being prepared means that you’ve done the work to analyze different scenarios and understand their potential impacts on your business. This allows you to make better decisions because you have thought about the possibilities in advance and are ready to act when the time is right.

Having a prepared mind means that you are proactively learning, anticipating, and strategically thinking about how to achieve success. It encourages leaders and decision-makers to invest time and resources in understanding their business context deeply, to increase the probability of recognizing valuable opportunities when they emerge.

It’s worth noting that this concept of a “Prepared Mind” is not only applicable to the field of business and strategy but also to various other fields like science, arts, sports, etc. It highlights the importance of continuous learning, foresight, and readiness to adapt and act decisively in a changing environment.

7 Powers for Community Builders

I always take what I read and try to apply it to my work. Here’s how I think of the 7 Powers looking through a community lens: Remember that the goal of the 7 Powers is to create a sustainable advantage—something that your competitors can’t easily copy or overcome, and something that’s valuable enough to your users that it keeps them engaged with your community over the long term. I believe you can’t copy your competitor’s community; it is what defines you in the marketplace.

1. Scale Economies: As your community grows, each new member brings more value to the others, and the costs of managing the community can be spread over a larger user base. This could also relate to your capacity to create content or features: the more users you have, the more content is generated, and the cost per piece of content decreases.
2. Network Economies: In an online community, the value of the community increases as more people join, because each new member can bring new perspectives, information, and connections. This is particularly relevant to social networks, professional networks, or any community based around information exchange.
3. Counter-Positioning: Your community could offer a unique value proposition that other communities can’t easily imitate without losing their existing users. For example, if your community is focused on privacy, a competitor that depends on data monetization might find it hard to replicate your model.
4. Switching Costs: If your community platform has unique features, or if users have built strong relationships and invested a lot of time in your community, it might be difficult for them to move to a new platform. This could be strengthened by exclusive content, earned reputation points, or proprietary tools that members can’t access elsewhere.
5. Branding: A strong brand can make your community more attractive to new members and more resistant to competitors. This might be built through unique values, a distinctive visual identity, thought leadership, or a reputation for high-quality discussions and content.
6. Cornered Resource: This might be exclusive access to certain experts, content, tools, or experiences that your community offers. For example, if your community is the only one that offers access to certain industry leaders, or if you have exclusive educational content, this could be a cornered resource.
7. Process Power: This could be a unique way you manage or organize your community that gives you an advantage. For example, a distinctive moderation system, a unique way of categorizing content, or a proprietary algorithm for recommending connections or content might give your community a competitive edge.

Join my Discord server to keep the conversation going. Let me know what you are reading and how you apply it.

But, I think the book itself is sentient. Okay, AI has been on my mind a lot lately, so not only do I think about AI all day, it has gotten into my dreams. Today, I noticed that our bookshelf had five copies of itself. It’s replicating as its prime objective is to be built to last. It is achieving the objective by multiplying. In reality, the book has sold over a million copies and does offer some keen insight into standing the test of time.

Key Takeaways

• Have a strong core ideology: Visionary companies possess a clear sense of purpose and a set of core values that guide their actions and decisions.
• Build a culture of continuous improvement: These companies are committed to learning, adapting, and evolving over time in order to stay ahead of the competition.
• Embrace the “Genius of the AND”: Visionary companies reject the idea that they must choose between seemingly conflicting objectives, instead striving to achieve both (e.g., stability and innovation, or profits and social responsibility).
• Cultivate home-grown management: They often develop and promote leaders from within the organization, ensuring a deep understanding of the company’s core ideology and culture.
• Encourage “Big Hairy Audacious Goals” (BHAGs): These companies set ambitious, long-term goals that serve as a focal point for their efforts and push them to achieve more than they might have thought possible.

Big Hairy Audacious Goals

Big Hairy Audacious Goals (BHAGs) are ambitious, long-term goals set by visionary companies that aim to push their boundaries and inspire their employees. BHAGs are meant to be bold, daring, and seemingly out of reach, but they provide a clear and compelling target for the organization to strive towards. By setting and pursuing BHAGs, companies can create a sense of urgency and motivation that drives them to achieve more than they might have thought possible.

Here are three examples of BHAGs from Ford, Microsoft, and Amazon:

1. Ford Motor Company: In the early 20th century, Henry Ford’s BHAG was to “democratize the automobile.” He aimed to make cars affordable and accessible to the average American, transforming the automobile from a luxury item for the wealthy to an essential means of transportation for the masses. Ford achieved this goal by introducing the Model T and pioneering assembly line production, which significantly reduced the cost of manufacturing and allowed for mass production of automobiles.
2. Microsoft: Microsoft’s BHAG, as stated by Bill Gates in the 1970s, was to have “a computer on every desk and in every home.” At the time, personal computers were expensive and primarily used by large businesses, research institutions, and hobbyists. By developing the Windows operating system and partnering with IBM, Microsoft played a pivotal role in making personal computers more affordable and user-friendly, ultimately contributing to the widespread adoption of computers in homes and offices around the world.
3. Amazon: In the 1990s, Amazon’s founder Jeff Bezos set the BHAG to become “Earth’s most customer-centric company.” This goal went beyond merely dominating the online book market, as Amazon sought to expand its product offerings and revolutionize the way people shop. By constantly innovating in areas such as logistics, customer service, and technology, Amazon has become a dominant force in the global e-commerce industry and has extended its reach into various other sectors, including cloud computing, streaming services, and artificial intelligence.

Big pitcure. We are going to install the norwii Preernter woftware, config the buttons on the presenter remote, and create a custom AutoHotkey script to intercept the button presses and send them to PowerPoint. If you don’t do this, the presenter remote will only work when PowerPoint is in focus. That works well in some situations, but it doesn’t work as well for online meetings where you are moving around your desktop to monitor the chat, look a response, or find a document.

Buy the Norwii N28 Presenter Remote on Amazon. The N28 has a big button for advancing slides. It’s wireless. And, most of the buttons are customizable. I also like this model since it uses a AAA battery instead of a rechargeable battery. The rechargeable model sounds like a good idea, but I have found out that it is always dead when you want to use it. With the replaceable battery model, you just replace the battery if it is dead. From my experience and usage, the AAA battery lasts almost a year.

Install the Norwii Presenter Utility for Windows. This software has the driver for the wireless dongle and also a tool for remapping the buttons of your remote to new buttons. You can remap all of the buttons (except the laser pointer button). The software is not necessarily easy to use, but it gets the job done. Other presentation remotes lack the ability to be reprogrammed. This is why I love the Norwii models.

Customize the Norwii Presenter buttons. Click on the Customize tab in the utility and make sure N28 (M) is selected as the model. Under each key configure the short press function for each mapping that you have in AutoHotkey (more on that in a moment). The big yellow button is known as the “Page down” key. I use Shift + F12 to advance my slides in PowerPoint. you can do the other buttons if you like. I have experimented with programing all of the buttons to advance the slides. That way I don’t have to fumble around trying to pick the right button in the heat of the moment. But, I have expanded this to backing up a slide (page up key) and exiting the presentation with the enter key. I practiced a few times to get this right. Let me know in the comments what works for you.

Also, make sure that the Norwii Presenter Utility starts up with Windows. This will make sure that the utility is running in the background after you reboot to install Windows updates. Click the Setup tab and select, “Start Norwii Presenter after Windows startup.”

Install and configure AutoHotkey. We are going to use an awesome utity for Windows PCs called AutoHotkey. This utility listen for your custom key presses redirects the controls to PowerPoint. Let me warn you now ff this is your first time using AutoHokey. You are going to get addicted to automation. YOU HAVE BEEN WARNED.

Install AutoHotkey on your Windows PC. AHK will run in the background waiting for keyboard commands that match the rules that you have created. For help, check out the documentation and the Hello World video on YouTube. I know, it will be daunting at first, but a community of people for the last decade have been creating videos, examples, and tutorials. You just might be inspired to automate other computing tasks. My goal is to map Shift+F12 and Shift+F11 to Page Up and Page Down. Page Up and Page Down are keyboard shortcuts for PowerPoint.

1. Right-click on your desktop
2. Find “New” in the menu
3. Click “AutoHotkey Script” inside the “New” menu
4. Name it PowerPoint.ahk
5. Right-click on PowerPoint.ahk and click “Edit Script”
6. Enter the v1 or v2 and save:

+F12::
    
    If WinExist("PowerPoint Slide Show")
    {
        WinActivate ;
        Send {PgDn}
        return
    }
    Else
    {
        ControlSend,mdiClass1,+{F5},ahk_exe POWERPNT.EXE
        return
    }

+F11::

    if WinExist("PowerPoint Slide Show")
    {
        WinActivate ;
        Send {PgUp}
        return
    }

    return

+F8::
       
    if WinExist("PowerPoint Slide Show")
    {
        WinActivate ;
        Send {Esc}
	return
    }

    return

For more AutoHotkey button mappings, check out my GitHub repository.

Use your new power to deliver the ultimate PowerPoint presenation. Now that you are all powerful, open PowerPoint and click the big yellow button on the Norwii N28 remote. This will put your presentaiton into presentation mode. Click the big yellow button again. Your slides or animations advance. Click it again. Your slides advance. It is a beautiful thing.

Let me know in the comments if you try this out. Also, let me know if you have some tricks for PowerPoint or other Windows apps. I am always looking to optimize.

Update: July 11, 2023 – New AutoHotkey v2 Config File

I got a new laptop and had to reinstall my PowerPoint control setup. I noticed that AutoHotkey has changed their configuration files a lot and have defaulted to AutoHotkey v2 and deprecated v1.

I re-wrote the config file for AutoHotkey v2 and updated the code on the GitHub repo: https://github.com/nothans/autohotkey-config-for-powerpoint