Chaos Tamer
Good ol’ Grammarly! I don’t generally pay attention to these updates, but this one struck me.
As I value my writing skills, this made me happy. I’m lapping the competition? Cool!
I’m more productive than average and have higher mastery, too.
And I’m more creative, or at least have a broader vocabulary, than most:
I find this satisfying as I deeply value my communication skills, especially my writing. The hard work I’ve done over the years has benefitted me. Which I find wonderful.
I don’t generally do these, but I’m starting to think I should. Take the opportunity to write more, right (write?)?
Anyway, Pooja posted this challenge to everyone/anyone who read the post (here’s the post that was the challenge to her). So, let’s explore this, shall we?
How did you come up with your blog name?
Well, this one’s pretty easy: it’s my name. And, nerd that I am, my goal was to capture the SEO surrounding my name. And I feel pretty successful. This blog is in the first position on a SERP for “carl setzer“.
If your blog was a person (fiction or real), who would it be?
Very interesting notion and question. I’m trying to think of a character who loves writing poetry, but also writes about a slew of random stuff. I’m drawing a blank, though.
What helps you create new content if you feel like you need some inspiration?
Like Pooja, I often get inspired by other bloggers. That’s what’s going on with this post. Another who’s
good for inspiration is my friend Bill Pearse and his blog “Pink Lightsabre“.
Is there anyone you would like to collaborate with?
I haven’t thought of collaborating in some time. It sounds like fun, but I’ll need to think about it further. If anyone has any ideas, I’m open.
Is there anything more you wish you had or would like to learn as a blogger?
One of my key goals as a blogger is to become a “better writer”. I’m working on defining that better. Most of my time as a blogger has been spent, well, flailing. No real focus, nor goals. I’m working on that, though.
Do you have a specific style of blogging?
Like Pooja said in her post, my style is pretty random and chaotic. Looking over the past few years, I seem to have settled in on poetry, especially Haiku.
So, my nominees?
I’m going to start with Bill Pearse at Pink Lightsabre. He’s also a blogger who I highly recommend others read. I also recommend DavidWDon (another writer of Senrye & Haiku) and Michelle Lee at “My Inspired Life“.
I’ll add similar disclaimers as Pooja for my nominees: don’t feel any pressure. That is NOT my intent. Also, if you’re inclined to add to this challenge, please do!
Fandango posted his response to Bushboy’s blogging prompt “Last on the Card“. The basics of the prompt: post the last photo on your phone or camera’s SD card that was shot in November.
I opted to hop on my phone and see what’s there. So, I was at an event last night, a Book/Movie Discussion for Killers of the Flower Moon. We had a table there with a few resources to learn more about the Native American experience, both in the US as well as local tribes. I took a photo of two books I did not have.
These are books I hope to attain. The one on the right was written by a local author, Jay Bowen, who was at the event. I spent quite some time talking with him last night, so I have a valued connection.
My friend and fellow blogger Pooja over at Life’s Fine Whine posted this quote yesterday. I felt this is one that strikes home, and is important to embrace if you’re living focused on growth.
Speaking for myself, it’s easy to expect that enacting positive life changes will all feel like smooth joy. No, often, it starts out HARD! Whether a diet, new exercise regime, training for a new role for work…with any of these changes, we start out needing to work hard in order to overcome our life’s inertia.
So, I recommend checking our Pooja’s blog, Life’s Fine Wine.
the grace of the sun
as it descends through the leaves
greeted by flowers
So, Fandango (I’m sure you’ve seen me write about him before) posted a few days ago about regrets he had during his blogging career (is it fair to call blogging a career?).
He, like me, started his blogging on Blogger. Now, Fandango regretted not starting on WordPress. I weighed all the options back in 2005 when I launched my blog. When Blogger was acquired by Google, I thought that this would be the BEST platform. And, well, I was wrong about that. I shifted over the WordPress years ago, and haven’t really updated my Blogger site (just a few random posts here and there). But Blogger gets far more hits than the WordPress site. Last month, Blogger got 1,008 hits while WordPress got 221. I expect the Blogger stats may be misleading, but I haven’t spent any time researching that.
Anyway, be that as it may. Stats are only so valuable. I get more engagement on WordPress, like the interface better, and find the ecosystem of plugins wonderful. So, though I don’t exactly regret my time with Blogger, I am glad I made the move to WordPress.
Fandango posted today about Johnbo’s Cellpic Sunday, a regular feature on his blog.
This one is from a few nights ago. And, yes, this was taken with my Samsung S22. I was really delighted with it.
I’ve known people whose business is dependent completely upon a single platform. YouTube is a huge one, but I also see people 100% dependent on Instagram, TikTok, or even Facebook, for their business. I’ve been thinking a lot about that recently.
A friend of mine, due to the LastPass hack, lost access to his YouTube channel. Then there’s the drama over at Twitter, with people being banned from the platform on the whim of Mr. Musk, and I can continue. So, I hope you’ll understand that I highly recommend that you DO NOT rely 100% upon a single platform where you have no control.
Social media sites are great tools for connection, but they’re best for directing people to a website. One you own, you control. Encourage folks to subscribe to a newsletter, or the website. Then, by combining your website with blog posts and newsletters, and you have a very powerful tool to stay connected with your audience even if you’re blocked from a key social channel. Also, if you have a website connected to your social platforms, your audience has a way to find and reconnect with you if you lose access to YouTube, Twitter, Instagram, TikTok, Snapchat, whatever.
I particularly like sites built on WordPress, as it’s extremely portable. Wix, Squarespace, and the like are tied to a single provider, too. With WordPress, I can port my website to another hosting company with relative ease (related: make sure you back up your files somewhere other than on the hosting platform).
Be strategic with your digital portfolio. Be prepared for various calamities, as well as for the eventual falling out of whatever must-use platform the people abandon next. Technologies evolve. Audiences evolve. Platforms evolve. Business sustainability requires you to be thoughtful and strategic.
Fandango, a blogger I’ve been following for a bit, posted a reply to Salted Caramel’s blogging insights prompt from Monday of last week.
As I’ve been blogging since 2005, both personally and professionally, I think I have something to add. Let’s explore, shall we?
First, let’s look at Salted Caramel’s caveats.
For point 1, I actually think they should change over time. Especially for a personal blog, you want to show your evolution. Changing interests point to explorations and make for a more interesting read over time.
Point 2: I agree somewhat. Depends, ultimately, on the professional blog’s focus. If it’s for a company, sure. But if you’re a sole proprietor (say, freelancer, or real estate agent) there’s value in having a broader sampling into the person you are. My professional blogging was, mostly, focused on real estate. Real estate industry centered blogs can get…boring. I find it valuable to write about the bigger you, and the bigger community around you.
So, more than just “housing starts are up, prices are, too…”. In these cases, the client is hiring you. Why should they be interested in you?
Anyway, that’s my fast two-cents. What do you think?
My blogger friend, Pooja, wrote this post today: “BLOGGING ADVICE YOU SHOULD IGNORE“. If your blog is important to you, check out her advice.
Here is one I want to highlight:
Anyway, it’s a good post and worth reading.