World Wide Wednesday Presents: Helsinki, Finland, Part Two

World Wide Wednesday Presents: Helsinki City Centre 

“Once a year go somewhere you have never been before” Dalai Lama

World Wide Wednesday Presents: Helsinki City Centre in Black and White

Welcome to Hel-sinki!
Did you land here quite unexpectedly?
Please, have a look around
It’s more pleasant than it sounds
Nice, clean, safe and poetic
Our small town of the idyllic
We’re way up North
But well while the worth
Of making a short trip
Even with a tall ship
So stay a while, take a look around
You may be surprised of what you found

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World Wide Wednesday Presents: Brazil, Cyprus and Rhodes

Part of the photographic Wednesday series: World Wide Wednesday, Around the World in Black and White and Colour

“I haven’t been everywhere but it’s on my list.” – Susan Sontag

World Wide Wednesday Presents: Brazil, Cyprus and Rhodes

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Saturday Sunset, Part Two (Daily Photo 2015-12-12)

Posted in the Daily Photo series
In honour of the month of December
Poetry & Photography

If you see the sunset, does it have to mean something? If you hear the birds singing does it have to have a message?” Robert Wilson

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Saturday Sunset, Part Two

An ordinary Saturday
On a December’s eve
Stepping into a sleigh
For a ride to leave
On a track
To watch the sunset
The colours a reminder
Of the season’s binder

saturday-sunset-2-1   saturday-sunset-2-2

saturday-sunset-2-4   saturday-sunset-2-5

Red (Daily Photo) 2015-12-11, Part Two

Posted in the Daily Photo series
In honour of the month of December
Poetry & Photography

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“Red is the ultimate cure for sadness” Bill Blass

Red

Red is my colour
Try not to follow
Red is my attitude
No intended platitude
Watch me bloom
As my nom de plume
Is Red

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Previously on Rantings Of A Third Kind… (Blogging 201, Day Five)

Blogging 201, Branding and Growth: Day Five: Make the Most of Your Archives

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“Breathe. Know that the Internet has no eraser” Liz Strauss

Previously on Rantings Of A Third Kind…

Previously on Rantings Of A Third Kind…

A page for Photography was designed
To be country specific was defined
And all the related posts to combine
Maybe what you seek, you here shall find

The page for Daily Poem briefly existed
To pending status it was soon listed
For more than one per day a poem coexisted
And to an overwhelming task insisted

Throwback Thursday was also introduced
Much more traffic it did produce
Not even that Bruce could reduce
And it did give the creator much more juice

Gidgets, gadgets, all types of widgets
On the pages already existed
To name but a few
And give them their due

Top posts, calendar, pages and archive
Better give me the high five!
Before going live
With another trial

A showcase for most favourite posts
As presented by the host
Could once more, be the thing of the week
Or maybe something else ya seek?

Looking for
Calendars, Challenges or Yesterday’s news
It is all in here
But with a click or a few

Before you’re leaving
A small reminder
Don’t forget tuning in
Againg tomorrow
To this world wide
Virtual binder

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Get Read All Over, Part Two (or Mobile Madness)

Blogging 201, Branding and Growth: Day Three: Get Read All Over

Simplified-Blogging

“My mobile phone battery runs out all the time because all the messages come straight to me”
Ed Balls

Get Read All Over, Part Two (or Mobile Madness)

Over the past few days, you’ve been brainstorming about your brand and thinking about the elements of a well-designed site. None of that matters if readers can’t view your site properly across various devices.

Today’s assignment: make sure your site is mobile-friendly, and familiarize yourself with the features of responsive design.

I have been using the WordPress application on both Samsung and Iphone for a while. Sometimes for writing, but mostly for reading and follow up. I don’t recommend typing on the small device for a lengthy time. Posting on them, especially picture related topics can be tricky, as it sometimes is even with a proper computer 😉

I have showcased my blog on several occasions on the phone application and the look and feel is right for such a device as well. The theme and widgets flow nicely even on a smaller screen. Best test to prove the point is, to take a complete novice to both smart phones and the world of blogging. After a few minutes with application install and demo on how the blog works, they got the hang of it and I am happy to say, are now regular followers as well.

Having a background in web design and code, I usually do tests on the pages on several browsers and types of screens. With the Visual Theme, I have finally realized the looks for my personal blog.

 

Here are some examples of the blog as seen throught my mobile phone:

2015-12-09 02.08.59   2015-12-09 02.09.16   2015-12-09 02.09.22

2015-12-09 02.09.27   2015-12-09 02.10.28   2015-12-09 02.09.33

2015-12-09 02.10.33   2015-12-09 02.09.38   2015-12-09 02.10.48

2015-12-09 02.10.23   2015-12-09 02.11.09   2015-12-09 02.11.18

Blogging 201, Branding and Growth, Day One: Set Three Goals, Part Two

Blogging 201, Branding and Growth, Day One: Set Three Goals

 

“Blogging isn’t about publishing as much as you can. It’s about publishing as smart as you can.” Jon Morrow

Blogging 201, Branding and Growth, Day One: Set Three Goals, Part Two

Day One: Set Three Goals

Why do you blog? For notoriety? To get a book contract? To self-publish? To establish yourself as a leader in your field? To gain followers? To connect with others? To clarify your own thoughts?

All of the above, but then again, none of the above. Confused? Good! That means I got your attention 😉

Why did I ever start a blog you ask? Well, there really is a very simple explanation to that. In the prehistoric blogging ages, you know those, when the dinosaurs roamed the earth… Ok, so maybe not that far back. Let’s go back some ten years, before the times of today’s so called social media and blogging. People actually wrote and published on the internet, but those days it was more personal and tight knitt groups who wrote and followed each others’ writings. I used to be one of those people.

In the here and now, everything is easy and you can post your thoughts, life and pretty much anything your heart desires and there are others who either a) read and enjoy what you have to offer or b) read and hate it. Simple as that.

Still not convinced?
Well, I like to write so, there. Simple truth, now written “out loud”.
Guess a book deal, a script deal or similar wouldn’t hurt either 😉

If your blog exceeded your wildest dreams, what would that look like? Would you have a different design? How many followers would you have? How much traffic? What sort of community would participate? How often would you post?

I would actually pay good money for someone with similar vision and time to revamp my site. With the limited time I have for this “night job” which I like to call my blogging, I barely have time to write and snap photos, never mind the outlook of the pages. The knowhow is there, the time is not. I rather spend the precious time I have for writing and leave the admin to someone else.

As my blog states, everything and nothing for anyone and no one, so the net is cast wide and as far as dreams go, well, I would like the world to enjoy my offerings, both written and visual. I would prefer to post eight hours a day, have it as a full time job. The good deyeties know I have enough material to last a few lifetimes. However, the reality is, after some full ten hours on the paying job, my night shift on the blog takes only second priority before sleeping and eating of course 😉 However, that being said, I am currently posting every day at least a poem, photo and a theme per day. I am also taking part in quite a few challenges and of course, Blogging U courses!

So to summarize (or to make a promise):
1) Never miss a day of blogging
2) Keep in touch with the community
3) Try on new things (for the blog) ;P

Keep Calm and Keep On Blogging Everyone!

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Mundane Monday, 2015-12-07, Part Two

Poetry and Photography
Photo challenge for PhoTrabloggers Mundane Monday

“This is a challenge created to find beauty in almost everything. The challenge is simple : find beauty in everyday mundane things, capture the beauty and upload the photographs.”

MUNDANE MONDAY CHALLENGE #36

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“I have always tried to live by the ‘awe principle.’ That is: Can I find awe, wonder and enchantment in the most mundane things conceivable?” Craig Hatkoff

Mundane Monday, 2015-12-07, Part Two

Looking out the window
Cannot find a rainbow
Closing all the curtains
Feelings of uncertain
The weather I cannot bend
But at least I can pretend
Turning on all
The colourful lights
In my mind
It is white and bright
At least before it’s time
To make my way outside

holiday-lights-2      holiday-lights-1

Early Morning Sunrise with Crescent Moon, Daily Photo 2015-12-07, Part Two

Posted in the Daily Photo series
Poetry & Photography

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“You can be the moon and still be jealous of the stars” Gary Allan

Early Morning Sunrise with Crescent Moon, Daily Photo 2015-12-07, Part Two

The storms have finally passed
The moon its light trying to cast
The sun pushing its way with a blast
Daylight waving its flag in the mast
Oh how I wish this forever could last
But only for a passing moment
Then it’s all over way too fast
Darkness has covered the skies alas

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Calm Before the Storm, Daily Photo 2015-12-05, Part Two

Posted in the Daily Photo series
Poetry & Photography

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“The more violent the storm, the quicker it passes” Paulo Coelho

Calm Before the Storm, Daily Photo 2015-12-05, Part Two

The sun has almost set
Soon it is time to get
Indoors before getting wet
It will rain soon, I’ll bet

It is the moment of calm
Before the coming of the storm

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