Some Social Media Bullshit (Repost for Blogging 201)

Posted on December 14, 2015 by Gun Roswell

‘Connecting people – The artist formerly known as Nokia’

Some Social Media Bullshit

You don’t have to like it, but have to be in there: The social media of the world wide web. After all, who wants to be a complete social outcast!

Here are a few examples of what can be used for keeping in touch with family, friends and even your favourite movie stars!

* Assbook: Like opinions, everyone has more than one
* Angstagram: I post photos of myself and my eating habits, therefore I am
* Bitter: You would be too if no one is following you, right?
* Benchpress: For every self aware blabber, but more artistic ;P
* Tiedup: A must for professionals, endorse endorse endorse until you drop!
* You-boob: You did something stupid, maybe flashed a body part usually hidden, it got on video and uploaded on the internet and now you are the star of your own show!

A typical modern person’s day

@In the morning
The alarm clock is going off, it’s time to get up.
What is the first thing you do?

#Pick up your phone from the night stand and:

A) Check your social media apps
B) Check your email

@Driving in the car to your place of work.
Listening to the radio and the DJ is urging you to snap a photo and upload it to their site:

#uploadfunnypic

A) You are snapping selfies and almost bumping into the car that stopped in front of you. (The other driver possibly doing the same thing as you).
B) You are twatting your social media buddies of what you just did.

@Lunch time everyone with their phones in their respective hands. Not one word is spoken to anyone ‘live’, but they all are:

A) Chatting (and oh yes, there are actually office use approved ones too: Yank!)
B) Updating statuses on various social media apps.
C) Uploading photos of what they ate (of course, a must for every self aware social medialite).
D) Someone shared a funny video and twatted the link to everyone else around the table.
E) Everyone watching the video.
F) Everyone twatting feedback to each other.

@Coffee break everyone is:

A) Uploading photos of coffee and doughnuts they will consume.
B) Chatting with the people around the coffee table.

Back home from the office.

@Dinner table the family is sharing a meal and their respective day:

A-F apply here too.

@Midnight, bedtime:

A) Time to recap today’s event in your “blab”.
B) Latest friend updates to be checked (so not to miss any important things such as what your friends ate or what they were watching on TV, etc.)
C) Twatting everyone

#g’night!

Sometimes though, you have to be more low tech. For example in the situation, where your respective spouse is not quite on the same level of enlightenment regarding the social conventions of the social media as you are. Then you have to resort to archaic methods like the SMS.

Wishing your spouse

#sweet dreams xoxo

Lesson learnt:
Getting anything done; 3% is talent, 97% is staying off the internet.

Blogging 201, Branding and Growth: Day Two: Audit Your Brand

Posted on December 9, 2015 by Gun Roswell

Blogging 201, Branding and Growth: Day Two: Audit Your Brand

Some of us have purely personal sites to discuss the day-to-day, while others use our blogs as a springboard for other projects. No matter which describes you — or whether you’re a bit of both — you’re not just a blogger: you’re a brand.

You may never be Coca-Cola or Apple, but you can still use good branding to grow your blog.

Today’s assignment: audit your brand — look at all the ways you communicate information about your blog to make sure they’re consistent and focused — and make one update to reinforce it.

“I always do a mental audit at the end of the week to make sure I’m balancing time between my career and my personal life” Jill Wagner

Audit Your Brand

A blog about everything and nothing.
Fiction, fact, poetry, odes, homages, photography.
Humour, yet some serious thoughts.
And it’s all done in the best possible taste!

You can never go wrong with black background, white font and with a touch of gray, especially when photos are concerned. And since my blog is mostly about the photographs and the stories, then the outlook is excellent!

My current theme, The Visual Theme, serves well for both the written word and the images. The font and colours came with the theme and the simplicity pleases my eye at least for now. I have gotten a few compliments as well, so I know I am on the right track.

Rantings of a Third Kind, with the slug “Blog about everything and nothing and it’s all done in the best possible taste!” pretty much describes the nature of the blog, the writer and the contents. I do not really rant about things, but I like to keep that option open for the future;) I also have visions of adding more content like videos, short and longer stories, serials and photo stories to the site. A travel blog is in planning. Therefore I prefer not to tie the knot with any specific genre, format or subject.

My user name is my name, well, with a twist of course 😉

I also registered the domain for the site “rantingsofathirdkind.com” but am yet to implement the name change for the blog. I also have a domain for my user name “gunroswell.com” with an introductory page set up for the same.

I have used widgets to create more visibility for searches and links. Also keeping a calendar of the posts on the main page. In addition, advertising the community I follow.

I have accounts in Twitter, Facebook, Google+, LinkedIn, Tumblr, LiveJournal and Pinterest. This to advertise my postings to a wider audience outside the WordPress world. I have quite a few hits on Google alone and if you Google my name, site or use any of the tags for example from the fandom/homage posts, you can be certain my links will pop up on the top in a search!

For photographs, I also share them on Instagram, Flickr and the 500px community.

Tag line:
Rantings Of A Third Kind
Blog about everything and nothing and it’s all done in the best possible taste!

Contact and email:
A separate page for the contact form: https://atomic-temporary-83380856.wpcomstaging.com/contact/
Email address: gun@gunroswell.com

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

Posted on December 8, 2015 by Gun Roswell

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!

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

Posted on December 8, 2015 by Gun Roswell

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

“Don’t procrastinate. If you want to blog, then blog.” Fritz Chery

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

Day One: Set Three Goals:

Welcome to Blogging 201: Branding and Growth! We’re excited about what we’re going to cover over the next two weeks, and we’re glad you’re joining us for the ride.

Today we want you to do a bit of thinking about your blog, so you can focus the next two weeks effectively.

Today’s assignment: consider what you want to accomplish with your blog. Write down three concrete goals.

Why are we doing this?

* Because writing down goals forces you to think carefully about what success means to you — “success” is different for everyone.
* Because having goals helps you focus. If something you’re doing isn’t helping you achieve your goals, ditch it.

Here are some questions to mull over to help you uncover/refine what’s most important to you about your blog:

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?

Answering these questions helps you create a vision for your blog. Next, translate that vision into three specific goals. You can articulate your goals however you’re most comfortable, but we recommend making them simple, concrete, and time-based to create laser-like focus, like:

* Gain 20% more followers by January 15st.
* Increase average daily hits 30% by the middle of 2016.
* Publish three times each week during December and January.
* Spend one hour each week visiting my followers’ blogs, reading, and commenting from now until February 1st.
* Establish a new weekly feature on my blog by January 1st. (Throwback Thursdays, Wordless Wednesdays, Soup Sundays), and publish that feature each week through 2016.
* Create an editorial calendar for the next 90 days by December 31st.
* Gain 100 new Twitter followers by February 15th.
* Publish posts from three guests over the next three months.
* For bonus points, write a post detailing your blog’s goals and publish it. Making your goals public ups your accountability. Your readers will cheer you on, and might even find ways to help you achieve your goals.

Create a private page on your blog to keep track of your goals, or just write them on a post-it note — whatever works for you.

Stuck on what to pick for your goals? Not sure what’s actually reasonable? Head to The Commons to bounce ideas around with fellow challenge participants. You know the old saying: 1000 heads are better than one!

Writing 101, Day Seven: Let social media inspire you

Posted on November 10, 2015 by Gun Roswell

Writing 101, Day Seven: Let social media inspire you

One of the goals of Writing 101 is to tap into new and unexpected places for post ideas. Today, let’s look to Twitter for inspiration. Don’t worry — you don’t need an account to participate in this prompt. Even if Twitter isn’t your thing, you might be surprised that you can find starting points for our own writing in other people’s tweets.

Today, write a response to one of these tweets. Shape your post in any way you choose — agree or disagree with the tweet, or use it as a starting point for a story, personal essay, poem, or something else.

“Procrastination is like a credit card: it’s a lot of fun until you get the bill” Christopher Parker

Writing 101, Day Seven: Let social media inspire you

I can't decide if procrastination kills creativity or is essential to it.

— Grant Snider (@grantdraws) April 28, 2014

“I can’t decide if procrastination kills creativity or is essential to it.”

Dancing, romancing
Laughing, prancing
Completely trancing
Time fast advancing

Panic quickly attacks
There is no turning back
Time was supposed to lack
Or maybe I am a quack

I was supposed to do
An essay, story, poem or a few
If I only had the slightest clue
I would not be feeling blue
Right now

Was I procrastinating?
Maybe just contemplating?
Planning my next writing?
Or simply, just waiting?

A simple prompt enough
Not too a difficult task
But if I must, I must
With these words at last

I am not going to be defeated
And this poem is completed

Related posts:
Some socialmedia bullshit

Some Social Media Bullshit

Posted on November 10, 2015 by Gun Roswell

‘Connecting people – The artist formerly known as Nokia’

Some Social Media Bullshit

You don’t have to like it, but have to be in there: The social media of the world wide web. After all, who wants to be a complete social outcast!

Here are a few examples of what can be used for keeping in touch with family, friends and even your favourite movie stars!

A typical modern person’s day

@In the morning
The alarm clock is going off, it’s time to get up.
What is the first thing you do?

#Pick up your phone from the night stand and:

A) Check your social media apps
B) Check your email

@Driving in the car to your place of work.
Listening to the radio and the DJ is urging you to snap a photo and upload it to their site:

#uploadfunnypic

@Lunch time everyone with their phones in their respective hands. Not one word is spoken to anyone ‘live’, but they all are:

@Coffee break everyone is:

A) Uploading photos of coffee and doughnuts they will consume.
B) Chatting with the people around the coffee table.

Back home from the office.

@Dinner table the family is sharing a meal and their respective day:

A-F apply here too.

@Midnight, bedtime:

#g’night!

Wishing your spouse

#sweet dreams xoxo

Lesson learnt:
Getting anything done; 3% is talent, 97% is staying off the internet.

Some Social Media Bullshit

Posted on August 13, 2015 by Gun Roswell

Rantings Of A Third Kind

‘Connecting people – The artist formerly known as Nokia’

Some Social Media Bullshit

You don’t have to like it, but have to be in there: The social media of the world wide web. After all, who wants to be a complete social outcast!

Here are a few examples of what can be used for keeping in touch with family, friends and even your favourite movie stars!

View original post 369 more words

Blogging 201: Day Eight: Make Your Blog a Hub

Posted on July 29, 2015 by Gun Roswell

“Despite the fact that no one views or cares about my blog, I will continue to spend the majority of my life updating it” Unknown

Blogging 201: Day Eight: Make Your Blog a Hub

The internet is a big playground. If you’re serious about your development as an online publisher, you need to think about opportunities beyond your blog, with your blog as your digital homestead.

Think of your site as a space to develop your online presence and personal brand strategically, promote your work in a way that makes sense for you, and connect and share your other projects and work across the web: a hub for you, as well as a place to publish posts.

Today’s assignment: create a page or section on your blog to display links to your online presence elsewhere, and make sure your other presences reflect the brand you’re developing on your blog.

Why do this?
– Because as online publishers, our work is naturally scattered across the web — you want your readers and followers to find you. Building your personal brand means expanding your reach beyond your blog while keeping it the focus.
– Because sometimes you have material that doesn’t quite fit on your site, and you want to make this complementary work accessible.

On the main page of Rantings Of A Third Kind, the social media buttons are present in several places.
Both the Instagram and Flickr feeds are shown as widgets. What is still missing, is the widget for the 500px feed, work in progress to find and add it.

On the “About” and “Biography” pages the social media links are presented in their own sections:

Those of you who have ventured to my blog and browsed about, may have noticed these few pages also:

Links 4 Writers

Stage 32

WildSound

These pages contain links where writers can find information on writing, submissions and other connection hubs. Also my profile on the Stage32 hub and the published poetry selection on Wild Sound Festival Review.

Blogging 201: Day Six: Dig Deep into a Social Network

Posted on July 27, 2015 by Gun Roswell

“The Internet destroyed most of the barriers to publication. The cost of being a publisher dropped to almost zero with two interesting immediate results: anybody can publish, and more importantly, you can publish whatever you want.” Dick Costolo

Blogging 201: Day Six: Dig Deep into a Social Network

Today’s Assignment: pick one social network you’ll use to help grow your blog. Then, outline a plan for how you’ll use it.
Why do this?
• Because blogging is about building a community, and other social networks have ready-made communities.
• Because social networks are a great place to continue tangential conversations and experiment with content. Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest, Instagram, LinkedIn…where to start? A big brand might use every single one, but a big brand also has a social media department. You have the Department of You, so be selective.

I went “social media” the first day of my blog: Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Flickr, 500px, LiveJournal, Tumbler, Pinterest, Google+ and LikendIn.

All the posts published are sub-posted on these sites. I am getting followers from all these sites and even feedback given through them or email. I don’t see a blog surviving without the social media, with the good and the bad which it contains. I have said it in the past and will say again: I have a love-hate relationship with the social media, but as the old adage goes: Better the Devil you know 😉