Caturday, 2015-12-12

Posted on December 12, 2015 by Gun Roswell

In honour of Caturday and all cats everywhere

“Women and cats will do as they please, and men and dogs should relax and get used to the idea” Robert A. Heinlein

Caturday, 2015-12-12

“I keep my cat
In my handbag”

Said the old hag
And, with a snag
Lighting a fag

“It’s not a gag,
so just cut me some slack”

She quickly snapped
As she zigzagged
A price tag
Like a yellow flag
Flashing on her ragtag
And out of fashion coat
Stepping into a boat
Flinging in her large tote
The cat sprung out
And onto the float
In a few quick strokes
She rowed across the moat

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

Posted on December 11, 2015 by Gun Roswell

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

“I think I am about 5 for 500 when it comes to successful ideas vs flops” Jeremy Schoemaker

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

The internet is ephemeral — you publish a post, and it sinks to the bottom of your blog before you know it. You’re competing with breaking news and dealing with short attention spans.

Readers and search engines love seeing new content on your homepage, but you can keep things even fresher by highlighting your archives: your best posts, hidden gems, and timeless content. After all: if a reader just found you, it’s all new to them!

Today’s assignment: integrate a feature to draw traffic to your older content like a widget, related posts, or a “Best of” page.

Why do this?

* Because a go-to page compiling your best posts is the simplest way to get readers to your content — you never know which post will pique someone’s interest, so make the good ones easy to find.
* Because while your About page does a great job introducing you, a curated selection of posts further illustrates your perspectives.

* Customizer to promote older work in your sidebar and footer, including the Top Posts and Page Widget, Archives Widget, and Categories Widget. These widgets automatically pull in archival and popular content — they’re quick, easy additions to drive traffic to older work. Each widget has configuration options, so you can control how much real estate they take up.

* Activate the Related Posts feature, which analyzes the words in each post, searches your site for similar posts, and displays related content at the bottom of every post.

GO TO: Previously on Rantings Of A Third Kind…

Seconds (Writing 101, A Poem A Day)

Posted on December 11, 2015 by Gun Roswell

Writing 101, A Poem A Day: Day 4: Seconds
Poetry & Photography

“Life moves very fast. It rushes from Heaven to Hell in a matter of seconds.” – Paulo Coelho

A new life sees the world for the first time. Simultaneously, another life takes its final breath.

A passenger that was supposed to board a plane was one second late. Hours later, the plane went missing, the passenger saved.

Unimportant as it may seem, a split second can change our lives in ways we can never imagine. So today, write about the basic unit of time, seconds. Reflect on those few seconds when a loved one was in a life-and-death situation. Relive the few seconds when you held your eldest child for the first time. Recount those seconds when you were waiting for big news that was about to change your life.

“Even if it turns out that time travel is impossible, it is important that we understand why it is impossible” Stephen Hawking

Seconds

Heart beating
Time is running out
Only a few seconds left
For the ultimate request
Using a different route
Feels like cheating

Finally reaching
My own hideout
No time for rest
Only doing my best
No time for tryout
Parameter breaching

Safely in my blue box
Punching the clock
Time starts moving
Seconds removing
Going backwards
Against standards

They said
It couldn’t be done
But did I bet
And know I am gone
Back in time
Trying to find
…My future

Favourite Photo Friday, 2015-12-11

Posted on December 11, 2015 by Gun Roswell

Photography and Poetry
&
Posted in Fav Foto Friday /Fav Foto Friday #20

Share each Friday, on your own blog, one photo…or maybe even a gallery of some of your favorite photos that you have taken during the week, that make you smile or that was a great photo capturing opportunity…anything really! And as photographers are often known to say, “The best camera is, the one that you have with you!”

“A photograph is usually looked at – seldom looked into” Ansel Adams

Favourite Photo Friday , 2015-12-11

For this week’s favourite photograph, I have chosen something from the Rhodes Island collection, posted in the World Wide Wednesday series on, you guessed it, Wednesday!

I have titled this photo as “Painter gone for a break?”

There is just something to be said about a black and white photograph, a colour one can never capture the finer nuances like a B/W can.

Enjoy!

Related posts:
World Wide Wednesday 2015-12-09

Fabulous Friday, 2015-12-11

Posted on December 11, 2015 by Gun Roswell

“I understand what’s it like to work all week and on Friday night just want to go and leave your brain at the door, buy some popcorn and be thrilled by something” Don Cheadle

Fabulous Friday

Leaving the working week far behind
I really have no idea how I ever survived
Fabulous Friday knocking at the door
Awaiting to carry me to a different shore

A glittering sequin dress, a pair of high heels
This is as good as it gets and feels
Leave your sad face and the bad place
Awaited Fabulous Friday is finally here

Prancing, dancing
Singing, winning
There is no stopping us
Well, not at least until the bus
Has arrived to take us home

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

Posted on December 10, 2015 by Gun Roswell

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

“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:

Black and Pink (Daily Photo 2015-12-10)

Posted on December 10, 2015 by Gun Roswell

Posted in the Daily Photo series
Poetry & Photography

“Don’t make a spectacle of yourself”

Black and Pink

Vision so clear
I can not fear
If I ever lost them
To a whirlwind
Would I be sent

Like a second skin
Through thick and thin
As thick as thieves
My spectacles and me
As far as I can see

Yellow (Daily Photo 2015-12-09)

Posted on December 10, 2015 by Gun Roswell

Posted in the Daily Photo series
Poetry & Photography
&
Posted in response to The Clinic-Photo Rehab hosted by Lucile De Godoy

“Well, my favorite color I guess I would say yellow” Fran Drescher

Yellow

Not quite a rose
Still has its thorns
Gorgeous in its pose
A little red adorns
Not quite a flower
Still has the power
Each time to wow her

Eye Spy (The Daily Post)

Posted on December 10, 2015 by Gun Roswell

The Daily Post Weekly Photo Challenge: Eye Spy

We’ve got our eye on your photos this week. (See what we did there?)

“Hey, I can see you, and me, and you, and… oh, I like this!” Kelly Robinson

Eye Spy

I spy
Behind my protected eye
A man from Shanghai
With a really nice tie
Passing me by
Eating an apple pie
Waving goodbye
As, in a hurry to buy
A ticket to fly
Away to Mumbai