Category Archives: Blogging

Will Google Calendar Save This Blog?

by

Is this site slipping into neglect?

Can I use Google Calendar to save this blog?

It’s been five days since I last posted an article… Augh!

When I was posting an article EVERY DAY, it was both harder and easier to post.

Harder in the fact that there were some “late night”/”early mornings” where I was writing to rush an article for the next morning.  This created quite the challenge considering that I have to work a day job.

Easier in the fact that I had a natural schedule (all the time!).  Posting each and every day made it easy because I had no wiggle room for writing.  Each and every day made it incredible easy because there was no breaks in my schedule.

Google Calendar to the Rescue?

First, let me say that Google Calendar is free, and that’s awesome!  In fact, instead of viewing Google as a huge monopoly as most people do, being a user of Google, I love Google.  That said, as a shareholder of Google (which I’m not anymore, I was a few years ago though), I’m not as crazy about them…

I’m planning on using Google Calendar to plan out my posting schedule for Money Reasons.  By using the Calendar, I’ll be able to use my new android phone to see anything on my Calendar at any time.  And hopefully “that made all the difference” (a little paraphrasing of Robert Frost)!

So how am I planning on benefiting from Google’s Calendar app?

I’m going to set two re-occurring event, one on Saturday (for the post Monday morning), and one on Wednesday (for Thursday morning).

You might be wondering why 2 days for the Monday post?

The idea with the Saturday event reminder for Monday is that it will give me a change to be more creative with the Monday Post.  By creative I mean perhaps I’ll create my own podcast, or video, or just rockin content that has more than my typical post.  Of course other times, it will enable me to focus on programming and other development aspects of my sites.

I expect Google Calendar to become a more important aspect of my site growth from this point on (especially now that I have a smart phone)!

Here’s to Google Calendar… “Thanks”!

Don

 

Fincon12 – A Unique Perspective – Part 1

by

I decided to take the leap and go to the Fincon12 which was in Denver this year.

At first I wasn’t very excited to go.  I knew a few of my online friends that were bloggers, stopped blogging or slowed down.  So it was a sad start for me personally.  That said, I was actually surprised to learn that the number of those attending the conference doubled from last year, so it was great meeting some of the new folks!

I was so bummed, that on Friday morning I decided to go on a special “personal” Denver exploration trip.  First I walked down to 16th street.  This street is special because they call it an “16th Street Mall”, where the streets aren’t drivable by normal cars (although buses and rickshaws do) and it’s interesting to say the least!  The street is lined with shops like a normal mall would be, but it’s outdoors.  There are people playing pianos and other entertaining things for money.  If you are a people watcher, you would love it, there are tons of interesting and diverse people all around.

denver 16th street mall

The following Saturday, I walked down to the Library for an hour and 1/2, thinking that since I really enjoy the libraries in the state that I live in (Ohio), then the Denver libraries must be spectacular!  Boy was I wrong!  First the library is across the street from the park where a high number of homeless live, not to mention the large number of groups of teenagers.  Next once inside it wasn’t visually appealing for me, and in fact it kind of reminded me of rundown multi-floor gymnasium.  Needless to say, I’ve come to the realization that librarys aren’t all golden like the ones where I live, and may be a negative or even dangerous place to visit (There was a police officer in the vestibule of the library that looked seasoned and tough).

That said, the streets where fairly clean (no trash lying around), and the architecture was very elegant and diverse, the aesthetics of the city alone (17th and Welton St.) made the trip worth it from my perspective, especially this is the first trip to Denver where I got to actually see the city!

While this little trip might not seem like much, it let me pretend for a small moment that I was a traveling blogger, and that I was away from home exploring a new city (which it was for me)!  I was taking it all in like a sponge!  The clean but gum encrusted sidewalks, the fashion that the people out there worn, not to mentioned their hair styles, the typical shape of the city dwellers where, the incredible but not overdone architecture, the homeless, the quality of the air (the mile high city didn’t phase me from a lack of air perspective, and this pleased me greatly) and the basic overall community.

So from a non-conference standpoint, getting a feel for the incredible city of Denver was worth the cost of attending the financial conference alone!  I can’t wait to hear where it will be next year!  I hope it’s still within my budget to go!

I’ll post more about the experience and the people I met later!

Bests,

Don

With Blogging – It is Okay To Pause to Reflect?

by

I’ll be honest, my mood has prevented me from blogging as much as I would like to lately!

Perhaps it’s because I know that summer is coming to a close and winter is right around the corner.

Maybe it’s because I didn’t get near enough done this summer season as I hoped to accomplish and I’m slightly depressed?

It could be that I’m not happy with my day job and I need time to think about what and where I want to go from here?

It could be a multitude of reasons, but the fact remains that my blogging activities are starting to wane a bit.  I’m hoping it’s a short phase and I’ll be back up to snuff soon!  Actually, I think once fall and winter seasons hit (at least for those of us that live in the northern part of the country), my blogging activity should pick up again.

During this time I have been thinking a lot about my blogging activities and how I have morphed quite a bit from where I started.  I wonder if Big G’s spiders will still look at me the same way?  That remains to be seen.

During this time of blog inactivity and reflection, I’m starting to think outside of the blogging box, and I’m tapping more into my programming roots.  Perhaps from these ashes of inactivity, I’ll morph my site into something that has more meaning and utility to both myself and the blogosphere in general?  We’ll see.

I hope everybody had a great summer, because if feels like it’s winding to a close!  Take advantage of what little is left of it!!!

Thanks for reading my rambling and meandering thoughts!

Don

Social Freedom, I Am No Longer Bound By Social Norms

by

Thanks to Blogging, I’ve changed the way I handle myself in public places!

In the past I would never be caught dead at a public restaurant alone, and on those few occasions while traveling for business, I dreaded going to a decent restaurant, opting instead for the quick drive thru option instead.  But this is no longer the case!

Since I’ve been pushing myself by blogging in local coffee shops, I’ve found that not only do I endure going to restaurants alone, but that I’m much more effective at the work that I’m trying to accomplish!  This is in great contrast to when I first started going to restaurant to do blogging work!

Now when I find that I’m stumped or just not motivated enough at home, I pack up my laptop and head to the local coffee shop!  Once there, I’m in an entirely different mode and anything is possible!

I’m writing this because how would have guessed?  Certainly not me, in fact I would probably tell you that it is a suboptimal idea, at best!  But though my own experimentation (I love to do that stuff), I’ve change my mind and I now believe that such an environment is a much more conducive place to do work.  Perhaps it’s because you feel like someone is watching you, or that you can’t doze off while relaxing at home on the couch… whatever it the reason is, it’s a very strong one!

Just thought I’d share,

Don