writing

Add title

Posted on by backuphill

Photo by Andrea Piacquadio on Pexels.com

Anyone else find that empty title line prompt intimidating these days?

I go to write a post and then it just sits there waiting for a title…and body…really the page just sits there and then I get busy doing other stuff and I decide I’ll do it another day. Then the next day rolls around, I open the page to do another post and the “Add title” prompt stops me in my tracks again.

Honestly, it isn’t the title that is holding me back though. It really just comes down to whether or not I really want to put the effort out to say what I want to say. Do I really want to put a post out there that will step on toes? Rile people up? Piss people off?

Is anyone even really reading these things? Is it worth my time to create if no one is actually consuming?

Questions I can’t really answer and certainly the stats area doesn’t tell you all you need (or want) to know about who is visiting your page, how long, where they go and what they look at, etc.

Something is lacking and I can’t quite put my finger on it.

So, add title…stares back at me.

Still staring…

Not forgotten

Posted on by backuphill

Photo by leshkamal on Pexels.com

Yes, I haven’t been on here as of late. It’s been hard.

Not because I don’t want to. It’s because it has been so freaking busy at work (like unusually busy) that it just makes it hard to find time to get anything written.

The end of the school year is upon us and schools are trying to figure out how to navigate all the new rules, special situations, and data reporting needs, etc. so they can close out their educational year. The phones are ringing off the hook. The emails are none stop.

Add on top of that a handful of districts preparing for data migration to a newer version of the software and its hard to find time to breathe.

Anyway, I just wanted you all to know that I haven’t forgotten about you. Ya’ll are still on my mind, just not the only thing on it…

Hopefully things will slow down a little in a while and I get get back to my usual grumpiness.

Until then, keep an eye out for an occasional grumble, whine, complaint, or just a plain pissy point about common sense (or lack thereof).

Lacking

Posted on by backuphill

mockup of white clipboard with blank paper

Photo by Karolina Grabowska on Pexels.com

Time.

Content.

Motivation.

Actually, there is plenty of content and motivation. I have been making drafts like crazy for things I want to Piss and Moan about, but I haven’t done a very good job of getting this stuff ready to publish ahead of time. Work as been so busy that my mornings and the usual time that I post stuff has gotten away from me. It’s hard to keep up when you’re buried.

So, nothing new today except excuses. Sorry.

Guess I better do a better job of planning to get content out and get those drafts written so there is content ready to go before I start new stuff.

WordPress scheduled post delay

Posted on by backuphill

green typewriter written blog

Photo by rawpixel.com on Pexels.com

A schedule is a good thing and it helps to plan ahead when you know you are busy. So, writing a blog entry ahead of time and then scheduling it to post on the appropriate day and time is great, except…

Anyone notice that your scheduled entries aren’t posting at the designated time? Like you said you wanted it to post at 8:00am but notice the time comes around and you still haven’t gotten notification that it has posted. 30 minutes later you’re thinking to yourself, Did I set the wrong time? Did I choose the wrong day?

When you go to check then you get a notification that it has posted. Sometimes that notification, at least for me, doesn’t even come until I get to the actual blog entry to see what was wrong with it.

Here’s the thing, WordPress can’t tell me it was posted and I just didn’t get the notification because there are times I will look at my Reader and my post doesn’t show up there. I scroll and scroll to make sure I didn’t miss it – it’s not there! I got to my blog page and it isn’t there either. That’s when I go straight to the blog entry to actually force it to post.

I have to say it is rather irritating.

Why do I have to do this if I have set a time? Is anyone else experiencing this?

I’m not done loving you

Posted on by backuphill

broken heart love sad

Photo by burak kostak on Pexels.com

I am sorry. Your once forgiving ways have slowly diminished over the years and it is time for us to part. The way you met my needs was unparalleled, unselfish. We worked together so well, it was like you were a part of me. I wasn’t done loving you, but I think you were done loving me. I’ll never hold another like I held you. I’ll never watch over another like I have watched over and protected you. I’ll never look at another like I have looked at you. You will be missed, but not forgotten.

Ever had one of those experiences you just wish you could take back? An instance of regret as you dispose of something you have loved for a long time?

Do you have favorite items you just can’t bear to let go of because they are worn out?

I had that experience a few days ago.

My favorite mechanical pencil has finally decided it doesn’t want to hold an eraser. The mechanical part (lead dispenser) works just fine. But the eraser. The eraser kept falling out and I couldn’t patch it any longer to make it stay. As soon as I had to erase something, it would just fall out. I am not perfect, so having the ability to erase is kinda of big deal. So, now, after 10 years of using this pencil I was faced with a choice.

Do I continue to use it and get an eraser that isn’t attached to the pencil? Then I would have to keep track of two things…OR, do I just bite the bullet and toss it – moving on to my next favorite pencil?

If you read the first paragraph, you know the outcome of this love story. It is a sad story.

So, what favorite item did you hate to get rid of but were forced to? Tell me what it was and why in the comments!

 

Enough already, PT 2!

Posted on by backuphill

img_5301

This is an example of too much to read in less than 2 seconds. The photo is lovely, btw.

So, yesterday I had a little something to say about the “stories” feature on social media that seems to be taking the world by storm, but that some people aren’t telling stories but writing stupid novels with the overwhelming number of pics they post.

To follow up on that, can I just say that the other problem with “stories” is that people also want to put words on these photos. Not just a few words, like a caption for the picture, but like paragraphs…in small fonts…

Hey, if you want to write a paragraph on your photo, do it in the regular photo feed! I don’t know about most people, but I have a feeling I am not alone in that it is near darn impossible to READ a freaking small font paragraph in 1.32 seconds, let along all the links and other crap you include on the photo.

Again, for the love of your views and readers, keep the “stories” simple and short.

Order #717

Posted on by backuphill

black and white restaurant lunch kitchen

Photo by Tinyography on Pexels.com

I wanted to try to avoid this, but unfortunately it has come to this. There are those who promise big things and make it happen, and then there are those who just promise.

There is a well known blogger out there who has a rather large following, about 120,000+ people. He writes about how he can help you grow your blog and the information he puts out seems like good stuff. He has multiple blogs and he puts out pretty much the same stuff on each of them. He even offers services to boost your blog traffic or with design, content, etc. It appeared to be legit, so I followed him, as I am sure lots of others have done too.

Perhaps the large numbers he boasts are just from following everyone himself. Sure, some of those numbers are generated from his content, but my thinking is there are a lot of people out there who play the “follow for follow” game instead of looking for actual good content.

Anyway, other than producing some content about how to blog, he also blasts his followers with requests for money. Obviously, the services he supposedly offers is to generate money for himself, but he also just plain out begs for money – for rent to avoid eviction, for a new laptop, to fix his dental problems, and most recently to buy a domain and start a new project. (That is all since the beginning of THIS year) You all know who I am talking about, right? I probably don’t need to name names here…but if you have any doubt, clicking one of the links will solve that mystery.

So, with some reluctance, I decided to take a chance and purchase one of those services that he was offering on one of his “specials.” The service that interested me was the “One-on-One”, a chance to have him do an in depth review of my blog and then meet with me via Skype and discuss his findings and make suggestions about how to improve it. So I purchased it on July 19th. Why not, this guy apparently knows a thing or two, right?

Blog service

So far, I haven’t received anything for my purchase other than an excuse (see below) and there has been no communication after that.

blog service emailOver the last two months, I have tried to contacted him via the TWO different email addresses he had listed and I have also tried via comment on his posts (which are moderated, of course, so I know he has seen them). All to no avail. Silence. He is just plain ignoring me and took my money, which in my book usually makes him a thief.

Anyone else had this experience with him? I am guessing I am not alone in this…

I recommend that you stay away if you have been considering his services.

 

Punctuate that!

Posted on by backuphill

view of a row

Photo by Pixabay on Pexels.com

The downfall of society is coming (well, some would argue it is already here).

Dramatic much? No, I don’t think so.

Language is important. Unfortunately, people are lazy and that translates to poor language skills, as well as a plethora of other bad habits.  So, what is the deal with the lack of punctuation in nearly every social media platform? Yes, the option to punctuate is available but it seems fewer and fewer people are choosing to do so. Maybe we can blame it on Twitter – 140 characters is rather limiting and why waste it on punctuation? I get it, but at the same time it isn’t cool.

Grandmothers and small children are being eaten, for the love of everything holy! Some classic examples of why punctuation is important:

“Let’s eat grandma!” vs. “Let’s eat, grandma!”

“We just ate Timmy.” vs. “We just ate, Timmy.”

Oh, and while we’re at it, how about we throw in some capitalization as well?

Anyway, I read an article not long ago that said if I use punctuation in text messages, like a period at the end of the sentence, that I am angry. WTH? Who made up these stupid rules? That’s a pretty big ASSumption to make when I am just using the rules of writing because I don’t want to look like an uneducated dumbsh*t. Got me?

its the little things people and little things matter we ignore the little things and i just dont think were going to recover from this catastrophe see what i mean its annoying isnt it dont make up rules just cuz youre freaking lazy to write properly

Punctuate. Communicate properly.

What you say vs. what you do

Posted on by backuphill

 

black laptop computer

Photo by rawpixel.com on Pexels.com

There are lots of people out there these days that say one thing and do another. We would like to think that “our word is our bond” but that isn’t really how it works any longer. “The handshake” used to be all you needed, now it means almost nothing.

“Your actions speak so loudly that I can’t hear what you are saying.”

You say you will do this. You do that.

You offer a service. I pay for that service. You don’t provide said service.

There is nothing more irritating than people who don’t do what they say they will do.