I'm going back to working with text files again and start working with pdf. A webzine, rather than a blog. Well, a webzine as a working name.
Running a blog has become ruined with marketing and pressure to conform. I've always liked doing things my own way. Following all the "rules" for bloggers means putting marketing first. I don't want to do that. Yet, each time I try to get working on my sites again there is all that stuff telling everyone how to do everything better, almost always involving SEO and marketing. I don't want to live like everything is for sale. I don't want to blog that way either. So, blogging is out.
Of course, that means deciding what blogging actually is and what I want to do next. Once upon a time it was a web log, keeping dated entries about changes made to your projects on the web. Some personal posts became sprinkled in and next thing you had the personal online journal. Blogs came from that, later. Dated entries were the key to what was a blog and what was not. That is so lost these days, there are blogs which don't want to post dates at all. They call it evergreen. I call it, not a blog.
I have a lot of old content to merge with something new. Once I take it out of CMS software I won't have to keep trying to find ways to make it display for software, just the txt or pdf file type. That will be a LOT easier.
I'm keeping something blog-like to post things I find along the way, in niche and topical blogish displays. Likely on Blogger because I can use Open Live Writer to create the post and then filter it to whichever site I want it to show up on. They will be content curation sites, not blogs. I can post links to niche sources in the sidebars, as I find good links. But, dates, marketing, and professional templates won't be important.
National Dictionary Day
National Dictionary Day is observed annually on October 16.
Source: National Day Calendar
National Dictionary Day was created in honor of Noah Webster’s birthday (October 16, 1758) and was set aside as a day to emphasize the importance of learning and using dictionary skills and increasing one’s vocabulary. Webster is considered the “Father of the American Dictionary”.
Source: National Day Calendar
International Podcast Day
A day to celebrate the freedom of amateur radio online.
I have never tried a podcast of my own but, I have assisted with one. I’ve also been a fan of a podcast DJ. Sarah, who no longer does her podcast. I tried to interest my Aunt in taking her community TV show to a podcast, but I don’t think she wanted to start something new.
September 30th - #InternationalPodcastDay
There's a Word for That
Haughty and fastidious.
I read a post about feet. I didn't read it for the information, but the attitude of the writer. There seems to be a common attitude which (to me) is overly fussy, disapproving and expecting approval. I wanted to find a word for it. I still haven't found just one exact word but I've come close. (Peevish, fussy, censoring, and others).
I found a reverse lookup for words. A handy tool for word lovers, or Scrabble players.
A great site to have bookmarked for those days you know there's a word for that... if you could just think of it.
The Joomla Image Upload and Post Editing is Bugging Me
I am trying. I have made progress. But, the Joomla post editing and image uploading are not very user friendly. I feel like I'm working with a sluggish elephant.
I don't know yet about template changes. I'm leaving that until the end as I go through the guide I'm using to get around Joomla. It is quite different from WordPress, especially in the beginning. My big break through seems to have been understanding that everything has a category, not just your blog posts, or links. It does add more function to your site, what you can do with what you have. But, it also makes it complicated. When you have a glitch it becomes a real job to find the source because there are so many places to look. As a beginner I'm finding it very time consuming.
Last week I was at the point of giving up and trying yet another CMS. But, I stuck it out. I did find the problem that time but, the same solution did not fix (what seems to be) the same problem on two other sites.
So far the post editor and image uploader are bugging me every time I post. Maybe some of that will be fixed with a different theme/ template. But, with all the function in Joomla why is it so hard to do the simple things? I'm at the point of disliking using images with my posts.
Also, I am discouraged about the link thing. I left WordPress because it was becoming focused on commercial sites and web developers with clients rather than individuals building their own site. As I get to know Joomla I see the same trend here. The link manager was taken out of the core CMS. Why remove a feature people might actually like to use? Because web developers don't want anything Google SEO says it doesn't like.
Most of Joomla's extensions (plugins, if you prefer WordPress speak) are premium. Sure there are some outdated free extensions, but they tend not to work, or even upload into Joomla 3. Other free versions are so limited the point of them is just to make people realize there isn't any point to doing without the premium/ professional extension.
I miss having spellcheck when I write a post. I can't even use keyboard shortcuts in the post editor. So I need to open the code editor to cut and paste or add text to any post with HTML. I did look at post editors and related extensions. That was a land of confusion in itself. Most of them combine a template maker into the whole process, as if that will fix everything. But, I did not find any of them which were just post editors which would work with my existing posts in Joomla articles. Two which I might have used wanted to import everything and make second copies for the extension. Then you (I) have to remember to use the extension to make every post I write from then on. Well, what if something goes wrong? What if the extension is abandoned, dies with some fatal error, etc? Where would that leave me and all my posts, not quite in Joomla but sort of in Joomla?
I have yet to find a way to schedule posts. Everything has to be made a featured post in order to show up on my site. Then every new post is either published or not published. There is no way to schedule a date for it to post. Yes, I can leave posts sitting outside of featured but I would really rather not have to remember to post them, or need to be online in order to post them. (I do like to get away the odd time and leave the electronics behind).
I think that's everything bugging me. Possibly more will come to mind between now and now when I post this.
If I hadn't bought two books (print) to help me figure Joomla out... If I hadn't spent money on 3 premium Joomla extensions (and not found any of them to be what I had hoped)... If I hadn't spent months migrating and renovating my sites since leaving WordPress (late last year!)... I think I would stop using Joomla at this point. But, there should be a point where you don't go back and stick with your guns, right?
Anyway, what else would I try? I've been through almost a dozen CMS since last year. I do know, I am not going back to WordPress. The problems with WordPress are still there. The time of the independent web publisher is getting tougher, but not drying up yet. However, I am watching for that big chunk of meteor rock falling from the sky.
The Story of One Sentence
Sorry to see One Sentence closed down. It was a good challenge for writers and fun to read what others had come up with for.
Can you write a story in just one sentence?
Foodie Pen Pals Expired Quietly
You may not be inspired by this trek through my bookmarks, the ones with linkrot. But, I hope it has some inspiration, interest and something for those who like history too. Of course, they have all of those for me. Why else would I have kept the link?
Foodie Pen Pals had a lot of rules, but they were exchanging food through the mail. A terrifically interesting idea. It even had a branch in the UK (also closed/ abandoned now).
Foodie Pen Pals had a lot of rules, but they were exchanging food through the mail. A terrifically interesting idea. It even had a branch in the UK (also closed/ abandoned now).
Here’s a detailed explanation of the program:
-On the 5th of the month, you will receive your penpal pairing via email. It will be your responsibility to contact your penpal and get their mailing address and any other information you might need like allergies or dietary restrictions.
-You will have until the 15th of the month to put your box of goodies in the mail.
-The boxes are to be filled with fun foodie things, local food items or even homemade treats! The spending limit is $15. The box must also include something written. This can be anything from a note explaining what’s in the box, to a fun recipe…use your imagination!
-You are responsible for figuring out the best way to ship your items depending on their size and how fragile they are. (Don’t forget about flat rate boxes!)
-Foodie Penpals is open to blog readers as well as bloggers. If you have a blog, feel free to post about your box whenever you receive it.
– Foodie Penpals is open to US, Canadian residents & European residents. Please note, Canadian Residents will be paired with other Canadians only. We’ve determined things might get too slow and backed up if we’re trying to send foods through customs across the border from US to Canada and vice versa. So, I’m going to keep two separate lists and match US w/ US and Canada w/ Canada!
***If you’re in Europe, please contact Carol Anne from This Is Rock Salt at rocksalt@thisisrocksalt.com to get involved!
————
FOODIE PENPAL SIGN UP FORM
Sound like fun? If you’re a US or Canadian resident please click the link below to fill out the form:
CLICK HERE TO FILL OUT THE FORM!
YOU MUST SUBMIT THIS FORM BY 7PM EST ON THE 4TH OF THE MONTH TO BE GUARANTEED A SPOT. IF YOU FILL IT OUT BETWEEN 7PM AND 11:59PM EST, YOU MAY OR MAY NOT BE INCLUDED DEPENDING ON WHEN I HAVE TIME TO START WORKING ON MATCHUPS. IF YOU FILL IT OUT ON THE 5TH OF THE MONTH, YOU WON’T BE ABLE TO START UNTIL THE NEXT MONTH.
***IF YOU SUBMIT YOUR INFO VIA THE FORM, YOU WILL GET A RESPONSE IF I RECEIVE IT. IF YOU DON’T GET A RESPONSE, PLEASE FOLLOW UP AS THERE MAY HAVE BEEN A TECHNICAL GLITCH**
Foodie Penpals Terms & Conditions
“By signing up to participate in Foodie Penpals, you are hereby agreeing to the following terms and conditions:
–Condition 1: You will contact the person you are matched with withing 72 hours of receiving your match to discuss dietary needs, allergies and food preferences.
–Condition 2: You will make an effort to meet the dietary needs of your penpal- ie not sending animal products to vegans, dairy products if your match tries to avoid dairy or junk food if they ask for healthy snacks.
–Condition 3: You will mail your box by the 15th of the month. It is HIGHLY recommended that you purchase delivery confirmation/get a tracking number for your package. It is very inexpensive and can be used to prove that you sent your package in the event that it gets lost.
If your match does not receive a package for the month, you will receive a warning. If it happens two months in a row, you will no longer be able to participate in the program
–Condition 4: In the event that you do not receive a package, Lindsay and The Lean Green Bean blog cannot be held accountable. By agreeing to participate in FPP, we cannot 100% guarantee that you will receive a package. The mail gets lost occasionally and your partner may fail to deliver.
-Condition 5: Using the foodie penpals email list to send out personal or spam emails promoting your blog, giveaways, etc is unacceptable and will not be tolerated. Doing so is grounds for immediate dismissal from the program as it is a violation of the other participants’ privacy.
Failure to comply with these terms and conditions is grounds for dismissal from the Foodie Penpals Program.”
Did Disqus Kill Commenting?
When you think about it, did Disqus kill blog commenting? I stopped commenting on other sites because of Disqus. Having to register for their service and even then most of the time I would have to login with it only to have it not find my account. Far too much trouble when something like Twitter was so much simpler. Now I just leave a note on Twitter, with a link referring to whatever I wanted to comment on. Much easier, less stress, and it works.
By the way, Disqus is now spamming you but you can pay for it to stop. Or just stop using Disqus. People might start commenting on your site again, or not. I think the days of leaving comments on blogs are gone. Too much hassle to deal with software, like Disqus
By the way, Disqus is now spamming you but you can pay for it to stop. Or just stop using Disqus. People might start commenting on your site again, or not. I think the days of leaving comments on blogs are gone. Too much hassle to deal with software, like Disqus
Seven Days for Seven Answers no More
Seven Days Seven Answers - Daily cues to spark your writing creativity.
A little sad when something clever and creative disappears online. I had Seven Days Seven Answers in my bookmarks as a site for writing inspiration. But, going through and checking each link, manually, I have found it long closed up. The link still active enough, on Blogger, to pass automated link checks. Anyway, I'm preserving the ideas from the site here. Sure, Blogger will keep it all up until Google decides to stop hosting Blogger. But, I like giving it an extra archive.
I found an abandoned Twitter account for the site too.
What is it?Seven Days Seven Answers is a daily opportunity for creativity. Each day of the week is assigned a category. A question, scenario, or some sort of prompt will be posted asking for you to respond. Every post will have a winning response which receives an award. The goal is to reach the Winners Circle by collecting a win on each of the seven days (or a combination of days and wildcards) and becoming an Ultimate Winner.
Where do I write?You can either respond in the comments of the post or in a post on your own blog (provide a link in the comments for that cue).
How do I know if I'm responding correctly?Cues are deliberately vague and open to interpretation. That's the point! Whatever springs to your mind as an "answer", that's the correct response.
How often can I answer?Answer every day. Don't answer every day (though you risk making me cry). I don't even mind if you answer multiple times on an entry.
How long do I have to write? When are winners announced?You can write on old prompts forever if you like. Winners will be announced in approximately one week.
How are winners chosen?Winners can be chosen by any number of methods.I'll pick the entry I like bestI'll let someone else pick the entry they like bestPollRandom selectionEeny meeny miney moOr whatever other method sounds good at the time
How do wildcards work? Some days, instead of posting a prompt in the regular category, a wildcard will be posted instead. The winning response on that day will receive a special wildcard award which counts towards the "seven awards" on any day the participant is missing.
What do Daily Winners receive?Daily winners receive their name (and a link to an appropriate website) on the daily winners page. They also receive the right to post the shiny winners button on their website if they want. In addition, winners receive the unwavering respect and serious street cred among their peers. From time to time, there may be small prizes given to a randomly-chosen daily winner.
What about the Ultimate Winners and the Winners Circle?Winners who have collected wins for all 7 days will also receive their name (and a link) on the Winners Circle page. They may also receive a tangible prize but we'll deal with that when we get there.Cues and Days
In the News: (Day 1)This category features news-related prompts.Sample cues:Given a headline, write the story that goes with it.Explain an out-of-context quote.Write a follow-up story to a recent event.Checklist (Day 2)A list of words will be accompanied by a scenario in which to use them.
Now What? (Day 3)Write what comes next.Sample cues:What happens next in a story or scene?Finish a phrase.Tell what happens in a situation.Letters (Day 4)Given either a first line or a set-up, write a letter appropriate to the situation.
Storytime (Day 5)When a new story begins, a starting paragraph will be provided. Everyone will write paragraph #2. A winner will be chosen and the next week everyone will write paragraph #3. And so on, building on the previous winners, until we reach a conclusion. That particular cue category lasted for about a month before I decided to replace it.
So I Have This Friend... (Day 5)Give your best advice to this friend.
A Thousand Words (Day 6)On this day, a photo will be provided. Sample cues:Explain what happened before (or after) this photo was taken.Write a caption.Take Two (Day 7)Given a second chance, how would this be different? Rewrite the ending to a book, movie, scene, fable, quote, etc.
WildcardThis category can be absolutely anything. Absolutely. Anything.
I Want a Vintage/ Antique Library Cart
First, you should know, they are far more expensive than you would expect. (I was surprised). A new cart is also very expensive, plus there will be some assembly required with almost all of them. I can do the assembly, but… I’d still rather have an old cart assembled by someone else long ago. I don’t mind some wear, authentic wear, not contrived to look worn and aged. Fake aging is too artificial. Besides, wouldn’t an old cart be much happier cleaned up and given a fresh coat of paint? I don’t want a sad cart.
This one was on a site from the UK. Even pricier but I really like the look of it.
This one was found by someone else and done over. I would rather have it painted a nice showy red - make it look glamorous.
I found a few vintage/ antique carts online. Most are too expensive once you consider the shipping and the dollar difference from anything in the US. Paying double the asking price just doesn’t seem fair. Even when they say free shipping, that doesn’t mean they will stick to it when it comes to me.
So, I will continue to poke around on the Internet from time to time and see what I find.
The best bargain I could find online for a new book cart was from Wayfair. The company is new to Canada (or at least new to me in Canada). They offer free shipping and likely it is free shipping when it originates here. But, why is the price so much different just over the colour? I like the plain silver better than the white or black. I just think it’s odd. It’s not an old cart though, so no history to it. Likely I’d have to put the wheels on, if not more assembly. So… it is tempting. I’ve begun trying to let go some of my books and the cart would help in sorting them. Plus, I could keep it for the books I use most often and whatever I have on hand in fiction to be read.
Reward the Author
Have you seen something like this before? The reader has a vote in how much the author is paid for the article. I say a vote because I don’t know if the author is paid the amount I picked. Is this a good way to pay web writers? It is based on readers and reader opinions about the content.
I found it at China Highlights.com.
How Software Changes Your Mind
I've had so many ideas and from those ideas I spin off into making them reality and find even more options. More than I can keep track of. Software, it's advances, limitations and quickness to become obsolete/ unpopular, changes how you end up doing things.
I wanted a web directory. But, keeping links became unpopular due to the SEO/ Google fanatics. WordPress and Joomla both stopped including their link management plugins/ extensions in the core software for the CMS. In the case of WordPress you can still download a plugin, Restore Lost Functionality, to bring back links and other features. Joomla still offers Web Links as an extension, but further development seems very limited, if any.
So, I could use Web Links with Joomla, I did upload and install it. But, I can't use it to import my links from WordPress. (I've noticed WordPress does not work well with other CMS). Also, there is no bookmarklet which I would have used to make keeping the web directory supplied with new links as I find them while using my web browser. Anyway, I spent a few days banging into road blocks with this and then I got the idea to change software.
I did have PHPLD (PHP Link Directory), paid for it a few years ago. But, the support forums are gone. Possibly the software is no longer supported as I could not import my links even when I finally did manage to create a CSV file (which was frustrating in itself). There is an option to pull links in from ODP (but dmoz/ ODP is gone) and Google. This feature had an error and did not work. So, I have now ruled out PHPLD.
I've tried other web directory software, even considered other premium (not free) software. But, so many are old and seldom updated or lacking any support at all. I did upload, install and try several but they all had errors. Some would not even install at all.
Now I'm looking at the idea of just creating pages of links. Not my preference, but, you have to work with the software (unless you know how to create your own, or can afford to pay someone to do it for you).
There are page builders. I looked at lots of them when I was still using WordPress. Joomla also has a large amount of them. But, I'm not sure which are page builders, template makers, page editors, or something else similar with a different name. They seem to meld together and use the same description even when they say they can work as add-ons to each other. It's confusing. I don't like being confused. I think of myself as being an experienced web publisher. But, I am confused.
Of course, none of them really have anything special for links. So, I can't say I'm eager to install any of them. It's a bit make-do at this stage.
Bookmark Files From Scratch
Several things may be driving you crazy but, if links, text files and bookmarks are one of them, I have some help for you! (Little things help a lot, right?)
After spending a lot of time trying to import my old WordPress bookmarks into Joomla I found the best way was to create a text file with just the links, all code scraped out. Then create a new file with Notepad using the code I have cut and pasted in a screenshot below:
Screenshot from It Still Works.
Cut and pasted the text also, because I've seen how easy images disappear, wander off and generally get lost. I want to remember how I finally got this far, no doubt I will need to do the same again with other links from my other sites moving from WordPress to Joomla.
If you feel confident with HTML, you can create a bookmark file from scratch in Notepad. Begin the document with . Then, enter the title asBookmarks and the header asBookmarks
. Then, begin a list with thetag. Each item of that list should be denoted by a
- tag. Then, describe the link via an tag. For example, if you wished to create a bookmark link to http://www.google.com, your tags after
would look like this:
tag.- Google. Finish the file with a closing
So, maybe this will help you, or you may just wonder why someone would do things this way and spend so much time on links few people will actually look at anyway.
Keep wondering, it's good for you.
Selling Greeting Cards Online With a Subscription
I still want to sell my art as ecards, online. Today I found someone with a good plan, selling the cards with a paid membership to the site. Ojolie offers a free account, to send the ecards she offers without charge. But, I think, I would rather make the ecards a subscriber only thing. Art online is just too easy to rip off. At least I could get a year's subscription before giving access to the art. Of course, I still don't know what software to use. Something like a catalogue, but then it needs to send a png file, or pdf. I think I would include envelopes too, a bonus should people print the cards. So much to consider when you start to think about all the details.
This (see below) is a screenshot from Ojolie, how her pricing works. I'm mainly posting this for myself. So I can look back and remember what I thought I would do.
Words You Didn’t Know Had Opposites
A chance to learn some new words. I like the opposite of deja vu, jamais vu. When would you ever use it in conversation? But, it is interesting to know.
What’s the opposite of disgruntled? Chances are you’re thinking the answer should rightly be gruntled—but is that really a word you recognize? The problem here is that disgruntled, alongside the likes of uncouth, disheveled, distraught, inert, and intrepid, is an example of an unpaired word, namely one that looks like it should have an apparently straightforward opposite, but in practice really doesn’t.
Words like these tend to come about either when a prefixed or suffixed form of a word is adopted into the language while its root is not, or when the inflected or affixed form of a word survives, while its uninflected root form falls out of use. This was the case with disgruntled, which derives from an ancient Middle English word, gruntel, meaning “to grumble” or “complain,” which has long since fallen from use—although the gap left by disgruntled has led some dictionaries to list gruntled as a modern-day back-formation.
2. ANONYMOUS
Anonymous literally means “without a name.” Its opposite is onymous, which is typically used to refer to books, legal papers, artworks, musical compositions, and similar documents the authorship of which is known without doubt.
3. AUTOMATON
If an automaton is a machine capable of moving itself, then the opposite is called a heteromaton—a device that relies solely on external forces for movement.
4. CATASTROPHE
If a catastrophe is a sudden, unpredictable, and devastating event, then an equally sudden or unexpected event of sheer joy or good fortune is a eucatastrophe. This term was coined by Lord of the Rings author JRR Tolkien in 1944, who originally used it to describe a sudden or fortuitous event in the plot of a story that turns around the protagonist’s chances or prospects, and brings about the resolution of the narrative.
5. DÉJÀ VU
Over the years, psychologists have identified a number of different phenomena similar to déjà vu (literally “already seen” in French). Among them is presque vu (“almost seen”), the tip-of-the-tongue feeling that you’re about to remember something you’ve forgotten; déjà vécu (“already experienced”), a particularly intense form of déjà vu that makes it almost impossible to discern the present from the past; and déjà visité (“already visited”), which describes a person’s surprising foreknowledge of a place they’ve never actually been to before—like unthinkingly knowing your way around a foreign town or city while on holiday. The opposite of déjà vu, however, is usually said to be jamais vu (“never seen”): so if déjà vudescribes the eerie sensation that something new has actually taken place before, in the case of jamais vu a person believes that a situation that is actually very familiar and has happened before is entirely new.
7. EUPHEMISM
If a euphemism involves the use of a politer word or phrase in place of a more distasteful or objectionable one, a dysphemism is the deliberate use of an impolite or unpleasant term in place of a perfectly inoffensive one. Dysphemism is often used for rhetorical effect, in order to shock or shake up an audience, or simply for comic effect.
10. POSTPONE
To bring a date forward in time rather than postponing it is to prepone it.
See the full list at the source: 11 Words and Phrases You Didn’t Know Had Opposites | Mental Floss
Ruderal - Growing Where it Can
Found this on Twitter today. It's a great word for urban exploration, at least for me. I do like the plants growing in odd places: rooftops, cracked cement, and railway tracks as shown in the photograph. Sort of abandoned gardens and yet, most were never planted deliberately. Where have you seen something growing in spite of it's habitat?
Word of the day: "ruderal" - able to thrive on disturbed or broken ground, or among waste (Latin rudus, rubble). Used esp. of plant species.
How do you Name a Woman?
Does it bother you to hear an adult man call his wife "Mother", "MaMa" or other words similar? How about people who call themselves their pet's "Mother", "Daddy", etc.?
Names are our identity/ identification. Names are how other people view us. I do think it is a bit odd when people refer to another person by their role - especially when it isn't the role they have for the person who spoke. (Or that whole being your dog's Mother thing, that just annoys me, personally).
My Dad used to refer to our Mom as "your Mother". I haven't thought of it for years. But, someone else I happened to mention it to found it very odd, they didn't like it.
Other people don't like hearing a husband refer to his wife as "Mother". Does it help to think it is the short form for the Mother of his children? I'm sure that's how it is intended but it does always sound as if he is calling his wife his Mother. What does he call his real Mother? Maybe "Grandma"?
Source: The Rise of ‘Mama’ : Longreads Blog
I found this, part of a long post about the use of the word "Mama". However, the idea that a Mother loses her name was more interesting to me. When a woman marries she (still usually) changes her last name. She loses her family identity - or exchanges it for a new family identity. Then she has children and loses even her own personal identity as an individual. From then on she becomes a role, not an individual. Isn't that like a nun too? They are referred to as "Mother Someone", "Sister Someone".
Without getting feminist about it, I wonder why or how our culture evolved to take away a woman's name? It's really interesting to think about. Not so much about laws, rights, fairness, equality, etc. But, just the fact of it.
Names are our identity/ identification. Names are how other people view us. I do think it is a bit odd when people refer to another person by their role - especially when it isn't the role they have for the person who spoke. (Or that whole being your dog's Mother thing, that just annoys me, personally).
My Dad used to refer to our Mom as "your Mother". I haven't thought of it for years. But, someone else I happened to mention it to found it very odd, they didn't like it.
Other people don't like hearing a husband refer to his wife as "Mother". Does it help to think it is the short form for the Mother of his children? I'm sure that's how it is intended but it does always sound as if he is calling his wife his Mother. What does he call his real Mother? Maybe "Grandma"?
Today in the Arab world, there is a custom still in place to not speak a woman’s name in public after she becomes a mother. In her 2011 book Gender, Sexuality, and Meaning: Linguistic Practice and Politics, linguistics professor Sally McConnell-Ginet wrote about how in some historical periods in China, women were only referred to by “relational forms,” names like “oldest sister” or “Lee’s wife,” while men were more often referred to by their individual names. These might sound odd to our modern ear, but chances are most of us have witnessed something similar in our lifetime.
Source: The Rise of ‘Mama’ : Longreads Blog
I found this, part of a long post about the use of the word "Mama". However, the idea that a Mother loses her name was more interesting to me. When a woman marries she (still usually) changes her last name. She loses her family identity - or exchanges it for a new family identity. Then she has children and loses even her own personal identity as an individual. From then on she becomes a role, not an individual. Isn't that like a nun too? They are referred to as "Mother Someone", "Sister Someone".
Without getting feminist about it, I wonder why or how our culture evolved to take away a woman's name? It's really interesting to think about. Not so much about laws, rights, fairness, equality, etc. But, just the fact of it.
Digital Content Skills
This list comes from Contented: Nine digital content skills that open up many job opportunities
Have you looked at any of the jobs/ careers mentioned below? Even fiction writers have gotten to work in non-fiction if they run their own sites, social media and anything else online. Consider putting some of your energy and skills into a different kind of paying job.
People who know how to write well for digital media — websites, intranets, social media, blogs, e-newsletters, search engines — have amazing career opportunities.Many jobs now demand digital content skills: corporate communications, technical communications, web writing, journalism, advertising, publishing, marketing, content marketing, public relations, content management, content strategy, digital strategy, service design and government roles.Nine digital content skills: can you tick them all?
People who write for work must know how to:
attract online readers
improve search rankings
use metadata and keywords
follow web accessibility standards
use a content management system properly
write for mobile devices
write plain English
write for Google Translate
publish on multiple channels.
Are Email Marketers all Smoking Crack?
I had another email from someone selling me a newsletter/ campaign about building up my email marketing plan. (You know the drill). I'm not in the least interested in any email marketing. I don't see the sense of it.
First, email is far too cluttered to be reliable as a method of communication.
Second, and more to the point, hasn't texting pretty much replaced email these days?
Writing from the point of view of someone who does not own a mobile phone or do any texting, even I can see that a plan to market via email is something of a dinosaur. So why haven't all these ever so savvy marketing people?
Where are the texting marketing plans?
Where are the sploggy newsletters being sent to everyone's mobile phones?
Why don't I see people complaining about the marketing they get via text?
It's a mystery to me. But, those still selling email marketing are working from old technology and should really move on and stop beating the same poor, old, dead horse.
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