6th Blog Anniversary

Say what?

OK, this was/is my original platform and I haven’t used it much in the last year. But, that hasn’t kept me from blogging.

I am still here. I still think about Understanding, Optional every day. I look at those drafts sitting there and I think, “I should do something with those.” Yet, I can’t find in me to push publish.

Weird how that works, right? So, I find that my other blog (if you have payed attention in the past you already know about it…or you have time to dig through the archives here) has taken a bit more of my time since I do it nearly daily.

I’ll still publish here from time to time, so don’t “Unfollow.” This blog just has a different vibe to it and isn’t suitable for an every day kind of publishing.

Keep an eye out though, I’ll have something soon.

In the meantime, I think I’ll have a beer, perhaps a stout or a porter, to celebrate.

CHEERS!

Blog mile markers

I don’t have much substance to today’s post. It is just really a review of things that have taken place in the last couple weeks with my blogs, and a chance to stop and smell the roses. Oh, and I should probably say thanks too.

First, let me say thanks to all who have stopped and read (an assumption) and “Liked” a post or two around here. I appreciate it very much! As such, you have helped me get Understanding, Optional to one of those blog mile markers:

I started this particular blog just because I wanted to have discussion on topics that mattered outside of the classroom. Now that I am outside of the classroom, I still want to have to conversations that matter but sometimes it seems harder and harder to engage and audience that is more voyeuristic than anything. I guess a “like” here and there is at least acknowledgement that someone is stopping by on occasion.

The other thing I wanted to acknowledge is that my other blog, Piss and Moan, has also hit some blog mile markers. Strangely, it has taken less time but I also publish nearly every weekday there. Obviously, the topics are less serious but they do seem to engage more people in conversation. Is it weird how we all have similar complaints, irritations, and struggles? Probably not, because we’re human but it is still nice to put a voice to the challenges and commiserate with like minded people.

So, the blog miles markers are similar and different at the same time:

While it was never meant to be a serious blog, it has seemed to resonate with some people. It also seems to resonate with those “blog spammers” who want to sell anything and everything…maybe I need to write another blog on that…another day, another topic. If you want to help Piss and Moan hit some other blog mile markers, go take a look at it and give it a follow. I would appreciate it!

Anyway, all that to celebrate the life of two blogs and to say THANKS! You keep looking and liking and I’ll keep writing!

 

What if you could rewrite your life?

Ever have one of those days?

Ever have one of those days where the “What ifs…” begin to wander in and you start to think about what you would have done differently? What you would do if you could go back and start over?

I may or may not be having one of those days; but, as my pen layed on the notepad in front of me, I had a moment of creative inspiration with an app on my phone so I decided to record it and create. I guess, for a moment, I was being philosophical.

So, tell me, have you had one of those days? Or, moments? Tell me your “blank page” moment/story in the comments – what would you do if you could rewrite your life?

Blogs I enjoy and you should too

So, I know you probably didn’t know you needed this. And, maybe after reading it, you still don’t think you need it. But I promise you, if you take a little time to take a look around at the following blogs, you’ll find something you really like. You’ll probably want to follow them too!

Now, here’s the thing, I am sharing this just because I can. Not because I am getting anything out of it and not because I am expecting anything from it. It is just because. (OK, maybe I didn’t have anything else come to mind to write about…) But really, in all seriousness, I have found some really cool bloggers out there and that I enjoy reading on a regular basis so I thought maybe you would like to know about them too.

So, in no particular order, here they are:

1. Ben’s Bitter Blog 2 – Ben spins everything in life from a bitter perspective and usually that adds a smile to your face, which makes everything better. He recently was unable to recover his initial blog (thus the “2” in the title), so if you followed him before and haven’t seen anything from him in a while that is why.
2. Pieces of History – Being a history guy (and former history teacher) I love this blog from the National Archives that highlights primary resource material in an engaging way. Nothing like seeing history from the nation’s past, some of which rarely gets any sort of love from anyone. Oh, and it never hurts to learn a thing or two along the way.
3. MovieBabble – Movie reviews in an approachable format. This team covers current movies as well as older ones too. They give an honest breakdown (unlike some of the bigger, well-known, services) and encourage discussion of the movie and their reviews. A great resource if you love movies!
4. The Nerd Lady – an English teacher (lettering artist) who does word art on her whiteboard (and now other mediums) to highlight quotes from the texts she is reading in class, or just a favorite quote from literature she loves. A beautiful and engaging way to get students excited about the book they have in their hands, or might have in their hands in the future. I bet you recognize a few of them yourself!
5. IdeaProvoker – A story-teller who makes you think while you read. Each story has a deeper meaning in it and sometimes the twists in them will get you thinking and questioning what you really know. Perspective matters and this blog will give you a different perspective on a wide range of topics.
6. what stacy did – A travel blog that highlights sights and adventures in England (mostly) and Europe. Well documents and beautifully photographed, the trips highlight something that might not be on everyone’s travel agenda but should be. One day I hope to get to travel in Europe, so this blog will definitely be a place I go to when it comes time to plan the trip. In the meantime, I travel vicariously via Stacy’s eyes.
7. roadsbeltravelled – Another travel blog, but this time it’s a different kind of travel. This blog highlights hiking and the slow travel over terrain to find serious adventure, but on a budget. Who doesn’t like to get into the outdoors? This blog will take you places you may not have been but would consider going after you have seen the amazing pictures of her adventure.
8. No Eggs or Ham – If you have food allergies or specific dietary needs, then this blog is for you! (I don’t have those needs, but I a family member who does) Their approach to food is pragmatic and adventurous! The recipes are accessible, easy to follow, and the photography of their food is simply scrumptious. If you don’t want to lick your computer screen after “consuming” one of their posts, you simply don’t like food.
9. iwannabealady – Fashion, photography, literature and poetry, life…there is no topic off limits here and she is both funny and serious. While the goal may be to inspire and encourage women, I think everyone can take a little something away from this blog. Life is an adventure and she highlights hers very well as she now grows her empire into a social media juggernaut. I think you’ll be inspired and smiling after you visit this blog!

There you have it, a list of nine blogs that get me to stop scrolling through the “Reader” news feed and pause for a respite from life. Blogs that I actually look forward to and get excited to read as soon as their next post is out. Perhaps you too could have the same experience, so go check them out!

Tell me what you think! Did you find any of these suggestions helpful? Do you have a favorite blog or two you want to share? Let me know in the comments!

 

*These are not a paid endorsements – just an FYI in case you need something else to read and enjoy while relaxing or drinking your coffee in the morning.

I got nothin’…and maybe that’s somethin’.

Well, I ain’t got nothin’. I got nothin’ to say this week because I haven’t really had my focus on blogging. Maybe it’s because I am having a hard time motivating myself to write. Maybe its because I have been focused on other things. Maybe its because I haven’t had the time I would like to write. Probably, it is all of those.

The last week, well maybe two, I have been working on getting the new Facebook account for @Stupidboard set up and running. I have placed my first “ads” out there and have been getting some interest, so that is exciting and I will continue to play around with that. I don’t know, its exciting but it has been taking time to feel my way around it.

I have also added two new links to the menu, up at the top of the blog. One is for the website I created for my classroom many years ago, Grenz History. It is the place my students would go to get their assignments, download handout outs, and generally just be my place to to centralize things – especially for students who were absent. It made things easier to keep track of and the students all knew that is where they needed to go. I am having a hard time letting go of it. I don’t have a classroom any longer, but I spend hundreds of hours putting it together and I think I could probably make it useful at some point again, but for now it just sits there. Take a look if you like.

The other new link at the top of the page, in the menu, is for my Teachers Pay Teachers store – Learn ’em Fast History. I no longer have a classroom, but after 15 years of teaching I have a lot of lessons and units and handouts and stuff I think could be useful to others. Now that I am not using it and have a little time, I am adding more and more things to the store. I started the store about four years ago, but there were only a few things out there and so there wasn’t a lot in the way of sales. Over the last year and a half, I have added more and more of my content (and will continue to add more) and sales have started to pick up. This month has been the best month in my store’s history, so that is kind of exciting too! If you are inclined to check it out, or recommend it to a teacher friend, I would be grateful.

So, there you have it! I an’t got nothin’. Or maybe I do…

A question of quality or quantity?

I haven’t ever really committed to a “schedule” for publishing my blog. I am not sure I will. However, I am looking to do more with it this year than I have in the past. That being said, the ultimate question comes down to – quality or quantity?

When it comes to growing your blog, which is better? I am sure that quality matters, but does it really matter when it comes to growing your blog?

I have seen other bloggers who say just getting out there and publishing something is better than nothing. Yes, I understand that. I have also seen other bloggers say that putting out something that others want to read is important. Yes, I understand that. So where do the amount of what you publish and the quality of what you publish meet? Is there an intersection of balance or is that a fantasy (especially for someone with a family and a job)?

Perhaps I just think too much about this and go into too much detail by trying to support what I write with facts and details. Perhaps I care to much about what I write and want to make sure it is accurate. Perhaps I should care less, but not be careless.

Does having a schedule really work?

Does having a singular topic or focus area help?

Any insight or advice from the veteran bloggers out there? I know there are lots of places I can probably go to read about this, but I don’t want to comb through pages and pages of info because in the end it is all just opinions anyway, right? So, what do you think?

Milestone – 100

The above congratulatory image came across my blog notifications with my last post and I have to say I was a little surprised to see it. I hadn’t been following my stats that closely since I hit the last milestone so I am happy to see I have lasted this long, though admittedly I probably would have gotten here faster had I not taken nearly a year-long break.

I started this blog on a whim and have found that I really enjoy it. I enjoy writing. I get to say what I want or highlight something I think is worthy of people knowing; if people are paying attention and are interested in my words, well that is just a bonus! My wife thinks me spending time on this thing is silly but, oh well, you can’t win them all over…

These days I do most of my writing while I am at work (not while working!), during my lunch hour. It doesn’t give me a lot of time to write and it takes longer than I would like to get some things finished and published, but it is usually quiet and I have a little time to focus on something I like to do. I guess in some ways, it relaxes me.

Anyway, to mark the occasion I thought I would review some of the stats I have accumulated over the last 100 posts and see where I have come from, which might just give me some direction in where I am going…or not. I read lots of blogs and there are so many out there with a singular focus, but that is not something I have ever wanted to do. Maybe that is why my “readership” is low, but who knows for sure. Maybe I just don’t choose topics that people are interested in. Either way, I write about things I care about and if others care too, great. If not, that’s ok too.

TOP 10 (Views)

These are based on views, but I am sure not all of these are based on “reads” so much as some may have something to do with hits because of “image searches.” But I guess I’ll never really know for sure.

1. Redbox Chat – Customer Service Lost in Translation
2. Milestone – 50
3. Parental Detention (or, I’m Making a Point for My Child)
4. Let’s Review…
5. Dollar Shave Club: Review
6. About    (apparently people wonder who I am?)
7. Don’t Be So Bossy!
8. Easter is Better Than Christmas – Why?
9. Goodbye, Gramps
10. “Can you please call the police”

TOP 10 (My Preference)

These are the posts I enjoyed writing the most and believe they are worth reading if you give them a gander or two, but that’s just me…have a click and let me know what you think!

1. Goodbye, Gramps
2. Gaffigan and Giggles
3. I Kissed a Girl, and I Liked It!
4. Eject “God Bless America” from Baseball.
5. Bullying – Do Children Need to be Taught to Cope Better?
6. Pet Perturbed
7. The American Oligarchy
8. Duck, Duck, Genocide
9. Thankful for a Gift
10. The Debate: What is “Life”?

Scope (or reach)

One thing that continues to amaze me is the scope (or reach) of this little blog. It amazes me that something I post could be read or viewed by so many people around the globe. I am always interested to look at the little map of views and see where people are “checking in” from. I know the internet makes things more accessible and I shouldn’t be that amazed but it just fascinates me. Looking at the stats for this particular category I can see that I my blog has been viewed from 96 different countries!

That is a pretty amazing stat to me. Of course, a majority of the views have been from North America and Europe, but there are some little countries in remote places too. Pretty cool and I hope the views from different countries continues to grow so I can add even more countries to the list. Is it possible to get at least one view from every country?

Readers/Subscribers

Here is one place I hope to grow, and quickly! More than half of the people who are listed as “followers” are from my Facebook friends. That’s great and probably most of my views come from things I post that are also posted on Facebook. But, I would like to get the number of “followers,” real followers, up. If I am reading the stats correctly, I have about 155. Not bad for someone who doesn’t post on a regular schedule, nor has a specific topic to focus on, but I would love to grow that number. If anyone has a suggestion or three about how to do that, I would love to hear from you!

Closing thoughts…

Thanks for indulging and reading my review of the first 100 posts. I appreciate everyone who has stopped by, and especially those who keep stopping by. You all give me a little jolt of confidence each time you do.

If you have been around for a while or have read more than a few words on here, I would like some feedback. What do you like? What do you not like? What do you think I should focus on, if anything? Where should I go with this from here? I am sure you all have ideas about what you might like to see more of, or less of…so shoot me some feedback. I’ll listen, I promise!

Thanks.

Ryan

What if you could rewrite your life?

Ever have one of those days?

Ever have one of those days where the “What ifs…” begin to wander in and you start to think about what you would have done differently? What you would do if you could go back and start over?

I am not having one of those days; but, as my pen lay on the notepad in front of me, I had a moment of creative inspiration with an app on my phone so I decided to record it and create. I guess, for a moment, I was being philosophical.

So, tell me, have you had one of those days? Or, moments? Tell me your “blank page” moment/story in the comments – what would you do if you could rewrite your life?

1st Blogiversary in the Blogosphere

Happy anniversary to me!! Not really one that is a big deal, but still kind of cool nonetheless.

Yesterday was my ONE YEAR BLOGIVERSARY!!

I started this blog last year because I felt like I had things to say and maybe someone would listen. Admittedly, some of what I have to say is more interesting than other, but thanks for reading anyway.

I don’t have a lot of visitors every day, but I do manage to show up on people’s search results so every day I get a few people looking at what I have to say. Some days are better than others. But it amazes me that people stop by and read what I write.

Over the next year I hope to write more because I have more things to say, interesting or not. I am generating ideas all the time and making notes. Unfortunately, I don’t have a lot of time to write since I am totally overwhelmed by the new class I am teaching this year. However, keep your eyes out for more and then let me know what you think.

So for now, I think I’ll enjoy a beer tonight and celebrate one year of writing about stuff I care about. CHEERS!

Milestone – 50

This post is a bit of a milestone for me. This is my 50th blog post! I know in the grand scheme of things it probably doesn’t matter that much and I am not the prolific blogger like some. I tend to write about stuff I probably care too much about and I probably care too much about how I write. I want it to be worth reading.

That being said, it has been less than a year of blogging and for some reason people are reading me. Not a lot, mind you, but that is OK. I am writing because I enjoy it and because I think (I may be wrong most of the time) I have something to say about stuff that matters to me (and hopefully you too).

So, I looked back over my last 49 posts and checked to see what people were reading and not reading. Admittedly, there are some posts that have not been great but there are also some that I think people should have been reading and didn’t. The following lists are the posts that lots of people looked at and those that people haven’t yet.

Least Read, but Most Readable

1. Bullying – Do Children Need to be Taught to Cope Better?
2. Postal Possibilities – How to Save the USPS
3. Rumors – Investigate and Authenticate
4. Courage in the Face of Criticism
5. Attack of the Naps

Most Read, but OK to Read Again

1. Don’t Be So Bossy!
2. I Kissed a Girl, and I Liked It!
3. Eject “God Bless America” from Baseball.
4. This is a tie: Parental Detention (or, I’m Making a Point for My Child)  OR Valentine’s Day W(h)ine
5. Pet Perturbed

Thanks for stopping in, taking a look around, and then for deciding to click on the “Follow” button. I appreciate it! Click around some more, leave a comment, like it, share it, or don’t. Either way, THANK YOU. There will be more to check out in the future as I continue to explore this mode of communication (and as time allows).