Sex, Lies & Blogging- The Post That Went Viral…Again

In the time it took you to read these words 1,983,983 other people pointed, clicked and surfed away from this cyber oasis. They left because they weren’t captivated, compelled or interested in anything they saw here.

The headline failed to hold their attention. They weren’t interested in hearing about being a dad blogger or reading the words I have written about blogging. They don’t care about tales of parenting or stories that may or may not be fiction.

Bam, I just lost another 459,984 potential readers. I guess I better offer something substantial so that those people with short attention spans can stick with it.

Don’t Insult The Readers

Yeah, I know you shouldn’t insult your readers but sometimes I find myself baffled and bewildered by people.  Like the person who demands an immediate solution to conflicts but says he doesn’t care about cause and effect.

That sort of thing works great with children. Sometimes when my kids fight I’ll tell them to end it or they are both in trouble but it is not real effective in geopolitics.  Sometimes you need to understand both sides so that you can find a reasonable solution.

But I digress, let’s ignore substance and focus on fluff or is it ignore fluff and focus on substance. Who can keep track, not me I am too busy using not very clever social media tricks again to generate page views.

So my friends allow me to share some links to some posts I hope you will read. What you have are a mix of posts about writing, parenting and social media.

• Writing Is Not The Hardest Part Of Blogging
• About Walt Whitman & A Dog That Lives Forever
• What Kind of Blogger Are You
• The Rules Of Blogging
• The Problem With Blogging Conference Speakers 
• The Rhythm Of Life 
• Writing Tips & Tools Part 1
• I Am A Better Father Than You Are
• 1 Foolproof Way To Become a Better Writer
• The Story Of A House- The Final Days
• He Died A Hero
• Twenty-Five Links That Will Make You A Better Writer/Blogger
• Of Dads and Daughters

The first time I ran the whole sex, lies and viral thing I described the first set of links as an incomplete collection of my thoughts about writing and blogging. That is still true. Some of those posts are a few years old now but I still believe they are accurate. I have some newer posts that could be included too.

I made a point to include links to other topics and examples of my writing. I did it because I want some of you to see that I am not a one trick pony and that I can write about different things.

And I did it because some of those posts  are worth reading. I did it because I like to look back at my work and see if I have grown at all or if I am just saying the same old stuff on a different day.

Growth is important. If we don’t grow as people and as writers what are we doing here?

We’re Still Building Connections

We’re still building connections. I like what I said before and I think it is worth repeating:

We are building connections, you and I. We’re taking a journey together down country roads and through mountain passes. Some of you will picture us heading towards Mount Doom to destroy the ring and others will see us rafting down the mighty Mississippi River. I am Huck Finn and you’re Tom Sawyer, or maybe it is reversed.

Doesn’t really matter, not as long as you identify with these words.

I ask you if you know what brings you joy and what makes you happy. I tell you that I feel like the universe is sending me signs and messages and then in the next breath say that I don’t believe in that kind of stuff.

I wonder out loud what happens when you get what you want. If I was completely fulfilled would I be the same writer. Let’s face it, some of my best stuff comes when I am really happy/sad/angry/scared. Damn, that makes me sound unhinged and kind of crazy, doesn’t it.

The Good, The Bad & The Ugly Of The Blogosphere

I am tempted to copy  and paste the paragraph again because there is truth in it. It is the one where I talk about discovering that not all that glitters is gold in the blogosphere.

Sometimes it is tied into the social media experts who want you to pay them to teach you about how how to be more successful online. Some of them have good intentions and some don’t. But what chaps my hide are the ones who share common sense ideas and ask you to pay for that.

You know it is the person who tells you to write great content and to be consistent. Oh, ok it never occurred to anyone to try to be of value and service to others.

This evening what bothers me are people who cannot stomach disagreement, you know the people who decide because you have a different opinion you must be blocked and unfriended.

I find that very telling about their character and maybe I should pull from past work again.

I wonder about what lines should be drawn and where they should exist. You read the words I share with you and gain some insight into me. If you listen to my audioposts or watch my videos you learn more, but only a little.

That is not necessarily because I am guarded and cautious but because there are limits to what I share. And because sometimes I do a poor job of expressing myself or because you are in a hurry and you misunderstand.

Doesn’t matter what the cause is. What matters is that you pay attention. What matters is that you remember that there are real people mixed in here and that there are lots of good people online.

I am grateful to all who journey with me, the lurkers and the commenters.  Your presence has helped to shape and form posts, thoughts and perspectives.

See you in the comments.

• Saved: Blogging