Bucking Some Dang Blogs & BOTB Results for Bodang Buck

Arlee Bird promoting A to Z Challenge at Mt. Rushmore

     Finally!  I'm back from one of my longest vacations ever.   It's been a great summer for me and my wife.  We've spanned the United States from coast to coast and seen plenty of the wonderful sights this country has to offer.  We've also enjoyed the company of family members and friends whom we don't get to see enough.

       Now, coming back to the usual routine of our most-of-the-year life, it's time once again for me to reassess my life and everything in it.  One of the first things I'm going to be tackling is my subscriptions to a number of Wordpress blogs that I've followed over the years.  There are many that I regularly read and comment on and they never seem to acknowledge the existence of my blogs.  I've already begun unsubscribing to many of those.

       Don't get me wrong, there are a number of Wordpress bloggers who have seemed to figure out how to cross comment on my Blogger platform and those will stay on my list.  I appreciate the support of the Battle of the Band bloggers  'Curious as a Cathy', Sound of One Hand Typing, The Doglady's Den,  Angel's Bark as well as a few other WP bloggers who regularly comment at Tossing It Out or Wrote By Rote.   I'm not dropping any of these bloggers and I hope we continue to have long meaningful relationships in the years to come.

      Maybe I'm being a bit petty about this, but my time is as valuable as anyone else's and even if I'm just taking a few seconds to delete notifications from my email it all adds up.  I need to start restructuring my time better and it's going to start with certain blogs.   No point in reading some of those blogs or leaving comments that never get reciprocated.  My comments on those blogs might get answered in some instances, but I'd appreciate some of those bloggers just letting me know that I mean something to them beyond my visiting their blogs.  

      Sorry for this bit of nonsense, but it's been bugging me.  It's time to do something about it--again.  If you have a Wordpress blog and feel that I might unjustifiably unsubscribe from your blog, please leave me a comment below so I know you are out there and what your thoughts are about my current course of action.

Bodang Buck Results

      The two versions I offered for the song Bodang Buck were so similar that I'm not surprised by the narrow margin of the outcome.   Some of you suggested that you couldn't explain why you chose the version you did, but if it wasn't a matter of a coin toss or some other such decision making process, I guess it was just a matter of which one sounded better at the time you listened to it.

      Since I have a history with this McGuinness Flint tune from having owned the album back in the 70's (and still having it in my collection), their version has been ingrained in my mind.  The McGuinness Flint album is a long time favorite of mine.  It has some fine tunes and the band has a good sound.  So that's where my vote goes.  Jonny Young Four did a great job with the song, but I prefer the instrumentation and subtler vocals of the Flint version.

Final Voting Results:

Jonny Young Four       10

McGuinness Flint         14

      My next Battle of the Bands post will be on Tuesday September 1 and will be combined with that month's Insecure Writer's Support Group post.    However I'll have at least one post next week so I hope you stop by for that or those whichever the case may be.

      Does anyone else share my frustration about bloggers who won't cross blogging platforms to leave comments?   If you've ever unsubscribed from a blog, why did you do it?   How was your summer?

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Why I Love Wordpress Bloggers

A Blog Blitz Thank You!

           Firstly I want to thank D.L. Hammons for the Blog Blitz surprise this week.   And thanks to all of you who left your comments--especially to all who left more than just Blitz greetings.   The Blitz came on an ideal day since the main thrust of my post on that day was to promote the survey being conducted by M.J. Joachim on her blog M.J. Joachim's Writing Tips.   She's gotten a wonderful response so far thanks to the Blitz.   If any of you have not yet answered this very short five question survey, I encourage you to head on over and check it out in order to help us to make some improvements in the Blogging from A to Z April Challenge.   You can find the survey here.

I Thought You Said...

          Even before the early arrival Blitzers started showing up Tuesday night, my Monday post Why Should I Bother Commenting on Wordpress Blogs? had passed the 60 comment mark.   The topic certainly pushed some buttons.   And when visitors started arriving for the Blog Blitz, some of them even weighed in on the topic.  And the comments about that post have been continuing to come it.

         Now I'm saying I love Wordpress bloggers!   Well, what's up with that?  First I say one thing and then I say another.   What am I really saying?

         To begin with, I was tossing out a general aspersion on the Wordpress community of bloggers to get the Blogger bloggers to chime in with their own complaints and just check to see if any Wordpress bloggers were actually paying attention to what I was saying in my posts.

        Well guess what.   The Blogger bloggers had plenty to say.  After all some of my finger pointing did have some validity.   But then again I was making a blanket statement that did not necessarily cover all Wordpress bloggers.  The ones in our community came through to let us know my challenge had been heard and accepted.   My Wordpress post as of Thursday afternoon had received nearly 100 comments, 26 being from Wordpress bloggers.  If you remove my replies and a couple of other extraneous comments, the Wordpress bloggers made up nearly 1/3 of my comments on that post.  Let's hear a round of cheers for those fine bloggers!

         I make blanket statements on this blog sometimes because I find it stirs the pot better.   There are still a number of Wordpress bloggers who fit the description of arrogant, pompous, and self-centered, but there are also Blogger bloggers who are the same way.    My call is for all bloggers to be sure to show the love to the bloggers who leave comments.   I'll do that right now for all of you who left Blitz comments.  I'm going to try to make it to visit everybody, but if I don't then let it be known that I thanked you here and I love you all.  Even bloggers on Wordpress.

           If you were offended by my Monday Wordpress post, why were you offended?   Do you think it's bad to make blanket statements?    Why do you think that blog comments increase when the blog post is about blogging?

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Why Should I Bother Commenting On Wordpress Blogs?

Gorilla is sticking out her tongue in SF ZOO (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

       There are a number of Wordpress blogs that I follow and comment on with regularity.   These blogs have content that interests me.  However if I no longer saw this content, my world would not change significantly.  Actually I would not even notice that much.  There are more blogs that are not on Wordpress than I can possibly read everyday.

        I try to be fair in my blog reading and read some from Blogger and Wordpress, as well as a few other blogging platforms.   And guess what--I almost always comment on every post that I read no matter what blogging platform they're on.   I must be some kind of blogging genius to have figured out how to comment on all of these different platforms!

       Not really.  I'm pretty dumb when it comes to computer stuff.   I'm just persistent.  I figure out how to comment, sometimes making several tries until I've figured it out, and then I start leaving comments.  Most Wordpress bloggers that I've encountered either aren't as smart as dumb ol' me or not as persistent.  Or maybe they're just snobbish about their Wordpress community.

         Those bloggers certainly see my comments because they usually respond to them.  They're nice about that.  They seem to want me in their community just fine.   But when it comes to crossing over the tracks into the trashy neighborhood of Bloggerland, noooo! they're too good to read our blogs and comment on our blogs.

          Oh, there are a handful of Wordpress bloggers who do comment on my site on occasion, but it almost feels like a charitable gesture meant to appease me after so many visits I've made to their blogs.  Most of the Wordpress bloggers I visit most likely have never seen any of my blogs and probably not many other Blogger blogs.

          So screw you Wordpress bloggers!   And if you do see this post, I dare you to leave a comment.  Are you gutsy enough to leave a comment on this post?  Or can you even figure out how to do it like I figure out how to leave comments on your site?   Or maybe you're just too good for me.  Or think you're smarter than me.

           I not only dare you to leave a comment on this post, but better yet tell all your wimpie Wordpress weenies to come and prove that they can figure out how to comment here.

           You Wordpress bloggers think you're so hot.  Well, I think you're scared of me and all my friends on Blogger.  So there!  Nanny nanny pooh pooh!

           Do you ever like to just say things to get a rise out of people?    Why do so many people take things so seriously?    If something makes you upset or annoys you, can it be called humor?


     

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Why I Hate WordPress

Image via CrunchBase

        Okay, so hate is a pretty strong word.  I've resorted to a cheap attention-getting device to attract readers to my blog post today.   Did it grab you?  If so, great!  I'll use it again in the future to latch on to readers.  It's one of those lines that fit well into Twitter tweet format and hopefully stand out as a title.  But enough already.  Let's get to the point...

         I could have replaced "WordPress" with Disqus or any number of other formats that I can't think of at the moment.   For that matter a WordPress blog owner could probably write the same post about Blogger or blogspot blogs.  It's just those weird little complications that make commenting a bigger hassle.

       Many bloggers swear by WordPress and think it's the top of the line of blogging experience.  I can't say not ever having had a WP blog.   I've thought about starting a WP blog, but do I really need another blog?  I suppose I could export one of my Blogger blog's content to a WordPress site as an experiment, but that seems like a lot of trouble.

        Why the blogging factions anyway?  Can't all of the blog hosting sites just get together and make it easier to comment on all blogs without jumping through hoops to comment on sites where the host is not the same as mine.  Seems like I always have to go through a lot of extra work to comment on a WP blog and then many times my long thoughtful comment ends up in a spam folder.  Well, that is, I used to leave some long comments on WP blogs but I stopped doing it when they were getting eaten so much of the time.

          And I guess the WP bloggers run into similar issues with Blogger.  How often do I get a WP blogger commenting on my posts?  Hardly ever.   I'm guessing that it's because commenting is a hassle for them.  Then again maybe those bloggers are just WordPress snobs who think Blogger is beneath them

          No I'm not switching anytime soon.  The WordPress blogs mostly all look alike while Blogger blogs come in an array of colors and designs.  If blogs were movies then WordPress would be dry documentaries and haughty dramas while Blogger would be cartoons, action films, 3-D, and all sorts of experimental genres.    Where Blogger is fun, WordPress is too pedantic and serious.

          There are many bloggers on WordPress whom I like a great deal, but seriously guys and gals, can you stop being so serious?  Even the funny blogs come across as kind of serious.  And that's not funny.

         So let me retract my opening statement.   I won't say I hate WordPress blogs.   But sometimes I sure get annoyed trying to leave a comment.

          Now watch all those WordPress bloggers who never comment on my site show up today.  Howdy you all!



And Now to Share the Love...

      A new book from Alex J Cavanaugh is coming our way and today we get a preview of the cover.   You're going to be seeing a lot of this today if you haven't already.  Congratulations, Alex!

CassaStorm by Alex J. Cavanaugh

http://alexjcavanaugh.blogspot.com/

 

A storm gathers across the galaxy…

Byron thought he’d put the days of battle behind him. Commanding the Cassan base on Tgren, his only struggles are occasional rogue pirate raids and endless government bureaucracies. As a galaxy-wide war encroaches upon the desert planet, Byron’s ideal life is threatened and he’s caught between the Tgrens and the Cassans.

After enemy ships attack the desert planet, Byron discovers another battle within his own family. The declaration of war between all ten races triggers nightmares in his son, shaking Bassan to the core and threatening to destroy the boy’s mind.

Meanwhile the ancient alien ship is transmitting a code that might signal the end of all life in the galaxy. And the mysterious probe that almost destroyed Tgren twenty years ago could be on its way back. As his world begins to crumble, Byron suspects a connection. The storm is about to break, and Byron is caught in the middle…

Release date: September 17, 2013

Science Fiction - Space Opera/Adventure

Print ISBN 9781939844002

E-book ISBN 9781939844019

        Do you have a WordPress blog?   What is your biggest complaint about blogging systems that are different from the one you blog on?    Which blogging platform would you advise a person contemplating blogging to start on?    Why do you hate WordPress?

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Can't You Please Just Make It Simple?

Spitzer - base do telescopio (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

           Maybe it has something to do with Amazon wanting to keep you on their site longer.  And of course Amazon's not the only one.    A lot of web sites seem to want to make you jump through hoops to find things or do things on their sites.  Internet hell is what I've found sometimes.  It's like being locked inside a store until you buy something.

         On the blog site bridgetstraub this question was raised in relation to finding a particular book on Amazon.  She related some of the problems she ran into finding a particular book and wanting to leave a review.  As she admits, her techie skills might not be the best, but I can certainly relate to that.  However the point she raised made me start contemplating some of the internet hassles I've dealt with and so have many of you I would guess.

           Fortunately, I've learned to navigate Amazon and some of those sites pretty well, but now and then I still get caught in a frustrating quagmire.  I've even managed to get pretty adept at leaving comments on WordPress and the annoying systems like CommentLuv, Intense Debate, and Disqus and the like.  Oh sure I'm a big blog baby some of you may say.   Well, that's what I think when I hear complaints about commenting on Blogspot sites. What's so difficult about leaving a comment on a Blogger site?

          I guess it's a matter of what we're used to.  I'd be fine if Blogger stopped changing stuff so I didn't have to stop and think and relearn new processes.    It's like the automated phone systems that keep asking you to press this button or that and then keep you on line waiting for a long time.

        And then there's those automated phone systems that say, "Please listen closely as some of our options have changed."   My health care provider has had that message on their system for like seven years now.  Can you please stop changing the options already people?  Either that or change the message.

         Don't even get me started on the crazy lady giving directions on those navigation systems.   Have you ever driven in circles with that lady scolding you about missing your turn and telling you to go back.  

        Time-saving technology sure seems to waste a lot of time.

        What website loop-de-loops particularly annoy you?   What about those automated phone systems?   How often do you actually talk to real people anymore?  I mean people that are actually helpful?

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When Things Don't Go Like They're Supposed To

Image via CrunchBase

         Today I was supposed to have a post about Twitter and my observations on the first few days of using it.  Well, I changed my mind.   My plan now is to move that scheduled post until Friday--if all goes right.

          I was even announcing my Twitter post on Twitter over the past couple days.  Now I'm all red-faced that it's not gonna happen today.  But I will get to it.  And actually I'm not red-faced anyway.  I have my reasons.

          Weird computer issues.  Don't know what was going on yesterday, but I'm sure most of you have had issues like this before.  Actually I think it was Alex J Cavanaugh's fault by setting the blogosphere on fire with the release of CassaFire.  What a day for Alex, eh?  Congratulations on what seemed to be a very successful book launch.  Of course, I missed much of it dealing with whatever unexplained things I was dealing with.  Must have been Alex's fault,  Yeah, that's who I'll blame.  I don't think the Federal Duck would do anything like that.

         Then there is this new Blogger comment thing that seems to only be present in the pop up box.  No "subscribe to comments" option seems to be available.  I saw where others also mentioned this so it's not just me.  What's up with that?  It's difficult to keep track of the conversation without the notification and I can't keep track of where I've left my comments.  I hope Blogger fixes this.  Does anyone know what's going on with this?  The design of the pop-up box is even different now.

           Last time I looked you could still subscribe to comments with the embedded comment box, but so many people had said they were having problems with that system (and I used to as well until I started using Chrome) that I switched to the pop-up box.   Now I'm thinking I might change back--I like the possibility of interaction even though it usually didn't happen.  What's everyone else doing?

          I was also having problems with leaving comments on WordPress sites.  I would compose a wonderful comment, but then when I submitted it the comment just disappeared.  I thought it was just a fluke until it kept happening with every WordPress comment I left.  Now what's that about?  Did anyone else have any problems with that or is this something on my end?

         Twitter did see some action from me over the past couple days and that's what I really wanted to talk about.  Hopefully that will happen on Friday.   Although maybe anyone who saw my tweets about Federal Duck would just wish I'd shut up.   I'm serious about the Federal Duck issue.   Some out in Twitterland probably just thought those tweets were wise quacks.

          So now after a tedious day of frustrations I'm tired.  I'm ready to duck out of here and go to bed. Looks like I'm back on line, but now it's too late to do anything with it.  Tomorrow will be another day from where I stand (or actually sit), but for now tomorrow waits for today.  And ducks are birds too.

          And if all goes as planned, Federal Duck will be my Thursday topic on that other blog of mine--A Faraway View.   Quack!

           Did any of you experience the comment box problems that I mentioned above?   Are you on Twitter? If so, how do you use it and do you find it useful?

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Stats Status

 Trip Stats:

       On Thursday January 6, 2011, I returned from my Christmas vacation from Los Angeles to New Jersey and points south.  Here are some trip stats:

Days gone:  20

Time spent driving:  94 hours (or about the equivalent of 4 solid 24 hour days).   Since we were actually only driving an average of 8-12 hours per day, the driving was spread over about 9 days.

Miles traveled:  6059 --This was the total actual miles traveled from home departure to our return.  We drove less than 200 additional miles of driving in the places where we were since most of our time at our various destinations was spent just hanging out with family. There was another 200 or less miles of riding with others who were driving us around to other places.  For the most part we were pretty content on being housebound when we weren't driving.

States Visited: We passed through 20 states, but only actually stayed in 9.

Motels Stayed In:  10 nights in 7 different motels at a total cost of $454.60.  All motels were Marriott, Radisson, or Best Western properties with 3 nights "free" due to redemption of points.

Highway Tolls:  At least $40--I didn't get receipts for all of them and lost track of the precise amount.

Gas:   $708.55

Restaurant Meals:  ????   -- We ate in many restaurants during the trip.  I won't venture to even add them up, but I'll estimate that we splurged about $600 on food during the trip.  There was a lot of fast food, but several quite nice restaurants as well. 

CDs Listened To While Driving:   67-- I like to have a soundtrack going to accompany my driving.  I brought an array of listening ranging from Vivaldi to Eels to K.T. Oslin to Manhattan Transfer and on and on.  I would start the day with something classical and then a mix after that.  We drove all Christmas Day and listened to Christmas music the entire time.  We actually had 86 CDs with us, but since we also listened to the radio some and had some quiet drive time we didn't make it through all of the CDs we brought with us.  I love listening to music while driving.

Amount of Fun:   A whole bunch!

         This gives you a rough idea of what it might cost two people to make a lengthy cross country trip.  Certainly it can be done much less expensively, but I think we were in line with a certain element of frugality without being absolutely Spartan about it.   I highly recommend a road trip of this nature if you don't mind the hours in the car and the time away from home.  If you get the opportunity, go for it!

Blog Stats:

            I noticed that some of the WordPress blogs that I follow had received an assessment of "Blog Health" with an assortment of statistics and the blog owners posted their reports.

           In the past I have tried to make some sense of my Google Analytics reports, but have never really gotten overly serious about it.  When I changed my blog page template my Google Analytics stopped working and I just ignored it.  I notice now that on the Dashboard page there is a tab labeled "Blog Stats" that seems to provide the same information as Analytics did.  Someday I really need to study this and make some sense of it all.

           Have any of you studied your blog stats and made sense of them?   What conclusions have you come to from the information that is provided?     Where is the best place to go to find out more about how to interpret blog stats and put them to work?