On Blogging, etc.

Blogging is not the future of social media. The site you're currently on, as you know because you're savvy, is hosted by Blogger, the first and therefore oldest personal blogging forum on the internet. It was originally a start-up company consisting of those bold new entrepreneurs that saw the potential of what the internet could be. Google purchased Blogger a few years back, which irritated a number of people because they don't like Google. I truly don't get the anti Google sentiment because the reality is they are simply one player, a giant one, but one, of many that are engaged in the business of compiling data on everyone that clicks connect on whatever your device of choice happens to be. Ever hear of Facebook and their one billion users who happily live out their lives in full view?

There are numerous blogging sites and I've experimented with a couple of them and I still prefer Blogger for it's simplicity. That simplicity and some limitations is why other more tech oriented users go elsewhere. It's also free, which works for me. Even with it's easy interface I am still no master of it, even after eleven years. I write nearly all of my posts on my phone using an Android app that definitely has serious limitations. For instance including a picture and then successfully uploading the post is a no go and worse, I can't remove the picture data so I can post. You will notice that up until 2018 there are no pictures in any of my commentaries. That's not because of the app, that's because I have tried to respect the intellectual property of others, which I want in return, my words belong to me,good or bad. Finding public domain pictures which fit the story is difficult. If I'm reviewing something, such as Engelbert Humperdinck's new album I'm free to use that image. The same goes for quoting other writers. Not using pictures is considered a major mistake because we are a very visual species. So lately I've used them but to accomplish it I must upload the post to the blog and then go into the edit area, download the picture, then insert, all on a tiny phone screen. The result is compressed data which makes the commentary appear to have no paragraphs when viewing on a mobile device, this bothers me, I'm funny that way.

I have always struggled with whether or not I should sign up for a Google Ad Sense account which, if approved would place ads on the blog, this is known as monetizing. The idea is that for every ad a reader clicks on from my blog would earn me a few cents. On the surface it sounds good except for the fact that it would literally take tens of thousands of readers everyday and all of them clicking an ad to even add up to a small amount of money. Statistics show that only 1% of internet users click on ads. Most users are sophisticated enough to know what they want and where to go. Short of that they head for a search engine.

Cumulatively I have published over 1,000 political and cultural commentaries on the internet. They are as insightful, intuitive and as thoroughly researched as any prominent blog writer on the net and yet...I spin my wheels. Like a backwater sludge puddle I can gain no traction. Today's social media, Facebook; etal requires sharing and even those who may know me or read regularly do not share my work, yet other bloggers who may use a dot com and allow loads of ads are repeatedly shared and commented on, though their content is certainly no better than mine. But I'm biased. One of the chief reasons these top shared bloggers are more visible is because they use push campaigns, which I cannot financially afford to do. You can easily drop thousands of dollars a month paying for search engine priority placement, Facebook and other social media campaigns.

I started by saying Blogging is not the future of social media and it isn't because it requires the expression of ideas in long form. Facebook is being used for that on user's homepages, if you like politics and religion prepare for the drive by assassins and trolls and don't expect a meaningful dialogue, but that's what people want. Quick sharp kick and run. There are other forums such as Twitter, a short blurb and move on. I use Twitter and other social media sites that I don't even understand to promote kanesrealm. I'm on Pinterest, so far all I've figured out is how to collect Batman pictures. I'm on Google+ and have no clue what's going on there, I mean you can find me and my links but...

The New York Times, Washington Post, L.A. Times, The Hill and a myriad of legitimate web based news entities are all at your fingertips. Some allow free access all the time, others allow a few free articles per month then they want you to pay to subscribe, which they should. Aside from a few political blogs on the far side of each political persuasion the room for the small independent blogger is vanishing.

That said, if you're a wealthy media type and want to hire me, I'm available. If someone needs a ghostwriter, I'm available and your privacy is guaranteed. Hell, I'll even write your love letters, your own personal Cyrano.

Well then, until next time.