If you’re like me, discovering Really Simple Syndication (RSS) was like the heavens parting on a cloudy day. If you’re not like me and you don’t know what RSS is, you realize you’re reading a blog right?
For the first group of people, I read an old interview of Timothy Ferris (who is fast becoming one of my favorite people) at ProBlogger.net. Tim talked about ridding yourself of most RSS feeds and shared that he does not use a feed reader (Gasp!?).
I’m pretty wrapped up in subscribing to every website’s RSS feed I came across in an attempt to be more “productive” by not revisiting a site, while also staying informed.
But this productivity practice, coupled with my severe OCD at keeping ZERO unread items in my Inbox and Feed Reader has lead to what Ferris is telling us to avoid, wasting time.
Tim’s solution: don’t use a feed reader.
My solution: don’t read all of your items. Let some pile up.
Like most RSS users, I’ve got a “Bulk” folder and an “Important” folder. The Important folder I keep up with hourly while the Bulk folder contains very frequent posters (Slashdot, Arstechnica, TechRepublic, etc.).
During work the other day, I only checked my “Important” folder and allowed my bulk to pile up. Just like Tim’s idea of reading email only twice a day. Doing this with your Feeds is equally beneficial. That evening I jumped on and flew through all the Bulk items.
The other option is always to unsubscribe from most of your feeds.
If you can stand allowing your RSS feeds to pile up, then give this a shot and enjoy the productivity gains.
If you’re interested in more about RSS, check out RSS Really Seductive Sapping of my Time
Alright, so the post’s title is not the most P.C. of headlines, but it got your attention didn’t it?
Why am I talking about Hitler?
Because Hitler would not have put up with what this lady did.
While reading the story about Mrs. Fields, author of the “I Love Chocolate Cookbook”) I came across the quote of a comment from her husband, “Oh, sweetie, that is such a stupid idea.”
I am here to tell you to be like Hitler, in that he surrounded himself with geniuses. Hitler was no bright light in military planning, but allowing Rommel (the Desert Fox) to lead his troops brought many victories.
Be like Hitler in that you surround yourself with intelligent people, and people who support and nurture your creativity. If you share an idea with someone and they immediately shoot it down, walk away from them, they are likely not worth your time.
Like all World Conquerors, you need support.
People who do not support creativity and innovation will be in yesterday forever, and are not the kind of individuals a forward thinker, like you, needs to accompany.
The wrong person says: “That’s a stupid idea!”
The right person says: “That’s interesting.”
Find people who will listen to you, while also being helpful in offering devil’s-advocate like responses and reality checks when necessary.
The wrong person says: “That will never work!”
The right person says: “Can you overcome the barriers to entry?”
What if your main antagonist is your spouse/significant other?
If you are like Mrs. Fields above, and have a spouse/significant other shooting at your dreams as they fly over head, I am truly sorry. My wife often gives me the “you’re nuts” look, but has never told me an idea was stupid or that I could not accomplish a goal.
Leaving your spouse/significant other is not something I advise or advocate. However, holding your tongue around them, then sharing the creative/innovative/new/old/etc… ideas you have with the other support people in your life would be a much better idea.
You told me to find good supporters, where do I do that?
You might be able to re-train some of the naysayers in your life. More often then not people instinctively react negatively to anything new. This reaction could be what you’re experiencing. Explaining to them how their negativity hurts, and discourages you, might silence the oppression.
For the un-trainable, get away from them if you can, hold your tongue around them if you can’t, and find new people. There are 6 Billion people on this planet, you can find at least one, if not a handful, who are supportive.
Get out, talk to people. You need to be doing this anyway. The more networking you do, the better off your life will be. You can use social networking if you want; however, most of those people are going to be across the country and I prefer the face-to-face interaction of real people when I’m spewing out new ideas. You might be different. The point is, finding out what works best for you. Get started sharing your ideas and seeing who supports you. Weed out the naysayers and build up the encouragers. Then, watch how your creativity builds and your boldness grows!
That took a long time for you, but I’m still writing from the first post. You know, because I’m in the mood and I can’t stop lest I derail my train of thought.
What could I have left for the third part of this be all the blogger you can be series? A list of tips to help you get those posts down, and make them the best you can write. Read on!
Do you remember your English teacher telling you not to write that paper the night before it was do, so you could edit it, or *GASP!* even have someone else read it before the final draft? Well, you’re out of high school (or if you’re not, do what I just said on your school papers and you’ll be the best writer there too). You will see the quality of your work skyrocket.
And thus concludes Part 3 of Be The Best Blogger You Can Be. Thank You!
Go back and read Be The Best Blogger You Can Be, Part 1
Go back and read Be The Best Blogger You Can Be, Part 2
Technosailor.com published 10 Things You Need to Know About WordPress 2.3
Unfortunately this blog is still running on WordPress 1.5. However, I plan to upgrade a.s.a.p. to the new 2.3 version. The upgrade of this blog will signal my attempt to monetize this blog. This will be a long process involving many parts and I will be sharing via posts my experiences, frustrations and successes.
First, I will be sharing my experience writing a WordPress theme from scratch.
Second, how to add merchandising to your WP blog, which means I will be adding merchandise here.
Third, I will be covering search engine optimization tips and tricks for WordPress. The above article touches on a great new feature of WP 2.3 regarding Canonical URLs which is exciting.
Stay Tuned for all the above, and make sure you download and play with WordPress 2.3 when it’s released September 24. Happy Blogging!
Update: The TLPD website is down because of the traffic load. Please view the bottom of this post to use Google’s Cache or the Way Back Machine and view their page. I would suggest using the WBM as you can click on any of the links inside the page and it will work. Check it out!
The official Talk Like a Pirate day website has a lot of great information on it regarding this unofficial holiday.
When I visited their site this morning it was running very slow and generating a number of errors; however, I’m sure this is due to the huge influx of traffic on this day-of-days.
Please be patient, but if you’re interested in reading About TLPD or enjoy browsing the Pirate Phrases page.
I was introduced to TLPD through the Dragon’s Landing Inn Podcast last year. Share how you heard about Talk Like a Pirate Day in the comments.
Make sure you talk like a pirate and enjoy the day!
We all need some silliness in our live to make it through.
p.s. If you cannot access the TLPD website because of the huge influx of traffic, I showed how to Beat the DIGG effect using Google Cache and archive.org’s WayBackMachine.
Click on any of the following links to access TLPD’s site through the above ways:
Way Back Machine:
Talk Like a Pirate Day’s Main Page
Talk Like a Pirate Day’s About Page
Talk Like a Pirate Day’s Pirate Phrases Page
Google Cache:
Talk Like a Pirate Day’s Main Page
Talk Like a Pirate Day’s About Page
Talk Like a Pirate Day’s Pirate Phrases Page
Yesterday I was discussing with someone the “Jack of All Trades” versus “The Specialist” argument. Then today, Timothy Ferris posted his article The Top 5 Reasons to Be a Jack of All Trades.
Tim’s article was the catalyst, telling me I needed to write about this. I fully support being a Jack of All Trades, as I feel I am one.
Being a Jack of All Trades broadens your horizons.
Knowing one subject in its entirety is enviable, known as The Specialist. However, if you know a subject to the exclusion of all else, your usefulness is limited. On the other hand, having limited knowledge on many subjects allows you to include yourself in many more discussions. The more you know, the more people will talk to you; whereas, if you know one subject very well, you will only be consulted on that specific subject, which is severely limiting and potentially debilitating.
Specialists will not advance as far as Jack’s of All Trades (JoAT’s).
As I said above, if you are the authority on one subject, you will always be asked to focus exclusively on it. Whereas the JoAT will be spread across multiple projects, tasks and areas. A JoAT will make a better manager than a specialist any day of the week.
Specialists are the best employees. JoAT’s are the best managers and Business Owners.
If you are a Jack of All Trades, like I know I am, do not fret. You are in the best shape as you can handle most of what is thrown at you. Sure, the resident “programming god” might be able to out code you, or that “artistically gifted designer” might be better than you, BUT, you are capable of much more than they are. As a Jack of All Trades, your versatility makes you invaluable in many situations. The Specialist might outshine you in JUST ONE area, but you will outshine them in ALL OTHER areas.
You must be a JoAT to run your own business.
Specialists are great, and make sure you hire them for specific tasks you need accomplished. However, to run your own business or work for yourself you must be a Jack of All Trades. No business owner is allowed to focus on one, and only one, thing. If you want to work for yourself as a Web Designer, Programmer, etc. you will not just do your key job function. The Business Onwer is required to be all departments. Finance/Accounting Department, Marketing Department, Customer Service Department, Maintenance Department, IT Department and the list goes on. The JoAT will have no problem handling all these hats stacked atop their heads. That “programming god” you know would be a great employee, but you, the JoAT, must be there to handle everything they can’t.
The “Jack of All Trades, Master of None” is a myth.
Being a JoAT is great, yes I’m slightly biased. The capability to have a conversation with near anyone on almost any subject is liberating and opens many doors. However, being a JoAT does not guarantee lack of mastery. A person may be the best programmer or web designer around, while also being great at handling their own business. Being a Jack of All Trades does no guarantee a lack of Specialization. The difference is that the JoAT is good at many things, while only being great at a few.
Leverage your JoAT abilities out in the world.
Personally I’ve had conversations with people from high technology to janitors. I have knowledge on both subjects. I love technology and I’ve cleaned buildings. Being a Jack of All Trades will help you in every part of life. Make sure you use your abilities. Your vast array of knowledge is what makes you special. Do Not be ashamed of it.
Remember: “The Specialist will always be the best in one area, but you, the Jack of All Trades, will be better in many areas.”
Click to Enlarge:
Slow News Day.
I thought I would share what my work system looks like as I’m quite proud of it.
Twin 19inch monitors are the reason my screenshots look the way they do.
A suite of applications allow me to make my desktop look the way it does.
Welcome to Part 2 of the Be The Best Blogger You Can Be three part series.
If you missed Part 1, be sure to read it.
Today I am going to tell bloggers to keep a buffer. I set up ERBTech.com several years ago just for a college project, which you can view on my resume page. After getting addicted to reading blogs (Lifehacker was my first love), and RSS feeds, I decided to start blogging. When I first installed WordPress 1.5 and set out to write, my decision was to have one post per day. Unfortunately, I do not have a perfect posting past (PPP), but the lofty goal has pushed me to highs I had not thought possible prior to posting previously (PPPP).
Alliteration aside, bloggers, boast a buffer.
What is a buffer?
A machine which spin at low RPMs generally used to apply wax to a surface, polishing, shining, and protecting it.
Smart Aleck! What is a buffer for a blogger?
If you are like me and strive to post once daily you will learn your humble humanity shortly after beginning. The harsh reality is that no one is inspired to write every day. As I shared before, in Part 1, you must write while you’re in the mood to write. Again, this WILL NOT be every day. Most of the gaps you see in my posting schedule are derived from this truth.
When I set down to write Part 1 of this series, I already knew what I wanted to write for the following two parts. Thus, I wrote all three at one time.
“Why,” you ask? “Why didn’t you just wait until the next day to complete them,” you inquire?
Because! I didn’t wanna! Oops, no it is because had I waited, the inspiration would have passed me by. Even some of the greatest writers in the world cannot pound out page after page every day. Some days are bright with the light bulbs of ideas. Others share closer resemblances to the 1800′s. Get it, no light bulbs back then.
Web Worker Daily posted how to abolish your task list. Mike Gunderloy writes, “I don’t create a list of things to blog about, I create drafts; when I have time to write a blog post, I’ll open up my blog editor.”
This is a perfect example of how to write when inspired while keeping a blog buffer.
What do you do on the days you aren’t inspired?
You use your buffer. That’s why it’s there. If you start writing the next time you’re inspired and hold on to that article, then you’ll have it for a no inspiration day. Typically the inspirational days outweigh the others.
Blogging is not supposed to be stressful. It’s supposed to be fun, entertaining and informational. To keep from getting burned out, build up your buffer and when you had a bad or busy day, just point, click and post one of your buffered articles.
I hope you are feeling yourself becoming a better blogger already. Stay Tuned for Part 3!
Or, go back and read Part 1
Click to Enlarge the photos:
Albeit, this post does not relate to web design, minimalism, productivity, design, or anything this blog focuses on. However, it is a great series of pictures offered from Speaking Of Faith and I think anyone will enjoy them. I found this site via a DIGG post and you can view these “Animals at Play“.
Since I am a geek, I could not help but notice the interesting Flash Player Time Line interface. As you hover over a section of the time line it shows how long that section is as well as popping up a screen shot of the slide being shown. Very cool.
Previously, Google Reader would only show you had 100+ (100 plus) items. Meaning you had more than one hundred unread items; however, you had no idea how many more than 100.
This morning I was greeted with the pleasant surprise of having 191 unread items. Let’s hope the 100+ is gone for good. Long live true numbers in Google reader!