Facebook – Let's Have Another Piece of Pie

People You Can Meet in The Burg

I am mostly a homebody. I enjoy staying home and doing projects – reading, writing, breathing fresh air in the yard with my doggies, bird watching, photography, and so on……

But I also know that to remain open to life I need to get out and about. So yesterday I met up with a friend at my favorite local cafe for lunch.

We were chatting away getting to know more about each other when the subject of carbs popped up. Yes, carbs. How many carbs is enough? How many carbs are needed? How many carbs do I want? The subject is vast and annoying and funny.

A young man was sitting at the table next to us and in the middle of the carbs talk he piped in with a whole-hearted agreement! We spent the next several minutes laughing and talking about that painful subject.

Then I needed to know more about him. I love people (until I need to turn myself off and go into homebody mode), so it was easy for me to ask about him.

Turns out he is on a walk across our beautiful country. Not for the usual reasons that pop up into our heads…… journey to find yourself; looking for the answers to life; wandering spirit….. you get my drift. He has a cause and a really good one.

So I don’t miscommunicate I want you to go to this website https://www.sevenmillionstrides.com and check him out. I think you will be refreshingly surprised and perhaps even donate to the cause. I also recommend following on FaceBook.

This one’s for you, Frank. We tend to think our small town is smaller than it is. We tend to think why would anyone pass through The Burg – or that is exactly what one does here… pass through.

We did that, thought we were passing through or staying temporarily and we got bit. Looks like we got infected with The Bug of The Burg. It’s a great place to live and meet people.

So Frank, my prayers on with you on your journey. Success is what I see in this for you in many ways. Success for the youth you are helping and success for YOU with the people you meet. Heart success. The non-monetary kind that goes deep into your soul.

Thank you for eavesdropping with Amy and I. We were the blessed ones.

Enjoy!

Cate B

Responding/Commenting/Liking

I am not very savvy on the etiquette of blogging, tweeting, FaceBooking, or whatever social media is out there. I do know my way around my computer and can do a fair amount of techie stuff – for my age group. But in reality, I am of the generation that was brought up to always send a thank you card for a gift of any size. To always respond to a compliment with a thank you, spoken loud enough to hear and politely.

Do I do those things I just mentioned? Not always. I think part of that is because I HAD to as a child. When I expected my own children to follow suit and was met with feet dragging, I lightened up on them. Changed my ways a little. Became my own person as a parent.

But now I blog. I’ve read some more experienced blogger’s posts about how to increase your following. Well, I followed others and some followed back. I hit that like button often because I want to encourage them to keep blogging.

About that Like Button – younger folks tell me that I hit that like button A LOT on Facebook. It’s not necessary to do that. Wait. I know that when I get Likes on my posts on Facebook it makes me feel good. It tells me I was heard. That is a good feeling. Don’t we all want that encouragement?

On my blog I LOVE to get Likes and I’ll tell you why. I am an artist. I create through words. I have things to say and I want to encourage others with my words. If no one ever hit the Like button then how will I know that someone is benefitting from me? Us creative people need all the encouragement we can get!

And Comments?! I LOVE comments. I like to comment to people on their posts. I’m not the greatest with my words of encouragement but I try to cheer them on, even if all I say is, “Great Pic!”

I don’t have the answer to this type of socializing. I just know what I like and what helps me to keep doing this. So, I say – Be yourself! Make your own rules for blogging. Encourage each other often and cheer each other on. There is no competition here. We are all different artists just trying to be seen and heard.

With that, I wish you all the best in your creations. Speak highly of one another and remember to encourage each other and I guarantee that it will come right back on you.

Enjoy!

cate b

Blog Blog Blog, Blog, Blog

I do a lot of thinking about blogging. Much more time is spent thinking about it than actually doing it. That is a fault of mine. I have talked to a few people I know who are in marketing or similar fields and they all tell me just about the same things. See, I like writing. I like blogging. I also want readers to read my writing and comment or just hit the like button. Those actions are encouraging and supportive to me. What is difficult to me is gaining followers or an audience. I seem to attract a lot of attention when I post photos – I chuckle over the likes I get and the follows because all I use is my iPhone 5c. I do understand though, because I also like looking at photos. But I like to write also.

I’m told the more blogs I read and comment and follow, the more followers I will generate. That is a lot of work for me. I am willing, but I find it to be a weakness. I battle with thoughts of “humility” and “ego” all zipped up into one package. I think I’m over thinking this whole thing. I want a larger audience because I believe I have things to say. “Find your target audience” they tell me. Just when I think I do all of a sudden I get followers from a whole different type of audience. Hahaha – I just laugh at myself.

So, unless you more experienced bloggers out there happen to come across my ramblings and offer me profound advice, I think I will keep rambling and see where it takes me. And if you think I will benefit from your ramblings then recommend yourself to me or others that you think I will benefit from. Seriously, we are in this together. I’ve met and am following some wonderful people from various walks of life and age groups. We are on the same journey. I’ve honestly had much more encouragement from strangers on WordPress than my friends on Facebook (the ones who support me on FB know who they are and they are awesome encouragement to me).

This is day number thirteen on a blogging challenge of thirty days. It’s been disappointing to me in many ways but the best thing about it is that I am posting everyday. THAT has been challenging and wonderful for me.

To all fellow bloggers and writers – let’s keep moving forward in our goals and dreams and helping each other to get there.

Enjoy!

cate b

Day 2 – I Need Air!

Well, here I am at Day Two of the blogher.com blog-a-day challenge. Is it hot in here? Someone open a window! I had my coffee and my yummy homemade Kolaches (for a future blog) and now I am typing. Several ideas ran through my brain all night and I decided to blog about a dream I had………..

I would classify this as a very short nightmare. I thought I heard my phone give off the short, melodious alert that someone had either liked or followed or commented on my WordPress site. I started to awaken when I heard a male voice, very close to my ear say, “I’m really tired of you posting all this stuff. It’s too much. We’re sick of it.” Needless to say I woke up all the way in a mild sweat. Who was that? I knew he was talking about Facebook because I, once again, posted yesterday about my blog asking my “friends” to like my site and even follow – because you like me. They don’t even have to read it. I just wanted support and encouragement. My closest friends responded positively to me, as they always do. That was it.

I’m old enough to know that Facebook is not and cannot be my only social life. I also know that the way it is set up most people probably don’t even notice my posts. I miss many life changing events from FB friends because they slip by me in that crazy news feed (which I swear only posts what they want me to see not what my settings say). But really? If this is the new socializing? I love this technology and social networking thing. But we, as human beings, really need contact with others – even if it’s just hitting a like button or a one word encouragement. That’s all. I really prefer being “behind the screen” rather than out in the crowd. That is easy for me, but I am human.

So back to the dream. After I awoke I checked my phone. Nothing from WordPress or Facebook attacking my attempt as a writer. Relief! I knew then that old voice of the devil on my shoulder was attacking me and my insecurities. Blah! to you devil! I shall prevail! The ninja in me awakened and here is my Day 2!

Please know that I love all my Facebook friends and I’m sure I’ve offended some by not responding – it’s most likely because I missed your posts! But if you read this I really would like a little support – I have done it for many and hope to continue. (except I hate political posts – LOL)

So, on that note, I have a weekend song for you from one of my favorite bands – Five Iron Frenzy – www.fiveironfrenzy.com/‎

Enjoy!

cate b

Linkdin – LinkedIn……..

For the third time I thought I would look into LinkedIn – www.linkedin.com/

Did I say third time? It may be more. I updated some things in my profile and scratched my head. What? What does all this mean? I want to market myself and my blogging and other such things I do. Google + is colorful and fun and I have a whopping big five people on there. Facebook still rules and is still annoying, especially on my iPhone. I get requests for LinkedIn – up until today I thought it was Linkdin – that just sets me off into giggles when I realized it was Linked-in. Makes a little more sense now.

After spending about an hour trying to make myself look like I at least I am from an intelligent life-form I decided to google how to do this. I actually put in LinkedIn for Dummies. Yes, there is a book and I refused to buy it. But further down the list was a www.youtube.com video from 2008. Cool. It’s free and I’ve learned a lot of things on youtube. Things like cutting my own hair to working my new cell phone and now this! Score! After about one minute and 32 seconds into this video and wiping the drool from the corner of my mouth I realized it still doesn’t make a lot of sense. I find the site un-appealing to an artist’s eyes. Google + is pretty and colorful. But I actually have more connections on LinkedIn. Go figure.

So, true to my personality and my annoying persistent ways – I will not give up. And I welcome comments in plain baby boomer language of what exactly LinkedIn will do for me. Please!

Enjoy!

cate b

Happiness Runs

Have you noticed that the world is crying out for hope and happiness and just plain old positive things to think about? It’s everywhere. Wonderful positive and encouraging quotes on twitter, Facebook and pinterest.

The other day I bogged about The Glad Game and Pollyanna ( see The Pollyanna Syndrome post on my page). It’s purposing to come up with things to be glad about. It can change your whole perspective on life and all the crap you are facing. It can be challenging because, let’s face it, to us our situation looks really huge and grim and no light at the end of the tunnel. But really if you dwell on the good thoughts it will change. It’s like the law of gravity – what goes up must come down. Try it. It may take some time for some of us because we have spent years dwelling on and expecting the negative. There may be a lot of sludge to break through. But it WILL change.

This is not a new concept. It’s not a new thing. It’s been around a very long time.

“Summing it all up, friends, I’d say you’ll do best by filling your minds and meditating on things, true, noble, reputable, authentic, compelling, gracious – the best, not the worst; the beautiful, not the ugly; things to praise, not things to curse. Put into practice what you learned from me, what you heard and saw and realized. Do that, and God, who makes everything work together, will work you into his most excellent harmonies.” said by the Apostle Paul Philippians 4:8-9

I’m trying.

Enjoy!

cate b

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