Do something awesome. For free.
I’ve spent the last month blogging and surfing the indie web. It’s still so new to me I can’t shut the fuck up about it. You’ll have to excuse me, because before that, I spent a lot of time scrolling Reddit, YouTube, TikTok, big news publications, listening to big commercial podcasts and watching tv.
I’ve been on Mastodon for a few years and Lemmy for the last year or two. Those two sites were really my only exposure to the indie web, and even then most of the stuff being shared is the same stuff you’d find on Twitter or Reddit, bar crypto currency nonsense and other celebrity techbro junk.
Since starting this whole blogging thing, I’ve noticed something that doesn’t really change across all the personal blogs I’ve been reading.
No one’s trying to sell me anything.
If someone talks about a product they like, there’s no affiliate link. If I come across a post full of blogging tips or how to do something with CSS, no one’s trying to sell me their e-book or master course. There are no banner ads, or pop-ups or cookie consent forms sliding up from the bottom of the page to obscure the thing I was just in the middle of reading.
It’s been nice. This is the internet I want to participate in.
It only works like this as long as there are people doing something they love because they actually love it. Not because they want to be the next Arianna Huffington or turn their website into the next TechCrunch. Not because they want to build a business, but because it brings them joy, and it’s something they can be proud of. And the longer you do it, the more you start to build a little network of other bloggers you vibe with and you find better, smaller, non-commercial alternatives to a lot of the big commercial websites and news outlets.
I don’t mind a tip jar. Tip jars are nice. They just sit there, out of the way. Unobtrusive. I’ve never seen a ko-fi link slide in from the left and lock an article behind a paywall until I sign up for a recurring $30 donation every month.
I think you should donate to creators you love. If someone’s selling something they made, or some art, or music you should buy it if you like it. Plenty of these blogs and social media accounts offer this stuff but they aren’t spamming you with it to try and maximize profit at all costs. I like that.
Maybe I could have chosen a better title, I dunno. I think it’s awesome if you can make money doing something you love. Just don’t be obnoxious about it. Oh and support small creators <3
I was originally going to completely switch to Bear Blog but now I’m thinking I’ll keep my more conversational, short form stuff here. Micro blogging suddenly makes more sense now that I have a place to post the longer stuff
I’ve heard so many sales managers use the analogy “They’re playing checkers but we’re playing chess,” when in reality everyone’s playing tic tac toe
From MP3 to LP
As someone who grew up during the golden age of digital piracy, I’m 100% sure records really do sound better than MP3s.
Sure there’s lossless audio too, but we stream everything now and the quality is really only as good as your internet connection.
Streaming is convenient; I’m not going to carry a suitcase record player with me in the car, but it does feel good to actually own your favorite albums instead of only streaming them. There’s nothing quite like thumbing through the little inserts and reading lyrics in print while you listen to your favorite bands.
I started collecting records a couple years ago and I’m only getting more obsessed over time. Listening to stuff like Minor Threat or Wu-Tang on vinyl is a downright religious experience.
This is the first sunburn I’ve had in five years. We didn’t get out much at the old apartment. It’s nice having a big yard but it would be nicer if the sun could back off a little 🙃
Life goes five years at a time
This could totally be a quote from some sappy movie or a self-help book maybe, I’m not sure. But I went to a funeral a few months ago and saw a lot of family I’d distanced myself from over the years. Not because of something crazy that happened, or a political disagreement or anything like that; I’ve just never been much for sticking around family just because they’re your family.
But anyway, I had an uncle giving me shit because I hadn’t came to see him or so much as gave him a phone call in years. But then another uncle came to the rescue and told him to stop being so hard on me. “Life goes five years at a time,” he said. “You go to work, come home and watch a little TV every night and next thing you know, five or ten years have gone by.”
I like that. I mean I hate that it goes by so fast, but I like his take on it. I feel time speeding up more every week. It’s terrifying.
I remember being in school and each quarter seemed like it took an eternity to get through. Each day seemed like an entire week. Now I commute an hour to work every morning, work a 10-hour shift and then drive an hour back home every night. That gives me about three hours of free time every night before I have to go to bed and do it all over again.
Next month’s schedule comes out the third week of every month and before I know it, I’m done with that one and the next one’s coming out. I’m only in my 30’s but I think I’m beginning to understand the mid-life crisis. Life is short.
Finding my digital home
I’m not one of the cool people who were on the Fediverse before the big Twitter exodus of 2022.
When Elon took over, I was one of many who mourned the death of Twitter and moved on to a better place: Mastodon. It was such a refreshing change of pace.
Happy Solstice! (I'm miserable)
How to micro blog:
First, I start with a long rambling post full of redundant information. Usually at least 3000 characters, saying the same thing 20 different ways. The more the better.
Then its time to delete almost all of it and what you’re left with should be a perfect short form blog post!
We're just clothes
When I stop at the gas station or the grocery store after work I’m in my full salesguy attire: a long sleeve oxford, usually black or grey slacks and black leather dress shoes with the little strip of fake wood around the heel.
People call me “sir” and look at me like I have my shit together. I absolutely do not, but I guess the clothes really do make the man 🤨
I walk into the same place on a day off, wearing an old t-shirt, jeans and some chucks. It can even be the same cashier from the day before, but they’ll talk to me in a completely different tone and never try to make small talk like they do when I’m dressed up.
People are funny. And shallow.