Then it hits me.

I’ve been slowly raising the standards of my writing. It’s no longer about writing instantly whatever is on my mind.²  It’s now about collecting my thoughts and ideas on any single topic, and spruced them up with links that I’ve researched along the way.  Over the years, I’ve came to realize blogging suddenly took a lot of effort!

Then there’s the problem of feedback. I have very few followers of this blog (thanks, Steve! ). It’s hard to gauge how my efforts are being evaluated. So the gratification level of blogging went down in the past few years.

I’ve considered many times to just abandon this blog and just go do micro blogging on Tumblr.  People do (myself included) have a very short attention span. They’ll only respond to pictures or videos. They’ll sometimes respond to sensational/weird headlines, but even then it’s not a sure thing.

Perhaps this Project Triangle says it all:

“Pick Any Two: Fast, Good, or Cheap.”

I can do it fast and good, but I’ll need to pay other people to help me write.

I can do it fast and cheap, but I doubt it’ll be good – at least not all the time.

I can do it good and cheap, but it’s definitely going to take time. This is pretty much the mode I’m in right now.  I’m the only writer and I try my best to make it good.

So, with the world, nowadays, going at lightning speed, hungry for quality stuff, and want everything free, what can this part-time blogger do?

Photo Credit: Christian

This article was posted on Rudy Amid's Blog:

Fast, Good, or Cheap

1. But the whole blogging mania started around 2001
2. I’ve got the social networks like Facebook and Twitter for that.

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3. How to Become a Better Blogger

Sure enough, there’s an article on Wall Street Journal describing how lawyers can use Facebook for jury selection.  It would make it easier for them to figure out who I am, before they even bother to call me to court for the selection process.  Personally, what I shared on the my profiles pretty much represent me.  Even if they’re concerned about Facebook profiles being “who the person wants to be, instead of who they really are”, it’s still good research material.

And the bit about the TV show CSI was actually mentioned in my jury discussion.  No one ever solve a crime in one day, and DNA analysis is definitely not that easy and quick.

So hopefully in the years to come, the court system will join the 21st Century and use the resources on the Internet for jury research.

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Thoughts On Making Jury Selection Easier

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But for me, personally, the highlights were getting my US Citizenship, my first election vote, trip to China, and the massive rain in winter.

Looking forward, I’m expecting surprises and things to turn around – hopefully, for the better.  That feeling is summarized in the image below.

Happy New Year 2011!

Photo Credit: Frank Chimero

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Happy New Year 2011

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Luckily, this is just a blog.  Its very nature is quick and dirty¹.  This is why Social Networking sites like Facebook and Twitter are so popular.  I can’t spend too much time editorializing and agonizing over every word or sentence.  No time to think (too much).  Like Nike used to say: Just Do It!

Here’s a comic from Chuck & Beans that sums it up quite well:

Update: Sam Shah has some really good advice on how to blog.  He writes from experience, and very practical.

This article was posted on Rudy Amid's Blog:

Typo Fear

1. Dirty being the synonym for “error prone”.

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Wordless Wednesday – 2009-05-05

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“-noun
1.  an aptitude for making desirable discoveries by accident.”

This word describes the end-result of blogging.  I throw out ideas that I come across, and hopefully someone else can (or will) share their own stuff, based on my discoveries.  I’m a fan of comments.  I actively share ideas on other people’s blogs, Tweets, Facebook posts, etc.  I appreciate genuine comments (not spam) on this blog.  There’s just something beautiful about the exchange of ideas and experiences, and being able to participate in a civilized dialogue.

But some people claim blogging is just “too much information”.  I just read the New York Times article stating we have this tendency to over-share on the web.  Personally, I don’t give out mundane details like the color of my boxer shorts, or how much I spend at McDonalds.  I realize it’s all relative, but I’m a firm believer in a balanced effort.  When it’s too much, back off.  When it’s too little, step it up.

Speaking of over-sharing, there is a trend to geolocate people’s status updates.  That means I’m suppose to volunteer revealing the location where I eat, watch movies, store visits, etc.  On the surface, it seems like a harmless activity. With Foursquare, they took it a step further and provide prizes as reward for the most check-ins.  I think is a stupid idea.  Do they not expect someone will end up gaming the system?  I’ve used Brightkite before, and now using Yelp for check-ins.  For a while, announcing my current location is not one of their popular feature, simply because there was no additional incentive to check-in.  It was all purely informational.  No competition. No loss in novelty.

It’s the same thing with blogging, Twittering, or Facebooking.  When I use it for educational and personal development use, it’s more rewarding than trying to prove how much money I can make or how popular I can be.  There’s nothing wrong with healthy competition, but it should not be the main goal.

So serendipity — let it happen, without the over-sharing!

Photo Credit: bluryee

This article was posted on Rudy Amid's Blog:

Serendipity

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Wordless Wednesday – 2009-04-14

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Last year, I experimented with the “Google Me” template.  This one works for me because, my home page was up since 2001, at least.  Searching my full name in Google will reveal my website(s) as the top results.  So I had this card for a while:

Now, I just found out about QR Code. I used the QR Code Generator site to generate this name card.  It’s simply a card with a QR Code image that has a URL link to my home page.  In this format, I can just use my iPhone’s camera to capture the image. The QR Reader app will show me the details and can even take me directly to my home page!

This stuff is nothing fancy, but it was fun to try out something different.  For a bit more money, I can get other neat-looking business cards.  Ok, perhaps they may cost a lot more than I’m willing to spend on name cards.  But it’s always fun to see the creativity that goes into marketing oneself these days.

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Fun with Name Cards

1. Vista Print is still giving free cards.

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This article was posted on Rudy Amid's Blog:

Wordless Wednesday – 2009-04-07

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In fact, I wrote this post on my iPhone. The editor is not a rich editor, as I couldn’t find a way to insert a hyperlink. But that’s fine, it’s like writing a Facebook/Twitter status update.

Here’s looking to more mobile blogging.

[Update] The WordPress plugin that automatically converts the site into iPhone friendly is called WPTouch iPhone Theme.

[Update] The official WordPress Admin with Editor is WordPress for iPhone.

This article was posted on Rudy Amid's Blog:

Mobile Phone Friendly

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