alleyofdreams-blog1

[alleyofdreams-blog1]

Blog 5: The Value of A Second

I just finished watching a TED talk called One Second Every Day by Cesar Kuriyama. I encourage you all to watch the talk if you want a better understanding of the topic. But nonetheless, I will do my best to summarize. Essentially, consider my own blog’s focus. It is all about exploration of all things that are new and interesting in my life. I want to archive those moments. You see, this Ted Talk reflects that idea, but tries to remove how de-socialized we have become as a society with relation to the advancement of technology. We are always on our phones. In ability to reach millions of people, we tend to ignore those right in front of us. We photograph everything, take video of everything, but do we really experience the things we are archiving if we are constantly using our phones?

Part of why most people -- at least I assume -- record and photograph everything is to look back on their lives and share those moments with others. Life is short, so we want to preserve as much of it as we can, whether we realize it or not. For me, I feel that by archiving my experiences, I can better appreciate what life has to offer through introspective analysis. In other words, I think about how my life has panned out up to now, and consider where it is going. By looking into the past, perfectly preserved, I attempt to make up for lost time and gain personal fulfillment.

Why archive at all? Just experience it, right? Remove technology from the equation... I can certainly understand the perspective that technology dilutes the experience itself. This is where I really resonate with Cesar in his talk. He discusses how he decided to take one second of video from every day of his life. He is very forgetful, so often times, the things he experiences gets forgotten essentially to the point that they never happened. This is also a problem I share. If the memory isn’t substantial, I tend to forget it. I sometimes joke that it’s useful when I watch shows and play games because I can come back a year later and watch or play it again and have it be like it was the first time.

Okay, maybe I’m not quite that bad, but it can and does happen to some extent. So Cesar’s solution is to find a middle-ground. It’s based on psychology/biology. The brain is very fast at recollection through imagery. We identify things very fast visually. We even read faster when we see single words flash in and out on a screen at very fast rates (around half a second). This fact is the basis for why the archival strategy is so effective. Recording for one second is so easy. It’s one second instead of minutes or hours on your phone, potentially missing out on what is going on in front of you. Cesar gave the example of being at a concert and basically watching the concert through your phone as you hold it up trying to record the whole thing instead of of just recording a second and actually enjoying the rest.

Ultimately, it’s made me think more about how people operate these days, having their phones out at all times. It’s made me think more about my own approach moving forward. Do, I think this idea will change anything in a big way? No, I do not. However, I think I still think it is very important to archive things, but will be more careful to not let experiences pass me by because i am stuck on my phone. If I can recall an event by looking at one second of footage vs wasting a whole bunch of time recording for minutes or hours, then I will gladly make that shift. Think about it, when you watch back a video you recorded, you remember the event right at the beginning. Sure, there is still worth to watching a complete video for others beside yourself, but in the long term, what will you be sacrificing for it?

[alleyofdreams-blog1]

Blog Post 4: Making Money From Your Posts.

Starting a blog is easy. Almost anyone, within reason, can start a blog and post about anything they want, again, within reason. Okay, so you want to start a blog. Maybe you just want to share things with the world. Maybe it’s a hobby. Maybe you see it as a way to make money passively. There are a few starting questions I would ask such a person:

What is it that you want to get out of this. I always encourage people to never go after the money. Sure, one could potentially make a lot of money blogging. It can and does happen. This also namely goes for Youtube content creation. You have to ask yourself, “is this something I enjoy doing?” This is a very important question to ask, because if you see this as a hobby first and then a financial opportunity, I firmly believe that’s more conducive to long-term success. However, that’s not to say that starting with a focus on money over a genuine interest is bad. In fact, many people are very successful regardless of initial motive. The main take away is that if you enjoy what you are doing, your audience will likely know. You will probably outlast those that only do it for the money, and your content will reflect that you thoroughly enjoy it. It won’t be artificial.

Okay, so you’re starting a blog. Again, first think about your motives. Good? Okay, now decide your platform. There are many, but where you lay down your roots can be just as important as it is in real life. You have to be careful to pick a platform that can stand the test of time, has the features you want, the user interface that is to your liking, and most importantly, it should be one that you enjoy using. Next, think about the type of content you will be posting about. What is your topic or focus? Who is your target audience?

As they say, “jack of all trades, master of none.” And “he who chases to hares will catch neither.” A broad range of topics will equal a diverse target audience. This might sound good, but in my experience, it is the direct opposite. When you trying to appeal to too many different types of people with diverse topics, you may find that a fraction of your total followers ever sees your posts. This is because people might be interested in one topic and not care about another. Because of this, people might stray away from your posts altogether because they don’t want to have to sift through all the fluff to get to what they are interested in.

So, you have a focus and a target audience? Now you can start thinking about creating interesting posts. Does your content help your viewers? Does it serve a potentially useful purpose? Typically content about yourself will be seen as noise in a chain of content. People want compelling content, exciting content, useful content. At the end of the day, people don’t care about you. Although that’s harsh, that’s the reality. Personal content CAN definitely work, but you need to hook people. You have to go above and beyond. You have to give people a reason to care. So, decide how to write your posts. Make them something people will want to view.

Now you can start thinking about how you could make a buck of your work. There are several ways. Google’s Adsense is a very common way to gain revenue based on traffic and ad clicks. This is a good way to do passive income, but again, you need to have the traffic to make this stream of income fruitful. Another way is to sell a product. Maybe your blog is about food. Perhaps you are a chef of sorts. Maybe your run a fitness blog. You could sell a cookbook you made yourself. You could sell your fitness program. You could sell apparel or your music if you are an artist. The list goes on and on...

Another thing to think about is affiliate links. Maybe you have a very active lifestyle and do a lot of sports, maybe you could have content on your page related to those types of things. If your viewers are interested in your content, then they will also likely be interested in products related to it.

Yet another potential source of income is sponsorships. You should be more careful about these. If you are very successful, you may be approached for a sponsorship of a product or products. However, it is important to be transparent about these. If not, you may lose the trust of your viewerbase. Take for example, a sponsored review of a product. You were given a free laptop to review. You aren’t even a tech blog, but you wanted a laptop and didn’t tell your readers about the sponsorship so you could write a great review and minimize the risk toward future sponsorships from the company. By doing this, you actually take huge risks. People are a lot smarter than people give credit for. Reputation is everything.

The last thing I would mention is to use social media, email, and various other means to bond with and market to your audience. It is so important to talk WITH your audience as well as AT them through your posts. Comments are great, but a community on a social media platform gives you more options and further potential outreach. You can sell your product, advertise yourself, update your fans, discuss, and even post things that may be a bit different than the content found on your blog. For example, let’s say you post travel content on your blog. Why not do behind the scenes content on social media? There is actionable interest between your accounts. This is great for maximizing your content and potential for growth, financially and generally.

To close, I think the most important thing to know is that if you are serious, just understand that the job can be very hard. Do not expect it to be easy. This harkens back to what I mentioned before about starting with the right intentions. You should enjoy what you are doing, because when things get hard, you’ll be that much more likely to push through.

                                     ARTICLE THOUGHTS:

      Do Not Give Blogging A Try Give Yourself To Blogging

To generally summarize, the article covers largely what I had been talking about with stating a blog with the right mindset. When you start a job, you should never “give it a try,” but rather be enthusiastic about it in a genuine way. If you are just giving something a shot, your boss will know, your clients and coworkers will know. The same thing applies to blogging. If you start blogging just because you wanna try it, that’s fine. But please keep in mind that if you for just about anything in life, you will get out what you put in.

Just as with any job, you should enjoy what you do. If you can say you enjoy your work, you will be happier. Some people go after jobs that pay well, are easy to get into, and are convenient, etc. I know so many people who are in jobs like that and are miserable. Maybe you make good money, maybe not... But even if you do, if you don’t enjoy it, then you are in the wrong line of work.

The article basically says that if you have a passion for blogging, then blogging will then in term work well for you. If you don’t enjoy blogging, then it will spit you out just as quickly as a boss will fire you for not caring about your work. It will show to your boss just as lazy, disinterested blogging will show through to your audience. Once that happens, retention drops and your blog will fall into obscurity.

[alleyofdreams-blog1]

Blog #3: Immortality through technology?

There is a great quote from David Eagleman that has stuck with me for years now. It has been changed up a bit, but I think it holds so much relevance on this topic of how technology can help keep a person alive, even after death. Let me explain. For the most part, when a person dies, it is essentially like a library burning to the ground. So much information is lost. Entire volumes of knowledge lost. Well, with technology, specifically social media and platforms that you can leave your mark on -- you can keep yourself alive after death.

Still confused? Let’s get back to the quote. Well, I’ll paraphrase... It is said that a person dies 3 times. The first time is when their body ceases function. The second time is when there is nobody who remembers you. And the third and final death is when your name is spoken for the last time.

I think you get what I mean now. If you leave something behind, in a way, even if it is digital, you will still remain. This is something that I firmly believe people strive for even if they, themselves do no realize it. We want to leave something behind, something for the future. Typically, that is your bloodline, your offspring, but it can also be messages, photos, videos, and even to a certain degree, your likeness. Some of these things were possible long before the internet became so mainstream, but it is far more efficient when your life exists in a format that is for all intents and purposes, permanent.

Taking a step back, I had never truly considered my own “digital fate” if you will. I suppose most of us assume our accounts on Youtube, Facebook, Instagram, etc will be dormant and fall into obscurity. Once you’re gone, does it really matter? On some level, perhaps not to the deceased, but for your family and friends, it can be incredibly important. I have been affected by this before when I lost my mom. She had a Facebook account, and although she wasn’t the most technically savvy, she posted on Facebook. When you post anything, you may think nothing of it. But when you lose someone, those random, insignificant posts become priceless. Tiny little treasures to look back upon. Luckily for me, I knew my mom’s login credentials since I helped her manage that stuff.

However, there are some who do not have that luxury. Pieces of now precious content can easily be locked away from those who desperately want it. For me, I plan to take measures so that when I inevitably kick the bucket, my data, my digital life is open to my friends and family and people can see pieces of my life. They can see who I was. It is proof that I lived. It is my mark on the world, no matter how insignificant it may be in the grand scheme. I know it will be significant to someone.

Switching gears to a few topics. Being brief for your reading sake:

"What Does Technology Want"? - The idea that technology is becoming autonomous... I do not believe that technology wants anything beyond what we code aspects of it to “want.” Consider advertisements. They can now be catered to our interests. This is not a sentient entity interpreting what we like, it’s all code. We tell the machine what to do, and it does. Simple as that. Granted, we are getting better at SIMULATING human-like intelligence. The topic of AI is honestly rather terrifying to me, but that is a whole new can of worms.

The notion that technology can be good or evil is relative, but within reason, technology can be either. With AI, it is likely that a lot of technology will become truly autonomous and eventually so close to that of a human that there will be no way to tell a difference. Look up the touring test if you are curious, but it is really shocking how far things have gone. Once technology passes a point where we no longer have control of it, that is when we are no longer the top of the totem pole.

Should AI decide that humanity is a problem and we are no longer needed, we will not be able to turn it off. We will not be smart enough to keep up. Maybe this sounds ridiculous, but I think it’s arrogant to think that it could never happen. Look into how technology has beaten the brightest, most talented minds, taught itself, improved and can now operate at exponential levels to that of a person in games like chess, dota, etc. There was even an incident where AI created its own language and was talking with another AI, and nobody could figure out what was happening, but researchers were forced to turn it off. Am I saying it will happen? No. I am saying that it’s something we can’t ignore. It’s a very distinct possibility.

Onto the topic of moderating how your children use the internet, I admit that the test had nothing to do with me, but I firmly believe that parents should have a firm handle on what their children are exposed to. The internet is an endless pool of information vying for you attention. Anything you can imagine is available to anyone at any time, should they seek it out. Naturally, there are plenty of times where you don’t even have to seek it out. The other side of the coin is that I believe that it is borderline impossible to perfectly control what your children get exposed to. Instead, I think it is important to teach children the dangers of the internet just as well as how useful it is. Teaching them to filter the good and the bad will be invaluable.

Finally, the topic of whether or not to use social media on blogs. Personally, I think that social media can be incredibly useful in a professional setting, but for most individuals, I feel like having everything connected can be a double-edged sword. Granted, you get more exposure, but by the same token, you are mixing target audiences. Unless every account is catered to the same thing, this will happen. Also, I’d argue that having multiple social media accounts focused on the same thing is redundant. For me, I have an account for friends and family, just to converse. However, for something like this, I am using it for class, but also for my interests, thoughts, and adventures in the future. There are things I may not want to share with certain people. It’s not anything bad, but I like to have things compartmentalized.

Thanks for reading!

[alleyofdreams-blog1]

Blog #2: Citizen Journalism: Does it have a real place in your news feed?

In such an interconnected vast space known as the internet, avenues for getting getting news such as TV, radio, and especially newspapers have are all but gone. If I had to be completely honest, I still do not quite understand why physical newspapers are still clinging on for dear life. When we talk about the ways we now receive news, I do not believe that the there is any long term way but to embrace the internet.

This is where citizen journalism has taken root. When I say citizen journalism, I am talking about you, or me, or Jenny from the block. Anybody with access to the internet and a means to get their voice, writings, and videos out there for any and all to access. If I am having a nice picnic in the park and for some reason, I witness a cocker spaniel bite the president’s leg, I could first take video, be amazed at the odds, and then post that to YouTube. In a sense, I have just done a bit of citizen journalism, and likely created a bit of a problem for myself. But, think of the views! Ahem, anyway, anyone, anywhere can be witness to something as abstract as an Air Jordan-looking cheeto all the way up to being first to publish a headlining story of a serious event.

While the internet is almost completely where citizen journalism takes place, I will however grant this... As it stands,TV and Radio still have their place. They may lack some advantages that internet-based news has such as permanence (within reason), but they cover a marketspace that may not overlap with internet-based users. For example, I know several people who aren’t technically savvy or may not find the idea of digging through the overflow of information very appealing. There is something to be said for a television broadcast that will condense pieces of news, fact check it, and deliver it in an easily digestible way. Along the same vein, there is something to be said about radio, especially during the commute when your eyes are on the road, but you can hear about what is going on as you eventually get to your destination.

Personally, I enjoy podcasts. I will say this now and get it out of the way... In terms of all news, I much prefer user-integrated experiences along with raw news. When I say raw new, take podcasts as I mentioned. Imagine a room with a few people talking about an event, a topic, anything. When it is real, unfiltered, and unedited, I can really dive into the heart of the topic. I liken it to a comment section, minus the chaos and toxicity that can often occur. This is another space where I feel citizen journalism can take place very easily.

Things get a bit harder with TV, as content is created under the umbrellas of production companies and parent companies in general. You, me, and Jenny from the block would likely not end up on TV unfortunately, but the three of us could create a podcast and garner subscribers that might care about what we talk about. I find the incredible diversity of information, and information sources quite amazing.

Access to ALL types of information can be fetched, not by a dog running into the yard for the newspaper, but simply by my voice to a smart device, such as an Echo Dot. It can literally be as easy as saying, “Alexa, what’s in the news?” I can get ready for my day while listening to what is going on in the world. Or if I have more time, I can go to various sites and come across many different types of news that may be more interesting to me.

As great as that sounds, it can also be very troublesome. There are many pros and cons to citizen journalism and journalism in the modern age in general. First, with respect to overall journalism. If I have to search around for news, going from site to site, almost doing my own version of corroborative analysis, I am starting to get away from the convenience that a proper news station might bring. It’s a give and take. If you want news as it happens, be ready to jump around and build the story from what comes out, but if you want a clear and concise understanding while saving the time, wait until a news station covers in in completion.

In terms of true citizen journalism, there are the pros of real people bringing their perspectives, their evidence, their experiences to the table. But there are also cons in that pieces of information that come from sources such as you, me, or Jenny from the block -- well, they might not be credible. Perhaps while I was having a picnic, I saw a cocker spaniel bite a look-alike of the president. Perhaps it was part of a comedy skit someone was filming and maybe I knowingly misled others on my blog to think it was all real. Don’t do that by the way. Not a good idea. But think of the views! Kidding, kidding! Blogging is just another way to share information and everyone should be careful when it comes to the sharing of news. Accuracy is paramount.

Just as something like this could occur, people can and do skew information all the time. Big name news stations have done it and have been corrected by citizen journalists with evidence, and the same goes for anyone that might make assumptions or publish misinformation and speculative content in general. When getting your news, one must be wary of the source(s) at all times. There are many versions of the truth, but getting the most accurate information in my opinion lies in the meshing of citizen and professional reporting.

Deviating a bit, I can think of one really notable way citizen reporting had an effect on me and the globe. This was a long time ago when the internet was still essentially in its infancy. I am talking about 9/11. I came across a video awhile back that was all about how the Howard Stern radio show covered the event. I use the word “covered” very loosely. In reality, it was a group learning about what was happening in almost real time. The interesting part was that you could see their expressions as things escalated. The group started to go from not taking things seriously (they are in a closed studio and are getting word from the outside). They thought maybe it was some kind of joke, but after some time, got very, very surreal. You can find this video on YouTube if you’re curious. It’s a very interesting watch.

Anyway, as things carried on, the studio started getting calls from people on the outside, at ground zero. Regular people were reporting what they were experiencing to a studio that was blind to it. In turn, this studio decided to stay on the air, sending all of it raw and live to all who would listen. It ended up becoming something of a virtual haven/hub to get a sense of things with real people who were just as shaken as they were. It was comforting to the listeners to have that vicarious sort of experience. They’d call in and thank the team for staying on the air and talking about it.

For many, this was the first they were hearing. It was an incredibly important thing. While news agencies were scrambling trying to work through everything, people at the scene were getting news out on their own through a radio station as it happened. It may have been round-about, but I thought that it was a very notable example of citizen journalism. I was very young and can not say that I was personally affected at the time, but definitely looking back, I find the whole thing somber. However, I am grateful for people who get their voices out there. Even if it doesn’t reach many people, it still have value to someone.

To close out this really long post, if I were asked if I could see myself becoming a citizen journalist, I would say absolutely not. I say this in the context of news reporting. If I find myself in a scenario where I can and should personally share a news-worthy experience, then of course I’d share it. However, seeking out stories and going for a more professional sort of work angle... It’s not for me. It isn’t something I would enjoy. I’d much rather leave that to the professionals and those that can aid them in earnest.

[alleyofdreams-blog1]

                                    OFFICIAL BLOG POST 1:

So, I decided that my blog would be about exploration in different areas of life. For today, I wanted to post about my first experience with a food. Growing up, I was really sheltered. I didn’t get out much, and I missed out on so many unique experiences. My childhood and teenage years were wasted to a certain extent. So moving forward, I have made it a personal goal to experience as much as I can, even if it means taking a bit of a risk. Nothing outright dangerous, of course, but things that are sensible, but outside of my comfort zone.

So, I was eating out with a friend and I noticed a couple of things on the menu that I had always wanted to try. One of them was ramune, which is basically a Japanese soda, but I found it so cool because of how the bottle is designed. It opens by popping a marble into the neck of it. I urge you to try it, or at least check out a video on it. They are really cool! Anyway, the next thing I tried was Takoyaki. This was a big leap for me. It contains octopus. I instinctively shyed away from it. Normally, I would never actively look at an octopus and say, “hey, that looks like something I want to eat!” But at the same time, I have lived a particular kind of life that made me privy to somewhat esoteric knowledge that happened to include the joys of takoyaki. So, I figured, yolo, right? In all seriousness, I feel like you never know until you try, and life is short. Live a little... And so I ordered some takoyaki along with my ramen.

And what do you know, it actually tasted surprisingly good. As long as you don’t look inside, you can almost convince yourself that you are not eating a tiny octopus. Anyhow, it is something I can check off my list of things I have not done, tried, etc. And trust me, that list is long! Onto the next!

                                           ABOUT MY BLOG

So, my blog’s focus will be on exploring news things in all aspects of life. Basically things that I have missed out on, things that I want to try, places I want to go, do, etc. I want to see all that life has to offer and write about it as I go, and hopefully at least a few of you will find it interesting. I tend to live vicariously through others, but I want to experience things first-hand and I encourage you to strive to do the same. Maybe we can share some interesting places and experiences with eachother. I’m always looking for a new place to visit, a new thing to do, etc.

The theme for my blog is varied, but will always consist of something that is new to me. My blog name, “Alley of Dreams” embodies the idea of walking and looking through a window -- outside, looking in at things I want to be a part of, but have yet to do. Slowly, I am taking the first steps at going beyond the looking glass, so-to-speak.

My blog’s target audience is roughly college students, 21-35 as an age range, but honestly, most of it can apply to everyone.

My response to Ted Talk: https://www.ted.com/talks/mena_trott_tours_her_blog_world?language=en

I loved how it was touched on that the power of a collective online can spot and expose details that an individual may not have. In a sense, the connected nature of the internet and blogs can act as a hive mind create interesting discussions that were not necessarily possible in the past. Although, like she mentioned, that type of media coverage style of blogging isn’t her style -- it’s also not my style ether. Along the same vein, I prefer a more personal, introspective approach to blogging, focusing on my life and all aspects of it. I want to be able to look back in the future on how my life has evolved over time. It’ll be like a sort of digital diary, if you will... Except, open to the world.

[alleyofdreams-blog1]

Taken while exploring in Santa Fe, New Mexico. This amazing tree was found in the middle of an amazing outdoor restaurant called La Casa Sena. That crazy lens flare is actually there, if only a “little bit” exaggerated.