Dear my 21 Year Old Self! What I need to tell you now!

 

182/365 Sparkle (+2)

What you need to understand!

Writing isn’t an art per say, but it is something that grounds us into who we are today.   I know I have lost a lot but also I know I’ve gained alot since I was 21 years old.   That is why I’m making this post, not just for me but to help you connect with me the steps I did and why it was so heart wrenching that I’d have to post about it.   Nothing in this post will be talking about technology but it will be somewhat related to technology.   After all, if I wasn’t born this website would not exist.   So in a way I guess it is talking about technology.

The Wonder Years!

When I was a boy, I thought like a boy.   When I was a teen, I thought like a teen.   When I was 21, I had great expectations and hopes and dreams.   Nothing in my wildest dreams would I of known where I would be when I was 21, where I am now.    That is the what usually happens when your young.   You got all these things you would like to do or see and they just don’t turn out the way you planned.   
I got out of High school and was planning to go to college.   I was actually just about to start college when I met a certain girl.  We will call her “A“.  It was a whirl wind romance, fell in love and didn’t really have time to think about the future we got into this really well so well, she was pregnant before we were even married.   We had Three beautiful kids and I adore them every chance I get.   The problem with this marriage is we never got along and that might be the fact we never really communicated the way we should of.   I am not going to say it was all her fault, that would be wrong on my part.  We both had something to do with this because it does take two to make a baby.

The Marriage Years!

I’ve already talked about Eight things you didn’t know about me.   It was however a small amount about me.   I was and am still concerned some security but I also would like to share with you my life experience in hopes that you don’t make the same mistakes as I have.  Me and my Ex-wife, yes you heard it right, would always yell and argue with me over the stupidest stuff.   I think we sometimes just argued just to communicate.   She expected all this stuff from me and I guess I did the same thing back. I just know that communication is the one thing that if I ever get married again, I will find someone who believes as I do and wants to communicate and not just stay on the computer all the time.  This was a problem for both of us, I guess we didn’t really want to communicate.  I really shouldn’t say didn’t because it was more of a inability to communicate is more like it.  We never while dating ever really communicated and thus it made our marriage that much harder to deal with.

Single Years again!

Well myself, I just hope you see what you have to go through in the next 15 years and to hopefully learn some very important lessons.   When you finally start to date again, I hope you learn to communicate and talk to your next mate.   This way you can know just how well you will do with this person and maybe even find your soul mate.   I just hope you find someone to cuddle with and be happy with.   You deserve to be happy and I know how that feels.  Please understand that the search for this mysterious women is a long process, but when you find that one person it will be worth it.  Please keep laughing and don’t forget to stop and smell the roses!

Paul Sylvester

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Looking for that Special Someone through Dating Sites!

I Want You to Want Me

Dating Sites and You!

I’ve recently told you about a few dating sites, and I wanted to talk about my experiences.  Some of the sites that I’ve tried are:

 

  • Christian Mingle — I’ve got my own profile and everything.   I personally have tried this site for several weeks.
  • Plenty of Fish — This is a good site for people who are wanting to chat for free.
  • Zoosk — Another site that you can use to find that perfect someone.  I just didn’t like the fact that you can look but not chat or even message people without buying a subscription.

 

These are just a few of the sites that you could visit if you are looking for that special someone.  I’ve been trying these sites few a months and I’m really am hoping I’d find that special someone.

Elizabeth Gallagher where are you?

I’ve calling out my readers to see if you can help find this person    I know there are people out there that are hopeless romantics but I saw this girl on Christian Mingle and also Zoosk.  Her Profile on one of the sites is quite interesting.  She’s a blogger and I’m a blogger also, this would be one of the many things we have in common.   Maybe even have something to do together, she could talk about sports and I’ll talk about the technology behind the sports.  It would be a glorious place for fans of sports to understand it. 

I’m hoping she gets word of this post and comes looking herself.   I know I’ve tried to contact her through the site and not had any luck with her.   I’m not sure if the spam system is blocking my attempts or what so I thought I’d be bold and do something that is totally outside of my comfort zone.   If you know her or her blog make sure to give her my site and tell her to check it out.   If you want also make sure she gets the blog post in question.   

Paul Sylvester

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Why I don’t do Authoritative links!

Authoritative Links What those?

Authoritative links are basically people who are always linking to popular links for example:   Digitimes rumored that their will be a 99$ version of the Google Nexus 7 [Affiliate Link].  I don’t know if I believe that or not but that got so popular in the last few days because everyone was linking to that one article on the internet.  It got so High in the Google Rankings for several days, that most people just  believe it to be true.  It could be true or it could just be rumor but everyone is wanting this so bad that if it doesn’t happen people will be disappointed.   

Not to say Authoritative Links are bad!

I am not going to say that all those types of links are going to be bad but that doesn’t mean that I will believe some of these types of rumors but I am one of those that wants to wait and see and not expect or anticipate that there will be one.   That is just asking for a let down when or if that product or claim is let out of the bag.

Why I don’t do these types links should be obvious!

I probably have talked about it in this post but I prefer to make it really clear why I don’t do these links every post.  I want to have original content and not just look like I am restating what others are already saying about a subject or product.  If you are looking to find other blogs that agree with a rumor than you have no problem with that.   I however want to talk about what is near and dear to my heart.  Usually I don’t even read what people are saying about rumors.  So I try to steer clear of those types of post.

I do sometimes use those when I think it is necessary!

Just like this post, I do use them only when I think it is necessary and not just to get people to come and share these with others.  That is usually why every authoritative blog does that sort of thing so people will share it with their friends and family and they get more readers and more revenue.  

What are your thoughts about this?

Do you want more authoritative links or are you happy with the blog as it is right now.  I’d love to hear your comments about this and others suggest.  You can always reach from the Contact me page or you could also leave a comment and I’ll see it.  Got something you want me to talk about please feel free to drop me a line and let me know!

Paul Sylvester

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Four Lessons I’ve learned from Blogging!

iPad 2 Launch // Austin by achimh, on FlickrBoy have I learned A lot!

I’ve not sure how many have seen the changes the last few days on my site.  If you haven’t you should really check it out and see just what I’ve done to better become better at blogging.   I’ve really done a lot in the past two weeks and that isn’t including what I’ve done with my life.   I’ve found a job that requires me to work on the weekend.  Some of you are probably saying OUCH, I know my kids will have to deal with me on the week days only for the time being.  If your wondering, I’ve decided to try to be less intrusive on the Advertising and see how that works.   I’ve pretty much have nothing to loose and everything to gain if more people will sign up for the newsletter.  I don’t know when I’ll post more regularly next week but I’m hoping once everything settles down, this will become a more friendlier place.   I decided to leave Hostgator behind in hopes to have the site load faster and be able to change it when I want to.   My choice so far is Squarespace, it seems to have what I want and let’s me do everything I’ve always wanted to do with very little effort.

Don’t accept mediocrity!

What is mediocrity? I won’t go into much detail but in simple english it is a person who accepts the average. When I first started blogging, I wanted to be extraordinary but that can sometimes be really difficult when it comes to blogging and knowing how to blog.   It really doesn’t matter what you think of yourself but what others think of your first.   If you can proof yourself better than the average person then you are more likely to set an example for the ones to come.   This is my dream, that I might be able to set some examples in todays society.  It can be hard and I’m sure it will always be interesting, to some that can be easy but others it is extremely hard to be successful blogger.  I’ve pretty much decided that nothing is going to stop me from being EXTRAordinary, but the path to that is going to be a hard and trechous one!  I’m sure it will get better in the days to come but the road less travelled always has sharp rocks! 

Don’t Sweat the Small stuff!

I used to worry about those small posts that no body really read.   It was something that was a constant reminder of what I’ve not done right.  I don’t know about you but this can be very hard for some, me included. I’ve learn that the small posts are just a way of testing the waters.   Something that comes with time and experience.   I won’t say that it is going to be easy but it will be interesting.  If your like me, I love to be interesting and not nothing.  Just think, you might be a the next big blogger.   I’ve no longer worried about my stats but I am using my comments and emails to find out how people are liking my post.  You just got to remember to not be dishonest with your readers, this will make their experience much better and yours.

Simpler is Better!

This is something that I’ve come to realize the last few weeks.   My blog got so bloated with stuff that I thought it was a cruise liner and not a yacht.   If your like me, sometimes you need to re-evaluate your blog and see where you can trim it down or make it faster.  I’ve decided on my blog to change everything and make it less intrusive with advertising, I think that is something that can help my blog grow.   It however will always take time and you can’t always expect it take off immediantly.  If your really want to make some money on your blog, you might consider reader ProBlogger: Secrets for Blogging Your Way to a Six-Figure Income [Affiliate Link].  I’ve just started reading this book and have found it extremely helpful with my blogging and understand how to write a better post.  

Refocusing your posts!

Don’t always assume that your posts are big.  If you don’t sit down and think your article out, you may loose people.   If your going to post about your blog and not think of your readers experience then you are just asking for problems down the road.   I won’t tell you how to refocus but I will say this, if you want reader engagement then you must come up with your content and make it your passion.   It however just depends on you and no one else.  If your interested in learning how to become a better blogger, you might check out some of these books [Affiliate Link] to help you on your way.  

Paul Sylvester

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4 Things you must do before hit publish!

Creative writing class-fine arts center (40269...

It’s all about the readers!

I’ve not been one to say this much, but if your read my blog you know I care about my readers.  I’m not saying that I will make your jaw drop most of the time but there are times that I think a blog post and want to help others when it comes to writing your own.  In this article we will discuss some basic writing ideas that I’ve come to realize and want to share with you.  I’m sure others have said something similar but I’m hoping to make it more understandable for the common reader and writer.

Before we can start talking about writing and blogging which to me are the same exact thing, some others might think of them differently.   I wanted to at least ask you some questions that we will be exploring in this article.

  • Why are you blogging?
  • How to come up with a topic!
  • Know your Audience
  • Is there a Length limit?
  • What are you trying to accomplish?

Who Influences YOU?

FOCUS ON ONE QUALITY BLOG!(Affiliate Link)
Guest post on related high quality blogs.
Collaborate with social-media savvy bloggers.

In all things you do FOCUS on RELATED collaborations!

Quantity Equals Failure. Success Focuses on Quality!


When you started blogging did you think you should have more than one blog, I did. I even tried that in the last year but I found that I didn’t get any more money than when I was blogging by myself.  I love to read what Gail writes about on her blog when she does because I get the most insight into how to blog just a little more.  I must admit, I need to start having more RSS feeds and expand my reading to even more blogs.  I have started to create a bigger list of blogs that I think I will enjoy to read on a weekly basis and this is my hope that I become a better blogger for you and others.

Writing Topics

Having been blogging for a few years, I’ve come to understand that if you don’t use the right topic, no one will come to visit your blog or read your blog post because it just doesn’t interest them to click.   Some bloggers have done some great topics Like Shevonne, who writes about her new phase of life.   She tries to get the reader involved and make them see that their is more to her than just about blog posts.    If you read her blog post you will see that she actually does a great job at drawing the reader and making them think about their own life and what phase they are in.   It is more engaging to the reader to actually have something to relate to whether it be on a blog or in person.  Find a Topic and start typing, it really doesn’t have to be a big blog post but it helps if you let your mind wander and keep it coming.

Try to limit the Length of Post!

 250 is enough
A long post is easier to forget and harder to get into. A short post is the opposite. 

Problogger

This isn’t always going to work when it comes to writing those blog posts.   I usually like to keep it under 1,000 words per post but I’ve found that sometimes, the more you write about a subject the more you will want to add to it.  Sometimes, you need to experiment and see what your readers will read and what comments you get from them.  I’ve even tried that with some of my latest blog posts but that isn’t always going to work for you and you should figure out what the sweet spot is for your blog.

Be Youself!

Trying to imitate someone is nice, and some may consider that flattery.  I don’t know if it is me or if your here just to because your found this article interesting.   Nothing can change who you are and who you will become, so just writing about a subject without at least adding your own flair of personality will not get you any where in getting people involved.   People want to connect with you and see your flaws and your personality more than they want to read a HOW TO or reviewing an product.   I’ve found this to be very true, if all your doing is just reviewing products, you may never see the true potential of revenue but if your connect with your readers in a blog post they will come back again, and again just because they want to see what else that makes you human!

Summary of the Post!

I’ve given you a lot to think about when you write a blog post and I am sure this isn’t going to be a
n easy article to digest but if your follow these rules then you will become a better writer and thus you will have people come to your blog more and more.   After all, if your writing about anything, you are wanting to connect with your readers in one way or another and that is the main reason for blogging for me at least.   Topics are only one way to engage the reader to come back time and time again.  I write to connect with my readers and If you liked this blog post please feel free to share it with your friends and family.   I’d love to hear your stories and comments because that helps me find out what I am doing wrong or what I am doing right.

If you like this post, feel free to subscribe to my RSS feed or Subscribe to my Email list.   I send one out every time I publish a blog post, so you can keep up to date on what is going on my website.

Paul Sylvester