Tag: Blog

Look back at the past: Friday!

Paul

Thank God It's Friday Image via Wikipedia

Looking back is always good to do!

Having had a really unusual past, I do sometimes wonder if you could look back at your past. What would you do differently or would you do anything differently?  We’ve all had our little problems in the past and not to mention having to deal with stress along the way.   Everything we do weather it be going to work to family problems can cause regrets and even me being a blogger get those questions that we can’t really answer.   Although answering the question isn’t really the point it is the part of the journey of discovery, as some would say.   We can always come up with excuses to why we do things we do but until we accept our past and say I forgive myself then we may never see the future or get the future that we may want or need.

I’m not saying that we should air our dirty laundry per say but to see it in a different light.   We can learn from our mistakes and make something good come from it.    Sometimes though people often don’t learn from their past mistakes but those are people who refuse to be truthful with themselves.   We really can’t help those who don’t want to help themselves, but we can help ourselves help others.   A few weeks ago I did a blog post, Pay it forward: Friday, and this time we are taking a time to look at our past and admit to ourselves that we may need a little more help then we really would like to admit.   I must admit this blog post was brought on by two different posts, one was Dolphin Tales and the other one was “Unchain the Name” blog post.   I want to discuss some of what I am feeling in this blog post.

Are you Second?

I’ve really been think about my priorities this month and why I haven’t been successful like I know God wants me to be.   I finally realized that I haven’t really put God first and I’ve decided in the coming months to work on making my blog more friendly to Christians.  I’m going to start calling myself a Christian Tech blogger, but I am not sure how you would classify it.   I’ve seen some people talking about that same topic but can we actually define it or do we need to come up with something really new.

Our Past defines us!

Now we all have some kind of past that really has impacted us somewhere or somehow.   It really has been something of a working struggle to define my past.   I’ve got so many things that I have yet to forgive myself over that I may not be a perfect christian but I do like to think of it as a continual journey.   I can’t really say where I’d end up but I do know that ever since I was a small boy, I have always like technology and I know in todays churches we are always going to see Ipads, Iphones, and other tablets that are used in looking up Bible  (Affiliate Link)passages and thus will always be in need of Christian Tech support.

Our Present is Upon us!

When I ask myself what I am expecting to do in the coming years, I always am looking at what I am doing now.   It doesn’t matter what I am doing but it is something that will affect me tomorrow and the next day.   I know I will never be perfect but I’m not going to create a post that no one will want to read but it will be a interesting journey to what I have learned over the years.   I also feel like I want to be a writer but am unsure of how to better accomplish this.   I guess God is calling me to do something but I have yet to figure out all the details but I do know this blog will be a big step in the right direction.

Our Future is yet determined!

I really don’t know what the future will hold but I am going to take it as it comes.   I can’t say anything else but that.   Do you know your future?  Are you ready for it? These are all questions that we are constantly asking.

Paul Sylvester

Related articles

What is Amazon Kindle Compass and why would I want it? (Breaking News)

Paul

Angry Birds on the Kindle Image by Tim Wilson

Conscience is a man’s compass. — Vincent Van Gogh

I don’t know what the fuss is about but I thought it was something we should at least talk about! It seems that Amazon has made a bad mistake when it comes to trying to get people to Autosubscribe. This is something that I have said in the past but you know how companies are they think it is best for the consumer and want something good to come from this.  I’ve been reading about how people all around the world are being auto subscribed, and you can go and check it out at the amazon Discussion board.

Some bloggers are already talking about this and I wonder why it isn’t being blogged about more.

Amazon Bought the Domain in November!

I am unsure why they’d buy the domain in November but that just may be the tip of the iceburge.   This seems to be something they’ve been developing for quite some time and until I actually get to see what it is.   You can check the domain on the Whois and see for yourself.   Some speculate that it is something do with a actual compass on your Kindle like the Ipad has.   I don’t know if that is what this is or if it will be something totally different, only I time will tell but I do know that it has to be something that you will pay for on a monthly subscription like a magazine or news articles.

Has anyone actually seen it on the Kindle Fire?

That is the next question I have, what is it and what does it do?   I wouldn’t mind finding more out about this but there is very few things out on the web about it.   Don’t forget to email me at paul[at]paulstechtalk[dot]com if you find out anything else about this and I’ll be sure to watch the comments.

Update:

Found something on the Amazon Discussion board that might clear some of it up:

I just got this email from Customer Service after a quick call they let me know it would not be charging me,but they could cancel it anyway.

“Hello,

The Kindle Compass is an editorial magazine designed to help customers get the most out of their Kindle reading experience. It is delivered wirelessly to Kindle devices, free of charge.

We are currently delivering the magazine to a random subset of Kindle customers. Customers who wish to unsubscribe from The Kindle Compass can do so from a link in the last section of the magazine, or from the Manage Your Kindle Subscriptions page at www.amazon.com/manageyourkindlesubscriptions

At this time we are not able to subscribe additional customers, but we look forward to making The Kindle Compass available to more customers in the future.

Thanks for your interest in Kindle.”

Paul Sylvester


Finding your voice in sea of echo’s!

Paul

Computer feestje Image by arneheijenga via Flickr

“Nothing ventured is nothing gained!“

If anything I have learned is that sometimes it doesn’t always come easily.   I’ve had my share of up’s and downs and that to say is something that I will always struggle with.    If your wondering if you can start blogging but aren’t sure if any one will hear you.   You’ll first want to answer a few questions and thus will help you understand your passion just that much more.   Blogging is somewhat of an art and thus everybody will have a difference of opinion and that can make a better blog than not!

We’ve all seen people talking about Technology but that doesn’t mean that I don’t have a unique perspective of it or that someone else could do a better job.   Blogging isn’t just about blogging, it is the desire to fill people’s lives by sharing my experiences and techniques.   I may not know everything about blog, I could use more college class time to learn write but that will only go so far.

It takes time!

If your wondering about those make money blogging promotions and hearing how you can earn money overnight, you might as well not even start blogging.   I’ve heard my share of making money overnight or those one click button software’s.  I have learned that writing isn’t always about being about money but about the people and the community.   If you care about your community and be loyal to them then you are more likely to succeed then if your just making money.   Blogging for money is hard and can result in some cash but I have learned that nothing comes easily.

It takes effort!

Writing isn’t always going to be easy or even sometimes you can have writers block other’s call it blog block.  I admit it, I occasionally have a hard time thinking of my next blog topic and thus can be hard to sit down and write.   I will say it has grown easier and I’ve learned techniques that let me get past that but it doesn’t always work.   Knowing your strengths can help you become a better writer but that doesn’t make your blog content better.   The only way you can make it better is engaging your audience and making them want to come to read your next post.

A blog is a tiny book!

My blog is really just a tiny book and if you think about that you will be much better off.   I never think if my blog as anything else because that is essentially what a blog is.   I like to write but also like to see how it does on the long run.   I’d hate to have to wait till the book is done to see what people say or who actually buys it.   This way I know everyday what people are thinking or doing and I can tweak how I do my blog accordingly.   This is why I love blogging, nothing is ever going to stay the same and thus I can always go off on tangents when I find something that really makes my blood flow.  These are just why I like to blog.   Others could have their reasons but mine is simple!  Community is the Key!

Paul Sylvester

Don’t forget to Backup! I do!

 

Related articles

How to customize your WordPress Theme : Overview!

Paul1 Reply

Theme are so simple!

You’ve probably read on one way or another from other blogs on how to do it.   I have thought it would be nice to discuss this at a really long length to help other bloggers customize their themes and you don’t have to pay for anything.   You can download free themes from WordPress or other sites and get any free theme and make it your own.  Editing a theme is not rocket science just a little know how and learning.   I’ve learned all this over my past few years and thought it would be high time to help others with the task.   If you ever wanted to edit your theme to make it more personable then this little tutorial is for you.

Explaining themes : Task at hand!

I won’t say the task at hand is going to be an easy one, and that I will be talking about how to do everything to your theme, but I will be talking about several areas of theme editing and customization and you are going to want to stay tuned.   In this series, I will be talking about:

  • Customizing your header

  • Customizing your sidebar

  • Customizing your content

  • Customizing your Footer

  • Adding ads to post using the Themes Function

  • Why you would want to customize your theme

As you can see this will be a little more in depth then what others might of done or not done.   I don’t know but I wanted to add my own spin to the discussion.   Anyone can edit a them but do you want to break it?   That is the most important question.   I am not going to tell you every nuance and what will happen if you do all this but this is going to be a great general guide for anyone who might want to get there feet wet and learn something new.

Why you would want to customize you theme!

If we all had the same theme, then blogging wouldn’t be so enjoyable.   I actually like going to other blogs and seeing what type of changes they have done with their theme.    I personally like to change my theme every so often to get a fresh look and feel to my theme but others like to keep the same theme for years and years and that is all fine.   It is just more about preference than anything else.   I am sure someone wants some advice on how to make a theme work with yours.

Programs needed

I’m not saying you need these programs but it will make it far less troublesome if you do use them.   You can easily use an easy text editor to edit your php files but I prefer to use some kind of PHP editor to help me code and see the path of where everything is going as I customize my themes.   Here are some programs to consider installing and using these to make your theme more your own:

  • XAMPP — Great way to see what the theme will look like before you go live with your website.   You can test out various things before anyone even sees your website or knows that you will be changing it.   Works on Linux, Windows and Macintosh

  • Notepad++ — This is a good editor for those who might want to use Windows Machine.   I do not know if it is for linux but You can always try “Sudo Apt-get Install notepad++” to find out.

  • gPHPedit — This is a good little PHP editor but it is mainly for linux.   It is one of those that might be good for occasionally editing.   I like it but can be a pain if your not used to it all.

  • Screem — I like it better than gPHPedit but  it does take some getting used to.   It is also just Linux based right now, so you will have to look for a free php editor for you system elsewhere.

These are just a few of my picks.   If you like them or hate them, I’d like to know by leaving a comment.   If you have other suggestions, please feel free to leave a comment also, so Others can try them out and see if they are right for them.

Stay Safe

Paul Sylvester

 


 

Related articles

Is your Blog half empty or half full?

Paul

Are you blogging and nothing is happening?

Let’s face it, having a blog doesn’t always mean you going to get the audience that you expect. I might not be the perfect example for blogging but it is what everyone is wanting to have a blog. Getting past the noise alone can be a very hard process. You never know who will read your blog or who will comment. That alone could make or break your blog writing ability. I don’t mean that it would actually break your blog or anything of that nature, but I am talking about who comes to your blog and why.   This is the reason why some bloggers blog and others journal, each to its own.    Some like to just write down their thoughts and others are looking for the lifetime of knowledge.

Blogging isn’t really about money!

Some bloggers want to make money and others like me want to build a community.    It’s not that your blog is half empty but you should consider your blog as being half full.  Your probably trying to figure out what you need to blog about but you really should be searching for what you want to blog about and not thinking about the money.  Although I would be amiss if I didn’t at least want to make money blogging.   My goal however is to do something that I love and that is to write.   I might not have a lot of writing skills but I will learn and adapt.   Adaptation is the key to a good blog at least in my case.  Knowing that is one part of a bigger picture some would say.

Finding the Time to blog!

This is another facts of life, for some it is easy to find time to blog and for others well just say they need to blog at all hours of the night.    It is actually just personal preferences when to blog, but just because you blog doesn’t mean you are going to make a dent in who will come.   It however does mean that you can work hard and expect to make money.  So here are some points that I am going to work on:

  • Work with other bloggers — Having seen how this can help me, I will be collaborating with other bloggers to become a better blog.

  • Work on my blog — I’m am going to rededicate myself to making this a better blog.

  • Making money —  Hey I didn’t say I wouldn’t want to make money but that is something that is going to be secondary to creating a better blog.

  • Helping others — If you need help creating your own blog or setting up your blog then you can contact me and hire me to help you in creating a good blog.

Paul Sylvester

Related articles