Week 1 - Part A : My Blog Template

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"One day I will find the right words, and they will be simple."
--Jack Kerouac, The Dharma Bums

One of my first champion Golden Retrievers was named Matigan Dharma Bum. I think I've always been a fan of Jack Kerouac and romance of the Beat Generation. The poetry. The creativity. The freedom. Art for art's sake. 

I have to say, I don't find much inspiration in the Blogger templates. Hop on over to WordPress and the choices are downright paralyzing. Getting back to the opening words of Mr. Kerouac, there is something to be said about the simple, especially when the goal is to draw one's attention to the written word.

Social Media is usually rooted in the written word. Brevity is key in the digital age. Our attention spans have atrophied. Twitter. Memes. Vine (RIP). TikTok. Short bursts of dopamine. My challenge as one of the older students in the class is to discover what the younger generation finds entertaining. Most likely not Jack. 

For this template I deliberately chose simple and clean. Then when previewed on my computer, it looked nothing like the template I chose. Weird. I'll keep playing with it. 

I have never had an official blog. Time is a precious commodity for me. I use Facebook personally but my teenage kids don't like me posting pictures anymore, so most personal posts are about interesting articles. I also post about my Golden Retrievers on my business page. I use it to provide information, entertain, inform, and sell my "product." In fact I am admins on a number of pages, including my husbands new business page. This is where I hope to put in my most effort. 

In the last year I have tried to also post to Instagram but I have room for improvement. I have a YouTube channel as well but I haven't posted anything in years. Back to that time issue. To that end I look forward to learning abut HootSuite or the like.

My experience with SnapChat has been limited to spying on my minor stepson. Not a good platform for spying. One of my puppy clients makes TikToks from videos of the puppy. Entertaining and memorable. Of course I have a Pinterest presence as well as LinkedIn.


Comments

  1. Sydney GardnerJanuary 31, 2021 at 4:55 PM

    Hey Jan! You definitely have more of a social presence than I do and I'm only 21! But that's good because I'm sure it helps with selling your puppies. Which also sounds like a nice way to make money to get to be around pups a good amount of time sounds like fun! Thank you for sharing about yourself.
    -Sydney Gardner

    ReplyDelete
  2. Justin HernandezFebruary 1, 2021 at 11:56 AM

    Hi Jan,

    I enjoyed reading your blog, and I think the quote that you started with was an excellent choice! Not only did it back up your reasoning for choosing what you did, but it did indeed put the focus on your words. As far as time, I would also love to get more of it, but until that day comes, I think we should focus our time on things we love, which it seems like you do! Keep on playing around with different platforms and maybe you'll find one that you can resonate with!

    Best Wishes,
    Justin

    ReplyDelete
  3. Anthony McCarthyFebruary 1, 2021 at 1:25 PM

    Hi Jan,

    The simple and clean look is exactly what I got when visiting your blog! I was able to focus on your writing which made it feel like I was really getting to know you. When it comes to keeping up with the latest social media I am right there with you. It seems like just as I am learning the ways around one social media platform, another comes out. I hope to continue visiting your page and reading more of your writing.

    - Anthony McCarthy

    ReplyDelete
  4. KelseyFebruary 2, 2021 at 11:56 PM

    Hi Jan, it looks great! I like that your posts will be clickable and nicely organized. Very clean!

    ReplyDelete

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