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Why I don’t believe in “Short Attention Spans” online

You’ll notice with a lot of articles today, mainly via online magazine sites, newspaper sites and similar online portals that when an article is posted, it is usually published with a “4 min read” comment next to it which will vary depending on the length of the article. This, I can only assume, is an attempt to attract the majority of readers who have short attention spans and spend a minute maximum taking in what the author has written. Any longer than this and nobody will read what you write. Isn’t that how it goes?

I am sure there is a survey written somewhere online that proves this theory but for me, using WordPress, it’s very much the opposite. This could just be a random thing, or it could be how it is for some writers. I have discovered in the time that I’ve been blogging that how much you write is almost as important as what you write. If I write shorter articles, they tend to get fewer eyeballs on them than posts where I have written more than 500 words. I don’t know why this is, I suspect it’s because when I write more than 500 words, I am either writing a personal blog post about my life or I am writing about the pursuit of writing and blogging in general. These are two topics I know are more popular than other content I have posted (WordPress stats can be helpful in that regard).

So from this experience, I can see the following trends with my writing (this is an entirely personal thing that I just decided to write about, and it does not take anything away from those writers who choose to write smaller updates or posts than I do).

WORDS5

This proves something, and that is that stats can be helpful if you use them casually and don’t get bogged down with the details. And it also shows (for me) that WordPress really is designed for writers, the art of writing and the written word just like Instagram is intended for imagery (although, Instagram has introduced different tools to try and shift very subtlely towards their users integrating text with their images).

That said, it doesn’t mean you can’t change trends with your content. I am a writer first and foremost, but I’m also a photoshop addict which is why, you may have noticed, that I’ve slowly started integrating my own graphics into my articles to combine the two things I love to do and to enhance the overall experience for my readers. This is a BIG deal for me. I want people to not only like what I write but to enjoy the experience. If I do this and stay true to myself in my writing, attention spans will matter very little.

 

 

 

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@status Back to the grind

So my holidays ended today and I have returned to work. There’s something oddly comforting about getting back into a routine again. I’m now thinking about what type of Photoshop edit I should make tonight. I do have a new GIF technique to try out so I’ll probably do that after I watch Game of Thrones 😁😊

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Testing Hashtags on Instagram – Part 4

Hi again, friends! After several weeks of testing the Instagram Algorithm, I’m really no closer to discovering the best process for gaining likes and followers on Instagram. I took some time to look at some of the people I followed on Instagram and decided to ask them what their secret was for getting so many likes on their Instagram posts. One account in particular has half the followers I do but when he posts, he manages to get thousands of likes on his posts. So I asked him what it is that he does to gain so much interest in his posts and he told me that he spent time “testing” different hashtags and came up with a diverse list of hashtags that he uses on all of his posts. He said it took him some time to get there, but now all of his posts get thousands of likes no matter what he posts. Continue reading → Testing Hashtags on Instagram – Part 4

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Testing Hashtags on Instagram – Part 2

Last month I blogged about testing out the hashtag algorithm theory that hashtags don’t actually make much of a difference to the visibility of your post. I don’t think a couple of weeks is quite long enough to say it is or isn’t a thing, but at two weeks, I can certainly blog about my findings so far. Continue reading → Testing Hashtags on Instagram – Part 2

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Question of the Day #2 – Writing Prompt

Question of the Day – If someone you knew committed a serious crime, what would you do?

I think it’s time to start ramping up to more serious questions, perhaps even controversial ones, after all, nobody wants easy or boring things to think about, right?

I’ve thought about this question, and I’ve never been able to really answer it myself. It’s one thing to think about something, quite another to be faced with the reality, I mean, what would you do if it came down to putting your friend away, perhaps for good? Continue reading → Question of the Day #2 – Writing Prompt

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Question of the Day #1 – Writing Prompt

Question of the Day – Did you keep up with your NY resolutions? Did you keep your promise or promises to yourself?

I’m okay with answering this question because I think I’ve done a relatively good job of keeping the two promises I made to myself to improve on this year. I have blogged about what those goals were before and my two goals this year are 1. Improve my writing by writing every day and creating a good writing habit and 2. To learn to say “No” to people who are too demanding of me.

Both of these goals are going to eventually become ongoing goals I will have to teach myself to achieve for the rest of my days if that’s what it takes to improve. There is no set time frame for these goals to expire. Which is not really recommended when setting goals but life-long goals are essential to consider as well. If you want to be a better writer, you have to write every day not just on the days when you feel committed or inspired, right? And being able to stand your ground when people push you too far is also something I hope I will be doing way into my twilight years!

I think life goals are way more important than something you might achieve once or twice when the new year arrives. Conditioning yourself to be a better person, or a better parent, friend or whatever you choose should be an ongoing life-long goal. That’s not to diminish anyone else’s resolutions if you have them. Any goal you commit yourself to is worthwhile.

Have you been keeping your NY resolutions? Why or why not? Let me know friends!

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@tumblr It is now illegal in New York to discriminate against black hair

I thought this was a joke at first when I saw it because I couldn’t believe how ridiculous this is. A law had to be passed so that African Americans can wear their hair naturally.

WHAT THE ACTUAL F????

How is this even a thing???? I’m sorry if I seem overly emotional about this but I cannot understand how you can discriminate against a person for wearing their hair in its natural state.

It’s 2019… honestly, some parts of our world need to just wake the hell up.