Blogging

Fact: I Do Not Suffer From FOMO

/ Ally Bean / 18 Comments

Friends, I’ve called you here today to confirm something that you probably already know about me.  I freely admit that it is true: Fear Of Missing Out, aka FOMO, is not a problem for me.

I’ve been outside of so many things in my life that not knowing what’s going on in my social media circles does not bother me.  I try to keep up, but there are days when I *gasp* don’t go online at all.  [Usually Monday, often Saturday.]

I miss out.

On the other hand, I do suffer from something that I have yet to see acronym-ed so I will take this opportunity to create one to explain my social media problem.

My worry is: Fear Of Appearing Rude, henceforth & hereinafter known as FOAR.  That is what concerns me.

Because I consider communication to be a two-way street, I take my side of the street seriously.  Maybe too seriously, but that’s how I roll.  And as such I fear that someone will take my slow response to an email or a blog comment or a tweet as an insult.

Especially if that someone is a person who does suffer from FOMO.

So what do you think, my blogging kith & kin?  Am I worried about nothing?  Or is FOAR another genuine made-up social media psychosis?

I Tried, But The Joyful Bee Would Not Cooperate

/ Ally Bean / 8 Comments

“Common sense and a sense of humor are the same thing, moving at different speeds.  A sense of humor is just common sense, dancing.”

~ William James

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If there’s one lesson that life has taught me, don’t take yourself too seriously.  For instance, when you grab your camera and go out into your front yard to take a photo of the cute flag thingie that hangs from the tree, and the wind keeps blowing the cute flag thingie the wrong way, you do not get upset.

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Instead, you do your best to take a photo that captures the cute flag thingie in action.  Giving it a whirl, so to speak.  That is what you do.

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And then if after about 40 pics of the cute flag thingie your photo shoot has not gone as planned, you find a way to turn your experience into a charming life lesson blog post.

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Happy May Everyone.  We made it through April.  I do believe that it’s time to be joyful & twirl in the breeze.  Care to join me?

And For My Next Decade…

/ Ally Bean / 36 Comments

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This week marks 10 years since I started my first public, somewhat disjointed, totally photograph-free, poorly written blog.

I know, I’m amazed, too.

You’d think that I’d have some pithy, inspirational conclusions gleaned from my experiences along the way, but I don’t.

No, the best that I can tell you is that keeping a personal blog is lots of planning and work, some fun– and a damned good way to find out who is really on your side.

Which, for me, has been enough.  So far.

But today I find myself contemplating my blogging future, knowing way too much about how wrong things can go, and trying to decide what to do next.

To wit, here are the questions that have rattled around inside my brain during this auspicious week.

•  Do I continue doing the same things here on this blog– keeping it personal and light just like I have been for the last 3 years?

•  Do I change this blog into something more opinionated, rather like a newspaper column with an agenda to promote?  Or a niche blog devoted to one specific topic?  And if so, what would that agenda/niche be?

•  Do I start a different, private blog in which I tell more of my story to a select few people who I know will support me?  And if so, what does that get me?

•  Do I give up on blogging entirely and just walk away from it?

I have no definite answer here.  

But I suspect that you, my gentle readers, have suggestions about what I should do next concerning this blog, my blogging career, all things bloggy.

Heaven knows that you always have something to say!  And I am grateful for that.  😉

Keep Moving. Blog Maintenance. Nothing To Look At Here.

/ Ally Bean / 18 Comments

Follow my blog with Bloglovin

You looked, didn’t you?  You just couldn’t stand not knowing exactly what I was doing.

And now that you’re here you’re kind of wondering why I’m doing that which I’m doing.  I know how you think, my gentle readers.  So I’ll tell you.

I’m claiming my blog, The Spectacled Bean, at Bloglovin’.  By placing what I did at the top of this little post, I am lead to believe that I’ll have:

And with that said, I’m publishing this post.  Hoping that I’ve done that which they want me to do in a way that pleases them, so that I might have that which they tell me I can have, which would please me.

Hallelujah and pass the potato salad, let’s see what happens next.