I’m Just Saying

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 Love You, But You’re A Fruit Loop

/ Ally Bean / 20 Comments

This made me laugh at myself.  File it under: Make No Assumptions.  Ever.

# # #

Sometime last year I met a woman at a business function and we talked about social media.  She knew that her job responsibilities were changing and that soon she’d be expected to contribute to her company’s blog and Twitter account.

She also knew that I had a blog so I gave her my blog’s card thinking that she might want to see what I do and how I do it.  She seemed appreciative.

Or at least that is the way I chose to interpret her actions.

Fast forward to a few weeks ago when I happened to run into this woman again.  She mentioned my blog and I thought: How wonderful!  Someone who I met in real life is reading my sweet little bloggy. 

But my assumption about this woman’s behavior could not have been any farther from the truth. 

She happily admitted that she’d never read my blog.  Then she went on to tell me that she could make my blog popular because she knew how to do that now.

According to her, what I wrote was not important because a blog’s popularity had nothing to do with content– and everything to do with salesmanship.  Specifically, her salesmanship.

And with that she babbled onto another topic of conversation, seemingly oblivious to the fact that she’d insulted me.

This left me wondering: who is the fruit loop here?  Is it her for being unaware and self-absorbed?  Or [more likely] is it me for even listening to her to begin with?

All I know for sure is that there’s another fruit loop to add to the bowl.  😉

Wherein I Tell The IRS Story My Way

/ Ally Bean / 18 Comments

Here’s a glimpse into what my life is like.  

Three lawyers [husband, friend and acquaintance] all listened to me tell this story and all three of them told me I had it wrong.  

Yet I maintain that this is what happened to us, so I’m going to tell this story my way because this is my blog and I’m a pragmatist who says that:

if it looks like a duck and quacks like a duck, then it’s a duck.  

• • •

Curious about what happened to us?  Well, here’s how I see it:

  • We received a letter from the IRS telling us they needed information re: one piece of one tax return.
  • We [and by “we” I mean Z-D, obviously] found this piece of information and sent it to the IRS.
  • We received another letter from the IRS saying that they had received the information and that they’d be in touch to tell us what was going to happen next.    

Now people, I am not new to the IRS and their ways.  This is how it all started years ago when we were audited by the IRS.

So I think that you’ll agree with me, A NON-LAWYER, when I say that: we’re being audited by the IRS.  I say this because the definition for the word “audit” is: “an official inspection of accounts.”  [Look it up, boys.]

And what exactly is the IRS asking of us?  Why my goodness gracious,  they want to inspect our account.  Ergo, I say that if it looks like a duck and quacks like a duck, then. it’s. a. duck.

* quack, quack *

We’re being audited.

 

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.  😉