Technical challenges of the technically challenged blogger

Blogging, which defined by the kathryn mayer dictionary as writing unpaid on-line, leads to many technical challenges not found when writing in a pleather-bound diary with a heart shaped lock, hidden deep under your mattress.

I’ve been trying to add a video to a post for so long, my laptop risks being thrown against a wall. Plus, my MacBook is feeling its age, before the physical abuse, and moves slower and more cautiously with each and every click, much like me. Like me knowing in my brain I can absolutely do something with grace, ease and speed, but my body saying, whoa there, sugar. Not so fast; let’s talk about this a minute. What’s the rush.

My laptop is much the same. So I cross my fingers. Literally.

Asking me to ask my computer to do something is a risk I gotta take.

I usually follow any command requested (oxymoron?) with my fingers crossed, then double crossed, holding my breath. I’m not much of a pray-er, and to make up for it, I’m hoping the finger crossing might help the buffering, or uploading, or searching. It can’t hurt. Can it?

Not doing so good today, so I interrupt my regularly scheduled idea to bring this brain dump of techy side that often moves me and my laptop to painful angst.

Why a pleather diary is better than a blog:

• It has a key

• No videos to upload and crash your computer

• No images to find, research copyright eligibility, correctly size, watermark, and input into your story

• No branding necessary to ensure if said story/content/post is shared it is clearly marked as yours

• No SEO or readability report cards constantly making you edit ideas until you no longer recognize what you wrote, but apparently google will

• No checking with your teenagers to see if enough time has passed so you can write about what ails you, or ailed them

• No self-imposed deadlines to post something every day to keep true to your word so that you can remember that time you did what you said you were gonna do.

• No haters to block, trolls to report, relatives to apologize to

• No persistent social media (FB, Twitter, Insta) sharing to make sure someone other than your mom, sisters, and high school stalker friend take a look-see.

• No links to other works to find, appropriate link-backs to idea generators and words better composed on a similar topic.

But there’s lots of good stuff about getting the words out, the stories told, with or without the techy stuff finessed.

Why my blog saves my ego and writing career with every single post:

• People read and comment and share. I see it, and am humbled and surprised at the outreach.

• The ability to share outrage and calls to action to make the world a kinder, safer place

• Private texts, emails, messages, kindness that say: me too. Thanks.

• Grocery store conversations with strangers that begin: “I read what you wrote”

• A supportive generous tribe that encourages a doubter to get back at it

• NaBloPoMo (National Blog Posting Month) that makes you feel good about yourself every time you hit submit.

• A social media network, Facebook and real life friends, real life writers, bloggers, and humans who get eyes on your ideas never possible if wedged between a mattress and box spring.

So I’ll keep at it, for now, and figure out the techy stuff someday, but not this day. Or the next.

Thanks for sticking with me.

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#NaBloPoMo National Blog Posting Month