Giving a Shit

Since the beginning of this year, I decided I would write more. So far, ditching Facebook and cutting back on Twitter has really helped me achieve that. I don't know if it will be effective for you, but that's my ten centers. I really enjoy logging my links, drafting posts and hitting that publish button. — I gotta say, it feels good to share again.

Recently I befriended a Tom Critchlow (@tomcritchlow), a blogger, podcast host and digital strategy consultant. It turns out he lives in NYC as well. We bonded over art and hypertext on Twitter. Go figure. He wrote a succinct quip on his blog a while back that I want to share:

Why not start by making something you give a shit about?

The ugly truth about much of the content produced online is that it’s being measured on superficial metrics by unmotivated parties. If you’re in the business of making your audience take action then you’re gonna need to make something they give a shit about.

Sound advice if you ask me. Wether you're a blogger, a designer or an engineer. Make something you believe in. We don't need any more cruft in our lives.

Give his blog and his Twitter a follow. You won't regret it.

5 Comments

Wisse Hettinga April 9, 2018

Perhaps HMM & AHA fit into your request. I started this video cartoon a about year ago and have been doing every week a episode.

Currently the series are published on eeNews, a European website on electronics, but the start was just to start doing something completely different (i.m.o).

Check here for the official channel:
http://www.eenewsembedded.com/videos-hmm-aha

And here for my blog:
https://hmmandaha.blogspot.nl

Cheers, Wisse

Stephen Petrey April 9, 2018

Very much so! Content could be photography, videos, or writing. Thanks for sharing your videos Wisse. Keep up the great work! ☺️

Tiffany Joy April 10, 2018

You’ve seem thoughtful and knowledgeable on all things inter web. Followed advice. On deleting Facebook. I really want to but it is my main source for keeping up with family? What about Instagram which is owned by Facebook. Are we giving them less data by using Facebook.

Stephen Petrey April 10, 2018

Thanks for the kind words Tiffany. If your primary source for keeping in touch with your family is over Facebook, consider keeping it online until you can figure out an alternative.

I think Instagram is a great network, it’s effective for sharing photos. I think Instagram’s advertising model is fairly ethical, and unobtrusive. But the data collection is still a problem, but something I overlook to stay connected with my some friends.

That being said, there’s a whole host of solutions you can leverage instead of Facebook to keep in touch. You’ve can create a family website using WordPress, Squarespace, or even just over email with Mailchimp.

AARP put together a fun (and slightly dated guide) but the advice still rings true.

My advice is to buy a domain and make a website for you and your family, and own a slice of the web. I still believe email can and will always be the most powerful communication tool at our disposal.

Tiffany Joy April 10, 2018

Thanks those are some good ideas.

%d bloggers like this: