SaysBrad Blogging Update

I've been thinking about this blog, its content and structure, what I want to do with it, what I write and how often. It's time-consuming — especially the reviews and commentary. Recent events have encouraged me to write about more serious matters; it's important, but not always "fun."

I've been blogging about whatever I find interesting for about a dozen years — the problem is that I like a lot of random things and don't always know what to share and when to do it. Do I blog for me? For you? For whom? I'm not really sure... perhaps all of the above.

When I started this blog, I decided that I wanted a change of pace, something different from the ego-centric LiveJournal days and the myriad of now-defunct blogs and disorganization. In part on the advice of a few blogger/Internet friends, I stopped splitting up my blogging across various sites and dumped all of my ideas into one site... but in doing so, I've lost something and have edited away a lot of potentially great content.

I used to have a personal site about my chronic pain and disability troubles, but it felt like a chore and stopped being fulfilling. Frankly, I'm not sure many people cared to read about it — it's fairly depressing. I thought about migrating that content. I still use tumblr, and although I decided to get rid of the custom domain, I still like the service in general. Tumblr is clean, organized and simple; its usability makes it ideal for sharing links, images and videos. I've also explored Pinterest a bit.

Primarily, I've been using Twitter and Facebook for updates and links, partially due to ease-of-use — iOS' notifications drop-down tab menu has buttons for updating to either service, but because my Facebook posts are sent to Twitter, it's two birds, one shot. Additionally, Safari on iPhone/iPad has Facebook/Twitter sharing built-in; if I read or see something clever, cute, thought-provoking, disturbing or otherwise important, I can quickly send it to Facebook and Twitter feeds. I don't really consider it publishing, but I try to add diligent comments to the updates. (In particular, I like the way fb displays links)

I've been considering using Tumblr instead of Facebook (for links and quick updates). Perhaps I'll just post here — but that means restructuring and redesigning the blog and layout. Currently, Says Brad is set up for several long-form posts per month, not dozens of blurbs per day. If I leave the layout as-is and update hourly, stuff will get lost in the fray.

I still want to post app reviews, artwork, current event commentary and want to write about global issues, politics and government, America, crime and corruption; important, serious matters that seem incongruent with a blog primarily focused on iPad apps and tech toys. How should I reconcile these interests? Should I abandon one for another?

Posting to Facebook is quick and carefree — a process driven by free-form expression and quantity — it reflects the oft-ridiculous plethora of information on the Internet, and I feel less compelled to proofread and edit those posts. Writing for this blog is often laborious and intensive — but also more rewarding. How do I bridge this dichotomy; cherry-pick and consolidate these different, functionally independent updates into one thing, one site, a single blog roll?

With a miserable abundance of tragedies unfolding worldwide, these dilemmas seem insignificant and laughable... but it is, amidst more mundane and serious matters, what I've been thinking about while dealing with debilitating pain and physical disability. Blogging, this welcome distraction, is motivating and uplifting.

Except when it's more stressful — like now — when I end up worrying about it. Perhaps I'll just post more, post messy, and see what happens. Thoughts?

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Changes to Says Brad

Hey everyone!

In the coming days and weeks, my posts are likely to take a more serious tone. I still have some reviews planned, but there are very troubling things happening in our nation that I cannot ignore. From SOPA to Benghazi to the IRS scandal, Internet tax and NSA surveillance, I don't want to sit idly by while our future is shaped by a hideous distortion of our beliefs and values. Freedom is threatened.

I've been researching and writing about the unwarranted invasion of Americans' privacy by the NSA.

It's a very serious matter and each day, more evidence comes to light. Recent events have given us reasons to be fearful and paranoid; gun control and gun violence, rioting, international affairs and unrest, and the IRS' systematic targeting of conservative groups. And now we learn more about the intrusive nature of a shadowy government agency — and it feels like what's been revealed is only the tip of the iceberg.

Although more serious in tone than my normal content, I believe it's important to create an ongoing dialogue about our government's practices. As a friend recently mentioned, many people probably do care (about the IRS, NSA) but don't know what to do about it.

Stay informed, share the information and your opinions on it. For many people, politicking and partisan memes begin and end with the election. I think we need to hold our elected officials accountable to the high standards they claim to adhere to.

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Added Features

Hey everyone! Still plinking away at getting this website and blog updated and the way I want it. I added a few things, including search, categories and a tag cloud.

I’ve also been playing around a little bit with Squarespace 6 and WordPress (bradtastica – my test site) but haven’t managed to find themes or get them looking the way I want. Also, I’m having an issue with MediaTemple and my self-hosted WordPress install. So I think I may just backup my content there and scrap the thing, start over from scratch. I also want to learn how to use Google’s web font thing, instead of Typekit. Not that I know how to use that, either.