In the Life’s Too Short/I Can’t Waste Any Time Worrying About This Stuff Column:
Data Breaches: Every time I turn around lately, I’m on the receiving end of an email or letter informing me that a website or store or utility company I have done business with has been the victim of a ‘data breach.’ That between some date and another date, some nefarious group hacked into the site with the result being that some of my data, i.e., credit card info, name, birthdate, address, might be in the wrong hands.
When this sort of thing first started happening, I felt the usual panic, wondered what to do, wrung my hands, etc. But now? I just shrug my shoulders and shake my head and maybe change my password or maybe ignore the whole thing. If this sounds like an ostrich burying its head in the sand, you might be right. But the fact is, we all provide personal information online or at the cash register. We hope, of course, that that information is secure but there is always the risk that it might not be. In this age of digital everything, personal information is readily accessible – too accessible – but that’s the way of the world nowadays.
The people behind all of this are contemptible, of course. They do bad things that affect innocent people. I think it’s terrible. But, in the end, I can’t go into a panic every time I this happens, because it seems to happen more and more often. I can’t be worrying all the time about identity theft. There’s so much written about all of this – especially on the web – that one can quickly be overwhelmed by it all. I’m not going to be blissfully ignorant, but I refuse to let this crap rule my life.
So I shake my head, shrug my shoulders and move on.
Rules on Blogging: Please stop. Please stop with the ’10 Things That Make a Good Blogger’ kind of posts. Or ‘What Every Blogger Needs to Know.’ Or, even more maddening, ‘How to Coordinate All Your Social Media or When to Schedule Your Pinterest Pins or your Facebook Posts or your Instagram posts” or “How to Use Social Media.” Always with the proviso that you must do these things if you want to be taken seriously. There’s just too much of this kind of ‘expert’ advice out there. And the result is that we lose that individual stamp that is so vital, the thing that makes one person’s blog different from every other blog out there.
I realize, of course, that for many bloggers, their blog is their business. I get it. And I respect that.
Regretfully, at least to me, blogging has changed. What started out as a creative way to share with each other and expand our world, to journal, to share photos, to create, to write – let’s stop for a moment and say that again – to write, has now morphed into an arena where everyone has to have a new project on the blog every day, then has to Tweet or Facebook or Pin and hype the heck out of it. And every stat has to be checked and rechecked and compared to every other blogger’s stats.
If there’s any way to squeeze every ounce of joy out of blogging, that kind of stuff is sure to do it.
The number of bloggers out there has multiplied and multiplied and multiplied some more since I started blogging six years ago. The arena has become much more competitive, with everyone vying for readers, for ad clicks, for a rung on the ladder of ‘blogging success.’ It’s exciting, for sure, this blogging world. And blogging can lead to recognition, to possibilities, to maybe even a book deal. All well and good. Though, as to book deals and blogger hype, I have to raise this question: When did everyone become an ‘Expert?’ The internet has suddenly given everyone a chance to claim the title of Expert. Really? I’m highly suspicious about that one.
Let me say here and now: I don’t claim to be an Expert on anything.
I don’t want to see blogging become the equivalent of a strip mall, where everything is the same and the content is so similar that one could be in any city or town with all of the shops so interchangeable that nothing is really new or fresh or original.
I have to stop myself because there’s SO much I could say about all of this and I will, someday.
Really, in the end, my point is this. I started blogging for the sheer pleasure of it. It brings me joy. Anything that takes that joy and boxes it up and surrounds it with a list of ‘rules’ and things I must do will be summarily tossed out the window.
Life is too short and joy is too hard to come by. It’s too precious to mess with.
Happy Saturday.
Well said!
Thanks, Carolyn Marie!
I hear you Claudia.
I visit quite a few blogs during the day. Some hold giveaways. A few you just have to leave a comment to enter. Others you earn more entries by liking them on FB, following their Twitter acct, following on Instagram…and the list goes on. Good grief.
A little off subject. I read one particular DIY blog every day. They just had a baby and posted it the next day with pictures etc.
A few commenters were disgruntled because they come to the blog to read DIY and not about the bloggers family. For heaven’s sake. They didn’t even congratulate the couple on the new arrival. Some accused them of adding more ads in order to generate more money for themselves by readers coming to congratulate. Now you even have readers telling you how to manage your blog. :( You just have to shake your head and move on.
Don’t change your style Claudia. I love your blog just as it is. If you are doing something wrong, I haven’t seen it. Thank you for being you. Pam
Oh boy. I bet I know what blog you’re talking about. What is with people? Unbelievable! We can’t share the personal joys and sorrows in our lives? Sad.
I’ve definitely seen those kind of comments before and I’m always stunned by them. It’s none of their business. They don’t write the blog, they don’t put in the work it takes to post regularly, and the content choice is not up to them. If they don’t like it, move the heck on. And don’t comment on it.
Oy. Thanks for writing, Pam! xo
Good Morning Claudia, I agree with you, Life is to short, better to find things to laugh about and enjoy life! Have a wonderful Easter. Doris
You too, Doris! I hope your Easter is sunny and beautiful.
Claudia, I am with you on this blogging thing.I do it for fun. I don’t want to make something crafty everyday. I don’t want to FB or insta-gram. ….don’t have the knowledge or desire to learn it even. I like all the different things to see and talk about from bloggers. I just want to have fun. So if people visit, great, if they don’t, I just can’t help it. Hope you are having a beautiful weekend, xoxo,Susie
Thank you, Susie. Have a great weekend!
I couldn’t agree more. That’s probably why I don’t have tons of followers. I treasure the friends I have that I have met from blogging. I guess I am more of a personal blogger. I like to know about my friends. I agree that so many have taken another direction for sure.
I might add about the giveways….that raffle thingie stinks. I don’t go there. The list that comesup where you have to follow everyone on twitter, pinterest or FB to enter. I don’t do that when I have giveways.
Let’s hope that the “experts” don’t run the little people out. I don’t have a way with words like you, but I think you know what I mean.
Yeah, you joined Club Little House. I don’t even have a doll house. I have a shelf that I am going to use that looks like an open doll house and my fairy houses. I think this will be so much fun.
Have a wonderful Easter. xo
I think using a shelf for your minis and fairy houses is a great idea, Debby! Have a blessed Easter, my friend.
Goodness, I forgot the main reason I wanted to comment. About theft identity….something that I didn’t worry that much about. I figured since I have my own little bank account (mostly to pay my disabled son’s bills) and my one small limit credit card . I figured I would just deal with it if it happened. That’s not saying that I wasn’t careful. Esp. with a high security relative in the family.
With that said…….a couple months ago someone hacked my face book. I had clicked on a friend request for a friend that I was already friends with. I thought maybe she had closed and reopened her account. Wrong she was hacked. Soon I was as well. The requests then went out from my account. But this is weird…….I posted warnings. A friend of mine sent me a private message and the hacker started a conversation with her. The hacker also continued to read my comments about their fake account using my name was different than the real thing. The hacker made changes after what I said. Grrrrrrr.
Okay, moving forward. I check my checking account online every day but not my credit card. I hardly use it because I am paying it down. I had to use it a couple weeks ago for a couple purchases but then paid that right back.
Well, this week I get a notice asking if I approved “these” purchases. Several smaller ones but one over $1,000. Yikes. I contacted security fraud and they immediately took care of the situation. Since it happened, even though I didn’t have to pay any of the charges, I have been bummed to say the least. We aren’t safe anymore. I don’t want to carry cash around. Now I will think about every purchase differently. I hope that the fraud people can track this down for me.
Anywhooooooo………this fraud/hacking business stinks.
xo
It sure does stink, Debby. I’m so sorry you had to deal with that. Clicking on a Friend Request should not be a dangerous thing to do! Thank goodness the Credit Card people contacted you about suspicious purchases! I don’t like to carry cash around anymore, either, but we do run a risk when using credit and debit cards, don’t we? They’ll be able to track it down for you, I’m sure. xo
What an excellent post! I started thinking the same way you have about data breaches. When Target happened I started to worry and then thought “oh well” and just kept going. That works the best. The banks send out new cards and alls good until the next breach. I do check my stuff online at least once a week. Probably should do it more. And I love your blog. I get my tea, sit with a friend, and she starts the conversation, and I always have something to say on the topic! There you go.
Tana
I check things, too, Tana – but that’s about all I’ll do!
Amen. I read lots of blogs but rarely comment as it could take all day. I am no longer concerned about how many followers. I have to say I have learned a heat deal about photography, how to blog, etc.. I now do my own thing and I am quite content.
Happy Easter.
Carol
I think that’s why I haven’t been as good a commenter as I used to be. I post every day and I read a lot of blogs and I only have so much time!
I too marvel at the amount of experts both in the blogging world and TV. And, if you yourself know a little something about a particular field it is often apparent that the expert is far from expert. So we have to pick and choose and delete. You have stayed with your mission to write and share and enjoy. And that’s why we’re all still here . Have a happy Easter. Sonja
Happy Easter to you, as well, Sonja!
I so agree, Claudia. Especially about the rules of blogging! I blog because I love to write and love to take photos and would do it anyway even if there weren’t such a thing as ‘blogging.’ Blogging simply makes it easier to share the things that interest me with others. My blog isn’t about following rules but is a reflection of me in a way. Some people like that; some don’t. I’m okay with that. :-)
I think the best blogs, yours included, are those that are a reflection of the blogger.
I love this post!
I got weak in the fingers when I read the part about “maybe a book deal” could come out of blogging. I wold love that if I could get my stories published…but in the mean time, I am gonna keep writing. I can’t seem to stop!
I am with you on how it seems every crafter has a new something on their blog daily that they have finished. I am not fast with my crafting…I would rather take my time and savor it, instead of gulping it down in one bite! So I totally get what you are saying.
Wishing you a lovely day. :)
I like to take my time with my craft projects. The process is a great part of what I enjoy about it all. If I had to turn out a slew of projects for some sort of deadline, I’d go nuts!
Of course, I’d love a book deal, too – but I very much doubt that’s going to happen. Most of them happen for niche bloggers and a fair amount of them go to 30 and 40 somethings!
Your blog is the ONE I come to daily, look forward to around 11:00, and am always greatly rewarded! Not the ones who think they are the experts at everything. Thank you for the daily dose of real!
You are very welcome, Barbara!
Agreed Claudia. I started blogging because of a trip I took to Japan after the earthquake/tsunami. Many knitters and crocheters generously gave items that my son and I took to shelters and distributed. The blog was a way of sharing photos of that trip with the people who gave so generously. I made so many friends there that I continued the blog to keep up with them all. Now I’ve met three lovely ladies for lunches when I’ve traveled to their area and we have become good friends. That’s why I blog. I’m not a great writer, but I cherish the friendships that I have made.
Blessings,
Betsy
The friends that we meet through blogging are such a wonderful benefit – the best, I think.
Spot on Claudia! I read a fair number of blogs daily…and with some it’s the same content…only the name has been changed to protect the innocent! So…I’ve started unsubscribing to them….just not my cup of tea. Most people…bloggers included…are probably only experts in their own lives. And all this social media…it makes my head hurt! I personally do not wish to follow people on Twitter, Facebook, Instagram…and anything else they come up with. I have enough trouble keeping up with my own family! (Guess I was having a bit of a soapbox moment…sorry.) ;)
Not at all, I’m with you on this one! I will not be all caught up in social media. What a time drain!
Oh, I so very much agree with you on all fronts!
Life is well lived when it is off the beaten path, and to the beat of your own drum.
Write because you want to. Write because your soul begs you to. Write because it makes you happy.
I told myself a long time ago, that if I changed just one person’s life with my writing than it’s worth it.
Sending you many blessings this weekend, and thank you for your candor and your truth-telling :)
Jaclyn
I agree. I know I have done that very thing, due to some comments and personal letters that have been sent to me. That is priceless. It brings tears to my eyes. I cannot imagine anything better.
Here, here Claudia…I also don’t claim to be an expert…I got into blogging to share, write and connect with people. I am not good at following so-called rules and so I also ignore those posts. Who are these experts. If you want your blog to be a business, then maybe yes get some ideas from experts but otherwise forget it…When I started blogging I read about stats, so I followed them and made myself crazy…now I don’t and I am glad to write, post, read and share.
Have a lovely weekend…
No more stats for me, either, Donna! Have a wonderful weekend.
I appreciate your comments about blogging which seems to have become a way of life for many. I write because I like it and blogging has given me a discipline and, most importantly, it has helped me pay attention to the world around me. I began blogging because I thought it a good way to stay in touch with friends in both of the places where I live. It hasn’t necessarily netted those results, but it has introduced me to many other fine folks. I’m probably never going to become a top blogger or do much to increase readership or make any money as a result, but that’s OK. I’m happy to share what interests me and grateful to those who find it worth reading. I do use some of the social media, primarily FB, because that’s the way some of my friends connect. It has not been a way to build readership.
I use Facebook as well – for this blog, yes, but mostly to stay connected to old friends, family, actors I’ve worked with and students I’ve taught. It’s been a great thing for me. I agree about the discipline of writing and blogging – that has been essential for me.
Oh, Claudia! The bloggers who write of book deals…. so many of them cannot correctly use to, two, too ~ or their, there, they’re ~ and they are usually the ones who write: “I could of laughed/ instead of I could have laughed” in their posts. I know I am of a different generation, and we learned and reviewed grammar rules in school every single year, but what in the world??
And that young family who just added a baby…. they appear to be honest and truly hard-working DIY’ers who invite us into a small portion of their daily lives. So much fun to watch their family grow…. as opposed to the bloggers who are constantly and proudly telling us how crazy their kids make them, that they don’t cook meals but rather order take-out or go out to eat every day, haven’t had a meal at their kitchen or dining room table in months because they are piled high with junk…but…. they redecorate their mantle weekly and are involved in some decorating challenge every other week.
What do they DO with all their “stuff” that they are constantly changing out? And I swear they are taking their Christmas trees (usually 8 or more!!) and decorations down as their children are opening gifts ~~ only so they can redecorate the entire house for New Year’s and then on to Val Day. I have un-subscribed to so many of them as they really just make me tired….not inspired.
WOW! That was a rant!! What we ask of you is that you (please) don’t change your manner of blogging. I think it is safe to say that we know you won’t, and for that we are happy!!
Oh, don’t get me started on grammar and spelling, Chris!
The Young House Love bloggers are truly wonderful people, honest and self-effacing and I love what they do. They definitely work hard at what they do and they provide valuable tips and information. Those who left comments as to their post announcing the birth of their new baby are simply clueless. When will people realize that that kind of comment isn’t useful and is, in fact, hurtful and that most readers want to know more about the blogger? We want to share in their joy and sorrow.
Love your rant and I’ll wager most of the readers of this blog agree with you.
xo
Amen and hallejuah, Claudia. I LOVE what you said here, especially about all the self-proclaimed “experts” that abound these days – and the population explosion in the blogging world. What I’m wondering [and worrying about] is… will these days someday be known as the Golden Age of the Internet? Yikes. Hope you, Don & Scoutie, have a wonderful weekend and Easter!
I hope not, in answer to your question, Janet. Will these days go the way of bookstores and record stores and writing letters? Have a wonderful weekend, my friend.
I agree and well said. I’ve ranted about this before and I’m just happy with my blog and my blog friends and don’t care a hoot about the ‘big’ bloggers that wouldn’t know me if I commented daily on their blog. That is not what it is about for me. Friendship and lives to share are what I’ve discovered by blogging. As for the credit issues, I’m getting where it’s like…oh OK, so I’ll check my account and be careful. Back to cash? I hate to carry a lot of cash but who knows it might be where we are headed again.
Have a great Easter weekend Claudia!
hugs,
Linda
I sure don’t want to carry a lot of cash, either, Linda. Have a wonderful Easter!
Claudia
I check my email in the morning with my first thot towards your beautiful blog! Please don’t change! It’s like having a little chat with a friend with no thot of having to do this or that but just enjoying the time!
Karen
I won’t change, I promise!
Oh Claudia, I sooo agree with everything that you have just said!!! I have gotten to the point that I am unsubscribing to many blogs because they have become sales flyers for one company or another! I do understand that many of the young women who are blogging now are trying to supplement their incomes so that they can stay home with their children and I support that; it is important…but the blogs that I am drawn to are the ones like yours; personal, like getting to know a new friend! Sharing thoughts and Life, joyful times and sad times, trials and challenges ,hobbies etc.
As for the security breaches, I am with you! With Target I panicked a little!! But now I hear about it daily!! There is only so much that you can do! For a moment yesterday I even thought about not ordering my new Lindsey-Phillips sandals online because of this! But I will, and I will continue to shop at Target and Michaels and other places, because I do not want to stop living life on my terms! Because of people like that!
I Love your blog just the way it is!
Thanks for this timely post!
I Hope you and Don have a beautiful, blessed Easter! Hope Scout will get a basket from the Easter Bunny!!!
Debbi
I totally understand wanting to earn a living from blogging – I wish that I could! But I would have to be a ‘niche’ blogger and that would be doing something that is not the real me. It would mean doing things because I have to rather than because I want to.
Love what you had to say about not wanting to stop living life because of these security breaches. Then we’re giving them power, aren’t we?
Take care.
A resounding amen! I used to follow several blogs until they all started to look alike. I now only follow your blog on a daily basis. I appreciate your originality, your honesty, and your commitment to keep it real.
I hope you, Don and Scout haved a blessed Easter.
Many of them look very much alike these days. One morphs into another and that one morphs into yet another!
Happy Easter!
LOL for Chris K in Wisconsin ( BUST out laughing at her comment ) don’t forget dinning room versus dining room I have seen so much of that over the last year or so and it still amazes me :)
I laughed out loud as well, Deb!
I once wrote a post about dinning vs. dining – I see it on lots of blogs and on Craigs List, as well. Drives me nuts!
I always look forward to seeing what you have written each day and find it refreshing that you are not doing the “here is how I decorated this today” or “here is my great project”. An occasional update of what you’ve changed in your decor, etc. is fun to read about and see the pictures but doing it every week is overwhelming. I can see my family going nuts if I moved everything around every week! I’ve been skipping a lot of those blogs recently and never thought about unsubscribing until I saw it mentioned here — maybe that’s an option I should consider and look for more homey and friendly personal blogs to follow.
Not to mention – where do people get the money to do all this stuff? How many cans of Chalk Paint can you buy at $30 a pop?
If anyone gets into my bank account..they will probably feel sorry for me and deposit some money..lol..As for your blog..it’s just like Billy Joel said..”I Love You Just The Way You Are”..
Oh yeah..Happy Easter to Claudia, Don and pretty little Scoutie..Hugs to you all!!!
Me too – good luck applying for credit, I say. Or getting anything out of my bank account! Happy Easter, Nancy!
I do not have a blog myself. Being retired, I enjoy reading the blogs of others. I have my standard favorite blogs, yours is one. I like to check them out to see what “my blog friends” are doing, what is new, peeking into their homes, decorating ideas, etc. I sometimes gain information and ideas from them. They are for fun and enjoyment and I do not want complication in my life at this point. Please keep blogging because I enjoy reading about your careers, Scout, love your pottery collection and the doll house.
Happy weekend
Shirley
I will definitely keep blogging, Shirley. Love your name. It’s my mom’s name, too.
Ahem…
Smiles,Dottie
Ahem? Hmmm. (Not sure what that means!)
Thanks, Dottie. Happy Easter!
Amen Claudia, amen! Also, enjoyed yesterday’s post on yet more egg cups (which I just caught up with today). You do have a gorgeous collection. And, finally, nice to see a photo of your flowers without snow on the ground! Hope your weekend is a good one!
Oh, isn’t it nice to see flowers? Just a few daffodils and the beginnings of my hyacinths, but yay!
Claudia, I always save your blog for last, because it is my favorite. I mostly click on a blog and if it is a repeat of all the past posts I just delete it and go on. I have a blog, but haven’t posted since 2012? LOL I wanted to blog and then I started seeing how there were so many “rules” to follow and blogging was a business, not a fun thing. There were blog seminars, blog conventions, blog parties etc. I got scared off, because I thought I couldn’t ever measure up. I love your blog and your simple conversations. I will keep coming back and back and back. Thank you.
Sandra
Amen sister! :-)
Claudia, I read your blog for the “sheer pleasure” of it! I am a purist, like you, when it comes to “blogging and blogs”.
With that being said, I only read blogs that still have the original idea of what a blog is supposed to be – enjoyable,
informative, and if you’re lucky, making a new friend! Happy Easter!
I think a lot of people have left blogging because it became too much like work. They put all this pressure on themselves to post daily, have detailed tutorials with lots of photos, and have lots of followers (which also meant they had to spend 24/7 visiting other blogs so they’d visit them.) I chose early on not to get into that rut. It’s one of the reasons I follow blogs anonymously. Yes, I”m sure people don’t follow me because they don’t see me following them, but it also leaves me free of feeling obligated. I can add and drop blogs and not have to worry about hurt feelings. Besides, I think some people don’t thoroughly read what’s written because they’re in a hurry to visit as many blogs as possible. You can tell by the comments. I can understand numbers if it’s a business and some blogs have evolved into businesses for their writers. I still enjoy some of those blogs, but if they’re so heavy with ads that it takes time to load or pop ups appear…I’m probably gone. I read and post as time allows, but real life gets in the way sometimes. I can go weeks without reading and posting. I just follow my own rules. :)
I’m sitting here with a big smile on my face because you have the gift of words. You sometimes say exactly what I’m thinking but don’t know exactly how to put on “paper”. OK, on the computer screen. Especially with what you said about blogging. I only blog for the sheer pleasure of it – I’m not in competition with anyone else, I don’t care if my photos get pinned or not, I don’t tweet about my posts, I don’t even have a FB page for my blog (just my personal FB page). I have actually stopped following a lot of the very “popular” blogs because they don’t have meaning behind them anymore. It’s all just another competitive post about receiving another piece of furniture or rug or mirror from _____ (insert your choice – Ballard Designs, Pottery Barn, Joss and Main) and how they used it in their room. Their houses are even all starting to look the same. (Yawn.) I like the blogs where you can actually get to know the person behind it – hearing about their everyday life, decorating on a “real” budget, etc. Yours has always been one of my faves. Continue keeping it real, Claudia! :-)
Hi Claudia
I’m still a ‘baby’ in this great, BIG blogosphere, and I will remain a baby, if that means that I won’t, (deliberately), ‘mature’ into what may be ‘expected’ of my little, personal space in which I share my thoughts, my pics and my experiences, and that’s just fine with me! In fact, I so enjoy the contact between bloggers in the smaller, more personal blogs, where individuality shines through both in their creators and those who visit them.
Happy Easter!
xo
Poppy
Everybody shouts: “I’m here, I’m here! Can’t you see me?”. They send signals like a beacon. It seems to me that everybody is suffering from ADS.
I love reading your post, Claudia. There are some really good people out there too. :-) Happy Easter! Regula
Great post Claudia.
As you and I started blogging around the same time, all those years back, we’ve definitely seen huge changes, many not for the better. I’m one of the old school who has never changed much. My blog is simple but hopefully easy to view compared to the more complicated layouts I see nowadays. I just muddle along trying to keep up with my old friends made here, several I’ve managed to meet in person (love that part), and just share day to day stuff in a low key way with a bit of humor thrown in. I don’t do ads, I’m not on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram (much to the grandchildren’s dismay) – I don’t have time or the inclination to do more. I’ve always felt my blog is just my way of journaling in a creative way, sharing the everyday with photos, be it the garden, treasure hunting at the thrift shops, or traveling the world to those amazing distant places I’ve been privy to adventure to thanks to my best friend or my DH. I have a large family but don’t share much about them here, why complicate things! So, this is what you’ll continue to get from me, the same stuff on a new day and in a new way – different flowers bursting forth, a newly discovered recipe I think someone may enjoy, a ‘find’ at the antiques shop that brings joy when looking at it or dusting it, LOL!
Love and hugs to you, Don and Scout – and please stay just the way you are.
Your old – in many ways – blog buddy!
Mary xxx
AMEN!
Love your blog, because you share about your life and don’t have a project every day. I don’t read blogs that are like that. Agree with you! I don’t blog myself, tried years ago, but it was short-lived. Enjoy the reading end of things….
Claudia — as a relatively new blogger, it’s been a struggle for me. I love writing how-tos, but can’t put out a new one daily or sometimes even weekly. Perhaps it’s because ill only post original projects. (I know, how radical).