Monetize Your Life
As it happens I have an alter ego who writes at mydl, which is the geekronym for My digital life a South African digital lifestyle blogging site which I contribute to. The last week has been extremely emotionally charged with many of those problems that we South Africans tend to avoid bubbling to the surface. For those not living within our lovely border , shame on you!! Ok now that I’ve got that out of my system essentially what’s happened is Canada has granted political asylum to Brandon Huntley, a South African national living in Canada illegally. See more in my post Canadians must not be very clever just ask Brandon Huntley
The Issues in a Nutshell
- Brandon Huntley is a white South African
- Brandon Huntley claims to have been the victim of violent crime at the hands of black criminals on seven occasions, but never reported any of these crimes to the South African police
- The Canadian panel hears Brandon Huntley’s representations and finds:
- Brandon Huntley is being persecuted in his home country because of his race
- The government in South Africa is unable and unwilling to protect white South Africans like Brandon Huntley
- Brandon Huntley would not be safe returning to South Africa because “ no matter where he went in South Africa he would stick out like a sore thumb”
For more on this see the link above to my post on mydl. What I’m here to discuss is the manner in which this story brought to the surface a number of issues which we as a country have just been to damn polite to discuss.
Racism is still rife in South Africa
I think the most important lesson I’ve learnt this week is that racism is still alive and kicking in South Africa. The large number of hateful and absurdly ignorant comments that flew back and forth this week really knocked the stuffing out of me until I realized, Brandon Huntley might just be the savior of our democracy. Brandon Huntley and he’s sneaky underhanded attempt to remain in Canada has started a dialog that should have begun 15 years ago. We need to release the pressure bubbling below the lid of political correctness and give space for expression of ideas we dislike and disapprove of. Brandon Huntley and his cheap trick which is now under judicial review in Canada has given a voice to racism and I’m actually happy to hear it.
Lessons on Managing comment flaming
For me everyday on mydl is a learning experience and never more so than this week past. Some of the best lessons which I think apply to any kind comment flaming on blogs or in normal social :
- Shut up, the more distasteful the comment the more closely you should listen, when you start listening you open the door for understanding always remember discussions via comments are public affairs
- Ask questions, make sure you understand the other persons point of view once they’ve stated it
- Be respectful, anyone can shout and scream and use profanity, when you do it you take away from your credibility and alienate your audience
- I mention this seperately because well it happens a lot don’t call people names
Once you’ve called someone idiotic it’s unlikely they’re going to listen you again no matter how compelling your argument. - Pause, try not to reply while your emotions are running high take some time and reply when you’re calm
- Do reply thoroughly citing references where possible
- Do acknowledge when people with differing opinons to you make compelling arguments
- Don’t be afraid to quit while you’re ahead or even if you’re behind, some arguments simply become childish mud slinging matches. Don’t let your ego rule you, remember why the discussion started and if the discussion has become trivial walk away, continuing will only take away from your brand.
- Over and above all that forget about winnng! It’s not a game state your case and move on.
Some very tasty comment discussions and lots of lessons on how not to handle comments:
- Stop thinking like Hitler
- Crime is because of Apartheid
- The white Racist thanks you
- Canadian refugee Brandon Huntley and the deafening silence of the opposition
So you visited my site or another blog and would like to pop in more often and keep track of the content on the site. So you add the site as a bookmark and Bob’s your father’s brother. Except what if you wanted to be notified when new content is added or existing content is updated. Well you can by subscribing to the RSS feed but what the heck is an RSS feed?
What is RSS
RSS feeds are the answer to the modern internet. The internet is all grown up and with the growth of broadband across the planet we have as a planet access to more information faster than at any time in history. We are no longer limited by our technology but by time we have available. RSS feeds are a result of the change in the face of technology allowing content on the internet to change constantly. The internet as you know it will not be the same in 5 minutes time and has probably changed fairly drastically in the last 60 seconds. RSS feeds were designed with this in mind, the dynamic web a web in constant flux. A static bookmark is no longer sufficient for a website who may add and update content many times an hour. We need content as and when it changes RSS delivers your internet right to your browser in real time.
RSS means Really Simple Syndication
The syndication bit simply means the delivery of media and the really simple is what RSS is.
Now you:
- No Longer need to check for updates when a site is updated your RSS feed gets updated automatically
- No longer need to navigate to each site you regularly read the content is right there when you open your RSS feed reader
- Can receive breaking news as and when it happens
- Drastically reduce the time you need to spend on the internet
- Drastically increase the amount of media you can consume
I have included an additional video as well as text guides on how to use RSS feeds all of which are quite comprehensive, in the resources at the end of the post should anything still be unclear.
How to use RSS
- Get an RSS reader there are a plethora of RSS readers on the market for sale and for free I suggest starting with a free reader like Google Reader
- Once you’ve found a RSS feed you’d like to subscribe to click on the RSS icon.
- If there is a drop down select your reader if not you should see a screen similar to the one below where you’ll be able to choose your preferred RSS reader.
- Go back to Google reader and you should see the latest posts from the RSS feed you’ve subscribed to in Google Reader
That is as they say is that. Rinse and repeat for every site RSS you’d like to add and a come back daily and keep track of your important sites as and when they change.
How to Use RSS Feeds More Resources:
- What is RSS? by Darren Rowse – a great look at why and how to use RSS feeds
- Getting Started with RSS by Paul Stamatiou – A great guide to using RSS from PaulStamatiou.com (found via LifeHacker)
- How to Explain RSS the Oprah Way
Everything you need to know about RSS feeds and feed readers is included in the this guide on how to use RSS.
Internet: Useful Tips:
RSS In Plain English
Subscribe to my blog via RSS now 
One of the many pasttimes I took up during the last two years of my transformation has been teaching myself to play the guitar. I am no John Mayer but I think I’ve established a fair degree of proficiency considering the fact that I’ve had very little time to dedicate my instrument. While I learnt to play the guitar the guitar also taught me some lessons about life.
- There is no substitute for practice. You need to put the hours in building up those calluses hitting the wrong strings. Until you have you’ll never gain mastery of your instrument. It is said that you need to 10000 hours of practice to attain mastery of any skill. The only way to get there is one hour at a time.
- You get what you practice. Make sure that when you’re practicing you’re practicing playing the correct way. Your body doesn’t know the difference between the correct way to play and the incorrect. Avoid shortcuts learn the correct form. Practice using the correct form, pay the price now and you’ll reap the benefits down the line. Similarly in life if you spend your time practicing and focusing on bad behaviors don’t be surprised when you become really good at being bad.
- Two hands acting as one. Playing the guitar is a true lesson in synergy neither hand can achieve individually what they can achieve together. Playing with feeling can only happen when your hands move as one. Each knowing the position of the other. There is an economy of movement a grace to the guitarist movement that should be a guide to all of us. The guitarist moves his hands no more than he must to get to the next note. Ensuring that he is able to give voice to each beat and to give each beat life. Live your life this way. The only way to succeed is when you are able to find this inner synergy.
- Timing is everything. Playing music is all about keeping time. The guitarist needs keep his playing in time with the rhythm. Within the constraints of the rhythm the guitarist has complete freedom to explore himself within the music. Similarly in life there are immutable laws like timing which we cannot change but we can rule our lives within them if we only open our eyes and ears to see them.
- Less Haste and more Speed. The Guitarist like any musician understands that speed is key it’s not about knowing what note to play but rather it’s about knowing when to play what not. Music is a rich tapestry of sound and silence. Knowing when to keep quiet is often as important as knowing when to play. Don’t rush your playing. When you’re truly invested in playing much like when you’re fully invested in living you will feel the urge to hurry along. Resist this urge remember the right note at the wrong time is as destructive as the wrong note at the right time
At the end of a strange year even by my standards, I found myself proverbially flipping through the pages of this blog and looking back on all the posts of 2009. I forget sometimes how random the frothing rantings of a mad man can seem.
I hope you guys found some entertainment and hopefully a helpful idea or passage from time to time, reading all these posts now is strangely personal. It’s very much like a journal of the year, each post reminding me of a year that has been. A full stop in the paragraph that is my life.
This blogging business can’t help but be personal. The more I look at the time I spend and the record I’m leaving, I know that this blog will become a pillar for me in 2010. We get out what we put into our work. I plan to achieve a lot on this blog in 2010 and in return am steeling myself for a lot of hard work and dedication.
Lessons I learnt in 2009
- Blogging is a social event not a post or a blog, writing a post is only the start
- Get your own domain
- Learn enough HTML to break your site
- Then go learn some more to fix it
- Blogging is the disease and the cure – pour hours into your blog for little gain when you begin and soon you’ll be pouring hours into your blog for not much more gain
- Write often
- Write clearly
- Involve your family and friends or suffer the consequences it’s tough out there on your own
- Give what you hope to receive
- Spend less time on design and more on content – no one ever said “well that was a life changing message, but can you believe that font, I’m never coming back here!”
- Don’t be to proud to ask
- Don’t re-invent the wheel
- Social media is your friend
It wouldn’t be New Year’s if I didn’t have regrets. ~William Thomas
Many of you are new and probably missed a lot of monetize so here’s a quick recap of 2009 on Monetize Your Life .
Top 5 posts by Unique visits
- Evernote Review
- How I use Evernote
- Refocus on your goals with goal tracking tools
- SEO – Your writing Should Engage Others
- Conquer your fear of success
Top 5 posts by comments
- SEO – Your writing Should Engage Others
- What’s more important what’s Right or getting caught
- Enjoy 60 Good Seconds with me – Beginner meditation in 60 seconds
- Using Evernote: How I process my Stuff
- Oh how I love Spam! Lessons on accepting what Is in your life
Top 5 blogs I read
With that I am now officially back from my end of year break will put the year that was to bed. Let’s Boldly go into 2010, where no one has gone before.
An optimist stays up until midnight to see the new year in. A pessimist stays up to make sure the old year leaves. ~Bill Vaughan
Onward and upward.
Image Credits
Finding It Hard to Get Evernote To Do What YOU Want?
Master Evernote in just one day and take charge of Your Desk, with Evernote Essentials!
Click Here To Get Evernote Essentials Now!Translator
Sign Up to the Monetize Newsletter and receive your FREE
Gift
- @ninovsky87 @martinaG7 you are on twitter, yay!! :))) It has been 3,5 years since we met in São Paulo. I am going to Italy soon :)))
- @emilianacerqra Lembre-se tb do botão unfollow, bj RT @DanniLusa "Aff você só twitta coisas idiotas" - Amg, aqui é Twitter, lembre-se disso. Abraço.
- @pedrofazano RT @pacoragageles: Declaração Universal do espírito campuseiro #soycampusero #cpbr5iloveU http://t.co/a0cBslKc
- @_arod RT @nickthune: This was taken during his locker room speech before the game to tonight. #littlegiants Rt @APpress http://t.co/WgyC8OsS
- @Turtleexo @graychats I hit 300 awhile ago because of a bunch of twitter spam bots
Take a Technology Fast and Remember How Freedom feels
I was reminded of my love for that warmth and the sound of that silence last week when some genius in a Coca Cola truck flattened a fairly important pole down the road from me. Plunged into darkness I found myself free. Free from the temptation of the television, free of the drone of the technology, my apartment walls looking a alive as the shadows crept up and down the walls as if chased by the candlelight.
I ended up reading most of the evening in the silence time seemed to be feeling a bit soppy and enveloped me and instead of running away from me as it’s been known to do, we proceeded through the evening in a sweet embrace. For once I didn’t feel rushed or anxious. Technology withdrew and calm descended in the space it left behind.
Continue reading »