Blogging communications

BLOGGING COMMUNICATIONS

Most bloggers – to state the obvious – feel they have something to say.

They want to pass on to others – some angle on a particular subject that they consider others should hear or receive.

The subjects bloggers share about – are of course numerous.

But everyone wishes to communicate or pass on their ‘findings’.

Is anyone ‘convinced’?

They are – if they buy the product, put the given advice into operation in their life, put into practice the health suggestions, take on board the ‘how to’ demonstrated, learn from an instruction, enjoy the communication and store it away in the grey matter, implement some lifestyle change – and so on.

This is part of what makes the world go round. We humans want to communicate. Share our lives in more ways than one.

We all follow certain interests. That’s what clubs are for. That’s what organisations are about. Communicating and sharing and agreeing that certain things are worthwhile, important, or just plane good fun.

Then there is political beliefs. So, some, in the party of their persuasion, join the campaign at elections. Throw their ‘lot in’ with a given crowd of fellow adherents.

Then there is sport and the teams we support. We all like to be part of a particular ‘clan’.

So to be part-off, to give one’s opinion, to ‘present our case’, to seek to influence – is common to all (we hear the term ‘influencers’ more than ever).

All of this is part of the human race’s mental make-up.

Then perhaps in recognition of this, and with a desire to be ‘different’, – some looking for the alternative – go for seclusion. 

‘Let’s get out of here, ‘let’s leave this rat race’. So the path of non-communication and social escape is sought through reclusiveness. (Off grid etc.)

Various religious orders accommodate this approach to life.

But one thing we can say is that God Himself has always communicated with mankind. Even after mankind chose to disobey what He said, God still communicates through His leaders and prophets, and ultimately through His Son. (Heb. 1/2).

So the desire to communicate, is part then, of God’s personality also.

What is the most important thing one person could communicate to another? Do we need to know a particular scenario first, in order to answer such a question?

i.e. the most important thing will be whatever the given scenario calls for?

For Christians the most important piece of communication in existence is John 3/16-17:

16 For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life. 17 For God did not send His Son into the world to condemn the world, but that the world through Him might be saved.

This covers all scenarios, problems, or difficulties. All catastrophes, illnesses, heartbreaking experiences. All loss, all hurt, pain, disappointment, turmoil and confusion.

This is the most important communication in existence – in all life or death situations.

Conversely there are communications to be shunned and rejected.

I Timothy 4/

7 But reject profane and old wives’ fables, and exercise yourself toward godliness. 8 For bodily exercise profits a little, but godliness is profitable for all things, having promise of the life that now is and of that which is to come.

I have highlighted in bold, in this verse the reason John 3/16-17 is the most important communication on the planet:-

having promise of the life that now is and of that which is to come.

This blogging thing…

Imaginary landscape – felt tips – by Ken Riddles

This blogging thing…

I don’t know about anyone else, but I am well past the ‘new fangled-ness’ of blogging.

Past the ‘what must I do to improve the spread of my posts’.

I have never made much effort in the promotion department.

I know it is a recurring topic with some bloggers, how to get the hits, the likes, the comments, the thumbs up etc.

There are of course, blogs on how best to blog.

But I’m afraid I have settled into an average eleven-likes syndrome, and reception of the odd comment.

I’m kind of resigned to the idea that whoever needs to, will stop by.

As a matter of interest when I show my paintings I will get the most likes. Rightly or wrongly I put this down to the readers needing the least amount of effort when deciding to hit the like button.

All that is needed is a few momentary glances at a painting, and bam! Moving on already to another blogger.

Those who are hungry for God’s truth, I hope will find Christian feeding on seedsinmotion, and those who like words for words sake might find a few poems to enjoy. Accessible ones, and not so accessible, fun poems, serious poems, Christian message poems, quirky poems.

Paintings?

Intuitive paintings, abstract, semi-abstract, naturalistic, expressionistic, designs, the descriptive terms could go on…

As I am writing this, I’m thinking it should be an ‘About’ – but when I look at my statistics (I look at these once in a blue moon) – I seem to have 728 followers (I thought it was more, but haven’t looked for a year or two). I guess we can lose followers – is that right?

And as I do not often ‘follow back’, that would be no surprise 😍.

So this blogging thing, – well – we just must – isn’t that right…?

Blogging – what again!?

Blogging – what again?

Just a note (or two) on blogging.

I don’t know if it is a ‘leftover’ from having lived a few previous decades before this one – long enough in fact, to not be totally enamoured with our IT/computerised-village-green communication substitute – world.

Where everyone meets online – rather than sitting on a bench in the village square.

This square or oblong glassed fish tank in front of us bloggers, robs us of the sweetness of actual live, in-the-flesh, camaraderie meet-ups — for the exchange of news and ideas by orally traditional means.

All kinds of other by-products being the result of this front-of-screen fellowship. With the resulting lose of many precious human face-to-face communicative experiences.

Like the proverbial ‘nod-and-a-wink’, ‘audible mutual hearty laughter’, ‘would you like a sweetie (candy)?’, ‘the look on your face – ha ha ha!’, ‘physical pats on the back’, ‘the ‘actual colour’ observation of the sweater you are wearing’ and so on. 

I’m not putting this loss down to Covid – which only added to the drift of how humans are separating and substituting basic great-connecting-bliss, for something much less and Zombie-ish – practices.

I’m just going to stop there. As I am getting way off my real reason for this short post. Laughing at my own detour.

So take the above as the pontification of a gentleman who is as young as you – but a lot older. (😅)

Blogging: – we all (I think) have run the full gamut of thoughts that come and go over the period of time we have been blogging.

One by one a lot of the thoughts that might cause us to do things differently – disappear – without any action being taken.

There are of course still plenty of ‘how to’ posts to be found on all the passing queries that have entered and exited our minds, with regard to the whole subject of ‘to blog or not to blog that is the question’

How to increase traffic for instance and…

To prove my point I will now stop there at the ‘…’

I will refrain from mentioning all the other blog facts and factors, outlooks and recommended actions, forsaking the desire to sound like I have brilliantly covered the subject to the applause of the balcony.

Not hard to forsake my measly knowledge on the subject.

I am in fact ‘a mole and I live in a hole’.

My hole is a pleasant one – where I reflect on better times. Maybe I’m talking of my man cave? My time warp man cave.

Is it an actual Man Cave you might ask?

No, just rather, a place of comfort via reminiscing.

Maybe if someone just reblogged my stuff ad infinitum, that would save me from having to enter the 21st century and actually do something to ‘promote’ this blog?

What you hear is someone who has drifted into doing his post every few days (and little else technically).

Still – one must write – and here I could give you all kinds of reasons why I must, as you could – me.

So is there anything new under the blogging sun?

Yes – your next post.

My name’s Ken from…

by Ken Riddles

My name’s Ken from…

I have been blogging since 2015. I’m not exactly a technophobe – but can think of better things to do with my time 😎.

By so stating I’m indirectly communicating that I take minimal interest in my ’stats’ regarding followers, viewers, etc. I commented recently to a fellow-blogger that I look at my stats about once a year! ☺️

A bit of a tongue-in-cheek remark but more or less true.🙂

[Notice: that is three emoji’s in a row. A record!]

Initially I posted my paintings more or less – all of the time.

Then I removed all paintings and settled for posting my Christian teachings, and poems, with the odd painting still displayed.

This is more or less how things are at the moment.

My idea back when I starting blogging was to let the work speak for itself. No need to proclaim ‘boring’ details about myself (?).

So that the art, the art appreciation, the poems, the Christian teaching would stand (or fall) on their own merit.

Up until this point little to no, personal references as to who I am, where I live, what I do (daily life), has been revealed.

I’ve decided to share along the above lines. I feel another emoji coming – 💡

My name is…

Well that’s already been revealed

What hasn’t been revealed is that I hail from Northern Ireland, that six county province on the island of Ireland.

[Maybe this ‘whereabouts reveal’ – comes as no surprise – maybe ‘I thought so’ might have crossed your mind – or you remain non-plussed either way?]

What has been revealed before, is that I married my sweetheart from The Netherlands. We celebrated our fortieth wedding anniversary back in March.

Other snippets of ‘identity’ can be found somewhere in the fog of old blog posts.

I came to a revelation of The Lord Jesus Christ on the 20th November, 1970, when I was overwhelmed by the Presence of God. And fell to my knees in repentance in my bedroom, in a little terrace house in Belfast. The house and therefore the room no longer exist.

The house was demolished many years ago, as part of the redevelopment of the area.

So I was born in one of the three upstairs rooms. And was born again in one of the two remaining.

[Mostly natural births today, in western culture, are in hospital wards as you know – although don’t quote me].

So what difference does this beginning of further information make?

I’ve no idea.

But I must confess I find the personal story of others – interesting. So maybe time to explore that approach in some writing.

That’s about it – carry on eating your lunch. Any questions?

No? Well, have a nice day.

Posting

POSTING 2021

Choosing what to post, is an exercise that all bloggers obviously and necessarily go through – pre-next posting.

Do we consider our ‘audience’ when doing so? We might ask: ‘What’s the point of posting on a topic that is contrary to the world view of the majority of our ‘followers’?’

Are we posting in order to sell snow to the inuits? Or e.g. In the politics of a certain nation – Are we posting to ‘Republicans’ sharing ‘Democrat(ic)’ things? Or are we perhaps breaking into everybody and anybody’s world view in order to direct them to our own? Are we out to convince them? Are we simply wanting to share what is – a joy to, or at least of interest to – us?

And so on… we could reason, as to the what’s, when’s and wherefore’s of our decision making process, in the context of audience.

How about we all agree as bloggers to give each blogger a day, and on that day we shall all visit their blog, and refrain from posting anything ourselves, on that very same day?

Wow! – they would get some traffic right? 😎

At this point I have to confess – I am not sure where this preamble is going…

So let me change gear and include the introduction of a change of thought, but related.

THE ‘OLD POSTS’ dilemma?

I’m sure someone will answer this. What do you do with OLD POSTS? Do you delete them?

Are we realistic about the fact that people will not take the time to search through our blogs to find them?

Old Posts have had their day?

No – not if never read by someone before…

But there/here, they ‘lie’ unattended to, like paintings in an art gallery vault – locked in the basement and never seeing the light of day.

What shall we do? Delete them?

Well, someone might tell me what they think?

Before I hit the delete button….

FARCE – QUESTION…?

FARCE – QUESTION…?

We interrupt this program to ask a question:

Can anyone tell me if it is possible to set your WordPress account up so that it automatically likes every post you receive notification about, from a given blogger?

So that someone who never reads your posts – has it rigged so that he automatically hits your LIKE button?

If so what a farce. 🥸

Blogging millions

BLOGGING MILLIONS

I was thinking the other day about blogging.

I checked out the numbers. Here is what I found, not an exact science it would seem:

Here’s a quote I came across:

Exactly how many blogs there are in the world is difficult to know, but what’s clear is that blogs online number in the hundreds of millions. The total number of blogs on Tumblr, Squarespace, and WordPress alone equals over 440 million. In actuality, the total number of blogs in the world likely greatly exceeds this number.

Also someone suggested the following:

Tumbler = 440 billion blogs

Blogging has been on the go for quite some time. And I hear a scriptural injunction amidst the fact, that there are so many:

…There are, it may be, so many kinds of languages in the world, and none of them is without significance.

This is part of a particular context of course, but nevertheless it is a statement in itself.

All speech is significant. All languages are necessary. Most subjects have some value. All blogs have something to say. 

Stripping it back even further – everyone wants to communicate to their fellow man.

So much so that there are hundreds of millions who want to do so.

I find this interesting/intriguing. And ask myself why I too wish to blog post?

Can we say – we are just made that way (?).

We can’t help it – as it were.

I write poetry because ‘I can’t help it’. I paint pictures because ‘I can’t help it’. I want to communicate because that’s how I [and all of us (?)] are made.

Communication is like breathing, – necessary, and it’s absence is deadly.

Even reclusive-type humans – communicate with themselves. We can’t switch our brains off, and stay alive.

I stop and think this over again.

In another way it is quite inexplicable.

How many really know why they must write their posts? Why do you do it?

I guess there are many reasons.

Do we seek the agreement of others? Do we hope to gain financially? Are we commissioned to pass on our message? Are we looking for admiration? Are we trying to help others? Do we want to be part of a ‘mutual appreciation’ society? Do we think we are geniuses and the world needs our contribution? Are we lonely and want responses? Are we compelled to promote something – some cause, some belief? Are we enthused about a hobby and seek other members for the club?

Such questions must also be coupled with what we hope to achieve, and that starts another round of questions, about what it is we are trying to accomplish.

Usually what I’ve just written, should end with a personal view or conclusion, in which I share my own reasons for blogging.

But maybe that’s too boring?

And maybe I’m in for a silent admonition from 440+ million – “don’t overthink things”.

Happy Christmas

Seedsinmotion

SEEDSINMOTION

The name of this blog – seedsinmotion – truth – n – art, summed up the way I wished to go in blogging.

I wanted to share the teachings of God’s Word and at the same time, remind us to embrace and enjoy life as it has been given.

Embrace it, for example, through enjoyment of art and writing.

False religion might suggest something different. In former times, visual art seemingly was rejected by some religious folks arresting the scripture that says:

4 Thou shalt not make unto thee any graven image, or any likeness of any thing that is in heaven above, or that is in the earth beneath, or that is in the water under the earth.

Taking it out of context and failing to read the verse before it:

3 Thou shalt have no other gods before me.

Art is not here to be worshipped but certainly enjoyed.

The fact that mankind was created in our Creator’s image suggests to me that mankind should prioritise being creative. Expressing creativeness in various ways, whether in how they lay out their garden, decorate a room, sculpt, or paint etc.

A creative approach to life should be perpetually engaged in.

All without bowing down before any of it – and reserving worship to that same creator, maker of the heavens and the earth.

Let’s make things.

I initially in this blog, almost daily exposed my paintings to ‘the world’. It’s almost two years since I stopped posting my work, in such a prolific way.

Thereafter ‘Likes’ soon diminished, when I stopped. After all it’s easy to view a piece of art rather than patiently explore a written post.

My walk with God is the most important thing in my life. How could it be otherwise?After all…

For what is your life? It is even a vapour that appears for a little time and then vanishes away…(James 4/14)

…away into the arms of a Loving Saviour, if you are a friend of His.

This is how Stephen – a ‘vapour’ like the rest of us, left his body:

Acts 7/29

And they stoned Stephen as he was calling on God and saying, “Lord Jesus, receive my spirit.”

God loves us so much – He so loved the world that He gave…. (Jn. 3/16)

God wants us to look into His personality and nature, and has provided The Word of God – to make that possible.

This brings me to another part of my seedsinmotion blog: TRUTH.

Increasingly TRUTH is an illusive ‘commodity’ in these days.

There has never been so much manifest confusion, in my lifetime.

How difficult it is to hear the truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth.

It seems almost impossible to find it in the words of men. ‘Fake’ has almost replaced real.

Pilate stood before The Christ and asked the question: What is truth?

Pilate said to Him, “What is truth?” And when he had said this, he went out again to the Jews, and said to them, “I find no fault in Him at all…”

Standing before Pilate was the Personification of all truth and he (Pilate) couldn’t see it, he didn’t know it.

And he didn’t find the answer to his question. He did not find the truth, just like many thousands, as we speak.

So this exposes man’s dilemma. There is a blindness that is upon the minds of men. And the blind try to lead the blind – but all fall into the ditch of error and lies.

In this day and age – the biggest carriers of confusion seems to be the politicians on the big world stage.

They can’t agree on what the truth is.

There is so much inconclusive debate going on. There is so much that seems to be the truth, but with insufficient evidence to confirm it.

Indisputable evidence is often a slow train coming.

Meantime, failing to see their own inbuilt bias – many fail to see it is from their inbuilt-bias-held-views – that cause them to fall down on a particular opinion and to conclude it is true.

Even though it should not leave (as yet) the place of mere possibility or suspicion.

A man is innocent until proven guilty.

How about applying that rule to truth seeking?

Truth should be sought still – before randomly attaching the truth label to an unsubstantiated opinion.

It’s easy to conclude something as true for all kinds of reasons often because it feeds into and suits our pre-conceptions, or because it suits us to say it is true, even though it isn’t.

In emotional fervour it is easy to jump to the wrong conclusions.

Many, thinking ‘it’ to be the truth – actually believe a lie.

Christian truth overflows the Bible. I trust it because it is God’s Truth and it makes us free.

It is the only thing on earth to be trusted completely, more than any other writings or any other person.

So I write my seeds of truth.

But also poetry, which can be fictitious, observational, or whatever, and because it is fiction – well, that’s the only time it doesn’t have to be true, in the strictest sense, – is it not?

Maybe each piece of poetry, needs an explanatory proviso, or do we all know, fiction can be true or false?

Fiction can be make believe, and is acceptable, because the author is not trying to deceive us in the real world?

True art is simply an individuals self-expression, i.e. true to themselves. That’s enough for it to be genuine (another idea of true), without plagiarism, but, in my opinion, not necessarily communicative of a given truth, or absolute truth.

Seeds of biblical truth, truth spoken in love, and art – painted, written and spoken poetically, that’s my ‘manifesto’.

Interested?

INTERESTED?

Here we go – perhaps stating the obvious?

I was thinking of things that interest me.

Having mentioned (in a previous  post), the ‘interest’ factor when it comes to what posts people will read.

It must be one of the simplest conclusions one must arrive at, when it comes to examining why your posts and mine receive their quota of ‘likes’, or not as the case may be.

Some posts get a four, and some get a twenty-four for example.

And so the “why?” question.

I still say it is the interest factor. I too will read what catches my attention/interest, and ignore what doesn’t. I quickly glean whether the post is worth pursuing or not.

I think it’s safe to say that, like you (?), the time element also comes into it.

Posts too long, usually get bypassed for that reason.

All because you and I have things to do. We have our own world to engage with. Trying to hit a balance with work, rest, and play. (Let me add pray).

Some excellent writing therefore is bound to be bypassed along the way.

And so good writing is not a deciding factor in what gets read.

Is writing ability over-rated? Well yes and no. Try reading a post by someone who has little writing ability.

Conversely think of the innumerable multitude of decent writers.

Subject matter – is either of interest to you or isn’t. You will read accordingly – or not.

We know that our ‘followers’ total, means little. Please correct me if I’m missing something?

But there are hundreds of my ‘followers’ who have not visited seedsinmotion for a loooong time.

But heh! Neither have I visited them. So who can complain?

Where’s this all leading to?

Actually I suppose this is where promotion comes in.

Those who must have constant attention and traffic etc. – go mad on promotion. All social media outlets taken on board.

Every which way they can – promote, promote, promote.

I feel a spiritual point coming on.

Jesus was the most sought after person on the planet within His sphere of service (Israel).

He had the goods, as we say. He did the opposite to promoting Himself, with sentences such as: 

Then He commanded His disciples that they should tell no one that He was Jesus the Christ.

Now as they came down from the mountain, Jesus commanded them, saying, “Tell the vision to no one until the Son of Man is risen from the dead.”

Then He commanded them that they should tell no one; but the more He commanded them, the more widely they proclaimed it.

Notice the more He told them not to ‘promote’ Him – the more He became famous, and His mighty deeds were noised abroad.

Amongst the many attributes we see demonstrated in the Life of The Lord Jesus Christ – humility comes to mind.

He so had every attribute worthwhile to living life – that all came to have a look. Have a look – and get their needs met.

Now before this becomes another Post, suffice to say – for those who are earning a living online – keep on promoting. I am not earning a living online. So I have no tricks, free mugs or T-shirts, but bid you “have a nice day 😎”

PS (To that one person who is helped by anything I write – you make it all worthwhile)

77

77

I still see the number in my mind’s eye

Exactly as it was

The door is no longer… 

          –

Destroyed in urban clearance

But I still see the number

On gloss-green painted door

All brass shining on its plaque

          –

Where I was born

Gone with the house

That number is fixed

In my mind’s eye

It represents my family

It is the constant

The number on our door

          –

Brass bright – like some ancient landmark

“77” I say it again

Once we enthused

at its sunset strip connection

“77” – brass – polished – by diligent mother

          –

Quickly take me back

Green door – red step

Window sills

Paper mill at the street’s end

Roofs to climb in naughty pursuit

          –

I will ride the imaginary horse

And espy with my little eye

77 glinting in the sun

Branded on my memory

Bygones gone forever

Leaving 77 to shine on

On the green door of my heart

Posting

POSTING

Something by no means unique to a particular blog’s subject matter – is the question of what to put in and what to leave out in a post?

I imagine – Too long a post and we lose readers.(?)

Especially in this instant coffee day and age in which we live.

Attention spans have changed.

When it comes to posts with Christian subject matter in pursuit of readers – here’s how it looks to me:

Many are posting. Many send out the Word of God, hoping and trusting that God will use it in ways we know not of. Based on the scripture that tells us: 

Isaiah 55/

For as the rain comes down, and the snow from heaven,

And do not return there,

But water the earth,

And make it bring forth and bud,

That it may give seed to the sower

And bread to the eater,

11 

So shall My word be that goes forth from My mouth;

It shall not return to Me void,

But it shall accomplish what I please,

And it shall prosper in the thing for which I sent it.

Now of course, for it not to return void (in the sharing of Christian teaching sense) – it must be accepted in the first place by the readers to whom it is sent. Or at least listened to.

For most of my fifty years as a Christian I have sent forth God’s Word – not as prolifically as I would have liked. 

But needing something to describe what I do – I became seedsinmotion. (Preaching, teaching, evangelising, writing)

Most Christians agree that the times we are entering into are times of hardship and a ‘falling away’ is taking place, rather like in the days of Noah.

II Timothy 3/

3 unloving, unforgiving, slanderers, without self-control, brutal, despisers of good, 4 traitors, headstrong, haughty, lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God, 5 having a form of godliness but denying its power. And from such people turn away!

We are also told that there will come a time when: 

For the time will come when they will not endure sound doctrine, but according to their own desires, because they have itching ears, they will heap up for themselves teachers;…

So some will not even get past the title of a Christian post, before they decide it’s not for them.

The preacher gets his listeners on a Sunday morning. Usually an expected ‘ready made’ audience.

But sending out blog posts is potentially hit and miss for bloggers.

Usually having many genuine readers and not just followers, in my opinion, depends on the interest factor or lack of it.

It is not based (again – in my opinion) solely on writing ability.

It is true for myself also – if I am not interested in a particular post – I trash some of my email notifications without even reading the posts in situ.

So I shouldn’t be surprised if others do the same with me.

However there are those I return to again and again for the opposite reason i.e. I’m interested enough to do so.

Also – perhaps to the chagrin of the ‘poster’ – I sometimes read their post in my emails and don’t sign in to click the like button (naughty I know).

There is no doubt Christian or non-Christian when you read a Christian post – you are ‘exposing’ your mind to content that can be used by God to do something inside you. That is the most important thing when it comes to Christian posts.

Not just primarily that you have been educated or informed intellectually but rather: is God saying something personal to you, that you can take into your being, and because of which you allow Him to bring change?

That’s the question you must ask. There is no way of knowing how many ask this question.

And that is something we (i.e. more specifically I) must leave to Our Heavenly Father.

It’s no surprise to me that often my poetry gets more ‘likes’ than posts with Christian subject-matter (though not always). The following scripture explains why non-Christians do not respond to Christian teaching.

However if they respond to the powerful Word of God – they might stop long enough, to examine the claims of Jesus the Christ, and pursue these claims to find salvation and/or the truth making them free!

1 Corinthians 2:14

But the natural man does not receive the things of the Spirit of God, for they are foolishness to him; nor can he know them, because they are spiritually discerned.