It’s been a while. Are you guys still in the game? Anyone here from the class of 2014? Send a message or a comment below. For some of you who don’t know, WordPress.com (based in San Francisco) had a pilot programme of blogging classes, from content writing and weekly photo challenges to social media marketing and photography (Blogging University).
I’m wondering how many of you are still in the blogging game, and what has changed over the last 10+ years.
Maybe it’s time to start The Clubhouse as part of Creative Class/Chat/Writing/etc. (Fulfill your dreams – bold statement on the van, has to be the right message) We can explore new writing themes, some cool ideas, the things that inspire you, and keep your flame alive, or even a specific shift that is happening within the online world.
Do we still use hashtags or not at all?
Regards, Swav.
#BloggingUniversity #WordPress #Class2014
Paintings by Swav 
It has indeed been a while, Swav. Lovely to see pop back in. Still in the game here in blogging space? I guess for me, it’s sometimes ๐Hope you are doing well ๐
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WOW.. Long time.. Thanks for your comment! I remember the picture of interesting books somewhere on your blog. I was thinking the other day about what brought us together into the blogging space in 2014. We had a tremendous wave of inspiration and original creativity. 2014 was one of those years when emerging artists exploded, almost like the biggest bull market ever ๐
Blogging University – Spontaneous movement of creation on the go. It seems like after all those years, most of the traffic has gone into social media platforms… and consumption of content. Blogging, writing equals becoming a librarian ๐ and yet so needed today; otherwise, the world might look like a plastic copy of each other’s content.
I had to focus on the decorating business instead of blogging, but finally most of the big jobs are over, delivered, and snagged, so the creative side might finally be back to life! I also took the time to reflect on the paintings created and gained a deeper meaning in general..
We need a healthy break, to be honest; otherwise nothing grows the way it should. What did you notice over the years, both within and outside the blogging space? What has shifted your perspective the most?
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It is wonderful to hear you have been involved your decorating business with passion from the sounds of it ๐ Social media and bite-sized content seems to be what people are into these days, but there will always be a time and place for blogging and books. I think over the years, we find ourselves asking what is real and what is meaningful online, and for me, I’ve been asking myself what is meaningful that I want to put out there and share ๐
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In general, everyone is an artist because our true nature wants to add something to the collective while shaping the picture of reality at the same time. The heart of an artist is always striving for deeper meaning. When we pause, go for a walk, surrounded by nature, our internal rhythm settles, and then the distinction between ‘beauty/real’ and ‘glamour/fake’ is more obvious, but it might take a bit of practice.
You can always set an intention for the week ahead, or tune into an intention for the day each morning, might help ๐
We have to remember that we are the universe, but sometimes forget to change the radio station we are listening to ๐ ๐ ๐
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fab podcast with John O’Donohue (Inner landscape of beauty) is here: https://onbeing.org/programs/john-odonohue-the-inner-landscape-of-beauty/
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This looks very interesting on the inner landscape of beauty. Thank you for sharing, Swav ๐
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How many draft posts do you have that are unfinished? Share the names. I have quite a few, to be honest.
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My total number is 25, some of the draft post are:
โข Mark The Winemaker (Blogging University)
โข Fingerprints of reality
โข Cosmic Agent
โข The meaning perspective
โข Surrounded by nature of things
โข (What if) Life on earth is…
โข Pure intention
โข One wish
โข The pond
โข Transit
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Popping up here from your comment on my blog. Yes, I do post, once a month.
I do miss photo challenges but I’m not sure if we can get mojo back of the heydays
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Probably not, since the wave is gone and each member of (blogging community) had to make a transition in life. Whoever is left is pure OG!
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True. I see a lot of people using substack because of community for writing.
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The pulse won’t stay the same; the wave always moves (imaginary mountain).. transformation is happening, one way or another, and even the spark needs to find the soil that is ready to sprout a new idea. WordPress has lost ground for a while (only massive Co’s are using it as part of proper PR and marketing) this space might be hibernating for a while until the time is right, who knows? Nothing dies completely out of obligation, only changing the form of medium; could be like the famous phoenix from the ashes, by the way.. interesting story behind Teeling Whiskey (Spirit of Dublin) just ask (intelligence) to dig deeper about it https://www.teelingwhiskey.com/our-home/ ๐ Cheers mate!
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True. Sure will have a look. Are you also based in the same city?
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I think that Substack is for someone who’s able to monetize the content or at least see the vision ahead, while blogging on wordpress (dot) com gives you the freedom to experiment, make mistakes, leave your comment or blog post raw or even unfinished without judgement. The habit of comparison has killed more writers than not writing at all. WordPress.com should advertise itself as a platform to experiment more freely and find your own authentic voice.
There are other mediums as well, but in general it is all about finding the ground for yourself, a quiet pond, river, or the ocean.
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I agree. Even medium offers monetisation. I do see some great writing on substack. Medium hides behind subscription.
WordPress has many benefits. One of the greatest – discoverability by google and freedom as you mentioned.
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