I remember I was quite offended at the time. It was fairly soon after I started my blog in 2014.
Thanks for following my blog. I suppose your blog is an intelligent kind of spam based on the wish of bloggers to let their ego develop on the net.
I have respect for your intelligence and wish you good luck.
(Kind thanks to drwilly of drwillylip.wordpress.com for a most excellent insult)
I came to realise, It’s actually a reasonable comment. A reasonable question to ask oneself. Sometimes criticism may seem harsh, but, it can be some of the best advice one will ever receive.
It’s a question I ask myself when I’m writing or sharing – is what I’m creating enriching people’s experience of life, or am I just creating “Intelligent Spam” ? Am I sharing something people wouldn’t normally see ? Am I distributing information which is interesting ? and so on.
I guess the answer is – it’s subjective, kinda like “beauty is in the eye of the beholder”. I’m FOREVER amazed at what people find interesting and engaging, and in a totally good way. You wouldn’t believe how diverse people’s interests and passions are. In photography for instance, it might be a spider on a spider’s web, or a motorcycle, or a wrinkly old man, which catches someones eye, and they find *real* beauty there. It might be just day-to-day stuff, like things breaking down as they always do (like leaky water filters).
It’s hard choosing which are “the best” out of a 200-300 photos from a “photoshoot”. Yes of course with multiple shots of virtually the same thing one can choose the best one (although with 30 photos of the same thing it’s tough) – out of focus, motion blur, pushing lens beyond it’s ability, photobombers, etc – there’s many factors, and it ends up being quite hard work to narrow it down to even just 75 photos, even harder to 5-10 photos, and then even harder from the full 300 to 1. And even then I still ask myself – are these the right photos ? – did I omit something amazing and beautiful, a photo that would have been highly cherished by someone, somewhere ?
I still don’t know – advice from more pro than I am photographers, on how they do it would be appreciated 🙂
I’ve watched Tony and Chelsea Northrup’s shows on YouTube where they let their audience upload their own photos based on a theme. Then the Northrups review them, give tips etc. But usually, after a while, I see that look on their faces, I know that look, because it’s the same look on my face after looking at 100s of photos – I no longer feel able to decide, like too many decisions in too short a space of time, fried brain.
Is it just a case of pushing though it, and on the other side, one becomes better at it ? Or, is it time for a break, have a coffee or tea, come back to it later ?
Perhaps others can see parallels in their creative processes
Anyway, It’s a triple topic post … So …
If you’re up for more “intelligent spam” or whatever you think I create, from myself, I do also syndicate out to other social media (which might be a more preferred platform for you), so here’s the links :
Twitter – https://twitter.com/don_charisma
Facebook page – https://www.facebook.com/doncharisma.org/
Facebook account – https://www.facebook.com/don.charisma.doncharisma
Tumblr – https://doncharisma.tumblr.com/
Blogspot – https://doncharisma.blogspot.com/
Pinterest – https://www.pinterest.com/doncharisma/
LinkedIn – https://uk.linkedin.com/in/doncharisma
YouTube – https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCzKlrCD9iN4XYWoTBSmBNsA
YouTube2 – https://www.youtube.com/user/DonCharismaTV
My “work” site – https://DonCharisma.com
I also try and keep those links on my Gravitar – http://en.gravatar.com/doncharisma … so should be possible to find the same links here.
Mostly I don’t log in very often to those other platforms (Twitter is utter madness – I call it Shitter), so best to click back to my main site – https://DonCharisma.org (for leaving comments etc).
Here on WordPress.com feels more like home than anywhere else for putting creations out into the world. And I’m glad of the lovely people around me, who are sharing this journey, with me.
Cheers
Don Charisma
Resources & Sources
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Comments
Comments are often welcomed, provided you can string a legible, relevant and polite sentence together. In other cases probably best shared with your therapist, or kept to yourself.
Don Charisma 
Good to see you are still here. 🙂
Good to see you too. 🙂 how are things ?
Moving. WHich is always good. You ?
Turbulent times with Brexit etc. But I’m still hanging on in Thai for now. Coronavirus is a worry, they have thousands of Chinese tourists here.
Turbulent. Yes. Nothing shifts without it. Keep safe. xx
Will do 🙂
I know 😉
Where you moving to ?
Life. Lol. Life is moving. But yes, I moved in May. Still In Shropshire now xx
Ah, well hoping its in a good way for you 🙂
Drop me an email sometime if you feel like it.
May just do that 🙂
I’ll look forward to it then 🙂
I sometimes worry that I’m writing crap, or annoying people by writing too much … but, with anything, if people don’t want to read it then they can simply scroll past. If it interests people, they can read it. If they don’t, they can ignore it. I do sometimes find it upsetting when people post things that I find offensive – usually people who abuse anyone who doesn’t share their personal political viewpoint – but I’ve tried to learn to ignore it, because life’s too short!
Totally. It’s been said that fakestream media are notorious for provocative headlines, it sells newspapers. Not sure if it’s more prevalent on left or right, but have my suspicions !
And yeah, post what you want, it’s your blog at the end of the day. If someone polite wants to disagree, then may strike up a conversation, which is fine for me.
It seems to me there’s an audience for pretty much anything on WP. Some of my most viewed and commented on posts are ones I threw together simply because I needed to post SOMETHING and couldn’t think of anything else. That seems to go for photography, too. Recently, I posted a photo that I nearly tossed because I thought it was pure crap. Wouldn’t you know, that was the one photo that someone asked me to make a print of, for framing purposes. Go figure.
Yes, totally. I sent maybe 75 photos to friends and family … one of them was particularly keen on some broken glass on the floor, that I’d randomly photographed … she usually does pick the odd photos though !
Hello Don
Thank you for sharing your Amazing Post.
You’re welcome, thanks for stopping by.
Cheers
Don
Wow, is it just me who was away from blogging most of the time that I probably missed your posts, or were you away, too? I just haven’t “seen” you in a while. We probably fell out of each other’s radar. I am guessing you don’t even remember me now (I won’t be offended, really). As for your post…
1. I think that though the guy (I’m just assuming it’s a guy) was somewhat complimenting you, it was a deliberate insult to bloggers in general. Well, it’s his opinion, but one wonders what his beef with bloggers is, and that’s considering he’s a blogger, too. Or maybe he just calls blogs he doesn’t like spam. Maybe he’s an excellent blogger compared to most people, in his opinion. (Oh, he’s gonna hate me. I’ll just be a spammer, plain and simple, nothing intelligent).
Just saying, how hard was it to just say a thank-you and skip the insult, jump to the compliment? If you can’t say something nice…You know the rest.
2. If something is spam, there’s no need to be bitter. Just delete and/or unsubscribe. Everyone has the option not to read spam.
3. You are right, it’s subjective. What I might find interesting, you might find boring. And if a blogger took his/her time to try to come up with something s/he hopes others will like, at least give that person a virtual pat on the back. Or again, just don’t say anything. Leave the page. Unfollow. Why follow “spam”?
Just my thoughts 😉
Been a long time, but I instantly remembered sharing some chats with you in the past. No worries, blogging should be something we’re doing when we want to, I’ve had some break, and probably so have you.
1. Have a look at his blog – he’s a serious kind of chap I think. I did delete the comment at the time. But he did make me think, so probably I was a bit harsh.
2. Totally 🙂
3. Totally again 🙂
Keep in touch (when you can or feel like it). Sorry I’ve been away, I have other commitments, and blogging does take up a lot of time.
Speak soon
Don
No probs. I am often away from blogging, too. I can relate.
Yeah, life’s like that, sometimes nothing going on, other times, too much 🙂 … let’s agree to try keep in touch with each other 🙂
s’
*thumbs up!*
🙂
I do also prefer to use WP, as the people in here often are more friendly and polite than I see at other platforms, Don.
95% of people are lovely here. There’s the odd clash and a few trolls about … but nothing like Twitter, or YouTube comments section, I just don’t usually bother reading either.