writing – Making invisible computers appear and disappear since 2014

I am so not even a B-lister – and the fact is, I’m not interested in blogging for status among my social media peers. If I were, I’d have to work harder, for one thing. Who needs that … so why do I write?

I write for anyone who takes an interest in me through my other activities and wants to read more about how and what I think.

There are a few impressions of me that I would like someone to take away once they have read my blog. True to form, I will make them into bolded subheadings:

Breadth of interest
I am a student, first and foremost. I like learning and honing new skills. My posts show a variety of interests and a tendency to challenge myself in different technologies.

Documenting my Activities
I’ve blogged on my projects, such as NewBCamp, in an attempt to maintain a record of what I’m producing with my skills and how I’m participating in the broader social media network.

Showing a Personality
I want anyone who reads my posts to get to know me better as a person. I have a sense of humor and an interesting take on life in general, so I hope my blog spreads the word about the character that is Sara Streeter.

Passion to Grow
I enjoy writing for its own sake. Additionally, I find that it sharpens my understanding of myself and my pursuits, giving me a platform for “thinking out loud.”

Success, in blogging as in life, is all relative to the intent. I hope my blog posts bear witness to the fact that, hey, I’m having fun.

Technology goes hand in hand with content. Lots of content. And that content has to be written, and I’ve got to write it – at least some of it. So where can I find inspiration?

I would suggest that rather than looking to outside sources for topics, I start with myself – my “sidedish” writing. That would be all the writing I do incidentally – updates to social media websites, e-mails to colleagues in the relevant field, chats with geeky friends. I use the term “sidedish” because I think of it as analogous to the sidedish you eat along with your lunch – you didn’t go there to eat it but you do because you’re there. Tidbits from these casual conversations can be channeled into “main dish” writing , which I would characterize as whatever you’ve committed yourself to write on a regular basis that you hope will impress someone else.

Accordingly, a favor I can do for myself is to increase the quality and quantity of my sidedish writing. Here are some suggestions on how to do that:

find sites that encourage frequent updates: I find that Twitter is useful in this regard for the simple reason that it generates a log of all the updates I’ve made. Since I’m on Twitter, I can go back to that clever update I posted two weeks ago and use it to seed a post. Any site would work that encouraged me to return to it frequently and write quick notes about what’s on my mind.

make friends with people who like to geek out: I want to write about technology, so I seek out friends who enjoy talking about technology. Not only are they great resources for answering questions, they bring out my geeky side, and I generate higher quality content when I’m communicating with them.

take advantage of any passionate interest: When I am passionately interested in something, regardless of whether it is related to my main topic, I research it and write about it. Writing will come more easily to me if I do it more often. If I’m already in the habit of following up on my passionate interest, I will be more likely to do the same when I am writing about my main topic and less likely to keep going with something that’s actually boring me.

tag content – email conversations, chats, etc: If I properly archive my materials, it will make finding relevant clips of content that much easier to find. Gmail allows tagging of email conversations rather than placing them in folders. I provide myself with an index to my own thoughts so I can draw on them when I need them.

Improving the quality of these incidental conversations is valuable in and of itself. Properly archived, they will be a source of self-generated leads. When I am looking for a seed for my serious writing, that can turn my “sidedish” into a satisfying main “meal.”