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Blog Facelift

On June 1, 2012   /   Blogs   /   Leave a comment

For a while now, I’ve been thinking about giving Barzey.com a facelift and last weekend, I finally got around to it. Not only did I change the theme, but I also migrated from Movable Type to WordPress platform. This wasn’t an easy decision as I really liked Movable Type. It’s a well built product with lots of features and plugins. However, it’s not as user friendly as WordPress. I know this as I have implemented WordPress blogs for a number of my marketing consultancy clients. I didn’t recommend Movable Type as I knew it would be too complicated for them to manage. Heck, if I wanted anything done with Movable Type, I normally had to ask one of my more technical friends.

So when it came to the re-launch of Barzey.com, I knew it was time to move on. And voila, here we are! A new platform and theme which I like very much. It’s simple yet elegant. Plus there are lots of features and while there is much to learn, I’m getting a handle on things. I really like the fact that I can change things up quite easily! That said, I do need to spend some time tagging a good portion of my posts from the early years. Also, the paragraph spacing for a number of the posts is a bit off and I need to sort out some of the images as they are not appearing. But all in all, not too painful – considering that there were nearly 10 years worth of blog posts to be migrated.

So why did I make the decision to update? Well I anticipate an increase in my name being Googled as I’m in the middle of a job search. Also, I’ve re-launched my marketing consultancy practice which I plan to do on the side. Thus, it made sense to smarten things up now that more people will likely have a look in. And while the temptation is there to restrict myself with regards to certain topics, I’ll continue on as usual. And with this new look, I’m hoping to become much more regular again with posting.

Heck, I’ve got a challenge going on with a few friends for the month of June. The goal is to publish at least 3-4 times a week. There is much going on and this blog after all is still very much about documenting my personal history.

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For Better, For Worse

On February 1, 2012   /   Blogs   /   Leave a comment

So towards the end of January, I spurred a friend on to start a blog and I told him that I’d commit to posting two to three times a week. Not just about the fluff stuff, but about things that really mattered to me.
Getting him to start, was an incentive for me to recommit myself. I’ve been trying and meaning to commit more seriously to this blog, but simply haven’t properly followed through. This is despite the fact that I’d really, really like to document my personal history more. The journey is like a roller coaster with many highs and lows and so years from now, I really do want to look back on all that I’ve been through.
So instead of just posting on Facebook, I need to do it more here. Because really on Facebook, I say a lot but then I don’t really say much. It’s all surface stuff not because I don’t want to share my real self. More that I’m not sure it’s the right forum. Plus it would be disjoined and I’d hate for someone to read a post out of context and without benefit of previous posts.
So, here’s goes another attempt to recommit. To tell me story, honestly and openly without worry or fear as to what others will think of me. For better or worse, this is after all supposed to be a documentation of my: no so secret history.

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Facebook: Timeline

On September 23, 2011   /   Blogs, Social Media   /   Leave a comment

Since I started blogging again, I haven’t really shared any of my posts via Facebook as I wanted to make sure I was seriously committed to blogging again. And so now that I’ve blogged almost everyday for the last 54 days, thinking I should go ahead and start sharing. Particularly as Facebook is launching a new look called Timeline which will essentially allow you to more easily create a visual scrapbook of your life.
So in conjunction with this blog, thinking it will be quite powerful in helping to further document my personal history. Of course, most of the content will still remain on this site because its mine — all mine! As who knows, someday I might want to quick that bitch! In the meantime, I need to ride the wave with a view to increasing my readership. There are now 800 million people on Facebook and based on my Google Analytics, I could do with a few more people loving and stalking adoring me from afar!

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30 Day Blog Challenge Participants

On August 1, 2011   /   Blogs   /   Leave a comment

The 30 Day Blogging Challenge came together quite
quickly.  Via Google+ on 20th
July, I asked my extended network of friends, if anyone was still blogging and
more importantly would they be willing to participate in a 30, 60 or 90 day
challenge.    I also asked on Facebook as well. 

You see, after the family reunion, I’d hope to start daily
blogging again but the words just didn’t seem to come.  So I thought I’d look for a blog challenge
that was getting ready to start. 
Unfortunately, timing was off and thus the idea to start one of my own. 

What’s been amazing is the response.   In a matter of two weeks, I’ve pulled
together 10 other participants.  No it is
not a large number, but it’s big enough and I’m really excited.

Participating in this journey are friends I made during the
early years of blogging, former classmates, colleagues, new associates and friends from the
early part of my life.  There blogs include: 

All About George

Enjoy & Exciting

Girl Geek in Training  

Le blog d’Olivier Lecerf   

Marilyn’s Design Studio 

Theo’s View of the World 

Truly Caribbean Woman 

Whirl Girl Wanda

Also participating is my good friend Carlos Butler from
Chicago who is blogging via his Google+ account.   Finally another former work colleague who
has agreed to join the challenge when she gets back from holiday on 20th
August.  Sure it’s halfway through the
challenge, but better late than never right?

Anyway, be sure to
check out these blogs through the month of August.   The focus of each is quite different and I’m
sure they’ll each make good reading. 

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New Beginnings

On August 1, 2011   /   Blogs   /   Leave a comment

Nine years ago I started this blog to document my personal
history.  The objective was to chronicle my
daily life so that years into the future I and perhaps others could look back
and marvel at my growth and development.  And for many years, I was quite diligent
with keeping up the blog.  Even after
blogging became mainstream and co-workers found out about the blog after being profiled in the Chicago Tribune. 
Yes, that was definitely a highlight. 

So what happened?  Why
did I lose my way?  Well two main
reasons.  The first is that as my blog
became more popular and well known amongst real world family and friends, I
began to self edit.  Partly because I
didn’t want to hurt any ones feelings and also because people stopped calling
me.  Instead they’d just read my blog to
keep up with me.  That was frustrating as
while I was pretty out there with what I posted, I didn’t put everything on
the blog. 

The second reason is that in the last few years, my focus shifted.  It changed when I left my very high profile and
lucrative marketing job at a global firm at the height of the banking crisis and
set up my own business.   No question it was risky, but it came after careful
planning and consideration.   And as the
journey has had many highs and lows, blogging about routine things just wasn’t a high priority as needed to focus on building the business. 

That said, I do miss blogging.  Heck, I read my archives from time to time
and smile to myself as it brings back so many memories – memories I’d long
forgotten but will now be with me for my lifetime because of the blog. 

So I want to get back on track with documenting my personal
history.  Heck, I was inspired when I went
to family reunion in June and listed to my Great Aunt Dorothy tell these
amazing stories.  Her memory of life as
it happened over 90 years is near perfect. 
Mine in all honesty isn’t so good. 
Sometimes, I have problems remembering what happened last month.  So that’s where thing blog comes in hand and
why I need to get back on track.

To help do that, I’ve gather together a few friends for a 30
day blogging challenge.  It is the hope
that at the end of the 30 days, I’ll feel reinvigorated and will continue for
the foreseeable future.  

So the journey begins again. 
Raw fear is what I feel! 

                                                                                                                        

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