Since The Dust Has Settled

After some time of reflection, after some time “away” from blogging, after some time to get my collective shit together, I have seen and reviewed some interesting opinions with some interesting points of view, being somewhat responsible for me even doing a written post today, I had no intention, but here we are again. I will begin by saying I do not owe a single motherfucker an apology, as I will not apologize because my opinions differ from someone else. If that were the damn case, then I would be sitting here, in silence and protest, waiting for many apologies. But I’m not, I support your will and right to have opinions which doesn’t mean they won’t differ from my own or mean I like them, but they are yours, and mine are mine. When does passion for something, anything really, get lost in “translation”? When does a simple speech turn into a sermon?

Y’all are probably thinking I will be taking about more emails in this post, but I’m not going to mention the good, the bad, or even the ugly ones. Not today, not this time, not that they actually matter anyway. This post here is merely an observational exploration into what I can statically know, which means it is truly like starting from the first floor, I would say, under the basement, but all is not lost and I’m not actually starting over since the close to 3000 posts are still available to view or read. However, fans, followers, passers by, casual readers, and yes of course, even the haters have made an overall impact on my blog statistics. Meaning that my blog went from an average of 3500 visitors per day, not views, but unique visitors, to an average of 7 per day. Quite a drop, on average, in one week’s time, if you’re to be asking me, I’m just saying. Unfortunately, having an unpopular opinion has led be back to where I once started. Which, in all actuality, is where it was nice for me. I would write, post pictures, criticize shit I don’t like, validate who I do like, and worried only about one critic, me. But, here I sit another day, still breathing, still with a will and want to post whatever in the fuck I want to post, saying whatever in the fuck I want, and not giving in to anyone except myself. If this means getting blocked or shutdown on social media like Twitter, Facebook, Google+, or on Blogcatalog, then so be it. My plans are not to “publicize” my posts any longer, which means it will only show up, besides my blog, on the WordPress Reader or on other people’s blog that show live feed updates who still have my link active. Meaning? I’m not informing anywhere with updates, I’m no longer inviting people to visit or share, unless it otherwise happens automatically I will no longer be making the effort. End of story. If you want to see what is happening here you will visit on your own accord, not mine. I guess the blame would be on the visitors then, for making poor choices.

What will change here? Minor things mostly, but more freedom on my end to post what in the fuck I want to post how in the fuck I want to post it, a simple yet complicated gesture on my part. No longer will photos be edited or censored, fuck self censorship, we will now be a come as you are blog and a blog where I post whatever in the hell I’m in the mood to post. And, y’all are right, my choices in format and censorship do not mean shit to nobody except me, but I like to inform people in advance so fewer people get butthurt down the road. Ah, the road, the path in which I still enjoy my freedom to choose which direction I will travel at any given moment in time.

Anyway, if you are reading this post then you are here, you are at The Sting Of The Scorpion Blog, my home away from home, a place that is mine to decorate as I see fit. Stay as long as you like, there is no bar or buffet, no stools or places to sit, there is no live entertainment for you to see, a simple place to visit with simple ideas. The Sting Of The Scorpion Blog isn’t everyone’s cup of tea, but it is my tequila laden margarita that I enjoy and it entertains me, so problem solved.

WTF Are You Fuckers Smoking?

For one short moment last night I was close to just shutting this fucking blog down, throwing in the towel, and let the sheeple fucktards move in to take over. It was a momentary lapse in my own fucking common sense to say the very least. If y’all really must know why I created, maintain, and update this blog, its real simple, because Fuck You, that’s why. I hate the fucking question, “what is the focus or purpose of The Sting Of The Scorpion?” Why? Because its impossible to post one motherfucking thing on any topic and not have 100 crawling up my ass bitching and complaining. Go cry to your fucking momma because I don’t give a flying fuck. I do this blog for “entertainment” mostly, it has never been here to please one group of people or another, ever. Even though I attempt to entertain people here with my sophomoric sarcasm there is also a great deal posted about things going on in my own fucking life, some good & some bad, some humorous & some on the more serious side, some that is relevant to many & some that only will matter to me, but all of it is done because I make time to pull my phone out and make time to keep my blog active with new posts. But nooooooo, I get bashed because I’m a sick twisted fucker who belongs in a straight jacket locked up in a tiny padded room. Well, fuck you, I’m not, I’m here posting whatever in the fuck I choose because that is what I fucking want to do when and how I fucking want to do it. You have choices and one if them is to not to click the link which leads you here. Once you are here you have the choice to leave as well if The Sting Of The Scorpion isn’t your fucking cup of tea. Either way, if you stay or if you leave, The Sting Of The Scorpion will still be here.

So, let’s explore what has your panties all wadded up in your cunt this time. If that just offended you then its because you know I am talking directly to you so you can stop guessing in your head who I am pointing out. Its fucking you! First I would like to address the fucknuggets who, so colorfully, addressed a post I did yesterday about my real life backyard hog invaders. Just because I own guns (yes multiple guns) doesn’t mean I wish to hunt and kill everything that walks this planet. Just because I hunt doesn’t mean I wish to hunt and kill everything on this planet. It does mean, however, that I have options, not that I’m an indiscriminate killer of all the cutesy wutsey creatures which roam in the wild. But then again, some of us call some of those humble creatures fucking dinner, sorry to be the one to inform you, but some if us hunt for our food. However, in that particular post I never mentioned hunting the sow hog pictured, I just want to help move it on along, but I will win one way or another because I have options. Don’t hunt? I really don’t care. Don’t eat meat? I really don’t care. Don’t like guns? I really don’t care. I will protect my family and property against man and beast because that is the kind of person I am. Do I speak for everyfuckingbody? Nope, just for myself. Hogs are dirty destructive beasts who cost property owners allot of freaking money every year. I am happy for those of y’all who live places where there aren’t any invasive vermon threatening who you love and what you own.

Yes, in real life, fuck and variables of the word fuck are my favorite words. Yes, my blog tends to reflect directly on how I speak. Yes, I am a grumpy fucking bastard who is tired of people’s bullshit in real life too, this isn’t some fucked up twisted freak show you are watching here, some of it is my life as well. Yes, I know I have my autocorrecting spell checker off since I am the one who knows what I want to say and how I want to say it. Moving on now I would like to address something, that I was told is holy and sacred, my use of church signs over the last couple of days. Boothefuckhoo if you thought they were in “bad taste” because I thought it was a hilarious idea. Did they get your attention? Mission accomplished. Did you find them personally unique to The Sting Of The Scorpion? Mission accomplished. Did the fact that a person who despises organized religion used a church sign to promote his blog throw you a curve ball? Mission accomplished. Were you fucking offended? Well, that’s all on you, maybe you are too sensitive to be here in the first place. By the way, for those of y’all wondering, sometimes I do think that there needs to be a “complete guide” to The Sting Of The Scorpion because many if y’all just do not have the mental capacity to have an open mind about the life we live or the planet we live on or the societies we are a part of because some people choose to have their eyes and ears shut but have their big fucking mouths open. This blog does not focus on organized religion or politics because there is absolutely no desire to vommit up the vile that everyone seems to already be so in tune with. Yes, I stab at the obviously ignorant shit one sees in the news on occasion, but it isn’t a staple here. No, we probably do not share the opinions I might have about our fellow human beings and that’s okay with me because I think you need to have your own opinions and conclusions on people and life. We are individuals for fucks sake.

Now let’s talk about you slimy fucking spammer bitches. Do you know that I delete 200+ bogus spam bullshit comments every fucking morning? No? You thought you were the only one spamming The Sting Of The Scorpion? Wrong. You idiots don’t get it. This is not a porn site. This is not an international dating site. This is not an anti-gun site. This is not an anti-gay site. This is not a skinhead site. We are not interested in the “legal drugs” you have to offer. We do not have any friends or family members whose benefits we wish to seek laundered out of a third world country and all you need is our banking information to make us millionaires. No, I don’t need hints in vaginal freshness. No, I don’t need the next best thing to Viagra or the no name generic drug which I can buy from Mexico or Canada. No, I do not need help finding Jesus Christ. No, I am not going to vote for you. No, I am not seeking help cleaning up the looks of my website. These are just examples of the regular bullshit that the spammers consider relevant to any given post done here. My favorite tho is the multiple ads I get on the prevention and care for the wounds caused by, wait for it………………..scorpion stings! We don’t advertise here, we don’t do this for fame or money, we are here providing all of this at no cost to the reader, its free.

In the end, read/view/skim The Sting Of The Scorpion for whatever your reasons might be at that given moment. Yes, I know this blog is an acquired taste and not everyone will always be happy about it. Oh well, I don’t really fucking care. Y’all come back for some reason and that is enough for me. Oh, as far as the recommendation that I perform a complete overhaul to reformat this blog, y’all can go to hell because The Sting Of The Scorpion will remain as it is and always has been.

Finding A New Year’s Format Change

I must say that when I got into my Pathfinder on New Years day to go get my oil changed I was quite alarmed and pretty disturbed. No, there wasn’t anything wrong with the car, but there was plenty wrong with a radio station that I’m a regular listener to. I will be honest, I’m a creature of habit when it comes to what music I enjoy listening to. I listen to basically 3 kinds of music, heavy metal, classic rock, and current hard rock. Depends on the mood and the time of the day really, but I tend not to stray from those three genres. So, anyway, when I turn on my radio to the classic rock station I’ve listened to since probably 1980 or so I’m greeted with the format change. Yes, it would appear that at 00:01 on 01 January 2014 the classic rock station was laid to rest and replaced with a hip hop/ r & b station. After a few minutes of shock, quickly changing stations back and forth I realized that I was indeed not dreaming.

So that is that, another one bites the dust. I have seen, over the years, since I’ve been back in the area I grew up in since 2002, a few radio stations do the magic format switch while nobody is looking. I can count 4 other “rock” stations that have reformatted to Spanish reggaeton, country, and now hip hop r & b. I guess it shows what the Houston market has turned into. I wonder how long it will be before the radio has nothing to offer to me personally on the public free airwaves. I understand it comes down to $$$ but I can’t help but feeling that I was just told a good friend has died a horrific death. Initially I was a little pissed about the format change and then I decided it really wasn’t worth my grief. Today is a new day and one must move on because it is a new year and I have bigger fish to fry.

Should I Even Call This Mess A “Blog”?

I suppose by “definition” what I have here could be considered to be a blog. Do you know the definition of blog? The simple version which concludes that a blog is a website where entries are written in chronological order and commonly displayed in reverse chronological order. Mine does that. I also do allot of Mobile blogging (moblogging), which is a method of publishing to a blog from a mobile phone. A moblog helps habitual bloggers (like myself) to post articles and pictures directly from their phones even when on the move. Mobile blogging has been made possible by technological convergence, as bloggers have been able to write, record and upload different media all from a single, mobile device. Mobile blogging is popular among people with camera phones which allow them to send photos and video that then appear as entries on their blog, or to use mobile browsers to publish content directly to any blogging platform with mobile posting compatibility. In the end, it is convenient because I can do when the moment arises or the thought crosses my mind. There are many advantages to being able to blog from anywhere and anytime. Mobile blogging is particularly helpful to travelers or people on the move when access to a computer with Internet connection may be difficult. The traveler can snap photos and with an enabled phone can easily upload such pictures with text descriptions directly to his or her blog. If the camera phone is equipped for Auto-geo-tagging, the blog may be able to show a map of the locations. With my new phone, (Motorola Droid Maxx),  which is less than a week old, has many new features which have been really exciting as far as being able to keep up with my blog and all the ones I try to visit regularly.

A majority of the blogs are interactive, allowing visitors to leave comments and even message each other on the blogs, and it is this interactivity that distinguishes a blog from other static websites. In that sense, blogging can be seen as a form of social networking service. Indeed, bloggers do not only produce content to post on their blogs, but also build social relations with their readers and other bloggers throughout the world. Many blogs provide commentary on a particular subject; others function as more personal online diaries; others function more as online brand advertising of a particular individual or company. A typical blog combines text, images, and links to other blogs, web pages, and other media related to its topic. I think I’m still qualifying as a blog. The ability of readers to leave comments in an interactive format is an important contribution to the popularity of many blogs.

People have different ideas when it comes to the length of post. Many people advocate keeping it short, however some of the best posts I’ve written or read have been long, some very very long. They were the best because they did not skim the subject so they gave real value and often told their story making it engaging by making a personal connection with me the reader. I believe that the posts that make that personal connection that resonates with the reader get more likes, more comments, and get shared more. Being I post allot of pictures here as well I often have very short posts because the “message” is self-contained in the picture.

Anyone who surfs the “net” can find that the blogosphere counts several million active blogs offering a great variety of topics and content. The wonderful aspect of a blog creation is that anyone who has a particular hobby, knowledge, passion or a business to promote, can easily do it, and they generally do. I guess, looking back, the danger is starting a blog without a specific plan, target group, and more importantly knowledge of content for which the blog was created. Good content is the most important factor of your blog since not only it is the key to attract readers and turn them to loyal followers but also to increase your internet exposure via the search engines. I don’t look for search engine exposure, meaning I don’t do anything on purpose which gives me a ranking or page position. People just find me one way or another. I follow some basic rules of engagement in order to produce what I consider to be successful content and, at the end of the day, achieve my blog’s goal which is to get read and encourage readers to return back to my blog. Let’s explore my general rules of engagement and guidelines.

The 10 Rules I blog by.

01. Define your blog and who you wish to target to read your blog. The 1^st thing to do is to organize your ideas and define the main topic which will define your blog’s identity.

• What do I want to write about today? The next day? 6 months from now?
• What is my target group of readers, follower, and visitors?
• What type of language should I use to communicate with my readers?

02. Make time to make posts.

• A blog needs time and efforts to stay permanently active and help you interact on a regular basis with your readers.
• Don’t risk losing your audience because of a lack of communication.

03. Take time to talk to your audience. Make them feel as though they can interact with you and make sure they get the interaction they are looking for.

• Having defined your target group of readers, you will need to write in the appropriate tone and style to attract their interest and understanding; imagine having a conversation with your audience and write clearly and simply as if you were talking to them.
• When I write, I write as if I am talking, whether just out-loud or physically to others.

04. Give your blog and posts a friendly and inviting format.

• Even if you believe your post is original and really interesting, if it comes in a big block of text, no one will take the time to read it; you need to provide the reader with a friendly post format by separating it into distinct and concise paragraphs, preceded by sub-headings when needed, use bullet points lists where needed (like here with what I’m doing), illustrate it with images, use bold or italics to point out your key elements and you’ll get your reader’s attention.

05. When starting a new post use eye catching and attractive titles.

• Once your post is written, take your time to come up with a fantastically eye catching title. Your title is how you’ll attract the readers repeatedly. It should directly inform the reader regarding what your post is about, a sort of “summary” of what he/she will read.

06. Be sure to use “tags” which will be effective in relation to your post.

• Ask yourself which terms are more likely to be used by users when they search for the particular topic.
• Then make sure you use the main keywords and come up with different variations that are likely to be searched when formulating your tags.
• Finally try to incorporate the “tag” words in the keywords of your post in order to increase the possibility to be found in the search engines.

07. Update your blog frequently to keep the content fresh and inviting.

• As mentioned earlier, you need to determine a time plan in order to frequently update your blog, ideally on a daily-basis.
• This will not only keep the attention of your readers but also it will help you attract more readers and loyal followers to your blog.
• The more content you produce the more traffic you are likely to get from your readers.

08. Use “social media” buttons to encourage your readers to share.

• There are many out there, I personally use Facebook, Pinterest, Google+, and Twitter.
• By setting up an RSS Feed and by encouraging your users to subscribe, you will increase your readers and you are more likely to get more returning visitors.
• Note that most Blogging engines automatically support RSS feeds, so all you need to do is to place their button in a strategic position in order to help readers subscribe.
• It doesn’t hurt to belong to a great blogging community either. My personal favorite is Blogcatalog!
• Additionally social media can drive you lots of traffic and they can help you build steady communication with your readers.
• Make sure you add sharing buttons in your blog and try to place them too in strategic positions to increase the number of shares.

09. Try to incorporate “how-to” and “top-10” posts on occasion to mix things up and keep the reader wondering what’s next.

• The how-to guides and the top-10 articles usually become very popular on social media networks.
• People love these articles and they are more likely to read them, like them, comment on them, and share them.
• Additionally by creating such content you are more likely to increase your search engine traffic since many surfers search for such content regularly.

10. I have found that proof reading and spell checking are valuable tools.

• This might be common sense but sometimes we can be so enthusiastic about a new post that we forget to take the time to proof read it.
• Remember that you may be listed and archived in the Internet along with your grammar, syntax or even informative mistakes.
• Don’t forget to be honest about what you share.
• If you have the patience to keep being an active blogger and creating good content, you will be surprised to see your audience growing and your blog getting the success it deserves.

I have learned over the years that my blog(s) tend to develop multiple personalities and sometimes I need to reel them back in. When I started here at WordPress I wanted to have one blog that expressed ALL of my ideas. I wanted one stop shopping. I combined 6 blogs to create The Sting Of The Scorpion which I feel know encompasses the message(s) I’m trying to express. My blog is very much a reflection of what mood I am in at any particular moment. In the end, it works for me and that results in more mileage for my blog. I am very dedicated to the upkeep and appearance of my blog. This keeps me active here which results in more posts for others to read.

All the pictures and some of this information was borrowed from the World Wide Web to be placed on The Sting Of The Scorpion, because everything else just bites. Remember boys and girls, eat it everyday, and twice if you are up to it.