Making Changes
This version of Cuban Nomad has been alive for almost a year and a half. That’s 15 posts totaling 6,977 words across roughly 17 months. That’s not a very good run. I could’ve done better, but I’ve struggled to rediscover the focus on this little patch of web which has mirrored my own real life struggles to find focus.
Like I talked about before, being in the middle of a long term goal can cause you to lose your bearings. The sameness of the work eventually seeps into the rest of your world and makes you question everything. By becoming aware of this larger systemic issue in my life I’ve begun to get a better handle on maneuvering around the obstacles. So things are going to change around here in order to help me make this blog worth the creative energy and deserving of your readership.
Stepping Back from Social Media
I’m uninstalling the apps from my phone and redirecting those lost hours to, honestly, anything else is better than the black hole of social media. I understand that it’s a marvel of technology which allows us to communicate across the globe with other like-minded people. I also understand that it’s engineered to commandeer your attention and make you spend as much time as possible on its hamster wheel so that you will see more ads. Fuck those ads. I’m tired of the constant bombardment of shit I don’t need, services I don’t want, and whatever other random crap passes for a “promoted” post these days. I can’t allow that junk to continue cluttering up my headspace.
This doesn’t mean I’m deleting my accounts on Instagram or Twitter. My work commitments on social media will still be the same as well. I’m limiting my interaction to desktop websites (for a set amount of time) or a social media management dashboard (for work). These shifts in how I ingest social media will hopefully keep the forever hungry monster from eating all my willpower.
Mailchimp and Substack
When I revived the blog I had disabled Mailchimp’s post subscription service because I didn’t want my recovery efforts to trigger an onslaught of email for my readers. The funny thing is, that I never turned it back on. I don’t know why I never reactivated the functionality, but it’s stupid to make this site difficult to enjoy, so I’m turning the service back on and I’ll setup a new widget for smooth signups.
I started using TinyLetter a while back and had even sent out a couple of messages through their service, but I had to consistently fight with the interface in order to get the emails to display with decent formatting. Even a casual missive, which was the point of using service in the first place, became an uphill battle. I’m now switching over to Substack. Yes, it’s a paid subscription newsletter service, but they allow for free options and that’s what I plan on doing for now. The interface is much more enjoyable to use which will translate into more letters sent. I’ll shoot one last message to my TinyLetter readers informing them of the migration to Substack, but you can sign up now through this link.
The whole point of the newsletter idea was for a less formal, more conversational style of communicating with my readers. Maybe that style will eventually make its way back onto the blog itself, but for now I like the ability to be more off the cuff and intimate.
WordPress Theme
The company that created my WordPress Theme is no longer in business which means no more updates or improvements. It’s been a fun theme, but I keep hitting issues I can’t get around with my limited coding knowledge, so my solution is to move to another theme. I’m looking at a couple of Sculpture Qode options that are quite snazzy. I plan to make the renovations in the next week or so. Probably over a weekend. If you come by during that time and shit looks weird, that’s why.
Digital Self
With no Facebook account and limited Instagram and Twitter interaction, Cuban Nomad will become the main representation of my digital self. Just like me, this digital self is in a state of transition and trying to determine what the next phase of its life will be.
I thank you for reading this far and thank you if you subscribed. This is a weird creative experiment and I hope it brings a little joy into your life or a little clarity into your headspace.
Photo © Gabriel Novo, *some links are affiliate*
