All Narfed Up words and photography by Bryan Villarin

Archive for June 2010

Confused Twitter users and cluttered @replies

In Social Networking on 28 June 2010 tagged etiquette, Twitter with 3 comments

My first name is my Twitter username (@bryan). I love that!

Downsides:

• New users don’t realize that you need to input the exact username.
• Spammers know they can flood your @replies tab. (Of course, you can easily block and report them as spam.)

Tip: I understand that many Twitter users have difficult names to spell. Don’t rely on your memory. On the website, hover over the message you want to reply to and click “reply.” (End tip.)

At the time of this writing, the last four pages of my @replies tab only has nineteen legitimate @replies to me. (Well, technically fourteen because five are mine.¹)

Each page has twenty (20) Twitter updates. So, if I use fourteen in my math, 17.5% of 80 @replies are from Twitter users who don’t know how to @reply their friends correctly.

I’m leaning toward blocking repeat idiots offenders, but that’d take a lot of work. Maybe I should block anyone who can’t @reply properly. Is that too harsh?

How do you deal, if at all?

If you’re in your RSS reader, please click through to vote in my [unscientific] poll, and feel free to elaborate in the comments. (If your URL seems suspicious, I’ll remove it.)

Update 2010-07-07: Derek Powazek wrote “Press the Magic Button” the same day I wrote this. I feel like he was reading my mind.

I’d prefer to opt in, thanks

In Annoying, Email on 13 June 2010 tagged newsletter, spam with 1 comment

Why did you add me to your email newsletter without my permission? (Strike 1.) Where’s the unsubscribe link? (Strike 2.) Why did you paste everybody’s email address in the To field? BCC Please. (Strike 3.)

Please read “Stop adding me to your email newsletter” by Chris Brogan.

When you’re done, setup an account with MailChimp. Then, you’ll have a legitimate email newsletter with a subscribe form for your website, an unsubscribe link in your emails, and keep your recipients’ email addresses safe.

College: Do I still need it?

In Business, Life, Photography on 12 June 2010 tagged audio, CinchCast, college with 3 comments

While I was in the middle of writing this post, I recorded audio of some thoughts on being a Linchpin, publishing (shipping) stuff, and perfection – with a nod to the Due Process Flickr group:

Now, onto the post.

*****

On Wednesday, I met with a Citrus College counselor. This is where I stand:

• I have several Cs which are bringing down my GPA to about 2.57.
• A few years ago, my GPA would be acceptable to CSU schools. Because of our recent budget crisis, that’s not the case.
• It’s not possible to retake classes in which I received a C since that’s technically passing.
• I’ve retaken every class possible. There aren’t any Ds, Fs, or withdrawn classes on my record. Academic renewal isn’t needed.
• I have my Associates Degree. (Associate in Arts: Social & Behavioral Sciences)

My friend, PJ, tells me I should try Pitzer College or any of the Claremont Colleges. (He graduated from Pitzer.) To paraphrase his advice to me or anyone in college: take classes you’ll actually enjoy or be miserable. Another friend, James¹, suggests to look into the University of La Verne.

They’re private colleges, so funding [is] a lot better than CSU and UC colleges. At La Verne, Undergrad Adult (25+) Tuition and Fees are substantially less expensive – that’s very cool. Regardless, I shouldn’t worry about money because financial aid should help. (See Student Loan Network – no affiliation.)

You already know I love photography. But, people seem to suggest that a major in business or marketing would be more helpful. My internal conflict is committing to a program for a couple of years that I actually like.

I’ve been subscribed to Rangefinder Magazine for almost a year now. I also follow several photographers online. What I’m finding is that a lot of them didn’t major in photography.

• Scott Bourne was a Political Science major.
• Scott Rinckenberger said, “Not one of us have an education in photography. We had college majors like English, French, Philosophy. You know, those subjects that inevitably prompt your parents to ask just exactly you plan to make a living with that degree. But what we lack in formal training is made up for in a blue collar work ethic, a disdain for convention, and a never ending search for new creative outlets.”
• Jessica Claire was an English major.
• Sam Abell majored in English and minored in Journalism. He said, “I have given many talks at universities across America to students studying photography. I’m often asked the question ‘What’s the most important thing a photographer can do to prepare for this life?’ and I always say ‘Learn to run a small business.’ John Harrington‘s book is that curriculum. You don’t have to go to college. You don’t have to major in small business administration, but you do have to read John Harrington’s book. This is the bible of running a successful photography business.”
• Chase Jarvis didn’t major in photography: “As with all things Jarvis, he took a very roundabout route into photography. He attended college on a soccer scholarship, and though he was majoring in philosophy and premed, it was the passing on of his grandfather that became a life-changing event for him. Jarvis found himself the beneficiary of his grandfather’s camera, and he took it and three accompanying lenses on a postgrad tour of Europe with his then-girlfriend Kate, who’s now his executive producer and his wife. They spent a great deal of time there, living out of bags and traveling from country to country, all the way from Portugal to Sweden to Moscow. Along the way, he taught himself to shoot, and once he returned from Europe, he immediately bailed out on postgrad med school. He had planned to be a doctor, but instead ended up living in Colorado for three years where he started taking pictures of his friends out on the slopes. These friends, as it turned out, were to be the future athletic stars of the extreme-sports lifestyle.”

I have friends with degrees which don’t apply to whatever they’re doing now. They essentially went to school for the experience, friendships and growth of discipline. Nothing wrong with that. I still have a lot of respect for them. (They have a Bachelor’s Degree, while I don’t.)

So, I’m at a crossroads.

After talking to James, I’m highly considering the ULV. For transfer students:

The application deadline for students applying for the fall semester is April 1. Students applying for spring semester should submit their applications by December 1.

My GPA is a bit short, but maybe I can talk to the Dean of Admissions about that. I have several months to think about it, but I’ll be pursuing photography no matter what – you knew that already. (Well, unless the band makes it. Then again, I think “making it” is a different beast than it was before.)

Ultimately, I want to be a Linchpin.

If you have any thoughts or encouragement, please leave a comment or send me an email. If you’re a Debbie Downer, don’t be surprised if I delete your comment. After all, this is my house. Thanks!

Linchpin

Seth Godin. Portfolio Hardcover 2010, Hardcover, 256 pages, $12.97

My 9-day battle against clutter

In Cleanliness, GTD, Productivity on 2 June 2010 with 3 comments

Today, I threw away enough trash to fill two small trash cans¹. Most of the trash was paper that had been on my desk or inside my inbox for months. Months.

I’m starting to feel a bit better about my desk, but there’s still a long way to go.

In regards to maintaining my file drawer, one of my major problems is the cluttered area around my desk. It’ll never clear itself up unless I attack the piles in pieces and set a deadline.

I also have a number of books that I won’t read again, and most of them aren’t in demand on eBay². If they’re worth reading, I’ll probably register them on BookCrossing and leave them in a park.

I’m setting a deadline towards a clear work area: Friday, June 11, 2010.

How will I meet that goal? In chunks. Each day, I’ll discard at least one full trash can and scan 20 pages into PDF files³.

Why am I telling you this? I find that the visual clutter drains my energy. I’m waging battle and I’d like you to hold me accountable.

Good procrastination? I think so.

Want to join me?

1. Take a photo of your current work area.
2. Clean up and organize over the next nine days.
3. Take another photo on June 11th (at the end of the day).
4. On your own blog, explain how you cleaned and organized your mess. Include the before and after photos.
5. Send me an email by 10:00PM PDT June 13th, 2010, including a link to your post. I’ll wrap things up for myself and link to your posts on Monday, June 14, 2010.

See you on the other side!

When is the last time you threw away a stack of papers or unused gadgets? How about a weekly review? Do you do a weekly review? How do you keep things clear? Small chunks or when you get upset? (Read “Weekly Review: Key to GTD and achieving goals” and “How to do a Weekly Review in Under an Hour“)