10 Things I learned in BFB this semester

10 Things I learned in BFB this Winterim

               I was struggling whether to curate a list of technical things I’ve learned about blogging or whether to make a list of miscellaneous bits of information that I’ve picked up from peoples blogs throughout the semester. In the ever present pursuit of balance, I will do some of both. All work and no play would make Chris a very dull boy after all. So without further ado, heeeeeere's the list!

1. Blogging takes time and effort. No one has ever sat down without some thought and time spent and produced a good blog. Pictures, videos, gifs, and meme’s as well as the sidebar, layout, font, and format take almost as long as the content itself.

2. Choosing your angle, knowing your voice, and keeping true to your tone and persona are as important as sense of humor, witty quips, and charming anecdotes are. Understand your skills and your interests and allow your blog to grow from there. Publishing based on your strengths either as a storyteller, curator, teacher, or persuader sets up a natural, organic progression that is usually reflected in the quality of your content and ultimately your following. If you’re not passionate, you’re on the short road to failure in blogging. 

3. Negative Comments will happen.  In our book Born to Blog, Schaefer and Smith say negative comments should be regarded as gifts. If legitimate, you may be able to take action to correct/apologize/make right without having an uncontrolled public flow of negative information. Most of the time they just want to be acknowledged but sometimes they hate you just because they want to… To quote Taylor Swift, “Haters Gone Hate.” 

4. Post with frequency, be regular and be consistent. Like achieving excellence in anything, it takes a regular commitment. Blogs that are monthly or (god forbid) quarterly are doomed because their infrequency allows them to be out of mind. The rare exception being if you have a large following and write only a few “megaposts.” Most successful blogs post are fairly regular, be it daily or once or twice a week. Search engine optimization will begin to happen with regular posting as well as furthering the brand awareness and connection with your customers. Your blog is the best, most direct expression of your brand. 

5. Relate don’t compare. People out there in the blogosphere have bigger followings than you do, have been around longer than you have, have amassed more credentials, and have garnered more awards than you for a reason. It would serve any relative new or novice blogger to remember this and to respect other peoples’ works, perspectives, and seniority. Focus on finding your unique stance and your voice and then relate it to other posts without comparing. Finding a lesson or a similarity in their posts and relating on a parallel plane with a certain amount of deference is a good way to avoid stepping on toes. 

6. If I could have a www.TheOriginalScrapbox.com in some fashion or form in every room of my house, I would live a MUCH more organized existence. (Thanks Denise!) 

7. Being a guy with a wedding coming up in June, www.TheManRegistry.com is my new best friend. I had no idea there was a place that listed all the things about a wedding from a guys perspective that I should know but don’t. (A HUGE thank you is owed to Tessa!)

8. Being a dude that loves a good deal and a general collector/gatherer of things and resources, I strongly believe in reusing, recycling, and upcycling things. I was really excited to learn of both The Loading Dock and Second Chance. I have lived here in Baltimore my whole life, and am no stranger to hunting deals at Goodwill's and Salvation Army’s, so this is a welcome addition to the list of adventures to be. (Thanks Jen!)

9. I learned how far reaching the influence of a prolific artist such as David Bowie could be. To see people who thought they’d never encountered him come around to the realization that at various points in their lives they had crossed paths with him revealed how ubiquitous he really was. (Thanks to All!)

10. I also got a chance to reminisce and reflect warmly on growing up in the 1990’s. I saw some of the things I thought I couldn’t live without, and turns out, I’m doing just fine without my super-Nintendo, my cassette tapes, or my AOL screenname. (Thanks Jamie, TGIF comes on in 2 days!)

     Overall, this winter semester has been a great experience learning about delivering compelling content that is unique and true to your voice and personality. Learning how to sharpen that with good tone and a consistent voice has definitely made me a better blogger. Knowing about search engine optimization, metrics and analytics, as well as plugins and functionality will undoubtedly go a long way for all of us in the future.  I wish all of you well and very happy blogging!

Stay Warm out there my friends!

Baseball Games Could Go On Forever

Baseball Games Could Go On Forever

               

     Ever considered that football, soccer, basketball, and hockey are all played within the confines of a timed game clock and baseball is not? It’s one thing that sets America’s pastime apart from the other team sports that are most often televised. Four quarters, two halves, three periods… these increments end after a certain duration of time expires and the clock hits zero. Baseball however is not timed on a clock, but rather is dictated by how quickly you can record three outs in an inning and then the game is complete after 9 innings. It is a different sort of a commitment that can go on somewhat indefinitely, and there are no ties in the game baseball.

              

      

    

      I should mention that I love the game of baseball, I always have as far back as I can remember. I was always spending spring to fall watching it, playing it, keeping track of statistics, and reading about it. Baseball was and is an immersive endeavor for me, and here’s why. I love the game and the eventual outcome, but the games within the game are the little battles of will along the way that most interest me. My dad, my brother, and I have a habit of texting in a group message during the game and especially after a win. The tradition started several years ago with my Dad calling to check in on my Grandfather after a win. Still, the three of us watched nightly as the Orioles suffered through fourteen consecutive losing seasons, we watched every inning of every game because we love the games within the game and hey, that’s what real fans do! Fair weather fans? Ain’t nobody got time for that.

               

     Baseball is a steady presence in our lives and it is one constant that never waivers. It provides us a common bond and is always there at seven o’clock on a summer night. If it rains, they wait it out. If it rains all night, they’ll play two games tomorrow! How great is that? Sometimes they’ll only charge a single admission and you’ll get bonus baseball!

               

     For generations, fathers and sons have bonded and grown over America’s pastime. The lessons contained in this great game are many- learning how to deal with adversity, working hard, practicing, giving it your all, as well as being a team player are values that every parent should want to impart on to their children. Contained within a beautifully complex game are lessons for life and things that apply off the baseball field.

                

A few father and son tandems in Major League Baseball over the years:

• Ken Griffey Sr and Ken Griffey Jr.

• Cal Ripken Sr, Cal Ripken Jr, and Billy Ripken

• Ernie Johnson Sr and Ernie Johnson Jr

• Bob Boone and Aaron and Bret Boone

• Mel Stottlemyre and Todd Stottlemyre

   
 Here is a clever article outlining some of the bloodlines throughout baseball history with a pair of fictional lineups from the San Diego Fathers and the Phoenix Sons.

The elder Cal Ripken was a longtime coach and manager in the Baltimore Orioles organization and both Cal Jr and Billy would go on to play in the major leagues, with Cal becoming the “Iron Man” for his record 2632 consecutive games played. Values instilled from a life spent in and around the game continue to give back as Ripken Baseball is very active in both Minor League Baseball and Little League baseball. The Ripken World Series is played every summer up in Aberdeen, just a few miles from where the Ripken boys grew up. Ken Griffey Jr. was fortunate enough to have actively played in games with his Dad as they were a part of the 1990 and 91 Seattle Mariners teams. On September 14, 1990 in what must have been quite a thrill, the Father and Son duo hit back to back home runs in a game. Baseball on its surface is just a game, but look a little deeper and you will see a legacy of generations connecting through sport in some pretty unique ways.

The Man Who Sold the World (exactly what it needed)

The Man Who Sold the World

David Bowie was an artist in every sense of the word

          David Bowie’s legacy had long been sealed as one of the most influential artists of the last 50 years. He passed away last weekend at the age of 69 after an 18 month battle with cancer. Case and point to his impact? Here we sit, publishing blogs with affirmations to the Starman’s influence a mere days after his passing on to the next galaxy and the great beyond.

          Before I became versed in classic rock and roll, I was a grunge loving, flannel shirt wearing punk with a propensity for power chords and all things Nirvana. When they performed for MTV’s Unplugged series they played a number of songs not their own (much to the dismay of the MTV brass) that would go on to be classics. One of these that would become immortalized that night was a cover of David Bowie's ”The Man Who Sold the World.”

 

          At the point of hearing/seeing it, I instantly knew I liked it… the words, the melody, the imagery, and that bassline… oh man that bassline. What I didn’t know then was that my heroes hadn’t changed it very much from the original version and that the song remained a David Bowie song as he had intended it. This was my accidental entrée into David Bowie’s music.

          Fast forward a few years and I became immersed in all things classic rock and roll. It was then that I truly came to appreciate Bowie for the artistic visionary and unique performer and songwriter he was. He was audacious and creative, both inspired and inspiring. He was a trendsetter with regards to fashion, glam rock, art, songwriting, acting, and created the idea of a concept album.

          He was ahead of his time as a voice that challenged accepted gender role norms and societal stereotypes with relation to sex and sexuality. Ever the flamboyant performer with his orange hair as Ziggy Stardust, he showed that a man with makeup and a vinyl silver jumpsuit on wasn’t necessarily a homosexual like many would have concluded. Quite the opposite, he was twice married to women and has a son named Duncan. He described himself in a later interview as a “closet Heterosexual” despite reporting in the promotional run up to Ziggy Stardust that he was gay and then later bi-sexual.

Bowie applying his "Ziggy Stardust" makeup

          I find it interesting that he was not LGBT himself, but rather a straight man who closely identified with that movement very early on. Regardless of sexual orientation, we now have many people who are champions of equal rights causes. A majority of Americans have supported legislation legalizing gay marriage, but David Bowie was advocating on the behalf of LGBT community way before it was fashionable or the cool thing to do. Aside from being a trendsetter, it makes him a true champion of that cause in my opinion. I couldn’t think of a better way to eulogize him in some small way on my blog then to say that he was on the side of love and equality far before it was cool, easy, or popular. Musical and artistic contributions aside, this was a big part of his legacy that deserves mention.

          Dance, pop, new wave, punk… the man was influential and he would often change ahead of the times. Metamorphosis, evolution, and changes were central themes in his work. Once in 1983, he openly challenged MTV VJ Mark Goodman on air about the stations refusal to play videos by popular and successful black artists. I think it’s fair to say he was a trailblazer in this regard as well. He could always evoke a reaction and had an innate sense of what was cool, what was edgy, and most importantly, what was right. I always thought “The Man Who Sold the World” was about a guy literally or figuratively selling the world, but as I reflect today, I realize that David Bowie, the artistic visionary and trendsetter was the man who chose what the world would sell.

Won't you be my Neighbor?

My brother and I attending our cousins wedding

Has 2 different shoes, will wear them

     To start off and familiarize you with who I am, my name is Christopher Matthew Beigel and I am the older of two boys, born and raised in northeast Baltimore City. My parents divorced when I was young but they remained close and gave us a normal, loving upbringing. My brother’s name is Alex and he is 3 ½ years younger than I am, the difference in age meant that growing up I was old enough to look after him but he was also old enough to do things like play wiffleball and street hockey, and to build skateboard and snowboard ramps with me. Our age difference meant that we never shared a middle or high school, which I considered fortunate as we were able to make our own way socially. Still, we ran amuck all around the neighborhood and no one had to tell us to go outside. No cell phone, no problem.

      

     I attended Catholic school for elementary and high school, with a trip to a Baltimore County middle school thrown in for good measure. My high school was a boys school called Calvert Hall that I resisted being a part of at the time but now look back fondly upon for the foundation they gave me, both educationally and as a young man. As grateful as I am, it was a challenge when my two best friends left the school successively in my sophomore and junior year. One would transfer and the other would pursue a GED, and as close as we were, that closeness that existed at school was harder to maintain without them there. If I could have told myself something then, it would have been, “take note self: this is just a taste of what it’s like to maintain relationships as an adult.”

     

    

Matt Stover showing me his new Super Bowl ring at work

By the time I dabbled in collegiate endeavors half heartedly for 2 years after high school, I felt as though I was ready to enter the workforce. I worked for several years in logistics, managing and ordering the catering alcohol inventory for a private club and event facility located in Baltimore County. After years of working hard, being reliable, and rising as far as I was able to, I recognized that I wasn’t being valued for my intellect the way I thought I should be. I decided to devote myself to furthering my education. I consider myself fortunate because a lot of people have commitments and obstacles that prevents them from returning to school. I resolved to make school my job and have since been focused on the task at hand in a much different way. I’ve had an almost professional approach to my courses that wouldn’t have been possible without my experience in the work world.

      

Sadie is our best good friend

     So that is a very brief overview of me, with a couple other high points worth mentioning. I am fortunate to be getting married this summer to my beautiful fiancé Hannah, and we have an awesome dog named Sadie. At heart, I am a fun loving guy, a jokester who is not afraid to be goofy or say what’s on his mind… I take after my Mom in that I love to cook and am sentimental. I love music and art in many forms, from sculpture to glassblowing, graffiti, and all points in between. I am a die-hard fan for the Baltimore Orioles and Ravens, I always have been and always will be. If you take one look at my Dad and my Grandfather in their team gear you will see, I come by it honestly. Exploring these things and current events are what my blog has to offer, so to quote Fred Rogers, “Won’t you be my neighbor?”

Hannah and I with our parents at brunch in December 2015

Hannah and I at Deep Creek Lake in 2014