Off Topic

Various topics not covered elsewhere!

My Home Office 2024: New Standing Desk and Music

I haven't been writing too much lately as I've been busy on a number of personal projects. One of those projects has been redoing my office at home. My previous office space was put together haphazardly a few years ago as a response to the pandemic and finding I needed my own space for both work and play. Fast forward a few years and I now find I want the office space to be better designed, more functional, and include better furniture.

Bryan Ruby: Out with the Old, In with the New

This past month I replaced a line of Hi-Fi speakers I've listened to and enjoyed for the past 20 years with a pair of new floor speakers from Klipsch. It's an acknowledgment that my hearing and tastes have changed and it's time to listen to my music through a new stereo system. This recognition of needing to do things differently has become a common theme for me lately. I'm finding the old ways aren't working and perhaps joy can be found again by doing something new. With this theme on change, instead of blogging only when I'm inspired by great ideas or events, I decided to blog every few days as I take part in the 100 Days to Offload challenge.

Bryan Ruby: Being in the Present Moment

I've been struggling as of late trying to find the time to write articles for my blog and websites. It's actually caused me some stress to not be writing because there is so much I want to say and share. I always feel that I'm so behind in my writing. This has been an ongoing theme for me but it's not because I don't have the time but instead because I have chosen higher priorities with my time than blogging.

Off Topic: The Oldest and Newest AC/DC Vinyl Albums in the Ruby Collection

It was early 1981 and my Dad received an offer from Columbia House to join the Columbia Records Club. For one penny a person could get eleven vinyl records by joining this music club. Better yet, fill in the "secret bonus" 12th box with your album of choice and you got an additional album for free. Nevermind the marketing ploy here that you would be committed to buy additional albums at full catalog price in the months to follow...my dad was about to receive a dozen albums from his favorite bands all at once. So many albums were about to come through the door, that my Dad let my sister and me each pick out a record for ourselves. Whether my Dad liked my choice or not I can't remember, but I picked AC/DC's Back in Black.

socPub: Relaunching CMS Report and having fun at the After Work Pub

It make take awhile but when I make a mistake I will eventually admit and correct the error of my ways. Half a decade ago, I turned my back on supporting niche websites and focused all my effort in creating a new multi-topic website which you now know as socPub. As counter-intuitive that it sounds, the more diverse and interesting topics we published under this website, our number of loyal visitors to the website decreased in numbers. I found this analysis to be alarming and discouraging.

Guest Authors: Only Friends Need Apply

I'm currently working on a new policy for those that wish to contribute articles to this website, socPub. Consider this post a first draft intended to reduce the number of  low quality articles submitted for review and publications by guest authors that are complete strangers to me. My goal is not to prevent new authors from contributing articles to the website but to make sure those authors feel a sense of responsibility and purpose to provide informative quality articles to our site that benefits the reader above all else. 

Let's Get Physical (less digital)

Nothing earth shattering but you may have noticed that I made a slight change in the list of categories displayed across the header of this website's pages. The topics of Marketing and Social Media have been removed and replaced with Experience Management as well as Vehicles (planes, trains, automobiles, and motorcycles). These changes are a reflection of my longstanding desire started two years ago to diversify the topics covered on the website socPub.

Bryan Ruby: Winter Blogging is Coming

Summer is a distraction. While promises of consistent blogging are easy to make here in South Dakota when temperatures are below freezing, the true test of a blogger is spending time in front of the computer when the warm sunny skies of summer are on us. The successful blogger is one that posts consistently and routinely throughout the year. The ideal blogger puts the readers first before himself or herself. Regular readers of my blog already know this but for the record let me state it anyway, I'm not that blogger.

The 2019 Plan

Several months ago, I announced a plan to spend less time on socPub and focus my attention elsewhere. I'm now making a few tweaks to that plan as I've decided that through 2019 I will be first publishing all my original articles though my blog, bryanruby.com. Through the year, I will cross-post relevant articles here at socPub but managing this website will not be a priority for me.