Hey Everyone!

If this year has taught us anything, it has taught us to be flexible. I actually like flexibility because my life would not run without some flexibility even though I still have some routines too. With more flexibility, I have been rethinking how I want to get information, insights, and opinions to you all. 

All this summer I have been more than a bit disgusted with the censorship on various social media platforms. While I get a lot of traffic from those social media platforms, I have been making more of an effort to just concentrate on blogging and sending out emails when I get a post published. I also still have been engaging on social media, but I have been putting as much of my attention there.

Truthfully, I find most social media mentally draining. I used to use it as a distraction and a mental break. I like to read up on people’s lives, see their pictures/videos, and laugh at funny posts/pictures. This year, though, with the virus and the looming elections, I find myself checking out of social media more and more. I don’t want to check out, but seriously how much can one handle?!?!

That leaves me with some decisions. I love to write, but don’t always have time to do the long, well-thought-out posts that are also well researched. Sometimes, I just want to post my opinions and insights in a short(ish) post that you all are more than welcome to comment on and give me your thoughts too. I honestly don’t expect you all to agree with me or even like what I post. I just want the freedom to post what I want to post. 

Now, I know you are saying, “Erica, this is your blog and website. Why can’t you post whatever you please?” Glad you asked because the answer is that I can, but I didn’t for the longest time. The Google gods do not like those posts and, as a blogger, you try to appease those gods. You kind of get addicted to seeing the numbers of people who read your posts and visit your site daily. That is sad because that is not why I started blogging in the first place. 

And, gosh darn it, this is my blog/website. I make the rules here! Why do I let some big Silicon Valley nerd make the rules? They don’t get to make the rules here anymore. (I may have to switch my blog to a new host and platform too. More on that in another post.) 

Meanwhile, I don’t feel like I’m the only blogger in this boat. Many other prepping and homesteading bloggers are making the jump to posting daily on their blogs instead of posting regularly on social media. With the increasing censorship, social media platforms have shut down groups, pages, and profiles of those people who they feel are spreading dangerous information or don’t comply with their rules. Well, that’s nice, but I don’t have to play by their rules. While I keep my information from being too extreme, I would also like to think I can post whatever I want without being thrown into a virtual jail. I still believe in that First Amendment and all it stands for. 

I love to write, but I struggle to always do the long 10-12 things you should be buying or doing posts. However, those are the posts that do exceedingly well for me and I have you all to thank for that! I love that you love them and I love to write those posts too. I also love to write about other things so I will also be doing that again.

Because I like to think I may have more time in the future (stop laughing!), I am also pondering making YouTube videos again and doing some vlogging. These were absolutely nothing fancy before and they will stay that for now. I simply don’t have the editing skills to do more at this moment. I am a one-shot, one-take kind of person anyway so the videos will continue to be that way. I won’t promise any consistency with the videos, but I will make them more of an insight, opinion, life videos with a splash of other things. 

I have some of you to thank for asking me to do videos again. I didn’t even realize anyone was watching them and then I got asked four times this last week if I was going to do more! I thought YouTube had buried those videos a long time ago truthfully. It’s good to know they hadn’t.

I will also still be on social media for now. I will still have Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, MeWe, and YouTube for the time being. Maybe after all this hoopla is over in November, they will all be a little more enjoyable again. Who knows? Maybe the election will bring a whole other set of problems too and we will not want to be on social media.

You know what though? I will always have this blog in some way, shape, or form. I will also always have an email list that you can sign up for and still get updates from me. I promise to keep the selling to a minimum, but you also know that this mama still has some mouths to feed and some bills to pay. 

Let me know down below what you think. I will try to respond, but I am horrible at responding to comments. I shall endeavor to get better at that too.

Thanks for reading,
Erica

Check out these books also to help you be more prepared for the future! 

(Notice: I am an affiliate for Amazon LLC. It doesn’t cost you anything, but it certainly helps to bring a little extra income into my home. Thanks in advance for any links you use!)

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