David Lee

Another full week, my second while on a hiatus from social media, is done and although I’ve read I’m not supposed to pay a lot of attention to numbers, I’m a former math teacher, so it’s what I do.

Views

My blog had 247 views for its second week, down from 270 the first week (a drop of 8.5%).
Average daily views for the second week was 35.3, down from 38.6 for the first week.

I think this is due to the fact that the first week away from Facebook had more people clicking on my link because my post was showing up in their news feed. Now that I’ve been off for two weeks, I don’t think that original post is showing up for others.

The best day for views was on Sunday of this past week, with 66 views. This was the best day of views on this sabbatical, topping the previous week’s high mark of 57 on Thursday.

Visitors

My blog had 55 visitors for the second week, up from 38 the first week (an increase of 44.7%)

Average daily viewers for the second week was 7.9, up from the 5.4 from the first week.

I was pleased that the number of viewers went up for the week, despite the fact the total number of views took a dip. I have connected with several other WordPress writers and I believe their viewership has helped in this area. I’ve also enjoyed reading their blogs as well.

The best day for viewer numbers was on Wednesday of this past week, with 13 different viewers. Sunday was a close second, with 12 different viewers. During the first week, Wednesday also had the most different viewers, with a high of 14 for the week

Summary

While the total number of views for the week dropped 8.5%, the number of viewers increased 44.7%. I feel this means that the viewers that I do have are more likely to return to my blog. The first week had a lot more views due to the fact the blog had a “fresh” post on FB. Now that my FB page has been idle for a couple of weeks, it’s probably no longer showing up in other user’s feeds, so one might expect the number of views to drop. I’m especially excited about the fact that the number of viewers has increased during this same time period.

**Special Note

March of this this year as seen more views, 555 at the time of this writing, than any other month of its inception in October of 2009. The previous monthly high for views was 404 in October of 2015. March is a bit more than halfway over, so the new record will only increase during the next week and a half.

David Lee

Lots in the news the past several days about the attack in a New Zealand mosque where fifty people were senselessly gunned down. It appears that terrorist, who was one of several involved in the attack, has been apprehended. He used Facebook’s “FB Live” feature to broadcast the gruesome attack. The entire savage attack was live for its entirety and not removed until twelve minutes later, after viewers had reported it to Facebook. So a seventeen minute attack, plus twelve minutes before it was removed means that it was viewed for nearly a half an hour.

The New York Times reports:

According to the social network, the graphic, high-definition video of the attack was uploaded by users 1.5 million times in the first 24 hours. Of those 1.5 million copies of the video, Facebook’s automatic detection systems automatically blocked 1.2 million. That left roughly 300,000 copies ricocheting around the platform to be viewed, liked, shared and commented on by Facebook’s more than two billion users.

So what level of responsibility do social media outlets have in such matters as these? One of the attractive features of most platforms is that they allow users to share simultaneously their thoughts, pictures, videos, and in this case, lives feeds. It would seem nearly impossible to me for them to have complete control at all times over what people choose to share. And while I think most people share in a kind-hearted type of way, there are those who would choose to use it for displaying violent behaviors. How would social media outlets be able to know instantaneously that someone was posting something so horrid? They received word of this event a full twelve minutes after the event had ended. And by then many, had shared and reshared the video.

It seems that Facebook did the right thing once they found the video existed online. And while it could be said that the gunman used their live feature to make himself known, the platform itself can’t be faulted.

Perhaps the evolution of technology and social media is moving at such a pace that it’s become nearly impossible to monitor it all. And people, even someone as abhorrent as the New Zealand gunman, are going to use it to promote their own cause, even when it involves mass murder.

I don’t fault the social media outlets for the attack. Perhaps we need to look more closely at all the people who saw the live feed of the attack and did not report it…and even moreso, those who chose to share it. Perhaps education of users needs to take place so events such as this one don’t receive so much publicity when they do occur.

Just my thoughts on the matter….Your comments are welcome and appreciated.

David Lee

Tools of the Trade…

24 Hours a Day

Meditation for the Day

Functioning on a material plane alone takes me away from God. I must also try to function on a spiritual plane. Functioning on a spiritual plane as well as on a material plane will make life what it should be. All material activities are valueless in themselves alone. But all activities, seemingly trivial or of seemingly great moment, are all alike if directed by God’s guidance. I must try to obey God as I would expect a faithful, willing servant to carry out directions.

Prayer of the Day

I pray that the flow of God’s spirit may come to me through many channels. I pray that I may function on a spiritual plane as well as on a material plane.

Language of Letting Go

Releasing

Let fears slip away. Release any negative, limiting, or self-defeating beliefs buried in your subconscious too. These beliefs may be about life, love, or yourself. Beliefs create reality.

Let go. From as deep within as your fears, resentments, and negative beliefs are stored, let them all go. Let the belief or feeling surface. Accept it; surrender to it. Feel the discomfort or unrest. Then let it go. Let new beliefs replace the old. Let peace and joy and love replace fear.

Give yourself and your body permission to let go of fears, resentments, and negative beliefs. Release that which is no longer useful. Trust that you are being healed and prepared for receiving what is good.

Today, God, help me become willing to let go of old beliefs and feelings that may be hurting me. Gently take them from me and replace them with new beliefs and feelings. I do deserve the best life and love has to offer. Help me believe that.

As I examined the night sky tonight and with the reminder from a fellow teacher, I realized the full moon is upon us. Whether or not it directly affects people as once thought remains to be seen. But heading into mid-week with a couple of classes of elementary students, it’s at least worth making note of for reference.

I did a bit of research and came up with this historical basis from the History Channel’s website:

Full moons make you crazy.

Since ancient times, full moons have been associated with odd or insane behavior, including sleepwalking, suicide, illegal activity, fits of violence and, of course, transforming into werewolves. Indeed, the words “lunacy” and “lunatic” come from the Roman goddess of the moon, Luna, who was said to ride her silver chariot across the dark sky each night. For thousands of years, doctors and mental health professionals believed in a strong connection between mania and the moon. Hippocrates, considered the father of modern medicine, wrote in the fifth century B.C. that “one who is seized with terror, fright and madness during the night is being visited by the goddess of the moon.” In 18th-century England, people on trial for murder could campaign for a lighter sentence on grounds of lunacy if the crime occurred under a full moon; meanwhile, psychiatric patients at London’s Bethlehem Hospital were shackled and flogged as a preventive measure during certain lunar phases. Even today, despite studies discrediting the hypothesis, some people think full moons make everyone a little loony.

And best I can figure, the History Channel is to be trusted, so it does indeed have a historical basis. I’ll keep that in mind tomorrow for my half-day of teaching young minds. If there is bizarre behavior, I will be able to contribute it to nothing more than the current moon phase. I don’t need to take it so personally…..This too shall pass.

David Lee