blog stuff

19: Disconnected

November 19, 2018 filed under: blog stuff, I can't make this shit up, NaBloPoMo

As briefly mentioned in my previous post, my blog URL had been hijacked on Saturday and I am still dealing with the repercussions. However, since you’re able to read this, at a bare minimum my URL is functioning again.

I am only semi-happy with the support I received from my hosting company, because they basically told me I had to delete my WP installation and not re-use any of my database (← which is where my blog content and comments reside), and then they weren’t really responsive when I inquired about a more “reasonable” option.

I then took to the Internet (as one does!) to find a work-around, because the original suggestions (in proper tech-lingo, as you can imagine) were not a viable option. It would have basically meant to start my blog from scratch and lose all my content (from 14 years, mind you). Yeah, that wasn’t going to happen.

I found that my hijacked URL was most likely caused by a vulnerability in the popular WP GDPR Compliance Plugin (that probably many of us installed to comply with the recently implemented General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) laws in the EU. Go figure!)

It was a relatively “easy” fix and I probably didn’t have to wipe out my WP installation completely (which at this point I had already done, while also manually searching my database for any “suspicious” files), but at least, I am tech-savvy enough to take matters into my own hands. A follow-up scan by my hosting company didn’t find any other “malware” in my account.

Of course, this couldn’t have happened at a worse time with NaBloPoMo going on and all. But rest assured, I’ll be catching up on my daily posting (it was truly out of my hands!). If you see anything wonky on my site, please let me know. I am still in the process of installing and updating plugins one-by-one and some info on my sidebar got wiped out that I have to bring back.

The silver lining: WordPress has finally started sending me emails again when I receive new comments. This feature hadn’t been working for me for a while and even though I could have done without a complete new re-installation, I guess sometimes a fresh start has its benefits! Comment away!

On social media and sponsored content

July 12, 2018 filed under: blog stuff

Photo by Ben Kolde on Unsplash

Have you ever recommened or reviewed something on your blog? Have you tagged brands, friends, and places on Instagram? Have you ever thought twice about it?

The other week, I posted my ‘Monthly Favorites”. It’s been a regular post on my blog for a while and it’s one of my favorite posts to write. Not because it’s life-changing content (it isn’t), but because I simply love sharing the good stuff with you guys. And I appreciate when you share the good stuff with me, too. That’s what friends do.

However, I read something last week that made me stop and contemplate if it is ok to just “recommend” (and link) things on my blog and social media anymore. There are so many rules now.

Just to be clear, I am not making money of this blog (or other social media platforms) and I have never posted anything because I was asked to post a review or because I was offered something in return.

I have shared referral links in the past, but I always disclosed that they were referral links (where you and I might get a small incentive to try a service), but I want to emphasize again: those were never direct cooperations with the companies of these products. I wasn’t asked to pass them out, in fact, you’re not really supposed to “advertise” them, but only give them to friends and family. If you’re a customer, those referral links are automatically given out so you can spread the word if you’re happy with the services/goods they’re providing. That is also how mouth-to-mouth propaganda works.

So, what about sponsored content?

According to what I googled and read about the topic (and I honestly hadn’t really thought too much about it before), there only is a need to disclose that you’re writing/posting sponsored content when you actually have a relationship with a specific brand or company, which means you get paid or compensated to talk about them and share their products.

The Federal Trade Commission (FTC) has an endorsement guide about disclosing a material connection between advertisers and endorsers.

If there’s a connection between an endorser and the marketer that consumers would not expect and it would affect how consumers evaluate the endorsement, that connection should be disclosed.

It specifically says that if you have no business relationship with a product or business that you’re promoting, you don’t have to disclose. It also says that if you’re including links to product marketers or to retailers as a convenience to your readers, but are not getting paid for them, then there isn’t anything to disclose.*

Phew. Ok. That seems logical and reasonable, right?

Well, hold your horses.

Here’s what’s happening in Germany.

I am bringing this up, because I’ve recently become aware that, apparently, the EU (in general, and Germany in particular) has been going a little bit crazy lately with privacy laws, copyright restrictions, and yes, also covert advertisement warnings.

I’ve read that people (sorry, this is in German, but maybe you can use Google Translate to get the gist) got sued (or run the risk of being sued) for tagging places or companies in their Instagram pictures, because they didn’t label them as “advertisement”, even though they only shared it for fun and were not affiliated or compensated for anything.

I heard that some even got sued for tagging a friend — a FRIEND! — on Instagram, because it was suspected (with no factual basis, as far as I know) that the friend “compensated” them to do so.

This is a little bit insane.

Who is affected?

So far, it looks like the people that were targeted had larger follower numbers and had posted sponsored content before. The (maybe false) assumption is that if you posted sponsored content once, everything going forward is potentially sponsored content. So, while these new “rules” mainly target influencers, it pretty much has all German bloggers and social media users currently in a tizzy because everybody is confused and worried about how to use social media “correctly” in order to not get sued. I mean, as if the GDPR wasn’t enough already.

It also raises a few questions for me: When exactly is someone considered an influencer? Just exactly how many followers do I have to have to be considered an influencer? I am assuming that people with large followings are looked at first, but who says that you can’t have a ‘professional looking’ Instagram account and many, many followers without posting any ‘sponsored’ content? This is where the line gets blurry and where the grey zone begins.

I think the rule should simply be (and apparently is in the US right now) that you have to disclose if it IS sponsored content, you don’t have to disclose if you bought something with your own money and just recommend it to your followers. Period.

But the recent cease-and-desist warnings in Germany have practically led people to label EVERYTHING as advertisement (just to be on the safe side), even if they haven’t been compensated, are not affiliated with a brand, and have not been asked to mention a product, restaurant, place, or friend (← still can’t get over this one!).

I’ve been seeing all these (German) Instagram posts now that have a disclaimer at the beginning of each and every post that something is Werbung (advertisement) (as it should be), but also that something isn’t Werbung (Werbung ohne Auftrag – advertisement without contract).

Labeling everything as advertisement can’t be the answer.

If everything is labeled as ‘advertisement’ now, doesn’t that defeat the purpose of actually making real advertisement stand out to the audience? Doesn’t it mean that the desired distinction between sponsored and not-sponsored posts is being lost?

It seems like you can’t do anything on the Internet anymore without running the risk of being sued. I understand that covert advertising and sharing content without proper credit or disclosure are a big no-no (as they should be), but this is going a little bit too far.

I mean think about it, why is it ok to wear a t-shirt with a big brand logo in public, but you can’t wear the same t-shirt in a picture because you’re running the risk of being accused of advertising for the company? How often do we recommend something to a friend or co-worker, share where we bought a piece of clothing or home decor, or, or, or… . We should probably walk around with a #advertisement sign around our necks because that kind of advertising happens all the time.

Technically, these are all endorsements that encourage someone to go buy that same thing from that brand. The difference is that we’re not compensated for this kind of recommendation and I don’t think we shouldn’t be punished for it either.

A word of caution

I went back and purposefully looked through my Instagram again and I must say there are a ton of posts where people tag brands and companies, restaurants, cafés and places (me included) and there is no mentioning of advertisement (because I assume you, like me, don’t have sponsored content or otherwise you disclose it).

I assume that people, like me, tag on Instagram because this is what social media is for: we share because we like something and tag as a convenience to our readers. (Not sure how often I have been asked about an item or place in my pictures, so why not include the information from the get-go?)

However, I’ve definitely also seen posts that potentially *could* be sponsored posts and which are not properly labeled. I am not trying to stir up a discussion, it’s just something that I am more aware of now and maybe you should be, too. The FTC is not taking this to the level of Germany (yet), but there are rules in place that people should know about. If you are working with a company, make sure you’re on the right side, legally-speaking. (This article explains how to properly disclose sponsored content.)

I really hope that they’re getting a grip on these issues in Germany. I am all for protecting consumers and understand the need for clear rules and regulations, but if bloggers and Instagrammers are becoming the targets of lawsuits for merely showing a product or tagging a company or place that they’re not in any way affiliated with or compensated for, I am asking myself if these so-called “consumer protectors” are bored out of their minds or if they’re just after money?

This is a ramble. I don’t know if total transparency on the world wide web is possible, but I can’t imagine that tagging everything as advertisement is a solution to this particular problem. As always: a few bad apples ruin the fun for everybody else.

Your thoughts?

* This is what I read and how I understood it. This is not legal advice. Educate yourself.

Is your blog GDPR compliant?

May 24, 2018 filed under: blog stuff

I don’t know if you blissfully ignored it or if you have been reading up on the topic, but the GDPR (General Data Protection Regulation) goes into effect in Europe tomorrow (and yes, that also very likely affects you, even though you might not live in Europe).

I am sure you have at the very least noticed a flood of “privacy update” emails in the last couple of weeks. Everybody is scrambling to make sure their website is compliant.

I know, it’s a little bit overwhelming and the knee-jerk response might be to employ the head-in-the-sand attitude and ignore it, but is that really a good idea?

Probably not. But I will say, my head has been spinning with all the information of the GDPR.

In general, data protection is a good idea, right? But when I first heard about about it, it seemed to be more geared towards big data hog companies (like Google) and less towards small bloggers (like me). For small bloggers, determining what needs to be done to be compliant turns out to be somewhat of a huge task. So much happens “behind the scenes” of a blog. Even if you self-host, it means that your host service is involved in the background. So, virtually nobody seems to be exempt in this scenario and so I’d rather be safe than sorry.

The Five GDPR Basics You Absolutely Must Know¹

It applies to anyone who processes “personal data” — Most obviously, that’s things like names, email addresses and other types of “personally identifiable information”;
It creates significant new responsibilities — If you process personal data, you are now truly responsible and accountable for its security and the way it is used;
It has a global reach — It might be an EU law, but it can apply to anyone, regardless of their location;
It doesn’t just apply to traditional businesses — The principles are concerned with what you do with other people’s data, not who you are or why you do it;
There are eye-watering fines for non-compliance — up to €20 million ($24m) or 4% of global revenue, whichever is higher.

I think it’s fairly self-evident that if you use the Internet and visit a website that some information of your visit is collected, most likely information about your IP address, possible location, device and browser you’re using (unless you enable private browsing, I suppose.) I don’t know how the Internet would work otherwise.

Obviously, you can visit this blog without submitting any other personal information, however, if you want to leave a comment and engage with the author of a blog (me!) you will be asked to submit your name and email address (so that I can verify your identity and engage with you).

I am not going over all the details of GDPR ( you can read up on other sites that have already done the work of gathering the relevant information — see some links below), but I thought I’d share what I have done to get my blog compliant.

The basic principles you want to keep in mind, whether you run a personal blog, a small business, or a big company are:

1. You must process personal data in a way that is lawful, fair and transparent (e.g. disclose which data you’re collecting and why).

2. You must only use personal data for the specific purposes that you have declared ( e.g. you can’t use email addresses that have been shared in your comments to send the same people a newsletter. They have to specifically sign up for that in a separate way).

3. You must collect only the minimum amount of personal data required to achieve your stated objective (e.g. you can’t collect address and phone number from a person, if you’re intending to send a email newsletter, unless there is another specific reason why you need this information).

4. You must take all reasonable steps to ensure that any data you collect is accurate and kept up-to-date (e.g. rectify or delete wrong or bouncing email addresses immediately).

5. You must only hold personal data for as long as is required to achieve the stated objective (e.g. make sure that logs or other data is deleted once it’s no longer needed).

6. You must process personal data in a way that ensures appropriate security (e.g. having strong passwords, using encrypted servers, etc.).

Here are some things I have done to comply with GDPR

(Disclaimer: I am not a lawyer and make no claims to the accuracy or completeness of these suggestions. I take no responsibility for the advice provided. It is entirely your responsibility to be aware and fully compliant with regulations that apply to your website.)

+ I created a disclosure and privacy policy and linked them in my main menu (so it’s easy for people to find). Some people link it in the footer. There are online generators that can help.

+ I verified that my blog is installed on a secure server, which means all communications between your browser and the website are encrypted. (Check by clicking https://theinbetweenismine.com).

+ I added a snippet of code into my WordPress (child) theme to omit the IP address when you submit a comment and deleted old IP addresses from my server.

+ Updated WordPress to the latest version (4.9.6. as of May 2018) and here’s their FAQ’s regarding WordPress and GDPR.

+ I added a check box to my comment form and contact form for you to consent before you’re submitting personal information.

+ I have contacted my blog hosting service (lunarpages.com) and have – unfortunately – not gotten a satisfactory answer in regards to their GDPR-compliance yet. Many articles mention that you have to have a ‘data processing agreement’ with your hosting service, but I am not sure yet what that looks like or if Lunarpages provides one. (I have, for now, linked their privacy policy in my privacy policy for transparency).

+ I have disabled Google Analytics for now, because I don’t really care that much about my blog stats and will do some more research to see how it can be implemented safely, if I decide to use it again in the future.

It seems like there are some straight-forward steps you can take to make your blog/website save to use for visitors, but at the same time, there is no single solution that will make a website compliant (because every website is different and uses/offers different services).

Make sure you take a good look at your website first and note where and how you process data, then take appropriate steps towards GDPR-compliance. Showing willingness by implementing some first, no-brainer solutions (like revisiting your consent process and publishing a privacy policy) is a huge step towards full compliance. I am sure there will be more information available as we enter this new territory.

Helpful resources

I have a gathered a few websites that might help you get compliant (if you read nothing else, read the first article, it’s explains GDPR and its reach fairly well):

+ What the Heck is GDPR? (and How to Make Sure Your Blog Is Compliant)

+ The Blogger’s Guide to GDPR

+ GDPR Compliance Tools in WordPress

+ GDPR for Bloggers

+ The Lowdown on GDPR Compliance for WordPress Users

+ The Blogger’s Guide to GDPR

+ The GDPR and Bloggers – what you need to know

+ Privacy and Disclosure Policies for Bloggers

I am not certain that I am 100% compliant (yet), but I am definitely working on it. There is a lot of information out there. And when I say ‘a lot’, I mean A LOT. I’ve made changes to this blog to the best of my knowledge and understanding of the regulations, and I am hoping that this is a good starting point.

Phew. Overwhelmed yet?

¹From SmartBlogger.

I got nominated for the Liebster Award

April 11, 2016 filed under: awards, blog stuff

In February, my blog friend Nancy nominated me for the Liebster Award. I’ve been particularly thrilled, because did you notice that this award contains a German word? “Liebster” means “loveliest” or “most favorite” and it makes me happy to know that Nancy would consider my blog for this award, so thank you for the nomination!

The rules are pretty simple. You’ve probably seen blog awards go around on the internet – in one form or another. Since I am always intrigued to learn more (especially random things) about other bloggers, I happily participate.

Answer the questions that the blogger picked out for you, then come up with 11 questions that you like to have answered.
Choose 2-11 people for the award and link to their blogs in your post.
Go to their blog and tell them about the award nomination!
No tag backs!

Without further ado, here are Nancy’s questions for me. Sit back and learn some more about me!

1. What is the craziest thing you’ve ever done?

I think the craziest thing (for me) in my life has been the decision to stay in the US after my exchange semester. I never ever in a million years expected to end up living here. I always wanted to live here for a fixed period of time, but I never thought I’d completely uproot my life and emigrate. Whoops. Life happened.

2. Describe your blog in three words.

Life, crafts and travel.

3. What does your perfect Saturday night look like?

I’m definitely a homebody. I love a cozy evening on the couch. A nice dinner, maybe a movie or some good conversations and I am pretty happy :)

4. What’s your best advice for new bloggers?

Don’t compare yourself to others. Do your own thing. It’s allowed to get inspiration elsewhere, but try to write from your own heart about things that are important to you. If you try to just write for your audience, you might find it to be impossible to keep up.

5. Which travel destination has left a lasting impression and why?

Horseshoe Bend, AZ. Of all the beautiful sights I have seen in the southwest of the United States, I am fascinated by this meander of the Colorado River. Maybe it’s the fact that it’s just wildly impressive and one of the few sites that you can get to without paying a fee. There are no barriers, no tourist signs, no nothing. Just wide, untouched nature (and if one is lucky, not too many other people around).

6. Is there a blog post that is particularly close to your heart and if so, why?

This one. I tried to be completely transparent and honest, which is sometimes a hard thing to do on the Internet, but I feel like it’s important to talk about these things. Usually you’re not alone with your thoughts and the only way to break taboos is to take openly about them.

7. What did you want to be when you grow up and what do you do for work now?

When I was little, I wanted to be a veterinarian until I worked for a vet during summer breaks as a teenager and realized I wasn’t cut out for the emotional part of it. Then, I wanted to be a journalist, until I did an internship at a local newspaper and found it mundane and boring (probably depends where you end up working). These days, I am working as a geographer and I love my job. I’ve always been fascinated by geography/geology, so it’s fitting.

8. Did your way of blogging change over time?

Oh, absolutely yes. When I first started out, I didn’t really know what I was doing. Ha (well, maybe I still don’t know what I am doing, but I am better at it.) I used to just write for family and friends and didn’t put much thought into posting on a somewhat regular schedule, adding photos to my blog posts, trying to share more personal thoughts than just mundane day-to-day happenings. I do think though that not just my blogging has changed, but that the whole blogosphere has made a huge shift over the last decade.

9. Which three things can’t be missing for a perfect breakfast?

Coffee, fresh rolls, gouda cheese.

10. When and where do you like to blog most?

I usually jot down ideas wherever they come to me (online or in a notebook), but I mostly blog at home over the weekend. Sometimes I finish blog posts the night before I want to post them. I don’t really pre-schedule blog posts.

11. What were your New Year’s resolutions for 2016 and are you still following through with them?

I really don’t make any New Year’s resolutions (because I feel like any time is a good time to make resolutions), but I have set some tentative goals for 2016. One of them is beating my running mileage from last year (more than 425 miles) , which comes out to running at least 36 miles/month (of course, more is always better). I’ve also committed to writing more handwritten letters/cards again this year and to read 24 books (about 2 per month). So far, I am on track to making these things happen. We’ll see how it goes.

I am nominating:

Chrissy from The Brave Wanderer

Lisa from Lisa’s Yarns

Nora from Walking with Nora

Kristen from Life by Kristen

Stephany from Stephany writes

Here are the questions for you:

1. What is your favorite beauty product?
2. If you could pick any place/city to move to for a year, where would you want to go?
3. What is the one thing you like best about your home?
4. What are your favorite pair of shoes?
5. What is your favorite travel destination?
6. If you could have one do-over, what would it be?
7. What is something you are currently struggling with?
8. Breakfast, lunch or dinner?
9. Who is your celebrity girl crush?
10. Why did you start blogging?
11. Tell me about one of your plans for this summer.

A little makeover and announcement

February 7, 2016 filed under: blog stuff

Oh look! My blog got a little makeover. I didn’t really want to change too much, but I was itching for a little facelift. If you’re reading this through a feed reader, hop on over and check it out and let me know how you like it.

I have long contemplated to jump on the bandwagon of connecting my blog with other social media accounts and while I have links to my other social media accounts in the sidebar, I don’t really link back from there to here.

For some reason, I can’t seem to completely commit to being a “public” blog (which I technically totally am, of course). I don’t want to put a link to this blog on my (private) Twitter account, because I signed up with an email that I also use for Facebook and it has connected me with people who don’t know that I have a blog (and I prefer to keep it that way).

I know a lot of people have created their own Facebook page for their blog and while I like the idea, I also don’t want to mix (most of my) Facebook friends with blog friends. Silly? Maybe, but that’s the way I feel. So, I decided to make an Instagram account solely for my blog to inform you about new posts and other happenings. It seems like more and more people are moving away from subscribing via feed readers and new blog posts are “advertised” (I hate that word in regards to blogs, don’t ask me why) and checked out through social media channels (like Twitter, Facebook and Instagram) anyway. Since Instagram is my preferred method of communication in connection to my blog, I thought this was the best way to go (although I will still link new blog posts on my Twitter account as well – I just won’t have the blog link on my public profile).

If you’re so inclined, you can add theinbetweenismine.blog to your Instagram list. If you’re getting updates through other channels, that’s fine too. I just thought I’d make it easier for people who prefer Instagram.

16: On blogging

November 16, 2015 filed under: blog stuff, NaBloPoMo

{unsplash.com}

Is there a better time to write about the state of the blogosphere than during National Blog Posting Month? I don’t think so. Especially when so many people claim that blogging is dead and that people have moved on to other social media platforms.

Well, I checked and discovered last weekend that I am (still) subscribed to 400+ blogs on Feedly.

I KNOW.

That seems like an obsessively high number, doesn’t it? (And really, who has time to keep up with that many blogs? Not me… but here I am!)
I do know that I need to seriously clean out my reader. Because I do tend to “dismiss” a lot of posts, I should just be honest with myself and admit that not all the blogs that I added over time have lived up to my expectations, and that is totally ok.

But, the eye opening point for me was that yes, I still do love blogging and I still do love reading blogs and connecting with like-minded people because how did all these blogs end up in my reader otherwise? Especially, when people are claiming that blogging is dead and nobody writes or reads blogs anymore. Well, that is apparently not true. The proof is in the pudding.

However, I did notice a decline in comments on my blog for quite some time now and while I don’t really live ‘for the numbers’, it makes me a little sad to think of many people that used to blog themselves and who used to stop by but now have completely fallen off the face of the ~~earth~~ blogosphere. Have you noticed that, too?

Personally, I have been blogging for over 10 years now (what?) and I can attest to the fact that blogging has changed and evolved over the last decade. It’s not what it used to be, but it’s still my favorite thing on a Saturday morning to sit down with a cup of coffee and catch up on blogs, and read about people’s lives. I think a lot of my energy for reading has shifted from books to blogs (ok, ok, I am also still reading books – don’t worry) and I can’t imagine it not being part of my life.

I don’t know how you feel. I love Instagram as much as the next person. I would say it’s easily my favorite social media platform, but I think it is kind of sad that blogging and commenting on blogs has gone down so much and shifted to shorter Instagram-posts. I mean, I get it. It’s less time consuming to scroll through your Instagram feed and then occasionally leave a comment or a “like”. But for me it’s a different way to connect (if that makes sense).

Twitter is the platform for quick interactions, a sort of question-and-answer kinda game. However, there is also a lot of “over-sharing” going on and on most days, I have a hard time keeping up with it all.

Facebook has become a micro-blogging platform with people just unloading their immediate thoughts in a quickly typed-up status update. Sure, that’s fun, too and I enjoy the interactions and groups that I am part of.

I get it. All these social media platforms have their place and purpose (and everybody chooses how to engage in them), but in honesty, they don’t replace a blog. A blog is where I can go and really get to know someone if I want to invest the time.

For me, blogging is not dead. Yes, it has changed a bit over the years. More people do it and aspire to get some kind of Internet fame out of it, but in the end it’s just a way to connect with like-minded people and I am generally of the assumption that you get out what you are willing to put in.

I don’t know, I read a lot that the people who still love blogging (and obviously like getting comments!), do it more with the idea in mind that they write for other people, but don’t want to feel like they have to go and read/comment back on other people’s blogs. Uhm, but you realize that this is how this whole blogging thing works, right?

Unless you (already) have a huge following and a business-like approach to your blog (I understand that you can’t read and comment on the blogs of your 1000+ subscribers), don’t you want that personal connection to your readers?

If my words don’t connect me to you, that’s fine. It doesn’t always happen. But I want this to be a community, a give and take. I hope you do know that I appreciate every single one of you who comes here to read and even sometimes leave comments. I do my best to reply back and to come and read about your life, too, if you have a blog.

I am not aspiring to make money from my blog, nor do I try to write for the masses. I write about what I want to write about, because writing has always been part of me and I want to continue doing it. But my words on my own terms, not influenced by trends or how many “likes” I can get.

Who’s with me?

7: The Sisterhood of the World Bloggers Award

November 7, 2015 filed under: awards, NaBloPoMo

I was nominated by Courtney, American in Germany and fellow expat blogger, for this award (thank you!) and I happily accept and participate! It’s always a good opportunity to learn some random things about other bloggers, don’t you agree?

Here are the rules for this award:
1. Provide a link and thank the blogger who nominated you for this award.
2. Answer the questions (s)he proposed.
3. Nominate other bloggers for the award.
4. Ask these bloggers 10 questions.

Here are Courtney’s 10 questions to me:

1. What is the most unusual item you always have in your carry-on?
The most unusual item I have in my carry-on is probably a little guardian angle my best friend gave me many years ago. I never fly without it and I am always prepared that TSA pulls me out to check my carry-on, because the guardian angle is made from some type of metal and sometimes shows up on their “suspicious item” screen.

2. What is your favorite social media platform?
My favorite social media platform hands-down is Instagram. I love to share a pictures (a picture’s worth a thousand words, right?) and how easy it is to connect over Instagram.
What I don’t like is when people use their IG as photo storage (and ‘spam’ everyone’s feed with a gazillion pictures of the same object from 10 different angles) and when people mistake IG for their blog (and write mile-long captions underneath). That’s just not what it’s there for, IMHO.

3. You are going on a weekend getaway 4 hours away. What do you prefer: driving, going by train, or flying?
I guess, for a getaway 4 hours away, I don’t mind driving. In fact, I’m always up for a good road-trip as part of the getaway.

4. What are you in the mood for: a relaxing beach vacation or a trip to a big city you have never visited before?
I usually prefer city trips over beach vacations, but I wouldn’t mind either ;)

5. What is your favorite breakfast food?
As the proper German that I am, my favorite breakfast food is fresh rolls with cheese and deli meat. However, my usual go-to breakfast (that I like just as much) is steel cut oats or granola with fresh fruit.

6. Have you ever had a vacation destination not live up to your expectations?
Not really. I love traveling and I never felt that going anywhere was a waste. Maybe I liked some places better than others, but having had the experience was always worthwhile.

7. What is your favorite non-US TV show?
Oh boy, that’s tough…. and it’s probably not going to make sense to anyone who didn’t grow up in the 80’s in Germany, but I think one of my favorite non-US TV shows was “Ich heirate eine Familie“. Anyone remember that?

8. You are going out for the evening with friends – what drink do you order?
I order a margarita on the rocks, no salt.

9. What is your favorite souvenir that you bought on a trip?
The mug from Boston’s “Thinking Cup” coffee shop.

10. And lastly, share your favorite inspirational quote!
I don’t know if this is my absolute favorite (there are so many!), but it’s definitely one of my favorites!

“Owning our own story and loving ourselves through that process is the bravest thing that we’ll ever do.” – Brené Brown

– – –

Here are 10 questions from me:

1. What is your guilty pleasure?
2. If I were to ask your family and friends, what would they say is one word that describes you?
3. What is one of your blogging pet peeves?
4. When was a time in your life when you took a chance?
5. What is one activity you like to do for self-care?
6. Brunch or dinner?
7. If you could live in any country for a while, where would you want to live?
8. What is the best piece of advice anyone has ever given you?
9. What’s your favorite pair of shoes?
10. Recommend one of your favorite blogs.

I am nominating everyone who wants to play along… but especially my fellow NaBloPoMo–participants, in case you need a post idea for one of the days! :)

On the kindness of ‘strangers’ on the Internet

September 14, 2015 filed under: blog stuff, friends

{source: Unsplash}

You guys, I know you’re technically the wrong audience, because if you read this, you probably already believe in the power of blogs and the Internet, but to all the people out there who “don’t get” blogging and think that you can’t make deep, lasting connections with people you haven’t met in person, I tell you: you’re so wrong.

First of all, for the record, I already believed in the power of communication through the written word way back when I was a teenager and had pen friends all around the world. Some of these friendships still exist to this day. One of my closest and oldest friends lives in Australia and we’ve been friends for 23 years. There, beat that!

And then, since I moved to the US almost 14 years ago (gasp!), I’ve made most of my friendships on the Internet because making new friends in a new place is hard and especially so if you’re an introvert (and we all know the Internet is full of introverts!). I’ve been lucky enough to meet some of my online friends in person by now, but there are still many I have yet to meet. But regardless, knowing them only through the Internet doesn’t make them any less real for me.

How I know that they’re real?

Because there are some lovely people(not all linked here for various reasons) that have over time reached out to me in the most random ways and have shown kindness that I would have never expected. This speaks volumes to me about the kind of persons that they are. We might not know each other on the most personal levels, we might not communicate on a daily basis, but I feel a connection and that’s good enough for me.

There are friendships that run on much less than this and the great thing about the Internet is that, as it happens, people often know and interact with the same people and there is some sort of network and community feeling going on.

I might still struggle with building a local community, but I always know there are people out there that I can turn to and from whom I can get a “heck yes!” or “me, too!”, and the kindness of these ‘strangers’ on the Internet never really ceases to amaze me.

This is to say: thank you.

Guest posters wanted

June 2, 2015 filed under: blog stuff

I can’t believe I can finally say this, but in three (hopefully) short weeks my family, as in my parents, my sister + BIL and the munchkins (!!), will be visiting and my excitement is practially through the roof. It’s been almost a year again since I last saw them and their visit has been a long time coming.

My parents have managed to come and visit every 3-4 years since I moved here, but my sister has only been here once (way back in 2004, before husband and kids) and for a few years it just wasn’t possible for her to come here with two toddlers. I understand, it was much easier for J and I (or sometimes even just I) to travel back home and see everybody there, plus it was always nice for me to get to go back home, but I had also really, really hoped that someday they would all be able to come and visit us here.

This year, all the stars aligned and it is happening: we’ll have a long family summer together here in the States. I am beyond thrilled and excited.

I’ll probably be MIA for a large part of their visit (unless I manage to write up a whole list of blog posts in advance, which, in all honesty, I don’t really see happening… ) and this is where you come in. I’d love to have a few guest posts for the time that I am away from this blog in July.

It would keep this little corner of the Internet active and it’ll give you the opportunity to write for and reach a new audience. You see, it’s a win-win.

If you already have an idea what you’d like to write about, great. I am happy to hear your suggestions. If you would like to guest post, but need some guidance on what to write about, let’s have a conversation. I’d like to think I am pretty flexible. All I am asking is that you consider writing about something that is relevant to the kind of blog I write (personal/lifestyle). It can be a personal story, something travel-related, a DIY tutorial, a review of something, or a tried and tested recipe.

It would be great if you could let me know by June, 10 if you’re interested in contributing. Guest posts should be submitted by June, 20 to leave me some time to get them formatted and scheduled.

I love to have you, so don’t be shy. Leave a comment or email me!

5 Blogging Pet Peeves

March 26, 2015 filed under: blog stuff

{Source: Pixabay}

Please, please do me a favor and don’t truncate your feed. I hate nothing more (ok, that’s an overstatement, but…) than if I browse new blog posts in my reader and can’t see the full post. I know, I know, you want me to click over and read the post on your blog (and maybe even leave a comment while I am there), but I am much more likely to click over and comment, when I was initially able to read your post in my reader.

The reason why I like to read blog posts (originally) in my reader (I use Feedly) is that their font, text spacing and layout is very eye-pleasing and make a quick scan very easy. Many of the blogs I read have eye-pleasing designs as well, but if you’re using a handwriting font on your blog (which in large chunks of texts always looks ‘’messy”) or don’t use paragraphs, text justification, appropriate line spacing or other means of balancing your text, it makes the act of reading your posts really hard on your audience. Another point why you shouldn’t truncate your feed.

I love comments as much as the next ~~person~~ blogger and love it even more if a blog post starts a dialogue with my readers. However, if you do reply to comments in your comment section, it would be really nice if a notification was sent out to the original commentator. I personally can’t keep track of where I left comments (I try to comment a fair amount) and then go back to check if you left a reply underneath. I personally reply to comments through emails.

You don’t have to blog every single day. No, really. It’s ok. Quality > quantity is definitely my motto. Yes, I am sure we’ve all posted the occasional silly, not so highly qualitative (but maybe entertaining?) post, but what I am saying is it’s ok to skip some days here and there. The Internet is not going anywhere and what are you going to blog about anyway if you never leave your house?

Don’t write a blog post apologizing that you haven’t blogged lately. I am sure your regular audience has noticed that you were kind of absent (and in the best case scenario, missed you!), but a) you never ever have to apologize for taking a blogging break and b) just come back with some interesting content instead. This is what people are most likely looking forward to.

Do you have a blogging pet peeve?