Commentary & Editorial
Experiences Using Micro.blog so Far in 2025
It’s been a few months now since I started using Micro.blog as my main website and posting service, so I thought I would take some time to reflect upon it.
To start, I was looking for a replacement for WordPress given all of the drama over at Automatic, the owners, but it wasn’t only that. I was writing less and just paying for hosting, so it no longer was fit for my needs. I was able to seamlessly transfer existing posts to Micro.blog and also save some money in the process. I signed up for the Micro.one service, which only cost $10 a year, not counting my domain which I pay for through Hover. This alone saved a little money and accurately reflecting how infrequently I was using it.
I like how easy the UI is just to type and post. I can choose to make my posts as easily as a quick 300 limit post, or as long as I want to fulfill the purposes of my articles. I will eventually learn Markdown so I can really start organizing my posts and keep them uniform, but that will come later.
There’s one last feature I appreciate and that’s called, “Bookshelves”. It’s analogous to Goodreads and allows you to keep track of what you’re reading, want to read, and have completed. What I like is it gives you the option to make a post around it as sort of posting your thoughts around the book or making it easier to write a book review if you wish. While I only post which books I finish and use it to keep track, it’s had one more benefit – I’ve read the most this year, so far, that I have at any time since college.
When I made my goals for the beginning of the year, reading more was not on my “to-do” list, but it happened, and I’m grateful for the feature for inspiring me to do so. I made a goal of 12 books, which I’ve already blown past. I will l likely create a post later this year about what stood out to me so far about what I’ve read.
To make a long story short, I’m loving this service and its features. I’m able to utilize the easy UI/UX so I just write and post. As a result, I find myself posting a bit more than I did over at WordPress. It might not be as full featured, but if you just want to start writing and cross posting to other services, Micro.blog gives you everything you need – well, at least what my needs have become.
Ditching Instagram: Focusing on Meaningful Connections
Yes! You heard it here first. Like all of you, I was excited for Instagram when it first hit the scene back in late 2010 and still had my original account from that time. Meta (formerly Facebook) famously purchased the business for $1 billion and successfully integrated it into its ad network and social graph, but I'm not here to relive or debate history -- we can save the positives and negatives for another post.
This is not to bash the platform, nor criticize those who use it to build their business, brands and outreach. I do not have those needs. Mine was a personal account that I spent way too much time "doom scrolling", searching for vanity likes, outreach, and engagement. Personal accounts should not be used for this purpose as it adds no value, and frankly, grows into one big time constraint.
If you are a former reader of mine, you'll notice one big advantage thus far -- I'm posting a blog. Not a LinkedIn snippet or repost from BlueSky but writing an actual post which I have not done in quite some time. My annual domain registration and WordPress bills are coming due, and I want to take the time this year to build out my writing and reach through conversations, not vanity contests.
We must also consider mental health. In recent decades, one's well-being in this field is taking more seriously than it ever has been, and to different folks, that means different outcomes. For me, the question is -- what could I best be spending my time on for my skill set, career, and helping others? These values are important to me, and Instagram dopamine hits were not contributing meaningfully to those values.
So, what will I fill my days doing? I plan on working on evolving my personal networking techniques, read more (whether its audiobooks, eBooks or good old-fashioned tree-killers); and working on posting when and where it matters. I plan on making meaningful contributions to other publications to extend my reach and expertise.
The advances in AI of the past two-years have really made me reflect on what platforms and mediums are meaningful and whether they help or harm the cause. Again, I should write many more posts on that topic, and likely will. I need to learn more and talk less. Pushing out photos and media that feels "forced" is not a strategy worth pursuing.
If you would like to follow in these footsteps, I've included a link on how to delete your Instagram account. Be careful, re-logging in during the 30-day window will reset the timer and you'll have to start the countdown over again. Your mileage on taking this action can and should vary. I'm looking forward to using my new-found time to create longer, researched, in-depth posts and being confident enough in what I conclude to post on the platforms I still utilize.
Primary Source Material is Crucial for Facts & Research
Back in college we all had access to those often bulky, hard to use research databases, that sometimes worked, but often steered us in the wrong direction. We had to teach ourselves Boolean operators to properly navigate them. There was a reason other than torture for utilizing those; to help us all find primary source materials to write our research papers.
As is often the case, that's about the only time we used academia, raw data and studies to conduct our analysis on any given topic. Unfortunately, many of us negated those skills in our everyday lives. We only read tweets and not the accompanying story bylines and don't question it. We turn on cable news for answers. As soon as we rely on others to conduct the analysis, we lose control of what is fact and what is not.
For the purposes of this post, I'll be looking at the continued importance of primary source for conducting our own research for whatever we desire. I'll point out what to search for, how to do so, and how to read misleading studies and research.
Stated before, this should be a refresher from college or even high school, yet we forget such things in the era of social media and cable news. Bias is at a premium, and this should be your first factor when looking for a source to research a claim.
We will use the example of historical context of the following: A database may contain a personal letter from John F. Kennedy or Richard Nixon urging to sway the constituent their way to vote. While this is a primary source and is unique and certainly has its place in history, it is quite biased and should not be used to factcheck, unless the piece is a part of a larger historical research project, per say.
Let's take the example of a major economic number; the monthly non-farm payroll report from the Bureau of Labor Statistics. This is the primary source for all data relating to U.S. employment, unemployment, wages, including a break down where the jobs were gained, lost, and why. The method for collection is survey. Since COVID-19, the BLS has also factored in the ways in which the survey takers communicate their situation.
The response rate for the household survey was 75 percent in September 2021. While the rate was lower than the average before the pandemic of 83 percent for the 12 months ending in February 2020, it was considerably higher than the low of 65 percent in June 2020.
Bureau of Labor Statistics
We must keep in mind as the response rate returns more to normal levels, that there still may be some slack in respondents, creating a larger margin of error (MOE) in responses. As sample sizes decrease, the chance for skew increases. Though this is a primary source, keep in mind any data deterioration that may arise as the survey was collected, in this case for the month of October 2021.
Continuing on the document, the BLS talks about the misclassification issue. Surveys are meant as a point-in-time Continuing through the document, the BLS talks about the misclassification issue. Surveys are meant as a point-in-time and simply not capable of handling entire population sizes. Technically, if an employee is "on leave" due to COVID, they are not considered unemployed, thus, a misclassification has taken place.
If the misclassified workers who were recorded as employed but not at work for the entire survey reference week had been classified as “unemployed on temporary layoff,” the unemployment rate would have been higher than reported.
Bureau of Labor Statistics
Given that COVID-19 was a once-in-a-generation situation, statistical measures can be improved upon moving forward if any other possible disruptive events occur. Like all Data Scientists, hypothesis must be carefully created, methodologies are more important on a national level such as the BLS, and the data requires further refinement and consultation as to what "voluntary leave" or "furloughed" means if these become larger data points in surveys going forward.
An economic number may not be what it seems on a headline or in an article posted in CNBC, Bloomberg, NYT, or Fox Business, for example. Their job is to get clicks and engagement (positive and negative). It's how these sites and companies boost ad revenue in a world where Facebook and Google dominate the online ad market. It's your job to question where these claims came from, to consider what the bias may be, and to retrace the steps to obtain a deeper understanding of what the numbers are "really" telling.
Though it may seem a bit absurd, we all must be capable of basic data science when it comes to understanding the headline. False claims and skewed articles run ramped in the age of social media. Older publications have unfortunately fallen into the same category as they race for clicks and their own share of the ad market. Leave your own biases aside when considering what to think after reading questionable content. Do your homework, as it were. The true comprehension of the story will come through and you can inform others why these pieces may have gotten the story wrong.
One Year at a Non-Profit
Volunteering has always been a part of my personal ethos. I'm reminded of my time as an AmeriCorps VISTA at Engaging Creative Minds, which I spent a year from 2017 until 2018. I wrote this post some years ago, but it is an experience that I hope that all younger folks will take advantage of.
In creating my plans long ago, the thought never came into my mind about actively working for an educational non-profit for a year through the AmeriCorps VISTA program. One year has passed and I have fulfilled my experience and dedication to this organization. The background I possess has ramifications far beyond non-profits, but also learned quite a bit about this different type of structure along the way.
My mind works as a project manager; processing ways to try new methods and procedures quicker, failing faster, yet creating a bread trail that paves the way for others not to make the same mistakes. Learning and failing is okay, if it’s never been tried. With a Six Sigma eye, every moment of productivity moves through my brain on a filter. Planning two or three steps out to measure potential outcomes is paramount in any organizational success. Non-profits are no different.
Agile Atmosphere. Often many are working on long-term projects, operations, finance, and outreach. Non-profits have quick turnover, yet a dedicated base of volunteers, funding mechanisms, and grants. Financial and non-financial players demand the organization be open, especially to those most inclined to visualize success. Documentation is a key salient point for enduring successes. Moving quickly through what does not work allows for successful pivoting through multiple strategies.
Experimentation. Reaching towards the next internal goal is vital to expanding organizational reach to the community and to funders. How to get there takes more creativity than personnel may be used to. Not being afraid to try and fail still plagues the mindset in for-profit or government organizations. With non-profits, this thinking must be a way of life; as if organizational survival depends on it, because it does.
Scrum. In smaller organizations, there may be one or two figure heads in a department, and that is all. Departments often depend on one another to see through a strategy to its full implementation. Creating strategies and cross-functional teams, or pairing individuals, to move through plans is the only way to ensure cohesiveness. After the formulation and implementation phases, all must be brought in to be briefed on what’s next. This eliminates duplication of tasks, efforts, and allows for more frequent but quicker meetings regarding potential roadblocks.
This unique experience allowed important insights into how the multibillion-dollar non-profit sector works. The larger takeaway is that all organizational behavior only slightly differs between government agencies and the for-profit sectors. The missions and goals are the same, however only the stakeholders differ. We all serve a vast yet similar set of stakeholders throughout our lives.
Why I'm Taking a Year to Volunteer
Life experiences make up the structure of a person. Choosing to give time and effort takes dedication and sweat equity. Some may choose to give donations over their time. This all depends on what each individual is willing to commit and how dedicated they are to engulfing themselves into the effort.
Estimates from the Bureau of Labor Statistics show that only 24.9% of Americans are engaged in volunteering within their communities, a slow downward trajectory from only five years ago. Statistics aside, volunteering is about not showing that an individual cares, but rather getting personally involved with issues that are deeply ingrained to what is believed to be contributing to societal problems.
As a person who is working on his masters in intelligence management, becoming a public servant is only a small part of what is entailed. Keeping the United States secure from foreign and domestic threats is vital to my career goals, however, this cannot be taken for granted. There are American values which need to be protected, including the right of children to learn and become the country's future.
AmeriCorps VISTA offers a unique set of organizational goals to help serve the nation and improve the standing of poverty within it. Education is power. Each child must be given an opportunity to learn, explore their own potentials, and contribute to their own way to the nation. Exploring avenues for children in poverty and low-income households to explore the sciences will the strengthen resolve of educators, parents, and communities.
The goal of academia will still continue, albeit at a slightly slower pace. It is important to concentrate on the goals of the organization that is the assignment from 2017 to 2018. The courses will always be there, other opportunities may not be. Learning and assisting at all levels of society is pivotal to understanding what exactly the mission and objectives of the intelligence community means to the average person. It reminds us who is being protected and given a chance to thrive.
Putting names and faces to children who need assistance and opportunity will always be a standpoint to take away upon entering the intelligence and national security apparatus. Allowing safe environments free from threats is vital to making the United States as strong as it can be.
A Quick Comment on the history of American Xenophobia -- From Japan to Russia to Latinos
I’ve been very concerned about the hatred and negative rhetoric I’ve seen towards the Russian people on social media. We must not demonize citizens of a country for actions of their government. They, too, are victims of the Putin regime.
Russians have been subject to disinformation and coercion, not of their own making. For decades, activists have been murdered, disappeared, imprisoned, and banished from their own society. To be an ally of Russia is to plan and support for a post-Putin society.
We, of course, don’t know what that will look like, but one thing is for certain – hating Russians for the sake of being Russian is not the solution. We can and we must support those who wish to live in a free, democratic society. To demonize Russians makes us no better than Putin himself. As the invasion of Ukraine increased in 2021, this negative sentiment only grew against Russian citizens.
Of course, xenophobia is nothing new in the West. Post 9/11, attacks against Muslims were on the rise and tolerance for Islam was on the decline. The US DOJ Civil Rights Division site has a collection of some incidents of note.
Dating back further was the act of interning Japanese Americans during World War II, for the fact that they “might be” involved with the Japanese Imperial Air Force’s attack on Pearl Harbor on December 7, 1941. President Roosevelt issued Executive Order 9066, which resulted in the interrogation and forced relocation of over 120,000 Japanese Americans to these ‘centers’. Many of these American citizens were second-generation Americans who had never set foot in their parents or grandparents' homeland of Japan, but fear of the Japanese resulted in the subjugation of their freedoms.
I would be remised if I did not include the most recent second and third order impacts of the American Latino population in the Age of Donald Trump. Forced relocation of those Americans of Latino decent who are perceived to be MS-13, a label often used by the American right, to blanket the ‘other’ who do not conform to the ‘standards’ of white, Anglo-Saxon, Christian citizens. Latinos are being uprooted from their lives and homes and forced relocated with force, as we’ve seen so many times before throughout United States history to El Salvador – a nation whose President is being compensated by the US government to hold these citizens without due-process.
History always repeats itself, albeit with different explanations. Thus, the American and the West’s historical context of internment, discrimination, and hate crimes have always been there, it seems to be a fever that we must but cannot break. Cultural integration has always been a crucial part of the United States, but our recent backward slide from democracy into authoritarianism is a backlash to the white populations becoming a minority.
Throughout all these incidents, America has always continued to somehow integrate and with any luck, our assimilation of cultures will continue should the citizens of the United States decide that this too - is an injustice to all that must be corrected.