2010 seemed to be the year of Facebook and Android phones that do everything from video chat, provide GPS directions and chew your food for you. Kids don’t even watch where they’re walking anymore! They follow their parents around the grocery store and down the side walks of America texting away. Let’s not even talk about driving and texting! I’m shopping at Shop Rite and these kids keep getting in my way! I wanna say “Hey, watch where you’re go’n kid!” Kids aren’t the only ones! I see people at Planet Fitness sitting on weight lifting equipment texting away while I’m waiting to get on said machine. I want to strangle them but I politely move to the next machine ahead of that one. What is my point? This crap killed blogging!
The original biker bloggers have been blogging for years now. Some started ten years ago like Cecilie Hoffman! Some of us got in late and started three years ago like me, Lady R, Joker and Viking Dave. Wether it was ten years ago or three we all found a means to express caged up feelings about this crazy passion we call motorcycling. In 2010 everyone got on Facebook! The comments on the blogs took a dive! Quality of expression was replaced with quantity! Just like when USA Today newspaper invented the fast easy junkfood style of news reporting that assasinated journalism. Everyone and their mother, father, cousin and every living relative updates their FB status with brainless crap. “I’m watching TV. It’s cold out. I just washed my motorcycle. The Eagles are going to win tonight. The Eagles choked tonight. I’m scratching my butt and picking my nose. Blah, blah blah.” Who cares?! All useless information! Being nosey or having nothing better to do people flocked to FB. Bikers too! 99% of what is on FB isn’t worth reading. I see 1% important updates and alerts about people who have been hurt, injured or had surgery. Good updates too like new births and friends who got new jobs. Unfortunately I read more on FB about friends losing jobs! I like the immediate access to pictures from family events, parties and rides. I also like getting in touch with old friends and relatives on FB. This technology keeps people in touch in a phony electronic way. Texting and e-mailing can’t replace conversation. It brings people closer on a superficial level. Not on a real level.
What kills me about these social mediums including e-mail is that people type things that face to face wouldn’t come out of their mouths. Better judgement doesn’t seem to take hold when typing. Ironicly you would think they would put more thought into what they are doing. Instead they are more brash. People who appear normal in person become somebody else online. What planet did these e-mails come from? Is there an alternate universe? I think so! This can’t be from the person I know; it must be from their twin in the upside down alternate universe somewhere inside Comcast. Online arguments ensue, feelings are hurt, friendships are damaged! You gotta love the twenty-one year old kid who came to my blog to tell me I’m a douche and he quit First State HOG Chapter because I pissed him off in 2008! Hoorah for online honesty! I appreciate the sincerity. I’m guilty too! Whatever happened to picking up the phone and talking? Whatever happened to returning phone calls? I don’t know but I think this all changed in 2010!
2010 was our third year of blogging! We keep flirting with the 10,000 visitor mark but have not been able to attract that many visitors in a single month. Mostly we hit over 8,000 and exceeded 9,000 four times. Hopefully we will hit the 10,000 milestone in 2011. The year started really cool with a press pass to the New York City International Motorcycle Show which I will be going to again this week as news media. Diana and I had some amazing trips in 2010! We went to the Blue Ridge Mountains in the spring and the fall and rode home to blog about it. We recently visited the Barber Motorsports Museum in Alabama. Another amazing experience! Diana and I both started writing for a real paper and ink magazine: Fast Lane Biker Delmarva. Things didn’t pan out for me writing for that magazine or some of the other avenues that I was excited about in the beginning of the year. I did attend a seminar on social media in order to promote my blog. Ironic huh? We updated our camera equipment this year and now have 36 “sets” of pictures on Flickr. 2010 was great for Road Captain USA in the way of making additonal money and who can’t use additonal income? My online store doubled sales over last year until I ran out of advertising funds - which proves you need money to make money! Advertising income definitely shot up as we partnered with companies who purchased advertising space on our sidebar. Thank you advertisers! You guys & gals rock!
This blog is a valuable way to share with the motorcycle community. I enjoy writing and hope that my readers enjoy coming here for practical information, entertainment and a deeper bonding experience than can be derived from the superficial quips and updates found on other social media sites. If this blog, e-mailing and Facebooking continue to bring friends and foes closer, then I guess freedom of speech are still alive in this great country! Go ahead… insult my intelligence, hurt my feelings and type at me. I’m here exposed and vulnerble! Although I can delete your comments and e-mails, I usually don’t. Instead I learn from what you have to say and try to gently massage hurt egos. I practice restraint, but I haven’t mastered it yet. But I keep getting better. In fact I just deleted some sentences from this post.
I raise a glass and tip my hat to those of you who had something positive to share. I love yous guys! Keep coming back and I look forward to reading your comments good or bad. Cheers to 2011! Screw It-Let’s Ride!
Tags: News & Announcements by Jay Green
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