Showing posts with label Webs.com. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Webs.com. Show all posts

Sunday, September 23, 2018

It's Not All Gumdrops & Unicorns Q&A 2018

How's it going my gumdrops? Can you believe that 2018 will be over in 4 more months? I can't believe how much time has gone passed. 

This year did not exactly go the way I planned, which is highly disappointing. Realizing this makes me feel unaccomplished.

Throughout every year, I always hope for the better but it seems like everything keeps getting worse. Anyway...

Today is the 5th anniversary of It's Not All Gumdrops & Unicorns. There are fewer questions this year. Here are the following questions I have answered: 

It's Not All Gumdrops & Unicorns Q&A 2018:

Zombified: How do you think things with your website will evolve in the future?

Answer: Honestly, I have no idea. Webs' engineers need to hurry with their repairs. They are that 1 straw breaking every camel's back. In other words, most of us, who use Webs as a platform for publishing content like myself and/or business owners are suffering.

As I explained to a Webs Customer Service Representative over the phone last Friday, we have been losing customers, subscribers, traffic, etc. It all depends on what that person is using Webs for.

I personally use Webs.com's platform for blogging at least 2-3 days a week along with publishing and sharing excerpts of my short stories for only members of It's Not All Gumdrops & Unicorns to read on my Horror/Thriller page.

Earlier this year (late January to be more specific), I stopped blogging on It's Not All Gumdrops & Unicorns and started experimenting again on Blogger.

After building my 2nd Blogger page, OMG, Anna! What's Going On?! I noticed there were less problems with publishing my blogs. 

Also, the features that us bloggers can use on Blogger like scheduling blogs to be published and meta tagging WITHOUT any glitches are free.

Not having to pay for more artistic designs on Blogger is another bonus.

Countless times over these last 5 years, I have said that WordPress is highly overrated and overpriced for vapid designs and is user UNFRIENDLY.  The preceding statement still holds true today. The ball is currently in everyone else's court other than mine.

Only YOU can help generate traffic to content by liking, sharing, and having discussions. Discussions especially generate THE MOST traffic to a website.

Marquis DeBlood: What inspired you to start writing?

Answer: This is a great question. Since elementary school, I learned how to create my own short stories. My 1st and 2nd grade teachers in made us draw our own pictures and write short stories.

By 3rd grade, my English teacher gave us a monthly chart with ideas to create stories with for assignments. 

Once it reached October, we had to create our own Halloween stories. You, as well as some other Horror fans would've loved those assignments in school. That year in October, I really had fun. 

I wrote short stories about werewolves, zombies, vampires, and Chucky from Child's Play. Looking back, I suppose that would've been labeled as "Fan Fiction," before Fan Fiction was ever a term or a website. Not that I support Fan Fiction, but you get my point.

After becoming a teenager, that was when I really became interested in Creative Writing.

As a form of personal catharsis, I wrote angry poetry, when I wasn't creating my own characters and writing short stories. 

During my high school senior year, I had a disparaging teacher for Creative Writing Class. That same teacher claimed, that all my stories and poems were "depressing." 

Maybe some of my poems were but NOT  my stories. You have read some of the excerpts of my short stories on my Horror/Thriller page to know, that they are NOT  "depressing."

After minoring In Creative Writing in college, my professors appreciated my work. Those disparaging remarks from my Creative Writing teacher in high school did NOT  stop me from graduating college with a Creative Writing Minor.

In a nutshell, that frumpy, red-headed, divorced cow (or pig) from high school, along with my asshole study hall monitor, who labeled me as "The Next Columbine Student" can go fuck themselves to Icy Hot.

BTW: I added more excerpts to the Horror/Thriller page. Whenever you have the chance, I highly encourage every member to sign in and read them.

Robert: What is your favorite album of all time?

Answer: That is a tough question to answer. After being exposed to numerous music genres, sub-genres, and albums by so many mainstream and underground bands and singers, I cannot name only 1 album. The following is a list of my favorite albums:

Gravity Kills' Gravity Kills and Perversion

Stabbing Westward's Wither, Blister, Burn, & Peel and Darkest Days

Lords Of Acid's Lust, Voodoo-U, and Our Little Secret

Stone Temple Pilots' Core, Purple, and No. 4

Type O Negative's Bloody Kisses and October Rust

KoRn's KoRn, Life Is Peachy, Follow The Leader, and Untouchables

Dokken's Breaking The Chains and Back For The Attack

London After Midnight's Psycho Magnet

Lacuna Coil's In a Reverie, Unleashed Memories, and Comalies

My Life With The Thrill Kill Kult's A Crime For All Seasons

The preceding list only names a few of my favorite albums.

With all that has been answered, did you enjoy learning anything new from today's Q&A blog? What are your thoughts?

In the near future, I always look forward to seeing more of you on It's Not All Gumdrops & Unicorns and on OMG, Anna! What's Going On?! Thank you!

Saturday, September 23, 2017

It's Not All Gumdrops & Unicorns Q&A 2017 {Part 1}

 
How's it going my gumdrops? Today is the 4th anniversary of me building as well as launching It's Not All Gumdrops & Unicorns. Throughout these last 4 years, It's Not All Gumdrops & Unicorns has been through numerous changes.

Last week, I had my friend, DJ Scott from Horror-Punks.net make some alterations to the home page design. There is now a bat laying dead next to the dead unicorn, while a crow is flying in the company of those hailing gumdrops.

Once again like last year, there have been lesser questions for me to answer. As I went through your questions, I noticed this year is also more like a so-called "Sausage Party." This really should not be a surprise to me.

Since the time of being a Radio DJ at WIPZ in 2002, my audience was ALWAYS male-dominated. 

It always felt as if my hobbies, interests, and views hardly ever resonated with most women. It has been this way for YEARS. 

Typically, I have more in common with men than with women. Most men were usually more loyal to me than women were, in the platonic sense. 

They still are today. If this does NOT say something, it really should.

Regarding the amount I questions I have answered from subscribers these last 2 years, just because I have less to answer now, doesn't necessarily mean other people don't have any questions. Quantity is not always quality.

Anyway, to celebrate the 4th anniversary of It's Not All Gumdrops & Unicorns, here are the questions I answered:

It's Not All Gumdrops & Unicorns 2017 Q&A [Part 1:]

Jesse: I have received new e-mail notifications about the new Song Saturday and Cartoon Sunday blogs, but they're invisible on this website. I can't find them and don't know why. Am I the only one with this problem?

Answer: No, Jesse you were NOT  the only person having these problems. As of 2 days ago, you should be able to see the newest blogs on the main page.

Whenever I send new e-mail notifications, I send shortened weblinks for you to copy and paste. Those same links send you directly to those blogs. Here are the latest blogs:

Cartoon Sunday: Edgar Allan Poe's The Cask Of Amontillado [OMG! HE TALKS!] (2015)

Song Saturday: Tristania's My Lost Lenore (2017)

Donald's Questions:

1) In what way do you think you have grown as a content creator?

2) What would you do differently, if you were given the chance to go back and alter your course?

3) With the knowledge you have accumulated over the years, what would be your words of advice for other aspiring content creators?

My Answers:

1) During the '90s, only the "computer geeks" had their own websites. Now, it is important for us entrepreneurs and entertainers to have our own sites for gaining exposure.

Technology has advanced immensely, over the last 3 decades. It continues to do so. Today anyone can build his/her own site whether having a degree in Graphic Design, Computers, or not.

Over these last 4 years, I've learned so much as a content creator. Before ever building a site, I was not the most tech savvy. Had someone told me 20 years ago, that I would build my own website to blog on it in the future, I would've scoffed, rolled my eyes, and dismissed it.

I learned how to build It's Not All Gumdrops & Unicorns by watching Webs.com's YouTube tutorials. I continue to learn something new everyday.

2) Since the time The Xanga Team dumped their own money problems on us and caused division within the community in 2013, I have REALLY struggled to generate national and international traffic to my blogs these last 4 years.

After learning what I know now, I should've joined Xanga 10 YEARS or so before the original website shut down and relaunched on WordPress, years ago. Like most Xangans, I miss Xanga 1.0 as well.

I really should've learned how to build my own website MUCH sooner in 2013, while gaining more subscribers for an e-mail list, after the original announcement about Xanga shutting down. It would've been so much better than joining a highly divisive, flaky, and temperamental blogging community like Blogster.

Song Saturday was the best quality about Blogster. Otherwise, that community is a standoffish, Baby Boomer dominated community with a high turnover of bloggers.

3) Like I have said countless times in the past, you have to really love what you do. This is similar to being that so-called "starving artist." If you are PASSIONATE about building your own website and publishing your content, it takes a LOT  of time, energy, patience, and usually money.

If you are only building your own website for the sake of status and vanity, DON'T waste yours and OTHER people's time social climbing, copycatting, and acting like a pretentious, attention whore because you saw someone like yours truly with a site.

Yes, somebody else can always build your website or whatever it is, that you want for you. 

However, once I learned how to build It's Not All Gumdrops & Unicorns by watching tutorials on YouTube, I have a much greater pride, appreciation, and respect for the professionals, that get paid to build websites. Also, I find it fun learning as I go with managing this website because I discover something new everyday.

DJ Scott's Questions:

1) What is your favorite Beavis and Butt-Head episode and why

2) What is your favorite new animation and why?

My Answers:

1) You asked 2 hard questions. Even as a woman in my mid-30's, I still laugh my ass off watching Beavis and Butt-Head.

There was 1 particular episode of Beavis and Butt-Head, which showed Butt-Head throwing the trash can at Beavis and knocking him unconscious. My other favorite episode is "Take A Number."

"Take A Number" featured Beavis and Butt-Head at a Rock concert. It had 2 female characters with the same traits as them. Although, this is my favorite scene:

{My Favorite Scene}: Beavis and Butt-Head "Take A Number" (1995)

That scene NEVER gets old!

2) Honestly, I don't have any right now, UNLESS American Dad counts on TBS. Most of my time is spent hunting for animation to share for Cartoon Sunday blogs, that I find on YouTube, if not something from Japan like an Anime. Adult Swim does not air too many cartoons I want to watch, unless they are cartoons on the weekends.

Marquis DeBlood: What started your obsession with Anime?

Answer: I am not nearly as obsessed with Japanese animation as I used to be. When I did marathon Anime years ago, I still watched a wide variety of animation and I love sharing some of that variety in Cartoon Sunday blogs.

During the mid-80's as a toddler, I was already exposed to Japanese animation. It started with the Mecha Anime, Robotech. This was YEARS before Cartoon Network, Adult Swim, the Toonami block, Chiller TV, Syfy, and other cable/satellite networks were launched.

It was not until the early 21st Century, that Anime (also known as "Japanimation" during the '90s), reached its pinnacle.

Originally, Anime was scarce on TV, at video stores, and the Internet. That was until more cable networks took an interest in them. It wasn't until 11-12 years ago, that I discovered other types of Anime genres and sub-genres existed for different sexual orientations, age, and gender demographics.

Shonen Jump Action Anime have been the most popular for the last 20-30 + years in The West. That's what is normally shown on Cartoon Network and Adult Swim. They ignore other genres, sub-genres, female, and age demographics.

At Carthage College, I wrote my Junior Symposium on Shojo Anime and Manga. 

Creative Writing, Sociology, Japanese Culture, Language, History, and Religion were all covered in my symposium.

Most of my favorite primetime shows were canceled and had series finales, 10-11 years ago. This was especially when shows I really invested in were constantly being canceled. After graduating in 2006, I discovered there was a plethora of Anime online for fans to watch.

Between 2006 to 2010, I took a so-called "pause" from most primetime shows and marathoned online streams of Anime. In addition, I started watching more of it on Cartoon Network, Adult Swim, Fuse TV, Colours TV, IFC, SciFi, Starz, and wait for it... Chiller TV. 

After those networks stopped airing Anime except for Adult Swim, I continued to stream it online. 

Over these last 5 years, I am far behind on the latest Anime titles which released in Japan. 

Because you are a Horror fan like yours truly, I believe you would really enjoy the Horror Anime genre.

This concludes Part 1 of this Q&A blog. I am really surprised to see there were no Horror or music questions asked. Tomorrow, I will continue with Victor's question.

Thursday, February 25, 2016

Blogger Is My Alternate


How's it going my gumdrops? You may recall that I published 2 blogs last weekend, on Blogger. Song Saturday and Cartoon Sunday are blogs I normally publish on It's Not All Gumdrops & Unicorns. Webs.com experiences glitches every so often. 

Since I'm already on Blogger, it's only fitting to publish Song Saturday and Cartoon Sunday blogs on here, whenever It's Not All Gumdrops & Unicorns goes down. I will just transfer those same blogs over to my website, after the glitches are over. That's basically what I did both today and yesterday.

Normally, I will share Song Saturday and Cartoon Sunday blogs to Blogger from It's Not All Gumdrops & Unicorns. Whenever I share those blogs on here, the links will redirect you to my website and vice versa. Isn't that fantastic?!

What would be even more fantastic is if Gen Xers and Millennials both liked, subscribed, shared, +1'ed on Google+, and left your feedback in the comments sections. I am online, during the evenings.

There is NO fee to join It's Not All Gumdrops & Unicorns. The incentive to joining is that you have a chance to read my "Horror" page. That's something outsiders do NOT have access to. Just think about it. 

If you are having trouble with the navigation, here is a blog explaining how to navigate around It's Not All Gumdrops & Unicorns.

http://goo.gl/kmXmUY

Anyway, thank you my gumdrops! I look forward to seeing you all very soon!

~ Anna H. 

Sunday, February 8, 2015

Giving Blogger Another Chance

How's it going? I originally created my Blogger account 2 summers ago. During that time, Xanga 1.0 was shutting down and re-launching as 2.0 on WordPress. Within these last 2 years, I have dabbled with many blogging communities and sites.

Since last November, I have been revising and archiving my old Xanga 1.0 and Blogster entries on JournalHome.com. I currently have only 12 more blogs to revise and archive. After I'm done revising and archiving, I will leave Blogster next month. If you would like to read most of my older Xanga and Blogster entries, I encourage you to visit my archives page on JournalHome.


http://www.journalhome.com/RealistMe/archive/

The majority of my blogs are on my website, It's Not All Gumdrops & Unicorns

http://itsnotallgumdropsandunicorns.webs.com/

When you have the chance, please let me know what you think!

Monday, April 28, 2014

It's Not All Gumdrops & Unicorns: Q&A #1

How's it going my gumdrops? I have been in the middle of updating 2 of my previously published Q&A blogs on my website, It's Not All Gumdrops & Unicorns. 
 
Since I have been experiencing glitches and because the original version had a large amount of content, the Q&A blogs are being transferred to Blogger.

This Q&A blog was originally published on April 28th, 2014.

How's it going my gumdrops? As you already know, I mentioned last week, that I would publish my Q&A blog today on It's Not All Gumdrops & Unicorns. Here are the questions, that I've answered:

Mimikoko's Question: I was always curious about your Asian Studies. I fell head over heals in love with girlie J pop a few years ago and, a while later, with K pop. I was wondering how it was you came into Asian Studies and if you have managed to use any part of that in your daily activities or making a living.

Answer: I was exposed to Japanese in 6th grade. My middle school teachers taught 6th graders different languages each quarter. 

Once I started taking Japanese, I loved it. Japanese is a great challenge and a unique language. 

I took my 1st entire year of Japanese in 7th grade and I continued all throughout high school. Some of my high school classmates labeled me "The Curve Breaker" because I almost always broke our classroom's curve. 

Not that my peers couldn't learn Japanese. They reveled in being self-entitled, juvenile delinquents and making our teachers cry. 

They were such terrors, that our teachers annually quit. My classmates did this non-stop for 5 years (7th-11th grade). By the time of my senior year, Japanese was removed from my high school. However, I took the initiative to contact 1 of our Japanese teachers and I took Japanese as an Independent Study. 

During my adolescence, I wanted to become a Japanese Consecutive Translator/Creative Writer.

I took Spanish, German, and Japanese, during my college years. However, I always excelled in Japanese. I attended 3 colleges by the time I was 20 years old. At 20, I became a Radio DJ and hosted my own college radio show (All Things Frightening), while attending UW-Parkside full-time and Carthage College part-time, simultaneously.

Then, I completely transferred to Carthage College for the Japanese Major. At the last minute, I was forced to change my major to Asian Studies because the Japanese Major required students to study abroad for 6-12 months. I could not afford to study abroad. 

During that time, we had 2 deaths in my immediate family, my grandmother had a Triple Heart Bypass Surgery, and I acquired a severe bleeding disorder, which I have been cured of these last 3 years.

Anyway, having an Asian Studies Degree, I can become an Academic Advisor, Journalist, Writer, Teacher, Translator, work in Sociology, Politics, and even Media. It really depends on what he/she wants to do with a degree in Asian Studies.

In addition to learning the Japanese language, I learned about Japanese and Asian cultures and religions. IL has more Japanese people and companies than here in WI, which puts me at a disadvantage. 

Regardless, I can still use my Asian Studies Degree, since I learned about other Asians, their histories, cultures, religions, architectures, and art.

Victor Da Silva's Questions:

1) What are your thoughts on the actor, who plays TOM (Steve Blum) from the animation block, Toonami? Had you ever heard of him outside of shows you like? If so, do you have a personal agenda against him or had you not seen the shows he was on, aside from the elephant in the room, Cowboy Bebop? Have you ever met him at an Anime convention in your area or were you too busy with other things?

Answer: I have nothing against Steven Jay Blum. I like and respect him as a voice actor. No, I have never met him or attended any conventions. 

I didn't know, who Blum was until Scryed aired on Adult Swim, 10 years ago. Back then, I was in college and barely had time, much less privacy. 

I never liked Cowboy Bebop and I still cannot understand the hype. Steven Jay Blum has voiced many characters over the years. I miss him as Orochimaru on Naruto and Naruto Shippuden.

2) If you were to unintentionally meet Jason DeMarco in real life and had one thing to say, what would you tell him and why do you need to see him face to face?

Answer: I don't need to see Jason DeMarco in person. I can take or leave him. However, if I bumped into him, I would ask, "Will you ever acknowledge your female audience again, or are you going to keep ignoring as being a part of your viewer ratings?"

Marie Moore's Question: Why don't you put up any pictures of yourself?

Answer: This has been a common question over these last 3 years. I have endured trolls, cyber stalkers, opportunists, and creeps on social networking sites and forums within the last 2-4 years.

In fact, 4 years ago, I belonged to SOAPnet's General Hospital sub-forum. A troll, who has Fibromyalgia, had the audacity to make a mock prayer thread about my disabled mother. This was literally 1 day after my mother was released from the hospital.

My mother collapsed from strong medication, that her quack doctor prescribed and had a seizure. Not only that, but the poster also accused me of having a Facebook account. 

Her friend IMPERSONATED me on Facebook and claimed, that I insulted that troll with Fibromyalgia behind her back.

4 years ago, I didn't have a Facebook account. I did NOT  make my account, until 3 years ago. It was originally to reconnect with high school friends and classmates, since our 10-year class reunion was approaching. I purposely use my high school pseudonym and pre-blocked past trolls, stalkers, slanderers, high school bullies, frenemies, opportunists, cat callers, womanizers, exes, and simply people I can't stand. 

I bet I have 1,000 people on my block list.

I especially endure cat callers and random creeps inboxing me for nudie pics, cyber sex, etc. Besides, I am not somebody, who requires a gajillion selfies, and I'm surely not desperately seeking validation about my sexiness like most people (typically women) today.

Since the time I was a teenager, I always hid from cameras. My birth name is on my Horror-Punks URL. Yesterday, some creep on Vivaldi.net cat called my old Yahoo avatar.

Jesse Steele's Question: Have you ever met any famous people in real life? If so, who are they?

Answer: Yes, I've met Elaine Browne (a former Black Panther) and Charlie Murphy (Eddie Murphy's brother). 

The Dave Chappelle cast was at Carthage College doing their stand-up comedian tour, 10 years ago. 

Also, Def Comedy Jam's Tony Tone did a skit about me 8 years ago, in his stand-up.

He joked about my Demonia boots. My boots have a Steampunk/Fetish Goth appearance. Tone called me "Bigfoot from Wauwatosa" and claimed, that me and my college female friend could supposedly end the war in Iraq with her hat and my boots.

The month after we met Tony Tone, we met Eric Nieves. Because his show was just before Valentine's Day my college senior year, he asked us women in the audience what qualities we looked for in men. I shouted, "HE'S GOTTA HAVE ALL HIS TEETH!!!"  Eric did a spit take of his water on stage, while laughing at me.

I have met several comedians, political, and public figures in person. I almost met Jamie Kennedy my college senior year but my guy friend made me late.

I waited for my friend to return to campus, before Jamie did his stand-up. I was early for the stand-up but it was too late to meet him, before his show.

Thepowerman187's Question: In less than 700 words or so, tell us why you write the stories you do?

Answer: I write short stories that I believe other readers would be interested in reading. Some stories are about my past experiences, as well as other people's. I even add some twists to my stories to make them more appealing. 

The more I think about it, my work is mostly for the young adult audience, who enjoy reading Semi-Fiction, Realistic Fiction, Horror, and Thriller.

My grandmother nitpicks about my non-"Christian" short stories because she's more of a Legalistic Christian. Meanwhile, my mother doesn't really care about what I write, as long as it's entertaining.

isolateX's Question: I notice you have more than one account to put out your work and recruit followers. What is your goal concerning all these accounts (not sure how many you have)? Is it to get your writing recognized? Will you be making another account like It's Not All Gumdrops & Unicorns or are you just satisfied with that one? Also, do you have any books written?

Answer: Please read It's Not All Gumdrops & Unicorns' main page. I explain more about myself and my chapbook. 

I have multiple accounts and It's Not All Gumdrops & Unicorns is mostly for writing exposure. I don't have all my stories shared on here. Although, I do have "Across The Street" posted on my "Horror/Thriller" page.

Only members can read it. My blogs are mostly public. Meanwhile, I don't plan on making another website, right now. I spend 8 HOURS managing It's Not All Gumdrops & Unicorns alone.

Anonymous Questions:

1) If you were dating someone, and one of your former friends was harassing them, would you tell them to back off, even if your partner had already blocked them? Would you still tell them to back off just to basically show your support to your partner?

Answer: Yes, I would. I would also block the frenemy afterward. 

The block list is my biggest Cyber BFF. It's also what I like to call my Cyber Shit List. I have more people on my block list than I do "friends." I don't care to be everyone's friend. This is especially when there are so many crybabies and temperamental flakes online.

2) Would you continue to date someone even if you loved them but your personalities constantly clashed and you felt unfulfilled at times?

Answer: No, I have done the toxic relationships too many times, when I was in my 20's. 

The constant fighting and dating somebody with jealousy issues is exhausting. That's not including dating someone, who's lifestyle, views, and interests are completely incompatible. The whole "opposites attract" is a myth.

If opposites really attract, why are there so many people, who are divorced and/broken up today?

People DON'T  have to date someone, who is exactly like them but if their lifestyles, views, personalities, and interests always clash, it's exceedingly rare, that those relationships will be long lasting.

3) What are your biggest pet peeves?

Answer: I could make a laundry list of my pet peeves. I am notorious for my complaints around family and old college friends. What's been annoying me most recently are a few things:

1. I'm tired of dealing with people, who are my friends on Monday. Then, on Tuesday, they're not only because I said something they dislike.

2. This somewhat applies to people, who get defensive about something incredibly petty and

3. people, who love being in denial about their own pasts or what their asshole friends have said and/done. 

Regardless if it has nothing to do with me, people really need to stop sweeping everything under the rug and acknowledge their faults. NOBODY is perfect, but it does not mean we should NOT acknowledge our own faults.

4. Pretending to support me and my website. If readers choose NOT  to join my website, that's their personal right. They're always welcome to visit the Guestbook on It's Not All Gumdrops & Unicorns.

At the same time, false supporters should NOT  be surprised, when I do NOT support their views, hobbies, lifestyles, attend their events, "Like" every selfie (whether they are drunk or sober in it) they post online, and whatever else they say or do.

5. People drunk dialing and/or inboxing me and expect me to not be aggravated. I hated whenever boozehounds drunk dialed me in college, when I was in the middle of sleeping. 

It is even more obnoxious now, that I am in my 30's and there are boozehounds (usually men) inboxing and arguing with me online, while I am in the middle of doing something and have already been warned.

I don't care how drunk they are. It only shows me and other people, that they can't handle their own liquor and/or lives. 

Then, after their family, friends, co-workers, bosses, etc. lose respect for them, they want to whine.

Whenever I drank, I was NEVER drunk. At the most, I was buzzed. Most people today only drink just to have an excuse to get drunk and rely on their liquid courage to say what they really feel about something or someone. I don't waste time dealing with drunken, cowardly, zombies.

This is it for Q&A blog #1. Stay tuned for the next Q&A!