Hey peoples! I wanted to tell you about something new and exciting in the tech side of my life.

Most of you know that in the past I have enjoyed freelance blogging and working form home.  I used to write for MakeUseOf.com (a really cool Internet tips/tech blog) which I still peruse, comment and participate in the answers community there.  I don’t, however, write for them any more (sad faces, SOMETIMES I miss it).  I do miss the community there and I am still friends with a few of the writers.

Well, I am now involved in another writing gig and I know y’all will be interested in knowing about it.

aweseurs.com is a brand new blog being launched in February.  It’s tagline is “Connoisseurs of all things awesome” and it’ll cover all kinds of cool tech-type stuff from Androids and iPhones to computers, TVs and watches.  We’ll be scouring the Inter-webs to scout out all kinds of awesome stuff and then we’ll bring them to one place for you to find them!

I can’t tell you how much I love writing for this site so far!  Check out a few of the cool things I got to write about so far:

Contour GPS

With the Contour GPS sports camera, you can record in the first person while recording your route via GPS!  Check out the specs and you’ll see it has HD recording capability and a profile so low you’ll forget you’re even sporting it!

Motorola Xoom

As one of the best Android tablets to hit CES this year, the Xoom is helping to set the bar in the tablet market.  It’s got Honeycomb and that’s not all that’s sweet about it.

Motorola Atrix 4G

They are calling the Motorola Atrix 4G the post powerful smartphone to date and with the cool laptop docking system along with MobileView and Firefox web browsing they are blurring the lines between smartphones and computers.

Check out the site for even more cool stuff including the iCade iPad dock and the Verizon iPhone.  Leave a comment or two with opinions and suggestions!  I’ll try to keep y’all updated when cool stuff comes up over there.

Wow, I haven’t really heard much about AOL in like 13 years.  Not much at least.  I remember the days when they were one of the only ISPs available and dial-up was being charged by the minute, if my memory suites me right.  According to Techcrunch:

AOL is a global advertising-supported Web company, with display advertising network in the U.S., a substantial worldwide audience, and a suite of popular Web brands and products.

So, yeah, AOL is definitely still around and has ambitious goals of world domination.  Well, maybe not THAT ambitious.

Anyhow, the news today is that AOL has bought TechCrunch, the ultra popular tech blogging site.  TechCrunch is known for being on top of the latest and greatest in the tech industry (anyone remember the Twitter security mishap awhile back?).  In his article detailing what it might mean for the company, Michael Arrington wanted to be clear that even though AOL is the owner, TechCrunch wasn’t going to let that flavor their reporting, even if it meant negative press for AOL.

Impartiality, right?  Isn’t that what media is all about?  Uncensored and unbiased?  I’m not picking on Mr. Arrington or anything, but I find the idea pretty much impossible.  What we think and who we are flavors how we see everything else, it’s a fact.  Look at the old-school media for example.  It is not mistake where they stand in the political arena.  See if you can name the news organizations that support the liberal cause verses the conservative cause.  Most of us can (I say “most” because I know there are some who choose to ignore it).

Is that bad?  Some would say so.  What say I?  Well, it’s best to try to not be biased but the truth is that it’s virtually impossible to be totally impartial.  In the very same article, Mr. Arrington made mention of at least one way that their reporting on AOL will be different.  He said they were going to shy away from glowing reports on AOL, just to be safe.  So, in their efforts to be unbiased, they show bias.

Please correct me if my logic has flaws.  Remember, I’m not picking on them, I’m just saying that to do the impossible is… impossible.  May we as writers always seek to share news fully, even when our unsightly bias shows through.

Timmyjohnboy.com has some changes coming through the pipes.  The look and topic is changing… hopefully for the better.  I am writing this article to get some feedback from you, my readers.  Chime in wherever you feel like it:)

Site Design

As you probably have noticed, Timmyjohnboy.com recently got a new design.  I wanted something a bit more fun-feeling and I went with a free theme.

I have some tweaks to do yet.

• First of all, I kinda dislike the contrast of colors in the comments section of each post.  I’m thinking about lightening the background and darkening the text.  What do you think?
• I also need to work on the display of the sharing options.  I’ve been using a plugin to display them and now the new theme has a few buttons automatically inserted.  I need to decide on either a plugin or the default buttons.  I can remove either or even go with a totally new plugin.  Any thoughts?
• What about the front page?  Should I keep the list of the most recent articles or have a more static page introducing the site?

I don’t really count myself a designer even though I love art and design.  Sometimes I just need the input from those who have a better eye than I do.

Writing Focus

For a while now I have been using Timmyjohnboy.com as an outlet to write about tech-related stuff. I thoroughly enjoy writing about technology and the community that the type of writing attracts. However, as I am increasingly writing for other sites, I have been considering semi-changing the direction of Timmyjohnboy.com.

I am planning on shifting the focus from a straight and narrow tech blog to more of a personal blog.  Because of my love for all things tech related, I am sure there will still be a lot of tips about tech going on here.  However, I will also be writing about other stuff.  If I find something useful, funny, or even interesting, whether or not it is tech related, I’ll probably post it here.

Why am I changing my writing focus? For a few reasons.

• First of all, I would like to focus my tech-related writing in other places.  As I mentioned, I write other places also so I would like to not take the focus away from those sties.
• Another reason is that this domain name is not very techie.  I have considered starting a more focused tech-blog apart from timmyjohnboy.com at a later date but I am not sure yet.  I need to come up with a focus that I want to take.  I have considered making it a site to help with the tech-related age gap our society currently has.  By this I am referring to the fact that parents seem to need help keeping up with the technology their kids have embraced.  I’ve had a burden in this area for some time.  Not too sure what my plans are yet so any input would be helpful.

Like I mentioned in the title, I write this article in order to get your thoughts.  PLEASE help a man out here and tell me what you think I should be doing.  Granted, I may or may not take your advice, but your input is greatly coveted!

As a personal update, I want to let my readers know that I am going through a bit of change in my life.  Recently I made a change from a full-time employee to being employed part time while filling the rest of my income by web-working.  In this article I would like to talk about what web-working is, what the pluses and minuses are, why I am only doing it part time, and why I am doing it at all.

What is web-working?

Web-working is exactly what it sounds like: working on the web.  Basically, if you make any of your income working on the Internet, whether from home or otherwise remotely, whether it be for yourself or an employer, you are a web-worker.  In my case, as a blogger, I have been hired on as a staff writer for MakeUseOf.com, a very popular technology blog.  In so doing, I receive part of my income from home writing articles for a website.  That is why I consider myself to be a web-worker.  I guess you can say I am a part-time web-worker.

What are the pluses and minuses of being a web-worker?

I am glad you asked!  The reason being is that the whole idea of working from home, making your own schedule and being your own boss seems very appealing but it may not be all it’s cracked up to be!  It is true, I do LOVE the flexibility of making my own schedule and such, but it is not always easy!  I am learning that there are a few lessons I need to learn.  I am learning to be self-motivated.  I am learning to be more organized.  I am working on being focused (something I have always had a hard time with).  I am even learning how to make my own goals and complete them.  All of these are really awesome things to learn and if I do it will affect other parts of my life positively.  However, you must realize that it is NOT for everyone!  Everyone may not even enjoy it.

Why am I only doing it part-time?

This is a good question!  If I enjoy the flexibility and the learning/growing experience, why not do it full-time?  Well, the main reason is that I need stability.  What would happen if either I was asked to step down as staff writer, or worse, if the site I write for goes under?  I would be on the street!  And nobody wants to hear a grown man weep!  Well, there’s nothing wrong with a man that cries, but you know what I mean!  I like the safety of having more than one stream of income, especially when the economy tanks.  Another reason is that right now I only write for one site, and the income is only a part-time income.  Am I actively looking for more writing gigs?  Well, other than having INTENTIONS on continuing my own blogging, not really.  Would I turn down another gig if I was offered one?  It would depend:)

Why am I a web-worker at all?

One reason has already been leaked earlier in this article: I like the flexibility!  As was also mentioned, I like the growing experience.  There is more though.  I like being able to spend more time home with my wife.  I like working on the Internet because it’s something I know and have enjoyed growing with through the years (I have also grown to respect it as a great power for both good and evil).  Similarly, I enjoy working at a computer (manual labor makes me cry – j/k!).  And I like working in the comfort of my own office in my own house in my own bedroom!  How’s that work for ya!?

Some tips I need to follow!

So, what do you think?  Am I totally off my rocker?  Have you ever thought about taking a similar leap?  Are you currently a web-worker?  Share with us!