Welcome to Morning  Coffee News...

 

I have been working hard to establish what I am calling my new approach to writing on the web.  As mentioned elsewhere it's not exactly 'new'.  I've tried this before 'blogging' but I haven't tried it this year.

I recalled yesterday that I use to have a blog called Morning Coffee News under a different server.  I learned that the company went out of business, therefore the moniker was available.  Blog names, unlike domain names are not under the restrictive guidelines for use but if some other person has such a name why would you want to compete for its use. 

Why Blogging and Why Now...

All things considered, what with the limitations of my health, writing is the one frontier that can afford me revenue.  I can't just stick my toes in the water, I have to immerse my entire efforts and become more disciplined and defined as a writer.  At 69 I don't have a lot of time and can ill afford to play around.  This of course means more blogging and less Facebooking.

With the advancements of technology, what is available to writers to get your message out there is unbelievable.  With a tweek here and there in setting up your blog, with the click of a button you can send your writing around the world or just to your email list or the public and yes, even Facebook.  I have been on Facebook since 2009.  Over the past several months I have been removing past posts.  I find it unbelievable that I posted that much stuff.  I need to convert that much time and effort to making some money at this and not just wiling away my time.

 


The Mentor Connection

I know more than a few people personally who are unemployed or underemployed, the job market has changed drastically since I was out there in the work force.  The economy is in dire straits for that reason alone, not to mention that the rules have changed in hiring practices, (part-time with no benefits).  People need to get more like the 'country boys' because country boys can survive.  People need to get more self-sufficient and not tied to the 9 to 5 work routine.   That has been true for awhile now but even more necessary with each passing year.  A few years ago I founded and incorporated a non-profit called The Mentor Connection.  The Mentor Connection's purpose was to teach life skills, job readiness and job searching skills to the hard core unemployed.  I had everything in place to help a fair number of people at very little start-up costs.  My church provided me with an office and room for teaching classes and the only thing I needed was a piddling little grant of about $30,000 from the city of Evanston.

When the city denied our application for funds I gathered myself together and challanged my alderman who voted against our request and ran against her in the next election for a seat on the City Council.  To the community at large I am still Jack Thomson when it comes to my background, but I have never let that hold me back.

I include all this history to show that I do have the verve and skill necessary to bring something to fruition.  Every step, be it successful or not is a teaching lesson.  The clock is ticking...