Well here we are in 2016 and Spooke the Cat and I would like to wish you and your families/friends and your socially networked connections a Very Happy New 2016. Make the most of it and perhaps change some of the things that you felt didn’t quite add up in your world during 2015. I’ve made some possible guidelines for you below the photo of my best girl. The New Years tiara was impossible to keep on her head so we get what we get in that image.

1. Live life in the real and not in the Facebook. I am sorry but wow did last year have some drama all around thanks to this pain in the a$$ world of Facebook. I’m not going to expand on it but holy mackerel was I shocked when I learned firsthand just how important people feel that network is in their own life space. Don’t comment on everything you see or add your two cents without being fully aware of what is being discussed. Be wary of who you add and who you delete (I will speak more on this one later as its important). Be cautious about what you post and share about your real life if you are not 100% sure of who sees it. Tread carefully with this network my friends, I still shake my head at some of the outcomes I have experienced and seen it cause all around. I’ll probably be using it mostly for site broadcast at this point.

2. Go through your emails and old texts and catch up with folks you might have lost contact with for some reason. Speaking personally, I love receiving a text or email from someone that I am missing. I’d say make a phone call but nobody seems to want to do that anymore. Remember that catching up or giving a crap requires more effort than clicking “like” on someone’s Facebook status or posting a “thumbs up” icon.

3. Love your pets. I don’t really think I need to expand on this one as far as importance. Last year was closed out by some super sadness here at the creative command HQ when I had to say goodbye to Spooke’s mother Shadow who I had rescued more than thirteen years earlier. By my count she had just passed her own fourteenth birthday and she was a very loving cat. They only stay with us for so long so make those moments count.

4. Read something. Comic books, magazines, novels or PDF’s. Keep those brain juices flowing with the printed page in whatever format you like the most. I know that I have a lot of books to read in the coming year and many will get to be reviewed on my PiercingMetal website which is double cool for me as I get to read and then add that as more content for my audience.

5. Go somewhere. It doesn’t have to be to some faraway lands or anything exotic but perhaps a different state or city that is easily accessed via your means of transportation. Bring your camera and your mobile and share that goodness around with your friends. Inspire others to see stuff you did and patronize the area with some cash by eating or purchasing something in the region. Who doesn’t like buying things after all. In NYC we have subways that go almost everywhere along with a free ferry and some trains that can take you outside of this Metropolis and then we have the railroads that take you farther out if this is all that you can use.

6. Consider Blogging. If you have a bit of a creative flair with writing, photography or cooking or what have you then you should investigate some kind of free account in WordPress, Blogger or any of the other mediums that allow for this stuff. Yeah you might have a Facebook account already but by having a blog of your own you will reach many more people that are not added to your friends list and that is the point of being creative. To reach those who we don’t always know. My having the PiercingMetal website and wanting to share other things I liked led me to launch this website that you are reading right now. Who wants to live exclusively through a Facebook account after all. Not me that is for sure.

7. Keep The Music Playing. I just love music and while I mainly focus on the heavier side of it all on my other site and in my personal world as well, I am always looking for some sound that expands upon my interests here. This is best applied by browsing things like Spotify, websites that talk about it all (hint hint) and perusing the regional papers to see who is playing shows. If you find something you like, tell your friends about it to raise awareness. Do not keep your finds to yourself.

8. Review your Social Networks. I”ll start with Facebook since its the biggest of them all but you should really peruse your connections and friends and see who is “following” you because this particular Social Network leads to a lot of aggravation if left to its own devices. Take the time to see who should really be on your “friends” and who should be removed. If the decision is challenged simply respond with I am keeping this to family and immediate circle friends. Click to see who is following your personal profile. I often recommend turning this feature off if you are not a very public person. I run these online magazines so I don’t mind followers and I should note that almost ALL of my posts are set to “friends only” along with the account settings. You should be checking those for yourself as well. If you are a parent you SHOULD totally see who is there on your children’s Facebook account because of the whole bullying nonsense that goes on. With Twitter, Instagram and Snapchat follow those friends and celebrity that you admire most. If you post a lot of personal stuff, then perhaps you want to keep your own account private so only some friends can be accepted while the rest remain behind the fence.

9. Use the OTHER Social Networks: If you looked at my personal Facebook profile you would think that I was on the thing all the time but I am not there even a 1/4 of the time folks might think. I do however share various items to the Facebook timeline from fun apps like Swarm, Yelp, Foodspotting and Instagram. I love to go out so I check in on Swarm and sometimes want the FB world to know where I am and with Yelp and Foodspotting I get to add my two cents on a place or a dish for that network. I encourage more foodie types to look into these networks but suggest signing up with your email as opposed to using Twitter or Facebook to log you in. Instagram is pretty self-explanatory but a lot of fun to use, you just need to get used to #hashtagging #everything 🙂

10. Be good to each other. This is a simple one but of course I don’t mean to find yourself walked all over by being a kinder sort. Do your best out there and if its not making a difference then move on from that situation or individual. Your time is better spent on others and the items that preceded this one. We’re not here forever after all.

Those should keep you on a proper positive path for the New Year don’t you think? Closing up just have a great year in terms of health, happiness and prosperity. Spend the time with those who matter the most to you and provide positive impact on your world. Leave the negative people and memories in 2015 where they belong. No sense in bringing that into some new beginnings. See you soon with more posts. Thanks for reading us I hope you enjoyed some of these little philosophies. If you have something interesting along these lines to share, please put it in as a comment as I would love to hear what you bring to the table. Until next time.