Happy World Book Day!

    On April 23rd, World Book Day, through the Blue Ink Letters Blog, where I write _ one thing I’ve been improving also through reading, among other things _ I congratulate this priceless companion, the book. The time we can dedicate to read a book is totally enjoyable. We can’t forget, though, that millions of people in the world don’t have access even to printed books much less to ebooks. We can never consider libraries or used books stores outdated. We have to divulge projects and initiatives such as itinerant libraries, book sales on bookstores and the books donation campaigns, also donating books when we can. Happy World Book Day!

Books are bests friends. They

guide us through a fascinating

world of wonder, learning,

hope, entertainment; a

world available to us all. tj*¬

Social Networks Without Stress

     If people use the social networks for business, things such as the number of followers and “likes” matter, but, in any circumstances, it’s advisable not to be clingy, annoying. I enjoy marketing and advertising, and I want to take courses in the area someday, but, in the meantime, I’m able to talk about it only as an enthusiastic amateur. As such, and as a common consumer, I’m sure at least of the things I like to see. Ads must captivate us somehow, they can’t be boring. As there are many advertising vehicles, in each one there’s a specific way to do so. Except for paid ads, that have a proper usage, our own “homemade” kind of advertisements have to be subtle on the social networks or, otherwise, we risk being considered inconvenient.

     When people want to divulge their work _ a book, for instance _ on the social networks, the more followers and likes they have, the better, but it’s important not being too exhaustive about it. If a person wants to divulge a blog, specially a non-profit blog (as all my six blogs are), he/she can’t be too insistent, or he/she will be labelled as “clingy”, and people won’t even began to read his/her posts. For example, if you take part on 6 different groups on facebook, it’s better not to post exactly the same thing on the 6 of them at the same time, because most of the members participate of almost all similar groups. And it’s not advisable to post things such as “Visit my blog on the link…” all the time; it’s more useful to be creative. To go with the simple link, we can post a quote, a beautiful image, a comic comment or image, an extract of an article, anything that’s interesting and not repetitive.

     Finally, when we use the social networks just for fun, to talk to friends and make new ones, to meet again people we’ve lost contact with through the years, to know new cultures and peoples, to like a fan page, to be well-informed about the world in general, among so many other things, I think we must make good use of them without worrying so much. It’s natural to get upset when absolutely no one likes our posts, when that’s the case, but I’ve got a feeling that most people are more anxious to post rather than stopping to read. Anyway, to me the most important thing is not the number of “likes” or followers we have, but to enjoy social networks without stress! tj*¬

Mr. Spock is just being unassuming.

Millions would have liked his facebook today.

The same applies for Captain Kirk and

“Bones” McCoy, of course.

P.S.: My humble homage to the brilliant Star Trek.

The Benefits of the Sense of Humor

     Sometimes we have a sense of humor that is difficult for certain people to understand, depending on the occasion and on the circumstances. I admire several humorists, of a variety of types and styles. The kind of sense of humor I like most, though, is the naïve and joyful one, the one that brings fun and make us laugh in an innocent way. Like the sense of humor of the brilliant Jerry Lewis, with whom in fact we can identify ourselves sometimes, at least with his characters, because who isn’t a little clumsy?

     With hundreds and hundreds of things to do and without time to pay the due attention to certain details that go by unnoticed, we can end up in comic and confusing situations! I guess everybody knows those humorists who, in order not to let a joke unspoken, end up talking without thinking first. Not to mention that the humor concept is relative. What may seem hilarious to one person is not for the other one and so on…

     The most important thing is to be able to extract joyful laughter from people because, as I use to say, I really think sense of humor is part of our “surviving kit”, that it’s essential to soften the tension and stress of the modern world. The joyful, honest and naïve sense of humor is the one that really comes from the soul and it certainly pleases everyone.

     Let your Jerry Lewis’ side emerge a little bit more each day too!

Dedicated to the Brilliant Master

Gifs in Blogs

     I love gifs, and they can be used for several things, but I think they give a special touch to a blog. They’re heavy files and strong images so we have to use them with moderation, naturally. But there’s nothing like a well placed gif in a corner of a blog, or to go with a post here and there. Images and words can complement themselves perfectly without outshining one another.

     This is one of the most beautiful gifs I’ve ever found in the internet:

Laughter is the Best Medicine!

"I guess I’ll write a book... VAMPirates!"

A Quote About... Quotes!

Mostly, quotes are the unintentional repetition

of ideas through different words, according to

their authors’ feelings _ that’s what

make them unique. tj*¬

Presentation

    Hello, I created the Blue Ink Letters Blog on March 4th, 2014 to write my texts and talk about daily life, people, interests, books, writing, sense of humor, nature, and the world in general.

   After I’ve chosen the name of the blog, I decided to read about the meaning of blue ink for people, and there’s no consensus. Some say the color of the ink we use to write have no specific meaning and others disagree, saying that the blue ink means honesty, tradition. Some point out that blue makes it easier to identify an original document, specially regarding to copies, because blue does not copy as good as black, and it looks artificial in colored printing.

    I love colors and, besides blue, I actually use as many as I can for handwriting or typing, depending on the occasion. But I think blue ink is symbolic, and that it’s the one that best represents handwriting, the one that has became more natural for us to use, before the black ink. That’s why I chose this name for the blog, Blue Ink Letters. It has a special meaning to me. It’s with blue ink mostly that we write our first alphabetic letters in texts, when we start using a pen. The name sounds nostalgic to me, reminding me the good old times of school and my first tentative texts. Blue ink does sound traditional, honest.

    I have another blog, Writers’ Apprentices (called Aprendizes de Escritores in Portuguese) _ http://tinajeronymotradutora.blogspot.com.br _, where I write my texts, comment about my translations, and miscellaneous things. It’s a bilingual blog, but, as it is very big and eclectic, with lots of pages, I’ve decided to create the Blue Ink Letters Blog to post only the things I write in English, so it will be easier for interested readers to locate them. But this is a blog that is different from that one.

    I love to be a Blogger and I do it all by myself, starting with the choice of the perfect template (and I recommend Deluxe), then creating the blog itself and maintaining it. It’s easy and enjoyable indeed. So, it’s really great to create this new blog now. Actually, this blog has a version in Portuguese called Letras de Tinta Azul (http://autora-tinajeronymo.blogspot.com.br), but it's not a copy of the Blue Ink Letters Blog. I'll write and post different things here and there.

    I appreciate and need technology naturally, and I’m aware of how things are easier nowadays with word processors, software in general and the internet. Though I still prefer to read printed books, I think ebooks are amazing because they’re practical, and we can have uncountable ones available without worrying anymore about space to keep them or weight to carry them around. I just think we have to conciliate things the best way, and to take care to never forget the importance of handwriting in a time everybody is typing, clicking, navigating…

     I hope this is a blog as pleasurable to visit as it is for me to post in it.

    Welcome!

    Wherever you are, feel at home here. tj*¬