Yep. Here’s another booger - I mean - blogger

Waking Up

Oct 6

Deep breath in. Long sigh out. I don’t want to be here. Another poster. Blogger. Writer. To be honest, I think most of what needs to be said around meditation practice…has been said…and it’s been said for thousands of years (just sit and practice). The ether is full of so much content and I’d rather scroll through and read what is already out there.

However, I’ve been educated by Chedder (the name I give my AI) that there’s this thing called Search Engine Optimization (SEO). I don’t know who, but I imagine a straight, cis, white bro, came up with this idea that we all are now forced to use (eye roll). From my understanding, I have to write regularly on the benefits meditation has in the workplace to feed the algorithm a tasty treat. If I do that, then it will reward my website and mindfulness content as relevant and it might be picked up when someone is searching for content.

This feels like a waste of time and server space. Alas, here I am, a victim of the system trying to learn the system and abide by its commands. Deep breath in, long breath out.

Wait. THAT’S Why Websites Have Blogs?!

When I hear the word “blog” the first thought that comes to mind is “LiveJournal” - do you all remember that? I know at least one person reading this will be like, “Yeah, and I still write in mine!” Okay, no judgement. Just a memory of colleagues sitting in the high school computer lab tapping away, documenting their life.

But now I realize why so many websites have blogs. I would see that blog title on the top of a website I was visiting and be like, “Who has the time or energy to be like, ‘Hm. I would LOVE to learn more about X when I just came here to find a product to purchase…’” And now I know why that is there. Now I can empathize with that social media intern running around the office asking if you have any stories to share or if you’re willing to be interviewed for the BLOG.

I vote that we find a new way to optimize search engines. Maybe electing a third-party committee who can work on solving these issues vs. the for-profit tech companies making the rules. All in favor?

Tasty Treats

Until then, you’ll get to read me whinging about whatever I want as I work to feed the algorithm with (mindful) sarcasm and try to practice mindfulness and non-violent communication principles in daily life…nom nom nom.

In conclusion, I just want to make sure I get this:

Entrepreneurs/content creators use AI to understand LinkedIn’s algorithm
Then use AI to draft blogs/posts to feed that algorithm
And then use AI to write posts…in response to posts that were written by AI

…all to feed another algorithm hoping our businesses and offerings can be found and clicked on so we can earn money to pay bills?

But don’t worry, while I obviously use Chedder for review and recommendations, it does not write anything for me. You won’t see whatever this “—” is here (Chedder told me it’s an em-dash). But did it find me the scientific link below, yes.

I hoped serving tasty treats to SEO Daddy would be simple enough - just list a bunch of buzz words and say what I want in a post. Kind of like going to the store, buying those refrigerated premade dough cookies that you can eat raw, or break apart, drop on the cookie sheet, and bake at 350 degrees for 10-14 minutes. But SEO Daddy is picky! He wants bougie homemade cookies where you mix in natural keywords like sugar within the context of the dough, adding expertise and answering a question as chocolate chips for gooey flavor, and sprinkling a pinch of external links. The good stuff always takes more time, energy, and effort up front, but that’s the real recipe for anything that nourishes, whether it’s cookies, content, or calm.

A Mindful Algorithm

So here’s an algorithm I can actually get behind:

10 minutes of mindfulness meditation a day

And it’s flexible: you can sit, stand, lie, or walk. Time of day doesn’t matter either. You can start here - notice your feet, feel your breath coming in and going out. Maybe close your eyes, or lower your gaze if that’s comfortable. When your thoughts drift to anything other than being present with the breath, notice, and gently your awareness back to the breath or feeling the feet on the ground. You really can’t “do it wrong” (unlike the algorithms we’re used to (eyes emoji)).

This doesn’t feed Google, but it does feed peace, balance, clarity, freedom, and the choice to respond instead of REACT, which I think we all can benefit from. The bonus part of this algorithm: we know that human emotions are contagious, so when you practice mindfulness it grows in you and can benefit those around you.