The Duality Between Blogs

We’ve heard this search thing is going to be big some day.

Google or Yahoo are great for finding general stuff on the web at large, but sometimes you want to find real posts from real people, and blogs are great for that. There are blog search engines, but when you search for “kittens” you’re as likely to see an offer to enlarge your mortgage while working at home.

WordPress.com is fast approaching 3 million blogs, with hundreds of thousands of posts and pages being created by our brilliant and attractive users every day. Tags and categories help group the content, but finding exactly what you are looking for can still be tricky. We also feel like you guys are creating some of the best stuff on the web, there’s a natural selection of people tasteful enough to end up on WordPress in the first place. That’s where our new search feature comes in.

Search results can be ordered by relevancy, our magic secret sauce algorithm that’s the default, or by most recent, so you can see the latest and greatest on any given subject. International communities are very important to us, so from day uno we have language-specific engines for every language we support. For example, Spanish search is at es.search.wordpress.com.

To assist in your exploration we analyze related tags based on your search terms, with the most popular related tag at the top.

For those who want to keep up to date with changes to the search results, just subscribe to the RSS feed of the results (at the bottom of the related tags section).

If you are like me, the first question you have is how long it will take for your new posts to show up in search results. I won’t keep you in suspense, the system is designed to have new posts in the index in under 30 minutes, often much faster. The search is powered by a new open source project called Hounder from a company we worked with called Flaptor.

Why is this a good blog? This is the type of blog that’s trying to inform the reader about something. It is very concise in what’s the main point of the writing and it is to communicate us about WordPress and why it is good for us. The paragraphs are not as long but neither short which is easy to keep the reader interested in what the author is trying to inform.

You can find the article by clicking here.

Dostoyevsky is referring to me. Young children see the wonder and beauty of the world. They marvel at an ant carrying a leaf, or the beautiful icicles forming on the gutters. They are often unable to translate their intrinsic gratitude into words of appreciation – that must be taught – but we are not born ungrateful but develop into ungrateful creatures. As we mature, we start to look at the ants and think about the cost of an exterminator or worry about those icicles falling in a child’s eye. Our increasing capacity for logic, anxiety, and doubt cause us to lose sight of our previous wonder and instead focus on our perceived lack.

Last week we had an ice storm. Dozens of tree branches snapped on our property. As the kids stood on the porch and marveled at the sound of cracking limbs, I imagined damaged fences and roofs. We were stuck indoors and the kids were rowdy and noisy. I found myself losing my temper quickly.

I texted a neighbor to see how they were doing and discovered that she, and most of my neighbors, didn’t have power. Some did not get power back for 3 days – well water pumps could not operate so they were without water or heat. I don’t know why we avoided these hardships, but I am grateful we did.

One of the realities of life is it is intrinsically unfair. We had power when many good people did not. Many people in the world live lives without electricity at all, or running water. And yet gratitude can be found in the most humble homes and is often missing in magnificent mansions.

Gratitude is what propels us forward in empathy and joy. As I learned that others near me were struggling, I became grateful for our warm home, for our showers, and functioning toilets. My mood improved and my kids noticed. I expressed our good-fortune to my children, explaining the difficulties others were facing. We offered to help those without power. 

In almost any situation, we can find a point of light – something we can dwell on despite hardship. As mothers with concerns and stressors, we have to be vigilant in seeking these points of light – in purposely seeking to be a “grateful creature”. Our joyful emphasis will propel us to purpose and happiness. It is a shame that it required the hardship of others for me to recognize my own blessing – how much better it would be if I could appreciate warmth without others feeling cold – but gratitude gained even in such circumstances is beneficial. It seems we ungrateful creatures rarely recognize our advantages without a knowledge of disadvantages.

Why is this a good blog? I consider this blog as an opportunity for the author to inform the reader about the reality of the world and it also persuades us to appreciate more the things that we have rather than what we don’t. But, speaking more precisely about the structure, it is consistent and it is directed to subjects who enjoy poetry, reading and philosophy. Some of the paragraphs are somewhat larger but still goes directly into the main point.

You can find the article by clicking here.

I had a friend whose left leg was an inch shorter than his right. For years he tried to hide his limp and as a result, developed chronic tendonitis and painful bone spurs. He finally went to a specialist and had “weird shoes” made (his term) to correct the problem.

I had another friend, an alcoholic who became so disgusted with her life inside the bottle that, like a miner trapped underground, she finally reached out for help.

In both cases, the effects were outwardly visible. But the real battle, the invisible war, was going on inside of them. Neither should be blamed for their congenital conditions. A short leg is real. So is the nature/nurture-rooted predisposition of an addict. But the responsibility to face their enemies?

That’s theirs.

We all have congenital conditions. Some are as visible as flat tires. But most are invisible. You can’t see a broken head gasket inside a motor, but it’s far more critical than a flat tire. “Personality flaws”—sour dispositions, poor listening skills, incessant self-absorption—are not pretty, and it’s easy to blame the individuals for such flaws. But their weaknesses are very likely as congenital as crooked teeth.

Only much harder to fix.

So cut them some slack. Recognize they’re fighting an invisible war. Just like you are. If they haven’t comprehended it yet themselves, pray they will. And when you see an opportunity to help, hike up your courage and tell them about your invisible war. It may result in a double win: first, their sense of permission to admit their own struggle, and second, the discovery of an ally.

There’s no opting out of this war. But there are alliances to be made. We’re not alone. So, let’s stop shooting at each other and get back to facing the real enemy…

Together.

Why is this a good blog? Here we have a not-so-particular blog, it is more like a personal thought that the author is describing us but, still, what he is trying to achieve is to let the reader know about this ‘invisible war’ that we all are facing daily. Personally I consider this to have a good writing and it also maintains people interested.

You can find the article by clicking here.

The first step to happiness is to decide that you want to be happy. Once you’ve made that conscious choice, you’ve laid the foundation for a more joyful life. However, the journey to lasting happiness involves a few additional steps and principles to help you along the way:
– Practice Gratitude
– Mindfulness and Presence
– Self-Care
– Positive Relationships
– Set and Pursue Goals
– Resilience
– Practice Forgiveness
– Help Others
– Limit Negative Influences
Remember that happiness is not a constant state; it’s a journey with ups and downs. By consciously deciding to be happy and incorporating these practices into your life, you can increase your overall sense of contentment and well-being.

You can find the article by clicking here.