I know, excuses, excuses.

There are lots of factors I can blame for not blogging as often as I have in the past.  It’s not bad enough that it has been so hot his summer that brains left outdoors too long fry and synapses fail, but other things seem to rob the parts of my brain needed to produce cogent blog posts:

Google+

As if we didn’t already have enough social media to keep up with, Google comes up with Google+.   It will probably be a great platform one day as people, and eventually businesses, learn to utilize its circles for power connection possibilities.  Already it is being reported that 83% of those who have signed up for G+ are inactive.  Yet I hang in there, trying to be among the active, in addition to maintaining my presence in the other media.

Social Media

Social media is a great way to stay connected.  It enhances my business, marketing and PR, either directly or indirectly, and it lets me be somewhat of an activist while sitting at my desk in front of a computer.  It is also a great way to keep up with long distance personal and family relationships and share pictures, video, and reviews.  Lots of material that would be good content for blog posts is published not to the blog but as updates on Facebook, Twitter, and now Google+.

Real Estate

My primary job is full time real estate agent, however, the real estate market arena of the last few years has included more stress, more failed  deals, more complicated deals, more demanding clients, and more work for less income.   The whole business of real estate is in transition, and it takes a lot of time just to keep up with it.

Most recent diversion – Spake Family Reunion

Great Grand Parents

There aren’t many Spake families in this part of the country, but there are a bunch of the ancestors in North Carolina.  I went for my first family reunion last week, where I met lots of  2nd cousins and 1st cousins once and twice removed and took lot of pictures of people and cemeteries.  I also had my first taste of  Shelby, NC delicacy, Liver Mush.

So now, after not paying much attention to genealogy for most of my life, I am spending time tracking down great great great great relatives, who apparently came to America before the American Revolution. Interesting.  And very time consuming.

So, all of that being said, maybe my blogging block will be magically broken and I can return to the mission of  Joe Spake’s Weblog.  Thanks for reading and subscribing.  Please comment so I know your’re out there.

Related articles

• Joe’s Google+ tips – #1 – Controlling the content of your stream (joespakeblog.com)
• Does anybody read this blog? (memphisrealestatebuzz.com)