I Like Adam Smith Better than I Thought

Economic theorist (and man widely worshiped by many capitalists) Adam Smith apparently thought it reasonable for the rich to contribute more than their "fair share" -- whatever that means -- to society. You'll find the quote below in An inquiry into the nature and causes of the wealth of nations, Volume 3. He doesn't suggest an income tax or anything like that. But he does seem to indicate that those of us who make more should, perhaps, be expected to contribute more.

Let the personal attacks on me begin...

Social Media is the Bane of My Existence

I'm a writer. I'd like to just write. However, I write for an audience that is mostly online. Most of my writing is for blogs. And that means SOCIAL MEDIA. It means that I spend time each day submitting articles to various sites, and tweeting what's been published. (And, of course, having my Twitter feed post to Facebook automatically. Sorry, my Facebook friends.) I also spend time voting for other people's stuff. I do it because it's necessary. Every one expects a professional blogger to submit stuff to social media. So I do. I don't even really mind voting for other people's stuff. But it starts to be somewhat depressing when I think of what a time suck it is.

The only way to make it bearable is to relegate social media to specific times of the day. I'm actually moving toward only looking at my email at specific times of the day. By trying to compartmentalize it, I'm trying to keep it under control. Because, as many of you know, once you start Stumbling, Digging, Tipping, Facebook Liking and Tweeting, it can turn into hours as you are distracted by different stories, or as you try really hard to make sure you're getting the submissions made by your friends.

Do I know that social media is important to the whole blogging thing? Will I keep with it? Yes. But I really wish it were different.