origin story

I consume as much as the next guy. I constantly refresh Twitter hoping for something new to show up and give me a few seconds of delight.

I scroll through Facebook past the Likes and Stories Commented On to find the little nuggets of people’s lives I’ve chosen to keep up with.

I go back and forth with Tumblr trying to decide if it’s purely a place to read about Destiny and silly memes. Or if I want to follow writers, photographers and artists. Presently, it’s a mix of both and I’m liking it that way. It’s not too heavy I feel the need to skip reading it until I’m in the proper mood or mindset to get something out of it. And not to silly that I still feel the need to go there and catch up.

I’ve consumed a lot. I sit and I pour hours into video games and joking with friends and I’m sure I could be doing something more productive with my life. As a gaming friend said to me last week, “If I quit Destiny, I could write a book.” And while I have no plans to quit any time soon. I am going to make more of an effort to contribute to the world of consumables this year.

This isn’t a resolution. It’s nothing new. But I am starting to get a few things going that have come together around the same time. Here’s what I’m going to be making in 2016.

March 2 March

My March2March project reached the end of the year. I wasn’t sure if I would get this far but I did and I’ve had fun with it. March2March is a daily photo project starting March 1 instead of the first of the year.

Once I hit the March 1 again, I’m not sure if I’ll do it again for 2016-2017 or if I do something different. I’ll decide when I get there.

Buddycast

I’ve started a podcast with a few buddies from a Slack room I hang out in. The show is called Buddycast. The idea is a show about technology, games, movies, TV, and whatever we feel like talking about. It doesn’t have a set release schedule nor roster. There’s a core group of four potential hosts and whoever is available on the day we decide to record is on the show.

I appear on episode 1: Technology as an Enabler and the recorded-but-not-yet-released Episode 3. Which may or may not be all about Leisure Suit Larry 4.

It’s been a lot of fun to be on the show and the whole idea behind it is no-stress, no business plan fun. We’re not trying for sponsors or to make money from it. We’re just looking to have a good time and share our conversations with anyone who may be interested in them. We a geographically diverse cast and a great collection of accents. I’m staring at the token white guy.

I started a project about the origins of the names we use online. Origin Story has been on hiatus as I lazily forgot to send out requests to more people for interviews.

I have three in the queue I’m ready to release but I need to collect some more so I can keep it going instead of posting a few, having months of nothing, then posting a few more.

It’s going to come back in 2016 and I’m going to try to keep it going more than I did last year.

Book

I’ve sat on a small book I wrote a few years ago called Beyond the Reboot. This is the year I do something with it. It’s a series of essays about customer service and tech support and what it takes to be a good tech.

This is the year I take the text files, get them professionally edited and release it to the world for a few dollars.

What Else?

I’ve really enjoyed podcasting. I can sit and talk and I don’t stutter and stammer as much as I tend to in life. I have every Monday off with my new job so I’m more flexible this year.

I’d love to partner with someone else on a project. I don’t know what yet. I’m a terrible idea guy. So if you have an idea and if you’re looking for a partner in crime, I could be your co-conspirator.

I don’t have any coding skills but I’m a passionate customer service and advocate for the user. I’m a recovering advertising major and former graphic designer and semi-decent photographer.

If you’ve got ideas I could be the one to help you see them through. Let’s talk!

For as long as I can remember, I’ve been fascinated by Internet handles. That is, what name do people use on the Internet. Do they use their real name? Are they semi-anonymous with a pseudonym or screen name they like? Is there identity a complete mystery?

In December, I finally decided to act on my curiosity and started asking. The interviews are posted at Origin Story.

I didn’t tell many people about it. But I started to send emails with that subject line, What is your Origin Story?

I debated long and hard about what questions to ask. I didn’t want to ask too many. I didn’t want to ask too much of people’s time and attention. So I tried to keep my questions brief. And even then, the questions have evolved since the first interview.

Here is what I’ve asked everyone.

What name do you use on the Internet?
Do you keep the same name everywhere?
Where did it come from?
What does it mean to you?
Why did you choose it?
Do you ever think of changing it?
Why do you / don’t you use your real name?
What was your first internet screen name?
What is your favorite name you’ve seen in your travels across the net?

I added this question when I realized I was asking these interesting people about their stories. I should also ask them whose story they’d like to hear.

Whose origin story would you like to hear next?

Even later on, I realized the blunder I was making by not pointing my readers to these fine folks. So I added the last question.

Now that people have heard your story, where can they go to find out more about you?

I’m sure it will continue to evolve as I figure this thing out and bug more people for their stories. I’d like to thank everyone who has taken the time to take part in my little project so far.

Thank you all! I’ve had a lot of fun with this project so far. And I hope those who have taken part have enjoyed it. I feel like I learn something about each of these people from the answers they send back. And the best part is getting to know people I hadn’t previously crossed paths with on the internet.

It’s been a lot of fun so far. So if you should see an email in your inbox asking about your origin story, I hope you’ll take part.

New Origin Stories go up every Monday morning at Origin Story. New posts are tweeted from @StoriesofOrigin.

Carl T. Holscher fights for the customers.

Tag: origin story

Consumer

March 2 March

Buddycast

Origin Story

Book

What Else?

The Origin Story of Origin Story