Adam’s Weird Dream
Last night, I had a vivid funny dream.
The vivid part was that I was just going about my normal day-to-day life. Running errands, going to meetings, taking kids to school, going to the bank and post office and all the normal stuff I do every day. That part is not funny. What was funny was that as I made my way around all day with a horse trailer with a horse in it. So, in the dream, I was navigating normal SoCal life in San Diego with a horse in tow. So I’d have to leave a meeting to go feed or water the horse. Or I’d have to figure out how to parallel park a pick-up truck & trailer on El Cajon Boulevard.
In the dream this didn’t bother me at all, it was just part of daily life. And no one told me it was weird to drive a horse around, though it was clearly weird.
As I woke up I still had this dream on my mind. I’m not a person who reads much into dreams… but this one was memorable.
It caused a little reflection. And then this idea popped into my head….
I’m a Digital Farmer
My real life isn’t all that different from the life in my dream. While I’m not hauling around a horse trailer with a horse I have to take care of in it, my day is filled with carrying around equipment to take care of a myriad of digital properties to take care of.
And while I can go about my normal duties without a hitch there are still times where I have to interrupt regular life to take care of the digital farm.
My digital farm are the web properties I take care of. A good share of them are mine. But a good share of them are ones that I look after for income. But whether I like it or not, just like a farmer I’ve always got stuff to do.
Feed & water
When you’re a digital farmer you always have to keep an eye on things and keep them on a regular cycle to keep them healthy.
Feed – Regular, fresh content keeps sites full.
Water – Connecting with other bloggers, leaving comments, engaging in social media… all of that keeps your sites hydrated.
Brush & Exercise
When you’re a digital farmer you need to make sure you aren’t just keeping your stuff alive, but that you keep it looking good.
Brush – You have to keep the web properties up to date or things won’t work correctly. In the end, a little bit of effort every day will prevent major problems down the line. (Updating plugins, setting things up the right way, making regular back-ups, etc.)
Exercise – Just like a horse needs regular exercise to stay healthy, I need to keep exercising my skills. I keep up with a user group of WordPress developers, I try to make it to local meet-ups, I network with other developers, and I make an effort to go to WordCamps.
Mending Fences
Posting boundaries – You have to keep a site within it’s boundaries. One thing I help my properties do is stay in bounds… yes, you can do just about anything online, but that doesn’t mean you need to. Stay focused, keep in your land, and cultivate what you’re good at.
Digital holes – I spend a bunch of time making sure that my sites are secure, that hackers aren’t stealing stuff, and that things are where they are supposed to be. As times goes on this is getting harder and harder. I’m thankful for services like Sucuri and Cloudflare which make it a little easier.
Call the Vet
Expert help – I’m shameless about calling the web doctor. I work hard and can figure out most things. But when something blows up and I need help, I’ve learned that it saves me money to spend money on an expert sometimes.
Latest research – Just like a vet has access to all the latest research on farm animals, when I work with experts I’m always querying them for as much of the latest, greatest stuff as I can get. Hey… if you’re paying for expert access take full advantage of it!
The Right Equipment
Beyond a Hobby – When I first got started in digital farming it was really a hobby. I started a blog and a couple little sites. Then we created YMX, which was really still a hobby. And then people started asking me to build stuff for them for a fee. When it’s a hobby the right equipment is just what you can afford. But there’s a point where my hobby became my full-time income, that’s when I stopped thinking about equipment I could afford. I started thinking about equipment I couldn’t afford not to have.
Spend the money – You don’t see many farmers hauling stuff around in the back of the family car. When digital farming started becoming my job I stopped buying hobby level equipment. (My mantra is “No more Mickey Mouse toys.“) I want the right stuff, the best stuff, and stuff that’ll last. Just like with a farmer… it takes time to get the best stuff and it takes planning to keep the best stuff coming. But when you have the right equipment you do better quality work, faster.
The Long Attitude
Seasons – Every farmer knows that there are seasons where the work is easier than others. And some years are better than others. In the same way, digital farming is a lifestyle choice. You take the good with the bad and you just hope that in the long run it works out over time.
Thrift – A key thing I’ve learned from farmers is the concept of thrift. Yes, I spend the money on the best stuff when I have to. But I also get the most out of what I buy in the long run. And when things look great at the bank I don’t run out and go nuts… because I know there might be a time coming when I’ll need some savings to keep the digital farm afloat!
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