Category Archives: Social Media

Elmo is My Therapist?

Posted on January 31, 2024 | 7 comments

Pic of Elmo courtesy of Sesame Street

Yesterday, a funny thing happened on Twitter, (yes, I know it’s called X now, but I’m not going to give Elon Musk the satisfaction of being acknowledged by me. I know he worries about that a lot)  So yesterday on Twitter, the Sesame Street character Elmo, who is a puppet, put out a tweet:

“Elmo is just checking in! How is everybody doing?”  That one tweet has so far garnered over 12,000 replies and almost 47,000 retweets.  Many of those responses were of an emotional nature. In the space of a few hours a puppet became the most popular therapist in the world. I’m not sure if that is a good lesson for kids. Although, I guess kids, who use social media for a lot of their communication with others, now know that it’s ok to talk about their feelings in a public forum.

I’ll give you a small slice of the replies:

The responses ran the gamut, some serious and some funny, but overall I like the message that it’s ok to reach out when you need. I wonder if Elmo will become some sort of online guru from now on.

This seems to be another sign that we are becoming a more remote online society, but it’s also a sign that there are people everywhere who will help. Have a great Wednesday and reach out to someone if you need to.

Thanks for reading! ~Phil

7 Comments

Posted in pop culture, Social Media, Uncategorized

Tagged , ,

Blogging: The Dinosaur of Digital Expression

Posted on January 9, 2024 | 3 comments

This is me trying to hold off podcasts and TikToks from stealing all my readers.

Sure, the dinosaurs in Jurassic Park look pretty cool, but in the end, there was a reason they shot them. They weren’t meant to exist in the modern world. Is that the fate of blogging? (As an aside, I think the Jurassic Park franchise of movies needs to be put down. We get it. It’s a bad idea to grow dinosaurs in your backyard. We don’t need six movies to make that point)

In 2005 when I started this blog I thought I was so cool. I thought I was the avant garde of modern expression.  Now, in the lightning quick world of social media where TikTok dances go viral in seconds and podcast hosts become celebrities overnight, bloggers like us seem to be stuck in a time warp, typing away on keyboards like we’re sending telegrams. Are we the next form of social media to fall by the wayside?

Writers will write. I see thousands of us every week on Twitter, Facebook, and WordPress promoting our blogs and books. If you are one of them, is it working? If you’re a blogger, I sincerely would love to hear your perspectives on this.

I’m starting to wonder if I should do v-logs. Video blogs, like I did this one time when I had been downsized out of a job and had way too much time on my hands. Here’s an example of one of my vlogs:

So, do you think that guy would work as a podcast or video blog that was advertised by snippets in TikToks?

Unfortunately I can’t find/might have deleted a video of me doing a cartwheel. If you want to see some other cartwheel videos you can find me on TikTok as https://www.tiktok.com/@thephilfactor.

What do you think? Should I resort to this kind of chicanery to get social media attention? I’d really like to increase my blog readership and hopefully a couple nice folks might buy a book or two that I’ve written. If you’re a writer how do you shill your books? What works best for you?

Thanks for reading, watching and listening today! ~Phil

3 Comments

Posted in blogging, Humor, Social Media

Tagged , ,

How Do You Feel About “Threads”?

Posted on July 6, 2023 | Leave a comment

Pic from CNN.com

This week Meta/Zuckerberg have launched a social media app that is pretty much the same as Twitter. And it’s clearly no coincidence that he launched it the day after Twitter limited the number of tweets that people could view each day.

Paraphrasing what someone said on Threads today, “Now we have to decide which terrible nerdy billionaire that we hate the least?”  

Pic from The Scotsman

Look at those smug bastards! They’re trying to control our perception of the world and trying to shape that perception to their own personal ideals. Mark my words, it’s only a matter of time until one of them runs for President.

What I find alarming is that with this latest move, Zuckerberg is trying to consolidate all major social media under his Meta umbrella. He has Facebook, Instagram, and now Threads. If Threads truly pulls people away from Twitter, Zuckerberg and his minions will have significant control over a large portion of the worlds populations perception of things.

Also, he’ll be data mining the eff out of us and using that information for anything he and his company want. That’s a worst case scenario.

It’s also possible that this move by Zuckerberg may fracture and divide social media even further. Maybe it’s an opportunity for everyone to find their tribe in different places.  That would be a best case scenario.

What do you think? Have you or will you join Threads?

Happy Friday! ~Phil

Leave a comment

Posted in Humor, Social Media

Tagged , , , ,

Welcome to Phil’s NyQuil Chicken Restaurant!

Posted on September 22, 2022 | 5 comments

NyQuil Chicken

(This is a proactive disclaimer for those who take everything waaay to seriously: This entire blog post is a joke. I am probably not seriously suggesting you do anything I say here. You’re an adult. Think for yourself.)

Does anyone remember my post from four years ago about snorting Tide Pods? This has an eerie familiarity. Yes, TikTok, the arbiter of all things cool, has brought us the NyQuil chicken challenge!  At first I wondered if bored farmers were giving their chickens NyQuil and then watched them fall asleep. Knowing famers, I was a little worried what they might do to those chickens after they fell asleep. But no, there are no victims.

People are making chicken with NyQuil and it puts them to sleep. You know what else it does? It makes people feel better when they have a cold or flu! Is that so bad? I don’t think so, which is why I’m going to open a restaurant where I’ll serve popular dishes with different medications mixed in.

What could be better than that when you’re sick? Go to a restaurant feeling lousy, have your favorite meal and you feel better later? It’s like a Walgreens Pharmacy and Red Lobster had a baby!

The Medicine Restaurant and Bar in Birmingham, England

Come in. Let me take you to your table. Have a seat. I will need your medical history before you order. We don’t want any of those pesky allergic reactions. Take a look at the menu:

All pictures are not mine and were “borrowed” from better websites than mine.

NyQuil Chicken: A beautiful chicken breast grilled with olive oil, Mediterranean spices and NyQuil. Guaranteed to satisfy your palate, relieve cold symptoms and help you get a good nights sleep.

Ritalin Redfish

Ritalin Redfish Cajun Style: Enjoy this savory sea treat with cajun spices that will wake up your tongue while the Ritalin wakes up your brain. Please consult your physician before finishing your appetizer.

Anxiety Alfredo

Anxiety Alfredo: Feeling a little anxious or over-stressed? Nothing calms my mind more than a bowl of pasta, especially when it has a little something extra soothing for your nerves. Feeling a little too gonzo? Maybe you need a little benzo. It’s what gives our alfredo that silky smooth aftertaste.

Tepezza Taco Tuesday: Problems with your thyroid? Are your eyes looking a little too big? Then stop by for Tepezza Taco Tuesday! If you’ve got two eyes you get two tacos for the price of one! (Tepezza did not give me consent to use the name of their medication.)

I’m just getting started. Wait until you see the drink menu. You don’t need to tip our waitresses but please pay your copay on the way out.

Anywho, it’s up to you if you add meds to your food, but please consult your physician and don’t take me seriously.

Have a great Thursday! ~Phil

5 Comments

Posted in Humor, pop culture, Social Media, Uncategorized

Tagged , , ,

Top Ten Tuesday! Ten Funny Tweets!

Posted on November 20, 2018 | 5 comments

A lot of people say “Twitter? I don’t get it.” Sometimes even Presidents don’t get it even WHEN they THINK they DO. If you’re a President, or just someone who wants to understand Twitter better, follow these ten funny people”

https://twitter.com/Jake_Vig/status/1034998474268467200

Have a great Tuesday! ~Phil

5 Comments

Posted in Humor, Social Media, Top Ten, Top Ten Tuesday

Tagged , , ,

Are You A Social Media Drama Queen?

Posted on September 1, 2018 | 20 comments

Are you a social media drama queen? You may not know, but we sure as hell do! Although I used the phrase drama queen, guys can be social media drama queens too. Not me of course. I’ve written this blog for over 13 years for purely educational purposes. Mostly I like to educate people when they’re being idiots.

We used to be able to worship our on screen idols, actors, actresses, athletes and musicians, from afar for years, then social media showed up and these people couldn’t keep their mouths shut. Of course, it’s not a surprise that celebrities are social media drama queens. It’s just a surprise how many of them are morons.

But I’m not here to talk about the rich and famous morons. I’m talking about the regular, used to be your friend, type of morons. The ones that think they are a social media STAR! We all know these people don’t we? You know every damn time that they leave the house because they check in on Facebook when they walk to their mailbox and then Instagram you their  breakfast.

And really, who cares that you love coffee? Guess what? billions of people have been having coffee (or tea) every friggin’ morning since the cave people figured out how to boil water. If coffee was that freaking miraculous the cave people would have painted a picture of it on some cave wall in France. That was their Instagram. And yes, I’m drinking coffee too but I don’t imagine that’s very interesting to all my social media “friends” who are also drinking coffee. Guess what? Drinking coffee is not any sort of accomplishment that needs to be lauded by your social media friends. And yes, everyone else also has a coffee mugs with a supposedly humorous comment about drinking coffee.

And what about social media friends? Those people who were strangers until they “followed” you? Are they really friends? Up until 15 years ago, if a stranger followed you, you probably went straight to the police and got a restraining order. Now we rejoice if strangers we don’t know “like” our coffee picture. My least favorite of the social media drama queens is the people that commit social media suicide. “I’ve had enough of all the mean spirited comments here on Facebook/Twitter/blog  so I’m deleting my account!” But then they come back to check comments and reply. If you’re going to leave social media, do it. Don’t come back to see how many people will say “don’t go!” Chances are you’ll be disappointed.

Have a great Saturday everybody! Give me all your love in the form of likes and comments because if you don’t I’m going to delete my account. And this time I mean it! ~Phil

20 Comments

Posted in Humor, Social Media

Tagged , , ,

Top Ten Tuesday: Ten Funny Tweets

Posted on June 19, 2018 | 9 comments

A lot of people say “Twitter? I don’t get it.” If you don’t get it, the easiest thing you can do is to follow these ten funny people.

https://twitter.com/TheHappySquirrl/status/953026423639429120

https://twitter.com/TheHyyyype/status/1001894569557020672

https://twitter.com/trashythisis/status/998311483384717318

Now that you’ve started your day with a laugh, have a great Tuesday! ~Phil

 

9 Comments

Posted in Humor, Social Media, Top Ten Tuesday, Twitter

Tagged , , , , ,

I Hate To Say I Told You So But… I Predicted #DeleteFacebook

Posted on April 27, 2018 | 18 comments

OK, I love to say I told you so, but I will say that I didn’t nail this one exactly or in the time frame I imagined, but I got it close enough that I’m taking credit for another correct psychic prediction.

1. Facebook will die a very sudden death. Millions will flee the social media empire when it’s revealed that the social network was started as an extension of the NSA to monitor people and collect personal data. Zuckerberg is earning approximately 10 billion a year to sell us out to the man.”

I was close. Zuckerberg was selling our data, but not to our own government. He was selling it to those that sought to influence our election and government and now, as you’ll see in many articles across the internet, millions using the hashtag #DeleteFacebook, are leaving Facebook. Zuckerberg made money selling our data and when it was discovered people left Facebook in droves. I got that right didn’t I?

Having all this psychic stuff in my head is a burden, but it would be wrong not to share my gift with the world. My next prediction is that you’ll come back here tomorrow and discover that my Saturday post is hilarious. Have a great Friday! ~Psychic Phil

18 Comments

Posted in Current Events, Facebook, Humor, Social Media, Uncategorized

Tagged , , , , ,

Wordless Wednesday? Not This Week, I Need Your Votes!

Posted on April 11, 2018 | 1 comment

The Annual Blogger’s Bash Awards voting is going on now! You can vote for #ThePhilFactor for Funniest Blog by clicking HERE! You don’t even have to be a blogger. Anyone can vote! Have a great Wednesday! ~Phil

1 Comment

Posted in blog, blogging, Humor, Phil, Phil Taylor, Social Media

Tagged , , , ,

Blogger Award Nominations Close Tomorrow: Do I Get A Nomination?

Posted on March 19, 2018 | 7 comments

Do I get a nomination for Funniest Blogger? Well, that’s up to you. I can’t nominate myself. The Annual Bloggers Bash Award Nominations are now open! Click HERE to find out how you can nominate me for Funniest Blogger and others for all the other great blogger categories.

Why should you nominate me for Funniest Blogger? In addition to this list of hilarious posts I published last week, I present to you the funniest top ten lists from #ThePhilFactor:

Ten Blogging Pet Peeves

Ten Reasons I won’t Date Taylor Swift

Ten Signs Your Wife is Cheating with an Amish Guy

Top Ten Perks of Being The Pope

Top Ten Reasons I’m Not Spiderman

Ten Situations That Should Be Solved By a Rap Battle

Ten Sexy Quotes From Yelp Restaurant Reviews

If you like my blog and have a minute or two, click HERE to go to the page where you can nominate me for Funniest Blogger. The nominating window closes at midnight tomorrow. If you do, thank you so much. I really appreciate your support. Have a great evening! ~Phil

7 Comments

Posted in blogging, Humor, Social Media

Tagged , , , ,