WITAWOPS turns one

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WITAWOPS turned one year old. My first blog post on October 13, 2024, You too can change the world was a synopsis of my 2021 book reflecting on how I believe I changed the world in my own unique ways. This blog is contributing to that effort.

One year old image

I started WITAWOPS (What I Think About What Other People Say) because I had a lot of opinions about things people said. And I wanted to share them. Most posts reflect on a quote, discuss what I think, and end with why you should care. It’s been an interesting, eye-opening, and self-reflecting year. I’ve enjoyed [most] of it!

What Do I Think

1. It’s harder than I thought. 

I was asked how much time I spend on each post. About an hour writing and editing but more time during the week thinking. I've toyed with A.I. (see the post about me vs. ChatGPT). The week's topic has to jump out at me at some point before Friday and given that I really dislike procrastinating, I start getting antsy if I don’t have a topic by Thursday afternoon. To exacerbate the problem, some of the topics that do call out to me during the week are no-go zones. That leads to the second finding.

2. “Federal Employee”

“Disclaimer: views expressed are solely the post author's, published under their 1st amendment rights. They may not reflect the views of the US Gov or any of its agencies.”

This disclaimer is on the main page and emphasized in some posts. As a federal employee, I am not to discuss current policies, actions, or perspectives. Nor can I discuss internal agency stuff. This has always been the case; my self-restraint is no different now than it would have been in 2022 when I started with FEMA, or 2015 with Commerce, or 2005 with USAID. There are rules, regulations, ethics, and morals to consider. And in that regard, I am a rule follower because the rules make sense to me.

And that is why I publish things after my responsibilities end. I published a book about my USAID experiences after I left USAID (see for example USAID Insights on Judicial Reform) and my experience as a juror in a medical malpractice wrongful death case after the judge dismissed us.

3. Readership
TikTok, video shorts, and tweets make up the majority of our information and analysis intake. Lets be frank. People are generally not reading. My own friends included. They don’t have the time, brain bandwidth, interest, or focus to read a 500-word article every week. 

Marketing is difficult - I tried into Instagram, Facebook, and LinkedIn, as well as mass monthly emails and WhatsApp broadcasts. I carry a QR code on my phone to share with people. 

The best use of the blog, currently, is in cover letter for teaching job applications and a social conversation piece. In the middle of a random conversation, I say, ‘I discuss that in my post about XYZ’ and use that as a marketing opportunity. 

4. Technology 
Search engines work, sometimes. It’s frustrating when the Google-owned blog platform I use sends me an email error with a cryptic codes and technical language that I cannot fix; nor can any of my techie friends! 

Blogger also randomly blocks posts for violating some element. This post was also blocked and I am still trying to figure out why. Was it the picture (now deleted) or the list of topics? Ironically some of my older posts were blocked by the AI bots and I had to edit them: Vengeance in scriptures and freedom of speech.

Why Should You Care

Its been a fun year but I am moving to monthly or episodic posts. Some of the topics swirling around in my head are listed here. Please send me a message if you would like me to explore any others. 

Kenya loses a national figure: Raila Omollo Odinga; Jane Goodall’s parting words; Zoran Mamdani’s NYT Interview; what is prayer; the Star Spangled Banner; zoning history in America; how cities and towns are fighting residential affordable housing targets; and playing off last week’s post on private towns: what’s next in America.


What do others say? "Galeeb Kachra truly is one of a kind. A unique combination of optimism, can-do determination and relentless energy, he has the wiliness and moral integrity required to shake up sclerotic systems and sweep away logjams." (Michela Wrong, 2021)

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