So, now I’ve been blogging over six years. And in that six years, I’ve skipped 12 months. I mean, there’s only 12 month-long periods in that six years where I have not made a post. It seems to be a pattern of a sort. A lot of the gaps are due to what’s going on in my work and personal life – if I have time to think for myself. You know, sometimes you get a long stretch where you can’t think of anything but what you’re working on right then. Then there’s other times where you want to think about anything but what you’re supposed to be doing. Hint: This is one of those times.
I have over 200 posts in my blog. I remember getting an email from WordPress congratulating me on reaching 100 posts. Maybe I have to get to 1000 for another pat on the back? The number of posts I’ve made over my blog’s lifespan isn’t a significant number, and there are the gaps I mentioned before, so I guess I wouldn’t classify myself as “prolific”.
I’ve recently been finding that my tags aren’t sufficient anymore. Either I’m wanting to discuss different topics now, or I have been applying tags only tenuously to posts that don’t deserve them. I never wanted my tag cloud to be huge – I always wanted it to look balanced, but it might have to grow out of necessity.
I’m really light on comments, and that’s ok with me. They say that the best blogs have a strong community and a lot of conversation, but I don’t think that suits my blog. Mine is just a notepad or journal kind of thing. I envision my blog as if you the reader are overhearing me at a restaurant bitching about or explaining something about my day or the world or whatever. And, like that scenario, I’m not exactly expecting you to approach me and comment on what I’m talking about. But if you find the topic interests you, discuss it with others. I’m certainly no authority, so you don’t need to clarify or seek guidance on a topic from me.
On blogging itself, there is more and more rabble that the medium is dead. Short-form messages are “better”, “more concise”, “more timely”, and to me, more bullshit. One of my favorite tags on my blog is “overpopulation”. There’s way too many damn people out there. And because of this, no one can possibly take it all in. But there’s this expectation that you should take it all in.
Look, there’s nothing wrong with having a very tight filter on your incoming data. And you shouldn’t feel bad that you are not absorbing or are missing something. If you could absorb everything, how boring would your life be? Every time someone would mention something to you, your answer would be, “yeah, I read about that.” That also makes it shitty for the other person, too. That sounds like a great future post: Diversity vs. Unity. When everyone knows all the same stuff, where does that take us?
In closing, I am still a fan of writing. I’ve been getting better about proofreading – reading my post in its entirety to make sure it makes sense and has a decent flow. There’s been plenty of times that I’ve reworked sentences, and when I do, it makes me feel better that I took the time to proof it. And finally, thanks to you for reading.
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