I first set up this blog nearly 4 years ago. At the time blogging was new, and very few people did it/cared about it. In that time it has mushroomed into a phenomenon, and since then has dribbled away into the mundane. When I look at Blogger, Twitter and Facebook I can see that I have a presence on the web that I don't necessarily care for. Facebook has its issues because I have been contacted by a number of people that I went to school with, and the problem is that;
a) There is a very good reason that I lost touch with them; and
b) I have no desire to attend any school reunions, which are in my opinion a rather sad and ultimately pointless attempt to recapture the past.
Twitter is more entertaining but still has its problems. Firstly it has been hi-jacked by a number of celebrities that seem to use it for nothing else than having their egos stroked. Secondly there are limits as to what you can say in 140 characters. But mainly there seems to be an unhealthy preoccupation with how many followers one has, and this spoils it for me.
And so that brings me onto blogging. What started out as a gentle little community has now grown into something huge. Awards are given by one blogger to another, people have those followers bars at the side, and I find myself tiring of the whole thing. I do like to write, but I also find myself repeating early articles without realising it, or jotting down stuff which is perhaps better confined to a diary, just so I have something to say.
So, I have decided that with my 600th post soon approaching, my two blogs will have to change or else I will get bored and close them down completely. In fact I'm not even sure that my other blog should survive given that it was written for a specific purpose which has now passed.
I don't know what I shall do quite yet, but things are about to change.
6 comments:
Stuart I understand. Twitter I am limiting to only people I actually know pretty well in life or through my blog. I have had requests from people with over 2500 followers & following which is quite ludicrous IMHO!! Facebook, I tried to delete my account not long ago and it's impossible!
My blog I still enjoy and tomorrow will be my 1000th post in 14 months, which tells you what an outlet it is for me. But the Followers thing I wish they'd never started and once it's on there, again you can't seem to get rid of it! Awards are just a bit of harmless blog acknowledgement, although I find myself passing on very few these days.
I enjoy your blog and your style of writing, so I hope you keep something going or I will miss you.
Is there a way for you to have a presence on the web that you do care for? Things are just changing, and perhaps there is another way to express yourself within the new mediums? How about an e-newsletter? I'd sign up. Hooray for change, for it can be a very good thing.
Sarah - I did manage to close down or at least deactivate my Facebook account. The jury is still out on Twitter, and most of the people I converse with seem pretty decent.
As for the blog, well I know it needs a kick up the arse. I've taken my real name off it because I felt inhibited by it, and it also attracted some old acquaintances that I didn't want to be in touch with. The followers thing I have never done, but I think it is a distraction from what blogging is about although the awards are harmless I suppose.
But your support is always welcome and I hope I can continue to do something of interest.
Greenie - You're very kind. It occured to me after I posted it, that this piece may seem as if I'm fishing for compliments but that isn't the case. I just feel a bit jaded with what I do here, and often it feels like nothing more than an elaborate waste of time.
I think I will keep this blog open for now, and see how I feel. I have killed off my Facebook account though, and it felt good.
Thanks for the support.
I think it was wise to take your real name off your blog, but personally I've never thought it needed a kick up the arse. I enjoy it!
Thanks Sarah. We shall see how we go.
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