On Blogging

Seth Apter asks about once a year what social network platform we use/enjoy, and for which purpose if different; I confirm every time I like writing and reading blog posts because I learn what I/you think, worked something out/prefer/like/love, and what we made with our hands, in some depth. It's better thought out, I'm long-winded, and I don't like small talk so blogs are best for me. But there seems to be platforms to suit every conceivable purpose/sentiment/flavor out there nowadays and I can't help noticing, just like in real life, old friends are not necessarily hanging out in the same old places, and there is fewer discourse where I am.

I ponder the whole "online presence" thing like everybody else: wasting time vs seeing trends and collecting information, security worries, my compulsion to overshare, and knowing where my friends hang out. (Gadget device comes into play for some, but I dislike learning how to use, and forking out money on, hardware that'll be outdated in months, so I leave it to Ben to declare something of mine dead beyond any doubt.)

It's not as though I have a lot happening; I have two weaving blogs, one in English and one in Japanese; a Flickr account used mostly to gaze at others' photos once in a blue moon; a Facebook profile but not a weaving page; and, gee, I thought I deleted my Weavolution but it's still alive. There's the Wordpress account so I can leave comments; no Twitter, no Instagram, not even Pinterest. I deleted Etsy, Ravelry, and LinkedIn I only clicked on invites long ago but didn't properly create an account. I resurrected Google+ only because there was something funny with my Picasa, which existed only for my blogs. (And by now, Mama will be going, "HUH??")

My life is more interesting when I weed less and weave more. Plus writing about weaving is good therapy as I can soften the garden sensory overload by analyzing/verbalizing what I do/think in weaving. During depression, it was good to try to concentrate on this part of my life rather than being overwhelmed by the whole. But most of all I'm chronicling how I'm spending this life.

In the past I noticed me on a kind of a persona, that of a host(ess) as it were, of a party here, because you all were visitors to my blog. Likewise I felt like a guest when visiting yours, although more often like a student. But that's changed, too; with fewer discourse, and me spending more time weeding than weaving for a couple of years, I'm settling comfortably into my grumpy old hermit weaver spot. My thoughts more private, or simply examined, I'm not sure; at least not important enough to me to record. I've also become more aware of the negative side of the Internet and social media, and I'm starting to feel too old to be bothered, rather than amiss about not staying informed.

I have no idea where I'm going with this. As with all the other times I considered chucking my blogs, I will probably sit on the decision awhile and then forget I was sitting on it. Mom once told me continuity is part of talent. I'm a good starter but not good at.... what was it?

I've my tenth blog birthday coming up. That's what's been on my mind. May there be harmony and peace on earth next year.