How I Found My Mojo (or, Day 9)

While looking over this blog trying to find Walt Crawford’s comment about my beliefs about superstardom and worthiness, I realised that this blog has just passed its fifth anniversary!

My very first blog post was on 7 June 2005. I am therefore a couple of days late acknowledging this fact. (What can I say, I have a surplus of topics to blog about at the moment…)

It’s quite interesting looking over this blog as it’s obvious that my interests have changed somewhat over time. I’m sure this is something to be expected.

I actually started blogging because I had been given a task at work – or rather, a question to answer for my boss at the time – can the library use a blog? Would you believe me if I told you that my immediate answer to him was “No! Blogs are a fad and we have no business blogging.” (Really. I admit it. That was what I said.) Luckily for me, he just smiled and told me that it was fine if that was true, but could I actually spend some time looking at them, and them show him why we couldn’t use them.

This is where my habit of rejecting The Popular sometimes clouds my judgement. At the time, blogs were kind of popular and all The Cool Kids were blogging. I was probably not using the web as much as I do nowadays, but I was definitely aware of blogs, and they were not for me. Why not? They just weren’t, okay?

Anyway, to cut a long story short, I decided that if I was going to answer my boss’s question in more than a half-arsed way, I’d better seriously look into this. I don’t know why I thought I should be blogging myself. I can’t remember when I decided I wasn’t going to just read and watch, but that I would have to DO as well.

One thing lead to another. I started blogging. Then I started another blog. Found the libloggers/bibliobloggers/library bloggers, whatever you want to call them. I found RSS – back then Bloglines was all the rage. (Does anyone still use it?) I made myself a wiki. And another. Flickr – shiny stuff! Started a couple of Wikipedia entries. LibraryThing. del.icio.us. Played. More blogs. Twitter (in 2006. Back then no one wanted to play).

And it was good.

Of out all that, My then Place of Work got a library blog; in fact we were one of the first university libraries in Oz to start blogging. Blogging helped me make lots of connections and friendships with library people all around the world. I wrote not one, but two conference papers the first time I went to a conference. My learning accelerated. (I sometimes wonder why my university education hasn’t been as memorable.) My self confidence and motivation also grew. My mojo*, in danger of being lost by not having enough exposure to the outside world, was found.

Moral of the story?

Blogging is good. Let’s all blog! Blogging helps you learn. Don’t let your prejudices get in the way. (Feel free to suggest more.)

Will I be blogging in another five years? I don’t know, but if I’m not blogging, I hope I’m continuing to do things that force me to learn and think.

[Photo added because a) I want some sort of illustration to go with this post, b) I wish I was enjoying the European summer at the moment (this is from 2008 when we went to Europe), and c) it shows me sitting on a book. Photo taken in the foyer of the British Library.]

*Mojo defined here as spice, zest for life (and profession).