Paean

I answered the Technorati “State of the Blogosphere” survey the other day, which caused me to ponder the state of this blog.

It’s been rather neglected of late, I know. If I look back over the past few years, I can see that when I first started blogging I was posting every single day, and I could always find something to blog about. Whereas nowadays blogging has just slipped down the list of priorities. In the list it’s still well above “vacuuming”, but definitely waaaaaay below “going to work”, “tweeting”, and “gazing at baubles on Etsy”.

The Technorati survey asked why I blog. Well, I certainly have never cared about making money by my blogging. I can’t remember the exact wording of the option I chose but it was the option that said I blog because I want to write.

Yes, I maintain this blog, neglected though it is, because I still see it as a forum for me to write – even if it seems to be largely overtaken by other distractions these days.

Twitter certainly has a lot to do with the lack of blogging. Instead, I am microblogging. I wonder, if I actually counted the number of tweets I post in an average day, how many words that would add up to. On Twitter, apart from retweeting links to articles and web stuff that interests me and that I think will interest some of the people who follow me, I do engage in occasional discussions with colleagues (you can track my breaks during a work day by the burst of tweets from me) and I also share little bits and pieces about my day. Sometimes I tweet about the chihuahuas. I respond to people’s news or tales about their woeful day or whatever.

I pay for the hosting of this blog and for my domain, and yet even when I bemoan how neglectful I am being, I have never considered not continuing with this space. As my somewhat cheesy, definitely uninspired byline says, this is my “online home”. How could I not have a home? Twitter (which I love) is great for connecting with people and I cannot measure how much I have learned from being online there, but it’s like a big playground or maybe noisy cafe hangout where I go everyday to chat and sit around. I may not be home much, but I still want it to be there to come back to. (I don’t think the Technorati survey had an option for “blogging cos it’s home”…)

When I started this blog all those years ago, I had no inkling where it would take me. I thought the whole blog, web thing was just a fad. And now? I’m part of this vibrant, fast moving and wonderful community of thinkers and doers that people who don’t “do the Internet” just have no idea even exists (for me the whole concept of IRL – “In Real Life” – no longer exists. All this IS my real life). I’ve met and gotten to know so many people, some of whom have been vital supports for my professional and personal life. I’ve managed to save myself from terminal boredom and burnout and given my career a whole new lease of life. I’ve gained so much and my confidence has grown a thousand-fold (now I’m an opinionated bitch).  I’m so glad I took that very first step and started blogging.