Tuesday, October 15, 2013

Fifth Anniversary

I think that usually on October 15 I make mention of the fact that it is an anniversary for String Too Short to Tie.  This year, though, is rather a big deal, for it is the fifth anniversary!  Five years. Imagine that.  I would never have thought it to be a remote possibility.  A lot of things have never seemed possible, and yet they exist, or have existed.

Some things I have learned by entering the Blogosphere

(blogosphere:  Imagine a million lunatics wandering the streets mumbling to themselves. Write it all down and put it on the web. Congratulations, you've just created the blogosphere.-- The Urban Dictionary)


1.  Writing a blog doesn't make me an author.  Whether I am a writer or not can only be determined by the output.  If anything is communicated, and if any of it is worth communicating, then I have written something.  Otherwise, not.

2.  The fun of participation in the Blogosphere is largely in the reading of others' works.  Most bloggers, like myself, are not authors.  They are people who like to share experiences or ideas, people who like to play with words and expressions.

3.  I have read some blogs in which I get a distinct sense that the writers thereof are endeavoring to recreate themselves.  What they present on the internet is not the real person, but a persona.  Many of these have defaulted to Facebook or Twitter, great platforms for being more, or less, than they really are.  When I encounter a writer who is genuine, who expresses himself or herself well, who actually has interesting things to say, I place that blogger in my reader, and I visit regularly.  A disclaimer: Much of my writing is based on nostalgic reminiscing.  I do not intend to deceive or misrepresent.  But these materials are based on memory, and I will be the first to admit that that creature is a selective beast.  And of course I respect your sensibilities and sensitivities too much to reveal myself even to the warts and agnails.

4.  I like the interaction with readers who take the time to read an article then leave a comment.  Often these exchanges become a more interesting part of the post than the post itself.

5.  I have had numerous occasions over the past five years when I considered stopping the whole thing.  I will have such times again, I suspect.  I suspect, too, that if and when cessation actually occurs it will be on the order of T.S. Eliot's whimper, rather than a great spectacular.  I mean, it hasn't been anything spectacular to date, so why would one think it would go out brilliantly?

6.  I wish Blogger would develop a feature such that the spam comment folder would be automatically emptied after a certain length of time, or a certain amount of crap has accumulated.  The filter does a pretty decent job of catching most of the drivel, but when I'm away from the 'net for a week and return to find a lot of comments in the spam folder, well, that presents a chore I don't much like.

So,  stick with me, if you are so inclined.  I'll be around until I'm not.

This is post number 1650 of which fewer than ten were written by someone else, and probably not more than ten are repeats of previously posted articles.  I really need to get out more.









12 comments:

Jim said...

Happy fifth blogaversary!

Lin said...

Happy 5th Anniversary!! That's quite a feat!

Like you, I have thought about quitting...then a take a day or two off and I come back--to see what everyone else is doing. :) So, when you think that nobody cares if you come and go...we do. We care a lot because you have become our friend.

I like that part of being a blogger. I have met really wonderful friends.

P.S. I would miss you if you didn't write.

Shelly said...

Congratulations! The average shelf life of a blogger is usually brief, so five years is quite noteworthy. Looking forward to the next five, ten, fifteen...and onwards!

vanilla said...

Jim, I thank you!

Lin, thank you, Friend. It is the connections that make it worthwhile!

Shelly, thank you! Speaking of the "life" of blogs, have you ever used the "Next Blog" button at the top of a page? I have run through several of those from time to time. Many of them have had no entry since 2010 or 2011: essentially dead. A blogger whom I really enjoyed quit three years ago. She did write a farewell message, more than some seem to manage.

Vee said...

Congrats on your fifth! Great accomplishment.

One way to lose inspiration and motivation to blog is to settle on the dreary Kansas plains. There, one can sit down to a computer and discover that nothing makes it from brain to screen.

With some advice and assistance, i still try to keep my "Child of Desire" book page updated on Facebook - a totally different focus for a distinct audience, but an audience that has helped with the promotion of my novel.

Grace said...

Happy Blogaversary!

I do like that definition of the blogosphere.
I had to look up agnail
Comments can be more interesting than the initial post and often are the inspiration for another post. Happens for me a lot.
I treasure most the friends I have made through blogging (and I am reminded of that everyday when I hit the dining room light switch - can you stand being thought of every day because of a dimmer switch?)

{{Huggiez}}

vanilla said...

Vee, and did I ever thank you for kick-starting me on this journey? Thanks. Even dreary places provide blogworthy material. Now, consider your engine started again!

Grace, it is a fun thing that reading and commenting generates more blogging, and hence more reading and . . .

So, bothered? I am rather glad of that; and there are many things for which we remember people, some of which they'd rather not be remembered for!

Sharkbytes said...

Keep it up, keep it up! I'm so glad to have met you.

Sharkbytes said...

And you just reminded me the anniversary of MQD is sometime in Oct. I'll have to look up when

vanilla said...

Sharkey, thank you. You encourage me.

Do mention MQD's anniversary; it is noteworthy.

Secondary Roads said...

Congrats my friend. That's a great milestone.

I woke from sleep at 1 AM (four hours ago). I'm hoping to get more sleep before the sun comes up.

I closely identify with all you've said in this post.

Best wishes as you move forward. God's richest blessings to you and JoAnn.

vanilla said...

Chuck, thank you so much. Hope things are quickly back to normal for you.

(As I said, maybe I need to get out more.)