Monday, June 04, 2012

Preventing my blog from becoming a facebook digest

When I first started this blog it seriously derailed my face to face interactions. I would meet with friend that I hadn't seen in a while, begin telling an amusing anecdote about my life, and she would stop me and say "I already read about this on your blog."  This would happen so often that I would open with "Do you read my blog?" which unfortunately made me sound like one of those people, the ones who spam messages to everyone they know, saying "Visit my page! Like it! Increase size of member!"  (As a side note I'm going have to train myself to be one of those people, at least when my book comes out, if I ever hope to get any sales).

Despite my social awkwardness in rl, there are several things I enjoy about blogging.  So many, in fact, that I shall indulge you in a bulleted list:

  •  I like when some random relative/acquaintance who I would never assume would read my blog tells me they identified with some post or the other. I often imagine just one person I know who would be interested in what I'm writing, and it delights me greatly that I reach a marginally wider audience.
  • Getting comments.  Especially from people I don't know. The more comments, the more I feel like a celebrity someone with valuable ideas to share.
  • Meeting people. I've gotten to know some frequent commenters and bloggers, their inner most thoughts, who they are at their very cores, without even knowing their real names .  That's huge.  That's what makes the internet beautiful. 
  • Having a record of my children's lives. It's fun to look back and read about them growing up, in the words of my former self.
  • Leaving my mark on the abyss. I occasionally fantasize about future historians reading my blog.  Hey there future historians! How's the colonization of Andromeda going?
  • As shy as I am, I like being on stage.  It's why I love improv and karaoke.  My blog is just another way of shouting "look at me! look at me!"
But alas, just as my blogging derailed my face to face interactions, my blogging has been derailed by another social interaction.  That's right, I'm talking about the Faceboooks.  Posts like this one are basically just half-hearted Facebook digests.  If you're on my Facebook friends list, you've already seen the photos of my kids, read the news bulletins.  You already know what's going on in my life, in the much more quickly and easily digested form of status updates.   And I'm not delusional, I know that my Facebook friends make up 99.99999% of my reader base. 

The other day I was ranting about something, when my husband told me "This should be a blog entry." I don't know if he thought what I had to say was genuinely amusing and interesting, or if he just wanted me to shut-up in that moment.  Whichever it was, I thought maybe that's the ticket.  I should rant more on my blog!  After all, most people don't actually care that my kids and frickin' adorable.  They want to read my amusing tangents on toilet training.  So this is me ranting.  You likes?

In conclusion, I must say.  Like this page.  Share this page.  Tweet this page.  Look at me! Look at me! Look at me!

(Leave rant suggestions, virtual hugs, and hi, how are yous in the comments below.)

6 comments:

Becca said...

You don't have to just rant to get your ideas across, I'd like to see positive stuff too, please don't wait to be angry to post about it.... more of your reviews, and open the floor to talking about your dreams... for a while you blogged about a bucket list and when you met those dreams... I also enjoyed your ABC challenge, because it forced you to talk about random stuff, and I learned more about your jade Elephant and how you felt about Luck... even though your an Atheist.... and your Atheism, I enjoy your general discussion about that. You carry tact more than most Atheists who just dispel those who believe in some higher being as crazies. Yes rant, but don't use it as a focus for your ideas. your a very creative and constructive person. ( Oh and Art, I'd love to see a weekly art related post! be it writing, painting, drawing whatever!)

Cara said...

I'm in favour of you posting more on your blog. I really enjoyed your daily A-Z challenge because you were posting more frequently. I looked forward to hearing from you daily, and the reality of my life is that I can't get a dose of Jen whenever I want, but if you're blogging, late at night or whenever I have a few moments, I can go online and read something witty or see some cute pictures and feel somewhat connected and entertained. It's not perfect, and a big criticism of social media, but it's nice alternative when reality doesn't permit lots of face-to-face time. I wish more of my friends kept blogs and shared more actually.

Super Happy Jen said...

Becca, I don't expect all my rants to be negative. I might just rant about the beauty of the universe. Re: atheism I don't know who are these "most atheists who just dispel those who believe in some higher being as crazies". Most of the atheists I've encountered are just as tactless as I am.

Columbia Thorndale said...

I think you need more adam G and Columbia in your blog to spice it up and add some sex appeal.

Super Happy Jen said...

I think my blog is bursting with sex appeal, with just me.

Columbia Thorndale said...

ok more sex appeal and crunchy chewy center

Related Posts Plugin for WordPress, Blogger...