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Thursday, February 16, 2012

The Written Word

Before the days of status updates and tweets, I started a blog. That was March 15, 2005.

The blog was supposed to be anonymous. I used a compilation of my initials to create a name. I called it "North of the Red River" because I was after all, a Texan, living in Oklahoma. The name has stuck through a stint in Florida and now back in Texas.

I wrote and it was therapuetic at a time when I needed it to be therapuetic. Then I discovered other people's blogs. I became a fan Melessa of Redneck Diva who made me laugh and sometimes cry as they shared the ups and downs of their families' lives. Diva, Melessa and I and others became mutual admirers. We met face-to-face at an Okie blogger meet up and were relieved to learn none of us were really serial killers. We've kept in touch.

Blogs became a way for me to keep up with college friends, commisserate with like-minded folks and write. I know that often I was writing only for me. My family got nervous to learn I was sharing details of our life online, but I assured them no one was reading.

I made mistakes. I changed the blog, trying to make it professional by writing reviews or sports. Each time it reverted back to what it was: a public journal shared (or not) that was cheaper than therapy.

Then came the Facebook explosion. I never really liked MySpace. I have a profile out there somewhere, I think. Does MySpace still exists? I tweeted. I posted. I played created virtual farms and chatted with strangers from Australia on sleepless nights.

And sometimes I abandoned my blog. Now, I've picked it up and dusted it off. I'm embracing it like a long lost friend.

Some of my favorite blogs from those early year have been abandoned or been completely reinvented. Most have ads.

I think maybe some of us are in a Facebook funk or just overload. Too much.

Last night was a sleepless night. I read posts from favorite reads and saw that Diva was vowing to blog more often. I read "Blogs of Note" and hopped from one blog to the next, to see if anyone was still blogging.

There are a lot more professional blogs out there now. A lot of photography blogs. A lot of family blogs with professional photos highlighting their lives. I found blogs from younger people too. Kids. Teenagers. Some were creative, others a bit frightening.

I will try to write and muse and record our lives more often. I'll read other blogs, which share everything from how to craft a kite to how to cook or garden.

More importantly, I will learn a little about myself along the way.

3 comments:

Melessa Gregg said...

Thanks! I'm a fan of yours too. I'm trying to shake off my blogging funk too. :)

V-Grrrl @ Compost Studios said...

I've been blogging almost seven years now too. Facebook has eroded readership and the social aspects of blogging, and there are oh so many abandoned blogs out there. Yet, I've never stopped blogging. In the early days, I blogged 4-5 times a week, now it's 2-3. No longer an online journal, my blog is a place I exercise my creativity and/or reflect on life's small moments. I find the format both more personal and less personal than the format I started with. I've forged bonds with other bloggers online and in real life. Neil Kramer at Citizen of the Month and Di Mackey are two of my closest friends. Other early blogging friends who let their blogs go are still in touch via Facebook. A few friends that I helped start blogs for years ago are now very successful "professional" bloggers. It's been a long, strange trip. : ) I'm glad to still be around.

Carmel said...

I'm glad the two of you are still around also. V-Grrl - I like your current format. I liked the old blog, also, but I understand the need for change. I keep in touch with a lot of folks via FB, but I miss the blog format. So hopefully, I'm back for the long haul.