I don't usually base my posts on what other people write in their weblogs (except for memes and crap) but I had so much to say the other day after reading a post at princess wildcow and today after reading one at Jeckles where I felt it would be rude to put everything I wanted to say in a comment on their sites. Seemed almost like hijacking their post to write that much. So I'll write it here where the bulk of my random useless thoughts belong.
My first weblog was created in 1999. This was after creating a personal website focusing on women in the arts in 1997 by learning html through trial and error and playing around in photoshop. Then I starting a design company, joining a silly elitist group of technologically inclined women. Don't remember which one of us jumped on the blogwagon first but I jumped right in after with both feet - using an old domain and my own design running blogger. Attitudes among webloggers seemed different then. Less friendly, not as much fluffy camaraderie and much more competitive.
But politics were not nearly as polarized either. I don't remember that many scary conservative weblogs. In fact I don't remember one. They were usually personal ramblings, gossip about other webloggers, news and tech links. It was a much bigger deal to have the latest code and design and css standards (which seemed to change every few minutes then) and basically attempt to beat others about with your big geek phallus or be the first to provide the most obscure link in the universe. And get mentioned on a famous weblog. Gee maybe things haven't changed that much.
I have though. I lost interest in sharing my personal blatherings when, in summer 2000, I had to go work at the first in a series of evil call center jobs while Cody went back to school to finish his degree.
Oddly enough I hated the jobs but I liked working. But hooray for economic downturns and hypothyroidism not being covered under the ADA I was in the second wave of layoffs at the insurance company for which I'd been doing customer support. Right after their worst tax season ever. Thanks guys! When he finished school Cody got a great job - where he works now actually – and it suits him perfectly even though the company policies don't always do so.
While looking for the perfect next job I got sucked into various gaming voids - the completely insane (I'm not kidding blog drama has got nothing on these guys they are NUTS) Sims community which I've been sneaking in and out of since 99 – including a brief stint as a creator for a pay site, Anarchy Online for a while where I became a high-level moneymaking metaphysicist, Star Wars Galaxies for about six months where I had a variety of characters and essentially started a multipurpose business conglomerate with my characters. Damn if I had the guts to auction those characters off. But I just couldn't stand to do it – too controlling, too vain. Couldn't stand to think what people who would buy a character for 1200 dollars would do with my people.
Every once in a while I would find myself writing these epic posts about different topics on these gaming message boards. Posts I would never be able to find again and would really like to save somewhere. That's when I started thinking about starting a weblog again.
With some fairly strict rules.
- I wouldn't worry too much about posting for audience appeal. If I re-read what I'm writing and think it might offend people in a big way I try to clarify what I'm saying or reconsider posting it. But this site isn't a friggin focus group it's a personal site, my personal site. I pay the hosting and domain registration fees therefore I'll pretty much post what I wanna post. And if I sit around and think about what I'm going to write I find that I'll never get around to actually posting anything.
- I wouldn't obsess about the tracking on my site. In fact, I had originally planned not to track incoming links to my site at all then I started getting notes about how people got here, started to wonder and curiosity got the best of me. I don't check errors, ips, or locations unless someone is seriously comment spamming or for general accessibility issues.
- I wouldn't link to people just because they link to me. Or stop linking to them when they stopped linking to me. Odds are if they link to me they have similar opinions or would like the same kinds of things. So I visit sites that link to me. If I like them (which I probably will) I reciprocate. I don't really keep track of who has stopped linking to me though. It's a miracle when I get through all my blogline subscriptions so I've learned to stop worrying about the reciprolinking so much, link to sites I like and stop linking to them if don't like them anymore. Have to say I'm totally happy and flattered (and usually surprised) when anyone links to me. No I really am.
- I wouldn't get involved in blog dramas. Been there. Done that. Linked it, pinged it, blogged it to death. I'll speak my mind as honestly as I want and people are totally free to do the same but I'll be damned if I'll take the shit people blog or comment about me or my site personally. When and if I do, I back way off until I have time to get a proper sense of perspective on it. Because it's just not worth it to get upset about what random online strangers say I have many other things in real life to worry and upset me they get first priority in the What upsets Noelle queue.
- I wouldn't post anything too personal. It can be argued that stomach issues, what I buy, and day-to-day doings and thoughts can be considered personal. Not to me. Anything I'd tell a cashier at the grocery store goes on here. But I won't discuss beyond the minutiae of personal relationships with my husband, parents, sister, or friends. To me, that's personal. I don't write anything about them that they wouldn't mind reading because..they do read this and even if they don't yet they might. Unless it's praise. I feel free to praise and brag about them but I keep the complaints to general bitching about my in-laws because there's always something bothering me about them. That's just assumed.
I also consider finances a personal subject. I don't consider religion and politics all that personal unless someone is trying to tell me what they think I should believe. Then it's fucking personal.
- I won't sacrifice other parts of my life in order to use blog as a verb. That means I won't sit in a situation and say I'm going to blog this to myself. If I have stuff going on or I just don't remember to post one day it's not a big deal. I blog about things that happen in my life I won't live simply to blog.
These rules might seem stupid or obvious but they're things I like to keep reminding myself so I won't forget that this site wasn't built to impress people. It's really just for my own weird entertainment and a space to get my online toy yayas out. No guarantees when or what I'll be posting.
And if you like it, that's great! If not, happy trails bucko.
Geez I'm so belligerent these days. Must be the nausea and not getting to eat anything fun. Damn I miss pizza.
- I wouldn't post anything too personal. Dood. That's EXACTLY how I feel about it! :) What personal is I mean. I'd never seen anyone say it exactly like that before. Totally. My personal relationships with my family and such are just that. They aren't up for public consumption. I'm not a celebrity ;)
Posted by: luka at January 24, 2005 10:35 AM
hm. i'm trying to think if i have any rules, but i don't really think so. about the only thing i avoid posting about is... well, personal shit. i mean, i'll post personal stuff, but not too personal.
oh, and i try not to post about politics, but damn, sometimes people really piss me off, and then i can't avoid it.
aside from that, though... oh shit, what was my point? i dunno.
Posted by: mikey at January 24, 2005 3:59 PM
Cool ... I got mentioned on another blog. I'm glad that my ramblings sparked some thoughts in you. Interestingly, my personal rules for blogging are very similar to yours. Especially the part about keeping my private life private. It doesn't seem right to me to put information (except in a general sense) about the people in my life on the web. If they want their lives exposed they'll have to get their own blogs.
Posted by: jcklsgk at January 24, 2005 4:51 PM
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