I hope that he doesn't (for my own selfish reasons), but obviously it's his decision to make. Nobody should blog because they feel like it's expected. I sort of understand the feeling, earlier this year I was looking at Cackling Jackal, considering how it evolved and wondering if I wanted to keep doing it. I decided I wanted to do something different and made the "clean break" choice with this blog. Separating out (mostly) all the No Tell related items to the No Tells blog and Twitter makes this blog feel like less of a responsibility. I get more out of it than I was getting from Cackling Jackal. Back then I felt like I had to post on a daily basis. Here, I don't. If I don't blog for a week, there's no post for a week. I don't apologize for being busy with this or that. I am busy with this or that, but I don't need to state it. Just like I don't need to state that yesterday the cat barfed on my carpet and I have yet to steam clean it. I'm looking at the stain now. It's orange and pretty gross. I should really take care of that, yet I don't feel need to explain why I haven't yet taken care of it.
Use your imagination.
I believe more people read this blog via Facebook than by visiting the blog itself. I certainly receive more comments regarding these posts on FB. In fact, I'm pretty sure a lot of the FB readers don't even realize these posts come from a blog (it's all automated, I post here and within a few hours FB reposts it). I used to say that FB is for people who want an internet presence, but aren't interesting enough to blog. I still kind of believe that. I no longer think FB is JUST for uninteresting people.
I can count at least 10 interesting people on FB.
Judging by subscriptions on Google Reader, Bloglines and other RSS readers, it seems like a lot of people are reading these posts "elsewhere" as well.
This all changes the blogging atmosphere from what it was a few years ago. Fewer comments are left here. Statcounters are pretty useless. There's a lot less of those dull, promotional-heavy, publication-listing type blogs. That's a big plus in my book. FB and Twitter are much better for that.
Of course now I'm dealing with the steady deluge of writers inviting me to become and join their fan pages.
Sorry. I'm already Jeff Goldblum's fan.
What I'm having a really tough time with is the "death of email" part. I DO NOT want to conduct my "business" on FB. Friendly chatter is fine, but I can't believe people try to send "official" business to me that way. I also don't get how people ignore emails (with things like galleys!), but will quickly respond to my last ditch effort to contact them via FB.
I am not handing over the reigns of my communication to a company that hasn't the slightest clue how I use their service or my basic needs. Every redesign is an exercise in the architecture of suck.
I'm told the young people don't even use email anymore.
Well how are they handling organization and archival?!?
Young people are ruining everything, as usual.
Glad to finally be old and no longer part of the problem.
I don't like the movement of all data/communication/etc. over to Facebook either, since I'm not on it. I don't like social systems that force people to opt in because literally everyone else is doing it. Like, if you don't have a cell phone at this point, everyone hates you because they have to change the way they communicate with you. People have voiced annoyance with me that they have to email me a separate invite when they have a party. Sigh. I think marriage basically works the same way. It becomes an inconvenience not to get married.
ReplyDeleteA few weeks back I purchased tickets online for the Nutcracker at the Kennedy Center. To do so , I had to use something called Facebook Connect. Now I have a FB account, so it was easy, but if I didn't and didn't want to create an account, I'd have to either call or show up to the theater. Since then I now I get a lot of ads on FB for local theater productions, which I admit is better than the usual "hey aging skank, buy our wrinkle cream, weight loss pills, teeth whiteners, etc." -- but what if I was purchasing a 20 foot dildo (as a gift for someone else, of course)? What the hell kinds of FB advertisements would I be unwittingly unleashing on myself?
ReplyDeleteI got through the 1980's without an answering machine, and I got through the 1990's without a computer or e-mail, and I told a friend once (a few years ago) that I planned to get through the apocalypse without a cell phone.
ReplyDeleteApparently the apocalypse was definitively signalled by the disappearance of pay phones from the earth, because I now have a cell phone, for those situations where I'm stuck somewhere and need a phone, but I keep it turned off most of the time, and don't give the number to anyone.
The main reason I finally caved in and got a computer was that most of my friends were using e-mail and weren't answering my (paper) letters any more. One day maybe I'll find some island somewhere with no phones or internet access, and where the mail boat shows up once or twice a month, and I'll pack up and go there with a crate of paper and a couple of portable manual typewriters, and sit and read poems out loud to the parrots and pelicans.
Don't worry, after the apocalypse we'll all be communicating with one another by telepathy. No technology involved.
ReplyDeleteThat is you there with Jeff Goldblum, right?
ReplyDelete(Note: Commenting via your website, not Facebook or elsewhere, although I did have to click through from Google Reader, as I never actually "go to" sites any more to read stuff there.)
Hey Reb, I got here b/c I'm updating the BAP blog links. I too worry about turning over communication to fb. On the one hand, I've certainly reaped the benefits, on the other, well, it's as you say, fb has no idea what my needs are, nor does it care. FB just wants to mine data to attract advertisers. It is frustrating when fb is the only way to get someone to respond. I didn't realize the impact on blog stat counters though. Are you saying that when someone reads a post through a feed it doesn't get counted? Well, thanks for this. Stacey
ReplyDeleteHey Stacey, sorry, your comment slipped into the cracks. If someone doesn't physically click on your blog, your stat counter won't register it.
ReplyDelete