Tuesday, March 3, 2015

Day 3, #SOL15: on writing, blogs, blogging & bloggers' block

…About writing and blogging. Yeah, it's so very meta but so what? This blog's name, Work and Life, is not without irony. Although still alive, I am retired in a culture that defines and values individuals occupationally, by their work. In a sense, blogging and social media extensions, albeit uncompensated, have become my work or work-equivalent (which like being female, invites patronizing attitudes). But which define me, my digital media or the interests they explore?

So I keep asking myself why I have a selective blogging block over Precarious Faculty blog. Telling myself -- or being told -- to "keep writing" is obvious but not much help. I do keep writing, just not there. Why not?



There is no clear answer -- or answers -- and so many possibilities. Too many other blogs? Too many other blogs on same topic/related themes? Is this a blog specific aversion? In that case, the aversion might not be to blogging itself but to what the blog represents -- or at least ambivalence if not outright aversion. Is the blog aging out, needs to retire?

The average life span of a blog is three years. Precarious Faculty is in its seventh year and coming out of a turbulent period -- recovered or so I though.t Relapse? I have another, even older and also neglected blog relevant to this line of thought, but I'm taking this one blog at a time.

More considerations: time constraints and overload; lack of discipline (no effing time); re-tool or face lift time (not necessarily cosmetic); priorities put blog temporarily on the back burner (in this case commitment to National Adjunct Walkout Day and its Tumblr; potential conflict of interest arising from preceding; unpleasantness not occasioned by but associated with a particular blog

What is this, blog therapy, counseling? It's starting to sound a lot like a bloggers' version of the Ladies' Home Journal standby, "Can this marriage be saved?"

A fistful of links tripped over while looking for an image (welcome to the list genre):


Maybe tomorrow (unless something else occurs): how many damn blogs do I have anyway and what's the difference between them -- or the point (if any) ... and on different platforms....and now to churn a few ideas for PF...or just procrastinate..

7 comments:

  1. Three year lifespan? Yikes. I am happy to see your words flow through my universe when they arrive ..
    Kevin

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  2. the average is even shorter since the majority of blogs are abandoned after just a few posts.

    and I am always happy to see yours...

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  3. Interesting statistics. I have 2 blogs - my newest my blog for writing and under a year. The other my art blog, over 4. I find I can alternate fairly well so far.

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  4. Beverly, 2-3 alternate well, even coordinated with accompanying FB pages and Twitter. Beyond that and adding by helping groups with their blogs/social media networks, it can get...challenging

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  5. Welcome Vanessa,
    I think we know each other in another online life.
    As far as blogging, I can't work on more than one blog at a time. I love my blog and give my all to it. The others are out in the web world feeling abandoned.
    What can you do?
    Bonnie K.

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  6. Welcome Vanessa,
    I think we know each in another online life. Online teaching group?
    I have lots of blogs that I've abandoned. But I can't focus on more than one at a time.
    Love my http://digitalbonnie.wordpress.com
    Bonnie K.

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  7. ahh yes, POTcert. Your blog looks good.

    I neglect mine but can't bring myself to abandon them...keep thinking I can re-purpose and like to keep spares on hand. Besides, the best way to test a unfamiliar platform is to use it. Besides my own network, I also volunteer run a few for organizations work with.

    Granted, blogging life (and keeping track of them) was easier with fewer. From the blogging articles I've read over the past 10 years, opinion seems split between one multi-topic/purpose blog and multiple blogs, separate ones for separate topics. I started out with the former and have increasingly turned to the latter.

    Something else to slice about this month..

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