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I needed a hiatus from blogging

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I said “Hiatus,” not “Hibiscus!” Photo by Eric T Gunther

You’ve been wondering where I’ve been. It’s difficult keeping up with the my rapidly-changing world so I took a hiatus. I had life reasons, nothing dreadful, but you (especially if you have chronic health issues) know how life goes. The biggest reason I didn’t blog for a month, however, is because I forgot why I’m blogging, or rather, I’ve changed my mind about why blogging matters.
Why does blogging matter?
Which lead me to the still-unanswered question,
“What should I blog about?”
I suppose that to find those answers, I’d better begin with the very first, basic question which is:
Who is reading my blog?

  1. you, of course
  2. all kinds of other people who seem to have very little in common with each other, which has me confused. There’s the chance that some of them are only pretending to read my blog so that I’ll be curious about who they are, look at their avatar and find out they (along with a zillion other people) also have a blog. They might be hoping I’ll become another of their fans and if they accumulate enough of us then they’ll become famous. But I don’t think this is always the case (and it’s certainly not the case with YOU–you’re not just pretending to be interested in me) because…

You are definitely a real person,
and you’re someone I’d like to get to know better.
But this still doesn’t answer the question of what I should be blogging about. To answer that, I also have to consider
Why am I blogging? 

  1. I’m a writer and it’s 2012.
  2. I’m interested in finding out whether I really believe social networking, especially  blogging, is changing everything in a substantial (as opposed to a superficial) way.

By everything I mean:  

  • business life;
  • personal life;
  • customs and manners;
  • the publishing industry–the way books are generated and distributed;
  • and most importantly, social structure (the way people of diverse races, ages, ideals and genders relate to, with and against each other).

Everyone assumes social networking is changing how people interact, but is it? Really?
Superficially, we interact faster and across greater distances, but what we want from social interaction never really changes.

  1. We want to have fun;
  2. We’d like to be noticed & appreciated;
  3. We want to hang out with people we like;
  4. We’re looking for people we can be comfortable with;
  5. We’re looking for interaction with people who won’t dramatically and stupendously aggravate us or hurt us.

Sure, some people are showing up online only for an opportunity to sell–they’re looking for a career opportunity or the chance to promote their art, their writing or their business–but you’ll find those types at the Rotary club, the country club, the neighborhood coffee shop, and at church, too.
I’m blogging because I really just want to us to get to know each other better. Okay with you?
So I’m really curious about what you believe, you deep-thinker, you (because aren’t all writers/bloggers deep thinkers?)
Do you believe social networking, and more specifically blogging, is substantially changing our world? More importantly, is it changing you? 

6 thoughts on “I needed a hiatus from blogging”

  1. I am not sure how blogging has changed me (maybe yet?). But I definitely notice that social networking has changed the way I interact with a lot of people. I am using email way much less. When friends who are not on facebook do not know that I went on vacation here, or got that great info to share there, I am puzzled. Because what I used to share in a (usually longer) email now goes into a post. I am not sure what to make of that. In my head, I keep telling me I should take more time, I should invest more time into writing emails to friends etc., but I am not doing it. And that says something, too. I left most of my good friends behind in Europe when I moved to the US, and that time difference is not very helpful when trying to connect via phone or skype. But I also am not a phone person. Direct interaction with friends via phone or video call makes me miss their presence even more. So I am in a dilemma: I want to be close, but the means that keep me close frustrate me….and that is where social networking is helpful. It helps me keep up with their lives, gives me chances to interact directly, and makes it easier to pick up where we left off when we see each other again…

  2. Having been through the experience of leaving all my best friends in Europe, I know exactly what you mean about not wanting to phone because it increases the longing to see them (plus, I’m just not a phone person–I’ve lost relationships because they were the kinds of people who want to hang out on the phone, and I don’t even have a cell phone because I hate the nuisance of a phone demanding to be answered NOW). Lots of interesting food for thought here. I’m going to think about it for a while, and will post more later.
    And to me, that’s the other benefit of e-conversations. They leave a record of thought, a point a person can come back to. So often in verbal conversations, one of us says, “I’ll come back to that,” but then everyone loses the red thread (that’s a German expression that Americans don’t use, but I find very handy).
    Speaking of “handy”… where did THAT name come from?

  3. I’m grateful for social networking. I’ve made some great connections through the Web, both professional and personal. I like being able to keep up with friends and family (I’m not a phone person, either). I think social networking is necessary for writers who have something to say.

    1. I think you’re right that social networking is necessary for writers. I’ve found that I get a lot more writing done, now that I can connect with people from my home office. I need the connections; but having to physically travel to/from meeting just takes too much time.
      The frequency of physical contact with other writers (and friends) is much less than it formerly was for me; but when we do get together, because we’ve been in touch, it doesn’t have that awkward sense of not knowing where the other person might be coming from, what might have changed with her….

  4. I absolutely believe that social networking and blogging is changing the world. For me it’s been a place to meet and connect with people I never would have before – I mean, how often does a girl from Pittsburgh get to meet people in Europe or Australia? 🙂 I think that it has changed me in that there are posts I’ve read that have really stirred something inside to change for the better. Without social media/networking – I never would of found those people (unless they landed a traditional publishing contract!).

    1. I agree that it is opening up so much opportunity to find people we would otherwise never have met, and to learn the wisdom found in other people’s experiences.
      I also love that social networking is making nearly everyone into a writer (some people think it’s appalling, as if writing is something only “special” people get to do). Writing forces the writer to think more clearly–and I think it’s a good idea for people to think.

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