Has Blogging Become Passé?

I was wondering to myself, just the other day, whether blogging had become passé. I don't really believe it has. I think it is no longer a trendy fad, and that those who wish to blog are out there blogging and maintaining a presence on the web. I think it has become an accepted part of life, at least in western countries.

I think those who blog typically have something to say and once they find a place they are comfortable navigating, they write. This doesn't guarantee an audience, but it is an outlet. I think one of the biggest changes in the blogging experience since its inception in the late 90s to early 2000s, when most people first heard of "web logs," is that people are less inclined to wonder why anyone would want to read about some unknown person's daily life experiences. People will often come and read if someone writes. It's just a matter of the right people with the right interests stumbling upon the right blog. Of course, one has to write consistently to keep them coming back.

Another big change since blogs have been mainstreamed is the tendency for people (people from the past, potential employers, current employers, law enforcement, the media, etc) to start looking you up on the web if it suits their purposes. Facebook tends to be the site of choice for getting a feel for who people really are beyond the pixels, but it started with blogs. So is blogging passé? Not yet. It still serves a purpose and gives people an outlet for creative expression.

Every Once in a While

I awoke this morning thinking about the past a bit. I was thinking about the people I connected with at the now-defunct, Journalspace, blogging site. It is kind of interesting how people connected with each other at that site. I suppose a similar phenomenon occurs at other online social networking sites, but in some ways, what I observed in the connections and bonds formed between others at that particular site seemed to be unique. Every once in a while I think about the people I knew at "JS" with a sense of nostalgia. It was like there was a magical moment in time when what the old Journalspace site had just "worked" in a generally cohesive way. In a way, it was kind of like the sense of "magic" some would attribute to their high school or college years when a group of people brought together by a common denominator (in this case, Journalspace) could develop strong ties and a closeness that would seem, at the time, lasting, but that over time, when the common denominator was removed, some of that closeness would slowly dissipate for some, perhaps most. There is magic in the season, I guess. I think that also, like high school and college, with Journalspace, when it was good, it was very, very good; when it was bad, it was horrid.

Haitian Tragedy

I've had the people of Haiti on my mind a lot over the last couple of days. There is no way to quantify what they are experiencing as anything but tragically devastating. It is on a par with the December 2004 tsunami that struck Thailand, in terms of the scope of the disaster, but at the same time, I wonder if maybe it is worse. I can't help but think of the people separated from loved ones and not knowing whether they are dead or alive. Thoughts of people trapped alive in rubble alongside the decomposing bodies of those who did not survive, in pain, and wondering whether they will be rescued, or knowing that the end of their lives are drawing near, as they feel their life force ebbing away, steal into my thoughts. I think of Haiti and the mournful sadness that swept a nation, in a flash, as they went about a day that started off as any other ordinary day and ended in fear, sorrow, and tragedy, a nightmare from which they cannot awaken. I think about people who struggle to meet basic human needs on a daily basis already, who now must struggle all the harder in the midst of calamity and chaos to try to meet those same needs and more. I think of the collective voices of people crying out to God in their sorrow, all at once, and without ceasing since the earthquake struck. My heart is overwhelmed with sadness for the people of Haiti and my prayers go out to them.

Un-Decking the Halls

I am working feverishly to get the halls un-decked today. One tree stands dark in the corner of the dining room though the lights and star still remain on the tree. I should have that tree completely put away in a little while. I am still working on defrocking the big tree. I want all of the ornaments off that tree before it gets dark. It's too hard to see some of them hiding within the tree branches, even with all of the lights on, because the normal lighting in that room isn't all that great to begin with, and colored lights (as we have on the tree this year) just don't put out as much illumination as the clear ones do. I am going to have to haul the ladder in to complete that task (ornament removal, or "defrocking") though.

I must confess that I feel a great sense of sorrow in saying goodbye to the Christmas season this year. There were things I had planned on doing and wanted to do that just didn't materialize. It seemed like the whole period of time between mid-November and New Year's just flew past in a blur. I feel some ambivalence as we move into the new year and decade. It is like there is a sense of urgency to savor the moments and seize the day. Carpe diem!

I Read the News Today...Oh Boy!

There is nothing much good in the news. It seems that reading it and staying abreast of goings on in the world is an invitation to put a damper on an otherwise pleasant mood.

I think I shall instead put on some Christmas music, brew a fresh pot of mighty fine coffee, see what other decking of the halls I can do, and wrap Christmas presents.

The temperature is dropping, and snow is in the forecast. I'd rather be merry.

No news is good news today.

After all, I cannot change the world this afternoon.

Rejoice in the Lord always: and again I say, Rejoice. [KJV]