Another day, another redesign. Something about the last look just wasn’t sitting quite right with me. This one isn’t perfect either, but it feels like an additional step in the right direction. Still mobile-friendly, still bright and clean, still has a header image I can change from time to time. But it’s got a bit more dimension to it. A bit more of my personality.
Frankly, I think another thing that’s happening is blog fatigue.
On the one hand, I absolutely love chronicling my thoughts and experiences. That sort of self-reflection is both fun and important to me. And sometimes it’s nice to look at old posts and see how far I’ve come (or not) from my past self.
On the other hand, the world of personal blogging is definitely quieter than it used to be. Whereas it once felt like a vibrant hub of activity and conversation, it now seems more like a restaurant on the verge of going out of business, with just a handful of customers speaking in hushed tones and glancing around awkwardly, wondering if they should get up and leave too.
Even I ask myself that from time to time. It’s only natural, after blogging (in some form or another) for 20 years. Or I wonder if I should switch to Tumblr, or Medium, or whatever the cool new platform is.
But in the end, I keep coming back here, because it’s my digital home. And because I have things to say, things to sort through, even if only for myself.
Sometimes I worry about broken links, dead video embeds, or other “messes.” But that’s the nature of the internet. Stuff moves, or shuts down, or just breaks. Heck, that’s the nature of all things in life.
I guess we just have to embrace the impermanence of it all.
Related reading:
- “All My Blogs Are Dead” by Carter Maness
- “I Gotcher Blog-Writin’ Advice Right Here” by Chuck Wendig
- “Looking Upward and Ahead” by Heather Armstrong (Dooce)
10 responses to “Oops, I did it again…”
I’ve been thinking the same thing lately. So many of the blogs I used to read are no longer updated, and while it makes me sad, I completely understand. I’ve certainly had a huge slowdown in posting myself. I do think it ebbs and flows, though, just like everything in life, and am hoping it’ll pick back up for all of us soon.
Also: love the new design! :)
Thanks, Shari! I think you’re right: it’s all cyclical. While we wait for the tide to come back in, at least we have each other. :) Seriously, your blog posts are always such a little ray of sunshine for me. <3
The new design is good (I can’t compare it to the last one — I have a terrible memory for these sorts of things :-) ). Good on mobile and immobile.
It’s kind of quiet these days in blog land, but that’s okay. Shari’s right — some will come back (you know — the ones off having kids or whatever. :-) ). New ones will show up. Some will go off somewhere else.
With me, I stay where I am partly because I like the control of having my own blog — as opposed to being on Tumblr or whatever. (As Joss Whedon says, I’m not a control freak, but I am a control enthusiast.)
HAH, I like that. Fits me too. I’m also not a clean freak, just a clean enthusiast. ;)
I like the new look.
Like everyone else, I’ve noticed a lot of people taking a break from blogging. Several I follow have recently come back and their posts actually seem more introspective. It does ebb and flow. Sometimes we all just need a break.
“Sometimes we all just need a break.” So, so true. I’m always happier/healthier when I respect that need in myself.
FWIW, I actually don’t think I need a break this time. I just needed to reinvigorate this space for myself, which the redesign has accomplished. :)
I also need, in general, to work on my focus and discipline. In addition to all the other things on my plate, I have over a dozen blog drafts in various stages of progress. I’d like to buckle down and get more of this done!
Ooh, I love love love this look. Simplistic and stylish. I recently updated mine again for much of the same reasons. And while, like you, I still don’t feel it’s 100%…it’s much closer.
I admit, I blog generally for me first and foremost (and to keep up with friends afar) and then to interact. I’ve always loved the level of interaction you have here, and I am going to strive to be better at keeping up. I think I might just need another RSS feed to replace the hole Google Reader left and I never filled. Having a central to read/access posts from makes it less time-intimidating, I think!
Thanks, Kristin!
I definitely think the fall of Google Reader contributed. (I wonder if they had any idea how they would impact the blogosphere…) FWIW, I have tried two replacement services, both of which I really liked. The Old Reader — https://theoldreader.com/ — which is basically a Google Reader clone, and Pocket — http://getpocket.com/ — which is more like a “save it for later” service, but you can hack it with a recipe from IFTTT — specifically this one: https://ifttt.com/recipes/9733-add-new-items-from-an-rss-feed-to-pocket — to make it automatically deliver items from specified RSS feeds.
To manage the blogs that We Heart YA follows, I use Bloglovin.com, which is maybe not as robust as I would like it to be, but pretty straightforward and dependable.
PS: Added you to my links page!
It’s funny, I just created an account with The Old Reader—whose very simple interface I rather like. Which then redirected me back to this post, hah! Ahh, much easier to be alerted of new posts this way. :-)
PPS: Thank you so kindly! You (and We Heart YA are there, too!) <3
Aw, thanks! Reciprocity is not required, but always appreciated. And I love being called a “creator.” :)