Monday, February 18, 2013
To Blog, or not to Blog, That is the Question?
I've been asking myself lately whether or not I should start up my Blog again and the Answer has not been Clear. I wonder how many of those who are listed in the Column to the Right as my Followers are still around and are actually watching their Feeds. The only reason why I know that there is a possibility that at least some of them are not is because I have listed myself as a follower on quite a number of Blogs and yet when I quit Blogging, I also stopped looking at the Feed that reports to me the Activity on the Blogs that I Follow. So you see, I'm not really following those that I "Follow".
Anyway, I have found the Blogging World to be Hostile at times. The Debates are often quite Futile and when I search my Mind and Heart for reasons to continue this Craziness, I am often at a loss for any Clear Direction. It's just that I've began to Comment again on the Blogs of a few others and when they come to my Blog to check me out, I wish that I could come up with something fresh for them to read.
Not only that, but I also wish that I could offer them a Forum in which to Talk to Me and maybe that is all that this Post is. It's a place to say hello and to talk about whatever. Even if my Visiting of and Commenting on other Blogs is Minimal, I still Wonder if anyone is out there simply because they have decided to "Follow" my Blog. Perhaps there is someone out there who is watching his or her feed who would like to show up again and talk to me.
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17 comments:
It seems inevitable that certain topics will result in argument; and sometimes escalate, even into
cruel word war. Some seem to enjoy that kind of fray. I spent some time the last couple of days on a blog about a semi-obsure artist and illustrator. A brief discussion occurred and one by one,
commenters contributed bits and pieces to flesh out the life and works of the subject artist. Sort of fun, like a far-flung team investigating. ..and there wasn't a single argument! :)
I wonder, since you were down for
almost a year, if you need a new title, or "look". It will be interesting to see if any old followers stop by.
I could Retrieve the Old Followers just by Visiting their Blogs, yet I'm Reluctant. I'm just sort of Feeling Tired and Low Key and am beginning to Understand why at least one Blogger I know has said, "I don't even care if no one reads my Blog." I'm at a Place right now in which Peace of Mind is more Important that having a Large Number of Hits and Yes, I've even Considered changing the Look of my Blog, yet that is Effort too and believe it or not, I do have a Life apart from just Emailing and Blogging. No, I'm going to Ease into this Really Slow This Time.
I decided to look at my Hit Counter while writing this response to you and the Average Hits Per. Day Number has not Changed yet. Apparently it takes time. The Number was a little Higher Yesterday, but not so much Today.
I've only Commented on a Very Small Number of Blogs and they are New Ones, not the Old Ones, so my Original Followers are not going to Know that I have returned unless they are Watching their Feeds. I guess you could say that I am doing a little Experiment to see how many people actually Watch their Feeds.
Since the time in which I Published this Post, there has only been One Hit that has been Identified as coming from someone's Feed. I have no Idea who. Most of my Hits are Still Web Search Hits, yet there has been a Noticeable Increase in the Number of Hits that are coming from my Profile Page, thus Increasing the Number of Hits that are Coming to my Home Page, rather than to Various other Pages, due to Web Searches.
In spite the Fact that my Blog Shows Evidence of having 13 Followers, so Far, I only have Evidence of One Person who dropped by because he or she was watching the Feed and saw that I had Posted Something. In Short, if you want People to Know that you exist, you have to Visit Blogs and Post Comments on them.
Oh Gee! Like I said, I'm Tired and therefore, getting back into this may just take me a little Time. Thanks for Dropping by, BB. A Blog is always more Interesting to Read when there are Comments on it.
Lista...I don't allow open discussion on my posts. I write what I think and allow any blogger the opportunity to reply either pro or con and if a heated debate wants to take place...I tell them to do it on thier own blog.
I feel that my blog is mine so I set the rules just as you set the rules on yours and I think thats fair. I have noticed that there are bloggers that allow debates to go on to the point of name calling...I just don't allow it.
I happen to Like discussion and I value other people's input. A lot can be learned from a good Debate, but it has to be done in a Respectful Manner.
RE: Your post title, the Hamlet soliliquy in terms of blogging:
Prompts me to consider old Hamlet
on the stage, holding a hard drive and speaking eloquently to the patrons of the Globe Theatre...
"To blog or not to blog, that is the question.
Whether 'tis easier on the mind to agonize
over the darts and arrows of written argument
or to press the 'escape' button and from the sea of troubles
by deleting end them?"
..alas poor Hamlet, I knew him well. :)
Interesting. As I begun to respond to your Comment, BB, it grew into something that I think might make a good Post, so I'm going to reserve it for that and just say the first Paragraph of it to you now in this Comment. The Inspiration for my Next Post is right here in these Quotation Marks and, in fact, Possibly also in the Paragraph that Follows it.
"I'm not as Concerned about Injury, BB, as I am about Outcome. If I could feel confident that the End Result would be that someone might actually be persuaded of at least a little something, then I will take the Darts, yet when it seems Fruitless, that is worse than any Dart."
I guess your little Picture of Hamlet on Stage, holding a Hard Drive or Computer is meant to be a little Humorous and truly you did make me Smile, yet whether to Press On or to Escape is more complicated than just the Question of Fear or Agony or considering what is easiest on the Mind. The Appropriate Question to Ask is not will it be Hard or will I be Injured, but will it be Fruitful, will there be a Positive Outcome and will it be Worth it?
Won't be the first time my blog comments led a blogger to a post idea. But, you are correct in that
my paraphrasing of the Hamlet lines
were directed to the 'slings and arrows' of blogging rather than Shakespeare's 'of outrageous fortune'. With the caveat that I
am notoriously bad at interpeting literature, Hamlet's soliliquy was
a self debate whether continuing to
battle his unfortunate life affairs or commit suicide, pondering the disadvantages of
both..certainly more serious than
'to blog or not to blog'. Consider
that in college poetry class the instructor informed me that perhaps I should just stick to
silly limericks rather than try to
understand the poetic genre. So that's what I do! :) That said,
I shall await your post with
trepidation and curiosity....
and probably more oblique comments.
I guess the Decision of whether or not to Continue an Activity is a little different than the Decision of whether or not to Continue Life. Life will certainly go on for me, whether I Blog or not.
My Next Post is indeed going to have more of a Spiritual and Religious flare to it, BB. I Truly hope that you do not Mind. As an Interesting Contrast, at Church today, I met someone new and we ended up talking about Politics. He was Hesitant, but then jumped right in. Political Conversations in Person, though, are often rather brief.
For the Most Part, People do generally like to avoid in person arguments, especially with someone that they just met. Then they go to the Internet and have all out Fights with each other. It's actually rather funny, even though it's really not.
I Really shouldn't say that, though, because Christians that are Truly Following the Lord are Civil Regardless of the Setting, just as it says, "Ye shall know them by their fruits." (Matthew 7:16a, KJV)
Do you Know, BB, that I always have to look up words when I Converse with you, just to make sure that I am hearing you correctly. I guess that I should have said that my Caveat that my Post was going to be more Religious and Spiritual was not meant to cause you Trepidation and that Oblique Comments are Ok, as long as they are not Deceptive. I do know that you are not like that, but I've known a few that are.
I generally use 'oblique' in terms of indirect. (it seems fancier than
'indirect')...and keeps me from getting lugubrious. I was interested in the blog post vs the number and type of commenter. It is almost axiomatic that a political post be controversial, whereas religion topics, while
perhaps drawing some mild forms of argument, seldom gravitate to the
invocation of Godwin\'s Law
..part of the process of evaluating
hits/day, IP locations and other
technical aspects of the process.
I am in total agreement that people talking face to face use a more polite language that when we
are safely anonomous as in a internet discussion. I would favor
using face-to-face language in blogs..just to keep them civilized.
Are we talking in Code, BB? All I was trying to say is that the last person that I interacted with that was an Expert in that which is Indirect, Vague and Oblique was Deceptive enough to make me feel quite Lububrious and that is why I said that Oblique is fine, as long as it is not Deceptive.
I agree with your sentiment that "Face-to-Face Language" is a good Idea in Blogs. That is a Nice way of Putting that. If we were Face to Face, though, I probably wouldn't have the Time to look up Words in the Dictionary and so I would have to just say, "Say What??!" You Crack me up, BB.
I don't Find your Comments to be Oblique, BB. You haven't said a single thing that I have not been able to Decipher. If you really want to Confuse me, You are going to have to try a little Harder.
Meanwhile, Ponder this one. If Religious Arguments between Christians are Milder than Political Arguments between whomever, then could it be Possible that Christians, as a whole, are more Civil.
You've Studied History a lot and are Aware of how Uncivil certain groups have been throughout History; Burning Witches at the Steak, the KKK, Participating in several Violent Crusades and the like, yet isn't it true that History, just like the News, Reports the Extremes and yet not so much the more Moderate and Mild that is more Common Place?
Now tell me, is the point that I am making really so Oblique, or is it Direct and Clear?
Consider that arguments between Christians involve the relation between man and God, while political arguments involve the relation between man and man.
Throw in Matthew Ch 22 v37-40.
I love it when People Cite Scriptures. Keep it up. This is the one about Loving God and your neighbor.
"37) And He said to him, ‘You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your mind.’ 38) This is the great and foremost commandment. 39) The second is like it, ‘You shall love your neighbor as yourself.’ 40) On these two commandments depend the whole Law and the Prophets.'" (Matthew 22:37-40, NASB)
And here in another Verse...
"20) If someone says, 'I love God,' and hates his brother, he is a liar, for the one who does not love his brother whom he has seen, cannot love God whom he has not seen. 21) And this commandment we have from Him, that the one who loves God should love his brother also." (1 John 4:20-21, NASB)
Consider that in Light of "The Mouse in the Cookie Jar", that is "Just because the Mouse (a Person) is in the Cookie Jar (the Church), that doesn't make him a Cookie (a Christian)."
And here are just a few more Closing Verses...
"15) Beware of the false prophets, who come to you in sheep’s clothing, but inwardly are ravenous wolves. 16) You will know them by their fruits." (Matthew 7:15-16, NASB)
And...
"Not everyone who says to Me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but he who does the will of My Father who is in heaven will enter." (Matthew 7:21, NASB)
Do me a Favor, BB, Please take note of what the Bible says about Hypocrites and False Prophets while Studying Religious History.
Hypocrites?
Matthew 6:5-6
I actually liked your Comment, BB, implying that Arguments about Man and God can be more Civil than Arguments between Man and Man, yet here's the thing. If we Truly love God, than we are also to Love Man and if we Truly love God, than we should Love and Respect each other regardless of the Topic that is being discussed, so once again, it comes back to the Love of God being the Factor that makes the difference.
Oh yes, and this time you even have a Link. Matthew 6:5-6 is about the Pride of The Pharisees and who are they? They are Religious Leaders. I guess that this Passage is also about both Humility and Discretion. Just like I've been Discussing with another of my Commenters, Brenda, in relation to the Gift of Tongues expressed Openly in Churches. If the Motive is to be Showing and Proud, than this is wrong.
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