Perhaps you share my notice that blogging has largely been replaced by more convenient methods of communicating brief thoughts. In spite of my past excuse-making and promises to improve, this is why I don't blog as much as I once did. I have had little to say lately that warranted a note here, and in fact I had little to say today that warranted a tweet. But it made a lot of sense for me to send what little thought I had to you that way, since Twitter or Facebook were where you were looking for it. It made no sense for you to click on my bookmark to find out that I am almost out of coffee creamer when one of the other two methods will let you know when anything in my life is normal or abnormal. Even if you're using a reader I'll bet you expect, or at least hope, for something other than minutiae when you check it.
I have given a bit of thought lately to retiring the blog, as it has become obvious that I don't write in it as frequently as I once did. I have in fact decided not to retire it. Rather, I acknowledge the purpose it seems gradually to have adopted after several years of being my primary means of expression on the internet. When I need to tell a long story or pass along something that requires significant explanation, I put it here. When I want to tell you how cute the eighth-note-shaped poop that my new dog just took was, I tell you about it on Twitter and post the picture on Facebook. For many of you, this is nothing new. Facebook is now ubiquitous and/or casual enough that it makes sense to reserve the bigger or more involved ideas for one's blog - where people have to want to read it, rather than having it forced into their attention via News Feed.
I only bring this up, I suppose, in a nod to the fact tthat I think about my blog differently than I once did. I am not going to go all Network on you, but I anticipate that the only things I will continue to post here will be more involved items. This may include a bit of opinion writing, which I have tended not to do in order to avoid the virtual shouting matches I have seen many endure over the last four years. In doing so, I will have to abandon a part of my general strategy for life. That strategy is not expressing opinions that won't change anything. I don't expect to change anyone's mind. In fact, I expect that some people will think I am stupid, ignorant, self-centered, just plain mean, or all four.
I once thought of my blog as my front porch on the internet. It certainly served its purpose well as such. Now it seems that the blog is rather a back porch - a place where ideas are shared slowly and thoughtfully with less concern for their beauty than for their honesty.
If you wish to read, then that's great. Take off your shoes and stay awhile. Don't smoke inside, and don't drive home drunk. If you don't, that's great too. You can keep up with me, my world, and my mucus output for the day on Facebook or Twitter.
(Edit: This was written last night and posted this morning. If you think I am pointing a finger at you for posting minutiae on your blog, I'm not. It's yours. I'm just handling mine differently.)
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