What is it about Facebook? It's probably the relatively instant feedback--the "Likes" and occasional "Shares". Humans thrive on positive feedback and Facebook has created an addictive, self-reinforcing feedback loop the likes of which the world has never seen or experienced before. Last we heard there are 1.5-billion Facebook users.
Blogging is a staid, old-fashioned communications methodology compared to the Facebook fast lane. Writing and/or reading blogs requires an old-fashioned "attention span". Facebook probably exacerbates (and possibly creates) Attention Deficit Disorder. The shorter the sentence, the quicker the quip, the more Hee-Haw the graphic, the more riveted are the Facebook denizens.
To paraphrase a famous cliché: "The quick brown Facebook fox jumps over the lazy blog."
One of the many, many things I dislike about Facebook is the foundation of its very success--the perpetual "instantness" of the news feed stream of consciousness. It is as if we are all being carried along like twigs in a flood. The downside of this successful business model is that there is hardly any past. History is a word, not a tangible reality for Facebook. Have you ever tried to find something more than a few days old on your Facebook? Good Luck. It's possible to find older posts and photos but, trust me, it is a laborious, frustrating process practically guaranteed to generate significant frustration, if not downright animosity toward the nameless, faceless HAL of Facebook's vaunted algorithms.
We have had two very good role models to encourage us to continue our Blogging: Kirsty Sayer and Wayne Ranney. Now, we have two more such worthy scribes in the blog-o-sphere: Sue Malone and Nanette South Clark. The more we focus on the awesome blog posts these four writers produce, the more motivated we have become to once again pick up the blogging baton and run with it.
We are grateful these four never abandoned their blogs for the siren call of Facebook's seductive ease. We are inspired that these four continue to put real thought, time, energy and virtual cyberspace elbow grease into the beauty of each of their respective blogs.
True (non-political) bloggers are becoming almost an endangered species compared to Twitter's cast of 140 characters and Facebook's peer pressure to "keep it short, stupid"! The fact that far fewer readers come to visit my blog than my Facebook ought to be a badge of honor for me. Rather than looking at the "Likes" and "Shares", I ought to be once again writing for the pure pleasure of the exercise and not for robust blog statistics.
Instead of wondering whether anyone is reading my blog, from this point forward I am going to back back to blogging for the very same reason that we started this effort on 1/1/10 and that is to have a point and place of reflection upon which to ponder the progression of our lives, our hopes, goals, aspirations, Dear Friends and, indeed, the wonderfully delightful potpourri of our past, present and future.
We wish to thank Kirsty Sayer, Wayne Ranney, Sue Malone and Nanette South Clark for providing the spark and motivation to once again jump start our move back to blogging. Facebook's fun but blogging is beautiful. We also wish to Thanks Natalie Neal Whitefield for her own unique inspiration to the process of going back to our online writing roots. As Natalie loves to say, "Writers write." Write ON, Natalie!
Here are the blogs were are now turning to for our inspiration:
3 comments:
Bravo!! Since I joined F - Book so I could communicate with you, I have received all sorts of stuff from other people that I neither wanted or cared for. So, I'll be happy to go back to only reading your interesting stream of info and experiences.
Thank you, much!
Dave E.
Amen! I basically check FB to see what you've written for the day. Now back to your blog for the "rest of the story." Yes. I love the little gem that Natalie Goldstein coined in her book, "Writing Down the Bones." Her expression, "writers write" has become a kind of touchstone for me as it never fails to bring me back home. Keep on bloggin' 'cause we love to read what you have to say for the day!
As always I am honoured. Love reading your blog and glad you are back!! Thank you for the very kind shout out. You've inspired me in turn :) <3 to you both.
Post a Comment