Stepping Back
Kottke announced that he is stepping back from the internet for the next 5 to 6 months. The archives on his site go back to 1998; an extraordinary amount of time to be writing regularly. You can imagine the billions of words and images he has posted in those 24 years, probably the equivalent of writing dozens of books. No wonder he is exhausted.
He asks in his post so many questions that have been rolling around in my mind:
Does what I do here make a difference in other people’s lives? In my life? Is this still scratching the creative itch that it used to? And if not, what needs to change? Where does kottke.org end and Jason begin? Who am I without my work? Is the validation I get from the site healthy? Is having to be active on social media healthy? Is having to read the horrible news every day healthy? What else could I be doing here? What could I be doing somewhere else? What good is a blog without a thriving community of other blogs?
Specifically, identity wrapped up in work resonated with me. And do I still make a difference? I think I did once upon a time. Maybe less so now because of that other big question he asks: “What good is a blog without a thriving community of other blogs?”
The reality is that when I started blogging, there wasn’t a thriving community of blogs. There were hardly any blogs. My first blog was in 2004, and this blog started in 2006. Back then, I could read every single other blog I knew on a daily basis because there weren’t that many posts. Within a year or two, there were way too many posts to get through in one sitting, and by 2010, it felt like the blogosphere was a wild and crowded space. Now it’s back to quiet, which isn’t a bad thing, but it can feel strange after watching a vibrant community quietly fade away.
I am not going anywhere right now, but I’m always curious when people step back. Do they return? How do they feel while they’re away? I guess I’m waiting for another post, 5 or 6 months from now, when he comes back to tell us how the break went.
6 comments
I think I started reading IF blogs in 2015, maybe 2014. Those are the only kinds of blogs I’ve ever read and there were a lot of active ones back then. I started blogging in 2016. It felt very active then too. Now, whether it was the pandemic or the war or just the onslaught of bad news, it definitely feels quiet. Maybe others have processed and moved on. But I feel like there’s still more for me to learn and say. Plus, I like the connection and sense of community. That’s my two cents.
I don’t know who Koettke is or what he does or writes about, but my hat is off to him if he’s been blogging since 1998!! At least he gave notice to his readers that he’s taking a break, and how long he expects to be gone. I share your curiosity — I always wonder, when people disappear from the blogosphere, what happened — whether they just lost the urge to write, whether they just got busy (with parenting, etc.) and don’t have time to write anymore, whether there was some catastrophic event in their lives…??
In that vein — just yesterday, someone on an online book group I’m on was wondering about a longtime member (one of the group founders, in fact, a lady in her 70s) — she hadn’t posted to the group in well over a year, her social media accounts (she’d friended me on both FB & IG) and personal blog had also been silent for more than a year. She’d had some health issues, but seemed to be doing all right. Luckily her daughter is also a member of the group and posted this morning to fill us in — she came down with covid in the fall of 2020, pre-vaccines, and has been dealing with long covid and severe cognitive impairment since then. 🙁 I was glad to get an update, even though it wasn’t news any of us wanted to hear.
I’ve been blogging since late 2007. I’m not sure I thought I’d still be doing this, almost 15 years later (okay, I KNOW I never expected this!), but here I am. I’m always glad if what I write helps or at least interests someone else out there, but my primary motivation is personal. I write because I love to write, want to write, need to write. Everything else is gravy. 🙂 If I wasn’t writing in my blog, I’d probably be writing on message boards (if they still exist??) or in a paper journal or on my laptop. Somewhere.
Although yes, as both you & Phoenix note, things have been pretty quiet in the blogosphere lately, more so than usual lately (which, of course, is WAY quieter than it was during blogging’s heyday). I don’t get anywhere near as many comments as I did even a couple of years ago. I don’t blog just to get comments, of course, but they ARE nice. 🙂 Of course, I don’t LEAVE as many comments as I once did either. I need to remedy that…!
Mel, you & your blog made a difference in lots of lives back in the day. You are still making a difference just by being here and being you. 🙂 You make a difference for ME. I am very glad you aren’t planning to go anywhere right now. xo <3
I still read infertility blogs (at least, the ones I read during my own journey who are still writing, like you), but for me, my infertility blog served a purpose for a season, and once that season ended (through the births of my children), I no longer felt much of a need to write there.
At this point, it’s been several years since I blogged even sort-of regularly (like once a week), and even longer since I blogged daily. In the early years of motherhood, I sometimes had the urge to write and wished I had the time and energy to do so, but I can honestly say that I no longer have the need for that type of outlet and don’t miss writing my blog.
So many of my fellow “travelers on the journey” have since stopped blogging, and I have lost touch with most of them (a few connected with me through my blog, and we keep up with one another via social media). I am glad that you are still writing, Mel! I look forward to your posts. 🙂
I found you late, Mel; but am SO happy I did. I love your voice and tips and appreciate so much the sense of community space you’ve created. <3
I started blogging in 2005 and stepped back almost a year ago (for issues that were not work or family related), and I really miss it! I plan to come back at some point.
It is hard when a blogger or friend steps away. I started blogging in 2006 on a project where I met a bunch of other bloggers. We have stayed in touch, some of us blogging more than others, some dropping out almost completely. Some of us did get back together in 2018 for a year long project. It was wonderful. And since then we’ve had an off-blog discussion page, so we can chat, even if we’re not blogging. It eases the pain of a blogger who feels like a friend just vanishing. That’s what bloggers turn into, I think – online friends. Especially when we’re part of a community that engages in an active discussion, as you do here. I get less attached to bloggers who don’t engage in that way, I leave fewer comments, etc etc. But you have nurtured a community, Mel, and that’s definitely something worthwhile!