# I finally got around to updating my /now page slightly. It had been two months.
While not much has changed in that time it defeats the purpose of it being "now" if not refreshed regularly.
# I don't know if it's just me or shiny new toy syndrome, but the animations seem more pronounced in iOS 11. For example, the way the icons return to position while the background zooms out.
Just me?
# Why do we feel the need to apologise when we haven't blogged for a while or kept to a promised schedule?
Cristobal apologised this morning for not updating his site even though, in his own words, there were only "roughly ten people who could notice" when he posts or doesn't.
It reminded me of times when I have written apologies or explanations when what I’ve been doing has been away from the blog.
Why should we have to?
I used to write about the implied social contract between someone and their followers: the idea that you would be followed for a reason, for the type of material you posted, and the subsequent obligation felt to keep posting the same type of content.
Perhaps there is a vanity metric at play and you don't want to lose the followers/readers you have amassed because no one likes it when numbers start dropping.
I'd certainly argue this is the case with many on social networks where metrics are everything.
But, for a blog, is it something else?
As a blog is inherently more personal is there a deeper sense of connection that runs beyond any implied contract? Is there a sense of community, no matter how small, such that we feel we are genuinely letting friends down on a more intimate level rather than merely not honouring an obligation?
Do we feel the need to post an apology in the same way we need to make amends for not speaking to a friend in a while?
Depending on the nature of the blog, and the person, I'd say yes.
Comments
# Liked: The Lessons and Questions of the iPhone X and the iPhone 8 – Stratechery by Ben Thompson...
”Apple clearly decided to not minimize the notch, the black cut-out at the top of the iPhone X that houses an array of sensors and cameras. If anything, the company went out of its way to emphasize it, including playing video such that the notch obscured what was being shown (that is actually an optional view; by default video is letter-boxed such that it avoids the notch).”
Apple are completely unapologetic about the notch (just like how the 5C was unapologetically plastic) and, with it, demonstrate being completely in control.
The notch is coming in for quite a bashing in many quarters and quibbles are being grossly exaggerated. Personally, I don’t have a problem with it and think, given a little while, people won’t even see the notch any more - it’ll be as if it’s always been there, a perfectly natural hardware evolution.
In my personal blogging tips post I wrote about writing what you've done rather than writing about what you will do. This discussion sort of falls into this area. Why apologize for not writing? Just start writing again.
Believe it or not, not many people notice when we've taken a break. People have busy lives.
Yeah, it’s scary when you can disappear and no one even notices - the same thing happened to me on Twitter.
I still think that bloggers build a connection with their audience. Maybe we shouldn’t care so much ?
@colinwalker your point is valid. Unless we are being paid to write/blog/podcast to a schedule, we should enjoy the liberty of doing do when we have something to say, and when we have the energy/focus to do it properly.
@desparoz Absolutely, it’s just there is often a demonstration of obligation and I wonder why it’s there and where it comes from.
@colinwalker @desparoz We don't want to disappoint our fans?
@Zak Ha!
Interesting point, Colin.
In the past I've apologised myself, but I tend to avoid it now, because I cringe a bit when I see other people do it. I much prefer when people just start writing again, without a big long explanation.
Having said that, I think we should continue to care. I think indie blogging is about personal connections, and we need to nurture those, without being too self-conscious in the process.
"Having said that, I think we should continue to care. I think indie blogging is about personal connections, and we need to nurture those, without being too self-conscious in the process."
I like this Chris. We should be looking out for each other a bit I suppose.
Manuel Rieß (anglicised as Riess) started a new blog. What's so great about that you might think. Well, it wasn't just that he started one but what he started it with. The blog is called Think Lagom and his first proper post explains the meaning. It starts:
I immediately made a mental link to the Danish word hygge which has become a real fashion piece lately. It means:
It's one of those words, like lagom, that has no direct translation - more a feeling than a word - and so becomes whatever you want it to. Unfortunately, in the case of hygge, it has become a marketing ploy, a commodity, a way to rebrand normal stuff and justify a big, new price tag. Don't get me wrong, I think we should all try to relax and bring that element of coziness to our lives, to disconnect from the online world and reconnect with what and who really matters offline. I just resent the way it has been done and that we should need a marketing trend to remind us to do so. When I read that opening paragraph I thought "here we go again" but I carried on reading and was glad I did. Lagom means "just the right amount". As Manuel says:
He goes on:
He's right, and he thinks it means we should really think about what matters to us as only we can judge what is just the right amount. And it's in that mindset that he starts the blog:
But, so what? That's perfect. A blog is a very personal undertaking, a digital manifestation of an individual. Or at least it should be. Forget trying to be popular, forget apologies and explanations, forget schedules. Just post. What is needed, when it's needed; not too much or too little. Just the right amount. I thought that was a fantastic sentiment with which to start a blog and made me wish that I put that much consideration into mine. Sadly, a search seems to indicate that lagom is to be the next big thing in lifestyle marketing, at risk of taking over from hygge and becoming exactly what it is not. I hope that doesn't happen but, even if it does, I hope Manuel can stick to his principles as lagom is the best way I can imagine to approach blogging.