26/02/2017

The archive contains older posts which may no longer reflect my current views.

# "Where some people have a self, most people have a void ... dedicating their lives to actualizing a concept of what they should be like rather than actualizing their potentiality as a human being" - Bruce Lee

# I'm considering showing microblog posts as part of the main site while still keeping the feeds completely separate. Need to think about styling and presentation. ?

Blogging: the long and short of it

Blogging now takes multiple forms but recently feels like it has been co-opted by journalists, despite being subject to editorial constraints, and businesses for "content marketing" - such a horrible term!

Organisations are told their site must have a blog(s) for SEO and engagement even if they serve no real purpose or they haven't actually got anything to say.

Part of the appeal of self-hosted microblogging is that it feels like blogging is being reclaimed for its original intent to share the voice of an individual.

As I wrote before:

It goes beyond the social networked element as it enables me to publish small thoughts that don’t require deep dives and long processes...

Blogging doesn't always have to be in-depth, long form essays; it is an expression of self and this can just as effectively be a paragraph, a sentence or even a single word.

While the Micro.blog platform may be a social network there is no reason why short form posts should be strictly limited to this type of environment.

Effort

The reason many blogs are abandoned is they are a lot of work; they require dedication to turn up and churn out regular posts but why should this be?

The long form post, with its depth and insight, is what's expected of us to impart knowledge and differentiate blogs from our shorter updates on social networks.

Why can't they both be in the same place?

Not everything needs 500 words, intricate explanations, infographics or even a title. Microblog posts can be just as valid and just as personal.

This is the goal of a blog after all.

All posts

With this in mind I have decided to show all posts on the main site, long or micro. The respective RSS feeds will remain separate for logistical purposes but I don't see why all posts should not be viewed together.

They are all part of my expression of self.