I’m a snob when it comes to some sites and my active “participation” (for lack of a better word). Take Flickr for example. I don’t peruse any other pictures except my friends. Aside from that I don’t search for much except pics of my hometown. Looking at someone else’s holiday doesn’t interest me unless I recognize the place. I rarely comment on other people’s snapshots and I don’t belong to many “groups” or place myself on any maps.
Then, there’s that Library Thingy. People have tagged my library as “interesting” and have invited me to become a member of different groups. I’m flattered by the interest and I always accept the group invitations. Maybe I shouldn’t. Maybe I shouldn’t be flattered because I don’t seek out interesting libraries of others. Maybe I shouldn’t accept invitations to join groups because I never take part in their discussions. I’m like the silent partner. I’m there but I never contribute. Truthfully, I’m waiting for the moderators to kick me out for lack of conversation…or something.
Same goes for myspace. I got a space. Got my picture and my profile and everything…even got “my” song. Except the whole thing’s private. No one can see it unless you’re already a “friend.” I don’t seek out comments, messages, profiles, pictures of people I don’t know, or think I might know, or even the ones I think I want to get to know. I occasionally return messages to my “friends” and pray they didn’t take it personally if I didn’t leave them a glittering “love ya lots” comment on Valentine’s Day. I’m just not that into it.
With all of these sites here’s what happens: I log in, I do my thing and I log back out again.
But. But, I have to tell you about this”revelation” I had. It happened here, on WordPressSpace and it involves my sudden, yet rewarding, participation. To be honest, I think I have a total of four friends who actively blog on this site. No, I take that back. Make that two friends because two left. Wait. One friend had more than one blog. Does that count? Nevermind…Anyway, my “blog surfer” page was looking a little anemic so I decided, for the first time ever, I would use that little arrow on the top righthand side of my blog. You know, the “go to next random blog” feature. I think I arrowed past four or five “god is great” blogs, three or four “watch my kid grow” blogs, at least eight political blahblahblah blogs, two or three knitting blogs (and here I almost stopped until I realized how hardcore these knit nuts really are), until finally I found writing so amazing I stopped to hang out, even scrolling back through the archives. Inspirational stuff. I have to say it, I love the way this person writes. Absolutely love it. I haven’t had the guts to find out if its a him or her who has so much talent, but you can bet I added this mystery to my blog surfer.
For once I explored outside my page, my involvement with a site. In return I found something rewarding. I should get out more often!
ps~ since writing this I have added another blog onto my list of interesting. I took my own advice and found a funny stranger.
~*LunaSea*~ 
with five major blog services (and many smaller ones) MySpace, Facebook, Friendster (anyone still have an account there?), how in the world can anyone expect to keep tabs on every little minor update of every single friend? It’s possible, for middle school kids who are wasting time and avoiding homework. Everyone else is hit or miss on a daily basis.
The upside is that if I wonder “what has XXXX been up to lately, then I can take a look”. Better to call or write, but of course people cross my mind in the middle of the night, or while they are busy at work, so all the blogs are nice.
(hey, this is just a long winded way to say that I appreciate the comments you make and understand when my friends can’t read every little word I write. Life gets busy) 😉
With your love of reading, maybe reading someone elses blog can at times be like reading a published diary or autobiography … except without the fancy editing and the glossy pictures on the front cover. But there is something to be said for actual word on paper, written in ink and not by pixels. Something very real about hoding a book or a piece of paper. Still, blogs can be a fun way to escape into someone elses head for a short time.
I do make time for my favorite blogs (especially those with small businesses to support), but I don’t make a lot of time for playing on those other sites. I know I should!
I read your blogs, when I am feeling well and online. We read many of the same books.
I don’t write a blog anymore, because I felt it just went unnoticed and since it is nothing but ramblings, it didn’t really matter. That and WP saying I didn’t exsist for awhile 🙂 sheesh!
I have been trying to get back to pen and paper, sitting outside while writing, watching my beloved backyard friends…
I have missed reading you. Your words never went unnoticed just uncommented? It is kind of weird that WP said you didn’t exist! You are alive and (hopefully) well in my book! 🙂