Hardly any blogs show up on my reader now adays
And it seems that more and more people are abandoning their blogs
I hope and pray this is because they have got well
Because they don't need this support anyore
I hope it's because they are now living a full and rich life and don't need this outlet anymore
I hope it's because they finally told their EDs to fox trot Oscar
In other words to f#*k right off
I'm wondering is it blogger?
Is blogger yesterday's news?
Have people move on to something else?
Wordpress?
Tumble?
Instagram?
Twitter?
Blogger is the only social media I really use
I'm not a big Facebooker
Never have been
But blogger means a lot to me
Next month I'll be blogging three years
That is great for me
As I am a person that tends to start things with great enthusiasm
And usually gives up when I get bored
But blogger keeps me coming back
Mainly because of you wonderful ladies
I've followed some of your stories for years
I genuinely care and worry about you all
And you mean a lot to me
We are all now part of each other's stories
We're woven in to the tapestry of each other's lives
Even if blogger is old news
I still want to be part of it
It seems people want to see photos more than they want to read text
It's easy to post a photo
A picture tells a thousand words and all that
But here in our little corner of blogger
We are all about the story
We keep up with each other's lives
Our ups and downs
Our highs and lows
Our progress and our setbacks
It's important for me to keep up with what's happening on your lives
And I still think about bloggers who aren't around any more
And wonder how they are
My sister and my Dad and I
We're having a conversation the other day about the Internet
And whether having online relationships are good for us or not
My dad made the point that people don't talk face to face anymore
That people text ot email rather than having a face to face conversation
Or a phone all
And that the art of conversation is being lost
For me
It's all about balance
Having my virtual life and giving time to it
While at the same time
Not neglecting my real life relationships
Nurturing both
I mean
I still think it's amazing that we can be in touch with people all around the world
That we can be best friends with someone that we have never even met
I am in contact daily with people from the four corners of the earth
That is pretty awesome
So what can we do to make sure our little community survives?
First I think it's important to acknowledge that for a lot of us
Blogger is the only social interaction we have
Blogger is literally a life saver for a lot of us
I know when I was up to my neck in my ED
Blogger saved my sanity countless times
So I think it's important we preserve what we have
I guess what we can do is keep supporting each other
Read each other's blogs
Comment
Stay in touch through text or email
And also welcome new people in
I know that I can be wary of new people
But I guess we were all new once
So we should really be open to new bloggers joining our community
I know that a lot of people think what we have here is no where near that healthy
That we are 'Pro-ana'
And we don't encourage each other to recover
We do of course encourage each other to choose recovery
But we don't force it on each other
If someone decides that they don't want to recover
We respect that choice
While still encouraging the person to stay as well and as safe as possible
We don't promote EDs
We don't condone tips and tricks
We genuinely care about each other
And want nothing but the best for each other
I for one am extremely grateful for this community
And for each and everyone of you
Who all have a place in my heart
I have never met any of you
And may never meet you
But you have been for me for the last three years
You have seen me at my worst
At my lowest
And you never once judged me
Especially after my most recent relapse
You all were there for me
Even those of you that I hurt
You never gave up on me
And I will be eternally grateful for that
I was wondering about you
Do you think blogger is quiet at the moment?
Why do you think that is?
Do you think there is anything we can do to preserve our community?
Do you think it is worth saving?
I'd love to know what you think......
Actually, since coming back, I've been thinking along the same lines.
ReplyDeleteTumblr has become awfully quiet too.
I want to believe that the people who disappeared are on their way to recovery and don't need it anymore.
I think it's worth saving, but I really have no idea what to do about that. I mean with new people coming in, it would be saved, but is it worth it? And with people not leaving it would stay the same, but the question again is: is it worth it? I would love for them to recover and get well, but I don't want the community to die.
The dilemma has been in my mind for days, and I have no right or wrong answers to share.
I have to say, whenever I'm quiet on my blog it's usually due to being swamped in my real life - school, work, traveling, whatever. And sometimes I get into a routine of posting every day or every other day, and then other times I get out of practice and don't feel inspired to write anything for a week or more. I guess my point is that it totally depends! In the almost four(!) years since starting my blog, I've gone through many peaks and valleys in terms of posting frequency, but i do always come back because I love love love my blog and do not see myself giving it up anytime soon. It started as a specifically ED-recovery focused blog, but has definitely evolved over time as my ED has evolved, I've grown up a little, and my life has changed.
ReplyDeleteBlogger is quite quiet. I've died down a bit from my daily posts. I guess people just lose motivation, or they have gotten rid of themselves of their EDs, or they're simply too busy, like Kay. I do think it's worth saving.
ReplyDeleteLove,
Christie
I'm sad to see that it has because I enjoy reading them. It really does feel like a personal relationship and my best friend is someone I met here. We visit each other (I'm flying to see her Friday! Yay!) and we text and call frequently. We'd be hanging out if we weren't half the country away so good has come from this community. You can't beat the friendships. I moved away from ED posts as it's no longer my struggle and I try to do more creative writing, but that doesn't hit me every day. Keep writing. I'll keep reading. :)
ReplyDeleteI think there's definitely a bit of a slump at the moment, though I don't think it's anything out of the ordinary. Have you noticed the yearly pattern? Maybe it's just part of that. Just wait, bikini season will be here soon and we'll have a rush of new blogs :P
ReplyDeleteBlogger's the only social interaction I have, and I cherish it greatly. I started days after I left my ex, and it was the best decision I've made in a long time.
I'm only really on Blogger too. Tumblr makes me feel icky. I have FB, but I don't post much at all really, nor talk to my 'old friends' - it's mostly for easy contact with Bloggers. Unfortunately I've never really had the 'Real Life Friends' circle, not since I was a youngling. I used to use LiveJournal back when I started blogging, but that seems even deader than Blogger. Tumblr and Instagram seem to be the big ones, but I just have no interest. Personally, I really do prefer the smaller community.
I'm glad that (most of) this community is the good side of EDs online. I think a lot of the 'pro' and 'anti' crap is completely separate. I see Blogger as more of a support group than anything else. I've honestly never before met such a warm group of kind-hearted people.
I still think about a lot of people who've stopped posting too. I worry for them. Nowadays I always try to find an email address. As much as I'm not a daily poster, I'm always thinking or journaling or jotting down notes for things to write about, and I still try to comment as much as I can. I was thinking just thinking the other day, I don't think I'd ever disappear without warning. I'm 110% sure my mum would post if I seemed to drop off the face of the planet.
I can't believe it's three years already. Time is getting scarily quick.
P.S, I think I saw on an older comment, do you have iMessage? Let me know and I'll email you my #
<3
xxxx
I just wanted to say that I am still here. I am still reading. I haven't been getting home until late, and I haven't exactly been in my right mind lately.. so I haven't been updating. I've been trying not to let my blog become as eating disordered as some I've had in the past, so I've been avoiding it in favor of other places sometimes. But I'm still around and definitely not leaving.
ReplyDelete