I'll keep this concise (there's a first time for everything). It looks like the demise of Twitter is imminent, as Twitter employees across the world are reporting being locked out of, or even in, their own offices; and Elon Musk is shitposting, which I suppose is helping him pass the time given that he has been locked out himself.
Showing posts with label Blogging. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Blogging. Show all posts
This bird can change (or, the disclaimer).
I recently watched the Lynyrd Skynyrd documentary, If I Leave Here Tomorrow, a history of the band before and after Free Bird, Sweet Home Alabama and that horrible plane crash in a Mississippi swamp. It's very moving, but I was rather taken aback by the frequent display of the Confederate flag in archival concert footage. The Confederate flag, for all those who claim it's about "States Rights", essentially represents slavery, the subjugation of one people by another.
What's in your handbag: 2019
Back in 2004, struggling for ideas about what I'd put in this blog thing, I thought it would be fun to make an inventory of the contents of my handbag.
Tonight, as I made one of my semi-annual tip-outs of my bag to get the debris out, I decided to see what changes age, income, technology and motherhood have made to my daily carry. And it turns out people love to know what other people are lugging around. So...
Why I never became a social media star
Posted on 28 November 2017
by Nico Bell
• 0 Comments
2004 Election 2017 SSM Plebiscite Blogging Federal Politics Media
2004 Election 2017 SSM Plebiscite Blogging Federal Politics Media
Hey guys! I've been offline for so long. It was intended to be just an internet free (or internet less) time while I was doing my exams, but then I started having a series of painful issues with my internet provider. I won't bore you with the details but I was offline for three weeks. Don't worry though I have heaps of amazing posts I'm so excited to be able to share with you do social media personalities know how fake and ridiculous that sounds when they say it. I can't write like this.
New Blogger Templates
I've been on Blogger since - whew - January 2004, so long ago I was at least three or four years younger than I am now. The service had only just been bought out by Google, was still widely known as blog spot, and was so basic at the time it lacked a user interface for template design - you had to do so in HTML - and you had to use a third party service for comments. In May of that year, Google launched a major redesign, with lots of improvements to user functionality including comments and the ability to post by email. Further updates followed in 2006, including a WYSIWYG template editor.
And then that was pretty much it. Apart from some minor updates of functionality, Google has pretty much ignored Blogger since then. Whilst they haven't gone so far as to shelve the thing all together, like the much missed iGoogle, it's been abandoned so long, here are the up to the minute options for comment log in:
And then that was pretty much it. Apart from some minor updates of functionality, Google has pretty much ignored Blogger since then. Whilst they haven't gone so far as to shelve the thing all together, like the much missed iGoogle, it's been abandoned so long, here are the up to the minute options for comment log in:
If that was anymore of a throwback, it'd be using a Razr and playing Hey Ya. There's no support to add a more up to date method of commenting, such as Disqus or Facebook plug ins, either (although at least I have a scapegoat for my lack of comments in recent years). The user interface hasn't changed, there's no technical support, and even someone as change averse as I can't help wanting a little more up-to-date functionality.
But despite Blogger being the Tiffany Trump of the Google suite, I could never quite bring myself to abandon it, just give up and head to Word Press (or, God forbid, Tumblr - though Tumblr hardly seemed like the right place to post about politics or be born prior to 1994).
So it was exciting to log in this week and see that we have, finally, been rewarded for our many years of patience with some snazzy new templates:
Nothing like the breadth of options on Tumblr of course; to me, the exciting thing here is not the templates themselves, but what they represent: the possibility that Google has realised what an untapped resource they have in Blogger (and its users and potential users) and decided to pay some attention. But what the heck, shiny new things to play with are fun, too. I haven't been quite satisfied with any of my template tweaks and overhauls lately, and am going to have a play around and see what I come up with.
Is There Life After Mine?
With all the controversy flying this week after Senator Eric Abetz spruiked the thoroughly discredited line that abortion causes breast cancer, I threw this up on Twitter today:
It got a few favourites, no one attacked me over it, the internet seemed entirely untroubled by the implied revelation I've had an abortion. I don't regret what I share, but it's not just me I have to think about anymore. The internet is forever, as the Melbourne University Young Liberals are the latest to find out. How will what I've shared online affect Baby G in the future?
I've recently locked my Instagram account for similar reasons; G is about to turn three, and is now more recognisably a person instead of Infanta Generica, and I don't want classmates or anyone other random person able to freely access pictures of him. But what happens in future if classmates - or their parents - stumble across my blog? Will parents be wary of sending their kids to play at "that strange woman's house"? Will there be judgement and bullying over the PTSD stuff, or what I've written about living on welfare, or simply for our political beliefs? Would - my heart breaks - G be teased in the playground over something a six year old has heard their parent say about me?
How do other parents deal with this? If you share personal or controversial stuff online, how do you feel about your kids finding it? How do you feel about your child's friends, or friends parents, finding it? Have their been any issues? I'm keen to hear of people's experiences.
It got a few favourites, no one attacked me over it, the internet seemed entirely untroubled by the implied revelation I've had an abortion. I don't regret what I share, but it's not just me I have to think about anymore. The internet is forever, as the Melbourne University Young Liberals are the latest to find out. How will what I've shared online affect Baby G in the future?
I've recently locked my Instagram account for similar reasons; G is about to turn three, and is now more recognisably a person instead of Infanta Generica, and I don't want classmates or anyone other random person able to freely access pictures of him. But what happens in future if classmates - or their parents - stumble across my blog? Will parents be wary of sending their kids to play at "that strange woman's house"? Will there be judgement and bullying over the PTSD stuff, or what I've written about living on welfare, or simply for our political beliefs? Would - my heart breaks - G be teased in the playground over something a six year old has heard their parent say about me?
How do other parents deal with this? If you share personal or controversial stuff online, how do you feel about your kids finding it? How do you feel about your child's friends, or friends parents, finding it? Have their been any issues? I'm keen to hear of people's experiences.
Do We Really Just Hate Kids?
More of the "trouble with kids these days" from an acquaintance on Facebook, and whilst I've blamed the problems of kids these days on economic rationalism, this thread on Reddit made me wonder if the problem with kids these days is that we hate them. For a society that claims to venerate children so much, we sure show in so many ways that we don't actually like them.
Children and parenting are the other; to be kept marginalised and out of sight until the messy, unpleasant business of being a kid is done. It starts early, with complaints about pregnant TV presenters and public breastfeeding; graphic depictions of motherhood should be kept out of the public eye. Then there's the rise of the parent-shaming websites, attacking people for oversharing their parenting experiences. Whilst I wouldn't post about my child's poop myself, early parenthood does involve a great deal of the stuff and you do get a little obsessed (and that's me, who prior to having a baby became wildly embarrassed at the slightest indication that anyone had a digestive system). Parenthood can be very isolating especially those early days when you're largely stuck at home with only a non-communicative creature for company, and it's natural to use social media as a way to connect with people - especially at a time when you're so vulnerable to post natal depression. But the sites promoting mocking and judging of parents perpetuate the message that the messy details of parenthood are something to be ashamed of, and parents should just shut up about it all. It's all right to complain about things at work, or that jerk who cut you off in traffic, but not about the daily routine of caring for a baby. No one wants to hear about that.
If parents get it bad, kids have it even worse. Childishness is not permitted; children must restrain their childish behaviour at all times for the comfort of the adults around them. Children are spoken to in ways we'd never speak to an adult. Notice your partner is grumpy on an outing? Decide to ignore it till they cool down. A grumpy child? They're a spoilt brat, ruining the whole day, and we're going home right now. I've seen teachers on school excursions barking orders and insults at kids worse than anything in the army. It's not all teachers that are like that of course, but a few are. I saw a little boy hauled over the coals for forgetting his bus pass, in tears in front of the entire bus. Parents who want to toughen kids up. You have to show them who's boss. Kids are not seen as future adults to be nurtured, but wild animals to be restrained and trained. (And some of the parent shaming sites feature parents shaming their own kids - not okay).
And teenagers. If we don't like kids, just look at the narrative on teenagers. They're running wild, disrespectful. God help them if they leave home to escape abuse - they're being handed money by Centrelink because they're out of control and can't follow the rules. (Incidentally, I planned to write a term paper on teenage abuse last semester, but couldn't, because I couldn't find enough academic sources for a 2,500 word, first year essay. How sad is that?)
Anyway, enough of the child and parent shaming. I'm going to stop feeling marginalised. Children are messy, loud little creatures and I won't feel I should hide my son away. Oh, I'm still going to be a respectful person; quieting him if he's shouting at the top of his lungs, not changing him on food court tables, and so on. But as I said in my last post, respect goes both ways, and it's pretty disrespectful to hide away and shame a great chunk of the population simply because we find their childishness offensive.
Anyway, enough of the child and parent shaming. I'm going to stop feeling marginalised. Children are messy, loud little creatures and I won't feel I should hide my son away. Oh, I'm still going to be a respectful person; quieting him if he's shouting at the top of his lungs, not changing him on food court tables, and so on. But as I said in my last post, respect goes both ways, and it's pretty disrespectful to hide away and shame a great chunk of the population simply because we find their childishness offensive.
On Hiatus
The twenties are supposed to be the busiest and most fruitful time of one's life. Not for me. I did nothing. Great whacking slabs of nothing other than drink, cry and sleep, for months on end. So now, in an effort to make up for those wasted years, I try to do everything, all at once. For the past few months I've been working full time hours, doing part time university, manning stalls for the Greens at festivals, and trying to occasionally fit in a bit of mothering to a toddler. I thrived on it for a while, got a bit smug even. If anyone remarked "I don't know how you do it", I'd airily reply "Oh, I just do it. You know, you've got to get on with things."
But I have too many plates in the air at once, and all the 13 hour days are exhausting me, and the spinning plates are starting to crash down on my head. I want to post more here, I do, but I just can't summon the energy needed to write stuff I'm happy with. So rather than have people wondering "where is she?" I'm putting the blog on hiatus till, let's say, mid June, when uni is over. I've a lot to say, and I want to say it properly, so I will be back. Meantime, I'm still on twitter, dispensing wisdom in easily digested 140 character chunks as Sikamikanico (though if you see anything particularly witty or insightful, it's probably something DH said).
See you soon and remain bless.
What Am I Doing Here?
I was recently saddened to read that one of my favourite lefty blogs, Turn Left, would no longer be regularly updating. And I was even more saddened when I read the reason why:
"There were times when I would spend 5 hours and write what I thought was the most brilliant couple of thousand words ever put in one place. Few people would visit. And no one clicked like. Next time.
Next time I would try harder, write better, polish more, research better, edit longer, do more rough draughts, less distractions, and I would write what I thought was my greatest piece ever. Few people would visit. And no one clicked like. Next time. I just have to try harder. Until I see how effortless it comes to everyone else, and I realise that no matter how much harder I try, my writing will never be well liked, my writing will never change anything."
Next time I would try harder, write better, polish more, research better, edit longer, do more rough draughts, less distractions, and I would write what I thought was my greatest piece ever. Few people would visit. And no one clicked like. Next time. I just have to try harder. Until I see how effortless it comes to everyone else, and I realise that no matter how much harder I try, my writing will never be well liked, my writing will never change anything."
My heart broke a little reading that, because I know the feeling exactly. I've been there. I've been blogging now for nearly ten years, the first seven of which were at The Xander and Nico Pod. The first year or so of posts are a mental rubbish dump, a lot of brief nonsense best suited to a twitter which, at that time, did not exist. By sometime in 2005 though, I started to find my voice. I studied the events of the day, developed my own sardonic analysis of them, and thought some of my posts were pretty good. As I published, I would sometimes think "this will be the post...this is the one that will get people visiting, reading, talking. I'll finally develop a community of regular readers!"
They never came. Oh, occasionally I'd get a flurry of visitors for an individual post - I was thrilled, after years of hoping, to finally get a mention in Crikey's daily blog round up, and was linked to by the Wall Street Journal once - but they didn't comment, they didn't stay, they never came back. My dearest wish was for people to look around, think "this is good...she really can write" and pass on the link. It never happened. I wondered why. Was it the layout? The failure to stick to a consistent topic? Did I, even online, still reek of the stink of unpopularity that has followed me all my life?
I never knew. It made me sad, but I kept going and going till I couldn't go anymore. I stopped writing the Pod and started doing other things, till eventually I missed blogging in and of itself and started this one here. And I'd still love a list of regular followers that runs into triple figures and lively debates in the comments, but I realise it's never going to happen. The knack of large-scale likeability I just don't have. But I keep blogging just for myself. If others drop by from time to time, well that's just a welcome bonus.
Incoming
Greetings from my much neglected blog. I don't know why I've left it so long. I think up ideas for posts, but then BabyG knocks a lamp over, or Xander throws up on the carpet, or the fish does that creepy upside down swimming thing, or DH points out I'm 26 hours late for work, and I turn to religion as I always do at moments of crisis, if by religion you mean "God, I need a drink".
But it is not too late for me to change my ways! Oh, I've made all sorts of vows for 2013. I will exercise more, spend less, be less annoying, more patient, more helpful, less illegal. And yes - I have set myself the goal of at least 15 blog posts a month. With such a quota, I'm going to have to mine pretty deep for material, so next time you observe current events and think "I wonder what a fat, prematurely middle aged leftie woman with bicep tattoos and a hangover thinks of this", rest assured I will be there, with a post that misses the point entirely.
Happy new year.
But it is not too late for me to change my ways! Oh, I've made all sorts of vows for 2013. I will exercise more, spend less, be less annoying, more patient, more helpful, less illegal. And yes - I have set myself the goal of at least 15 blog posts a month. With such a quota, I'm going to have to mine pretty deep for material, so next time you observe current events and think "I wonder what a fat, prematurely middle aged leftie woman with bicep tattoos and a hangover thinks of this", rest assured I will be there, with a post that misses the point entirely.
Happy new year.
