Strange title, I know. I started out thinking about the fact that October is here and how time seems to fly by faster every year. And that reminded me that in a little over 2 months I'll be home for Christmas. And that led to a feeling of homesickness (something I've been struggling with a lot lately). So I went to the internet (because that's how I keep in touch with the folks back home).
Email, blogs, Facebook, Skype - these are all amazing blessings to those of us who live far from family and friends. But I know they can have their negative side, too. Sometimes they consume way too much of my time. I admit that I check Facebook several times a day to see the most recent updates from friends. But a friend here in Spain reminded me this past week that FB is not enough. She wrote that she felt like her friends were relying on her status updates instead of really communicating with her so she was going to stop putting status updates on FB for the rest of the year and asked them to contact her via email or Skype instead.
Those of you who read this blog (all 5 of you) know that I don't write posts here very often. I struggle with whether or not I should continue this blog. Partly because I'm convinced only a few of you read it and partly because I think blogs may be going the way of the dinosaurs. Well, maybe not yet, but soon. Most of the people I know that still "blog" are missionaries or writers or public speakers. Facebook seems to have taken the place of "blogging" for most folks. Because I know that at least one of you is not on Facebook, I'll probably continue this blog for the present. And I'll probably still struggle with posting consistently.
Enough rambling for the present. I hope you're enjoying the Fall. It's my favorite time of the year. I love the cooler temps and when I'm in Colorado, I love the changing of the leaves. So Happy October!
Until next time...
6 comments:
I love your blog....it helps us give our kids another perspective of a country we have yet to see but are preparing to move to. Said a special prayer for you this morning.
Thanks for helping me think about the pros and cons of how I keep in touch with the missionaries I know. I wonder about blogging too--is anyone really out there?!!--but I enjoy doing it as much for me to reflect as for any other reason, so you can keep checking my blog anyway :) Hang in there.
Hey Pat! I am with you! I understand. For some reason, this year has been my homesick year. If you put a counter on your blog, you may see that more that 5 read it!! I am amazed that I have gone past 14,000 visits on my blog and I have not been blogging for a while. Keep it up Pat! I love your posts!
I think blogging is (in your case) a good way for you to tell us about things you do and see and encounter in your daily life. But only if you want to do it :)
I don't view FB as replacing blogs at all. However, it does allow for quick hits to let someone know I'm thinking about them when that's all the time I have.
My thoughts on why you might think blogging is going the way of the dinosaur? Or at least, why it feels that way -- it's because bloggers aren't bloggers any more. Blogs started as either opinion- or information- sharing sites. They helped get information out that wasn't getting out through mainstream media, etc.
Today, everybody and their brother has a blog and most are not interesting to anyone but themselves (which is why I haven't written on mine in a while. I have nothing to say and don't want to submit readers to blathering). Thus, they seem to be fading.
But the ones that are well written, or share actual valuable information, or connect us with someone far away (you!) are definitely still worth reading, and those are the ones I have in my Google Reader ... even if I go for months at a time without taking the time to read them.
If you do keep blogging, I'll keep reading :)
I like reading the WV blogs. You could have the best of both worlds and link your blog to FB and your posts will then feed to your status reports...
Looking forward to a reunion in Spain!
Thanks for the encouragement, everyone! I've made a list of topics I could blog about, so perhaps I can do better in the future.
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