Want you back for good...

[dotinthesky]

“If I had moved into a narrowboat ten years ago, the whole experience would have been documented on Livejournal,” I told olamina yesterday.

She laughed and agreed with me. And although she posts more regularly than me – about twice a month – even she’s getting some grief from her friends that she doesn’t post often enough. I must be in the dog house with some of my friends! :)

olamina is one of my oldest Livejournal friends and we have now fallen into a lovely pattern of meeting once a year, when she comes over to Europe to visit her family in London. (Though this might change next year if K and I finally move to Montreal and will be nearer to her in New York.)

I have been thinking about LJ lately – not only because olamina was in town, but because I also caught up recently with another old LJ friend, gnossiennes. It had been 13 years since we’d last seen each other! Like myself, gnossiennes has stopped posting on LJ. We reminisced about the days when we’d post sometimes 5, 6 times a day. Short posts, long posts – thoughtful posts, posts about nothing at all.

Why did I stop posting regularly to LJ? Why has everyone moved to Facebook and stopped sharing their lives’ grit and bones? We have all asked these questions before…

It’s the 1st of August and I’m going to try – AGAIN – to kick start my LJ. For myself, for my memories, for the practice of writing, for the few readers who still use this site, for maybe making some new friends here, for documenting K and mine’s narrowboat adventure.

Please give me grief if I don’t stick to my plans! ;-)

Comments

[micqu.livejournal.com]

So... I had an email notification about this post... You posted for the first time in a while... Then I read the title of your post and immediately, I have that Take That song in my head. Thank you for the earworm.

Like you, I used to post regularly on LJ. My earliest writing steps are still on here and I met the most amazing friends. We all moved on. Some stopped writing, others moved to Wattpad. Only 1 is still here regularly. From time to time, I want to give my page a boost too, but it only ever takes me a week before I forget about it again.

If you write it, I will read it. And maybe I feel inspired to share here instead of on my blog...

Cathy

[picosgemeos.livejournal.com]

Ah, I'm glad I brought you back (for good) Cathy :-)

Can you recommend any journals here that are still being used?

Wattpad is another place I was once active but now...

[micqu.livejournal.com]

I thought I could recommend a journal that was still active, but that too has vanished. My old tribe on here has entirely vanished...

I am not as active on Wattpad anymore either. Can't say why really... I did update today though.

Your book was shipped yesterday. It should be with you within 4 business days. :)

[picosgemeos.livejournal.com]

Awww, wonderful! Looking forward to it. xx

[olamina.livejournal.com]

Yes Take That! Aww memories! I was a Howard girl, m'self.

[rockingthemike.livejournal.com]

it's really that ebb and flow of social media usage, and our attention spans. blogging was the thing, until everyone was blogging. then people wanted to read as concisely as possible, so twitter with its 140 characters happened. in the meantime, fb is on the rise, because you can post about your life in more "real time".

i still much prefer the "long form" of journal writing or blogging. that's probably the writer in me, and even the historian in me; document as much as you can, and make it count.

that said, i always enjoy seeing your entries pop up in my friends feed.

[picosgemeos.livejournal.com]

Thanks my friend - it's great to have encouragement from you and others here.

I agree with you about the ebb and flow - I think LJ's time is past. Doesn't it almost feel like younger generations don't even wish to write - they just go straight to filming themselves?

[rockingthemike.livejournal.com]

its time probably is in the past now, but that doesn't mean we have to be as longer form writers!

[olamina.livejournal.com]

I will jab you if I don't see another post soon!

[rockingthemike.livejournal.com]

with a pen. it's mightier than the sword, after all. ;)

[norabird.livejournal.com]

This makes me think I need to come visit London and do an in person meet! Also that I should update ever...I found another forum online and just journal there now mostly.

[picosgemeos.livejournal.com]

What was the reason for moving to the other forum? Does it have better functionality? More users?