catvalente

People keep saying LJ is dying, one way or the other. Because people who really never wanted to fully blog in the first place are over at Twitter and Facebook now, because LJ is Russian and sucks now, because Dreamwidth is better (ugh), because the sky is blue, because social media moves on.

This hurts me. I've invested almost a decade of my life into the work I've created on this site. I love it here. My friends are here. I met my husband here. I met so many people I love on this site, so much good has come of it. I don't want to be one of the olds that's like IN MY DAY THE INTERNET WAS DOWNHILL BOTH WAYS AND WE ALL GOT FREE ICE CREAM EVERY TIME WE POSTED, but I want Livejournal to survive. I love the community here. It makes me sad when, despite my protestations, I see that skip=100 will show me my entire flist for the last two days, when once it went hundreds of entries deep. That I no longer participate in any communities, really. That so many of my real life friends have just stopped posting entirely. Does LJ screw up as a company? Yes, so do all companies. As MacHeads might say, it's about the people. For everything LJ has done that's dumb, it has given me so much good in my life it beggars the heart to tally up. I don't give a toss about LJ the corporate brand. I care about us, here, our home, our family. I am not too good for my home, like unto a cheeky golf ball.

And I realized the other day that I'm part of the problem. I'm not posting nearly as much as I used to. My shallow observations are over on Twitter, and I'm tired a lot, and I'm just not being a good little blogger. How can I complain that Livejournal isn't what it used to be without, you know, lookin' at the man in the mirror, askin' him to change his ways?

So here's my happyfunstunt. For the next 30 days, I'm going to post a substantive essay-type thing on my LJ. Not a "it's too hot, also knitting" post, but something thoughtful or funny or critical. Substantial. That shouldn't seem as Heruclean as it does right now, but I'm going to do it, as a testament to how much I want to keep on keeping on here, and how much I want you guys to as well. I do think it will be interesting for my own processes as well, and now that I've told you all about it, if I slack, I become a loser. (And yes, the Mac post counts for today.)

Now, that is a lot of essays, so if you have something you specifically want me to post about, personal, professional, or otherwise, let me know in the comments and I'll very likely ramble on about it at leisure.

See you on the flip side. Viva LJ. By which I mean: Viva Us.