LJ for journaling

[weswilson]

So the emergence of an LJ Nostaglia group on Facebook has inspired a lot of people to renew their interest in Livejournal. The loss of "long form" journaling and the lack of unique comraderie that developed in this medium has apparently even effected me. Is it possible to renew your interest in old social media? Can I double-dip into LJ and walk out not feeling like I'm simply trying to recapture old glories? We'll see.

As it is, I've been apparently missing my old glories pretty seriously. Play On Con was last week, and for the first time in a long, long time, I kept up with pretty much everyone...and it made my weekend. I got less than 4 hours sleep each night, drank like a fish, stayed in the pool till the sun chased me out, flirted like a madman, and hosted events with my "host personality" in full effect. I seriously felt 10 years younger, and got a renewed sense that my existence held the ability to effect my world. At home, with the kids, things can feel petty and small... like the entire world is encompassed in one or two wants that need to be fulfilled. When I'm feeling strong, I feel like I can serve elaborate and complex interests, giving people something they didn't even know they wanted. It's kindov magnificent... and I certainly missed it.

So now I'm back to my regular life... where my kids bicker, my time is squandered, and drinking much of anything give me an abominable hangover. So we'll see if I can maintain my sanity till the next time I feel potent and able to mold my own reality with any efficacy. There are some changes on the horizon for me, and I might be leveraging my small amount of e-fame into a full-time job. That would please me greatly.

Comments

[gadget-girl.livejournal.com]

Any plans to travel over for DragonCon this year? I'm thinking about getting the Saturday only pass, because I don't want to/can't commit to the whole weekend, but I'd still like to be in the madness for a few hours.

[weswilson]

DragonCon just doesn't appeal to me, lately. It's long lines and hours spent trying to find your friends. I will likely go again, but right now it just doesn't seem worth the money.

[gadget-girl.livejournal.com]

I'm wondering if I'll be able to enjoy it as just a guest. I worked it last year, so I always had somewhere to be, somewhere to keep my things that was easy to access, somewhere to escape the hordes, where there were chairs and drinks and snacks and space. That probably helped a lot with my enjoyment. It's why I'll consider the Saturday only pass, although, really, trying to get through the crows to get to the places I needed ot be wasn't the most fabulous experience of my life. Being short makes crowds suck even harder. My husband is 6'8" and while he doesn't like crowds, it's not quite as suffocating and boring for him. I see a lot of shoulder blades, haha.

[elysiangirl.livejournal.com]

I think I would definitely be trying to regain old glories. Doesn't mean I won't give it a whirl, though.

Glad to see your post, sweets.

[weswilson]

I've been working out, too... so I'm HOPEFULLY gonna be skinnier, healthier, and more energetic.. :)

[naught.livejournal.com]

Just try not to knock up Wendy again with all this new found *ahem* glory. ;)

[weswilson]

THAT CAN'T HAPPEN ANYMORE!

(and I'm likely going to double-down and ensure it's double protected)

[joeydiablo.livejournal.com]

PlayonCon is awesome. Sorry I missed it this year, but I had a good time in Chicago anyway. I still read LJ religiously.

[weswilson]

You really missed a great show this year... I cannot even put into words how excellent this year was.

[hdiandrew.livejournal.com]

Where's my "like" button?

[weswilson]

In my pants... get to touching it!

[hdiandrew.livejournal.com]

I will hit it repeatedly :)

[tarpo.livejournal.com]

As I said on Twitter. The thing I can say the most to mark how successful a con was for the attendees is that I barely heard a thing from them on twitter, facebook or anywhere else for the entire weekend. Sounds like the venue kicked ass and it will be a Must Attend for people in the future.

And good luck getting your e-fame into a full time gig. You deserve it

[thethirdjournal.livejournal.com]

I will start posted more often now as well. I guess we shall see. :)

(And the "Like" button is the best thing about Facebook).

[billijean.livejournal.com]

:)

The FB group was weird, in a way. All those people posting that they don't post on LJ anymore because Lj is dead. *cough* ... which is how it got dead in the first place. lol But, I've been here and active all along, so I'm happy if it brings back some of the people that mean the most to me.

[weswilson]

Well... I think your motivation in posting is unique among all the people we've known on here. As a social environment, LJ kinda broke down because there were better tools on facebook for being social. Toss into the mix that social media integration often ignores livejournal, and the fact that actual journal writing became more difficult once the anonymity was lessened, and it's no surprise this place faded.

[billijean.livejournal.com]

Yeah? How is my motivation different, you think?

Your comment made me think. I am always interested in people's motivations for pretty much anything. I like to try and figure out why people do things; the why fascinates me. And while I know that I can't know for sure why other people do things, I like to think about it. But I don't really think about what motivates people to choose how they use their journals, or if they use them at all. And now I'm wondering why I don't think about that more. God, I'm caught in a circle of thinking. I might never get out.

[weswilson]

I think you are keeping a sincere journal... surprisingly few used this media for that purpose. I think many may have STARTED that way, but the evolution of the medium into a social network changed how people looked at it. One can look at my first post and my last and see worlds of difference.

I WISH I was more of a journalist... and I'm actually pretty impressed with the degree of detail I've managed to organize over the years, but it still pales from what I think I could be doing.

[billijean.livejournal.com]

Ok, yes. I don't like it when I don't find time for journalling and stuff slips away. I like to record it, for myself primarily, but it is good to share it with people I like and respect. It isn't just the interaction that matters, it is the quality of the interaction and that depends on what I'm saying in the first place and who I am sharing it with. And that interaction has carried me though, and to, a lot. I am incredibly grateful for it.

Do you wish you were more of a journalist, so you had better records in retrospect, or for the ongoing feedback/discussion about what is happening currently (ie: product or process)? Both are important to me, which is more important goes back and forth.

[weswilson]

Both. I wish I was refining my methods of expression like I was when I was writing more here and for the local street paper. I also wish I was better at capturing my reality with an eye for the narrative, for posterity.

[trampoline-girl.livejournal.com]

There's a LJ community on Facebook? Link please!

I miss this place so much. I doubt you can come home again, but I'd like to try.