I wish everyone had a blog I could read. I had a lyft ride today with a fascinating dude who served in the US army, went to 41 Kiss concerts including their very last, and gave me the best life hack for wild drivers in the state we were in (put your hazards on and they will go around you thinking your car is having an issue). I want to read that guy’s thoughts. I don’t want to see his curated instagram feed. I don’t want to see what he retweets. I want to see what he takes the time to write and share. I want his words and images arranged exactly as he wanted them to be rather than predetermined by some app. Perhaps that’s the issue–there is such a strong connotation with what makes a blog post a blog post. I write this blog as a partial journal, with a private one I lean on for more intense thoughts, and as a way to put thoughts or resources out there that others can react to and build upon. The latter ranges from being about WordPress to mental health to surrogacy.
A blog can be anything. Any topic. Many topics. Any format. Many formats. I change the appearance of my site many times a year. It reflects my mood—my current dark approach reflects my grief-filled brain. I get to decide whether to gate my content (I never do) and can drop a link to anyone, unlike with TikTok, Instagram, Facebook, etc., that relentlessly restrict what you can see from someone else. I can choose to make this site private if I want to. I could also contain myself, stick with one theme, and publish the same kind of content for years, hammering away at a niche.
I imagine (and want) a world where I can hang with friends and strangers alike, have a great time, and later pull up their blog to engage further with what tumbles around in their brain. What I would give for my girlfriend or best friends to have a blog! One best friend in particular can be hard to pin down and is deep in the medical field. How incredible would it be to re-read his old posts, to learn alongside him as he gains in ability as a doctor to provide care, and to leave words of encouragement when he needs it. Some friends might only post a few times. Some might post multiple times a week. I’d take it all. This is where I wonder if we’ll see a rise in “cozy web” style blog networks in the future, more private and communal blog spaces. If that happens, I’ll be there blogging away.
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