Two of my friends posted about LJ/DW

[callistra]

Wishing there was more connection and real-word-in-your-head type of stuff on LJ and DW like the good old days. I miss the old sense of community and chat and exchanges of ideas too, and I also agree FB just doesn't quite cut it. FB is like blitburts, the problem being they are designed to make you hungry for more and never satisfy.

I can't promise I will satisfy, but I can certainly type for a bit LOL

I've just done a character interview for the anthology I'm in, which was interesting. I'd gotten it wrong yesterday and filled out the questions as if I was the one being interviewed, so then comparing that to doing it with my lead character was fun and interesting. I am in an outgoing/sharing mood, so I am hoping to keep on writing and putting it out there. I am deciding how to shape today, and closing down FB is going to be one of my key points to start! I am going to hit up my work on the Jeff Goins blogging class I did and then write some blog posts for the publicity trail too, and if I feel particularly enthused, I will stash a few writing and kitchen posts for Egoboo and Saucy Sarah too. I need to get some business cards and stuff done, and I don't know how much longer our scoopon vouchers for Vista have, so I should probably get a wriggle on with that too.

I have a bit of a headache and a very mild sore throat. Possibly fighting off Jen's cold. I don't wanna get sick! I refuse, in fact! :) I'm a bit tired this morning, and my muscles are aching in odd places - and then I realised I did about 5 loads of dishes yesterday, which required me to be leaning at an odd angle for a serious chunk of time. There's more dishes to do now, but I am letting the water heat up first.

I have been thinking about connections and the way we connect with people a fair bit lately. When connections change, there's a fair amount of jiggling going on, changes and changing. When relationships change there's always re-delineation of boundaries and expectations, and 90% of the case the changes are usually due to withdrawals - losing friends rather than gaining, adjusting to losses rather than incorporating extra.

Ways of connecting can be as simple as the way people talk to each other. It can be that special look in someone's eyes. It can be the way they hold your hand. It could be the secret smile they send your way. It can also be someone brushing my hair, or perhaps me painting their nails. It can be hour long conversations, where hearts are shared and discussed and cherished, or it maybe a single line of explanation and endless silent hugs.

This may be the first time in my life where I feel I am living more in my body than I am online. And as soon as I start writing seriously again, I'm going to struggle to maintain this living in my own body thing, or else just give up and once again live entirely on my PC. That return to real life is always a shock. Perhaps I should move to pen and paper novel writing. My hands just ache to think on it!

How do we connect on LJ and DW? What non-verbal ways can we communicate? Can we share mental space in an online forum in meaningful ways?

Comments

[azhure]

I wish I knew.

I do know that I'm just as guilty of what I complain about - I don't comment a lot or get involved in comments discussions. But I do know that I want more of a connection with DW/LJ than we all seem to have now. And decreasing FB time is a damn good place to start, I think.

Also! How was the Jeff Goins blogging course? I was having some vague thoughts about doing that myself.

[callistra]

The course is really good. It's like everythign else that's free, it all depends on what you put into it. I haveb't done the last four or five lessons, as I like to devote solid, unbroken time into it, but I still got heaps out of the ones I have done so far.

I wonder if it's just that we get so burnt out. So many people talk on the internet but few actually want to engage, and also the medium itself isn't as fluid as having a coffee. Different aspects I guess, like more reasoned debates. Except I don't come here for debates, reasoned or not. I also tend to open windows, go to write something, or rlse get as far as writing something and then think "why would any one care what I have to say anyway?" and then delete everything.

In such case, here: I value that you commented on my post. I like that you posted and enjoy our chat. :) I am hoping to do more posts like these where I sort of wander through my head and post it for the whole world to see. Seeing a comment from you in my email made me smile, and then I had to come here and chat!

The other reason we probably don't engage as a whole on the LJ/DW thing is due to time. It takes time to sit down, read everything, and assemble some thoughts. These days I skim everthing, which means the only real forumy thing I have been reading is Reddit.

[azhure]

I think you're spot on with the time thing. I try to assign myself time to read DW/LJ (though I'm less and less at LJ these days), but I actually don't have time for replying to entries and comments. I'm working on changing that.

Oh, and I totally hear you on the "would anyone care" thing. I do that all the damn time.

[transcendancing]

I've been loving the surge in more thoughtful posts of late :) I'm loving that you're posting more often too :3

[callistra]

*looks shifty*
:D

[moonvoice]

I've been sharing mental spaces in meaningful ways online for as long as I can remember being online (I was fortunate enough that it was my primary introduction to the internet; some of the best pagan forums on the internet, supported by some of the best matriarchs/patriarchs of the format). But I'm not sure how to go about generating those connections. Finding people who one trusts, or who generate good debate, finding spaces for discussion where respect is expected but policing and censorship is not. It's tough though.

I always needed lateral ways of communication, particularly word-based ways, because of the touch phobia. But I find that having engaged discussion online, with good people in good spaces, can get me back in my body safely. It gives me the space to walk away and experience two meaningful spaces - my own, in the comfort of my own home, and the mutual global space, in the comfort of a safe space on the web. Being able to experience both at the same time has always been a magical, alchemical experience for me. But then... for me the 'shock' is the ugliness and lack of control in the real world. I cannot just walk away from a real time conversation and process safely, like I can online in a forum or journal based discussion. /ramble.

[callistra]

I think safety and distance are both the pro and the cons of online discussions. I'll think about this some more and maybe post something longer later.

[fred_mouse]

I like the idea of more people talking about random shit and getting discussions started. I often feel like I have nothing more to say on a topic that other comments haven't touched.

Also, there are fewer people I've found on dw, and while I've made some random online friends, I feel a bit stalkery randomly commenting on their stuff.

*rambling mouse, why don't you settle down?*