Given that when blogging started it was a fairly niche activity, and given that I’ve been blogging since about then, it feels comforting to know that my hobby is returning to its roots.

Of course, in the intervening 12 or so years a lot has changed and blogging won’t ever really be the same maybe this is what it needs. I wonder if this something that other such social media type websites might follow in the coming years. For a long time, blogging was the only quick and easy way to self-publish. These days we are spoilt for choice and, as most of us are inherently lazy, the quicker (and therefore shorter) the better.

What does that mean for me?

I’m not really sure to be honest. Whilst this may sound harsh, I don’t get much value from this blog anymore so it’s dropping down my priority list. Do I get value from the other websites I use, you ask? Hmmm let me think.

Yes, I do get value from Twitter and Facebook.

Please note: your idea of value may vary.

Broadly speaking Twitter lets me keep in touch with acquaintances, Facebook lets me keep in touch with friends and family (and acquaintances), my onemanwrites blog helps me focus my professional thoughts, and everything else that passes my online filter is pushed to either Pinboard or Tumblr. That leaves this blog in a virtual no-mans land and, as has been evidenced over the past couple of years, has turned into a public diary which as much for my own need as anything. I’m not even going to mention that other writing place I have (except I just did).

As for Google+, well it’s still too new and for the moment the only thing it might do is kill my personal Twitter account. Time will tell.

And all of that is only considering, largely, word based content. I’ve still to shift from using Flickr as my main photo ‘presence’, but maybe that too will change? Who knows.

I’m not going to stop blogging, that much I do know, just as I won’t stop posting photos, bookmarking links, and generally sharing the stuff I stumble upon online. This blog, as with all my other online accounts, are but a representation of the parts of me and my personality I am happy sharing with the world. From that point of view, blogging has, most definitely, been on value and so, for now, I’ll keep on blogging as and when inspiration strikes.

After all, if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it!

Anyhoo, Lori asked, I said yes and the resulting blog post is now available on her blog – Rarely Wears Lipstick: But, honestly.

But don’t just read my guest post, check out the other guest posts as well.

Go.

Now.

GO!

Who is Ada Lovelace?

Augusta Ada King, Countess of Lovelace (10 December 1815 – 27 November 1852), born Augusta Ada Byron, was an English writer chiefly known for her work on Charles Babbage’s early mechanical general-purpose computer, the analytical engine. Her notes on the engine include what is recognized as the first algorithm intended to be processed by a machine; as such she is often regarded as the world’s first computer programmer.

What is the point of Ada Lovelace Day?

Ada Lovelace Day is an international day of blogging to draw attention to women excelling in technology. Women’s contributions often go unacknowledged, their innovations seldom mentioned, their faces rarely recognised. We want you to tell the world about these unsung heroines. Whatever she does, whether she is a sysadmin or a tech entrepreneur, a programmer or a designer, developing software or hardware, a tech journalist or a tech consultant, we want to celebrate her achievements.

Who are your unsung heroines?

Yes, it’s pure vanity/ego at play but I did have plans to offer email addresses to my entire family (and a few cousins too) so it wasn’t entirely unselfish. My Mum and Dad have done a lot of genealogy research which was something else I had toyed with hosting under that domain name.

And now, it’s gone. Bought (for a stupid fee no doubt) by a record company.

I’m a bit pissed off about the whole thing to be honest.

Yes I know the person who originally bought the domain name was entirely within their rights. Yes when you visit this very site you will see that I have adverts here although I’d counter that with the small fact that I provide content as well (even if the quality is rarely all that high), and yes he didn’t have to sell it to me just because I wanted it.

I get all that.

It’s just… well, it’s fucking annoying. Alright?

Never fear though as I have a cunning plan. I’m going to find a domain name that no-one has yet bought, purchase it and change my name! Ha ha! That’ll teach those annoying domain squatters.

Yours,

Gordonisawesome (c/o www.gordonisawesome.co.uk)

When people ask me why I blog, what I get from it, why I bother, I tell them this. I tell them that, whilst there is a level of chaff which you need to sort through (that ‘Next’ button in Google Reader is a lifesaver at times), there are times when you get a series of blog posts on a particular topic that really make you sit back and think.

I quite like being challenged, being made to think, so I consider this a good thing.

And so it was recently when Clay Shirky wrote a piece titled A Rant About Women, which tempted Tom Coates out of hiatus to write a post titled Should we encourage self-promotion and lies?, which was followed yesterday by a piece from danah boyd titled whose voice do you hear? gender issues and success.

Such things are an example of why blogging is a good thing. Someone states their opinion in a fairly even handed way and people respond like adults (the downside of the internet can be found in a lot of the comments, Twitter posts and other ranting nonsense that erupted after Clay posted his article).

As for the issue being discussed in these posts I have to agree with Tom, particularly when he talks about how arrogance and confidence have a place in your “personality toolbox”, but the person who only has those tools is all the poorer for it. Unfortunately society, and certainly the workplace, still seem to favour people with confidence when what we should be doing is cutting through the noise to see what substance lies underneath.

Interestingly I did have in mind a post about how men objectify women (which I’ll still write up for another time) but got sidetracked by danah’s article. Well worth reading all three of them.