A nice piece that brings blogging back to a central place of importance. I discovered earlier this year, when I allowed Sasha to take a little facebook break, that my blog was not the central space for Sasha’s voice. In fact, everything has been so carefully routed through facebook that Sasha was almost unable to function as she was cut off from her audience. However, that is a merely a technical aspect of blogging and not the personality and raison d’etre for the blog itself. The voice is the key.
My only decision now, is how do I own the persona behind the blog and then ultimately, what limits will I put on Sasha’s productivity so that Dr J remains the puppet master. Or do I sacrifice Dr J so that Sasha can do her thing.
I pay tribute to those established bloggers who have been at this a lot longer than I and who have embraced changes of which I can only dream. They make my journey easier.
Last Friday was the 12th anniversary of day when I posted my first blog post on gigaom.com, and starting what would later (in June 2006) become a company. (Up until Dec. 13, 2001, GigaOM was nothing more than a repository for my previously published articles and résumé.) These have been an interesting dozen years, where we have seen blogging go from a niche curiosity to a mainstream activity to becoming a catch-all phrase for news — casual news, if you are being nit picky. The concept of blogging as we knew it has lost some of its meaning and even a bit of meaningfulness.
When I started blogging, it was to share a point of view — mixing news with musings, with pictures, links, and later videos. It started and ended with that point of view, one that was open to adaption and adjustment, but always informed.
Back in February I got nominated for a Very Inspiring Blogger Award by Speaking Out On Nate
I was so excited at the time. A nomination? Me? My little blog had at that stage only been going for three months and this felt like Christmas all over again. In anticipation of the award ceremony I went out and bought a new frock. Very sexy, very hot, very inspiring. And then I waited…and waited…and waited. I figured after a couple of weeks that I hadn’t won.
Then the other day Nate posted about Blogging Awards and how they work. That if you are nominated you have won. I didn’t know. All this time I could have had this beautiful badge floating around my blog. I could have taken a photo of myself in the frock accepting the badge. Or at least pressing enter on my computer.
So I asked him, what is the statute of limitations on award acceptances? There was an insane conversation about having a cactus thrust upon one’s person and before it got too kinky I made a decision that I would accept this award if for no other reason than I am an eternal show off who needs public affirmation and I have a couple of people who I would just love to give a shout out.
Here are the rules of the award:
1.) Display the award logo on your blog.
2.) Link back to the person who nominated you.
3.) State 7 things about yourself.
4.) Nominate 15 bloggers for this award.
5.) Notify those bloggers of the nomination by linking to one of their specific posts so that they get notified by ping back. This is the one rule I don’t follow. Too much of a pain in the butt notifying people via comment.
Nate said that last bit. I have tried to link. I’m not sure how successful I have been cos some things about technology and bloggasming still elude me and I am too old and lazy to learn how to do it properly.
Cover Your Eyes 7 More Things Nobody Needs to Know About Me (A Nate Title if ever I heard one)
I’m a jazz baby. I am a nut for the American Songbook and I love vocalese and vocal groups. So much so that I own every recording that the Manhattan Transfer have ever recorded. I get chills when I listen to Count Basie. My Dad once toured with Duke Ellington. I have shaken Buddy Rich‘s hand, had a drink with Richie Cole, seen Dizzy Gillespie perform live and been in an audience singalong with Sarah Vaughan performing at the Blue Note Jazz Club in New York. These are some of the highlights of my life.
My music collection exceeds 300Gb. Almost every genre is represented and almost all of it has been legitimately purchased. No one could possibly listen to that much music you say? Try me.
My kids and I are complete movie nuts – so much so that we often talk in quotes, confusing everyone around us. Monty Pythonisms are often used to end arguments (is this the full half hour or the five minute argument?).
I suffer with crippling self-doubt about everything I do. It is the reason why I constantly have an exit strategy, why I haven’t sung professionally in 12 years, or danced even longer. It is the reason why I haven’t written the type of book that I really want to write yet and why I think about pulling the plug on this blog and my fanfic at least half a dozen times per week.
TMI. I didn’t experience a vaginal orgasm until after I read FSoG. I need no other excuse for loving the books so much and creating a blog in their honor. (Given the content of No.4 I am wondering why I have told you this and will most likely delete it before going to press.)
I get addicted to shit really fast and thoroughly. I get addicted to the worlds around books, to video games, to technologies, to tv series, music and movies. My current addiction is the FSoG FanFic group and everything associated with my fanfic world. It is so bad that I have to remove myself from the internet to get work done. I have been known to forget my children whilst in the midst of an addictive phase. They haven’t eaten for six weeks.
My family is not allowed to read my blog but I am pretty sure that my folks are secretly chuffed that I am finally working towards the book that I have always wanted to write. Which is why my Dad sends me strange FSoG related material and that just freaks me out. STOP READING MY BLOG, DAD! PERVERT!
There are others that I would like to nominate and if I ever get nominated again I will certainly make sure these people are recognized. However, this very eclectic list are the bloggers who paid mepopped into my headare holding my children hostage best represent the ideas, humor and talent that I find inspirational and so I share this award with them.
A research home for Historical Fiction Writers of the Antebellum Period, by A.M. Cal, author of the historical novel "Eighth Wonder" The Thomas Bethune Story. You know of Mozart and of course Bach and Beethoven. But do you know Thomas?
Sasha Cameron - Writer 