Tag: EVERYTHING

bookmark_borderUA Conference – Day 1

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I’ll write up my thoughts in more detail but suffice to say that, as per usual, my mind is racing with a million on one possibilities. Conferences are a good thing, even if you aren’t a position to change things it’s good to talk to other people in your profession, to find out that most of your problems are things they are experiencing as well and that there are always new ideas coming along.

Stand out sessions today were from Joe Welinske and Sonia Fuga. The former touched on some ideas we have already discussed at my workplace (the idea of focussing our efforts on the key topics, to the detriment of others – aka not documenting EVERYTHING), the latter because it’s a very smart use of existing technology, taking some simple ideas and making something very powerful. Clever stuff all round.

As I said, I’ll write up my notes from the entire conference over the weekend, but just wanted to capture the current “conference buzz” I have, although I hope it dies down soon as I need to get some sleep!

Ohh and finally a quick hello to those of you who are visiting after spotting this humble blog mentioned in the Cherryleaf newsletter. Hello!

bookmark_borderA few random things…

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Twitter continues to absorb, offering an instant outlet for tiny thoughts and today was Muxtape day. As ever, Meg was near the front of the list, but I soon followed along. Completely illegal I’m sure so I don’t expect it to last…

Asaph has caught my eye as I continue to find a way to gather together my online life, although I’ll happily admit that these days I’m not as bothered, or driven, to find a ‘solution’ as I’m not really seeing it as a problem.

I have two blogs, a Twitter account, a Flickr account and follow copious amounts of sources via RSS. I’ve stopped watching feeds that aren’t full (with very rare and limited exceptions) and I’m quite happy with my ‘online life’. I’ve made my peace with not reading EVERYTHING that crosses my path, letting my own internal filters deal with it as best they see fit. Hey, I also delete emails… shocking I know.

I’m enjoyable busy at work, and currently looking at things like Drupal and Joomla, and possibly Ning as part of a slight shift in my role.

I’ve still not sorted through my books, but we have some time this weekend so I might take a stab at it at some point. We are off into uncharted territory on Saturday, visiting Peggy, and Sunday will be the last day without a kitchen. My letter of complaint is primed and ready (still to send it to the people who generously offered to comment on it, must remember to do that).

Building work has started opposite our office, and the piledriver started today, leaving a nice shockwave rippling across to our office and shaking my monitors ever-so-slightly. You know, just enough to make me feel nauseous. Every 5 minutes or so… bleuch.

Also need to get car tax sorted, order some Florints, organise the tiler, figure out how I’m going to do the flooring in the kitchen, do a little tidying up in the garden and… so on and so forth.

As usual, a lot of little things going on. Most of which I won’t ever mention again!

bookmark_borderState of the Union

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Some council workers got sacked because they spent too much time on the internet (eBay in particular). Apparently this isn’t really their fault, with Union officials blaming bosses for “putting temptation in their way” – by allowing access to the internet.

Now, I’ve never had access to, or worked within an organisation that has, a Union but I thought they were supposed to help protect the workers? If so, how does this help?

And, without wanting to come across all curmudgeony, what is it with people these days? Can’t they just fess up and admit they were in the wrong?

There seems to be a feeling that if you make a mistake you no longer have to say sorry, you can just feign embarassment, mumble something about understanding that you made a mistake and then point the finger at someone else.

To those council workers who got sacked. I’m sorry you don’t have a job anymore, but IT IS YOUR OWN FAULT.

I say this whilst sitting in work, typing up a blog post but then again I don’t work in a prescriptive environment, I don’t have “tea breaks” or “lunch hours” I just have a contract and it’s down to me to be professional and thorough and get my work done. I can stop and start when I like. I’ve always worked in this kind of environment, and find anything else utterly bewildering.

There is a further thread to this, about the fall in moral values, work ethic and so on, part of which is aimed at the education system (kiboshed as it is by the people who, ultimately, run it) and an understanding the Unions are there to protect those who can’t protect themselves. But I’m going to leave it alone as, from this ivory tower in which I’m installed, EVERYTHING looks worse than it probably is…

bookmark_borderOn commenting

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A couple of weeks ago I asked if everyone who visited my site would leave a comment, and quite a few of you did. Thanks to you all, even the cheeky ones who decided to buck the trend and email me. It was all quite overwhelming and lovely and.. well.. ta! I do appreciate you taking the time to both visit and comment.

When I wrote that post I knew in the back of my mind that every blog goes through a lull, as does every blog reader, but I was genuinely curious to see who responded. It wasn’t JUST about stroking my ego, honest.

As ever some of you posted some very insightful comments and with some consideration I’ll admit that it was incredibly cheeky of me to “call you out” when my own commenting ratio has been slowly plummeting for some months now, but that was another reason for the post, could I ‘force’ people to comment? (guilt, what a wonderful tool).

There does seem to be a consensus though, and this is backed by my increasing use of Google Reader to read other blogs (on that note it’s very much a case of “if you don’t have an RSS feed, you ain’t getting read”), that we read too many blogs to be able to keep up. It’s hard enough reading the damn things, without having to visit each and every one to add a comment, presuming that you are moved to do so at all.

Is this the demise of blogging? No, I don’t think so, but I do wonder if it’s shifting from being a discussion or conversation, to being an open window or voyeuristic opportunity. You’ll happily stand there for days on end, soaking up the events and words as you peer in, only responding if prompted. No?

I guess it’s one of those things that ‘depends’ (ok ok EVERYTHING ‘depends’ but bear with me) on the number of blogs you try and keep up with. Beyond a certain point the basic logistics of commenting becomes too hard so you just stop trying to comment at all. “I suspect that people are reading more blogs than they used to, which leaves them with less time to comment. Which is a shame.”

And it is a shame, after all, it’s not very fair if you only comment on certain blogs but not others. I do find myself looking at my ‘blogroll’ and trying to remember who I last commented on, and whether I should ‘spread my comments’ around like they are rationed or something. Then I give myself a shake and remind myself that this is a hobby and certainly no-one will be offended if I don’t comment on their site as often as I do on others, right?? Ohh but I do hate to offend… and so on and so forth.

Thinking about it, this internal dialogue may be the REAL reason I don’t comment on as many blogs as I used to, “I don’t leave comments anywhere anymore. I’m shit at it. Busy things – sorry. Do read everything on GoogleReader though. But I suppose that doesn’t count. Boo.”

“Do you leave comments as much as you used to?” Is a valid question (although it’s “as many” not “as much”) and the answer is no. How can I? I’m far too busy to read AND comment, sheesh.

Perhaps the way that comments work is to blame then, after all if their primary aim is to create and further ‘conversations’ then surely it should be much easier to see what has been said, how far along the debate has been moved, before you delve in to add your own opinion. Or perhaps that is a little too grandiose a view of the content of most blogs, the ones I read anyway.

Ultimately I’ve reached the point, actually I reached this point sometime last year, where I don’t really care what my readership stats are, nor do I care if they are new people or the old faithfuls who’ll return here just because I’ve posted something (bless, they don’t get out often). I know people are visiting, and I understand why comments are down, and yes I’m taking the ‘summer lull’ into consideration.

My own habits have changed, my approach to this blog, and others is different today and it will be different tomorrow. The fun part is trying to figure out where it’s going to go next. Is twitter setting a new ‘micropost’ standard that blogs will head towards, or will it allow us to be free to write longer posts? Will comments die and discussions end? Or will we continue to observe and share, collaborate and discuss and reach the utopia some think this part of the interweb holds? Have I started wittering on and should stop drinking so much coffee first thing in the morning?

As the bloke with the funny accent who does the voice-overs for Big Brother says: “You decide”.