Last night I sat before my computer and thought about summing up the last few days in my life. And realized again that some things are better stated in a personal notebook, rather than online in social media or my blog. I have one of those very nice Moleskine notebooks where I often do that. There’s the additional advantage that a notebook is a distraction-free environment. I’m less likely to turn my attention to the latest news or notice a story somewhere that I cannot not read immediately.
On the personal canvas of a paper notebook i can ask myself questions that I’m not so willing to share with the world yet. I can give accounts about real people that I would not want them ever to see. I can make remarks that might land me in trouble, with one person or another, if posted online – and the danger of that serves as a natural inhibitor.
The only trouble is, that when there are a variety of different media to choose from, it’s not always apparent what is the best place to express one’s thoughts. Usually, when I sit at my table, I don’t always know whether what I’m about to write will be suitable for sharing, or with whom.
In our family we also have a closed group on a social messaging app, where we often post photos, messages or links. I abandoned mainstream channels like Facebook and Twitter a few years ago, but recently went back to using alternative federated social media, so this provides another alternative for writing.
Yet with regard to these deliberations about how to express my thoughts, there’s actually nothing new under my sun. I’ve thought through all this before. I just have a hard time assimilating my decisions. I’m like a one-person creaky old committee that can’t make up its mind and, when it does, can’t implement its own decisions. But the answer is, and remains: use my blog as a basis for all of these journal entries; then decide what to share, where. Some entries can be shared with alternative social media; some with friends and family; some can be placed in my blog but kept completely private.
So if I’m clever, I will act according to my own best practices, and use the framework of my WordPress blog, publishing some things, marking others as private, and sharing some posts with friends.
vikshepa 