I have decided to pull the plug on my blog. The last posting that I made was nothing more than a bitchfest about poor customer service. The fact is, it has little to do with ham radio and when I started this blog, one of my goals was to stay on track and not let it turn into a diary of sorts or stray too far from important topics. Not become too personal, in other words. I think I was mostly failing.
I've not updated much this summer, I have always subscribed to the notion that it's better to say nothing than to write about something where it really shows that you're straining to come up with something. The weather and how hot or rainy it is, how many DX stations you've worked, your latest contest efforts, all of that is nice for a while, but it grows old. And that's the road I was headed down.
Plus, I've seen my blog disappearing from some of the blogrolls of people that I really respected and enjoyed reading. I figure if they don't enjoy reading my blog anymore to the point that they're going to remove it from their recommended list, then it's probably time to toss the towel in. I'm obviously not cutting it anymore.
Whether I leave it up or not, I've not decided. Probably not, not much point in it. I don't think there's much that would qualify as being important from a technical standpoint, it's mostly just my ramblings.
And that's where I hoped that I would be able to have enough to keep some interest, in my ramblings. But I just don't have that kind of gift, I'm not a good enough writer.
Thanks to everyone who made a comment. I can shut 'er down knowing that no one ever sent me an ugly comment and many of you that I've corresponded with I consider to be my friends. My "email friends" at least. Hopefully one day we can have an eyeball QSO too.
73 Ed
5 comments:
Hello Ed, it's a pity you stop now. I found your personal ramblings interesting. I think the hobby doesn't have to be always technical. And don't worry about your writing, I'm not a gifted writer as well. It was very clear to understand for me, although english is not my language.
Anyway I respect your descision if you end your blog after all. So, 73 and hope to hear you somewhere sometime on the bands. Bas
Hi Ed. I'm sorry you have decided to stop your blog. Personally I found your "bitchfest" to be a very entertainingly written anecdote about poor service that appeared perfectly justified.
I think all of us bloggers have made posts that reflected the mood we were in at the time which we may later have second thoughts about. I think we all also feel the pressure to write something if we haven't for a bit, but that is just self imposed.
Some people may have dropped you off their blogroll because you have only posted once or twice a month. But I'm still interested to see what you have to say, even if it isn't very often.
Anyway, best wishes whatever you decide to do.
Sorry you decided to pull the plug. I've done that a couple of times also.
I think many bloggers use their space as a way of thinking out loud. Not writing for an audience but for themselves.
I wouldn't judge a blog by comments to a particular posting. It may be read by someone, reflected upon, and then put away. No comment required or necessary.
Good evening Ed, I enjoyed reading your post and there is nothing wrong with telling the truth.
Ed, I hope you'll reconsider your decision. I'm one of those who dropped your link but let me explain that if I could.
First, I consider my blogroll not so much a "recommendation" as simply a convenience for me. In other words, my normal routine was to check for comments on my own blog & then I could easily click on my links to other blogs that I read daily. I only removed your link due to the fact that you don't update it all that frequently and I saw my blogroll as a place for me to have the day's blogs all in one place. Those that are there are updated quite often (or else they're new to me and I'm following them to get to know them). I read and am interested in FAR more blogs than I provide links to and again, that has to do strictly with frequency of updates - not whether or not I'm interested in a particular blog.
In fact, one of your own blog entries alludes to much the same - "I read a lot of blogs that don't appear on my favorite blog list. I need to take time and update my list as some of those listed don't appear to be active anymore. I mean well, but time slips away and then there's the endless distractions, holidays...ok, I'm making excuses".
Second, I whole-heartedly agree with your philosophy of quality over quantity and need to heed that lesson myself. When I write a blog entry, I imagine a group of 2 or 3 guys I actually know (in the Real World) and write as if I'm writing/talking with them with the idea that some who happen across my blog will see things from that angle. That means that a lot of what I write will offend or please some, and induce REM sleep in others. So be it.
I hope you'll decide to continue blogging. The bands are about to get better - more bands will be open longer, contests are coming and DX season is nearing. I'll be interested to read of your (and others) experiences in all that, even if you only make infrequent posts...!
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