Sunday, June 11, 2006

Another blogger bites the dust

My friend, who blogged under the pseudonym sMhyla, has ender her blog at blogger.com. I do not know the back-story, but for a blog addict like sMhyla to give it up, well, must be a compelling. Story. . Several bloggers I know have stopped blogging because of interference from work, or conflict with friends, or out of fear that family or friends will judge them by their blogs. Hell, I have those same fears myself, especially about work. I never do it.

I have a few rules that helps keep it all in perspective.
  • Never blog about work – it is a dumb idea at best.
  • Never say anything in a blog that I would not say to someone’s face.
  • Avoid fisking a friend (an important concept all by itself)
  • Set a standard for your reading audience – (my family reads my blog, so I write with that in mind.)
  • Develop thick skin and the ability to say, “Screw it” when dealing with critics. I always like to remember that critics love to tear you up, but rarely if ever produce anything of value themselves.
  • Be genuine – people who know me know that I am an atheist and a cynic. It should not be a surprise.
  • Keep a secret blog - write about everything - tell no one.
  • Have somebody spell check my work!
sMhyla and I survived grad school together. I have other ways to keep in touch. But, I must admit, reading her blog was a weekly guilty pleasure that I will miss. Come back soon sMhyla.

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4 comments:

Anonymous said...

One of my favorite reads doesn't seem to be coming around anymore either - The Freethought Mom. She's probably just busy at home. I know how it is...

But another blog on your "roll" is gone too - The Un-Apologetic Atheist. I just posted about him last night. It's a must read.

Great tips there. I love the one about keeping a secret blog. I've come close to shutting it down for a few reasons, but I just take a break from it instead, and remember the reason that I chose to blog in the first place.

Mojoey said...

Cassandra – unbelievable! I am adding the Un-Apologetic Atheist to my “bad atheist” list and my nutball list. Thanks for the update. I will do a cross post when I get the time in a few days. I hope he does serious time.

Freethought Mom is one of my favorites too. It looks like she is busy being a mom. I check her out every week because I love her style.

Anonymous said...

Great post. Blogging has become somewhat of an addiction for me too, and I don't think I can stop unless family/career obligations prevent me from doing so.

I always thought I should have started an anonymous blog, but it's hard to spread the word about a blog if you can't tell your friends, coworkers and family.

Anonymous said...

Hola. I'm not totally gone, just taking an extended break. I'm going to a blog conference at the end of the month, so I'll have to jump start my blog. There are several reasons I quit my blog last month, which I'll share with you over a beer someday.