These three posts representing an online conversation between Mandy Brown and Alan Jacobs about how and why and where we write and share work on the internet is the type of discussion I’m interested in seeing more of(ten). It has really caused me, as I believe it will many, to think about how I currently share what I write online with an audience that may not follow my work (either visiting the site directly or via RSS) otherwise and what changes I may or may not make to this in the future.
At the heart of the discussion are the pros and cons of Publishing to one’s own site and syndicating it, or not to various social networks as they exist currently.
These come at a perfect time for me as I’ve had many thoughts percolating around the very questions being raised. Wondering if my current approach is, in fact, one I’m happy with.
Part of the percolation I have going on in my mind about these two lines of thought is actually exemplified by these posts.
I like to think of a personal blog, well done, with links to interesting stuff and similar folks that is interactive with others on the web to be like drinking from a water fountain. You take a sip here and a sip there and, perhaps, you find another water fountain just as good, if not better, to regularly fill your water bottle.
The social networks are, of course, the firehose. Sure, you can get just a sip of water from it. Maybe even fill up your bottle. But, in short order you’ll be blasted by so much water other than the sip you hope to get that you’ll end up on your ass.
Before the “social web” the way readers discovered new writers was these sorts of post/response type pieces — these fountains — and the hyperlinks that flowed from and around them. For instance, writing my response here, I link to all three of the posts in question (each one of those words beginning this post is a separate link) for reference sake and having done so, perhaps, those that read this but have no idea who the other writers that I’m discussing are will now know, also fall in deep like with their work, and follow/subscribe/visit/read them regularly going forward. No social network required. Maybe you’ll dive deeper and fill your whole bottle (which you definitely should do with these particular two writers).
And I believe that is much more organic and authentic and makes for a better/friendlier/stronger readership. And, I believe, that is at least part of the point Alan Jacobs was making in his piece. That the quality of your readership matters and that best comes from only offering a fountain.
That said, I also agree with Mandy in that I believe this is rather easy thing to say for those of us who already have an engaged readership, are male, and are privileged in other ways. And, if you are new and or have social barriers to entry or glass ceilings to bust through or, or or… I can understand the need to, at least for a while, go play with the firehose by the hydrant and see if anyone is willing to try taking a sip.
As for me, I write and publish here and am VERY intentional and selective as to where it gets shared from there. Everything I post here gets shared to the Micro.blog timeline but/and that timeline also might include things I post exclusively for the Micro.blog audience (i.e. and not here on this site) for any number of reasons. I rarely share anything with any other social network type thing unless I specifically want to broaden a particular reach of a post or I believe the post/thought/item is particularly relevant to the audiences that frequent there (I’ll likely do so with this one). When I do so, I do so “manually” via copy and paste. Somehow, when I think of automating this in any way it makes it feel less intentional and I want to be very much so with any social network.
So, why the Micro.blog timeline? It feels more like a comment section to me — one I don’t have to host of fight spam on. One that does not basically appear as other people’s writing/thinking on my own site. One that is friendly and respectful and full of smart insightful people who want to be there.
So, this is mainly my way of saying… Yeah, I think I’ll keep doing what I’ve been doing. Trying to make this space a fountain, not a firehose. Being intentional about what I post and where and why. Not “syndicating” beyond RSS and the Micro.blog timeline. Being intentional when I share a link here to anywhere else. And, in general, continuing my mission of making the web and the world a better, friendlier, stronger place.