Dissolution

[darkemeralds]

Is anyone else trying to re-figure out how to have an online life? Is anyone else feeling that Google+ is cool but how many more social networks do I need? Does anyone else wonder if there's still a place for a journaling site like Dreamwidth and LiveJournal in their life?

I'm finding G+ very homey--more succinct than here, not quite as flighty as Twitter. Less conversational than here, but more interactive than Tumblr. It feels like a comfortable stream of connection.

Of course, it's new. Not many people are on it yet. Everyone's behaving like early guests at a nice party, so it's also much less contentious than here tends to be sometimes. (I have invites, by the way, if anyone wants one.)

Journaling/blogging has been a mostly wonderful experience for me for the past six years or so, but I feel it slipping away as a concept. I hate to let it go, but fighting the flow seems futile. Does anyone else feel that way?

Comments

[jumpuphigh]

I use Dreamwidth, Tumblr and Twitter which are all connected to jumpuphigh. I bailed on Facebook (despite enjoying it) due to privacy concerns. I'm not going with G+ because I think that Google has embraced "Do Be Evil" as their new motto.

However, I use each service for different things. Dreamwidth is for lengthy thoughts and making interactive connections. Tumblr is for posting pictures and I expect it will fall away once that has been integrated into DW. Twitter is for quick thoughts, short questions to friends (I often use it like text messaging), and sharing links. I loved having a separate real name space on FB but couldn't ignore their behaviour any longer but if another service comes up that I can trust (not Google), I think I would create that separate identity space once more.

tl;dr Every service I use has its own purpose and for the most part cannot be replaced by another.

[darkemeralds]

Heh. Dreamwidth, Tumblr and Twitter: the sequence is kind of analogous to laptop, tablet and smartphone--the Papa Bear, Mama Bear and Baby Bear formats.

Perhaps I am wrong in carrying the metaphor to the point of supposing that one of them must be ju-u-u-u-st right.

[darkemeralds]

PS: I'm curious to know more about your view that Google has embraced evil.

[jumpuphigh]

Well, I have no expectation of privacy in anything I do via Google. I do use Gmail and Google Voice because those are great services that I can make work for me. I just don't use them for anything that I'm not willing to have shared with the world. And since I use those services, and would like to continue using those services, I'm not willing to sign up for a service with them where if I go afoul of their unclear policies, I will lose access to everything that I currently use. I also do everything I can to keep my information from search engines but it looks like using Google+ will eventually make my public profile (required by them) part of their search results. Plus, I have problems with any service that requires me to use my legal name. (Check out googleplus for tons of links, including lists of reasons why this is a bad policy.)

This pretty much sums up how I feel about them data mining.

[darkemeralds]

Thank you. Extremely informative and thought-provoking.

[bluemeridian]

I would have to second this line of comments - both the different services for different purposes and taking Google with a hefty grain of salt. I use gMail and gReader extensively, but I'm not comfortable with the direction that Google is taking as a company right now. I'm sticking with them because there simply isn't good alternatives for me to jump over to at the moment.

Having said that, there have been a number of times where there was a thought in my head that I wanted to share, but it just seemed too short and abrupt for a whole post, which I don't have the time or desire to sit down and write just then. I realize some people post that way, but it just isn't my style. Of course, when I do go to write a post then either I forget about it or it doesn't fit into what I end up talking about, so I just leave it out. At this point I wouldn't say that I've found my most comfortable collection of services, although DW/LJ is definitely part of it. FB is necessary to me because of some people that I would otherwise lose contact with (and who are not geographically close), plus it lets me link them to posts I've cross-posted to Blue's Garden (non-fandom posts, basically). I've fiddled with Tumblr, but it hasn't grown on me yet, mostly because I have to jump through too many hoops to make sure something is properly attributed to its source.

I will say that my little network collective does include Delicious, which not everyone might think of that way. But that's how I find a lot of recs and how I help put the word out about ones I like.

[darkemeralds]

Thanks for the thoughtful reply!

I'm giving serious thought to my use of Google Docs after reading through responses here and elsewhere. There are other cloud spaces where I can write (cloud computing is very valuable to me both for backup purposes and because I migrate among several devices and need access to my stuff no matter which one I'm using). The incredible convenience of Google makes switching a huge chore that I don't have time for--it synchronizes my contacts and calendar across platforms, and keeps all my stuff for me in a single accessible place. But Now I'm wondering if I was smart to let that happen...

Dreamwidth continues to be a haven of freedom of expression, and I don't see myself leaving or giving up my paid account anytime soon, but, like you, I don't always have something blogworthy to say. Back when I started, it was perfectly acceptable to make a very brief, fly-by post, but it seems almost rude to do it now, because that's kind of what Twitter and G+ are for.

Everything's in flux! I will say this: one of my very favorite social networks is Ravelry. It's absolutely brilliant, and I've spent many, many happy hours there.