By the potted plant with the weird artsy couches

[dolorosa_12]

I've mentioned a couple of times that I'm subscribed to Amal El-Mohtar's newsletter, and her most recent post viewable online here is a perfect encapsulation of why. It reminds me of the things I miss about the old internet: the lack of urgency, the lack of immediacy, and the sense that posts can be public and personal, but only on the writer's own terms, with each writer feeling comfortable in setting their own boundaries, letting longform posts come only when thoughts are fully considered and developed, rather than feeling an expectation to think all thoughts out loud, in real time, in public. Back when most of professional (and aspiring professional) publishing was on LJ, I remember Amal's LJ having this same quality, so I'm glad she's bringing it back to her newsletters.



This leads nicely into my final snowflake_challenge post for 2022:

In your own space, create your own challenge.

My challenge is not something that can be completed in a single post or a single day, and it's sparked in part by Amal's newsletter, and in part by comments and posts I've seen during the whole snowflake_challenge lamenting the decline in longform blogging, and the general lack of fannish activity in spaces like Dreamwidth. The challenge is: be the change you want to see. I'm not asking people to post or comment here every day, or to write 1000-word posts when all you feel like writing is 100. But I'm saying that if you want to spend more time on slower-moving platforms, make a conscious decision to do so. Comment on a post every so often rather than scrolling on by. If you created a new fanwork, share a link on Dreamwidth as well as on Twitter. Do whatever tiny things you need to make building a community here something habitual. I don't need you to tell me you've done it, and I don't need this to involve daily wordcounts, frequency of posting, or any other measurable statistic — do what feels best for you.

I will certainly be sticking to this!

Comments

[vriddy]

I really liked "Social media used to feel like being in a crowded hallway at a convention; now it feels like being on a stage." in that newsletter you link to. It really spoke to me because I used to really enjoy Twitter (not for fandom) and had difficulty articulating how it changed. It's not just the content shared that evolved. This quote encapsulates a lot of the feelings, too.

I utterly love your challenge and how gently phrased it is :) I'll do my best to try and continue to make this space into a comfortable spot for myself and hopefully others, too!

[dolorosa_12]

That analogy really spoke to me as well. There is such pressure to leap into every argument with opinions immediately fully formed and correct, thinking one's thoughts out loud, in real time, in public, and the result can be crushing. And the change in feeling is noticeable, as you say.

I'm glad you like the sound of my challenge!

[tellshannon815]

Sounds like a good one to me, good luck!

[dolorosa_12]

Thank you!

[goodbyebird]

But I'm saying that if you want to spend more time on slower-moving platforms, make a conscious decision to do so.

I think that's the important bit right there ♥

[dolorosa_12]

Exactly. It's not going to happen without enough people making that conscious decision, and just wishing and hoping that others will build community doesn't work. I hope I see a lot of people active here, all year round.

[senmut]

A good challenge

[dolorosa_12]

Thank you!

[oracne]

I also love Amal's newsletter.

[dolorosa_12]

It's wonderful, isn't it?

[corvidology]

This is a continual WIP (*g*) for me anyway. This is part of my downtime enjoyment in a stupidly busy work filled life so I need it to be asynchronous so I'm not feeling pressure from this direction as well.

[dolorosa_12]

Same here, but I figured I might as well tie it in with the sentiments I've seen expressed throughout the challenge, in the hope that others will try to do the same.

[enemytosleep]

This is a better written version of my own personal challenge! I miss when this sort of social space was more active, but as you say, I have to do my part to participate and create spaces for dialogue and activity here. I hope everyone who feels the same way can carry some momentum into 2022 and keep things busier here on DW.

[dolorosa_12]

Your challenge looks good too! And yes, let's hope this momentum carries through for the rest of the year!

Yay!

[ysabetwordsmith]

This overlaps my "write the change" and "improve community" challenges. \o/

One of the things I've done is reactivate dormant communities. It'll be interesting to see if anyone else posts in those.

three_weeks_for_dw has a lively discussion about reviving that one now. :D

Re: Yay!

[dolorosa_12]

I've seen a lot of people talking about reviving Dreamwidth comms, and I think if that could be achieved, Dreamwidth would be an absolutely wonderful place!

Re: Yay!

[ysabetwordsmith]

>> I've seen a lot of people talking about reviving Dreamwidth comms, and I think if that could be achieved, <<

In most cases, this is easy to do. If a community has open posting, then all you have to do to revive it is post in it, as I've done with several. This alone makes it pop to the top of the search lists, which increases the chance of new people subscribing and posting there. Ideally, get some other people to post also, for more interaction.

In some cases, revival is harder. If the posting is moderated and the Administrator is no longer approving posts, then nothing will appear no matter how many people try to post there. This can be addressed by first attempting to contact the Administrator, and if that doesn't work, you can petition Dreamwidth to appoint a new Administrator.

Among the best ways to keep a community going is to create a pattern of activity. This can be a set of recurring posts, a schedule of volunteer activities, or an event that happens periodically. Variations include:
* allbingo has a new fest each month with a different them hosted by a member. It also has a monthly post summarizing activities.
* crowdfunding has a mid-month Creative Jam for people to prompt and create works on a theme. It also has a monthly post summarizing activities.
* Rec communities usually do one of two things: assign timespans to volunteers, or set a theme per timespan that anyone can post about.
* Motivational communities or events typically have challenge or summary posts at regular intervals.
* Q&A or prompt memes are great because they present a list of things that get posted one at a time. My current Coping Skills and Philosophical Questions features use this format too.

>> Dreamwidth would be an absolutely wonderful place! <<

I agree. It's good now. It can be better if more people choose to invest in it. This year, I've seen numerous folks setting plans to make their blog or communities more active. I hope that pans out. The most frustrating thing about Snowflake is that the vast majority of its members are dormant except during January. :/

[spikedluv]

Yes! I had this realization after my first Snowflake. If I wanted LJ/DW to be busier, I had to have a hand in that instead of waiting for someone else to do it, and if I wanted a closer connection to my f-list, I needed to stop scrolling and start interacting.

[dolorosa_12]

Exactly so — this place will be busy and full of conversation, but only if we make it so!

[author_by_night]

. But I'm saying that if you want to spend more time on slower-moving platforms, make a conscious decision to do so. Comment on a post every so often rather than scrolling on by.

ESPECIALLY this. So many people, myself very much included, have given up because we write posts - only for there to be crickets. I'm not going to waste my time on a post no one's going to read.

To play the devil's advocate to my own point, I do understand that sometimes people's fandoms are just very different. Or their interests within a fandom are. Still, I think even just leaving a short "don't have much to add, but I enjoyed this" never hurts if you can say it genuinely.


Also, engage with the comments you do get. Respond to comments. Even if the comments come a bit late. I'll admit I can be bad at responding to comments left on slightly older posts - but that's a fault of mine and I'm working on it.

There is truly no one on my flist who's in my current fandom, so I don't see the point in sharing fic, but maybe I will start sharing fest info publicly. (I'm actually surprised no one on my flist is in the fandom, as it's a sizeable fandom and a VERY popular TV show - Schitt's Creek. However, no one in the SC fandom is on LJ/DW, so there you go.)

[dolorosa_12]

Still, I think even just leaving a short "don't have much to add, but I enjoyed this" never hurts if you can say it genuinely.


This is a really good point. I tend to scroll on by when someone's posted a lengthy meta post about a fandom I'm not in, because I wonder what I could possibly contribute. But I can certainly appreciate the writing and the effort and the ability to convey what did (and didn't) work for them in that particular episode/series/etc — so I should try and be better!

You should definitely share fest info, and post it to places like fandomcalendar if you feel there would be interest. People might not actively be posting about Schitt's Creek here, but they may still be more passively involved in the fandom.

[author_by_night]

's posted a lengthy meta post about a fandom I'm not in, because I wonder what I could possibly contribute. But I can certainly appreciate the writing and the effort and the ability to convey what did (and didn't) work for them in that particular episode/series/etc — so I should try and be better!

Yes! Although I try to be careful about that because sometimes you (universal you) end up talking about something you don't really know about, but I think even just "I hate when shows queerbait" or whatever else works. Keep it simple if you're not familiar, but still try engaging.

What I meant to say (and didn't) was that I think a lot of people read, and don't know what to say, which also goes for RL posts. For instance, I don't have kids, so I never know how to respond to kid stuff because I have zero frame of reference. But I can always say, "I'm glad you and your sister had a nice time shopping together for your kids."

[dolorosa_12]

See, I find it much easier to jump into personal/real life posts with a comment, even if the situation being described is completely out of my experience. Whereas I tend to find unfamiliar fandom meta posts a bit more daunting. I guess I should apply the thought process I apply to personal posts when a 'daunting' unfamiliar fandom post appears.

[svgurl]

I like these 'be the change' challenges, and how you emphasized that it doesn't have to one big one, but small tiny ones that can be done be done over a longer span of time.

But I'm saying that if you want to spend more time on slower-moving platforms, make a conscious decision to do so.
Well said. :D

[dolorosa_12]

I think a lot of people, if they're returning to Dreamwidth after a long time away on places like Tumblr or Twitter, or who were never here to begin with, find Dreamwidth intimidating, as if they have to write long, formal, review-style posts or very detailed comments, and that becomes so overwhelming that they don't post at all. I'm trying to emphasise that it doesn't have to be huge, effortful contributions, and starting small can be a nice way to ease into things and get comfortable here.

[waterfall8484]

This is pretty much the challenge I gave myself back in December when I realised how much I'd missed DW and that I now had the energy to return to journalling. You put it really well here, it really is the many small steps each individual makes that creates the community.

[dolorosa_12]

I'm so glad that this approach has worked for you so far in rejoining Dreamwidth! Change doesn't need to be overwhelming and drastic, and indeed these kinds of smaller steps are generally much more sustainable.

[merit]

There definitely was a change when the internet, or even social media, hit critical point and then it was mainstream for so many people. So many more eyes on people...

[dolorosa_12]

I totally agree. It was much easier when it felt like the equivalent of someone's living room, and I guess the bigger the audience, the higher the cost for any perceived mistake.

[silveradept]

We do our best for this (I like the slow-moving environment). Hope that others also do the same.

[dolorosa_12]

Exactly. I hope this momentum from January can be sustained throughout the year.

[chestnut_pod]

Thank you so much for this wonderful month of prompts and community! It's been a delight to think through the questions alongside you.

[dolorosa_12]

Awww, I'm so glad to hear that you've enjoyed reading/commenting along. I've certainly been happy each time at the sight of a new comment from you!