![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
dolorosa_12I've got online platforms on the mind for various reasons — Twitter's speedrun towards oblivion, this griefbacon piece, Dreamwidth's 25th anniversary and the flurry of celebratory posts it's sparked, etc. For this reason, I decided to roll together a meme about my use of Dreamwidth, first spotted on misbegotten's blog, and this week's open thread prompt.
The prompt is this: if you feel so moved, answer the questions from this meme in your own journal, or respond to any of the individual questions in the comments on my post. Or just comment about anything you find interesting, timely, or worthy of note about online platforms, spaces or communities — being as general or as specific as you'd like.
1. How did you find Dreamwidth? What attracted you to this platform? Why did you start blogging?
I think I found out about it through people promoting it on Livejournal. I didn't join immediately — I remember checking it out, but didn't really see why anyone would need another site that did the same stuff as LJ, just owned by different people, so I just kind of ignored it and kept on posting at LJ. (At that point I really didn't use LJ for transformative fandom — solely as a public journal and a space where I could stay in touch with a variety of friends from school, university, and the book forums which were the main fannish spaces in which I hung out.) Several years and many platforms later, I realised just why the ownership and ethos of a platform was important!
2. How long have you been blogging on Dreamwidth? What has changed here, or in your life, over that timespan?
Dreamwidth tells me I created my account here on 31 December, 2011, so I've obviously been here for a little over eleven years. By that point I was already living in the UK, partway through my PhD, and in a relationship with Matthias (who is now my husband) — all of which I tend to think of as three of the four most consequential decisions in my life thus far, so essentially I was well on the road to the life I'm currently living now. I guess the difference is that everything was a lot more tenuous — I was on a student visa, instead of having UK citizenship, I was still a postgraduate student and had no idea what I was going to do for a career (at that point I was still firmly convinced I was going to work in academia), and I was a year into the relationship (and at that point it was long-distance as I was doing a study abroad year in Heidelberg in Germany) rather than more than twelve years and married.
Weirdly, though, everything seemed much more stable then, or at least to hold the promise of stability, whereas although now I have what I guess seem like the trappings of stability — permanent full-time job, citizenship of the country in which I live, marriage, home-ownership — the various (geo)political upheavals of the past decade have really taught me otherwise.
In terms of Dreamwidth itself, I would say I like it more now than when I first joined. I've met some great people and just feel like I'm part of a proper community here, a space that gives me what I've always wanted from the internet. I'm not sure it's more active now than in 2011, but I've certainly found the active parts, and I understand better that conversation and community isn't something you can just expect to fall into your lap — it's something to which you have to actively contribute and help build and encourage.
3. What are your favorite things about Dreamwidth? What do you dislike about it? What do you wish it had, or had more of?
I've seen Dreamwidth described by its founder as a home for the last, cranky holdouts of the text-based internet, and that feels like an accurate description of what I like about it. I like that its emphasis is still on words, and conversations held through text, and that you really do actually need to make a contribution with words and text if you want to build connections with people here (rather than clicking a button to share other people's material). This is actually a fairly high barrier to entry compared with other online platforms (particularly app-based social media), and I actually like that, because the effort required to participate makes it harder for the space to become infested with trolls, disinfo, and other bad actors — it's too much work for them to bother, for the most part.
However, what I value the most is that Dreamwidth is owned and adminstered by people who broadly share its users' values and ethos, and the fact that it does not make money through ads, or through selling its users' data. I didn't understand why this was important when Dreamwidth first existed, but wow do I appreciate it now.
I wish that Dreamwidth had easier image-hosting options — basically once Photobucket stopped existing, I couldn't figure out any way to embed images in posts (I find the instructions on how to do so so confusing that I've never been able to manage it), but this is so far down on my list of priorities that I generally am not particularly bothered by it.
4. Do you think people should crosspost the same or similar things in more than one place on Dreamwidth? Why or why not? Are there conditions that influence whether or not it's a good idea?
I think if people are worried about digital preservation they should crosspost things in multiple places, since there is always a danger of losing access to content hosted on a third-party platform. However, beyond that I have no firm opinion. I don't crosspost anything any more (my Dreamwidth used to crosspost to LJ, but I switched that off a while ago, and ultimately deleted my LJ), but I don't care if other people do so.
5. Do you have a free account or a paid account on Dreamwidth? What features or other factors made you choose that option? Would you recommend your option to other bloggers? Why or why not?
I have a paid account, and have done so for years. I do like the extra features (especially the icon slots), but I would pay even without them — my reason for paying is that I want to contribute financially to online spaces that I love and whose general ethos I agree with. I view this as no different to paying for a visit to a museum or an art gallery exhibition, or a meal at a restaurant — I'm paying for something that is a significant and fun part of my leisure time.
I would recommend paying for an account if you feel similarly, and if you have the financial means.
6. What is your blog metaphor? Where are you, when you are in your blog?
I don't really understand this question? This feels like asking, 'where are you, when you're reading/writing in a paper journal?' I'm me, Ronni, sitting wherever I happen to be sitting, reading and writing.
7 - What tools do you use for blogging? Laptop, desktop computer, or other device? Paper notebook for jotting down ideas? Color palettes, accessibility gauges, or other guides for making it look good?
I almost exclusively write my blog on my laptop. I come from the generation which first accessed the internet on a device with a keyboard, and for whom it is natural to write (and think while writing) on a keyboard, not a touchscreen. I sometimes read my Dreamwidth feed on a tablet, but I never compose comments, let alone my own posts, on the touchscreen — I find it awkward and time-consuming. (I think there's a joke I've seen about millennials being incapable of replying to 'important' emails on our phones; we have to go to a proper computer and write the reply. That's me.)
8 - How often do you post in your blog? Do you like reading blogs that are high or low in traffic?
This is extremely variable — in January and December, when I have a lot of spare time, and there are things like Yuletide and Snowflake Challenge taking place, I sometimes end up posting every day of the month. When I'm away from my laptop (such as the three weeks I was in Australia, when I only had my phone and tablet), I don't post at all, and barely comment. I think on average it's probably close to once a week.
I have no opinion about others' posting frequency since I tend to read people through my feed rather than directly on their individual blogs, so I generally don't notice if someone hasn't posted for a month or is posting every day, or whatever. The content of people's posts is more important than the frequency.
9 - What are the top ten topics in your blog? You can use the Manage Tags function to sort by usage and see which ones you use most often, or just think about what you consider important subjects.
I should warn that I like using poetic (or maybe ~poetic might be a better description) tags, and that I take tagging extremely seriously!
the via dolorosa: my equivalent of a 'daily life' tag
linkpost: any post with one or more external links in it
me-me-me-meme: any post with answers to meme questions in it
reading log: book reviews
music is my life you see: the post mentions music
me elsewhere: the post links to/mentions my account on another online platform
under the 'bridge: the post is about Cambridge
my favourite philologist: the post mentions Matthias
fangirl: fairly self-explanatory; I don't use this tag any more and really need to disambiguate it
all my dangerous friends: the post is about any work of fiction dealing with sentient supernatural beings in a real-world setting; Buffy would get this tag, a secondary-world fantasy novel wouldn't, and there's a general implication with this tag that it covers works in which humans and supernatural characters interact with each other in some way
10 - What types or topics of posts get the most enthusiastic responses from your readership? What do you think makes those so engaging?
A lot of these open thread posts get an enthusiastic response, which is great, since that's partly why I write them! I would hope they're engaging because they ask a question, but also because the question is kind of low-stakes (favourite warm beverage, favourite place to travel, shibboleths from their language/region, etc) and represents a more relaxing respite from thornier parts of the internet.
11 - Do you use any recurring posts, and if so, what kinds? Do you enjoy reading those in other people's blogs? Why or why not?
The open threads, as mentioned. I've also kind of organically ended up doing a weekly-ish post on Sundays that covers my weekend activities, but that happened mainly because I tend to have more free time on Sunday afternoons, rather than from any deliberate plan. I like other people's recurring posts if they have a lot of substance (for example Reading Wednesday-style book reviews) or if they encourage a lively comments section (for examplelirazel's Fannish Friday posts).
12 - Do you ever go back to reread older entries on your blog, or other blogs? Do you get or give comments on older entries? What kind of posts do you put in your Memories?
I sometimes click on one of my tags and go back and read every entry on it, and I occasionally do this with other people's journals, especially if they've just added me, if they've tagged a current post with that tag that I found particularly interesting, or if they have a tagging system that to me seems interesting. I also use my own tags to find posts that I need to reuse, such as Dear Author letters for fanfic exchanges.
I have never used the Memories function — I rely on my tagging system to find things.
13 - Where do you find ideas for blog posts? What inspires you?
I'm usually inspired to post either by events in my daily life, or media (usually books or TV shows) that I've read/watched. The other main inspirations are politics, or eventful things happening relating to online platforms/communities/discussions taking place in fandom.
14 - Do you use your blog for personal, hobby, or professional purposes? Do you mix those or keep them separate, and why? Do you like to talk about yourself in your blog, or do you prefer to post about other people and events instead?
Personal, definitely. I think of Dreamwidth as being a collection of (semi-)public personal journals which prompt people to talk about their lives, hobbies and interests (which, due to the circles in which I hang out, tend to be mainly books, TV and fanworks). That's how I use my journal, and it's generally the vibe I'm looking for here.
I definitely talk mainly about myself, and tend to keep what I say about other people fairly general, unless I'm writing about a public figure such as a politician.
15 - Do you follow any blogging guidelines? What do you make a point of doing, or not doing, in your blog?
No specific guidelines, really. I post longer posts behind a cut, but not consistently (although I do try to be consistent in cutting for spoilers or stuff that is assumed to need a content note). The one thing I make a real point of doing is using my own elaborate tagging system in a very consistent way.
16 - What are some things that you haven't tried in your blog, but would like to try? What cool things have you seen in other blogs that you haven't done yourself? What things have you tried that totally flopped? Try something new today!
I'm struggling to answer this, really. I remember really, really wanting to have guest bloggers on my![[wordpress.com profile]](https://p.dreamwidth.org/1225b00cee13/-/s.wordpress.org/about/images/wpmini-blue.png)
dolorosa12 book review blog and not really knowing how to go about that, so I suppose that was a flop, but nothing springs to mind regarding Dreamwidth.
17 - What do you consider the traits of a successful blog? What are the traits of an unsuccessful blog?
A successful blog to me is one that people want to read, and whose posts spark not just comments, but discussion. I also think a successful blog is one whose intent is not to broadcast, but to communicate, with comments leading to replies from other readers, and from the original blogger as well.
In general, most people on Dreamwidth seem to share this attitude — it would be really strange, and go against all community norms, for someone here to post a post with open comments and then not reply to the comments received.
18 - Which blogs or communities do you read most often? What makes these your favorites?
I don't read specific blogs or communities — I read through my feed in reverse chronological order until I've caught up, although I skip over posts whose content isn't interesting to me. What I look for in a blog (particularly a Dreamwidth blog) is something I find hard to describe — some sense of the blogger's life and circumstances, but also a good sense of their reactions to the various books they read, things they watch, and wider events in the world that affect them. I find it hard to connect with people or engage with their blogs if I don't know anything about their lives, but similarly I find it hard to connect with people or engage with their blogs if they don't comment on works of media or the news and current affairs that are important to them. (It should be clear that no one owes this sort of thing to me or to anyone else, I'm simply explaining what works for me in terms of blog content.)
misbegotten's blog, and this week's open thread prompt.The prompt is this: if you feel so moved, answer the questions from this meme in your own journal, or respond to any of the individual questions in the comments on my post. Or just comment about anything you find interesting, timely, or worthy of note about online platforms, spaces or communities — being as general or as specific as you'd like.
1. How did you find Dreamwidth? What attracted you to this platform? Why did you start blogging?
I think I found out about it through people promoting it on Livejournal. I didn't join immediately — I remember checking it out, but didn't really see why anyone would need another site that did the same stuff as LJ, just owned by different people, so I just kind of ignored it and kept on posting at LJ. (At that point I really didn't use LJ for transformative fandom — solely as a public journal and a space where I could stay in touch with a variety of friends from school, university, and the book forums which were the main fannish spaces in which I hung out.) Several years and many platforms later, I realised just why the ownership and ethos of a platform was important!
2. How long have you been blogging on Dreamwidth? What has changed here, or in your life, over that timespan?
Dreamwidth tells me I created my account here on 31 December, 2011, so I've obviously been here for a little over eleven years. By that point I was already living in the UK, partway through my PhD, and in a relationship with Matthias (who is now my husband) — all of which I tend to think of as three of the four most consequential decisions in my life thus far, so essentially I was well on the road to the life I'm currently living now. I guess the difference is that everything was a lot more tenuous — I was on a student visa, instead of having UK citizenship, I was still a postgraduate student and had no idea what I was going to do for a career (at that point I was still firmly convinced I was going to work in academia), and I was a year into the relationship (and at that point it was long-distance as I was doing a study abroad year in Heidelberg in Germany) rather than more than twelve years and married.
Weirdly, though, everything seemed much more stable then, or at least to hold the promise of stability, whereas although now I have what I guess seem like the trappings of stability — permanent full-time job, citizenship of the country in which I live, marriage, home-ownership — the various (geo)political upheavals of the past decade have really taught me otherwise.
In terms of Dreamwidth itself, I would say I like it more now than when I first joined. I've met some great people and just feel like I'm part of a proper community here, a space that gives me what I've always wanted from the internet. I'm not sure it's more active now than in 2011, but I've certainly found the active parts, and I understand better that conversation and community isn't something you can just expect to fall into your lap — it's something to which you have to actively contribute and help build and encourage.
3. What are your favorite things about Dreamwidth? What do you dislike about it? What do you wish it had, or had more of?
I've seen Dreamwidth described by its founder as a home for the last, cranky holdouts of the text-based internet, and that feels like an accurate description of what I like about it. I like that its emphasis is still on words, and conversations held through text, and that you really do actually need to make a contribution with words and text if you want to build connections with people here (rather than clicking a button to share other people's material). This is actually a fairly high barrier to entry compared with other online platforms (particularly app-based social media), and I actually like that, because the effort required to participate makes it harder for the space to become infested with trolls, disinfo, and other bad actors — it's too much work for them to bother, for the most part.
However, what I value the most is that Dreamwidth is owned and adminstered by people who broadly share its users' values and ethos, and the fact that it does not make money through ads, or through selling its users' data. I didn't understand why this was important when Dreamwidth first existed, but wow do I appreciate it now.
I wish that Dreamwidth had easier image-hosting options — basically once Photobucket stopped existing, I couldn't figure out any way to embed images in posts (I find the instructions on how to do so so confusing that I've never been able to manage it), but this is so far down on my list of priorities that I generally am not particularly bothered by it.
4. Do you think people should crosspost the same or similar things in more than one place on Dreamwidth? Why or why not? Are there conditions that influence whether or not it's a good idea?
I think if people are worried about digital preservation they should crosspost things in multiple places, since there is always a danger of losing access to content hosted on a third-party platform. However, beyond that I have no firm opinion. I don't crosspost anything any more (my Dreamwidth used to crosspost to LJ, but I switched that off a while ago, and ultimately deleted my LJ), but I don't care if other people do so.
5. Do you have a free account or a paid account on Dreamwidth? What features or other factors made you choose that option? Would you recommend your option to other bloggers? Why or why not?
I have a paid account, and have done so for years. I do like the extra features (especially the icon slots), but I would pay even without them — my reason for paying is that I want to contribute financially to online spaces that I love and whose general ethos I agree with. I view this as no different to paying for a visit to a museum or an art gallery exhibition, or a meal at a restaurant — I'm paying for something that is a significant and fun part of my leisure time.
I would recommend paying for an account if you feel similarly, and if you have the financial means.
6. What is your blog metaphor? Where are you, when you are in your blog?
I don't really understand this question? This feels like asking, 'where are you, when you're reading/writing in a paper journal?' I'm me, Ronni, sitting wherever I happen to be sitting, reading and writing.
7 - What tools do you use for blogging? Laptop, desktop computer, or other device? Paper notebook for jotting down ideas? Color palettes, accessibility gauges, or other guides for making it look good?
I almost exclusively write my blog on my laptop. I come from the generation which first accessed the internet on a device with a keyboard, and for whom it is natural to write (and think while writing) on a keyboard, not a touchscreen. I sometimes read my Dreamwidth feed on a tablet, but I never compose comments, let alone my own posts, on the touchscreen — I find it awkward and time-consuming. (I think there's a joke I've seen about millennials being incapable of replying to 'important' emails on our phones; we have to go to a proper computer and write the reply. That's me.)
8 - How often do you post in your blog? Do you like reading blogs that are high or low in traffic?
This is extremely variable — in January and December, when I have a lot of spare time, and there are things like Yuletide and Snowflake Challenge taking place, I sometimes end up posting every day of the month. When I'm away from my laptop (such as the three weeks I was in Australia, when I only had my phone and tablet), I don't post at all, and barely comment. I think on average it's probably close to once a week.
I have no opinion about others' posting frequency since I tend to read people through my feed rather than directly on their individual blogs, so I generally don't notice if someone hasn't posted for a month or is posting every day, or whatever. The content of people's posts is more important than the frequency.
9 - What are the top ten topics in your blog? You can use the Manage Tags function to sort by usage and see which ones you use most often, or just think about what you consider important subjects.
I should warn that I like using poetic (or maybe ~poetic might be a better description) tags, and that I take tagging extremely seriously!
the via dolorosa: my equivalent of a 'daily life' tag
linkpost: any post with one or more external links in it
me-me-me-meme: any post with answers to meme questions in it
reading log: book reviews
music is my life you see: the post mentions music
me elsewhere: the post links to/mentions my account on another online platform
under the 'bridge: the post is about Cambridge
my favourite philologist: the post mentions Matthias
fangirl: fairly self-explanatory; I don't use this tag any more and really need to disambiguate it
all my dangerous friends: the post is about any work of fiction dealing with sentient supernatural beings in a real-world setting; Buffy would get this tag, a secondary-world fantasy novel wouldn't, and there's a general implication with this tag that it covers works in which humans and supernatural characters interact with each other in some way
10 - What types or topics of posts get the most enthusiastic responses from your readership? What do you think makes those so engaging?
A lot of these open thread posts get an enthusiastic response, which is great, since that's partly why I write them! I would hope they're engaging because they ask a question, but also because the question is kind of low-stakes (favourite warm beverage, favourite place to travel, shibboleths from their language/region, etc) and represents a more relaxing respite from thornier parts of the internet.
11 - Do you use any recurring posts, and if so, what kinds? Do you enjoy reading those in other people's blogs? Why or why not?
The open threads, as mentioned. I've also kind of organically ended up doing a weekly-ish post on Sundays that covers my weekend activities, but that happened mainly because I tend to have more free time on Sunday afternoons, rather than from any deliberate plan. I like other people's recurring posts if they have a lot of substance (for example Reading Wednesday-style book reviews) or if they encourage a lively comments section (for example
lirazel's Fannish Friday posts).12 - Do you ever go back to reread older entries on your blog, or other blogs? Do you get or give comments on older entries? What kind of posts do you put in your Memories?
I sometimes click on one of my tags and go back and read every entry on it, and I occasionally do this with other people's journals, especially if they've just added me, if they've tagged a current post with that tag that I found particularly interesting, or if they have a tagging system that to me seems interesting. I also use my own tags to find posts that I need to reuse, such as Dear Author letters for fanfic exchanges.
I have never used the Memories function — I rely on my tagging system to find things.
13 - Where do you find ideas for blog posts? What inspires you?
I'm usually inspired to post either by events in my daily life, or media (usually books or TV shows) that I've read/watched. The other main inspirations are politics, or eventful things happening relating to online platforms/communities/discussions taking place in fandom.
14 - Do you use your blog for personal, hobby, or professional purposes? Do you mix those or keep them separate, and why? Do you like to talk about yourself in your blog, or do you prefer to post about other people and events instead?
Personal, definitely. I think of Dreamwidth as being a collection of (semi-)public personal journals which prompt people to talk about their lives, hobbies and interests (which, due to the circles in which I hang out, tend to be mainly books, TV and fanworks). That's how I use my journal, and it's generally the vibe I'm looking for here.
I definitely talk mainly about myself, and tend to keep what I say about other people fairly general, unless I'm writing about a public figure such as a politician.
15 - Do you follow any blogging guidelines? What do you make a point of doing, or not doing, in your blog?
No specific guidelines, really. I post longer posts behind a cut, but not consistently (although I do try to be consistent in cutting for spoilers or stuff that is assumed to need a content note). The one thing I make a real point of doing is using my own elaborate tagging system in a very consistent way.
16 - What are some things that you haven't tried in your blog, but would like to try? What cool things have you seen in other blogs that you haven't done yourself? What things have you tried that totally flopped? Try something new today!
I'm struggling to answer this, really. I remember really, really wanting to have guest bloggers on my
dolorosa12 book review blog and not really knowing how to go about that, so I suppose that was a flop, but nothing springs to mind regarding Dreamwidth. 17 - What do you consider the traits of a successful blog? What are the traits of an unsuccessful blog?
A successful blog to me is one that people want to read, and whose posts spark not just comments, but discussion. I also think a successful blog is one whose intent is not to broadcast, but to communicate, with comments leading to replies from other readers, and from the original blogger as well.
In general, most people on Dreamwidth seem to share this attitude — it would be really strange, and go against all community norms, for someone here to post a post with open comments and then not reply to the comments received.
18 - Which blogs or communities do you read most often? What makes these your favorites?
I don't read specific blogs or communities — I read through my feed in reverse chronological order until I've caught up, although I skip over posts whose content isn't interesting to me. What I look for in a blog (particularly a Dreamwidth blog) is something I find hard to describe — some sense of the blogger's life and circumstances, but also a good sense of their reactions to the various books they read, things they watch, and wider events in the world that affect them. I find it hard to connect with people or engage with their blogs if I don't know anything about their lives, but similarly I find it hard to connect with people or engage with their blogs if they don't comment on works of media or the news and current affairs that are important to them. (It should be clear that no one owes this sort of thing to me or to anyone else, I'm simply explaining what works for me in terms of blog content.)
no subject
Date: 2023-04-28 06:05 pm (UTC)(I am with you about image-hosting, btw. It's so clunky! I would definitely post way more pictures if it were easier to do so.)
Aww, a shout-out! :D
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Date: 2023-04-30 02:40 pm (UTC)Image-hosting here is so complicated, but as I say it's far from being a dealbreaker — it's just if it were easier, this place would essentially be perfect from my perspective!
Aww, a shout-out!
I really appreciate and enjoy those Friday posts. I don't always comment, but I always enjoy reading them, as well as their comments sections.
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Date: 2023-05-05 04:39 pm (UTC)I'm so glad! I love hearing about what other people feel fannish about, even if it's unfamiliar to me. If you ever have any suggestions about topics I should post about, please do let me know!
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Date: 2023-05-07 11:11 am (UTC)I will keep that in mind, but honestly, it's hard enough for me to come up with questions for my own Friday posts! I'll do my best!
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Date: 2023-05-07 10:35 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2023-04-28 06:29 pm (UTC)I might answer these in my own journal, later - the questions (and your answers) have given me food for thought!
no subject
Date: 2023-04-30 02:37 pm (UTC)I look forward to seeing your own answers to these questions, if you do end up doing the meme!
no subject
Date: 2023-04-28 06:30 pm (UTC)I've seen Dreamwidth described by its founder as a home for the last, cranky holdouts of the text-based internet, and that feels like an accurate description of what I like about it. I like that its emphasis is still on words, and conversations held through text, and that you really do actually need to make a contribution with words and text if you want to build connections with people here (rather than clicking a button to share other people's material).
I completely agree. I like the text. BUT I also agree that sharing images really should be easier. Especially as we are used to being able to post using images online, and have been for a very long time, if not in the same way you see on tumblr and twitter. I remember people posting pictures and gifs on LJ c. 2007!
(I think there's a joke I've seen about millennials being incapable of replying to 'important' emails on our phones; we have to go to a proper computer and write the reply. That's me.)
Also me.
In general, most people on Dreamwidth seem to share this attitude — it would be really strange, and go against all community norms, for someone here to post a post with open comments and then not reply to the comments received.
I completely agree. I have had a few friends who never responded, so I stopped commenting. I will say I think there are people whosee DW as more of a diary other people are allowed to read. Which it is in a way, but I see it as more of an interaction. But if you really do see it just as a collection of diaries, I can see where never responding to comments, or commenting on other people's posts*, makes sense.
*I'm not one of those "you must always comment" people by any stretch. Not all topics are going to be for everyone, and I also think the drawback to virtual communication is that you also don't have facial cues. I can have nothing to add to what you're saying iRL, but hopefully my facial expressions and body movements show that I'm listening and interested. You don't get that online, which is the nice thing about "like" buttons." OTOH, I'm trying to get better about at least saying something.
I need to be better about responding to people's posts listing books and/or movies they saw in particular, TBH. The trouble I have is that I never know what to say. And I feel bad, because I know people are really excited about sharing the things they've read or watched, I want to be supportive in that, I just have nothing to add. I'm trying to at least say things like "that book looks good", though. Actually, I would love any input as to what I could say. I want to do better.
no subject
Date: 2023-04-30 02:48 pm (UTC)I assume the people doing that on LJ were doing it via Photobucket or other image-hosting websites, which used to generate a neat bit of HTML code that you could copy-paste into LJ posts and made the whole process fairly straightforward. I don't think LJ itself was hosting the images, but I could be wrong. Certainly that's how I used to embed images in LJ posts.
I will say I think there are people whosee DW as more of a diary other people are allowed to read.
I think you're right — there are certainly a couple of people I'm subscribed to here who use it in that way, to the point that I would feel strange commenting on their posts. It's not why I use Dreamwidth, but I understand what they're trying to do.
I need to be better about responding to people's posts listing books and/or movies they saw in particular, TBH. The trouble I have is that I never know what to say. And I feel bad, because I know people are really excited about sharing the things they've read or watched, I want to be supportive in that, I just have nothing to add. I'm trying to at least say things like "that book looks good", though. Actually, I would love any input as to what I could say. I want to do better.
Honestly, that's often what I say in response to those kinds of posts, and I generally only comment if the book/show in question does sound like something that's to my taste. I've got a bunch of people in my circle who are into really different kinds of books and TV shows to me, and the stuff they recap/review doesn't sound like my thing, to the extent that I don't feel my comments would add anything. I follow/chat to people here because they have a broadly similar outlook to life, fandom, and things that matter to them, rather than because we like exactly the same stuff.
There are a couple of people I follow who get a great deal of joy from reviewing really poor-quality stuff — b movies, old pulp novels and stuff — and although I never want to read/watch the works in question, their reviews are written from a place of genuine affection such that they're a lot of fun to read. They always find something interesting to say, even about the most ridiculous sounding stuff.
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Date: 2023-05-01 11:25 am (UTC)I assume the people doing that on LJ were doing it via Photobucket or other image-hosting websites, which used to generate a neat bit of HTML code that you could copy-paste into LJ posts and made the whole process fairly straightforward. I don't think LJ itself was hosting the images, but I could be wrong. Certainly that's how I used to embed images in LJ posts.
Ooh, that's right! I think you theoretically could host pictures on LJ, but it was a much more complicated process.
I think you're right — there are certainly a couple of people I'm subscribed to here who use it in that way, to the point that I would feel strange commenting on their posts. It's not why I use Dreamwidth, but I understand what they're trying to do.
Me too.
Honestly, that's often what I say in response to those kinds of posts, and I generally only comment if the book/show in question does sound like something that's to my taste.
The former is good to know, and yes to the latter! You don't want to lie, certainly.
I follow/chat to people here because they have a broadly similar outlook to life, fandom, and things that matter to them, rather than because we like exactly the same stuff.
And you're definitely not going to like all of the same stuff, or maybe even most of the same stuff. I never got into Game of Thrones, I would have hated it, but I was still interested in what people had to say about it.
There are a couple of people I follow who get a great deal of joy from reviewing really poor-quality stuff — b movies, old pulp novels and stuff — and although I never want to read/watch the works in question, their reviews are written from a place of genuine affection such that they're a lot of fun to read. They always find something interesting to say, even about the most ridiculous sounding stuff.
That's fun. XD
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Date: 2023-04-28 07:36 pm (UTC)It was lovely to read through your thoughts and replies!! So many quotable and/or relatable parts... Like community not being something that falls on your lap! Or not initially understanding why the ownership/ethos of a platform matters so much, and now caring very much.
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Date: 2023-04-30 02:51 pm (UTC)Like community not being something that falls on your lap! Or not initially understanding why the ownership/ethos of a platform matters so much, and now caring very much.
You're definitely someone I thought of when I was saying these things — I've seen you express similar sentiments in posts of your own before. I think these two things are probably the most important things I've learnt over the course of my two decades involved in online communities.
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Date: 2023-04-28 07:59 pm (UTC)I hadn’t heard of that but it rings so true!
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Date: 2023-04-29 02:48 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2023-04-30 12:43 am (UTC)Absolutely! And it also feels like a bigger screen allows more room to think and see the bigger picture (or maybe that’s just me).
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Date: 2023-04-30 02:51 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2023-04-29 08:48 am (UTC)So much THIS. I need a place where I'm not the product/customer. It's why DW will be my forever online home for however long it stands.
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Date: 2023-04-30 02:52 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2023-04-29 02:42 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2023-04-30 02:53 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2023-04-30 09:41 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2023-04-29 06:03 pm (UTC)Another favorite thing about DW: I love that it supports RSS! I read many things on my DW Reading page via RSS, and it's a real boon.
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Date: 2023-04-30 02:54 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2023-05-02 04:48 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2023-05-03 06:32 pm (UTC)