SED - 19 October 2013

[teddy_radiator]

Feeling much better today. TheHubs(r) and I are just lounging around today. He's watching Netflix and I'm trying to get more of my sshg_promptfest fic done. I have a stupid amount left to do. It's coming along slowly but surely. I'm really hoping to get more done this weekend.

I read a piece someone wrote today in the fandomsecrets community saying how glad they were that LJ was dying. It really disturbed me. They went on to say how much better Tumblr was and how you didn't have to make friends on it. Then I realised I was just disturbed at their dismissal of having or making friends more than their quip about being glad LJ was dying. It was not the blog they hated; they just hated having to interact with people.

I view Tumblr as a totally different animal; it is my visual inspiration. Occasionally, people will write some very unique and helpful things, and when they do, it's all I can do not to write to them and say, "Please join LJ - you'll be appreciated there!" Tumblr is full of bitchy, bitter, envious, dissatisfied people. In spite of this, I have made one friend there, and hooked up with another one I'd lost touch with through LJ. But for the most part people there are so restless, searching for things they can't seem to find. It's not a place to share your heart; it is too shallow for that. It's there to feed your eyes, and it really isn't all that good for much else, in my opinion. I like it, but it will never take the place of LJ for me.

It's been such a cool day, (high was 62 F today - that's practically cold), but I've not stepped out of the house and don't plan to. I'm loving the Autumnal weather, though. I can't believe 2/3 of October are gone - time is moving too fast.

I'm debating placing some of my work back on ff.net. I hate it there, but it would get my fics to a bigger audience. Still thinking about it. Opinions?

Well, a Rome apple and some caramel sauce are calling my name. Take care, and hugs to all who needs 'em, and I leave you with this:

Comments

[akatnamedeaster.livejournal.com]

Blech. Tumblr is only good for porn and nothing else. I hope I never end up there fannishly.

To me, places like LJ not only offer the ability to make friends but also get feedback on work and engage in conversations sparked by that work that sometimes can result in some great creative give and take. Tumblr from what I can tell is reblog after reblog. Passive. No thanks.

I'm not sure why this person can't enjoy LJ though, it's not as though there aren't a million lurkers here.

[teddyradiator.livejournal.com]

Fannishly it's depressing. It's just depressing in general. It's like walking around and around a buffet, looking for that one thing you really want to eat. You pass loads of unappealing or repetitive stuff, and the one thing you really crave isn't really there. It's a very unsatisfying place to stay on for any extended amount of time.

[akatnamedeaster.livejournal.com]

I find the current social media outlets depressing, but then I started to get comfortable online in the days of forums and then LJ when it was all about connection. Now it's all about consumption and that's not surprising given that, that is how commercial culture prefers we behave. Passive eaters of material.

To me, that's pretty much what Tumblr is, passive devouring of other people's content and giving nothing in return.

[toblass.livejournal.com]

There are days when I avoid Tumblr. There's no real conversation/dialogue that I'm interested in participating in and I find it all very shallow and some of it all too mean spirited. Although I will admit to getting my AR/Snape fix there, it won't replace LJ.

[teddyradiator.livejournal.com]

I'm pretty much at that point myself, Tobe. I just spent most of the day without it because it wouldn't load for some reason. When I went back on I just scrolled through all the stuff and thought, "This is not making me happy. It's the same old pron, the same stupid questions, the same smug people, the same nasty anons."

I think time away from it is just what the doctor ordered. I'll have to catch up with HM in a different way from now on, I think.

[kellychambliss.livejournal.com]

Well, I don't think LJ is dying. The people I love best are still here, and that's all that matters to me. I've resisted Tumblr for exactly the reasons you note: it's not a community of friends; it's basically an archive of images.

Last year, a friend assured me that "the Snape community" had moved to Tumblr and that Tumblr was where "everything was happening" in terms of Snape fic. Well, I'm not on Tumblr, so I can't say, but it seems to me that plenty of Snape fic is still "happening" here, too. As long as my flist is here on LJ, I'm here.

Love the Rickman pic; thanks!

[teddyradiator.livejournal.com]

I completely agree. Tumblr is nice for some visuals, but like ff.net, you have to wade through a lot of dross, and the same dross over and over. There is no fic over there; that's not what it's there for, and the people who use it as a 'blog' open themselves to the scummiest, nastiest people. It's not a place for me.

You're very welcome - I like finding pleasant things for my friends to enjoy ;)

[mimimanderly.livejournal.com]

I don't think that LJ is dying. People drift in and out of our lives continuously, whether it be online or in "real life". It doesn't indicate death, merely change. If this person is an example of the kind of negative and shallow thinking that pervades Tumblr, I have no desire to set virtual foot in the place! There is too much negativity that bombards one uninvited; why seek it out?

What is it that you hate about ff.net? Only YOU can weigh whether it's worth putting up with whatever it is you detest in order to reach a wider audience.

[teddyradiator.livejournal.com]

You are right, as always, Mimi darling. I have a self-confessed snobbery abour ff.net. I need to get over it, and decide if it's worth it beyond my own petty dislikes about the site in general.

The sad thing about Tumblr is that there are a lot of good people there, but they are using it like LJ, and it's not meant for that kind of interaction. It's a visual repository (I wrote suppository, then laughed. Maybe it's not too far off from that as well!) and that's all it should be. It's too shallow for how some people want and need to use it.

I've met several people I think would benefit from coming here, and they just balk at the idea. It's easy just to dump and run there; you don't have to be held accountable or interact with any depth of feeling.

[mimimanderly.livejournal.com]

I don't understand why a person would want to "dump and run". If you aren't posting for the interaction, why post at all? I've seen some blogs where the person goes on and on about themselves, and then doesn't take the time to answer the comments. It just strikes me as so self-involved, not to take the time to acknowledge the commenter at all.

[teddyradiator.livejournal.com]

I think you've hit the nail on the head - Self-involved. Tumblre is a place where everyone is on transmit. The few times where there is interaction it's usually someone trying very cringingly to flirt with someone, or trying to sound tough and badass, or just being nasty. So few times do I find any real meaningful dialogue there.

[ex-logospil.livejournal.com]

I have tried several times to get into tumblr, but it never seems to work. I just find it depressing and empty... I cannot figure out what it is for. There is no interaction there. I am interested in creating, and in interaction.

I am on livejournal to stay ♥

[teddyradiator.livejournal.com]

Depressing and empty truly sums it up. It is good for some visual images, but I find myself feeling empty and depressed scrolling past the same stuff over and over.

This is where I want to be surrounded by my dear friends, who encourage and support me. As long as I'm alive, I'll be here. This has been one of the greatest finds of my life.

[ex-logospil.livejournal.com]

There are pretty things on tumblr, but then it is just... Scrolling. You look at things, you scroll... Then I ask myself "Why am I doing this for any length of time?" I have heard tumblr referred to as a "time suck," and that is pretty much my feelings about it. What is the point of tumblr?

Here, I interact with loved ones... To me, that is the whole point of online activity (apart from shopping *laughs*). Communication, exchange, reciprocated joy. That is one of the reasons why I have found twitter enjoyable; I have exchanges with loved ones over there (though nothing is like livejournal to me). I am very happy that I still have a number of loved ones who post on livejournal regularly; I miss the ones who are gone.

I shall continue to share my heart with my loved ones here, that I do know! ♥

[gelsey.livejournal.com]

LJ is the place of my heart and where my friends really are. I play on facebook some and I have made a few friends through there, but I haven't done Tumblr yet mainly because it is visual media and I still have dial up here at home. I love visual inspiration as well, but I don't have the patience to wait for it at home with my connection.

But I come online to FIND my friends. I'm an outcast in my real life, but online I want that connection and I want to deal with people. Yes, sometimes people are stupid and annoying even online, but everyone is going to be like that on occasion, so. Friends will be there regardless.

Ff.net isn't a bad place to back things up; just don't be bothered with all the reviews at times. I rarely look at my reviews there.

[teddyradiator.livejournal.com]

LJ has been so many things to me, but mainly it was the place that made me feel like a person with possibilities. I had to seek these possibilities out on my own and make them my realities, but this is where those seeds were planted, and the place I feel I'm home. The friends I've made here are the strongest, most amazing I will ever know.

[madeleone]

I don't do Twitter or Tumbler and really am not especially fond of FB although I have both a RL and Fandom one, but I basically just pop in and out and lurk mostly.

It has been much quieter here at LJ lately, but as Mimi said just as in real life people move in and out of our circle and I guess we must accept that. It makes me sad when people disappear from my LJ circle but that's life.

As far as ff.net, I guess that's a decision that is ultimately up to you. I still have all my fics posted there but I also post at several other archives: these days, mainly AO3, GE, and The Maple Bookshelf. The thing I do like about FF.net as you said, there is a much larger audience. It give me a boost when I check the stats and see that my fic has been read by people all around the world.

Thanks for the pic, (he's so 'purty'). :)

[jenidralph.livejournal.com]

I had a Tumblr account for about 30 minutes... maybe an hour. I'm not sure. I lost track of time looking at things. I found nothing really useful or fulfilling, but I did waste 30 minutes... maybe an hour of my life. I deleted (or whatever they call it) my account. (It's okay, I have a good friend who gives me the best of her AR/Snape fix via email. ;) (No offense to anyone who enjoys Tumblr. It's just not for me.)

I definitely prefer to actually interact with people. I have a twitter, but I haven't been there in ... years?? (It is set to auto-update when I post on my HS blog.) I enjoy facebook, as it allows me to interact with family members I haven't seen in years... and some of you crazy fools. ;) (Winking again, Jen? ... Really??)

FF.net... I say that you should go for it, but only if you feel comfortable. (LOL... this fence rail up my arse is starting to hurt.) I read a lot there.

Yummy Rickman... *drools and shorts out keyboaa'd09328rioldf:*

Sorry, the keyboard's dry now. ;) (I gotta get that winky eye checked out.)

[toblass.livejournal.com]

1. How do you know you are getting all the good AR/Snape stuff via email? How do you know she ain't holding out on you?

2. You really must control that drooling.

3. And get that eye checked out.

[jenidralph.livejournal.com]

She wouldn't hold out on me. I trust her. :)

[mimimanderly.livejournal.com]

I must agree with Toby. The eye alone could be just a facial tic. But in conjunction with the drooling, it worries me. I think you should get it checked out by a doctor... or at least have someone play doctor with you. That should set things to right!

[jenidralph.livejournal.com]

Perhaps someone could play detention with me. ;) (Damn! There goes that eye, again!)

[toblass.livejournal.com]

I bet if you allowed The Professor to catch you winking at him you'd be all set up for...detention.

[dreamy-dragon73.livejournal.com]

I don't think lj is dying yet. There are still a lot of fests going on and most of the people I love are still here. As long as my friends stay, I'll cling to lj.

I've hogged my username on Tumblr, but can't really figure it out. I can't find the good Snape stuff, and mostly it seems people reblogging pics and gifs. To me it all feels very shallow and doesn't seem to encourage communication, so I very rarely go there. But maybe that's just me - no offence to anyone who likes Tumblr.

I find ffnet a bit of a mixed bag. I only read there if it's a rec and I can't find the story anywhere else. I don't post there either. My stories go to TPP and AO3. Also to Ashwinder and GE if I remember. But that's my personal preference, and yes it would give you a wider audience.