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Micro-blogging is Confusing the Heck Out of Me Now, But I Has Gained Englightenment!
Oh the wonders that a little calming coffee break can do.
Foreword: This is what I get for attempting to “micro-blog” in more than one place at a time.
Remember the ‘Asides’ help we asked you guys before? Well, that sort-of worked for and against us (or rather me, the source of all randomness around this blog). It was a delight knowing that you guys are interested in our boring lives and other commentaries we might have. But then because of the jack-of-all-trades ambition of our ‘Asides’, I also managed to confuse the heck out of myself with the schemes I’ve been devising to make this section more effective and efficient. I brought my MAL and twitter into the blog, which I decided to use for blurbing on animes and RL or otaku stuff, respectively, by aggregating their feeds with the Asides category.
Given that this section consists of all sorts of randomness, I considered them to be ‘noise posts’ which seem out of place in the blog and excluded them from the blog’s feed. And then came this one Aside post I wrote, a random babble on the Birdy the Mighty OAV, Aika, City Hunter and Yakushiji Ryouko, which I also posted in my MAL blog. My desire to share this experience with people prompted me to once again include the Asides category in the feed, so people would be notified of this post. As it turns out, that simple “Asides” blurb was just about as potent as any random posts I have. People shared their thoughts on City Hunter, and perhaps I piqued other people’s interest on Birdy the Mighty? Now if that post remained as an invisible Aside post and/or a lonely MAL blog post, I doubt it would’ve garnered such a response.
As I sat down and think about all this Asides microblogging jambalaya, I remember Hige’s post about Microblogging and the conventions we set for our blog, and wondered why the heck I even went to all the trouble of separating my MAL blurbs from the main blog. Perhaps I thought they wouldn’t be potent enough, that unlike Hinano’s babbles, mine would be useless thoughts bubbles which are better off ignored? Or perhaps I just wanted to take down notes and later on use them for a more noteworthy editorial-like post? Whatever it is, I felt alienated from my own blog because of all these made-up conventions which never should’ve been there in the first place.
You see, I babble a lot. The dilemma I usually face in making a post is that I can’t make it coherent enough to become a noteworthy post. That, or I can’t express my feelings about a show eloquently enough. Or that my comments are too short, and whatnot. As iniksbane summed up and pointed out, one of the main reasons behind this micro-blogging fad is the concept of blog identity. What bloggers think don’t fit into this blog identity, will then go to the micro-blog. Then I paused for a while and asked myself, what is our blog’s identity anyways? What is my identity as a blogger?
I’m nowhere as smart as IKnight, Owen, Hige, and itsubun. Yes this line has been said for who knows how many times but I’ll say it again because that’s how I feel, and that’s what makes it different. I’m not as witty as Kabitzin and issa nor as entertaining and funny as Hinano, Baka-Raptor, DS and lolikit though I try, from time to time But seriously, what the heck right? Right now there are so many jumbled thoughts on my mind, comments for much about every summer show I sampled. There are also other stuffs I want to fangurl about. And I’d like to think that the faithful readers of this blog would want to know them. *ahem* Amirite or not? Ok, no need to answer that.
In times like this, a little self-talk is good, something like “Have faith in your goddamn random babbles and thoughts, demmit!” So yeah, post length and whatsoever conventions be damned, I say. I’m just gonna blurb and whatsoever here, in a similar manner as my tweeting perhaps, but in a more “organized” manner. As much as I want to write more editorials, creative inspiration can sometimes be bleak, and I don’t really want to stop writing during those blogging lull moments, since I still want to share my thoughts on what I watch (and read or play even). So there, this is totally free-form blogging desu~! I’ve already said before that this blog is the extension of my soul, and by voicing out whatever thoughts I have, I still am abiding by that dogma. Blogging is a way for me to share my thoughts and feelings, and just being my thoughts alone is enough of a reason for me to post about it (and I once again remember a passage from Rilke’s book).
That said, I’m going to forget about blogging in MAL now, and perhaps the Asides too, since I don’t know what I’m gonna post there now .___. I feel more comfortable in spouting random blurbs on shows I’m watching and what I’m doing in twitter (or plurk, a much cooler 3D kind of twitter, though I think this one works best for more accustomed acquaintances and friends). What can be more convenient than being able to post twitter blurbs through your firefox status bar (or other more convenient means, depending on the twitter tool you’re using)! Now I can finally say that I found my NARITAI JIBUN, being a randomly raving rabbit 
I’m leaning towards the idea of turning the blog into a うさぎ友人帳 (usagi’s book of friends) or シェフ友人帳 or something
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18 comments for “Micro-blogging is Confusing the Heck Out of Me Now, But I Has Gained Englightenment!”
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I think you should just blog whatever you want and if someone doesn’t like it they don’t have to read it.
Somewhere along the line I heard microblogging be referenced as “notepadding” which I think is a much more apt description consideration that’s exactly what it is. We perceive what the identity of our blogs are, but then that eventually brings up internet identities, nexistences, if you will. Identities on the internet are discontinuous only if you use different pseudonyms, or can clearly say that one account or identity on one location is the same as one on another. That’s given from my MAL and blog, since I use the same name, but perhaps it’s different for IKnight whose MAL registration name is not “Animanachronism” by default.
I think that microblogging/notepadding can help to give context to the main blog, it’s like brief, subtle autobiographical information. Main blogs point to something concise, they are incisive in and of themselves, while jotting down spontaneous thoughts can direct a curious reader to some personal conclusion: “oh, so this is what they also think about?”
A lot of people update out of a sense of duty. They burn out.
Just blog as you like it. We’ll get over it.
Yeah, I was actually reading articles on “blogging burnout” and I agree with Baka-Raptor. Imho, keep it fun for you
No, Baka-Raptor, we won’t get over being able to stalk usagijen in quite that obsessive detailI mean, go with what Hinano said.Also I realise that I’ve been routinely misspelling ‘usagijen’ until now, for which I apologise.
I’m going to join the other comments here in saying that you should blog on your own terms: your style, your standards, your schedule.
If you try to abide by the mentality of having to perpetually pander to your readers, then you’ll burn out sooner than later, as Baka-Raptor has stated.
Basically, you’re not getting paid to blog and you’re not obligated to blog. Therefore, you should blog as you please. There will be people who will appreciate what you have to contribute. And there will be others who won’t. But that’s just up to personal preferences and you can’t please everyone. So just concentrate on developing your own style and writing. Ultimately, you should be the one getting the most out of your blogging experience.
Whatever you choose to do with your blog, I will still read it because I think you’re a good, introspective writer who’s openness and ability to convey her feelings and insecurities are things that I can admire and appreciate. I’m sure the same goes for most of your other regular readers.
I’ve always thought of the micro-blogging as being more personal in nature than the main blog. Small observations, new products, other anything that you can’t really spin a main article out of…that kind of thing. Or, just have a running conversation with other bloggers.
Thanks guys, I just hope I’m not boring you with my blogging dilemmas every now and then
The solution is as simple as you guys say, I just make it all complicated 
All for fun, all for fun. Cheers 
I never DID use the MAL blog. MAL to me is like a place for me to refer to for Animes that need watching/rewatching.
And you should do it as per how you like it, usagijen, everyone has their own preferences/style.
Great, I’m not smart, witty, funny or even entertaining
@C.I.: yeah, that’ll be the major purpose of my MAL now, aside from chatting a little with fellow MAL-ers ^^
@blissmo: lol, I can’t name all of you, you know
You are entertaining and funny, though in a morbid twisted way 
Go ahead and rant comrade, the only person you ow anything to blogging wise is your self and no one else though Amuto may occasionally demand a post.
Once it becomes a chore it’s probably a sign that the flame is gone. So don’t fret just rekindle that fangirl flame with something that catches your interest.
@Crusader: man, I’ve been wanting to post about Amuto for so long but I always fail lol. Don’t worry comrade, the Amuto flame in me is burning strong as ever!
Isn’t it hard enough to manage one big blog without the mini ones? We blog how we like, so there!
And thanks jen, now I’ll actually have to put a conscious effort into being ‘witty’ i.e. lolwut?
@issa-sa: depends on what is contained in the mini ones, and the main blog? hehe. For other people, the mini blog helps them churn out the post that they really want.
LOL, I’m not the only one who think you’re witty you know. And it doesn’t have to be a conscious effort, it’s a natural skill!
time vs micro, me tweets via the cellular
but, I have trouble getting random thoughts into 140 characters :/ events are easier to express… word.