Cléa
A Year Ago… Today
BeMused, the blog, was officially launched on the Blogger platform.
A Year Ago… Bemused told of where shadows come to light.
Today… Cléa B.Mused scribbles in the sand.
A Year Ago… BeMused was clad in a red and black evening wardrobe.
Today… CBMUSED wears the colours of the ocean.
A Year Ago… Blogging was a forum for an exchange of ideas, the discovery of different viewpoints and the engagement in solid discussions.
Today… Blogging has caved in to the “I agree” phenomenon, superficial discussions, and in some instances has become a playground for flame wars, internet cowards and comment collectors.
A Year Ago… Blogging was still a thriving and engaging hobby.
Today… (Good) Blogging is dead and morphed into fast food joints such as Facebook, Twitter and others.
A Year Ago… I had a strong appreciation for blogger friends.
Today… Some friendships have strengthened while others have revealed their true colours.
A Year Ago… I was awed by the unselfishness of some of my blogger friends; they are Aces.
Today… I am not convinced if new blogger friendships can ever reach the same depths.
A Year Ago… I said no to moving to a hosted WordPress site.
Today… I renewed my domain registration; it’s the best blog move I have ever made.
A Year Ago… I made a most difficult decision.
Today… And I still stand by its difficulty.
A Year Ago… Amidst much turbulence, change was inevitable.
Today… I live and breathe the change and expect more of it.
A Year Ago… I was passionate about writing.
Today… Writing has become synonymous with ‘the things I do’.
A Year Ago…I was lucky and most appreciative of having an intimate audience.
Today…I am ever so grateful for the support I have today.
A Year Ago…
I was uncertain if I’d make this Blogaversary.
Today…
I raise a Martini toast to CBMUSED’s First Blogaversary.
And a special Martini cheer to each one of you who has been part of my bemused journey.
Cheers!
Tags: a year ago today, blogaversary, blogger friendships, blogging, blogging is dead, cbmused
Cheers, indeed! Congratulations on making it to your anniversary and I hope that there will be many more. Would you believe that after over two years with my own blog I’m still trying to make it to post #100?
I will celebrate with a latte this afternoon!
Well, I was going to have the latte anyways, but you know, this time it will be symbolic. Hi Cléa.
Happy Blogaversary Cléa. Blogging is not the same as it was two or three years ago and new readers are few and far between and most old readers have hung up their blogging spurs. Still, we write because it is in us and we would write whether there was anyone to read or not. So, in a way, I feel I’ve moved from the busy city and all its bustle to a quiet cottage by the sea. Peace is not such a bad thing.
Happy Anniversary.
I can’t believe it’s been a year since you launched this site.
Also, I hate to agree with you in light of what you’ve written, but I do have to say that blogging really has changed. Or maybe I’ve changed. I don’t know…either way, it’s not the same and the newcomers to the blogging scene just leave me feeling cold. I miss how it used to be when I first started in 2004…but I realize that neither I nor blogging will ever be that carefree again.
Especially the twenty-something blogs. Seriously…I know that I’m still technically in my twenties, but holy hell. If you ever want to see an “I agree, let me lick your ass a little bit more” pukefest, find a twenty-something blog and read the comments. It’s disgusting.
I have noticed fewer and fewer blogs impress me.
And I quit caring about comment count a long time ago.
GSR: Cheers to you! And great to still have you around, particularly since you haven’t been as active on your blog of late.
No… really? You must be close to the 100th by now!
Peefer: And I will join you in my morning latte, which I haven’t had yet… Hi Peefer.
Trée: You’ve summed it up perfectly. We write because the urge is there. As for the evolution of blogging, I’m more than happy to have the peace and quiet of a beach hut or somewhere to lay a towel or sip a couple of drinks with friends. At least here, I can hear myself think.
Sicilian Mama: The year has certainly flown by for me!
I don’t think we’ve changed. Blogging has moved on and we’re still trying to maintain it the way it was. We can succeed within our small groups which is why I said I’m not convinced new blogger friendships can reach the same depths.
I’ve come across those 20 somethings, 30 somethings etc and some of them are as you describe. It’s all too cliquey as if it’s designed to exclude others by virtue of a number. So when you reach 30, you’re kicked out, like Logan’s Run! What I really enjoy about blogging is that I’m not limited to demographics. If I have a connection with the blog author, I wouldn’t care how old or young they are, or their backgrounds because that’s what I’m like in my personal life. It’s like bloggers who choose all their readers from their own country or worse, the city they live in. Too claustrophobic.
Casey: Same with me to the point that I’ve almost stopped looking. These days, if the writing doesn’t grab me, I move on.
As for the number of comments, it’s the quality that counts more than going up in double digits.
Congrats! I too have made “friends” with people through your blog, which I find quite amusing! I’m glad you’re here and I hope it’s to stay, for awhile at least!
Woohoo!! One year’s worth of memories, thoughts and feelings. Here’s to many more that matter, to you and to those of us whom it means much to.
I raise a martini to you for that.
I don’t think blogging is really dead though. Buried under the sea of pointless commercialisation and meaning, but the number of gems that still is, still remains. Much like this blog.
However, it’s always us that has changed. From a time when it was fresh and new, to a point where we don’t have time to go look for something that’s hard to find. From a time when we we’re young and idealistic to a time when the same ideals seem so out of place in our world today. Blogging is no different, we change with the times and what remains stangnant, becomes the past we look back with either nostalgia or forgotten apathy.
After all, blogging is just a word. We’re the ones that give it a meaning and life of its own.
Happy Blogaversary!!
Clea… when you start to find the past better than the present…it is a sure sign you are getting old…
I don’t think blogging has changed that much…maybe more people do it… and there are still a few jewels among a sea of crap…
Bloggers come and go…
I guess we blog because we want some recognition… what is my joy if I keep my pictures for myself… what about a short story or a novel you keep in your drawer… I guess most of us want to share our creativity with others… before it was impossible… now in theory you can share it with the world…
Some people share in twitter that they are drinking their latte, make love … indeed strange behavior… but why not? Humans are social creatures… we want to interact with others.
And yes…it can be fun to meet someone from China, Australia or Africa from the comfort of your desk…
Mrs Mahd: That’s the beauty of the medium, isn’t it. Particularly when we’ve come to realise how long we’ve known some people
Kami: Thank you, and I’ll toasting that Martini tonight!
I don’t think it’s us who’ve changed, though some of us have adapted as a natural progression, but we didn’t cause that change. True we don’t have time to sift through the multitude of crap that’s out there, from the inane to corporate blogs, wannabe probloggers, and so on. But we never did in the past.
And that is why for a small group of us out there, we’re still doing it.
EM: Thank you!! And thank you for being there all along
Sidney: We’re all getting old!
And yes, it’s also a sign of nostalgia and comparing change.
I’m with you when it comes to the love of sharing our creativity with others, something that wasn’t even possible some years ago (does that make me sound older too?
) . And that’s one of the joys of blogging. When I started, I told someone it was like having a gallery or a studio where people visited and saw your artwork. And some get to talk about it. How wonderful is that!
A lot of the first generation of bloggers that I know are bringing the train into station. But still, there are a few who have plans at cashing in their chips with novels and other books. And it’s good to see that the medium worked for you!
I still need to come back into the fold and write every day. nothing in the world helps a writer like that will…
Besides maybe a tropical storm romance that you can never talk about, one that still finds ways to seep into everything else you do and gives each word written a zest and a depth of horizon that would not be there if the internal fire was not blazing so boldly.
That’s pretty good for a writer as well!
Congratulations and keep the martinis on ice. Glad you are still here.
Big cheers Cleà!
Today… I live and breathe the change and expect more of it.
Sounds good
Eric: I like your term “first generation of bloggers”, kind of like pioneering the phenomenon that swept us at the time and now has become inundated with newcomers and frankly, a lot of noise.
What you describe so poetically is the difference between a blogger and a writer, something that good blogger friend of mine has alluded to previously. And that’s the reason why some of us still do it, despite the changes around us that at times, can be very discouraging.
Cheers to you, Eric, and for your words of encouragement from the start. I too am glad you have made a return.
Die Muräne: Thank you kindly!
That change is almost part of me, makes me sway with the wind at times, instead of against it.
I relate to everything that you’ve written here and have tried and tried again to write about it on my blog. Trust me when I say it wasn’t as eloquent as yours is written and that there were a few f-bombs strewn about. This is why I need you! You are my more refined half! And seriously, as you’ve said, there aren’t a lot of decent blogs left out there, so of course I would be here along the way!!
Sicilian Mama’s comment really rings true. Essentially Me told me I had to read this post. You’re a sharp woman Cléa. Blogging has really changed in the past year. It’s the most dramatic shift I’ve seen in the four years I’ve been doing this. It pains me to see myself blogging less and relying on other formats like Facebook. Facebook does have some advantages, but I’m always going to be loyal to blogging. It gives us a chance to really speak our minds and share ideas.
The twenty something bloggers are a funny bunch. I once again love what Sicilian Mama had to say there. Cléa, you’re awesome. Your point about blogging demographics is so perfect. We’re a lot less likely to get caught up in appearance. If you like what your read, you come back. Age, appearance, quantity of friends, comments, etc. aren’t as important. If you connect with the author, then it’s a good thing. Happy One Year on WordPress. Glad you found a good provider.
EM: I think many of us long timers have written about it, or wanted to write about it, or even discussed it off blog at some time or another. And the fact that a few of us reserve the best discussions off blog instead of on the blog, is testament to the changes that have take place.
In that case, you are my more direct half! I love the way you tell it as it is and let loose. After all, isn’t that what we all did at the start before blogging became too PC?
Egan: First of all let me say that Essentially Me told me I had to read this post and I once again love what Sicilian Mama had to say there put a huge grin on my face. Why? Because that is exactly the kind of blogger friendships I refer to.
As you say, Facebook can never replace blogging and the sharing of ideas. I doubt very much I could get to know someone well enough through status updates, whereas with blogging, you often anticipate or look forward to a particular person’s response on a post. Like this one. I wonder what Egan will have to say if he comments – that thought crossed my mind.
Any kind of blogging label like 20-somethings, mommy-bloggers etc comes at the expense of exclusivity and exclusion. To me, it becomes a ‘keep out’ sign that reminds me of teenagers bedroom doors. Life isn’t like that.
I’m glad I eventually moved to WP, that anniversary is in February, though it feels like I’ve been on it for much longer. Cheers to you, Flamboyant Egan.
Mmmm. A lot of what you’re saying rings true for me also – the way the whole “networking” aspect of onlined-ness ( is that a word? Hmmm… is now I guess! ) has changed. It’s now less a means of expression and creation, and back to being part of a “communications based economy”. I think people really need to stop taking the internet so seriously.
Rant aside, I am so glad you took those steps into the unknown world of WP and embraced the possibilities. I’ve watched this little patch slowly change and evolve, and become, more “you” over time, and that’s been great to see.
Congrats to you on your first Blogaversary. Let’s drink to it being the first of many more. =)
Gboy: The day the lame organisation I worked for at the time put up a blog, I thought soon every person and corporation will want one. When the corporate world adopted blogging as a means of communication, the medium stopped being fun. Do you really see anyone stopping to take the internet seriously? I mean, we’re getting closer and closer to god now, through Google…
Bloggers and their blogs have a unique and variable relationship. So if the blog is becoming more me, then it can only be a good sign.
Cheers to you, Gboy, and for all your encouragement from Day 1. So pleased I finally listened and jumped into the light that is WP
Yes, the way we know each other so well we look forward to how they will respond to a certain post. You’re right, you don’t get that with Facebook. If you write a post about how your PC crapped out, you can bet I’m going to chime in with some predictable comment about buying a Mac. That’s what makes this venue so much more fun. You do have a chance to learn so much more about the author because lots of thought goes into blog posts. Well, some posts of mine are a bit short on intellect these days. Keep on rockin’ in the Ducati!
Egan: Absolutely. This kind of rapport builds over time. While it can move to Facebook and act as a complement, it can never replace the kind of Mac-PC banter that occurs on blogs
Are you kidding me? Some of your posts of late have been quite powerful and emotional.
And between us, we can keep the Ducati engines running!
Happy Blogiversary!!!
We’ve discussed the state of the matrix behind the curtain, so you already know my opinions there… and my stance hasn’t changed.
While I welcome change (since it IS inevitable), I can still miss the way things USED to be, too. Sometimes remembering better times/ways is not just fluffy clouds of memory, glossed into some romantic nostalgia, as some may say, but are TRUE and reflective of the REALITY of what/how it really was. Make sense? … In other words, sometimes change isn’t for the BETTER and it’s ok to miss the way things were before they changed. I know I do.
Rant aside, glad you’re still here… and sooooooo happy we’re still bloggy friends! =)
*hugs*
LB: Makes perfect sense. I have my own private little nostalgic bubble that I visit from time to time, and it reminds me of the way things were.
Just like life, change isn’t always for the better. Sometimes we don’t have a choice. The change is there and either we resist it or we go along with it. And of we do the latter, it doesn’t mean we’ve accepted that it’s better.
Thank you! And the pleasure is all mine
Don’t make me blush! Shall we go for a ride? It’s late here, do you take raincheques?
Egan: Blushing suits those blonde curls…
Vroom vroom… make it a sunny day and let’s go!
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