Friday, April 24, 2009

Housekeeping and Other Thoughts


Here I am, again, enjoying on my back deck a few of the finer things in life; a good cigar, an Irish Whiskey and checking out my favorite Masonic Blogs. I have long been a fan of the aggregator King Solomons Lodge.  For a long time it was a daily destination of a mouse click (and still usually is) but as it has become more and more popular globally (which is quite a testament to Brother Jeff's foresight and vision) I feel as if I have to plod through a security point at J.F.K. just to see what my friends are up to, so, as of late I have used my own links (much slower but less hassle) to see what is being written about the Craft I love so well, by my cyber Brethren.
As I go down the list I recognise a few trends; centralization, "blog fatigue" (you heard the term here first), and extraction.
The first trend is coming about with powerful cyber-Masons like Brother Greg Stewart who seems to be absorbing Masonic Blogs like a "Sham-Wow". Some of my favorite blogs writers have decided to give up their independence and join Freemason Information and leave their unique identities behind. Recently I read a very interesting article about how bloggers are very much like the pamphleteers of the American Revolution and how the independent voices were slowly conglomerated, and I paraphrase here, into the New York Times (yuck!) and how Bloggers were a refreshing link to the independent thought of the past.
The second trend is blamable, (and perhaps the first also), on "Blog Fatigue". A blog, as engrossing at times as it is, is very hard work for no pay. When I started my blog and when it was in its "heyday" I tried to write at least two new posts a week, then it became one, and now I'm Lucky if I bang one out a month. Writing, like Dan Brown has shown us with the lengthy gap since his last book, is not an easy thing to do, and although we all have high hopes and big aspirations when we start a blog we soon find out we already wrote about most of the things we really cared about right off the bat and there are only so many Halcyon Lodge episodes a decade, so what is left; rants and updates and that gets tiresome after a while. Which leads to the last trend extraction.
There are too many dead blogs for my taste on my "Great Masonic Blogs" list! I know its hard,  but there were so many real quality bloggers/writers who have thrown in the towel that it hurts. My inbred Irish Catholic guilt and stubbornness stops me from deleting these links (and you know who you are) but my keen cyber reality begs me to remove them (I still just cant). I just hate seeing *&%%$@!#@blogspot.com has been removed, its like a grave stone of a friend, always there to remind you of the good past.
Anyways, its getting late see you at my next rant.
I'm starting to feel like Andy Rooney!

10 comments:

Tom Accuosti said...

*ahem*
You haven't posted in almost a month - you're lucky the rest of us who are still writing haven't removed you from our blogrolls.

Yes, at first it seemed like I had so much to say, and two posts a week wasn't hard to do; if I had the time I could have done even more.

But frankly, I still could do more, it's just that I've got more writing projects now, plus my GL duties take up more evenings, plus the economy has forced me to do the jobs at work that were done by two other people, so I spend less time at my desk.

And of course, all this work with the Grand Lodge mergers has taken a lot of my evenings.

Anyway, it's okay to recharge your batteries. Rant a bit, but don't forget to keep an eye out for the the interesting things, and also to keep an eye out for the lessons in the mundane.

And write an article for the state publication, while you're at it.

Greg Stewart said...

Far from powerful... I think I noticed the writing on the blog wall just like you. The good ones either start to slow down or drop away, so I thought why not bring them into one fold.

But, since were on the subject, Any chance you'd be interested in writing a paper or two for the site? Sometimes doing what you do somewhere else recharges the batteries :)

Thanks for the mention bro, and this is definitely an offer to be sucked into the sham wow :)

Greg

Tom Accuosti said...

Whoa - the powerful cyber Mason left the Matrix to visit this blog! Careful, 3M, it sounds like he's trying to get you to take the blue pill.

Greg Stewart said...

down from my ivory mouse and keyboard...

And we gave up the pill a long time ago, now we use periwinkle blue fizzy tabs... or is that just my ant-acid tablet?

Widow's Son said...

I've been away from the blogging scene a while, and now that I'm back, I've noticed exactly the same thing you wrote about.

Where are the bloggers?! Did everyone take a hiatus at the same time I did?


Widow's Son
BurningTaper.com

Tom Accuosti said...

So, what am I, chopped liver, nu?

M.M.M. from the North Eastern Corner said...

Tom,
I don't know how you manage to find time to blog, write for the CT Freemasons paper, do your Purple Apron stuff, work and pull off tremendous cyber hoaxes! You're like Superman or something.
Greg,
Its my pleasure to bump your fine website and I'll take size 10 white Nike's!-)
Widows Son,
Good to see you back. I had a great conversation a couple weeks ago over Skype with our friend Movable Jewel about his leaving blogging and what we are going to do next year when we both move into the East. It was an enlightening hour or so, we'll have to conference you in next time.

Millennial Freemason said...

Tom,
Since your Superman (or should I say Superperson? ;)), could you fly over here? I have a jar of jam that won't open.

WS,
I am so glad that you're back. You have been truly missed.

Tom Accuosti said...

I do have a few writing projects going on. I try to do it a little bit at a time every night, which is why I'm not publishing as often as I used to.

But I'm rather proud that some of my stuff manages to make it into the Conn Freemason publication. Last month they published the little post about the proper way to wear your ring. And this month they published my little April Fool prank, along with another page of me commenting on it.

You know, like I really needed one more reason to get a swelled head.

Greg Stewart said...

Oh sure Tom, you get lots published when your the one on the editorial board...

And, which way is it to wear my ring?

And where's the McMason piece for my Meg-Lo-Site, You too Nick, and you TOO M.M.M.!!!!!

Geesh...