conversely, don't blog if you don't want people to read it
This is as much a reminder to myself as to others. I still get surprised, even a bit flustered, when somebody offhandedly tells me they've read my blog if I don't expect them to. And sure, being surprised makes sense given how little I publicize this blog. But I know my posts will be public when I write them. Aren't things working exactly as intended when they get read?
What a strange structure we've set up for ourselves, where we have doubts linking to other people's posts even when they're completely public and our link is made approvingly!
Perhaps part of the problem is that there aren't good places on the Internet for sharing posts that you don't want to actively publicize, but want just a few people to read, maybe people who know you or have something really specific in common with you. Most blog platforms have all kinds of bells and whistles to help you maximize readership; I appreciate that bearblog only does that a little bit. It might be nice to have a platform that takes steps in the opposite direction (without going all the way to a private journal). An anti-blog, if you will.
I am a little bit annoyed with myself for lapsing into blogging-about-blogging again. There are so many other things in the world to write about! But I couldn't resist.
And incidentally, if you're wondering what my opinion is on how you should balance reading the same bloggers versus exploring different voices, I'd say... read whatever the hell you want. The catch is, only you can figure out what you want. What are you hoping to get out of it? Pleasure, knowledge, experience, connection, serendipity? That's all.
I was unable to find strong confirmation of what name you'd most prefer to be addressed as!↩