Tomorrow will be Easter Sunday. Three years ago, it was a similar time of April - being the 16th of the month in 2006 - when Easter came along. It was also the time that I entered the world we used to call J-land (until AOL pulled the plug on our blogs). Beforehand, I had raised my flag at the not-lamented VIVI-awards in November 2005. The passing of Pamela Hilger, who wrote under AOL screenname his1desire, prompted my full involvement in the community. I had kept an eye on her journal for a while in the weeks leading up to her death on Easter Sunday 2006.
I have found the (former) J-land community to be a friendly and welcoming crowd who, on the whole, take newcomers at face value and accords them a cordial welcome. The support element I have found to be crucial, and it has brought home to me how many folk out there are utterly lonely. And you can be lonely even if you are not strictly speaking alone in the house. Sometimes, there are issues you'd like to talk about that cannot be discussed in the home situation.
The transfer to Blogger, a mad dash in 4 weeks last October, has changed us. The introduction of Facebook and Twitter has leached a lot of journaling away from the blogs themselves, shifting it to those other sites. Although initially I found Facebook a useful addition to blogs, their recent format change has rendered their site cluttered and difficult to keep up with people.
The past 12 months have been difficult for me personally, with a family bereavement and other matters I cannot discuss on an open journal. I do hope that the Jland Community on Blogger will stay together as much as possible, and continue to draw on its strengths.
i have lost many friends due to j-land going under. most of them orig came to bloggerville, but many have gone their own ways over the past mos, very sad.
ReplyDeletewe had such a close knit community in j-land, i'd hoped it'd follow us here. but seems many have stopped blogging, or have gone to other sites. :(
have a nice Easter.
huggies...
Amen to your wish that blogspotters stay together as we once were at AOL. But it's a new neighborhood. New folks have moved in and some have moved away. Life.
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I had the advantage of already blogging here; I was doing different posts on two separate sites all the time. I had a feeling J-Land wasn't going to last, but I couldn't totally leave J-Land because some people got totally angry if anybody DARED blog someplace else.
ReplyDeleteI've made new friends on Blogger. I love my old AOL friends. If there's a problem, it isn't with me!
Hi Guedo, Just back from 4 dasy to Folkestone. really went as there was a visit to Bruge included and I had never been there...We got as far as Calais !! coach broke down..spent hours in Calais witing a repair..so never seen Bruge yet...not even seem that much of Calais as the main area was to far for us to walk (read for me trundle!!) never mind at least we had a good week otherwise.
ReplyDeleteI am sorry that AOL friends have been lost I miss so many of them I followed a few over here to Blogger but have never attempted to start again myeslef...maybe I am just selfish...Like yourself I had a hard year last year an dit was with thanks to many many AOL journal friends that I came through that long dark tunnel.
Love as usual sybil xx you can't loose me LOL
Actually what I thought I was seeing on AOL was a lot of people who fell in love with blogging but could not keep up that first hectic pace. Having written for many years I tend to write through all times, so was not surprised when the enthusiasm of AOL journalers started to abate. I thought it was inevitable, and that the ones who really took to blogging would in time return if their health remained good enough and would continue on with a writing format on blogger. I think that is what is happening now. People have to develop their writing muscle, a discipline and a setting aside of the time it takes to do it, to write steadily. I think if writers like you continue you will eventually see others gathering back around or new ones coming aboard. It is always interesting to get an assessment of what is happening at the moment from a long time blogger or writer. Gerry
ReplyDeleteI enjoy Facebook because I keep up with some family members and old school friends and former work mates on there (as well as Journalers/Bloggers), but I don't consider it a replacement for Blogger. I still reading blogs and writing in my own; I've just been really busy lately, and sometimes it's easier to check in with people on Facebook. I think both have their place, and there will be times when I may use one more than the other.
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