livejournal resolutions
I think that livejournal is a kind of constructed universe. We all live here in a kind of stylized dialogue, which is "real" and "not real" all at once. I have no desire to make "real life" resolutions, because I know what I am supposed to do, and I need to just darn well do it, rather than go on about it.
But maybe Livejournal presents an opportunity to make resolutions, as resistant as I am to New Year's resolutions this year.
Therefore, here are my LiveJournal resolutions:
1. I want to make more observations and fewer pronouncements in my posts this year. At the same time, I want my posts to range wild and free, across a world of topics and opinions. I want to break the chains of recurrent themes, and seek out new topics.
2. I want to make my comments more resonant with the posts, and less debating or cheerleading. I want to be as postive as I can, without being saccharine. I want to remember that other people have radically different views of the purpose of comments in their journals than I have of the purpose of commments in mine.
3. When I read something nice, I want to comment to show I read it, even if I don't have something cool to say.
4. I want to hit the random key more often, the way I did when I was first on LiveJournal. I found the most fascinating journals this way.
5. I want to recognize that so often the written word without the nuance of facial expressions can give rise to misunderstandings, and I want to avoid getting too disappointed when this occurs.
6. I want to begin a side journal in which I write something more consciously "literary".
7. I want to continue to use LiveJournal as a means of expanding my knowledge of the real world, and avoid any tendency to use LiveJournal as a basis for avoiding confronting the real world.
8. I want to write more things about fossils.
9. I want to catalog for myself here the things I wish to remember. I may even catalog here some things I wish to forget.
10. I want to post pictures and graphics I create in my journal, and to put together a better personal website page.
11. Once in a long while, I want to check the spelling on a comment.
12. More frequently, I want to edit before I first hit post.
The trend for people I know has been to leave LJ and just put up their own personal weblog websites. I think I'll stay here, as it is less trouble. I like these resolutions, because all but 10. seem easily achievable.
But maybe Livejournal presents an opportunity to make resolutions, as resistant as I am to New Year's resolutions this year.
Therefore, here are my LiveJournal resolutions:
1. I want to make more observations and fewer pronouncements in my posts this year. At the same time, I want my posts to range wild and free, across a world of topics and opinions. I want to break the chains of recurrent themes, and seek out new topics.
2. I want to make my comments more resonant with the posts, and less debating or cheerleading. I want to be as postive as I can, without being saccharine. I want to remember that other people have radically different views of the purpose of comments in their journals than I have of the purpose of commments in mine.
3. When I read something nice, I want to comment to show I read it, even if I don't have something cool to say.
4. I want to hit the random key more often, the way I did when I was first on LiveJournal. I found the most fascinating journals this way.
5. I want to recognize that so often the written word without the nuance of facial expressions can give rise to misunderstandings, and I want to avoid getting too disappointed when this occurs.
6. I want to begin a side journal in which I write something more consciously "literary".
7. I want to continue to use LiveJournal as a means of expanding my knowledge of the real world, and avoid any tendency to use LiveJournal as a basis for avoiding confronting the real world.
8. I want to write more things about fossils.
9. I want to catalog for myself here the things I wish to remember. I may even catalog here some things I wish to forget.
10. I want to post pictures and graphics I create in my journal, and to put together a better personal website page.
11. Once in a long while, I want to check the spelling on a comment.
12. More frequently, I want to edit before I first hit post.
The trend for people I know has been to leave LJ and just put up their own personal weblog websites. I think I'll stay here, as it is less trouble. I like these resolutions, because all but 10. seem easily achievable.
