Our blog posts could live forever in blogosphere.
Just imagine, twenty, fifty or one hundred years from now someone reading what we wrote.
Depending on the blog, some writings may sound silly, whereas others may appear as though they were written “yesterday”.
As bloggers we often don’t think how what we share could have an impact future generations, but one blogger is looking at just that.
Today’s Lesson
In his second comment on the How To Keep Your Blog Alive When Life Calls post, J.D. Meir of Sources of Insight wrote:
Actually, I forgot about another strategy I wanted to explore.
To make my blog more “timeless” and decouple from time, I want to expand it to a site. For example, I could add “Articles” and a forum, as well as videos, so that it becomes more of a timeless knowledge base. While that won’t replace the blog, I think it adds the perspective, of “here’s a set of timeless assets” to compliment the blog (which, even though I hit timeless things, blogs tend to be organized around time.)
J.D. makes a good point. Blog are centered around time, with our posts quickly getting buried in the archives.
But what about our topic? Do some have a timelessness about them?
I think so.
Unless we’re writing about current events or blogging about something like technology, which is constantly changing, many blogs will be as useful today as they will be twenty plus years from now.
Granted, not all bloggers care whether their blog gets found in 2029 or further out, but what we write today could influence many generations to come.
Today’s Assignment
Let’s play a game of “Pretend”. Imagine you blog posts are found 20 years from now. What do you think the readers reaction would be?
Let’s say your grandchild found your blog. What would they learn about you?
Books are similar. Do you have a favorite book that was written years ago that still applies today?
Care to share?
~Barbara.
All my favourite books were written years ago! I can’t think of an exception. By years I typically mean 30 to 140years ago. They help provide a perspective, by which today’s ephemera may be seen in a more long-term context.
Your post is timely because I’m in the process of downloading all my blog posts to keep a permanent copy (in case Blogger doesn’t), and to sort them into categories: in particular to determine which posts stand up on their own as being of interest outside their original context.
Outside this personal view, I’d say that anyone anthologizing blogs in the year 2029 might well be interested in some of the very features which characterize the blogs of 2009 as being dated in their preoccupations and style.
Hi Vincent,
That’s a great idea to download and keep a permanent copy of your posts. Too often we think our blogs will be online forever (unless we take them down), and don’t think our blog platform provider may have a problem creating a situation where all we’ve written could be lost.
With WordPress I export my blog posts to my hard drive from time to time. I’ve then imported those files onto my test site to see if what I did worked. Fortunately, so far, so good.
Hi Barbara,
The first book that comes to mind is “Think and Grow Rich” by Napoleon Hill. It is filled with timeless information, principles that apply as much 50 years ago as they do today. And my hope is the the writing I share has the same timelessness about it. Does it? I don’t know if it all does, however I do think that some posts do. And now I’m wondering if there’s some other way to add to that timelessness feel. Maybe there’s some exploring to do here…
.-= Check out Lance´s awesome post: Sunday Thought For The Day =-.
Hi Lance,
I’m not surprised you mentioned “Think and Grow Rich” as you’ve written about it in the past. That is a superb book.
From what I’ve read on your blog, most of what you’ve shared is timeless. Your words of wisdom as well as your observations of life aren’t likely to change anytime soon. Although you think there may be more you can do, I can’t figure out what that would be.
Hi Barbara – My favourite books were definitely written many years ago. Maybe it’s just that I haven’t got around to reading new books, but I tend to read and re-read the same inspiring books – some of them, once a year. Wouldn’t it be great if people found our posts inspiring in 20 years! – R
.-= Check out Robin´s awesome post: Blogger Meet-Up! =-.
Hi Robin,
It’s those old favorites of ours that continue to feed our brains. I don’t know about you, but often I’ll reread a book and find stuff I never even noticed before. It’s like at the time I was reading it, parts weren’t pertinent, but now they are.
Wow, this is a great post and a really great comment by J.D. I’ve never thought about how a blog could be timeless, but you’re so right about that. While I do believe some of what I write about will be dated in 20 years, I’m sure a lot of the ideas about living in the now and being positive will always be relevant. Plus, it’ll be so interesting to see how the new positive Dani is doing in 20 years!
.-= Check out Positively Present´s awesome post: a vacation state of mind =-.
Hi Dani,
Your comment has me thinking, will be be saying “remember when?” when we’re commenting on each others posts years from now? Oh, what fun we’ll have looking back.
Speaking of living in the now and being positive, I hope people will have learned that by then and it becomes the norm, not something people will be searching for in 2029.
When I think back 20 years, living in the now was not something I had read about, but being positive was.
I have always contemplated the idea of writing a book with the best of my posts, but these are good ideas too. A blog has a lot to share with journals, and these are great to see how “crazy” we were and how we grew.
I’ve also deleted some old posts and edited some others, to keep the blog updated. Of course, as my blog grows in size, I can only do this for a selected few.
.-= Check out Miguel de Luis´s awesome post: Sunday Thought =-.
Hi Miguel,
Yes. A blog is very similar to a journal, thus our posts will show us and others how far we’ve come.
Editing and republishing old posts is a great way to bring old issues to the forefront, plus gives us a chance to improve on our original entries.
Great comment by J.D.
With most things I invest time (and money) into, I think it would be pretty cool if my blog got “rediscovered” and began became a tool in a way that my descendants could use my blog in some way.
Always in the back of my mind are my future descendants, I care for them even though I will never know them.
If my blog was found in the future, I think my descendants would learn that I knew a lot about computers and overall was a nice guy who liked to help others.
People would probably laugh at some of my outdated tutorials, though.
Hi John,
With kids, we often think about what we do now and how it will affect the future generations. I’m thinking your descendants will have a good time watching your blogging bloopers and saying “What was grandpa thinking?” and “Dad, was that you crying in the background?” 🙂
Lance referenced a great book when it comes to timeless material, and another I love – that surprised me to see when it was written – is The Complete Writings of Florence Scovel Shinn for Women. Shinn was a metaphysician in the early part of the 1900’s and wrote all about law of attraction and wealth expansion for women. Wow!
20 years from now, I’d like to think that what I write about will still apply, since it’s anchored in personal development. Unless we’re all enlightened 20 years from now (and how awesome would THAT be?!!), I have a feeling my niece could tap into some of what I’ve said and hopefully see herself in my words.
The idea of expanding the blog to include an article section is intriguing, though. So thanks for including that tip in your write-up!
I do know there are many bloggers whose posts I go back to and reference months and sometimes a year after the fact.
What an interesting question you’ve posed!
Thank you for the mental exercise this morning. I needed it!
.-= Check out Megan “JoyGirl!” Bord´s awesome post: Priceless Gift Giving =-.
You’re welcome Megan,
You’re right. It would be awesome if people didn’t need personal development 20 years from now, but like you, I don’t see that happening. How fun it will be for you to watch your niece grow up and possibly have her benefit from what you wrote “now”. She’ll be telling all of her friends what a smart lady her aunt is. 🙂
Like you, I’ve read old articles on blogs that still apply today. Much like reading an old favorite book of ours, checking what we’ve bookmarked in the past is a great way to also revive some blog classics.
Barbara,
Funny you should ask this now. I was just wondering whether to renew my blog for another year, since the first year has served its purpose of learning about blogging. That year is almost up and I’m wondering what the blog’s ‘mission’ will be for the second year, if any.
Personal development topics tend to be quite timeless – we write about things that people have thought about for millenia, and will probably continue to for a few more millenia. So maybe I should keep my blog after all!
.-= Check out Daphne @ Joyful Days´s awesome post: Can We Grow into Selflessness? =-.
Oh yes Daphne, keep the blog going,
Not that I want to tell you what to do, but your words do help others. Now that you understand the blogging concept all you have to do is continue to share life lessons with your readers. Besides, blogosphere wouldn’t be the same without you.
I think good writing is timeless, whether it be a novel or a blog post.
Some blog posts are forgettable or tied to a time and place. Some of these posts may hold no value for future readers. But how are we to know?
It’s strange but I have a few older posts that people seem to keep stumbling upon. I didn’t expect to continue to get comments on a post I wrote two years ago but it keeps happening. I think that is pretty cool.
I hope people will value what I wrote and appreciate it in the future. I think that is why most people choose to do this.
In twenty years, people may sift through my Teaching Tip Tuesday posts and comment on how much teaching has changed from the “olden days.”
I can hear people saying, “Wow, you taught in the 1900’s! What was it like? Was it hard to teach without all the students having instant answer devices and computer tablets?”
I also hope people will be able to see a rich documentation of hip-hop culture through my posts.
Who knows, it might happen. Or I might be lost in a sea of other blogs, magazines, and books.
All I know is that I am enjoying what I am doing and I try to provide as much value as I can to my readers and myself.
Great post Barbara!
Thank you Chase,
You’re right. We don’t know what people will be searching for or studying in the future. Even if we think some of our posts are lame, for others they could be just the answer they’re looking for.
With you writing about teaching and hip hop, many could land on your blog and like you say, enjoy reading about “the olden days”. Oh how I wish my ancestors had blogs as I’d love to be reading about their daily lives right now.
My niche makes it easy to focus on things that are timeless. But I don’t worry too much about it. I aim to provide value and inspiration right now. Whether what I write will pass the test of time, only time will be able to tell. If for today, I can make a difference in someone’s life, then what I have written has automatically become timeless. Since it lives with that person for life.
I find true life stories to be timeless. Whether it’s story of Lee Iococca or Sam Walton or Gandhi or Paramhansa Yogananda or Lance Armstrong or Viktor Frankl or …
.-= Check out Avani Mehta´s awesome post: Hold On To Your Dreams =-.
Hi Avani,
I agree. You write in a timeless niche.
You’ve raised a good point. True life stories are very timeless. When the authors are writing their biographies they’re leaving a well documented account of where they’ve come from and what they’ve learned. From many of them, we can learn tons.
I’ve never thought about this, because electronic storage media change so often that I wouldn’t think anything would last. First it was cards, then tapes, then floppy disks, then CDs — and soon, something else. I think the portion of my posts that are about emotional issues would stand the test of time, because I think those issues will always be part of the human experience.
I’ve read many, many books over my lifetime, old and new, and lots of them have become a part of who I am, so it’s difficult to single anything out. The Bible and Shakespeare’s plays were an important part of my teenage year, but I don’t read them now.
.-= Check out Dot´s awesome post: Comment on Loss by Dot =-.
Hi Dot,
That’s a good point. Books so sharp us. And I’m guessing those who don’t turn to books are not reading blogs for the same type of information.
Yes. Your posts dealing with emotional issues will be timeless. Like you, I don’t see that changing in the future.
Hi Barbara – I wonder if I might have the same feelings that I had when I discovered my 9th grade diary? EMBARRASSING! LOL! Probably not, but still. Your subject today is a reminder to make every post the best we possibly can.
I’m starting a project with the grandchildren (some have yet to be born) in mind, as a matter of fact. We’ll see where it takes us, but for now it’s envisioned in book form. Perhaps I’ll be excerpting some on the blog. The fun part is I get to go back to Galena and Michigan to interview my subjects in a couple of weeks. 🙂 The sobering part is the realization that I’ve got to get this right as the kids will probably not be interested until long after we’re all gone.
.-= Check out Betsy Wuebker´s awesome post: LESSONS FROM THE ROAD: IT’S ALL GOOD, EH =-.
Hi Betsy,
Your 9th grade diary? Yikes. I don’t even know where mine is. Hopefully it got burned. 😆
How exciting to be working on a project that your grandchildren will benefit from. I do agree. Many of us will be long gone before our descendants show an interest in who we were, what we did, what we thought and how we lived. Just in the past couple of years is when I took an interest in my ancestors and sadly now there’s not many to ask questions to.
P.S. Have fun with your interviews and trips to Galena and Michigan. Hopefully you’ll be sharing some of that on your blog.
Hi Barbara!
What a great article! The concepts I discuss on my blog are certainly timeless. They have been around for untold years. In fact, I was first introduced to these ideas by reading books that were fifty or sixty years old!
Reading this article helps us bloggers to have a different perspective about our writing and I appreciate that! Thanks!
.-= Check out Keith´s awesome post: Stay The Course! =-.
You’re welcome Keith,
It’s amazing how topics that were an issue many years ago are still alive, isn’t it?
When I wrote this I wasn’t thinking of how it might encourage bloggers to write with a different perspective, but your comment makes me think it may.
Hi Barbara,
I would like to think my articles will still be useful in 2029. Perhaps by then, the big shift we’re all anticipating will have taken place and people will read my articles and say, “remember when people needed personal development blogs in order to live well and realize their life potential?” Hopefully if a grandchild saw my blog years and years from now, she would think I had a deep respect for life and that I was a seeker for meaning and connection. Hopefully she would be inspired to live her best life, as well.
.-= Check out Jodi at Joy Discovered´s awesome post: Your Environment =-.
Hi Jodi,
I agree. Your posts will benefit people in 2029 just as they do today. How neat it will be to sit with a grandchild in front of a computer (who knows what type of device they will be then) and read our old blog posts. By then I’m guessing typing will be a thing of the past and our words will go from mouth to screen, and we’ll be talking about the “olden days” when we had to “type” each word.
Two of my favorite books were written thousands of years ago – The Tao de Ching and The Yoga Sutras. Both encompass what many of us are looking for – a life of bliss, a life with abundance, a life of joy.
I would hope as others here hope – that in 20 years or so we’ve reached a truly enlightened stage and blogs like mine are no longer necessary. However, Lao Tze wrote a truly life altering treatise and today, we’re still clamoring for that kind of life.
.-= Check out Peggy´s awesome post: Friday Bliss =-.
Hi Peggy,
We can dream, can’t we? That 20 years from now, our blogs and what we shared won’t be needed. In a way that would be wonderful, but in other ways, it could be sad.
Based upon the writings from the past that we all still enjoy, that which we write now could certainly continue to be helpful in the future, adding to the fact we can all leave this world a better place (if we choose).
I was digging through my log files over the weekend – and found a few older blog posts that are ranking very well for attractive keywords – and when I went back and read them – I cringed!
It hasn’t even THAT long ago and I still see those blog posts in the same light as my 80’s big hair and stirrup pants!
So how will I feel in 20 years when 20 months is painful? All I can say is – I’d better adopt Vered’s attitude – otherwise I’ll be paralyzed and unable to write if I think about how “dated” this stuff will be in 20 years.
.-= Check out Kathy | Virtual Impax´s awesome post: Social Media’s Magic Ingredient =-.
Hi Kathy,
You’re making me laugh. Stirrup pants and big hair. Unfortunately the styles do cycle back, so hopefully you didn’t throw those clothes away. 😆
Reading our old posts can be painful. What we wrote about, plus how we worded stuff, can make us cringe. However, rereading them also teaches us how far we’ve come and what we’ve learned, so it’s not all bad.
Plus, those landing on those post may think they’re pretty darn good.
Perhaps I’m short-visioned… but I just don’t think about it too much. I live in the here and now, and I write in the here and now.
.-= Check out Vered – Blogger for Hire´s awesome post: Value of Social Networking =-.
Hi Vered,
You’re not alone. Many bloggers prefer to live in the here and now and not concern themselves with what might happen in the future.
That said, I’m guessing your daughters would have a grand time reading your blog posts in the future; especially the ones on fashion. 🙂
I love what Vared says. She’s always short and to the point and I like that.
I think in twenty years someone may say “she was wise beyond her years!” (Hey I have to toot my own horn>)
My grandchildren will learn that I’m honest and in love with my family.
Book: Man’s Search For Meaning
.-= Check out Tess The Bold Life´s awesome post: Do You Dare Be More Loving? =-.
Hi Tess,
Yes, your grandchildren will learn how much you loved your family. It’s obvious by reading your blog, family comes first with you. What a great lesson you’re passing down to your future generations as our children do learn what they live.
20 years from now! I can hardly get to tomorrow. 🙂
I think my grandkids would learn more about their parents than about me, but I like it that way. I sometimes wonder what my parent’s lives were like growing up and crave photos and stories. I feel I am giving that to my grandkids. Hopefully my blog will still be there.
.-= Check out Debbie Yost´s awesome post: Kitchen Cleaning 101 =-.
Hi Debbie,
With you documenting the day to day events of your children, their descendants will be very happy to read those accounts. Like you, I yearn for stories of days gone by. Like I told Chase, how cool would it have been if our parents or grandparents had blogged. Many of our questions would be answered.
Hi Barbara. I haven’t really thought this but as I was reading your post it occurred to me that poetry is pretty timeless, no matter what the topic. One of my old time favourites is Robert Frost’s “Stopping By Woods on a Snowy Evening.” Sigh.
.-= Check out Davina´s awesome post: Group Writing Project: The Yogi Blogger =-.
Hi Davina,
That’s very true. Poetry, like blog posts can live forever. And just think, you also write poems, so when your blog is found in the future, the readers will have scored big time. 🙂
Vincent has a good point in keeping another copy of what has been published. I have my drafts but I make all final changes on my blog. It will be good to keep a copy!!
I try to have backlinks to my older posts so that my newer readers can know that there is a relevant article written some time ago.
.-= Check out Evelyn Lim´s awesome post: Align with Abundance =-.
Hi Evelyn,
Those backlinks to our old articles are a great way to direct our readers to stories from the past that are still relevant today. Not only does is keep those posts alive, but can entice readers to dig even deeper.
Great idea, Evelyn.
Hi Barbara,
You really do have a knack for asking the most thought provoking questions….
As for my blog.hmmm…since its new 2-3 months only i am not thinking so far ahead. But now that you ask and after reading JDs comment..i am thinking…Expanding..adding to the knowledge base to make it timeless is so wonderful an idea its exciting. I would like to take my Blog and make it into a time capsule of sorts..something that i hope when my daughter opens and reads will maybe think that her mother does infact have a brain…;)
But on a more serious note..since i write about personal growth and development and life skills.. i think i am safe. There is probably going to be a timelessness to them…cause in any day and age…good information and advice is always an asset.
But i like what Avani said..and i agree with her completely….that if we are helping even one person today with our posts…that help and information is finally timeless cause it stays with that person…and maybe that person will then pass it on to someone else…
.-= Check out Zeenat{Positive Provocations}´s awesome post: Looking Inward To Find Your True Self. =-.
Hi Zeenat,
You have me laughing with that comment, “maybe think that her mother does infact have a brain… 🙂 ”
That’s an excellent point you’ve brought up. Even though we’re writing for our audience today, what they learn from our blogs is something that can be passed on to others and who knows where the information will go. We can hope it goes far….(and oftentimes it does).
I wonder if it’s like flipping through an old year book, when you thought your hair cut looked good at the time 🙂
I originally thought it was the timeless aspect I like, but it might actually be the idea of advancing the knowledge in a domain, or maybe it’s both. I like the idea of moving the ball forward. I also hope that when we share a nugget of wisdom, that somehow the blogosphere carries the good forward .. finding the diamonds in the rough … an amplifier of ideas.
I’m a big believer in “those who don’t know history are condemned to repeat it.” It’s a blessing and a curse that each generation has to start from scratch and there’s no way to Vulcan mind meld our knowledge. I wonder if the saying “youth is wasted on the young” is as relevant today, when there is so much wisdom, stories, and experience at your finger tips, for anybody who’s willing to leverage and learn. Blogs are the bridge across time and space, and we get to be shepherds of wisdom.
.-= Check out J.D. Meier´s awesome post: How To Have a Strong Week =-.
Hi J.D.,
First, thank you for inspiring this topic – the comments have been tremendous.
Your statement, “Blogs are the bridge across time and space, and we get to be shepherds of wisdom.” reminds me of the amount of power (for lack of a better word) we have as bloggers. We can be an influence on others so they don’t have to repeat the same mistakes. With so many young people searching for information online (instead of in books), as bloggers by sharing what we’ve learned, we can indeed, make a difference in the lives of many.
I think J.D. has brought up a very good point. I have never thought that far ahead about the impact my blog may have in the future.
What we write today is going to be around years from now.
If my grandchildren read it, I hope they think it is some pretty cool stuff.
I want to contribute to others who have the same interests and humor. Oh so many favorite books. Too many!
.-= Check out Bunnygot blog´s awesome post: I Kicked This Guy In The Bots =-.
Hi Bunny,
J.D.’s comment has a lot of us thinking about not only how our blogs can impact future generations, but what we’re sharing, as well.
I agree, your grandkids will be thrilled to read your writings and will be saying, “Granny got blog” 🙂
Hi Barbara .. good to be here finally. I love your footer panel .. actually I’ve been meaning to get here for ages and learn from you and your readers, some I know & some new ones.
Oddly enough my post today says it all really – relative to JD’s comments .. I think mine will be accessed and of interest to people in the future .. it just seems to hit a different space to other blogs: I’ve written similar letters to friends and relatives re my Ma .. hence the ‘passion’ for this blog developing. I’m teaching myself as I go.
My intention is to do as JD suggested – open the blog to all peoples via the mediums available .. elderly, young, blind (audio & talk radio), deaf (large print), care homes, churches and anyone interested, appropriate poems & nursery rhymes, songs, etc etc
The blog’s my oyster, the future is too really thinking about the above .. love it!
Got carried away in my thought process! The book I go back to and I saw a production a couple of years ago at The St Martin’s School of Theatre in London, when my Ma was in hospital there, is the philosophical Alain Fournier’s “Le Grand Meaulnes” – a deeply felt portrait of a nostalgic past. He was killed in the war .. a great life lost. However we wouldn’t be here now if our forebears had not had to go through these terrrible things.
Other books too .. thanks this is a great thought process
Hilary Melton-Butcher
Positive Letters Inspirational Stories
.-= Check out Hilary´s awesome post: How are the Romans, Monty Python and Jugglers all linked to Scotland? =-.
You’re welcome Hillary. It’s great seeing you here.
I like your idea of opening a blog to anyone who has access to them. We often don’t think about the blind reading online, so having audio is a great addition. And the large print, that’s another superb idea. Since we never know who is reading what we write, making it easier for everyone will not only let us get the word out, but could land us loyal readers, as well.
Your comment is making me think of a blog post for the future. Thank you for the inspiration. 🙂
you certainly know how to make us think! All I can say is that when my posts are looked at in 2029, the history of how we progressed comes to mind. However, another way at looking at it would be how primitive we were during these times….
either way it becomes some history of how I thought, wrote and even laughed.
.-= Check out Linda´s awesome post: Greensburg – Main Street =-.
Hi Linda,
I never thought of it that way. Like with your blog, what you write about will be “old news” and we’ll be so much further advanced. Yes. Some will say how primitive things were done, but what a great source for history you are providing. Keep on helping us be green.
Barbara — As I tend to write stories about life lessons, most of posts should live on… whether that’s a good thing or not, I can’t answer. I would like to think that someone in 2029 might enjoy them. Then again, they might not be reading anymore in 2029 and instead are channeling information. If that’s the case, I might a little out dated:~)
As I love books, I have to answer the second question. The books that come to mind for me are “Rebecca” by Daphne du Maurier, “A Room with a View” by E.M.Forster. Both are timeless stories to me.
For my more obscure selection, I pick “the lives and times of archy and mehitabel” by Don Marquis (this one was written in 1927) and is delightful for anyone who writes. For more information on it, go to http://www.donmarquis.com/archy/
.-= Check out Sara B. Healy´s awesome post: Story Photo: The Face Off =-.
Hi Sara,
I don’t know if people will be channeling information, but I’m guessing not. However, I’m sure they will have other ways of accessing writings from our blogs. Like you said, what you write is timeless, so many can benefit from it.
The list of books you provided all sound fabulous. Thank you for sharing a link to the book by Don Marquis.
This is such a fantastic thing to ponder on Barbara!
I have thought at a very early stage of my blog(s) what you mention about blog posts getting lost in the archives and like J.D.’s idea I have turned them more into sites. Not everyone needs to or will want to do this, it all depends on what the purpose and goal of the blog is. For me now the blogs/sites have become my full-time activity (I am not going to say job – left one of those 😉
So in the future when someone reads the material there, I think for the most part a lot of it will still be very applicable and I like that idea as I hope the material will inspire, motivate and help people change their lives for as long as that need is present on our planet (if I should be so lucky 🙂
Hi Evita,
That’s a great idea – turning old posts into additional sites. Not only can you narrow a niche that way, but that which was in your archives is now being read by (possibly) a new audience. I can see why that would be keeping you working online full-time. Although it does sound like a lot of work, it also sounds like you gain a lot of enjoyment from it.
Yes, we can hope others will benefit in the future from that which we write today and take the information to better their lives. When that happens, we will have made the world a better place. Sweet!
Hi Barbara,
Great thought provoking post. In my mind, even though many things change through time, human beings still struggle with the same issues. The difference is that now we have more information that makes it easier for us to not only understand life better but ourselves too.
My blog (whose first birthday is this weekend) started out one way and has evolved into something more. It is a reflection of my journey this past year and I am so happy at what has happened. It has been a dream come true on so many levels. I have learned so much and it proves to me over and over again that we all deal with the same issues and we all want the same things. We just express it differently. I think that is why some books stand the test of time…they provide answers or ideas about something that we all have to deal with at one time or another.
.-= Check out Nadia – Happy Lotus´s awesome post: Make It Happen – Sunday Song for August 9, 2009 =-.
Happy One Year Blogging Anniversary, Nadia,
What you’ve said is very true. What we all deal with (or have dealt with), most others also go through. If we can use our blogs to share with others what we did – that worked, others might try it and have positive results, too. When I think back not all that many years ago, we were thought of as weak if we expressed our insecurities. Who knew many others were having the same feelings and bottling them up?
By sharing your journey, you’re not only helping yourself, but you are helping many others, as well.
Pick me, pick me! 🙂
I think my grandkids will look at how Grandma Moose Wrangler evolved over the past years and say, Wow, you were afraid of making videos? How on earth do you ever deal with holosuites? 🙂
It reminds me of a poem diary that I bought on eBay for my daughter for her 10th birthday – it was a collection of poems/ideas from a girl back in the 1870s. You could feel the emotions that compelled huge amounts of the writing….towards the end, the author graduated from high school and all of her classmates signed it too. It was like stepping back into history to read….incredible.
.-= Check out Barbara Ling, Virtual Coach´s awesome post: The Ultimate, MUST HAVE Tip For Your Website =-.
O.K. Barbara, I picked you. 🙂
Yes. Can you imagine what our grandkids will say? Even now, the young are so much more technologically advanced than many of us. As I watch some of them on their computers, I’m in awe of all they know.
What a marvelous give you gave your daughter – the 1870’s diary. To be able to go back in time and read the young girls words must have been indescribable.
My favorite book is the book about the wife of Gandhi, Kasturba.
The book tells an timeless story about a woman coming to grips with living life differently and embracing a new explanation of how life can be lived.
I think I am doing that too, I like to live life differently and I am too challenging the core beliefs I have acquired from a society that is not that crash hot in my opinion.
And I am too finding that that is not that easy to do, even if the new explanations make so much more sense than my old ones.
Thank you Barabara, for your great question is having me take the time to reflect on this.
.-= Check out Wilma Ham´s awesome post: The unknown got to me; what is next with our Garden of Eden? =-.
You’re welcome Wilma,
Wow. I can’t believe how many great books have been shared in the comments. Having referrals from all of you, I know each one must be phenomenal. A book written by the wife of Gandhi sounds very fascinating.
Wilma, can you imagine others reading your blog in the future? Those who are also wanting to live their life differently will read your words, see how you did it, and be totally inspired. Many will walk in your footsteps.
I commend you for your bravery and willingness to share your journey with the world.
Barbara,
You are so creative. What a great writing prompt.
My grandchild would see that I had a passion for my writing and that I had one hell of a sense of humor. She would see that my circle of friends valued the very same things as me and that in many ways we fed off of each other and built a community around the people we cherished.
Coolio.
George
.-= Check out Tumblemoose´s awesome post: Book ‘em, Dano – Ten fully arrest-able query gaffs =-.
Hi George,
Yes. Your descendants will see what a cool guy you were, and I’m guessing you’ll be an even cooler “grandpa”. Your stories will not only make others laugh, but will teach them much.
You can tell them of when we typed on typewriters and computers and tweeted our friends. No doubt they’ll find that quite silly. 🙂
As you know, Barbara, I started my blog to house my old articles as well as to connect with new folk. Those pieces in my archives that were originally coaching articles have to have a wide appeal. (We have over 13,000 subscribers.) Some of those pieces are just sitting there in the archives and haven’t been read by new readers yet, but the core messages are, hopefully, timeless. I never post anything online that I wouldn’t want my kids – or my least favourite folk – to see.
A great thought provoking post again!
.-= Check out janice´s awesome post: Attacking Anchors in the Attic =-.
Thank you Janice,
That’s great advice about not posting anything online you wouldn’t want your kids (or favorite folk) to see.
With so many coaching articles buried in your archives, you’ll undoubtedly have enough material for blog posts to last a long time. Just like text books, articles that relate to coaching have a timelessness about them. How exciting to know your words will be affecting others for many years to come.
Given the speed at which words are added to our dictionaries and seeing how even blog technology and lingo leaves the non-blogger behind, I wonder if future generations will even understand our language within a proper context?
.-= Check out Lori Hoeck´s awesome post: What you can do about a shooter in the building, part 2 =-.
Hi Lori,
That’s a great question as blogging does have a language of it’s own. Your comment raises a great point. Should we be using the blogging language so loosely, or should we try to convert it into words the non-blogger would understand? Again, it goes back to who we’re writing for?
Hmmmm. This sounds like a subject we need to discuss in a future lesson.
Before I worrry what my grandkids will think about my blog, first I gotta work at getting a mate to procreate with!
I’d probably have more time to find a girlfriend, if I didnt’ blog so god-damned much. 🙂
.-= Check out Friar´s awesome post: Other Wishes I’d ask a Genie to Grant Me. =-.
LOL Friar,
You’re right. We need to find you a wife before you start worrying about what “they” will think about your blog twenty years from now.
Maybe we need to put out a call for illegible women to contact you. Then you could blog about your dates. And we all could be invited to your cyber wedding. Then when your children are born, ……. Oh dear, I’m getting a little too carried away.
Seriously. You do sound like a great guy. I wish you well in finding that special gal.
@Barbara
heh heh. We ALL sounds like great guys and gals….on-line!
(But thanks the compliment!)
OK, this post really has me thinking…
The main point of my site/blog is my book…
So I’m going to start rehearsing my dying words now until they become automatic:
“Hey! Somebody put the PDF up on my site!”
Hi Paul,
There is much to be said about affirmations. Good luck with your book. I’m hoping your blog helps you to get the word out.
Food for thought. I don’t know if you’ve done it yet, but you could offer the book for free to other bloggers if they will write a review for you. I’m guessing many would be willing to participate.
I really enjoyed reading this post because I think it really touched on something that I like to do in my own time. Whenever I visit a site, I like to search the archives and read posts from far back as they go. It’s kind of nostalgic for me and I really enjoy it. Even if the information is outdated, I find that humorous and entertaining. In some ways I even view it as a book visited years later.
Hi Charlene,
What a great idea. Interestingly enough, it’s often those older posts where the blogger is sharing some great stuff. You know how it is. We get a blog because we’re filled with so many ideas, then we get all of that published, and often hit a brick wall. At that point the blog either continues to get better, goes into a different direction, or the blogger quits because they ran out of stuff to share (or find blogging really isn’t all that easy).
Hi Barbara…if someone found one of my posts twenty years from now they would probably ask why is this guy always talking about green tea? Man, it MUST be good for you!
peace,
mike
livelife365
(it is, by the way)
.-= Check out Mike Foster´s awesome post: Thanks For Drinking Green Tea Every Day =-.
Hi Mike,
Maybe by then people will have “got it” – that green tea has tons of benefits.
BTW: Congratulations on having the most viewed/successful green tea video on YouTube. 🙂
I was thinking about this very subject as I was walking up the spiral staircase at Blair Castle in the UK – how on earth so long ago did those women in all those skirts, and petticoats get up and down this staircase and not fall down?
It just seemed to be in a time warp and seeing the places where people made their words stick to the future for us to discover, read, and understand…Beatrix Potter, Jane Austin, Shakespeare, Ann Hathaway, kings and nobles and warriors and plan folk all walked on these boards and cobbles and told tales…a love poem written on a stone by that waterfall – Wordsworth, Coleridge…and they had no computers or blogs…timeless wisdoms to reflect on and move our minds…there is power in these blogs and the possibility to change the world…and so many minds…
awesome stuff to contemplate
.-= Check out Patricia´s awesome post: Home Again, Home Again – Higgity Fie =-.
Hi Patricia,
Having just returned from an awesome trip, you saw firsthand how the words of those who came before us still influence many today. You’re right. What they wrote was timeless, and it was first by hand, then compiled into book form. How fortunate we are to still have access to that wisdom.
Hi Barbara, interesting observation you have your readers engaging here. I’m not a big time book reader. I must say that have been blogging for a year now, it would be delightful when my grand-kids or great-grand-kids find my blogs 30-40 years from now. What about pictures – maybe we should scan them online so we always have them there without getting destroyed.
.-= Check out Petra Norris´s awesome post: Closing on your Lakeland, Florida Home On or Near Labor Day? Plan Ahead! =-.
Hi Petra,
What a superb idea. With photos being the first thing people grab when they’re faced with a home disaster, if we had our photos archived online, that worry would be gone. Plus, they would be there for our future generations to view and/or print.