WordHerders, Year One

Wordherders.net is one year old today. In my post on the main Herd page, I offered some comments about how the Herd started, where things are now, and some initial thoughts about directions I’d like to see the Herd take. I hope Herders (and others) will offer suggestions.

As to the joys of blogging – I briefly touched on those when Misc. celebrated a blogoversary in March. Like then, I value blogging for a number of reasons – the ability to keep in touch with old friends and make some new ones, the opening-up of a scholarly community (in a way that I’ve not always felt with listservs), the occasion to write more frequently in both formal and informal ways, and the opportunity to continue thinking about things that I like to think about: literature, computing, humanities, games, and the social interactions surrounding each.

The challenge, of course, is maintaining the blog without letting it become a distraction. While I share some ideas about the dissertation here, I still hesitate to share the meat of my thoughts – many are still being shaped through continued writing. Too fresh to put on the chopping block. Increased responsibilities at work and with my family have (joyfully, in most cases) constrained my time and so posts have slowed, which is sometimes a frustration, sometimes a relief.

But as to the overall view, I feel better off for having blogged, if for no other reason that to have a journal of thoughts and ideas to review. There are some things I would like to have with my blogging software – private v. public display, for when I want to write some dissertation material but don’t want to share it publicly; the ability to create more in-depth category associations; the ability to cross-post on blogs on the same installation (say, the same post here at Misc. would appear on the main Herd page, with perhaps comments shared between the two posts); a better image-management system. With the recent changes to MovableType’s pricing structure, I’ve started looking at other content management software packages to see what might best for me and for the rest of the Herd. As I mentioned in my post on wordherders.net, I welcome comments and suggestions from everyone, but also especially from those who blog in the Herd and those with experience with other content management systems, so that we can make informed and appropriate decisions.

In any case, happy blogoversary Wordherders. Here’s to another healthy and fulfilling year.