Social Media

As an historian, it's easy to get lost in the past. We spend so much time reading about the past, writing about the past, and simply thinking about the past, that the present sometimes seems almost...I don't know...mundane I guess. And certainly too transient. Many of us look upon present trends and wonder if they will just be passing fads, relegated to the dustbin of history, a dustbin that we routinely spend time sifting through.

For me, this phenomenon takes the form of being hesitant to accept technology. While some of this is simply me lacking the time (or money) to spend learning new technologies, I think my greatest aversion to trying out new technologies is the unwillingness to let go of the past and dive in to the future.

In an effort to break out of this trap--and at the urging of my wife--I am trying to become more adept at using social media. I was very late to the MySpace party, as well as to Facebook. By now, I've long been using Facebook to keep in touch with old friends, but I only recently created accounts on LinkedIn and Twitter (I follow 6 people and have 1 follower!). Meanwhile, I've let this blog wither on the vine. Part of the problem is not really having a focus for the blog. When it's just my random thoughts, I find it hard to justify sharing them with the world. It seems pretty arrogant to think that anyone would, let alone should, care what I have to say. But I guess that's the world I'm living in now, and I need to get used to it.

In any case, although I have said this before and will probably say it again, I hope to revive my blog and actually use it. /crosses fingers