drshorn: 2007 in Rearview

drshorn (

drshorn) wrote,
@ 2007-12-26 01:04:00

Current mood:	cheerful
Entry tags:	2008, foaf

2007 in Rearview
AKA So Long LJ and thanks for all the friends

Well, it's been a year since I started posting on LJ. It started with a post about my New Years resolutions for 2007. To recap:

1: Drink lots and lots of coffee (inspired by Seattle)
2: Drink wine frequently, but moderately (inspired by medical research)
3: Blog (inspired by imtboo)
4: Learn to play drums (inspired by blackwingedboy)

How did I do? Well, 1-3 were totally hit. Number 4 I haven't started on. But blackwingedboy tells me there is still time. He's comin' over for a late visit this evening, maybe I can get a crash course.

There was one other thing I promised myself in 2007 - no buying new media. I largely honored this promise, using the services of the local libraries and those fabulous Swedes at the Pirate Bay to supplant my need for shiny discs in shrinkwrap. We did end up buying a few movies/games for the kids (Flash Gordon and Barbarella, those are kids movies right?).

Onward to 2008. Man, this decade is flying by. I almost wrote 'flaying', which is not particularly unapt a description. Seems there has been lots of change, and lots the same. The web has finally turned out as Microsoft's worst nightmare - a platform that renders the OS largely irrelevant. They held it up for almost ten years, the bastards. Just like they did with Unix. But we're free now. Barring a government mandate that all citizens use Microsoft software protocols and technologies, their ship has sailed. Now we just have to keep a keen eye on Apple to see that they don't try to get away with the same shit.

Now about that web platform, specifically as it pertains to social networking and personal journalling/blogging. 2007 saw a lot of growth and action in that area. It's rapidly expanding popularity attracted some serious investments and some nefarious attempts at cash-in. It continues to evolve so rapidly that I'm not really comfortable relying on any one site or meme. A large percentage of social network participants seem to feel the same way, flitting from site to site, posting on multiple networks. One-way instant messaging (like Twitter) plus a blog/forum seems to be a very common combination these days.

I embrace that combination, but I'm also looking for more sense of control. So for 2008 I'm moving my blogging off-network. Well, off LiveJournal anyway. I'm setting up a place to journal on my own site, complete with forums and whatnot. I'm hoping to be able to tie in to Open ID to make it easy for members of LJ and other forums to correspond with my journal. And I'm hoping that the foaf project and it's use of emerging network technologies like the Semantic Web and RDF will make it easier for everyone to publish anywhere they want and still be found and referenced by a community of friends and followers without the need to be bound to any particular social network.

So, even though I'm leaving LJ (at least as a journaller) my New Years resolution for 2008 is:

1: More networking, done more openly.

Hope to see y'all out there!

(Post a new comment)

streamsandpools
2007-12-26 10:18 am UTC (link)

Happy 2008 to you my dear! I'm interested to see how your blogging future unfolds. I wonder if you'll still be visible on my Friends Page. I regret to say I seem to find it so hard these days to remember to check my non-LJ friends' blogs, even though I have them all on a Sage Feed which really shouldn't be too hard to remember to check. Anyway. Glad you had what sounds like it was a good Xmas and all the best for the New Year. Perhaps we may even meet in 2008? That would be exciting!

(Reply to this)(Thread)

drshorn
2007-12-26 03:55 pm UTC (link)

Thanks bunches, toots. Non community-specific feeds are the key. I hate to leave LJ particularly because of the friends page, but instead of just hoping something less vulnerable replaces it I want to try to help make it happen. I think 2008 is going to be an explosive year for decentralized network communities. A simple group of RSS links in a browser is not a bad place to start. I'll still be checking y'all out on LJ and wherever my friends post!

Looking forward to meeting you too, and who knows what 2008 will bring. But seeing what I have seen I feel I already know you, at least well enough to feel very sorry for you to have to put up with

blackwingedboy with a camcorder. A very dangerous thing, especially from way up that high by his head!

(Saw him a couple days ago, and I swear that boy is still growing taller)

(Reply to this)(Parent)

	imtboo 2007-12-27 10:50 pm UTC (link)
	leaving lj = !!!!? aaaaaaah. but. but.... where can we find you then ? you didn't leave the url ! that boy indeed gets taller all the time. it's the love. it makes him grow. :) happy holidays to the shorn clan and see you soon ( on or offline !) i am honored to have inspired, i must say. (Reply to this)(Thread)

drshorn
2007-12-29 01:05 am UTC (link)

Sorry Boo, didn't mention specifics because I don't know them yet :)

I have three site URLs I could put this on. I'm leaning towards shornworld.org, but it could be on scotthorn.com or shornmedia.com. As soon as I've nailed it down y'all will hear it here first. I guarantee I won't be any harder to find. Google still works, thank the maker.

Also I'm not sure what blogging software to use. I'm looking at Moveable Type because it is now free (for non-commercial use) and supposedly integrates with Open ID. And if that is all true, I'll be able to have all my LJ friends already 'signed up' and able to login and post at launch.

This may seem like a lot of work just to blog, but it won't be more so than your naprlomojklmnopqrstuvwzyz site is. Totally worth the effort, right?

(Reply to this)(Parent)

	beckyb 2007-12-28 12:44 am UTC (link)
	Yeah, as long as you make it easy for us, we're fine with it. (Reply to this)(Thread)

	drshorn 2007-12-29 01:05 am UTC (link)
	That is the plan, dearie. That is the plan. (Reply to this)(Parent)

	blackwingedboy 2008-01-06 07:56 am UTC (link)
	Hey you know, toss in an RSS feed and we'll keep reading :) And honestly, I totally get this. As much as I like Live Journal, Blogger and the like, I get a bit frustrated sometimes about the lack of control. Do what ye will. That's the Swedish National Motto. And I wasn't taller. I was wearing the pumps you requested I wear for you. (Reply to this)(Thread)

	drshorn 2008-01-07 03:21 am UTC (link)
	Oh, right. Now I remember. Still got the scars on my back. Hey, do you know anyone with mad web skilz who can help me with this whole blog/community web site thang? ;) (Reply to this)(Parent)(Thread)

	blackwingedboy 2008-01-07 03:27 am UTC (link)
	Sure! http://imtboo.livejournal.com She rocks. (Reply to this)(Parent)

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