Everything Old is New Again

Phil Coffman on bringing back his personal blog:

Nostalgia rains heavy on me. I’ve been doing this internet thing for awhile now to where reflecting back on early years of my web career (internet years which are like dog years) feels like another lifetime. I, like many others, found a lot of my online community through blogging. I used Google Reader daily. It was a thrill seeing new RSS links show up. I loved sharing inspiration and thoughts from my perspective. I still do, but along the way I lost my unique and personally crafted vessel. I gave it up for the allure of Twitter and other social networks.

I feel this quite viscerally. I’ve withdrawn from most social networks in the past couple of years—quite accidentally.

While I fear I’m missing out, the emphasis on algorithmic timelines—specifically designed to grab and keep our attention—feels like it has come at the cost of a surge in anxiety and stress.

On the up-side, I’ve been taking some steps to reboot this blog, so that I can express myself here more frequently.

There’s no dopamine rush from the engagement metrics provided by Facebook, Instagram, or Twitter, but that’s kind of nice—I’m writing for myself.

I hope you find value in what I have to say, but I’m not chasing an algorithm.