when a notebook just doesn't cut it...

[beauofkilronan]

The past few years of my life — an emotional whirlwind to say the least — has been documented in journals: A brown notebook, referenced in the subject line, that I never let anyone even touch; an account on Twitter, which really is less of a journal and more of a dump for my crude, unpolished thoughts.

I still journal by hand on that notebook, but I'm not as consistent as I'd like to be. I have no idea how it has improved my writing if at all, seeing as much of my entries are comprised of thought-vomits with little regard for eloquence and the like.  As for that twitter account, well, I've been using it less and less as time goes by. Pretty much none of the friends I made there are still active (bar E, also the only one who regularly engages with the nonsense I post: shout-out!), and I haven't really had any interest to reach out to new people on there. The fact that bots have invaded my followers list should be a testament to that site's sordid state.

So my self-expression has just been me screaming into the void. I honestly don't mind it though. As long as I actually do get to scream, as long as I get to have my cozy corner of the internet... really, just the fact that I have that outlet is enough for me.

Of course, engagement would always be welcomed. And I'd love to meet new like-minded people and read about what's going on in their lives. So I decided to hop on here, to open that option up. I'll try to put some semblance of effort to what I write on here, knowing that there's the possibility of an audience no matter how small. So helloooo. :)

Comments

Hi

[burendasan4]

Just saying hi because there are no "likes" on here...so I have to interact. I signed back on here today after a long time because I heard about Cohost shutting down and it made me think about how hardly anyone is active on long-form/blogging platforms anymore and then I thought of this site. I am amazed it's still around and really don't want it to go away but I'm part of the problem because I hardly post on here anymore and haven't paid for an account in years.

I always say I need to get back to posting here more often but I know better than to believe I'll actually follow through (but that's just me!). It would be nice though if I could get myself to write a few posts.

All this to say that I hope you find your cozy corner of the Internet on this platform and find others on here to engage/interact with.

Re: Hi

[beauofkilronan]

Oh wow - hi! I didn't anticipate a comment so soon, since I haven't put myself out there yet and all. I mostly just posted this just so my blog isn't completely empty.

I've never heard of Cohost, but it looks like another blogging platform as well? I've done my fair share of lurking through long-form blogging platforms like LJ and DW over the years, but I just missed its peak - I grew up in the Tumblr generation of blogging, more focused on aesthetics and fandoms, two things I've never been able to fully relate to, haha. I was also pleasantly surprised to find that there were still some semi-active profiles on here, which motivated me to try this place out for myself. I have no idea how often I'll find myself posting as well, although I do aspire to be pretty regular with it, but hopefully this community stays around regardless!

Thanks for stopping by! I hope the same for you as well, and that you have fun with writing on here.

Re: Hi

[burendasan4]

I checked the "Latest Things" page and was also surprised to find posts being written fairly regularly (that's how I found your entry). The few times I do sign on here I usually just check my not-very-active feed, which is probably why I thought this platform was dead.

Yeah, Cohost is/was a blogging platform in a way...kind of like Tumblr. I got an account when it first opened. I had to wait two weeks to be allowed to post! But once I was allowed, I pretty much never did. I have a Tumblr account and enjoy(ed) posting pictures on my multiple blogs but I also could never relate to the fandoms. LJ was great at its peak when a lot of my IRL friends were on there and we were really able to interact more meaningfully beyond "Likes" or "statuses".

Re: Hi

[beauofkilronan]

Did Cohost have an active community as well? If they did, it's a shame they'd be shutting down then.

I did also enjoy the more aesthetic-focused areas on Tumblr, having my blog being a feed of things that I thought looked nice and all. I also attempted to engage in longer-form interactions, mostly roleplaying and writing, but those never lasted long. I would have liked to experience LJ at its peak, it seemed really fun, so I guess I'm trying to replicate that on here, though it's probably a lot more quiet here in comparison. It doesn't bother me a lot, though. There's a fair bit of 2000s nostalgia making the rounds, so maybe long-form blogging will see a comeback. Who knows?

Not gonna lie though, the thought of anyone I know IRL discovering this makes me shudder a bit. Haha.

Re: Hi

[burendasan4]

Yeah...now that most of my IRL friends are no longer on blogging platforms like this one, I use this as my semi-private corner of the Internet where I'm kinda yelling/talking into the void about things that are not necessarily meant for them. But of course...how I used this journal/blob could change!

That would be awesome if long-form blogging made a comeback! But people would have to get (back?) into the habit of writing out their thoughts. It's not as easy as just scrolling and occasionally clicking on a heart icon.

I don't really know for sure just how active the Cohost community was as I signed on only a few times at the beginning. But judging from posts written by ex-Cohost users, there was at least some semblance of an online community.

Hello there, fellow quester for a digital cosy corner!

[v3ruc]

I just dropped by to say hi, I'm part of your new small audience now! :]

I can relate to the posts and comments you've written so far, so I think I'll stick around for a while if that's okay with you! (Assuming I won't forget my account password again...) I hope you'll find what you're looking for here.

Re: Hello there, fellow quester for a digital cosy corner!

[beauofkilronan]

Hello there! And of course it's cool with me. I can definitely relate with forgetting passwords, but upon checking your profile out I've also found that I relate with your posts too. (You listed your personality type as TiNe/INTP, so I assume you know about cognitive functions and all that? I think I'm an INFP myself, so FiNe!)

So I'm going to subscribe to your profile if you don't mind - which I assume is the equivalent to adding someone here? Still a bit clueless if you can't tell, haha. :P

Re: Hello there, fellow quester for a digital cosy corner!

[v3ruc]

Awesome! The part where it's cool with you, I mean. Not the part about forgetting passwords... I'm glad we feel similarly about each other!

And yes, I've been indulging in the cognitive functions for a while. I think they add a lot more depth and nuance to what the plain ol' four letters suggest, i.e. showing the INTP and the INFP can take quite different approaches (Ti+Fe versus Fi+Te, for readers who don't know but want to look it up) instead of being just the more insensitive/crybaby stereotype of the other, just to name one example of the very many. Don't get me started on the other letters and the internal/external versions of each function. Unless you're ready for a ramble of mine. :]

I myself am relatively new to Dreamwidth too. My account's been here for about two months already, but most of that time was spent searching for my password. But I can say confidently now that subscribing is like adding someone and keeping up to date on their blog, and granting access can be used in two ways for as far as I know: creating an inner circle for more trusted/sensitive topics, or creating a "safety gate" to make your own blog less public and keep potential weirdos out.

Re: Hello there, fellow quester for a digital cosy corner!

[beauofkilronan]

Yeah, it has been a fixation of mine as well, so I really don't mind rambles on that. It's refreshing, really, because the whole MBTI thing has slowly entered the wider consciousness, but the cognitive functions beyond the four letters are still pretty niche. I've heard they make you put your type in your resume in South Korea; pretty weird, honestly, since I guess it can be helpful but it's not like it's actual science. Although, I've always been more oriented towards the enneagram, if you've heard of it, because it deals with the reason why people are a certain type, what went wrong in their childhoods for them to turn out that way. Kind of like the nurture in contrast to the nature. I am honestly unsure of what my type is in that system still, though!

And thanks for the explanation! I've figured out the terms here now, I think.

[einhornmaedchen]

I am looking forward to getting to know you better! You have a really nice and eloquent style of writing so I think I'm going to enjoy reading your entries :)

[beauofkilronan]

Hi - thank you! :D I enjoy reading your entries as well and look forward to hearing more from you.

Hello!

[ysabetwordsmith]

>> I still journal by hand on that notebook, but I'm not as consistent as I'd like to be.<<

You might like journalsandplanners. People often post pictures of theirs.

>>Of course, engagement would always be welcomed. And I'd love to meet new like-minded people and read about what's going on in their lives.<<

Dreamwidth is very good for that.

If you're new here from Cohost, then you might like newcomers which is covering the shutdown and providing resources about Dreamwidth. You can introduce yourself in the Friending Meme or find your Cohost friends if you wish. These are also resources you can share with other folks riding the wave from Cohost.

See also eggbug_club and eggbug_writes for communities devoted to former users of Cohost.