Jan 13
Down again, stubbornness and my new baby…
Yes, that dastardly ISP did it again. There I was, Caspar tucked in with his bottle for a morning nap and where was the internet, I ask you? Oh, it was there: Just long enough for me to start testing the coding on some elements of the new blog. And then it was gone.
What was saved and where I was at? Good question. Instead of having one more thing ticked off my list and an afternoon of fun, what did I do? I dug my heels in good and deep.
I spent three and a half (yes, that’s 3 ½ ) hours on hold listening to something that soundly vaguely reminiscent of muzak echoing through a mile of rusted pipe, interrupted only by a saccharine voice saying, “We are sorry for the delay. Your call will be answered as soon as possible”. And you know how much I love saccharine.
Of course, it might have been me digging my nose in to spite my face, rather than my heels. My call might have been lost in the ether. I’ve been told on good authority that can happen. (Big Sis. She worked in call centres until her spinal injury.) But, dammit, they’re a communications company! They should be better communicators.
I am stubborn.
(Unfortunately this story doesn’t have a dramatic ending and I can’t recount to you all the scathing things I said to them, the things I know everyone has wanted to say to “service” providers at some stage and gets vicarious enjoyment from hearing, because the connection returned all by itself and I hung up.)
But I have work to do. Just a little bit more tweaking over at Blogging Personal to get it ready for launching. In truth, I could have launched it by now. I have some things written and the site is functional. But I’m scared.
Writing a personal blog and writing a blog intended as a resource are two very different things. No matter how much you frame it as a conversation, because it’s your space it is in some ways a claim to authority. But I’m opinionated and I have convictions and if caring about something constitutes authority then I’m okay with that. I guess.
Another thing that makes it scary is that, even unlaunched, the site has already had a great response and I think that shows how many of us want someone to be talking seriously about personal blogging, not just calling it noise and moving on to how you can make the most money. That feels like a big responsibility and I really hope that I don’t disappoint anyone.
Yes, that sounds megalomaniacal. I’m not saying the worries are justified. I’m just saying that I feel them.
So to get over that, I’ve set the launch date in stone. The first post is being published on Tuesday, January 15, come hell or high water, so I’m off to spend the evening tending to my new baby, making sure everything is perfect for its arrival.
January 13th, 2008 at 11:04 pm
It could be worse… In the U.S. should you make a call to the phone company - there’s an automatic rejection circuit if there are more than 100 people on the line. “There are no more operators available. Goodbye”. Click. They assume the other 99 people are all reporting the same problem. It’s only an issue if the problem you have is unique. That’s almost always the case when I call. So you can’t get through and report that your neighbour’s wife just clipped the internet/phone line for your house with wire-cutters while waving a bottle of rum and screaming about how the Rwandans are being treated - until everybody else in the world is happy again.
January 14th, 2008 at 12:38 am
It’s OK, everyone will assume you ARE an authority.
I started the Haiku on Friday site on MySpace because I thought I sucked at haiku and needed lots of practice, and hoped some people would join me. They did, and it’s fun - but most of them seem to take it for granted that I must be an expert haikuist since I’m running the thing!
I am very much looking forward to your blogging expertise!
January 14th, 2008 at 4:40 am
I am having trouble finding blogs to read and comment on. Where would you search ? I want to get some more people reading me. I can’t wait to check out your site when it opens. Send me an email when it opens, and I will be sure to visit. Take care.
January 14th, 2008 at 10:19 am
[…] Someone is starting a new blogventure. Go wish her luck! […]
January 14th, 2008 at 11:44 am
sitting on the phone for 3 1/2 hours is something I would have done. lol
Looking forward to your launch tomorrow!
January 14th, 2008 at 2:57 pm
Well you know we’re all behind you babe! Let’s face it, you know a LOT of stuff. We know it even if you don’t!!!
January 14th, 2008 at 10:45 pm
Reading that just makes me pink puffy heart you more and more
January 15th, 2008 at 10:39 am
Mike, that is truly, truly insane. Good thing you’re here in Australia where you can be put on hold for hours.
Rosemary, regardless of your expertise, or lack of it, with the haiku, you do have a finely honed instinct for poetry and I know you know it because I read your 5 Strengths as a writer!
LF, it is hard at first finding people to read, the kind that you can connect with. I’ll drop you a line.
Thordora, thanks for the Blargh link. I’ve been reading even though my commenting has been thin. You probably won’t see this, but thank you anyway.
Bettina, you’re obviously as stubborn (or silly?) as me!
Lightening, thank you. I know some stuff, but I’ve always been a “service” type person. I like waitressing and admin and making things work. Being front and centre is not exactly my comfort zone. I’m assuming (hoping?) my confidence with it will grow as the site does.
Kelley, unsurprisingly, this neurotic has no idea why!
January 15th, 2008 at 11:19 am
Thanks, petal!
Gawd, we are so alike. “Waitressing, admin and making things work”; being 2-I-C and/or behind the scenes. But then I discovered I’m also a ham when occasion calls for it, as in performance poetry and also teaching. Try it, you might like it!
Your new venture is a new way of being of service, that’s all. Keep that at the forefront and you’ll be brilliant!