bearblog questions
I found these bearblog questions in the most inefficient way, but let's just say I first saw them on this blog post by leilukin. However, ava came up with the original prompt for bearblog, so that's what I'll be using here. They take inspiration from those tag games of old, which I played in school and internet circles in the early to mid-2000s (?).
It's always fun to go back to them and remember that yeah, that was a thing. They also represent a time when you did not have access to (almost) every single aspect of a person's life through social media, so what you did was pass questions around and get to know a little more about the people around you. It was, in my opinion, a lot more intentional (and to a certain extent, honest) than just perusing a person's socials and going back to your life without saying a word to them or (worst of all) pretend like you didn't have access to that information if/when you talk to them.
So without further ado, let's do this.
question list
- Why did you make the blog in the first place?
- Why did you choose Bearblog?
- Have you blogged on other platforms before?
- Do you write your posts directly in the editor or in another software?
- When do you feel most inspired to write?
- Do you publish immediately after writing or do you let it simmer a bit as a draft?
- Your favorite post on your blog?
- Any future plans for your blog? Maybe a redesign, changing the tag system, etc.?
1. Why did you make the blog in the first place?
I had been stuck with a half-hearted Substack newsletter for almost a year at that point, and I never understood why I couldn't get myself to write on it. Between my preteen to early twenties, I've always had some sort of a blog. First on places like Blogger.com (going through multiply.com and ultimately landing on Tumblr, my last "blogging" experience. Then social media, fatigue and adult life took over and that was that. When I got to Substack, it was the middle of the pandemic and a lot of fellow writer friends were trying to build their communities outside the algorithm platforms and I just went along for the ride, but it was always a half-hearted attempt. In October 2024 I rediscovered the joy of personal websites and thought to myself that I really missed a real blogging experience, that is to say just blogging about my life and thoughts without having an end-goal or hot sociocultural take to share with others.
2. Why did you choose Bearblog?
I think I found it among a list of recommended weblogging platforms. I opened up a few options, read a little bit about each of them and bearblog's commitment to having a long-lasting place to store your posts really resonated with me. I also liked the idea of having a public feed to read if I wanted to, but not a social media aspect to it like follow count or anything of the sort. Also I'll eventually upgrade, as soon as I get my finances in order. lol
3. Have you blogged on other platforms before?
Ooof, have I! I love testing out new platforms. These are the ones I remember using over the years:
- Blogger.com
- Multiply
- Ning.com
- Weblogger (I think this was my first ever blogging platform, at the ripe age of 12.)
- LiveJournal.com (Never got the hang of it really, and at the time (mid-2000s) I didn't speak English fluently)
- Tumblr.com
- Tinylogger.com
- Posterous
- Medium.com (I wrote like, a few posts but really didn't enjoy the environment)
- Wordpress.com
- Substack.com
4. Do you write your posts directly in the editor or in another software?
I write them on Dillinger first and then paste it on bearblog to preview it for proofreading. Then I post it.
5. When do you feel most inspired to write?
When I'm in bed, half asleep... bc of course. I only feel inspired to write in the most inconvenient moments possible and that is not an exaggeration.
6. Do you publish immediately after writing or do you let it simmer a bit as a draft?
I usually let it simmer for a day or two and then go back to it; sometimes I can forget a blog post, even. I feel very insecure in my writing and it feels like a great chore to write something simple, so I take my time writing the first draft, then coming back to it to "clean it up". Even then, I know it isn't good or perfect or whatever, but it is what it is.
7. Your favorite post on your blog?
That'd be never had a tamagotchi, though it is far from perfect.
8. Any future plans for your blog? Maybe a redesign, changing the tag system, etc.?
I don't have set plans, but I'd love to expand the blog to write more topics, elaborate more subpages and really create a space that I feel proud of.