Le Repaire de Gulix

Why do I blog?

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That's a good question: why do I blog? If I look at my archives, my first posts here (on another version, but still accessible) date back to January 18, 2007. And since there are several of them, I assume they're archives from a previous blog. Twenty-ish years, then. A hell of a long time on this Internet of the instantaneous. And half my life, almost.

With the advent of social networks, blogging isn't what it used to be, even if we're starting to see a certain renaissance. It's still there, of course, but it's no longer the main vector of information it was a few years ago. So why continue?

WHY, lettres en cartons sur fond de sable

First of all, I maintain this blog because I can. I have the knowledge and the technical capacity to maintain this space, to make it evolve. It's both a space on which I write, as this article is proof, but also an IT developer space, on which I have fun with the technique that allows these pages to be displayed. Even more so since I've gone back to a more DIY version.

Secondly, I don't lie to myself, there's the ego-trip. Writing for others to read. To get feedback, to get thanks. When someone (rarely) mentions the blog, it's always good for the motivation engine. Now, for me, it's a minor engine. For example, I have no activity measurement tools on the blog, I've removed comments and I don't monitor mentions of the blog here or there. When the tools existed for that, I didn't really use them. With the redesign, I got rid of them.

Amas de lettres en bois, WHY écrit au milieu

Now, for me, this blog is also and above all an archive. Sometimes, I go back and fall back on my former self, on what I had read, on what I had created. The blog, even if it's chronological, is intemporeal. It's important, even vital for me, to have this archive that remains, that's my own. Platforms are unreliable, and this blog allows me not to feed them with the risk of seeing everything fade away. I like being master of my content, and of what I propose.

And then there's this curatorial role that I enjoy too (we're still in ego-trip, in part). I consume culture, whether it's literature, comics, films, TV series or games, in all their aspects. And I consider that the best way to thank creators is to talk about what they create. This blog is a vehicle for that. I like to talk about what I like. That's why I blog. I don't necessarily need to find my audience, to go looking for them. I write about what I like, and read who wants to. Whenever they want. Intemporality is key. As is long time. And peaceful time.

Trois cubes blancs, des lettres en noir dessus forment le mot WHY

That's why I blog. That's why I keep going. I wanted to express it. Because it's important to talk about what you love, and also sometimes to know why you love it.

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