I keep on saying I don’t do challenges. I don’t. Often. Occasionally, one comes along that piques my interest or...well...it doesn’t matter. There’s one moving around the blockchain right now, and which I rather like. Partly because there’s neither a deadline nor a prize and partly because I sometimes think that we all benefit from looking back to see how far we’ve come. I know I do. So when @lizelle tagged me in her post, I took a second look. I also looked at @edprivat’s post making the suggestion. Firstly, Ed, you’ll not get me on a video...vlogging’s not my thing. You will, however, get what the team behind the erstwhile @yourtop3 competition (@plantstoplanks, @chees4head, @foxyspirit and @nickyhavey) refer to as the Fiona treatment. Because writing is. My thing...
Not really a novice, but nowhere near an expert, either
When I came to the blockchain, I’d been blogging for a while via WordPress. My first ever post is no longer there. It does, however, live for posterity on the blockchain because, for some reason I posted it here. It’s memorable only because it was first. For the rest, it was entirely underwhelming. So bad, there’s nothing worth quoting. If you’re interested, you’ll have to follow the link.
WordPress is a great interface for someone who is not a coder or for whom learning markdown was a challenge. I blogged sort of regularly. It began with just how to make the dish. Often not a proper recipe. Then my posts evolved into stories around what I cooked. I discovered not only that I really liked writing, but that people actually read what I wrote. And wanted more. The writing bug bit - properly - and so began a series about our cats. Alas, because my web host disappeared, I lost most of those. Especially the ones I didn’t put on the blockchain. It’s at the back of my mind to find them and turn them into children’s stories a proper series.
As an aside: I have always written. Every job I’ve had, bar one, has required copious amounts of writing - in different guises. I have always written as a way of working through things. Those writings are mostly private and never shared. That has changed as I have begun to find my voice. I no longer only vent sadness, anger, horror and frustration through a pencil and on to paper; the words now find their way through my fingers and keyboard and on to the screen as they did here. Another was at the height of the hard lockdown in South Africa, and which I think, reflected how many felt, and may still be feeling.
My beginning to blog was a journey to finding my “public” voice. Or voices. They are a work in progress and, I guess, always will be. As am I.
I digress.
Introductory post - on the blockchain
My first post on the blockchain was a challenge for two reasons. Not only was the interface foreign - there were no handy, easy-to-use front-ends, then, and markdown was, at best, gobbledygook. I also posted it twice ( something noobs still often do, so don’t feel bad!). At the time, I was at a crossroads. Looking back, a lot has changed. A lot has not. I moved on made a new space, but thanks to the pandemic, it seems that things are kinda back where they were. Again. What would I do differently? Probably a better edit and some sub-headings. As for the rest of my life, I’m not sure.
I digress. Again.
The blogosphere and cyber “community”
One of the things that shocked me when I joined the cyberworld was how nasty people can be. I discovered that way ahead of arriving on our social blockchain, and I was so shocked that I was compelled to write about it. This was my first ever piece in which I vented my disgust at cyberbullying. I went on to share what I felt feel should be the basic rules for blogging; rules that I, by and large, stick to. I’ve published this piece more than once and am struck, each time I revisit it, as I did in preparing this, how “current” it remains. Not long into the pandemic, I wrote another piece, this time, more personal, and in response to how folk in our village were behaving on the social media.
The impact of the blockchain
After joining the blockchain, partly because I was so overwhelmed, and partly because of my own funk, I disappeared for six months. Now, I advise noobs to stick with it. I should have. Four and a half years later, IMO, this is a far nicer place than it used to be. That said, even a couple of years ago, this community had already profoundly impacted my life. Prompted by a contest, I wrote about both the impact of the social blockchain on me, and my continuing growing understanding of its mechanics.
Again, I think that post remains as relevant for this iteration of the social blockchain as it was for the previous one. I edited it a little to reflect that.
Humour and contests
Clearly I’m kinda serious about things and am given to the odd rant. I do have fun, too! My blog pals will tell you that one of (many) mantras is that I don’t do challenges/contests. And then I do. Like now... One of my favourites was this, and which @zord189 ran a few years ago. We had to pick our favourite song. Of course, I could not. With hindsight, I suspect that The Songs of my Life was the first topic to get the Fiona treatment.
The last year(ish) on Hive
In the last year, Hive has played no small part in keeping me semi-sane. Before I get to that, I also began to feel “comfortable” on the blockchain even though the memories of being a redfish remain vivid. This was why I decided to take an active involvement in #HivePUD - an early post about this is here, and I plan to continue that and my small contribution to @lovesniper’s onboarding of noobs.
Posse of peeps
I have a posse of peeps who pop in and say more than just “hi” on my posts. More than a few have become firm “offline” - the blockchain that is - friends and we connect virtually (in every which sense of the word), daily. They know who they are, and I am grateful to them for being there when things have been inordinately difficult for me, personally, and which crud is not for public consumption.
Why?
It’s part of how I try to put my best foot forward, always looking at the bright side of life. With no apology to Eric Idle and Monty Python.
The monthly @yourtop3 contest that came to an end at the end of last year, in no small way, gave my month shape. How sad - and happy - is that? Well it was, again, a function of the pandemic and enforced isolation and no work and needing to just do things that were, well, somewhat intellectually challenging and fun. And, please breathe after that long sentence.
Finally
I’ve clearly gone overboard again not followed the guidelines, when I look at @edprivat’s criteria:
Find one of your first post on the blockchain, or a memory that you cherish here that is at least one year old.
Review it, react to it on video if you want. Tell us what changed since the post, share also your improvements, your aspirations, and what makes you cringe :D
Post it on Hive and nominate 2 persons.
You can add the "#" with #eternalblockchain so we can find it easily
You don't have to be nominated to participate
I have, however, enjoyed reminiscing about my blogging journey, life in the blogosphere, generally, and on the social blockchain more specifically. Thank you, @lizelle for the prompt.
I’m not going to formally nominate anyone, except to say that I think @traciyork, whose bloglife also pre-dates the blockchain, would have an interesting story to tell. Perhaps it’s something for #HiveBloPoMo? I know I’m going to leave somebody out, so I’m not going to spam the world and leave it at that and follow #eternalblockchain to see who joins the fun.
Until next time, be well
Fiona
The Sandbag House
McGregor, South Africa
Photo: Selma
Post script
If this post might seem familiar, it's because I'm doing two things:
- re-vamping old recipes. As I do this, I am adding them in a file format that you can download and print. If you download recipes, buy me a coffee. Or better yet, a glass of wine....?
- and "re-capturing" nearly two years' worth of posts.
- From Wordpress, I use the Exxp Wordpress plugin. If this rocks your socks, click here or on on the image below to sign up.
- Join Hive using this link and then join us in the Silver Bloggers' community by clicking on the logo.
Original artwork: @artywink
- I also share my
occasionalInstagram posts to the crypto blockchain using the new, and really nifty phone app, Dapplr. On your phone, click here or on the icon, and give it a go.
