As I continue reading previous blog posts written on this day, I’ve been struck by a couple of things. One is how often there didn’t seem to be anything worthwhile writing about, and how even writing about that seemed worthwhile. There was a phase when lots of bloggers were looking at their logs and writing about the strange searches that brought readers to them, probably only to be disappointed. Linked to that, there were blog carnivals and blog memes.1
Carnivals took a more-or-less specialised subject area and aggregated posts on that topic, usually submitted by the writer and often to a different host each time. The basic idea was that if your site occasionally played host to a rich source of good stuff from other sites, then people would be attracted to your site and maybe even stick around or add you to their blogroll. Taking turns at hosting shared the administrative load and the benefits that accrued. It was considered good practice to read all the submissions and craft your own post that would link to them, possibly exercising some selection, in a way that might entice readers to see for themselves. In that respect, because they were curated, blog carnivals to me are distinct from planets that merely accrete stuff, admittedly on a topic, without curation.
Me, me, me
Blog memes were different, more a kind of pyramid scheme or chain letter. One blogger came up with an idea or a prompt, responded to it and then tagged other bloggers to respond, and tag, in turn. The underlying logic of why one should participate was not always that clear (to me). It might have been an early attempt to game page rank algorithms, because you linked back to the person who tagged you and forward to the people you were tagging. I don’t really know, but it did give you something to write.
Anyway … I’m not quite ready to launch a new blog carnival of my own. But when I raised the topic 10 days ago or so it got an enthusiastic response from a few people. And then, as serendipity would have it, an on-this-day post was a response to a blog meme. So, here we are.
Have you ever …
In December 2008, I came across this post from someone who was on my blogroll, or in my feeds, or something. They listed 100 things that one might have done in one’s life, and invited one to indicate those that one had actually done. I took the challenge on as a lark and then decided that the same list could prompt individual blog posts, so I started doing that.2 And now I’m resurrecting the meme, and tagging Amanda Rush and ladyhope. I hope they will participate, link to this, and tag two more people.3 Of course, if you are inspired to do it too, then just go ahead.
Here’s the original list, cleaned up so you can do your own bolding
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Started your own blog
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Slept under the stars
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Played in a band
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Visited Hawaii
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Watched a meteor shower
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Given more than you can afford to charity
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Been to Disneyland
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Climbed a mountain
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Held a praying mantis
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Sang a solo
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Bungee jumped
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Visited Paris
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Watched a lightning storm at sea
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Taught yourself an art from scratch
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Adopted a child
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Had food poisoning
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Walked to the top of the Statue of Liberty
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Grown your own vegetables
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Seen the Mona Lisa in France
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Slept on an overnight train
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Had a pillow fight
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Hitch hiked
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Taken a sick day when you’re not ill
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Built a snow fort
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Held a lamb
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Gone skinny dipping
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Run a Marathon
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Ridden in a gondola in Venice
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Seen a total eclipse
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Watched a sunrise or sunset
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Hit a home run
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Been on a cruise
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Seen Niagara Falls in person
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Visited the birthplace of your ancestors
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Seen an Amish community
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Taught yourself a new language
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Had enough money to be truly satisfied
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Seen the Leaning Tower of Pisa in person
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Gone rock climbing
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Seen Michelangelo's David
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Sung karaoke
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Seen Old Faithful geyser erupt
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Bought a stranger a meal at a restaurant
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Visited Africa
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Walked on a beach by moonlight
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Been transported in an ambulance
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Had your portrait painted
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Gone deep sea fishing
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Seen the Sistine Chapel in person
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Been to the top of the Eiffel Tower in Paris
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Gone scuba diving or snorkeling
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Kissed in the rain
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Played in the mud
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Gone to a drive-in theater
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Been in a movie
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Visited the Great Wall of China
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Started a business
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Taken a martial arts class
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Visited Russia
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Served at a soup kitchen
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Sold Girl Scout Cookies
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Gone whale watching
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Got flowers for no reason
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Donated blood, platelets or plasma
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Gone sky diving
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Visited a Nazi Concentration Camp
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Bounced a check
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Flown in a helicopter
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Saved a favorite childhood toy
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Visited the Lincoln Memorial
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Eaten Caviar
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Pieced a quilt
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Stood in Times Square
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Toured the Everglades
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Been fired from a job
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Seen the Changing of the Guards in London
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Broken a bone
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Been on a speeding motorcycle
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Seen the Grand Canyon in person
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Published a book
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Visited the Vatican
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Bought a brand new car
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Walked in Jerusalem
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Had your picture in the newspaper
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Read the entire Bible
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Visited the White House
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Killed and prepared an animal for eating
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Had chickenpox
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Saved someone’s life
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Sat on a jury
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Met someone famous
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Joined a book club
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Lost a loved one
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Had a baby
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Seen the Alamo in person
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Swam in the Great Salt Lake
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Been involved in a law suit
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Owned a cell phone
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Been stung by a bee
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Read an entire book in one day
Off you go, and godspeed.
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There is a lot more I want to say prompted by these ideas, and with luck I do just that. ↩
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I brought those two posts in specifically because I needed to be able to refer to them. The rest will have to await their day. ↩
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And just for a laugh I am also going to link to What is a Blog Meme? from Chris Garrett, just to see whether he will make good on an offer he made in 2007. ↩
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