Xanga.com
a post by Anna
About 3 years ago, I signed up to a website called: Xanga.com: The Weblog Community because I found my brother constantly on it. For 2 of those 3 years, I did not blog very much. Because of the lack of comments, I didn’t think anyone read my posts. Plus 3 years ago, it wasn’t a very famous site in Toronto, so I was limited to sharing with my few friends in the States. Then I subscribed to a stalker module so you could monitor who comes to your page. I was shocked to find out how many random people I knew or didn’t know, religiously log on to my page, sometimes a few times per day. At that point, I decided to not post so many pictures up, and carefully worded my posts. My posts eventually became meaningless and empty words. I even deleted my old posts so that people couldn’t read the comments that my friends had left me. I know it sounds like I’m being paranoid, but I still enjoy the privacy that the internet seems to be taking away. Believe it or not, it’s probably because I’ve had my share of online (and even offline) stalkers.
Anyway, the point of this is that I admitingly spent and do spend a lot of time and energy on this website. I make sure my posts do not share anything too detailed about my life, and I take the time deleting and maintaining my site. One day, I realized that the energy I was putting in to this site was not worth it. Why would I spend time and energy into words that don’t reflect the real me anyway? Well as you may have all experienced, things like Msn and MySpace keep us in contact with those we may have not kept in contact with. I post once in a while to keep in contact with acquaintances and that is what my deep experience with Xanga has become. It is interesting however that a lot of people find different functions for this site. I know a lot of people who use it as a diary, or those who use it as a forum, people who make it their picture album, and the list literally goes on. It just goes to show you how differently people interact with the same artifact.
Well, if you want, you can find me on the ‘Tyndalians” Blogring, but know that if I do take the time to post, you won’t find much substance to it.
About 3 years ago, I signed up to a website called: Xanga.com: The Weblog Community because I found my brother constantly on it. For 2 of those 3 years, I did not blog very much. Because of the lack of comments, I didn’t think anyone read my posts. Plus 3 years ago, it wasn’t a very famous site in Toronto, so I was limited to sharing with my few friends in the States. Then I subscribed to a stalker module so you could monitor who comes to your page. I was shocked to find out how many random people I knew or didn’t know, religiously log on to my page, sometimes a few times per day. At that point, I decided to not post so many pictures up, and carefully worded my posts. My posts eventually became meaningless and empty words. I even deleted my old posts so that people couldn’t read the comments that my friends had left me. I know it sounds like I’m being paranoid, but I still enjoy the privacy that the internet seems to be taking away. Believe it or not, it’s probably because I’ve had my share of online (and even offline) stalkers.
Anyway, the point of this is that I admitingly spent and do spend a lot of time and energy on this website. I make sure my posts do not share anything too detailed about my life, and I take the time deleting and maintaining my site. One day, I realized that the energy I was putting in to this site was not worth it. Why would I spend time and energy into words that don’t reflect the real me anyway? Well as you may have all experienced, things like Msn and MySpace keep us in contact with those we may have not kept in contact with. I post once in a while to keep in contact with acquaintances and that is what my deep experience with Xanga has become. It is interesting however that a lot of people find different functions for this site. I know a lot of people who use it as a diary, or those who use it as a forum, people who make it their picture album, and the list literally goes on. It just goes to show you how differently people interact with the same artifact.
Well, if you want, you can find me on the ‘Tyndalians” Blogring, but know that if I do take the time to post, you won’t find much substance to it.
posted by blair at 1/29/2006 06:54:00 p.m.
4 Comments:
I've just recently started doing this blogging thing. About three days of doing it now. I thought it was a silly idea, and I might still, but I think it can be used in good ways. Just don't be telling me your sob story and I'm fine with it. I think that blogs could be used in a good way. Sharing Jesus, awareness about whats going on and more.
Hey- yeah i used to have a xanga too- for quite some time really. It's funny how I would go through phases with it. I'd write on it frequently for a week and then not write on it again for a couple of months. I like that other people have them, so i can see what people are up to, but i've completely stopped using mine. I just finally erased almost all of it and the rest i put so others couldn't read them. I just got tired of it too. It's funny how into it some people get- there have been huge "fights" over blogspot and xangas and such- it's so weird. If you want to know how someone is doing- don't read their xanga- go see them, stop by, or just call them. I'm just going on my own little ramble. But I agree the world of xanga is a crazy place, one that i'm not a part of too much anymore.
Is there an age thing with this kind of Blogging? What about gender? Anna, Nyssa and Danielle are all female and have or have had at some time or another a blog that they were relatively into. Anna and Danielle, did you grow out of your blog? Could your blog morph into something different than a highly personal sharing of details? What about ideas and discussions about those sorts of things?
No age or gender but it seems as if the majority of users are 15-25? And I think it can be used for different things such as a diary, a place to brag, a picture album, a place to evangelize, an announcements page etc. The youth pastor at my church uses it for daily announcements instead of purchasing a website. My friend who recently had a baby posts up pictures of his new daughter to show his friends (and the world). Actually I know many youth and young adult pastors who use it to stay "in-touch" with their congregation. I haven't out-grown it, I just don't post intimate details on it. Cause like I said, there are a lot of stalkers out there who for some reason find interest in your daily happenings.
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