Tuesday, December 29, 2009

Crikey, is that the time?

I’ve been blogging here for more than four years, and I think the flame’s spluttering a little. Part of this is for the best of reasons; in work terms, things have been going exceedingly well for me in recent months, to the extent that 2009 was the first year in a long time that I haven’t been forced to do any work I didn’t find at least vaguely interesting or fulfilling. In 2005, the blog served as an outlet for the ideas I was having; now, it seems more like a place where I can tell you about the other places where those ideas are being expressed, which isn’t nearly so interesting. (Talking of which, do check out History of Now: the Story of the Noughties on BBC2, starting next Tuesday.)

Moreover, the best bit about blogging has always been the community, the conversation, and that’s become decidedly quieter lately. Fewer comments are appearing here, about which I can’t complain, as I’ve been leaving fewer smartarseries in the boxes of others. Also, the past year has seen many splendid bloggers – Patroclus, both Annies, Valerie, LC, among others – either cut back their activity, or move away from proper old diary-type blogging, or hang up their bloots entirely. I don’t know if I’m quite ready to join them, but I’m getting to the stage where I feel more of an obligation to blog, rather than a pleasure in blogging, and that’s the wrong way round: “We run tings, dem nuh run we,” as someone, possibly Peter Tosh, or maybe Brian Sewell, once said. And the smell of leaving is heavy in the air. David Tennant, Terry Wogan, Oprah and, most importantly, Malcolm from Spooks have decided to hop off their respective conveyor belts, so I’d be in good company if I ambled into the digital sunset.

That said, I’m not pressing the delete button just yet. Maybe I’ll have a change of heart, and everything will be back to the way it was in about 2006, when I could knock out vast screeds about Baudrillard and Rob Bryden without even breaking into a sweat. I’ll probably pop up here occasionally with a one-liner, even if nobody’s around to read it. A bit like Teletext. Oh no, that’s gone as well.
GUILDENSTERN: Our names shouted in a certain dawn... a message... a summons... There must have been a moment, at the beginning, where we could have said – no. But somehow we missed it.

(He looks around and sees that he’s alone.)

Rosen–? Guil–?

(He gathers himself.)

Well, we’ll know better next time. Now you see me, now you –

(And disappears.)

16 comments:

Charles Edward Frith said...

Oh get a bloody grip man.

First of all you've been blogging better than that pedestrian navel gazing stuff we've all had to suffer when there was time to be your groupies.

2nd, don't rub it in just because you're a massively busy luvvy now.
And thirdly it's not a binary issue. You can leave your blog till 2050 and make a post and it's straight in the RSS.

A blog is for life. Not just for blah blah xxx

Annie said...

boo!

I am still blogging (though nobody reads it, *sniff*) They're all migrated to Twitter. I agree with you on the community thing. Don't you stop as well, or I'll really be all alone in the woodshed.

Mapeel said...

Tim, you are one of the first-row seaters to the whole blogging revolution. It does seem that there's a natural cycle of sorts to individual blogs, and to where the community is gathering. I don't know how much longer I'll be blogging either (I'm a year behind you) but it is still hard to imagine dropping out completely.

Chris said...

Oh no! This would be like Radio 4 going off air! Which I'm sure it eventually will, too, but - it / you shouldn't, that's all.

Perhaps you could get Jack Dee to stand in whilst you are busy commentating upon the decade's demise?

Billy said...

No! Don't stop. Cut down, change the focus, try doing it differently but never stop.

Dick Headley said...

Smartarseries beget smartarseries. Should be the first rule of blogging.

Anyway Tim...I hope you keep it going.

Anonymous said...

I'm with Billy. No. Do those other things before stopping.
Admittedly I say this for my own benefit not yours, but Keep Calm and Carry On.
And anyway, there's nobody else whose life I've been eavesdropping on like this - and it's not as if I can literally drop in whenever the mood takes me.
So for all our sakes - carry on. (And when I say "all" I'm meaning me.)

So - that ought to be enough to see you through till the end of January? Huh?

Annie said...

Ah, now. I'm coming back next week! BANG. And then you'll be sorry.

Don't stop Tim. Just do it when you feel like it.

xx

Tim F said...

Thanks for all you kind words, and some of the not so kind ones. Think I'll take a wee rest, a few weeks maybe, and consider my options. Have a splendid New Year, everyone.

rockmother said...

I have been reading but not commenting which is unusual for me I know - but true! Yes - have a nice rest and see how you feel. I blog now and again but I don't think anyone reads it anymore but it's still limping along. Yes Annie is right in a way - we are all tap tappity tapping away on twitter with gay abandon (well I am..). Have a great New Year and so glad everything is going so well for you x

llewtrah said...

The problem is bl**dy twitter. It's like blogging for the ADHD set. "look at me, look at me, I'm eating a sandwich".

I have to admit I'm spending more time of Flickr nowadays as I'm digging out old photos and finding groups of people with similar obsessions to my own.

Plus a year of illness hasn't helped my enthusiasm.

garfer said...

It's all down to a lack spleen venting.

Vent some spleen Timothy, you're rather good at it.

9/10ths Full of Penguins said...

I feel guilty I haven't been commenting more now!

Seriously though, if you stop blogging I will search you out (which now you're famous will be much easier) and throw rotten cabbages at your cat...

(If you don't have a cat, I'll slink off home shame-faced with a bag of rotting cabbages)

Fat Roland said...

I fully support you. You know my opinions on netloafing.

Leave your blog resting at the side of the road while you find new avenues to... (backs out of metaphor quickly).

Robert Swipe said...

Caught the end of your appearance on the Noughties show Timster - excellent stuff. Glad to see the career is really taking off!

I never had you down as being a Scot though...and, if you don't mind me making a personal comment; by the looks of you, you could do with feeding up a bit. I've had my own highly publicised issues with weight loss, but come on man - there's nothing of you!

L.U.V. the Sunday morning chat show, btw - is Selena Scott really as loose as everyone says...???

(PHWOAR!!)

Happy Teenies!!

L.U.V. on ya,

Bob

wrod vercif: synceful....hmmm

Unknown said...

Yes, spleen,... we want spleen!

Come on now... Pat Robertson and Haiti? Surely, there's a little spleen in there somewhere worth donating.