That DW meme.
May. 24th, 2023 04:07 am![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
rogueslayer45201. How did you find Dreamwidth? What attracted you to this platform? Why did you start blogging?
Many years ago when the Great LJ Exodus was happening and people were looking elsewhere to relocate. I created this account in 2012 as a potential backup and to keep an eye on those from my flist who would migrate there, but I never did anything with it since I was stubborn and kept holding onto LJ as long as it could. It wouldn't have been until last year (2022) when I finally decided to make the move to DW permanently. Obviously the thing that attracted me here was how it's essentially a journaling platform like LJ, which seems to be rare these days and I like writing and communicating with people longform.
02. How long have you been blogging on Dreamwidth? What has changed here, or in your life, over that timespan?
Since 2022 when I transferred everything over from LJ.
03. What are your favorite things about Dreamwidth? What do you dislike about it? What do you wish it had, or had more of?
I really like how Dreamwidth has a bit more of a community, and how it resembles a lot of what I loved about LJ back in the day. I do wish that it was slightly more bigger, and it does suck that DW didn't take off as much as it should have as an LJ alternative during the exodus. However, with that being said, I do like that it is a bit smaller and more intimate since while it would be nice to get more people to join and be active I would rather keep away whatever fandom/online drama that comes with that. I also like that DW has remained ad-free and hasn't attempted to change much of its features, unlike LJ where it tried to be like other social media sites and has since become so unrecognizable from its former self. DW is a journaling/blogging site, and should remain that way.
I also really like how attentive the main moderators of the site are regarding issues and keeps their users updated on things.
What I don't like, well, aesthetically? It's not entirely pleasing, at least in comparison to how LJ used to look like, that is. Unless you know how to customize, most of the journal layouts you can choose from are very similar to one another.
04. Do you think people should crosspost the same or similar things in more than one place on Dreamwidth? Why or why not? Are there conditions that influence whether or not it's a good idea?
If that's what they want to do, then fine? I mean, it's their journal.
05. Do you have a free account or a paid account on Dreamwidth? What features or other factors made you choose that option? Would you recommend your option to other bloggers? Why or why not?
I have a paid account, mainly for the icon space. :) And it's up to someone to choose for themselves whether they want to get a paid account or not. I will say, though, I do like that you could edit comments with a basic account, something you could only do with a paid account on LJ.
06. What is your blog metaphor? Where are you, when you are in your blog?
I don't know what this means.
07. What tools do you use for blogging? Laptop, desktop computer, or other device? Paper notebook for jotting down ideas? Color palettes, accessibility gauges, or other guides for making it look good?
Laptop, 100%, as I do with most things to be honest. I will use a word document to sometimes write out thoughts or ideas for possible future posts, especially reviews and things like that.
08. How often do you post in your blog? Do you like reading blogs that are high or low in traffic?
I try to post at least once or twice a week, if I can. Sometimes I can have a lull due to lack of motivation or not quite knowing how to write a post, particularly one that takes a lot of time to get written (reviews, recommendations, memes, etc). And while I do enjoy seeing people post consistently, I don't mind if people are sporadic in their posting schedule. I mean, I'm not one to judge. People have their own lives, and whether or not they are consistently posting daily or a couple times a week or every other week, it doesn't matter.
09. What are the top ten topics in your blog? You can use the Manage Tags function to sort by usage and see which ones you use most often, or just think about what you consider important subjects.
Fandom and memes it seems, along with some particular fandoms. But yeah, those, for sure.
10. What types or topics of posts get the most enthusiastic responses from your readership? What do you think makes those so engaging?
Honestly, I'm not quite sure. It fluctuates depending on when I post something. It's often quite a mixed bag.
11. Do you use any recurring posts, and if so, what kinds? Do you enjoy reading those in other people's blogs? Why or why not?
The end of the year fandom meme, always. :) Aside from that, I would say the Snowflake Fandom Challenge, although that can depend on whether or not I like the prompts for that year in order to participate. I do like reading other people's posts for both.
12. Do you ever go back to reread older entries on your blog, or other blogs? Do you get or give comments on older entries? What kind of posts do you put in your Memories?
Sometimes. When it comes to my own journal, it'll be because I'm trying to relocate something I had written down, and other times it's for the nostalgia of the time. When it comes to other people's journals, I'll read the most recent posts if I haven't caught up yet, or if it's someone new that I've just friended I'll go back and look through their journal just to get the general idea of what they've posted in the past. As for Memories, well, I used to have a lot organized on my LJ but since those cannot be transferred over to DW I lost pretty much everything, granted a lot of them were most likely deleted or purged anyway.
13. Where do you find ideas for blog posts? What inspires you?
Memes, questionnaires, and writing prompts, usually, either newer ones or I go searching for some older ones to resurrect. I can also be inspired spontaneously through something that's been happening, or an interest that I've been hyperfixating about, or something that's been on my mind.
14. Do you use your blog for personal, hobby, or professional purposes? Do you mix those or keep them separate, and why? Do you like to talk about yourself in your blog, or do you prefer to post about other people and events instead?
Mainly hobby (fandom). I rarely, if ever, make personal posts because my life is boring and uninteresting. The only exceptions are ones that I feel are more life-changing or that I need advice for, but again those are very rare. I prefer talking about my interests more and getting to connect with others who like those same interests. That's the whole reason why I created an online journal in the first place.
15. Do you follow any blogging guidelines? What do you make a point of doing, or not doing, in your blog?
I make sure to use cuts for longer posts and for anything containing potential spoilers. I've also developed this habit of linking to specific things I'm talking about, whether it be articles or video links, which is something I've done since, like, the beginning of my blogging experience, really. Because if I'm making a post about something, I want others to be able to see what I'm talking about so they can join in the discussion, if they want.
16. What are some things that you haven't tried in your blog, but would like to try? What cool things have you seen in other blogs that you haven't done yourself? What things have you tried that totally flopped? Try something new today!
I've wanted to do some picspams, or do something equivalent of that while discussing particular characters/pairings/shows/fiction that I enjoy, mainly because it gives those who read it a visual reference to what I'm talking about, and also the pretty. I used to post images back in the day, but then, y'know, Photobucket and Tinypic became obsolete in their stupidity.
17. What do you consider the traits of a successful blog? What are the traits of an unsuccessful blog?
First and foremost, the concept of "successful" in this case is rather subjective. People have different needs and expecations for their journaling experience on their own blogs.
Now, with that being said, in my opinion, I think mutual engagement is needed. You can't expect people to continue friending and commenting on your blog if you're not commenting and engaging with them right back. Comment to their replies, engage in conversation, go on endless long comment threads, comment on their journals, interact with others in communities. If you're here to just vibe and vent in your own space, not really caring about that kind of stuff, that's totally cool. You do you. However, if you're someone who is trying to get to know people, you can't just friend someone and expect that to be the end of it. You have to make the effort of meeting your online friends halfway by communicating. It shows that you're interested in what they have to say, instead of just merely being a number added to your flist.
18. Which blogs or communities do you read most often? What makes these your favorites?
![[community profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/community.png)
c_ent and sid_guardian are the communities I frequently visit, since it's among the more active communities for Asian dramas and I like seeing what gets recommended, reviews and discussions and whatnot. And obviously all those on my flist.
This took way longer to finish than it should have, both to answer and post it, but it's finally done.
Many years ago when the Great LJ Exodus was happening and people were looking elsewhere to relocate. I created this account in 2012 as a potential backup and to keep an eye on those from my flist who would migrate there, but I never did anything with it since I was stubborn and kept holding onto LJ as long as it could. It wouldn't have been until last year (2022) when I finally decided to make the move to DW permanently. Obviously the thing that attracted me here was how it's essentially a journaling platform like LJ, which seems to be rare these days and I like writing and communicating with people longform.
02. How long have you been blogging on Dreamwidth? What has changed here, or in your life, over that timespan?
Since 2022 when I transferred everything over from LJ.
03. What are your favorite things about Dreamwidth? What do you dislike about it? What do you wish it had, or had more of?
I really like how Dreamwidth has a bit more of a community, and how it resembles a lot of what I loved about LJ back in the day. I do wish that it was slightly more bigger, and it does suck that DW didn't take off as much as it should have as an LJ alternative during the exodus. However, with that being said, I do like that it is a bit smaller and more intimate since while it would be nice to get more people to join and be active I would rather keep away whatever fandom/online drama that comes with that. I also like that DW has remained ad-free and hasn't attempted to change much of its features, unlike LJ where it tried to be like other social media sites and has since become so unrecognizable from its former self. DW is a journaling/blogging site, and should remain that way.
I also really like how attentive the main moderators of the site are regarding issues and keeps their users updated on things.
What I don't like, well, aesthetically? It's not entirely pleasing, at least in comparison to how LJ used to look like, that is. Unless you know how to customize, most of the journal layouts you can choose from are very similar to one another.
04. Do you think people should crosspost the same or similar things in more than one place on Dreamwidth? Why or why not? Are there conditions that influence whether or not it's a good idea?
If that's what they want to do, then fine? I mean, it's their journal.
05. Do you have a free account or a paid account on Dreamwidth? What features or other factors made you choose that option? Would you recommend your option to other bloggers? Why or why not?
I have a paid account, mainly for the icon space. :) And it's up to someone to choose for themselves whether they want to get a paid account or not. I will say, though, I do like that you could edit comments with a basic account, something you could only do with a paid account on LJ.
06. What is your blog metaphor? Where are you, when you are in your blog?
I don't know what this means.
07. What tools do you use for blogging? Laptop, desktop computer, or other device? Paper notebook for jotting down ideas? Color palettes, accessibility gauges, or other guides for making it look good?
Laptop, 100%, as I do with most things to be honest. I will use a word document to sometimes write out thoughts or ideas for possible future posts, especially reviews and things like that.
08. How often do you post in your blog? Do you like reading blogs that are high or low in traffic?
I try to post at least once or twice a week, if I can. Sometimes I can have a lull due to lack of motivation or not quite knowing how to write a post, particularly one that takes a lot of time to get written (reviews, recommendations, memes, etc). And while I do enjoy seeing people post consistently, I don't mind if people are sporadic in their posting schedule. I mean, I'm not one to judge. People have their own lives, and whether or not they are consistently posting daily or a couple times a week or every other week, it doesn't matter.
09. What are the top ten topics in your blog? You can use the Manage Tags function to sort by usage and see which ones you use most often, or just think about what you consider important subjects.
Fandom and memes it seems, along with some particular fandoms. But yeah, those, for sure.
10. What types or topics of posts get the most enthusiastic responses from your readership? What do you think makes those so engaging?
Honestly, I'm not quite sure. It fluctuates depending on when I post something. It's often quite a mixed bag.
11. Do you use any recurring posts, and if so, what kinds? Do you enjoy reading those in other people's blogs? Why or why not?
The end of the year fandom meme, always. :) Aside from that, I would say the Snowflake Fandom Challenge, although that can depend on whether or not I like the prompts for that year in order to participate. I do like reading other people's posts for both.
12. Do you ever go back to reread older entries on your blog, or other blogs? Do you get or give comments on older entries? What kind of posts do you put in your Memories?
Sometimes. When it comes to my own journal, it'll be because I'm trying to relocate something I had written down, and other times it's for the nostalgia of the time. When it comes to other people's journals, I'll read the most recent posts if I haven't caught up yet, or if it's someone new that I've just friended I'll go back and look through their journal just to get the general idea of what they've posted in the past. As for Memories, well, I used to have a lot organized on my LJ but since those cannot be transferred over to DW I lost pretty much everything, granted a lot of them were most likely deleted or purged anyway.
13. Where do you find ideas for blog posts? What inspires you?
Memes, questionnaires, and writing prompts, usually, either newer ones or I go searching for some older ones to resurrect. I can also be inspired spontaneously through something that's been happening, or an interest that I've been hyperfixating about, or something that's been on my mind.
14. Do you use your blog for personal, hobby, or professional purposes? Do you mix those or keep them separate, and why? Do you like to talk about yourself in your blog, or do you prefer to post about other people and events instead?
Mainly hobby (fandom). I rarely, if ever, make personal posts because my life is boring and uninteresting. The only exceptions are ones that I feel are more life-changing or that I need advice for, but again those are very rare. I prefer talking about my interests more and getting to connect with others who like those same interests. That's the whole reason why I created an online journal in the first place.
15. Do you follow any blogging guidelines? What do you make a point of doing, or not doing, in your blog?
I make sure to use cuts for longer posts and for anything containing potential spoilers. I've also developed this habit of linking to specific things I'm talking about, whether it be articles or video links, which is something I've done since, like, the beginning of my blogging experience, really. Because if I'm making a post about something, I want others to be able to see what I'm talking about so they can join in the discussion, if they want.
16. What are some things that you haven't tried in your blog, but would like to try? What cool things have you seen in other blogs that you haven't done yourself? What things have you tried that totally flopped? Try something new today!
I've wanted to do some picspams, or do something equivalent of that while discussing particular characters/pairings/shows/fiction that I enjoy, mainly because it gives those who read it a visual reference to what I'm talking about, and also the pretty. I used to post images back in the day, but then, y'know, Photobucket and Tinypic became obsolete in their stupidity.
17. What do you consider the traits of a successful blog? What are the traits of an unsuccessful blog?
First and foremost, the concept of "successful" in this case is rather subjective. People have different needs and expecations for their journaling experience on their own blogs.
Now, with that being said, in my opinion, I think mutual engagement is needed. You can't expect people to continue friending and commenting on your blog if you're not commenting and engaging with them right back. Comment to their replies, engage in conversation, go on endless long comment threads, comment on their journals, interact with others in communities. If you're here to just vibe and vent in your own space, not really caring about that kind of stuff, that's totally cool. You do you. However, if you're someone who is trying to get to know people, you can't just friend someone and expect that to be the end of it. You have to make the effort of meeting your online friends halfway by communicating. It shows that you're interested in what they have to say, instead of just merely being a number added to your flist.
18. Which blogs or communities do you read most often? What makes these your favorites?
c_ent and sid_guardian are the communities I frequently visit, since it's among the more active communities for Asian dramas and I like seeing what gets recommended, reviews and discussions and whatnot. And obviously all those on my flist.This took way longer to finish than it should have, both to answer and post it, but it's finally done.
