Why Bear Blogging is Awkward
My kind of coding is in the form of ‘languaging’ without numbers or computer-speak, although respecting it makes you reading this possible. Coders will be all too aware that words are not always necessary... but we're writing here, right?/write?
Sound is simple. ‘Ahh…! Hmm…? and a heavy sigh are pretty universally understood when we've got our senses in tow.
Interspecies comms are more difficult (my bear – not bare! – legs blog amplifies)…
So there’s zero inclination here to code, learn code or read about coding when it comes to anything screen-based. I thought 'markdown' was something teachers did if your essay didn't make the grade... And putting two spaces after every line of a poetical (my word for poems whether rhyming or not) has taken some getting used to!
This makes bear awkward and me indifferent to a surprising percentage of blogs. To start with it made me feel like a ‘bear with a sore head’.
Now? I love that awkwardness. Here’s why:
DEFAULTING TO MINIMUM CHOICE
I work with the bare bones that are easy or already exist (this template is the default)
No headings. Poems (or anything remotely heading-like) go in all caps. No bold, no italics, no links, no images. The words have to work entirely as they’re meant to: on their own without additional emphasis. This hones my writing.
AUTOMATIC FILTERING
No subscriber list, not even a ‘letterbird’ contact link (‘though I did consider it and thank Diel for the suggestion). You’ll have to go to my home page and copy and paste my e-mail.
You see, I don’t want to make it easy for you to find me, unless you really, really, really want to be in touch. I’m after quality not quantity. If that’s a personal private one line ‘thank you’ or violent ‘disagree’ I’m grateful – ‘though I don’t ‘need’ it and may be you don't 'need' to engage with me either. 'Necessary' always trumps 'need'.
This paradoxically frees up your and my time, presenting a clear pool of the unadulterated (read that beautiful word slowly un-adult-erated), serendipitous unknown to dive into with childlike glee!
MORE PERSONAL RESPONDING
It works the other way too.
I’m drawn to the simple, unadorned sites with one small doorway which lead directly to your email, postal address or phone number. Not having to choose a platform or twenty. Not on scaffolds where the world can laugh, commend or shoot me down before I’ve even spoken to you. I don’t even want a contact form which tries – unsuccessfully in my case – to fire up Outlook.
Note: this is also why I’m measured with my up-votes, but craft a personal e-mail almost daily if something which resonates finds me. How does your blog find me? Random or recent, followed last by trending. Hint: the more ways you invite me to contact you, the less likely I am to do so.
RANDOM DISCOVERING
No algorithm, no manipulation but the joy of un-curated surprise (and sometimes disappointment or friction!) I do check out trending since bear bloggers appear to value thinking and feeling over selling and hyping.
Been meaning to pen this forever, glad it’s surfacing. Thank you bear.