Wednesday, October 31, 2007

a little at a time, then all at once

I have decided to put this blog on hiatus, at least for awhile. When I started it, I didn't really intend it to be anything more than a goofy outlet for whatever cognitive runoff came to mind while I was working--a natural extension of e-mails I would send out to groups of friends. I didn't think that anyone who wasn't already a friend of mine would read it, and, for that matter, I didn't actually think I would stick with it for more than a week or two.

I certainly did not imagine that having a blog would be a way for me to make many new friends--you know who you are--which has been the single best thing about it.

But then, sometime over the past year or so the audience problem caused by all the different relationships I had with people who were sometimes reading--family, friends, students, colleagues, prospective employers--made it harder for me to write with the same spirit with which I started. I've also sometimes felt like I was morphing into some kind of peculiar jester-statesman for my discipline, which I'll profess to some ambivalence about.

Dealing with troll-commenters has also sapped some of my enthusiasm for blogging, especially as having to turn off anonymous comments has reduced comments from non-trolls as well. (It's strange: I blogged along for quite awhile without comments and not missing them, but once you have them, it's hard to feel the same energy from blogging when their number is sharply reduced.)

In any case, I don't want to be melodramatic about this, especially since given my tendencies toward distracted logorrhea I'll probably be back sooner or later, here or somewhere else. (And especially since last time I proclaimed a hiatus it ended up not being for long.) Even so, it seems opportune to repeat how grateful I am to everyone who has been a supportive reader over the years.

27 comments:

shakha said...

Enjoy your vacation! Let's hope it's a short one...

jessica said...

You deserve the respite. I hope it's productive and relatively stress-free. :)

sal said...

WE WANT JERRY! WE WANT JERRY! WE WANT JERRY!...

kristina b said...

Your voice will be missed in my RSS feeder, Jeremy. Enjoy your break and have fun settling in at your new post!

ProfessorTC said...

Jeremy -- I have so appreciated your insight and wit and will miss starting my day with your blog. All the best to you.

brayden said...

Noooooooooooooo!

yli said...

i have to share this poll here: should jeremy freese quit blogging, even if temporarily?
http://www.polldaddy.com/p.asp?p=129415

christopher uggen said...

thanks for all you've written and all you'll write, man. it sorta goes without saying, but you're the best.

jeremy said...

Thanks, everyone. I need to figure out a plan that allows me to keep the good parts of blogging -- especially feeling like I'm connected to a very interesting and vibrant community -- without some of the parts that wear on me.

kristina b said...

Well, one option is Vox, which allows you to have a community of people that you know... you can make some posts public and some private. It's something I've thought about too.

Lucy said...

Aww... I was all happy to see a new jfw post in google reader but now I'm sad. I hope you find a way for blogging to be fun again.

Unknown said...

No! No! No! The two year old in me, who I haven't seen since 2003 (although some people might disagree with this date), is throwing quite a fit.

You'll be missed. I hope life treats you well and that you'll be back soon.

{ jw } said...

I think I've commented here only once. It's probably like teaching: despite all the evidence to the contrary, the one bad comment (or a few bad trolls) wears on the mind... I should have shared how much I've appreciated your blog over the past few years... Thanks, and enjoy the break!

yli said...

if anyone is interested in the poll result or has been checking it, i thought i'd let you know it's rather skewed and highly likely tampered. i explained it here.

Derve Swanson said...
This comment has been removed by a blog administrator.
Captain Crab said...

Good night and good luck.

Bad Runner said...

When I was thinking of giving it up, you encouraged me to keep the faith, which I appreciated. So, I'll do the same--at the same time empathizing with your feelings about the broad audience problem and the huge drops in energy for the enterprise one gets from when the underbelly of humanity comes around to comment. I hope the break is revitalizing.

Jamy said...

I second the "nos". Yours is one of my favorite reads. Obviously, I'm new and don't know you (except I did see you at the panel at ASAs so I have a face and a voice to connect to the blog). The trolls are frustrating side effect and I have them too. Even though it's only an occasional problem, it's still in my mind if I plan to write on certain topics. I know what you mean about the comments, too! They are addictive.

I've really enjoyed reading a blog that references sociology since I'm very much out of the academic world. Your voice, perspective and style are funny and original.

I'll miss this blog a lot and I hope you return.

Derve Swanson said...
This comment has been removed by a blog administrator.
Derve Swanson said...
This comment has been removed by a blog administrator.
Ang said...

What hateful, sad little people exist out there. Sadly, I don't blame you for hanging it up for a while.

AK said...

I will miss my daily excursions to your blog, Jeremy. I hope the break won't be too long. We can all collectively decide to ignore the haters, and maybe they will just go away.

Captain Crab said...

Jeremy:

You may be blogging forever just replying to the comments concerning your non-blogging status!

aaarrr!! Go Hawkeyes! Oh, can I still say that now that you are a Wildcat?

{ jw } said...

Wow. We're all probably feeling increasing amounts of empathy with every Mary post. Someone is going to have to find a new hobby!

jeremy said...

CC: I give 49% of my college sports loyalties to whatever school is kind enough to employ me. 51% shall always remain with the Hawkeyes.

Derve Swanson said...
This comment has been removed by a blog administrator.
jeremy said...

I appreciate the kind words from so many people. When and in whatever form I do come back to blogging, I'll post an announcement and link here, and send an e-mail to known non-troll readers.

If I continue blogging under my own name, I will be using something like WordPress that allows blocking comments from obnoxious IPs and addresses.

Since the whole point of this was a hiatus, not to get into some kind of dialogue with a sadly unhinged woman, I am turning off additional comments to this post.

Once again let me say I am grateful for all the support, well-wishes, and understanding I have received.