Why do I even bother with writing a blog? In the algorithmic social media era blogs are a relic of the past. There are exceptions of course, like Gwern. They posit it’s a good time to write online, to make sure we don’t erase ourselves from the future (=LLMs), because it’s important to be represented.

It sure is, but I write for a different reason.

I want to remember, or want to be able to be remembered. I have a very poor memory, and outside of very strong events (traumatic or very positive) I barely remember stuff that happened more than 10 years ago. And I feel very bad and anxious about this, as I really like remembering, and telling stories, and calling back on past events and experience.

I noticed that when I forget about something, but am presented with an artifact, the memories return. I keep mementos from the past as much as I can, the old mug I won at a gaming press convention, all the drawings, trinkets or little gizmos my kids made, old magazines and toys. Each of these is cool in its own ways, but is also often connected to a memory I can revive when looking at the object.

What’s cool, these don’t have to be objects. It can also be words. Talking to an old friend can have this effect on me, where I suddenly remember something I thought I had forgotten a long time ago, like that time I forgot I wrote for and maintained a fan website about DragonBall in 2001. And so I decided I simply have to blog, to put words onto a (digital) paper and create a journal, a scrapbook of memories and experiences, I can call back on when I need or want.

But, I really miss the old internet days — pre social media days — when mailing lists, forums and websites were the main tools for sharing thoughts, ideas and interacting with other humans on the web. They served as the primary (and very dispersed) micro community network, stitching us all together. Wish we could bring it back.

See, I’ve been blogging — on and off — for some time. There still is an old blog I wrote in 2011, full of cringe and en dashes (hehe) for anyone determined to find it. But I always abandoned these blogs, usually because I felt nobody was interested and reading them. “What was the point?” or so I thought. The memory of DragonBall website, and other websites, forums, communities, guilds I ran years ago changed that, and reminded me you can have a blog for the love of the game, not to get leads.

And so, I tell everyone (at least everyone who would listen) they should write more online, with a hope of experiencing the old internet, but also because I like reading interesting stuff. In the meantime I keep blogging, writing for no one (except for maybe myself).

PS You too, whoever reads this, should write more online 🩵
PPS Cheers to Deepansh, who keeps inspiring me to, well, write more online ☕