Sqeezing through the tubes

Sometimes, I feel like I'm all over the internets. And then, on nights like tonight, I feel like I'm lost in a Web 1.0 ocean. Thanks to much pressuring, I have finally joined last.fm - and discovered that none of my friends share my musical tastes. Sad, isn't it? A few months ago I joined Del.icio.us, and posted some interesting links... but stopped. I'm also on 43things, but I haven't been active on there for at least a year. And this blog - oh, this blog. I love it and hate it at the same time. I like blogging; I really do. So why can't I ever update? Who knows.

Apparently, I go through Internet Phases. I join a site, start updating like mad, then forget about it a week later. There are precious few sites I actually frequent, and even those change every few months. Right now, I check facebook almost daily, and a site called StartSampling. (By the by, I've been a member of that site since at least 2000 - pretty impressive, eh?) But beyond that, it's a crap shoot. I can't even update Flickr on a regular basis! I'll take pictures at an event, then wait a week or more before putting them up. I guess that's not so bad, but I feel so far behind everyone else.

I think, perhaps, I just don't let myself get addicted to things like I used to. I can't even remember to watch a TV show every week on the same night; how am I supposed to remember to visit certain sites each day? I even got a Remember The Milk account to help me remember to do things - but I never check it. Sometimes I feel apathetic about it all. Nobody reads my journal anyway, right? The world isn't going to end if I don't go on a road trip with no predetermined destination. Sure, it would be fun, but when would I find the time?

I think, perhaps, I have been spreading myself too thin. I can't join everything and expect to update everyday - I have to pick a few, good sites to be active on and monitor the rest. Yes, that's what I need to do. Budget my internet time. Or maybe I'm just lazy and forgetful. My money's on that.

In case you're wondering, here's a (probably partial) list of sites I'm a member of:

Blogger
Livejournal
Flickr
All things Google (Gmail, Reader, Docs, etc.)
facebook
LibraryThing
GoodReads
43things/places/people
AllConsuming
Del.icio.us
last.fm (newest addition! yeah!)
GrandCentral (oh yeah, that's Google now too)
Upcoming.org
Plaxo
Geni
StartSampling
Remember the Milk
Orkut
Friendster (ugh, I know)
OKCupid
Yahoo!
MSN/Hotmail (might be expired by now)
Doostang
Angelfire (old website)
Flixster
Netflix
Amazon
eBay

Think I forgot anything? Probably. But if it's something I can't remember and it's not in my bookmarks, it's not worth mentioning. I'll probably never go there again anyway.

3 Responses to "Sqeezing through the tubes"

Ryan responded on 8/04/2007 1:36 PM #

I absolutely agree. I hate signing up for another website, another login name/password, especially if I'm not enthusiastic about it, or I know it'll fall by the wayside. I usually keep an entire folder for things to check daily/weekly. I especially avoid aggregation sites like del.icio.us because it just compounds the problem!

Anyway, your blog is one I check daily, for what it's worth.

Erica responded on 8/04/2007 1:44 PM #

Hey, that makes me feel pretty special. Thanks for always commenting, too - reinforces the fact that this blog is worth trying to maintain. Now I just need to do a better job of it.

Unknown responded on 8/13/2007 3:06 PM #

It takes 28 days to form a habit. Sometimes it's worth giving something a month of focus.