I have been thinking.… Occasionally I have found a cause, or a Facebook group that I support and want to spread, but for the most part, I am a lurker. This is probably due to lack of time and feeling that I have nothing significant to contribute that someone else has not already contributed. But last week, I was inspired to create a tumblr account (http://thoughtsfromabuddhist.tumblr.com/). After reading the Sullivan article, I realized that I could put something out there that I’m passionate about: I created a blog about Buddhism — not Buddhism quotes as there seem to be an abundance of these blogs. Buddhism is a living entity that allows each person to discover the truth for himself, so suddenly, I wanted to document this process. Even if no one ever reads it, it will be away for me to remember discoveries. I’m looking forward to being a creator.
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5 replies on “Sorry, Have I Been Lurking?”
That’s great that you’ve decided to start participating in the social media world. It’s kind of empowering to start putting yourself and your thoughts out there and I find it quite fulfilling.
I wouldn’t be too hard on yourself about lurking — participating and joining online groups requires commitment and sometimes we just need to start out lurking in order to get our footing and discover how to participate.
Thank you, Courtney. As an update, I now have 12 followers, and 1 post has been reblogged 40 times. It’s pretty exciting I have to say.
Lurking is a form of participation… Someone has to consume what is created. But I’m glad you’ve found a way to contributed that is meaningful for you.
As a fellow voyeur, I do enjoy seeing people get more involved about something they are really passionate about…something other than the next entertaining meme, though certainly I can’t deny those have a place, too.
Blogging as a medium lends itself perfectly to recording a learning process, because blog posts by definition are ordered in a sequence in time, letting the reader follow along on your journey, whether it’s learning a new skill or following a process of spiritual growth.
I’m guessing that’s also the kind of blog that’s easiest to stay committed to, because the subject matter itself (your progress) is always prompting you with the topic and timing of your next post.