Blogging Isn’t Dead. It Isn’t Even Sick.
Fatherhood on Friday: The delivery systems may be changing, but the stories (and the talented people writing them) will persist.
You’ll notice that one of this week’s Porchlight Posts is presented not so much as a full meal as 17 mini-courses, served up on Twitter by our friend and frequent Summit contributor John Kinnear. They tell a story about the terrible accident that launched his fear of drowning, and how he paces nervously while his tweens learn to swim.
The writing is brilliant and confessional, textually sparse but abundant with emotion. More importantly, it’s a story told by a man compelled to tell it, and people are responding to it.
Blogging was a revolution way back in the 1900s because it was collaborative. Conversational and confrontational. And to those who believe we spend more time confronting than conversing, remember that drama is conflict, and conflict sells.
One of most pervasive and misguided assertions is that “blogging is dead,” because the way we define blogging constantly shifts. Long-form posts have shrunk with our attention spans, and the third-party platforms we used to use to share and promote our work have gobbled up our social traffic.
But while the delivery systems are changing, the stories persist. Today is far more audio/visual, and images are still worth 1,000 words (or in some cases, 5,000). And our Porchlight Posts, which attempt to curate works from all of the above, are evolving with the times.
So, yeah. John’s Porchlight Post doesn’t follow the Online Content Protocols. It doesn’t have a related image, or even a title. But it’s great read, quick and compelling, and it’s inspiring conversation about the variegated experience of fatherhood. If this is what qualifies as long-form blogging in 2019, sign us up.
IN THE NEWS
We have more work to do: 40% of male employees used less than half of the paid leave they had available, compared with 13% of female employees.
Have you harnessed your full dad power?
If you’re raising a small kid, get to know the power (and nascent development) of the prefrontal cortex.
“We claim to have escaped the stereotype of the stay-at-home mom and the dad who is never around. But if the mom as the breadwinner is no longer so out of the ordinary, why is it a thing people often call me?” — Aimee Christian
“We’ll be like ‘Kids, we’re going to show you a movie! ‘, and they’re like ‘Great, what misogynistic, racist movie are you showing us today?’” — Fred Savage
“To have my boys and my wife look at me and know that I’m doing something for the world, it means a lot. It’s an honor.” — Donte Palmer
Since becoming a parent, have you been able to maintain friendships with your child-free pals?
Kids cursing? What the @#!% can you do about it?
Parents, do you ever read children’s books for your own enjoyment/well-being? If you don’t, perhaps you should.
PORCHLIGHT POSTS
- “I wanted to tell her while she was still conscious. While she was still able to respond in some real way. This was something in her future and I know it breaks our unwritten code of focusing on the present. But, I said it anyway.” — Rob Ainbinder; Planning to Die to Go on Living
- “There are plenty of things to worry about as a parent, but worry and concern are not fear. Fear is primal. Fear is immediate and crippling.” — John Kinnear; My Biggest Parenting Fear
- “Was it really good or just good for a boy’s effort?” — Chris Bernholdt; Art, Like Life, is Not Limited By Gender Roles, Stereotypes
- “My parental possibilities are improbable now, but I love discovering that I can play a significant role in the family I chose to create. That is a compromise worth embracing.” — Scott Gerace; I Am An Uncle. Was I Missing Out By Not Being Someone’s Dad?
- “It wasn’t just something their parents were pushing or an unorthodox method of helping kids learn first-hand about mosquitoes and the glare of the evening sun . . . baseball was fun.” — Aaron Yavelberg; Swinging for the Fences
‘GRAM OF THE WEEK
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Photo by Guillermo Diaz Mier y Terán on Unsplash
Originally published at https://www.dad2summit.com on August 2, 2019.
