{49} Medium be like, “LJ lite”

It’s interesting the little community that I have growing here on Medium. Some people I know, some I don’t, but we all read each other’s work and comment (and highlight, and “share”). Maybe not every day, but regularly, and sincerely.

I had a unspecific sense of deja-vu about it until one day I was writing a draft and wanted to put in some formatting that Medium does not support, and the thought came to mind that it was “something even LJ could do!”

…

“Even LJ.”

LJ, or livejournal for those not in the know, is a huge blogging platform. I blogged on it from 2004 to 2010. One of the best things about it, the most powerful networking features it has, is the ability to connect people over topics and issues so they can talk to each other directly. I made some of my closest friends in a fanfiction community where thoughtful feedback was the norm. I did not know these people, but they commented on my writing. Sometimes what they said clicked — a shared sense of humor, or outlook — and we “followed” each other’s blogs. It was a network that steadily grew in a very satisfying way. It was a quality network.

There are a lot of reasons I left LJ, which I won’t go into here, but it was a slow, steady destruction of that quality which was the heart of my abandonment. The more complicated and fancy and commercial LJ got, the harder it was to connect, I feel. It became cliquish and flashy, which honestly was one reason I left myspace for LJ in the first place.

And so it goes? I guess.

But Medium brings me back to the early era of LJ, when writing and commenting were simple exercises, and reaching out to say something to someone you did not know was an okay thing to do, even encouraged. Everyone is here kind of muddling about and meeting new people and writing great posts and we just need some music to get this party started!

Who knows what will happen in the long run. I’ve missed that sense of adventurous connection that was on LJ, it’s not really possible on tumblr or even FB, so medium for me right now is a breath of fresh air.

Creative ideas and interesting people and good writing. I’m set.