Owly Indigo Birds SL

Since it's just us now, let's do a long and rambly post.

About ...

PLURK.

I can no longer imagine SL without plurk. It's where stuff gets done. Make new friends and connections, get information on where to find anything in SL (as inworld search and marketplace and frustrating to use), advertise what needs advertising, find out about events large and small (again, any communication option inworld is unreliable). Most importantly, it's where you keep in touch with close friends when you can't all be inworld at once. It is the only social network I use on a daily basis, and nothing, not even the SL-site-based pretender, can replace it.

There are people who say plurk is all about the drama. It is inherently evil, it brings out the worst in people, breaks hearts, foments dissent (I just made myself LOL), encourages "bullying" (are we 12?). Blah. I say it is what you make of it, and through keeping my timeline private and careful friend selection, my timeline is usually a pretty nice place.

I've had brushes with the drama, and there have been instances where my timeline could have burned out of control if I had not kept my mouth shut. Again, it is what you make of it. *waits a month after incident has passed and then quietly deletes the offender*

All that said, I up and went on plurk break for Lent. That's 40 days of plurklessness. I essentially removed myself from constant contact with friends and reliable SL-related information for 40 days.

What was I thinking!?

Lent is about fasting, almsgiving, and prayer in preparation for Easter. Everyone observes Lent a little differently, and when I "give up" something for Lent (part of the fasting bit, which for me is about solidarity with people who are far less fortunate than I am), I want it to be a reminder of the season. Some years I choose to stop doing something that I regularly do, so that when I think of doing it, it gives me a little jolt of remembrance. For instance, "Aw, the kitten just did the I-see-a-bird meow for the first time! I should plurk that ... oh wait, no plurking til Easter." Then I remember what a luxury plurk is, what a luxury it is to have a computer and the free time to use it, how fortunate I am to live in a country where and an era when women are educated, to the point where computer use is de rigueur, there are women in this world who are uneducated due to oppression and lack of opportunity, they struggle to find work and food so they and their children can survive, etc., etc., Catholic guilt, put some coins in the Operation Rice Bowl box that came home from the school. Stop feeling piqued that you can't plurk because it could be so very much worse.

No, really. For me, this thought-train is knee-jerk and almost instantaneous.

Anyway.

I'm only four days in, and it's been pretty effective. I normally plurk or think about plurking quite a lot throughout the day. I'm thinking about Lent all the time now. hahahaah oh god

Another reason I chose to give up plurk was because I plurk so damn much, and about such personal things. I get all crazy about hating facebook, but how is what I do on plurk any different from what other people do with fb? Except for linking it to my real life ... although, some of my online friends are real friends now, and I do plurk about RL ... yeah, it gets muddy. Very muddy. This 40 days is a chance to think about that and consider what changes I want to make to plurk when I return.

On a related note, I just ordered up a book by Lori Andrews, I Know Who You Are and I Saw What You Did: Social Networks and the Death of Privacy, and I'm going to a talk she's giving next month. Yeahhhhh ... this is on my mind.

Giving up plurk ... I thought it wouldn't be all that bad, because I am still inworld most days, and I am continuing with this daily blog project. Plus, there is email, Words with Friends, DrawSomething, and other ways we keep in touch. 

But it's not the same. I miss my friends. My wonderful, funny, resourceful, clever, helpful, compassionate, knowledgeable, supportive, downright goofy, and absolutely real friends. This is the fasting lack I am feeling, and the related Lenten lesson is to recognize people who are, or feel, friendless. What can I do for them? Ok then, non vox sed votum. Less talk, more do.

I look forward to coming back. At Easter. Just like Jesus!

(unsure) (rock)