Wednesday, January 04, 2012

Happy New Year!

I know, I know.  I am late.  It has been the New Year now for 4 days, but unfortunately Melbourne got hit by a heatwave for 3 of those 4 days, and if you've been reading this blog for a while you'll know that our house is disgustable in the heat. As, indeed, am I.  The computer room is the worst of the worst, and only my children went in there voluntarily.  So we put 2012 on hold for a few days and spent our limbo-days in swimming pools instead.  My sister is visiting from Canberra again with her kids,  flat-sitting for our aunt, in an air-conditioned apartment with access to the body corporate private pool.  We spent two days over there, doing as little as possible. We spent one day at MSAC, which is an enormous aquatic centre with a waterslide and a wave pool, and another one at our local pool with Astrid and co.  I didn't shower for that whole time and the knots in my hair had to be seen to be believed.  But the cool change came last night, my hair is washed, our dishes are done, our life is coming back into order.  So I have now declared my official start to 2012.   I hope it brings happiness and health, kindness and sharing, and somewhere cool to go in a heatwave to everyone.

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I just read this post over at Fairlie's blog.  This part is almost word-for-word of a blog post brewing in my head recently.
Part of what made blogging so special, particularly in the early years was the cut and thrust and repartee of the comments box. I think it's fair to say that comments are to bloggers as applause is to actors.

In the initial couple of years of my blogging life, there was an immediacy of the comments process but of late, that interaction has declined. Facebook seems to have taken over that role to a large extent, and I know many of us are reading and replying on Facebook via phones and/or iPads, which are not so conducive to the more traditional forms of blogging. (Geez...can you believe I used the word 'traditional' to describe blogging? Things move fast in the digital age.)

I think I'm lucky, because I've found a little niche of blog-friends, who are frequent and/or thoughtful and/or witty commenters.  Occasionally, I'll receive a lovely email or one-off comment from people who've been reading regularly, but quietly, and that is also a delight. My real-life friends quite often weigh in about a blog-post in person, or on facebook, (oh the irony!). And you know, lurking is okay of course; sometimes I lurk.  If I'm quite honest, I'm a bit of quid pro quo commenter, in that I really only comment regularly with people who I know will reciprocate.  Otherwise I'll just drop the odd comment in when I feel like it.  But if I think back to a few Decembers ago, I think there were a lot more blog-readers popping into each others' comment-boxes to wish each other Happy Christmas and New Year.  These days I'm not sure now if people are reading less, or just saying less, or indeed if my blogposts are just less comment-worthy.

But!

I do think the start of a brand new year might be one of those times when we could go the extra mile, so to speak.  Not that I want to boss you or anything.  But I think it would make a lovely start to the New Year if you were to leave a message in the comment box, witty, thoughtul or otherwise. 

Happy 2012!
Caroline x

30 comments:

  1. What a sneaky way to delurk people. Happy New Year!

    I enjoy reading your blog... it's one of my favourites on my RSS feed. As I read most stuff through Google Reader I very rarely comment on posts as it requires clicking through to the actual post, clicking the comment link, and then going through all the verification gaff.

    As a non-blogger I guess I don't understand the 'commenter community' as such.

    Nevertheless, I am an avid reader and enjoy watching your family grow together. I also enjoy hearing all the tap happenings as I'm quite out of that loop too.

    Keep writing, and I'll keep reading, but probably not commenting much.

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  2. Good work Monica, for being first! Thankyou and all the best to your family too.xx

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  3. Happy New Year! I am typing over the top of a little heat-sack fast asleep on me, which is making commenting a bit hard these days... but on occasion I can reach my keyboard! And I agree bobbing around in the water is the best way to deal with the heat... nice work!

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  4. Happy New Year lovely Stomper Girl.

    It was a good post that Fairlie wrote.

    Shall I share the ultimate in laziness? I find myself sometimes reading a blog, then commenting on Facebook so I don't have to do WV.

    Since you asked so nicely though here I am - about to fill out the WV just for you.

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  5. Buon Anno and Bloggy New Year to you! 2012 will be orsm and full of all good things. I feel it in my (rapidly approaching 29 11) bones. x
    Maybe this year I need to resolve to be a more prolific commenter.
    PS Monica, delurk is a MOST excellent word!

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  6. Happy New Year Stomper and family!

    After putting my cogitations out there...and having such a "NO! DON'T STOP" response...I'll probably continue blog-plodding away. And of course, I'll continue leaving my comments here.

    Mary's comment about WV is interesting. And I know that if I read blogs using Flipboard on the iPad, it seems a huge effort to click through to comment. (It isn't really, but you become so lazy.)

    I'm not sure if this comment is considered witty or thoughtful. Perhaps just put it in the otherwise box!

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  7. It's so true! I can easily comment via FB and twitter on my phone, but it's way too clunky to bother if I'm reading blogs. Sad!
    Wishing you a stupendous 2012 (and thank bloody god for the cool change)

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  8. As you and I have discussed, I don't "do" Facey and simply am not interested. It quite fascinates me those who say they have no time for trad. blogging ( not you darl!), yet appear to spend hours and hours on FB and twitter, commenting, chatting etc. whereas blogging doesn't take me long at all... then I check back in a couple of time to moderate comments.
    My blog is a diary. I like referring back to it for my own interest. I'm so happy to hear from readers but realise not everyone wants to comment. Too shy, too busy whatever. I think it's great there is so much social media for people to dip in and out of... people should do what suits them, but I don't think FB/twitter/blogging are particularly comparable.

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  9. Yes, but facebook is very instant gratification. It *IS* much easier to weigh in, and you can let it tick away on your ipod or phone without being tied to a computer. So I get that. But like you, I've got my blog as the family chronicle and that's why I'll stay committed to it.

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  10. Well Happy new Year Stomper from the hot and sticky west.
    And thank you for all your entertaining and beautifully expressed posts - so glad you are going to keep blogging.
    I can't recall whether I've commented here before, though I'm a regular reader. It does feel a bit snoopy to be reading about your life, but I'm so grateful to get this intimate glimpse through your insightful record of it.
    So I'm glad you've forced my hand a bit! Peace and health for 2012.

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  11. Summer has finally hit Sydney. I thought I had been transported to Melbourne in my sleep or something with the bloody rain, day after day.

    Anyway, de-lurking to say Happy New Year to you and yours.

    If you ever...EVER...stop blogging, I will personally fly to Melbourne just to bop you on the nose.

    I like reading you. Always have. Always will.

    I want to be the old bag in the back of the church when Climber gets married saying "awwww, I remember when he was a littly, I was reading Carostomp's blog way back when he was knee high to a grasshopper.

    A blog? What's a blog you ask? You young ones, you have no idea how hard we had it back in the naughties, having to type by hand..."

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  12. Peace and health to you too Karen - thank you for delurking! And Aunty, if the young ones are still allowing their parents a say in who is invited to their wedding, then you will definitely be on the invite list x

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  13. It's much too early here to be witty or ... uh, whatever those other things were that you said. But here's a yawn and a sleepy wave from Texas!

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  14. I've been lurking for awhile, you talked me into a comment! I hope to visit your homeland one day. Happy New Years

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  15. Ah, 'tis always a pleasure to drop by your comment box. Happy New Year Stomp, you blogger chick, you. x

    PS. Anything over 30 degrees is disgustable in this house too.

    PPS. All fine in this neck of the woods, apart from the disgustable-ness and the busy keeping head above the water (work load).

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  16. Happy New Year Caroline!

    I hardly ever comment on blogs anymore, partly because I ran out of things to say, but mostly because many of the comment forms got so irritating with signing in and verification that I couldn't be bothered, especially as so many of my comments got eaten after I followed all the instructions. I see people argue that the few extra things to fill out aren't really that much, but if you read multiple blogs, then that's a lot of separate accounts/verifications/otherwise irritating hurdles. I find myself commenting, if I comment at all, on twitter or occasionally facebook, because there's no hoop-jumping.

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  17. Hi Stomper, I'm still lurking and enjoy reading your blog regularly. Wishing you and your family a very happy and healthy new year. Dawn.

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  18. Well, I do comment here and there. Your blog is one of not many that I grace with comments *cough*. This is because I've met you and think you're wonderful and I really enjoy reading your posts. There's an element of familiarity. I now have a facebook page but, I dunno, I think you have to visit very often to get what Facebook offers. The older offspring have the internet phones and they check and comment all the time (and pay their own phone bills!)
    I'm not opposed to any of it. The internet has enriched my life via blogging, sourcing of (not available in Bairnsdale)all sorts of things, mostly books, some sewing stuff.
    Oh dear, I seem to be making some sort of blog post in your comment box.
    May the new year be bounteous for you.

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  19. Happy New Year!

    Interesting both you and Fairlie were commenting on this, as it had been one of the things I'd been thinking about coming into the new year. I'd got so behind in even reading blogs, let along commenting - and I don't really do Facebook - and really wanted to change that coming into the new year.

    So I happily start here.

    As for that heat, it was evil. Glad you were able to escape at least a little.

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  20. Have a lovely (& cool) 2012!

    I often can't think of anything exciting or witty to say, so I don't say it. I wish there were a "Hiya, I agree totally" button, so you'd know I'm here.

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  21. Nothing witty or thoughtful from me, but you know you and your purple kitty are often in my thoughts.(as are the boys and dishy husband)but its mostly you , and the cat !

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  22. Happy New Year! Every blog on my list is my favorite. Reading and writing blogs filled an important need for connection to like-minded people and a creative outlet for my thoughts.

    I think as the kids get older and have more activities, we are home less and less and when we ARE home, we have more obligations to fulfill and sometimes I have a blog post running around in my head that never gets written.

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  23. Happy new year! I always enjoy reading your blog, especially when I am homesick.

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  24. Happy new year gorgeous. Nothing witty here I'm afraid, but I always read.

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  25. A Happy New Year back to you.
    I am glad the weather has gone crazy cold now, strange as it is for January!

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  26. A happy new year to you, Stomp. Keep on bloggin'.
    x

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  27. shameless begging will nearly always get a comment from me too, especially as I have drawn a line under my blog (it seems)

    The immediacy of FB is just too easy for a time-poor midwife

    Love your work- but you knew that :)

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  28. I now read so many blogs that I tend to miss some posts, even of my favourite ones (eg yours) and then comment on the most recent of the ones I'm catching up on. (That wasn't a very elegant sentence.) I'm not really put off by the WV, but it is a bit tedious. I don't have it and have never had any spam or nasty comments. But then I get fewer comments than I used to, despite getting far more readers, so my non-WV blog isn't encouraging them! (On the other hand, I'm posting more frequently so no one could be bothered commenting on mine every time.)

    Anyway - I love your blog. I love your family and your life, as portrayed in the blog.

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  29. Hi Stomper Girl....I come back to my favourite blogs when I get the chance...and yours is one of them. Happy New Year..funny that, since its the middle of Feb.
    Hope its a great one for you and your boys x

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Don't let the cat get your tongue.