The Meaning of Tinkering

Jackie ♦ June 28, 2010 ♦ 3 Comments

When I first started blogging, lo these many years ago, I used Blogger.com, had the most basic of templates, and composed each blog post on the fly, not giving much thought to revising or crafting. I didn’t know how to post images, had only a basic working knowledge of HTML, and gave little thought to what my blog was for and what impression it gave. Posts went live in an instant, I never planned very far ahead, and they were often riddled with errors and typos. Blogging to me meant a release, an outlet, a connection the writer I wanted to be and the people I didn’t want to lose. My blog was just that, a place for me to blog, and I rarely got a comment from someone I didn’t know, much less had never met.

These days, I debate templates and tags, add and subtract widgets and categories, edit and revise the static pages I’ve carefully written, email with WordPress support people when a featured option isn’t working, and periodically check featured links to make sure all are still vibrant. I stockpile blog drafts in a OneNote notebook so I can polish and rearrange until they’re just right, add drafted posts to my account, give them a final polish, sometimes schedule them ahead of time, and watch as they post to Facebook and the comments pop up like mushrooms, many of which bear familiar friendly names but faces I wouldn’t know. I own my own domain name, post documents and photos, have thought seriously about moving to a self-hosted WordPress site or learning CSS, and do it all under my own name.

I think blogging has definitely made me a better writer, but maintaining this website has also made me a better website producer, which has been invaluable as I build and maintain the Sharepoint website I keep as a teacher and encourage my students to blog. I have a much better sense of what a visitor to a site might want, how to arrange things for readers to easily find them, and what value there is in visual appeal and flow. Above all, after years of tinkering with blogs and websites, I have a certain level of comfort, trust and familiarity with website functions, HTML, and the power of self-publishing.

So not only has blogging given me an extensive course in writing, but also a valuable confidence in my ability to master the rudiments of website creation and maintenance. One of the added side benefits of having my students blog and use discussion boards and wikis is that they get to experience a taste of that confidence too, and maybe even start to build the faith it takes to tinker.