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Obsolescence
10 years ago
I have noted over the last several years things that used to be popular are now obsolete and no longer available. Indeed things are vanishing faster. Vinyl records-gone. Cassette tapes-gone. Video tapes-gone. Pay phones used to be common in every store and public building; every gas station had at least one booth. Now it’s a rare sight to find one and getting rarer. I have a large collection of VHS tapes that I am replacing with DVD and Blu-ray since tape players are very hard to find. Nearly impossible to find film for a camera now that digital has come out; same for camcorders.
I ran an online story site. About five years ago readership started to fall when the portable game units began to appear. No one came to read so the writers eventually stopped writing.
Since no one posted to my forum and no new story parts were being submitted I gave up even visiting the sites.
Recently I got an email that both were down and had been for a while. I don’t know, I have not gone to look or try to fix. The email, from one person, showed me very clearly that reading is something else that is obsolete. I, the writers and the stories they wrote are something else they simply threw into the trash heap as unworthy of their interest.
I used to count up a couple of hundred hits a day; the last year, none. The Raccoons-bookshelf was treated with total apathy. Apathy is contagious; they don’t care and I have learned not to as well. I have been told it’s gone, don’t look for it to come back because they have taught me not to care, that I belong on that trash pile of worthless garbage.
To the writers who tried to share their works for the enjoyment of the uncaring others, I at least apologize.
I ran an online story site. About five years ago readership started to fall when the portable game units began to appear. No one came to read so the writers eventually stopped writing.
Since no one posted to my forum and no new story parts were being submitted I gave up even visiting the sites.
Recently I got an email that both were down and had been for a while. I don’t know, I have not gone to look or try to fix. The email, from one person, showed me very clearly that reading is something else that is obsolete. I, the writers and the stories they wrote are something else they simply threw into the trash heap as unworthy of their interest.
I used to count up a couple of hundred hits a day; the last year, none. The Raccoons-bookshelf was treated with total apathy. Apathy is contagious; they don’t care and I have learned not to as well. I have been told it’s gone, don’t look for it to come back because they have taught me not to care, that I belong on that trash pile of worthless garbage.
To the writers who tried to share their works for the enjoyment of the uncaring others, I at least apologize.
Since they don't say anything then they must hate the stories and my efforts at providing them.
Perhaps more people will notice in the coming weeks?
Like Pflarrian says: writing for one self is perhaps for a tiny audience but it is a reliable one
In absence of comments, rants, worries, goodbyes and what not let me at least say:
Dear Bookshelf, so long and thanks for all the fish!
It was good while it lasted.
The place offered me a audience, a place to appear, be noticed, and yes: get feedback!
So, for all the good people out there who (ever) replied to a post I thank you.
I thank our host, Mike, for his edits, his work, the upkeep of the site and all the solutions required to keep it running (anyone who visited the site over the years knows Mike and his network were often at odds
Like Mike says: the times they are a-changing...
(I suppose we're old just getting old, huh?)
Or maybe, you want to see it survive.
Nothing is lost forever.
In the digital world, nothing need be lost.