Backup of David's Livejournal

Trouble Falling Off The Grid


We're going on a short vacation.

In the past, I've relished these vacations as an opportunity to fall off the grid. The worst that would happen would be that Google Reader would queue up too may unread articles. I don't mind simply marking all those as read and starting fresh. (Except for important feeds like XKDC and Penny Arcade, of course.)

Live Journal would queue up a few pages' worth of new content, but I could usually wade my way through that when I returned. I keep my friends list pretty tight.

This year is different. Quite a few of you are on plurk, and that's the stickiest site I've ever seen. I never thought plurk's silly little points system, "karma," would draw me in, but it did. I kept lusting after new cute plurk monsters (displayed in the top right corner) that cost more karma than I had.

Bouncing from conversation to conversation in plurk is like flitting between conversations at a party. And if you've hand-selected all your friends at that party, then most of these conversations are going to draw you in anyway.  You never want to leave!

Something I hate about plurk? You get penalized for not posting (plurking). If you've been on the system long enough, the penalty for not plurking is greater than the reward for plurking. The positive motivation is great, but this penalty? Makes me consider giving up the service, because I just don't need that tension in my life. I don't like it.

So, do I fall off the grid during this vacation? I'd like to fall off. I'd also like to stay in touch with my online friends. I don't know what I'll do.

My plurk karma trends will reveal all, once this vacation is over. (Plurkers: Isn't that a cool tool?  If you follow karma_trends, too, then you can graph your karma against others!)
Tags: web

Comments

 davidd on Jun 29th 2008 at 3:53 AM
Your friends, whether on Plurk or LJ, will be here when you get back; and nobody will disown you if your karma score drops. Tune out for a few days, and have a great vacation!

 dblume on Jun 29th 2008 at 4:14 AM
Thanks, David! Can I resist my own desire not to miss out on your conversations? I think I'll be poking my head in every once in a while.

 halophoenix on Jun 29th 2008 at 6:25 AM
Yeah, I don't want to think about what might happen to my karma if I don't plurk! I wonder, do you lose your monster? Your profile customization? I shudder at the thought! But i think that's the point, isn't it? Kind of insidious, in a way. That being said, I tend to enjoy being on the grid when I'm on vacation - for me, the Web and everything on it isn't necessarily stressful; it's just that I get to pick and choose the things I want to do, the feeds to read, the sites to visit, the blogs to write or comment on. ;)

 dblume on Jun 29th 2008 at 3:02 PM
Oh, the web isn't stressful. The thought of having my Plurk profile customizations revoked if I don't plurk is stressful. I love my Plurk monster!

 sjonsvenson on Jun 29th 2008 at 10:10 AM
I suppose I am not adicted enough to see the problem.

 dblume on Jun 29th 2008 at 3:03 PM
Which would be a good thing!

 davidd on Jun 30th 2008 at 8:09 AM
davidd [thinks] @sjonsvenson needs to become a shallow, vapid trend-follower like the rest of us!

 sjonsvenson on Jul 2nd 2008 at 8:38 PM
I am. But I walk at my own speed and I look around at the scenery in stead of follofing blind. I am well enough back that I don't pick up many dead trends. I treat the web and trends and fashion like food. I love the good stuff, fill sometimes get something less savoury. But I never stuff myself silly. ^_^