Sites like Tumblr, WordPress, and others offer anyone who has a computer the opportunity to create a very unique and personal history. Presumably this history could exist for all time (obviously it won’t, but it’s fun to think of it that way). One reason I am trying to write a personal blog on a regular basis is to create such a history both for myself and my kids. I hate to write with paper and I doubt I could ever keep a traditional paper journal for long, but a personal blog seems to be interesting enough that I might stick with it.
For Christmas this past year I registered my kids names as domain names. Thankfully they were all available. My oldest is only 9, but she is a very good writer for her age and loves to read. She has had her own email address on gmail for more than a year and she has become fluent dealing with email communications. For her in particular, I thought it would be fun for her to write some blogs from time to time. How fascinating will it be when she is 20 or 30 to look back at her thoughts at this age?
Like generations past, my generation still relies on family stories and photos to better understand our history. We rely on our parents to tell stories of our childhood. I wonder if my children will be part of the leading edge generation that will have digital histories of their childhood and other family histories. When I think about it, I would love to see better pictures and blog posts from my grandparents or great grandparents. My grandparents have told me about Pearl Harbor, but it would have been so amazing to be able to read a blog from that day to know exactly what they were feeling and what was happening in our town and our country. I imagine there are many blog posts out there about the terrorist attack on the World Trade Center. My daughter was born shortly after those attacks and really doesn’t know anything about them. When the time comes I hope to be able to use the internet to help paint a clear and accurate story for her that is very different from the way we are used to learning (mostly in textbooks or movies).
So my thought here is simple. Blogging is simple, it’s free, and it may outlive you. Consider opening an account on Tumblr or WordPress and start creating your legacy online. If you are comfortable with it, think about having your kids start their own blog. Approach it as something fun and interesting. Try to make an entry once a week (or more). After a year or so, go back over your posts and look at how you felt about things or ponder all that has happened in your life in such a short time. Life seems to fly by at the speed of light and there are so many things that get overlooked or forgotten. Consider the possibility that family members that you will never meet will one day read your words. What would you say to them? What would you like them to know about you and their other family members? What would you like them to know about current events or other topics that interest you?
