Tuesday, August 26, 2008

  • Xanga, Revelife- Nothing to Be Ashamed Of

    lily by mrs lily

    embarrassed I think I used to be embarrassed of Xanga. I would sheepishly mention it if topic headed that way, but never outright tell someone that I love using it and getting to know people over the internet. A few years ago EVERYONE had a Xanga, and now everyone is tired of it. My friends talk about Xanga like a kid who discovered there is no Santa Claus, and wants all the little kids who still believe to feel silly for thinking so.

    Last night I realized that I have no reason to be ashamed, that I have had sweet connections with some of the Revelifer's, and I don't think it's so silly after all. I realized that in a way, it is no different than the days of penpals; the great thing is you can talk to each other more easily.

    Sometimes I wonder why it seems so much easier to connect through lines on a page than face to face. I used to think that I used it as a cop-out whenever something was difficult to talk about. Actually, I know that's what I used to do.

    But recently I've come to discover that I love the written word, I come alive through it. It has always been the way I express myself most clearly and fully. I love that you can go back and edit and try to make it sound right. Once something is said it is not so easy to do so. I think writing pulls out more depth in conversation. Sometimes it is wisdom.

    Have you made a connection with someone on Revelife? Do you feel it is easier to express yourself through the written word?

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Comments (21)

  • Pass_the_Aura@xanga

    I met and married a woman I met on Xanga, largely because the written word proved better at in-depth communication than most ways we could have met in person.  (And communication is the key to a healthy relationship and so forth.)
  • momma2babies34

    i made a friend through Xanga and we clicked pretty well. I love Xanga for so long, that it was almost all I ever do online. But then I eventually cut back when I transfer to Revelife... and now I am not much into it anymore as I used to, because of the circumstances in my life right now.


    I still love Revelife!! It is the best I have ever joined. Beats facebook, myspace or whatever else out there.

  • ProvokingThought@xanga

    After meeting once in person and living hundreds of miles apart, my wife and I got to know each other through the written word-snail mail.


    The written word made our courtship much shorter and it was like we knew each other for years.  16 years ago we didnt have xanga..but did have the written word.
  • leadworshipper82

    the written word helps process thoughts more clearly that verbal word could ever although I'll not diminish the necessity for the verbal... it is another distinct form of expression...


    i love to blog for the sake of blogging but also the written word is definitely good for what ProvokingThought wrote about...


    blogging helps me process my thoughts... and Xanga/Revelife is a great output for that...
  • rachelserine@xanga

    i understand... i get laughed at for having "xanga friends" but seriously, some of them get to see sides of me that I would never express any other way except with writing.  maybe that's bad, I don't know.  But I do know that I love to write things down and that to some extent I need to.  Some people just do, and that's okay. :)  
  • OutOfTheBlue

    Writing is a great outlet for me, so it was only a matter of time until I became a blogger. I have a wandering mind, and writing tends to keep me focussed. It's nice to have a place to write without pressure... or paper for that matter!
  • BrendaHaire

    Mrs Lily, I love reading your posts.  I know you outside of here but not to the depth I do here.  I feel like I am a hundred years old because until meeting you I had never heard of Xanga.  I was just thinking today how cool it is that you have so many comments left after your posts and why this community is so successful.  I have a blog at http://www.brendahaire.blogspot.com/ and only have my friends visit and then they usually email me instead of commenting.  Anyway, I am interested in learning more about Xanga and don't think for a moment you should be ashamed of sharing or making friends on here.  
  • IMChurchmouse@xanga

    I learned about Xanga only because my son and his wife had Xanga accounts.  Now, it seems I am the only one who blogs there anymore.  I enjoy facebook a LOT, and have a MySpace because my other daughter-in-law had one.  Now, I have a few other friends who are in MySpace as well.

    My first blog was begun in EasyJournal, and I still have friends there.  I never seem to attract any readers in either place; but I write different things in each - depending on who might still read there.  Really private things I save for EJ, since no one I know goes there even after I gave them the link. 

    My mundane everyday observations and issues I put in Xanga, and I'll include my deeper considerations as well, as long as they aren't too private for my daughter-in-law (I believe she might still read my posts now and then).  I have read and commented on all of theirs, but they don't on mine - sigh.  That's ok, I write because I feel the need, not because I have to have feedback - though it always blesses to get some.

    I don't worry about what's popular, but I do watch to see what works.  Initially, I had thought that writing a blog would save me having to write very many "newsletter" type messages for friends and family to get informed on my life's changes here and there; but that didn't work as they didn't save the link and read.

    I have always expressed myself in a deeper more honest way in writing than I do in speech.  I also like being able to backspace a thought that was better unexpressed or express poorly and in need of refinement.  I also like knowing that when I say something nice, the reader can keep it and re read it as often as they want.

    Just some of my thoughts on blogging and the different blogsites.
  • jmgbme@xanga

    Written word is my preferred form of expression. I don't mind talking. Writing is better though. More permanent.
  • sugartomyhoney@xanga

    I learned about xanga through my children.  Same for facebook.  I much prefer xanga.  I do have people laugh at me occasionally about having xanga friends.  I will say though xanga friends ebb and flow so to speak.  A person will be there for a long time and then suddenly will disappear.  It can be upsetting when you felt close to that person and they disappear, maybe they didn't feel as close to you?  Anyway, I am much better at writing my thoughts down than expressing them vocally.  (I'm not sure you can tell with this comment!  LOL!)  I am looking for some where to post things I don't want everyone to read.  All of my children read my xanga and my son's girlfriend and sometimes I want to write about things going on with them, and I want to work it out in my head, maybe get feed back from others,  without making them upset.  Any ideas?
  • UTAlan

    I found Revelife through my mom and I'm so glad I did. It is such a blessing to me and gives me motivation to express myself in my writing.
  • Newshoundfortruth@xanga

    @sugartomyhoney@xanga - You can put private posts on xanga and also have designated people who are allowed to see each private post so everyone doesn't see it.    
  • rbmegert@xanga

    It's definitely easier to express myself through the written word.  also, I've made a few connections through Xanga as well.  In fact, I've found a man in PA that has very similar religious beliefs to mine, our ideas of how we treat our wifes and children are the same, and the talents God gave us are quite similar as well, only we use them in very different ways.

    So, since I'm headed to Pittsburgh soon for a business trip, and he only lives about 4 hours away, we've decided to connect up.  In fact, I'll be going to the church his family attends as well.  It should be fun.

    All this to say that I don't think any of us should be 'ashamed' of Xanga and Revelife.  Now, if we also used MySpace and Facebook, maybe we should, which I do, so I am.  I'm going to go hang my head in shame now.   lol
  • mamma_sez

    I with you... totally.
  • Beautiful_adaneth@xanga

    Ashamed of Xanga?  Are you kidding?  That's where my secret thoughts are spilled out...
  • Pariahtich@xanga

    I'm new to Xanga. I have been here maybe a little over a month. No one reads my blog. I have maybe 2 friends.
    You know what? It's ok. I'm in the process of rebuilding my life. the things I've gone through crippled me in many areas. I was unable to write any type of coherent thought  in any medium. So, being able to express myself, even in this medium, is therapuetic for me. In the ende being able to process things in a written form, no matter how garbled they  may be time to time, benefits me. It stregnthens my expressive, creative, and intellectual muscles., which have been too long atrophied in the face of things.

  • avajsouth@xanga

    @Pariahtich@xanga - I have been a Xangan for many years.   In fact I have two sites there.    And I have formed friendships with many people from all over the world there.    The only way to have people read your blog is to read and comment on theirs.    Once you get started, it's like a snowball, rolling down the hill and getting bigger and better all the time.   Ava
  • godsreflection@xanga

    its most def. easier to converse through words than speech. Because its something that you can take back and erase, or edit in this case. Spoken words, no so much!

    I like xanga for the simple fact that there is only 1 person I know in person on here. Everyone else is like having a lot of extra friends with their own insight on things that I cant see from my own point of view. And there are no feelings crushed here!

    love and blessings........
  • realungabunga@xanga

    I do enjoy Xanga (and Facebook).  I first joined Xanga to become more web-literate and to have ways of connecting with other young adults.  It has become a ministry for me and I even got to go on a mission trip because of a connection on Xanga!!
  • ehrinn_l@xanga

    xanga has been a lifesaver for me...the relationships i've deveolped with other bloggers here have been full of grace... for a pastor's wife who's been through the wringer during the last couple of years.

  • trickery19@xanga

    i remember an ad for the post office, and i loved the line, "you can't re-read a phone call"


    there's something powerful about the written word because it can be rewritten and reread to make it perfect, exactly how you want it to sound


    still in early days of xanga so im yet to make friends, but i really hope i will

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About this Entry

    • From: revelife
    • Posted: 8/26/2008 8:23 PM

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