This is what my blog looks like on paper

Jun 13, 2011| blogging, life, reflection, writing

I’ve switched to printing out my blog archives monthly instead of yearly, so now I’m all caught up again. It’s surprising how it all adds up. Here’s my blog since just 2007, printed single-space, double-column, double-sided, with monthly indexes:

There’s more beyond that, as I didn’t print out my older posts. Here’s a visual summary from my reflection on 8 years of blogging:

I’m surprised that I quite enjoy reading my old posts. I find it difficult to listen to my presentation recordings – I get impatient, I want to move on – but I like reading, particularly when I come across posts I’ve forgotten writing. There’s a lot in here. It’s fun remembering what it was like to look for my first apartment, hanging out with friends, dealing with challenges. I like revisiting my questions, decisions, and plans. There are many things that spark ideas for new posts and sketches.

This print-out is part of playing the long game with writing. I’ve got electronic backups of my blog. A paper backup further increases the chances that I’ll be able to revisit these ideas decades down the line. And it supports serendipity and reflective practice, too. Who knows what I’ll rediscover or review?

Pretty cool. Thanks for sharing the journey so far. Looking forward to what’s ahead!

You can view 6 comments or e-mail me at sacha@sachachua.com.

6 comments

Paul Krappman

2011-06-14T03:06:57Z

This is not spam, but have you thought about archiving your blog as users see it? You can try it at http://web2vault.com/ signup.php. Let me know, and I'll upgrade your account.

mom

2011-06-14T03:19:16Z

I have a bookbound book of your blogs, I think of 2005.

Sacha Chua

2011-06-14T03:22:57Z

Paul: $50-$100/month is a bit steep. I think I'll be fine with backing up my database and the blog directory. If I lose it, well, it's not catastrophic. Life will go on, and I'll build things up again. =) Besides, Google and archive.org remember quite a bit - and I've actually recovered some lost images from spamblogs who scrape my content. Funny how that works out! Thanks for the offer, though!

Mom: =)

Randell

2011-06-14T05:43:14Z

LOL on spamblogs!

Sacha, do you print the comments on your blog posts as well?

Sacha Chua

2011-06-14T06:25:52Z

Randell: No, things would get really long, and then I'd get the urge to try and keep things up to date. =) Which is a pity, because there have been lots of awesome comments through the years!

Charles

2011-06-14T10:14:31Z

What is the total word count for all these years of blogging? You have probably written War and Peace by now! You have inspired me to get busy with my blogging and write at least one article a week. It will be a while before I reach the daily blogging practice you have achieved.

I enjoy reading your blog and the variety of topics you cover.

Charles