Mmm, I've become one of those people that only posts once in a blue moon.

[kate]

Damn it, I never wanted to be that person. It's happened a while ago, before tumblr, even, and to be honest, I'm not there as much as I was before, either.

I still love DW, and it's still my most beloved platform, my internet experience has just sort of shifted again, you know? How are you engaging with the internet, my dwircle? Are you still mostly here? Or elsewhere? Or everywhere?

It's almost time to do the year-end retrospectives, so you'll get a flurry of posts here, and then it'll be time for snowflake_challenge again, which YAYYYYYYYYY that is my favorite time of year!

Also, fandom_stocking goes into January again, so if you have time and inclination, head on over there to stuff a few stockings? Here is my stocking - if you have a stocking, drop a link in the comments? <333

Oh - and it's writing comm times again. I do two every year:

Want to write 75,000 words or more in 2016? Join us at inkingitout - sign up for a challenge and get weekly check-ins and support.

Sign up here!

Kate's note: inkingitout is low-stress, weekly check-ins and encouragement, and it is quite delightful. I enjoy it because we sometimes have really great conversations in the check-ins, and there's no stress about the wordcount or whatever, it's just support and commiseration as needed.

Then, there's getyourwordsout.


GetYourWordsOut: Year Eight!
Pledges & Requirements | GYWO.net

They are not low stress. They check-in only monthly, but if you don't check in for three months, you're out. They post a lot including discussion posts and writing stuff and whatnot. There's not as much discussion on the DW side of things, and I would really, REALLY like there to be. There are also almost daily word wars, which can be super useful to get stuff done. It's a great comm, it's just a lot more focused and a little more neurotic. They have a FANTASTIC spreadsheet though. If you like mine, it's based on one they did years ago, and they've been upgrading theirs for years now. It's way better than mine. (If you still want mine, though, here it is (it's for inkingitout because I'm a mod over there): 2016 Wordtracker.)

Comments

[synecdochic]

I have been hiding from the internet a lot lately, but when I engage, it's here and on Twitter (rahaeli)!

[kate]

Oooh - I should post my other stuff up there. I am not a big twitterer, ad when I do tweet, it's almost always Supernatural stuff, so I may follow you, but don't feel any obligation to follow me back.

I haven't hidden from the internet yet, but we just bought Rock Band IV and it may actually become a thing that gets me off the internet for hours at a time... It's weirdly addicting.

[trobadora]

I'm still mostly on LJ, though I do read DW.

inkingitout is great, and I'd recommend it to anyone. (I looked at getyourwordsout, and it looked way too stressful for me.)

[kate]

Yeah, getyourwordsout is much more... everything... than inkingitout. Sometimes that sort of thing helps me, though, so that's usually why I stick with it. There are a lot more original and profic authors on there, so it's a distinctly different tone.

[trobadora]

Honestly, it might be useful to me too, sometimes, but not consistently. It would be great if you could do it for a month or two, and then take a break again.

[kate]

Well, I mean, the only mandatory thing is the check-ins. For most of the year, all I do is my monthly check-in, and forget about it until the first of the next month. I only do other stuff when I have the time and energy.

[trobadora]

Yeah, but you get kicked out if you miss too many check-ins, and that's the kind of stress I really can't handle when I'm not well.

[kate]

Ah, I see. Yeah, I really look forward to monthly check-ins as a way to track my progress, so it's never a chore for me (only take a minute, anyway). I love inkingitout, but the checkins aren't wordcount-based for me, and I like being able to plug that number somewhere.

[schneefink]

Thanks for the links to the writing comms! inkingitout looks interesting :)

[kate]

You're welcome! I do love inkingitout, it's a nice way to talk writing once a week and get a little support.

[st_aurafina]

I'm here, pretty much. And surprisingly on Facebook to keep up with my family, but omg, Facebook such is a dump.

I love your wordtracker spreadsheet - I haven't used one for a couple of years but I'm thinking about it now. Hopefully 2016 won't be as frantic. (Ugh, why did I say that?)

[kate]

Ugh, Facebook. My mom is on Facebook, so I let her fill me in on family, and then I don't ragequit the universe.

Glad you like the spreadsheet - I do too! It's really nice to see your wordcount creep up as the year goes on. Here's to an awesome 2016!

[princessofgeeks]

I'm mostly here, but am also reading alot of USA politics, Captain Awkward, and File 770. Where has your experience shifted to?

Good to see you.

[kate]

Where do you get your political news? I am interested in the democrat side of the presidential race, but not the republican one (I cannot take any more about Trump), and pretty much all I see is what makes it to tumblr, or occasionally twitter.

I'm with a group of folks over on Slack. We used it for our gishwhes team, which was sort of built out of our nano cabin, and we just stayed. It's a combination chat/IRC, cheerleading comm, and all around fandom and writing discussion group. Then I check tumblr a couple times a week, I live-tweet Supernatural episodes, and occasionally pop over here. It's good to see you too!

[princessofgeeks]

Sorry; signed in with the wrong account. Vox.com mostly, and The Hill. Washington Post and NPR are good too.

Yeah, I could go the rest of my life without reading more about Trump.

Politifacts is fun too.

[kate]

Ooh, thank you! All great resources. I can put NPR on in the car for my weekly commute.

[adafrog]

Hola.
I still hang out here and LJ as much as usual. :)
No time for twitter, computer's too old for tumblr, and facebook drives me nuts with the junk. lol

[kate]

Right? Twitter is massive. I see more of it on tumblr than anything, when someone compiles an awesome set of tweets or hashtag. I hear you about tumblr, too - the pictures are pretty, but the load time can be horrendous, especially if I'm not on my home network.

[kinetikatrue]

I do both inkingitout and getyourwordsout because of you - and found them a nice balance this past year, between the camaraderie of the weekly check-ins and the structure of the monthly reporting posts. Really, the one thing I wish is that getyourwordsout had a goal level between 75k and 150k, since I feel like I can definitely do 75k this coming year, but 150k seems like more of a stretch than I want to commit to.

As for where I am, platform-wise: somewhat here and a little bit on LJ, sporadically on twitter, reading haphazardly on tumblr - and most frequently on gchat. Pretty much all under this username.

[kate]

Aw, yay! I find them a good balance, too. I like them both for what they are.

Personally I would just go with 75,000 and then be all smiley when you blow past your goal! You could do 100,000 for inkingitout, though? Generally I'm of the mindset that it's better to set a goal you can not only win but surpass, than to set one you're not sure you're likely to meet. I find whenever I'm behind on my goals, all it does is make me feel worse. I wouldn't want a whole year of feeling bad about not making my goals.

[kinetikatrue]

I'm already signed up for 100k for inkingitout, because I've just about done that this year, so it seems like a reasonable thing to commit to for next year. And, yeah, I am probably going to go for 75k again for GYWO; I'm just cranky that there apparently isn't a 'just right' level for me over there at the moment! Still, I am going to sign up, because it really was useful.

And, yeah, I don't think either of them on its own would be quite as effective for me - it really is the mix.

[kate]

Yay signing up! I agree - they work better in tandem for me.

[trascendenza]

I find that I'm in the active process of trying to figure out how I want to interact with the internet. I feel like my best friends are on DW, but I appreciate the immediacy of twitter, and I like the fannish content on Tumblr.

[kate]

Yeah there's definitely all kinds of stuff out there, and determining where you want to spend your time and attention is a massive undertaking these days. I find that my energy is just elsewhere, despite how much I love DW and the people here.

[ktnb]

I'm still reading DW, I just haven't had much to post about. Boring life is boring. :)

[kate]

<333!

I love your boring life. <3333