I maintain a second yet identical blog at http://thematurationofshane.wordpress.com/. As I become ever proficient in blogging and the niche market that blogging occupies, I uncover numerous restrictions and barriers in Blogger’s (Google) blog server. I keep a separate wordpress account simply as experimentation into what else is offered as an alternative. WordPress(.com) has its own set of barriers, though I did not find the limitations quite on par with Blogger’s stranglehold. Meanwhile, I discovered a different blogging application – WordPress(.org). WordPress(.org) is an open source blogging software that gives the user a bit more latitude and freedom (it is open source after all) but the software requires a web host in order to deliver the blog to the masses. Currently, according to my limited knowledge, neither Blogger nor WordPress.com supports the WordPress(.org) blogging software. I’ve taken quite a bit of interest in this open source client and I might direct this blog to a different web host at a later date if WordPress(.org) is able to fully captivate my interest. If all this goes over your head or sound a bit laborious, fret not, this was but a tangent.
And now to substance of this post.
Why a blog? Why this blog?
As I alluded to in the first post, I had labored over the idea of starting a blog for a few months now. In this Web 2.0 generation of ours, the freedom of expression is taken to all new heights. You can already see this expression with the rise of digg.com, craigslist, facebook, myspace, youtube, second life … just to name the popular few. Well, this is my expression, and I’m exercising my right to this freedom. I’m not trying to create the next Web 2.0 golden child, but I could not justify passing on the opportunity to become a part of this Web 2.0 generation and live the experience as the world around us evolves to make room.
Merriam-Webster defines maturation as (1) the process of becoming mature, (2) the emergence of personal and behavioral characteristics through growth process. I entitled this blog “The Maturation of Shane” because I plan to detail my progress through life. More than just a journal entry, I plan to catalog the events, issues and ideas that concern me. Through this blog, I plan to reveal my thoughts, ideas, fears, goals and aspirations. With this blog, I plan to record my growth.
For more information, please read the “About” section, or click here.
Tell us a bit of yourself?
As of this writing, I’m a twenty-two (22) year old graduate of Johns Hopkins University where I received a bachelors of arts in economics. During undergrad, I succeeded and failed and experienced the highs and lows expected from a typical college teenager. Through it all, I would like to think that I gained a bit of wisdom that has polished me into the person that I am today. I currently reside by myself in Baltimore and I’ve been self reliant since my freshman days in college. This vantage point affords me insight and knowledge that is not readily available to every twenty-something year old. I now offer my opinions and my advice based on the knowledge and wisdom that life has been kind to bestow on me. While I recognize there are still lots of room to grow, to mature and to become wiser, I do not discount the lessons I have thus learned from the little life I have lived.
Why even bother with a blog? Aren’t there many more out there with the same topic, plan or idea?
Why not bother? It’s hard enough today to different ourselves from the constant multitudes around us. With the advent of technology, we are quick to find that someone else has perfected an idea that we’ve only begun to formulate or someone else has captured a market we never thought possible. If we constantly look only for opportunities that have yet to be tried, then life will becomes a void of constant searches with no avail.
This blog is more than just writing. It is an experience on its own. More than just cataloging my growth, I plan to utilize this blog in my growth process. I plan to teach and learn from my readers and audience. I plan to use this blog as an extension of my education. Are there people out there who have perfected the very idea behind this blog? Yes. Am I going to let them stop me from continuing with my maturation? No.
Is there anything exciting in your life right now you want/have to blog about?
Sure. In everyone’s life, there is always something interesting to talk or write about. If only we would take a second to analyze our lives, we can come up with great anecdotes worth sharing. Take my life for example: When I entered college I, like 85% of my classmates, was a pre-medical student (This seems almost default for Hopkins students). I went through four years believing that my dreams and happiness lay in an acceptance to medical school. Yet when the time came to apply, I couldn’t bring myself to submit my application. Why you ask? Well, that is the purpose of this blog.
Are there any words of advice to your readers?
First, pertaining to this blog, please be respectful when you leave comments or respond to postings. I know that each person is diverse, and while I maintain a blog, I am in no way attempting to force my ideas and views on anyone else. Though we may differ, I welcome open communication as long as it stays civil. If we can all be respectable, I have no reason to place restrictions on the comments page, and I hope it stays that way.
Second, I recommend my readers to never stop challenging themselves. It doesn’t really matter what you do to challenge yourself, as long as you don’t settle for complacency. Read a great fictional novel you’ve never read, take up skiing, climb a mountain, return to get a degree to advance your career, or start a blog. Never just accept what life gives you. Make your own story, create your own adventure. Live your life.
