I absolutely love coming across old blogs, you know, the ones that still exist on the internet, maybe they were published in the height of the blogosphere around the 2010s and slowly died out a few years later. They haven’t been updated in years, and yet, they offer some good words of wisdom, kernels of knowledge, or hold a bundle of blog posts filled with interesting reads.
Whenever I come across one, I feel like a virtual urban explorer (“urbex“) winding my way through blog posts, reading the authors’ bios, and wondering, “hey, whatever happened to this person?” What new life journey are they on that this blog needed to be permanently set aside because it no longer fit the new (and hopefully, exciting?) changes in their life. The fact that they’re still around must mean they still hold value, right?
As mentioned earlier, I also love reading old blogs, because they are chalk full of good advice especially those that are academic blogs, writing blogs, or student blogs. I find that they are often filled with advice that is being given to an old friend, even if the author’s presence is no longer typing those words into a keyboard from week to week, or month or month as in my current case.
Here is a list of blogs I’ve encountered so far:
A blog by a former Ph.D. student, Dr. Shives. Their blog lists, “Graduate student, writer, scientist” and provides helpful advice for anyone pursuing graduate work and how to best leverage their skills as future science communicators. Lots of good posts can be found here, but the one I really like is their post on blogging as a way to promote digital identity (wink, wink).
https://thelifeacademic.wordpress.com
Not much is left about who wrote this blog other than the name Martina and perusing through their writings, I understand their desire to limit personal information online. Back in the 2010s, this blog helped to foster a community of academics and fashion bloggers. I came across their post, Blogging Academia which lists blog sites that combined both of these passions. The Life Academic ended on August 31, 2013 when Martina posted, Shutdown, in which she shares her farewells to readers, explains that the blog will remain up with posts that have been most helpful and impactful, and mentions that many blogs on her list have also gone defunct. Martina’s about me post is a vulnerable narrative of having to maneuver through a new normal of sickness and healing. I do hope they are continuing to do well all these years later.
I’ll add to this list as I come across more blogs…
To your salud & success,
AW
📸 Image credit: Photo by Bob Krustev
