But in her web she still delights

I’m lucky enough to have regular readers here at Pre-raphaelite Sisterhood and several lovely followers on the accompanying Facebook page.

The Facebook page has been convenient for me, especially since my daily schedule has been different over the summer and I haven’t posted as much here as I would have liked. Plus, the facebook page and twitter are fun and helps fulfill the reason I started this website to begin with: to connect with others who also love Pre-Raphaelite art.

But social networking is a fluid thing. Technology changes, ideas become implemented, and how we share online changes.

Recent Facebook changes prompted me to think about how I share Pre-Raphaelite goodies online. I joined Google+ a few months ago and I have not found it to be a comfortable fit. I enjoy Twitter, yet I think I enjoy the Pre-Raphaelite Sisterhood Facebook page the most. It has more interaction, I have well over 2,000 connections there (at the time of this writing) and I like the conversations that result from comments.

So, why do I feel a bit uneasy? I think it may be that I’ve discovered that I’m doing it all wrong. I’ve kept things too separate: I write my own posts here, I post links to other people’s stuff on the fb page and twitter. I write about Pre-Raphaelitism in general here, but at LizzieSiddal.com I focus just on Elizabeth Siddal. I thought it would help me present things in an organized fashion, but I see now that it has only helped me to feel fragmented. It feels to compartmentalized.

When the Facebook layout and algorithm changed, I thought about leaving permanently.  I then realized that if I left, I would lose everything I’ve ever shared on the Pre-Raphaelite Sisterhood Facebook page.  I couldn’t stand that. It hit me that I don’t keep a record of all those wonderful things here. Here, where it belongs the most, I should keep an archive of Pre-Raphaelite interactions.

I need to streamline. I find that I care less and less about having different blogs and different social networks. I just care about writing and sharing and discussing.

This morning, I thought about the line from The Lady of Shalott and it all became clear:

But in her web she still delights

My web is vastly different from The Lady’s web. Or is it? I’m weaving together pieces – my own posts here, links, and fragments of other’s Pre-Raphaelite related posts there.  It’s all woven together and creates a pattern.

And much like the Lady of Shalott’s mirror, I can look at my monitor and see it all reflected back to me as an archive of thoughts and ideas.

I’ll keep social networking because most people don’t go to my site every day, but they do check their feeds every day and it seems convenient to you to get my posts delivered that way.  But I’m going to create a new category here, so that I can mirror what I’ve shared elsewhere so that if anything ever happens to FB, Google+ or twitter,  I’ll have a record of all those glorious links.  The only thing I can’t copy is other people’s interactions and comments, but I think it might be fun to do a monthly diary-type post about the conversations I’ve had and with whom and the thoughts it provoked.

Why keep a record of links? Because they’re not just links. They’re people. Every link is a thought, a connection to someone’s work and ideas. It’s a link that furthers a conversation and brings us together.  Links are connections and, for me, everything is about connections and connecting the dots.

Thank you for your patience, because I know this was a rambly post and I just needed to clear my head. Thank you all for being a part of my Pre-Raphaelite web. No matter how much our online web changes, we shall still delight in it.  And I would be quite remiss if I didn’t mention Steve Jobs. Rest in Peace, thank you for making so much of this possible. You followed your dreams, allowing people like me to pursue own own dreams online.

And so she weaveth steadily,
And little other care hath she,
The Lady of Shalott.