Yorkshire Pudding recently pondered on the world of blog. I will do the same.
I can be described as a well brought up, self educated working class person. That I could retire at the age of 61 as a self funded retiree is down to me working a crap job for 40 years. At times I would arise at 3am and at times go to bed at 3am. To put it frankly, like a garbage collector, it was a very important job, as people discover when garbage isn't collected.
So, back to my point. Blogging is classless, with some bloggers who are financially very comfortable, some wo are not but they all contribute to world of the blog and the world wide connections are truly amazing. Blogging as we know it might disappear in the future as our generation dies out, and that will be loss, but the electrics are still there. Your blog will probably be around for eternity. It is more than possible that our youngest relatives will see the year 3000 2100. Googling relatives will be a thing of the past. It will be one click, or you will put on a helmet and the information will be transferred to your brain. Who knows?
But let me assure you, over the last thirty years bloggers will go on to become an invaluable resource and will continue to be so for eons, and become a great historical resource, yet a doubtful historical source as mostly what they write about relies on memories, short and long term. Historians will hate what we have written but there will be many clues to the truth for them.
What social bloggers will really contribute is a snapshot of society in the period we have blogged and continue to blog, pretty well much of the early 21st century. Our pleasure, our pain, our thoughts, our social attitudes, our politics...well a long list, and it will all shine through. Your blog is not Facebook aka Bragbook. Don't underestimate what you are contributing to history and you will be admired for your honest writing.
In the light of that, at a hospital today I heard the words 'I will cut here'. What was a small lump in an incision wound after last year's kidney surgery, became larger and needs to be repaired. It's known as a surgical hernia. Last year's surgery was with a private surgeon. It cost me a few thousand dollars and my health insurance company around $12,000. I can't afford to use private health in spite of having private health insurance. The highly esteemed kidney surgeon told me during a three minute $180 phone consultation, that he could recommend a surgeon to repair his perhaps negligent work, given I'd had hernia repair surgery before. I am sure he could give me a mate's name, who would also charge thousands of dollars.
The free public health system is doing quite well for me, but $10 for parking! Barley Charlie. Otherwise it costs nothing.