I have been struggling with this blog of late. Not long back I received some nasty “anonymous” comments on this blog. Some of you may remember the Twitter exchange at the time.
Anyway, I ascertained the identity of the authors. It was a shock.
Well, I feel I have been robbed of something. I want to write but I wonder will these same individuals comment again or possibly say something to me in the future. Even knowing that they are possibly reading this is a perturbing thought.
These are the thoughts that are holding me back. I have even considered closing shop.
I am full of ideas and plans but without a platform to share them. I have been robbed of that by their actions.
January 8th, 2009 at 10:23 pm
Dont let that put you off, John. I have always enjoyed your posts & would like to encourage you to write more. cheers Sarah
January 8th, 2009 at 10:46 pm
Oh please don’t stop blogging! I really enjoy reading your blog posts. Whether I agree with what you say or not, it gets my mind thinking. If you stop, then you have let those negative people win and that is what they want. I think you should stand up to them and continue to share your thoughts because that is what they are – your thoughts! There are people like me who are out here wanting to hear them!
January 9th, 2009 at 12:27 pm
I peek here just about every day.
I hope you keep writing–way I figure it, you only need an audience of 1 to make your voive heard, and you’ve a much bigger audience than that.
January 9th, 2009 at 12:28 pm
Of course, it’s nice to hear your “voice” as well–been a long week.
January 10th, 2009 at 3:33 pm
Sounds like a really scarring incident John.
I join the chorus of your regulars who say “keep going” (you recognise yourself you’ve much to share) but that’s our extrinsic \’warm and fuzzies’. Hopefully, we somehow contribute to your inner desire to run a blog and that is the one that matters not just to you but to all of us who care about you, your writing and your well-being actually.
While encouraging you to keep going, I urge you not to do it for ‘your readers’ or some sort of ‘reputation’ or ‘status’ (remembering your comment “…since I changed the name of my blog from TeachTech to Watershed I have felt a burden had been lifted. I blog about all sorts of stuff now… I don’t think that’s the case so much, hey) – do it for yourself.
Sounds selfish? Unless you trumpet ‘look at moi’ – definitely not. You are participating (and doing that well I might add) in an amazing social trend, movement (call it what you like) of blogging across the world. Suddenly, you, me, a kid in a class, anyone in a free society don’t need a publishing house or Rupert Murdoch to publish our thoughts and ideas to 000′s of people. People in parts of the world get persecuted for wanting to do what you and I might think is sometimes a bit of a trivial pastime or running a blog that other people read and connect with. I personally love the fact we can blog freely – big readership or not. And if we step on some toes along the way, get people nasty etc it surely takes us aback a bit but that is the price we pay for the freedom to write.
If the person really wanted to ‘get you’ and were determined to do so, they might have done so in another time, forum or medium other than blogging.
You know, we haven’t met in person but I feel like we have known each other for a long time. You tell me what other less cumbersome way we would have ‘connected’ the way we have. Twitter? Bloody 140 characters. In person? Yeah great but $$, time and convenience. Bottle of wine or two, three? Hm, nice but then we’d start solving all problems of the world
BTW, I do look forward to the last two one day 
Chin up mate, look forward to Larkin post or two coming up soon. And if not…I’ll live with that too.
Take care
Tomaz
January 10th, 2009 at 5:19 pm
Sarah, Pat, Michael and Tomaz,
Thank you all for your thoughts. I sincerely appreciate what you have written. I shall keep on. I really need to develop a thicker skin.
Occasionally, that Black Dog joins me on this journey through life and I need to take him for a walk, teach him a few new tricks and return him to his own yard.
I first met him nine or so years back and although he has come back for a few walks this time it almost seemed he was here to stay. I have managed to shake this Black Dog but the pain is still there.
Well, I am about to post some thoughts in a moment and see if I can get Watershed back on that virtual track.
Best wishes to you all,
John
January 11th, 2009 at 1:51 am
Hi John
Was sorry to read about your bad experience but am glad so see that you are going to keep posting. I certainly look forward to my visits each week
Patricia
January 11th, 2009 at 9:09 am
I just wanted to join the chorus of people encouraging you to keep blogging. It sounds like you’ve suffered through an awful incident. I often wonder what motivates people to write nasty stuff on the web…they usually haven’t put a lot of thought into it at all. However, you have probably reflected on their actions more than they did when writing. That’s what makes you a deep thinker; that what makes people read your blog. Time to move forward…
January 13th, 2009 at 2:07 pm
Hello John,I’ve only just discovered you so I hope you don’t pack it in.I’m spending my school holidays trying to become more connected and am enjoying doing so.As a Visual Arts teacher I tried ArtsEdNet years ago but felt self conscious chatting with teachers who were mostly in the USA and seemed to all know each other.I am glad that with the advances in Technology I am now communicating through Classoom 2.0, Facebook, Twitter etc.People I’ve met so far have all seemed keen to share. Sorry to hear of your awful experience.
Thank goodness for Edublogs. I was able to begin my fledgling Visual Arts Blog and haven’t looked back.The title of my 90 year old uncle’s memoirs is Forever Forward.I hope you’ll realise there’s a lot more supportive people out there than the other sort.All the best to you for a good rest and a great year in 2009.
January 19th, 2009 at 6:30 am
Patricia, Julie and Yvonne,
Thank you all for your kind words of encouragement. I shall push on, publishing photos, reviewing sites of interest (particularly resources of use to history teachers) and teaching/learning projects.
Yvonne, forever forward it is. Than you all. Cheers, John.