Crikey, that means I’ve been blogging in some shape or form for 10 years.

I’m trying to remember what it was like 10 years ago. I was using a CGI script to post updates on my then website, so it wasn’t officially NotSL then; just a small sideline to a personal website highlighting some of my interests at the time: Celine Dion and Kate Winslet among them.

I don’t rightly remember when NotSL first came into existence, although I suspect it was when I was living in a flat in Muswell Hill (A, do you remember?) in 2003-2004. I will check out the Web Archive to see.

When I first started posting, I was just 20 years old and in the middle of my final year of my BA History degree at Swansea. Little did I know where I would be in 10 years time: married with a little boy, a qualified solicitor and a senior manager at a Deaf organisation.

Here’s to the next 10 years!

I was then quite happy to read this article, and it made me realise something.

The reason I’ve hardly posted during the last two years is probably because of my growing utilisation of Twitter and Facebook, where it is far more convenient and less bothersome to say something: short rather than long. But now I see the difference. Cory Doctorow says:

Now that we have Twitter, social media platforms and all the other tools that continue to emerge, many of us are finding that the material we used to save for our blogs has a better home somewhere else.

That’s interesting. I never really thought of it like that; that I’d abandoned blogging because the bulk of what I would previously post about was actually more suitable for Twitter, and as I’ve said, it’s much quicker to do it on Twitter, as you’re only limited to 140 characters each time.

But then I started to feel that I wasn’t quite able to get things off my chest as much as I’d like. After all, on Twitter you can go “ARGH! HATE [PICK A THING OR SOMEONE]” on Twitter, but you don’t really get the opportunity to elaborate and really say what you want to say.

With blogging, you can. And so here I am!

And no, I don’t think blogging is dying. Perhaps the blogs I used to read regularly have stopped posting – Grumpy Old Deafies and Saltbar are good examples – but there’s probably two reasons for that: (1) they can’t be bothered any more; or (2) they’re tweeting instead. But who’s to say that they won’t start up again? In fact, I URGE them to!

I’ve been catching up on some blogs and there are some pretty good ones out there. If you have any suggestions as to what I should be checking out, let me know.

You will have undoubtedly noticed that I am actually blogging! Cripes!

The simple reason for this revelation is the iPhone. I was particularly delighted to see that WordPress had developed an app, and that the app allowed access and postings to a multitude of blogs.

That means moblogging has taken on a whole new meaning, and as I’m more likely to post while commuting or bored, it has become so easy to do.

So here I am. Let’s see if I can keep this up …

Over the past few weeks, I have been exchanging emails with Paul Crichton (wonder if he’s related to Michael Crichton, the writer), author of the BBC Access 2.0 blog; an “interview” of sorts about the impact of the Internet on the Deaf community and Deaf individuals.

The Access 2.0 article got mentioned over at Grumpy Old Deafies, which turned out to the 10,000th post to be featured on DeafRead. Ain’t that nice? It’s apparently quite “apt” that the first vlogger to post a vlog on the net in sign language gets a mention in the 10,000th post to appear on DeafRead.

This reminds me of the time when I was hailed the world over for being the first sign language vlogger, all the time consciously aware that I’d vlogged in my PJs!

BSL translation coming soon.

Jonny Nelson raised an interesting point on Deaf UK about vlogs, and what he says shows exactly how little is known about blogging generally, particularly among the Deaf community.

The first point I’d like to make is that all my vlogs are actually on my blog, and you do not need to go to YouTube to access them. YouTube just makes it easier for people to display vlogs on their blogs.

Secondly, all 2,500 DUK members do not actually need to trawl the web looking for vlogs. There is something called RSS feeds that makes it easier for everyone to keep track of blogs. Most people I know use Bloglines (www.bloglines.com); when you set up an account, you can add hundreds of RSS feeds so that it becomes a one-stop shop for reading blogs. You can view mine here.

You’ll probably recognise a few blogs there. You can also add e-groups like Videoblogging to bloglines, removing the need for emails altogether. For you to really understand RSS, I would strongly encourage you to set up an account with bloglines.

For more information about RSS, check this out.

Of course, there are also websites like:

Deaf Blogs – This is UK based, and the first Deaf aggregator. Note this website currently looks awful – it is undergoing a major revamp and should be re-launched at the start of June.

Deaf Read – a USA-focused aggregator, which is moderated.

Deaf Read Deutsch – this is a German aggregator

Deaf Pulse – this is not strictly a blog aggregator, but it pulls news from various sources. This is also USA-based.

These are called “aggregators”, which “pull” together all the blogs that have been submitted (using their RSS feeds), and display them in one place. This means you can browse through the posts, and click on the links to read the post in full.

There are other things you can do with blogs, if you want more detail read this post.

Thirdly, you shouldn’t assume that only a tiny fraction of people will read your blog. Grumpy Old Deafies (http://www.grumpyoldeafies.com/) gets 19,000 visits a month (with 70,000 hits a month). These people choose to visit, and are not, for example, defunct e mail addresses.

To sum up, what are the advantages of blogging/vlogging?

1) You have wider exposure to the world at large;
2) It is not restricted to English, and can include sign languages (no language barrier);
3) You can network internationally with Deaf people; and
4) You are not subject to group dynamics. As you own the blog, you take responsibility for the quality of your content.

Hope this post has given you all some food for thought.

That’s correct, I’ve actually been quoted on the BBC website (!), on their Ouch! Access 2.0 blog.

The article discusses the launch of the VeeSee website, its virtues and the criticism it has also attracted.

What I need to do is create a bank of posts that I can publish from when I don’t have anything to say or time is a bit short. Will get on to that soon.

This will not be the case any longer. I have now chosen the theme bloggingpro, and modified it to include the following features:

• Avatars: all posts will now have an accompanying avatar. Naturally, most will be written by me, but I have had and intend to have guest bloggers from time to time;
• Tags: utilising Ultimate Tag Warrior, all posts are now tagged (as opposed to categorised). A new tag cloud is also visible in the right sidebar, illustrating which subjects are more popular than others; and
• Calendar and Archives: for ease of use, I have now included a calendar and a list of archives so that you can browse previous posts according to date. Some readers (yes, you especially, A) had complained that North of the Stupid Line wasn’t searchable.

I hope these extra features will improve the reading pleasure of North of the Stupid Line. Do keep an eye out for future improvements, but in the meantime, if you have any suggestions or think I should add any more features, leave a comment and I’ll think about it .

I have to laugh at the latest goings-on on Deaf UK. The moderator (He-Who-Shall-Not-Be-Named) has basically accused everyone of being ‘lazy’ and ‘not interested in deaf issues’ simply because most members did not vote in two recent polls: a reduction in TV licence fees for Deaf people, and about the possibility of Freedom Passes in London being scrapped for Deaf residents.

This has resulted in a furore among the members, who are accusing the moderator of being autocratic and a troll, and for having unmoderated opinions.

Deaf UK is now arguably a farce. It is not longer a space for Deaf people to discuss like-minded issues. It’s just a forum for the moderator to have a go at everyone for no apparent reason.

I’d like to encourage all the current members of DUK (and those who have been banned in recent times), to talk about the issues close to their heart, on BLOGS. It doesn’t matter if in English or BSL. Just blog/vlog. At least you won’t be attacked for expressing your views, and you won’t be moderated.

If you’re not sure how to go about blogging, go here.

Will provide a BSL translation of this post later on today.