The Future of This Blog

Someone once commented on this blog’s heading*. “Reader, traveler, politics, medical student…” they mused, “Are you sure you’re in the right field of study?”

For a second, I thought they were joking. But they weren’t.

I had spent enough time wrestling with my career choice. Suggesting that it was a poor one did not dissuade me, but it did remind me that medical doctors are so defined by their professions. It did make me question the things that are important to me, and if I was neglecting my professional community by having wider interests.

This very blog has been mostly built around my identity in medicine. Sure, opinions and book reviews came along too, but back when my daily views shot through the roof, it was the medical posts that attracted the most visitors.

I have been trying to mindfully acknowledge – and develop – the parts of me that are not medicine. Perhaps that is the reason I have written so little on here the past few years: I’m not entirely sure if there is a place for the whole me on here.

I like to blog, even though many will counter that blogs are dead. I like Instagram well enough, but I don’t see my writing as being image-driven. And Twitter, well, I also like, but people shout a lot there.

What does blogging achieve for me? An audience, or the perception of an audience? I journal, I write poetry, but sometimes it’s nice to think that someone out there wants to read what I write. The most-viewed posts to this day remain about getting into medical school into South Africa – even though much of what I wrote there is surely out of date. Can I manage to attract readers with information more specific to where I am in my career, now? Will I manage to grasp someone’s attention in a post longer than 280 characters?

Started in 2010, this blog is a veritable history book, albeit missing some content in more recent years.

Do I start a new blog from scratch? That seems like a lot of time and effort. Do I give this blog a facelift? I’m not good with web-design, but content I can facelift, metaphorically. But how personal do I go?

One of my current favourite authors, Sam Beckbessinger, still blogs. She emails out her thoughts weekly to a mailing list. And I love that. I’m not a bestselling author (yet?), but if Sam can do it, I can do it! (Right? Right.)

There are more things to consider… the name of the blog may change – the url, probably not. How much will I share of what is close to my heart? How much can I really post, given that it has become easier to connect my name to my blog recently? And really, I’m tired of such careful anonymity.

Hopefully, I will post more, and soon.

Is anybody out there?

*my heading was different back then, although I can’t quite remember it verbatim