So now what?

This is my third blog.

I have one that is seasonal, so it sits dormant most of the year. I have another that I retired earlier this year. And for now I have this one.

My name is not attached to any of my blogs, although the seasonal blog is quasi-public, and I have shared some of my writing with friends and co-workers. It's no secret that it's my blog, but my name is not tied to it.

My anonymous blog was not entirely secret, either. I shared the link with a precious few people, people who either tired of my writing or just didn't care enough to keep up with it. The blog was random and allowed me to experiment with my writing. I also used it for therapeutic value on occasion. When there was danger of it becoming too therapeutic earlier this year, I decided it was time to end it. The blog still exists, I do go back and read things from it occasionally, but I no longer provide fresh content.

I have thought about starting a new anonymous blog, but haven't had the urge to do so. The challenge in doing so is that I'll want to refer back to things I wrote in my previous online life, but I won't want the old and new blog to be connected. It's a sticky wicket.

Prior to ending my anonymous blog I started penning columns for inboxcupid.com. My contributions were intermingled with the writings of others, and although it was labeled a blog, I considered what I was writing to be more like columns you'd see periodically in a newspaper.

When I was granted the privilege of penning columns for Inbox Cupid I didn't know how the site would evolve, or if my columns would garner a following. As detailed previously, my career as an online dating site columnist was over in short order. Perhaps I'll get a second chance at online stardom, but I'm not expecting it.

When I launched my column I decided I would write anonymously. Part of the reason I chose to do so is that I'm nobody special, so it doesn't matter if my name is attached to the columns. There seemed to be no reason to attach a name to the column, so I opted not to.

Now that I have moved my columns to a blog site, I have to ask myself a few questions.

How long are you going to continue this blog?
The idea behind my columns was to interact with my readership. As noted previously, I don't have a readership to interact with at this point, and I'm not promoting this blog, in part because I don't know how to effectively do so. And my experience with blogs, as both a writer and a reader, is that most people have a passing interest in what you're doing. Without a major push by an established entity, the blog will never take off. Therefore I intend to pen a few thoughts during the remainder of 2011. That's the extent of my commitment to the brilliance I have demonstrated thus far.

Are you going to remain anonymous? 
Yeah, pretty much. I'm certainly not going to promote my writing to anyone I know. I did share my columns with a co-worker, who provided the inspiration for the last column Inbox Cupid published. But I had no interest in promoting my efforts to my Facebook universe, and that's not going to change now.

What will I or won't I write about, given that this blog site is anonymous?
Part of me would love to share my thoughts and feelings about life and my place in this world. It might be cathartic to cut open a vein and write about how I ended up where I am today. But I'm not interested in doing that right now.

So now what?
For the next month I have a platform to share my observations about relationships and the world around me. How many blog entries that results in, I don't know, nor do I know what the topics will be. If for some reason I am inspired to continue in 2012, so be it. If not, the world will survive without me. In that I have no doubt.