with apologies to Max Ehrmann.
Go placidly amid the blogs and the tweets, and remember what peace there may be in going offline.
As far as possible, without surrender, be on good terms with all persons. Write your posts honestly and clearly, and read others, even the dull and the ignorant, they too need to blog. But don’t feed the trolls.
If you compare your stats with others, you may become big headed or depressed, for there will always be those with more page views and visitors or less than you. Enjoy your archives and your drafts, and love your blog, backing it up regularly, even if you are the only reader. It’s your blog after all.
Exercise caution in paid and review postings for these are transient and commercial. But let this not blind you to what virtue there is; many bloggers strive for high ideals, and everywhere words can change the world.
Be yourself. Especially do not linkbait. Neither be cynical about friendship and love, for even on the internet with all the spammers and trolls, it is as perennial as the grass.
Listen to those who have been kicking around for years, and give up the ways of the newbie. Be strong when there are comment spats and blogwars and stop looking at ranking lists. Many fears are born of too much comparison online.
Beyond a wholesome discipline to post, be gentle with yourself and your blog. You are a child of the internet, no less than google and facebook; your site has a right to be here.
And whether or not it is clear to you, no doubt the internet is linking as it should.
Therefore be at peace with teh internets, whatever you perceive that to be. And whatever your efforts and inspirations, in the noisy confusion of twitter, keep peace in your soul.
With all its spam, drudgery, and broken links, it is still a beautiful worldwideweb.
Be cheerful. Strive to be happy.
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