Should You Delete Old Posts?
It’s not quite 5 PM and I feel like I have gone ten rounds with an angry gorilla. Been a very long day and my heart is heavier than I expected but so it goes and such is life.
When I wrote about the end of the beginning I expected to be able to see more progress than I see now but sometimes people plan and G-d laughs.
Had more time on my hands than I like and not enough energy to do all that needs to be done so I did what I could to distract myself and spent time trying to clean up the blog.
Because there comes a time when you realize your blog is riddled with broken links and though it is not really your fault they exist you need to take care of it anyway.
Broken Links & Broken Blogs
A thousand years ago when I was just a rookie blogger it never occurred to me that one day I would have to worry about broken links.
When I would link to posts, articles and or videos I did so with the idea that those links would be good forever.  I didn’t think about what would happen if the the blogger who wrote that really cool post quit and took down their blog.
Didn’t think about whether a video would disappear because someone took it down for any reason.
Today it feels silly to think such a thing and I look back and wonder why I was so naive. I know the answer to the question but that doesn’t really matter now does it.
Doesn’t matter because you can’t go back in time and change what has been done.
All you can do is live in the present and make the best choices you can based upon the information you have today.
So every now and then I flip through the old posts and pages here and try to clean up the broken links. Every time I do it I find myself reading some of the old posts I wrote and responding with a smile or a head shake.
Some of the old posts like My Father Is A Blogger are pretty good and some of the others are…awful. And no, I am not going to link to any of those right now.
Should You Delete Old Posts?
I go back and forth about this.
Sometimes I am adamantly against it because it defeats the purpose of the blog. This joint is supposed to help provide insight into my thoughts at particular points in time.
It is supposed to chronicle the lives of my children and to serve as a tool for becoming a better writer/storyteller.
Old posts serve as a benchmark I can use to see how I have improved and show snapshots of those moments in time.
But some of them are so damn awful they are embarrassing and I wonder what the hell was wrong with me.
My general rule of thumb is I only delete the ones that are riddled with too many broken links to fix.
A Disruption In The Rhythm Of Life
Today was another disruption in The Rhythm of Life of the sort I wrote about here. I suppose it is a good time to share this video again:
I love that video because it makes perfect sense to me.
Reminds me of a time when I asked my dad for some advice and he laughed because after he finished speaking I asked him if it was his ‘A’ game.
Jack: Damn, I thought you were going to say that.
Dad: Sorry to disappoint you.
Jack: You used to be smarter. What happened to the father who knew everything.
Dad: His dumb son went to school and learned a few things. Now you know the secret life of being an adult.
Jack: You really shouldn’t laugh when you say that.
Dad: Payback is a sweet thing.
Jack: Dad, if we weren’t related I’d be awfully unhappy with you.
Dad: One day you can share this with your kids.
Jack: Thanks, that is ever so helpful.
Dad: I have faith in you. Go figure it out.
I didn’t really expect dad to be able to tell me more than he did. Didn’t expect him to be able to answer questions only I could answer but I would be lying if I said I hoped I was wrong.
Sometimes you reach a place where there are no maps or manuals to follow and you must trust your gut. Sometimes it is all you have.
Bones: Jim, you’re not actually going after this guy, are you?
James T. Kirk: I have no idea what I’m supposed to do! I only know what I *can* do!
Star Trek Into Darkness
Kenya G. Johnson March 3, 2015 at 2:03 pm
I decided not to delete. I cringe when I see one pop up in the linkwithin widget. I just thought of something. I can go back and remove tags, then they might not show up in that widget? I don’t know. That’s still a lot of work.
The JackB March 3, 2015 at 7:05 pm
@kenya_johnson:disqus There are posts that can be excluded from the widgets. I think is based upon categories and or tags.
efloraross March 3, 2015 at 7:08 am
OK, you endeared yourself to my husband with all the Star Trek references. He has an uncanny ability to relate almost any life situation to a specific Star Trek scene. 😉 All my old posts seem to be good for is attracting spam commenters. Makes me nuts, and I end up having to shut down comments for them. I have had the broken link issue. When I discover them, I delete the link but do not change my post. The point I was trying to make is no less valid just b/c I don’t have an article to back it up. At least, that’s my point of view. 😉
The JackB March 3, 2015 at 6:39 pm
@efloraross:disqus Your husband is clearly a wise man who has exceptional taste.
I go back and forth about the need for third party support. Much of it depends on what I am writing about and what sort of expertise I think is needed for the post to be taken seriously.
Janine Huldie March 3, 2015 at 4:44 am
I totally have to go back and look through my archives and see what may need to be fixed up when I have time as far as broken links, but like you not sure I could hit the delete button either, because would totally defeat the purpose.
The JackB March 3, 2015 at 4:11 pm
@JanineHuldie:disqus I hate broken links. It is like reading a story in a newspaper or magazine and discovering half is missing because someone cut out a coupon.
Gary Mathews March 3, 2015 at 4:15 am
I wouldn’t delete, sure some of the old stuff you read and go “what in the hell is that” but you can use it as a benchmark to see where you have come as a writer.
The JackB March 3, 2015 at 4:12 pm
@disqus_9QhPxUcvr0:disqus Benchmarks are important. Always good to be able to measure progress.
Larry March 2, 2015 at 8:34 pm
I don’t delete. No real point as I don’t think anyone is going anyway. However, there are some which I can honestly say I’m not nearly as proud of. I’d like to think you can see my development as a writer by looking at some of my older posts as compared to newer ones.
The JackB March 3, 2015 at 4:10 pm
@Lardavbern:disqus I see people combing through my archives which is usually how I ‘rediscover’ old posts. I think using the old stuff as a benchmark is a reasonable way to go, certainly gives the old ones another purpose.
Kristen Daukas March 2, 2015 at 5:46 pm
Let me know what you decide, mkay? Oh.. and what does a girl have to do to get you to post some of your fatherly wisdom over at Ten to Twenty?? That can be done East Coast -to- West Coast. And slightly legal.
The JackB March 2, 2015 at 7:12 pm
@kristendaukas:disqus You know how to find me. I am always available for guest posts.