Dear reader… hit the restart button

…[UPDATED 4/5/17] Somewhere along the way I lost my blogging voice. Why? I asked myself that more than once. One factor for sure: I loaned it out too often and for too long at the behest of others -- groups, organizations, campaigns, causes, individuals. My blogger's voice lost track of whose it was. This March I took a leap and committed to the #sol17 March blogging challenge hosted by the Two Writing Teachers blog and writing community where I wrote 31 days straight, a blog post a day and commented on 9 (or more) other posts every day. 

All blogging challenges include a commenting requirement, usually a minimum of three. The additional commenting load was from volunteer to welcome and support a group of new participants because I knew the extra commitment would stay me from dropping out. It worked and was also a lesson about blogging that I had forgotten: the conversation matters as much as content. Authentic exchanges, the sifting of opinion and information, as Jacques Barzun defined conversation, what makes the content matter. Along with regular posts, I want to bring that back to my blogging.

Am I ready? I think so. I know I can but will I?

Here's the plan:

• It's time to hit the restart button.

• A blog post a day, but not everyday here. I have other blogs. Tumblr, Facebook and Twitter posts are part of my network but don't count toward the one post a day. They do, however, add content to the blog (just check out the sidebars)

• I am changing and so is the network: less adjunct more other precarity.  Not just higher ed either. I'm retired, not an adjunct anymore and in a place very different from the basement of the Ivory Silo™. I also read, research and curate widely outside traditional adjunct resources. 

• Changes include re-naming. I already re-named Adjunct Stories to "adjunct stories and other precarity tales." Following advance notice and opportunity for reader input, next comes changing Precarious Faculty (Facebook) to something more representative of my interests and and present focus.

• Just because the network and I are evolving does not mean I know where we will find ourselves. When I know more, I'll let you know.

• Not to worry...adjuncts and academic labor topics won't be neglected, not with all the content I have. They will, however, hang out and mingle with other topics and issues. Intersectionality isn't just an academic cultural studies topic. 

Next time ~ specifics and thoughts on what I won't be doing.

Until then, get your movement news fixes at these links for adjunct, higher ed, academic labor and labor news. Precarious Faculty and National Mobilization for Equity (both on Facebook), Twitter streams, and Precarity Network Tumblrs, here and here. Nor should I neglect the original A is for Adjunct or, now reminded, put off updating the Precarity Network page.

When I created and developed social media accounts for NFM, adjunct social media was thin. Now it abounds, especially on the Facebook landscape. Some groups and pages cast a wide net; others have a more local focus. An overview/review of Facebook as an adjunct resource is in order -- Twitter too.

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From precarious workers to precarity