Though I have continued to read and lurk, over the past year I have been posting less and less on LiveJournal.

And when I have posted, it has all to often been just a repost (or first draft) of something intended for our general travel blog (www.technomadia.com).

I have been a part of the sad trend of all LiveJournal's interactive energy moving over to Facebook, and all the quick and dirty updating migrating to Twitter. But the problem with this is that Twitter and Facebook both really suck at the thing that makes LiveJournal great and as yet unequalled - building connection and community.

I have made so many great online and real world friends via LJ over the years. It is even where I first met Cherie.

Cherie (serolynne) and a few others have recently set an intention to "reclaim LiveJournal", and to put more energy and intention into participating here. In particularly - the goal isn't just to post more, but to interact more.

I love the idea.

A few months ago I let my paid LJ account lapse - it just seemed like it wasn't worth it anymore. But with enough people devoting more energy into connecting with each other, suddenly it seems exciting again.

I'm looking forward to seeing where this new push ends up. Will it last, or fizzle?

Friends Locking?
One thing I have only ever rarely done on LiveJournal is filter my posts so that they can only be read by friends.

I think I am going to start friends locking more of my posts - experimenting with more raw, candid, unfiltered, and less thoroughly edited and polished posting. In other words, things that in the past I never would have posted for a "general public" audience.

For the time being I intend to friend back and allow anyone who friends me on LJ to keep reading, but I will probably soon do a housecleaning to trim my LJ friends list down to a smaller baseline to start with.

If you are still here and lurking and find yourself culled, never fear - just comment and let me know that you are still reading, and I will happily add you back.

I am looking forward to reclaiming LiveJournal. See you all online!

Since I began traveling full time, my presence on LiveJournal has diminished as my online networking time has been consumed with Twitter, Facebook and travel blogging. I have missed the connections and sharing that LiveJournal once had for me that these other mediums just don't provide, and in 2010 I am putting efforts to 'Reclaiming LiveJournal' for myself.

As I've become more visible as a blogger and traveler, I feel that I need to take a departure from the public nature of my LJ that I've had since 2002. I'm making the decision to post primarily friends-locked from now on - I think it will help me have a place to journal without worrying about having to make sure everything I post is polished content and will allow conversations to happen in comments without worrying about a public eye watching.

In effort to create a space where I have a context for everyone who has access to my posts, I have purged a good number of folks from my friends list. None of my purging was a result of any sort of personal grudge, all my purges were of folks I've not detected are still reading and I couldn't place where I knew them from. If I purged you, and you want to continue to follow along - please reply and let me know. I'm happy to re-friend.

For new followers - I welcome you. Just friend me and then contact me somehow to introduce yourself (replying to a public post, e-mail, etc.)

Here's to a prosperous 2010!

2amtomorning
If you find yourself at the crossroads of insomnia and insanity, this is the place to channel those demons that keep you sleepless. Vivid pictures, poetry, ruminations, and confessions from the nether hours between dusk and dawn. Originally formed to celebrate the city at night, there's a strong urban theme.

green_future
Dedicated to promoting global sustainability, this community offers a forum for discussing current environmental news, research, and issues with tips on how to make positive, pro-active changes to reduce carbon impact. You'll also find information on how to get involved in eco-activism and learn about events near you (i.e., act local; think global). Offering a wealth of data on earth-friendly products and practices, you'll be inspired to don an organic bamboo cape and save the planet.

wtf_sexism
Self-described as "a little community with a lot of rage," you can soak up impassioned vibes and read blistering exposes detailing sexist attitudes in the news, pop culture, and science! A must-join community if you are, or love, a feminist. (NB: the topic of whether a "man" can be a feminist is outside the scope of this spotlight, but will probably wind up on the Writer's Block.)

I think 2009 will go down in my memory as a year of abundance, a year of diving in head first and really feeling as if I've reached a new level of harmony with myself.

We started out the year in San Francisco by crashing Macworld with a double decker party bus we were brought in to organized to launch an iPhone app. It was a stellar launch, but alas funding is all but dried up and the product seems to remain spinning its wheels a year later.

What Chris and I learned about social media from the experience helped launch us into new directions that greatly shaped the course of our year. At the beginning of the year, our humble little Technomadia.com website was seeing about 1700 views a month. Not bad for a travel site intended for friends and family to keep up with us.

We used our invitation to present at O'Reilly's eTech conference in March to debut our new website as a WordPress blog, and amped up our Twitter presence, taking what we learned and applying it. Over the course of the year we got featured on several other travel blogs, LonelyPlanet and Makezine.com. We rounded out the year with features Gizmodo, Slashdot and MSN - for doing something as mundane as taking a month long temp gig doing manual labor. We've been labeled 'Location Independent Professionals' and 'Lifestyle Designers' and have crossed into those communities as well. December will have nearly 20,000 views of our website - which doesn't include our several hundred RSS and Facebook subscribers. Absolutely mind boggling.

It feels good to be effecting positive change on the world by helping folks break free and invent their own boxes. It's also a touch frightening at times to know we're now that much more visible.

Our increased visibility has helped lead us to meeting some downright amazing people and making awesome new friends. My life feels so absolutely abundant with the depth of connections made this year, and unlike nomadic years past - I no longer feel lacking of community. We've put efforts into forging community in some of the cities we consider home bases, as well as connecting with other nomads.

This year's Camp Nomadia at Burning Man was over-the-top successful - 70 travelers gathered in one spec of space on the desert. And we've managed several rendezvouses with other nomads from across the globe as our paths intersect. All the while, getting gobbles of quality time with existing friends and family - either in visiting their homes, or intersecting with their business & personal travel.

I feel I've found a balance of being a bridge between communities, while still feeling like I belong.

In my 2008 year in review post, I ended it with hoping I'd 'find my nomadic groove'. I am calling that wish successfully fulfilled.

In 2009, I feel more connected, more in love with, more loving and more appreciative of my life partner, Chris. We've share so much, navigated so well and partnered so successfully on many projects as we find our groove as business, travel and life partners.


2009 was not all charming however - it seems to be an epic year for deaths and tragic illnesses. Both in high profile people, and in people I care about. I offer my sincerest sympathies to those affected by a loss this year, and ask everyone to ask yourself if what you're doing today brings you joy? If it doesn't.. it's in your power to change that. Loss brings reminder of just how precious and short life is. Don't waste a moment.


I enter 2010 with a feeling of abundance in choices career path wise. The first few months of the year should show to be decisive and interesting.


In 2010, I want to answer the call the reclaim LiveJournal. It's part of my challenge in finding balance between writing as a publicly read blogger and sharing at a more personal level. I miss the community connections that once existed here. The dialogs. The opportunity for friends to form and deepen. A level of sharing that, while useful for their own purposes, Twitter and Facebook just can't even touch. After the first of the year, I want to write more here - I want to share more of my personal journey with people who see me more in context of who I am. And I'm leaning towards taking a primarily friends-locked approach. I hope you'll stick around and engage in conversation - and reclaim LiveJournal for yourself as well.

renaissance2010
Turning to photography as a creative outlet during a valiant fight with breast cancer at age 34, renaissance10 survived and set up a photo contest to help raise funds for the Lavender Trust, a nonprofit that provides information and support to younger women with breast cancer. In the first two years, the competition brought in over £65,000 (that's $107,260.73 U.S.!), with entries from 130 countries last year. Renaissance10 recently joined LiveJournal to meet other passionate photographers and find supportive friends.

curiouscupcakes
Holy buttercream frosting! If you have a sweet tooth for sugary goodness or a wandering eye for whimsical confection, this is pure ecstasy iced in deliciousness. Hailing the beloved cupcake as the artisinal canvas of choice, you'll enjoy recipes, photos, and bountiful tips to bake up a batch, whether your taste leans toward French classics or funky and flavorful.

mission101
With New Years in the offing, it's an ideal time to reflect on past accomplishments, make peace with disappointments, and refocus the lens on future goals. This community welcomes you to create a bucket list of 101 things you plan to accomplish in the next 1,001 days. Offering support, guidance, and inspiration, this is a great way to jumpstart those pesky resolutions.