Someone I really like and admire is closing down her webpage, at least partly because she feels that a loss of anonymity has stifled her writing. Since meeting a handful of bloggers "in person" I have occasionally felt that loss as well...although I have managed to work around it for the most part.
For me, this was never intended as an exercise in making friends or meeting people or even having anyone read it. I use this page primarily as a way to amuse myself...and as a way to stimulate other writing projects I am working on. Little by little people have found this page and like it and that's fine with me. But there is definitely a consciousness of an "audience" out there -- and that can be alternately stifling or liberating, depending on my mood du jour.
Where is this going? Nowhere I guess. I just feel badly that my friend is leaving, though I completely understand why and have been tempted to do the same myself...especially recently, as my capacity for public whining has become seemingly limitless...