Imperfect

preserve old content

In Unemployment + My posts are temporary now, [REDACTED] writes:

I've decided I'm going to make my posts temporary. Will Wood (singer) dislikes when his super old art is brought up, because it doesn't feel like capital-H-Him anymore, and it's this weird echo that people insist is Him, but clearly isn't. I think I have the same fear with social media. Bearblog counts as social media in that respect, I guess.

Worried about your words being "taken out of context (or taken correctly, but I've changed my opinion since)"? In contrast to temporary posts, notices like in Kev's How To Add An Old Post Notice To WordPress may better convey how you have grown. Take this copy for example:

This post was last updated over a year ago, therefore the contents of this post may be out of date.

Personalize that message, adding in any links as needed. You can display it as text atop a post or format it with CSS. You can make the process of applying the notice as automatic or manual as desired. The same goes for how consistent or bespoke the copy is.

As for why you would opt for a solution like the above, we can look to resources like Kev's Why I Delete Old Content.

Even if you changed your mind about your old art, people may still find it informative, likeable, or relatable. Kev found nostalgia by going back and reading content on his blog. So can you and others. A whole host of other emotions might await you.

Your creations might have have very little thought going into them, but how much more do you and others construe from them? Miniscule levels of applied thought can go a long way. You don't have to toss them out just because of how you initially framed them.

With indexing and archival being prevalent, exposing your growth could be healthier than trying and failing to conceal your past. Archives will show the notices you add to your posts. That's handy should your blog shut, move elsewhere, or suffer any other unfortunate fate.

Think about the stopping power of 404 Page Not Found errors, 410 Gone responses, or other unsuccessful states. Posts that I wanted to riff on got deleted before I even got started. Archives likely exist but does the author who deleted their work want it referenced? Then again, treating them like I would treat my online writer self would have me rummaging for their compelling archives. That said, I'll concede that some selves are best kept unpublished in the first place.

Will these notices be too much work for you? A disclaimer can help with that. See this part of Kev's Disclaimer:

This blog is intended to provide a semi-permanent, point in time snapshot of the various thoughts running around my brain. As such, any thoughts and opinions expressed within my previous posts may not be the same, or even similar, to those I may hold today.

That, time passing, or an outright notice can achieve Kev's intended semi-permanence in my eyes.

Kev ended up updating his post, deciding not to delete his old content. Reading your past writing, like Kev did, preserves and reconnects you with imprints of your past selves. While you can tap into your memory, interfacing offloaded thoughts enhances recalling the past that much more.

Even if your old writing makes you cringe or fret, look at how far you have come since then. Recount the goals you accomplished and the dreams you realized. Enjoy how much more you have lived. Most importantly, show your younger self that you still play the game they once loved and still love.

Want to reach out? Connect with me however you prefer: