Here we go again – DarkCulture.Net
*sigh*
I keep getting these little notices from my web host telling me that my domain is about to expire. This one, the one for Dark Culture. The last few years, whenever the renew notice comes, I’ve sat around thinking about what I should do and thinking how I really let Dark Culture fall by the wayside. It’s quite clear that Dark Culture, as a magazine, is dead. As any kind of working website, it’s dead. For a while, I was getting down to business with the podcasts; getting them organized and I’d even put a new one online. And it’s not that I don’t want to do the podcasts, it’s just that I haven’t had the time. You see, it’s not just about picking tracks from my collection (which is massive); it requires time to research new bands, download songs I want, etc. And then there’s the post work which involves putting it online, updating the xml file, and posting notices all over Heck.
Unhappily, Dark Culture hasn’t been anything recognizable in years. When I converted it from a PostNuke site to a Wordpress blog, I really thought that I would update it more. I haven’t. A good deal of this lethargy can be blamed on the fact that I’ve been concentrating on my career. We moved, my Dad died, and my life has taken on a whole new appearance. I don’t club as much as I used to. About that: it’s not that I don’t love the clubs. I always have. What I never loved was the drama, the idiots, the people I just can’t bear to see. Now, as a 30-something, it’s hard for me to see the same people I saw 15 years ago, doing the same things, being lame, annoying, doing drugs, or drinking too much. For the most part, I stayed away from all that. I did the best I could even when my own circle of friends partook in drama, drugs, and drink. Oh sure, I drank, but I never got into drugs and I tried to stay from as much drama as I could. Easier said that done. And there are good people that still club – they club because like me, it’s about the music and dancing. It’s not about the drama. Sadly, it’s often hard to avoid…even at 34 years old.
OK, so I always come back around to this. Almost every year when the renewal comes up, I labor over a decision. It’s only $9.95 to renew the site for another year. I suppose I labor because Dark Culture symbolizes something I loved, something I spent hundreds of hours working on, a dream, a beloved hobby. It was even something one or two people enjoyed reading. And now, a shadow of it’s former self…just sitting there like Miss Havisham, left at the alter, gathering dust.
Did I really want Dark Culture to be the greatest web magazine in the world? No, not really. I only ever wanted it to be a source of entertainment for the Gothic community online. It was, for a time. For a time, it was pretty great. I know one thing, it never will be great again. I just don’t have the time. I don’t want to spend countless hours laboring over code, chasing writers, writing about lame bands I hate, or making weekly trips to the post office. About the post office: I haven’t paid the bill in months. I haven’t wanted to go in and see if my account was still open. Part of me is embarrassed that I let it go so long. The other part is that…well, it means I’m going to just let those CD’s sit in my office for an undermined period of time. It’s not like I’m getting all that many anymore anyway.
*sigh*
Sadly, the last few times I’ve renewed the domain, it was because I couldn’t make up my mind about it and just wanted to stall another year. I need to figure this out. Not that $9.95 is a whole lot. Actually, I don’t have to do anything. I could stall another year and see what happens. I suspect that next year things will let up a bit and I may actually have more time to do Dark Culture podcasts. Because that’s what it’s all about: Music. Now that we’re knee deep in wedding preparations, I must take a Scarlet O’Hara approach and think about it tomorrow – or next year.
Not renewing means several things: Moving this blog to kristensimental.com, moving all the files, updating the mailing list about the site’s final demise, and saying my ultimate good-bye. That’s harder than you think. Saying good-bye to Dark Culture means a whole lot. It’s like this old friend I knew once upon a time. A good friend that helped keep me sane, showed me that I’m smarter than I think, helped me realize my commitment to music, and gave me something to do when my life wasn’t going anywhere. That’s a big deal, isn’t it? And part of it really is the staggering amount of time I put into it. To say “goodbye”, just like that? Perhaps I’m just not ready to.
I guess I’ve made my decision.
5 Responses to “Here we go again – DarkCulture.Net”
Kristen,
I know what you mean. I have a few sites that I’m not doing much on, but just can’t seem to let go.
I’m glad you are hanging onto it. You might, after the wedding hub bub and career establishing is calmer bring it out of the closet like a rusty old bike.
Or you might not. Either way, it’s $9.95 well spent.
Unfortunatly expiration also means that a domain squater will grab the domain.
That, and my dislike of domain squatters, are the reason wich keeps me keeping domains wich I have emotional attachment to.
Kurt, I like the old rusty bike metaphor. I think next year, things will definitely be a lot more calm.
Chasm, that actually happened to my first domain – which hosted Dark Culture. It eventually became a porn site
it’s not that I don’t love the clubs. I always have. What I never loved was the drama, the idiots, the people I just can’t bear to see. Now, as a 30-something, it’s hard for me to see the same people I saw 15 years ago, doing the same things, being lame…
SO MUCH THIS. It’s funny but also sad when I go to a club and they’re playing the same damn songs they did 15 years ago. It’s nice to hear three or four songs for the sake of nostalgia, but I still hear entire sets of the same things I was listening to when I went clubbing a lot. Plus the drama is off putting.
This blog is about the only way I keep up with you anymore (although I’ve been busy lately myself, and not so good at reading it in a timely fashion).
Don’t forget that you’d also have to change your email address, which is a HUGE hassle. If you want to do that, you’d probably have to start a year early, forwarding your email to the new address and sending bounceback emails to everyone who uses the old address, telling them to use the new one. Ugh.
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