Sharing our trip – what goes where?

Jim writing.  Hola desde Guadalajara!  As I write this, Carol and I are in our 2^nd week of intensive Spanish language training at the Guadalajara Language Center, and it has been great, although a bit of “drinking from the fire hose” as they say!  We are far from being “conversational” in Spanish, but we are increasingly able to communicate with people, which is great.   It is intriguing to be a student again after these many years!  

I want to use this blog post to say a few words about how we are “sharing” our trip online.   We are currently using multiple online venues, and a sort of hierarchy is emerging in terms of what we post and share at each site.   I thought I’d share our thoughts on how we view each of these, so you will understand what we are posting where and why. 

Facebook (link is on the home page) is by far the most extemporaneous and frequent place that we post information; it is easy and quick for us to post, and the format and interface lends itself to … Facebook type posts.  If you want to know the latest in terms of where we are and what we are up to, most likely you will find it on Facebook.  The downside of Facebook as I see it is in terms of archival information.  It excels at sharing what is happening NOW – but not so good if you want to look back and see what was happening six months ago.  Not impossible, but not a strength.   

I (Jim) also have a blog/thread on a forum at the website advrider.com, in their “Epic Rides” forum.  (link is on the home page). This is not quite as easy to update as Facebook, but is still reasonably straightforward.  The format is travel-blog in a web forum context (others can and do comment).  Posts there are aimed at other adventure travelers; others who have, are or will be on similar trips as ours.  Even if you are not in one of those categories, you may find it interesting and are welcome to check it out; anyone can read the forum, you only need an account if you want to add a comment.  As a result of my advrider.com posts, we have had riders from Mexico, Guatemala and Columbia reach out to us to offer advice and help.  It is a very supportive, world-wide community. 

Then there is “The Blog” (this web page).   It is by far the most complicated and time consuming of the three outlets in terms of updating, so it will be updated less frequently, almost by definition.   I think that our posts here will be more “story telling”; more reflective accounts of our travels, not just where we’ve been or what we’ve done, but the thoughts and emotions we experienced in so doing.   Given the time-consuming process of making updates to the web site (requires a good internet connection as well), there will be less pictures than Facebook or advrider.com.   But it is a place where you can gain insight into our trip that you won’t get otherwise – like Carol’s recent blog on “People”.   We will continue to announce updates to the web-site blog on Facebook so that people following there are aware.  

One thing about the blog:  I have enabled “Comments” – so feel free to add your comment/question, and we will try to respond quickly!