Probably the greatest impact on hobbies has come from the
internet. It has been the greatest gift,
and probably the greatest curse. I don't
say that lightly, but I stand behind it.
The Gift
There is no other way to get so much information about
hobbies. There are so many websites,
boards, images, and videos. In the old
days we were constrained to magazines, fairs, and people who hung around the
hobby shop. If I ask a question on some
of the boards I belong to, within minutes I get a reply and often some photos
illustrating the point perfectly.
This blog and hundreds like it owe themselves to the
internet. The two or three people who
read this could only get it from the net.
It has given me a place to express myself, and I am enjoying it.
The Curse
There is probably too much information and diversity of
opinion. It can be overwhelming. I love to research hobbies, but I can spend
months learning about something before I feel confident to walk into the shop
and make a purchase. I can spend hours
procrastinating and neglecting things (housework, lesson preparation, etc.)
The Gift
There are some huge hobby shops online which can cater to
all my needs. I can find products and
have them sent to me within days or weeks which my take months, or might never
be available at my local hobby shop.
The Curse
All of these great deals come at the expense of the local
hobby shop. I am certainly guilty of
this. I have scoured for the best deal,
and bypassed my local store. I comforted
myself with the confidence of any consumer.
However, a little part of me says that we need to support the local
person, especially because that is how I got into a lot of my hobbies. They are probably struggling, and could
easily go out of business.
The Gift
I don't have to endlessly search through magazines looking
for an article or inspiration. It is
there at the click of the mouse. I also
don't have to pay for them, or trudge down to my library to read them (even
though I still do, and would consider buying complete CD versions of some of my
favourite magazines.)
The Curse
Not only have those magazines scaled back production or
disappeared completely, but the sense of anticipation is gone. I eagerly looked forward to the day my
magazines would come out. I often made
it a special event to peruse my magazine sitting in my favourite chair, with a
cup of hot chocolate (who's kidding who, I was drinking a beer, but I think the
imagery of my first idea is better).
The Gift
It is easy to find people interested in the same hobby, and
with the relative anonymity of the keyboard, any shyness you feel can be
overcome.
The Curse
Actually, I have to say that in this case, there is only
win. I have enjoyed messaging with
people on various model and train boards.
They have been friendly (and sometimes quite humorous) with their
advice.
The Gift
Some YouTube videos have given me a view into a hobby I
could not get elsewhere. I have watched
many great model builders put together award winning models. I have learned great tennis exercises to
strengthen my sore shoulder. I have seen
people unbox their products, so I knew exactly what came with hobby kits they
bought.
The Curse
I probably spend too much time on YouTube and have lost some
precious sleep. A small price to pay,
but when I find it hard to drag my sorry self out of bed on a cold weekday
morning (or any morning for that matter--I am decidedly a night person) I
wonder if it was worth it.
If I have forgotten anything, or should consider something
else, please feel free to comment.
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