Now member, old writer

Quite a while ago, I tried the "Minds" site, hoping for what I hope for here. That didn't work out, and facebook seems to be becoming less and less stimulating. Blogspot has been great for posting my thoughts, which have had a lot of hits, but few replies, and the development of ideas through conversation is what I'm looking for. I've written and done some distribution of a dozen self-published books; I consider myself lucky to to have been able to do that. For most, now, it seems unlikely that it'd be possible. You need bar codes, elaborately computerized accounting systems, cheaper printing than tends to be available, and a thick hide. But expressing oneself is its own reward in many ways, and I'm glad to see people doing it here.