Your 2025 Blogging Time Capsule

Have you ever considered what your last blog post will be?

Just recently while sailing on a transatlantic ship during the night, while the waves were pounding the boat and we rocked back and forth in our beds, the question on my mind was this: If we were to sink, my very last blog post would be about waiting in LaGuardia airport, using the $7 a day internet.

It would be a final snapshot. But really, is that what I want to go out with? Paid internet? No. Definitely not.

Our online world is becoming an archeological dig of stories and timelines – life captured post by post. Your last blog post will be the first thing future explorers discover of your story.

So, with that in mind, here is an idea far less morbid than the thoughts I had on that boat: What if we used well established hosting databases like WordPress and YouTube to create our own personal online Ten-Year Time Capsule?

Your Challenge: Create Your Own Time Capsule Blog Post.

It is now 2015. Using your blog, write and schedule a post that will launch in 2025. Consider giving it a hashtag like #2015TC in the title, so when it launches it can be easily searched – if hashtags still exist!

You need a blog account that won't quit on you, even if you a) abandon it or b) stop paying for personalized domains.This essentially translates into a Wordpress.com type site.

My personal Wordpress.com blog currently wears its name as catherinebrunelle.com, but even if I stop paying for that redirection and URL, the WordPress site would not disappear (bumpyboobs.wordpress.com). Anyone subscribed via a WordPress.com widget will receive an update of a new post, regardless of my URL.

The final basic need-to-know for a time capsule blog post is: don't shut down the site even if you stop using it.A warning: This may not work with self-hosted websites, unless you continue hosting/caring for that website, but they do break easily without maintenance. So, keep that in mind.

Use big databases that do not shut down abandoned or inactive accounts. I've contacted Automattic, the folks behind Wordpress.com, and had it confirmed that your account will remain online and available as long as you own it, and don't close the account.

Nice! If you use a different platform, do consider confirming with that provider.

YouTube is also a great resource. You can record and post a video today, adjust the settings so that no subscribers are notified and only those with a direct link can access the video – and voila! Your Time Capsule Blog Post can now include a video message no one will see until 2025, even if it is posted live tomorrow.

There are also time capsule services online, if you like the idea but don't want to do a post. These appear to be largely paid services, but a quick search of "Online Time Capsule" should bring in some options.

But my guess is that as a blogger, you'll want subscribers to receive your 10 year time capsule to their inboxes, and what better way than a blog post?

At this point, you've either jumped right into this challenge OR you are wondering: "what can I put in my online time capsule?"

Um... your ideas are needed! Share in the comment section below this post. In the meanwhile, here are some ideas I've pulled from time capsules in the offline world...

While we might find the idea of 2025 fascinating, people in 2025 probably feel equally fascinated about you in 2015. Here are some topic ideas:

Fashion trends, because in ten years you'll probably think that outfit you're wearing is hilarious.

A day in the life: tell your story, what is your world? What do you do as a daily ritual? Start with the small details, and loop it into the big picture.

Your goals, dreams, and projects. Share what you are working on right now. What are you up to that excites you?

The world at large and your take on it. Perspective is a fascinating thing. There are many big moments in the world happening all around us. Share some that standout to you, and give your perspective on this in a few lines. Will your thoughts be the same in ten years? Will your values change? Will you have been right or wrong?

Capture the buzz – what is trending on Twitter today? What headlines were on the front page? What's the latest gossip at the water cooler or street corner?

Source: Your 2025 Blogging Time Capsule