Blogosphere : The Fifth Sphere of Earth!!
थोड़ी सी ज़मीन, थोड़ा आसमान... तिनकों का बस इक आशियाँ (a small piece of land, a
handful of sky…a humble abode)
Lives are
spent just fulfilling these simple wishes and desires. However, in current
times when we are witnessing the many boons of internet in our lives, blogging
is just a way to ensure that one can indeed get a little cyber space if nothing
else. Yes, this has become the fifth
sphere of Earth beyond the well studied four - Geo, Litho, Hydro and Bio.
Blogging
(which is actually the combination of two words - web and logging) is a method
of journaling online. This four letter word is precise and accurate self
description of the word - it is a log of writings posted publicly on the World
Wide Web. Any blog has almost the similar format as that of a traditional diary
and the entries (posts) are arranged in calendar format with the most recent
post appearing first. Blogs may contain general observations, experiences,
commentary on various issues, wishes and anything that a writer thinks about.
Images, audio and videos can be a part of the posts. Blogs are like
mini-websites but the best part is that they are free. Besides helping
chronicle one's views in the manner that one likes, it gives immense
opportunity to connect with people with similar interests, preferences and
likings. It gives one a presence on the net, a presence which enables one to
nurture relationships and build a reputation. Based on the areas on which
bloggers write, virtual communities are getting formed whether it is of the zealot
readers, travel enthusiasts, creative people, food connoisseurs, mommies,
computer geeks - you name it and you will find a companion sharing similar interests. So this is another area
where boundaries of any sort from physical, religion, ethnic to cultural, cannot put any hurdles.
Colours of Creativity
Rang décor
is not just any blog, it is an epitome of colours, festivities, beauty, grace,
exuberance and creativity. Just the header picture of the blog has the
potential to light up one's day. Having been bestowed with a unique talent of
capturing beauty in the most mundane things of everyday life through her
camera, Archana Srinivas is a well known Indian blogger. She began blogging in
the year 2007 as she 'needed a space exclusively for archiving and sharing
interior design ideas from India.' She finds blogging as an outlet for keeping
her creative instincts alive. Besides Rang Décor, she has a personal blog -
Rang : The colours of life where she shares her various interests like
photography, food, travel, art and everyday musings.
Momscapes
If one is in
the mommy's blogosphere, it is hard to miss one of the most articulate bloggers
gracing this arena - the madmomma. She began blogging in 2006 soon after she
had her first child. She used to read American mommy bloggers and had a notion
that there couldn't be too many Indian moms blogging. She began to blog as a
way to record her thoughts. A while back, she was interviewed by blogadda and
when she was asked 'what does she find the most gratifying aspect of blogging',
she said, "I find the community it builds to be the best part of blogging.
I don't believe in ethnic and religious communities. I believe in communities
built on shared interests - they are stronger and are more stable."
Another
mommy blogger artnavy (aboutthingsnow.blogspot.in) says, "my blog is a
journal of and for my kids. It serves a ready reckoner when memory fails".
For her blogging is a passion and a discipline.
Travel Bugs
Sankara
Subramanianm is the founder of a well recognised and well respected travel blog
- 'Be On The Road'. He is of the opinion
that blogging makes one a mini celebrity as more people connect with you.
"It is a powerful medium which has given me appreciation in mainstream
media, tourism boards, travel companies and much more. Moreover, through
blogging I have met people with similar interests and today, many of them are
my friends. "
Sankara's
blog is his career, hobby and passion. This is his space where he gives
expression to his creative juices and contributes his two cents to the world of
online content. He says, 'Be On The Road is my platform to showcase my
interests and my talent. In simple words, it is my brand and it represents me
and my style of travel.'
Foodie's World
For the food
blogger Aliena Verghese blogging began as a way to ward off the boredom of
being confined to household chores. She started blogging in order to record the
recipes online. 'I thought whatever I cook for my family and whatever they
like, whatever can be easily accessed should be put into my own space.' She
soon figured out that there were food enthusiasts who keep looking for recipes
to try out and who became regular visitors of her blog. For her 'the joy of
blogging is not in the statistics or in how many comments that I receive, but
the joy lies behind in knowing that my recipes are being tried by someone else
out there and how it turned out for them, the joy behind getting the dish right…that's
where my happiness lies. Aliena is not the one to get complacent, so when she
felt that blogging recipes was turning monotonous, she started getting invited
to review restaurants, menu launches and product review. She feels that this
has added an extra dimension to blogging.
Ranjani
blogs about her musings, thoughts, experiences, children and life in general.
She is not worried about how many people read it but she feels good writing
about something which she strongly feels about. She says, "Blogging for me
is also very cathartic, when I write during low and depressing times. It is
almost like a monologue with a good friend, who just listens without saying
anything. However, since the blog is open to all, I do draw a line with what I
want to go public about."
Besides
these handful of blogs, there is a huge blogging space where immensely talented
people are adding their content online. The blogging trend is fast catching up
with the younger generation as well. More and more children are going online to
share with the world their opinions on everything from politics to fashion,
books to bones. Yes there are bloggers as young as 8-9 years old who want to
share their own findings, experiences and observations. Joanne Mallon has
started a Kids Blog Club, a website that acts as a hub and support center for
child bloggers and concerned parents. She has observed that the number of young
bloggers is increasing every year.
Besides helping the bloggers have an online
identity, it is observed that giving expression to feelings and thoughts has
various other advantages too. In one of the studies conducted by Scientific
American the therapeutic benefits of blogging were discussed. It was mentioned,
"besides serving as a stress-coping mechanism, expressive writing produces
many psychological benefits. Research shows that it improves memory and sleep,
boosts immune cell activity and reduces viral load in AIDS patients and even
speeds healing after surgery. A study of the Oncologist reports that cancer
patients who engaged in expressive writing just before the treatment felt
markedly better, mentally and physically, as compared to the patients who did
not." Some hospitals have taken it as a helpful cue in the treatment of
their patients and have started hosting patient-authored blogs on their Web
sites. Nancy Morgan lead author of the Oncologist says, "Individuals are
connecting to one another and witnessing each other's expressions - the basis
of forming a community".
While sharing one's feelings, thoughts and
opinions is fine, one must always keep in mind that with every word that one
puts online, a digital footprint gets created. So one must be aware of the
security issues and as such, blogging allows the authors to exercise full
control of when to share, how much to share and with whom to share. Happy
Blogging!!!
Published in The Tribune (Trends).
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