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It is addicting, it is personal and it is here! I admit I am addicted and every day my lunch hour is spent on feeding my addiction. Yes, I am addicted to blogging and blogs. And for the not-so-net-savvy user, a blog is an online journal, open for anyone to read and comment upon. The term blog is a blend of the words web and log. Every other person has a blog or reads one regularly.
A blog is someplace where the author keeps a running commentary of their life. Blogging sees no boundaries; there are bloggers all around the world and readers encouraging them. The most amazing thing about blogs is probably the wide range of variety - anonymous blogs, celebrity blogs, food blogs, movie blogs, blogs by a teen and those from a new mother, photo blogs, language blogs, poetry blogs, fiction blogs... the blogsphere offers something for everyone.
Gone are the days when we used to wait for the new diaries every January and start maintaining a journal of happenings; today everything is online and is no longer a secret. In these web logs, you can read about the stereotype in-laws, the slave-driver bosses, the irregular maids, the lazy waiters, the nagging spouse and everyone in between whom you encounter in day-to-day life. People and incidents you can relate to, suggestions you can offer and tips you can learn. It also comes with its other side; your personal life is no longer yours, it is for the whole web world to read and there might be people who can and will misuse it.
I started reading blogs with apprehension, not sure what it has in store for me. I started reading the blogs of friends, it was fun and addicting. I then learned to read blogs that my blogging friends recommended (called the blog roll) and the number of blogs I read started growing. There are blogs that I visit daily for updates, my recipes come off blogs, my travel/holiday plans are off the blogs, my daily dose of humour is from blogs, my news update is from blogs, and my friend’s update is from blogs and my life sure seems to revolve around
blogs.
Blogging does come with its other side. There has been quite a lot of controversy over stories published on blogs. Who know you might be the subject of your friend’s blog or the blog of some unknown blogger who served you at your favourite coffee shop this morning. And if you blog regularly, your boss, your colleagues, your relatives all over might be reading it and making judgments (both unfair and fair) about you and all you have is a keyboard and a few lines to make yourself clear. Blogs have been creating success stories for many (a number of successful bloggers have caught the attention of various publishing houses) and horror stories for others (fired from jobs, stalked, admissions denied to name a few).
I blog and I know my audience is wide and there are legal liabilities and copyright issues. I try to remain neutral and not give vent to everything I feel in my blog but there are times when I do. I try to write about a variety of things not just personal to keep my blog interesting for readers. I share my achievements on my blog and enjoy reading comments left by readers. Yes, there are rude and hurtful comments but I have learnt to ignore them.
So do you want to blog? Here is how you go about it, choose a blog host;
www.blogspot.com
offered by Google is one of the most popular ones. There are plenty more on the web. Decide what you want to blog about and a blog title. Create a log in and start blogging. And on your way through blogsphere, remember these small details
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Your audience is wide, be sure if you want to share it with the world.
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Try to be consistent with blogging. But that doesn’t mean you should blog every day even when you do not have anything to share. Blog only when you have something to share.
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Plagiarism is an absolute no-no.
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Pay attention to copyrights and liabilities when you use pictures, photos, videos and other material off the Internet.
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Be open to criticism – positive and negative.
Happy blogging!
Vinitha Rajan Chinnakani
Houston, TX
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