Monday, May 16, 2011

B(l)ogged down by it...

I get a nagging feeling these days that blogging isn't all that gratifying for folks as it used to be, say, even 2 - 3 years ago. That said, I myself have been a victim of this 'on and off the blog' syndrome. Well, to be very honest, it's not as much the 'familiarity-breeds-contempt' thingy as most would like to admit, as it is being pre-occupied with work and other things in the real world. Which brings me to another interesting fact that emerged out of a few blogs I visited. Some of them, avid bloggers, and wonderful writers to boot... decided to bid good-bye as they felt their online and offline worlds colliding...overlapping, getting too close for comfort etc etc.. But hey, that really depends on us, right? Technology has now made it possible to appoint those online 'bouncers' outside of our blogs. Then why fret? Of course, it kind of takes the thrill out of creating something spontaneous and fun as blogging, but hey, everything comes with a price tag, huh?

But moving on from that thought, when I started blogging eight years ago (yes, you heard me right -eight), it all started with a germ of curiosity in my mind. A weblog (yes, folks - the word blog originated from 'weblog', meaning an online log book of sorts, a diary if you will) of my own sounded a little vain, but as I continued posting month after month, year after year, it grew on me and my online world grew around me. My initial posts were just those little thoughts, observations, and happenings around me. Turning to stories happened along the way, and even then - I did manage to keep the balance, until a few years ago when I actually ran out of the usual 'rant' posts and decided to just post stories.

Somewhere in between, the pace slackened, my regular co-bloggers who were also visitors, kind of faded into the virtual horizon, and things just moved on. But I know it'll happen again if I want it to. And that's the wonder of this online world - it's like a laser-light illusion one can throw up on a screen any time one wants to, and turn it off. And then turn it on again. Wonderful, isn't it? Like playing with the bedside table-lamp switch.

Social networking, according to me, is another reason why blogging isn't such a cool thing anymore. For some (or most...as you look at it), blogging could've started as a way of connecting with like-minded people. Social networking or tweeting sites help you do that at less than half the word count, and quicker also I'm guessing. So then, why not? But yes, blogging will still be dearer to folks who really want to connect in terms of content - exchanging notes so to say. For me, it's always been, and will be - to experiment with my wacky imagination in the form of my stories, and unleash on people who want to read that kind of stuff, and of course, hear from them.


PS: My online and offline world did collide once...and how!

11 comments:

Neha said...

I, too, have become very irregular and for me it's work and other things that keep me away from blogging. There are always so many half-written posts that remain incomplete! But, I still try and read posts whenever I get the time and leave a comment here and there. Blogging has given me friends from all over the world and I sure would not want to be away from them for too long :)

phatichar said...

Neha: :-) I second that..

Anonymous said...

Rightly said Ph. its been 7 years for me as well.....and now a days i mostly write for myself.....to get the steam out :-)

bips

phatichar said...

Bips: Welcome, feels good to hear from an old timer. Keep it going. :-)

Sindhu Shankar said...

I second you on that. Blogging has become less satisfactory it seems.

phatichar said...

jil jil: hmmmm

Reema Sahay said...

As a matter of fact, I started blogging in 2004 because I liked the idea of this online diary sort of thing which you publish on internet. I have not been very regular but more or less, I have kept the momentum. I joined 'Twitter' also but it did not appeal to me so much. I keep coming back to blogs because it provides a much wider scope for expression and exchange of ideas / thoughts among fellow bloggers. I discover so many interesting blogs and people really write so well!

Seema Smile said...

You know, my online and offline world collided when I married a fellow blogger. But that didn't really rattle me too much - the colliding - hence I went ahead and met some other bloggers. It was great fun. We had a nice little group of all shapes, sizes and ages in Bangalore. Then we shifted to Mumbai... here things are so impersonal that even if you tried you worlds wouldn't collide... the only colliding will be done by your body with other bodies on the local train.

phatichar said...

Reema: I agree totally. Welcome then! :-)

Seema: You married a fellow blogger?? Wow. I hope he didn't propose in your comment box, hehe..Sorry. Bad joke. But hey, welcome!! Great to have you here. You got a great blog yourself :-)I can imagine, the colliding that happens in the local (shudder).

Anonymous said...

Good to have you back :)

And I blame twitter for the reduced blogging.. It has made it much easier to connect to like-minded people.

Anyway, off to read your blasts from the past :)

phatichar said...

Kunal: Heyyyyy, look who's here! Great to have you back as well,buddy. :)