Advantage of Blogging
Blogs become the voice of shy techies
Times surely are a changing. With blogs emerging as a nifty information-management tool, techies are donning the mantle of new age communicators. While they code for a living, blogging is their favourite pass time. For most of them, web logs offer multiple options, from being a discussion forum to a platform to mobilise public opinion against an issue to a place to share inner most fears and funny experiences.
According to an MSN research report, having a platform for self expression factored heavily into the motivation to blog in India with 58% of bloggers starting a blog because they wanted to express passionate views. "Blogs offer a venue for seamless sharing and it also has an informal transparency," says Ashok N, who works with Satyam Computers.
He maintains two blogs, one collectively with his college classmates and another to express his own thoughts. "I realised the power of blog when the reservation issue came up. This was our main platform to exchange ideas and to analyse the issue. While doctors went on the street to protest against it, we decided to express our opinion on the web," he points out.
Blogs are of great help in professional life also. Rajiv M, a former TCS employee, for example, has a technology blog where he writes new software codes. "I decided to start this blog after joining for MS in the US. Now my blog attracts a select set of people from all over the world and I realised that comment section provides me with so much practi-cal knowledge, which one seldom find in books," he says.
The MSN report says that India's blogosphere is still nascent with only 14% of the net users blogging actively. It also indicates that content of the blog is almost as trusted as traditional media and that blogs may emerge as the new fourth estate. "Unlike other countries in Asia, Indians don't like reading blogs written by business leaders as only half of the users were found enjoying them. Bloggers in India are spending more time online with 87% spending up to 5 hours per week reading blogs or updating their blog and 50% of all blogs receive 10 visitors or less a week. Interestingly, men dominate blogosphere in India," the study says.
According to an MSN research report, having a platform for self expression factored heavily into the motivation to blog in India with 58% of bloggers starting a blog because they wanted to express passionate views. "Blogs offer a venue for seamless sharing and it also has an informal transparency," says Ashok N, who works with Satyam Computers.
He maintains two blogs, one collectively with his college classmates and another to express his own thoughts. "I realised the power of blog when the reservation issue came up. This was our main platform to exchange ideas and to analyse the issue. While doctors went on the street to protest against it, we decided to express our opinion on the web," he points out.
Blogs are of great help in professional life also. Rajiv M, a former TCS employee, for example, has a technology blog where he writes new software codes. "I decided to start this blog after joining for MS in the US. Now my blog attracts a select set of people from all over the world and I realised that comment section provides me with so much practi-cal knowledge, which one seldom find in books," he says.
The MSN report says that India's blogosphere is still nascent with only 14% of the net users blogging actively. It also indicates that content of the blog is almost as trusted as traditional media and that blogs may emerge as the new fourth estate. "Unlike other countries in Asia, Indians don't like reading blogs written by business leaders as only half of the users were found enjoying them. Bloggers in India are spending more time online with 87% spending up to 5 hours per week reading blogs or updating their blog and 50% of all blogs receive 10 visitors or less a week. Interestingly, men dominate blogosphere in India," the study says.
It also gave my folks an idea how security checks at airports has become such an ordeal. Media may give you a general idea about the existing condition as it has a professional way of dealing with it whereas blogs are an informal way of describing the nuances to a group of people, who share the same interest," he points out. Women may not be into active blogging but they surely are avid read-ers .
"Availability of computers at home and laptops provided by the company are the main reasons, people devoting so much time for blogging. I also started blogging after getting a computer at home. For some women it might be difficult to find time as they have to balance both family and professional life. But most of the women, whom I know regularly read blogs written by friends and colleagues," says Lata of Virtusa.
