What Does Blogging Mean to Me!

Why do you think I spoke about tag etiquettes in my last post ? ;)
I have a few pending tags that I tried to put aside for quite sometime but not anymore. They are clinging onto me like parasites. I think I’ll finish them off now.
This one was given to me around 8 months back but required a bit of maturity, in terms of blogging to answer the questions honestly. Now that my blog is one year old, I have taken up this tag.

Without going into reasoning of who, why & when I come to the point. As always I put the rules first.

Rules of this tag:

1. Name the person with link who tagged you.
2. Complete the questionnaire without changing the questions.
3. Tag 6 or more people.

Rule 1: Well, I am tagged by a person who loves to tag me since my days of naissance in this blogworld. If you go through my tags, you’d come to know the culprit’s name. I am one of his permanent victims and so, I have renamed him as Tagger of the Century. Now, are you really interested in knowing the name after so many hints ? Well, the name of the culprit is Fleiger.

Rule 2:
This time it is a questionnaire to be answered on the topic “What Does Blogging Mean to Me”. Here I go with the questions and my takes.

Q1. Are you happy/ satisfied with your blog, with its content and look?
Yes, I am happy but not satisfied. I derive happiness from many small things but it takes a lot for me to get satisfied with anything, it has more to do with my hunger for excellence.

Q2. Does your family know about your blog?
Yes, they do. But none of them are remotely interested in it except for one cousin who once in 3-4 months reads it, gets charged to have his own blog and then his enthusiasm ends as quickly as it starts.
I try hard to pull my family members to the monitor to read my blog but of no avail. However, they appreciate my efforts and achievements when they see your appreciative & encouraging comments, but invariably their last sentence would be “There are better ways to utilize your time”. Duh !

Q3. Do you feel embarrassed to let your friends know about your blog or you just consider it as a private thing?
It is a private thing for me as far as my professional life is concerned but whoever is my friend, knows about my blog.

Q4. Did blogs cause positive changes in your thoughts?
Yes, of course ! My blog is the main source for venting out my sane/insane thoughts and it has come quite a long way. It has brought me many good things… more focus, more pleasure, more satisfaction and yes, more friends. My blog has become a medium to have conversed with some wonderful people around who have enriched my life as friends.
Moreover, I think my reason for satisfaction from blogging is changing slowly. Earlier I was quite content with being alone in this big world, now I have also started liking company of people around me and perhaps that is the reason I have made my blog a little interactive.
In short, it has surprised me for discovering a new me from within.

Q5. Do you only open the blogs of those who comment on your blog or you love to go and discover more by yourself?
Since the professional life does not leave me with much time and my readership is much more than I ever expected it to be, I barely manage to keep in touch with those who have been kind enough to leave comments on my blog. So, no discovery of new blogs for me UNLESS someone has recommended it in any way.

Q6. What does visitors counter mean to you? Do you care about putting it in your blog?
I love feedbacks and comments more than visitor counters, but visitors counter too gives me an important feedback. I have put it only for my reference.

Q7. Did you try to imagine your fellow bloggers and give them real pictures?
Yes, many times. I have seen photographs of many bloggers who have put them on their blogs. For others, I have tried to imagine.

Q8. Do you think there is a real benefit for blogging?
Do you think all those Fortune 500 companies would be blogging if there was none? Furthermore, I think the blogs have given a voice to an ordinary person like me and to me this aspect is very important.

Q9. Do you think that bloggers’ society is isolated from real world or interacts with events?
No, I don’t think so. I have seen bloggers helping others in whatever way they can. I’ll cite some examples that I have experienced or I know of.

- First one was seen on Mridula’s blog when someone wanted to contact a particular person in a hilly area and she became the link. Till date, none of them have met in person and I don’t think meeting is necessary for this purpose.
- Through their blogs I have come to know of many bloggers (not naming anyone here but hey guys, are you listening?) planning & going together on weekend leisure trips.
- My own blog has become a link between many bloggers who have started interacting with each other on one-to-one basis and I am sure they’ll meet in person when opportunity strikes.
- I, myself have become friends with some bloggers who are now more than just bloggers to me. I know I can count on them. Hey thanks.
- I think I am also going to be a link again between two regulars here. Both are studying in NMIMS, Mumbai and I would be the happiest person if they meet in real life.
- And more recently, when I wrote about a play that I watched, one of the actresses herself had commented here and is been since regular.
Similarly on a larger scale, at the time of bomb blasts in Mumbai trains, a separate blog was opened to help the victims and their families. My blog had not even taken birth at that time.

Q10. Does criticism annoy you or do you feel it’s a normal thing?
It is a normal thing and I try to learn from criticisms. I appreciate the valuable comments made by each of my readers. Many of them love to debate here on certain issues that I post. If you have noticed, I still have kept open my comments section for all, including anonymous commenters and no moderation of comments here. :)

Q11. Do you fear some political blogs and avoid them?
Fear ?? No. Avoid ?? I’ve never been to any political blog for the reasons stated in answer no. 5 above. Also, it is not an area of my interest.

Q12. Did you get shocked by the arrest of some bloggers?
Who ? When ? Where ? I have no idea of such arrests.

Q13. Did you think about what will happen to your blog after you die?
Being an optimist I don’t think I’ll die so early. Later, I hope someone from my family or my reason to blog would put a post here announcing to the world that I would no more be blogging. :)

Q14. What do you like to hear? What’s the song you might like to put a link to, in your blog?
Well, I always display my “current song” at the end of each post. So, it has to be my current song Jab Koi Baat Bigad Jaye, Jab Koi Mushkil Pad Jaye.

Rule 3:

And this is the top most reason why I like tags. Grinning *wicked me* .
Let me think whom should I tag (read victimize) now. Ok, here is my list.

1. Craver – This is my first tag to you, you are my first victim and we all very much want to know your thoughts on blogging. :)
2. Catmoves - Yeah, I remember I have to do a tag given by you (I am still roaming around for that one) and a post as well but I would appreciate if you to do this one. I am sure you’d enjoy doing this.
3. Carol – Oh Oh, I know you don’t like tags but this one is real thought provoking. Hope you would take it and do justice to it.
4. David - I would appreciate if you take up this tag and I know you’d do justice to it.
5. Maverick – Hey I know you have not done this one. Be a good boy now.
6. Jarvram – This is my first tag to you and I am sure you’ll enjoy doing it.
7. Scanman – Gentleman, you got to show the world your reasons for blogging.

So guys, I pass on the baton to you. Now it is your turn to do the rest.

Current Song: Jab Koi Baat Bigad Jaye, Jab Koi Mushkil Pad Jaye - Zurm
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