What's Blogging?
A blog is a user generated website where entries are made in journal style and displayed in a reverse chronological order.
Blogs often provide commentary or news on a particular subject, such as food, politics, or local news; some function as more personal online diaries. A typical blog combines text, images, and links to other blogs, web pages, and other media related to its topic. The term "blog" is derived from "Web log." "Blog" can also be used as a verb, meaning to maintain or add content to a blog.The modern blog evolved from the online diary, where people would keep a running account of their personal lives.
Why Blog? Why Tell A Story at All?
Ever since Blogging took the internet scene by a storm somewhere in 2004, millions of people from all walks of life has started flooding free bloggins sites, namely the more popular ones, bloggers.com. In year 2004, the term 'blog' and 'blogging' were the highest search words! Beating traditionally popular words such as dieting, weight lost and suchs.
Have we ever wondered, why are people so addicted to blogging? So eager to tell their story in full view of the millions of unknown people that may possible read the blog? Why, are these people so willing to divulge their life, personal details, secrets and more online when ordinarily it would take a miracle to drag these emotions out of them?
Is it the very basic psychological need of a person to be heard? And more importantly, to be heard and not judged? Blogging online gives a person a sense of freedom, freedom to express feelings otherwised bottled up, freely. Its an important outlet, probably something like a detoxification process of the mind? In our very complex lives this century, we experience more, we learn more, we learn faster (coz every darn thing changes with the soaring petrol prices), we think more, we talk more, but.... we EXPRESS ourselves less. Why? Is it because we're so busy listening to others that we forge to speak? Or is it more likely due to the fact that we always wanna remain politically correct...? So, in a bid for self presevation, we've becomed more skilled in hiding our true emotions - "its to protect ourselves..." we justify...justify...and justify... But you can't fool the mind, and you certainly can't keep everything you feel and experience inside you, but you cant risk saying something which may offend a differing view... so what do we do? We go online and BLOG our hearts out!!
With the advent of the internet, everything can be found. Just try searching up your own name, or your friends, and you will almost always find them online. It is not just about you divulging your stuffs online, even when your friends decide to mention your name around, it would be picked up by the very eager internet spiders, indexed, and remembered for life in one of those huge, cold mega hard drives they hide underground or whatever. Nothing is lost, nothing is forgotten in these memories. Nothing you say or do is private anymore, privacy is dead, but as justified by the authorities, 'how do we protect you if we don't have ALL your details?' True also... but well... In the end, the only privacy left is in your own mind, and maybe that alone is enough for now.
Types of blogges now... Not that I actually have the time to snoop around other blogs, but Ive seen enough, and a rough conclusion now about the personalities behind these bloggers are somewhat similar to personality profiling you would do on people you meet ofline. I am sure you've known people who brag too much, people to talk nonsense (maybe we did not stop to listen long enough to reach the real meaning?), people who talk with the sole purpose of resolving a crisis .... and the list goes on..
Bloggers are the same, of course, a clear majority are genuine/honest bloggers (who do not need to lie to their own computers!!), lets just call them 'Life Bloggers" who just want to express their thoughts freely (but careful now with more and more cyber laws being implemented...), to write about all the little things that happen in their every day lives. Things that may be little, every day things, but still, it is important for that individual as these are EVERYDAY things in HIS life, and not others. It is important and meaningful to him, and not others, it brings meaning to how he's living life today. Basically, this person is blogging in an attempt to document his life on Earth...the machines never forgets. Then there is another group, perhaps we'll call them... 'Brag Bloggers", the existence of these blogs are existing mainly to brag... and brag and brag...(and brag..). We've definately known such individuals offline, you know, those who constantly go posting, like 'Oh... my Gucci's heels are just too high..!' , or, '... and my Datuk xx friend said... and then the Tan Sri said etc etc'. We've heard them offline, now we're seeing them online. Why is there such need? Since the advent of phychological profiling, it is well known that braggers has a certain inferiority complex. They feel the need to vocalize what they want others to see, in fear that they themselves do not measure up. Is it a cause of a problematic upbringing? or perhaps the person has been deprived of a lifestyle so sought after that once it is achieved (through various means..) the bragger starts bragging.. online. Any which way, we know that persons with substance and style do not need to brag about it, it can be seen, like an aura, no cheap publicity needed!
Why I'm Blogging
Remember those old photographs we always look back with fond memories of? Of course, at that time we did not think much about snapping those silly shots, and prob later on just carelessly dumping them into any one album. But years later, we treasure these old silly pictures. Why's that? Probably because we suddenly notice time is passing so quickly.The only reason to treasure time is because we don't have it all.. something like why having all the $$ in the world is useless, coz then $$ would be worth nothing at all. Same goes for time. Thus, by putting my little thoughts online, I'm basically creating a picture of my life which I can look back fondly on way years later. But of course, with cyber laws crunching down on the internet these days, I think i'll be keeping my more controversial, critical thoughts in my own head, after all, that's where only REAL privacy exists..
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