The Art of Blogging

It’s not new but it’s all the rage. The Internet invaded every aspect of our lives and opened at the same time all the doors, windows and perhaps souls. It erased borders and brought people closer than ever. What's the new rage? Blogging.

Recently, the topic of blogging was raised in a couple of local newspapers. Internationally, blogging is just the norm of getting information. Why only yesterday Senator Hilary Clinton ran for presidency and the media wasn't the place she broke the news in, it was on her blog!

I think the concern stems mainly from fear that blogging will take over the media as a source of information. Blogging is as simple as ABC, anyone can create a blog given s/he’s got an e-mail account and some simple notions of internetting. The question then becomes how accurate blogging is. Some bloggers are really keen on what they do and the way they report matters, but on the other hand, some utter complete fallacies, are rude and report misguided facts.Some blogger's sole aim is to be kings and queens of controversy in similar manner in which a 2 years old throws a tantrum, both seeking to attract attention.

Topics on blogs range from hilariously funny to down right repulsive and rude. Some blog about very personal topics, like the latest shopping endeavor and plaster all the recent photos of her Mac lip gloss and Chanel bag or his latest jeans and trip to a hotel.
Some are dire with criticism.
Some are provocative and eye openers.
Some are simply rude, in a so-called challenging way.

For the longest time, media, in all its forms of broadcating, has been a reflection of the “street”, what is going on. I see blogging completely taking over. Only instead of a reporter running around to find the “pulse of the street”, on the internet the people themselves become the players, or the "pulse".

Comments on a blog are totally a different matter. Sometimes I think it’s a matter of survival, who can hold his breath longer whilst bantering goes forth and back. In the UAE, sometimes discussions escalate to arguments to heated ones and sometimes to huge fights where no-sense is the only sensible talk that goes around, especially with the use of vulgar terms and profanity. And matters can really escalate getting out of control, resulting in bans.

What we need to remember and understand is that blogging is a one-man / one-woman show, meaning, it reflects the sole ideas, thoughts, perceptions, dreams, aspirations, dejections, assumptions, prejudices, of the author. Be wary as a reader from formulating ideas and quoting bloggers. After all, it is really a virtual world.

Blogger is the noun.
To blog is the verb.

(Originally written on November 27, 2006.Revised and updated January 21, 2007 )