It is often said that human is a social animal; he can’t live alone and he keeps establishing his contact with society with various ways. He always remains busy in exploring information and keeps progressing. He wants to speak, listen and likes to exchange his information with others. Man always likes to be in contact with the other fellow beings because social contact is the basic need of the man. This will of social contact with others, was one of the major reasons of inventing and discovering different kind of source of communication and transportation with the passage of time. Wherever he reached, he made a world of contacts and communication.
This is the basic need behind the invention of radio and telephone, through which man wants to exchange the information and to keep the contact. Man has created a world of connections and communication with the invention of internet, in the form of various online forums and chat groups where people start to begin banter and chat. It was the initial stage of the social media and the people started to write their personal experiences, analysis, views and chit chat of daily routine life in the form of personal diary, on the websites and forums. These diaries were the initial form of the blog of today. Blog is one of the types of social media. With the passage of time blog kept changing its form and shape. Now blog is a power and force which is influencing the world and laying the foundation of a new free world. Today, bloggers are said to be think tank of the modern world. Although blog has crossed many steps of development yet there is no clear definition of blog.
What is Blog?
If we keep the view of initial use of word blog as websites, in the beginning and the history, the definition of the term blog is “That site or part of a site in which a blogger can publish his personal analysis, observations, comments and opinions etc with total liberty” in simple words such website or a part of website in which such material can be published, which gives some information about the blogger, and his thinking without any restraint. Blog is like a personal diary or it may be called personal journalism which only depends upon the analysis of the blogger. On the basis of technique and material there are many kinds of blog like audio blog and video blog etc with respect to technique; and the blogs of technology, politics, recreation, tourism and literary etc are the mentionable blogs with respect to the category of material.
In this era of internet if you would like to convey your thoughts and ideas to the others, blog is the best choice. Blog is like a personal diary but this personal diary does not remain personal but it is shared with people in the form of an open book which people write for the sake of expressing their thoughts, interest and to exchange their views. Poetry, pictures, videos, thoughts and feelings can be shared on the blog like a personal diary. People of having different views write in a different style e.g. doctor’s write about medical, technology specialist on technology, victims of circumstances narrate their grievous condition, intellectuals on literature etc. Besides it photographer shares photos, and video addicted shares videos even man from every field of life writes and shares his concerning experience and knowledge. Some people want to write on more topics and share different aspects. In fact Blog is the reflection of the personality of the blogger. For more details about what is blog and blog “word” read “Beginning and Brief History of Blogging”.
Importance, Advantages and Disadvantages of Blogging
Now-a-days blogging is very famous all over the world. This fact can be assessed with the data of previous years of the websites like technorati.com that gives the statistical figure about blogging that the strength of bloggers recently is more than 300 millions, and it is till increasing. The age of the bloggers is mostly from 25 to 44 years. More than 3.3 millions blog posts are published daily. Now 39% people of total population of the whole world is using internet; and 77% of total internet users reads or visits blogs for various needs and reasons.
Now a new world is developing due to blogging. Today Blog is the name of expressing the ideas with liberty, for a lay man. There are various examples when the articles of a writer are restrained to publish by the institution due to its policy and the writer has turned to blogging to express his feelings with liberty. Blog is the easy and modern way of expressing national and personal views. There is no obstruction from the government, from any institution in the form of policy, or no religious or social hurdle in writing a blog. Whenever government banishes a website of blogging, then bloggers start to expresses their feeling on other platforms e.g. in February 2006 Pakistan government banned Blogspot, a site that provides the facility of creating free blog, instead of banishing a particular URL. Many bloggers got influenced by this step but they did not lose heart and reached a new platform; many shifted to their personal blogs instead of free service. For more details about Pakistani bloggers and Pakistani blogging history read “Blogosphere of Pakistan”.
If we discuss the negative points of blogging, there are sure chances of creating many problems because of carelessness. Blogosphere is not a proper institution where a researcher has to discuss with a researcher while a researcher can have an illiterate man for discussion. A PhD doctor might have to perform the function of a veterinary doctor. If on one side the blogger is free to write, on the other hand the reader is also free to read any kind of writing. Some people take unfair advantage of the liberty of expression on Blogosphere. Some bloggers and readers perform as the wet blanket during the banter e.g. only a single sentence of conspiracy shatters the whole long research of a researcher and the blogger spends many days to reject or clear that harsh sentence of the critic. Some anonymous people appear and do not refrain from abusing and immoral activities. Some people join blogosphere for the sake of especial agenda and try to create confusions with various conspiracy theories and rumors. Here such stories are plotted in which “Laila” is married to “Majnoo” and such predictions are made of birth of their child i.e. they build castle in the air.Now many vital agencies and institutions get stimulation and trying to set the opinions of the masses by blogging after realizing the importance of Blogging.
It does not mean that blogging is all about of all this; these are some negative aspects of blogging. But advantages of blogging are more than disadvantages. No doubt many conspiracy theories have emerged in blogosphere because of multidimensional views that are presented in blogosphere but a man of average intellectual can discriminate the good and bad, right and wrong. Now blogosphere is such a platform where if a blogger plot a conspiracy theory, many other bloggers present the various other aspects of the fact and make the people clear and rational. Common man can raise his voice for his right through blog that is the best way of raising forceful voice for the masses. Some information or facts that are concealed intentionally or unintentionally from the people, by the various institutions, is now disclosed through blogging. We have a lot of such examples in the near past e.g. on the matter of conquest of moon, bloggers of science jotted down a lot of things with references and provided facilities of doing research with comfort for researchers.
After 11 September 2001, America put its stance about the incident but some American bloggers put the other aspects of this event before the masses. Now the bloggers have got such importance that they are invited in significant parties and processions. Not only bloggers are invited but the politicians and government officials have to answer the piercing questions of the bloggers in the meetings. One procession is very famous in which more than 1000 bloggers participated and Hilary Clinton had to face insult by the sharp and sarcastic questions of the bloggers.
When the international media was paving the way of justifying American attack on Afghanistan, it was blogging which appeared as the alternative of conventional media which compelled the people to think on the other aspects of the facts. Blogging played a vital role in highlighting and expressing the viewpoint and complains of the Muslim world. After American attack on Iraq, they were the bloggers who were the source of internal and secret information and circumstances of Iraq. An Iraqi Blogger Salam Abdulmunem got fame and prominence during this war. His pen name is “Salam Pax” and he is famous with the other name of Salam al-Janabi. It is often said that Salam used to jot down the blog to inform one of his Jordanian friend; afterwards his writings on the war were published in the form of a book. In 2008 in the war of Russia and Georgia, Bloggers of both the countries composed many blogs as their standpoint on the war. Because of these blogs the original circumstances and situations were disclosed to the other nations and the other big institutes, blogs make them ponder for other truths. In the previous days, the upheavals occurred in the Arab states (Arab Spring) were called “Social Media Revolution” because the bloggers on social media played key role in these revolutions.
Bloggers due to their harsh and sarcastic freedom of expression were a great cause of significant changes; and this was the cause of trials and terbulations for the bloggers who were, now and then, arrested and punished by the frightened governments. Not only in the developed countries but also in the “Arab Spring” and in the previous days, many bloggers were arrested in Egypt. Governments that crush the people with force are now in a great awe from the bloggers and restraining the bloggers with different tricks and excuses. Anyway different organizations and associations are coming into existence to solve the problems of bloggers.
Not only political changes are happened by the blogging but the blogs are also performing their different functions. Blogging made “Citizen Journalism” easier because now the bloggers are raising their voice to the authorities. Students are bringing their problems to the light besides their educational activities. People from every field of life are present in the world of blogging and sharing their information with one another. There are blogs in blogosphere from religion to science, from spirit to body, from philosophy to literature, from sports to fashion etc. there is a handsome discussion on every research and finding in the blogosphere. Here the talks prick the conscience and jolt the spirit. It is the modern academy of literature where intellectuals get training. Every kind of philosophy is discussed and every kind of topic is jotted down in blogosphere. Blogging on one side is producing new changes, on the other hand is a source of knowledge as a vast sea for the world. It is germinating the horizons of new discussion and new world.
Blogging is not only source of financial aid but some other advantages can also be earned by blogging for the blogger himself and for the others. A blogger stimulate not only the others but some stimuli happen to appear in his personality. He ponders on various aspects and gets information for related aspects; such exploration of aspects makes his thinking and information fertile and rich. It is said that thoughts and perceptions do occur in the mind; and if these perceptions emotions and feelings are not given way to exhaust, they can be the cause of various psychic complications like depression for the man. When a blogger write a blog after arranging these ideas in the mind, he remains away from such psychological problems. Thus blogging is a writing therapy; furthermore the quick response from the blog helps the blogger to understand the collective attitude of the society. By exchanging the views blogger’s social network gets strengthen and vast. Blogosphere is proving a school for the new bloggers and new creators. When a writing is criticized, then a blogger refines his article and he becomes skilful after compiling and writing the subject matter. Generally a newcomer can’t find an opportunity of writing article in the media especially print media and journalism. But now a competent person can make a mark by writing blogs and gets familiarity from the blog in the early stages of a blogger. Then the famous institutions provide opportunities of publishing articles of the bloggers who have left their mark on the world. Now in this modern era many institutions turn to blogosphere to find new writers and offer jobs to the competent people. Many people could not get fame and their due honor and respect because of unavailability of the opportunity and access to the authorities of the institutions but blogging has changed this trend. Now the jeweler himself comes to the jewel and admires its beauty and shine. For more details about earn money from blog read “Make Money from Blogging”.
Some Events for Bloggers
Bloggers themselves or the various institutions arrange parties, processions, conferences etc to organize, train, and encourage bloggers. “BarCamp” is a huge ceremony that is held in the various countries of the world in which the bloggers of conventional media and social media take part. There is no specific agenda of this party, everyone is allowed to participate and speak there. Besides it a “BlogHer Conference” is held for only women bloggers since 2005. Further “Blog Talk”, “Blog World & New Media Expo”, “International Conference on Weblogs and Social Media”, Gnomedex, New Media Expo, and SobCon etc are the prominent ceremonies and processions with this respect. Besides international level, in Pakistan bloggers conference is held for mutual interaction of all the bloggers; owing to this bloggers are getting organized and receiving much importance than the past.
If you consider that you should deliver your voice, knowledge and research to the others with the help of modern weapon of the world (internet), then the best way is to raise voice by creating blogs. Now time has come when world is selecting knowledge and blog instead of bullet. Verdict is always issued by the people and now it is up to them what they are going to choose? Knowledge or violence? Pen or sward? Blog or bullet?