Tuesday, July 3, 2007

Changing perceptions

BoogerWormie pointed to a very old post of mine, where I had sort of declared that I will suck up to all bloggers by commenting on their comment spaces. Many of you might have noticed that I started commenting only off late. And regular comments --- I don't know when I will find time to write them as well. But this is something that needs to clarified.

As some of you might have noticed, I started my blogger account sometime in 2005, and then rarely had posts after that. I knew about blogs and blogging from then, just that I never commented. Neither did I write much, the reason behind which even I am not sure about. A couple of friends knew about this blog... but they have forgot about it, I'm sure. So, after long, I've started blogging. And commenting on others' blogs too.

The question is --- did I post comments on all your blogs to suck up to you? No, definitely no. I commented because I started commenting and exploring the blog space. If you are a reader of the 2 or 3 recent posts of this blog, you'll notice that the other people who are commenting here are the ones you usually visit too! And the reason is that I have been following your own friends' links. All of your blogs give such a nice window into your personalities. Your thoughts, your wishes, your fears and your cravings --- it is all out there. And I like reading them. And commenting on them. When you write a blog post, you don't know what kind of a person will be reading it, or how you may be judged. But still you write: unfearing and uninterrupted. And that is what gives your blogs the flow that I like to read. Because here on the cyber space there isn't much that you need to hide, except personal details maybe. The rest of your personality is out there on your blog. And that is what I like to read, and to identify as friends. I may never meet you in person, but it feels good to know that there is someone who thinks like I do, and someone who has the same convictions and way of looking at life like I do.

The other point is, I too want my own share of comments on the blog! If I spend time browsing and randomly hopping through other blogs, then I too will want that someone comes and visits my blog. I like to know your comments, your views and arguments on what I've written. It feels good, especially since as the blog author I am the one who initiates and leads the discussion topic. That is why I am trying to blog regularly. I may have had my accolades in creative writing all through as a student, but I am still a newbie into the blogging world. Thanks for all the welcome you folks have accorded to me.

Finally, it is interesting to see how my own perceptions have changed over the years. Only a couple of years ago, I used to look at bloggers and their blogs much more differently than what I do now. I may have only a couple of posts, maybe 5 posts in the last two years. But still as I read through them, I realise what I thought then was very different from what I think now. Maybe I would even have an argument with the 'me' from two years back over the whole issue of blogging itself. What do I believe in now? Well, you'll have to keep reading to find out.

20 comments:

Nasia said...

Suck up?? OMG!!!
You read others blogs for 3 reasons.. because u like reading wat they write.. cause you want them to read urs.. or the most imp, cause you want the people whose writing u like to read wat u write.. .. again this is my perception.. :D

Occasional Brilliance said...

i write becz it calms me dnw. and is a rather effective way f dealin wid negativity... [:P] ad i read cz i want to... ppl interest me and intrigue me... there's a lot f ppl i read bt refrain 4m commentin...

so suck up, ur not... :)

Cuckoo said...

Well said Black King !!

I write mainly to vent out my thoughts & emotions. And sometimes to have fun... that again I can say is to satisfy my own self.

And yes, I appreciate when someone comes & comments on my blog. i tend to grow with them.

bEAST said...

you *&!&@*$
stop readin my mind dude!
:)
Everything I feel about blogging, u seem to have summed it up here! lolz

neers said...

:)
I've been nodding away right from the first line! i love coming here :D

Lavanya said...

One writes because it gives u the freedom to express, and commenting is again a way of expressing your opinion on other people's thoughts.. whoever called in sucking up knows nothing on the fine art of expression ...

Princess Stefania said...

Adding to the darkness: Your first comment of the day!
;)

I agree. Oh yes indeedy doo, I do.

The Black King said...

Nasia, well summarised indeed! :) Those three reasons are indeed the primary ones.

Dumbum, thats interesting --- blogging calms you? But I really agree with that part --- people are intriguing, and so are their blogs!

Cuckoo, yes of course: we're all symbiotic of one another. And blogging is fun, of course! :)

Beast, thanks man... your compliments mean a lot to me.

Neeraja, thanks! You made my day! :)

Actually boogerwormie wasn't so wrong, Enigma... I had written something like that about two years ago. That is why I mentioned about the changing perceptions.

And Princess... thanks! Let the darkness prevail!! :)

Banvri said...

hmmmm

i agree in that u read others blog cos u like what they write but i do not agree with fact that u visit other blog cos u want them to visit urs ...this mite be helpful for few comment but again it depends whether other person relate to ur content or not ...

isnt ?

Swetha said...

I had wanted to ask you about this when I happened to read your older posts. Glad to see a post on that now.

Thinking of it, Blogging is nt all about getting comments. But comments do help you get the perspectives of different readers !

So keep blogging and commenting :-)

Anonymous said...

Most people try to explore the world and understand various issues/perspectives and hence read others blog.

Bullshee said...

I think people like seeing comments on their blog because it reassures them that people read their stuff....also, other people see the number of comments, think:"hey this guy might be worth reading" and thus the blogger gets more readers, and they too comment....and the cycle goes on and on and on......

IncorrigibleV said...

nope ure no suck up!...
infact now that uve blogged abt how u thot and how u think now, i'd like to mention that the first time i came to ur blog was when u had commmented on mine and i came here a few days later with time to kill at hand, what i do when i visit a new blog is that i don't comment on anything till i've read it entirely... or i read/comment on the latest post and then start readin from the beginning....what i did here was i read all ur posts in one go and then commented and i have to say that i noticed the change myself over the years.... so then yup perceptions change , ppl change....
but keep bloggin buddy... we love readin u :), whatever the reasons!

Divya said...

The last paragraph, especially caught my attention. How so true!! Blog is a very live space which documents your evolution. You could learn a lot about yourself reading through your earlier posts.

The Black King said...

Yes, Chitrangada, relating to the content published on a blog is very important. That does spur comments.

Dushti, thanks... hope they're all clear now.

Mohan, yeah... I'd agree.

Bullshee, yes --- there is a rich gets richer phenomenon for sure. I think, however, that it is good: more comments are a benchmark of the readership and appeal.

Thanks a lot, Vandita! You made my day. And I'm sort of surprised that people went through the archives. :)

Divya, thanks.... the perceptions have changed over the years.

Gunjan Aylawadi said...

aah....great post....i loved ur take on blogging n hw i knw most of d ppl who comment here only thru their blogs though but i knw em much better than many ppl around me!
the world hasnt shrunk...it has expanded!
if not fo blogs i wudnt hav eva knwn so many ppl so far away!

The Black King said...

Thanks, Gunj! It is true --- blogging does connect us a lot.

Anonymous said...

and i like the connection..nice :)

The Black King said...

Welcome, Rashi... and thanks for the appreciation! :)

Buls said...

Hi... I remember posting that comment and wondering if you replied... had forgotten your blog address. You are right... a blog is an evidence of what we feel and go through. Reading old posts and thinking about the person we used to be is nostalgic indeed. Keep blogging!!!