Teenage mutant blogger invasion
It looks like blogging or the adoption of blogs has really taken off this year. Some 375 blogs this year alone. It's great and all that but hey, where have the quality content or photo gone? It looks like a dumb-teenage blogger invasion from Mars is taking place. And the invaders speak Martian - definitely not English. It's probably called Dhinglish. Alhe dhen dis wuz bad enuff dho!
We desperately need the quality dialogue and critical discourse that put Maldives blogging on the blogosphere-map and established it a source for important vox populi over the last year. We need to re-establish blogging as the sort of stage for verbal activism that it was - or so I thought it was. Who knows how bloggers might have contributed to the political and social dialogue of this nation? I would like to think that those with critical views and opinions must have affected or inspired the course of action at some level somewhere in the complex machinery of people running this nation.
Perusing through the list on the mvblogosphere I get a sense of hopeless despair as more and more posts are either copied from services like Digg or are just posts devoid of any substance - most of the time just a one liner with "it's been a long time since..". Or "this is a dumb post but I had to post..". Why post for the sake of posting? Are we getting paid for this? Is this a job?
It's harder to find that original blog with the intellectually stimulating perspectives among all the Joe and Jane-averages rambling about dates or what they had for dinner or what not.
I think we need to get out of the protective shell and dish out some honest thoughts out there - even in the comments. Quite obviously not everyone will agree with every point of view and there will almost always be someone taking insult to your opinion - like there will be for this post too. Are we afraid of stepping on someone toes? Perhaps it's time we stepped on a few toes and see what happens. Get that fire burning - or restarted. Let's make it interesting and not mundane and oh-so lame.
Just as the photo blogs running out of steam, running out of inspiring subjects - what else is there but the blue sky, blue sea, white beach and the occasional green leaf and some monument - writers too seem to have all but run into a big fat block.
Let's think. Let's blog.
nass | September 3, 2007 5:10 AM
Amen to that.
I'm glad at least you had the guts to spill this out. For me it's kind of difficult to tell friends things like, "Dude, your blog sucks." The alternative I found was to distance myself from all this craziness.
We need to understand what blogging is. Yes, it is certainly not a job. It is not something which is forced upon us. Nor something we have to do just for the sake of it.
At the same time we shouldn't forget that this doesn't apply to all the new bloggers. There are a handful of new good blogs around.
I'm happy that an influential and "senior" blogger came up with this. Great post.
maail | September 3, 2007 8:42 AM
What Nass said :P
I stepped on some people's toes recently and now I'm the ultimate 'bad guy' on the blogsphere to some people.
But your right, blogging is going to the dog's and some people have to be honest about the stuff they are reading.
Great post.
odium | September 3, 2007 10:17 AM
dats true..its not a job, its something we do coz we like it, better do it the best way dho...:D
someone | September 3, 2007 12:34 PM
thibey fulhaa thi molhu koh blog kuran v nun thoa .. emeehaku emeeheh ge fenvarun kuraane noonthoa ..
maldiveshealth | September 3, 2007 6:58 PM
C mon Simon. Why don't you get a life and leave other bloggers in peace. Out of a blue moon you come and criticize the young bloggers out there. Not all are or will or would like to be as serious like you. Get it in to your thin head. Yeah. You are right. It is probably you who have gone in to a ..mental retention... ( a new word)
Let them have fun.
nass | September 3, 2007 9:32 PM
guys, I think you are misunderstanding Simon's point. Yes we should enjoy blogging and have fun (as MaldivesHealth said), but I think we should be more original when we blog. Nowadays we see everybody writing similar posts based on the same themes. And it's sad but true.
Simon | September 3, 2007 10:07 PM
Ooh. Looks like I've rattled the cage a bit.
Maldiveshealth: Obviously you've missed me. No one else seems to have noticed. I'm not stopping anyone having their fun - who the heck do you think I am? The blog police? I think that'd be Nass but I might be wrong. You see, I too am a blogger and am expressing my opinion - it may be brash, lame or even irrelevant to anything - but I ain't gonna stop just because some people want to be left alone.
Soon someone will come out and say "get a life and leave the politicians alone" and before we know it everyone is leaving everyone else alone and there won't be much to do.
Frostmourne's comment was removed as the owner of the nickname informed me that it wasn't him.
DrRotinaj | September 4, 2007 1:19 AM
Agreed that the Maldives 'Blog Scene (lol)' has been invaded by a stereotype class of teenage-emo bloggers, but not all blogs have to deal with Life and/or Philosophical or Political discussion.
Most of them that do are filled with self-proclaimed Professors on the subject matter in question and, as you said, talk pidgeon english so it would be of no use anyway.
Also, we could do without the condescending attitude that most people seem to get once they realize they are quite popular in this 'blogosphere'.
P.S. Nass, don't patronize others.
Ameer | September 4, 2007 9:46 AM
Simon,
Not all the blogs need to be quality or contented. There are blogs which are quality and also blogs which just play around. I guess thats okay. After all, your blog is your own PLACE.
M | September 4, 2007 2:32 PM
imho, each his/her own means of expression, that should you deny them? nay, best turn yeface, not read junk, but yet exist in harmony. :)
bulhaa | September 5, 2007 4:27 PM
*support support*
subcorpus | September 5, 2007 6:15 PM
hmm ...
a look on mvblogs sure does that ...
most of them bloggers are teenager ...
and i am sure that a blog is one's own place to do what one wants ...
but you shud think of the readers as well eh ...?
there are certain rules/guidelines about blogging too ...
its avaialble on mvblogs too ... as a PDF ... hehe ...
i dont wanna know what one had for dinner ...
so i skip his post ...
i dont wanna know her poetic garbage ...
so i skip that too ...
but i need to tell you that skipping all that has left me with very little to read ...
i guess i agree with simon ...not that my blog is great ... or i am a "senior" blogger ...
hehe ...
dude :: where have you been for all these days ...
dropped off from the face of the earth and came back ???
hehe ...
rebel | September 19, 2007 12:47 PM
The internet doesnt belong to anyone and i uploading crap is nobody elses business. period.
Athena | October 1, 2007 7:01 PM
Simon you did say teenagers, so let them have their fun. they have enough seriousness and stress outside the blogosphere.
Plus, as Maldivians we are never taught originality. copying someone or something is how most people get started. perhaps they are in this phase and would mature into free thinking adults. :)
Either way its good that they are there and atleast giving it ago. I surf a lot of blogs, and I appreciate the light heartendess of some of the teen ones. It might even look idiotic or too simplistic or even obsessive about a seemingly innocent topic. but if you read enough you see whats going on behind.
any way just my thought. I say bloggers keep it up.
maanasih | October 24, 2007 3:40 PM
It's like writing to seventeen magazine
...
Suhail | October 25, 2007 3:18 AM
Let them blog, in time they will mature.
Criticise them as much as you like, that will only improve their contents.
Criticising and policing are not the same. The difference is so much as between Simon and Nass.
Dhinglish is also not a problem as it is a phenomenon prevalent in almost every country where English is used as a second language. In India it is Hingulish and Singlish in Singapore, probably Ninglish in Nippon and Kinglish on Korean Peninsula. Of course American in States.
Paydayfut | October 31, 2007 2:19 PM
Where I can find good quality films?
Can anyone help me?