IndiBlogger – Development blog

Our Christmas update is here again!

Last Christmas, we announced the launch of blogger meets on IndiBlogger, aside from a number of bug fixes. This time around, we’ve just launched our discussion forum for all of you Indian Bloggers in the IndiBlogger community. We think it’s the perfect place for bloggers to:

• Help out and inspire new bloggers
• Connect with other bloggers over shared interests and social causes
• Discuss ethical issues such as plagiarism
• Get feedback from the community on your blog’s design, content and strategy
• Promote yourself as a blogger within the community
• Exchange tips on monetization and SEO

Also, since only registered bloggers can post topics or replies – no spam! (Fingers crossed)

Besides the forum, we’ve replaced the old Tag, Name, City and Google search boxes with a single search box that achieves the purpose of all four. Internally, this somehow became known as the “4 in 1 update”!

As always, please do send us any bugs you may encounter, or any ideas you may have which would help IndiBlogger.in do it’s thing a little better.

The big difference between this year and the last – we’re going to refrain from the usual Xmas wishes. We have not forgotten Mumbai.

Start a new topic at the discussion forum now >

Naveen Bachwani, one of the bloggers on the IndiBlogger network has published a book on fatherhood which contains many of his blog posts as well:

It’s a little 50-page adventure called “Bundle of Joy” and its jacket describes it thus:

This book reproduces many of my blog posts on the subject of “fatherhood”, in a book-friendly format. It traces the journey of my experience as a parent, from my first child’s birth to the time she reached about three years of age.

The book is now available in Strand Book Stall, Mumbai.

Read about it here:
http://naveen.bachwani.com/dad/book/

Calling all IndiBloggers!

As a blogger of this great nation, we know you have joined thousands of others in expressing your anger, and calling for action to be taken in order to prevent another attack on our national integrity.

We know this for a fact thanks to this collection of blog posts from Mumbai bloggers, who blogged during the attack, are still blogging today, and will surely be angry enough to be blogging about it tomorrow.

With requests from several bloggers asking us to lead an initiative, the IndiBlogger team realized that we had a moral responsibility and a unique advantage where we could bring a vastly influential community of bloggers together to make a difference. Thankfully, we found that there already was an initiative, an initiative that does not talk about signatures or candles. This is a mission with an agenda, timeline and an end result that this country desperately needs.

The “Rebuild India” Mission

We ask that you all get involved with this mission and help us spread the word by blogging about it. The world needs to know that Indian Bloggers come together when their country needs them.

Below, we have a personal invitation to the members of the IndiBlogger network from Ashutosh Didwania, on behalf of the “Rebuild India” mission.

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Late in the evening on the 26th of November, things seemed normal and peaceful. We all were busy with our night duty (read blogging) when all off a sudden the nation landed in dire straits. Some unknown intruders had penetrated our national territory with a motive of causing mass destruction. By the beginning of the next day, they had managed to do that and much more. Indians worldwide were left with only one thought – “enough is enough”. In the aftermath, the nation was left shattered, wounded and demoralized. We knew we had to build it all up again. We knew we had to initiate the ‘Rebuild India’ Mission – and that’s how it all started.

Step 1

Armed with a very small group of bloggers but ones with huge levels of motivation, we initiated a movement to publicize the voice of the citizen. Bloggers simply wanted to scream out their frustrations. We said we would provide them with a punching bag. Some were up with suggestions based on where things were going wrong and wanting their ideas to be heard. We said we would provide them the stage and the microphone. Gradually everyone starting from key business personalities to socialists were raising their voice. The gap between the elite and the ‘Aam Aadmi’ was erased and that’s how the ‘Rebuild India’ Article Repository was formed.

Step 2

With a huge content base in hand, we were contemplating our options when suddenly it occurred to us that these were the suggestions of bloggers. We needed the general citizens to approve these suggestions, for even a master plan fails without consensus. We got back to the drawing board and came up with a plan to separate the grain out of the chaff for public approval/disapproval.

That’s how the ‘Rebuild India’ Online Survey got going and this is where we are at the moment. At the end, we expect a full-proof case of stats and figures on how we rebuild the nation.

Step 3

This is where the game begins, as this is where everyone gets involved. We alone won’t decide what to do next, it’s the bloggers of the IndiBlogger network who need to guide and support us. In fact, you guys need to carry forward the rebuilding process, and we assure you that it’s not a small responsibility. It’s a responsibility of providing hope to over a billion Indians citizens and many more residing across shores. Tell us what to do and we would be all ears. Raise your hands in support and join us.

Let’s get together and make a difference! Let’s get together and rebuild the nation!

Regards,

Ashutosh Didwania
(On behalf of the ‘Rebuild India’ Mission)

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The “Rebuild India” Mission >