IndiBlogger Weekly Diary | Edition 5
Our first entry for the new year is up and we are so excited! At least I am, with my fourth cup of coffee in the last hour 🙂
The year gone by has been a great phase for blogging in India! The launch of our three new products – IndiHappyHours, Indispire and IndiOne – changed the dynamics of everything on IndiBlogger! Over 5000 new bloggers signed up on IndiBlogger in the last 12 months and did you know that IndiVine received over 1 lakh posts for the 2nd year running in 2014? Now that’s quite a number!
In the first post for this year, we rummage through some interesting forum topics, we introduce our new “Blog Now, Live Forever” IndiBlogger merchandise and an Indispire topic that gate-crashes a mean stereotype that has plagued women since forever!
To start off, the weekly diary just got itself an exclusive access to the new, post card sized IndiBlogger Blog Now, Live Forever fridge magnet! It’s not necessarily just for the fridges though 😉 So this being the first week of the new year and all that jazz, we are giving these out to more than a few bloggers from amongst those who comment on this post and not just the question-of-the-week winners.
Blog Now Live Forever IndiBlogger Magnet
Know Any Good Girls?
When I saw this topic on IndiSpire, I felt a bit left out. There are good guys too, you know! Although when I saw Amrita’s post on the ‘DO NOTs’ for being a good girl, I was happy that those points applied only to women ;-D . To make matters worse, I read the ‘DOs’ all the way from A to H. I understand that with present stereotypes, life is hard for women; especially when someone tells you to stop gossiping!
I just saw an episode of Marvel’s Agent Carter and it portrayed the struggle of a 60’s woman; trying to make it big in the so-called man’s world, where no one takes her seriously but she can kick some ass though!
Karthik says that a good girl is the one who always obeys him. If you disagree with him you could win yourself something from us! You can see more opinions on ‘Good Girls’ right here on IndiSpire and if the date is not up yet, you can contribute as well!
The Personality of Blogging!
Talking about personal life experiences on a blog is the primary reason why blogging came into existence in the first place. A lot of people used their blog to write, rant and share experiences that they felt they needed to talk about. They never expected anything in return for their writing and thus they became the the pioneers of an amazing form of expression. What makes personal blogging close to our heart is that it is timeless. Gadgets and technology, among other things, come and go; but life’s experiences are always invaluable to most of us!
We looked through IndiBlogger to find some bloggers who still continued the tradition of writing articles that reflected their emotions and their way of life!
Saru has always been writing stories and poems on things that affect her life. Here is one of her popular poems on IndiBlogger. We were looking forward to meeting her in New York when we hosted a blogger meet at Vikas Khanna’s flagship restaurant, Junoon, but sadly we missed her there! There’s always next time though! 🙂
http://www.sarusinghal.com/2013/04/shaken-stirred.html
Debajyoti blogs about experiences of adulthood and going by some of the comments on his posts, we see that many draw inspiration from his work. Below is one of his many inspiring posts:
http://factsandnonsense.com/
A writer very open about his feelings and emotions with a very lucid style of writing! Did you know that he has his debut novel on the way? It’s called Story of Tublu – An amazing journey called life. The tagline suggests why he is on this list! :-). Have a look at one of his posts below:
http://jahidakhtar.blogspot.
For want of a real name, we shall just call this gentleman My Say. He takes everyday things and makes them humorous and palatable to people who read his blog. The post that we have selected is ‘Man With Long Hair’. At one point I had long hair and man was it a pain to maintain! And not to forget, I would always get weird looks wherever I went! I dont know how Nihal from indiBlogger, who swears by his long hair, pulls it off. Or maybe he doesn’t! 🙂 But there you go, the woes of a man with Rapunzel hair:
http://mysay.in/2013/06/27/
Another gentleman true to the art of putting up life experiences in the form of short stories, poetries and sonnets! Below is one of his wonderful posts:
http://kookydom.blogspot.in/
In her ‘About Me’ section, she says, and I quote, “I write when I am happy; when I am sad or when an issue touches my heart. I find inspiration to write in every aspect of life.” This is the sort of thing most people look for in an article! Here is an example of one of her posts:
http://nabanita-blacknwhite.blogspot.in/2013/07/knots-of-chain.html
Another blogger who digs deep into his personal experiences to bring out some fantastic posts on life! Below is a blog post on one of his more sombre experiences. A great read!
http://www.miraarvind.
I have met Farida countless times at IndiBlogger meets in Bangalore. She is a true warrior and her story on being a cancer survivor is a testament to the amazing, strong woman that she is. Her honest writing and her way of dealing with her problems are an inspiration to many who seek to understand ‘normal life’ after being stricken by cancer. She has been at it tirelessly and I can see over 35 posts on the subject.
http://www.chaptersfrommylife.
Her blog, Life Is A Vacation, is a treat to read! Her travel tales mixed in with her emotions and comparisons to her other experiences are delightful. Thats exactly how I want my life to be.. a vacation! 🙂
https://lifeisavacation.
A blog that revolves around her life and her daughter. She writes on varied experiences of her life and more importantly, she talks about family! 🙂
http://www.ourowncorner.com/
There are MANY MANY more. I always feel I don’t have enough space on a blog to write just one post on such subjects like these. I limit the number of words per post to around 1200.
The Question of The Week Winners:
Is the blogger’s language more important or the experience shared on the blog was the hot debate. A lot of people had similar answers which correlated writing styles, language, the actual experience and emotions involved. However, I still do feel that there are a lot of people out there who swear by good language. For many, a quality of post is directly proportional to the quality of language. If I had asked my mom this question , she would say, “If you don’t know how to write, don’t!”
We had a great time going through the responses and here are the winners of the IndiMug (If you want the fridge magnet instead, send us a tweet;)
On the Forum This week!
The next Happy Hour prediction! My inside information dragged out of our sales guys educated guess is that the next campaign is not a tech campaign but an e-commerce one 😉
For the Love of Gadgets!
On the forum, Arvind Passey asked people their wish list for gadgets. I believe most people have stopped experimenting too much and have chosen a few brands that they want and prefer. You can head over to the forum and comment on it to share your views!
I am still with Apple on this one though. I want the Apple 5K monitor. I am also looking forward to the iWatch. I have had a digital smart watch from the Italian company i’mWatch ever since its launch (it’s nothing great but I had a good time fiddling with it.)
The Question of the Week:
Our question of the week is in line with our cover story. Do you feel blogging about your life personally effected lives and/or have you been influenced by someone’s personal experiences (cite examples of blog posts or bloggers if you can)?. Do tell us how that worked out for you and you could you could find a brand new Blog Now, Live Forever magnet at a fridge near you!
We wish you a happy new year and until next time or forever, keep writing your personal experiences on your blog. We believe they help many!
I wait for the weekly diary with bated breath and love to read them, feels so nice to read about blogger friends I know and some I reach out to after knowing more from here! It’s like a huge friend circle (wanted to write family but that would sound dramatic lol). look forward to the next one 🙂
Hey Shweta! Thanks! that means so much 🙂 Family doesnt sound too dramatic to us at least .. we are family .. even Karthik! 🙂
Happy new year to everyone in the Inditeam and to all the bloggers. My life has been greatly influenced by blogging and specially by Indiblogger…found great friends through this platform and their lives definitely motivate me everyday.
Will post the links later. 😉 🙂
Hey Gaurab, Thanks man! hopefully we’ll meet sonn 🙂 waiting for those links..
For the umpteenth time, A Very Happy New Year to the IndiTeam.
IndiDiary 5 was awaited for a little longer time than its predecessors. 🙂
I’ll comment on all the aspects one by one.
1. You’ve listed many of my favorite bloggers this time.
Saru’s Words, Debajyoti’s sense of humor, Naba’s black-n-white, Farida’s heartfelt posts, Jack (My Say)’s political satire…
I still remember when I had joined IndiB in April 2013, Saru and Nabanita both were among my very first readers, commenting, praising and motivating me.
I also remember someone saying on the forum too – I like this lady, Nabanita Dhar, and the way she motivates newbie bloggers.
Naba should take it as a compliment. 🙂
2. Yes, we all are waiting for a new HH in the New Year. I hope it comes soon.
3. As for the Gadgets wishlist, I am not much of a gadget freak. I brought myself a new Asus Zenphone 6, last June. Thanks to you, for that Exclusive Launch Meet and those two contests, that I really found the phone above par, and comfortably in budget. I’m quite happy that I’d bought it with the vouchers I’d won here, in multiple contests, too. So, as of now, there is no gadget I’m wishing for.
4. Question of the Week and my contention for that cool and classy fridge magnet:
Personal experiences on the blog? Very much heartfelt.
Readers form an emotional connect too. Sometimes, I as a reader, can correlate to some experiences, and that enhances the reader’s involvement too, in abroad sense.
Rachna Parmar is one such blogger. I like reading about her personal experiences.
I guess Travel forms for a Personal experience too?
I’ve referred to many such travel posts from many blogger friends here, to plan my itinerary, or even otherwise.
It feels good to get a virtual tour of another Nation, or a city, over my Laptop Screen.
As far as my blogging goes, I’ve written about my travel to Bombay and the Andamans, and shared pics from my travels in the past too. They have been my most popular posts till date too.
Leaving aside travel, I guess penning down our Personal experiences makes it easier to vent out the emotions, uniquely associated with that particular episode, too. And, since we’re all human, we connect instantly with feelings, emotions, and expressions. 🙂
P.S. : Long, LONG comment, but yes, I’ll wrap it up by saying, personal experiences are of myriad sorts. So is the essence associated with each of them. Sharing personal experiences helps us reflect on any incidents, and also garner the opinion of a third person, the reader, on our reactions. So, yes, sharing personal experiences serves as a Mirror to reflect on ourselves better. 🙂
Hi Poonam, hey thanks for the enlightenment ..I know Nabanita does a lot around indiBlogger but I didnt realize that she was helping a lot of new people learn the ropes .. its not easy and sometimes quite intimidating when you first get registered.. so that is some priceless help to say the least!
Thanks for the other comments as well and no worries you can say everything you want however long it is 🙂
Happy new year team,
It was really a long waiting till Indiblogger’s blog arrived.
And, It’s again a beautiful post to spend time.
In new year, beginning of campaigns are still awaited.
Bloggers are hungry lions now and eager to grab the meal.
Blogs related to someone’s personal experience generates inspiration and understanding towards certain things.
It is better to read the theory before doing the practical.
Hey Abhishek, Its was a bit delayed this week. My office got taken over by a bunch of party animals on a rather inconspicuous day and it took me a couple of days to recover 🙂
Happy new year Inditeam,
Really been a long (and impatient!) waiting time since the start of the year waiting for the next campaign to arrive! Rightly said by Abhishek Kumar that bloggers are hungry lions eager to grab their meal 😀
Anyways, looking forward to a year of great surprises and amazing contests from Inditeam. We could have a food meet what do u say! Hahaha… :-p 😛
Keep doing the great work that you guys are doing! I am sure sky is the limit for we bloggers!! 😀
Cheers,
Wanderer
Hey Akash! Thanks! and I dont think you will have to wait too long though. Stuff is coming up shortly, like very shortly 🙂
Happy new year team IB.Much love.Your list matches mine.Saru,Debajyoti are people I look up to!Being up there with them is the dream!Hope I realize it this year:)
About the question of the week:
Yes.Blogging about my life personally affected many people.That is an overwhelming feeling:one that comes with a queer sense of pride and lots of joy!I have received many a response from people who thought that a particular poem was “totally their life right now” or some asking whether I had them in mind when I wrote it.The way they relate to my poems at http://uncivilzedsophistication.wordpress.com is very gratifying.Also,a few of my friends have started blogging,following my lead(Not bragging,but yes.)It’s great when one’s words can affect people like this.Thanks for all the ideas through IndiSpire that help me connect with more likeminded souls!
Hey Sagarika, You are definitely not bragging when you say people have taken up blogging after following the lead of another blogger!
I like the innocence of the whole “hey thats totally my life right now” . Its like when we were kids and some would ask “hey do you collect stamps too?”..err yes.. “Yay you are my best friend”.. he he .. that easy when you blog! A lot of the times I feel I know the bloggers whom I meet for the first time just because I am familiar with their art .. it always gives me a thrill..
Happy New year indi-team! 😀
I was surprised to see my name among the winners- that was a pleasant start to the new year. It also acted like a stress-buster for me (huge exam on 18th 😛 )
As for the question: blogging about my life is one way I relieve my problems from myself. I express my problems and what’s going on in my life through stories and make myself feel lighter.
I still remember the day i began blogging: somewhere in late 2012. I made a tech blog and let it survive. Okay, today I will say it: I made that blog when I was only in seventh grade back then. What I did was write some original posts and some posts I plagiarized (I know: what i did was hell wrong!)
Well, after i got a warning from Google, I deleted all my blogs and began afresh. I made the blog which i am currently using in June. I made it just for the sake of getting traffic. I wrote small (100 words maximum) posts. Then one day I saw a friend’s blog. She is in NIFT and had made it just for fun’s sake. After reading her experiences, i got inspired to write and from that day on, i love to write about everything i feel 🙂
The link of her blog (though it’s inactive for the time being:
http://aanchalraiyb.blogspot.in/
After reading her posts, i wrote one myself: a huge long post (according to my standards back then) of 600 words describing what i noticed in Nanital (link: http://www.knowledgestreak.com/2014/06/forgotten-things-about-golden-sparrow.html)
Though it’s not as huge or spectacular as my recent posts, but i still have a connection with this post and i still feel that this was the post which made me begin blogging.
Sharing my experiences has made me feel lighter and I don’t have any qualms about what would the other chap feel when they read- because they don’t know me. Blogging has been a boon for me, as it completed my dream partially and made me live easy in this world.
P.S: My dream was that i write a novel, but my parents said no as these are my crucial years. That’s the place where a blog comes in and lets me express my thoughts!
P.P.S : Sorry for making it a bit long! 😛
Hey Shivam, Good luck for your exams!
Hey also, love your honesty on plagiarism .. There was a time when I thought it was not wrong at all.. hmm.. I just realized how Naive I was when I first started out 🙂
As for your novel .. you may not be able to write it now .. but you can think about it whenever possible .. sometimes you would find that your ideas become stronger the more absorption time it gets .. so it may be a bad thing after all 🙂
HeyLo!
Wishing the IB team a very prosperous New Year !
Hope 2015 turns out bigger than ever for the Blogging Community!
Right from the start of my funny little blog, I have stuck on to writing things that I can actually relate to in personal life. My blog posts, are always one way or another circled up to my life’s personal experience. My readers are able to relate very closely with my posts and I compeletely believe that it is because of this relation between me and my followers that I ultimately find joy in blogging.
Blogging about my personal life also helps me discover myself more. And who knows ? Someone could very well learn something from my life !!!
From the not so-
Purrfectgirl
Hey Madhu, Thanks and wish you the same! That is so true. I also feel when I write personal posts, it helps really understand who I am and helps me stay grounded .. like if I write something atrocious .. I would be like “Is that really me?”
Dear Team IB, first and foremost, wish you all a very happy and successful new year!
And about IndiDiary, this edition is yet another interesting compilation of the week gone by, and Karthik in that avatar can give some serious competition to the glamorous ladies in those Ekta Kapoor serials. 🙂
Now about this week’s question –
Long, long ago, when I started my first blog, it was all about personal stuff – raves and rants, poetry, random musings, and what not. But then gradually for various reasons, there was a gradual shift in writing style and I eventually abandoned that blog.
Today, blogging about personal experiences is a tricky, or rather a difficult domain for me. I shy away from writing personal experiences, so much so that even my travel posts – which are supposed to be ‘personal’ experiences generally have a very clinical, matter-of-fact tone. There are times when I realise that this reluctance to add some personal/emotional touch in writing makes it look very bare and cold. And realisation of this handicap is the biggest reason I have immense respect for bloggers who write about personal life experiences.
Naba, Saru, Jahid, and many other bloggers who write on personal topics, all these bloggers so often muse about their life, day-to-day inanities, emotional turmoil, office politics and other personal challenges on their blogs – they write about their shortcomings, their triumphs and even their mundane observations with such passion that it inspires even the closet emotionals (did-I-just-coin-that-word?) like me to pick up the laptop and type out a hearty rant. So kudos to them!
P.S. Ah, very personal comment, this. See, the inspiration shows. 🙂
LOL on the Karthik Avatar comment. Random people jump in to contribute to his downfall, quite happily and without any persuading 🙂
“Closet emotionals” he he .. I think you just coined that word .. It should be an Eminem song he he
Hi Indiblogger, Wish you a very Happy New Year.
The weekly diary editions are making IBers restless, asking for more! We are getting hooked to this. 😀
Regarding the question of the week, all the bloggers get responses from their readers through written and oral comments. Some of them are overwhelming. We know that we have truly affected someone’s life when he/she meets us after a very long time and tells us suddenly, “Hey! That post you wrote, it struck a chord.”
One such instance was when I had written about women being touched the wrong way. A friend of mine came to me and said, “I read your post. And those words hooked me and moved me so much that I did not have the nerve to look at women for the next couple of days. Your words kept playing in my head.”
I told him that I had only referred to those x-ray scan staring people did or people who touched the wrong way.
“Yet, it was so strong that I was worried if I was contributing to it when I stare.”
It is easy to let people know how you feel, but not as easy to make them get the depth of your feelings. For once, I felt I had achieved that, 🙂
Hey Rajini, That is a very good point ..Its definitely not easy to translate the depth of ones feelings .. I am glad you could achieve that and I think thats wonderful! 🙂
Hey thanks for the encouragement as well!
I think 2014 defined the year of Indiblogger with such awesome contests.. I mean the IndiHappy hours concept blew me away.. I havent had won so many vouchers in my life.. I feel like I am planning to buy the whole of Flipkart with Indiblogger vouchers 😛
Again, you guys are rocking.. Hoping to see more of “Indiblogger meets” in Chennai too this year and some kickass contests as always
Hey Karthik, Yea the indiHappyHours blew us away too.. when we first put it up, we though , ok lets check back in a few days.. *yawn* and before we knew it we were pulled out of our sleeping beds for emergency meetings .. all good fun though 🙂
Yea I miss Chennai meets .. will get a few done for sure this year!
My blog creates new change in the society every day. I have forced advertisement companies to change their ad campaigns, I have forced media to restrict their falsehood in certain cases, I have reversed the investigation gear to a completely different angle when I took up certain cases. My blog exist to make powerful impact that changes many lives every day.
Regarding my opportunity to get inspired by others blogs or personal experiences, I get very limited time to read others content and get inspired. I wish I could..
Hey Partha, Really interesting man .. The Sorcerer on IndiBlogger also does stuff like this. I respect that because you guys are so sure of what you are doing that I guess you have all the courage to go after these guys 🙂 Like I told sorceror a while back .. very few people do this but it is because of this few that others are safe ..
Regarding influence of my blog posts, 70% of them have come from moments that influenced my friends,family around me and I have taken inspiration to write about them , while the remaining came from my own challenges in life
I don’t know how many people have been influenced by my blog posts, though I did get a lot of intense comments from some of the articles, which makes me believe ,at least someone somewhere are reading them
Hopefully sometime in future,I positively impact at least one person in the world 🙂
Hey Karthik! Great job nonetheless 🙂
A VERY HAPPY NEW YEAR to everybody on Indiblogger as well as those of you outside it. Yes, definitely blogging has changed my life in more ways than one. Firstly, it has brought a well-needed pace into my earlier rather sequestered lifestyle. Secondly, I have received instant feedback for my blog posts which provides instant self-satisfaction much like a cup of instant ready made cappuccino. And lastly, blogging has become a way of life with me since I schedule my other activities in tandem with Indiblogger. Their contests and Happy Hour topics have always kept all ‘my grey cells’ticking and what’s more I have won many of them too. Let’s hope many more of such Happy Hour topics keep pouring in and they keep all of us on our toes.
Hey Haimanti, I agree, we need more of such grey cell tickling stuff! Everyone is excited for this year and the happy hours have changed our sequestered lifestyle as well! 🙂
Good to see the numbers. May the year 2015 see Indiblogger coming up with even more ideas! Happy to be a part of this wonderful platform. 🙂
Hey Nikhil! We are happy you are part of it too. Yeah definitely mind blowing numbers this year 🙂
Dear IB team,
very glad to be a part of the family for an year now. Am amazed by the Indispire and the contests held by the IB team.
As we entered in 2015, I would like to request a major change so that IB community may more happy.
When a new contest is announced by the IB team, please do fix a deadline for the results too. (As many bloggers want to see the final results.)
Hry Ashis, Thanks for the comment! I guess we have been guilty of not giving the prizes on time .. theres usually an explaination and it differs from campaign to campaign .. However we will make it a priority resolution for this year! 🙂
Great to hear new year’s resolution. 🙂
This diary business makes a lot of sense. I like it. The first indispire topic of the year – good girls – made my blood boil – I hate that term so much I decided not to write about it. I may still change my mind.
I love the Blog Now Live Forever fridge magnet. Specially today, since I read about the Saudi blogger who received the first 50 of his 1000 lashes. He also has to pay a huge fine and be in jail. His wife and three children have fled to Canada. I’m so grateful we don’t have to blog under such conditions. For that guy, this fridge magnet would be a little ironic. Sad.
Read about it here http://www.theguardian.com/world/2015/jan/09/saudi-blogger-first-lashes-raif-badawi
Hey Kalpanaa, The blood doth boil at the thought .. I was not really upset with the topic as such as the thought unfortunately exists and if people dont air their views .. It will go on existing I guess .. so write come what may! 🙂
Winning something for the very first time on Indiblogger in almost 4 years of being a member!
This is great. Thank you IndiTeam! 😀
[Goes shouting and jumping around the house]
Pressed ‘Submit’ too soon 😀
About this week’s question:
This is something I have always thought about having a personal blog for almost 6.5 years now- Are people even interested in what I wrote? Why would anybody want to read about my personal experiences?
And then, there have been so many instances in recent years when I have felt that what I am doing is making an impact on people’s lives.
-Sahir Seth, a friend, once told me “Whenever I am feeling low, I like opening your blog and going through some of your entries. I get a sense of optimism and hope from it”
-I have known at least 4-5 people in my college who have been inspired into blogging and I have been thanked specifically for that.
About me getting influenced by somebody else’s blog- Well, in June 2008, a 16 year old guy came across this much-famed blog of Amitabh Bachchan, at a time when he didn’t even know what the word ‘blog’ meant. Seeing the number of readers and comments BigB got within minutes of ‘writing daily activities from his life’, this guy wanted something on the same lines for himself. He hasn’t been able to achieve that yet, but he did get completely addicted to blogging.
A very Happy New Year to you Anoop and the IndiTeam. Had been waiting for this IndiDiary for a week!
Yay! Wow so its been 4 years! But this is the best one according to me at least .. very few people have it and people can get this mug only on the weekly diary 🙂
I just realized, even I dont have one!
I have been greatly influenced by Surya Bhattacharya, a travel blogger who would blog regularly from Europe. One thing she mentioned in one of her posts (https://perpetuallyperipatetic.wordpress.com/2013/07/07/6-things-ive-learned-after-6-months-in-milan/) was –
“No one is going to call you again and again to participate in the fun. If you act pricey too many times, they’ll celebrate without you.”
These lines have quite changed the way I have been doing things since the past year or so. I have almost stopped looking for reasons to not do something exciting or join a bunch of new people I don’t know. I look forward to new experiences and try to learn something from the new people I meet. Surya’s stories have also inspired me to travel more. I long to be a renowned travel writer someday! 🙂
Hey Oindrila, Good to hear from you again! Travel is doing quite well these days. There is a huge upswing in the number of articles and the interest to travel to international destinations .. Its an expensive affair though and more power to those who travel and share such experiences! 🙂
I agree, Anoop! Travel is quite expensive, but completely worth it! 🙂
Travel is definitely worth it .. I love it so much .. not sure what I would be without it
Hi Team IB,
A belated happy new year to you. Hope 2015 will bring more success and happiness 🙂 This edition came a tad bit late, was waiting for it.
I didn’t write for the #GoodGirl topic on my blog, instead, I wrote long comments on some of my friends’ blog 😛 The crux of my point being it’s always better to be a good human being. I don’t believe in #GoodGirl #GoodBoy labels.
It’s such a joy to see some of my friends in the mentioned list, Saru, Nabanita, Jahid, Farida, Debajyoti …a couple of them unknown, still to explore their blogs…thanks for mentioning them.
BTW, Debajyoti is one of the male species 😛 he may throw tantrums for using the pronoun ‘her’ 😀
Regarding blogging about personal feelings, emotions and experiences, I think most of my posts, (especially poetry) somewhere or somehow, contain a fraction of ‘me or myself’ in them. Sometimes in a subtle manner, but they’re always there.
Some of my friends mentioned in their blog posts that they have been influenced by my musings, those are lovely and inspiring moments indeed 🙂 Some bloggers, Kokila, Ravish etc have started trying the poetic form ‘haiku’ and according to them, they got some inspiration from me. (blowing my own trumpet) 😛
The writings of so many bloggers have influenced me, in some way or other, it’s a long list! Just to mention some of them, John Coyote, formerly a member of the US Army, now a reputed blogger. C Suresh and Purba Roy…both are famous in Indian blogosphere. 🙂
The fridge magnet looks great but for me, I always covet for that mug 😀
OMG !!It’s such a long comment !!! please forgive me. I know how it feels when someone posts such long comments 😛
Ha ha the long comment is fine! we asked too many questions this time 🙂
Hey nice to know the list of bloggers who inspire you!
Thanks very much for the catch on Debajyoti .. I hope he has a sense of humor about this 🙂 I have no words he he
I write for two main purposes – to explore myself (when I write haiku/ poetry/ short stories/ ideas etc.) and to explore others I like to explore (mostly authors and sometimes artists/ celebrities).
It is basically a subject of research to find out why do I write. An instant reply could not be the matching reason what lies beneath.
Hey jaideep thanks for the comment and insight into your writing process!
I have a category called ‘Autobiography’ in my blog where I have write posts about the memorable experiences in my school days. I hope to continue that section with my experiences in college and work, soon.
One post that was a big hit with readers was about my school crush (in 6th std). Here’s the link:
http://www.destinationinfinity.org/2012/06/11/my-autobiography-my-first-crush/
Hey! That reminds me, I have some crazy stories from college too .. maybe I should pen them down sometime! 🙂
And happy new year to the IB team too. Keep the Happy Hours coming 🙂
hey Thanks! Yea not to worry .. HH will definitely keep coming 🙂
Happy New Year IndiTeam n other bloggers too. If I write too personal stuff at times, I mask it under fiction so that one never finds out 😀 …rest, I do blabber/rant at times what all goes on in my life.
Of late, I read some of Vineet’s ( of IB Team ) travel posts…I like the way he personalizes his posts with pictures describing the journey.
Cheers n regards 🙂
Really? Vineet Rajan from IndiBlogger you mean? The rest of the team just lost a bit of respect for you 😀
At least he is keeping his blog alive…he deserves some praise ( swati too )….rest of team should learn from them :p :p I think all their personal blogs – the ones registered in their profiles – are abandoned/inactive …so they are kind of mystery people to me 😀 :p
LOL .. I showed your comment to the fellows in Indi.. there were some guilty looking faces (Including mine) :-). They seem to have that constipated look on their face trying to think of excuses 😀
Happy New Year to everyone in IndiTeam and to all bloggers! Thanks so much Anoop for mentioning my post on ‘Good Girls’! Never thought the ‘DOs’ & ‘DO NOTs’ would make such an impact! 😛 It’s a crackling start to my year on Indiblogger! 🙂
Year 2014 was special as my first top post on Indiblogger happened on January 26! The first delight has stayed on ever since- it is such a special feeling!
Indiblogger has been my home ever since. I really feel incomplete if I do not share my blog-posts on Indiblogger! Also I love reading each of the bloggers you have mentioned here!
Keep up the great work in 2015 as well! Looking forward to lots more contests with prizes for all! 🙂 [No I’m not greedy! I just want EVERYONE to WIN!] 😀 Cheers!
Hey Amrita, Thanks for writing for Indispire. We just love people who write for kicks and giggles 😀
We started Happy Hours so everyone could get something at the very least!
Happy new year Indiblogger team and associated bloggers. My blogging idea would have chosen death if your platform did not exist.Thank you for making a synergistic platform where we all are mutually benefited emotionally and professionally. I would always value this relationship.
Hey Pradeep, Thanks! that was a strong testimonial .. we would have chosen death if bloggers didnt sign up though 🙂
Hey Anoop,
Great initiative; the atmosphere needed something to bring back that lost warmth of the frequent meets in Bangalore, my place. This diary has done that. Very interactive, very friendly.
Thanks for mentioning Farida, Saru and other inspiring bloggers. It’s humbling to come across people with so strong a sense of purpose as they.
Hey Rakhee! Good to hear from you! and glad to know the warm feeling is back! 🙂
Wishing Team Indiblogger a very Happy New Year and many more milestones ahead!
Great to see this post and must confess that its the first time I’m actually reading this in detail. Having said that,I must say that I;ve really enjoyed my 6 months ( so far) on Indi blogger and so many others have said before me, have made so many friends and learnt so much- just by going through posts.
While travel and food are my favourite topics, I’m happy to blog about anything that happens to catch my immediate interest and equally happy to read others posts:)
Also happy to have made it to Top Posts every once and in while and look forward to more of those..
Thanks Shweta- great to be nominated by you and wish you the very best!
As for 2015-Looking forward to completing my new books, more travel and reading great stuff on Indi blogger.
Kudos and cheers!
Hey Sunaina, Thanks for the wishes! Travel is in my top list of stuff that I read too .. I just keep drooling over places I will never get to visit! 🙂
I myself dont know why I started blogging… it just kind of happened, and grew from there. I would come across blogs on the internet, and read them; then one day, a chance article on the protests on Wall Street 3.5 years ago started me thinking; and from there it just took off. As Jaideep Khanduja said, it is a subject of research why I write!
My blogging has not been inspired by anyone, to be honest. Neither do I ever think or plan beforehand; I get an idea, run to the laptop or desktop at an opportune moment, and pen my thoughts extempore, in one single flow.
As to whether my writing has inspired anyone, I cant honestly state in the affirmative. But one thing is there : I have received emails of known and unknown people, LinkedIn contacts of small and big people, as well as calls and chats of friends and family. I am a rather disconcertingly blunt writer, who spares no punches, and thus do get appreciation for saying what is in people’s minds, given that I am no different from those people. I remember getting chats and calls from friends during the Nirbhay sad episode, imploring me to write some strong words, so yes on political and social matters, people do read what I write; that is the best I can state.
That is also evident from the response from authors and readers to my book reviews; I know for a fact that in more than several cases my reviews have catalysed people to read the books reviewed. So, in books yes, I do have an impact. Several authors have marked their comments and appreciation as well.
This is a blog on India, and is a mirror of my main blog on blogspot, which is 4 years old, featuring : Indian Politics, Indian Business, Culture and Indian Fiction and Non-Fiction Books. In short, the theme is India, with a primary focus on Books, with around 108 reviews out of 331 posts in the past 4 years, in addition to some 50+ posts inspired by the content of the books.
The books span History, Economics & Business, Current Affairs, Diplomacy in the Non-Fiction genre; and are restricted to Thrillers, Historical Fiction in the Fiction Genre. Nearly all books are by Indian Authors, bar a select few by Western Authors that meet the standards I have set : namely, lack of a bias on India, 360-degree coverage of the issue and accuracy of the presentation
For January, I shall be reviewing Durbar by Tavleen Singh, The Indian Media Business by Vanita Kohli-Khandekar & Asura by Anand Neelakantan. Do stay in touch with the blog if interested.
For the rest, I deal primarily with Indian issues –
a) trying to set the record straight on the falsified history we read, giving documented irrefutable evidence from my readings as a reference,
b) analysing the Indian side of Trade, Business and Diplomatic issues and presenting the Indian arguments with proof if possible, asking some pretty hard questions to the International community. Does not make for happy reading from a Non-Indian perspective, as the questions I present are rather uncomfortable, and normally backed with evidence
c) dealing with Indian issues, trying to add to the change efforts on Social Media by analysing issues such as corruption, government policies, poverty etc in a rather exceedingly blunt no-holds-barred presentation. One doesnt bring about change by being diplomatic. You have to take the issues on head-on; without shying away
d) Celebrating Indian Achievements & Events – but this is not a major point; this is a very limited theme; as an example, I was silent when Tendulkar retired, as also Rahul Dravid. But when Dhoni retired, I put up a vote of thanks to the man who represented our India for nearly 7-8 years. MSD was the captain, the others were individual contributors. MSD was the leader who won accolades for his leadership
In short, this is a blog about all things & events Indian
Hey Vishal, Having a blog that deals with everything Indian is really cool. I have added this to my reading list, so will chk it out in a while!
Hey Indiblogger,
Happy new year 2015!!!
Nice compilation to begin with the first weekly diary of this year.
Coming straight onto this week’s question-
Each post on my blog is inspired by some or the other experience I had.
The most closed ones among all are the post which I wrote at the time of my marriage-
https://himaniagarwal.wordpress.com/2013/12/27/a-new-life/
https://himaniagarwal.wordpress.com/2013/07/05/when-you-say-nothing-at-all/
Also, I write on social issues when it comes to Women. I have also written on technology taking a toll over feelings and emotions which again was inspired by the life around me.
Hey Himani, Thanks! Thanks for sharing the links to the posts and nice of you to spread awareness on issues on women.
With the new offer, I wish I was a refrigerator. 🙂
LOL! I havent got my hands on it yet .. they order a finite number of pieces and I usually give out more than they ordered so I never get any! he he
Hey Anoop, Happy New Year to you and the entire IB family. For me blogging seriously means trying to make some changes in the life of my blog readers. I never counted if I ever influenced someone from my writing or not, but yes, if someone came to ask anything to me I never let him/her go without an answer….
As far as these contests are concerned, these are really good, though I usually don’t participate in any of them, reason being I usually blog on topics like SEO, Blogging, etc. and such topics don’t inspire me to write on these, but yes I normally do visit other’s post and even comments on them too.
BTW I am reading your posts continuously and seriously liking them very much 🙂 and yes, seriously missing the IndiBlogger Meets….
Hey Alok, Good to hear from you man! You do a lot on IndiBlogger man and we are very grateful for it! 🙂
Happy New Year to IndiBlogger & all IndiBloggers!
I so wanted to write a Filmy post for the cool ‘Good Girls’ IndiSpire topic. Had written it in my head, however, time didn’t permit me to share it on my Blog!
I disagree with Karthik – “that a good girl is the one who always obeys him.” Considering that half the population of our Planet Earth is female & Karthik knows only a few of them, hence only some girls (out of the few girls he knows) always obey him. Doesn’t mean that the rest of the girls are not good! Hence proved! 🙂
Great to find the list of the brilliant bloggers you have listed. I have many favorites!
I feel blogging about our life & experiences can help. I post & share hoping to benefit someone somewhere! May people, in similar situations & looking for answers, access the treasure-house Blogs- the free & open-for-all online wealth of knowledge with no barriers like religion, borders, age, gender… Cheers to Blogging!
LOL .. Karthik just read this comment and everyone is ROFLing! Ok its safe to say that you have got yourself a “Blog Now, Live Forever” magnet for you comment on Karthik! he he
Happy New Year to the Indiblogger Team and all the Bloggers from India !!!
Thanks to Indiblogger for providing such beautiful platform for the bloggers and putting up various contest to motivate too.
Happy Blogging !!!
Hey Doc! Thanks for the motivation! 🙂
Those are amazing numbers that were achieved during 2014 and I am sure that 2015 will be much better!!
I have written some posts where I have shared my personal experiences, either nostalgic memories of watching a cricket match long ago or of my times spent at the engineering hostel! I have always loved writing those posts as they allow me to live all those moments once again through my blog.
Among the blogs which I enjoy reading the most are –
Arti’ http://www.myyatradiary.com – Such soulful writing, almost poetic in the way she describes her travel experiences.
The Fool’ http://www.luciferhouseinc.blogspot.in – Love the pinch of raw, dry humor he infuses in his writings not to mention his wild imaginations!
Leo, C Suresh, Kirti Nemani are some other bloggers whom I enjoy reading!
Hey DS, Of course! Thanks for the mention of Leo and C suresh as well! I had forgotten about them for a bit. I haven’t seen too many of their sharp comments on indi lately 😀
Hello Anoop!
Finally, the much awaited IndiDiary edition, I have been excitedly waiting for it since the previous year. Now that’s a lot of waiting and excitement you see. 😛
Once again, I wish the entire IndiTeam and blogging community a wonderful year ahead, hoping to see loads of contests and activity this year.
A request – Please do make the meets happen in Bangalore this year? (Now that I live here) 😛 The last meet was in 2013. Thanks! 🙂
Now to answer your question, I don’t know if it has affected my readers lives, but writing about my personal experiences has definitely affected one person’s life, i.e. myself. Every time I write posts which represents my way of life and are rich on emotional-content it’s like a revelation to me about my own self. I tend to learn new things about myself and it gives me an honest understanding of what-am-like-as-a-person, my likes and dislikes, etc. It’s like my psyche is opening up to itself. I know it sounds crazy, right? 😛 so I will end it here.
Thanks!
Hey Abhishek, Thanks for the wishes. Yea we need to do more events in Bangalore. there is one coming up early this year (Conceptualization at this point). We are trying to do everything possible to make this happen .. Fingers crossed! 🙂
Hope you nail it! 🙂
Hey Abhishek, Yes yes .. we are close now .. very close .. but usually things get ruined at the last moment.. my Fingers are crossed in knots! 🙂
Blogging has come as a great help in my life as it initially brought me to delve deeper into the world of reading and exploring out things on large which would be fruitful or giving some kind of thrilling experiences. Blogs on traveling help in making good itineraries and provide valuable information about the places. Poetry blogs, story writing and creative writing blogs rejuvenate the aura around and fills with lot of positivities and ideas. I have learnt a lot from lots of people’s experiences on the blogs. For instance, I have been a follower of Saru Singhal’s blog where I am filled with so much of optimism and energy, a positive aura is generated around me and I am all set to pave my way for betterment and towards my work, and there are so many other bloggers who played an important role.
Blogging experiences enable one’s to learn from the write-up, learning about the pros and cons, learning about the experiences as one has been already through that phase, moment, or happening.
Hey Nandhini! Thanks for the comment! Great to know the bloggers who played a role in your blogging life 🙂
Blogging about my personal experiences have influenced lives in several ways, as whenever I have to make a point silently without much hustles and bustles, I simply blog about it, and usualy it reaches out appropriately. It is important that we maintain the blog in a positive and generate a true opinion, as it helps others in making decisions, thinking and taking steps that shall be of prime importance.
There are several blogs which have played an important role in my life llike that youthkiawaz.com which comes up with great articles, also several interesting blogs by Saru Singhal, Purba Ray, Priyanka Dey, and others are so well managed and everyone gets to learn a lot of them. An honest opinion about life enables one to come through the difficult phases easily and look towards life with a positive attitude which is a must ingredient of living a healthy life.
I agree! The over all content in a blog should be positive … I dont think many like to read content that involves a lot of whining! 🙂
There are lots of bloggers who come with their exeriences in life about lot of events in their life, their views and perspective about it. It is a good way to come across through the experiences of others as this enables and quickens a lot of learning and discovering of life of the reader. It is an art, both to express through blogging and learning through bloggig.
Blogging is an amazing give and take process, though it is not necessary that one has to be a blogger to be a reader or vice versa. Blogging leads to the expression of the opinions that one holds in a more convenient manner where one can shoot out the experiences of life in a manner that s suitable for the blogger.
Experiences that are narrated through blogging enable one to be more broad minded and helps in generating better opinions and decisions, which turn into the benefits for the reader for instance while making a purchase for a phone, the selection procedure according to the specifications, and other needs. BLogging makes it much easier as the reader’s views and experiences could be read and noticed, before a decision is being taken.
Blogging presents a huge plethora of views and experiences for the people of all majors and fields and has come to play an important and substantial role into the recent times!
Hey Nandhini, Thats an interesting point that you brought up… Blogging does help one to be more broadminded! At the end of the day when someone explains a topic to such depth, it helps people understand the reasoning behind the whole premise! Nice one..
Lovely post team Indi! Great to see weekly posts. I am new to the blogging world and I am loving it so much. I am learning a lot through indiblogger site with lots of contests, and going through some of the most interesting blogs over the web, under one sky.
I am learning a lot about life, technology, social issues, products, promotions, gloal issues and how they are being handled out on the blogs. It has been a great journey of learning through the blogs and exploring a lot by visiting blogs. There is a lot of valuable information that I have gathered into my brains by crossing and passing through the blogs. It has made me to think around for so many issues and things of importance. I have come to invent and discover a lot on the blogs of which I was aloof initially.
It has been a wonderful journey so far learning through the blogs and experiences of other bloggers. Being a beginner as of now, I am still a learner, but I hope to make a great mark in this arena and attain heights through blogging, as this is something I am finding peace with and loving the most.
Hey Nancy! Well there’s one thing you are doing right here which is being ambitious! Most bloggers who start off with these dreams usually make because all you have to do is write! 🙂 Good luck!
Happy new year IB team.
Being a personal blogger, I always thought my blog to be a place where I piled on my rants/inspirations/experiences until a friend came upto me and said my post https://chinkslounge.wordpress.com/2014/03/14/she-is-a-non-westernised-indian-woman-yet-independent/ had inspired her to start working from home. ( She too was not allowed to take up a job like the protagonist of my post)
That was the time I realised people actually do get affected with our writings.
Bloggers who influence me are Saru Singhal, Purba Ray, Sakhsi Nanda and many many others whose posts I have read randomly, got inspired but my little brain just couldn’t capture the genius’s names.
Hey Sweety, Hey thanks for the specific example on who you inspired! very enlightening! Yea.. Purba Ray and Sakshi are definitely right up there as well.
Kudos indi team for their work and coming up with this great idea of weekly edition of diaries, sharing varied details and experiences. It is getting more exciting with indiblogger with each passing experience.
With the advent of stepping into the world of blogging, it has been a great experience of learning and sharing of views through blogging. Blogging has come to create another revolution into the ages of internet which has made lives more easier and comfortable by giving and presenting quality content to readers, enabling the better reviews available to the consumers for different products, relationship advises, parenting tips, education services, news platforms, article writing, poetry writing and what not. It has a lot to offer to people of every age group and has come as a great tool to provide information at tips for everyone.
Hey Nandini, Thanks and good to know that the diary is exciting!
Detailed reviews definitely help. A few years ago, When I was researching to buy an alienware laptop, I was disappointed to find no blog posts from India on the subject. It actually made my decision to make such a big purchase much harder!