Sep 16, 2009

The Good, The Bad and The Ugly -- II

I was going to post a food recipe (stuffed Anaheim peppers) today and then go finish my grocery shopping for the week. It'll have to wait, since I have some explaining to do.
When I wrote my last post, The Good, The Bad and The Ugly, it was not intended as a personal attack on any one in particular but as a commentary on the ongoing trend on the blogosphere. Also, I have never received a rude comment or have had the bad luck of having my photo or recipe copied.
I am not a snob or an anglophobe (in fact I write as well in Hindi as I do in English). I do not claim to be an outstanding writer or have a great blog going. I think I am a decent writer and have a clean blog which is easy on the eye and not too cluttered.
I do have almost a decade of journalism background with newspapers like TOI, IE and Mid-Day (and yes, I have also written for Dainik Bhaskar and Naiduniya, albeit very briefly). That has made me, unfortunately, sensitive to grammatical and spelling mistakes. If some bloggers think it is their prerogative to ignore language and spellings in the process of expressing themselves, then more power to them. But let them be aware of the adage -- you get what you sow.
I do understand that English is not the first language of some bloggers and a lot of times they translate verbs and adjectives from their mother tongue to English, resulting in not so perfect a sentence. And that is perfectly fine. I do visit a lot of blogs whose English is not as good but I still love them for their content and the passion with which they write.
Moving on to the comment section of the blog. It is interesting to note that no one tried to defend plagiarism of image and text. Thank you plagiarists for that.
Now to address the issue of the blogger who said she was better than Tarla Dalal. I have to explain that it was an exaggeration on my part (I blame it on the sensational journalist in me) and I apologize for raising unintentional curiosity. I was merely trying to point to outlandish expressions of the "best curry you will ever eat" kind of claims.
We are all guilty of asking people to come and visit our blog when she started out. I am guilty of doing the same in the beginning and it is what a lot of us do to let people know of our existence. There is nothing wrong with it if asked in the correct tone or in the right context (for ex if both the posts are about pulao). But expecting people to mandatorily follow their blog or to go click on the ads is unacceptable.
Also, if for some reason, a regular visitor has not been visiting your blog, please don't pester them with forceful invitations or rude comments. It happens to me, a lot, and instead of asking I reason that they may have lost interest in my latest posts or may be busy with work or family or have had a computer breakdown.
While I would like to see them visit regularly, it also makes me doubt my content and the next time I post something I work at it harder. I am acutely aware when I write that the reader can go to the next blog by the click of a button and if I am not consistent in what I write or if my content is not interesting, I may not gain readership or a following. If I hold myself up to a certain standard, it makes sense for me to expect the same kind of standard from the blogs that I frequent.
I do take exception when people expect to be reciprocated post to post. Check out A&N's post for what I am trying to say.
I prefer to receive a cogent, heartfelt response rather than a cursory one for the sake of commenting and reciprocating. I have drawn immense satisfaction from reading comments from the last two posts, because they tell me something about the reader and give me a chance for some spirited dialogue. For me it is not the number of comments I get, but the content of the comments. And again, let me clarify, I do not expect 500 word paragraph. An acknowledgement that the post has been read and commented accordingly is what I expect.
Again, it was not my intention to step on sensitive blogger toes or attack any one in particular. It was a commentary on the general trend in the blogosphere and as I said in my earlier post it was the ranting of an insomniac. Treat it as such.
If you want a lesson from it, please I urge you again to read Amit Varma's Blogging Tips from a Jaded Veteran.
Thank you and good (luck) blogging.

12 comments:

  1. the tone of ur prev post wa spretty subtle and atleast didnt look like any personal attacks...im sorry if some sensitive cheeks started to go red.

    Me likes the comment bit, its not the number but the content that matters..thumbs up on that!!

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  2. Jaya, I have answered you on my blog, do check out.I guess even I am bad at expression.But it was good discussing out a lot of things.

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  3. That's a good conversation you got going here Jaya.. I do admit to being snobbish about grammar and spelling mistakes too..they just turn me off..and I dont like those txtng msgs too..maybe we're too old fashioned ;)

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  4. what co-incidence...last night, I wrote out a draft for Sra's event titled The Good, The BAd and The Gross. Saw your posts just now! Now, I have to think of a new title.
    You have raised some very pertinent issues. Not only have I received mails from some bloggers to follow their blogs, I've even received a mail from a blogger asking me to click on the ads on her page! It made me wonder about the 'spirit of blogging', so to speak.

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  5. @ Rush - thank you for seeing my point
    @Pari - I have emailed u my response
    @Dips - maybe we are getting too old fashioned. Is it a bad thing or a good thing? Beats me.
    @aqua - Go ahead and use your title. I am not litigious :). Sounds interesting.

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  6. i had read this post already Jaya...i know it was just for a decent language....i said so because i blog very casually sometimes and am careless about editing....actually after reading this i'll be careful with it....it's good if i become more careful about my language after a good discussion like this one...

    and i have never heard of any malvi gud ...our country is so diverse as far as the food n ingredients are concerned....dark colored gud is always good as it has higher mineral content n has been processed less...also the crumbliness in gud is due to higher mineral content as it does not allow proper crystallization of sugar....the whitish gud is not good as it is bleached n stripped of minerals...have you heard about molasses ...i love that, very flavorful.

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  7. please do away with this word verification...

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  8. Hi Jaya:)
    After reading your latest comment and this post. I have decided to be harder on myself and my writing. No more shortcuts, i will write every word all the way out. I will check my grammar/spelling a hundred times before i post. English is not my native tongue as you know...but that is NO excuse for being lazy...in my opinion...if you choose to write in a different language then your own...more power to you...but make sure you write properly.
    It is still an ongoing project for me, but know that i am working on it ...and i will get better. So THANK YOU JAYA!!!!!FOR THE WAKE UP CALL:)
    If i ever want to post one of your gorgeous recipes on my blog - I WILL ASK FIRST, and people ...it is really just common decency she is writing about:)
    So more power to you girl. I am stepping my game up:)
    Bye from Norway, and thank you for the "reality check"
    Bye

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  9. Jaya....I love coming here for a browse in unabashedly honest discourse. You say what so many of us feel.Truly this whole blogging thing is just a form of expression for me....albeit a public one and I find it amusing now that I am in this 'world' to see how it promotes vanity and voyeurism...is that what I am trying to say? Like peeping into another person's life and some so freely share it and others withhold. I do know one thing....I can tell from reading out here in this blogkingdom that there are many many insecure people who need blogging as a self affirmation. But hey, I who am I to judge?! IF I truly say it is to journal ...for me...than why go public? Grin. I do keep five private blogs which are open to no one but myself, just to write. I feel a bit hypocritical saying things about other blog spaces ....how they run them or not...as I was unaware there were any etiquette rules for blogging. I simply chose not to visit sites which advertise or 'beg' for attention. I tire of the 'claims' that people make..."the best ever" example etc. However, I do find myself slipping into that on my cooking blog too...grin. Sigh, I am not immune. Anyway Jaya...you go girl! You are refreshing and luv ya for it!

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  10. Well said. It is human to like the attention. I too sometimes feel obliged to visit the blogs of those who visit mine. I think I can extend that courtesy, unless their blogs are just not my kind. It is fun to connect with people in cyberspace.

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  11. Ha ha ha ha !!
    Loved both of your posts, I’m just couple of months old in this blogosphere and even I got comments like "do visit my blog" , To be very frank I was overwhelmed first time, but later the reality check made me realize these comments are present in every other blog :(

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  12. Comments have the potential to contribute further to the subject; it is great when we find a following that does just that. Some banter, and jest, and a healthy respect for each other makes blogging (and commenting) rewarding for both the writer and the reader.
    I do miss those who discontinue with their inputs but there could be so many reasons, none to feel too bad about. If you are able to hold on to a few good ones, that's good enough!

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Thank you for visiting my space. I miss my former editors, so any form of criticism/ appreciation is welcome. :)

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