It’s much more than a personal diary

Deccan Herald’s Sunday edition has a comprehensive article on Blogs in the Indian context. The article is quite balanced and gives lot of information to people who are not familiar with the Indian Blogosphere.

It’s a whole new world out there. A parallel existence. Just log on and you will see. They are real people leading real lives, writing about real events. That book exhibition you went to and forgot all about, that movie you watched and so badly wanted to dissect every frame, la affaire Ganguly, the newest restaurant in town, you name it and you get it. I could easily be talking about the local newspaper here. But, no, it’s the world of the blogs. Stumble into one and I’m sure you will be hooked. Hopping from blog to blog, you realize that it’s a tight-knit community out there. They argue, discuss, rave and rant about almost everything under the sun.

Also, here there are no deadlines, no sub-editors wielding their scissors, you work at your own pace (ah! Tell me about it!) To paraphrase, here is freedom. Of expression.

So, are blogs just personal diaries where you pour your heart out or vent your angst? They have long evolved from personal diaries to much serious stuff, though it would be fair to say there are all kinds. Just check out blogs like indiauncut.blogspot.com, or indianwriting.blogspot.com, or caferati.blogspot.com. Or check out desipundit.com, which tracks the blog world and you will know.

Today, blogs have everything that you can look for in a newspaper. Sometimes, even more. Sometimes, with a personal touch, up close. They break news, they analyse events, they even take up causes with greater gusto than MSM (mainstream media, in blog land).