Adil Najam
Radio program Aap Ki Duniya on Voice of America’s (VOA’s) - now of the Wasi Zafar outburst fame - hosted an hour-long Round Table on blogging in Pakistan.
Hosted by Murtaza Solangi, the program featured a conversation on the state and future of blogging in Pakistan with four bloggers: Awab (of TeethMaestro and Karachi Metroblog) Ramla (of Next>), Hakim (of MicroPakistan) and myself (Pakistaniat). You can listen to it here:
Although framed in the context of the role of the Pakistan’s blogistan (’blogsphere’ for non-Pakistanis), the lively conversation was, in fact, broader and looked also at why people blog, whether it makes a difference, and what the future potential of blogging might be. It also looked at the issue of blog bans in Pakistan, and the follies of such policies. I enjoyed the conversation very much. Not only because I can now match ‘voices’ to names but also because it made me think more clearly about why we spend so much of our time on this, whether it is really worth doing, and what it might mean in a broader context.
I am not arrogant enough to assume that the world will change dramatically just because a few of us are writing blogs. On the other hand, I am convinced that at least for those few of us who write and read these things, a world with blogs is different from a world without - at the very least, it is different in how we interact with that world.
To blog, at least for me, is about conversation and about community. The magic moment comes when you realize that there are others out there who want to be part of your conversation of your community. For us at ATP, that has always been out motivation. This is why I chose the photogrpah above (I do not have a full reference for it, but it is an AKRSP photograph from the Gilgit area). The photograph too - just like blogging in general and certainly ATP - is about conversation and about community.
As I said during the show, at the very least this becomes a way of catharsis - bhaRass nikalna. But when your thoughts echo back to you and you realize that there is someone out there who is not only listening to you, but maybe even nodding their head. It is then that you realize that this is more than just bhaRass nikalna. And it can be - not yet, but one day - it can be much more.
I just found out today that jang paper has started an Urdu blog for the readers. A good change and other papers MUST follow it.
blog.jang.com.pk/
Adnan………. Hence its more important for the organizations, the government, etc…….. to understand how to handle this new phenomena of Web2.0 and start making use of it!!
The interview shows an attitude that suggests, perhaps, an immature attraction of ‘reaching’ people. “Beyond just bharas nikalna… social movement…” I understand this as the politicalisation of their blogging.
But is that the only form of blogging? Don’t Pakistani’s blog for blogging’s sake?
Wow @ the pic analogy. Adil jee you rock!
Abrar, Pakistani Industry is not even ready to accept traditional web as a part of their businesses. Web 2.0 is something which majority of people are not aware of. When I said majority, it means IT professionals rather laymen.
Teeth Mastero…… which Toronto Blog did you refer to in the coversation that made so much money?
Hello Adil
It was great to see and hear this dicsussion. It was a good discussion and very good to hear your comments on Pakistani blogs.
As a person in IT where part of my job is to understand all these Web 2.0 (blogging, wikipedia, social networking, etc) and knowing the medium, I think the Pakistani Government and the Media as well is having a hard time understand the impact of Web2.0.
I am thinking of putting out an article on it. Perhaps I should restart blogging myself. I am quite unsatisified by the fact that I have stopped blogging regularly. Your discussion may prove to be inspirational enough for me to start bloggin again.
Its great to listen the bloggers on VOA. Congratulations for your efforts which are now being discussed in the mainstream media.Its an indicator of your achievements.
On a separate note, Hats off for ATP team which has established a MEHFIL where we interact, discuss and argue on issues related to Pakistan.
Its my homepage.