Why the Filipino should blog.
Ayan ka na naman. (Eyes roll up.)
I often had to change gears or else the conversation would result in a ho-hum standstill where goodbyes are the next thing we would exchange to each other.
Some are inclined to listen while some do not have the attention span needed to wade through the internet lingo like RSS feeds, RSS readers and simple HTML.
A dear friend who lives Down Under finally reacted during one of our online chats (after few months of telling her to glance blog's way); "Unsa diay na siya? Wa jud koy kabalo anang blog ba. Bi, sultihi ko bi? Tell me about that blog you've been cheering about."
I tried my best to explain it to her. Needless to say, that dear friend of mine "saw the light" (and its seeming endless possibilities) and is one of the recent converts to blog and blogging. Welcome aboard, mate!
So, why should the Filipino blog?
The web log (truncated to BLOG) is relatively new and today is still considered an emerging trend of online presence for individuals (personal journals) as well as small and big entities (e.g., business blogs). Blogging (the gerund form of the verb; the act of writing blogs) is now a worldwide pasttime where age is not a limitation.
The whole world is blogging! Teka, bakit sila lang ba ang marunong? Of course, like most blogging earthlings, the Filipino should make his presence felt.
The Filipino is naturally madaldal, makwento (kahit walang kwenta) and mausyoso. He wants his stories to be heard and his opinions be taken into consideration.When the Filipino will realize that blogging is just an extension of these activities and traits, (ay naku) the Philippines might not just be the SMS capital of the world, baka pati blog title angkinin na rin!
Plus, the time is ripe ('net cafes on every nook) and blogging is relatively inexpensive. (Umandar ang kakuriputan ng Ilocana!)
Why the blog?
Of course there is the old and trusted texting (SMS) that should not be just dropped like a hot camote. But if the Filipino wants to broadcast to a lot more people apart from those in the cellphone address file, and granting he is not a celebrity with an access to national TV networks, blogging is the way to go.
With a blog, the Filipino can reach the whole world, araw man o gabi. Aparri to Zimbabwe. Tulog man o gising. With blog, the expenses are relatively minimal. Consider for example this post, the sheer number of characters in it; right now not even the nation’s latest SMS technology can send such a lengthy one.
Blogs are easy to do too, as long as anyone can type and click a mouse, he can blog. Anybody, from nine months of age to as ancient as the batch mates of Methuselah, may blog.
With blog, the freedom to express opinions coupled with the almost instantaneous way of publishing them gives a sense of clout and authority to the Filipino blogger. Aspiring writers can have a taste of the splendor and magnanimity of being published - fast, easy and without the dreary censorship of an editor.
In addition, blogs are more personal and conversational in nature. Parang nakikipag-usap lang sa kaibigan. This is a plus factor for those who are into b-blogging (business blogging) because someone usually buys upon a recommendation of a friend (albeit a cyberfriend).
In blogging, the grammar and sentence construction are not as exacting as straight journalism. Personal style can shine too. If the preference is coño, then coño it is.
And for the Filipino, it gets better as he can write his blogs in different dialects.