Is blogging a waste of time?

A quick aside to Vyas regarding political rallys:

Vyas, the reason why political parties need to spent crores on political rallys is that India is still a poor and a largely illiterate society. A large part of the population cannot be reached through the normal media such as newspapers, TV, radio and now internet.

That is why rallys have become an important means of reaching out to people. And politicians have to reach out to people in order to connect with them.

A well-organized rally would be attended by a few lakh people, and some can even achieve attendance of a million-plus. This kind of figures are much larger than the circulaiton of many of our newspapers and magazines or the viewership of many TV channels.

Rallys have evolved into a comprehensive package of information, entertainment, and advertising. You have folk artistes performing while the main speaker is getting late,  food-stalls and trinket-sellers peddle their goods, and astute advertisers advertise  tractors, fertilizers, seeds, motor-cycles and other rural products on the rally platforms and other strategic locations.

So rallys make very good communication sense to political parties.

And incidently, rallys expose very dramatically, one of the chief flaws of blogs - blogs don't have any reach.

A quick aside to Vyas regarding political rallys:

Vyas, the reason why political parties need to spent crores on political rallys is that India is still a poor and a largely illiterate society. A large part of the population cannot be reached through the normal media such as newspapers, TV, radio and now internet.

That is why rallys have become an important means of reaching out to people. And politicians have to reach out to people in order to connect with them.

A well-organized rally would be attended by a few lakh people, and some can even achieve attendance of a million-plus. This kind of figures are much larger than the circulaiton of many of our newspapers and magazines or the viewership of many TV channels.

Rallys have evolved into a comprehensive package of information, entertainment, and advertising. You have folk artistes performing while the main speaker is getting late,  food-stalls and trinket-sellers peddle their goods, and astute advertisers advertise  tractors, fertilizers, seeds, motor-cycles and other rural products on the rally platforms and other strategic locations.

So rallys make very good communication sense to political parties.

And incidently, rallys expose very dramatically, one of the chief flaws of blogs - blogs don't have any reach.

A quick aside to Vyas regarding political rallys:

Vyas, the reason why political parties need to spent crores on political rallys is that India is still a poor and a largely illiterate society. A large part of the population cannot be reached through the normal media such as newspapers, TV, radio and now internet.

That is why rallys have become an important means of reaching out to people. And politicians have to reach out to people in order to connect with them.

A well-organized rally would be attended by a few lakh people, and some can even achieve attendance of a million-plus. This kind of figures are much larger than the circulaiton of many of our newspapers and magazines or the viewership of many TV channels.

Rallys have evolved into a comprehensive package of information, entertainment, and advertising. You have folk artistes performing while the main speaker is getting late,  food-stalls and trinket-sellers peddle their goods, and astute advertisers advertise  tractors, fertilizers, seeds, motor-cycles and other rural products on the rally platforms and other strategic locations.

So rallys make very good communication sense to political parties.

And incidently, rallys expose very dramatically, one of the chief flaws of blogs - blogs don't have any reach.

A quick aside to Vyas regarding political rallys:

Vyas, the reason why political parties need to spent crores on political rallys is that India is still a poor and a largely illiterate society. A large part of the population cannot be reached through the normal media such as newspapers, TV, radio and now internet.

That is why rallys have become an important means of reaching out to people. And politicians have to reach out to people in order to connect with them.

A well-organized rally would be attended by a few lakh people, and some can even achieve attendance of a million-plus. This kind of figures are much larger than the circulaiton of many of our newspapers and magazines or the viewership of many TV channels.

Rallys have evolved into a comprehensive package of information, entertainment, and advertising. You have folk artistes performing while the main speaker is getting late,  food-stalls and trinket-sellers peddle their goods, and astute advertisers advertise  tractors, fertilizers, seeds, motor-cycles and other rural products on the rally platforms and other strategic locations.

So rallys make very good communication sense to political parties.

And incidently, rallys expose very dramatically, one of the chief flaws of blogs - blogs don't have any reach.

A quick aside to Vyas regarding political rallys:

Vyas, the reason why political parties need to spent crores on political rallys is that India is still a poor and a largely illiterate society. A large part of the population cannot be reached through the normal media such as newspapers, TV, radio and now internet.

That is why rallys have become an important means of reaching out to people. And politicians have to reach out to people in order to connect with them.

A well-organized rally would be attended by a few lakh people, and some can even achieve attendance of a million-plus. This kind of figures are much larger than the circulaiton of many of our newspapers and magazines or the viewership of many TV channels.

Rallys have evolved into a comprehensive package of information, entertainment, and advertising. You have folk artistes performing while the main speaker is getting late,  food-stalls and trinket-sellers peddle their goods, and astute advertisers advertise  tractors, fertilizers, seeds, motor-cycles and other rural products on the rally platforms and other strategic locations.

So rallys make very good communication sense to political parties.

And incidently, rallys expose very dramatically, one of the chief flaws of blogs - blogs don't have any reach.

A quick aside to Vyas regarding political rallys:

Vyas, the reason why political parties need to spent crores on political rallys is that India is still a poor and a largely illiterate society. A large part of the population cannot be reached through the normal media such as newspapers, TV, radio and now internet.

That is why rallys have become an important means of reaching out to people. And politicians have to reach out to people in order to connect with them.

A well-organized rally would be attended by a few lakh people, and some can even achieve attendance of a million-plus. This kind of figures are much larger than the circulaiton of many of our newspapers and magazines or the viewership of many TV channels.

Rallys have evolved into a comprehensive package of information, entertainment, and advertising. You have folk artistes performing while the main speaker is getting late,  food-stalls and trinket-sellers peddle their goods, and astute advertisers advertise  tractors, fertilizers, seeds, motor-cycles and other rural products on the rally platforms and other strategic locations.

So rallys make very good communication sense to political parties.

And incidently, rallys expose very dramatically, one of the chief flaws of blogs - blogs don't have any reach.

Sorry folks, for this multiple postings, I didn't realize that this discussion is continuing on a next page.

I didn't see my replies appearing at the bottom of the first page and thought that something has gone wrong and posted it again.

Sorry.

This is something that the site administrators should look into. The cues that a poster gets are not clear enough. May be they should add a button at the bottom of the page indicating the number of pages the discussion is spread over.

Also, there is possibly a coding error, too. When a post been posted, the page should reload showing the newly posted post.

Currently it is loading at the top of the discussion, which is not very helpful for long, multi-page discussions like this one.

I am unable to delete the repeated posts. If the moderators can do it, that would be very helpful.

Ahem... who told you to post this topic in any place? This is wastage of time rather than blogging!

In this world, when we are readily agreeing to get into cubicles, be it at the office or the resturant..for privacy or focus...what ever, blog makes one excited as to write something and share a thought!

Although I am not into this cubicle concept as yet, but yes, I enjoy expressing my idea, as there is no Government to put a bar on me!!!

  http://www.somnath-is-here.blogspot.com

सोमनाथ जी, क्या आप अपने विचारों को व्यक्त करने तक ही अपना योगदान सीमित रखेंगे?

और क्यूबिकल अवधारणा का विरोध करना बढ़िया विचार है, पर मेरा मानना है कि ब्लोग इसे बढ़ावा ही देते हैं।

Lets Close this one guys!!!

Hemal, the best way to stop a thread is to ignore it and refrain from posting to it. It will die a natural death. But if the topic elicits reponses, then it is striking a chord with the reader and it will be worthwhile to let it run on, till it runs out of steam.

a natural way is certainly the bestway, but it should also be the last path. Till then, i would certainly not bear this.

I am responding directly to the original post and not to the comments (there are just too many comments and too lengthy comments to read :).

To me blogging is a very personal thing - and yes, I do agree to some extent we "waste" time to blog - but its like "wasting" money to watch a movie or to have a ice cream. You do it for personal gratification. The benefits of blogging actually goes beyond - taking care of a very fundamental human need of "ego" massaging. That supreme need of being recognized and accepted by others.  If not for blogging, people would figure out different means of wasting time to achieve the same.

Yes, if you are a good human being, you can achieve other social causes through blogging - but that need not be the only reason to blog nor that only blogging is the way to achieve the social causes.

Dear Sir,

I am a Personal Finance, Business, Entrepreneurship & Great Business Ideas Blogger. I m from Ahmedabad, Gujarat & I run a Finance Blog 'MY Journey To Billionaire Club'.

http://www.myjourneytobillionaireclub.blogspot.com/

I am totally disagree with you.

Let me tell you that, I have launched this Blog to give people Financial Education. I don't believe in throwing money towards poors. It will not solve their poverty. Throwing a fish towards hungry won't solve the problem but instead we should teach them how to fish.

I spend 6-8 hours daily behind my blog to educate people about Money & How it works.

You told that, Internet penetration in India is just 2%. Let me tekll you that right now there are 45 Million Internet Users in India and by the end of year 2010, it will become 100 Millions (10 Crores). The Internet penetration will increase year by year and with the help of Blog it will be easy to spread the message to literally millions of people.

You gave the Example of Gandhiji. But let me tell you that, If Blogging was at that time, than Gandhiji's work would be very easy. Anyway forget that topic.......

Let me give u my example. Let me tell you that why I have started the blog 'MY Journey To Billionaire Club' in the Middle of the Recession (March 2008). I have not started my blog during the middle of the recession to earn few bugs or to do wastage of my time.

But I have started this Blog to take the world economy out of the Recession. Do you know that how can we take our world out of Recession? Not according to your way..... Means throwing food to those roadside children.

But We can take this world out of recession by creating more jobs in the Economy. And Do you know that How can we create jobs in the Economy? Do you know that who can create jobs in the Economy?

Well, Entrepreneurs can take our world out of the Recession by developing Businesses & Creating jobs in the Economy.

And I have started my Blog to create Entrepreneurs in the Economy. Than and only the problems you are discussing about (Poverty & Hungry Children) will be solved. But Creating Entrepreneurs is not about doing a physical work. But its about changing the mind set of people.

You won't believe that but withing 1 year, I have created 3 dozen Entreperneus in the Indian Economy. By reading the inspirational reading of 'MY Journey To Billionaire Club', 40 people have chose to start their own part time Businesses.

And today they have provided employement to hundreds of people in their Companies. If I had thought like you (Blogging is wastage of Time) than Today our Economy would have 40 less Entrepreneurs & hundreds of jobs.

But Today I am feeling satisfied & Successful. I am earning just few dollars per month from my blog from which I can buy hardly a SubWay Sandwich. But I am satisfied because I have created the Entrepreneurs in the Economy via my Blog which otherwise would not have created in any way.......

And you are talking about Poverty? Do you think that Creating Entrepreneurs is wastage of time?

Ok Than I give you an Open Challenge.........

Create 40 Entrepreneurs like me in 1 year of span without wasting your Time (Blogging). Create hundreds of jobs by motivating people.

And now please for god's sake, Don't tell me that Creating Jobs in the Economy is wastage of Time. Ask those Entrepreneurs who have inspired by my blog to start Businesses & create jobs in the economy. If they say that, I was wasting my time than I will right away stop blogging.........

I will not take up your challenge to create 40 entrepreneurs in one year like you, instead I will agree with your post that say that you are doing great work with your blog.

My only comment is that 40 entrepreneurs in a one billion population is rather a drop in the ocean, even though every drop does count.

And my quarrel is not with people like you who create 40 entrepreuners a year with their blogs, but with those bloggers who don't do this or produce an equivalent output for their efforts.

C'mon im massively with my thumps down to the question "Does blogging solve even one little problem facing our country?" posted by balasubrahmanyma.

Well sir...it's not a rule that bloggin is to solve de country's problems. Let me ask u...how many times have de general elections succeeded in selecting TRUE LEADERSHIP...so will someone say that itz a Waste? How many exams you've attented till date hav tested yer true Calibre...so exams are wastes???

Blogging is a multipurpose forum: 4 thoughts, creativity, expression. a multitude even makes money.

"Blogging is a kind of escapism. We can't solve real problems, so we cry ourselves hoarse on our blogs.

Had we spent even a fraction of the energy and time we spent on blogs in solving actual problems on the ground, we would have done god knows how much good."

u said that right?? Sir...i repeat...der r problems...trillions of them....'problems' reached earth with humans...der r indeed ways 2 solve them...sum work sum don't...but dat doesn't mean de method is 'waste'...

N der r LIMITS 2 wat Citizens can do...or Limits are imposed...even de media can't be resorted to...n wat is de prob if a particular person voices his HOARSE CRY thru his blog n let at least few share...???

I am amazed at the amount of response this innocuous question is producing, the latest being Nithin.

I am sure this question is casting doubts in the minds of bloggers, why else would they rally to defence of their passion, when it is being so direly accused?

But the very fact that you all have to come in such force to defend it, in a way proves that the issue is a bit tenuous.

Don't you think so folks?

amazed?? wow daz funny...so u didn't expect a response when u posted this INNOCUOUS question?? :) Sir...#1 u wer not replying to what i asked...

                             #2 "I am sure this question is casting doubts in the minds of bloggers, why else would they rally to defence of their passion, when it is being so direly accused?"

u said that right?

he he sir, how can u ACCUSE INNOCUOUSLY...??? Now trust me im not mocking u (just want a healthy debate here...)

n errr Sir...i just checked yer indiblogger profile...oops...it says u have 3 BLOGS on your own...(couldn't read them...gotta strain with the hindi font ) n dat u regularly update yer blog...hmmm... STILL U DOUBT IF IT'S A WASTE OF TIME N RECOMMEND DAT BETTER WAYS OF SPENDING TIME.

You are not saying anything new, Nithin. I know I spent a lot of time on blogs. In fact, that is why I asked this question in the first. You probably missed my answer to Sahil earlier in this thread, which explains my position. Here it is again:-

Sorry Sahil, I didn't reply to your post earlier, some how I missed it, although I had read it.

Actually I am rather new to blogging. My oldest blog, jaihindi is only two months old. The other blogs printf-scanf and keralpuran are just a few days old.

I spent a lot of time on the internet, though, for I earn my living online. I am a freelance Hindi translator.

The question of blogging being  a waste of time came to my mind when I realized that I am spending a considerable amount of time on my blogs, and began to wonder whether this was the best way to spend my time, and whether it was really worthwhile, and I thought that the best way to find this out was to pose the question before older and more experienced bloggers. Hence this forum thread.

well well sir..now yer position is well explained...

#1- "thought that the best way to find this out was to pose the question before older and more experienced bloggers" in that case lemme explain my answer... :) im too younger than u...but have blogging for more than a year. What my online life proved was that 'bloggin' is not waste of time. It can help u unleash yer creativity. Trust me. It can even boost 'confidence'

#2-"began to wonder whether this was the best way to spend my time, and whether it was really worthwhile"  Well this depends upon each person. If u think u gain nothin n itz not worthwhile rather than sheer loss of time n dat Don't remain confuses it means it's time to try something else than blogging. Everyone has personal interests.

n my advice is : WHEN IT COME'S TO DECIDING HOW  ONE HAS TO ACT, IT'S BEST TO ACT ACCORDING TO CONSCIENCE RATHER THAN RAISIN A POLL.

#3 "posting nonsense on our blog. Ok, Ok, mostly.

But don't you think it's all a massive waste of time? " u said that? hoo..well sir personally speaking blogging is much more than a passion for me...n it's indeed tenuous..but yer question didn't cast a DOUBT in my mind that required DEFENCE...moreover i was clarifying yer doubt. N PLEASE C THAT U USE BETTER LANGUAGE WHEN U POST A TOPIC.."POSTING NONSENSE"...??? C'MON DER A TRILLION TRASH BLOGS I admit...DAT DOESN'T MEAN U HAVE A RIGHT TO COMMENT SO UNLESS yer POSTS ARE PERFECT. N lemme assure no one is perfect. search in depth ull find a multitude of blogz datll feed u valuable info n enlight u...

Thanks.

Asav Patel related a few posts earlier how he is using his blog to bring about positive change.

Here is another blog that I came across that is doing the same in a different way:

Ek Sparsh

For those who blog for money only, its a waste of time I'd say