On the individual level:
1. (i) Can you explain the reasons behind the various aspects of your blog design (nickname/'slogan'/features/style/themes/etc)? (even if it's a template provided by Blogger, explain why you like and chose it?)
title: a faterider's musings on earth
well, i believe in fate and so faterider represents how i ride through the tides of fate in life. "on earth" hints at my beliefs tat there is life out there (as in outer space) and after death n so earth is just one of the dimensions tat one can theroetically muse on.
slogan: i'm just collecting stories in life
a quote by Colleen, a survivor one participant. i loved tis sweety-pie n thought her simple statement was concise n astute. so, "chope" for own blog
black design, wif writings on one side n titles of archives neatly on the other. chose tis design becos i tot it looked sleek. n i didnt hav to put in effort since template provided by blogger
(ii) Does the design 'represent' you? Which parts and how so?
hmm, i dun tink so. it's just a blog design, i didnt attach aspects of my personality to it. unless u take into account the fact tat i chose an available template from Blogger--> it suggests how lazy i am in creating my own design lar. will like to show my creativity but not tat badly...haha
(iii) What kind of 'persona' do you aim to present on your blog and why?
genuine ba, i guess. no-holds-barred documentatn of wat is going thru my life now. admit irrational, senseless thoughts, whine over negative incidents despite knowing i'm being whiny n celebrating over the gd, reminding myself tat i shd b grateful
(iv) Do you think you have succeeded in such self-presentation?
pretty much. in fact, last wk i wrote tat i am concerned tat i might b a blog slut. as in, i dun wanna b one of those creatures whom u wd always noe wat i'm thinking cos i reveal everything on my blog. not tat i'm scared or concerned for self-preservation or wat but i guess, as a chinese (n perhaps a male), i like the "han xu" (reserved) feeling as well
2. Do you think your blog 'self' is the 'real' you?
80-90%. i always feel i write in a melodramatic way. as in i dun feel tat extremely but somehow my words turn out to b such. tink it's my instinctive tendency to exaggerate to milk out my self-deprecating smiles
3. (i) Do you feel in control over your blogging content? (because you can take your time and design as you wish?)
pretty much. cos 1) i tink abt the topics i wanna document b4 i write n 2) becos of my wish to b authentic, i ensure every sentence is an accurate reflection of how i feel, otherwise i will sit in front of the computer, struggling to tune the tone of my musings
(ii) Do you edit your entries? How much? Why?
after publication, chk for spelling errors, typos n awkard phrasing. o/w, i dun touch it. cos i'm too lazy to edit lar. why labour so much for the remaining 10% of ur desired state of accounts? n oso, i spend plenty much efforts in writing prior to publication so usually i'm satisfied wif wat i hav written.
(iii) Have you ever substantially deleted parts of / entire entries? Why? How do you feel after doing it? And how would you feel if you were the reader instead and a blogger did this?
never. once published, never deleted. cos deleting wd make mi feel tat i'm apprehensive abt facing myself. n i wdnt wanna to feel tat.
if i were the reader, prob wd arouse my curiosity lor. but wont feel judgemental cos tis is a personal decision mah
(iv) Do you feel more comfortable blogging some stuff as versus saying it in real life? (due to lack of social cues and pressures?)
yes, well, i can b obsessively meticulous in my analysis (e.g. movie reviews), wic doesnt seem appropriate in real-life conversations lar. some of my sentiments seem trivial n duh but i blog bcos they matter to mi
4. (i) Are you consciously aware of your readers? Do you blog with such awareness in mind?
i used to. but now, i tink hardly anyone reads my blog so i write wif primarily myself in mind
(ii) Does your 'audience' affect you at all? To what extent does your blogging become a 'performance'?
hmm, recently try to write in simple, not so flowery lang cos got one fren claims she doesnt understand wat i'm writing abt
5. (i) Do you write with any exaggeration at all?
Affirmative
(ii) Are your entries very different from what you would say it in real life (if at all?)?
i wd exaggerate in real life lar but essence wont come out as strongly cos i'm a better ang mo writer dan speaker
6. (i) Are you comfortable with your blog being on public display to be potentially seen by anybody and everybody? Don't you see it as a loss of privacy?
no, i wanna solicit for comments mah
(ii) Are you afraid that certain people may come across your blog?
no, scared for wat?
7. Do you self-censor when blogging? How much? In what forms? Why?
hmm a question tat i may not know the answer to but i consciously try not to
8. Do you feel now like there's a 'part of you' permanently 'out there' somewhere? Is this positive/negative for you?
yes, positive. i tink i like tat i can come back yrs later n dig out how kaile used to feel abt things then
9. Will you consider using Moblogging/etc devices? Why/why not?
no. need a computer screen so that i can go back and forth when i write. facilitates my sorting-out of thoughts
10. (i) Do you think that blogs are objects of construction in general? Or no more constructed than real life itself? What do you see as the purpose of blogs?
hmm, i don't quite get what you mean by "constructed". do you mean from a spiritual stand-pt, as in the stuff we experience has already been decided by God's will? or from a sociology view--tat there r diff facets to our personality n we wear diff facades in front of diff pple in accordance to societal expectations?
anyway, i shd think blogs are more constructed than real life itself. i see the engaging in real-time life as the first layer and the subsequent blogging n interpretation of life experiences as the second layer. as in you feel a certain way when u're experiencing stuff and would add/delete to this first account consciously/subconsciously when u blog later. so, the blog entries may fall short of how one actualy feels, becos s/he isn't prepared to b totally honest wif her/himself, packages "truth" to make him/her come across as better, writes slip-shod accounts due to time/commitment constraints, isn't articulate enough in the language etc
i think blogs serve the following functions:
1) therapeutic--as outlet to express frustrations
2) escapist--when we are irritated wif pple but don't dare to voice things out. hence, we complain in our blogs cos we know these pple r readers n will sooner or later come to know
3) narcissus--we whine abt our mundane lives but i tink there's a side in everyone of us tat thinks tat our voices r unique n deserve to b heard
4) hip statement--blogging as the latest fad (my frens hav one, i follow herd mentality lor)
(ii) Do you sometimes realise through blogging how real life itself is just as constructed/performed - and you're RE-constructing it online?
again, don't quite get "constructed"
yup for reconstruction. a fren of mine refuses to write journals becos he feels tat "reality" wil inevitably b altered as we write how we wd like to present the state of affairs, rather than how things really are. i agree cos i find tat even nitty-gritties like the words we choose can present a story tat is somewhat similar but nonetheless deviates from the one we feel n hav in mind. however, i believe it's the writer's responsibility to attain self-awareness, remain true to her/himself n not b afraid of ruthless introspection.
i guess my realisation of the reconstruction thingy is best illustrated by how i try hard to write objective, yet personified accounts. unless i lack the time or am too tired n so i write in a flurry n just let the words "hamtam" out
On the social network level:
1. Whose blogs do you link/read? Why?
frens lor. frens of frens cos i'm curious to know wat other sorts of pple my frens r hanging out wif. only recently started to lurk at complete strangers' blogs becos my usual contacts stop writing liaoz.
2. (i) Do you agree that most bloggers write about their regular everyday
life?
havent wandered around much to make generalizations. but wif my cursory surfs, i wd agree. Everyday life closest to heart mah. however, i feel there's a sizable proportion of blogs of other genres also n they can b divided into:
1) specific themes e.g. sex blogs, blogs devoted to name of Jesus n doing gd work in His name
2) social commentaries abt current limelight issues
3) storage place of things the author finds interesting, like links/photos/quotes/articles/comics/other blogs
(ii) Do you find the blogs you read 'real' or exaggerated to an extent?
erm, with the exception of one/two sex blogs i've read, i find most accounts genuine. i just find it incredulous tat some gals would seemingly fantasize abt sex all the time. in conservative S'pore?
3. (i) Is interaction with bloggers (as a reader) and readers (as a blogger) important to you? Why?
interactn wif bloggers---nay, i'm contented just lurking. i dun mind getting to know bloggers on a more personal level but i'm too lazy to initate cyberfrenships
interactn wif readers---i suppose so, otherwise why reveal my blog address?:P cos i wd like to share my life wif readers on a more intimate level n it intrigues mi to know how they actualy feel abt me n my idiosyncrasies
(ii) Do you get affected by the comments made? Does it influence your subsequent entries in any way?
when i used to receive comments, they were inclined towards the complimentary type. of coz feel shiok lar. stroke of the ego when pple told mi they liked the things i wrote/resonated strongly wif my sentiments.
don't think it influenced tho'. i see my blog as a place in which i may sort out emotional ambiguities n force vague impressions into conceptualization n it wd b ironic if i tilt stuff wif the intention of getting more flattering comments.
(iii) Do you reply to comments? Do you leave comments yourself on other blogs? Why/why not? Is it important?
reply to comments--depending on whether i'm feeling lazy or not. i do think it's important becos it shows tat fundamentally, you respect the time n effort ur reader has spent on ur blog when he could hav invested in something more worthwhile. also, by responding, u leave the door open for subsequent follow-ups, which could lead to interesting discussions
leave comments--only on friends', when the mood seizes (again). but think i leave comments more consistently. think it's important becos i want to give support, tell them how much i think of their entries, leave a trace of my visit behind, suggest tat i'm still alive
4. (i) Who are your loyal readers?
Friends
(ii) Do you have strong ties online with other bloggers and/or your readers?
erm, hardly. don't hav a strong online presence since i hardly icq or msn n
i don't initiate cyber frenships
(iii) Do your online interactions (through comments/tagboard/etc) affect offline relationships and vice versa? In what ways?
wouldnt know since nvr discussed this before wif friends. hmm, i wd think it enhances offline r/s since i get more prompt updates of recent happenings n can follow-up during real-time gatherings. increases opportunities for more intimate chats since my fren n i don't hav to relate all the backgrd n can cut straight to the core. also, blogging showcases the various aspects of a
person's personality. e.g. i didn't know how passionate u r abt tennis til i read ur blog. so can lead to more holistic understanding of a fren
aside from pple (e.g. angeline) communicating stuff to mi in blog entries becos they know i read their blogs religiously, don't think much has changed wif the advent of the blog
(iv) Or are some of your interactions maintained solely online? How significant are these relationships?
NA
(v) Do you get 'quality support' online? How do they compare to offline support? Would some of this support relate to 'crises' that you've blogged about?
NA
(vi) Have you developed 'cyberfriendships' with people you wouldn't have known otherwise? Who are they? What are these friendships like?
NA
(vii) Have you gotten to know anybody through the inter-linking of blogs and comments?
NA
(viii) Have you ever met a 'physical stranger' reader/blogger offline?
NA
5. (i) Do you find it easier to keep in touch and up-to-date with other bloggers/readers than before the 'blog trend' came about?
not really. i do find blogging offers an avenue for mi to sense my fellow singaporeans' vibes abt policies n current affairs since some wd do critques on their blogs. not so easy to gather such sentiments beforehand becos 1) non-dynamic social network n 2) no interest to talk abt such intellectual stuff/no chance to talk so deeply becos a gathering can only last so long
(ii) Is it convenient: Especially so with friends across distances?
definitely. in fact, i find it so convenient tat i hav slackened in initating contact in real time/writing of emails since i have already updated myself on his/her life
(iii) Is it also less tedious - because it's a 'one-to-many' publication, you don't have to repeat yourself? And/or too much of an effort to arrange individual private meet-ups with all friends regularly?
hmm, not really. cos most frens 1) don't know tat i keep a blog, 2) have failed to visit again after the first visit, 3) don't visit regularly. tho' it's less tedious in the sense that since i have already thought abt my recent matters, i can reiterate to whoever's interested, without hurting my
brain
6. Do you think that this quote is true: "Although online conversation might have the ephemeral and informal feeling of a telephone conversation, it has the reach and permanence of a publication (Rheingold 2000: 24)."
online conversation? as in, i leave a comment n u reply to it? hmm, i agree abt the informal, not so wif the ephemeral, for if u type out things for all posterity, surely there's the possibility tat u can relive things when u come across those comments again? hence, that particular "tele conversation" becomes lasting. i also don't think tat online conversation has the reach of a publication for the former is usually restricted to a lesser audience than the latter and i think most people can't be bothered to open up the comments thread to read anyway
Do you agree that the intended significance of online content may be improportionate to its effect? Any examples?
as in how the things written for mainly personal gratification achieve fame/notoriety for a wider audience? if so, yes. e.g. xia xue's musings abt her parents' divorce gained her kudos n fanfare.
7. (i) Why are some blogs so much more popular than others? Content? Interactive features?
appealing visuals, nice interplay of words n pictures to get message across, unique/hilarious/candid style of writing abt universal experiences, word-of-mouth tat stirs up hype factor
(ii) Do you think our 'voices' are being 'heard'? Or there's just the rare few 'celebrities' out of so many desperate to be heard?
rare "celebrities". don't think most bloggers assertively market their blogs. no marketing, no wide network of readers cos how wd anyone stumble upon ur blog without any clue?
8. In all, do you feel that the arena of blogging has helped to strengthen social ties and networks?
yes, i wd think so. i tink blogging helps us to know someone more completely by showcasing more sides to his/her personality/learning sentiments in a more elaborate manner. n has created awareness across diverse cultures. e.g. the blogs by Iraqis served as first-hand, prompt information to those interested abt the war
1. After evaluating your own blogging habit through my many questions, I really want to know:
Why do YOU blog?
when i first blogged, i thought i wd solicit for feedback from friends regarding my writing style and/or my way of thinking n handling affairs. now, i think my aims have shifted to a desire to record traces of my 20s-existance for future reference in the event i forget, a stubborn will to keep this thingy going (when i feel tired) and a compulsion for verbal diahorrea (when i'm not).
