Writing Blogs

Before I started this blog I just wanted to take up something that was different, Something that was challenging and creative. Sooner I realized that a blog provides you with a space to do all the three. It is different since I have found very few people who write blogs on a regular basis. It is challenging because I find it to be challenging. And it is creative.
Now being creative in blog may differ from person to person. For some people being creative is easy. Seems like they are spontaneously creative, while others like me have a hard time expressing my self in words. But just because the task is daunting it should not deter me or for that matter anyone from expressing myself. If you think through, you can definitely pinpoint a few aspects on which you have more knowledge many others. That can be a starting point. Or you might find that the current set of articles available on the web are biased or do not present an alternative view point. In such case the blog is your oyster. Write whatever you like.

From the collection of the blogs that I generally read I classify them into these varieties

• Issue centric / Opinionated - These blogs are like 'The Dilbert blog' which has a method of jesting at the worldly ways. But in the garb of humor you can see that they question some of the very basic concepts of society and nation, like elections and need for war. Note that you may or may not agree with the author on each and every question but the way in which they go about dissecting the issues is interesting. And they listen a lot to their readers who approve / disapprove of their ideas. Every post becomes more like a melting pot where every idea is discussed before arriving at any conclusions. The greatest thing that about such kind of blogs is that in the discussion forums that they get transformed into, it is the force of the idea that counts rather than the person who said it. There is currently a list of posts on the Obama vs. McCain debate which can give a lot of insight on the nuances of US presidential elections.

• Domain Centric - A lot of people write blogs centered around what they do in life and what they are passionate about. You can find a lot of blogs of such kind. I really kind of appreciate such kind of people who are passionate about their work and so willing to share it with others. The innovation economy blog is such kind of a blog which talks a lot on innovation. There are several of this kind like the blogs of Guy Kawasaki, and Freakonomics blog. These kind of blogs are not only limited to economics, entrepreneurship or innovation but cover a very wide variety of subjects. People who have knowledge can share it with the world through the blogs that they write. For example you will find a lot of blogs that cater to subjects ranging for business to economics to CSR to Java. They get a lot of visibility from people who are focused in these areas.

• Speaking what is on mind - Here we have another set of blogs on whatever people like to share. Some use blogs to vent out their feelings. Some use it as a diary to give people a sneak-peek into their way of life. Everyone is at a different stage of his/her life and wonders about what the next stage is gonna be. For them your blog might be extremely useful to understand the nuances and the pleasures of the next life. Be it parenting, be it parties, everything is worth writing and sharing.

Please note the list of categories that I have just listed is not comprehensive and is a very broad categorization. But if you want to start a blog, it will help you in getting started. And remember it is never too late to start.