Blogging about Blogging
Blogstreet India, the premier Blog Directory in India reports an astounding 243 blogs from Chennai. Astounding, if you don’t know much about Chennai. I, for one, tend to think the number is far below potential. Here are reasons why Chennai Blogs should be in their 1000s.
- There’s a strong streak of self-indulgence and self expression in the south, especially Tamil Nadu
- There’s also a very marked desire to know what the other person is doing. Scores of magazines exist solely to feed off this desire to know about what the other person is doing. Most mainstream media have dedicated columns on what the starlet is eating or wearing
- Chennai/Madras has always been closely associated with the birth of Indian Journalism. Inspite of their recent mess-ups, Hindu remains the best objective newspaper in India (if one overlooks their leaning to the left.) As such, there is a strong tradition of reading the printed word, besides the fact that there are a lot of good writers/reporters around
- The need to know News. My dad watches news, first on Sun, then on Jaya TV, NDTV 24×7 and switches back to Sun
- This need to know, and obsession with news also means people here are more clued to what’s happening around the world, and will have more subject matter to blog about
- Too many book stores/libraries
- A highly literate state
- A highly literate state combined with a high level of technology and telephony penetration (Which should explain why Kerala, the most literate state, doesn’t have too many blogs)
- A community that values education and the spread of knowledge very dearly
- A large number of colleges – translating into a larger number of students, the natural adopters of new technology.
- A large number of students mean a large readership base, meaning potential bloggers
- Finally, English is still a preferred language
I haven’t bothered to rank the reasons I have mentioned, and a ranking wouldn’t be of any use. I believe all these, along with the fact that as a community, tamils are highly verbal by nature, is the reason why Blogging is so popular here in Chennai, and why it has not yet reached its peak.
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July 27th, 2005 at 9:15 pm
hi, you have a ncie template now.
I agree with your post, chennai surely must have more than that. Sad but in malaysia there is only 4 of us indian bloggers that I know of. Visitra, Maran, Chetan and myself.
July 27th, 2005 at 9:33 pm
Thanks Man. Are there many malaysian/malay bloggers? Prolly you know the four cause they happen to be Indians
July 28th, 2005 at 6:19 am
Look, I don’t know anything about Chennai, but I do know that with over 13.5 million blogs and over 12,000 new ones a day—there should be way mor ein Chennai.
Let’s call someone about this.
July 28th, 2005 at 8:24 am
Hola, Chandru,
Did you check out http://chennai.craigslist.org/
cheers,
Archana
July 28th, 2005 at 8:27 am
Or maybe its just that more Chennai-ites register at that particular site, and others aren’t too aware of it.
July 28th, 2005 at 11:15 am
Nice template!!
i think you are missing one very important point here. what abt net access in chennai? do people have inexpensive net access which is very essential for blogging?
July 28th, 2005 at 2:08 pm
I have a different take on this. People look to be entertained – to be whisked away from the humdrum of their existence. The number of bookshops/ circulating libraries in Chennai lend support to the belief of this being the cheapest entertainment. Take a case by case example – Kerala has enough outdoors and outdoorsy activities to take care of its people and perhaps another stateful. Bangalore and southern karnataka in general has lovely weather and a nice easy going booze filled way of life. Chennai, is miles from anywhere and is a dry city! I was just checking out and the nearest place where you can sit back, enjoy a drink, relax and do nothing, is Bangalore!
Ergo, simplest options for me to be entertained are to watch news/ read books or newspapers or sit and browse the net and explore all the options that this medium has to offer – blogging being one of them. Dont think this has anything to do with literacy, or the percieved ‘inquisitiveness’ of Chennaivasis. So, we’re all kinda stuck in here – and just making the best of what we have. Sharing others’ experiences, living a bit vicariously…
July 28th, 2005 at 2:14 pm
no, methinks this just has to do with the cheapest option available for entertainment. People look to get out of the humdrum of their existences. Take a case by case basis.
Bangalore and most of south karnataka – Great weather, easily available liquor, and some lovely outdoors.
Kerala – Fantastic outdoors that satiate not only the state dwellers quest for entertainment but also of half of national geographic readers !
Chennai – do i feel like playin outside? No, its sweaty as hell. Do i feel like drinkin and partying hard – rather little coz doesnt seem to be all that happening. So, what do i do? Watch TV, become a member of one of the circulating libraries and open my own blog! NOW, i have a way of living vicariously !
Thats it, people – we’re all stuck in this together ! Good thing is, we seem to be making the best out of it !
July 28th, 2005 at 2:18 pm
no, methinks this just has to do with the options available for entertainment. People look to get out of the humdrum of their existences. Take a case by case basis.
Bangalore and most of south karnataka – Great weather, easily available liquor, and some lovely outdoors.
Kerala – Fantastic outdoors that satiate not only the state dwellers quest for entertainment but also of half of national geographic readers !
Chennai – do i feel like playin outside? No, its sweaty as hell. Do i feel like drinkin and partying hard – rather little coz doesnt seem to be all that happening. So, what do i do? Watch TV, become a member of one of the circulating libraries and open my own blog! NOW, i have a way of living vicariously !
Thats it, people – we’re all stuck in this together ! Good thing is, we seem to be making the best out of it !
July 28th, 2005 at 2:46 pm
Puddlefrog, Have you ever been to Madras? If you did, you wouldn’t speak through your hat
There’s enough to do here, only, Madras suffers from bad press
July 28th, 2005 at 5:17 pm
Chandru,
I’ve been living in this city for the last 6 months – after having lived in Bangalore for 4 and a half years. I have also spent considerable time in Bombay and Delhi, travelled to Kerala, Pune, Ahmedabad, Vadodara, Hyderabad, Indore, Lucknow and other major cities (unfortunately not to Kolkata/Bhubaneswar and North east).
Nightlife, owing to the sad policies of TN govt (or is it chennai police) just doesnt compare to Bom/Pun/Bang/del – even kolkata is supposed to have come up quite well.
Perhaps the variety of ‘things to do’ exists – but is it all so well accessible as in other cities? Is it all so well served or do i need to be a member of some coteries to know about whats ‘happening’ in the city ? Regret posting my first comment so many times, there was a server error. I stand by my words though. Would be more than happy to be proven otherwise !!
July 28th, 2005 at 5:35 pm
CCG, you are bad at remembering people. This guy, Vaibhav was there at the Boat Club Meet (stalenews.blogspot.com), and here you are asking him has he ever been to Madras
July 28th, 2005 at 5:46 pm
Oh man, Chenthil ! Here i was having a field day .. and u blew my cover
July 28th, 2005 at 7:59 pm
Well, I remember hem by their names, not puddlefrog Chenthil. Dude, Froggy, sorry if I was rude, but one thing I can’t usually stand is people rubbishing Chennai. I guess I am hardwired to defend this city. Still there’s loads of stuff you can do here, and I have heard friends from Bangalore and Hyderabad saying that the night life (if you so require it) is much better than their respective cities.
July 28th, 2005 at 8:07 pm
Krishnendu: The net’s freely available here. It’s pretty cheap. Broadband connections begin at Rs. 325 per month from Airtel. And I had already covered that point when I mentioned technology and telephony penetration is good here.
July 29th, 2005 at 9:56 am
Chandru, a good debate is always welcome.
July 29th, 2005 at 10:34 am
spits on his hand, rolls up his sleeves and paces menacingly
July 29th, 2005 at 3:32 pm
Kerala does blog. Check out http://www.cs.princeton.edu/~mp/malayalam/blogs.html. Came here via the scribbling pad. Nice post. Will keep visiting.
July 29th, 2005 at 4:18 pm
Silverine, thanks for that list. I saw some familiar names there. JK, MadMan web. Carthik I think is from Tamil Nadu, not sure. From his own description, he is Tamil Brahmin.
And thanks.
July 29th, 2005 at 11:38 pm
ur template is wikkid cool
nice set of arguments dude… but why do u want more ppl to blog dude ? it will only make my readership stats go into the negative…jus kiddin..
this brings to mind the idiotic argument abt there being more blog writers in the world than readers..hello..they are not mutually exclusive..
September 12th, 2005 at 12:28 pm
I just saw this posting – was looking for something else
they are a lot of Msian bloggers but very few indians – they can be found here
www.petalingstreet.com
September 12th, 2005 at 12:30 pm
sorry
http://www.petalingstreet.org