This is an attempt to peek into the insights of the bloggers – of course through Nepalese bloggers – to find out why they blog. There are all sorts of bloggers, and their motives of blogging can be different, and this question may seem absurd to answer without specifically dividing bloggers into various groups, but as if has been found, in this and many other studies, the motives behind blogging is not very different among the diverse types of bloggers. This article is long – about 1600 words.
A 2003 study in USA summarized that ‘ordinary bloggers blog for a variety of reasons and often for more than one reasons.’ What the study discovered as the motivations for blogging were ‘documenting one’s life, providing commentary and opinions, working out emotional issues, thinking by writing and promoting conversation and community’.
A recent study in India, our neighbors with whom we share our cultures and probably also share thinking, found out that ‘having the platform for self-expression’ was the prime motivation for blogging. ‘Expressing passionate views’ and ‘entertaining readers by own writing’ was why most Indians bloggers began their blogs and ‘writing about their views and commentating on the world around them was what they enjoyed the most about the activity’ (blogging).
The same study also indicated that ‘a need ot share thier lives with family and friends as the strong motivators for India’s netizens to read blogs.’ Same may be said on the bloggers.
So what motivates Nepali bloggers? Why Nepalese are increasingly interested in blogging? In an attempt to find out that I ventured into emailing about 15 selected bloggers to answer the question. Ten of them replied me, and interestingly, five of them redirected me towards their entries in their blog that would answer my question. So, it was found that bloggers are trying to answer the question – probably they have wondered (at times) that why they were blogging.
MOTIVATION FOR BLOGGING
Motivation for blogging almost always comes from reading about blogs and their popularity. It was the same motivation that encouraged us to found United We Blog! and UWB! itself became a factor of motivation for a few of Nepalese bloggers. Hari Sharma termed this as ‘motivated by blog-mania’.
Ghanshyam Ojha, the journalist with The Kathmandu Post, began blogging while he was in USA as a Daniel Pearl fellow. “I was amazed to find bloggers in the US make money and are very, very popular,” he says. “They have an association of bloggers and they are becoming a source of news information for journalists. This really prompted me to start a blog.”
“After going through UWB!, I thought that blog is something that is different from newspaper,” Ajay Dhakal recalls. “I searched for the meaning of blog, and then I got excited to start my own blog.”
Now, let me analyze the answers of the bloggers and define five major reasons behind blogging (of course, this is the answer to why Nepalese blog):
BLOGGING FOR SATISFACTION
“… I do blog because [of] passion of writing pays me a lot, few comments pay me a lot. Reader’s mail pays me great satisfaction and that makes me write everyday.”
– Say Na Something
The main reason behind is satisfaction – satisfaction to your wondering soul by writing and satisfaction of being read and commented upon your ideas. For Ajay Dhakal, blogging is something that makes in happy because ‘he not only share his feeling but also express his pains and that makes his heart feel happy.’
‘Joy of being read’ is what Hari Sharma, Ajay Dhakal, Keshav Koirala and other many bloggers think is the best reward they get from blogging. Even looking at the visitors counter and the number of comments are some ways to enjoying blogging.
BLOGGING FOR SHARING IDEAS AND FEELING
“To express myself. To confess things. To message others. To reprove those persons who in person cannot chance on and also those who I have a feign that respect them. To message others. To entice some. To nag myself. To analyse… to share experience…”
– Keshav Koirala
Closely related to satisfaction, the ability to share ideas and feeling to many without needing to going through the process of selection and editing (as in newspapers) what keep blogging keying in entries. For many bloggers, blogging is a way to pour out their heart.
Blogging is ‘is a mean to pour out feelings, a way expression heart and mind and feelings’ (Ghanshyam Ojha) For Mahesh Poudyal, blogging is a selfish way because bloggers ‘write for their own peace of mind’.
“Another reason, why I put forth my views on various issues is because i want to see what tohters think about those ideas. I think I have always learnt more form sharing of ideas and disucssing them with my friends hence you tend to be more critical of what you’ve read/heard/seen”, Mahesh Poudyal believes to be the reward of sharing ideas and feelings.
BLOGGING FOR PERSONAL BRANDING
“So, how about spending some of our spare time on building our personal brand? I seriously think that [we can do it] by blogging, I will be helping oters and helping myself creating a personal brand.”
– Niranjan Kunwar
Though, Niranjan’s helping out others is through the technical and IT related blog, many bloggers blog because they want to be different than others. After all, who doesn’t want to be famous or at least known as something different from everybody else is.
Shailendra Kharel, a photojournalist at Kantipur Publications, calls himself an Independent Nepali Digital Photojournalit while Umesh Shresthra is proud when he says he is operating the first Nepali language blog of the world – its all about personally branding themselves by the bloggers.
BLOGGING FOR SPACE AND REACH
“I take a lot of photographs and there is no space for all of them on the newspapers. With blog, I get space as much as required. And, also I can reach a great number of people worldwide.”
– Rajesh KC
Rajesh had a very successful career as a cartoonist for Kantipur daily and has a weekly photo column, yet he is amazed by the response he gets from his photoblog and by his ability to put on as much as photos as he wants. For photojournalists, space is a much important factor because ‘its all for valuable readers… and also sometime when the series of pictures gets no space to get publish’ (Shailendra Kharel).
Reach is of course the most amazing thing about the internet. With a click of a mouse button, bloggers can send their writing to almost everybody in the world (if they want to read it).
BLOGGING FOR NETWORKING
“As technology connects people, same thing is blogging, it connects the relationship between bloggers and readers.”
– Shailendra Kharel
Blogging not only connects bloggers and readers but also connects bloggers with bloggers thus creating a networking. The best possible example of this is probably my NepalCricket FanClub which was started as a collaborative blogging by the fans of cricket in Nepal. Now, the Fan Club is not only a virtual community but also an association that works to promote the game. Among 330+ registered users, around 20 per cent are closely associated.
As Ajay Dhakal puts on, “I got many friends through blogging. I may not be able to meet many of these friends in person, but I am in a connection to these people through the common interest of blogging.” For Hari Sharma, ‘blogging brings him closer to my readers’.
There are of course various other minor reasons that help bloggers keep on blogging and with such a diversity of bloggers, there can be various other motives. Though, many didn’t put it, bloggers can also make a little earning – Umesh Shrestha, whose Google Adsense used to pay him something close to US$200 per month while a few other bloggers to earn a little. But earning has never been the main priority of any Nepalese bloggers and that is truly put into words by Niranjan Kunwar – “My main purpsoe for blogging is solely to have fun, do something useful, contribute and help but since I am doing this for free, some side income doesn’t hurt.”
THE FUTURE OF BLOGGING
The question that may arise is how long these motivations can continue having magic on bloggers. Well, it looks like most of the Nepali bloggers aren’t going to quit is soon unless their job or career put some brakes on it because for many, like Deepak Adhikari, ‘blogging has become an integral part of their life’.
WRITER’S FINAL WORDS – As the writer of this article on blogging, I would like to thank everybody who helped me by emailing me or pointing out the URL of answering blog entries. I have tried my best not to misquote you all.
I know I missed many of the bloggers’ views because of the time and other factors. I humbly request bloggers to put forward their answers to ‘Why Do They Blog’ in the comments section so that it would be easier for other writers interested in similar topics to get more insights. 🙂 Ujjwal
Links
(to the quoted bloggers’ blogs)
Ajay Dhakal – Clear & Simple
Say Na Something
Ghanshyam Ojha – Dedicated to Daniel Pearl
Deepak Adhikari – Deepak’s Diary
Hari Sharma – Our Dream A Prosperous Nepal
Mahesh Poudyal – The Random Jottings
Keshav Koirala – Keshuvko
Niranjan Kunwar – Nirlog
Shailendra Kharel – Nepal on Photo News
Rajesh KC – Phalano
Umesh Shrestha – Mero Sansar
NepalCricket FanClub
0 responses to “Why Nepalese Blog (or why people blog)?”
I think this is a very good article, and I think I should initiate an effort to collaborate with fellow Pakistani bloggers to find out why they blog.
Brilliant effort
Ujjwal-ji, its great to see your efforts come to fruition, and thanks for this insightful article. I felt a little proof-reading/corrections could make this article even better. Cheers, m.
Good job.
Some cacography I noticed even after application of your editorial scissors)lol(
It ought to be:
***To reprove those persons who in person I cannot chance on and also those who I have to feign that I respect them.
Greetings, nice entry.
Nice entry !
Very insightful post indeed…, thanks for your efforts. You’re a true pioneer in Nepali blogosphere. First you did it with UWB and now with Nepalivioces. Keep it up.
UjjwalJee,
Thanks for nice entry. This is educating one.
SBS
I really dont know why i blog , but blogs have really fascinated me since i first saw them. Its a medim where you can put out everything which goes in your mind and heart.
Ujjwal ji,
Who is supporting this website? May be you should get some ads to generate a minimal of revenue to self-sustain the website.
Just wondering…why would you let the revenue go off the hook when you can grab it? I understand it is more of a formal site for the organization BLOGAN but still…nothing escapes the sad reality of the commercial world.
This is a great article! I would say Nepalis were blogging mainly for political purposes in the past but now (as you show) Nepali bloggers are doing it mainly for their own personal reasons. Seems like the Nepali blogosphere is moving (and maybe maturing) from political topics to personal ones. Jehos, mero laagi yo website ekdam chaklagdo cha. Dhanyabad!
Thanks for comments. As I have pointed out in the earlier post that comments always encourage bloggers.
About having advertisement, most possibly Google Adsense, I feel like too many ads spoil the reading joy. But I may go with a little of them in near future.
James, thank you for your appreciation and I want to let you know I am still waiting for your email with the attachment of your report on Nepali blogging. 🙂
By the way, can there be any suport for personal blogging? I mean financial support through advertisement stuff…?
Can anyone tell me something about this?
I earn not even penny but my telephone bills, since i use dial-up, sometimes make me mad.
Keshuvko,
I can understand the need for financial support and I checked your site. It is great but sadly, its on wordpress. And wordpress doesn’t allow ads.
There are a range of options, and as you might have seen in my new site, blogger allows adsense and the income can be decent enough to pay for your telephone bills I guess. If you can make around 30 bucks a month, isn’t that enough for your telephone bills? I am sorry I am not in Nepal and I don’t know the details out there.
If you want to get started, you might want to visit my site. I have done a simple research on adsense and the way to optimize revenue. One of the articles is on the following site : http://dreamnepal.blogspot.com while the other is in http://healthplusfinance.blogspot.com
Take advantage of the simple research I have done in this area. Trust me, some ads pay more than a dollar per click while some pay less than a nickle. So, it is all upto you at the end. If you can have enough visitors and if they click on your high-paying keyword ads, you earn a lot.
Good luck….
Keshuvko,
Yes you can earn quite a good earning from blog. All you need is a little bit of knowledge of monetizing your blog. You can check my blog , there i am running a series on how to monetize your blog. if u need more info then u can mail me at mtajim (at) gmail.com
Ujjwal ji,
A lots of thanks for rising a intresting issue.In my opinion nepali blogger are blogging in such a rapid way that the blogger are increasing day by day.In my case i am blogging to share my ideas and views to u people there.Happy blogging….
Thanks Tajim.
Oh, I missed to thank Hari Sharma. Sorry bro.
THANK YOU BOTH OF TAJIM AND HARI SHARMA.
hello all,
Nice to read this piece.
I am very green at blogging stuff.
So I have some questions.
1. How to get a web address that allows adsense?
2. How to operate the web page?
Hope you will reply.
Nabin,
You can get a free blog from bloggers which allows adsense. The template and other features aren’t that great but in any case, you can hang on…
so good luck…
and don’t forget to read teh tips….
Few things about adsense…
1. Only putting out ads do not give you $$. They need to be actually clicked by someone.
2. Besides, you need to be creative how you should encourage visitors to click on them.
3. There are many blogs to teach you how to increase your income from adsense.
4. Some of these tricks are free and some have costs (have to buy books).
5. More importantly, you should carefully read the terms and conditions of invalidity under adsense, before you apply those tricks (some of them can be adding keywords that give high pay per click).
6. Lastly, do not click on these ads yourself. The adsense machine recognizes your machine and IP. And clicking by yourself is illegal activity under adsense terms and this will terminate your adsense account (this can quite frustrating if you are not aware about it, as they allow to do so for sometime and when the total sum is almost $50, they will suddenly close your account stating you have done illegal activity). End of story ! You can not even start another adsense account, which can be closed after sometime stating the same cause that you did before.
7. This is advice from an adsense पिडित :). अब adsense पिडित सà¤à¤˜ खोलेर आनà¥à¤¦à¥‹à¤²à¤¨ गरà¥à¤¨à¥ परà¥à¤²à¤¾ जसà¥à¤¤à¥‹ छ, डिà¤à¥€ पिडित जसà¥à¤¤à¥ˆà¥¤ कोहि छन अरॠपनि adsense पिडितहरà¥? lol
Nabin, if you are talking about operating blogs, then you should go to blogger.com which great and easy with Google Adsense.
Adsense Pidit Association! Interesting! Well, I have two accounts closed – one I tested with a false blogger account and clicked all the way to US$50 to find out what happens (no worry) another of UWB! because somebody repeatedly clicked on the ads and we could do nothing (it had much higher amount on it).
Using wrong keywords can get you in trouble so just stick with Google Adsense rules and you will be all right.
Yea, one has to hang on to the rules.
If you are quite knowledgeable about financial world and if you can write about them, open a blog related to that. I recently opened this blog health n finance and its kind of amazing because most of the clicks actually earn you more than a dollar per click.
And, you would not be penalized because your blog is actually about financial world. For top keywords I found myself, please check the article. You can also google it but I suggest you try it yourself.
So, just do your best…and leave the rest to the visitors…
If you’re interested in monetizing your blog, I highly recommend Problogger http://www.problogger.net/. This is a Blog that helps bloggers to add income streams to their blogs. Beside monetizing, it contains loads of useful information about blogging, SEO, writing content, designs tips, etc..
There is a relatively new blog by not so “new” guy. It is interesting, in the sense that it talks mostly about social issues.
Link is: http://sojhokura.blogspot.com
Thank you all. I now blog along with you.
Actually, I had asked him to start web logging.
Dear Ujjwaljee and Friends,
Thanks for this thread and good discussion. Regarding our blog, it is for all to see. We are trying to provide a platform to raise awareness against mafia culture developed by some academics in Nepal.
Pradhyapak
Also see http://www.anlus.wordpress.com and http://www.anlus.org
By the way, how will Adsense guys send you the money?
Will account in a Kathmandu bank work?
I got an Adsense account now. But I don’t know how to put or select the ads. May be I will learn it by myself.
Can anyone suggest how to display blogstats in blogspot?
Vahsek, Google will send the cheque every month if the payment is more than US$100 and so far I have been able to cash it in banks in Kathmandu though it takes a few days.
Ujjwal ji,
It seems this post has turned into how to earn money from google post. But, still, let me answer Vahsek.
Vahsek,
I checked your site. You can put upto 3 google content ads and in addition to that you can put one link ad and 4 other referral buttons in any page.
So, in your blogspot account, go to template-add page elements-adsense and choose the ad you want. You can place wherever you want around that page. However, you have to be much more familiar with html to play around with the template and put ads in-between posts and also to change the template to fit larger ads.
And, one more thing,
Do not ask your friends to click on your ads regularly,at least not from the same ip, nor without a referral from a search engine. Google is pretty smart and it can nail you down. For instance, if more people come to your blog directly as opposed to from other sites or google search and click on your ads, google can well ban your account.
Furthermore, report to adsense if you feel that someone is clicking your ads continuously for a number of times before you get an email from adsense team.
Good luck!!!
I tried to deal with the stuff. But was almost lost. I don’t know whether what I have done is satisfactory.
By the way, how to know whether someone is clicking the ads continuously for a number of times before I get an email from adsense team? Do people do such things deliberately to panic others?
Have a statcounter. Google it and put the code in your page element. You can then check the ips as well as the number of times they have accessed your site/page and the duration between those times.
This also shows how many people come to your site.
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