What my name is

This story goes back a while. My family has been following a naming template for two generations now. Uncles, cousins, siblings, all follow (or are made to follow) the naming convention in the name of upholding family honour. As a result, we are called Mahendra, Upendra, Amarendra, Samarendra, and Vijayendra (me) respectively and in that order.

I was never comfortable with this arrangement. My mother tells me that at the time of my naming someone suggested Kumarendra and everyone almost went with it. Had a wise elder cousin not come up with my present name, I would be just another Mr. Kumar today.

Some time in my early teens, I decided to name myself. I wanted to call myself something that marked me as unique and not as a part of the Nepal royal family.

So, I did what young Tom Riddle did. I took my given name, and made my new name with it. I called myself Vimoh. It is sort of an acronym of my first and last name. In addition, it is Sanskrit for 'enrapture'. You may have heard of mythological sages and hermits getting all vimohit due to heavenly apsaras giving them private performances. The name stayed with me through my school life and college. It was one of my first email usernames. On many web services even today (like on stumbleupon), it remains the way I identify myself as.

Ironically, Vimoh may also mean 'free of attachments'. Sanskrit is a funny ancient language I know. I choose to go with the first version.

I have nothing against my mortal family and the given name. Just that I think one's name should be one's own.

Why you should plan for good times

Our culture places a great deal of emphasis on being prepared for bad times. We are warned against being too optimistic and told that it is foolish to think our plans will bear fruit. We are told to assume the worst and save up (if not give up).

As expected (awaited?), bad times come. No matter how prepared we are, we fall short of resources to deal with the situation - because hey - they are bad times. It wouldn't be right to call them bad times if they were easy to deal with, right?

You may have heard - 'Whatever you focus on, expands'. Do you think we might be asking for bad times?

I mean, how much more focussed on failure can we get? All we ever anticipate is things going wrong. All we ever see in our future is ourselves dealing with truckloads of troubles. We don't entertain even the faintest possibility of a grand success or lasting happiness.

It is almost as if we have accepted misery as the status quo and happiness as something that can only ever come rarely and never last for long.

Maybe the reason happiness doesn't stay is because we don't plan for its coming. We take great care in plotting out every detail about what we supposedly don't want to happen. But we just assume the good times will take care of themselves.

Let us then start by figuring out exactly what great things we want from our future. In gruesome and ludicrous-sounding detail!

If it is fame you seek, think about what you will do when you are famous. Imagine yourself surrounded by screaming admirers. Picture applause and accolades. Think which part of the day you will assign to replying to fan mail.

If you dream of prosperity, imagine all manner of worldly pleasures before you. Banglaa, gaadi, naukar chaakar and all that. Feel the state of mind that comes with financial abundance. Imagine what it would feel like to not have to worry about overspending.

And don't stop with the dreaming. Chalk out elaborate plans of daily routines you will follow when the fabled good times descend upon you. If your plan involves freedom, think what you will do with that freedom when you get it.

Visualisation is a powerful technique. One that has worked for me several times in the past. If you can get past the mental trap that prevents you from entertaining positive thoughts, it will work for you too.

What Sprite ads can teach you about winning

Sprite wins the cola ad wars. And it takes the trophy with a wise smirk. If ads affected my choice of soft drinks even one bit, I would probably be drinking Sprite right now.

Coke and Pepsi dazzle you with large-scale starry dreams, but it takes a Sprite ad to speak the language of simplicity and common sense. And common sense, being in such short supply already, takes the cake and eats it with relish. Here then, is what a Sprite ad can teach us about winning.

You don't have to 'win'

One of the lesser-remembered lessons from the kachhua-khargosh fable is that the hare ran needlessly fast too early. If he had conserved energy in the beginning, he could probably have dispensed with the need to doze off mere metres from the finish line.

Also, remember Cars, the animated movie? Who really won the final race? The loudmouth baddie? Or the good-natured hero McQueen? McQueen didn't win the race by crossing the finish line first. He did it by helping someone else win.

Sprite ads prove the futility of the 'first' tag. Technically you do need to be 'first' to win a race, but true victory comes from merit, wise choices, and value addition to the experience of the audience/ customer.

Wait and watch

What if you are the kachhua? What if, like the turtle, you lack the energy and resources to stay up to speed with the bigger players? Sad situation. The good news is, you have time on your side. You can wait and watch. You don't have to make the mistakes your fellow competitors make. Keep running as fast as you can. But don't sweat it. Instead, pay more attention to observing the one that went ahead.

Sprite's winning ad strategy uses this model. They let Pepsi and Coke make expensive, star-studded ads and then come up with the respective trademark Sprite spoof. You don't have to be a rocket scientist to tell which ads end up having more impact (or which ones cost less money to make).

Money won't help you win

Money may help, but it isn't the ticket to victory. Many people seem to work under the belief that dazzling audience with expensiveness is the way to their hearts. Not so.

What works is simple functionality. What works in the end are workable solutions. Things that allow the user/ consumer/ audience to connect to what is being offered. And because most of us live in a world where common sense still makes things go around, Sprite ads work.

Just to be clear about things, I don't drink colas. Not even Sprite. Lessons can be had from anywhere you care to look.

Dealing with Introverts and Extroverts

In her book, The Introvert Advantage, author Marti Olsen Laney, says the primary difference between introverts and extroverts is one of energy focus.

Extroverts draw their energy from outside themselves. A social gathering will freshen them up. They will be at their best when they are surrounded by people. They are drawn to public events out of sheer thirst for validation. An extrovert is essentially feeding himself off the outside.

Introverts on the other hand, draw their strength from inside themselves. Only in their own company, are introverts ever truly at home. Being in public drains them of energy and leaves them gasping for breath. In much the same way as an extrovert suffers in solitude.

Laney's book is a must read. Being an introvert myself, and also someone who finds himself surrounded by extreme extroverts several times a month, I consider myself a fair bit of an expert on the topic. I have walked the path extroverts walk and lived to tell the tale. Here it goes.

Dealing with Introverts

An introvert may look like he doesn't care for company. But he only looks like it. You could think of him as a sponge that absorbs data and impressions from all around him, all the time. He processes it in his own way. Even though it may not be obvious to you.

Not all introverts will be silent. Some will talk. But it will happen rarely and only in select company. An introvert probably won't open up if he doesn't know you well enough.

An introvert may sometimes be so focussed on a thought or feeling that his outward expression is affected. He may either look as if stoned / in a trance or too animated for no reason. Don't judge him by what he looks like.

Try and understand that introverts need space. Sometimes, even a loud presence counts as an intrusion. Don't be offended if the introvert shows signs of discomfort. It's not you. It's him.

All this is not to say that the average introvert is unsocial. The definition of society need not be a perfect fit for everyone. Introvert kids sometimes grow up with low self esteem because they think they should have been extroverts. Consideration helps.

Dealing with Extroverts

An extrovert may appear shallow and fickle, but he isn't. His way of life requires socialising. This depends on accepted 'party' templates.

Extroverts value relaxation. But it does not mean sitting quietly and contemplating the ceiling fan. That would probably kill them. They need to be in the middle of sights and sounds. They need to feel busy to feel relaxed. Hard to grasp for introverts but essential in order to understand extroverts.

Extroverts may have more problems with discipline. While an introvert may think rules make life easier, an extrovert sometimes considers them hindrances in his path. This does not usually mean extroverts are rule-breakers by nature. They assert freedom their own way. Just like introverts do.

Extroverts don't think as much as introverts do. They may even think out aloud. Don't let this make you think they are incapable of silence. They are merely more vocal creatures.

You may also think extroverts are dumb because they don't understand things you don't say. Just say things you want to say. They will like you better for it. Remember, a lot of things they 'say' don't make sense to you either.

One thing I have learned is that introverts and extroverts NEED each other. Try and imagine a completely introverted or completely extroverted circle of friends and you will see what I mean.

There are treasures both inside and outside one's self. To be too focussed on one means losing out on the other. We don't want that, do we? An occasional blink of curiosity, a nudge of understanding, and a passing smile that says, 'I get you!' will make us all rich.

Why TypeRacer is good news for writing

Last evening or thereabouts, Orkut came out of the closet and declared, "We have become Facebook!" Not that I mind. A good idea belongs to nobody. And social networking works best when there are games to be played. Sooner or later, you are bound to get tired of "hi!!! hru??" scraps.

I was particularly kicked by a social gaming application called TypeRacer. Once installed on your Orkut profile, it allows you to race your typing speed with your Orkut friends. And you are not just ranked on the basis of your speed. What is truly beautiful about TypeRacer is that it brings the much-ignored criteria of grammar and punctuation back into stark focus. I love it because of that.

I have always considered myself an able keyboarder. Last night, I realised I had been competing with the wrong kind of people. I logged an average of 35 words per minute in my first eight races. Someone who does text commentary for a cricket portal beat me black and blue in three fights.

I am still recovering. But I am not a sore loser. TypeRacer can be a boon to the state of online writing.

The state of writing in general (online mostly, but also offline) is, frankly speaking, sad. Writing 'hru' may be easier than 'How are you?'. But it sure as hell is not easier to understand.

Journalists, copywriters, sub-editors, teachers and students of English. These are the people generally considered guardians of the sanctity of the language. I would like to add bloggers to this list as well. But there is some distance to walk yet. I am not against errors. Mistakes happen.

But to embrace mistakes as a new way of doing things just because you consider yourself incapable of doing any better sounds irresponsible.

If TypeRacer becomes anything of a competitive fad, it will at least help the Orkut and chatroom crowds get over the belief that fast typing is the same as good communication.

TypeRacer is like a fussy chat friend who wouldn't pay attention to your IM's if you don't spell all the words exactly right. As someone who has seen resumes soaked in ignorance about what language is, I see great possibility in TypeRacer.

So then, I am up for a match. I am 35 w/m. Beat me? Be warned though. I am getting better at this.

The way to work productively

The legendary Oriya writer and poet Fakir Mohan Senapati had something of a bad childhood. As a boy, he used to love reading and was by far the best among his classmates. His tutor had no reason for complaint.

But when the month ended and the tutor went to his uncle for their wages (Senapati had lost his parents), the man refused to pay. He argued that the boy always looked happy. There were never any cane lash marks on his back like the other kids. He had never even been heard complaining or crying. Therefore, no manner of good teaching could possibly be happening.

From then onwards, towards the end of every month, young Senapati's tutor turned monster on him to earn his pay. And he got it. This much is history.

Sound impossible? Sound brutal? Think we are past all this and in an age where these things don't happen anymore? Look around you.

Do you complain about your job? Do you hate (or at least seriously dislike) your boss? Is this your idea of a perfect occupation? Or do you think you can't do (or don't deserve) better? I don't need your answers. You do.

The very idea that work can be fun scares many. I have seen parents grow suspicious of kids if they laugh at something they read in a textbook. If you are having fun with your work, you couldn't possibly be doing anything worth calling work. Overtimes have come to define efficiency. Productivity has become synonymous with slogging.

Somewhere, we have gotten to thinking that "fun" and irresponsible" are synonymous. Not so! Enjoying your life is the most responsible thing you can do. -- Barbara J. Winter (Author of Making a Living Without a Job)

The most productive people are also the happiest. True productivity starts with knowing what you want to produce and whether it is worth producing. True productivity is refreshing. It pumps energy into you like nothing else can. When you are at your productive best, you draw upon a part of you that doesn't understand the meaning of 'fatigue'.

If a state of real productivity is what you seek, perhaps you should start by enjoying yourself.

Why I judge a book by its cover

I judge books by their covers. This is not a metaphor. I really judge books by their covers.

I have been known to buy costlier editions of a book if the cheaper one didn't suit my visual tastes. I know what you will say. Anybody would say the same thing. So I won't say it.

Reading a book is an experience. A learning experience, an aesthetic experience, and a whole lot of other experiences that defy blogging. Being the detail-oriented (some have called me fussy) patron of reading that I am, I see my books as much more than what they can teach me.

The colours of the book's cover, the feel of the paper, the typeface on the cover AND the pages, have as much of a say in my decision about buying a book as the book's content, author and style.

I have a weakness for hardbound books. And for serif fonts. I am also highly biased in favour of light/bright covers. Dark colours on a book's cover turn me off (unless the book is hardbound of course).

I love a well-written blurb. It saves me a lot of trouble. I believe the blurb does 90 percent of the bookselling. This is why I hate it when they stick annoying little price labels right in the middle of a snappy blurb. I really care about the back cover people!

I like the Landmark/Crossword variety of music playing in the background when I am browsing for books to buy. It makes me feel special. It whets my appetite. Do I hear an "Oh please!" from you? There is little I can do about it. I am a product of the times.

A book didn't have to compete with video games, DVDs, VCDs, and websites in the days that quaint little bookshops did good business. Today, everything that comes out of a press goes up against an army of easy-to-use / easy-to-setup / easy-to-understand information products that have grown out of the general consumerist stupor of this age.

The book won't die. It might have to pick up arms though.

Why news is not news anymore

News, for a long time now, has been whatever the news channels choose to feed us. But things are different on the web. Think about it. What does news mean to you?

You look for news yourself. You are not dependent upon the mainstream media for collection and dissemination of news. You are free to skip all propaganda, all inanity, and all the talking heads that the MSM can throw your way.

You subscribe to news your own way. Independently, in a free and rich way. Your news is whatever you decide it is. Your friend's recent trip to Sikkim is news to you. Your favourite jokes or your daily horoscope can be news to you. This blog can be news to you (RSS link on the sidebar). Even your porn can be news to you!

You use RSS newsfeeds to stay updated of your news. You use newsreaders to organise and access your news. You even decide what news is worth talking about when you submit it to news aggregation services.

What's more? When you blog, you become news. Your text reaches the masses free of cost. Your videos entertain thousands. People send your photos to their friends because they like what they saw.

RSS, feed mashing, and free-to-use API keys have created an immense range of possibilities for you and me to access and use news. Perhaps even define news!

News does not belong to them anymore. It's ours!

How blogging can help career-building

Blogging is an obsessive craft. Some of the most passionate bloggers are full-time bloggers. Perhaps because of the fact that the Internet fosters thinking for yourself.

Most of us were brought up in a world where the majority opinion counts. The surprising thing about the majority opinion is that its roots are unknown. 'A government job is the way to go' your parents and relatives might tell you. Not because they have studied the benefits of government employment closely and compared it to all manner of jobs elsewhere. But simply because that is what they have been brought up to believe. That is what they have been told ever since they were old enough to spell 'JOB'.

I recently met a youngster who, at the age of twenty, didn't know what he was going to do with his life. He was a refreshing sight. All confused, and still determined not to go the way everyone else had. He likes talking about science. National Geographic, and Discovery Channel stuff. His biggest grouse with the world is that nobody 'gets' him. He would tell his plans (or lack of them) to his friends (people his age - his classmates) and get responses like, "You should get into engineering," or, "Don't dream of crazy things," or, "Come back to the real world."

Apparently, the real world comprises solely of engineers.

I got thinking about how well-suited the Internet is for those who refuse to let go of their uniqueness. Unlike in the real world, the accepted reality is not what the majority thinks it is. Reality is dictated by the maverick's interpretation. The web is a catalyst for great ideas. It is a place where a good idea can be itself, prove itself of use to millions and not have to fight 'accepted standards'.

What if the 20-year-old I just mentioned were online? What if he had a blog on which he wrote about popular science? What if he had a steady readership of... say... a 100 and grew it to a 1000 through regular and informative posts? He could turn it into a layman's science journal!

Imagine him networking with other science enthusiasts. Imagine him starting his own science quiz website and getting sponsorship from Nat Geo and Discovery. Or maybe he could get schools to pay him to organise science camps for kids. He could become a resource to TV channels and get featured on science shows as a guest. He could, in time, write books on various science topics.

Even if my optimistic dreams come up a little too short, his career would be more rewarding and useful than most engineers'.

Our schools need to take computer education to the next level. As it is, most kids learn on their own and end up knowing more than the folks who teach them. Talk to a teenager about gadgets and you will see my point.

The current system trains students to use the web like they would use the typewriter. Use Google to do homework. Use email to send your resume. Use chat and social networking to hang out with friends. No wonder Orkut and chat are seen as wastes of time.

We need to learn the web. All over again. The medium is the message.

What has blogging ever done for me?

A lot! Practically everything I have today, is due to blogging. And I am not talking money here. I am talking purpose and direction. I am talking meaning.

Listen to my story.

My first blog was an experimental web-based diary. It was hosted at a service called tBlog. Back then, I used to go to a cybercafe once a week to check my email and update my blog with whatever had happened in my life in the last seven days.

In time I graduated to blogging about stuff I found on the web. One of my pet obsessions was taking email services for test drives. I was a frequent poster on the Email Discussions forums. I did all of this for no other reason than my love for the web. Perhaps that is why this hobby has paid off so many times.

When I decided to pursue journalism, nobody was surprised when I chose New Media (it's about time they started calling it cyber media - it's not 'new' anymore). At the admission interview, I discovered I was one of the few who had made that choice. Everyone else was either into TV, or newspapers.

I also discovered, to my pleasant surprise, that no one had even heard of blogging. However, I like to believe that at least two of the faculty members had. My level of web-awareness got me an admission.

During the ten months long course, I realised I didn't like news writing. During those ten months, I learnt a lot about blogging as a social phenomenon. That was also the time when I attended my first ever bloggers' meet and made URL-friends. I was willingly consumed by blogging. Even my term-end dissertation was on blogging (I have forgotten the full title).

Then came job hunting. I didn't want to work for a dead-tree publication. I couldn't see myself as a TV person either. I insisted on an online gig. Nothing was forthcoming. So I sought out work as a copywriter in an online marketing agency. They managed the web presence of companies who couldn't be bothered to do it themselves. There was nothing social about it. We were practically making brochures.

I quit in a month due to a pestering old hag (my immediate superior). I thought she was loud and obnoxious. I also didn't like her because she sucked at computers and had no respect for them.

I started dreaming web dreams again. I was still unemployed. But I was blogging and was happy.

A couple of months later (during which I did nothing but write stories and send out my resume to web-based publications) I got an email from a major web portal. They had an opening for a sub-editor. I was also told that they were considering integrating news blogs into their regular package of offerings. I jumped at it. I suspect posting my blog URL on top of my resume had something to do with the job offer.

I liked my work and my new office. But during my stint as a sub-editor, I discovered many important things about the way my mind worked.

It was around this time that I started mypajama.com. It got me a fair reader base and I got constant and mostly positive feedback on my stories and essays. More importantly, I started imagining myself on my own. Doing what I pleased with my time and making a living for myself based on what I love doing.

Six months ago, I quit my job to write a book. What I feel right now, is indescribable. If you don't know what it is like being on your own, nothing I say will make it real for you. I spend my day reading and writing. Taking breaks in between to do the work that brings me my monthly pay.

And I owe it all to the hobby I picked up in a cybercafe five years ago. And it was costing me 40 rupees an hour back then. Those were the days! These are the days!

Why Twitter beats everything else

Let us try and answer a simple question: Why Twitter?

Time and again I have tried to explain to my friends why Twitter is worth their attention. Time and again I have been defeated, left to smoulder in the fires that screen the nature of Twitter. In this post therefore, I will try to prove why Twitter beats everything else.

(I posted a slightly more unedited version of this post over at the Authority Blogger forums. You can read it here.)

The thing about Twitter is that it seems to be one thing. But it can actually be many things. The thing that really puts it in league with the most powerful tools out there is the limits it has. Allow me to explain.

Twitter vs G-Talk

Let's face it, Google Talk is not the most productivity enhancing of programs. Quite the contrary in fact. I never get anything done when my signal is green on G-Talk. I can do a lot of things with it but all I ever manage is distraction.

Twitter on the other hand, is not pushy. It runs silently in the background with a pop-up (I use the Tweetr desktop client) when there is an update. I am under no obligation to respond. It feels good to be connected to my online circle without having to make an effort.

Twitter vs digg / del.icio.us

As far as social bookmarking goes, newbie blogs don't get a lot of attention. The process goes thus: One is frequent on digg or del.icio.us - one stumbles upon a cool link - one likes it - if one has time, one bookmarks it - one moves on probably never to come back. This might work for Google ADdled blogs, but I feel it is unwise to expect a regular readership that frequently bookmarks your posts. Especially if your blog is new.

How the link sharing method ON Twitter improves on the above is that it is something akin to an RSS subscription. You don't wander the web in search for goodies. You discover a person! You follow his/her likes or dislikes. True, there are people who scarcely post anything other than their own blog posts. But they are easily identifiable and 'unfollowing' isn't really rocket science.

Twitter vs Facebook / Myspace / Orkut

Do I really need to spell this one out? Seriously?

If anything, social networking sites are becoming more bewildering by the day. And to think they were supposed to make life easier! Gah! Whether it be Facebook app requests, or Orkut communities spam. A useful social networking experience seems to be the last thing on anybody's mind.

On Twitter, the only ones on my radar are the ones who are 'actually' social. As for communication, there are two modes -- private, and public. The basics. Couldn't ask for more.

Twitter vs Blogging

Twitter and blogs are NOT fighting. In my case at least, Twitter has proven a source of many ideas. In fact, Twittering feels like contributing to an enormous worldwide team blog. Everyone is on the same page (so to speak) and everyone has free rein.

Join Twitter! If you need more explaining, watch Twitter in Plain English (video).

Why you shouldn't get a pen drive

My friend Pratap is getting a pen drive so he can sleep safe in the knowledge that his precious documents are in no danger. I told him there is no point. He asked me why. I kept quiet. I love scaring the crap out of him!

But here is my point. If you are into portability, then a pen drive makes sense. But safety? What is it about a pen drive that makes it safe?

I am reminded of the days when Google had just launched Gmail. The industry standard was raised so fast and so drastically that the whole email provider community was caught off balance and disoriented. While people begged complete strangers for a Gmail invite, many providers still advertised their POP3 and IMAP facilities, unaware that much of it will be all but obsolete in the coming years.

Gmail took time to load in the browser. It was a sign of what was to come -- high-speed Internet. And not just high-speed, 24-hour Internet. Much of India was still on dial-up back then.

You may have noticed this sometimes. When you are in front of your computer and get a phone call and have to note something down, you instinctively start looking for a notepad and pencil. You ignore completely the keyboard and monitor right in front of you!

In due time, people forgot to talk in MB terms and started using GB instead. But the obvious connection never occurred to them. Gmail is a storehouse!

If Pratap typed out all his documents in Gmail's compose mode and saved them as draft, his sleep would be sounder (and his snoring louder, ugh, don't remind me). Gmail will take practically any file format. Anything you can attach to an email, you can store on Gmail. Plus, unlike a pen drive, you can't lose Gmail. It won't melt down, wouldn't have hardware issues, or short circuit. It is practically foolproof.

I think it makes a lot more sense to entrust your data to Google's servers than any local drive or pen drive. Now to go get this into Pratap's head.

How to write keyword-rich posts

In case you don't know or don't care about keyword-rich text, here is why at least some of you should. Don't worry. This is not technical.

Even if you belong to the artsy few who just write for themselves, you would agree that more people reading your blog is probably a good thing. In any case, if you are positively paranoid about people reading your writing, you wouldn't be blogging. Text that is rich with keywords gets search engine bots' attention. By 'rich' I mean a piece of writing that contains a lot of topical words or phrases relating to the key topic being covered.

There are ways to measure the 'keyword density' of an article. But as I said, I am not getting technical here. I am about to tell you two very simple, all-too-human ways of making sure your posts (if they are indeed about something) are keyword rich.

First rule - don't worry about keywords. You will find sites that are so desperate to rank high on Google their text looks absurd and defies all sense of good grammar and usage. While it might make sense for a banana related site to splatter the visitor's screen with "banana milkshake, banana cream, banana salad, banana gravy, banana banana, mad banana, blue banana, banana memories, alien banana conspiracy" and the like, it certainly makes for tedious reading if you are not carrying your sense of humour with you. It would also be cruel to those who might be Googling for a rare banana recipe to revive their ailing grandmother. But I digress, which conveniently, brings me to my second point.

Never digress. Or at least try not to (heh heh... embarrased shuffling of feet). Good web writing sticks to one point and one point only. Decide what you want to convey, and then start writing. When you have said what you have to, stop. It is that simple (or not, depending on how you feel about brevity). If you take on more things than you can handle in one article, you will find your focus shifting. Keyword-wise, you create too big a bowl to put your idea in. Search engine bots are not known for their patience. A direct and to the point approach will get their attention.

I understand this approach is not for creative writing. Been there, done that. But if your blog is information or commerce based, this will help. And now, excuse me while I fret about people reaching this blog after searching for bananas.

What blog design does

Browsing the well-made pages of Indiblogger.in today, I was struck by their badges. They got me thinking. The badges are little (or not so little) graphics that the website lets users put on their respective blogs as a mark of membership.

Each badge makes a statement. Whether you are a homemaker, a techie, a gamer, or a traveller, there is a badge for you to flaunt. Even if you are undecided, you will very likely find a badge to suit your blog.

Coming down to the basics however, a badge is only a design element. If we manage to find the reason why people put up badges on their blogs, we will know what the purpose of design is (or at least what the generally accepted definition is).

People display badges to make a statement. Those who blog to speak their mind find badges an easy way of making some basic facts clear. "I am a rock fan!" or; "I love my bike." Things like that.

Trouble is, a lot of blogs I stumble upon are so crammed with such 'statements' that the point is all but lost. I might stick around if the blogger is reasonably well-known or if I went there looking for something particular. Otherwise, I would mostly just move on.

Most surfers are ruled by basic needs. They wander the web in search of things to read, gawk at, and use. Your content is what will feed their needs. Think of your writing as medicine and your design as the capsule that contains it. The capsule can be any colour you want. But it would not serve its purpose if it is too unshapely to be swallowed with ease.

In addition to needless badges, you might also want to rethink heavy images (especially full-page backgrounds), javascript chatboxes, and flash-based widgets. Drop them if you think you can do without them.

A blog's design can be as arresting a tool as the writing itself. But it will do your blog no good if it starts fighting your content for the reader's attention.

Why word limits are good for you

Prose is architecture, not interior decoration -- Ernest Hemingway

One of the drawbacks I have seen in newbie bloggers is that they are full of words. These are people who have recently immigrated from paper-notebook-land.

They have not been exposed to format-less writing. Before they start, they classify what they are going to write into categories like article, essay, travelogue etc. All of these come with predefined word limits attached to them. What's more? Such word limits are often on the expansive side.

Whoever heard of a 100-word essay? That is not how essays are written. They might say.

Some say the web is characterised by most surfers' low attention span. As a surfer myself, I think that is a load of dragon droppings. If I find an article that is useful to me, I will obviously stick around to complete it.

Of course, it is quite a different matter if the article in question, in spite of being valuable information, is so drawn and dull that I would sooner choke on carrots than finish it.

So it ends up being a matter of readability. And that my friend, is what we are talking about. There are indeed writers who can write 1000-word-long blog posts and still hold our attention. But relatively unknown folk like you and I stand a better chance at keeping the surfer's attention if we are quick about whatever point we want to make.

Think of a short blog post as sitting down in front of your reader and talking to him while looking him/her in the eyes. A long piece of writing on the other hand, is like speaking to a crowd of followers at your own pace (possibly even looking dreamily towards the sunset).

Sticking to a word limit of... say... something around 320 words, will eventually earn you the repute that you need to write a few thousand words and still be read.

Why copywriters make good bloggers

I have noticed that copywriters take to blogging with more ease than any other race of sentient species. I have seen students quit their blogs because of exams. I have seen journalists look upon blogging with a condescending downward gaze. Office-goers of all types are known to have been fired for blogging unpleasant truths.

I feel copywriters are fuelled by the enormous amounts of pent up creativity that their profession never lets them exercise. I can tell you from experience that the shimmering maid that invites you into copywriterland makes many false promises to the clueless newbie.

The newbie wants to write. And here is a line of work that would pay him to write. It sounds too good to be true. It is.

There is a certain amount of soul-selling involved. But in the middle of all the selling that a copywriter does, the soul eventually becomes just another commodity. I should know. I have written copy for banner ads and pop-ups. God forgive me!

Small wonder than, that the copywriter turns to the blog. He can't afford to scoff at its low origins and its mostly peasant patronage. And he can't let it rank lower than his current top priority (selling bank accounts by way of lying to people) for fear of losing what little is left of his soul.

His blog becomes his playground. A place where he runs wild and does what only he can do -- write like himself.

Why I dislike news on TV

Why is it that all news channels show me rubbish? And it is the same rubbish. Over and over and over again. All day long, into the night, and all through the week.

Is it something about our collective looks? Do we seem to scream, "We are bull-headed freaks who enjoy nothing more than D-grade cinematic entertainment thinly disguised as news..."?

And it is not even as if they are sending sunshine into our lives (though the cheery newsreaders certainly seem to think so). In the name of keeping me informed, they regale me with the exploits of their daring reporters (read 'insensitive gossipmongers') and expect me to 'stay tuned'.

I don't mind 'up to the minute updates', but I am sure a celebrity stomachache is not what that is. It is not national debate material and it is not something I should have to watch over breakfast.

If this is news, carry on by all means. But please start calling it what it really is -- theatre. And sound apologetic to the theatre people when you do that.

What about those who like sex?

I don't get the point about having to ban everything that reminds us that we are sexual creatures, but let us not get stuck at that.

The guardian of public morality sees something that turns him on and feels ashamed. He then proceeds to effect a nation-wide ban on the aforementioned 'something' on the grounds that it is detrimental to Indian culture and harmful to the young generation. I get it. It makes perfect sense.

But what about me? What about us? What about those who like sex? Those who can't get enough of turn-ons. Those who are not the up and coming young generation.

Do we have rights? Is it within my rights to enter the guardian's house, smash his furniture and then pick up a piece of it and smash his skull with it?

We are both citizens of the same nation, right? If he can block my access to my pleasures, I want to be able to make him pay for it.

My Web Writing Portfolio

This is a list of my writings elsewhere on the web. Some of it is from my time as a journalist. Other works owe their origin to my far reaching online journeys and fun flings with various websites.

NEWS

Bloggers beware: You're liable! -- An article written for Rediff.com about the legal liabilities of bloggers in India.

How the Internet Dealt with Katrina -- A news article on the online relief measures taken all over the world to aid the victims of the hurricane Katrina that hit New Orleans in 2005.

I will stand by Sanjay: Priya Dutt -- News report on a press conference addressed by Priya Dutt, the then Congress candidate from the Mumbai northwest parliamentary seat.

REVIEWS


Osamu Tezuka's Buddha: Impressions -- Review of the epic 8-part graphic novel series Buddha created by Osamu Tezuka. Buddha is a shining example of how the story can say the message and still hold its own ground.


Movie Review: Iron Man -- Review of the 2008 Iron Man live action movie. Its simple and does what it is meant to. All hopes on the Avengers movie now.


Movie Review: The Spiderwick Chronicles -- Review of the fantasy cinematisation of the children's book of the same name. The movie was tight with all manner of wonders. Worked very well.

Don't Miss Transformers! -- Review of the blockbuster movie 'Transformers'. One comment to this article says, "This person, who wrote the review is an idiot. He just likes movies Hollywood style. Who gave him this job, he should be kicked out..." It's not that bad really!

This Darwaza falls apart -- Review of Ram Gopal Varma's sad-and-sorry attempt at comedy 'Darwaza Band Rakho. Hated it. Said so.

Percy Jackson is Back! -- Review of the second book in the Percy Jackson trilogy of fantasy novels for young adults written by Rick Riordan. This was published in the Rediff official book blog.

On Narnia - The Lion, The Witch & The Wardrobe -- Not really a review. More like a first impression on the first Narnia movie published on Desicritics.org when I was still a member there.

TUTORIAL

How to Market General Blogs -- A blog tutorial kind of article I wrote for bloggst.com some time back. It offers tips to promote and brand blogs that do not cover a specific topic or issue.

Why they won't quit their jobs

G spent a lot of money on the journalism course he did. He believed in journalism back then and his parents were happy to let him follow his dream.

Now he is sick of the fakery and the make-believe. He says he can't quit because of all the money that he spent and all the money that he is making.

T says he has obligations to fulfill and he can't do them justice that if he is following his dream. He feels he can't make his parents happy if he follows happiness himself.

P says she can't quit her job because she can't bear to live in the uncertainty that comes with being self-employed. She refuses to let go of all the stress her current job piles up on her because of the money thay are paying her.

S doesn't have a job yet. He edits his resume before sending it to prospective employers. He adds 'customer compliance' into the table labelled skills.

A thinks being on his own is too much of a risk. He goes to work everyday listening to good music and then berates himself for not being able to concentrate at work because the music won't leave him.

They are all well-paid people. What more could they ask for?

Who is this blog for?

This blog is about ideas. Simple ideas put across in plain text. Ideas on writing, personal growth, the web, media, and being an average Joe in our world. My name is Vijayendra Mohanty and I write this blog for you.

But who are you?

You are the office-goer, the newspaper-reader, the parent, the student, the bus/train-taker. You are the business-owner, the buyer, the consumer, and the voter. You are the one who makes it all work. And you are more than all of it put together. This blog intends to help you discover parts of you and your world. Little by little. One hint at a time.

What does this blog's name vimoh mean?

When I was a boy, I named myself Vimoh. It is an acronym made of my first and last names. In Sanskrit it means both 'enrapture' and 'free of attachments'. Besides, its a cool handle!

And who am I?

I am an ex-web copywriter and sub-editor. I have been online and blogging for more than three years now. You can check out mypajama.com to see more of my writing. This blog is my latest home on the Internet. Also check out my web writing portfolio.

I read an average of three books per week. I love explaining things. I have been called insightful (among other things) and I love helping people. I am vegetarian. I don't smoke and I don't drink. By day I freelance as a web writer. By night I work on my book. Its a fantasy novel (in case you were wondering).

You can subscribe to this blog via the RSS feed, or by email. You can also follow this blog's updates by following me on Twitter. Use Twitter to leave comments and join in the discussion. Just do an - @vimoh

I hope this blog proves itself of use to you. I am glad to have you here. Thank you for coming!