Citizen Journalists and the Bloggers

There are two segments of writers who have been immensely popular with advent of Internet, that opened the opportunity for them to express their views on several web media. These are Citizen Journalists and the Bloggers. If we look at both these writers in their individual capacity and perspective of selling their write-up, they have all the ingredients into their write-up to be saleable and appealing. Then the question obviously arises, what stops them to be the writer in traditional media. May be the lack of platform to launch themselves and sustain continuously.

However, there is another element also that contribute to the fact they can not show allegiance to a particular ideology, person, community or organization, which at times can be a limiting factor for them to be the part of the traditional media. Traditional media by and large run by some guided principles of some ideology, group or the organization, may be political or apolitical. Whatever the bold face they show to be independent and impartial, it is well understood by the people that they are not.

Moreover, people have their own views and they are stung by inspiration to hear, read and listen to the news and views that they like to hear. For the people, unbiased opinion from media is impossible because that is run by a set of people and who have their own ideology, which reflects into their writing. Therefore, people in the media support a particular ideology to feed the desire of certain sets of people in public, which suit their liking or disliking. Rightly once described by a traditional media punch line, “We bring the news what people wants to know”. Don’t take any other meaning of it. This is nicely intended to bring you the news to satisfy your psych. You want certain politician to be cowed down, business people to be called the blood sucker of the society, police to be branded the biggest criminal in uniform and many more. All that might be there in the media, which you choose to hear or listen to.

In spite of the prevailing fact, there are some people in the public who are in belief that media means the truth and writers are the custodian of society to fight corruption, rights of the people and disparity by way of their writing. I would doubt any such writer and media exist in this world. However, there have been some speedy changes obvious that Internet has provided platform for writers on citizen journalism web site and on the blog site to post their blogs. That have led the way as an opportunity for even the commoners to air their views and prevailing state of reality which is guarded by the so called press. Everyone has equal opportunity on the Internet.

Citizen journalism has existed in the pocket areas of the globe from the long time and it was because of outcry of the left out issues of the people and apathy of the authority to address that. However, not much was seen in terms of popularity or in terms of being a stakeholder in the media. But Internet has changed the face of it by providing every netizens a chance to be a citizen journalist and to be a part of the movement.

Today, there are many citizen journalism sites, which offer you the challenge of being an acclaimed writer. Type the word in google and you get hundreds of sites in different regions. The beauty is that these citizen journalism sites might be part of regional news and views, yet they have global presence by default. It is here that someone who wants to realize their dream of being unbiased and independent can do so to some extent. Although, these sites provide you ample opportunity to be the writer of the spelling truth; it does not provide you the earnings of the traditional media.

Blogging is another new opportunity for writers of all sorts to try their hands in different forms of writing to be the feed for the readers who look for the beauty on the Internet. You need not spend money having your site to post your blogs, you get it free of cost. Freedom of expression is that you can write anything and everything abiding by the compliance of Internet policy which does not allow you to hurt the feelings of the people of any region, use hate and defame people by name without having enough evidence. This freedom is free to use and not to misuse.

Today, around 10 million bloggers are running their blog site around the globe. I agree that most of them are inactive. But still the active blog sites are enough for the people to keep them busy on the net. Some bloggers are such brilliant writers that even the professional writers will have to shy away comparing their writing with them. In modern times, bloggers are giving tough competition to the traditional writers.

If analyzed, citizen journalists and bloggers are the ones, who have bigger stake in the Internet media. The message is loud and clear that so called writers have competition and it is not only with a few. There are many standing face to face and many in waiting. Be the part of the revolution, if you like writing. It cost you nothing except your time and thought but it might make a difference.

Writing: A passionate hobby

Hobby is what we like doing and enjoy while doing it. Definitely what we like doing is driven by some kind of urge, which to me, is passion. Passion brings richness to our heart, feeling of happiness, satisfaction of our mind and accomplishment of unintended milestones. Passions could bring the perfection and attainment of super height of achievement and deeper feelings of contentment. I bet, passion means many things to many people but nothing less than the excellence, which is ought to be there. Again the degree of excellence will vary depending upon the time spent on our passionate hobby.

I personally believe that writer neither can be created nor can be made, they just happened to be the writer. To some extent, I too believe that writers are born writers and remain hidden until they discover themselves that they can write. Writers too are different human beings and think differently from their peers, friends, soul mate and the society as a whole. Most of the writers begin their journey of penning down their first write-up or article and making their first appearence only when their feeling bursts out of their mind and wants to find a channel to vent this out. They write and communicate this to media for the public consumption.

As a first time writer, it is more of inquisitiveness and nervousness that write-up is published or not rather than the purpose accomplished through it. This is the time when one realizes the potential of his / her own writer and rate themselves honestly. Not that this is the first time they have written something worth or expressed something in their write-up. They very well know that they wrote many successive exam papers while they cross over their academics and the score and grade speaks volume about the fact that they can write.

However, this is the first time they might be facing the public through their write-up and nervousness is bound to bother them. But what they discover is something they never knew, believed and noticed until the day they saw their first write-up published.

Most often our writing hobby takes this route to surface in our image and we outgrow from the tag of being first time writer to be the writer first. But to some, the professional praise does not come so early. They do not get published at very first occasion. Do you think the fire of their passion dies down? If they truly love writing and if it is not just as a casual approach, they keep striving hard unless they prove their metal. In both the cases it is well found hobby, which one like to pursue.

To me, writing as hobby, I have cherished from the time I began reading (except the textbooks). I truly envy good writers who write beautifully with clear thought and good language. Though envy but love to read them, imbibe good arts of writing from their creation, love to appreciate them through reviews written for them. The good part of the whole episode is, writer look good when their writing is appreciated and loved by the reader. The internal beauty is more on display than their external beauty; rather external beauty does not matter at all for them. They are not judged as person because of their personality but because of their writing. An ugly looking person can be a beautiful writer and his or her beauty will be judged by their writing and not by their looks. Writing describes of being beautiful than looking beautiful.

Passion for writing percolates bringing out uncontrollable emotions, language of beautiful mind, dormant and oppressed people’s opinion, their inner voice, challenges of life, and many more things. Writing can create an everlasting impact on readers mind and it can be stored for longer time. Even if the readers write them off as rubbish, it remains as reference material.

As a hobby, writing is also a medium of self-expression. Many untold things can explicitly be the part of your writing; many contradictions have a place in your writing. The good part is that you say many things without facing the crowd. All this thing I intend to do with my writing too. I agree that I am not an acclaimed writer and have not been published as yet, but there is no harm taking writing as my passionate hobby. At least I will have no complains shying away from my self-expression.