How I Blog My Life?

Again - copy from what I have published in Facebook: --

I have posted almost every day since I started to write around 4 years ago. I wrote a Technology note during this period after completing 'First Blog Years'. I thought it is time for another look at the blog world and how that has helped shape my thinking about technology, entrepreneurship and life.

The blog began around 2003. Like many others, I was inspired by my friends in Vrije Universiteit Brussels (VUB). I had been writing a daily column on my faculty journal for about couple of months then. I would end up reading a lot to get those written. My motive for writing was that it forced me into a discipline of reading and thinking about a broad set of technology areas - thus expanding my own horizons. More fundamentally, writing is something I have always liked and done.

When I was young (college days), I kept a daily. Every night, I would write a couple of hundred words on what happened during the day. It helped me reflect and get a bit of perspective as I was growing up. That habit continued somewhat infrequently during my UI and VUB days. Now, I write out a diary page once a week or two in my notebook. I find that writing about the world as I see it helps me think better. There are times when I am very happy or very sad - the writing helps me balance my emotions - usually I love to write poems to expressing it.

My love for technology writing found its first natural outlet in a fortnightly column I had started in Express Computer called 'Internauting' in early 1997. The column was inspired by a Red Herring daily column (I don't recall the name now). I wanted it to be daily because it would then become as much a part of my life as it would for my readers. That philosophy continues to this date - but now become more personal for me. When I came across the blog format in early 2003, I immediately liked it.

The free flow of thoughts on one's own site appealed to me. But it took me a few months to make the decision to re-start again my own new note thru this facebook - I wanted to make sure that I could have something new daily. In that sense, it was more news-paperish - because I wanted the blog to become a daily utility in the lives of my friends who wish to read it, especially for Rachael. I have now settled into a fixed style of blogging. At times, the series carries on for more than a week. On weekdays, I publish 1-3 additional posts which are mostly snippets of things I found interesting. On Saturdays, there are three more such posts while on Sundays, there are two. So, in a week, there are around ten blog posts on various topics mostly related to technology and life.

This routine has remained largely unchanged over the past year or so...well, I hope I can continue this later in the future as well. I create most of the other blog posts in advance so that I am not scurrying around in the morning trying to find items to publish! I spend time reading almost daily, and whenever I come across something interesting which I'd like to remember and share, I put it as part of the blog. At any given time, I have a dozen or so blog posts in 'draft' mode waiting to be published. Every morning, the decision is mostly about picking a section of those posts to be published on my blog note. This may not be blogging in the classical sense of the which is writing out one's thoughts.

The discipline of reading and blogging helps me build and extend my mental maps of the world of technology, entrepreneurshop and life. Comments help embellish this process... I hope. But, over the past year, the time available to me has reduced because of my works and other related family matters. I have had to give up a few things. But my commitment to blogging has remained unchanged.The blog reflects my interests. These have changed somewhat over the past four years. The focus on emerging markets and the use of new technologies has, however, remained constant.

My focus now is around two broad themes: building the mobile internet appropriately for users in emerging markets, and enabling computing as a utility. The first is about ensuring that the services that we use on the Internet via the PC can be made available to users suitably on the mobile. The majority of new Indian users will experience the Internet more on the mobile than on the PC. Asia has an excellent mobile data infrastructure, and that can create the foundation for a set of compelling information, communication and entertainment services primarily centred on the mobile.

Personally, my blogging will continue. I feel more comfortable writing than speaking. All in all, it has been a fascinating experience blogging, learning and meeting people in this community link - I, otherwise would probably never have come in contact with. That's one thing I'd like to go on and on and on.