Tag Archives: A-List

Desi Blogging Cafe: Patrix from Nerve Endings Firing Away

Thursday, May 10th, 2007

DesiBlogging Cafe Patrix is an urban planning doctoral student at Texas A&M, the founder of DesiPundit and a self-confessed Shyamali Malakar fan. Patrix blogs at Nerve Endings Firing Away.

I have already written about why I love Patrix’s blog -

- Patrix has an intuitive understanding of how conversations are created on blogs, and, as I try to understand the nature of online conversations myself, I find myself looking up to him as something of a guru.
- Patrix has an innate curiosity about technology and popular culture and the ability to write from an enthusiast’s perspective, something any blogger would do well to emulate.
- Patrix is one of the most generous people I have known, online or offline, and, via DesiPundit and his own blog, he has probably done more to promote desi blogging than anybody else.

Patrix belongs to the second most widely seen species of desi bloggers, the doctoral-student-blogger (the first, of course, is the journalist-blogger) and I’m sure that you’ll meet many more bloggers from this species in the ‘Desi Blogging Cafe’ interview series.

Patrix

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Desi Blogging Cafe: Jammy Rajan from Ouch My Toe!

Wednesday, May 9th, 2007

DesiBlogging Cafe Jamshed Velayuda Rajan, or Jammy Rajan, is based in Chennai, works for an Internet major, blogs at Ouch My Toe and is one of India’s funniest bloggers.

I have already written about why I love Jammy’s blog -

- Jammy manages to do that rare thing - being personal and funny at the same time - and every post on this blog is laugh out loud funny.
- Jammy has one of the best 404 error page I have seen on a desi blog. Reminds me that I have to work on mine.
- Jammy does innovative little things to engage his readers, like offering a Best of Ouch My Toe PDF file for download, asking readers to pick a topic for him and putting subscription and archive buttons within his posts.

Jammy, I feel, is the perfect follow-up to Jai, because of the contrasts between them in terms of their backgrounds, their content and their style of writing. It will be my endeavour in ‘Desi Blogging Cafe’ to explore this diversity in desi blogging.

Jammy Rajan

Q. When and why did you start blogging? Has the reason why you blog changed over time?

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Desi Blogging Cafe: Jai Arjun Singh from Jabberwock

Tuesday, May 8th, 2007

DesiBlogging Cafe Jai Arjun Singh is a New Delhi-based freelance writer/ journalist/ blogger. Jai works part-time with the Business Standard newspaper, blogs at Jabberwock and is mainly known for his erudite reviews of books and movies.

I have already written about why I love Jai’s blog -

- Nobody else writes as prolifically or as beautifully about books and movies as him.
- His interviews are more personal and insightful than any other I have read on desi blogs.
- He manages to make even his rants read like literature.

Jai, I felt, was the perfect person to start off the ‘Desi Blogging Cafe’ interview series because he is the perfect example of the desi A-list blogger/ journalist, a species you’ll often come across at ‘Desi Blogging Cafe’.

Jai Arjun Singh

Q. When and why did you start blogging? Has the reason why you blog changed over time?

A. I started in September 2004. Initially I thought I would use it mainly as an online “storehouse” for some of my published articles and reviews, for easy access and reference. But over time that function changed: I found myself increasingly writing fresh things purely for the blog, whether in the form of personal posts, general observations or notes about books, films etc.

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Desi Blogging Cafe is Open Now!

Sunday, May 6th, 2007

Yesterday, I played a trick on you that TV channels all over the world have perfected -

I’m pleased to announce that I have finally found a format for the ‘Desi Blog of the Day’ series I am fully satisfied with. It’s intimate, it’s interesting, it’s insightful, and it has never been done in desi blogging before.

And now that I have your full attention, I’ll leave you precariously balanced at the edge of your chairs, until tomorrow. :-)

Watch out for Desi Blogging Cafe!

Today, instead of teasing you more, I’ll give you - (music building up into a crescendo) Desi Blogging Cafe (loud applause)!

Desiblogging Cafe

Have you ever wanted to know more about your favorite desi bloggers? Have you ever wished that you could ask them how they started blogging, what they have learned from blogging, even how much money they make from blogging(!)? Have you ever wondered if they are as interesting in real life as they are on their blogs?

If the answers to those three questions is ‘yes’, you would love ‘Desi Blogging Cafe’! Because, at ‘Desi Blogging Cafe’!, you’ll get to know your favorite desi bloggers like you have never known them before!

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The New Interview Etiquette

Friday, April 27th, 2007

What do you do when a journalist asks you for an interview?

Well, if you are an A-list blogger, you insist that you’ll do the interview only by e-mail (Jason Calacanis) or offer to blog about the topic and let the journalist quote from the post (Dave Winer).

Now, I’m not a A-lister yet, so I just do half a dozen little jumps around the room every time a journalist asks me for an interview. When I do become an A-lister… ;-)

Also See: Jason Calacanis (rejoinder), Dave Winer, Michael Arrington, Fred Vogelstein (rejoinder), Techmeme, Jeff Jarvis, Wired, Dan Gillmor, Valleywag, Heather Green.

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A-Listers vs. Blue-Collar Bloggers

Wednesday, March 28th, 2007
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Tony Hung has the last word on the “A-listers vs. blue-collar bloggers” debate he started by saying that being an A-lister isn’t about blogging ability, or traffic, or Adsense earnings, or being highly regarded; it is about leveraging your real-life persona to act as an influencer online.

Here’s my take - if you didn’t start blogging in 2002 (or before that), and if you are not a celebrity in your own right, forget about being on the A-list and find other definitions of blogging nirvana.

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