What is a Blog?

by

Although I keep the TV on most of the time recently to follow the latest updates on the war in Lebanon, I can’t say that I watch much TV because I usually prefer to spend my time doing other things. However, a few days ago I had the misfortune to watch a one-hour live talk show on a local station. The show discussed blogging, and the two guests were a newbie blogger who has been blogging for nearly four months, and another blogger who has been trying to make himself an official leader in a medium where people are more concerned to express their individuality and voice their opinions rather than being led.

The young host did not seem very tech-savvy, but he was smart enough to ask some good questions. One of these questions was asked to the self-proclaimed leader about the unrealistic idealism he is promoting and the many restrictions he is trying to enforce that might send his herd away from him. The answer to this question was mostly blah blah, and I could not stop myself from bitterly smiling when he said: differences between sects in Islam are a fact, and we have absolutely no problem with this at all. This can, and should, be true, except for that this very same person has no problem with calling other sects and their followers with derogatory names regularly on his blog.

The talk show was not a joy to watch by a blogger who has a high interest in the topic like me, let alone for non-bloggers, and even though they looked like they were begging for viewers to call by showing the phone number on the screen annoyingly every few seconds, no on called.

My favourite moment of the show came at the end of it, when the host asked the other guest with much anticipation and a genuine desire to learn, and the look of a puzzled boy on his face: “so, do you mean a blog is a website?” My immediate response was: duh! But then I painfully sighed to the realization that one hour of uninterrupted speeches was not enough for the glorious twosome to answer the most basic question: what is a blog? Because this one hour, which seemed much longer to those who had to endure it, was wasted on shameless self-promotion and useless factually flawed generalizations.

It is one thing to appear in our already corrupted unreliable mainstream media because you are connected enough to grant some time on the air to say whatever on your mind regardless of the absence of value introduced to the audience, and entirely another thing to make the media come after you because you have actually done something worth talking about.

13 thoughts on “What is a Blog?”

  2. I’m not passing judgments on others here, this is strictly my opinion. You need to watch it yourself to make up your mind.

  3. I never watched the show, but I think it’s the same one that a friend of mine told me about. He said they just made fools out of themselves, no surprise there.

    btw, I was interviewed by bbc radio (and unlike the little prick you mention, I didn’t have to go running after them ;p) and when they asked me who I thought would be a great candidate for their show, I suggested they speak to you. Did they contact you?

  4. I second Jo..if there is anyone with a good reputation I think inside and most definitely outside KSA it would be you. I think you represent saudi bloggers very well (inspite of the difference of opinions amongst them) and are a better and much more worthy subject for interviewing than especially those two..tsa! Let me know when you do get interviewed by the BBC..I am sure they’d rather deal with someone who’s tech and blog savvy who’s already has had some media exposure. Plus, I guess being recommended by Jo can’t hurt either!
    Ingrid

  5. ههههه أهلا بصديقي العزيز الذي فتحنا مدونته ..
    يقول الشاعر :
    إذا أتتك مذمتي من ناقص ، فهي الشهادة لي بأني كامل ..
    لذلك أشكرك على إطرائك اللطيف ، وعلى تلك المشاعر الفياضة ..
    هناك مقابلة أخرى معي غداً الأحد الساعة التاسعة والنصف على قناة المجد في برنامج حياة تك ، أود الحصول على ملاحظاتك :P ..

  6. Jo, they have actually interviewed me a few days ago. Thanks for recommending me.

    Ingrid, Thanks for the compliment.

    Green Tea, I don’t usually respond to off-topic comments, but here you go anyway: 1) I’m not your friend, 2) You did not unblock my blog, unless you were the one who blocked it in the first place, and 3) You are not welcome in this blog.

  8. I think you meant “Shabab X Shabab” show. In case you meant this show, let me tell you frankly that this show is one of the most boring shows. I’m sorry and ashamed to tell you that this really reflects the general saudi shabab’s way of thinking.

    what are we charcterize with:
    – Idealism.
    – Comity.
    – Going far from the fact.
    – LIES !

    I cannot watch these shows, I better watch Rotana TV at least I enjoy the moment.

    but really we have problem ! I mean the liberals. We always criticize those we conseder them as “reactionaries”. While they reach the media & convey their voices to the society !
    they have projects & plans .. while we have only Keyboards .

    Nice post ahmed.

  9. u r really a typical Saudi blogger! I hardly found one true sentence in this topic!!
    1st: It wasn’t a “live” show!! it’s a well known tech show for non-tech savvy audience.
    2nd: So.. the numbers they kept to show weren’t to urge audience to call, but to have their feedback, Which I believe would be highly appreciated from thousands who had never heard the “blog” word.
    3ed: I repeat, u r typically Saudi liberal, trying just to disagree with everything, have no ethics in writing.

    I’ll not be surprised if I didn’t c my comment, I don’t know how and why I came here! and it was as usual.. an empty Saudi blog!

  10. 3ed: the host didn’t ask “so, do you mean a blog is a website?”, but what he really said: “Do you mean the blog is same like a “personal website”? I believe u r a “tech-savvy” enough to recognize the difference between the two questions, but u r either not honest enough to convey the truth, or not good enough in transplantation!

    4th: it wasn’t a one hour talk show, that was only one 15 minutes-segment on the one hour magazine-like TV show. It’s Hayatech Show on Almajd TV, which is not “local” as u describe it, it has an international audience, the saudies are the most, as to many other channels, but not the whole.

    I don’t know if there is one thing true in this blog.
    By the way.. do u know the meaning of being a “liberal” as u consider yourself?
    Duh!

  11. … and what a typical behaviour of those who would come to insult others here to hide themselves behind anonymity. I don’t need to waste time responding to your comment because it is based on nothing: you are talking about a different show on a different channel. So next time before going accusing others of lying and lack of ethics, read carefully, at least to be faithful to your not-so-liberal beliefs.

  12. Ok.. i’m sorry!
    Can u please correct me and tell me what’s the show u were talking about?
    Or.. it’s not ethical to tell program and tv names?

    i think u think that we r all anonymous in this virtual world, either with names or without, so why should I bother myself putting a name everyone consider it as a nick one!

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