Offline

Travel, desperate deadlines, meetings- have all contributed to my infrequent blog posts of late. So, when I got the chance to attend an offline bloggers meet at Hyderabad, I didn't hesitate putting everything else on a hold on a hot Saturday afternoon.

I see already some posts by the driving force Balaji , Sanjay and Sudeep among others. Today's Deccan Chronicle carries a piece referring to it as 'bloggers get professional' , quoting Manjula , Sudeep and me.

Personally I found it refreshing. Am positive my pal Paddy and I were together responsible for surely increasing the average age from 22 or so, by 2 years easily! While most were 'techie' professionals blogging on personal interests, ranging from 'ex flames' to 'choppers', I was a person blogging for professional reasons! The common thread was passion for blogging- that brought all of us under one roof- and even exhorting ourselves, despite our poor public speaking skills, to uninhibitedly sharing intimate details of our private travails on the net.

Blogging is surely catching up. Gone are the days when it used to be just a web log or a personal diary. People express themselves using french, poetry, photography, cricket, jokes, mosquitoes (!!), Urdu, love, baby products, Indian saints...-apart from one college forum spreading rumours, and another watching out for teachers who could end up messing one's acad scores. Some communities are becoming influence'rs.

Yes, I did learn some new tools-which I hope to use soon.

Also, I think it is time I expanded my gamut of blogging-while still being focused on 'jobs in India ', 'returning Indians', and the recruiting fraternity.I look forward to suggestions, ideas and themes I could be writing henceforth.

PS. I must confess though -I got a firsthand feeling of why lot of people accuse Microsoft of being extremely customer unfriendly . It was appalling to note the security personnel direct visitors from Gate1 to a Gate 5-about half a kilometer away- to park the car in a four storey ed covered building, and then walk back a similar distance on foot over a semi finished road on a HOT afternoon-thru 4 different security checks- photo identity card et al, before being led to the hall where we met a bunch of people who use the Internet to express themselves ! ( I almost thought I was at the NASA!!) . I am sure things could have been simpler-especially since most of us were invited to attend the meet!! Perhaps the 'open source' techies do have a crusade for good reason!