Date of Birth: August, 2004
Date of Death: July 22, 2009
In Memory of SingTel Moblog
I am sadden by your sudden demise, because I was with you since the day of your inauguration as the Nation's Blog during the press conference held at Sakae Sushi, Funan Center in August 2004. I was then a journalist for the Education magazine and I wrote about you and your glorious capabilities to the world. Now after many years moblogging at your place, I am moved to tears with deep emotions that I now have to part with you. May you rest in peace, and may all the friends I know at your MoBlog remember me. Without you, things will never be the same again.
Here's my last dedication to you to recall the days of your glory ... my article of you: I Blog, You Blog, They Blog.
Yours
SpideY
;p xoxo
Blogging is NOT just about Me!
Blogging is not all about 'I, me, and myself', nor a way to exhibit one's public profile. To me, it is about making friends and sharing experiences.
What I like about blogging is receiving opinions and comments from others without the need to know who they are or the need for them to know who I am. As a blogger, I use a cartoon avatar to represent me. By doing this, I have the advantage of receiving genuine and non-bias feedback from readers, something which cannot be done if the other party knows me, as most people who knows one another usually do not wish to 'offend' the other, or wish to remain in friendly status quo.
Blogging is, in my opinion, more than just an online diary. The truth is, blogging serves better as a tool for communication, where I share to the world what I know. I have many blogs on the Net, and each of these blogs serve a different objective.
For example, I have a blog where I seek to exchange opinions about my line of work and study, another blog on leisure where I share my travel experience and photographs, and an interest group blog where I share about my hobbies and my collectables of comic characters.
Blogging can be used for many purposes. People whom I've interviewed for an article I wrote in a magazine two years ago, agree that it is a useful tool for education where teachers can communicate with students, areas of studies. Others say it is a good way to know a person in-depth, because they can read archives of individuals to know his or her past, and current entries to know the present.
Whatever our opinions may be concerning blogging, let me say blogging is something close to my heart, because through it, I have found several good friends, who knows my innermost thoughts better than when we meet face to face!
About two weeks ago The Straits Times quoted a news story from the New York Times concerning the reviewing of potential employees' blogs by employers.
In the story, a graduate with great potentials and outstanding results was denied a job after a potential employer discovers the graduate's blog containing some questionable remarks or inapporiate content.
Blogging as a way to find a job is not uncommon these days. Not too long ago, a Singaporean blogger was hired to be press writer for a local newspaper because of her 'famous' or 'infamous' blog. Just recently, I came across an advertisement at JobsDB.com that mentioned the following as a criteria for the position of an Editor:
You must also be able to show a decent portfolio of work - mostly published but if you're a blogger, we'd also like to have a look at your online efforts.
These days, online writing can be used for many purposes, and getting hired is certainly one noble way of using our writing skills to make a living!
Negative publicity about blogging recently has affected many people, including the non-bloggers.
News pertaining to the jailing and punishment of bloggers over offences of sedition and porn has raised considerable concerns in the public community, resulting in negative effects and pseudo-perceptions of blogging and online activities as a dangerous affair.
In a blog created by a student less than a month ago, the blogger wrote about how she has secretly started her blog and how her parents would 'kill' her if they found out. A few days after she wrote that blog, she has ceased blogging completely, leaving her last words as having been found out.
The news is not without having an effect on me too. Don't get me wrong, I am not against blogging. I have been blogging for sometime, and I have found it extremely helpful for sharing, educating, and getting to know new friends. What I am saying here is its effect on me resulting from the daily hounding of my better half who reminds me constantly of the dangers I may be in, getting upset over my 'addiction' to online activities. The truth is, I barely spend more than five per cent of my available time in Net activities, even though I do communicate in online communities and blogs. I suspect the real reason is probably because I have not been spending enough time with my companion, but considering the fact I am a worker and a student at the same time, I am in actuality already barely grasping with time.
The way news is presented can affect the way views are perceived. If presented negatively, its effects may result in unfair perception of blogging and online activities as totally bad. In reality, however, blogging is a useful way of communicating and sharing, and online activities have helped build a unique sense of closeness in a global world, which have never before been possible prior to the introduction of cyberspace.
My new school term has just begun and I will be facing the battle field for the next four months, so forgive my diminishing activity at this blog.
I am having withdrawal syndrome now, and like Spider-Man, I live triple lives, struggling with work, studies, and saving lives. Like him, I sleep late in the nights, frequently in the early morn, and like him, I have little time for anything else, living my life at the edge at times. Often, I'll to give up, but life is such, that with great powers* come great responsibilities!
*Acts 1:8 - but you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you; and you shall be My witnesses ...
So, to all my friends at moblog, please bear with me for a little while ... I will be back! Meanwhile, to those who want to know more about me, read About Me.
How can I live without You
How can I survive without Your love
You're the reason I am here
With all I have I give it all to You
Have you ever imagine how your Moblog would look like if it supports animated GIFs, multimedia, and WAP? Well, if you like to see a sample, visit my new moblog at Want to WAP (12wap). You'll see animated Spidey dancing at this multimedia moblog at:
http://spidey.12wap.net
Don't worry ... this does not mean I won't be blogging here anymore. There are just too many things I like to ever leave this place ... the friends I've made, the group blogs I'm managing, and the features of moblog.com.sg (e.g. topics categorisation) that I don't not get to seen at other blogs. Simply put, I like this place too much to stop blogging here! :D
Before you starting asking me what are the differences between moblogging here and there, just read my article, '12wap' and you will understand.
On August 11, 2004, I mentioned in this blog about an article I was writing for a magazine on the subject of blogging.
The article is now published and can be read on line at:
Hi Res: 5.49MBLo Res: 2.41MB
PLEASE NOTE: All material and content in the magazine is copyrighted. To purchase hard copies of the magazine or request permission for reproduction, please write to the publisher.
