Blogging – Why You Should Blog

BLOGGING

WHY YOU SHOULD BLOG

Musings of a Blogger

By 

VIKRAM KARVE 

WHY YOU SHOULD BLOG

If you do not blog (or if you are a newbie budding blogger) there is one movie you must see – Julie and Julia.

The story is about a woman who is thoroughly bored with life and is on the verge of depression. 

She hates her job at a call-centre. 

Her married life is stagnating. 

She is depressed as she feels that her life has become static – and there is nothing to look forward to in her life.

Her husband introduces her to blogging and motivates her to start a blog.

He tells her to start blogging about anything she likes.

After considering various options – she picks up a cookbook The Art of French Cooking – and she decides to cook one recipe everyday and then blog about her culinary experience cooking that dish.

Gradually – she has many readers and her blog becomes popular.

In fact – one day when she does not post a blog – her angry fans ask her why she has not posted on that day – and this inspires her to make a commitment to herself and to her readers to be regular in posting a blog. 

Now – she has something to look forward to everyday – to cook a recipe and then write and post a blog about her culinary experience every day.

She starts feeling motivated and happy as her blog draws lots of readers, elicits numerous comments and evokes tremendous response, makes her famous, and finally culminates in her becoming a published author. 

Her days of depression are a long way off – a forgotten thing of the past.

That is the beauty of blogging. 

Blogging gives you something to look forward to – yes – something to look forward to do every day. 

Once you start enjoying blogging – you will not sleep until you have posted something on your blog.

Blogging will make you happy – as there is a saying:

“The key to happiness is to have something to look forward to...”

And – do remember that – your blog is your literary and intellectual legacy in cyberspace – for posterity.

You may go away from this world – but your blog will remain forever.

FOUR AIMS OF LIFE

There are 4 things we all strive to do in our life: 

1. to LIVE

2. to LOVE

3. to LEARN 

4. to LEAVE A LEGACY

FOUR STAGES OF BLOGGING

Likewise – there are Four stages to enjoying Blogging:

1. Anticipation (looking forward to blogging)

  

2. Savouring the moment (enjoying the sheer pleasure of blogging and the joy of experiencing your creative juices flow)

3. Expression (sharing your creativity, interacting with fellow bloggers and friends in the blogosphere to heighten your experience)

4. Reflection (harking back on your blogging experiences by re-reading your old blogs and comments of your fans for happy nostalgic memories)

A BLOG A DAY KEEPS THE DOCTOR AWAY

Start Blogging. 

Keep Blogging. 

Blogging will change your life for the better. 

You can take my word for it. 

You will feel happy as you will have something to look forward to every day. 

That is the beauty of blogging. 

It gives you something to look forward to – yes, something to look forward to do every day. 

Once you start enjoying blogging – you will not sleep until you have posted something on your blog.

Blogging will make you happy – as they say that – the key to happiness is to have something to look forward to in life.

And – do remember that your blog is your literary and intellectual legacy in cyberspace for posterity – you may go away but your blog will remain forever. 

Most importantly – blogging will make you feel good and keep you healthy.

They used to say: 

An apple a day keeps the doctor away

Maybe now they will say: 

A blog a day keeps the doctor away

VIKRAM KARVE

Copyright © Vikram Karve 
1. If you share this post, please give due credit to the author Vikram Karve
2. Please DO NOT PLAGIARIZE. Please DO NOT Cut/Copy/Paste this post
© vikram karve., all rights reserved.

Disclaimer:

All stories in this blog are a work of fiction. Events, Places, Settings and Incidents narrated in the stories are a figment of my imagination. The characters do not exist and are purely imaginary. Any resemblance to persons, living or dead, is purely coincidental.

Copyright Notice:

No part of this Blog may be reproduced or utilized in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical including photocopying or by any information storage and retrieval system, without permission in writing from the Blog Author Vikram Karve who holds the copyright.

Copyright © Vikram Karve (all rights reserved)

Revised Version of My Article First Posted by me Vikram Karve in my blog Academic and Creative Writing Journal on 11 Nov 2010 at 11/11/2010 10:22:00 PM at url: http://karvediat.blogspot.in/2010/11/blog-day-keeps-doctor-away-blogging.html  

DO YOU STEAL CONTENT – BLOG PLAGIARISM

BLOG PLAGIARISM 

Plagiarism means representing my work as your own – stealing my writing from my blog and posting it on your blog under your name without giving due author credit to me.

COPYCATS IMITATORS and PLAGIARISTS – THE BANE OF BLOGOSPHERE

Musings

By

VIKRAM KARVE

BLOG PLAGIARISM

A few years ago – short stories from my creative writing blog were being regularly stolen by some unscrupulous person who shamelessly my stories on his blog under his name.

Yes – believe it or not – my entire Blog was Plagiarized.

I was informed of this by one of my readers.

When confronted and exposed – the “content-thief” (plagiariser) shut down his blog.

In another case – a student copied my management article from my blog and submitted it to an Ezine which duly published the article under his name.

The biggest joke was that the owner of the Ezine Website saw my original article on my blog – and without checking the date of posting – he accused me of plagiarism.

Once I pointed out to him that I had posted the article 3 years before it was published on his website – he became apologetic and said he will debar the particular plagiariser student from his website.

I also sent an email to the Director of the Business School where the plagiariser student was studying – and soon enough – received an apology from the student.

Just like there are burglars, robbers and thieves in the real world – there are thieves in the blogosphere who steal content and plagiarise the work of others.

Of course – I am a blogger who is not interested in making money from my blog – nor am I bothered about Search Engine Rankings – but for those who do – Blog Plagiarism can be a serious matter.

Some people create their own merit.

Others plagiarize.

Plagiarism means representing my work as your own.

“Inspiration” is the new euphemism for Plagiarism. 

You plagiarize someone else’s work.

And – when you are caught – you say that you were “Inspired” by the work – so you shamelessly copied the blog post – and tried to pass off as your own.

Plagiarism happens everywhere - this happens with all creative and artistic works – even in the academic, scientific, research and industrial world. 

There are copycats and imitators everywhere.

Information Technology has made plagiarism very easy.

You can surf the internet – and find what you want to plagiarize.

Then – you just have to copy and paste – that is all.

Plagiarism is rampant in the blogging world too. 

As I told you earlier – my Blogs were Plagiarized too.

I feel very sad when some unscrupulous persons plagiarize my writings – especially when they copy-paste my blog posts onto their blogs – and try to pass off my creative writing as their own.

To such persons I can only say: Please create your own original writing, especially fiction, and please do not plagiarize the creative works of others.

You must create your own merit and not piggyback on others.

Copying and Plagiarizing is sacrilege – yes – this unethical act is the scourge of the blogosphere and a big nuisance to genuine bloggers.

I earnestly appeal to all fellow bloggers and creative writers to please be original.

Please do not copy – do not imitate – or do not plagiarize under any circumstances.

Have some self respect. 

Please be creative. 

Create your own merit.

Don’t be a copycat.

Nowadays – you can use the Social Media (Facebook and Twitter) to expose such unscrupulous plagiarists and thieves who steal your content.

Many of these plagiarists are cowards and hide behind masks of anonymity.

They Blog under fictitious identities using fancy nom de plumes or fake “handles”. 

You will find such cowards on the Social Media (Twitter Facebook) as well.

These masqueraders are afraid of revealing their true identity on Twitter and Facebook and use fake anonymous handles and pictures.

In order to drive home the point regarding the dangers of imitation and plagiarism – I would like to tell all copycats this story – a favourite teaching story of mine: GUTEI’S FINGER 

A Story for COPYCATS IMITATORS and PLAGIARISTS

GUTEI’S FINGER

Whenever anyone asked him about Zen – the great master Gutei would quietly raise one finger into the air.

A naughty boy in the village began to imitate this behaviour.

Whenever he heard people talking about Gutei’s teachings – the naughty boy would interrupt the discussion and raise his finger.

Gutei heard about the boy’s mischief.

One day Gutei he saw the mischievous boy in the street.

Gutei apprehended the boy and caught hold of him. 

Then – Gutei pulled out a knife and he cut off the boy’s finger.

Yes – the Zen Master Gutei cut off the boy’s finger.

The stunned and terrified boy cried in agony.

Then the boy got so frightened that he began to run off – horrified by the sight of his profusely bleeding finger – petrified with fear – and trembling with unimaginable pain and unbearable distress.

As the boy was running away – Gutei shouted the boy’s name and called out to him.

When the boy turned to look – Gutei raised his finger into the air.

The naughty boy, whose finger had been cut off by Gutei, looked at Gutei’s Finger.

At that moment – the boy became enlightened.

So – Dear Blog Plagiarists – before you steal my content – remember this story of “Gutei’s Finger” – I may metaphorically do to you what Gutei actually did to the naughty boy.

Happy “Original” Blogging.

VIKRAM KARVE

Copyright © Vikram Karve 
1. If you share this post, please give due credit to the author Vikram Karve
2. Please DO NOT PLAGIARIZE. Please DO NOT Cut/Copy/Paste this post
© vikram karve., all rights reserved.

Disclaimer:

All stories in this blog are a work of fiction. Events, Places, Settings and Incidents narrated in the stories are a figment of my imagination. The characters do not exist and are purely imaginary. Any resemblance to persons, living or dead, is purely coincidental.

Copyright Notice:

No part of this Blog may be reproduced or utilized in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical including photocopying or by any information storage and retrieval system, without permission in writing from the Blog Author Vikram Karve who holds the copyright.

© vikram karve., all rights reserved.

Copyright © Vikram Karve (all rights reserved)

Revised Version of my blog post GUTEI’S FINGER written by me Vikram Karve more than 10 years ago in the year 2005 and posted online earlier in my blogs at urls: http://karvediat.blogspot.in/2010/09/teaching-story-guteis-finger.html  and  http://karvediat.blogspot.in/2012/06/copycats-imitators-and-plagiarists-bane.html  and  http://karvediat.blogspot.in/2013/02/blog-plagiarism.html etc

THE BEST INDIAN BLOGGERS

Click the link below to see the list of Best Indian Bloggers in various categories.
My Name (and Blog: Academic and Creative Writing Journal Vikram Karve) features at the top in this list.

The Best Indian Bloggers

Click the link above to see the list of Best Indian Bloggers in various categories.
My Name (and Blog: Academic and Creative Writing Journal Vikram Karve) features at the top in this list.

SOB STORY OF A BLOGGER - HOW TO CONSOLE YOURSELF IF NOBODY READS YOUR BLOG

SOB STORY OF A BLOGGER

HOW TO CONSOLE YOURSELF IF NOBODY READS YOUR BLOG 

WHAT TO DO WHEN NOBODY APPRECIATES YOUR BLOG

ARE YOU CASTING PEARLS BEFORE SWINE ?

Musings

By 

VIKRAM KARVE

When I was in school our Literature Teacher would often yell at us: “I Am Casting Pearls Before Swine”. 

I did not quite understand her anguish then, but now, I can fully empathize with her when I too sometimes feel the same way when my creative writing is not appreciated.

The idiom CAST PEARLS BEFORE SWINE means to offer something good to somebody who cannot appreciate the value of it. 

Yes, if you cast pearls before swine, you offer something of value to someone who doesn't appreciate it and does not understand its value (swine means pigs).

Now, I was wondering, how do you translate this phrase “I AM CASTING PEARLS BEFORE SWINE” into Hindi?

I suddenly remembered a blog post I had written a few months ago titled:

अन्धो के शहर में आइने बेच रहा हूँ   


I think this Hindi Phrase expresses the same sentiment as the English Idiom:


I AM CASTING PEARLS BEFORE SWINE

The link of the blog post is given below, and for your convenience I have also reposted the blog post below the link for you to read:

http://karvediat.blogspot.in/2011/12/i-am-selling-mirrors-in-city-of-blind.html

Either click the link above or read the post below:

अन्धो के शहर में आइने बेच रहा हूँ - I AM SELLING MIRRORS IN THE CITY OF THE BLIND

This evening while surfing channels I watched a program on Zee Classic Television Channel called Classic Legends hosted by Javed Akhtar on the life of the famous poet and lyricist Majrooh Sultanpuri.

Javed Akhtar narrated an incident and a quote ( शेर ) by Majrooh Sultanpuri which I will never forget. Javed Akhtar met Majrooh Sultanpuri in the evening of his life and asked him how he was, to which the poet replied:

अन्धो के शहर में आइने बेच रहा हूँ 

which roughly translated means:

I AM SELLING MIRRORS IN THE CITY OF THE BLIND

This quote is still perambulating in my mind and the more I delve on it I realize how profound these words are, especially for a creative writer whose work is not appreciated.
So whenever my novel manuscript is returned by a publisher with a rejection letter, I am going to console myself: अन्धो के शहर में आइने बेच रहा हूँ 

Isn't this a nice philosophy for creative persons and artists to adopt rather than get frustrated when their work is not appreciated? Much better than self-pity and doing harmful things like drowning your sorrows in drink, isn't it? 

Dear fellow creative writers, ask yourself:  “Are you casting your pearls before swine?”

And if nobody appreciates your Blog, you can console yourself and say:

   

अन्धो के शहर में आइने बेच रहा हूँ - I AM SELLING MIRRORS IN THE CITY OF THE BLIND

VIKRAM KARVE
Copyright © Vikram Karve 2012
Vikram Karve has asserted his right under the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988 to be identified as the author of this work.
© vikram karve., all rights reserved.

Did you like this blog post?
I am sure you will like the stories in my recently published book COCKTAIL comprising twenty seven short stories about relationships. To order the book please click the links below:
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Foodie Adventures Book APPETITE FOR A STROLL

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About Vikram Karve

A creative person with a zest for life, Vikram Karve is a retired Naval Officer turned full time writer. Educated at IIT Delhi, ITBHU Varanasi, The Lawrence School Lovedale and Bishops School Pune, Vikram has published two books: COCKTAIL a collection of fiction short stories about relationships (2011) and APPETITE FOR A STROLL a book of Foodie Adventures (2008) and he is currently working on his novel. An avid blogger, he has written a number of fiction short stories and creative non-fiction articles in magazines and journals for many years before the advent of blogging. Vikram has taught at a University as a Professor for almost 15 years and now teaches as a visiting faculty and devotes most of his time to creative writing. Vikram lives in Pune India with his family and muse - his pet dog Sherry with whom he takes long walks thinking creative thoughts.
 

Vikram Karve Academic and Creative Writing Journal: http://karvediat.blogspot.com
Professional Profile Vikram Karve: http://www.linkedin.com/in/karve
Vikram Karve Facebook Page:  https://www.facebook.com/vikramkarve
Vikram Karve Creative Writing Blog: http://vikramkarve.sulekha.com/blog/posts.htm
Email: vikramkarve@sify.com        

© vikram karve., all rights reserved.