January 25, 2009

नेपाली ब्लगको इतिहास

नेपाली ब्लग अहिले कती छन? भनिन्छ अहिले नेपाली ब्लगको संख्या ९-१०हजार छन् तर यसको आधिकारीक तथ्यांक कतै छैन। ब्लग खोल्न कतै दर्ता गरिरहनु नपर्ने र संसारको जुन कुनाबाट पनि खोल्न सकिने हुनाले यस्को आधिकारीक तथ्यांक पत्ता लगाउन गार्हो छ। कती ब्लग त एक दुइ पोष्टमै बिश्राम लिन पुगेहोलान कती भने रफ्तारमै चल्दैहोलान। नेपाली ब्लग संख्याको समग्र तथ्यांक bloggers.com.np ले गर्ने प्रयास गरेकको छ। अहिले भन्नु पर्दा यो नै नेपाली ब्लगको परिधी बताउने स्थान हो।

मैले यो ब्लगमा भन्न जान्न खोजेको कुरा के हो भने नेपाली ब्लग कसरी शुरू भए, कस्ले शुरू गरे या कहिलेबाट सुरु भए। नेपाली भन्नाले भाषालाइ मात्र ब्याख्या गरेको होइन है, नेपाल, नेपालीको बारेमा नेपालीले लेख्ने ब्लगलाइ भन्न खोजिएको हो। यो ब्लग पोष्टको उदेश्‍य नेपाली ब्लगको इतिहास खोतल्नु हो। कि त अब नेपाली ब्लगमै शोध पत्र तयार गर्नु पर्‍यो नत्र भने सबैको मुखबाट आएका ब्लगको इतिहासलाइ कुनै ठाउमा डकुमेन्ट गर्नुपर्‍यो । ब्लगहरु आधिकारीक दर्ता भएका नहुंदा तथा म सक्रिय बिद्यार्थी नभएको ले शोध पत्रको रोजाइ त्याग्न पुगें। अब अर्को तथा अन्तीम रोजाइ हो सबैको मुखबाट आएको ब्लगको इतिहासलाइ डकुमेन्ट गर्नु। सबैको भनाइलाइ कमेन्ट बक्समा जम्मा पारेर अन्त्यमा त्यसलाइ डकुमेन्ट गर्ने सोच छ। यसको लागी चारै तिर सम्पर्क त गर्नु पर्छ नै। यस्को लागी सबै मित्र,ब्लगरहरुसंग सम्पर्क सहयोग माग्नेछु तथा तपाइ पाठकहरुले पनि यसमा सहयोग गरिदिएर नेपाली ब्लगको इतिहासलाइ डकुमेन्ट गर्न मद्दत पुग्नेछ।

तपाइ पनि आफुले पढेको या लेखेको पहिलो ब्लग कुन, कहिले या कस्को थियो,त्यसका बारेमा कमेन्ट बक्समा जानेको सुनेको कुरा लेख्नुहोला। त्यसलाइ पछि डकुमेन्ट गरेर नेपाली ब्लगको समग्र इतिहास तयार पार्ने बिचार छ। नेपाली ब्लगको इतिहासं संकलन गर्न सहयोग गर्नेहुने संपूर्ण मित्रहरुलाइ हार्दिक धन्यबाद् ।

नेपालियन



24 Comments:

Anonymous said...

मैले पढेको पिहिलो ब्लग भनेको मेरो संसार हो। पहिला merosansar.com.np मा थियो पछी mysansar.com मा आयो। सायद २००६ तिर जस्तो लाग्छ। उमेशको ब्लग खोजतलास गर्नेहो भने पत्ता लाग्छ कहिले शुरु गरेको हो। माइ संसारले नै भन्छ पहिलो नेपाली भाषाको ब्लग। मैल माइ संसार भन्दा पहिला नेपालीमा लेखिएको ब्लग देखेको थिइन। त्यस पछी हाम्रो ब्लग र यो संसार पढ्ने मौका मिल्यो। यि दुबै ब्लग संचालनमा छन। यसै बखत युनाइटेड वी ब्लग पनि पढे। यि २००७ को जनवरी तिर हो जस्तो लाग्छ।

Anonymous said...

अहिले त धेरै ब्लग हरु अैसके नेपाली मा पनि तर माइसन्सार नै हो सबै भन्दा पहिला हेर्न सुरु गरेको र आहिले सम्मा सबै भन्दा बदी हेर्ने गरेको पनि!

Anonymous said...

दौंतरी को यो सोधखोज प्रयास प्रसंसनिय छ ।
अंग्रेजी भाषा मा नेपाली हरुले ब्लग त पहिल्यै खोलेका थिए जस्तो लाग्छ तर नेपाली भाषा को ब्लग मैले पहिला पढेको उमेसको मेरोसंसार डट ब्लग्सम् डट कम हो (करिब २००५ को मध्य तिर होला ) । मैले पनि उमेस को लहै लहै मा लाएर November 22, 2005 सपनासंसार डट ब्लगसम डट कम खोलेको हुँ , जुन त्यति खेर बढी ब्यक्तिगत प्रयोजन को लागि प्रयोग गरेको थिए । पछि डोमेन किने पछि सपनासंसार डट कम भनेर चलाएको हुँ ।
एक ताका नेपाली ब्लगर हरुको एसोसियसन पनि खुलेको थियो (ब्लगान), आँफु त बाहिर भएर जान पाईएन । ब्लगर्स डट कम डट एन पि को संम्पादक लाई बढि थाह होला यो बारेमा ! तर पछि के के मा हो हान थाप नमिलेपछि यो एसोसियसन सुस्त छ अहिले ।
धन्यबाद !

Anonymous said...

नेपालको ब्लगको इतिहास कोट्याउने प्रयास गरेकोमा दौतरीलाइ धन्यवाद । नेपाली ब्लगरहरुको संस्था ब्लगानले नेपालमा ब्लगको प्रारम्भमा बारेमा पुस्तक नै निकाल्ने तयारी गरेको थियो १ वर्ष अगाडि । तर यथोचित सहभागिताको अभावमा सम्भव भएन । अहिले दौतरीले इतिहास कोट्याउने जुन प्रयास गरेका छन त्यो उल्लेखनिय र प्रशंसनिय छ । यो अभियानमा सहभागि हुन मैले सम्झेसम्मको विवरण उल्लेख गरेको छु ।

नेपालमा ब्लगको प्रवेश

राजाको साचार र स्वतन्त्रताप्रति अनुदार नीतिका साथ शुरु भएको प्रत्यक्ष शासनसंगै नेपालमा ब्लग शब्द भित्रिएको मानिन्छ । २०६१ को शाही कु संगै स्वतन्त्र रुपमा पत्रकारीतालाई आफ्नो पेशाका रुपमा अंगाल्दै आएका युवा पत्रकारहरुले सुचनाप्रति अनुदार सरकारको प्रत्यक्ष अनुभव गर्नपुगे । । राजाको प्रत्यक्ष शासन अगाडि केही अपवादलाई छोडेर हेर्ने हो भने उनीहरु निर्धक्कताका साथ दे देख्थे त्यो लेख्थे । उनीहरुमा मैले लेखेको समाचार कतै सेन्सर हुने होकि भन्ने पुर्व भय थिएन ।
ज्ञानेन्द्रको प्रत्यक्ष शासनसंगै हतियारसहित समाचार कक्षमा प्रवेश गरेको सेनाले धमाधम बन्दुको भरमा कलमले लेखीएका समाचारहरु सम्पादन हुन थाले । उनीहरु कालोलाइ सेतो अनी सेतोलाई कालो बनाउन थाले । केही साचार गृहहरुले सरकार जे चाहन्छ त्यो लेख्न आफ्ना पत्रकारहरुलाई दवाव दिन थाले । तर आफुले देख्दादेख्दा कालो सेतो र सेतो कालो भएको युवा साचारकर्मीले सहज रुपमा स्विकार गर्न सकेनन् । तर गर्ने के राज्यलाई चुनौतिदिँदै आफै साचार गृह चलाउन सम्भव भएन । समस्याको जालोमा बेरिइरहेको अवस्थामा उनीहरुको सामु बरदान बनेर आयो ब्लग । स्वतन्त्रताका भोका युवा पत्रकारहरुले आफ्नो सही सुचना जनसमक्ष ल्याउन यसरी ब्लगको दुनियामा प्रवेश गरे ।
बैशाख ११ २०६३ को राजनीतिक परिर्वतनमा नेपाली ब्लगरहरुको समेत उल्लेख्य सहभागिता रहेको देखिन्छ । २०६१ माघ १९ राजनीतिक रुपमा नेपालको इतिहासमा काला अक्षरले अंिकत दिनका रुपमा रहेतापनि नेपालमा ब्लग जस्तो शसक्त बैकल्पिक जनताको साचार माध्ययमको जन्म गराउनमा योगदान दिएकाले यसको सम्झना हुने छ ।
राजाको निरंकुश सत्ता साचालनको अवधिका करिव २ वर्षभित्र नै ब्लगले आफ्नो प्रभाव क्षेत्र बढाएको हो । यस विचमा नेपाली ब्लगरहरुले उल्लेखनिय कार्य गरेका थिए । प्रारम्भमा देखिएको ब्लगको चर्चा गर्ने हो भने कान्तिपुर पब्लिकेशन प्रालिमा कार्यरत पत्रकारद्धय उज्जवल आचार्य र दिनेश वाग्लेको ब्लगडटकम डटएनपीको नाम सबैभन्दा अगाडि आउँछ । यो नै नेपालको पहिलो ब्लग हो भनेर पुष्टी गर्ने कुनै आधार नभएपनि नेपालमा ब्लगलाइ चर्चामा ल्याउने पहिलो ब्लग भनेको यही नै हो ।
योसंगै उदाएको रेडियो फि्र नेपालले पनि नेपालमा ब्लगीङ्ग कल्चर फैलाउन महत्वपुर्ण भुमिका निर्वाह गरेको थियो नै । तर हाल यो बन्द भइसकेको छ । मेरो संसार नेपाली भाषाको पहिलो ब्लगको रुपमा लिइन्छ । ठ्याक्कै यो कहिले शुरु भयो भन्ने त उमेशजीलाइ नै थाहा होला । मैले यो ब्लग २०६१ फागुनको पेरीफेरी हेरेको थिए । त्यो बेलामा मेरो संसार ब्लगसम डटकमको फि्रस्पेशमा थियो ।

हाम्रोब्लग डट कम मैले २०६१ चैतमा शुरु गरेको हुं । त्यो बेलामा ब्लगसम डटकमको नि शुल्क स्पेश नै प्रयोग गरेको थिए । पछि ब्लगरनेपाल डटकम डट एनपी डोमेनमा चलाए । पछि डटकम डोमेनमा जांदा हाम्रोब्लग डटकम बन्यो ।

नेपाल इन्फोडिएफएन ब्लगदाई रत्नपार्क पालुवा लगायतका धेरै ्रब्लगहरु उदाय । पालुवा अहिले नेपालप्लस डटकमको रुपमा चलिरहेको छ ।
नेपाली ब्लगरहरु अहिले आफ्नो पहिचान स्थापित गर्नका लागि संघर्षरत रहेका छन् । उनीहरु बैकल्पिक मिडिया अथवा जनताको साचार माध्ययमको रुपमा ब्लग संस्कृतिको विकासका लागि लागि परेका छन् ।

दुराका कुरा said...

I am not very much updated about the history of blogging Nepal.In my information, blogs in Nepal seem to be flourished in full swing after royal take over, which took place on Feruary 1, 2005.
Yam Bahadur Dura

Anonymous said...

"माइसन्सार" मैले पढेको पहिलो ब्लग हो । यो पढ्नु भन्दा अघी त मलाई ब्लग भनेको के हो थाहा पनि थिएन ।

Anonymous said...

हुन त sajha.com कनभे ब्लग जस्तो त छैन, तर मलाई त त्यो एउटा ब्रिहत ब्लग नै लाग्छ,

हुन त sajha.com conventional ब्लग जस्तो त छैन, तर मलाई त त्यो एउटा ब्रिहत ब्ल्ग जस्तो लाग्छ । साझा नभएको भए माइसन्सार र United We Blog का बारे थाहा पनि हुंदैन थियो होला मलाई । दौंतरिको जन्म पनि त साझा भित्रै बाट भएको हो ।

Aakar said...

प्रज्वल जी को कुरा चाँहि मलाई पनि मनपर्‍यो है !

Unknown said...

प्रज्वल जी को कुरा चाँहि मलाई पनि मनपर्‍यो

प्रबिण थापा said...

ब्लग को बारेमा आजभन्दा कारीब ३ बर्ष पहिलेनै सुनेको भएपनी मलाई यस् बारेमा त्यती चासो भने थिएन। मैले पढेको पहिलो ब्लग भने माइ संसार नै हो। त्यती बेला पढिन्थ्यो मात्र न प्रतिकृया लेखिन्थ्यो न कुनै आफ्न रचना नै , अ वास्तवमा भन्दा पढ्न पनि त्यती मन लगाएर पढ्दैनथे। धन्यवाद नेपोलिएन जि लाई नेपाली ब्लग को ईतिहास प्रस्तुत गरी जानकारी दिएकामा।

Anonymous said...

deepak adhikari wrote some article about history of blogging:
http://bloggers.com.np/deepak.php

Anonymous said...

kp ji already wrote about blogging history and here is the some of female blogger's blogging history.

http://www.vownepal.com/portal/modules.php?name=Regulars&myaction=show&art_type=general&myid=317

Anonymous said...

धन्यबाद सबैलाइ नेपाली ब्लगीगंको इतीहास खोत्लन सहयोग गर्नुभएकोमा।
केपी जीको मिहेनेतको पनि सह्राना गर्दछु। सपना संसारले पनि बिशेष धन्यबाद।
एनोनिमस ले राखेको vownepalको लिंकले त काम गर्दैन, के भाको हो?
यती मात्रै त कांहा होला र, यस्लाइ अझै बिस्रित खोज गर्न सबै मिलेर जुटौं। मैले पनि गुगलिगं गर्दैछु सकिए पछि आफ्नो अनुभव सहित कमेन्ट बक्समा टास्ने छु ।
ह्याप्पी ब्लगिगं

Anonymous said...

I got the wrticle of deepak adhikari. I have pasted you as Nepalean bro wants to have it here.
best of luck.
Some Thoughts from Nepal on Blogging

-By Deepak Adhikari( www.nepalmonitor.com)

Once I jokingly wrote: I blog, therefore I am. Little did I realize at that time that for many people online, it is a fact of life. In a passage of a little over two years since I started blogging, I have experienced this reality myself.

It is true for at least the regular media people today, that if you don't blog, it is as if you are not out there. No matter how good a journalist you are or a writer, if you don't maintain an online presence, or if your name cannot be googled, it is like you don’t even exist for many in this increasingly Web-savvy world.

In the past few years, some of us in Nepal have made some visible strides in blogging thanks to King Gyanendra's clampdown on mainstream media in 2005, and thanks, in part, to the zeal of young journalists who managed to defy the official censorship by adopting and embracing alternative media like blogs. These pioneering Nepali blogs are still in their infancies, most celebrating their first or second birthdays at this time.

As I write this article in mid-January, I am marking the first anniversary of my personal blog Deepak’s Diary. That is quite a milestone for me. But our blogging strides in Nepal are not without challenges.

Let me explain the strides even as I talk about the challenges.

A turning point

Nepal appears to be an early adopter of blogs, since there were already a few in 2004 when blogs in the West began to garner widespread attention. Compare the pace of adoption with news websites. It took major Nepali news businesses at least 6 years, after Web journalism began sometime in 1993, to own and operate their own sites with unique domain names.
Experience and skill development is also a major gain. Young Nepali bloggers now have forums in blogs to learn to write as they express their feelings, and to use new media technologies. For me, the people's movement in April 2006 offered intensive experience in disseminating information through United We Blog, considered the country’s first blog. My colleagues at Kantipur Publications, Dinesh Wagle and Ujjwal Acharya, started UWB in the autumn of 2004. Soon I became a part of this endeavor (Besides my regular role at KP as a feature reporter for Nepal newsweekly). In my column called Dashing Deep earlier and now Deeplog in the UWB, I dwell on everything from dining out at Thamel to resort hopping at Dhulikhel; rocking at Rox Bar to chilling out at a nearby teashop.
What started as a sounding board for our rants and ramblings morphed into a window of Nepali people's struggle for democracy. Following the royal coup on February 1, 2005 , the news media suffered massive press censorship and control. The royal government also shut down telecommunications, including the Internet. Suddenly, journalists and mass communicators, whose essence is communication, were rendered incommunicado. The official clampdown seemed a perfect setting for an Orwellian novel.
But, for how long? Gradually, we gathered the gumption to defy, in the beginning in an oblique way and later on pushing the boundary. Sitting in front of a desktop computer day in day out for nineteen consecutive days during the April Uprising, I almost single-handedly provided updates to the Net-savvy world via blog. In retrospect, it was a collective crusade against an ambitious King and his henchmen who were hell bent on imposing censorship in the media.
An unprecedented numbers of visitors logged on to the blog and demanded more up-to-the-minute updates on events unfolding in Nepal . That was the time when I actually realized the power of the medium called blog. At times, I was exhausted, but I did not give up in that. I thought continuous update was critical in this technology-driven world. Amid curfew and massacres in the street, I gathered the nuggets of information and posted it instantaneously. It was painstaking. I could see how the Internet transforms the way we communicate.
Fortunately, notwithstanding its popularity UWB was not blocked as we saw many pro-democracy Web sites meeting the ultimate fate. The rest, as they say, is history.
So, politically, too, blogs made some marks.

Showcasing young talents

What about the professional markers?

I believe Blogs have helped showcase one of the finest writings in English coming from Nepali bloggers, most of them young and energetic. Oftentimes our bloggers manage to do this under resource constraints. Moreover, blogging demands time and ideas. One has to be highly receptive, up-to-date and innovative.

Access to technology is the main issue in Nepal . Though Internet charge is cheap (20 rupees per hour; less than 25 cents), it is simply impossible to post a blog from a cyber cafe. Connections are extremely slow. I tried to do it a couple of times with much difficulty. It is even more difficult outside the capital city. A year back and during Dashain of 2005, I blogged from the eastern towns of Biratnagar and Birtamode. That was quite an achievement. Nepali bloggers living abroad seem to be unconstrained by such things.

As a struggling journalist, and given my meager budget, I cannot afford a home subscription to the Internet. So, I depend on free access in my office. Blogging platforms, such as Blogger and Wordpress provide free spaces and that also makes things a little easier.

However, this is all voluntary work. I have not heard any Nepali blogger making money out of this. One can subscribe to Google ad; but your earning depends on how many will click those links. Recently I removed Google ad from my site after making just 20 US dollars in a year.

Blogging is, indeed, time-consuming and taxing and generally without any monetary returns. But I am hooked to it because it's fun, because it’s rewarding in some other ways. Blogging provides not only a forum to write in English but also sometimes to scoop mainstream media. You don’t have to wait another day to get published. Many interesting things I observe during my reporting do not get into print for reasons of space and deadline. I get to share such observations in my blog.

In that way I can reconcile mainstream work demands and habits with the alternative personal journalism of blogging. We have come a long way in a very short time in Nepal . Only a couple of years ago, some of my colleagues would not take me seriously as a blogger. They would almost frown upon the idea of blogging. But they gradually began to note our dedication and the fun we derived from it and started not only appreciating it but also blogging themselves.

Today, most of the Kathmandu and Pokhara-based reporters of Kantipur daily newspaper maintain their own blogs. Most of the Nepali bloggers are journalists like me. There are also a few IT people, students and professionals. Rest are Nepalis living abroad. Now, there are many Nepali blogs, perhaps more than a hundred. Because of the lack of native blog-trackers, exact figures are not available.

For some, it takes time to get educated about a new media environment such as blogging. Not long ago, fellow blogger KP Dhungana of Hamroblog lamented over the ignorance of his editors over at Rajdhani Daily. He would say that his editor found it difficult to pronounce “blog.”

Over all, there is a growing awareness and the willingness to know more about blogs. Even senior people in the news business have at least begun to consider the topic. More than six months ago, I briefed my editor Kishore Nepal on blogging; he listened attentively and even suggested starting a column on updates on blogs. But the idea was later discarded.

Other respected and well-regarded journalists or publications have also begun to notice the blogworld. Nepali Times, for instance, began a column recently featuring excerpts from blog posts. The comments are mostly from political blogs. The column appears to be fairly regular.

Diversity of opinion is a real concern. Unfortunately, Nepali blogs are not diverse in terms of content or subject matter. I hate the narcissism of bloggers. They seem obsessed about themselves (and I am not an exception). Most blogs are centered on political debate. There are other issues that demand attention. I must admit, this is our shortcoming.

It would be great if Nepali blogs could reflect the diversity that is Nepal . Sure, there are some really well-written blogs like Blogdai and Nepali Netbook. But even among political blogs, the debate is mostly skewed toward one viewpoint or topic. For example, in-depth analyses of the communal violence in Nepalgunj, or the Madheshi isuse did not make it to blogs.

Talking and listening

The personal side of blogging may help explain the issue of diversity. Everybody writing about politics all the time does not help enhance diversity. I write about things I do: if I read a book, I write about it; if I watch a movie or a drama, I blog. I write about anything that happens in my daily life and my reporting assignments that I deem interesting.
But some may say personal blogs may be uninteresting, for they look banal. Not entirely true. As a journalist, I always try to tell stories rather than opine. My views are merely a reflection on the stories I cover on a daily basis, and my own life-experiences.

We have much to learn. One way to do that is to read other good blogs. Some of my favorites include: Jabberwock, Middlestage, Newmediamusings, Huffigntonpost, Presstalk, and Kafila. As you can see, these blogs reflect a range of themes and subject matters.
One can start with the South Asian blogosphere. It is a vibrant community, particularly India . New Dehli recently hosted the second summit of Global Voices, a non-profit global citizens’ media project based at the Harvard Law School in Boston , USA . But the folks at GV do not listen [ Are you listening? The World is Talking] much to voices other than political. Or, do they?

From what I read and hear, blogs are making a huge impact in the West. Most of the blogs are actually published from there. When an editor from Newsweek quits the well-known weekly to join an upstart blog Huffingtonpost, it is a clear indication of the rising stature of blogs in the USA .

We bloggers in Nepal need to talk to each other and share our experiences. I must say this is what is lacking in Nepali blogosphere. We at Kantipur Complex regularly discuss blogs but that is a rather confined effort. The idea of Blog Association Nepal (BLOGAN) was proposed but it has not made much headway. One good example of a collective forum for bloggers is Nepali Voices, started in October 2006.

I think Nepali bloggers need to interact more. We can learn more by sharing our individual experiences. This happened on October 2005, on the first anniversary of UWB. Many Nepali bloggers attended and shared their experiences. It was a welcome sign. But, since then, I've not seen such gatherings (except a few discussions on blogs organized by Martin Chautari, a Kathmandu-based discussion group).
Above all, it’s fun
If a blogger evokes the image of a laptop carrying, gizmo crazy IT geek, I am far from it. Honestly, I don't fit into that mould. Though I sit in front of a computer most of the day, in terms of its technical aspects, I am just a novice. Then, why do I blog? Still I will say this: I blog, therefore I am.

But, the fact of the matter is, it is the sheer novelty of blog that fascinates me.

There is a great delight in being published instantly; not just in one obscure part of the planet, but virtually all over the world. Comments from readers are another source of delight. Initially, I jumped on the bandwagon simply hoping to hone my writing skill. But, more than the skill, I have always been passionate about writing. Blogging provided an outlet for my inner thoughts and experiences.

Writing for a print publication in Nepal , you don’t normally get readers’ comments. Blogs are a way to connect with the audience. Sometimes I am overwhelmed by comments and responses I get through my blog. Audience feedback is irresistible to any writer.

Prediction is a risky business. I can't say what is in store for my infant blog (or for others’) in the future, or even in the year 2007. Will blogging fade away like a passing fad? One thing is sure: there will be more and more blogs posing threat to the mainline media, promoting a more personal form of journalism. Happy New Year 2007! And a happy blogging!

Deepak Adhikari is feature writer of Nepal, the national newsweekly. He blogs at Deepak’s Diary.

www.nepalmonitor.com

Anonymous said...

- go to vow.com.np
- ISSUES: Archives
- February 2007
- choose Regulars from left
- you can see topic
- My Cup of Tea
The World of BLOGGING!
MORE

Anonymous said...

Nepalean I got it for you. ma ni agi bata tyo search gardai thiye. It is kind of interview rayecha.
This is the actual link: http://www.vownepal.com/portal/modules.php?name=Regulars&myaction=show&art_type=general&myid=317
World of BLOGGING!
Date: 8 January
Venue : Hotel Yak and Yeti
Hosted by: Rosha Basnet, student
Sagarmatha Multiple Campus
Participants: Archana Shrestha, IT professional; Darshan Karki, student, National College ; Sujana Upadhyay, communications associate, Practical Action.

There is nothing more satisfying than being able to express oneself freely and who would know this better than the rapidly growing community of bloggers in Nepal . A trend that started almost a decade ago, blogging has been accepted worldwide as an effective platform to express views on varied topics from politics to entertainment and from social issues to sex!

This month we met up with four young female bloggers who shared their experiences and views on blogging.

What is a blog ?
A blog is a user-generated website where entries are made in journal style. Blogs often provide commentary or news on a particular subject, such as food, politics, or local news; some function more as personal online diaries. A blog gives you your own voice on the web. A typical blog combines text, images, and links to other blogs, web pages, and other media related to its topic. The ability for readers to leave comments in an interactive format is an important part of many blogs. Many people use a blog just to organise their own thoughts, while others command influential, worldwide audiences of thousands.

Why blog ?
Most people begin blogging as a result of being encouraged to do so by other people. Many also become avid blog-readers prior to deciding to start their own. The main motivations usually include some of the following:

• Social commentary : The early bloggers maintained what were known as “filter-blogs” - that is, most entries consisted of select hyperlinks and excerpts of other news articles that the author found particularly noteworthy. The author would usually also include his or her own commentary. In a way, the readers who frequented these blogs were exposed to a variety of issues that had passed through the filter of the author's perspective, and some readers appreciated being able to visit one source whose views they find interesting rather than hunting through various news media sources themselves. In a sense, the authors act as grass-roots journalists.

• Personal journal : The majority of blogs on the Internet today take the form of a personal journal. Frequently, entries give an update on the author's life. Entries can be short snippets or long descriptions, and most authors try to keep their audiences in mind. The regular readers of these blogs are generally people who have a relationship to the author or who have taken an interest in the day-to-day activities of the author's life.

• Catharsis or free thinking : Sometimes, authors feel very passionately about a certain issue, either in their personal lives on in the media, and being able to get it out in print and sharing it with others is a way of venting or letting out steam. Similarly, people who feel confused or have a dilemma feel that it is sometimes useful to write out their free-flowing thoughts to help them sort out the problem.

• Community : Some people identify blogging as community building. People who blog about similar things or who are friends - either online or in real life - join in blogging circles where the members frequently read and/or comment on each other's blogs. In these types of blogs, it is common to see an entry where the author addresses something that was said in someone else's blog.

Darshan Karki
Blogging is a means of keeping my passion for writing alive. I am able to express myself freely and this, I feel, is the biggest advantage of having your own blog. There are certain political and social issues that we cannot talk about freely in our society. I can overcome such restrictions by posting my views on the site. It's true that we only have a handful of female bloggers who have come out into the open; probably this is because of the fear of being noticed by society. In our country, women still do not have the freedom to express themselves. If blogging is taken more seriously we can all have the freedom of talking about anything and everything without any fear. Blogs are a little different from online diaries as you have the freedom of decorating your blog with pictures which makes it more exciting. I write about anything that touches my heart. It is through blogging that people know me and it feels good. I have become bolder, confident and knowledgeable as I interact with different people and learn a lot from them.

Blog: www.zade.wordpress.com

Rosha Basnet
I was interested in writing since childhood and couldn't find a better platform than my own personal blog where I can write about anything. I can share my views with the world, express my feelings on any topic and write about anything and everything without having the fear of being pin pointed by others. Blogging gives you the pleasure of having your own personal space on the Internet where you can post your articles without the fear of having things edited by a second person. It gives you the confidence to discuss and debate on relevant issues. Through my blog, I have learnt so much about the world. I have met people from various backgrounds and have learnt a lot from them. Through blogging, we build a network of friends with whom we share thoughts and ideas on various things. Blogging is much more than just entertainment and online chatting - it is a medium which can be used as a forum to talk about social issues, technical advancements, political and current affairs. If used effectively, I feel, blogging can help create awareness on many social issues which is the need of the hour.

Blog: www.rosha.com.np

Sujana Upadhyay
Bloging is a pretty new concept in Nepal . There are relatively less Nepali female bloggers when compared to male bloggers. This is probably because women in our country are busy shuffling between household chores and office work and do not get the time and environment that blogging demands. Writing has always been a passion for me. I have maintained an online diary from 2001. It is a very good platform to express my feelings. This interest later led me to blogging. There are no limitations in blogging - I blog when I am happy, I blog when I am low - it is something that keeps me going. There is no one to stop me from writing what I want to. I can write about my neighbour, my friend or even politics. Blogging has helped me become more expressive and confident as an individual. I am now able to talk on any topic. I can express myself well in front of others.

Blog: unsharedthoughts.blogspot.com

Archana Shrestha
I am an IT professional and I got introduced to blogging a few years ago by some Americans I was working with. When I started a blog of my own, I was amazed to find a personal space for myself. Though I usually blog about technological advancements, there are times when I try and pour my feelings in the form of poems. As a female blogger there are times when people leave mean comments on my blog - they are more concerned about highlighting my loopholes than my strengths – but this doesn't refrain me from updating my blog. In fact, their comments make me happy – at least they have the time to go through my site and write something about me. We still do not have many female bloggers in Nepal as the idea of blogging is not well understood. Starting a blog requires basic computer knowledge and we still do not have a huge percentage of computer literates in Nepal . In western countries blogging is a means of livelihood for many people and it could also be for most of us here. I feel that it can be developed as a profession in Nepal too.

Blog: www.archana.com.np/blog

ठरकि दादा said...

यो दुई हप्ता जत्ती अलिकता व्यस्त भएकोले यस विषयमा राम्ररी अध्ययन गर्न पाईंन । तर माथी धेरैजना मित्रहरुले खोजमूलक जानकारी राखिसक्नु भएको रहेछ । मलाई प्रज्वल जीको कुरामा केहि थप्न मन लागेको छ। साझा पनि बास्तबमै ब्लग नै हो वा बल्ग र फोरमको मिस्रित रुप हो भन्दा फरकै पर्दैन । ब्यानरमा 'बल्ग' लेखेर मात्रै ब्लग हुने पक्कै पनि होईन ।

संसारकै सबैभन्दा पहिलो ब्लगको मान्यता पाएको Justin Hall को ब्लग http://links.net/ को पनि व्यानरमा “ब्लग” नलेखी केवल Justin’s Links मात्रै लेखिएकोछ भने अहिले बजारमा समाचारको साईट लाई “ब्लग” लेखेर चलाउनेको संख्या पनि धेरै छन ।

मेरो मतलब खोजी पसेमा यस्ता धेरै ब्यानरमा ब्लग नलेखी चलाईएका ब्लगहरु भेटिन सक्छन ।

यो थ्रेडलाई निरन्तरता दिदैं गरौं र नेपाली ब्लगका ईतिहासको बारेमा पाईएका यथासम्भब जानकारिलाई यहाँ राख्दै गरौं । आफ्नो अमुल्य समय र जानकारी बाँडनु हुने सबैमा धनयबाद् ।

Unknown said...

त्यसोभए साझा नै भएछ मैले पहिले पढेको ब्लग त्यसपछि त माई संसार नै होला । ब्लगको ईतिहासबारेमा खास लेख्य जानकारी रहेनछ मसँग त तर सबैको जानकारी मुलक छलफल देखेर भने केहि जानेँ । दौंतरीलाई धन्यवाद !

Anonymous said...

I really appreaciate your drive to he research on this subject. I don't have information regarding this at present. If there would be, I would post. Thank You

पीजी said...

मैले पनि पहिलो पटक हेरेको नेपाली ब्लग साझा थियो , अनि शायद युनाइटड वी भन्ने थियो ।

बिजय कुमार श्रेष्ठ said...

ब्लगको बारेमा भन्नु पर्दा ब्लग अहिलेको युगमा अती महतोको कुरा जस्तो लाग्छ किनकी यो मित्रताको पहिचान आफनो बौदिकताको बिकास गर्नको लागिम अती सहयोगी हो जस्तो लाग्छ। अनी आफुलाई चिनाउनको लागि पनि अहिले ब्लगको सहयोग लिने गरेका छन बुद्दिजीबी बर्गको मानिसहरुले तेसैले मेरो विचारमा ब्लग मनिसको दोर्शो पाठशाला हो भन्ने सोचदछु ।एस्मा हरेक कुराको र हरेक किसिमको बिचारसँग मेला हुन गैरहेको हुन्छ । अर्काको देखा सिकीमा मनिसहरुको आधयन् गर्ने बानी पारेको हुन्छ र लगन्सिलताको खेमामा मनिसले पाइला चाल्ने काम गर्दछ । तेसैले यो बैज्ञानीक जबनामा अती आवोसेकताको पन्ना हो जस्तो लाग्छ मेरो पहिलो नजर मेरो संसार ब्लग हो । तेस्लाई नै देखेर मैले पनि जनी नजानी ब्लग तयार गर्ने क्रम्मा लागेको छु।
बिजय कुमार श्रेष्ठ - हाल ईराकबाट

Anonymous said...

aba news afai lekhnus. mero samachar dot com ma janus. aba spelling mistake huna sakchha so bookmark garnus.

www.merosamachar.com

Anonymous said...

मैले करीब ३/४ वर्षअघि नेपाली साइटबाट निम्न ब्लगको सूचि पाएको थिएँ :

Nepali Blogs
http://www.merosansar.com.np
http://www.bloggernepal.com.np
http://www.nepalblogs.com
http://www.hknepal.com/wp
http://nepalinfo.civiblog.org
http://laliguras.blogsome.com
http://chij.blogsome.com
http://ratnapark.blogsome.com
http://ramdahal.blogspot.com

Blogs with Account
http://www.blogsome.com
http://www.blogger.com
http://www.wordpress.com
http://www.livejournal.com
http://www.myspace.com
http://www.blogeasy.com

Blogs with Audio/Video
http://www.youtube.com
http://video.google.com
http://video.download.com
http://www.blastpodcast.com
http://www.podomatic.com
http://www.vimeo.com
http://www.podbazaar.com

मलाई याद भएअनुसार मैले हेर्ने/पढ्ने ब्लग भनेको माइसंसार थियो र छ । रत्नपार्क पनि घुमिन्थ्यो, तर अचेत त्यति गइन्न त्यता ।

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