Real Lives

Wednesday October 3, 2007

Blog brigade

Blogging is big – bigger, in fact, among women than men. The interests are varied, too: from heavy politics to frilly fashion, the spectrum of female interests is as unlimited as the Internet.

By CHOW EE-TAN

‘Are you a blogger?' If you pose that question to a woman, the answer might be yes. Web logs, more commonly known as blogs, have become increasingly mainstream and widespread among Internet users.

And women, perhaps more so than men, have the natural tendency to express themselves; thus, the number of women who blog is rising.

In fact, a recent online survey of 1000 adults in the United States revealed that more women than men are bloggers; 20% of American women who have visited blogs also have their own versus 14 % of men.

Love of writing, the desire to share their thoughts, their interests and passion, as well as the novelty of a new medium, attract them to the bandwagon.

The scope covered by female bloggers is expansive – from the seemingly frivolous to the ponderous state of the world, and the intimately personal.

Whatever the focus, female bloggers share one trait: joy and satisfaction (and perhaps a bit of addiction) they have found from blogging!

Lucia Lai, 40, administration clerk from Penang.

Blog: Mental Jog (
lucialai.org) Socio-political (SoPo) blogger Lucia Lai has her niece to thank for starting her blog!

"I thought to myself if an 11-year-old could do it, why not I? So I began to experiment with blogging but never made it public. As I started reading Jeff Ooi and a few other SoPo blogs, I was impressed by the news and current issues," she says.

In Sept. 2003 when Dr Mahathir announced his resignation, the blogosphere was abuzz, and Lucia told herself she must present her blog. So ‘Mental Jog' went public on 27 Sept 2003.

"Right from the beginning when I started my blog, I had already decided on social-political issues.

There are things happening in front of us, that we should be concerned with.

It gives me an opportunity to voice out how I feel about a particular issue, instead of suppressing all my thoughts."

Lucia tries to blog daily and her ideas could come from the old or online media. Sometimes she gets inspiration from chatting with other bloggers or friends.

She has about 100 hits a day and her readers are mostly other bloggers.

"I would be lying if I said the number of hits is not important to me. But I'm not too worried over it," she says, adding that it's the quality of the comments that count.

There have been some ‘rewards' for her hard work; for example, on December 1 2003, a post she wrote about World AIDs day was nominated by the Malaysian AIDs Council for its ‘Daimler Chrysler Red Ribbon Media Awards 2004'.

"During the great Aceh tsunami on Dec. 2004, I blogged extensively on some relief aid work I did for the Tsunami victims. The Singapore Strait Times mentioned my blog in an article."

Blogging has opened a whole new world. She has made many like-minded friends through her blog and met them recently at Bloggers United, a gathering last May she heled to organise in Subang Jaya.

More than 100 bloggers turned up, including ‘big names' like Jeff OoiRocky, Raja Petra, and others she had previously chatted with only online.

Does she have any fears following the government's recent stance on SoPo bloggers?

"Well, a blogger friend told me that once you are a SoPo blogger, your name will be on the police files.

I not only put my true identity but even have my photo on my blog! I have made it easy for the Special Branch to look for me!" she jokes.

"As long as I know my limits and do not to tread on seditious ground, I guess I shouldn't fear."

Paris Beaverbanks, 32, executive from Kuala Lumpur.

Blogs: The Fluff Must Go Somewhere (
parisbeaverbanks.com), My Women Stuff (
mywomenstuff.com), All About Shopping! (
all-aboutshopping.com), Pink Parisian (
foodie.parisbeaverbanks.com)

This blogger who goes by the moniker Paris Beaverbanks may have only blogged for a year but now runs four blogs, including a beauty and a shopping blog.

She is into beauty and skincare and started out by reviewing products for fun and to keep track of what works for her and what doesn't.

"I like playing with makeup and experimenting with skincare products so ‘My Women Stuff' is primarily about these. I thought it would be nice to write about my own experiences with the products as people like to read actual reviews before buying. It helps the consumer with their choices and maybe the manufacturer, too, to improve," she says.

Over time, ‘My Women Stuff' which started out as a product journal, then a product review site, has been expanded to cover anything about women – a bit like writing a woman's magazine, she says.

But soon, she felt it was getting too messy to lump everything into one site so she started a separate blog on shopping. All about Shopping! – came about as an off shoot of My Women Stuff.

"It was meant to be about where to find stuff I have reviewed. I decided to dedicate it to shopping and its high points and pitfalls – from a consumer's viewpoint," she says. "I decided to write about my experiences with stores and what we, as consumers, should expect or stand for. These are subjects I'm familiar with."

Paris started with blog advertising last December and earned enough to start up sites with her own domain in March.

"There are various ways to do it - blog advertising includes having advertisements, pay per click ads and doing paid or sponsored reviews.

"It can be very lucrative if you are hardworking and have a site with high traffic and good rankings. There are some bloggers who can live off their online income but for me, it still isn't lucrative enough for me to give up my day job," she laughs.

Paris' inspirations and ideas come from articles online and print and from her own daily experiences.

"Sometimes, I give my comment on articles I've read or highlight things that might interest the public. You'd be surprised just how much you can write about from daily observations," she says.

She gets about 250 hits a day and like all bloggers, she appreciates hearing from readers.

"I'm happy when they leave a comment to share their own experiences with the product I reviewed or tell me that the review or article was helpful," she says.

Once she had a major cosmetics brand's beauty salon offering a hefty discount on their beauty services for her readers.

Irene Kiew, 29, office administrator from Setiawan.

Blog: Scribbled Scribblings (
ireneq.com)

Irene Kiew, who loves writing, chanced into the blogosphere and has been blogging for five years and three months now!

"A friend was telling me I should check out a particular website. He knew I love to write, and he told me this website would let me input stuff and instantly publish it on the web, without needing to do any HTML formatting. I thought that sounded wonderful and decided to try it out. It turned out that the website was Blogger.com," says Irene.

In the beginning, she had no idea what to blog about, so she followed her gut instincts. "I told stories about my life. Interesting Incidents that occurred, things I was thinking about, issues I was struggling with, and all that sort of thing. My blog was named "Musings and Misadventures of ireneQ".

"I did tend to mention the people in my life quite frequently," she says.

Unfortunately, her family and relatives were upset by what they perceived as a breach of privacy.

To mitigate that, she moved her personal blog to an undisclosed location and continued writing anonymously.

"I already had another blog on language, writing, and books, and since that relates to my career goals, I made it my main blog at ireneQ.com.

She uses the same pseudonym for two other blogs.

"I also have a blog where I wrote letters to my future husband. The last was written about a year ago!" she laughs.

How does she get her ideas for a blog on language and writing? Well, Irene is currently doing a Masters in Linguistics (English language) and can't get away from thinking about language. And she is always reading.

"I think some of my joy from this blog is when someone thanks me for writing something that has given them new insight or encouraged them in some way, or when something I have written sparks off a discussion and gets people to share ideas.

She gets about 600 hits on average and tries to update at least three times a week but slacks due to her busy schedule.

"People say you should write for yourself and not for your audience, and I mostly agree with that, because if you pander to your readers then you're no longer being true to yourself.

"But the knowledge that there are people reading is what keeps me disciplined and to continue writing frequently. I write to share experiences and thoughts. So if nobody is reading, then there would be no point," Irene sums up.

Lyrical Lemongrass, 30 something, accountant from Kuala Lumpur.

Blog: A Whiff of LemonGrass (
awhiffoflemongrass.blogspot.com)

"Many food bloggers are anonymous, because our food reviews are done anonymously," says Lyrical Lemongrass, one of the many food bloggers in Kuala Lumpur.

She started blogging in November 2006, because her group of friends who enjoy eating wanted a way to keep track of all the eating establishments they had visited.

"I love food! I have always loved food. Being a person of mixed parentage - somewhat - I was exposed to the different types of Malaysian food from an early age, and I am glad for that," she says.

"My blog is mainly a review of food establishments – from the very simple roadside stalls to more expensive restaurants," she says. "I believe that good food can be found in all types of places, and one should not discriminate against certain classes of food, just because of pricing or environment."

Her blog has gradually evolved from an online diary to a reference guide compilation of restaurants in KL that readers consult when they look for places to eat.

Alongside beautiful photos of delicious food, Lyrical Lemongrass has written her blog with a candid, personal touch.

"It is not just restaurant reviews, but stories of my life as well as my personal encounters. The essence of my blog is that it is real," she says.

She updates her blog about three times a week. "I love writing, and taking photographs, so the inspiration comes about easily. I am also driven by the excitement of introducing a new food establishment!"

Although she gets about 800 to 1,000 hits a day from around the world – 60 per cent from Malaysia – Lyrical is not too bothered about statistics. There is no financial target to meet, since she does not carry advertising.

Like all bloggers, she finds joy in the feedback from the readers, all over the world.

She is moved by their appreciation but the drawback is lack of sleep. "I normally blog late at night!"

Food blogging is a great social leveller, says Lyrical, who has formed friendships with like-minded people.

"Food bloggers come from all walks of life, that's what makes it so interesting. We have no official activities, though but gather together and eat at different places," she says.

She has even played host to tourists, many of whom are interested in hawker food.

"Food is truly Malaysia's largest asset, and that's what Malaysia should be promoting on a large scale," she says. And as long as her love of food, writing and photography is there, she sees herself blogging for a long time to come.

Perfomer/singer Janet Lee, 30, is an avid blogger whose main blog is Soul Doctor Speaks (
souldoctor.blogspot.com)

How did you start blogging?

I started three years ago. I held back (a long while) thinking I didn't want to be just another blogging statistic, but I gave in finally, because I wanted to write. I have always enjoyed keeping a diary since my school days.

I thought now I can keep a diary that is for public consumption, and it's a fabulous way to practise writing skills.

How did you decide on what you should blog about?

The subjects came naturally to me. I try to balance between writing about something that could interest readers and myself.

You keep multiple blogs. How did this happen?

I started to ‘branch-out' to having a few blogs when I found writing on all the subjects in just one blog was too big an order. So I started my second blog (
www.janetsing.blogspot.com) to house my singing portfolio when I turned full-time to performing. Then when I started to keep lots of pictures from my second hand shopping outings, my best friend See Ming suggested that I keep a separate blog to upload my stories and pictures about shopping in flea markets and jumble sales.

I did and ‘Shopping with Soul Doctor' (
www.shopwithsouldoctor.blogspot.com) generated a lot of interest especially among female readers.

And See Ming again suggested to me on keeping a special fashion diary. Fabulous fashion blogs like Scott Schumman 's The Sartorialist (
www.thesartorialist.blogspot.com) inspired me to start my fourth blog on fashion - Soul Doctor moments (
www.souldocfashion.blogspot.com). Now I keep two other new ones for my portfolio, one blog where I keep all my media mentions and news clippings (
www.janetinthemedia.blogspot.com) and one is my performance calendar (
www.janetshowcalendar.blogspot.com).

Why ‘Soul Doctor'?

Music is medicine for the soul, hence singers are doctors for the soul!

How have your blogs evolved?

When I first started blogging I didn't know how photographs were uploaded so just wrote about the stuff I do without any picture. When I finally got to know how to upload pictures, my entries are more like `picture-essays' which I think is more interesting.

The shopping blog stayed pretty much true to its objective – I post notices of upcoming jumble sales, reports of shopping outings , and I publicise some second hand shops here and overseas, sales and promotions. My singing portfolio site started out with just my CV and biography, and I made it more informative by putting up a list of my singing repertoire, pictures from my previous shows, testimonials and blurbs from some notable industry players.

How often do you update your blogs?

I blog as and when I have something to update –could be daily to weekly.

Where and how did you get your inspiration to write so often?

I think I have a rather, colourful lifestyle so I guess having a variety of activities inspires me to share the experiences.

As a singer, does keeping blogs help your career?

Yes it does. Having Internet presence means potential and existing clients are able to read and get updated about my performances. They get to know about my other interests and hopefully then they might feel that these interests and thoughts enrich my performance as a singer.

Who are your readers and how many hits do your blogs get?

Some close friends read my blogs on a regular basis and others tell me they get a regular dosage of my entries. But generally I don't keep track of who's reading my blogs and I don't monitor the hits as well!

Are there any drawbacks to blogging?

Sometimes when I get carried away with blogging I run late for lunches, breakfasts, dinners! But there are times when nothing much is going on in my head and my schedule is `running on empty', so I just don't blog.

Any interesting experiences/incidents you can share from blogging?

There was a silly guy who commented that my interest in shopping and looking good was encouraging crimes among illegal workers in the country. Bizarre, right? I posted a reply to his whine and of course, a few women replied too!

What are some of the passions that motivate you to blog?

I think writing and reading blogs are an enriching exercise. Firstly of course I find joy in writing, the simple pleasure of organising thoughts into words and essays.

The second thing is that I like the idea of documenting my experiences in blogs, complete with links and pictures. I also love the idea that people get to read about things like second-hand shopping in KL, and when they go out to buy second hand stuff, it's good for our wallets and good for the environment!