Thursday, 9 October 2008

As the blog enters the second year

Exactly one year back, I blogged for the first time. I was toying with the idea for at least six months prior to that and had kept January 1st, 2008 as the deadline to start my blog. I didnt have a foggiest of idea as to how to blog, where to host it and what it should contain.

It was on the afternoon of 9th October 2008 that I decided at the spur of the moment (as is always the case with major decisions in my life, which are never planned in advance but done spontaneously) to look out for free hosts to blog and to somehow post my first blog. Thus was born 'Raja's World'.

In my first post I had written,

"What can you expect in this blog? A wide range of topics ranging from current affairs to management to music to sports - critically analyzed.Raja's world will make you think and will create a network of people having differing viewpoints. I may not agree with you all the time nor you with me. But we will definitely respect our right to disagree."

One year and 269 Posts later, the time is ripe to take a rain check on my commitments to you.

A wide range of topics ranging from current affairs to management to music to sports - critically analyzed - I am sure I have kept my word on this. I have looked far and wide, have tackled current issues and have looked well back into the past to give you a wide range of topics, with my own cryptic analysis.

Raja's world will make you think - You have to tell me whether I made you think. I have a feeling I did, over the past few months.

and will create a network of people having differing viewpoints - This has not happened to the level I expected. The number of hits during the first year was around 9700 odd, which is not bad,considering my deliberately not linking my blog to the other blogs or blog networks. It has been my desire to keep it limited to a small circle and that is how it has remained. Maybe this needs a relook. I thought the comments section will make you interact with each other. It hasn't happened.

I may not agree with you all the time nor you with me. But we will definitely respect our right to disagree - It has been the policy of this blog not to edit or delete any comments, unless it is in extreme bad taste. And it has stayed that way. Fortunately, I never had to use my editorial prerogative to monitor comments, for all of you have been very mature while making logical comments.

It has been a long journey. 269 posts in 365 days!. There were days when I had struggled to find a topic to post. There were days when I just didnt want to post. There were days when I was very sick. But I have hung on. I have dug deep evertime I am stuck for ideas, for I had made a commitment to my readers, who though small in number opened my blog in anticipation. I did not want to disappoint them.

This blog would not have completed one year but for you - my readers. This blog gets 25-35 hits per day, which works as a fuel to keep me going. Let me thank you all for coming back day after day to read this blog. Please give your feedback and suggestions for improvement in the comments column.

This blog starts its second year coincidentally on 'Saraswathi Pooja day' or 'Vidyarambham day'.

May the Goddess Saraswathi give me the strength to carry this forward. I pray to her to keep my thinking clear, put words on my finger tips while I type and to ensure that I say only the right things all the time.

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