Thursday, August 24, 2006

Magic Terms to Increase the Hits to the Blog


It is a wish and dream of every blogger to receive a large number of hits everyday. There are web sites which are ready to increase hits to your site for some consideration. There are bloggers who have developed their blogs exclusively on this theme.

It is definitely a desire worth cherishing. You are on the cyberspace. You know people visit it by visiting various sites. They have made many sites popular. They have made many sites the fortune churning machines and made the owners wealthy. It is the visitors to your site which impart a type of status, recognition, a pride and an identification to you. Many search engines and syndication sites list the top sites. There are sites which list only such sites which are being visited by a large number of people. The directories are developed for this purpose only. There are Wiki sites wherein the site owners are encouraged to display their sites. The frequently visited sites is an asset for the owners. The dream of every site maker is that its product shall become the most popular thing on the cyberspace. It is just like having a shop keeper mentality. You have opened the shop and now you want that the customers should step. You desire that they should at least step in even if they are not interested in buying anything from your shop. It is the same case with the bloggers.

I also cherish this dream. I am not a computer expert. I have read about RSS feeds and many such other technical terms which can increase the visibility of the site. I have learned about putting your site on different directories which are place where knowledgeable people cruise for the right information. But I am not able to understand much about them.

I am however receiving regular visitors. Some of them have my address in their favourite folder and they directly reach my site. Most popular engines would display my site in their result for some specific terms. I am otherwise satisfied with the traffic which I am receiving. No doubt, I want to increase it.

However, I have identified with the help of Site Meter that there are some Magic Terms in my different blogs which bring people to my sites. I remember how I have located those terms. After I have added them in my posts, the traffic to my sites has increased substantially. One can easily check the authenticity of the claim by checking the site meter or by visiting Indian Blog and Blog Top Site icons which I have placed on three of my blogs.

Before, I say anything further, let me give out those three magic terms.

These terms are
Civil Services which forms the part of the address of my blog titled Civil Services Prelims.
The Second Magic Term is Munshi Prem Chand. Well, this term is definitely a magic term. Add something on Munshi Prem Chand on your blog and then see the result. You will yourself learn the results.
The Third Magic Term is Teej, which literally means ‘Three". I have written two articles on Teej on the demand of my sister and later added them with some modification on my blog. I never have dreamt in my wildest dreams that this word would attract so much of traffic to my site. I wonder for what actually people are looking for on the Internet.

The term Civil services was identified by me through the Site Meter. I have already mentioned this event on this very blog that how I turned to writing on Civil Services blog.

The second term was also identified through Site Meter. I think that I had made some remark about Indian social history wherein I had mentioned the name of Danpat Rai alias Nawab ji alias Munshi Prem Chand. I started receiving visitors who came searching for the Munshi Prem Chand. Later, I myself got attracted towards this personality. Through my search, I located Hind Granth Karayalya, a publishing house of Mumbai. There were three versions with the same name. In there, I found the life history of Munshi Prem Chand and list of the works of the illustrious writer. I made a noting first on my Hindi blog at Sumir Hindi Main and later, I added additional posting on this very blog titled Sumir Sharma. I started receiving a larger number of visitors to my site. I had identified some Pakistani Blogs wherein they had discussed the Urdu works of Munshi Prem Chand but foolishly I did not make a note on them. Anyhow, it brought traffic to my site. Later, I located the blog by Raman Kaul who had done a tremendous job by placing all the short stories on Munshi Prem Chand on his blog. I made a noting of that blog on my Sumir-history blog wherein I was, in those days, discussing the democratization of knowledge through sharing on Internet in response one highly technical post by William of Digital History Hack that I was some how able to understand. After that, there was a flood of visitors to my site because people came searching for the original stories by Munshi Prem Chand. The most fascinating thing was that all these stories are available on a government site at C-DAC of Noida before that. They have displayed it in such a manner that I was not able to access. Raman Kaul had just converted the stories in HTML and displayed it on the blog. The second fascinating thing is that those who come searching for Munshi Prem Chand stories on my Sumir-history blog, they definitely use the link to Raman Kaul site. The site meter always shows it on its out click link column. Some of them remain on my site for thirty to forty minutes. It happens because the Raman Kaul site opens on a separate sheet. He has displayed the stories in such user-friendly manner that the visitor definitely read one or two stories. But he forgets to quit my site. My site records the timing of visitors for thirty to forty minutes. I have made many comments on this aspect of display and flayed the activity of the government of India in its efforts to pursue e-governance and e-awareness. I do not know whether the people who matters had taken any note of it but I am definitely benefited from it as it has increased visitors to my blog.

The third term is Teej. As I have already told that Teej means Three. It means the third day of a month, a lunar calendar month of Hindus. Well, this term was my discovery for the blog. I have already mentioned that I had written a write up on a demand from my sister and later I have posted it on my blog. I never knew that so many people wanted to know about Teej. They are mostly interested in Hartalik Teej of Bhadra month. Well for the benefit of the general public especially those who are visiting from America and Canada I give the names of all the twelve Desi Mahinas. I have mugged them up during my civil services examination and I remember them well. They are mostly found written on Desi Calendars and Government of India Calendars which has adopted Saka Samvat as the official Calendar of India. These twelve months are as follows.

Chaitra or Chet (Punjabi)
Vaishaka or Baishakha
Jayaishtha or Jeitha or Jeith
Ashadha or Hadda or Haddi
Sravana or Sawana
Bhadrapada the month of Hartalik Teej and Karvachauth. (Chauth is ‘Four’ and Teej is Three. In Bihar, it is Hartali Teej which is celebrated in place of Karvachauth. This is the most fascinating aspect which I would like to explore further. Kaajri praises Radha Krishna, Hartalika Shiva Parvati, and Shiva Parvati love is propitiated in whole of India whereas in Rig Veda Shiva is only worshiped as Rudra.) or Bhadaon
Ashvina
Karttika or Kattak
Margshirsha or sishar
Pausha
Magha or Maghi
Phalguna or Phaggan

Well, what may it adds up to, the above mentioned terms have definitely increased the visitors to my sumir-history and civil services prelims blog.
xixixixi
Editorial Note:
The relation between Sawan and Teej has been deleted. Similarly the relation between Bhadrapada has been explained by one friend who is from Bihar. I have yet to fully verify it.

Why do people Blog?

Why do people Blog?

Well this is a very wide question. It is wide in the sense because every act is preceded by some initiation of a kind and one never knows why he or she has started doing that act. There are many acts about which we do not know why we do them. Now I consider blogging as an act in that category.

In present days, there are well established scientific methods to find answers to all the wide and obfuscating questions. The marketing people have practiced the science of field research and operational research to a degree of perfection. The companies take decision on production, pricing, placement and selling factors on the basis of such research. Nothing is now left to hunches. They are able to seek answer for every “why”. In such a scenario, I am just trying to give an armchair answer to the above question.

If I have collected the right information, then the blogging started somewhere in 1997. However, it was only from 2000 onwards, that it has become more popular. I am with Blogger. I have been visiting different blogs sites on Wordpress, Typepad etc. I have found that most of the bloggers have started this activity in 2005. I have particular choice for selecting a blog. Most of the time it is an academic blog or a blog relating to issues of history. Therefore, my observation may have only limited truth and validity. Secondly, it is mainly an observation which has not been authenticated by any established research model. Anyhow, I now have this impression that there are more bloggers since 2005. In case of my favourite blogs, I have found that many of them have started blogging only in 2006. It may suggest that blogging is catching up. In case of most popular blogs in my favourite category, they are started in 2006. Well, it is again an opinion on the basis of general observation. There is no concrete methodology adopted to reach that conclusion.

As I understand the blogging is working as a source of catharsis for many people. That is the main motive behind most of the regular bloggers. Such bloggers are in one profession and their interest lies in different field. Somewhere, there is sense of dissatisfaction. They are not able to adjust with this arrangement in their lives. The blogging has given them an outlet to showcase their talent in other field. This gives a soothing effect when they indulge in the blogging.

In some cases, it shows that it has become their alter ego. They are pursuing it as if blogging is the only pursuit for which they are meant. The blogging introduces them to different people from different regions. They showcase their talent. They receive back feedback through comments and references. They again come out with more work on their blog with greater force. They are very particular about the display of their blog. They are very particular to respond to the comments which they receive and make it a point to respond to them.

There are people who are undertaking blogging as a mission to promote some of their views and thinking. They promote one particular language. They promote some particular cause. Some of them are really contributing to the society by such a type of activity. I have learned Hindi blogging through such types of crusaders headed by Debashish.

Another set is just treating it as a general journal or a personal diary. They are very regular. For them also, it is turning out to be a source of catharsis of hidden desires.

Somewhere, I feel, that many bloggers feel that they have a writer hidden in them and they can win Bookers or Nobel Prize. They come out with whatsoever they consider as the best in the literature. Well some of them are really good. Some of them really deserve some prize for the literary work which they have brought on the cyberspace.

There are those people who are related to computer sciences. They are more productive. They are discussing such things which are bringing changes on the internet also. I am not conversant with this field. I am totally illiterate in the field of computer sciences and the Information Technology. I am not in a position to categorize their activity. It seems that they are definitely talking something substantial. One this is sure, they are more fertile and productive.

Those who indulge in political talks are also there. I am not interested in them. There are many of them. They are the people who make more noises and get recognized. I am with history and we history people just call them as our small siblings who are growing into brats. That is other thing that along with money, it is the field of politics which matter more than anything else. It is the case with sex sites also. I do not apologize for having clubbed sex blogs with politics.

However, by now, blogging is not being taken as seriously by the rest of the human community. Sometime, they definitely make waves. But, on the whole, the human community just treats them as a hobby of those who have luxury of time. They are not taken seriously. The rest of community has not given must importance to Internet. The Internet is considered as a good source of information. What kind of information is available on Internet? Is it authentic or not? Who are the people who place the information on Internet? How actively is the information updated? Is the information a knowledge in itself? All such types of questions are not given any importance.
Blogging as such is the next revolution. It is a revolution far greater importance than the printing of books or Gutenberg type printing which brought the Renaissance. I can declare this thing because I am student of history. I consider blogging as more important than nano technology which is the next generation activity. Blogging is here and will soon come up as the biggest and substantial thing in the field of knowledge. It is the thing which will make Internet more meaningful.

However, I still wonder that why the people blog!

Wednesday, August 09, 2006

Inventing Spiritualism or Identity Crises


In my childhood, I was overawed by talks about a God man. The God man was Sat Sai Baba. Those were the days when Readers Digest, Illustrated Weekly and Blitz were the magazines of the elite. Being a son of a gazetted officer, I had the privilege of reading those magazines. This was the position during the early seventies.

During eighties, I had listened the whispers about the people who called themselves as Radha Swamis. I was not attracted much by them as they were closely held community visiting a place called Beas Dera. I did not have the idea where it was situated. I lived for some time in Amritsar but did not learn much about Beas Dera. In the early nineties, another God man, Bhagwan Rajneesh became popular. By that time, I was able to read English. I tried to read about him. Soon he became a rich God Man Osho. In between, somewhere by that time, electronic Media started dominating the general public opinion. It was through it, one Murari Bapu became popular. He became popular as a Kathakar, or sermon deliverer who based his sermons and songs on Tulsi Dass Ramayana. Gradually, Assa Ram Bapu became more popular when the cable net work and private television channels became a rage among the masses. Along with Assa Ram Bapu, Swami Sudhanshu ji Maharaj also became popular. He was also a sermon chanter who made Bhagvat Gita as the basis of his sermons. After that, I soon learned about rather more popular Sri Sri Ravi. A soft spoken, smiling face, speaking in simple sentences pervaded the print and electronic media with his art of living. Now these days, it is Ram Dev who has become popular along with Yog and controversies of medicine and threat perception. He has become so popular, that I found, Sikh, Muslims and people from different sects referring to his Anulum Pratilom Pranayama, rubbing of nails of both hands against each other and his ‘yoga’ books. The people talk as if it is he who has invented YOG Shastra.

I do not know if the admirers of Ram Deva know about Rishi Patanjali. Or for that matter, do they know about Naya, Vaisheshika, Sankhya, Yoga, Mimansa and Vedanata? Do they know about Akkshapada Gautama or Rishi Gautama, Uluuka Kannada or Rishi Kannada, or Rishi Kapila or Rishi Patanjali, Rishi Jamini and Shankaracharya.

It seems that there is miserable situation of identity crises among the Indians. There is a great crisis of Indian Social identity passing through transition due to changed economic equations and technological advancement pervading all the spheres of life. Somewhere, the Indians come across their real heritage roots which provide answers to their present desperation but unfortunately they do not know that their answers were always with them. It was they who had been ignoring their roots. But, when one mortal clad in scarlet red or violet or milk white robes introduces them to their real self, they make a God man out him. Ram Deva or Sri Sri Ravi may be God to westerners, but for Indians their real teachers were Rishi Patanjali, Rishi Gautam, Rishi Jamini, Rishi Kannada and Shankracharya. Their God is an Advaita for those who have urge to seek him through knowledge and Advitya Advaita for those who just seek through utmost Bhakti because they believe in Him.

Tuesday, August 08, 2006

Shifting Paradigm

For some days, I had been planning to write a post. I will not reveal the title because I have already developed the idea. Now, I want to add punch to it by substantiating with some data or some type of authentication. However, before, I would have written the post and posted it, an event in Blogging career took place which has given me a slight kick. I believe that it is haughty on my part to claim the credit for that happening but well, I want to claim it.


I had been persuading Prof. Rajneesh Khanna, an author of some major text books and far ahead than me, for writing his blog. I had visited his place and prepared his blog. He liked the idea but somewhere, that shift and zest were not there. He did not take to blogging.



A couple of day back, he posted some of his original writings on the blog and tried to develop a new blog. No doubt, he was not able to create the new blog in the right manner. He rang me up and apprised me of the new postings. I checked the blogs and was elated to read the contents on it. It gave me a great boost to my ego. I felt proud that I had been able to initiate someone quite capable in pursuing an activity which would be useful to many. I do not know whether Rajneesh would give me credit or endorse it. However, after that, I forwarded his articles to some of the forums. He had also sought further guidance for developing his blog. He would visit my place for that. The whole event had just given me a great feeling.


It has also changed my outlook towards my activity on blogging. I did not like the idea of promoting the blog through different technical means. However, it was just by untentional act when I had placed links of my blogs on some of the directories and Wikis. I had not tried to promote my blog with any major game plan. After Rajneesh had joined in, I felt that as if I was definitely pursuing a meaningful activity. Now, I have desire to promote my blog. Earlier, I thought, I should continue to write on my blog and the contents of my blog by itself bring an audience for me. Now, I desire to make use of various devices which the experts in the field of IT are developing every day and putting them on the Internet.


I am in teaching. I have developed some teaching blogs also. However, I am loosing enthusiasm in promoting and developing them. I have started the blogging activity mainly to undertake that goal. I had learnt from other teacher’s blogs and forums that blogging could be used as an additional teaching tool and as an effective tool also. By now, I have become a partisan. I am devoting more time to my blog sumir-history and this very blog. The main reason is that the atmosphere of teaching world is very distressing. You look around yourself and find many such Phds who do not impress. They mainly act as manipulators. They do not attract for their scholarship. They are dominating because they are street smart. I find many of them scum of human depravity and a social peril. They have the position but they will only harm. On the other hand, this new technology has given an escape route to people like us. Yes, right, I call it an escape route. I consider those Phds with official position as more successful than us. I am in history and history tells a lot about such people. That is other thing, there is no value judgement about them. The final verdict is yet to be passed. However, there are enough examples which teach that they are being identified as the social and public peril. Any how, the migration of Rajneesh to this arena has given me a satisfaction and confidence. When I look around in the internet world, I find many of them like me performing their act and leaving their mark. Now I feel encouraged to continue with my activity. Rajneesh is not interested in doing Phd. I am also not interested. We do not want to join the buggers. We know that there are more paths which can be chalked out and treaded to great summits. We are pursuing such paths. We want to be smarter. Now, the only thing which is required is some success in our endeavours.

Amitab Phir In Trouble

(Note: It is a cross posting of post from Cyber Mole.)


A company Telefun, running a FM radio in Pakistan has placed some advertisement billboards in Karachi wishing the coming independence day to the people of Pakistan. The face of Amitabh is shown on the billboards telling that he will be there from August 14. It seems that it is going to trouble Amitabh again in India.
Checking the following postings: Meterblog Karachi.

It is interesting to read the comments of the Pakistan Nationals on that posting. The comments may suggest the type of trouble which Amitabh would face in India.

But it may also sound bad for blogging in India. They may again think of blocking some blogs and in the process again block the whole domain.

The second important posting, which is bit balanced, is at All Things Pakistan.


I am having a hunch, what may happen, it will prove bad for Amitabh Bachchan. I really do not know that how the people in the Indian government would react to it.

It also brings forth the issue that whether the company Telefun has the right to use the picture of Amitabh on their billboards. If it is proved that Amitabh has been paid for allowing his picture to be used there, then it will not be good for him. The fundamentalists in Mumbai would also react sharply.

In every case, it may turn out be another firework on cyber space as well in print and electronic Media.