Blogging and Fear Factor

Photo credit: www.flowjournal.org

On 03 Oct 2007, I was invited to a talk on Blogosphere & Digital Democracy by David Sasaki, Outreach Director for Global Voices Online, a non-profit media project founded at Harvard Law School’s Berkman Center for Internet and Society.

During the Q&A session, my light bulb lit up when David said that the blogosphere is just another medium of communication. Which means I should not view it with doubt, anxiety or contempt.

I roll into blogosphere not because I happily jump into a bus and get relocated to new neighbourhood (like the ad on Astro). Rather, I'm pushed into blogosphere by the terrifying thought that if I don't do so, I might be considered unfashionable, outdated, ancient, or even a dinosaur.

David Sasaki talked of Fear Factor versus Tipping Point.

This is my view on the fear factor: In the past many years, there has been a great deal of negative coverage on bloggers, their blogs and their commenters. So much so that fear is driven into me that people will use my blog to bash me up or whack somebody else. And, if they can’t bash me up in my blog, they will whack me in their blogs. So, I better not announce myself as a netizen, then nobody knows that I exist.

After listening to David Sasaki, I thought of my bunch of friends who together with me are victims of the fear factor. I guess it’s the fear of receiving negative feedback. Well, what I know is that my buddies and I receive our share of negative feedback - sometimes on a daily basis - but we learn not to freak out. So, why should we freak out in blogosphere?

I visited Tom Peter’s blog and was amazed and amused. Tom Peter is the renowned management guru who sort of revolutionized management thinking more than 20 years ago. He is also the guy who promoted the concept of “Personal Branding” and was voted Second Most Influential Leadership Professional by Leadership Gurus.

After visiting a potpourri of blogs of different taste and aroma, it dawned on me that blogging can be fun. Like what David Sasaki says, “Blogosphere is just another medium of communication”. If I regard myself as a communicator, I cannot but embrace it.

I wish to thank the people at ALL-BLOGS for the invitation. Besides the fascinating talk, I also tucked into the sumptuous buka puasa buffet, and talked to interesting people from local NGOs, British High Commission and American Embassy.