According to Wikipedia, a blogger is a person who writes a blog (or weblog). Bloggers are not a homogenous group. They have a variety of personal and professional motivations for blogging and they come from a variety of political, economic and social backgrounds. One way of segmenting bloggers is by their blog type:[1]
- Personal: blog about topics of personal interest not associated with work
- Professional: blog about industry and profession topics but not in an official capacity for a company
- Corporate: blog for a company in an official capacity
Some bloggers may be scientists, reporters, public figures, etc. However the majority of bloggers are normal people expressing their opinions and observation of the world. An average blogger does not have the requirement to behave like authoritative professionals. An average blogger does not have to authenticate sources or make a long research project out of each article. An average blogger should simply express his or her views. A blogger can in certain instances go through complete research and validate information, but it is a choice an individual blogger makes.
If bloggers are treated or perceived in the same category as professional reporters with high ethics requirements on them, this in turn basically puts a halt on free blogging for the average blogger.
Further, a blogger is not required to provide a forum for each and every commentator. This is not limiting free speech as the internet is free and the person has the freedom to voice his/her opinion about the world in many places on the internet. If a commentator chooses to present views not related to subject matters, uses inappropriate content, attempts to debase and/or smear the blogger or acts in a manner which disrupts positive dialogue, the blogger has the choice to block such commentators from the blog.
These are some of my basic thoughts and perspectives on the definition of an average blogger. How are they the same or different from yours?
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Wow, Carol! What telepathy!
I was just preparing a post in Arabic titled (The Deforms of Bloggers)
Can’t comment here now until I finifsh my article and post it in my Arabic blog.
Btw, have you ever visited my Arabic blog?
It’s subtitled; I write, I am exposed!
http://mahanoor.wordpress.com/
Have a look and tell me what you think. It’s very sarcastic and its language is rather twisted, so I don’t think that you will understand it fully. But anyway, have a look.
Thanks
@Maha,
How funny that we chose to come up with similar topics! I like the layout of your blog. Must admit that my arabic reading ability was poor tonight but count on me to return soon!
Carol,
You titled this post Saudi Arabia: Definition of a Blogger but you didn’t discuss anything about actual blogging in Saudi Arabia. Isn’t it true that you are NOT free to discuss anything you wish on your blog if you are in Saudi Arabia and that people have been jailed for what they blog about?
Carol,
If you type Mahanoor’s blog address in Google, you’ll get the option to translate the page into English. Of course, Google is not very good at translating Arabic – another reason why we can’t have literal English translation of the Quran – but it will give you a fair idea of what she has posted – that’s how I read her blog.
About your post, I think blog writing is also a way of relaxing – many professionals who are doing serious work all day, may not want to write something equally serious on their blog and may want to just relax by writing something light which is of their interest, but doesn’t require too much of mental execise.
I have also noticed many bloggers who mention on their blog that they don’t know what they are going to write about – most probably whatever is on their mind at the moment – that is another “category.”
What about blog-commentators? Why do so many people visit the blogs and comment on the posts? Many of them are of course, friends and family members of the blogger and this is a way to keep in touch and share ideas. But you also get many strangers who visit your blog again and again. Perhaps they like the topic and want to engage in the discussions. Moreover, there may be some who don’t have a social network around them and this is a kind of building a social network on the Internet – if one keeps on posting comments on a blog, s/he belongs to that “blog family.” This is a kind of building a virtual network in the industrialised society.
Does the blogger also sometimes belong to this category – of people who don’t have a social network and perhaps s/he wants to connect to the world and build a social network through the blog?
@Daisy
Oh my God!!
Is this how you people understand Arabic?
I’ve just used the googel to translate one of my articles into English, and the result was absolutely disgusting!
I’m ready to spend the rest of my life translating rather than have people read my articles in this revolting way!
Of course, I’m not setting any rule here for any one, but If somebody wants me to translate my articles, I’m ready.
I always advise my students not to use the google translation from English to Arabic, and now I’m ganna have to cut marks for students who use it!
This google translation is the worst thing that has ever happened to humanity.
But..because I am a positive person, this whole google thing gave me a brilliant idea of establishing a professional translation center.
Thanks, Daisy, for opening my eyes!
sorry, Carol for going off topic, but i was just defending my babies (articles)
What amazed me about blogging is that one meets a lot of ”compatible” people , With the same kind of humour, the same thoughts, same ideas and yet from all different places and cultures.
I’ve gained several friends through blogging.
One of the reasons I started my own blog (Clouddragon) is that I thought it was only fair to show show I am. What with my tendency to flammable comments…
@Lynn,
yes, it is true that one does need to be careful and circumspect when blogging in Saudi and about Saudi Arabia.
@Maha,
I learned the hard way to never use a software translation program. In 2005 when I was taking arabic language classes at a local University I was late on completing an assignment. So for the first time I used the “help” of a translation program. Oh boy was I nailed…the teacher (who also knew my husband) remarked to me that she had a feeling my husband had not seen my paper. I told her that no, I had been pressed for time when I wrote it. When she told me what the translation program had done with my work, I was mortified. It was nothing like what I had intended to say at all.
Maha,
I said Google is NOT good at translating Arabic into English and that’s why we can’t have online translation of Quran – please read my comment above – it nowhere says this is the way I translate Arabic. You do seem to have a terrible English comprehension problem.
And I used it only once to see your page, wasn’t much interested so never used it again.
Well, Google’s translation machine is good for German – I have used it, showed it to a German man and he was impressed – I used that too only once.
Maha,
I would seriously suggest you learn English properly before you further misunderstand people’s comments and make out of the way responses without understanding what the person is trying to say. I really don’t know what you degree in English literature is worth.
And please don’t be so vain about your greatness – your responses show a lot of arrogance in you.
Carol,
I’m sorry I usually don’t lose my temper here, but this is getting too irritating.
@Daisy
I fully understood what you were saying, but I just wanted to emphasize how bad it is to use google. It’s not just (not good); it’s a language and cultural disaster. and it’s so strange that you keep criticizing my English comprehension although you understand clearly what I’m saying…isn’t comprehension a 2-way matter? If I can’t comprehend English, then I will surly won’t be able to convey any message.
I ignored your comment on my English once delibrately, but you seem to enjoy bragging battles…you brag about your indepth research and I brag about my English poetry…. My dear Daisy….British and American professors praise my language, and if you want to make sure, read my poetry and my accomplishments…and I have proofs if you want…I won’t hide my professors’ names and i won’t hide my work…
http://www.freewebs.com/reem22/
Your opinion of my English language doesn’t really matter especially because you are not a native speaker yourself.
you remind me so much of a British racist who used to criticize my language and then he read my poetry under a seemingly american name, and he prasied nothing but my language skills..Amazing how things change when a name and a nationality change!
So much for humanatarians’ humanity..LOL!
this is my last comment on whatever you say here or elsewhere, Daisy…so feel free to say whatever you want…insult me as much as you want…I won’t reply because I just don’t deal with prejudiced people.
As the Quran is supposed to be perfect for all people in all times and all places it is unlogic to claim you can only understand the Qran if you are versed in classical Arabic. If the Quran is really so clear and reall for all people and all times then translating it should be a piece of cake.
Maha,
You may not reply, but I must respond to your allegations – language ability has many aspects – you have writing ability (and perhaps speaking as well), but you have more than once misunderstood the implied meanings in the comments posted here – every language has direct meaning of the sentences and implied meaning – it seems you misunderstand the implied meanings.
You are the one who doesn’t want to listen to other people’s perspective and engage in a dialogue with them – if I say something that doesn’t agree with you, then I am wrong, I am prejudiced, I engage in falsehood.
Anyway, thanks for deciding not to reply to me, I think that’s the way to keep peace with each other. I too won’t reply to you.
Maha, if you really don’t want to reply to people whom you consider (however erroniously) to be prejudiced, you shouldn’t have written that last comment.
I suppose you want to have the last word.
Bedu, these mechanical translations are too funny sometimes!
And we all have come across fascinating ”user manuals” which do not make anything clear!
Aafke,
It’s for those people to explain who think Quran is perfect for all people, all times. I don’t think any sacred text can be perfect for all people, all times – sacred texts deal with worldviews and worldviews change with times. Every text has to keep pace with changing times and hence, keep on getting modified and reinterpreted. Therefore, One has to either learn classical Arabic or consult an Arabic scholar to understand Quran.
Folks – it is okay to agree to disagree but keep it civil. We are all above from personal attacks. Debate an issue but not each other as individuals.
Mother bedu
Don’t worry Daisy. Maha won’t stay around too much longer. I too recall questioning her a while back on her ‘English’ degree since her comprehension seems soooo very bad. If it isn’t then she must be intentionally baiting.