As I pen this post, two things are running through my mind. First, this was truly a memorable evening with the very first IndiBlogger meet off Indian soil being a success. The second, ten other fellow bloggers are going to do a MUCH better job of writing about this evening than me!
So I began thinking (and at 3:00 AM, that’s NOT an easy task!), and it struck me, KISS. no not the act of locking lips (and much more in some cultures!). I was referring to the acronym, Keep It Simple Stupid. So here goes.
The evening in question was being planed for almost two weeks (or was it three?). Being a blog meet virgin, I was naturally anxious. And the proposed agenda of the evening did little to ease my jitters. With a formal introduction round, a powerpoint presentation (well a Keynote one in my case!) and a showcase of some form of entertaining talent the meet was beginning to sound like a Mr. Universe Contest.
But my anticipation overpowered my anxiousness. The idea of connecting with diverse people who shared the same passion for blogging as I do, was simply irresistible! And so I began counting down the days to the fateful encounter.
The day of the meet, I chose to go prepared and even risked reaching late to the office that day as I spent time preparing my “Blog Meet Kit”. Don’t get intimidated. The so called “kit” was simply my camera and my Mac (yes I could’ve said laptop, but Mac sounds so much more cooler!). The decision to take the camera was an obvious one. Taking the Mac was to showcase my other talents, sketching and photography, which would’ve been difficult to exhibit without a display medium.
I had done very little reading on the works of the people I was to meet that evening, which is to say that I had simply read the titles of their blogs! Nonetheless, I was certain that their respective blogs must’ve been great reads.
So we now move to the actual meet itself. Having arrived just a shade after the designated rendezvous time, I was delightfully surprised to find that almost half the attendees were already present. This was a great sign, since it meant that the other bloggers were as eager to attend this meet as I.
Having only interacted with these people via the Internet, meeting the real people was surreal. It almost felt like going on a blind date, except that unlike the date, here there would be written accounts of the evening floating in cyberspace for thousands, if not millions, to read!
I could sense that almost everyone was a little jittery. But we all loosened up pretty quick. Informal introductions were underway as we waited for the remaining names on the roster to show up.
As formal introductions began, I began what I do best, taking pictures. Which did not mean that I wasn’t interested in the bloggers’ stories. But from experience I know that the best shots are the natural ones. And what better time to find someone in a more natural pose than when they’re trying to break the ice with a set of strangers!
With just one short of the confirmed list of attendees, the meet was definitely a success.
I was impressed with the diversity in not only the backgrounds of the people present, but also the contents of their blogs. As each person at the table described his or her motivation and inspiration for being a blogger, I was enamored.
As the evening progressed, discussions swerved from related topics such as the choice of blogging medium, attracting readers, coming up with catchy captions to absolutely random stuff like favorite movies, the world cup and Beauty products!
Conversations led us to realise that the world was even smaller than we had originally perceived as it turned out that most of us were living examples of the six degrees of separation.
Einstein’s theory reared its ugly head as we realized that the two hour long meet was coming to a conclusion too soon! It was obvious that no-one wanted the meet to end anytime soon, but commitments to family and friends (and the fact that the restaurant manager was eyeing us suspiciously!) forced us to call it an evening.
As we parted ways, there was a sense of disappointment. But also a sense of happiness, since now I had made new friends, friends who shared my passion for writing.
The IndiBlogger meet in many ways was more than about just meeting fellow bloggers. To me it was more about understanding why we do, what we do. They were mothers, students, consultants, techies and perhaps even stand up comedians, but at the core, they were individuals who were passionate about writing. Their passion for writing was what truly defined their characters, their inner persona. For me the evening was truly a memorable one and I sincerely hope that the IndiBlogger gang here in Singapore continues to meet and interact.
On a more personal note, the bloggers meet helped me answer the question, Why do we blog? We blog not only because we like to, but because we like it when what we blog is liked by others. It’s about the appreciation. The comments, the re tweets, the Facebook “Like” button clicks is what drives us bloggers to go to extra-ordinary lengths to write “that” one post.
Here’s hoping that the Singapore IndiBlogger gang stay connected and meet up more often.
Pleasure and a Privilege to have made your acquaintance fellow bloggers.
Stochastic Musings 