Tick-tock: 30 Minutes is All I Can Give!

From GOcomics.com

Remember a few years ago when you did not even know the words or phrases, such as “Blogging”, “social networking” such as “Friendster”, ‘Facebook” “Twitter” and all that jazz would emerge a few years later?

When they emerge, and have won public attention, some people might think the world is getting smaller, and smaller. Privacy is getting violated more easily, Self-pride is getting bigger and bigger. I might be able to think of some other effects of these modern words or phrases on human beings, but I do not think that’s necessary to list here. Gak Penting! as an Indonesian says. I can’t recall when I first used the service of these kinds of social networking, but it could be around 1999 in my first year of university student. I was introduced to a social networking by a friend, then by some friends. I guess I was pretty left behind at that time. I kept on being convinced about how good / fun / extraordinary such social networking sites were. Having been a bit curious about what they had been talking about, I decided to sign up, but just signed up meaning I was passive, well quite passive regarding trying the features the site offered me as their user.

A few years later around 2006, there was another similar social networking site I knew. Again! I was introduced by a friend, my Australian friend. I kept on being fed by some info on how different this site was. OKay, I signed up, just signed up meaning just the same as the previous social networking I signed up. I have to be honest, the site was indeed a bit different even though they have the same concept as I’d say their ancient social networking. The site suggested by a friend was simpler, neater ( not so many features), and of course more practical at some point. I had no contacts by that time; only I myself, and a friend who suggested me the site. The site, which is called Facebook, was not mushrooming yet in my country, and probably not in many other parts of the countries you see on the world map either. In my opinion those sites like Facebook or Friendster or some other similar sites offer the same concepts, such as:

1.Letting the users being open ( at least to yourself at first); They help you express yourself. Some people have difficulties in expressing themselves especially in public, I mean really public audience ( real audiences in a real life, not a life behind your computer desk.)so maybe these sites could help you a bit before you put the lesson into practice.

When I say being open to yourself is because these sites urge you to speak up, update whatever you are doing, whatever you have achieved in your life. Just say your words! no matter whether people are listening (read: reading) what you posted on your walls. It’s time to share, show yourself up, get the attention of people. People are basically selfish creatures, I’d say. There is an ego inside us!. People like it when they feel so important. When they get the attention they want, it will arise their self-pride, their confidence.

But maybe this concept is not true to some….

A site is just a site

At the time I joined, my contacts were only one or two, less than ten. I did not even know them well, hehe. But the “good’ thing having small numbers of people ( especially those I do not know that well, but know enough that they are descent people.)was that I could just yell on my walls whatever I wanted to say without having felt to worry somebody might have thought that I am silly, etc. I was “aloud” on my walls, yet I still kept my privacy. I still do.

Now there are some changes! Facebook has become more and more popular. It gets more and more audiences, thus walls are getting more stuffy, crowded, sillier, funnier, etc. The getting-more-popular Facebook has transformed me into believing that I shall not shout some things on my walls: I’ve come to realize I need my space.

2.Enabling the user being connected with friends, family whom you do not meet often. For the sake of friendship, some people claim.

While some people have taken a path of deleting facebook accounts, I choose to be a part of it until now. I have family, and friends far away. It is my privacy whether I am close to them or not, but I choose to communicate with them at least on a regular basis. People may say I can just do that via e-mails, Yep! I can, but the hindrance is that people are just too lazy to write e-mails sometimes. Thus, facebook which limits characters (134words something) posted on the walls is a great help.

I know how addictive these social networking can be. Somehow the people behind these sites (which are already booming) are very good at reading what public wants to stay happy with them, to be their addict users.

I know how bad these social networking can be. You just don’t have time to read news, do your own off-line life, focus on your work at the office, do your projects. I even once read that some people had postponed their work for some months, because this Facebook is so attractive that they were so curious about what was going on now in their circle of friends or they just couldn’t stand sharing their lives.

To me, and right now…

I choose to take control over Facebook instead of it takes control over my life, well, that’s too extreme, takes control over my routine, heehe. You are good, but only for those who know about time management. So, this is to warn me myself: 30 minutes is all I can give to you dear Facebook.

I think I shall be careful with blogging as well, but all is fine so far, so once again:30 minutes is all I can give to you dear Facebook.

Facabook Alive

An Online Journalist

I started to believe that we are all great writers, the question is ” Do we want to?”. Writing has been my passion since I started to be able to spell A, B,C in my native language, Bahasa. You know, Diary?. I was into it. The simple past I used means that my diary has moved to an online diary, which is now called as “Blogs”. The difference between those of off-line diary and on-line one lies on the privacy. Even though I can set my online diary to private, yet I do not feel right doing so for some reasons.

Speaking of being great writers yourselves, you can if you want. I have started blogging since 2003. But my mood was up and down when it came to blogging. That was because I focused my time on my study. Early 2006, I started to blog more seriously, once again; none was actually about myself. I guess there are just too many things around me that need exposing. Early 2006, I encountered confusion of what platform I would use for good. That year, blogs seemed to be mushrooming, offering people who wanted to be called as bloggers some neat features, and practicalities. I have had some blogs here and there, and I have abandoned some of them, and the worse thing I even can’t recall some of them( sigh). Only recently did I find out that some strangers sent me messages telling me about my poems which appeared on google search when they were about to find some poems, and they quite liked my poems; it has been my motivation to write poems then. And in 2007 I started to try my luck on lulu.com- a site which enables you to sell your talent. I am not claiming I am talented in writing poems, but I like writing poems. It was in 2008 that I sold my first book of poetry online there. Yes! I was using the site as the site happened to be me as well ( if you know what I mean.) The response I got has been okay. My first intention to sell my writings there was not to make myself famous, yet I wanted to know how far I could go, and in all conscience, I wanted to make money out of it.

I have been thinking about this money online since I started blogging. Can I make money out if it? Can I sell something? Can “Writing online” be a job?.Many people are quite skeptical about this, I am one of them, or should I say I WAS? My attitude towards “writing online pays you” has moved to an optimistic path. I have read some books, some articles that tell successful people through writing online, but here’s what shocked me the most:

They started to bear the fruits only after 5 years of blogging seriously; good content, interesting ones instead of only hot air stories.

5 years! some had to bear more than 5 years! but the bottom line is that they are consistent ; nothing is easy if you want to be successful, life is hard- I know! well unless you are struck by a lucky star that falls on your head all of a sudden. But even so, you’ve got to be smart to keep your present which has just fallen, so that the present will not be only staying in your life temporarily.

5 years of blogging consistently! then you manage to retire in early age. Some say : it’s a waste of time! you’d better work seriously on your profession. But I have to disagree:

Each of us is into something which is out of his or her profession. A teacher who is into cooking, then building up a site of recipes which is accessed by people online; the teacher got an award, and invitation abroad.

A white-collar employee who puts great interest in photography; doing it for fun, then uploading tons of wonderful shots of his online. And that person got some job offers related to photography.

I have joined associated content ; you are paid for what you write IF you gather readers because your writing is worth reading. I am not talking aboit me here, but in associated content, you have the chance to be a journalist.

Like I said it”

It will take time until one becomes successful, life is hard.

I don’t want to sound like I was spreading hot air because I did not include the sites of the successful people behind their hobbies. But I believe you are smart people who can find out yourself what I mean.

I am into writing, and I am hoping to gather readers. Readers who like what I write, and are as optimistic as I am about an online journalist. Yes, I hope to be an online journalist, and get paid for what I write. But most importantly, I want to write.

Lu2Ar