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2003-07-11 - 10:23 a.m.
I've chosen Aizuddin as the third blogger in the 'Prominent Malaysian Bloggers' e-mail interview series. His blog, Volume of Interactions (VOI) has garnered interest not only by bloggers, but also by the media. Recently, VOI was featured in InTech…
Aizuddin is one of the core members of Project Petaling Street (PPS), a blog-tal (blog portal) that I belong to. I am certainly glad that Aizuddin and his group of friends had gathered together to create PPS. Thus far, PPS has introduced me to a whole new world of Internet experience. Before this, I never knew there are so many well conceived and written Malaysian blogs out there!
Blogs and bloggers have come a long way in the last two years. Aizuddin kindly agreed to answer questions in an email interview with me, in which I asked for his views on the state of the weblogging scene:
NZ: Aizuddin, please introduce yourself to our readers. Like, you can start by telling us where you were born and you alma mater perhaps...
Aizuddin: My full name is Aizuddin Danian Izham Cheong. I was born 22 Sept 1976, attended school all over the world because my parents were traveling academics. Did spend a few years in Victoria Institution as part of my secondary education, attended the International Islamic University Malaysia for my undergraduate studies and Charles Sturt University (Australia) for my post-graduate MBA. From mix parentage - dad is Chinese and mom is Malay. Most definitely look like my father.
NZ: In your opinion, what is a Weblog?
I've written about this on numerous occasions:
http://www.aizuddindanian.com/voi/archives/000479.html
and
http://www.aizuddindanian.com/voi/archives/000586.html
NZ: Can you estimate how many Malaysian bloggers we have out there? Do you think we are a bunch of avid bloggers?
Aizuddin: There are 371 blogs listed on the GMBL and another couple hundred listed on TV Smith's Mycen. Considering overlaps and inactive links, that's about 500 Malaysian blogs.
Since there are many others who choose not to be listed, we can assume that there are many more Malaysian blogs out there. If I were to make a guesstimate, I would say there are about 2000-3000 active Malaysian-made, Malaysian-maintained blogs in the blogosphere.
NZ: Are there differences around the world in the way people Blog?
Aizuddin: I don't think so. There are certainly genres of blogs: current event blogs, personal diary-type blogs, photoblogs, etc. Regardless of where the person is from their blog will probably fit into a particular genre.
NZ: In Malaysia, can you spot the differences between blogs written in English and blogs written in Malay?
Aizuddin: Of course! The language is different. J But do you mean differences in content? No, I don't notice any discernible difference. There are Malay-language blogs that write about Malaysian politics, there are English-language blogs that write about Malaysian politics.
I reckon that language is not important: the fact that a Malaysian is taking to cyberspace to share their thoughts and ideas are important to me.
NZ: Do you think in general Bloggers are dying for lots of people to read their content, or are they just finding an outlet for themselves only?
Aizuddin: I would say that there are a bit of both types. There are some who just write for themselves and for their circle of friends. There are others who write for the public. There are others still who feel bad if no one reads their work. There are others who don't care who reads, who doesn't read, or even if anyone reads their writing.
NZ: To you, what is the definition of a good blog?
Aizuddin: "Good" is a subjective term. But the types of blogs I prefer to read are the types that enrich me. Jeffooi.com enriches me. So does Alphaque.com. Hani's Honey enriches me. Najahnasseri.org enlightens me.
Why do I find a blog "enriching"? I read to be educated, and sometimes to be entertained. Education requires the act of teaching and learning. Most blogs are able to provide an education. But just like our favorite teachers in school, there are some that we feel do it better than others. Similarly, I feel that some blogs are good "educators" - these are the blogs that I visit on a daily basis. I know very little. These bloggers I read probably know just as little as I do. But together, our combined knowledge, I reckon, is considerable. It's a boon that they are willing to share it.
NZ: Would you agree that Weblogs have increased the masses of content out there? But there are so many contents out there, so how does one differentiate between relevant contents and the ones that shouldn't be published in the first place?
Aizuddin: I believe in the freedom of speech. As long as you're honest and sincere in your writing, there should be no distinction between content. But what I've found going around a lot lately is that some bloggers try to pass off their opinions as "fact" and that's a definite no-no. If it's an opinion say so. If you're not sure, but think you're right, say that you think you're right, but admit that you could be wrong. If there's any doubt, don't pass off what you know as a fact. How do you know what you know is really fact or just opinion? Do research before you publish something. Publish the findings (e.g. links) of your research to back up what you've said.
NZ: In your opinion, what sorts of folks normally start up blog projects?
Aizuddin: The sort of folks who use the Internet and would like to use it some more beyond email and surfing. Its very easy to interact with the content that is readily available on the Internet - it's a lot harder to contribute to that content base. Bloggers are the type of people who don't mind developing a mental discipline that allows them to make that contribution on a consistent basis.
NZ: What are the advantages of communicating by blog?
Aizuddin: Audience. Your reach is exponentially further than communicating via email or bulletin boards. When you email, only the recipients of that email receive the information. When you contribute to a bulletin board, you only reach the audience that visits that board. But when you blog, your website is out in the open (unless you password protect it as I've seen a few bloggers do), and your potential audience is huge. Certainly much larger than most other methods.
Influence. With a potentially large audience, you have a potentially large influence as well. That is an advantage and a disadvantage. An advantage because you can really get people to start thinking about issues that matter. A disadvantage because you could be giving them the wrong idea. That's why it's important to distinguish between fact and opinion.
NZ: Can you tell us how you got started with your own blog project?
Aizuddin: In 1999, I had another website where I posted articles that I had written based on international and local current affairs. But updating that website was very difficult since most blogging tools that you now see (e.g. MT, Blogger, etc.) did not exist back then.
I've always had a passion for writing and sharing ideas. When I discovered MT late last year, I was finally given a means of doing it on the web in an easy and efficient manner.
NZ: What is your blog's mission?
Aizuddin: To get people to think. To get people to interact (hence it's called the "Volume of Interactions") - but interaction not just happens between two people or a group of people. Interaction can also happen within oneself. We interact with our environment all the time; we interact with our minds all the time too. The VOI seeks to enrich that experience by providing the "fuel for thought".
NZ: Your seem to be enjoying your writing your blog. Your blog, Volume of Interactions, are filled with so much information sometimes I wonder where you find the time to scour all the information listed in your blog. It can't be money, because they are all written for free. So, what motivates you to work on your blog?
Aizuddin: To get people to think. To allow myself to think. Writing is a mental discipline. More of that can't be a good thing. Its just like jogging in the park - we do that to keep fit. Blogging is the equivalent for the mind.
NZ: Have Volume of Interactions developed in the way you expected? Did you allow yourselves any expectations?
Aizuddin: Yes, mostly it has. I expected to have loads of fun, to meet new people and make new friends, and to learn a thing or two along the way. I've not been disappointed.
NZ: What is the most challenging aspect of managing VOLUME OF INTERACTIONS?
Aizuddin: The VOI is made up of a few components. The VOI Main, the VOI Visuals, the VOI Audio, and the VOI Blog Directory - the most challenging aspect of it all has been to keep myself to a certain standard of delivery.
As I mentioned earlier, I hope to make the VOI a destination that enriches its visitors. The only way that's going to happen is if I maintain a degree of discipline in my presentation of thoughts. If people don't understand what I'm saying, what's the point? I don't expect everyone to agree with me (in fact, I hope that they don't) - but I do hope that I can present my writing in a manner that allows them to understand my point-of-view. That's tough to do on a consistent manner.
NZ: Tell me more about Project Petaling Street (PPS). Who initiated the idea and what is the main reason behind the creation of PPS.
Aizuddin: PPS is the brainchild of a group of bloggers that met one fine night. The core group of PPS, thus those who are responsible for the idea behind its creation can be found here.
The driving force behind the project is a realization that there isn't a one-stop online resource for people to visit to be kept informed about what the Malaysian blogging community is currently talking about. PPS addresses this vacuum. Now people no longer need to go from one blog to another in search of content; blog crawling can be such a time-consuming activity. They can go to a single resource i.e. PPS and have the content brought to them. When its updated on a PPS member's site, it will be updated on PPS almost in real-time.
Beyond that, PPS also seeks to act as a community hub for Malaysian bloggers. There will be a forum that people can use to exchange ideas and seek blogging support. I think that this will be particularly useful for new bloggers - the community that is PPS is comprised of a mix of individuals that can assist a new blogger find his/her feet.
Lastly, I think PPS will also act as a motivation for people to blog, and an incentive for people to blog well. Personally, I've found myself paying much more attention to the things I've written, because I know that it'll be posted on PPS. Currently, PPS attracts nearly 1000 unique visitors a day; therefore, anything appearing on PPS has a ready-made audience. That's plenty incentive to participate and also a reason to write well.
NZ: Will PPS be opened to all Malaysian bloggers one day?
Aizuddin: Yes, it will! That day is very fast approaching. The tentative launch date for v1.5 is midnight, 13th July 2003. Once v1.5 is launched, any Malaysian with a blog will be allowed to submit their content for aggregation on PPS.
Will this make PPS Malaysia's first blog-portal (or blog-tal, for short?) - yes, I think it does.
NZ: What was your most embarrassing blog moment?
Aizuddin: I once got "Dumex" (the powdered milk company" and "Durex" (the condom company) mixed up! Read this:
http://www.aizuddindanian.com/voi/archives/000382.html
That's why I can't stress it more - double check your facts if you're not sure!
NZ: Had any negative experiences because of your blog?
Aizuddin: A few. But mostly harmless. A blog like mine where I tend to post some pretty controversial issues sometimes attracts comments that are less-than-academic, to put it politely. Being patient with them, trying to understand their issues can be really difficult.
Oh yeah. There was also that once a couple of months back where my blog nearly gave me a heart attack: I thought that I had deleted everything on my server by accident. J
NZ: Weblogs are considered as - 'Journalism's New Life Forms' by some. Do you think that Weblogs represent a new model of journalism that threatens to render many journalists obsolete?
Aizuddin: Nope, I don't think so. If you notice, blogs tend to report, magnify and expose (through links and commentary) what appears in traditional media - blogs won't replace journalists or make them obsolete; I believe blogs has the potential to complement and check traditional media.
The media pie is huge. There is news, issues and ideas enough to go around for everyone. Blogs are probably not much more than a new spoke in the wheel - albeit an increasingly important one. I'm reminded of how newspapers editors pay very close attention to Jeff's blog nowadays - any slip up or inconsistency in reporting is instantly blogged about by Jeff. A few more voices like his, across different disciplines, and blogs will become a potent tool with influence over public opinion and, perhaps, even an influence over public policy.
NZ: Should there be any comparison made to traditional media at all?
Aizuddin: What is traditional media? You've got your serious stuff (e.g. current affairs news, political opinion pieces, editorials, etc.) and you've got the non-serious stuff (e.g. entertainment, music, art). Blogs have all of that too - we've got blogs that keep up-to-date with the latest current affairs, we've got blogs that provide opinion pieces, we've got blogs that entertain and make us laugh. Semua pun ada.
If there are comparisons to be made, it should be how similar in content they are - it's just perhaps the structure and processes involved that make a difference.
Process difference: traditional media tends to be centralized. Blogs are a phenomenon of de-centralized publishing.
NZ: Do you think that Weblogs are just fads... that it will fade and die out one day?
Aizuddin: People will always want to say something, and since the Internet provides a convenient way to say it with the potential of many, many people listening, I think personal publishing on the web is here to stay. In fact, personal publishing (at its core, that's all that a blog is - a genre of personal publishing) has been here since the beginning of the web. Let's us not forget that Yahoo started as a personal college project by a couple of college students.
Given time and evolution, what we see today may not be called blogs tomorrow. But, in essence, I doubt that blogs or personal publishing on the web will disappear.
Oleh Nizam Zakaria
