Guess who’s on Blog-O-Rama this week?

What could be more attuned to the selfless and generous spirit of Christmas than an interview with myself which is on in today’s (Dec. 25) street edition of MB? 😛 Short on being narcissistic, I’ve always wanted to do a feature on myself as a blogger and answer the very questions I’ve been asking my subjects the whole year. It was a last-minute decision and am not so happy with the replies but this will do for now. Take a look:

Because her prospects are on vacation, this columnist – who authors the “semi-famous” site “Ajay’s Writings on the Wall” sits down with G.I. – the Ghost Interviewer – on the one subject she deals with the whole year. B-l-o-g-s.

GHOST INTERVIEWER (GI) : What do you find amazing about blogging, enough for your newspaper to allot a whole column about it?

AJ: I love the fact that blogging has democratized the hierarchy of power in the Internet, and beyond. You don’t have to be a celebrity of sorts or a person of importance or influence, you just have to be creative and post worthy content. As Time Magazine said in choosing their Person of the Year, the star is You. We must have realized early on that this was going to be a massive thing when my publisher and editor approved Blog-O-Rama in 2005. We still hope it will inspire and discover a new breed of dedicated Filipino bloggers.

Some people have complained about how the new generation’s no longer attuned to the basic rules of grammar, literature, poetry and the like. Blogging changes all that as we’ve certainly seen the creativity and individuality of people who are out to express themselves the best way they can on the Net. Also, blogging, no matter how sedentary, is a great tool for social networking. It’s the greatest time-waster ever.

G.I: Why do you think people read blogs?

AJ: Just as bloggers have been accused, falsely or not as “exhibitionists,” the people who read them may also be labelled as voyeurs. We just can’t help it. I have several friends and officemates who keep a blog, and I’d always want to know more about the latest pictures they post or what they write. It’s really up to you to determine how much of your life you want the public to know. Of course people read blogs also because they thirst for information, be it some fancy recipe, travel tips or the latest news in technology.

G.I: What have you learned about blogging since 2004 when you started?

AJ : Your blog is the trademark of your personality so just be yourself. If there’s anything that writers like me should thank the heavens for, it’s the fact that blogging has arrived as the perfect medium to express ourselves.

Take time to network. I was able to learn a lot from the blogging greats I met in organized EBs. Most memorable was the Pinoyblog EB in December 2004 where I first met Batjay, Tito Rolly, Connie Veneracion and Yuga who was able to convince me then to get my own domain on Ploghost. Great sales talk right?

Do not underestimate the power of blogs, it can make you (semi) famous.I still can’t believe that some friends found their long-lost friends by seeing their pictures on my blog. It’s been great hearing from people all over, especially those who left their comments.

Blog with great content, blog regularly and let the search engines do the working. Soon enough you’ll reap the fruits of your labor.

G.I : Can you name some blogging highlights of 2006?

AJ: YouTube arrived and changed the face of our vlogging. Locally, companies like Globe Innove, Krispy Kreme and others recognized the power of blogs to reach their target markets. Mainstream media included blogs as a component of their official sites.

On a personal level, the food trips with fellow bloggers in Pampanga was most fun. 2006 was also the year when I realized I could after all earn money from my blog! My ever-slow Google Adsense reached the $100 mark and I was able to earn regularly from Text Link Ads. Holy schmoly!

G.I : Any forecast for the future or the coming year?

AJ: Blogging will become the norm that it will no longer be viewed as a non-traditional, alternative media.

G.I: Do you have any blogging wishlist for 2007?

AJ: I am itching for a new design, one that doesn’t scream default WP theme. But first, I’ve got to learn about PHP and MySQL. More moolah from my ads. Air a podcast and post a YouTube video, even though am not much of a video fan. And I am actually waiting for my almost-nine year old son to ask me what the hoopla is all about and be curious about the word “blog.” For now, that seems impossible as I can’t disengage him from his portable game player – yet.

G.I: Any other message?

Salamat to Thess and Yuga, my web designers this year. A big thank you to all the bloggers who participated in “Blog-O-Rama” in 2006 and prior to that. Can we hold a Blog-O-Rama party or something? hahaha. Here’s to more meaningful blogging in 2007!