Ayeshea's dissertation Project

A response to Anandawardhana - the self professed expert writes back!!!!

2007-06-20T08:05:00.000+05:30

I have noted with some amusement the comments made with regard to the Sunday Times article by Anandawardhana in his post titled 'Ayeshea gets it wrong'. Specifically a section in which I had talked about the necessity/importance of knowing English with regards to blogging in Sri Lanka. I don't know how much of a difference this will make to anyone, but I was not referring to blogs worldwide and merely the importance of English in relation to the possibility of blogs becoming mainstream in Sri Lanka. I assure you that no disrespect was meant to anyone blogging in Sinhala and Tamil - kudos to you - but I was making reference to the fact that a knowledge of English is necessary to blog under the current situation. Therefore for a blogger to be born under CURRENT CIRCUMSTANCES IN SRI LANKA, English (like it or not) is a pre-requisite to begin blogging. And before you go up in smoke again, consider this:
Even NAVIGATING the web is still not possible in Sinhala. Is it? Take a look at your Kottu website - can someone with NO knowledge of English be able to get there and set up a blog? Similarly like it or not, even those blogging IN Sinhala have not been able to enjoy widespread readership because we do not possess a uniform Sinhala font. Therefore Anandawardhana, even YOUR site largely appears as a series of blocks on my office computer, while some other blogs written in Sinhala display themselves across my monitor as a string of question marks. Therefore it so stands that you and I would have to download the SAME Sinhala font for me to be able to read your posts - and as we both know, there are many fonts available.
What I was talking about was that given the CURRENT context - which is that navigating the net is not possible in Sinhala since we have no Sinhala browsers and that even writing in Sinhala does not ensure wide readership, knowledge of English is necessary (at least a basic one) to be able to begin to blog in Sri Lanka. For this same reason, blogging CANNOT become mainsteam until this situation changes. Tamil has a uniform font, but then I noticed that there were very few comments left in response to some of the posts on these blogs. But again, a majority of the people in this country cannot read Tamil (sad truth and possibly a root cause of the conflict but that's another post altogether). So it stands that the sad and harsh truth is that until the Internet in general is made available to the masses by breaking the language barrier, blogging will remain the domain of a few hundred people at most. And in a country of 18.5 million this is hardly mainstream.
Secondly, not that this is important, but I have never professed to be an "expert" on blogging - so I really don't know where this "self professed expert" tag is coming from. I just happened to have researched and written a thesis on blogging, based on which I have drawn some conclusions which may or may not be accepted and may or may not be correct. Last I heard, writing an UNDERGRAD thesis did not give anyone the right to consider the author an expert. And least of all the author.
And thirdly... I am not monolingual - I know my Sinhala very well thank you very much... (alhough I must confess that I know no Tamil which continues to worry me slightly to date - ideally I would be trilingual but I hope to rectify that soon)
Well that about wraps it up from my point of view - I hope this has cleared up some of the confusion/resentment that this article seems to have generated. And finally, purely objectively I thought the article was a good one - but then different strokes for different folks I guess.
Oh and I can put my thesis up for general mangling as soon as I get my results which are due today hopefully. Fingers crossed - and you may all have something to rip apart within the course of this week. :-)

Thank you! Thank you! THANK YOU!

2007-03-20T09:25:00.000+05:30

To all of you who answered my questionnaire, gave me constructive criticism and feedback... I finished the thesis and handed it in on March 15th. Apparently I cant display any of it until the marking process is over, but I will put it up for downloading as soon as it is.
Thank you so much again.... you have all been acknowledged... and identities HAVE been protected :-D
Much love and kisses
A finally relaxed
ME

in order to credit...

2007-03-04T18:04:00.000+05:30

I MUST have your blogger names and IP addresses. I have got quite a few forms on Wufoo but I cant track them to you when you use your real names... can everyone who sent me Wufoo forms and is NOT on my blog send me their IP addresses? leave a comment on my blog or mail it to ayeshea@gmail.com. And please those of you who have not filled the form.. go ahead no?

(blog) rolling the credits

2007-03-04T06:07:00.000+05:30

thanks to everyone who has filled in the questionnaire.. I've linked you all to this blog and you will aall be credited in my thesis... which like I said may mean a lot once I become rich and famous! I still need a few more answers.. ok a lot more. you're probably sick to death of seeing this but pleassse CLICK HERE and answer the questionnaire! I have to hand this in by March 15th and I'm getting desperate and slightly suicidal.
really.

I hate to nag but...

2007-02-25T09:02:00.000+05:30

please answer my questionnaire! After an initial flurry of answers, it has trickled down to a halt... which does not help me in any way.. please! It wont take much time.. I'm not looking for litanies...PLEEEASE... this is the cry of a burdened woman who see's the end in sight! The sooner you answer it, the sooner I can categorise my data which then translates into me being able to write and end my dissertation erm.. soon! yeahhh... your answers are all that stand between me and my freedom! The link is on the post below...
Thanks!

Questionnaire issues... (sigh)

2007-02-22T23:54:00.000+05:30

Nothing is ever complication free now is it? you know Deane.. Wufoo is losing its charm for me... ok try this
and if that doesn't work copy and paste http://ayeshea.wufoo.com/forms/untitled-form/ but i think the damn thing still goes into log in... shall try and get a friendly Morq to host this on a geocities page... let me know if problems persist. And a HUGE thank you to everyone who filled in the form for me... you have made me believe in the essential goodness of humanity! Thanks again...

Downloadable Questionnaire :-)

2007-02-22T06:45:00.000+05:30

Thank you Deane! I like Wufoo... ok please bloggers of Kottu fill in my questionnaire HERE...

Please please please fill it and give me nice coherent intelligent sounding answers that I can quote at length.. also if you feel that theres anything more you want to tell me.. please feel free to leave comments on this post!

Thanks in advance ... ok so stop reading this and go fill the form! Git!

Please fill in this questionnaire

2007-02-21T23:40:00.000+05:30

Finally starting on Chapter 3, which deals with blogging in Sri lanka and kottu in particular. To do that I need some feeback from those of you who are a part of Kottu... I have copied a questionnaire I prepared on to this post.. can you guys copy and paste the questions and send me the answers to ayeshea@gmail.com or alternately just leave the answers on the comments box. Please answer the whole questionnaire (or attempt to.... ). I'll try and put up a downloadable questionnaire up over the next few days... until then bear with me and please please help?

QUESTIONNAIRE (for bloggers on Kottu)

Name:
Blogger Identity (optional):
Sex:
Age:
Blog Address:
Age of Blog:

What drives you to blog?
……………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………

Why did you choose to join Kottu?
……………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………

In your opinion what benefits (if any) does Kottu provide for Sri Lankan bloggers?
……………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………

Do you see any disadvantages of being part of Kottu?
……………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………

Do you feel any affinity with other bloggers in Kottu? Why?
……………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………

How well do you think Kottu functions in its role as a website of Sri Lankan blogs?

Very well Could use improvement

Satisfactory Very poor

Why?

……………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………

Do you feel it should be doing anything more?
Yes No

Why?
……………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………

How far do you feel Sri Lankan’s utilise the medium of the blog?
……………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………

Do you see the popularity of the blog growing in Sri Lanka? Why?
……………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………

What role do you see communities such as Kottu playing in the development of blogging in Sri Lanka?
……………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………

Top 5 reasons to be a MP in Sri Lanka

2007-01-12T13:58:00.000+05:30

5. You only have to make an appearance in parliament a few times a month
4. I can shout and hurl abuse at people I dont like under the pretext of debating important national issues in the sure knowledge that no one can sue my ass.
3. Subsidised food! (And not the crap we get at university..! Rumour sayeth that buriyani is on the menu!
2. The Power! The prestige! The fame!
1. The fact that all MPs in Sri Lanka got a 145% salary increase! (so I got a friend to do the calculations!)

But seriously check this out:
Increased salaries
Prime Minister & ministers From Rs.34000.00 to Rs.71500.00
Speaker From Rs.31000.00 to Rs.68500.00
Leader of the opposition From Rs.29815.00 to Rs.65000.00
Deputy Minister From Rs.28750.00 to Rs.63500.00
Member of Parliament From Rs.22100.00 to Rs.54285.00

I kid you not! Read the BBC Article!

And all of a sudden I'm all for the President calling for early elections! Where do I sign up dammit???

changed layout and fingers crossed....

2006-11-15T06:44:00.000+05:30

Okie... have changed format now.... fingers crossed... firefox users let me know if there are any problems accessing this now!

Firefox issues..

2006-11-09T08:39:00.000+05:30

Loads and loads of complaints that this blog is not viewable on Firefox... sorry.. this happened after I switched to Beta. mail me - ayeshea@gmail.com. A layout change has not worked either. Oh and thanks for the feedback... 2 on the blog and some on chat. Can more of you write now???!!!!!

What do you think a blog community entails?

2006-11-03T06:20:00.000+05:30

yes.. this has been a long time coming... still working with chapter 1. But I have some empirical research that I need to do.. please take some time out and give me your honest opinions... (or if not completely honest at least some intelligent sounding responses!)
Tell me...

Any members of a blog community
What do YOU think a blog is?
what are the main features of a blog community in your opinion?
And .. can you tell me what keeps you there? What does being a member of a blog community mean to you? What benefits (if any) do you get through being a part of such a community?

And those of you who read blogs but dont actually have one yourselves...

Why do you like reading blogs?
What constitutes a blog in your opinion??
What do you think are the attractions of being a part of a blog community?

The process of writing...

2006-10-14T11:25:00.000+05:30

In my case, it's getting down on paper
Not thoughts, exactly, but ideas, maybe:
Ideas about thoughts.
Thoughts is too grand a word.
Ideas is better, though not exactly what I mean.
Someday I'll explain.
Not today though

Help???

2006-10-11T22:06:00.000+05:30

ok I actually took a day off work and read all the articles that I would download from time to time in a pathetic effort to make myself feel I was actually doing something...
I think I have some good stuff out there, but I have a few questions... can anyone help?
* Is there a good site (apart from Wiki) where I can get a good detailed chronology of the popularity of blogging? Thats the only piece of info I feel I'm lacking at the moment with regards to my first chapter.
* I'm seeing a lot of variation with regards to the definition of a weblog... some definitions like in Rebecca's pocket www.rebeccablood.net/essays/weblog_history.html make a distinction between the blog and the online diary. Does anyone know if this is still accepted? Are there any recently posted definitions of a blog? I have a few, but a few more couldn't hurt..!

The Discourse Community

2006-10-10T05:53:00.000+05:30

I'm basing part of my dissertation on the concpet of the Discourse Community by John Swales... for the uninitiated here it it: (yes yes the 'uninitiated' comment was a part of a pathetic attempt to feel superior... ok???)
Swales gives out six defining characteristics of a Discourse Community:

1. has a broadly agreed set of common public goals.
2.has mechanisms of intercommunication among its members.
3. uses its participatory mechanisms primarily to provide information and feedback.
4. utilizes and hence possesses one or more genres in the communicative furtherance of its aims. 5. in addition to owning genres, it has acquired some specific lexis.
6. has a threshold level of members with a suitable degree of relevant content and discoursal expertise.

Part of my dissertation will look at blog communities in the light of this definition... then I'll embark on this 'hena' anthropological look at blog communities both more 'international' ones and 'local' communities like Kottu for instance... observing... watching...
he heee

Procrastination and Panic

2006-10-09T09:06:00.000+05:30

I've had good intentions of starting on my Introduction and First Chapter for a good two weeks now... but all in vain. I cant seem to overcome the twin temptations of sleep and sheer laziness... yes I have succumbed...! Succumbed to their vile joys and the base comforts they offer..! Ah.. woe is me!
I Got some pretty good stuff from the net on definitions of what a blog really is. I'm not too willing to go with the traditional "personal webpag with entries in reverse chronological order" definition. I think the blog is definitely something more... Any ideas anyone??
Anyway I have ambitious plans to streamline my reading and begin a draft of my first chapter by Friday. Shall put it up for comments by then...
By the way - bloggers on Kottu/other blog communities.. shall have a questionnaire up that I would like you to answer... please???? That too soon... depending on my ability to grapple with and triumph over my need to sleep.

Research Proposal

2006-10-09T08:27:00.000+05:30

This is what I basically hope to do with my Thesis:

Introduction

Introduction to Internet Language/e-discourse
The emergence of "digicourse" (as defined by Zitezen and Stein and a number of other researchers)
Small introduction to the blog and its popularity

Chapter One - The place of the blog in Internet media.
Definition of the blog
description of the form of the blog Form - (the physical features)
Comparison of the blog with other more "established" forms of internet mediums such as the chat for example. Can the blog stand apart as a distinctly unique form of internet media or is it a hybrid within a hybrid? (e-discourse itself being described as a hybrid). If a blog employs different facets of "traditional" internet media where can it be placed?
Chronology of the blog - how it gained popularity over the years - its increasing importance.

Chapter Two - Blog Discourse Community
Definition of Discourse Community - (John Swales)
Functions of Blogs (what they are used for..)
Blog Discourse communities - linking such communities to Swales' six step definition - is it an appropriate application?
Examples/Analysis from blog communities.
Other features unique to online (in this case blog) discourse community - The concept of "trolling", "flame wars" "Godwins Law", Identity etc...

Chapter Three - Blogging in Sri Lanka
Chronology of blogging in Sri Lanka - its rise in popularity
What are blogs being used FOR in Sri Lanka?
Development of Kottu/Moju/Latapata
Features of Sri Lankan blogs - distinct "Sri Lankan" features seperate from or local spin offs of traditional features of the wider 'blogosphere'
Vocabulary, style of writing, trolling flaming etc..
nNumbers on Kottu, Moju etc
Profile of Sri Lankan blogger? Reader? Non contributor? (this chapter will be supplemented with interviews/observations of Kottu, other discourse communities etc) J
ust a fad? Something deeper?