So here it goes … !

Talha Masood is the blood and sweat behind Islamabad Metroblog. He has been blogging for quite a long time and his blogging style has got the lushness of Margalla hills of Islamabad. He has done his schooling from Froebels International School, Islamabad. He did his bachelors from NUST Institute of Information Technology and currently he is working in the Data warehouse department of Ufone.

Could you tell us what made you decide to blog?
My first letter to the editor got published when I was in seventh grade. I have always been interested in the idea of interactive journalism. When I first heard of blogging, I made an account on blogspot in 2004, but it wasn’t until 2005 that I actually started to put it on. You guys can catch me on Thandak and Islamabad Metroblog .

What do you think sets your blogging style apart from other bloggers?
As far as my personal blog is concerned, I believe I am less into quoting other people and more into writing about my thoughts about life – its absurdness
and its bounties. So, that only sets me apart.

If you could choose one characteristic you have that brought you success, what would it be?
Success is a relative term. I don’t believe in ideals, anymore.

If you could pick a travel destination, anywhere in the world, with no worries about how it’s paid for – what would your top 3 choices be?
1) Malaysia
2) Egypt
3) Maldives

What is your favorite book and why?
I am not an avid reader, but I really liked “White Light” by Rudy Rucker. I enjoyed it because firstly it is quite an “out of the box” book.

And secondly it quoted a quote that said something like “There are a thousand death masks lying one atop on another, leading straight to heaven”.

Do you think Pakistani politicians could benefit from the social networks and things like twitter?
Of course – but only if they become flexible to changes.

How Pakistani bloggers can benefit from blogs financially?
There is a program by Google called adsense. People are actually earning small chunks of financials from it.

Do you think Pakistani bloggers tend to remain somewhat self-centered and really don’t go out of their shells? Is it the oriental style of blogging, or they are still unsure about it?
Not at all, there are many different versatile Pakistani bloggers all over the world, Do a search on search.blogger.com and you will know why I don’t agree to this commonly believed notion.

Is it true that who has a successful blog has an awful lot of time on their hands?
NO – not at all.

What are your thoughts on corporate blogs and what do you think the biggest advantages and disadvantages are?
Corporate blogs are an essentially appealing way to let the public know about what’s happening in the corporate world. Slashdot.org has always been a great source of inspiration for tech-savvy people. Big giants like Microsoft and Google are now turning towards blogs to let people know about their products. I believe that blogs are minimizing the time it takes for information to come from the producers of goods and services to the end-consumers by taking out the middle-media personnel. It’s great, but the disadvantage could be a greater probability of identity theft.

Do you think this whole emphasis on blogs and whatever online is a significant indicator to show that the web, the social web, is becoming a very important social force?
Definitely – both globally and locally. There should be no second thoughts about it.

What do you think where the Pakistani blogosphere is right now?
Pakistani blogosphere has matured pretty rapidly. There are multiple reasons for this, but two of the main reasons are the rapidly decreasing cost of internet in Pakistan and secondly the increasing education level in Pakistan. And you have to give due credit to the Government for this.

Who are your top five favourite bloggers in Pakistan?
Five is too less a figure to tell about my favorite Pakistani bloggers. But my main inspiration to blog came from Asma.

Have you ever become stunned by the uniqueness of any blogger in Pakistani blogosphere?
That’s the beauty of bloggers; everyone is so unique in their own perspective. If it’s original, it’s unique.

What is the future of blogging in Pakistan?
The future is very interestingly optimistic. If the Government doesn’t bind media and internet, it should flourish like a corolla.

In political respect, can we say blogging a ‘democracy of message’?
No. Most of the blogging is like yellow journalism of Internet. The advantages of blogging are mass presence, wide coverage and diversity. But if un-controlled, quality can never be assured.

Can Pakistani blogosphere play any notable role in the forthcoming elections, if they happen at all?
I believe that although the advancement in Internet and blogging in Pakistan has become so marvelous that it’s coming in mainstream print media as well, but it’s still short of the spectrum and the kind of readership it takes to really affect lifestyles and opinions.

You have also got a blogging life, how has it directly affected both your personal and professional life?
I believe that it has made me more sensitive about making opinions.

What are your future plans?
I would love to be a part of the media revolution someday.

Any Message you want to give to the readers of The Pakistani Spectator?
When blogging, try to remember that there are social norms that should invisibly bind you by the rope of ethics and morals. Also, do remember that people are not perfect.

Ciao!