To Blog, or not to Blog: that is the question:

I have been juggling with the idea of posting a HOW TO BLOG segment for our blog, for anyone interested in blogging. As soon as I started to write and research, I came across this fantastic link that has all the information you need to know to get started and stay as a Blogger. So any attempts on my part to write something similar would look mediocre at best and pathetic at worst.

Please click here to read the handbook for bloggers and cyber-dissidents.

Having scanned the ‘blogophere’, there is a distinct lack of serious Somali bloggers. It actually came as a surprise to me that there is virtually no Somali Blogger on Somali soil giving us live feeds from our anarchist (give or take) and unrecognized states. At least not one I could find.

Somalia is at a stage were we, as nationals, can nurture it to conform to our ideals. It is a fertile ground for a grassroots movement. In an age where bloggers are seen as ‘real journalists’ reporting on the news behind the news, showcasing ideas and calling for changes in their respective governments, I would think Somali bloggers would be at the forefront of the blogging revolution calling for peace and statehood in their homeland. There are so many causes that need someone to speak up for them. Somalis need a fresh exchange of ideas, fair criticism and improvements on current affairs. A real understanding of how far (or backward) we have come geographically, intellectually and spiritually. Think of the political and economic power that can come from a unified community that is in constant communication....thats freedom right there.

We have youths in the our diaspora who are bright, intelligent and ambitious and on the other hand we have those who are ignorant, lazy and uninspired. We need a support system to challenge and drive these individuals to better themselves and ultimately their nation. Blogging could be a way for them to gain common ground by sharing common experiences not to mention that it is a great and useful channeling of energies. There is no limit to what one can post about, from daily musing to poetry to recipes. I mean the list is never ending so go ahead dive into it and test the waters. You might just like the feel of it!

Take it away current citizens of the blog-planet. Tell us what turned you to blogging.

Choose what flag?

I've been thinking long and hard about what the new template should look like.. and I must say, I'm stumped for ideas. I was looking for pics that would identify us as Somalis, but the camels, people in traditional clothes and acacia tree pics seemed a little dull and overdone. Most other resource pages have some elements/colours of the country's flag...but we’ve two flags (please, no indignant mutterings about the existence/non-existence of Somaliland ;D). So I decided to make an experimental flag and make all parties happy… What do you guys think of that?



No worries SD, this is not going to be the header (unless there is a unanimous yey vote for it *wink*)

Shafi Said

Peace of Mind is the name of Shafi's blog. The template that he chose for his blog is quite aptly put HIM; the old type quill that has fallen out of grace just like original thought in this day of age. Shafi has a handful of posts on his blog and out of them I would like to highlight a couple. The first one is the one that I read when I clicked on his link. The death of his friend and his feelings towards it. How life passes most of us by while we frolic in the sun believing in immortality due to age. He asks the questions that most of us are faced with when death comes too close to our lives. Human life is fickle and so is a human mind. We forget so easily that we are but visitors on this earth and death is there to remind us. Shafi also touches on issues of Somalia in his blog. His post on whether the elders have failed us is beautifully written and encompasses the youth desolute outlook at the land we called home to the ever present woman who has no choice but to work tirelessly and smooth away the wrinkles in her corner of the world. I would definately recommend for you (the reader) to check this blog out.