Friends, mutineers, countrymen, lend me your ears. There is something that has been bothering all of us here at our North Dakota headquarters for quite some time now. We talk about it often in hushed tones. It is the extreme dearth of fresh new desi bloggers out there. We are ever vigilant and constantly searching for freakishly interesting and smart bloggers to be pulled into the Mutiny and to blog tirelessly for you. We can’t keep doing this forever on our own, especially since many of us are going through transitions in our busy lives. To be perfectly honest, I think that when the time comes we will suddenly and viciously pull the plug on SM. It will be just after the moment we feel that we’ve got no blog left to give and nobody else is capable of picking up the keyboard to mutiny forward. If you like spending time on this website then don’t say we didn’t warn you. I sometimes wonder, if we never existed would more of you be blogging now? Must we burn Rome to save Rome?
So what am I asking? Some of you need to start blogging and do so with a purpose. Almost all of the guests we’ve had were bloggers even before SM was created. Where’s the new blood? We aren’t looking for suggestions like, “Hey what about so-and-so? Why don’t you ask them to guest.” Please don’t use the comments following this post for that. We wouldn’t be worth the ink on our blog unless we were also good scouts. We scout bloggers, sometimes for months, before inviting them to guest for you. Most often we find them by the content of their blogs, especially if they consistently leave interesting comments on SM or expounding on something they read here first. We are scouting several of you right now as a matter of fact.
As you may have noticed SM is very secretive (as all good mutinies must be to survive infancy), but for the first time ever I am revealing the basic requirements we look for in new bloggers (besides being desi). No surprise here:
1) Must be North American or have lived in North America for a significant amount of time.
2) Has a fabulous voice (voice = great writing + interesting perspective) and can cover a wide variety of topics (not just a small range of topics that they know really well). With a little research and a little snark they should be at ease writing about the policies of the International Monetary Fund or Diwali Barbie in under 90 minutes.
3) Have experience with blogging or internet publishing. We are too busy to teach people how to publish something on the web and how to use basic html tags. If you’ve run your own blog for a while then all this should be easy. Thus, if you aren’t already a blogger then you probably won’t be a good fit until you become one, even if you just won the Booker (just kidding Kiran…call me).
4) Be a fearless and passionate writer, not someone who worries how they “sound.”
Now maybe you are thinking to yourself, “Hey! I’m a blogger and I meet all those criteria, why haven’t they approached me?” Please don’t take it personally. You might be a great blogger/writer but we also look at other things like how much time we think you have, how well your tone complements ours, and several other intangibles. We love to see diversity in our guest bloggers but we’ll never invite someone just for the sake of being diverse.
Just today I got this email:
Hi!
I’m a South Asian American born and raised in the U.S. (my parents are from Pakistan), and right now I’m a senior in high school. I was wondering if I could write for this blog. I’ve been following it for a year and half now, and I am absolutely enamored by it! I’ve noticed though that there aren’t any Pakistani voices, so I thought I could contribute to that. K, hope to hear from you guys soon! Thanks!
You know, we’d love to have a Pakistani American and especially a young one write in this space. I’d personally (not speaking for my co-bloggers) like to invite guests that are 18-30. Perhaps some of them are hating grad school as much as I was when I started blogging. If you think you got something to say then start saying it and we’ll find you. We’re always watching.
Don’t make us burn this blog down to save the spirit of the Mutiny.
Well, im a freshman in high school. i doubt i’ll have a chance. 4 more years!
manju, As long as you write “you” instead of “u” and “are” instead of “r” you are half way there. Also NeVeR WrItE LiKe ThIs. EvEr!
🙂
Well, you just encouraged me to start (seriously) blogging.
Good advice indeed 🙂
Damn you Abhi. I’m 34, a single, Sikh in the City, a half-breed by birth (so not PC to say) and overage for your blog! Shall I cry age-ism? Manju feels too young, I too old…sigh…
You aren’t overage. My co-bloggers don’t believe in ageism and usually put me in my place. 🙂
Ditto.
Ha! Well, being Punjabi and from LA, so I better not see you at Skybar or at Hyde or else…
Talk about voice! By the way, her book is rocking (I’m still reading).
You have to keep on writing on good topics so that the people are forced to read your blog.
you are definitely not overage. some of us are pushing 40 or points beyond. abhi just wants to meet young women. we encourage this, but we want to see bloggers of all ages. go forth and do your thing!
Do you have to be South Asian? Or can you be Nepali, Bangladeshi, Indian, Sri Lankan, or Pakistani?
I don’t meet your criteria, but if anyone knows who the US weekly of the brown, er, South Asian blogosphere is, I may be their woman. 🙂
Sigh.
Finding the right “talent” is a universal problem, isn’t it? I have the same issues when expanding my team. And in my case I’ll even stoop as low as to consider non-[i]desis[/i]!
Blogging regularly is a lot of work, and it requires a type of proactivity not all of us are equally blessed with. For instance, I post on different web communities at least a couple of times a day, but tending to my shriveling (sounds suspiciously close to [i]shiva-ling[/i], no?) blog is a chore. On the other hand, snarking all over someone else’s posting is easy as pi (and more transcendent too).
Matters are not helped when one isn’t fortunate enough to be a gay, lesbian, bisexual, transgendered, or otherwise differently-sexed Pakistani, Nepali, Bangladeshi, Lankan or Bhutani. Which gives me an idea: have y’all tried posting your “Bloggers Wanted” ad in pro-GLBT Internet Cafes in Thimpu?
Saira
I, for one, would love to hear what you have to say. I have yet to meet a half-breed Sikh and am sure you have a unique voice that would contribute to the South Asian and identity discourse. Starting a blog is easy, I was inspired by the SM crew but barely have time to commit anything worthwhile to it. (I know, lame excuse!)
NVM
I second the intern-walla, not this again…@=)
Another route to go is to make it like a newspaper and have your classifications as tabs, and accept and hold editorial rights to submissions for all categories.The above being the first step, thereafter make a sub-editorial team (duo or group) of those who contribute often to those sections and let submissions come in and they can take over the “editorial” work.
See fresh blood is hard to find if it has to be exactly what and how you guys are. Nothing will ever compare to your (inclusive of the founding members) writing. Time commitment is another thing, not all bloggers can encompass a variety of topics to make the main blog at a time. Hence submissions might be a start to getting a glance to different aspects that you might want in new bloggers.
Another thing to keep in mind is that those of us who blog might not write how you all right here because the posts are normally based on personal experience to what we believe is a small audience. Hence again, if you go the route of submissions you never know…people might surprise you :).
If you go the submissions route … you would need to outline the requirements to contributing to SM as an addition to whom they have to be.
Definetely also supportive of having more Bangladeshi, Pakistani, Sri Lankan and Nepalese writers and content on the site.
i hate you abhi … i hope you suffer like you’re making me suffer with this accursed toone …
Dont you wish your blogger was hot like me Dont you wish your blogger was a freak like me Dont cha, dont cha Dont you wish your blogger was raw like me Dont you wish your blogger was fun like me Dont cha, dont cha
Abhi:
I’m a 25 yEAr oLd sINgle BiKIni mOdeL. I tHinK u r cute. CaN I rite 4 uR bLog?
Hairy_D, We own the rights to that song also. See here.
If this site never existed, I probably wouldn’t be blogging now.
No von Mises (#12):
teehee!
also, nitpick:
complements? 🙂
Oh Abhi, such blatant ageism. I believe in a previous post you had listed that the target audience was in their mid-30s. How does that reflect on what writers you’re looking for? As the title of the following post says, “For Shame”
since you’re feeling generous with institutional secrets, can you tell us who came up with “Sepia Mutiny” – the coolest name ever?
Why the N. America criterion? I am indeed a fearless blogger – with lots to say and show (through photography)about Bangladesh where I live. Have my own voice, which people tell me, is by turns poignant, witty, compassionate, angry, engaging, insightful and bonkers. Check out http://www.morristhepen.net
This is beginning to sound more like E! True Hollywood Story
sItUaTiOnAl ThIs EtHnIcIty….lolz.
cough cough
NvM – I like your sputum results.
Translation: “Look, I just can’t do this any more. I feel like things are moving way too fast. I need some space away from “us”, you know, some time to think… maybe we should start seeing other people.”
Sepia Mutiny, are you breaking up with me?
…I think I’m gonna cry.
It may be worthwhile also having non-desi American bloggers who have had a significant amount of social and/or professional contact with South Asians (in the US or elsewhere). It promotes a more inclusive mindset & atmosphere, enables discussion of a wider range of issues which may impact desis & non-desis together (ie. you get to hear both sides of the argument), and also counteracts the insularity (and even racism) that is sometimes apparent amongst some desi commenters here on SM.
The British equivalent of SM, Pickled Politics (link under my username above), which I have also sporadically blogged on, has non-desi regular bloggers and it has worked very well indeed. Their contribution has been highly positive and it’s also had a good impact on the general vibe of the blog as a whole.
I’ve mentioned this before offline, but I would also recommend an “Open-Topic Weekend Thread” as a regular feature so that people here can just chat casually about whatever is on their minds; this will also mitigate the frequency of “normal” threads being cluttered up by wildly off-topic tangents.
Ha ha ha ha ha!
Abhi: Are you planning on leaving? You selfish bastard, you!
On a side note, some of SM readers (mainly me) are concerned that the Mutiny will be diversified. I love Vinod but I dont think I could handle another right leaning blogger on SM. I am of course only concerned about ME.
Personally, I love SM just the way it is. Keep doing what you do! I don’t think there’s a need for non-desi bloggers here. Lots of commenters who aren’t desi, contribute a different perspective to this site. Occasionally, I am one of them.
Abhi, You have inspired me. I want to be an American Citizen now;) Peace
Man, the problem with starting a blog these days is that you’re just talking to yourself. With huge group blogs like this, there’s very little payoff to throwing your thoughts out on the interweb alone. And it’s not just here — there are huge blogs already covering anything I could talk about in detail, many of which have paid staff who are able to sit around all day collecting content.
Personal blogs are another thing, but does the world really need another twentysomething writing about how “it, like, suxx to be an American-born Desi d00d”? More importantly, would anyone read it enough to give it feedback?
I know I don’t have time to keep up with every personal blog that catches my interest, even with an RSS feed. Is there even any space for new bloggers out there?
Neal,
That is so discouraging! The artist shouldn’t worry about his audience. As Lemmy from Motorhead says: Shove it out, run it up the flagpole and see who salutes it.
Even if no one reads it, the act of writing is a practice that makes you better.
Hmm I like the submissions idea…not that I have anything worthwhile to submit (my blog is for venting…don’t really put much thought into the style of my writing!…). How much time do you guys commit to SM per week?
in perfect competition, AC = P = MR = MC and there is no profit to be had. So, no, save the effort and don’t blog, so says the theory =)
Damn, you guys FORCE me to put my blog link down in the hopes of instant fame!!!
My thoughts exactly.
Most popular search on internet personals…ages 18 – 30, nevermind if the person searching is 60. Everyone wants young thangs…damn you SM, you are supposed to rise above this!
Most blogs are like diaries and mostly about self expression. However you will be surprised at how many people end up on your blog and how fast traffic increases. I’m being forced right now to consider migrating my blog because it keeps going down because fo bandwidth problems. I get emails from tourists from Japan and recently Idaho who thank me for recommending something to do in NYC.
You won’t know it until you try, you might have a voice you’d be surprised to hear.
@ 40 Pooja: Is there space for new paintings, books, sculptures, poems, businesses, etc? Of course, if you do things correctly! Blog, blog, blog away.
Oh, crap, I violated Abhi’s rules without even thinking. Paging clean-up in aisle 42, clean-up in aisle 42, SM intern!
Sorry, abhi, I did read the post and just forgot after reading all the comments.
Hmmm, let me look around. I know I’ve run across some interesting desi bloggers out there that have not yet been linked.
😉
Yeah but come on, I was talking to myself even BEFORE I got an Internet connection!
I know, I know, I know, just throw yourself out there, etc… but I get bored without feedback. I’m one of those lame Gen Y instant gratification types, apparently.
Nevertheless, this has convinced me to fire up blogger and try again…
All clean!
Actually, as someone in that demographic I would LOVE to read the thoughts of people who are older and wiser. Nearly everything written by and for the diaspora has focused on this age range. Hell, even Naipaul mostly writes about that age range. If there are 60 year old acculturated Desis out there, I think they’d provide a hell of a lot more diversity than yet another 20-something perspective.
Not that there’s anything wrong with writers from the 18-30 age group. But it would be pretty sweet to read about someone who made it through everything I’m going through and stayed sane.
Too many blogs logic can be applied to any form of expression. Too many books, movies, periodicals, bands etc. Which is why I ain’t buying the theory. If you make it interesting, people will visit.
More importantly, blogs are a cool place to explore niche subjects. The type that get a short shrift in blockbuster-obsessed culture.
Apologies for thoughtlessly repeating MD’s comments. Related topic: Long Tail