When Pheidippides the Greek Soldier ran the world’s first marathon from the Battle of Marathon to Athens in 490 BC, it is quite certain that he had no idea just how much the word marathon would catch on in the modern world.
There are the traditional marathons- of 42.195 Kilometres and our favourite movie marathons; and a more recent phenomenon- that of blog marathons; conducted by the Sinhala Bloggers’ Union.
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| Some of the members of the Sinhala Bloggers' Union |
A fun-loving and vocal bunch dedicated to the cause of having their say, the ‘Sinhala Bloggers’ have become an interesting and prominent segment of the local blogosphere.
Not too long ago however, the Sri Lankan blog scene played host to a mere 30 writers who would blog in Sinhalese. “It was at this point- three years ago,” explains Kalinga Athulathmudali( an administrator of the Sinhala Bloggers’ Union)”that we decided that it was important to have a portal which would help promote current, topical Sinhalese writing. We wanted to improve the writing quality and standards of those using Unicode software and this seemed to be the perfect opportunity.”
No doubt Kalinga and his colleagues were right. In its third successful year the Sinhala Bloggers’ Union (SBU) now plays host to around 1,133 members- a member base which grows daily. “We feel that we have definitely achieved part of what we set out to do,” smiles Kalinga, adding that the portal- www.sinhalabloggers.com - sees roughly 5,000 to 10,000 readers of the blogs maintained there.
Publicized widely on Facebook and Twitter, the SBU and its cause is focused on innovation and fun in the process of discussing important issues and speaking up for what one believes in. With this in mind it is with eager anticipation that the Union announces its upcoming venture to further promote Sinhalese Blogging and to give its bloggers the chance to network more.
Beginning on April 24 at 8pm, the Sinhala Blog Marathon is a 12 hour event and continues till the next day.
The third in a series of marathons conducted by the union, this marathon is something of a mini one when compared to previous marathons which lasted 24 hours.
“We decided that we would make it a little less taxing for the participants and more conducive to fun,” enthuses Kalinga. “Throughout the marathon period there will be a live radio feed where participants will be interviewed, and the portal’s active chat room will as always be open for networking and hanging out.” While the more enthusiastic participants will stick to the requirement of one post every fifteen minutes, this is by no means a strict rule. As mentioned before, the whole purpose of the marathon is to create an atmosphere in which bloggers can make themselves heard while making friends and having fun; also creating awareness on issues and causes most important to them.
Inviting Sinhalese bloggers to ‘Shout it Out!’ the Sinhala Blog Marathon promises to be an eventful experience. Prospective participants could obtain more details by logging on to www.sinhalabloggers.com or emailing admin@sinhalabloggers.com
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