Twelve hours, fifty eight bloggers 1500 posts, and plenty of spectators- a week ago, the local blogosphere was abuzz with activity as the online scene played host to the third Sinhala Blog Marathon conducted by the Sinhala Blog Union (SBU).
Since its inception, the SBU has in its three years been driven towards providing a platform which would enable Sinhala bloggers to make themselves heard and would encourage them to continue writing.
“Blogging is a very personal experience,” explains Sudarshie Hewawasam- a member of the SBU, “and it has been effective in bringing the youth closer to current issues which require attention and discussion. In some cases it could even encourage more activism and work towards important causes; in addition to being a fun mode of expression and social networking.”
Considering all this, the objective of the blog marathon of April 24 was to further the blogging cause.
“And I feel we definitely succeeded in our aims,” declares Sudarshie. “We have not as yet been able to determine in terms of numbers what kind of impact the marathon has had because we are still receiving comments, and new members as a result of the event.
Out of the 63 bloggers who signed up for the marathon, 58 participated, 75% of whom completed the marathon- in some cases with over 100 posts to their name. Sticking to the loose requirement of at least one post every 15 minutes did not seem to be a tedious task, with the live radio feed and the buzzing chatroom which was active throughout the duration of the marathon.
“This was exactly the atmosphere we wanted to create- one in which people would voice their opinion on any topic they felt was important, while having fun and meeting new people. Accordingly, the competition as a whole was a friendly, lighthearted one,” says Sudarshie.
As the member base of the SBU continues to grow, the bloggers of the Sinhalese blogosphere continue to voice their opinions and look forward o more fun ventures by the union. These bloggers can be found at www.sinhalabloggers.com. |
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