Your Attention Please!

Your Attention Please!

No, there is no special announcement from my side. Neither am I trying to get some attention as this is my post after 10 weeks. No, I may be trying to seek some attention. I may be one of those attention seekers.

This point has been in my mind for some months now, but could not blog due to various reasons – to give the most routine answer – lack of time. But, the real reason was that I could not find the right term for this pattern or characteristic of the group called bloggers. Now I found it: Attention Seekers.

I feel that most of the bloggers blog because they seek some attention, especially from similar minded people. They want to showcase their talent in one or more fields – literature, poetry, photography, movie-making, mathematics, something else. Though most of our class, the bloggers, do not accept, I think this is true with a majority – of course, it would be not the only one, but one of the reasons, with a lower priority (like of me). Though we dump whatever we like, we cannot resist refreshing the page to see new comments (yes, we want people to read what we write unless we create the blog with sole purpose of cribbing, grumbling and whining).
We want people to read the blogs. We keep external blog link in the corporate blog, wordpress link on blogger page, photo blog link on tech blog – I even have it appended to my email signature.

I got this “Attention Seekers” term from an article published in Monday, 13th October 2008 Bangalore edition of Metro Plus, THE HINDU.

An excerpt from the article –
Computer Science teacher Sneha Raul begs to differ. “It is understandable to upload if it is a part of your job or if you have nothing else to do. People could claim to be service-minded, but that is only the tip of the iceberg. I personally feel people who do it are addicted to uploading information or aim at getting attention.”Now that the blogging mania has taken off big time, regular bloggers, especially those whose blogs are only about their personal lives, from love-sick poems to what they want engraved on their epitaph, are also looked at as attention seekers.

But, I disagree with most of the opinions in that article. People on You Tube and such entertainment forums may be attentions seekers, I believe there are bloggers who use this powerful blogging medium effectively – especially the citizen journalists, the techies, the financial bloggers, people giving solutions to common technical problems in day-to-day life.

Of course, I have my own reasons, bigger than this, but including ‘attention seeking’ for blogging.

Impressions and Opinions

People frame opinions on others based on their actions, some incidents and mutual interactions. Sometimes, the opinions are made based on what they hear from a third person or external source. This is a general human tendency and there is nothing wrong in that.

I too do it. My ease of dealing with a certain person depends on the opinion I have about him/her. These opinions have a say in deciding my interests, relationships, friendships and interactions.

But, the problem arises if the opinion is framed on perceptions, preconceived notions and incomplete or insufficient information. The opinions should be flexible; it may turn out that we might know a positive aspect of a person on whom we have fixed a negative opinion due to the happenings of the first interaction.

Unfortunately, some people are reluctant to revisit their opinions. The reasons are many – one can be stubborn, adamant or feel it lowly to accept their foolishness or incorrectness. Why don’t they at least try to rethink their opinion on the person and give a second chance.

This applies not only to persons, but also to many things in life, life food. One hates coffee without tasting at least once (Some of my well-wishers try to apply the same argument to make me taste alcohol).

Impressions

Saying this, it is very important for one to let people make a strong and positive first opinion on him/her. This is referred as impression widely in Telugu people. It may be the same case with other Indians, if not elsewhere.

One needs to impress the other on the first go. For many, the first impression should be the best impression – that generally dictates and affects the upcoming events.

All these musings are because I am one of those who give you a not good opinion on first meeting. I need time to understand and start like people or an environment and similarly, it takes time for someone to understand and like me or my actions.

So, I never believe in the first impression philosophy. I try to have a second or third opinion before judging someone/something. And I don’t think to change my opinions if I get some additional information that can affect my thought process.