Why:
In early 2005, my daughter Sanjukta invited me to participate on Dissemination, a weblog created by her friends. I did so with some trepidation since I was unfamiliar with the electronic forum. Sharing my opinions freely with family, friends and perfect strangers on the other hand, is an old habit. Joining the discussions on Dissemination therefore came naturally to me although I had to temper my exuberance a bit because I was talking to a crowd, a majority of which was in my children's age group. The authors and contributors were a particularly bright lot and the experience was quite interesting. But in the middle of 2005, for reasons yet unknown to me, Dissemination died a gradual and graceful death. That left my blogging fingers itchy because by then I had become quite accustomed to reading and writing comments there. Ethan Leib, one of the main forces behind Dissemination, started blogging on the legal site, Prawfs Blawg and I followed his progress there. I also discovered several other blogs devoted to politics and cultural issues which impressed and interested me. But lacking authorship, I could not express my opinions there without the filter of the judgement of others. I have sent materials which I thought were worthy of publication to Ethan and Brian Leiter who kindly published some of them. It became increasingly clear that if I wanted to say everything that was on my mind, I should get my own soapbox in the crowded halls of the blogosphere. The three people who encouraged me to do so are Sanjukta, Ethan and Menesh Patel. I am also indebted to David Grosz, another Disseminator, who conferred on me my first blog-authorship (which contributed largely to my addiction) and to Anna Levine who taught me how to link to URL's within the text. But the biggest impetus to blogging arose from the unsettling state of the world that began with the 2000 US presidential election and continued with the string of natural and man-made disasters that have beset us since then.
What:
I had considered several names for my weblog. "Periodic Table" was on the top of my list. This elegantly simple and sophisticated catalogue of chemistry is logical, progressive and prescient. It also packs a lot of information and correlating data within an easy to understand and concise format about all the known elements in nature. My aspirations for the blog were similarly lofty. My son Aditya, a chemist and a realist, pared down my ambitions when I discussed the matter of nomenclature with him. He said that he did not like the name which to some readers, may sound a bit pretentious. Heeding the cautionary words, I decided to change it to something simpler, whose promise may not be so hard to live up to and because in any case, I know that my blog is likely to include a lot of mindless blather. So I have chosen a name more suitable for the cirumstances in which I came to be acquainted with the blogosphere.
How:
I cannot predict the fate of Accidental Blogger and the lasting power of my enthusiasm. Hopefully it will evolve with my ideas and the participation of its readers. I have some preliminary thoughts on what the character of the blog should be. It is to be an open forum for general discussions of matters which interest a lot of people - nothing too technical or esoteric. Some cerebral table talk of the sparkling variety. It will strive to be clever but not rude, humorous not obscene, sometimes solemn but rarely glum, often contentious and never rancorous. Except for an occasional political candidate or author, I don't intend to promote, sell or endorse any product or person. Interesting news of a personal nature can be shared by readers and the author. I hope to harness the considerable talent pool among friends, family and perhaps erstwhile Disseminators to elevate the level of discussion. I am not looking for a large readership, only a regular one. Although I am the sole author on this blog, this forum is not about me. I want to tell my side of some stories and want to hear yours.
A fantastic first post, but I always thought you should name your site mombomb.com
Posted by: douglas finch | October 19, 2005 at 09:53 PM
Thank you, Douglas. Please visit again.
Posted by: Ruchira Paul | October 19, 2005 at 10:38 PM
Congrats!I think the title Periodic Table was quite appropriate because I have memories of you spending long hours over them and accidents can also be periodic.
Posted by: Aku | October 19, 2005 at 11:03 PM
Don't listen to Biga's blather, keep the Periodic Table idea.
Posted by: manoj | October 19, 2005 at 11:04 PM
Congratulations, Mummy. I'm looking forward to reading your blog and also to (mostly) Bush-free phone conversations as a result of it.
Posted by: Maina | October 19, 2005 at 11:26 PM
Welcome to the Blogosphere!
Posted by: Ethan Leib | October 20, 2005 at 12:21 AM
the recounting of the conversation concerning the blogname between me and mummy is wrong. i never offered such an analysis of periodic table (i just thought it sounded dumb). i advocated adismom.com for the blogname. go mom.
Posted by: aditya | October 20, 2005 at 12:46 AM
This is excellent. Karl Rove will never know what hit him. Meanwhile, I resent the fact that the president calls his top henchman "Turd Blossom." As anybody who attended Lincoln Junior High School in Carbondale, Illinois, knows, that's MY nickname. Por favor, eh?
Posted by: Sudip Bose | October 20, 2005 at 09:52 AM
Congrats, this is promising. I look forward to exploring this space.
Posted by: sukrita | October 20, 2005 at 09:59 AM
Congrats on your new blog! I want to thank Brian Leiter for letting us know about it, and I look forward to your perspective.
Posted by: rcabbott | October 24, 2005 at 11:15 PM
Despite the lack of commentary on my part, I have been reading your blog for several days now and am really enjoying your thoughts and perspectives. Your writing is excellent and congrats on starting your own blog! Although I like the name “accidentalblogger”, I really liked one of your reader’s suggestions of “mombomb.com”.
I am finally writing today because I thought of you while watching Jon Stewart yesterday. In case you haven't already heard this one it is really funny...
Stewart: You know the drumbeat of criticism leveled at President Bush for his handling of Iraq? Well it's taken its toll. And Monday in Philadelphia following his speech at the World Affairs Council, Bush found himself forced to turn to desperate measures.
Bush in Philadelphia: I got a little extra time on my hands, so I thought I might answer some questions.
Woman asking question: Mr. President, I would like to know why it is that you and others in your administration keep linking 9/11 to the invasion of Iraq when no respected journalist or Middle Eastern expert confirms that such a link existed?
Bush: What did she say? I missed the question. Sorry. I didn't— I beg your pardon. I didn't hear you, seriously.
Stewart [imitating robot]: Beep, beep. Does not compute. Beep, beep, beep.
Posted by: sang | December 20, 2005 at 09:51 PM
Hey Sangeeta,
Thanks for breaking the silence at last. I am glad that you are enjoying your visits here. With a president like Bush in charge, it is not hard to blog.
Yes, mombomb.com is pretty funny. That was one of my ex co-bloggers making the suggestion under an assumed name!
Thanks for the Jon Stewart bit. The comedians are having a ball with Bush's shameless shenanigans. But real harm is being done even while we laugh.
Posted by: Ruchira Paul | December 20, 2005 at 10:22 PM
Henry Stern:
I let your first two comments stand even when they made little sense and had nothing to do with the post above. However, it is now clear after your last irrelevant outburst that you are using this site to rant and promote your third rate writing and views about issues that are of no particular interest to our readers. In other words, you are a spammer. I am now going to delete all your comments.
Posted by: Ruchira | August 26, 2008 at 08:07 PM