The Pakistani Spectator

My name is Huzefa Lotia. I have been writing my personal blog since 2003. It’s a fun way to keep people informed about milestones in my life and to keep in touch with them. It helps me share interesting things that I come across with people I know and a few others that read my blog. In the non-virtual work I am a management consultant. Previously, I was working at an Organizational Development/HR Consultancy and am currently working as an IT and Risk Management Consultancy. My education was completed in Canada. I completed double majors in computer science and commerce with concentrations in human-computer interaction and marketing. Marketing is one of my key interests. I’ve set up a blog about it at mktgpk.com but I have yet to publish any posts. InshAllah will get started soon. In my spare time, I also run the website http://www.karachicineplex.com.

Could you tell us what made you decide to blog?
I started blogging in 2003. I thought it was a good way to keep people I know updated on new things happening in my life, to maintain a level of contact which a lot of people, which would otherwise not be possible.

What do you think sets Your blog apart from other blogs?
Well, my blog is about me and my thoughts. So that way its different. But in a way its like other blogs too, about the authors’ and their thoughts.

If you could choose one characteristic you have that brought you success, what would it be?
Patience.

What was the happiest and gloomiest moment of your life?
I don’t think I’ve experienced any of the peaks yet.

Urdu Blogs have got huge potential, when do you think they will really take on the online horizon in Pakistan?
I don’t think they will be huge anytime soon. Urdu is difficult to type, you need to learn it. The keyboards are different. Thought I think some kind of transliteration standard would probably be nice. Like the Chinese have pinyin. Once they have that, it’ll be easy to develop an Urdu conversion.

If you could pick a travel destination, anywhere in the world, with no worries about how it’s paid for - what would your top 3 choices be?
South Korea, Japan and Indonesia.

What is your favorite book and why?
Cialdini’s Influence, it just makes sense.

What’s the first thing you notice about a person (whether you know them or not)?
Any deformity

Do you think Pakistani politicians could benefit from the social networks and things like twitter?
Sure.

Whose Future is more bright in Pakistan; English blogs or Urdu Blogs?
English.

How Pakistani bloggers can benefit from blogs financially?
This isn’t a question that can be answered briefly – but blogging is a way of marketing yourself. You increase your market value in a way (provided you are blogging professionally)

Do you think Pakistani bloggers tend to remain somewhat self-centered and really don’t go out of their shells? Is it the oriental style of blogging, or they are still unsure about it?
I am not sure what you mean by oriental style. But I think bloggers will always blog about their environments, because it’s what they know about. Those who have more exposure, blog about more things. I don’t think it’s anything to be concerned about.

Is it true that who has a successful blog has an awful lot of time on their hands?
Nope. Not necessarily. It doesn’t take a lot of time to write a blog post, particularly if its related to something you already have a bunch of information about. I don’t think a large quantity of posts indicates a successful blog. It’s the quality and popularity of the posts.

What are your thoughts on corporate blogs and what do you think the biggest advantages and disadvantages are?
Corporate blogs are great, but you have to be careful about what you write. The biggest advantage is that blogging is virtually free, can have a large reach and can get you closer to the customer. The disadvantages are that they can easily stir up controversy.

Does it pain you or proud you that we have made a history by electing a uniform general as our president?
It had its positives and negatives.

Do you think this whole emphasis on blogs and whatever online is a significant indicator to show that the web, the social web, is becoming a very important social force?
Its not there yet, but will be quite soon. Lets come back to this question in 5 years.

What do you think where the Pakistani blogosphere is right now?
Its in its infancy.

Who are your top five favourite bloggers in Pakisan?
I like lifemeansdrama.blogspot.com

Have you ever become stunned by the uniqueness of any blogger in Pakistani blogosphere?
lifemeansdrama.blogspot.com

What is the future of blogging in Pakistan?
Blogging is going to grow proportional to the proliferation of high-bandwidth availability and the falling price of computers.

In political respect, can we say blogging a ‘democracy of message’?
Sure.

Can Pakistani blogosphere play any notable role in the forthcoming elections, if they happen at all?
Nothing too significant.

You have also got a blogging life, how has it directly affected both your personal and professional life?
It doesn’t have any significant effect.

What are your future plans?
I don’t want to say them out and jinx them

Any Message you want to give to the readers of The Pakistani Spectator?
Keep cool. Read blogs and write them. It’s fun. And for everything in life, remember one term – ‘miyana ravi’ or moderation.