The Pakistani Spectator

Tariq Hyder is a seasoned blogger from Chennai, India. He blogs under the pseudonym - WebSnacker - an absolute mixed bag on Music, Cinema, Humor, and Satire coupled with slice of life vignettes and incisive commentary on relationships, environment, business and society.

Tariq is a Non-Conformist Entrepreneur doing his own thing for the past 10 years now. Ideasonic Studios founded by him is a professionally-managed, US registered multidisciplinary creative agency with offices in Wilmington (USA) and Chennai and Cochin (India).

An experienced Marketeer plus a Content, Design and Advertising specialist, he works with Startups, SMEs, MNCs as well as NGOs and Non-profits. He is also an award-winning writer/ghost writer with more 200 published articles and credits from over 50 publications worldwide.

An avid green activist, Tariq also devotes quality time for Green Coalition Network , a non-profit environmental NGO he founded which is focused on improving public health standards, promoting sustainable development and protecting the environment.

Would you please tell us something about you and your site?

I am a free time blogger from Madras (now Chennai), India and my blog – WebSnacker is an assorted mix of many things – music, movies, relationships, politics, work life, humor, travel, environment and much more. I could perhaps call it an expression of my personality – the work I do, the music I listen to or the movies I see.

Why do you call yourself Web Bandit and Eclectic?

Well, if you blog on Music and Cinema and then, give actual download links to those albums and movies, you will invariably be called a Pirate, File Sharer and as one angry executive of a famous record company mailed me – a Web Bandit. Even if these greedy corporate folks don’t understand the true essence of file sharing, they should at least realize that I am actually promoting their stuff.

Eclectic because I blog on diverse topics from business to entertainment, from political opinions to the eternal battle of the sexes and pretty much anything that interests me. And possibly since I don’t blog on one genre alone, I am able to keep it assorted and accessible to a large audience.

Do you feel that you continue to grow in your writing the longer you write? Why is that important to you?

Absolutely, you definitely grow as a writer and mature as a person when you invest in your writing. There is a lot of writing which I do that I never publish, it’s more of an introspective pressure reliever.

I’m wondering what some of your memorable experiences are with blogging?

There are too many to list but I especially remember a young Musician from Sweden who couriered me the first copy of his debut CD after I had positively praised his music in my old music blog. He had taken pains to send it to me twice as the first CD never reached me.

However, the most important being is that you make new friends across borders. I suppose my friend circle now is spread across the world now and I mean, real good friends that I have met only through my blogs. For example, I have a blog friend who is a writer living in Alaska and an other who is a firefighter from Durban, South Africa. We connect almost every week and share so much that distance seems irrelevant. And thanks to my many fellow bloggers, Green Coalition, an environmental NGO that I founded now has more volunteers than what we had around 5 years ago.

What do you do in order to keep up your communication with other bloggers?

I get a lot of mail from my readers - some of it rosy and some harshly critical. And most of my readers are bloggers themselves. This allows you to maintain a healthy dialogue and improve your blog quotient so you don’t disappoint them. Having an email list and open channels through sites like Facebook and Twitter also lets me stay in continuous touch and this is quite helpful.

If you had to describe life as a blogger in a Twitter message (140 characters) what would you say?

A gung-ho entrepreneur, a green activist, marketer and a designer all in one who blogs about his life & times of being a restless soul.

What do you think is the most exciting or most innovative use of technology in politics right now?

The Web has opened a big window for Politicians to reach out and sites like Twitter have made it even more cheap and accessible. The US Presidential election was ample proof of this new reality. However, if you consider the political dynamics of the Indian subcontinent, politicians here need to plot it safe if they wish to harness its full potential. Remember, even a veteran expert like Shashi Tharoor couldn’t play the game right.

Do you think that these new technologies are effective in making people more responsive?

To a certain extent, yes so people do comprehend and react. Thanks to new web technologies and an evolving social media space, you get to hear about issues like the Environment, Human Rights and Corruption more often than before.

What do you think sets Your site apart from others?

It’s purely the diversity of the content and I am glad, I can write on different themes and genres. I wish I could also share with you about my previous music blog that was much older and bigger in its repertoire compared to my current new blog.

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

Being instinctive and willing to learn & experiment.

What was the happiest and gloomiest moment of your life?

I strongly believe failures as stepping stones for improvement and eventual success so I tend to move on. I am yet to achieve the happiest moment though.

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?

Undoubtedly, it will be the West Indies, Belize and Morocco. Have always been fascinated with science fiction, so a trip anywhere into outer space will also be a dream come true.

What is your favorite book and why?
There are many but George Orwell’s 1984 and R.K.Narayan’s Malgudi Days stand out. I love 1984 for its big brotherish dystopian future that’s all frighteningly coming true and Malgudi Days for its pure village nostalgia. The movie adaptation of 1984 starring John Hurt and the TV series on Malgudi Days were equally good and memorable.

Is there anyone from your past that once told you you couldn’t write?
Not really but the credit for making me realize my worth was my high school English teacher - Sheba who really encouraged me to write and excel. Perhaps, it was her advice that has made me what I am today so I am eternally thankful to her.

How bloggers can benefit from blogs financially?

First, with the kind of first class quality that you see nowadays, there is no more a distinction between a blogger, a journalist or a writer. There is only a good blogger or a good journalist and a bad blogger or a bad journalist. So, a good blogger can easily move into a paying journalist or a paid blogger job. Besides, specialization helps and if you can focus on a niche genre, the probability of making money through your blogs is actually immense.

Is it true that who has a successful blog has an awful lot of time on their hands?

I keep hearing this quite often. Maybe, it’s simply envy. For me, if you love doing something, you’ll always have time for it

What role can bloggers of the world play to make this world more friendlier and less hostile?

Bloggers transcend borders and they certainly do have the potential to change the world or at least do their part. I am part of numerous collectives that are exactly doing this – not just promoting peace like Aman Ki Asha but also critical issues like environment and digital rights.

Who are your top five favorite bloggers?

A tough question. I wouldn’t want to risk sinking my friendship boats so I won’t name my top 5. Nevertheless, I can definitely say that I have 20 favorite bloggers at least, many of them who focus on music, cinema, environment, satire, humor and politics.

Is there one observation or column or post that has gotten the most powerful reaction from people?

I once had a terrible time fighting religious bigots for a post of mine at a web forum that snowballed into a major issue. For almost a week, I was harassed, bombarded with hate mails and personally slandered as I was not willing to give up. Eventually, better sense prevailed and those idiots backed out. Anyway, it made me famous and gave me my 15 minutes of fame.

What is your perception about Pakistan and its people?

Let’s not forget that India, Pakistan and Bangladesh are children of the same family and we actually eat, live and look alike. I have always wanted to visit Pakistan, especially the famous food streets. And the Paki friends that I know are wonderful human beings which makes me wonder where all this hate comes from.

Have you ever become stunned by the uniqueness of any blogger?

Many times and that’s exactly the mystery of blogging. I once came across a 17 year old music blogger who wrote in amazing style and wit. What was especially impressive about him was his astounding music knowledge and an equally astonishing library of hard to find music from the 1970’s to the 1990s.

What is the future of blogging?

Blogging has already surpassed its original founding goal so it will continue to progress and keep marching ahead. With the tremendous growth of broadband, I see blogging reaching greater heights and video blogs carving a new niche. You’ll also see a blending of various web technologies that will give rise to new game changing services.

You have also got a blogging life, how has it directly affected both your personal and professional life?

I have been blogging actively since 2003. An early start has indeed helped in maintaining a fine balance between the pressures of my work life and demands of my personal life. However, it’s a rough call as I still find it difficult to update my blog regularly. On the plus side, I am lucky to have had a rewarding blogging experience so far that has helped me both professionally and personally.

Any Message you want to give to the readers of The Pakistani Spectator?

I would love to have feedback from readers of The Pakistani Spectator. On a separate note, I would very happy if they could also join Green Coalition as volunteers at Green Coalition website or visit the fan page at Facebook.

Trackback URL