Interview with Blogger Syed Faraz Mahmood

By The Pakistani Spectator • Jan 22nd, 2008 • Category: Interviews • No Responses

Would you please tell us something about you?
I am a computer science graduate from NUCES-FAST and a software developer by profession. I blog here, which serves as a collection of my scattered outbound thoughts. I enjoy gaming a lot, although I am not a game developer, but it was one of the reason I opted for computer science. I like to experiment with stuff around me (which most of the time fire back ).

Could you tell us what made you decide to blog?
I started blogging as a quicker way to keep track of my technical notes. Usually in software developments, sometimes you need some quick hacks (or jugar ) to do certain things. e.g to use some undocumented feature, etc. and often you need to re-use those tricks somewhere else, and googling every time is not much desirable (at least for me). So I started compiling these tricks in form of blog. Also I had intentions of starting few open source project and blogs appear to be a good tool for informal documentation about the projects. However, with the passage of time, the scope evolved and now I am using my blog as a medium to communicate my thoughts (irrespective of the domain) to the outer world. Here you can read more about why I blog.

What do you think sets Your blog apart from other blogs?
Nothing, its just an ordinary techno-socio-political-entertainment-personal blog.

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

What was the happiest and gloomiest moment of your life?
gloomiest, when my mother departed for eternal journey.
happiest, Allhamdulillah , uncountable, can’t pick one over the other.

Urdu Blogs have got huge potential, when do you think they will really take on the online horizon in Pakistan?
I think the major hurdle for Urdu Blogs is the lack of standardized keyboard layout, and to some extent lack of Urdu computing culture. Although efforts have been conducted by different organizations and research groups to aid Urdu computing culture e.g. CRULP( www.crulp.org) and National Language Authority have contributed a lot, but we still have a long journey ahead.

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?
CERN (Geneva)
Jerusalem
Antarctica

What is your favorite book and why?
It is difficult to single out one book. I like Harry Potter due to the splendid imagination and an awesome fantasy world that J.K. Rowling has marvelously depicted.

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

Do you think Pakistani politicians could benefit from the social networks and things like twitter?
I seriously doubt that,

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

How Pakistani bloggers can benefit from blogs financially?
I haven’t really thought about it. A simple business model may be to have a blog based online magazine where bloggers can contribute article (free lancer/permanent contributor) and get paid. The magazine in turn can use context related advertisement for revenue. Another model is to utilize the incoming traffic on one’s blog and get advertisement from local/foreign companies.

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?
No. Blogging, to me , is communicating yourself to the outside world. You should be free to choose your own style .

Is it true that who has a successful blog has an awful lot of time on their hands?
I don’t think so. Quantity can never replace quality. I think, success of blogs depends on their richness of content and the presentation style. Having a lot of time may help in building a successful blog, but this does not imply the other way round.

What are your thoughts on corporate blogs and what do you think the biggest advantages and disadvantages are?
I think they are really helpful in providing extensive documentation about the offered services and more importantly it comes directly from the hands of those who crafted those services. Advantages, abundance of informal authentic (to some extent) information.
Disadvantages, controlling outward flow of information may get difficult, and may lead to the leak of sensitive information.

Does it pain you or proud you that we have made a history by electing a uniform general as our president?
What concern me most, is the imbalance & abuse of power which sadly has happened throughout our history no matter who held the reins.

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?
yes , web is weaving us more closely then ever before.

What do you think where the Pakistani blogosphere is right now?
On its way to maturity.

Who are your top five favorite bloggers in Pakistan?
Zack Ajmal
Adnan Siddiqui
Awab Alvi
Sabahat Zakariya
Adil Najam

Have you ever become stunned by the uniqueness of any blogger in Pakistani blogosphere?
Zack Ajmal , I don’t think he needs any introduction.

What is the future of blogging in Pakistan?
It is difficult to predict, since we as nation, usually follow trends. A large amount of the blogs surfaced following the trend cycle. The Pakistani blogosphere is still in its infancy and has to accomplish a lot.

In political respect, can we say blogging a ‘democracy of message’?
To some extent ,yes. Bloggers are usually free to add content as it seems fit to their taste, this sometimes lead to irresponsible behavior.

Can Pakistani blogosphere play any notable role in the forthcoming elections, if they happen at all?
I don’t think that Pakistani Blogosphere can play any significant or direct role in the elections for 2 reasons,
The percentage of population having access to information available via blogs is too low. Internet and PC are still considered as a luxury item among the population.
Secondly,
I think Pakistani Politics does not represent a democratic system, it is a ruptured version of monarchy based on self interest.Unfortunately they are repeatedly selected by their ardent supporter.

You have also got a blogging life, how has it directly affected both your personal and professional life?
I don’t think my blogging life has effects on my personal life, but it has positively affected my professional life. It boosted my ability to communicate ideas effectively. It also provided me an opportunity to know other like minded people as well.

What are your future plans?
I am planning to pursue MS/Ph.D in Computer Science, preferably in Compilers/ Distributed Computing. After that I have plans to establish a computer science research center in Pakistan

Any Message you want to give to the readers of The Pakistani Spectator?
Well , You should do whatever you can, for the betterment of Pakistan. Every bit counts, So add them up to build a better Pakistan.