Layoff victims take to blogs for help

Having lost their jobs, professionals log on to the net for advice on how to overcome trauma

Devanshi Joshi. Vadodara/DNA

Tuesday, December 08,2008

In current global recession, process of cost cutting has axed jobs of thousands of employees, especially in the US. Many of these jobless people are getting on with blogs to find the ways to survive post-layoff. Blog posts on different blog sites are flooding with the tips on how to survive a layoff and how to restart a work life again.Through personal, professional and group blogs, many employees who have recently lost their jobs, share their experiences of layoff and also discuss on the ways to overcome the situation by interacting with the co-sufferers and experts. Ritesh Shah, a US-based IT professional from Vadodara, has recently lost his job. Now he has turned to his personal blog to come out of the troubled waters. He says, "Getting information on current situation from the blogs of the financial experts and counsellors gives moral support to survive. After loosing the job, I have no work on hand to do; so I started getting on with my personal blog and shared my nightmarish experience there. Many people responded and shared the similar experience. In such a state, when you have lost the job, knowing views of the people who are also facing the similar situation, gives a feeling that you are not all alone. Besides, the tips given by experts give strength to restart."Shraddha Jha, an IT professional, returned to her hometown Vadodara, after her layoff from a job in a Bangalore based MNC. Like Ritesh, she is also now trying to overcome the situation and for that she has turned to blogs. "I find useful tips that help me survive a layoff and overcome this troubling situation; financially as well as mentally. Reading such blogs and discussing about the situation gives satisfaction of sharing. There are also chances of getting job through the interactions. Loosing the job makes a person down economically as well as socially. For me sharing my layoff situation on blog is a way to find solace and get on again with my professional life," Shraddha told DNA.'Our department is closing down shortly'; 'the jobs are moving to Asia', 'how can I get a local job?' 'my company is opting for cost cutting and I might loose my job what to do to save my job?' 'how to survive a layoff'?'; these are some of the questions which people ask on different blogs which also show ways to survive lay off situation. So, don't be scared and panic while facing a layoff, because now you are not all alone, and of course, blogs are always there to your rescue! Blogs written by bloggers who are career experts, psychologists, professionals and others offer tips on how to face layoff or a near future layoff. These blogs give advice to face the layoff financially, mentally and socially, help search new jobs and also offer tips on cost cutting in personal expenses and financial management. So, don't let the layoff panic affect you, spare some time for yourself and look for some of the useful tips available on blogs to survive a layoff.

Bloggers log out of their private worlds

Set up group blogs which deal with issues of public interest, and not just with private neuroses

Devanshi Joshi. Ahmedabad/DNA

May 31,2008

Most blogs are little more than private diaries which the online public is invited to read and comment on. Of late, however, a new kind of blog has appeared in cyberspace and is fast gaining in popularity. These blogs are written and edited by groups whose members are known to each other, if only through the internet. They are similar to a wiki in that others can comment on the views expressed on group blogs. 'Group blogs' differ from each other in various ways. While some are records of chat sessions between friends with others chipping in with the occasional comment, others are repositories of reports and articles. Then there are those that serve as a platform for views on larger questions about life living. Nisarg Joshi and Robin Jani started one such blog with some friends at wordpress.com, and named it lifemantras (lifemantras.wordpress.com). The blog, which consists of posts about one-line statements - some would call them 'banal truisms' - about various aspects of life, has been remarkably successful as it hyas already attracted the attention of more than 1,000 persons. These unseen collaborators regularly post views and pictures to the 'group blog' centred on one-liners that deal with subjects as varied as philosophy, revolution, people, psychology, emotions, motivation and love, among others. Robin says that the lifemantra blog "is a platform for others, too, to share their views on life and love". "We wanted to reach out to people, especially youth like us, in the hope that they would respond interactively," Robin said. "We borrow the one-liners from statements of famous people, and sometimes we formulate them ourselves, but we also ask others to send in their lifemantras. Nisarg and I are the blog editors, or moderators, if you wish." Nisarg said the idea behind lifemantras was to come up with one-liners that gave visitors to the site a different take on life. "It is very satisfying to get email from so many people everyday," he said. Darshak Parmar has also started a 'group blog' . (qwertytalk.blogspot.com) with four friends. They actually publish chat histories on this blog. "Since all posts here are a record of chat conversations, they show several minds trying to come to grips with issues of common concern," Parmar said. Aman Vashishtha and his friends have created a site - they say it is a 'group blog' - with an entirely different purpose in mind. They upload reports and write-ups by their journalist friends, as well as interesting articles that have appeared in Indian and foreign newspapers, to their site (www.indiaved.com). "The purpose of the blog is to share interesting reports and articles. We are thrilled by the enthusiastic response indiaved has received within its very first month of existence," Vashishtha said.