Tapping the tapper

I installed a bunch of little tools on this blog sometime back. You'll find all of them on the right column of this page, towards its very bottom. Yes, I know they are a bit narcissist in nature: displaying a map of the world to show where around the world the visitors came from, what they were referred to here by, etc. After all, no-one really is interested in knowing all that if they came to this blog. If you, as a reader last longer than reading through the latest post, you might stop by to comment. Perhaps the more interested people also read through the other comments before shooting one off on your own. But thats about it --- it doesn't really bother you to see that there is a blob of readers (or visits) even from Madagascar!

As the author of the blog, on the other hand, these little tools are more than just that for me. They are sort of little pieces of a huge puzzle that come as hints from everywhere. Let me put it this way: imagine how you would feel if you could suddenly be able to listen to all conversations in town that uttered your name. Imagine, for example, how interesting it would be to be able to know what your buddies discussed about you in the confines of their house over a cup of coffee: obviously assuming that you can't hear them. Frank, honest opinions, things that were perhaps best kept secret, discussing and comparing notes, behind the curtained walls of their privacy. But you have your ears everywhere... every time your name comes up, be it the guys praising you for taking a brilliant catch on the field or the two girls discussing how gruffly you behaved when you went past them and did not even hold open the door: you can hear it! And whats more, you can see the whole conversation. That, exactly, is what these little tools offer.

And add to that the beauty of IP address tracking and GNU IP/Country databases, Whois lookups, etc. I'll spare you the techno babble, but suffice it to say that if I have once known where you're from, or what you were referred to here by, I can almost always (if I want to) trace back the entire thread of your visit. I know what time you visited this blog, what you were doing here, which pages were of interest to you, and sometimes even how much time you spent here. And it is a whole lot of fun, believe me --- to the point that when people visit this blog from UseNet groups like "Dating and Love Consultancy", it is a great deal of fun. And that too, these are just tools that are hosted as JavaScript code snippets on a pre-determined template. If someone is publishing on a home-brewn template, then a lot (and I mean A LOT) more can be tracked and traced. And add to that the knowledge of a seasoned googler and some regular expression writing practice ... all it boils down to is a little smiley --- :)

I am not trying to scare you. Really, believe me: I am not telling you that I know your little secret or that I am a big brother watching your every move. The point is that while the internet may be a great anonymous medium, it is not as anonymous as you would like to think. Just like I can trace your visit to the blog, you can trace my whereabouts as neatly. Even if you are not one of those people who are into computers and networks so much, you don't need to worry. All I am trying to say is that it is a double-edged sword, a closed circiut. You plug into the mains and let the current flow: sure as hell you will be electrocuted together with me --- we're both the hunter and the hunted.

For me, at least, I don't hunt down people who came and left a malicious comment (and thankfully, there have really been a scarce few ever). But the fun is the pleasure of knowing that this blog is read by so many people from all around. That these words suddenly become relevant in so many different contexts, that people relate to them in their own personal situations --- that is the pleasure. What else can you feel when you come to know that someone googled for the words "I felt homesick" and found your post and then actually wrote a mail telling you how much he/she could relate to you? Or, for that matter, how would you feel to know that some people were actually inspired to start writing their own blog after they read yours and actually claimed that in one of their first posts? No I am not giving the links, but I am just trying to tell you something here. I hope you get the point.