Web 2.0 and I

Since my childhood, I have always loved writing. I started with poems. Later, I noticed that the documentary movies made on Madagascar, my country, deal mainly about its poverty image. I started then to dream of becoming some day a “journalist” who will share more about my country. I have to admit that, yes, poverty reigns here but it does not define Madagascar. We are famous with the nice and warm welcome of our population. We have thousands of endemic fauna and flora. We have a beautiful culture. We have great music and rhythm to share to the world. Those are things I wanted to write about. Unfortunately, after my high school diploma, I studied marketing and accounting, which are completely different from my dream job. I would have never believed that one day I would be able to do it. What happened? In September 2008, I had the opportunity to be invited to a workshop where the organizers taught some Malagasy youngsters to become bloggers, “citizen journalists”. This was the first time I heard about web 2.0. I created my blog entitled DagoTiako (Madagascar that I love) where I can share all the things above. Later, I have become interested in photography and started to shoot interesting pictures that show my country and I could post them on my blog. Within few days, I will share video about my country by taking part into a worldwide project (I am not sure if I can mention it here). Yes, it is a dream come true thanks to web 2.0. Web 2.0 also helped me to “virtually” be part of a community that my husband is used to call “cyber world”; a community in which there is a lot of sharing: sharing news, sharing photos, sharing videos, sharing culture, sharing know-how, sharing stories… “Sharing”, a thing I really appreciate.

Through joining World Pulse, I could read many stories experienced by women in all over the world. I could also share my own story, a story that I did not want to share to my society. World Pulse gave me this courage to go on and share it. I have a friend who is mistreated by her husband but she does not want to talk about it. I have another female friend who despite difficulties could make her little company run. I had a mother who had a lot of fairy tales with good lessons of life. As web 2.0 is freely open to each one of us, these women, their stories and experiences would be interesting to be read and to stay forever. Web 2.0 is helping women not to stay silent, to be heard, to make the difference, to take part into the human history.

To sum up and to answer to the question “How is web 2.0 empowering for me?” I will say; web 2.0 is a great opportunity of expressing myself, of sharing and of networking.