The Blog Tag Game – Something New, Something Personal.

PrettyI am a fan of blogs having personalities and for the author to shine through in terms of being their honest selves (see here for more). But non-personal blogs, like this one, provide one facet of the author and I agree that the person does not come through completely because some personal context is missing.

With that in mind I have agreed to participate in the game of Blog Tag that has been going around the blogosphere. It originated with Jeff Pulver, and I was “tagged” by Dave Gale who is a peer blogger from South Africa.

The objective of the “game” is really simple: Share five things about yourself that relatively few people know, and tag five other bloggers to be “it”.  I know it sounds like a ponzi scheme! :) But never the one to miss doing the wave in a stadium, and what with it being the season of sharing and what not, my list of five is below.

Before we go on here are my “you’re it” bloggers: Aaron Shear, Andy Beal, Aurélie Pols, Justin Cutroni & Jonathan Mendez. Guys are you up for some fun? :)

Five Things You May Not Know About Avinash Kaushik:

1) I have had the privilege of experiencing three different religions to a small amount of depth. I grew up and am a Hindu (which is really not a religion but rather a way of life). Having lived in Saudi Arabia for a few years I was exposed to Islam quite a bit (in all its flavors as applied across the Middle East). When I did my internship at Delco (GM at that time) in Indiana I went to Bible Baptist Church for three months, every Sunday and listened to the wonderful Pastor Tice.

It amazes me how much is common between religions (especially Islam, Christianity and Judaism) and yet how different they have managed to become. They all preach inclusiveness and just being good in this life, yet……

2) My favorite sport is badminton, though it is hard to find courts in the US and so I play racquet-ball here (when I have time because I spend 14 hours a day in front of a computer, and atleast one in front of a blackberry). I used to play badminton every day during my youth in India (on a nice indoor wooden court no less) and I have such fond memories of the sport, the people and in general that time of my life. I wish I could play more now, it is sport of such amazing skill, grace and speed.

The only American sport I am into now is the NFL. It is perhaps a nod in some weird way to the fact that I played lots of soccer in school and represented my school at several state level competitions, or that my MBA school, Ohio State, is in the National Championships. GO Buckeyes!!

3) I love all kinds of live music (though I don’t get to hear enough of that now, do you sense a story about time management here! :)).  Somehow everything sounds good when the volume is cranked up high.

I not financially well off during my school years and I was so desperate to see my favorite band U2 when they came to Columbus, OH, that I volunteered as a Usher for the event hoping to get a close glimpse of the band. While I did get selected I spent most of the night directing people to their seats with my back to the stage (and very far from it).

You would think once the concert starts people would sit (or stand) and watch. :)

4) This is perhaps going into the deep end but…. My Myers Briggs Personality Type is ENTJ (Extraverted iNtuitive Thinking Judging). If you know anything about MBTI then you know a lot more about me now. :) If you don’t know MBTI click here for summary descriptions of the different personality types.

If you want to take the test you can visit http://www.kisa.ca/personality/, though it is a shortened version of the full MBTI test (which costs $150 or so, but this one is free). For more detailed descriptions of all the types you can go to http://typelogic.com/. The whole exercise can be quite helpful in terms of self awareness (it is important to note that all Types are equal, there is no such thing as a good type).

5) This might not be so much of a secret but my life are my kids (its not my blog,  even if my wife Jennie will disagree :)). I always wanted kids, a long time before I had a spouse, and I can attest to their power to change lives. My goal in life (the one single goal) is to leave two individuals behind me on this lovely planet who are better than me. You have met Damini already, here’s our wonderful and precocious two and half year old son Chirag.

Chirag Kaushik

This is only the second off-topic post on the blog, hope it was interesting in some way. We’ll get back to Web Research & Analytics next week.

Please share your feedback via comments.

PS: As my "tagg'ed" friends post their own Top Five You Don't Know About Me lists I will add a link to their posts here, more fun for you all! :)

Aaron Shear's list
Andy Beal's list
Aurélie Pols
Justin Cutroni's list
Jonathan Mendez's list

Comments

  1. 1

    Hi Avinash,

    As my first baby is about to be born in the next few days, it is very nice to read your words! As a new comer to the field, I just read a quote that I thought you might like as well:

    Making the decision to have a child – it's momentous. It is to decide forever to have your heart go walking outside your body. Elizabeth Stone

  2. 2

    Congrats Daniel!
    Hope you enjoy your last few days of sleeping. :-)

    Look forward to seeing you around again in 6 months or so. ;-)

    – Steve

  3. 3

    Hey Avinash,

    Thanks for taking up the challenge! ;)
    I really do believe that we all get so much more value from the words (already valuable to begin with!) of your posts by knowing Avinash the man a bit better.

    (I'm an INTP by the way, although I found the results only about 80% right for me – the results of Insights Discovery (http://www.insights.com) being more accurate/useful to my mind.
    – your milage may vary)

    Love Ms Stone's quote Daniel – will internalise that.

    Dave

  4. 4

    Hey Avinash,

    Your comment about inclusiveness makes me wonder if the Baptist preacher you were listening to really knew what he was talking about. Christianity is certainly not about "just being good in this life."

    Christianity is all about recognizing that we cannot be good in this life, and that Jesus is our only hope. Christianity is all about Jesus Christ.

    Stephen Colbert actually stumbled across this truth at the White House Correspondents' Dinner this year.

    Tim
    10,784 days

  5. 5

    Hi Avinash,

    I just got to know about you and your blog from yourseoplan.com because have just started getting into seo for my new cricketing website. Your 5 things are very interesting and I could not help but wonder that you mentioned badminton and not cricket as your favorite sport :) I also have 2 lovely children and totally agree with you on the pleasure they bring to our lives!

    I hope to learn a lot from you and your blog in the coming days and would like to warn you about all the questions that I may send your way regarding seo ;)

    Thanks!

  6. 6
    Michael Helbling says

    Avinash,

    I remember eating lunch with you at the e-metrics conference in Santa Barbara this year. Since then my wife and I have had a child of our own. What an amazing change to life.

    Now, get back to work on your book. I want it soonest. :)

  7. 7

    I'll play, if I can find the time. :-)

  8. 8

    Daniel: Congratulations and good luck!! Life will never be the same again, in a very wonderful way.

    Dave:
    I have to admit that I enjoyed writing this up more than I thought I would. It is nice to see that our blog readers found it to be of some interest. Jeff deserves kudos for this wonderful idea.

    Ajanta: Welcome to the blog, this is perhaps the perfect post to start with! Though I have to admit that Gradiva is the Queen of SEO and her book has all the answers you need. I am but a mere observer in the SEO field.

  9. 9

    I am glad to see the build up, I think this will be a fun task.

    It was refreshing to post a few personal details. I almost feel a little more human.

  10. 10

    It was a lot of fun this morning reading five things I didn't know about all of you while I had my morning coffee.

    I'm looking forward to learning more about everyone that plays. Makes for a nice little six degrees experiment as well.

  11. 11
    Secondwynd says

    I throughly enjoy your web analytics insights, Avinash, (thank you) and now this – you're an ENTJ too! I took the full MBTI and scored similarly. But didn't you find the results more a validation of what you always suspected than an eye-opener? May I join others who express they are looking forward to your book in 007. We expect to be shaken awake by its great wisdom. We expect to be stirred. Best, Secondwynd – Brooklyn, NY.

  12. 12

    Avinash – You have quite a line of SEOs now, check out The Blog Tag Tree I made that shows your "descendants". Pretty Fun!

  13. 13

    Hey Avinash.!!

    Thanks for the "off topic" blog, I am really glad that you gave us an opportunity to know more about you other the awesome knowledge which you do provide us about analytics.

    And I SHOULD mention this.. It's so nice to see your children..!!

    Again Thanks for showing the other side of the Coin called "Avinash"

    Congratulations and all the best for the future.

    Anil

  14. 14

    I'm an INFP which means two things:

    1) I am very interested in Myers Briggs and know the types of most family, friends and coworkers (this is supposedly not surprising for my type).

    2) According to Eisenberg and "Waiting for Your Cat to Bark": "A good Persuasion Architect should possess strong intuition and feeling (NF) preferences." Guess I know what do do next. :)

  15. 15

    Hey,
    I love what you'e doing!
    Don't ever change and best of luck.

    Raymon W.

  16. 16

    Avinash,

    Being a bit new to the blog world, this page came up on my trackbacks section as being pinged for the article/ tag I generated called My Business Life Lessons.

    Would you be interested in participating?

    Also why did this article come up in my track backs? Enjoyed getting to know you.

    Dave
    http://www.businessadvicedaily.com/index.php/2007/05/01/my-business-life-lessons/

  17. 17

    1/ I'm an ENTP type
    2/ Am currently going for the waa/ubc accreditation
    3/ I'm FSA SEC qualified and worked as equity sales/analyst in my former life
    4/ I've trained as a burlesque dancer
    5/ I love Nutella

  18. 18

    Just a short note to say I like your blog.

    Good job and keep up the great work!

    Kenneth

  19. 19

    Well I've been following your blog for years, but I don't think I've ever left a comment. Now I know you're a fellow badminton player, I feel it's time! I was cheering Saina Nehwal on at the All England tournament recently, I gather she's a bit of a superstar in India now after her Olympic bronze.

    Hope you still find some opportunities to play, despite court scarcity. If you're ever looking for a game in London, let me know :)

Trackbacks

  1. […] After being tagged by blogging-buddy Avinash, I figured it might be fun to share the requisite five things you don't know about me. So here goes…

    1. Not many people know that I didn’t go to college. Growing up in England, there’s not quite the pressure to get a college degree. Even so, I just couldn’t stand the thought of sitting still in a classroom over a 4 year period. So I grabbed my A-levels and scarpered.
    2. You can trace my ancestors back to Sir Christopher Wren – he being the famous architect who designed England’s St. Paul’s Cathedral and helped rebuild London after the great fire.

    […]

  2. […] All right so I was tagged by Dean aka Digital Ghost who was tagged by Marketing Guy who was tagged by Aaron Shear who was tagged by Avinash Kaushik who was tagged by the starter of this whole thing Jeff Pulver (I'm glad I only had to write that and not say it, whew). The object is to reveal five things about yourself everyone may not know. […]

  3. […] Blog Tag – 5 things you didn't know about me So, this morning I get an email from Kris, informing me that I have been blog tagged. Kris was tagged by shoemoney who was tagged by Andy who was tagged by Avinash, who beget Dave…sounds like Bible history. The concept is to tag several fellow bloggers, who then also have to write 5 things you didn't about them. Kris, for those of you who don't know, is a search expert. So, for example, if you lost your car keys, Kris can probably find them for you just by using Google. As the CEO of PepperJam, Kris believes in hard work and in hiring perfect 10's. Five things you don't know about me? Don't you already know everything about me? Guess not! 1) When I was in elementary school, I entered a spelling be. And lost. Guess which word I misspelled? The word "misspell". I swear. True story. How humiliating is that? This is the first time I share this anecdote in public. 2) For the first few seasons of 24, I had a huge crush on Elisha Cuthbert. Then I felt that she was messing up the show; really out of place. So my crush dissipated. 3) I have a six-pack. Not beer; abs. No joke. If you are nice, perhaps I can post them one day on this blog. 4) I belong to the Jewish faith. No kidding. Both my parents are Jewish. Shmuel is not an Irish name. It is Jewish. 5) Before Sunset and Before Sunrise are my favorite flicks. So is Boiler Room. And now I tag Rebecca, Ben, Jim, Mark Cuban & Kim. ADD TO del.icio.us | Digg it | Furl | Yahoo MyWeb | Battelle SearchMob […]

  4. […] I was tagged by Speaking Freely, who was tagged by MarketingGuy, who was tagged by Aaron Shear, who was tagged by Avinash Kaushik. The game was started by Jeff Pulver. […]

  5. Affiliate Marketing Blog Tag – Five Things You Didn't Know About Shawn Collins…

    There's a thing going on called Blog Tag where somebody who is tagged has to write five things about themselves that many people in the industry don't know. Then they have to tag five blog friends to do the same and continue the chain….

  6. […]
    Jeff > Dave > Avinash > Andy Beal > Shoemoney > SEO BOOK – Unique anchor text SEO information > THE TROSE
    Now in order to participate in this I need to give 5 facts about myself:
    1. I am the last Male in my bloodline. This means at some point I need to start working it like Johnny Appleseed
    2. I actually went to college for welding at a point in my life and am an amazing welder. Preferring the control of TIG (tungsten inert gas), to MIG, Stick, or Oxy Acetylene.
    […]

  7. […] It all started with Jeff. A Bunch of people tagged eachother, and then this string started: Dave tagged Avinash. Avinash tagged Aaron. Aaron tagged Scott. Scott tagged Dean. Dean tagged Graywolf. Graywolf tagged Lisa. Lisa tagged Kim. Kim tagged Sophie. Sophie & Debra tagged Peter. Peter tagged John. John tagged Cricket, and now Cricket has tagged me. So now I have to come clean about 5 things that y'all don't know about me… […]

  8. […] I thought it would be interesting to trace the line of bloggers that led to me along with the dates they posted to see how fast things can spread online and how viral the blogosphere can be.

    David Gale – 12/12
    Avinash Kaushik – 12/14 […]

  9. […] I actually saw this coming when I saw the post at Aviansh site. Since it's a small world I expected it hitting me soon. So, I was brought into this by Krista, who was tagged by David Churbuck. […]

  10. Charity Tag Meme…

    As a blogger, people may know you, but how good does anyone ever really know anyone? One way to get to know someone better is for them to talk about charities they support. What if bloggers were to go down a path of thinking about some of the peo ……..

  11. […] How'd I get hit with it? Why, none other than C'est Moi tagged me. And she was tagged by The Anchoress who was tagged by Fausta who was tagged by AcademicElephant (Elephants in Academia) who was tagged by Baseball Crank who was tagged by Matt Welch who was tagged by Howard Owens who was tagged by Jay Small (Small Initiatives) who was tagged by Greg Starling (Screenwerk) who was tagged by Matt McGee (Small Business SEM) who was tagged by Lisa Barone (BruceClay.com) who was tagged by Graywolf (Graywolf's SEO Blog) who was tagged by Digital Ghost (Speaking Freely) who was tagged by Marketing Guy (Fused Nation) who was tagged by Aaron Shear who was tagged by Avinash Kaushik (Occam's Razor) who was tagged by Dave Gale (Hitting the Wire) who was tagged by Jeff Pulver who was tagged by … nobody. He gets the credit … or the blame … for starting this line of this darn thing. […]

  12. […] The 2007 Predictions tag game was started by Mashable. I think it is more dangerous than the personal blog tag game because in this one you actually have to come up with something intelligent (and one’s “performance” can be measured at the end of time!). […]

  13. […] From Avinash Kaushik "The objective of the “game” is really simple: Share five things about yourself that relatively few people know, and tag five other bloggers to be “it”. I know it sounds like a ponzi scheme! But never the one to miss doing the wave in a stadium, and what with it being the season of sharing and what not, my list of five is below." […]

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