China turns to “Big Brother” tactic to police Internet
It’s no secret that China has clamped down on Internet freedoms. Arresting bloggers, shutting down websites, blocking access to western sites now the government has turned to a new strategy. The new policy requires all Internet cafes to photograph their customers and have the information available for inspection. I guess they aren’t happy enough to just block the content but they also want to scare the population into not thinking about subversion either. So much for the so called “progression” this communist state has made since the Olympics. You know this is going to lead to people getting arrested in the middle of the night because of suspected past actions at an Internet cafe. 1 step forward, 2 steps back.
So you want to be a pro blogger?
Techcrunch made an interesting post about the state of blogging. It’s got lots of stats and pretty pie charts. Bottom line is if you want to be a pro blogger you gotta spend a lot of time at it. If the numbers are accurate the number of times you post a day is a good way to start. Over 40% of the top bloggers are posting 10 times a day! 10 times! For me finding 10 interesting articles to read a day is an achievement in itself. There’s so much clog in the Internet today most of the time you’re sorting through the crap.
Another interesting number is the time spent blogging. Hours per week. Male to female ratio of bloggers. Is it possible to make $75,000 a year blogging? I guess if you can get 100,000 visitors a month.
Blogger jailed in Malaysia
Blogging on the Internet is not safe in some countries. Whether you’re reporting on the unrest in Tibet, criticizing the government can get you in trouble. In Malaysia offending Islam can get you jailed without trial. When the government is controlled by religion very few liberties can be taken when expressing opinion on a blog. Despite being a thorny issue criticizing a government can force change but often ends up sacrificing the ones on the leading edge. However change is never easy in developing countries. Just remember to weigh the risk versus the reward and be prepared for the consequences.
Blogging can get you arrested
Should you be worried about what you write? Depends on where you live. According to the BBC blogger arrests have hit a high. In countries such as China, Burma, Iran, speaking out against the government whether on the streets or on the Internet have resulted in many arrests. In countries with limited freedoms blogging is a dangerous form of journalism. However even in democracies freedom of speech has it’s limitations. Take for example this British man who let off some steam and was fined. So blogging freedoms can only go so far. In the end we all need to watch what we say and cannot hide behind the Internet.
