Wednesday, December 06, 2006

The power of the blog

At the Aidcom conference today, I was one of the discussants for Jeff Ooi's session entitled The Cyber Platform - Does it have a space? Prof Wan Ahmad Zawawi Ibrahim was the other discussant and Zainon Ahmad, the political editor of the Sun, chaired the session.
I said yes, the Cyber platform has ample space. But how much space it will have is dependent on three players:
1/ people like Zam, who will want to regulate and stifle the blogs and on-line news;
2/ the bloggers themselves; and
3/ the hijackers, which include the mainstream media, which have the means to hijack the bloggers agenda by investing in blogs themselves.
Why are the authorities, represented by pembesar-pembesar like Zam, want to control the blogs/cyber platform and why did I say the likes of Media Prima would be keen to keep that "space" for itself? The answer, I said, is because blog offer "power" and "money" to those who know how to use it. In the US, advertising on the internet is expected to reach US$70 billion by 2010. We will see big ad money here in Malaysia, too. And as for power, just look around: there are already several people who run blogs, Jeff Ooi and RPK, who are today seen as powerful figures, sometimes more powerful than the editors of the mainstream media.
Poster Anak Dol Keropok is disappointed with me because I look at blogging as power and money. I did explain, however, that I don't get a single sen from this blog.
And the "power" of the blog is the reason why the likes of Zam want to control it and the likes of Kalimullah Hassan want to firewall and defeat it. It is not why I - like you - blog, my friend.

11 comments:

  1. Anonymous12:10 am

    [rocky's note: Anak Dol Keropok left this just before midnight under previous posting]

    Bru, was at the aidcon confrence and heard you. Beg to disagree. To me blogging is not about power or money.

    I blog because I love blogging. It brings me no power because I don't use my real name and it certainly does not bring me money.

    I am disappointed that you look at blogging as power and money game.

    Maybe I misunderstood you.Thank you and good night.

    ReplyDelete
  2. Anonymous12:37 am

    Bro,

    Long time.....

    Well.. jes a tickel thought.

    'A stern father warn to his lawyer son about his greed,the father shouted and yell at him,

    ...since when the law teaches you to be a greedy,capitalist lawyer!

    ReplyDelete
  3. Anonymous1:11 am

    Dear Rocky

    Zam and Kalimullah were bankrupt of ideas already that's why they find ways and means to stop or control the blogs.

    They want to control the rakyat thoughts. It is impossible. We will not let them control us wioth their lies - like the famous Klaimullah's June 11 article contained lies.

    Anyway, stopping and controlling the blogs is the form of Freedom of the Press and Expression to ABB's administration.

    We are tired of the "cakap tak serupa bikin". Let us pray for an early General Elections so that we all can show how disgusted we are with the non-sense that are going on now.

    ReplyDelete
  4. Rockster, the blogs holds no power yet in Malaysia. You are just preaching to the choir and not the general populace.

    Your blog reeks of revenge and drips with despair over the loss of your stature as a journalist.

    Would you have blogged if you were still a journalist? One wonders.

    But do carry on, some of your posts are entertaining if not misleading!

    ReplyDelete
  5. Anonymous9:54 am

    Mat Merah, Blogs empower you and I and millions of others to find a voice and say what we feel. You are using Rocky's blog to make a point, which is read by thousands others, including me. You and I may be part of his "choir" but there are other "choirs" I belong to, just like you mAy belong to Jeff's choir or RPK's as well. My point is, I have outlets to communicate with millions and that empowers me. I am today part of a not-so-silent majority and a more informed one, thanks to the power of blogs!

    ReplyDelete
  6. Mat Merah,

    I am a former editor, not a former journalist, so your question ["would you have blogged if you were still a journalist"] does not arise.

    And since I am a journalist, your statement that my blog "reeks with revenge and drips with despair over the loss of your stature as a journalist" cannot be true.

    Thousands visit this blog daily, Mat Merah (welcome back haq) and you could mislead my posters, intentionally or out of your own ignorance.

    The beauty of the blog is that an error or a lie can be corrected or countered immediately.

    Thank you.

    ReplyDelete
  7. Anonymous11:12 am

    rockybru said...

    The beauty of the blog is that an error or a lie can be corrected or countered immediately.

    -----------------------------------

    Hear! Hear!. cant agree more with what you.

    TRUE, once a journalist always a journalist, except for D. Zam.

    Hidup bloggers...the ones with credibility & integrity.

    That means you, bro rock, AKJ, JeffOoi, RPK, AML, KMU.net & many others. Macai.&#@*,net excluded!

    mat merah aka Mr Tarbusi u look like a clown & speak like one.

    ReplyDelete
  8. Bro.
    You the Man.....

    ReplyDelete
  9. Anonymous12:59 pm

    blogging is just like any other things in life..different people have different needs/likes/loves/hobbies/agendas..its up to the the person..its depends on their 'nawaitu' ..

    ReplyDelete
  10. Anonymous3:07 pm

    mat merah,

    "Rockster, the blogs holds no power yet in Malaysia. You are just preaching to the choir and not the general populace."

    credibility is one of the most important element in any media.

    so what if a newspaper has over 2million or 4million (or whatever imaginary number) readers but NO ONE BELIEVES ANYTHING THAT IS REPORTED.

    true, internet access is still limited in malaysia but i remember stories of people photocopying foreign reports via telex (i think that was how it was during those times) and selling them on the streets in a country, nepal i think.
    this shows that people want CREDIBLE news/information.

    n i don't think rocky has 'lost his stature as a journalist'.

    he has served so long in the mainstream industry and is a infamous personality, whether for positive or negative reasons. now, he is STILL a journalist but uses the internet as his medium of choice.

    mat merah, open your mind. a journalist doesn't necessarily have to work for tv3, berita harian, kosmo, malaysia kini. technology has changed journalism into a more participatory profession.

    no time to go into "JOURNALISM TODAY 101". pls read up on your own.

    cheers

    ReplyDelete
  11. Anonymous3:11 am

    I just hope that damned Sara Lee and her sisterhood are spinning perpetually in their urns!
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