Saturday, April 05, 2008

All Blogs, the 1st year

April 5 2007-April 5 2008. Tonight last year, we founded the National Alliance of Bloggers, or All-Blogs. [click here for that night's posting]

In that one year, the pro-tem committee together with a group of bloggers who live in civil society have created landmarks and broken down barriers. To name just a few things we did, we launched Haris Ibrahim's Bangsa Malaysia initiative, got together various faiths for an all-religious prayers, gave the people the Barisan Rakyat and the so-called Opposition the possibility of a single front and one election manifesto.

We strengthened ties and we shared ideas and dreams.

I am talking to Sheih Kickdefella, the creator of Bloggers United, the precursor to All Blogs, about a tie-up that would give the mainstream media's online newspapers and tv stations a run for their money. Tony Yew set up Blog TV and Nuraina A. Samad led a group of bloggers to set up a citizens' initiative for N.U.R.I.N Alert.

On the night of March 8th, bloggers gathered at the Blog House, the All Blogs' headquarters in Bukit Damansara, and celebrated a victory. All Blogs protem Vice President Jeff Ooi became a Member of Parliament and council member Elizabeth Wong a State Assemblyperson.

1 year old. A baby, yes, but what a baby!

This week, after the Lessons for Singapore talk that Jeff, Haris and I are attending as speakers in the republic, I'll call for the Exco meeting that Zorro has been harassing me to convene. Desi's Bloggers United Malaysia 08 is coming soon and we'll need to plan for the 2nd year of All Blogs. Time to start a membership drive. Someone said there are 500,000 Malaysian blogs out there.

Thank you, blogosphere bros and sis. It's been an honour.

p.s. Anon from Miri and Mat Salo gathered a small group of bloggers for a get-together in KL this afternoon. I had to miss that one. But story and pictures HERE.

38 comments:

  1. Anonymous12:25 am

    hopefully we will spend more time praying for the good of the country rather than fight over
    religious differences. the former make us all winners, the latter, all losers.
    no country that constantly fights over religions can ever advance. iraq? foreighn armies are now in its lands, iran? afghanistan?
    none.

    ReplyDelete
  2. Anonymous1:06 am

    To All-Blogs,
    Syabas dan Teruskan Usaha Murni.

    What a significant difference a year you've made. Look forward to read/view news items by All-Blogs soon. Selamat Jalan MSM.

    aMiR

    ReplyDelete
  3. Anonymous7:19 am

    please plant a branch in ipoh, please ! (stcin)

    ReplyDelete
  4. In memory of the 1-year anniversary of All Blogs, let me dedicate to Shabery who looks to wants to engage the blogs ... but seems to do it to maintain Dolah as PM. Is he dirtying the blogosphere with idiot like Ali Rastam? Zam, please come out of your new disguise as a fairer coloured clone?

    We Didn't Start The Fire-
    Billy Joel

    Harry Truman, Doris Day, Red China, Johnnie Ray
    South Pacific, Walter Winchell, Joe DiMaggio

    Joe McCarthy, Richard Nixon, Studebaker, television
    North Korea, South Korea, Marilyn Monroe

    Rosenbergs, H-bomb, Sugar Ray, Panmunjom
    Brando, "The King and I" and "The Catcher in the Rye"

    Eisenhower, vaccine, England's got a new queen
    Marciano, Liberace, Santayana goodbye

    CHORUS
    We didn't start the fire
    It was always burning
    Since the world's been turning
    We didn't start the fire
    No we didn't light it
    But we tried to fight it

    Joseph Stalin, Malenkov, Nasser aand Prokofiev
    Rockefeller, Campanella, Communist Bloc

    Roy hn, Juan Peron, Toscanini, dacron
    Dien Bien Phu falls, "Rock Around the Clock"

    Einstein, James Dean, Brooklyn's got a winning team
    Davy Crockett, Peter Pan, Elvis Presley, Disneyland

    Bardot, Budapest, Alabama, Krushchev
    Princess Grace, "Peyton Place", trouble in the Suez

    CHORUS

    Little Rock, Pasternak, Mickey Mantle, Kerouac
    Sputnik, Chou En-Lai, "Bridge on the River Kwai"

    Lebanon, Charlse de Gaulle, California baseball
    Starkweather, homicide, children of thalidomide

    Buddy Holly, "Ben Hur", space monkey, Mafia
    Hula hoops, Castro, Edsel is a no-go

    U-2, Syngman Rhee, payola and Kennedy
    Chubby Checker, "Psycho", Belgians in the Congo

    CHORUS

    Hemingway, Eichmann, "Stranger in a Strange Land"
    Dylan, Berlin, Bay of Pigs invasion

    "Lawrence of Arabia", British Beatlemania
    Ole Miss, John Glenn, Liston beats Patterson

    Pope Paul, Malcolm X, British politician sex
    JFK, blown away, what else do I have to say

    CHORUS

    Birth control, Ho Chi Minh, Richard Nixon back again
    Moonshot, Woodsto/ck/, Watergate, punk rock
    Begin, Reagan, Palestine, terror on the airline
    Ayatollah's in Iran, Russians in Afghanistan

    "Wheel of Fortune", Sally Ride, heavy metal, suicide
    Foreign debts, homeless vets, AIDS, crack, Bernie Goetz
    Hypodermics on the shores, China's under martial law
    Rock and roller cola wars, I can't take it anymore

    CHORUS

    We didn't start the fire
    But when we are gone
    Will it still burn on, and on, and on, and on ...

    ReplyDelete
  5. Anonymous7:52 am

    there has been pros and cons to this. but mostly i see are just cons. baseless rumour mongering and hate incitement and religious indifference through the blog. I wish for a more stable, uncorrupt and successful country and not for a chaos and turn into pakistan type of country.

    like this PM wife jean, rockybru was just spreading rumours and other bloggers just spread it.

    I hope the blog as another media would be more responsible, but i fear it will never be.

    ReplyDelete
  6. Dear SIR Rocky Bru

    One (1) Year and that's all you need to change the mindset of current gomen to make themselves more relevant to rakyat; letting go Five (5) states to proper governance.

    that's a Thumbs Up achievement.

    Happy Birthday and do continue promoting the rights, transparency, accountability, and no longer tolerate the BS Mentality of the Daft Fed Gomen culture.

    ReplyDelete
  7. Anonymous8:58 am

    Terus.................Bro

    ReplyDelete
  8. Congratulation All-Blogs. You have made a different for the past one year. This is our country too. It is our responsibility to ensure she continue to progress and relevant to all of us.

    ReplyDelete
  9. Anonymous10:47 am

    When it comes to political change as seen in th elections, I think credits go to all blogs around the cyberspace and not just All Blogs. Kudos to all!! :)

    ReplyDelete
  10. To All Blogs, Rocky, Auntie Nuraina, and all the bloggers who started this movement.

    You have truly inspired me. I acknowledge you and thank you from the bottom of my heart, not because you wrote, but because you believed. Believed that in a world of impossibility, you guys can make a difference.

    Look at how many more Malaysians are willing to THINK instead of just swallowing what the MSM are saying. That there's always two sides of the coin. And that we can only make a REAL choice once we know what the choices REALLY are.

    What's important is not who was right or wrong, but what we can learn from all our mistakes, and what we do next.

    To the bloggers who have all been chosen by the people, you are the personification of the great Gandhi's words:

    “Be the change you want to see in the world.”

    Once again, Thank You.

    zainamri

    ReplyDelete
  11. Anonymous11:22 am

    Adoi! Please lah!

    The People's Parliament was Haris Ibrahim's brainchild. he was teh eone travelled far and wide to speak about it in ceramahs. What did Rocky Bru do?

    Jeff Ooi making it to Parliament is on his own hard work and reader's generous donations.

    Eli Wong, she too won on her own merit.

    All Blogs do what? have parties and makan makan... sponsor venue at most for one or two events.

    I would love to see All Blogs set some concrete goals and achieve them on its OWN merit. Now THAT would be worth celebrating. Right now as a chinese saying goes, Alll Blogs "take people's backsides to wear on own face".

    By the way, it's way too exclusive a club. Who are your members besides those always seen in photos?

    ReplyDelete
  12. what small gathering bro? yesterday's lunch-do was colossal.

    ReplyDelete
  13. Rockbru bro,
    Glad to know that BUM is already 1 year old..and the past 1 year has been fantastic and bloggers power are great.Wish to be there on 19/5.Being new kid,how can i be BUM member?Cheers..bro

    ReplyDelete
  14. Salam Bro,

    Tahniah kepada All Blogs. Setahun lalu kita sering diambang maut dan bertanya, adakah kita akan mencipta sejarah atau tinggal sejarah? Selepas 8 March yang lalu, terbukti rupanya kita adalah sebahagian dari pencipta sejarah. Blogger amatur politik dan blogger sosial telah mencoretkan titian baru buat rakyat dan dunia informasi. Kita telah lalui pelbagai rintangan, dan bro sendiri masih meniti rintangan itu yang dihumban oleh NSTP. Terima kasih kerana tabah menghadapinya untuk semua rakyat Malaysia.

    ReplyDelete
  15. I am just browsing and came across Rocky Bru's blog and Susan's link "Susan in Bangkok" was vapourized from the caption "abroad". (I stand to corrected anyway)

    I am going to post in Rocky's blog as well. Sometimes ideologies could give us another "Berlin Wall". Two long time friends who sat and lunched together were no longer friends coz one supports Hilary Clinton, the other Barrack Obama. :( Hopefully that's not the case.

    Concurrent posting at Rocky's blog. You minda tell Rock?

    ReplyDelete
  16. Mydeen says congratulations, weakly.

    SiPM would congratulate AllBlogs more if it actually represented bloggers. As of now, it doesn't, inspite of its name. For starters, there really is no widespread support for it from other bloggers, other than the usual suspects of course.

    What's more damaging is that Allblogs are self appointed, and have no mandate actually since there has been no elections for its office bearers. Mydeen notes that this was promised, but never delivered.

    So until that, Allblogs is just another name for the mutual appreciation society.

    ReplyDelete
  17. is this true? http://thestar.com.my/news/story.asp?file=/2008/4/6/nation/20867521&sec=nation

    ReplyDelete
  18. like it or not, the all-blogs movement is led by some of the more prominents blogger (soci0-blogger) in the country. like it or not, these so-called popular bloggers did start the momentum and attention on blogs. before jeff ooi and rocky bru, blogs were not even mentioned in mass media.

    so, congratulation allblogs, for whatever it is.

    ReplyDelete
  19. Anonymous3:46 pm

    To anon. 7.52am:

    "...like this PM wife jean, rockybru was just spreading rumours and other bloggers just spread it..."

    It's no surprise, since Rocky was in the newspapers for many years. The last he was attached to was The Malay Mail, before he got fixed-up by the politics in NST group and left.

    Old habits die hard.

    ReplyDelete
  20. Anonymous4:44 pm

    I'm sure All-Blogs has its own agenda, targets, motives, etc and I really hope they are good ones - for the country rather than a few people.

    Unfortunately, the kind of comments I see in many blogs, if left unchecked/unscreened may result in the blogs losing credibility.

    These comments have a lot in common. When the subject is especially about the country (economy, politics, etc), a lot of the comments incite hatred among ethnic groups and religions (two 'favourite' sub-topics), whereby some of these blogs have become mere outlets for some very angry people, to put it mildly.

    To make things worse, even the bloggers themselves (you know who you are) spread rumours and encourage silly gossips (PM's wife) and rallies (that let's-help-Sufiah call, for example).

    I do admit that many blogs, including Rocky's actually do keep many of us informed of many news, inside stories, facts and info that will never be released by the Government. For that, a big 'Thank You' to bloggers.

    But what about the young people at impressionable ages who read some of the nasty and/or filthy comments and remarks about other people's religions, cultures, rights, places of worship, ancestries, names, etc. etc.?

    To some dinosaurs out there, in case you are not aware, many kids below 10 years-old (but know how to read) are already checking out blogsites nowadays, ok? (Hey, some of them even have their own blogs, but that's another story!)

    And I'm not talking about young people of JUST tiny Malaysia. I'm including the young people all over the world who can read what the 'Melayu Bodoh' say about the 'Keling Mabuk', what the 'Cina Sial' say about the 'Melayu Malas', the Hindus says this, the Muslims say that, the Christians and Catholics says something else - (bring in Punjabis, Eurasians, Jewish Malays, Zoroastrian Parsis, Sikhs, Taoists, Buddhists, Bahais, East Malaysians, etc, etc and we have one very big hate party!) - and it is all comments from some very pisssed-off-for-whetever-reason individuals who are free too leave comments in many blogs.

    These young people, next generation-ers are the ones who one day might decide to come here (or not at all!) to live/work/visit/invest - if they are foreigners. Them being young, it worries me that they've judged us right before they really know us.

    As for the local kids, going through some current blogs might greatly 'assist' them in forming negative and often-times, misguided opinions on their so-called brothers and sisters in this country.

    Ask yourselves, what would you do if you happen to see your 12-year-old kid reading the comments left in Malaysia Today? (And don't say no such thing will happen as-my-kid-is-too-young-to-even-know-M'sia Today-exists).

    Being the Internet where everybody can say anything they want is good, but to a certain extent. Responsible bloggers must also use their discretion (hey, it's your blog!) to limit the kind of words spoken as 'comments'.

    Otherwise, what started out as 'respectable' blogs with grand and noble intentions might turn out to be more damaging than constructing, unbeknownst to the bloggers themselves.

    ReplyDelete
  21. Anonymous4:46 pm

    Bro Rocky,

    Congrats to all bloggers !

    Can someone tell the Tun, Razaleigh and all those who are calling for AAB's resignation that the voters did not vote for them either !

    The voters REJECTED the entire psyche that created the BN in its current form.

    We need to move on and these guys are NOT the answer, though they may fancy themselves as the saviours !

    ReplyDelete
  22. Anonymous5:20 pm

    its an exclusive club alrite, with old farts and rich people with nothing better to do in life.

    ReplyDelete
  23. Anonymous7:04 pm

    Happy Anniversary!!

    Bloggers made us keep breathing while the MSM pinch our nose from the truth n fair information. At the time free media seems dead..the birth of bloggers give us new life..

    Next chapter..forget the losers.. keep working with the 5 states winners. People need true info n news..bloggers can act as the bridge to the new government.

    Bloggers can make people understand of other religions.So.. there's no more fighting..our country is not the same as iraq or afghanistan.. our problem is that we are always suspicious of each other..that was set by the old government to maintain their power. Bloggers can play their role.. release the people from their old mindset..

    Live the Bloggers!
    Live the New Government!
    Live the Pakatan Rakyat!

    Happy Anniversary!!!!
    Bloggers! Bloggers! Bloggers!

    ReplyDelete
  24. Anonymous9:40 pm

    Mr Harison bin Hansom!

    I just came back from your idol Susan Lonely blog, I don't even see a blog roll of other bloggers.

    Should I look elsewhere?

    ReplyDelete
  25. Congratulations!
    Now that we are a force to reckon with,let's us use our new found strength to be a responsible investigative forum without fear or favour. We must be objective and impartial in our criticisms at all times.
    Happy Birthday!

    ReplyDelete
  26. Anonymous10:43 pm

    It is very saddening to note that Pakatan Rakyat members DAP and PAS are going at each other via the MSM. I just watched how the idiotic newscaster from TV3 gloated that the newly formed Pakatan Rakyat is already showing signs of breaking up.

    Please, YB Karpal Singh and YAB Nik Aziz Nik Mat, keep your quarrels within the four walls of Pakatan Rakyat. The last thing we need is for you guys to go to the MSM and wash your dirty linen in public. Talk it over in the spirit of Pakatan Rakyat.

    The 4th Floor Boys will be more than happy to use any disagreement within the Pakatan Rakyat and blow it out of proportion in the MSM that is subservient to the BN regime. If this is to be compared to a boxing match, the BN's legs are beginning to wobble and it is on the ropes. We don't need to wait for another five years for regime change. It can happen at any time. Poor Badawi is completely clueless as to what is happening around him. The poor guy is now on a witch hunt blaming sabotage by UMNO members for the BN's poor showing in the just concluded GE. Wake uplah, Pak Lah! It ain't got nothing to do with any sabotage. The people were just fed up with you, your SIL, UMNO and the racist agenda of BN. Brother, just leave us alonelah. Gooooo awaylah! Stop blaming others for the BN's poor showing. Be a gentleman and just leave! WE DON'T WANT YOU NOR NEED YOU. MALAYSIA WILL BE BETTER OFF WITHOUT YOU, UMNO AND BN.

    It is time for Pakatan Rakyat to take stock of the current situation and deal the knock out punch to the pathetic BN. Before you can do this, please talk over your differences within the four walls of Pakatan Rakyat and pleeeease stop making statements to the MSM about your differences. Go for it guys, Putrajaya is yours' for the taking!

    ReplyDelete
  27. Anonymous10:49 pm

    dont priase the pakatan too fast. let them prove themselve first. remember they said they they would be multi racial in their approach to governance but they spent much time quarelling over allocation of seats before they even took office. pakatan has still to prove they are worth the votes given them.

    ReplyDelete
  28. Anonymous12:55 am

    jelas sekali pendirian pak lah pada program di PWTC hari ini.ingat ! Pak lah akan bangkit utk memulihkan dan menyatukan UMNO semula.ucapan nya begitu ikhlas bkn seperti mahathir yg sedang merosakkan dan memecahbelahkan UMNO.Pak lah juga menyebut ada segelintir ahli yg mensabotaj PRU-12 yang mana ianya ditunjangi oleh org tertentu.lihat lah betapa hinanya org tersebut yang sanggup menggadaikan parti keramat UMNO ini.ingat lah mahathir zaman pemerintahan beliau lebih teruk lagi.jgn di ingat kata-kata mahathir itu semua nya betul2 ikhlas .hanya mempunyai kepentinga dan agenda diri sendiri.marilah kita menyokong kepimpinan pak lah.hidup pak lah!

    ReplyDelete
  29. Anonymous1:53 am

    i would only laud a leader or government that sincerely goes all out to help the Malay achieve their share in the economy
    and yet able to let the other
    Malaysians feel good about themselves, of being a part of the country and of being having contributed to every Malaysian's well being. at the moment sorry to say we only have kris wielders, who cannot see beyond their 20 steps. hopefully, a greater leader than all the rest will be born in the not too distant future, a leader who really has malaysia at his heart.

    ReplyDelete
  30. Anonymous2:16 am

    ayoyoyo,

    glad to see that not everyone thinks much of all-blogs.

    but who cares?

    all i can say is SYABAS!

    don't let the likes of those yang dengki bothewr you guys..

    i know rocky couldn give a FXCK about the likes of this anon, that anon and mydeen ...

    hahaha..

    Good for you Rocky and AllBlogs!

    You guys are the heavyweight. Seriously.

    and to that idiot who asked "what did rocky do?".
    Go ask Haris Ibrahim, bodoh.

    ReplyDelete
  31. Congrats to All Blogs!

    Syabas!

    ReplyDelete
  32. Anonymous2:33 am

    Congratulations All Blogs on your first anniversary!

    Keep on trucking!

    ReplyDelete
  33. Dear All,

    Happy Birthday...

    Selamat berjuang ke arah kebenaran

    ReplyDelete
  34. Anonymous11:18 am

    "Desi's Bloggers United Malaysia 08 is coming soon"

    HIS? WHOAA!! SINCE WHEN BUM (GATHERING) BECOME HIS? IT IS HIS SO NO WONDER HE CALLING ALL THE SHOTS???

    ReplyDelete
  35. Anonymous11:57 am

    I hate to saying this. Please read here.

    http://getaran-jiwa.blogspot.com/2008/04/inilah-perikatan-yang-diagungkan.html

    What do you think brother rocky?

    ReplyDelete
  36. Anonymous12:14 pm

    I am already confused.
    All Blogs, B.U.M and Bloggers United, are they all the same group? One group using 3 names?
    Mana satu?

    BaruBlogger

    ReplyDelete
  37. Do we have a common logo to display at our blog?

    Where can i get a copy of the logo?

    Regards
    ShiokGuy
    http://shiokguy.blogspot.com/

    ReplyDelete
  38. Anonymous1:17 pm

    Hallo!

    Erm...May I state the obvious?
    The fact that AllBlogs does not even have its own blog and err... I think resides in Rocky's blog says what?

    That it's a highly personalised 'property' and militates against the inclusive nature of the idea of 'blogging community'

    As long as it remains this way, its representation is somewhat questionable, some might even say dubious.

    Let's see it emerge as a formal entity, and take on some sort of organisational structure and process and of course, concrete aims.

    Until then its only utilisation is to manufacture publicity, and that, only at individual level. thus, self-representation.

    Come on. This is the Internet. Like you know, EGALITARIAN, OPEN... transparency.... dll

    ReplyDelete