Censorship: Blogging in Malaysia.

Blogs are known as an alternative source of information. Blogs can be defined as online journals. Blogs can also be used for corporate, governmental or private uses. Generally, blogs are full of personal experiences and opinion pieces depending on the administrator. The main concern of the Government about blogs is from the political aspect. People resort to obtaining information from blogs because not everything is reported in the media as it is strictly controlled by the Government.

 

Blogs are considered as good sources of information especially in this new era where the younger generation is more tech-savvy. However, there is always two sides to a coin. There are pros and cons to it but I personally feel that the Government should not impose laws onto blogging. This is the age of the new media where the internet can be an asset or a liability. If used properly, it can be a powerful tool and a gateway to an unlimited access of information, which is the ultimate key to power. However, if the internet is misused or abused, it may cause harm. Like what I believe in, with every action, there is a consequence (be it good or bad, that's up to us).

 

Though I agree that blogs have credibility issues, it is the Government’s fault that the people are turning to alternative media for information because the media is not transparent enough with the people and they cultivate curiosity and hunger for the truth. It is the responsibility of the readers to double check for credibility of the source and the responsibility of the Government to educate the people. Blogs have created controversial issues when it comes to credibility. Because bloggers have caught the attention and concern of the Government, they want to control the alternative media as well which then leads to the question of the rights to having freedom of speech.

 

In the article entitled “Rules of the game have changed” published by the Star Online on July 30,2007, Minister in the Prime Minister's Department Datuk Seri Nazri Aziz, “warned that three laws could be used against offending bloggers: the Internal Security Act, the Sedition Act and Section 121b of the Penal Code”. Bloggers felt threatened by the Government and pushed to a certain limit. The Government tried to instill fear into bloggers by imposing these laws. There is no freedom of speech in Malaysia. To a certain extent, everyone is entitled to their own opinion. Just know where our limits are and where we stand.

 

The Government wants to restraint the freedom of blogging in concern to blogs being seditious and being a threat to the Government as well as the peace and harmony of the country. Especially after the recent General Elections, it is speculated that blogs played a major role in the outcome of the elections as the alternative media and it has affected the viewpoint of many voters causing the change in the current elections where the Oppositions gained favour of the people and the government’s position was threatened.

 

In the article entitled “Blogging in Malaysia ranks among highest in the world” which was published by the Star Online, on April 3, 2008, Malaysia is ranked third in the world with 500,000 active bloggers. According to Universiti Malaya media department lecturer, Dr Abu Hassan Hasbullah, “Our research shows that 70% of the election results were influenced by information in the blogs”. People tend to believe what they read or at least it leaves an impression unconsciously.

 

Bloggers now can have a say because they are unconstrained by the traditional barriers faced by the print media. But it is our duty to watch what we put up online because it is our social responsibility. In the article entitled “Dr M: Bloggers should always write the truth” published by the Star Online on April 19, 2007, Dr Mahathir urged bloggers to always post the truth on their blogs because their freedom to write anything could negatively affect the development of the country. It is vital that the truth should be posted up because the information may cause a negative issue to rise. Readers should always check the blogs’ administrators or background to determine the credibility of the source.

 

To be able to grasp what is posted online, I am sure that it goes through a long process of thought. Issues brought up in blogs might be able to provoke thought but I strongly believe that the readers do not just absorb whatever they may read although they might be influenced. Blogs are also a good medium for discussions and debates. It is a medium to share among different pools of thoughts. The reason I believe that readers tend to believe in blogs is because they tend to hold some truth in it. Bloggers may even bring up issues that we know that is going on but never really realised.

 

I feel that it is not right that the Government should put a constraint to blogging because we have every right to express how we feel or think albeit political, domestic or personal issues. The alternative solution to putting blogs under censorship lies in the responsibility of the bloggers and the readers. I do not believe that imposing laws to blogs is the only way. The Government has to educate the readers to check the credibility of their sources and the bloggers to be more socially responsible. 

A whole new agenda

Hi everyone! (if there's anyone actually reading this blog) 

This blog has been abandoned for years! Actually this blog was initially a course requirement (yes, it was a bloody assignment back in Taylor's College when I was still pursuing my Degree. I am now a fresh grad and am already working too) and I have not touched this blog ever since. But I thought that I might probably just keep this blog alive...I have after all a passion for writing and opinion pieces.

So my objective of this blog is also to post up my opinion pieces...those that I have done during college days, during internship on current affairs and also hopefully there will be more opinion pieces to come in future. So far, opinion pieces are more of my forte. Maybe this is because I strongly believe in freedom of expression and there are no boundaries (to whether opinions are right or wrong) but rather, it is debatable. I do like that kind of challenges.

I personally have strong opinions of my own (but  not when it comes to politics) and as a strong believer of 'freedom of speech and expression', I also respect other people's point of view and am open to other people's opinions as well as beliefs. We are of a cultured society, therefore we must know how to think for ourselves...

On another note, I also believe that for every action, there will be a consequence. Be it good or bad. As a 'civilized' society, we must stand firm together, giving support and voicing out our opinions to better understand each other. As the saying goes, "Sharing is caring". We should share everything that we have, which includes our thoughts and feelings.

I believe that blogs are a good way of communicating and expressing...there are no limitations or boundaries to what we write...Personally, to actually monitor everyone's actions and writing is something that is profoundly absurd to me. I think its totally degrading in a way because it shows how little trust 'they' have on us. Not only that, it also shows their weakness...that 'they' are actually afraid of what kind of mentality and reaction we can cultivate. 

Bloggers should stand firm together. Words are a very powerful tool and it is in our own hands. We must not misuse whatever power that we have for it is a bad thing. However, I support and urge everyone to make use of this platform for the well being of man kind. Cultivating the habit of writing and expressing is a very good practice. Whether you do it in a blog or in a journal at home. 

And to conclude all this, I welcome comments and criticism of any form in any of my posts. However, if you don't like what you're reading, you can always leave the page because honestly, no one is forcing you to read my blog. Everyone is entitled to voice out! =)

~Peace Out!~

~RaCh~<3

Reflections

It amazes to learn that there are so many bloggers online and how people use the internet to their advantage. Creating this weblog was not an easy task to undertake as there are many things to put into consideration. According to Penman (1998), a document’s functionality is dependent on its structure matching readers’ habits, expectations and context of use. For example, the content that was posted up bearing in mind, the target audience and what they expected from this blog, I have gained further understanding on the internet as well as print media and publishing issues that concerns us. I have also gained in-depth knowledge and understanding on document design by applying document design and publishing theories in this blog.

According to Reep (1996), document design refers to the physical appearance of a document. Document design varies depending on the medium it is to be published in, its target audiences, its purpose and the context. Good design is a balance between function and form (Wheildon, 1990). Function is the purpose of the document and form is the design. A good document design is supposed to attract readers with its graphic designs and at the same time engage the readers through its content. There must be a balance and cannot lack of either one. I have understood that design is important to attract readers but the content is important to engage the readers so that they will stay interested and continue reading.

I have learned that document design is not, or should not be, mere decoration and abstraction (Wheildon, 1990). It also has to complement the context of the document and to make sure that it is soothing on the eyes so that the readers would not get tired of reading too quickly. According to Parker (1990), good design stems from a thorough knowledge of the building blocks of graphic design and specifying them appropriately, based on the format and function of an individual project. This blog’s purpose is to inform readers and to apply document design and publishing theories and to discuss media issues.

The format and layout of this blog is simple and there are not too many distractions from the main purpose of this blog which is to inform, provoke thought and discussion on media issues. Cookman (1993) stated that, we must convey a message as simply and attractively as possible. The main idea is to get the message across. Good design is effective communication (Cookman, 1993). A document is considered to have a good design when it communicates effectively.

To sum it all up, Parker (1990) said that the general principles most designers consider in all documents are balance, proportion, sequence, and consistency. The layout of a document must be organised so that the readers do not get confused or frustrated from reading. It is important that the layout is not too cluttered and messy so that it is easy on the eyes and easier for the readers to read. Document design is indeed very important in order to serve its purpose.


Refences:

Cookman, B 1993, Desktop design: getting the professional look, 2nd edn, Blueprint, London.

Parker, RC 1990, Looking good in print: a guide to basic design for desktop publishing, 2nd edn, Vetana Press, Chapel Hill, NC.

Penman, R 1998, Document structures and readers’ habits, Communication news, vol.11, no. 2, pp. 10-11.

Reep, DC 1996, Technical writing: principles, strategies, and readings, 3rd edn, Allyn and Bacon, Boston.

Wheildon, C 1990, Communicating or just making pretty shapes: a study of the validity -- or otherwise -- of some elements of typographic design, 3rd edn, Newspaper Advertising Bureau of Australia, North Sydney.

Are Blogs Credible Sources?

Blogs are known as the alternative source of information because not everything is reported by the media. However, how much of it can be true? Blogs can be defined as online journals. But due to the popularity of blogs, there have been more diversified uses for it. Blogs are also used for corporate, governmental and private uses. Generally, blogs are full of personal experiences and opinion pieces depending on the administrator.

Blogs have created a controversial issue when it comes to credibility because there are millions of online users everyday who stumble across blogs. People tend to believe what they read or at least it leaves an impression unconsciously. Unlike the printed media, there are no constraints to what we publish online. Day (2005), said that the world wide web is becoming the communications platform for the 21st century – a free and anarchistic means by which any of us can have a voice unconstrained by the traditional barriers and costs of publishing. But it is our duty to watch what we put up online because it is our social responsibility.

In the article entitled “Dr M: Bloggers should always write the truth” published by the Star Online on April 19, 2007, Dr Mahathir urged bloggers to always post the truth on their blogs because their freedom to write anything could negatively affect the development of the country.

It is vital that the truth should be posted up because the information may cause a negative issue to rise. Readers should always check the blogs’ administrators or background to determine the credibility of the source. According to Shcriver (1997), reading is a social act in that it depends on a community that shares meanings; yet it is also an individual act in that it depends critically on the reader’s unique knowledge, attitudes and values. We understand texts and images better when we can relate to what we read. When we read blogs, we also bring up past experiences and knowledge for better understanding.

In my opinion, blogs are not a credible source. However, it is a good medium to express thoughts and share experiences as well as point of views. Blogs are not to be taken seriously unless we can prove that it is a credible source. Blogs are good for discussions and to gain different perspectives. We are all entitled to our own opinion but let us watch what we post up on the web and make sure that it is the truth because we do not know who we are influencing. And most importantly, do not take blogs as our only source of information because we do not know how much truth lies in there.


References:

Day, M 2005, ‘Online players come of age’, Australian, 21 Oct., p. 20.

‘Dr M: Bloggers should always write the truth’, The Star, viewed 28 October 2007,
http://thestar.com.my/news/story.asp?file=/2007/4/19/nation/17480990&sec=nation

Schriver, KA 1997, Dynamics in document design: creating text for readers, Wiley Computer Pub, New York.

Virtual World: Harmful or Safe?

The World Wide Web is a gateway to unlimited information and resources. The internet is one of the best things that have happened to us in this highly advance digital age and it has helped us in many ways. Technological advancements are so great and they are a great asset to help enhance and improve our standard of living. However, there are always two sides to a coin. The internet is a great asset if used in the correct manner but if it is misused and abused, it may cause grave danger.

We have unlimited access to the web. What we are exposed to on the web is of major concern. There are no restrictions to what is published online as it is not filtered. This is a concern because what children are exposed to may be violence, sexually explicit materials or other negative materials which may cause harm to children psychologically or emotionally.

For example, the article entitled “Death in cyburbia” published online in the Guardian Unlimited on April 16, 2007, reports about the suicide of a man who was broadcasted live before a hundred visitors in an internet chatroom when he hung himself in front of his webcam.

Imagine out of the hundred visitors in that chatroom, how many of them could be children. Witnessing a suicide attempt can leave psychological and emotional effects on a child. According to Lester (2003), “Symbols often evoke strong emotional responses among viewers”. Children are the main concern because their minds are so innocent and easily influenced. Children nowadays are very advanced when it comes to technology. They play online games, surf the internet and chat online. They are not protected in any way if the parents do not make any effort to protect their children from being exposed to harmful materials. Parents have to make their children’s ‘playground’ a safer place.

According to Kress and van Leeuwen (2006), “Visual communication is always coded”. What we see and how we interpret messages according to Kress and van Leeuwen (2006), are interpreted through codes structured by culture, knowledge and experience in the one society. However, we also adapt and cultivate other cultures when exposed to them. For example, kids nowadays are very westernised because the mainstream media is dominated by the western media. Because of these external influences, it is not safe for children to explore the world of the internet without proper supervision.


References:

Harkin, J 2007, ‘Death in cyburbia’, The Guardian Unlimited, viewed 27 October 2007,
http://www.guardian.co.uk/comment/story/0,,2057915,00.html

Kress, G & van Leeuwen, T 2006, Reading images: The grammar of visual design, 2nd edn, Routledge, London.

Internet vs. Print Media

In this new age in time where people are more visually inclined and the younger generation are more internet-driven, people feel that the print media is threatened by the existence of the internet. We are experiencing a ‘paradigm shift’ where in this new era, we are more exposed to multimodal texts; "texts that have more than one 'mode', so that meaning is communicated through a synchronisation of modes" (Walsh, 2006).

In the article entitled "Internet giving print media a run for its money", published in the Star Online on September 30, 2006, brings out the concern about the majority of the media's audience have turned to the internet rather than the conventional print media.

The World Wide Web, containing millions of sites ranging from serious matters like news, corporate sites and educational sites, down to sites on fashion, entertainment and blogs. Because it is time and cost effective, people turn to the internet as a source of information, entertainment and for personal use. This puts the print media in a tight spot. The existence of the internet has challenged the print media in many ways and sending books, magazines and newspapers into what may seem as prehistoric times.

The younger generation prefers to surf the web than read books. The web is more interactive in many ways and multimodal texts are more appealing. However, print media can never be 'extinct' because according to Penman (1998), a documen's functionality is dependent on its structure matching readers' habits, expectations and context of use. There are the traditional readers who still prefer to read print based text rather than the electronic based resources. For example, the newspapers are still printing as they cater to their ever loyal audience who are usually the older generation as they prefer to flip through the pages of a newspaper while having coffee in the morning. That is their daily routine and reading habit. This is why we have to identify the reading habits of the audience as it plays a vital role.

Print based documents and online documents are different as they serve different purposes and have different target audiences. The print media will exist as long as there is a demand for it and because the internet and print media serve different purposes, target audiences and their document design is different. People look for different things in both mediums. According to Kress and van Leeuwen (2006), there are certain possibilities and limitations of meaning derived from each medium. As said before, the text found online is usually shorter then print based text. They both serve different purposes and functionalities. Therefore, the print media can never be 'extinc'.


References:

“Internet giving print media a run for its money", The Star, viewed 16 October 2007,
http://thestar.com.my/news/story.asp?file=/2006/11/30/asia/16177471&sec=asia

Kress, G & van Leeuwen, T 2006, Reading images: The grammar of visual design, 2nd edn, Routledge, London.

Penman, R 1998, Document structures and readers' habits, Communication news, vol.11, no. 2, pp. 10-11.

Walsh, M 2006, The 'textual shift': examining the reading process with print, visual and multimodal texts, Australian Journal of Language and Literacy, vol. 29, no. 1, pp. 24-37.

Introduction

What are blogs?
The word ‘blog’ is derived from the combination of the two words, web and log (Net Alert). Blogs are online journals created by individuals with different purposes and posted on the world wide web. Blogs generally consist of text, images and sometimes also videos.

Blog/WebLog: a web page containing brief, chronologically arranged items of information. A blog can take the form of a diary, journal, what's new page, or links to other web sites.
Peter Scott, Internet Librarian 2001
(Department of Education and Training: Government of Western Australia)

The blogging scene in Malaysia
Blogs are seen as an alternative source of information but most bloggers in Malaysia use blogs for personal use. Personal blogs are filled with updates, happenings and posted pictures or videos. There are also special interest blogs and corporate blogs. Special interest blogs are blogs that posts about a certain issue or their topic of interest and the blog is shared by a small community with common interests. There are also blogs used for corporate purposes these days. They use blogs to promote their products, inform the public about the company or to update their employees. Blogs are seen as interactive media because they usually hold discussions and the communication among members and administration is fairly active.

Classification of blogs
Generally, people blog with the purpose of informing their target audience and it is a 'tool' for expression. “They give people the opportunity to publish on the Internet their thoughts and reflections of issues important to them” (NetAlert).

There are 3 categories:
i) Professionals/ business
External audience - To promote their products and inform the public on current happenings
Internal audience - To update employees and to post announcements

ii) Interest groups/ passion
To hold discussions, exchange point of views, to post updates on their latest interests and to share personal experiences.

iii) Communicating with family and friends
To post updates on life, current happenings, to post up photos or videos so that family and friends can be updated and to keep in touch.

Personally, I do not think that blogging is a waste of time because blogging is a form of keeping a daily journal but only that it is online. Not does it only enable one to express ourselves, but it also enables us to post up photos or videos in our personal blogs which we cannot do in diaries. These are reffered to as multimodal texts; “texts that have more than one ‘mode’, so that meaning is communicated through a synchronisation of modes” (Walsh, 2006).

Blogs as a current phenomenon
According to an online research firm Technorati, one new blog is created every second in 2005. This shows how blogs have a booming success rate and is one of the most popular thing among internet users. And now, according to Technorati data, there are over 175,000 new blogs every day and bloggers update their blogs regularly to the tune of over 1.6 million posts per day, or over 18 updates a second. This shows how blogs are widely used all over the world.

Designing for print versus designing for online
According to Jakob Nielsen,
• 79% of users scan the page instead of reading word-for-word
• Reading from computer screens is 25% slower than from paper
• Web content should have 50% of the word count of its paper equivalent

Therefore, for an online document to be effective, it must have more white space, contain the most imporant points (preferably just the gist of the information), and less lengthy because the attention span reading from the computer screen is less as eyes get tired faster and reading from the computer is 25% slower than reading from paper.

It is important for good and effective document design to attract audiences. According to Penman (1998), a document’s functionality is dependent on its structure according to the readers’ habits, expectations and context of use. The document design for print and online media has different functions, objectives and target audiences therefore they cannot have the same document design and layout. This is because, a particular structural element may work well in one document but not in another, if the readers or context are different (Penman, 1998).

New forms of media publishing
Blogs have several different types such as moblog, vlog, linklog, sketchblog, photolog, tumblelog, and artlog. These terms are coined by their different categories and their usage. Examples are as follows: moblogs are mobile mobile device written blogs, vlogs are blogs comprising of videos, linklogs are blogs comprising of links, sketchblogs are blogs comprising of sketches and photologs are blogs comprising of photos, tumblelogs are blogs which contains shorter posts and mixed media types, and artlogs are a form of art sharing and publishing in the format of a blog.

These blogs serves different purposes and specialises in different areas. There are a variety of different types of blogs with different types of audience. Technology is so advance that these new forms of media publishing cater to a specific target audience. There is so much we can discuss and learn.

Hang in there for more posts on media and publishing issues!


References:
Department of Education and Training: Government of Western Australia, 2007, Weblogs, viewed on 22 October 2007
http://www.det.wa.edu.au/education/cmis/eval/curriculum/ict/weblogs/


Lester, Paul M. (2003) Visual communication : images with messages, 3rd edn, Thomson Wadsworth, USA.

NetAlert, 2007, Why are blogs popular and what are their benefits, viewed on 23 October 2007,
http://www.netalert.gov.au/advice/services/blogs/Why_are_blogs_popular_and_what_are_their_benefits.html


Nielsen, J 2007, Writing for web, viewed 23 October 2007,
http://www.sun.com/980713/webwriting/.


Penman, R 1998, Document structures and readers’ habits, Communication news, vol.11, no. 2, pp. 10-11.

Schriver, KA 1997, Dynamics in document design: creating text for readers, Wiley Computer Pub, New York.


Technorati, 2007, Welcome to technorati, viewed on 23 October 2007,
http://technorati.com/about/

Young, K 2005, New blog created every second, viewed on 23 October 2007,
http://www.vnunet.com/vnunet/news/2140722/blog-every-second-tecnorati

Wikipedia, 2007, Blog, viewed 22 October 2007,
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Blog