Association of Bloggers — feedback from netizens
January 22, 2009 by admin
Melvin Tan
Link
A newly formed local bloggers’ organisation is now in place.
Named the Association of Bloggers (Singapore), it officially received the stamp of approval from the Registrar of Societies on 16 January 2009 and was featured in TODAY three days later.
Ever since the publicity, nearly all was quiet within the blogsphere outside the blogs of its founding members promoting the birth of this new entity and where the quarters stirred, the news did not appear to be well-received.
Although too early to conclude, the flak it has drawn this far does not mark a positive start for the fledging group, just when they appear to look forward to harnessing more support from the very fragmented and individualistic blogsphere.
One spark was perhaps ignited when one of its founders and vice president, Darryl Kang, wrote in his blog that the association “is different from those groups who just simply register a .com or a .sg website and claim to be representing the Singapore blogosphere” and they were, on the contrary, a “registered society with Ministry of Home Affairs [...] govern by a set of constitution [...]“.
Observers could deem the the first remark as not accurately conceived, for presently, no blog with its own unique domain name is found to have claimed that it represents the blogsphere.
Next, the second part may unintentionally give the impression that the association set and measured itself apart from these well-known blogs, which could well have been their prospective target audience in the first place, and surmising that it was in a better position to lead the blogsphere.
The reason for the formation of this association, quoting its inaugural president Jayne Goh from the TODAY article on 19 January 2009, was because she found “the state of our blogosphere in Singapore appalling” and “when discussions get heated, crude language, insults and other off-colour comments may be encountered”.
Personally, I have to disagree with Ms Goh, as I feel the “heated” comments, “crude language” and “insults” among bloggers are not rampant and it is more often the nature of blog commentators, akin to participants in online forums, who would never subject themselves to concrete structures such as the ABS anyway.
In the spirit of freedom of expression, they merely wish to “let out steam” and should not be taken as something seriously wrong or what solely represents the new media, as Straits Times writer Chua Lee Hoong has proven on several occasions that she could not resist pouncing on these to paint the reputation of the new media as such.
From my perspective, the key issue behind the reservations about the ABS could be that many bloggers regard cyberspace as their only liberation outlet in a regulated environment and may not be interested to submit even their last bastion of freedom to an “order”.
In addition, it is doubtful at this point that bloggers who prefer to remain anonymous and more so commentators and forummers, at least not without sophisticated skills or tools, would enter into a physical platform that could lead to exposure of their identifications to anyone, even its leaders.
Nevertheless, in my view, the society’s registration is yet another significant milestone since the establishments of major aggregator Tommorrow.sg in 2004 and The Online Citizen in 2006, among others that I may have missed out.
All the more, the uphill mission of uniting the blogsphere is demonstrated, with this a coming-together of yet another loose segment, comprising hardly anyone from the existing Tomorrow.sg, TOC or other teams, although all these channels serve different purposes and encompass different directions.
Finally, while I respect any initiative of citizens and netizens whom I feel Singapore is better off with them doing something rather than nothing, in the context of this association, a “lazaire-faire” blogger like me neither sees myself fitting into one that represents me, nor, as a opposition-affiliated blogger, do I think many groups would want to.
There are indications that the motivations of a blogger openly identified with an opposition party is perceived otherwise from one free of any membership, even if there is no real difference, which against reflects this diversity and does not matter.
Should the ABS does open its doors to political party-affiliated bloggers, especially prominent ones, whether be it from the ruling party or opposition parties, this may give rise to a whole host of issues, more so when only “one side” is won over.
Meanwhile, I feel that Singaporeans, even the more politically interested ones found in the netizen community, are not ready for the kind of multi-partisanship and this may derail the efforts of the new association.
Current Affairs: Association of Bloggers Singapore
I was sort of surprised to see on Monday [19 Jan 2009], posts about the Association of Bloggers Singapore (ABS for short) from some of the friends I have been following on my rss reader – namely DK, Eastcoastlife, Endoh, nicole, xinyun, and xtralicious.
I know I am 2 days late in reporting this, but I have my own concerns and misgivings about it originally. All that time I was trying to get through to some of the members in the committee pro tem to answer some of my queries.
Meantime, criticisms came as fast as (if not faster than) the news of its birth and blog articles reporting it. Some of the most common criticisms are: the need for a subscription; the lack of a proper website giving details on what it is about; an attempt to define who can be a blogger and impose guidelines to what can be written; and * gasp * the government’s gahmen’s first step in controlling blogosphere!
Let us look at each of these controversies and analyse them. Are they facts, just allegations or straw man?
1. The need for an entrance fee and a subscription
This is a fact and one of my primary concerns. My personal opinion is that ABS should reconsider the position of some student bloggers who can write well. I also reflected to several of their members the importance of proper accounting to the public and members as even non-profit activities like Social Media Breakfast (SMB) came under the scrutiny of a blogger.
From what I gathered, the money collected will be used to cover activities in the event no sponsors are found, and none of it is used as salary or allowances for the committee for their roles. Money that is not spent will most likely be donated to charities. There seems to be some dissenting voices within the committee itself, whereby some have requested that for a trial period the fees should be waived until a year later. If you have any queries here, it is really best to direct it at the committee.
2. The lack of information on the website
This is a fact. Anyone who has visited the site can see that for himself and I consider it as public relations fiasco until I understand from some of the committee members, ABS has a pre-matured birth.
The official launch will be in late February. DK told me they did not intend to announce the moment it becomes officially registered and had originally intended to announce it’s official launch date maybe later in the week and open to questions from the general public. Unfortunately, the article on TODAY forced their hand, and they have to reveal it before time. They are now working hard to get an FAQ up.
3. An authority to issue guidelines on writing and to disqualify non-association bloggers
Among one of the most ludicrous speculations. Just how does one expect ABS to enforce their guidelines? By confiscating your member fees? Taking you to court? I brought up the matter of whether ABS intends to negotiate a better deal with advertisers like Advertlets, Nuffnang or Blog2U on behalf of bloggers and I was told that is never an objective of ABS as it cannot enforce anything on its members.
As to the matter of disqualifying non-association of bloggers, Xtralicious has put it across to me: Can the Chinese Association disqualify you from being a Chinese simply because you are not a member? One is a blogger simply by setting up a blog on any of the blogging sites or self host using a blogger software. It will take gahmen legislation to disqualify a person as a blogger and that takes me to the last point.
4. Gahmen Control
Chairman Pro-tem EastCoastLife seems to me to have many contacts in high places. At least that is the impression I have from this blog also authored by her. In my opinion, this has always been a convenient straw man. I recalled the days I used to post on soc.culture.singapore when people who didn’t like a pro-gahmen post will label its writer a gahmen lackey.
But consider this: If endorsement or having close relationship with gahmen bodies and officials is justified as a step leading to gahmen control, then it is equally convenient for anyone to label collaboration with foreign talents justifiable as being disloyal to, or engaging in subversive and hostile activities against our nation!
Whichever way the allegations go, they all have only these objectives – to inspire fear and to polarise – and then have you decide that the decision they want you to make is the best for yourself. I must point out that one shouldn’t be over-zealous in their nationalistic fervor before it becomes distorted as xenophobia or facism.
The above is my personal opinion on the formation of this association. I am not rallying for anyone to join, but I would plead with everyone to give the founders and committee some time to come up with the official answers.
As bloggers, some of us may not like the personality or the writing style of another person, but let us all refrain from having old skeletons dancing out of the closets and revisit old hatreds. While no one can force you to abide to this and remain civil, it will only make yourself look bad in the eyes of stalkers readers. Don’t forget that we bloggers are not all to blogosphere, our readers whom we somewhat influence with our thoughts makes up the other part. It would do us some good to remember that some of our readers may have even more clarity of thought than some of us do.
Shalom Aleichem. Peace be with you.
Sorry, Association Of What?
I found it funny when I 1st read about the newly founded Association of Bloggers (Singapore).
It was like, all the while everyone has been playing in this big big playground. Though there were arguments, bad blood, basically everyone was having his/her own fun, everyone was rather happy in his/her own way. Once a while, the ice-cream men would be here. They would, based on their own judgment, choose a few kids around and gave them free ice-cream. One not so fine day, a gang of kids come, and declare that the playground is now under them, just because they have registered with gahmen. They will educate all the kids how to behave in the playground, and they will “recommend” the good kids to ice-cream men. Whoever not with them? Probably no more free ice-cream for you, or not as often. Does this sound like “斧头帮” in Kungfu Hustle?
Some more, the gang members are not any big time bloggers. IMHO, Mr Brown is big enough, XiaXue as well (people may not like her but she is one important figure locally). How are they going to lead, to represent local blogosphere? They themselves are not even professional bloggers, how are they going to “educate” others to be “professional”? “Professional” in what sense? Write proper, perfect English? No vulgarism no bad words? No flaming of own gang members? I can’t help laughing. In the 1st place, how to define “Singapore blogosphere”? I thought, it is supposed to be borderless, and it is supposed to be “free”.
I think that, the 1st thing they need to do is, to show people, why it is necessary to follow their “guidelines”, to behave. If they can’t even do this (which is what’s happening now), then forget about taking money from people’s pocket.
At the same time, if I were blogger who blogs in Chinese, or Malay, or Tamil, I would find people like me being marginalized, or the gang doesn’t seem to be interested in bloggers like me as a member.
One funny thing is, a few of the gang members seem to have had argument, or very unhappy incidents with another local blog aggregator. After reading what the gang master wrote, I just can’t help thinking that, is this just another gang set up to fight against that one? To have revenge?
I don’t think I will join, but I find it even more STUPID to call for a boycott against the association. That is stupid x2.
5 Top Reasons of Not Joining Association of Bloggers (Singapore)
The latest news has one relatively unknown blogger starting an organization called “Association of Bloggers (Singapore)“. My first reaction is that it’s a way too early for April Fool’s Day joke. But perhaps, they are serious!
So I think myself why I’m reluctant to join the Association of Bloggers (Singapore)–or heck, let me just abbreviate it as ABS, okay? I can think of 5 reasons–do share yours as well in the comment section. Here they’re:
1. The ABS president reveals that the association is a legal entity. I don’t think they’ll welcome with open arms anonymous bloggers like Yours Truly without me saying goodbye to my secret identity. As the president of “Clandestine Regime of Anonymous Bloggers” or–curse you Abbreviation!–CRAB, I appeal anonymous bloggers to stay true to their anonymity & not to join ABS.
2. Even if ABS do welcome us anonymous bloggers, I would think twice–no, thrice–to be apart from my hard-earned money just to be a member. Please la, nowadays it’s a difficult time for almost everybody, even a senior civil servant’s got scolded for publicising his family’s costly vacation holiday! It’s said that there’s an entrance fee of $50, yearly subscription of $60 for ordinary membership & $100 for corporate membership. No, thank you!
3. I dislike the ABS president’s reasoning that the Singapore blogosphere was controlled by foreign bloggers based in Singapore. To quote Homer Simpson, “D’oh!”. Really, there’s no such thing as Singapore blogosphere or in that sense, [put-a-country name] blogosphere! In reality, ‘blogosphere’ is not constrained by any country. It’s global just like the Internet. Argh, just check out the definition of ‘blogosphere‘, will you?!
4. I too frown upon the ABS president’s lame argument that Singaporean bloggers are not united. Hallo?! We are not supposed to be united! The flaming, the discord & the arguments–or some may call them as Blog Wars–are what bringing colours (Red is the colour of the blood shed in any wars) & excitement to Blogosphere.
5. The ABS president has a knack of stating the obvious about how the association’s members “should be able to speak up and stand up for justice”. Be assured that you don’t have to join ABS to exercise that right. You can do that as a blogger not affiliated to any organization. Like me.
So please join “Clandestine Regime of Anonymous Bloggers” or CRAB, the registration doesn’t cost you a cent. You won’t be given any proof of membership either! Just be true to the motto of our secretive organization, “It’s the content that matters, not who writes it!”.
Those who are about to blog anonymously, I salute you. (Funny, it sounds kind of similar with “Morituri te salutant“. Heh.)
A blogger’s association for Singapore
I never thought someone would try such a thing, but someone did. Can’t say I like the idea cos it makes me feel “lonely” to be left out of such a prestigious in-group. =P
A couple of reasons really.
Firstly, the creation of any association, club for any industry, field or sport, is a political process and it becomes a political entity in that particular field. The creation of such an entity such as the ABS, creates a segregation of “in” and “out” groups, even if it was not their intention to do so. Perhaps arguably in such an entity, their intention was to create an “in-group” of Singaporean bloggers. A legitimate argument that the association has claimed itself was that they wanted to “unite” Singaporean bloggers.
If so, the quesiton is this. Was the committee of the ABS then voted in by “Singaporean” bloggers or did they self-declare themselves to represent Singaporean bloggers? I certainly wasn’t informed of such a committee election.
Secondly, I disagree with the idea of a blogging association to engage the government(PAP) in policy making. Reason being that it impedes democratic political development in Singapore. This was a suggestion mentioned by the President of the association in her own blog pertaining her goals and ideas for the association.
“A chance to engage the Government in discussions on its policies and help shape Singapore, making it a better place to live and work.Singapore is our country and we have the duty as citizens to see that our brothers and sisters are taken care of and protected.
The association will not be a tool of politics but members should be able to speak up and stand up for justice.”
-President of ABS
The concern in this case is similar to those brought up by the oppositions when the government introduced the NCMP and NMPs. People who could “say” alot in policy making but could not vote on the affairs. At the end of the day, parliamentary votes count, not talk. Singaporeans, and Singaporean bloggers have to understand that such “engagement” through an association can only be a cheap and ineffective replacement to the parliamentary process where you must be able to talk AND vote. If anyone wants to affect the policy making process, please take up politics actively and get yourself elected in as an MP.
As Minister Mentor Lee has pointed out, we need the next generation of leaders and politicians to come out and lead Singapore. Its great that people can comment and criticise political issues on their blogs, but they need to step out and get involved as well.
Finally, I really do like the diverse, bitchy, and scandalous blog scene we have. I don’t really quite know what kinda unity this group is trying to promote, or what kinda “professional” standards of blogging they are trying to cultivate. To be honest, a blog is simply where I can gather my thoughts, say what is in my head, however I wish. Its a web journal, that is a little more public than diary, but I’m pretty sure there isn’t a need to conform to any “standards.” Maybe they should rename themselves to Association of Professional Bloggers Singapore. Then they can justify their agenda of “cultivating” standards among professional bloggers. For now, I like my bo-standard blog.
I guess I don’t really care. 1/2 blog entries are personal anyway, and 1/4 are on archery. Stuff that people hardly would give a shit about.
Oops I used a bad word.
Association of Bloggers (Singapore): Because I Simply Cannot Resist Shit Stirring
I’ll bet I’m the last idiot around to find out about this. Apparently, someone has had a bright idea and started a bloggers association for Singapore bloggers. Having been spending my days being concise and frugal about the number of words or characters I use in writing, I am very tempted to simply just tell you that someone started an association of bloggers and leave it. But this isn’t a copy I’m writing, its my blog.
Anyway, I’ll say, PFFFFFFFFFT. Seriously. Half the people I know blog for FUN. This whole, getting affiliated with someone thing just sucks all the damn fun out of blogging. Its just highly unnecessary and slightly annoying. It reminds me of the shit that got stirred up with mountain biking a while back because one organisation decided they were the boss of all mountain bikers in Singapore and tried to get us all to act accordingly. But the thing is, you can’t just do that. I mean, activities like blogging and biking are supposed to be laid back, relaxed and casual. There isn’t supposed to be a boss. And seriously just because you can declare yourself the boss of everyone, doesn’t mean everyone is going to obey you or act like you’re the boss. Guess why we went underground with riding now?
There’s also the bit where, well, WHY do bloggers need a ‘boss’ to say who’s affiliated and who’s not? Isn’t the whole point of blogging to equalise things and get rid of the old hirearchy? Its like how you have the Elizabethan World Order where a bunch of people (self declared bosses of everyone in the Whole Wide World) claimed that there is a cosmic hirearchy everyone must obey. And then, there’s the humanistic thinga, where there IS no cosmic hirearchy, all people are equal to do whatever they want and have the chance to succeed. And blogging, is supposed to be humanistic, its where the everyman can prove themselves, free of an ambiguious hirearchy put in place by random people.
But mostly, the bad taste in my mouth comes from how ‘official’ the whole thing is. WHY is there a need to get the ‘officials’ into this whole thing? What kind of a future is that going to lead to? My blog, is at the end of the day, my personal space online. A space where I am free (well, mostly anyway) from interference. So, now that the Association of Bloggers (Singapore) has gone and gotten the seal of approval from the officials, what’s going to happen to our blogosphere in the future?
Xenophobic President of Association of Bloggers (Singapore) attacks bystanders
Honestly, I make a bad writer today because I’m so lazy to go all over the web to collect links of blogs written about the Association of Bloggers (Singapore).
But just check out this blog entry, which says:
This association was created, if anything, to coalesce power.
“[Singaporean bloggers were] easily manipulated and even banned for standing up against the foreign tyrant from self-proclaimed ‘community meta weblog for Singapore bloggers’.”
The ‘community meta weblog for Singapore Bloggers’ she was referring to, is Ping.sg, which is started by Chua U-Zyn, founder, Malaysian, and the community, for a time, managed by Daphne Maia (that is, yours truly), also Malaysian.
She’s \splashed all over the internet her personal grudges and vendetta against Ping.sg, U-Zyn and myself. Erm, it happened 18 months ago and I don’t even remember what happened anymore except she was quite unhappy not to receive some blogging awards.
Anyway, this is really so silly, and I intended not to blog about this. But gee, somehow I feel the need to make this a public awareness campaign, because you know, I’m anti-xenophobes and anti-racists, and I will stand up for anyone being outcast for the mere fact that they own a passport of another country, and for their skin colour.
I must make myself clear and admit that this whole attack was re-launched at me because I commented:
Everyone is just jumping on the Social Media bandwagon, and now we have to pay to be part of some association to certify that we’re bloggers? Not to be rude, but I don’t need affirmation that I am a blogger.”
For the uninitiated, that is a personal opinion, and I did not attack anyone in the committee – in fact I did not even mention the organization’s name.
Well, I’m so honestly sick of all these things – I think everyone should be allowed to air their opinions if they want to – this is the internet!
So, right now, I boldly call for this:
BOYCOTT THE ASSOCIATION OF BLOGGERS (SINGAPORE).
But hey, don’t just follow blindly (we’re bloggers, we have brains). So just think these questions through:
1. How important is it for you to be given a stamp of approval which affirms that you are indeed, a blogger? (And hey, this stamp of approval costs $110 dollars for the first year, so think it through carefully)
2. What kind of blogging guidelines, what kind of professional help, and what kind of backing, do you think you can get from an organization, headed by a woman who has founded this very organization for (very likely) personal benefits of eradicating from the blogosphere people with whom she has a personal vendetta?
3. What if you are a blogger who resides in Singapore, but does not hold that bright red pretty Singapore passport? Will this Association of Bloggers (Singapore) shun you the way she shuns me by attacking me on the fact that I am not Singaporean?
4. What kind of hope can you place on an organization headed by a mad woman (yes, she’s mad) who leaves messages on people’s Facebook walls, asking them why are they supporting a Malaysian blogger instead of their own countrymen?
I rest my case.
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