Blogging in Kazakhstan

Nowadays weblogs are the most popular entertainment for all over the world. People, especially young generation, like to post photos, some interesting information that can entertain society and so on. But in some countries blog is the only way to inform people about political and governmental problems. For many years we were reading newspapers and magazines, watching television, but blogs are something new and interesting for us, where everyone could share with their opinion. First blog appeared in United States 14 years ago in 1992 (material from Wikipedia), and takes spreading for all over the world in this short time. Talking about Kazakhstan, online diaries have just come and became known.
First of all starting from statistic, 3000 people are using blogs in Kazakhstan, and particularly 2310 people in Almaty plus 460 people in Astana. Trying to find out reasons why weblogs are not popular in our country, I made little poll and the questions were: “Do you know what weblog is? ”, “Do you have own weblog?” And only 0.8 % of respondent told that they are informed what weblog is. Furthermore only 2 people have their own weblogs.

Results:
Do you know what weblog is? - 0.8%(4 people)
Do you have your own weblog? - 0.4% (2 people)
Do you want to know more about weblogs? - All of them answered ”Yes”

The poll showed to us that problem is in providing with information and people are in supply to new technologies. Today there are a lot of conference and meetings where people can get information about blogs and even the number of users is not big, but it is growing every day. In Kazakhstan we have 2 main blog’s services, which are:

1. blog.kz

2. Kazakhstan.neweurasia.net
But, there is interesting fact that Kazakhstani society uses foreign web – services as blogger.com, livejournal.com, diary.ru and so on. The reason is the same; people do not know our local blog hosts. The only solution is time, because every developed country do not became well – fair at once. It is process that will take time and willing.
Nowadays bloggers are the main source of information in the not developed countries or where mass media totally controlled by government. The question is that may blogs regard as mass media? Of course journalism requires training or professional higher education. And people whom not able to write correctly or do not know elementary ethics in journalism cannot be journalists. But in some place it’s necessary to have bloggers, because it is the only way to change something. In Kazakhstan government do not thing that bloggers are the danger for them, may be it is so, but even today we can find blogs where government and politics are criticized by society.
In Almaty on 13 –14 of October was conference, which was devoted to blogging in Kazakhstan. And a lot of problems where considered during several hours. Special guests where accepted in that day, sharing with their opinion and knowledge, everyone where satisfied with meeting. Accomplishing director of Mass Media Supporting Center and editor of Presscenter.kz site Askar Shomekov told, “Blogging – is the one of the form of journalism, which permit to be maximum free.” Mr. Askar’s part was how promote blogs and how to make them famous. Founder and the main editor of Neweurasia blog Benjamin Paarman, who came from Germany, also shared with his idea about main advantages of blogs. “The main advantage of blog is easiness of its use. And the great tool, which helps to connect like-minded person or to level diametrically opposite opinions” told Benjamin. A lot of people shared with their opinion and own experience. People from Uzbekistan, where is censorship on Internet, told that at first no one looked on weblogs, but after revolution in which happened in March, everyone could find information only at online diaries. Weblogs play important role in many countries. (RSF_handbook_blogger_RU_new)
Returning to development of blogging in Kazakhstan, we should considered some problems. The three main problem were considered in this work:
• Challenges to the development of Kazakh-language blogs.
• Political blogs: to what extent is a bloger safe and anonymous?
• How to avoid censorship? Technical possibilities and information protection.
First big problem is in language barrier. Kazakh language began to be country language only after Soviet Union collapse, but before this language by little bit began to die. Because people talked on native language only in little villages (auyl). Even nowadays, especially among young generation cannot talk on own language. Government trying to make some decisions and to improve this situation, but everything begin from patriotism; person will not learn his language if he do not love his country. So, weblogs in Kazakhstan usually posts on Russian or sometimes in English languages. And another problem is in absence of Kazakh keyboard, without it no one will able to post any information.
Another big problem, spreading all over the world is political influence. In Kazakhstan the only place where people can share with their opinion about government is blogs, because president and his relatives own our main local mass media, so in every channel you could hear only good news and facts. Even if in Kazakhstan there are some oppositional newspapers, they cannot publish all truth, because of fear. Political problems are the beginning of third problem that make barriers to development is censorship. The most sharp and difficult problem is how to avoid censorship? It is very broad and complicated question which cannot be fully answered.
So, there are a lot of problems, which should be improved. People from another countries try to help to Kazakhstan; coming here they organize some meetings and conferences. New Informational Technologies are the most important thing in our life and it became part of us. Technologies cannot stop and return to back, it can only step to future with new inventions and tools. And to conclude Kazakhstan on the developing stage and weblogs are the next step of our society.

References:
1. Unknown date, Aleksey Borodkin,
http://www.advertology.ru/article38314.html
2. 2006, Author unknown, http://search.blogroll.ru/457/Bloggerov_nauchat_konspiracii.html
3. 2006, Didenko Olga
http://www.rsf.org/IMG/pdf/RSF_handbook_blogger_RU_new.pdf
4. 2006, Nart Villeneuve
http://www.rsf.org/article.php3?id_article=15037#8
5. 04.05.2006, unknown author
http://www.blokada.org/print.php?sid=12905

Ethics in Journalism
Code of ethics of Kazakhstan:

1. Journalist should follow ethical norms, values and standards. Every professional Journalist will faced whether follow ethics or not, first of all be accurate, balance, fair, objective and so on.
2. Every journalist should be responsible for his article, materials that he prepared for his media.
3. Every journalist should respect his colleagues and never humiliate or insult journalists from other mass media.
4. Journalist should be independent and do not allow to interfere to own work..
5. When journalist making his functions and work he should, first of all respect and promote democracy. Also they should respect and promote human rights and freedom. Secondly, when they enlighten some events journalist should be carefully for national security. And especially be careful not to touch the feeling of victims that they already has. And third reporters should honesty should follow ethical codes.
6. Sorrow and suffering. In this case journalist should be extremely warily behave toward victims, and to avoid all situations where you can reinforce people’s pain.
7. Economical issues. Journalist could not accept any money, bribes or gifts for writing information or articles.
8. When journalists work up and spread information it is not allow discriminating people by race, sex, language, religion, and philosophical and political principles.
9. Journalist cannot lie and tell that he is another person; hiding by invented figure or position; as well do not search for Information by illegal methods, use false materials and to abuse with societies trust.
10. Facts and all materials should be double checked, even if they where considered before, or published before. The source should be really reliable.
11. If because of some reasons journalist made mistake in some information, facts, he should immediately apologies and change his mistake.
12. Journalist first of all is responsible before readers and audience. He cannot consider facts that will connect and bring benefit and gain for him.
13. Journalist should be really interested in his job, love his working place and respect his heads and colleague. Do not betray own collective and be brilliant worker (to do as much as you can)
14. Journalist does not allow publishing names of victims, interviewing people, if they do not allow him to do this. Also he could not publish photos of victims and so on.
15. Journalist should accept and respect different values of cultures, but first of all respect and love own culture, history and freedom.