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.

Journalists and bloggers.

I want to contuniu the topic of weblogs and I find some interest facts about it. As we know "weblog" is the man who has the own page in the Internet and everyone are available to past comments and leave their own opinion. The total quantity of private diaries is comming to 5 million and new blog is creating every 5-8 second. A lot of blogs are devoted to culture, music, hobbies, animals and so on. But this month in Almaty a lot of bloggers came to sreak about developing of civic journalism and new ways to solve problems about freedom of speech.

One Iranian journalist give example of one case. "During strike of the drivers of the buses, the Mass media didn't cover this story. The newspapers and Television just ignore this case, while bloggers count up that it is very important thing ans left a lot of comment and article about this. Because of them the problem of drivers receive publicity and finally journalist were have to cover this story."

Another example were shared by Isaak Mao, who is one of the father of blogging in China. He told the story, where the police have to react to the message of bloggers. "In one Chinese town policemen beat unmercifully one student because they thought that he is tramp. He just was going on the street and searching for the work, when police run for him. He was damaged and died. " No one of media didn't tell about this case, however during one month more than 3 million of bloggers reacy on this case. Government had to react to this event and published special decree that prohibit to beat tramps.

There are a lot of cases like those in Kazakhstan, but unfortunately only few people have weblogs and may be afraid to write those events. And as on this conference where told that don't be afraid blogs and just use it to inform people and develop freedom. The bloggers are very strong power and I think that it will help to developing journalism and particulary freedom of speech, in all over the world and of course in Kazakhstan.

References:

1. www.presscenter.kz
2. http://news.bbc.co.uk/hi/russian/sci/tech/newsid_1644000/1644071.stm

This is my adress in bloglines:
http://www.bloglines.com/blog/Aizhan

Proporsal

Our team will do final project on Weblogs, PR and Ethics in PR. And Im going to write about particular region, where weblogs are just developing, and exactly about our country - Kazakhstan.

The weblogs are not popular among society and as survey shows only 2 % of respondance know what is weblog and how to create it.

The most popular weblog in Kazakhstan is neweurasia - is the community of weblogs, where not only talanted young people from Central Asia and Kavkaz, and their coevals from over the world can publish articals, share their opinion and so on.

The goal of neweurasia - to have big audience and users, but the main reason to gather young people, to give them an opportunity to publish opinions which happenes in Central Asia.
The author are able to speak on english, german, french, russia, uzbek, kazakh, china and many other languages. This aspect is find it's influence on this weblog, which publishing only on english, russia and uzbek languages.

References:

1) http://ru.kazakhstan.neweurasia.net/?page_id=2
2)http://pressing.wordpress.com/
3)http://www.globalvoicesonline.org/2006/10/05/voices-from-kazakhstan-5/#more-15958

Weblogs changes the world.

Weblogs has already play the importnat role and became the part of Mass Media. Only in Technorati there are 50 million blogs and evetyday this number is increasing.Some of searching blogs (blogstats.de, daypop.com) temporarily were closed because they are not able to cope with a task and service all people.

Censorship in Internet is the international problem

I have read one article of Julien Pen, who is from organization of "reports without limit". He considered this point not optimisricly. As he considered 5 yaers ago the worst situation on freedom of speech were in Asia (China and Vietnam). But nowadays the censorship in Internet became the sharpest problem. In the future, as he told, a lot of dictators and governments will be trying to control and influence on Internet.

And the main role of Weblogs in mass media is that it gives chance and opportunity to speak, because they have not another chance to express an opinion. And the weblogs dive opportunity to people who live in countries in which it is very dangerous to share with thier views. And at the end Pen told: "I believe that the weblogs all over the world will change mass media."

What is news?

At the lesson of International Journalism we touched one topic that forced me to think about what will the "news" and is only all new and fresh things will be "news?".
So, everyday we face to some happenes in schools, universities, works, may be in transport, at streets, and will be it interesting to all people. Ofcourse you will come to home and tell about everything to relatives, or phone to friends, but it will be interesting only for them. How about fact that you read in The Internet; looking at the title, you will choose whether it attracts you or not.
One day, while going to home, I was the witness of unpleasant situation. The bus was full of people and at the beging there was two girls who were sitting. Few minutes later the aged women entered into transport. No one give place to her and she began to curse plus use bad language, at this time girls sat as nothing was happened. Women didn't stop and offend and insult them, even when girls leave the bus she hitted them, and little battle began.
So this story is fresh, but happend everyday, and if it will be published in the newspaper, nobody will be read it, as about accident on the road.
Journalists everyday faced to problem where find news. And it very hard to choose will be it readble and interesting.
And how about new that was in the past and should we returned to it again. The bright examle is terract in US, this year where 5 anniversary and I published some article in me blog. People in differrent way considered this story. 5 years ago everything where differ than nowadays. For example attitude to Arabian coumtries, to president of USA and so on. So in different situations we should come back to past events.
Another topic is differnent spheres of live. Some people like sport, others politics.... So there different types of journalists. Not in every newspaper will be written about entertainments or fashion. May be I'm not right, but in this types of newspapers or journals much more easier to find news, and decide whether it news or not.
Every person have own opinion and I can't tell about is there truth and right answer, but our lives is news and we can make it interesting with many adventures. So take care and be happyyyyy

New Information Technologies

Nowadays people cannot imagine life without technologies, however not many years ago there wasn't any sourse of information, or sourse of connection. Today people never think about what will be without technologies, but why humans need it, may be because they have got into the habit of doing things very fast and rapidly. One scientist from Japan told, that in 50 years people wouldn't do anything, because of inventions, everything will be done by robots. Who knows, we can only guess.
Everything in our world comes from information. Even great philosophers told, that who knows infomation, they have the world. And the greatest achievment of human's is computer, ofcourse there are a lot of other types such television, radio and all of technics, but this are the types of information systems.

The big companise, universities all over the world compete in devising new technologies. In the year 2002 the Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology started the "Priority Assistance for the Formation of Worldwide Renowned Centers of Research - The 21st Century Center of Excellence Program". This program were based on the competitive principle that selection for support by the program relies on third party evaluation, and by giving priority support to the formation of world-class centers of research it aims to promote the creation of internationally competitive universities that answer to the world's highest standards. And ofcourse huge changes from technologies were in journalism, people could get information throuth INTERNET, television, and etc. Nowadays it is much more easier to get knowlerge from Internet, however it has negative influence on children, such as they became lazy and get information only through computer. But everyday inventions changes and may be in future there will not be schools like we have nowadays.

References:

1. (http://www-nishio.ist.osaka-u.ac.jp/COE/english/index.html)

Kazakhstan and NATO: cooperation strengthening
This week Foreign Minister of Kazakhstan, Kassymzhomart Tokayev visited Brussels. There he met with NATO Secretary General Jaap de Hoope Sheffer and participated in sitting of NATO council. The sides discussed the strengthening of cooperation of Kazakhstan and NATO and perspectives opf joint efforts on counteraction to terrorism, extremism and drugs trade. One of most important directions of cooperation is help of NATO in large-scale reconstruction of Armed Forces of Kazakhstan and development of peacekeeping potential of our state. NATO ambassadors highly valued economic and political reforms that are conducted in our country and named Kazakhstan as “security exporter” in the region. In Brussels Tokayev met with Javier Solana, European Union foreign policy chief, General Secratery of EU council and Benita Ferrero-Valdnder, EU commissioner on foreign relations and European policy of neighborhood. Kassymzhomart Tokayev suggested to conduct regular consultations to increase cooperation level of Kazakhstan due to European policy of neighborhood.