Does blogging really matter?

The latest report from Technorati shows that, as of November 2006 there were 57 MILLION blogs in existence with 100,000 new blogs being created per day. That’s alot of writing. Don’t you wonder if any of this matters?

As a writer I do wonder at times and I’m always happy when I find that something I wrote sparked a comment, made someone laugh, or cry, or think differently, or even opened up a conversation that wasn’t there before (whether I agree with the viewpoints expressed or not). It’s all good. I think I would still write even if I didn’t self-publish.

But sometimes don’t you wonder if any of this writing and self-publishing matters? Well I’m here to tell you it does. Check out these tidbits. I’m going to put some of the content from these news reports in my post because you never know when the report might come down. The common thread here is that these mere bloggers are being watched. Why are they being watched? Because people are reading their blogs, hearing their viewpoint and they are thinking.

• Egypt arrests another blog critic: Police in Cairo have detained a blogger whose posts have been critical of the Egyptian government. Rami Siyam, who blogs under the name of Ayyoub, was detained along with three friends after leaving the house of a fellow blogger late at night…In recent weeks, bloggers have been exposing what they say was the sexual harassment of women at night in downtown Cairo in full view of police who did not intervene. Mr Siyam’s host on Saturday night, Muhammad Sharqawi, was detained for several weeks earlier this year. (see the post for as long as it remains up at Natasha Tynes, “Mental Mahem” by visiting her story HERE.

• Egyptian blogger jailed for four years for insulting Islam: In a landmark case for freedom of expression in Egypt, a young blogger has been jailed for insulting Islam and President Hosni Mubarak, drawing angry condemnation at home and abroad.Abdel-Karim Nabil Suleiman, 22, a former law student at Cairo’s Al-Azhar University, was sentenced to four years in prison by a court in Alexandria yesterday after being arrested last November over eight articles he posted on his blog. (see the post for as long as it remains up at The Guardian, by visiting the story HERE.

• Bloggers Harassed by Authorities: The Southeast Asian Press Alliance (SEAPA) is raising concerns over what appears to be growing harassment of individuals who use online blogs to express views and share information in Malaysia. The IFEX member says the government’s policing of the Internet is reaching a critical stage that needs to be recognised and confronted by free expression advocates.In the past two months, three bloggers have been questioned by authorities for posting information on their personal web diaries. On 14 March 2005, Mack Zulkifli was questioned in his home by police officers and unidentified government officials who asked him to help them “understand the latest developments of weblogs,” according to the independent online news service Malaysiakini.com. (see the post for as long as it remains up at The International Freedom of Expression eXchange, by visiting the story HERE.

• French blogger harassed by right wing dynasty: A French blogger, Christoph Grébert, is going to court this afternoon to defend himself of accusations of defamation brought against him by the city of Puteaux, a wealthy suburb of Paris.His crime? Writing about what’s happening in his city, taking pictures of construction sites, and commenting on the latest city council (public) meetings. (see the post for as long as it remain up at The European Tribune, by visiting the story HERE.

So blogging, in fact writing, does appear to make a difference. Let’s hope that for every voice silenced 100 more spring up.