If I may add something to your discussion with Mr. Ong Hock Chuan,

Actually in Jakarta, there are already tons of us consuming English-written materials (magazine, music, websites, movies, etc). Consuming, not producing. Even if they’ve been producing, they have their own space to do it.

“And in my opinion, it’s not that kids today are less confident about writing in English. They are less confident about exceeding the standards that is already placed upon them. They are not feeling secure with the idea of writing itself, some kids may even not feeling secure just by being themselves.
But I respect that you’ve noticed that. Not many of us do.”

Unfortunately, they won’t be the ones reaching for ‘this certain demographic’ of the blogosphere. Don’t ask them if they knew who Enda Nasution, or Budi Putra, or Jennie s. Bev is. Because there’s a great chance they don’t.
They’re still expecting a bridge, for that matter.

My comment below was initially put in Journal Marisa (http://journal.marisaduma.net). But I think I it would be better to share it here too.

I believe that the use of English in blog is vital for Indonesians especially because this country is still inferior to others countries in many aspects including economy development and even the language. If, for example, we are at the same level as England like Japan, England, and Germany, we might not really need English. Therefore, at present, using English is one way to ensure that we will be heard by rest of the world. According to Wikipedia, Bahasa Indonesia ranked 8th with 250 million speakers, while English was third with 380 million native speakers (no.1-2 in total speakers throughout the world with 1.8 billion people).

Unfortunately I found a fact that I was wrong to assume that young people are eager to write in English due to better education. A-19-year old student in a prestigious university in Jakarta just told me that she was reluctant to write blog in English cos it’s not easy. Better and faster to write in Bahasa Indonesia, she said. I will understand if the response stems from a student studying in small cities who are not used to speak and write English. My perception that young people in Indonesia are now more confident to use English is suddenly gone. So who is going to write in English? Me? You? and few other old people? Who’s going to encourage, and lead those young people to write in English?

Regards,

Iwan

Thanks for pointing my article out, Mr. Ong Hock Chuan.
Actually, those aren’t complaints, those are consequences. Complaints are when you need to lash out a bad mood Monday. Consequences are yet-another reallistic point of view, which is free to be disagreed with.
But I don’t mind you calling them complaints though, people somehow are more amused with self-pitiful notions. And I take pleasure in it. Heheheh..

Have a great day to you, sir.

I can proudly say that Fatih Syuhud is a “bridge blogger” in the fullest meaning of the word. He truly helps the world to better understand Indonesia and Islam within the spectrum that he believes.

Others may not be a “purist” bridge blogger, but we all bridge one human being with the next. One posting at a time. And I personally think it is as important as bridging a “community,” whose definition is so blurred nowadays. As long as a blog’s intention is noble, there is no need to create separate divisions between “bridge bloggers” and “non-bridge bloggers.” (I urge this, Ong, from the bottom of my heart, so we can “unite” as bloggers without any “labeling.”)

Just my two cents. Have a great day, Ong. And keep smiling. Whenever you visit SF Bay, give me a call!