Unspun

A. Fatih Suhyud’s Blogger Indonesia blog has been deservedly named as one of the 10 Selected Blogs in the latest edition of Tempo, Indonesia’s foremost current affairs magazine.

Tempo dedicated 10 pages to its focus on blogs. This is probably the first time that the mainstream Indonesian press has dedicated serious coverage to the blogging phenomenon. Its a good start, but my assessment of it is that it is rather shallow and superficial.

It covers the usual ground that most bloggers would be familiar with: the rise of the blogging phenomenon, the astounding number of new blogs each new day brings, how blogs are affecting journalism, the rise of the citizen journalism phenomenon (of which Pernak-Pernik Jakarta is writing a thesis on), personalities who are blogging, Hao Wu getting into trouble etc.

But for a 10-page coverage it would have been good to see the magazine probe deeper into the ramifications and impact of blogging in Indonesia. Would it make Indonesia more transparent; what’s the government’s thinking on it (one of Indonesia’s neighbors is going amok and threatening to regulate bloggers); can blogs be used to address some of the burning issues in Indonesia such as illegal logging and the environment management; have businesses begun using blogs in the form of corporate blogs etc.

The magazine also would have done well to investigate th existing and potential role of wikis.The Java Quake Wiki, was set up to help organize information in the aftermath of the Yogjakarta earthquake. Was it successfulo. could such wikis be used for future disasters by the government?

Still, its a step forward and I’m glad that they gave Fatih due recognition as Indonesia’s blogging “ambassador” to a wider world since he blogs mainly in English. Perhaps the Government should actively encourage people like Fatih as their blogs will help balance the image of Indonesia around the world.