I caught a pretty negative tone in that article, as if we as bloggers can be similarly defined and, furthermore, disregarded because complaining about that bathroom I hit up on my way to Shanghai has no literary value. The author studied at Harvard and now works at Microsoft (at the Advanced Technology Center!). I can’t imagine why Microsoft is not known as an innovator; with employees as creative as this you would think they’d be on the cutting edge of technology (as opposed to using their huge war chest to purchase the cutting edge of technology).

I’m pretty disappointed by this article. It’s obvious that he’s somewhat familiar with the China blog scene, but he seemed to just pass it off as the new hip thing — like New Coke or Britney Spears. Besides, I for one have never linked to a “Peking Duck” entry, although I do enjoy eating Peking Duck (maybe I’m this anonymous “John X” character).

In my opinion, if he’s going to write a “fictional” account about a blogger who may or may not exist, maybe he should actually contact this person and try to get the real scoop (as opposed to statements such as “A week later, only the loyal 10-15 people who are friends of John X continue to read him on a daily basis”).

But, just for the record, very little sounded familiar. I don’t think he was really striving for realism though.

Hence “vaguely familiar.”

I don’t think the article is a very favorable portrayal either, but then I can’t say it’s terribly off the mark either, for the most part.

It was back in 2001 I think that I suggested that all the China bloggers support each other and post restricted content on overseas servers so that local bloggers don’t get in trouble. John has done a great job of creating at least a a semblence of a community and keeping the history alive. So no, John X is not just John Pasden, its also John, Adam, Brendan, kaiser, Frank, Andrea, Phil, Kwan, Ben Randall, Richard, Mike and the other Asia bloggers that I known and read over the years.

I really don’t have a blog anymore, I just post on Mike Friedman’s and write for SCMP and Chinatechnews whenever I feel like it. I work for a big N. American software company that takes up too much of my time to be a regular blogger.

Peace

Frank (capital@gmail.com)

http://michael-friedman.com/archives/000436.html

I rarely trackback to others or continue something started by someone else because I see my blog as an outlet for MY voice and creativity. And in most of the blogs I read I see the same.

Sorry to put you on the defensive, just felt that the article narrowed in and didn’t catch the whole story. Good stuff anyway.

What really pissed me off was the China Daily writer who attacked Richard at Peking Duck, so in a way I wrote the article to let off some steam.

Well, as you know now I’m actually pro-blogs. Because we’re in a country where information is restricted and our foreign status gives us a bit of protection that ordinary citizens do not, i guess we have a higher calling to in some way let people outside China see what Chinese media and even our own Western Media ignores or overlooks.

Other countries don’t block their bloggers, China does and that puts you and I and anoyone who post online on a very special status.

As I mentioned in my article, We choose which of our daily battles to fight, otherwise we just sit in quiet compliance. But when we do choose to write or speak out, its because we feel that we need to.

thanks Matt and take care,

Frank