NUS Survey on Blogging
Update: I left out a paragraph which was in my reply to the survey, plus I added an additional line to clarify my opinion on the prosecution against the bloggers. The left-out paragraph is italicised and the additional line is bolded. And a big hi to those coming over from Global Voices Online! 
Well, I got one of those surveys about blogging and since I’m a struggling student myself, I know how tough it is to do one of these things. I decided, ah, what the hell, I’ll cut them a break and answer the survey.
1. What inspired you to create your blog?
I started a blog simply as a platform for personal ranting, but somewhere along the way it became more like a platform for publishing my thoughts to the public. You could say that my primary inspirations are American blogs like Volokh Conspiracy and ReasonOnline (lazy to provide links… you could google for them yourself, eh?)
2. Do you have a specific aim or goal in mind when you blog? For example, to entertain, educate or as an outlet to vent your views.
Lets just say that my political views aren’t exactly in the mainstream in Singapore, or anywhere else in the world for that matter. I’m what you would call a ‘libertarian’. As it happens, neither the ruling party nor the so-called opposition would fit within my ideology. So I guess subconsciously I wanted to see if I could provide anyone interested in reading my blog with an alternative ideology to what they read about in the mainstream press.
3. What factors make you decide on which URL’s or other blogs to link on your website?
Anything I find interesting, I link. This means it is not narrowly confined to political topics. I happen to be very much a computer geek, hence you’ll find Slashdot and various other geek sites in my links. I’ve even done 1 or 2 food reviews… when I’m back in Singapore that is. =)
4. Do you feel a sense of responsibility to update your blog regularly?
Oh yes, I do. In the US, they call this blog burnout. It is not uncommon for people to just run out of things to say, even for someone as long-winded as me. For me, it comes in bursts. Once in a while, I get a slew of thoughts in my head which I absolutely have to blog. And other times, I just don’t feel like touching anything blog-related at all.
5. Do you own a digital camera?
Yes I do.
6. If yes, do you use pictures to accompany your blog updates? Why or why not?
Yes, I do use pictures every now and then. But never of myself. Given the subjects that I write about at times… of course I’d rather not take the risk. Otherwise, I take pictures of things, such as food, other people, or anything related to what I’m blogging about.
7. What are your views on the two bloggers who were charged under the sedition act?
Well, personally I detest racists or any form of prejudice. The thing is, using the Sedition Act to stop racist speech is like using a sledge-hammer to kill ants. You may kill those ants using the sledgehammer, but the cost is collateral damage in the form of chilling effects on free speech. Rules of law, if not conservatively defined AND applied, can easily lead to unintended consequences. Given my libertarian ideology, its not hard to see what response I would have chosen.
The solution to hate speech is not to silence them, but more speech, and forceful speech against them to show them why they are wrong. In the marketplace of ideas, it is not hard for illogical and piss-poor ideas to be shown for what they really are. In the end, shitty ideas will get discarded, or ignored. By suppressing hate speech, the only result is that they go underground and fester, where people cannot see, but where they can certainly still poison the minds of those who possess these ideas.
Of course, you could say I’m a tad idealistic if I really believe this. Perhaps I place too much faith in Singaporeans to be rational. After all, I’ve met my fair share of morons in Singapore who refuse to change their minds despite having the logic laid out in front of them.
As an Editor of Tomorrow.Sg
1. Do you feel that Tomorrow.Sg is a success?
Well, yes, I do believe it is a success. =)
2. Is there a strict criteria for a blog post to be showcased on your website?
Well, the criteria is actually very loose. If 2 editors vote to publish an article, then its on.
3. What is your personal view on Bloggers.SG 2005.
It was eye-opening. I really did not realise that blogging is not confined to a narrow age-range. While the majority are young, there are quite a few who are outside of the stereotype i.e. young, geeky, schoolkids, etc.
4. There are a handful of people who react negatively to being ‘Tomorrow-ed’. What is your take on this issue?
Well, they’re certainly within their rights to object to the attention. The thing is, they can’t stop people from linking to them, and certainly there’s nothing they can do IF people link to them. What can I say? Linking is the essence of the internet. Even if they object, Google doesn’t give a shit either. Good luck to them on THAT score. lol
