'I blog therefore I am'

The article 'I blog therefore I am' on today's Malta Independent on Sunday by Aurelie Herbemont ( who blogs here) is the first review of the Maltese blogosphere to appear on the mainstream media. It filled two whole pages of the paper's printed edition and is a welcome effort by the energetic French journalist. A number of established bloggers were quoted in the article but, in my view, a number of other bloggers were more deserving of attention than that given to Ronald Colombo who says he discovered blogging “by accident and thought he would give it a try." Aurelie quotes Colombo twice even though he has not added anything to his first experimental 'try' posted two weeks ago.

Another article 'Every blog has its day' written by Joe Fountain was published yesterday on Modern Elegance (not updated yet) but it made no attempt to review the state of Maltese blogging. As MaltaGirl writes, the article 'says nothing about how the local scene has recently developed'. Excerpts from the Malta Independent Online:

New blogs are booming in Malta, even though this phenomenon is still in its infancy here. The Maltese blogosphere is really different since it brings together Maltese people living in Malta, Maltese people living abroad, foreigners living in Malta and even foreigners who are linked in a way to this country. There is actually a list of the Maltese blogs on the Internet, available on http://www.aboutmalta.com/INTERNET/BLOGS, and it lists about 70 blogs, discovered by bloggers Robert Micallef, Martin Debattista, Pierre J. Mejlak, and Toni Sant. But it is probably not exhaustive since it is very difficult to know about all of them, as there are several blogs providers on the Internet..

Wired Temples, a blog by Robert Micallef (http://wiredtemples.blogspot.com) is a blog of reference in Malta and “is mainly, although not exclusively, a platform for Malta related information on the Internet. It is a window on Maltese culture, history, blogs and news. I often link material about Malta that is produced by international sources including foreign news sites to comments about Malta by non-Maltese bloggers. My blog is also my personal channel to air my opinions about current affairs, both local and international. Wired Temples is aimed primarily at an international audience with an interest in Maltese affairs,” he said..

Several Maltese bloggers emphasise the need of free expression in Malta, because too much media belong to the political parties. Expressing themselves next to the traditional media is a way of putting forward an alternative view. For Mark Vella, “The revolution has begun!” There is a real wish to counterbalance the views disseminated by the traditional media, and some are really critical. Indeed, some blogs deal with news, and could easily be compared to a new kind of media, like Wired Temples, which also offers links to articles written in Maltese newspapers..

According to Toni Sant, “people have a great desire to communicate without an intermediary and blogs are a very easy way to do this... perhaps the easiest”. The rule is that you authorise others to answer you, since a blog is not only a simple diary, like a normal personal website would be, since it is configured to receive post. Actually, it seems to be what interests bloggers most: having people react to your post..

Indeed, blogging is a relatively new phenomenon, especially in Malta, so it is still a kind of UFO of the Internet world. So we can wonder if it will last or if it is only a fashionable activity. However, it is a very interesting world where you can find points of views on everything and it is worth taking a look at it, and maybe try to have your own blog. As Mark Vella said, “the Maltese blogosphere is too exciting to be missed”.

I (have to) criticise, therefore I am - Kenneth's critique

Fausto Majistral says bloggers should be noted for what they have to say