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BEIJING: Blogs have been rich material for news and also entertainment in China these days.
As bloggers are being taken to court over offences like slander, some are pausing to question if more should be done to regulate blogs in the mainland, especially when bloggers are expected to number 100 million by next year.
Some have called blogs the platform for the common folks to air their views.
For the man who brought blogging into China, it is nothing short of a new social revolution.
Fang Xingdong, Co-Founder & Chairman, www.bokee.com, says: "For example, in today's world, we are communicating face-to-face so you can't be communicating elsewhere. But blogs are different. You can reach out to anyone, anywhere, anytime. I think blogs has raised the state of communication for people."
It certainly has for 31-year-old Xue Jianhui.
Struck with blindness from childhood, the owner of a massage parlour has moved from learning to use the computer to having her own blog, with the help of talking software.
She is also surprised her newfound hobby can actually run foul of the law.
"I think blogs are just diaries and I write what I feel and share with more people. I don't know in what ways blogs need to be regulated," says Jianhui.
Her blog reflects her feisty spirit and has given readers an insight into the world of the blind.
But some blogs have made news for the wrong reasons, spurring calls for specific laws to govern blogs.
In September, a Beijing court dismissed the first case between two bloggers.
The plaintiff had asked for 10,000 RMB, but the court ordered the defendant to pay 1010 RMB, or about 130 US dollars, and to post an apology online.
The government has already said it will tighten regulation of blog sites, including setting admission requirements.
Industry players say blogs do not need dedicated laws, as the current regulations covering the internet are sufficient.
And ultimately, most bloggers are disciplined.
Mr Fang says: "For the huge number of bloggers, I think it's a disciplined and highly regulated domain. Of course with such huge numbers, there are bound to be some rubbish, but it's comparatively small."
While there may be rubbish, there are also gems among Chinese blogs and some of these blogs have won recognition at the annual International Weblog Awards.
Experts say in the next two to three years, blogs could exceed the country's number of netizens.
And by then, mobile phones could become another important blogging tool. - CNA/so
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