Vision of Internet: Removing Myself From Asian Blog Awards.

Hong Kong

In the last few days some people, have asked me or mentioned to me how I am doing on the "asian blog award" coz there was an article on it on the SCMP.

I told them, "I removed myself in the nomination stage already."

My very closest friends don't even ask why. Coz they understand all the reasons I do Glutter and probably heard my whole "vision of the internet" more times then they can count. So it's obvious why I would want no part of a competition. I am interested in the bigger picture from a personal perspective and a political, writer, self publishing, talking about hidden people, making conversation perspective.

The people who don't know me as well, say, "Well you are missing on some exposure, what if you win?" and I say, "I am not interested in winning and having people come at all. I rather have people come because they searched onto it or directed from one of my internet "friends."

I don't even care to see people who are doing their own thing ranked. It's not the point."

Anyway. I ended up on a site called "Sinosplice," which is a network of china blogs in English, and mostly students. I found a post called the: Sinosplice Network Weblog Awards

The last sentence was "Best Over All Blog: Tie 11" (As in a tie between the 11 blogs in that community).

I was actually replying a short sentence. Found myself on a soap box about the internet and how I view it. Instead of rewriting it all, here it is:

I personally asked to be removed from the Asian awards as I just want to do my own thing and be like you know. Most Yannish: Glutter

I just recently procliamed myself the worse blog in HK too. No need to contest. It's just easier that way coz I just wanna hang with like minded people from all over the world. Even if they aren't asian, china, asia, Chinese, whatever.

Just that I like what they write, and I think the best thing about the blog world is every day I can get a dose of New Orleans or Brisdane Australia or Hang Zuo or whereever. Like "Cool. This is what Kate read today in her paper or so and so experienced in her job. Nothing is exotic, nothing is like "HEY EVERYONE LOOK AT THIS WIERD THING." It's sorta like, "Yo. This is my life as I live in in whatever wierd and wonderful way I choose." You know?

I think we should all just like do our own thing and have lots of different voices and people who like us or don't like us or whatever will start to find thier niche. I mean the whole big idea theory of the internet was like to group like minded people together IRREGARDLESS of geographical distances. And that's it was about knowledge.

When I came across the internet at campus in 1994, it was explained to me as "This is where everyone can put their knowledge up and it will become a giant library, and anyone anywhere can access it. It will change information flow, especially to the third world."

I know it's old skool. But I believed in it. When I got on it was on a 14K modem at my univesity and people really talked like that, all the time. Only certain students taking prescribe classes could use the lab and have an account. I did so much begging, that i kept all my privilages after "Geology and the Internet" class was over.

And I am a sap, and I think we should always keep it that way. And even if I was a dotcom boom chick, I always hated that corporate metality coming into it. Which is why in some ways I was really happy when it crashed. Sorry, we lost our jobs but hell it was getting ugly. And I think blogging is bringing it back to where it belongs. PERSONAL stories with spread of information.

Yan

PS. Can I although not on your server and not exactly in motherland china (i.e. HK), still Be an honourary Sinosplice blog? I would like to be part of the Best over all: TWELVE way tie.

Coz thats how I feel about everyone here. Including Wilson dude..

Yan

Posted by Glutter at December 26, 2003 01:54 AM

Comments

[tom]

Yan,

I find your opinions refreshing; glad I discovered your blog.

[yan]

Refreshing? Cool.

Last week I got insightful, intelligelble, lucid, a few greats, one or two goods, and even one "Sexy." Which I wasn't sure how to reply.

Who the hell needs awards when I have a list of compliments a thesauraus would be proud of! Yay!

Could it be coz I think for myself?

I would assume so. That's what this blog is all about. ANTI-SHEEP! That's what Glutter is!

Anyway, I am home and bummed coz I can't go hiking coz my tummy hurts and I twisted my ankle. Two days of Gluttonly and this is what happens. I am supposed to go walking off this food! Sigh.

Yan

[matt]

bummer! hope you ankle and tummy feel better soon. I ate so much food at lunch, I felt like vomiting for 3 hours after, but didn't, and it has passed (haha) now.

[Wilson]

Yan, where are you? If you're in the Bay, you gotta come to my house warming party NYE 2004. Hit me by email.

[Glutter]

Tummy better. Ankle still kills. DOWN WITH HIGH HEELS. I didn't even trip or anything.

NYE 2004. Sorry, already have plans in another city!

Thanks for invite tho!!

Yan

[Phil]

Yan, I never saw this post but I have decided to reply because you misunderstand the point of why I did it. Winning was really irrelevant (and it was an experiment anyway) - the point was the 1600 sites across the region that were nominated by 25000 people.

Thousands of people found new sites they wanted to read and over a thousand sites found new readers, often in the hundreds, and many of good quality. From young teenagers to your favourite anti-heroes.

My motivation was to support the Asian blogging community whether it be defined by origin, topic of interest or geogrpahic location.

In that it was very successful. Most people realised it was not about the winning but the biggest ever Asian blog roll created, of which I understand you do not want to be a part even though the sites you dislike make up a pitiful percentage. It is a crying shame you are not on it.

I respected your wish to be removed (even though it was one of your readers that nominated you, not me).

I suppose it was the comment 'I rather have people come because they searched onto it or directed from one of my internet "friends."' that grabbed my attention. I know you are not a traffic fiend but I think you would have found that you might have gathered some new regular readers with whom you would have clicked. I am refraining from believeing you believe that because someone finds you through me means they are bad and you don't like them by association.

The choice was yours and it was respected but I felt I should speak up because your post painted reasons for this which were as far away from fact as they could be. I know, I was the one who did it and I know full well why I did it.

As an aside I got over 300 thank you letters from bloggers who found there comments sections were filling up with new people. 70% of those thank you notes were from female asian bloggers from 17 to over 60. None of whom, I think, considered traffic from me to be full of predators or white supremists.

:)