October 6, 2006
Blog not gone
Well that was a nasty shock.
My Bloglines feed reader showed a new post from Carpe Diem Ethiopia headlined Blog Away that seemed to end with a valedictory list of thank-yous to peole who had linked to him in the past. At first sight it looked like Ersasu was signing off for good.
Then I actually read it. Instead it was a passionate explanation of why and how he writes online - and why and how he will continue to write online. It turns out that blogging is often a communal activity in the Carpe Diem camp.
...I have always believed opining about Ethiopian politics comes with tremendous responsibility. Concern about having to eat my words figures in every posting and I know several bloggers feel that way. To the extent possible, I make use of the bright talent Ethiopia has produced—close friends and family members who carefully vet every posting on Carpe Diem Ethiopia. Ergo the pronouns “we” and “us” in several of “our” postings.
Carpe Diem is not the only one to use this communal approach. I know of a handful of other Ethiopian blogs that, at first glance, look like they are written by an individual but actually turn out to be the work of many minds. I haven't seen it happen anywhere else. Maybe its a unique feature of the Ethiopian blogosphere.
If this communal approach really does stop you writing posts that you regret a few days down the line, then it is an approach that is worth copying.
Posted by aheavens at October 6, 2006 5:38 AM
Comments
Andrew,
Thank you for bringing such an important matter up for discussion to your blog. As you correctly stated in your last post titled "Blog not gone" and from my experiences in being on US business and political blog sites,I also agree that Ethiopias "communal approach" is a unique feature of the Ethiopian blogosphere.
In my view bloggers like http://carpediemethiopia.blogspot.com/ are here today becasue of Meles's disdain for the free press and the truth. For the last 5 years Meles and his ETC henchmen have been preaching to the Ethiopian people that High Speed Internet was just around the corner,but what do we hear instead year after year for the last 5 years? "oh,we are still studying the best way forward bla bla bla" BS. That excuse is almost as good as when they passed a law stating that the citizens of Ethiopia have the right to start radio & TV stations. Where are we on that issue after that law pased 6 or 7 years ago?"oh, we are still studying the best way forward to grant licenses bla bla bla" BS.(Please do not insult our intelligence by showing us Mimi Sibhatu and her husband as independent radio station owners)
Meles's actions shows us that he and his henchmen are scared to death of the internet and the free press. If he was not so scared of the internet then how come countries like Rwanda and other smaller and poorer countries in Africa have High Speed Internet and Ethiopia does not?
As my favorite blogger CarpDiem states "We need more blogs; each blog that has appeared in the past year has offered a new perspective; an idea we hadn’t explored, a corner we never turned, and an angle we missed"
As long as Meles and his henchmen keep trying to keep the truth and information out of Ethiopia and away from the Ethiopian people,all of us in our own unique " communal approach" should help Ethiopian blogs.
SODO
Posted by: SODO at October 8, 2006 6:45 PM
I didn't get the last line at all.
Posted by: abera at October 8, 2006 10:38 PM
Sorry for not being clear abera. In Ersasu's post, he said he often got his posts vetted by friends and family because he never wanted to write something that he would later regret. (As one of his friends asked him “how can I recall my bullets once I fire them?”) Presumably his friends would be able to put him right before he fired the bullet or pressed the 'publish' button.
In the past I have written things I later regretted. So I was just wondering aloud whether I should try the same approach.
Posted by: abera at October 9, 2006 5:03 AM
Yes andrew but I took from ersasu that if you have to eat your words you have to do so.very mature approach.I guess different strokes for different folks.
Posted by: sentaY at October 9, 2006 1:45 PM
One thing that comes across when you read the blogs of Carpe Diem Ethiopia is that he is a genuinely nice guy. He mixes personal stories and anecdotes that humanize people on both sides of the isle. Unlike most of the Ethio political blogs such as weichegud and Ethio pundit that are clearly narcissi and over the top, Carpe Diem usually expresses the hopes, aspirations and disappointments of the current events with great care and measured tone. That is sorely needed and greatly appreciated as was apparent in the feedback he received in the earlier blogs. His tone has changed somewhat in his latter posts. He is entitled to express his point of view in any way, but then he may end up loosing what made him unique.
Posted by: z tawek at October 9, 2006 6:05 PM