“The Chinese blogosphere exploded in size in 2005,” even though censorship measures were already in place - it is estimated that in January 2005, there were half a million Chinese blogs, and in July 2005, 5 million (Anderlini 2005) (35).
In a way, the Chinese blogosphere meant a loss of control; “China’s editors, station directors, and publishers had always acted as cultural “gatekeepers:” deciding who could and couldn’t become known through publication.
In a cultural power-shift, blogging began to show its “potential as a vehicle for alternative journalism” (36).
When Matthew Hurst of Intelliseek Inc./Blogpulse analyzed blog-posting activity within a 24-hour period, he found that Chinese users were three times more active on Microsoft’s MSN Spaces than users from any other country. U.S. users were in second place (Hurst 2006) (35).
AFP. "Blogger leads China to free-thinking revolution." No date. Top International News. 21 Jan 2008 <http://www.everyminutenews.com/headlines.php?id=46>.The first Chinese language blogging tools:
In 2002, Isaac Mao, a “web entrepreneur,” met a Chinese schoolteacher via Blogger.com, and together they wrote one of the earliest Chinese blogs, and then founded CNblog.org.
CNblog.org became a “community of Chinese blog and social software enthusiasts who developed the first Chinese language blogging tools, promoting them among their friends and colleagues (Xiao 2004a)” (35).
CNblog.org became a “community of Chinese blog and social software enthusiasts who developed the first Chinese language blogging tools, promoting them among their friends and colleagues (Xiao 2004a)” (35).
servlet/story/RTGAM.20070110.gtwatchingfang10/BNStory/Technology/?cid=al_gam_nletter_dtechal>.
The first Chinese blog-hosting service:
“Meanwhile, in mid-2002 journalist and web entrepreneur Fang Xingdong set up China’s first blog-hosting service, Blogchina (now Bokee)” (35).
Bokee "is host to about 14 million bloggers, a quarter of the entire Chinese market, and it gains more than 10,000 new bloggers every day. 'Bokee' can [...] be translated as "plentiful guests" or "knowledgeable man."
York, Geoffrey. "Beijing's censors unleash a monster." Globe and Mail 10 Jan. 2007. 21 Jan. 2008 <http://www.theglobeandmail.com/servlet/story/RTGAM.20070110.gtwatchingfang10/BNStory/Technology/?cid=al_gam_nletter_dtechal>.
MacKinnon, Rebecca. “Flatter world and thicker walls? Blogs, censorship and civic discourse in China.” Public Choice 134.1 (2008): 31-46.
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