T-Salon

Adam Morris: "Does anyone bother with Living in China anymore?"

Here are some comments on Adam's post that I find resonance in.

Peking Duck: "it used to be I'd go there every few minutes. But it's a cluttered, directionless mess. It needs a major facelift and overhaul."

He continues on his blog:
"go take a look at the aggregator and you'll see it's cluttered with a lot of crap. Now, that is a terribly subjective judgement, but somebody's got to say it. By becoming a clearinghouse for every blog in the region that wants in, it has become something of a cesspool. (I know that's strong language, but it's exactly what I was thinking last night, as I saw there were about 20 posts in a row by a new blogger, each of zero interest or relevance to the LIC readers.)"

(I don't want to say what I saw on the aggregator as a clutter of crap or mess. But it just so happens that the posts I saw at that moment weren't particularly of interested to me. I guess that's the corrollary of being all-inclusive - society is made up of diverse views and interests; it is unnatural if everyone has similar interests.)

Joesph Bosco, talking back to the Peking Duck:"Also, I'm not sure how a process of choosing which posts are appropriate for the aggregator on any given day would work. That sounds a whole lot like what an editorial staff of a magazine does, and it ain't easy, I've been there."

And Richard replies: "All I know is it was absolutely great for a while, and then it got more and more diluted. As cruel as it sounds, maybe there needs to be a screening process for blogs to be included, or a committee that chooses the blogs for invitation-only participation. If they decide some blogs like my own aren't relevant enough, so be it. But something has got to be down before it collapses under its own weight and drowns in its identitylessness (new word)."


Jeremy of Danwei.org: "When Living in China started, it was focused. It was the only meeting point for anyone interested in English language blogs about China.

Furthermore, it was only a meeting point for China blog people. It wasn't linked to Living in Moldania and it wasn't part of some faceless network of blogbots.

There was a team of people who put energy into making Living in China. They were very friendly and social and wrote personal emails to people who got involved.

Now Living in China is an automaton, the HAL 9000 of the China bloggers. Design and technical changes happen without notice or explanation. It is recycling the same series of photographs again and again. The aggregator, which is its best function, changes format. Nobody is putting any love into it.

I am sure there are many people who would contribute to a community blog site. But not when the the thing changes all the time, often without any explanation or warning."

John of Sinosplice: "Ouch, you finally said what everyone's been thinking for a while now." And on a seperate comment:"I can't bring myself to read many blogs anymore. This is one of the few blogs I read written by someone I don't personally know.But I do think Living in China could be saved. And I admire Phil's dedication."

I too, admire Phil's dedication and also Michael, Edward, Brad as well as so many others who I can't name for putting in the time (often nights with little sleep) and even money to make this public space available.


Mark of Single Planet: "I would hope that in years to come, we will be able to look back on our blogs to remind ourselves, and our children, of what life was like in China (or London or New York) in the early 21st Century, but I believe that many blogs will be lost forever. Servers around the planet will quickly become repositories for short snapshots of peoples' lives or interests, like online junkyards. As the number of moribund blogs grows, there is a high likelihood that the free blog hosters will require payment to store them: consequently, many will disappear." Mark's post also contains an excellent analysis of blogging.

Phil Sen, editor of LiC: "Living in China is new. It's different. It's not always going to meet everyone's expectations. The important thing is that people have to work at it to keep it going.

I'm guilty of not always putting the hours in - especially when you look at the dedication of Michael Darragh and Brad Ferguson who have not just put in time but money too.

It's kind of sad that people are so ready to sling the mud but not to paint the wall. LiC can be great again if people can set aside personal vanities and scores and help the whole thing out. In a way it is a poisoned chalice - a site that aims to bring together bloggers doesn't necessarily appeal to the vanity that drives them (myself included).

So what do you say?

Like anything it needs time and effort from everyone concerned - and most of all that includes the people that criticise."

Yes, I do want to see it come back to its vibrant life again as in the "old days". In fact, I will soon be posting a piece there soon. So stay tuned.

Phil Sen has a complete collection of comments, suggestions and criticisms that have been made over the last few weeks on Living in China. He is also "trying to figure out the best directions for Living in China." Good stuff!