In recent years, the act of blogging has snowballed into a hugely popular part of the internet, with statistics suggesting that there are currently over 112 million blogs, with the number fast rising.
While there appears to be no aspect of our lives untouched by blogs, for some, voicing their thoughts, opinions and daily activities online can result in serious consequences.
This is particularly the case in the Middle East, and in a high profile case, Saudi blogger Fouad Al Farhan was arrested and held by police for over four months, eventually being released on April 26 this year, for comments he made in his own blog.
A close friend of Al Farhan's spoke to me about how recent events have affected bloggers in Saudi Arabia. Ahmad Al Omran is author of the hugely popular Saudi Jeans blog, covering topics ranging from politics and women's rights, to commentating on the internet as a whole.
The news of Al Farhan's jail sentence was of huge importance to Al Omran, as not only is Al Farhan one of his counterparts in the region's blogging scene, but the pair are also close friends, first meeting through the virtual community known commonly as the 'blogosphere'. Al Farhan was a staunch reader and commenter on Al Omran's blog, while this was reciprocated with Al Omran closely following his friend's blog.
Despite recent developments, Al Omran says he has changed very little about the way in which he blogs.
With his friend serving time over his blog, Al Omran remains defiant, saying "I realise that I have become under increased limelight after Farhan was arrested, but that didn't change the way I blog ... If anything, what happened made me appreciate the value of free speech even more and why it is important to defend this value."
He added, "There are only a few topics that can be considered red line, and even these topics are not untouchable because most of the time it depends how you approach the topic. If you can strike your point from the right angle, you can voice your opinion even if the topic is sensitive."
Despite the huge popularity of his blog, Al Omran didn't have a clear goal in mind at first, and saw it predominantly as a way in which to improve his English. But after a few months he began to take blogging more seriously. The blog is now in its fourth year and shows no sign of waning.
He says, "Over the course of the third and fourth year, the blog has gained much prominence in Saudi Arabia and the region, and the number of readers keeps increasing. The more time you spend in the blogosphere, the more you learn about the medium, the people, and life in general. It has been a great experience so far, and I don't have any plans to quit soon."
An integral feature of any blog is arguably the comments section, allowing readers to post their views on recent blog posts. Surprisingly Al Omran says, unlike many blogs, he opts not to moderate comments, stressing that they are open to everyone, only choosing to omit offensive comments from repeat offenders.
Reactions
He says of the different reactions he receives to his blog, "I get every type of them: fan mail, hate mail, and everything in between. I'm always humbled by the praise I receive from people, and at the same time I try to take their criticism and remarks in consideration. As for the hate mail and the attacking hurtful comments, I simply ignore them. As you spend more time in this, you grow a thicker skin and you try to make the best you can out of everything."
Al Omran frequently receives emails from people living in different parts of the world, thanking him for helping them "expand their horizons" and, as Al Omran puts it, "humanise the mysterious land that is Saudi Arabia".
As for the future of blogging in the region, Al Omran believes it will only continue to grow, with a new generation of diarists willing to take the helm and continue the trend.
"I believe we will see the growth of blogging continue in the region in the coming few years. The new medium is empowering a younger generation of activists to communicate, organise, and participate in the ongoing process of reform. It's debatable what kind of effect and influence these blogs have on the present time but it is only expected that the influence will become larger and more effective as we move on from here."
