L’Histoire d’AsiaBlogging
Once Bandung, West Java, Indonesia, was named as The City of Asia-Africa Spirit. In 1955, the spirit was freedom and democracy for the nations; in 2006, the topic was democracy in information, people journalism, and Web 2.0, for Asian people – the new emerging forces in IT world.
The idea was ignited in a Starbucks café at Cihampelas Walk with its impressive view, after a collaborated training of blogging in Sabuga valley, Bandung, December 2006.
Four bloggers discussed what could explored on blogging world –how to attract the society to be more actively blogging, how to make blogging more life-enhancing, how to make blogging become more closer to our life, how to make blogs could be a kind of alternative readings for community, etc– :
Budi Putra, a journalist of an admired media in Indonesia, Ikhlasul Amal, an IT worker who cares much of SME, Kuncoro Wastuwibowo, a worker in telecommunications industry, and Rendy Maulana, a postgrad student in business who grows his own web hosting business.
The discussion continued on dinnertime to midnight at another café: Dakken. Then it seems to be unstoppable. Some other aspects are discussed via mail list and café sessions the following months. Meanwhile, Budi Putra dropped his status as a journalist, and declaring his intention to be a professional blogger.
Another discussion (in the same Starbucks café) on March 2007 finalised the form of the business: a series of various blogs, grouped with a unique name: AsiaBlogging. Some other IT-aware writers were involved lately: Harry Sufehmi and Firman Firdaus. And then a gifted web designer from the Art and Culture City of Yogyakarta: Thomas Arie Setiawan, who provided us the excellent coding and modification of our lovely WordPress blogging platform.
Now you can see the first phase of the project: The Asia Blogging, located at http://asiablogging.com. At the beginning, we launch more than 70 blogs, written in both English and Bahasa Indonesia (depends on their own topics)
Tens of Indonesian writers blogged here with passion.
The next phase, we will invite bloggers from other countries, especially from Asia as well as bloggers or writers who concerned about Asia, to be our permanent and guest bloggers.
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Our Snapshots
Kuncoro, Rendy & Ikhlasul: The Three Musketeers?
(Photo credit: Lathifah Arief)
Harry Sufehmi
(Photo credit: Ikhlasul Amal)
Budi Putra
(Photo credit: Ikhlasul Amal)
Kuncoro
(Photo credit: Ikhlasul Amal)
