Kamangir (Archer)

Iranian Blogosphere, The New Era Begins

Kamangir | August 16, 2007 | Category Iran

Last year these days, balatarin.com surfaced. Balatarin, means “the highest” in Persian, is a Digg-style Persian link-list in which users post links and vote for them. When Balatarin started its operation, the Iranian blogosphere was dominated by the semi-democratic Sobhaneh.com (see Democracy vs. Oligarchy in Iranian Blogsphere, or Balatarin vs. Sobhaneh). Balatarin has long passed Sobhaneh in terms of hit and influence (Alexa). This is not a competition between two websites, to my understanding. This is the rise of the Iranian blogosphere against the old order, and the establishment of democracy. I do not hide it, I am VERY excited about all this.

Balatarin has proved its power in postponing a stoning (1-0 for us, Or Viva Iranian Citizen Journalism) and denouncing Police brutality and carrying the message to the media (Iranian Bloggers Raid against Police Brutality), only as two examples. We are not the best (Viva Yellow-Blogging, Or Democracy Takes Off) but we are going ahead at full-speed (Balatarin Goes Higher).

When DW-World held its Best of the Blogs (BOB) contest last year, the Iranian blogosphere burst into protests against the top referee of the contest, who was no one but Hossein Derakhshan (Hoder). On October 24th, Hoder admitted on his blog that “All of [the finalists] … are selected based on my suggestion.” One of the finalists was Nikahang Kowsar. He wrote (Persian),

Please delete my name. I don’t find this contest rational. With all respect to all the people who have voted, the referee must be legitimate, but is not.

For more information read A Contest Held and Lost by DW-World. This year, DW has picked Masih Alinejad, a prominent journalist and a respectable person in the Iranian blogosphere (her Persian blog), to referee the competition.

Does this all mean anything but a totally new era in the Iranian blogosphere?