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Editorial opinion Forum
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As the space for expression in the real world shrinks, it's time to move to the virtual world. As the real time actors - those who have the capacity to act and express in a massive way - pretend that nothing unusual happened in this country on Nov 3, we too shift attention, albeit with a sense of frustration. While they get busy with expression of another sort, election campaign they call it, we try to figure out what's happening in the world online. We are pleasantly surprised
to find a whole lot of thinking people engaged with each other - on There are creative people of all sorts -- writers, poets, music makers, actors -- trying to reach out to their audience and doing that without much hassle or financial costs involved. In many cases, the unpleasantness that is part and parcel of human interaction is avoidable in this virtual world. It is now possible to go to your favourite star websites and express yourself. Chances are that you will be heard and may even get a response. This is one place where your rights are secure and you need not be in a state of fear. You could stand in a chowk and shout or feel comfortable in the cosy Myspace. The possibilities of speaking as well as listening are endless. And this is a space that no PEMRA ordinance can occupy. Hopefully.
For social and political activists, blogs are a blessing, thanks to their unique features that include relative immunity against state censorships By Shahzada Irfan Ahmed Blog -- a term coined from the phrase 'web log' -- is an online, chronological collection of personal commentary and links. Gaining popularity as a highly effective tool of communication and networking, blogs are easy to create and use from anywhere, with the help of an Internet connection. Lately, mainstream media like the Associated Press and BBC have also tried to report through blogs. Used by all and sundry, blogs have proved extremely instrumental in bringing together like-minded people and promoting their common thought. A major characteristic of blog publishing that makes it popular is the aggregation of information by theme. Normally, the bloggers who have a particular point of view or thematic interest can simply log on to the blog of their interest and read postings that suit themes of their interest. Owing to their unique features -- including relative immunity against state censorships -- blogs are used widely by activists. Just as common people use an SMS to spread a message, the online community uses blogs to perform the same function. At the time when SMSes were sent and exchanged to condemn military action against Lal Masjid or to muster support for the lawyers' movement, bloggers were busy jotting down lines of venom to promote similar thought. The fact that blogs are hyperactive and can link to other websites enhances its scope manifold. If a blogger has read an article on the Internet that he thinks others should read, the blogger can make a comment on the article and link readers directly to it. This allows the blogger and readers to have access to the same materials on the Internet and enter into a discussion about them. Even in cases where the websites carrying anti-state information are blocked, the bloggers paste the 'objectionable' text on their favourite blogsites. This text is easily accessible to all through search engines and without letting the regimes to know that the damage has been done. Unlike SMS, blogs have a global audience; that is why, the topics discussed on typical blogs are of regional or global significance. For example, an article carried by a popular American blogsite -- activism.org -- is being discussed everywhere with great vigour. The article, titled 'No Liberty Without Habeas Corpus', was published originally on website antiwar.com. It discusses a US Supreme Court move in which the court has taken up the issue whether the executive branch can detain people indefinitely merely by declaring them to be suspected terrorists or illegal enemy combatants. Quite ironically, the Pakistani government is seeking approval from the US for its recent acts of imposing emergency in the country and curbing media and individual freedom to succeed in its fight against terrorists. Blogs are interactive, so they allow the readers to make comments as well. Some blogs are open to comment by other users, either the general public, or limited to registered users. Often a blogger will respond in the comments section to comments others have made to a blog post, generating a kind of conversation. It is also a fact that many government officials or soldiers engaged in wars use fake identities to share their bitter experiences on blogsites. The blogosphere is full of personal but anonymous commentaries made by troops deployed in Iraq. Pakistani bloggers have had quite a busy schedule over the last couple of years. Whether it is Baloch nationalist movement, the ongoing operations in the North or the military's involvement in politics, Pakistani blogsites have carried highly critical and unwanted stuff targeted against the state. For this very reason, websites such as Balochwarna.org have been blocked or allegedly attacked by government-sponsored hackers. Bloggers Pakistan, Teeth Maestro, individualland.com etc are some of the Pakistani websites that are attracting maximum traffic nowadays. Bloggers Pakistan carries the most updated posts from popular blogs and gives the subscriber access to the topic of his choice. Similarly, the reportingandwriting.blogspot.com is a blogsite hosted by a Pakistani journalist -- Shahid Shah -- where firebrand activists and journalists can discuss or suggest topics of potential news stories. Blog entries tend to be short, under 500 words or so, and often refer to other web pages or blog entries on other sites. The interlinking, interactivity, structure and tone is quite the opposite of most NGO web sites which lack any mechanism for public feedback, save a general email address. However, there is the downside as well. Because blogs are often produced and maintained by individuals, they can include biased or inaccurate information. Users visiting a blog might see it as factual even if it is baseless. Unlike chat rooms, blogs are unmediated and, therefore, offer a different type of venue for individuals to express themselves and air their opinions, ideas, and attitudes. E-forums, apart from being an opportunity to voice one's opinions and feelings unhindered and to chat and mingle in the virtual world, also attract visitors because of an element of anonymity By Sarah Sikandar All hue and cry about technology usurping the human interaction is challenged by different means of online communication. E-forum is an interactive platform where you can discuss, contradict and argue about political and social issues. It is monitored by a moderator who facilitates the website. When a message is sent, a moderator allows or disallows it to be published. "Living in a society
like ours, where appearances are everything, e-forums provide a good "There are many active forums out there where not only the Pakistanis and the Indians but the entire South Asian diaspora comes together to interact, chat and exchange views," she continues. "The anonymity related to these forums gives people the confidence to say what they really mean instead of voicing the popular public consent. However, one drawback of this kind of forums is that it is hard to question the authorities why they allowed certain posts and censored the others." Sidra, a Masters students in a local college, has a different opinion. According to her, such forums are not scrutinised by rulers and thus give more independence to voice one's opinions. She says that e-forums and groups have both positive and negative aspects. "As a student it saves a lot of hassle. You don't have to write a lot of emails. I think it is the best way of channelising your thought. Also, you get to know what others think of a certain issue that you feel strongly about. It shows what people think at the grass root level." Sidra also believes that such forums can have negative repercussions because "a lot of propaganda initiates from these forums, adding fuel to the fire." "For me these forums are personal because I discuss my own issues, too. The good thing is that you can hide your identity and talk about things you wouldn't to people around you," says 27 years old Amad. "Some people would give you an advice sincerely while there are those who completely screw it." He thinks these platforms have both negative and positive implications. "I am always neutral," he adds. Hina, a moderator of a university forum, says, "A moderator has a lot of responsibility. My first job is to make sure that every one in the forum gets emails as soon as possible. Then I have to see what kind of mails they are getting. I have to be very careful that the users don't get any cheap emails." Amir, an A-level student asserts, "Our parents usually think we are wasting time on the internet. I don't think that at my age the generation of my parents had the exposure we have now. These forums and discussions lend maturity to your thoughts. We are not making any terrorist plots. Whatever can be wrong with people discussing stuff that concerns them? The fun part is, we don't have to disclose our identity." Omar R Quraishi is a journalist based in Karachi. According to him, "Such groups are good and promote the flow and exchange of information. I have no idea if these groups are monitored by the government or not." He believes that these platforms are "quite interesting, especially for someone who likes to observe things. Some can also be good for journalists in that they are essentially debating topical issues."
YouTube Once Cliff Stoll, a
Berkeley astronomer said, "Spending an evening on the World Wide Web is
much "For me, YouTube is like an addiction. I can surf it all day long, yet not get bored," says Subhan, a college student. "The most interesting thing about the site is that you can find loads of content in one search and it becomes difficult for you to pick and choose from the given videos," says another student, namely Huma. After the merger with Google Inc in October 2006, it has become easier for users to find videos of their interest online. The Videos section on the search engine usually provides all the YouTube videos, alongwith the videos powered by the Google player. Some videos are available only to users aged 18 or above because of their potentially offensive content. The uploading of pornographic videos is prohibited. Related videos, determined by title and tags, appear onscreen to the right of a given video. Unregistered users can
watch most videos on the site, while registered users are permitted to People often forget that by giving a certain comment they might offend someone else's sentiments. For instance, a certain video clip parodying Amitabh Bachan's KBC is said to have created tension between the Indian and Pakistani youth." One major complaint of the YouTube users is the time a clip takes in buffering up. Initially, the videos could just be viewed and not downloaded. But this year, after a collaboration with Real Player One the videos can be downloaded easily in flv format. -- Naila Inayat Cricinfo The debate on technology in Cricket being more or less is an old one. The use of predictive tools like 'Hawkeye' and 'Snickometre' may turn out to be the next innovations -- improve umpiring decisions; but for cricket lovers, there is no such fear of technology. Since the cricket calendar has become busy, every week a new series/tournament begins to make life difficult for most. Under the circumstances, Cricinfo -- largest cricket-related website -- keeps you up-to-date at all times. It includes news and articles, live scorecards, and a comprehensive database of historical matches and players, from the 18th century to the present. "For me the most exciting feature of Cricinfo is its compartmentalisation -- by countries, regions and cricket in terms of national, international and domestic fixtures," opines Shaiza, a crazy fan of the game. Cricinfo contains various
regulars such as 'Ask Steven', 'The Numbers Game', 'Rewind to...', 'The Of all the columns and features the most famous amongt the visitors is 'Cricinfo Extra Cover' where a pool of former and current cricketers like Ian Chappell, Daryll Cullinan, Tony Greig, Michael Holding, David Lloyd, Sanjay Manjrekar, Ramiz Raja, Mark Richardson, Kumar Sangakkara, Ravi Shastri and John Wright share their thoughts (audiovisual and transcripts) on the cricketing issues. This year, Cricinfo introduced the 'Cricinfo Desktop Alerts' through which users can get news, scores and wicket alerts and download them directly to desktop. It's available as a ticker as well as alerts. Besides, Cricinfo Toolbar is a smart little thing which sits on your browser and lets you access your favourite sections on the site through just one click. Be it latest news, photos, live scores or other loads of stuff - it's all just a click away. Cricinfo also carries online 'The Wisden Cricketer', a monthly cricket magazine known as The Cricketer magazine and Wisden Cricket Monthly. -- N.I. Chowk In recent years, a lot of hoopla has been raised about the electronic media revolution that has been largely around the plethora of local cable/satellite television channels. They have been regarded as bringing about a revolution in freedom of expression and opinion. However, the real voice -- or rather, in this case, the typed words -- of the people is to be found on Chowk. This digital platform has emerged since 1997 as a virtual platform for the denizens of Pakistan, India and other Asian countries who have a bone to pick with the system and powers that be. Since this site's creation, the major span of the period has witnessed Pakistan under a military rule, and so a lot has been said and commented upon by regular notable contributers such as Dr Pervez Hoodbhoy, Nadeem Farooq Paracha, Khalid Sohail and Beena Sarwar. Their columns having titles such as 'Particle Politics', 'Cafe Black' and 'Mind Space' have also discussed at length a diverse set of topics. Issues such as religious fundamentalism and popular media -- usually packaged in NFP's trademark tongue-in-cheek style -- as well as scientific education, psychoanalysis of suppressed emotions, exploration of identity crises and social dilemmas are routinely touched upon. Chowk also features several sections such as 'Unplugged' that has forums in which anyone can post reviews of books, music and movies or express their opinions on anything under the sun in "off-the-wall" - as long as it's within Chowk's guidelines. The postings astomishingly run into hundreds of thousands. Regular Chowk frequenters or 'Chowkies' such as neembu and thinkingstorm dish out doses of opinionated outbursts on themes and figures relating to movies, music literature and history. A section dedicated to fiction has spawned an odd mix of pieces of poetry, social satire, personal angst about mundane experiences and objects such as The Mall road and chocolate. -- Aziz Omar CNN Since 1995, the internet-based presence of the Cable News Network (CNN) has not just served as a window to the world and beyond, but also enabled the viewing public to exchange and express their views and feedback through forums and blogs. Even launched as CNN Interactive, the websites has greatly evolved over the ensuing years, introducing services that have capitalised on the ever-increasing high speeds of end-user internet connections. Such features became apparent most notably with the development and launch of CNN Pipeline, a multimedia content delivery mechanism, in late 2005. Initially, the live video feeds, and on-demand access to CNN stories and news reports was available with a paid subscription. However, since July this year, it has been converted to a free web-based streaming service. During 2006, CNN.com also made it possible to upload and share their self-generated video footage of the events and happenings that affect and shape their lives. CNN Exchange and CNN iReport have triggered the birth of many an amateur journalist and filmmaker. Even our desi folk got in on the act, especially with regards to the events that unfolded post the implementation of 'emergency' in Pakistan. Some of us have found a new and more constructive use of the camera feature on our cell-phones. Footage of events such as protests staged by students of LUMS that could not be captured by mainstream news camera crew, was uploaded on to iReport and got primetime viewing via the satellite channel service. -- A. Omar Orkut Used to interacting via the IRC (Inter relay Chat) MSN Messenger and Yahoo Messenger, internet socialisers were catapulted into a whole new universe of virtual social interaction courtesy Orkut back in the start of 2004. With this website based portal of communication instead of the usual chat client, users could now enhance their individuality with personal text profiles and images wile expanding their 'friends' base. A section of posts or 'scraps' enables the registered users to constantly keep in touch, kind of like an e-mail notice board, while becoming part of dedicated 'communities' opened up the possibility of reaching out to like-minded 'Orkut-ians'. 'Testimonials' allow a member friends to paste special write-ups describing their relationship and perception with him or her. Uptill late 2006, membership in Orkut was only possible through availing an 'invitation' sent by an existing Orkut member. So, although now that anyone with a web connection can start 'orkuting', a number of pitfalls continue to plague the orkut corridors. Fake or cloned registrations perpetuate junk and hate filled messages that lead to full-fledged 'scraping' wars. By creating identical profiles, certain members have been able to get themselves added into the friends' list of their victim's and posted extremely obscene or bizarre scraps. There have also been reports of incidents such as in India, where unsuspecting 'orkuters' have been lured and later murdered. Nonetheless, Orkut has proved to be invaluable, especially for school and college batch mates and friends to stay connected and keep abreast of each others' various experiences that life throws at them. In some cases, the personal page/profile of the tragically deceased members has become a digital final resting place, prompting the visitors to post epitaphs of sorts. -- A.O. Launched around the same time as Orkut, membership in the social networking portal of Facebook was initially available only to university and high-school students through their distinct e-mail addresses. Created by a Harvard student, it was only by late 2006 that anyone above the age of thirteen could get a free membership. This brought about an explosive increase in the user base which now numbers around 57 million. Facebook has rapidly garnered popularity among college students, so much so that according to some studies, interacting through it brings the same level of gratification as real-life social encounters. This is courtesy via features such as The Wall, Gifts, Market Place, Pokes, Applications and Video besides the typical upcoming event and current status info. Facebook members mainly interact via The Wall (similar to Orkut scraps) or personal mails, embellished by the quirky Gifts and Pokes, both icon-based expressions of sentiments. The former actually cost real money, as the sender has to pay $1 for each 'gift' which come in the form of cute images of things such as hearts, teddy bears, ice cream or chocolate etc. This payment-based feature is intended to make the feature more exclusive whereby lending more meaning to the exchange. This method of course also adds to the websites revenue, which along the contribution from adds and banners, run into millions of dollars every week. Nevertheless, 'Facebooking' is becoming considerably more popular than 'orkuting', due to the more attractive and expressive interface and features. Those still on orkut are left wondering where and what their 'friend' is up to after not receiving any receiving any response, only to find out that they can now be found hanging out at the more happening Facebook. -- A.O.
For an industry that thrives on commerce -- at the national as well as international level -- to remain ignorant to the fruits of web is no bliss By Usman Ghafoor Ace ad film maker and music video director Saqib Malik thinks he can do well without it. His younger brother, Adnan Malik -- a model, a documentary film maker and a TV celebrity show host -- is admittedly "considering" the idea. Their common acquaintance and the country's highest-paid actor Shaan has long been "dreaming it", while the lesser Lollywood mortals -- the likes of Momi Rana, Saud, Babar and the entire heroines' lot -- can wait. Last year's winner of the Best Model for the LUX Style Awards, Abdullah hasn't got one either, though he deems it "a must" for aspiring fashion models. They are all talking about 'web' and the fruits of putting "one's portfolio and stuff" (in the words of the prize KR model) online. Or, the lack of it. Top-league fashion designer
-- and a brand name in himself -- Hasan Shehryar Yasin (aka HSY) is Hasan's website (www.hsystudio.com) has also won the designer two major international awards. A revamped version is up already, and a qualified team takes care of it in addition to HSY's personal blog on facebook. But, HSY is an exception in an industry that, in his own words, is "not really web-savvy". Period. "Website is still a niche marketing tool in Pakistan," adds Adnan Malik. A lot of our designers, photographers as well as hair and makeup artists don't have an official website of their own. Nikkie & Nina, for instance, do not. Khawar Riaz or his KR Crew -- or even his much-tomtommed Ocular -- does not. Ather-Shahzad's is under construction. Deepak Perwani's is not updated. Tapu Javeri's is not his official. And, to think that these are the kingmakers of our teenie-weenie showbiz-dom. Likewise for the television moguls most of whom don't have an online presence. Saqib Malik defends himself by announcing, "I am not an actor or a model, an a web page ought to have a face to market itself." HSY disagrees, "Models aren't required to have websites of their own. It's the agencies they represent that should do the job. "Have you ever seen a Naomi Campbell site?" he asks. By that very dictum, supermodels Iman Ali, ZQ, Vinnie, and Mehreen Syed can escape the blame (of not being web savvy). In Mar 2004, Meera famously launched her official website (www.meeraonline.net) in a crowded press-meet at her posh residence in DHA, before heading off to Mumbai to shoot her first Bollywood venture, Nazar. Over three years later, her most 'ambitious' project -- what she had flaunted as "the first of its kind for a Lollywood girl!" -- is a picture of neglect and datedness. The creator of her website, Dr Saqib has a point: "Unfortunately, our film stars don't understand the potential of having a website. They are confined within their small, little shells. They don't realise that if they want to market themselves well, they must think out of the box," he tells TNS. Medical doctor turned IT expert who now heads a media acquisition company, Dr Saqib is, perhaps, the only person who was ever approached by a film actor or producer in the country to create websites for them. Rashid Khawaja brought him in at the time when he was making Salakhain. Soon, Saqib was doing the official site for the film as well as for its lead actors Veena Malik and Ahmed Butt. His next few all went off air, barring mohabbataansachiyaan.com. The TVwallahs are no different. Humayun Saeed -- easily the biggest 'showman' of the small screen -- boasts no website on himself or his production house, 7th Sky. Doesn't that mean losing out on a potential market internationally? According to Sahira Kazmi, "Yes, we do suffer on that account. "Quite frankly, we don't have a culture of keeping our records," she says, talking to TNS. "Ok, it's about self projection, but I honestly feel the new generations should know what their elders have done or haven't done. It would be wonderful if we could promote our work and generate funds thereof." Interestingly, our pop stars take the lead, when it comes to reaping the benefits of internet. According to an estimate, alizafar.net is one star site that receives the greatest number of hits every day. Ditto for Atif Aslam's h3o.info, Strings' stringsonline.net and Faakhir's faakhir.com.pk. No wonder, most emerging bands have created their websites before they even cut an album. Raeth's is one prominent case in point. Like the rest of them, Ali Zafar has a small but full-time team that looks after his website. The prince of pop also occasionally posts his blogs. "I'd even upload an unfinished melody, just to test my fans' reaction," he reveals to TNS. While most of our showbiz celebrities are yet to wake up to the web phenomenon, it is unlikely that they can stay oblivious in the future and also put themselves on the map. As Adnan Malik puts it, "There are sites such as MySpace that lend themselves more organically to career building. They're just set up that way, and a lot of people I know are using them as a tool to create awareness for their respective talents, whether it's in film, writing, or music. "I also plan to have a website soon where I shall upload my documentaries. It's phenomenal in that way!" The young girls in the conservative, socially backward Kech district rediscover the joys of the virtual world By Aoun Sahi "It was in 2006 when I
first heard about computer from my brother," says Shahnaz Javed, an 18 Internet has opened up a whole new world to her. "Surfing on the net is the best thing I've discovered about computers," she gushes. 17-year-old Malika's case is different. She is not new to computers. "I've a PC at home and a working knowledge of the machine," she tells TNS. Before joining the institution, she would only use Paintbrush, but "now I have a good understanding of Word, Excel and even Powerpoint." According to her, there are many IT centres in Turbat city but CTC attracts youth the most. The youth of the area is finally experiencing the joys of computer and internet, and looking closely around one can say that this 'wave' is apt to sweep the more remote and conservative adjoining areas. Kech is a huge district with over 22,500 sq kilometre of area and a population of around 0.5 million. It is situated on the Iran-Pakistan border and among the most backward of places in the country. According to Durjan Gichki, a computer trainer at CTC, the girls of the area are showing a great interest in learning computer skills. The course outlines include an introduction to computer, Windows XP operating system, Word processing and Word, spreadsheets and Excel, presentations and PowerPoint, using the internet and World Wide Web and using e-mail in outlook. Durjan says that around 150 girls have been trained at the centre so far and many of them have got jobs, too. "They are now earning members of their families and also setting an example for others to allow their daughters and sisters to educate themselves." Durjan goes on to relate how he would visit the parents of individual girls and try to convince them of the training courses. This was two years back, when the programme was started. Mercifully, times have changed now, for the better."
Today, a youth who doesn't read the newspaper would go to a blog, for it's about one normal Pakistani speaking to another, and it's honest By Ali Sultan Sadaf Hussain is what one might call an open book -- almost. She usually comes home tired. After a gruelling eight-hour job which mostly includes teaching O-Level students a thing or two about Physics laws, checking heaps of homework and giving tuitions on the weekends, no one expects her to return home and do anything more than watch mindless television, have dinner and go to bed. What most people don't know
is that when Sadaf comes back home, she grabs a cup of coffee and Sadaf is an anonymous blogger. Blogging, according to Wired (a highly influential tech magazine which reports on how technology affects culture, the economy, and politics), is perhaps the most significant technology of documenting the human experience since the dicovery of paper. The numbers seem to prove this. There are 112.8 million active blogs at the moment and rising. "What makes blogging important? You ask," says Imran who started blogging back in 1999 (Blogging started in 1994). "It's become increasingly complicated now but the basic idea, as it was with the internet was primarily to share information." The modern blog evolved from the online diary, where people would keep a running account of their personal lives. The formation of diary hosting websites such as 'Xanga', 'Open Diary', and 'LiveJournal' caused an explosive proliferation of online diaries and journals. Today, interactive online diaries, online journals, personal blogs and group blogs are integrated into the daily lives of many teenagers and college students. "The attraction of the blog for me has always been that it's personal yet it's interactive," says Javeria, a student. "I remember a time when I was going through a serious bout of depression. I was writing constantly about all these mixed feelings, very personal feelings, about what I was going through. I received dozens of messages from other bloggers who had gone through the same thing, that helped me immensely. I wouldn't have known that so many have experienced the same thing if I was writing this in a diary." For Ali Rehman, a banker by profession, blogging paved for an alternative career. "I always wanted to write fiction," he says. "But I never had the confidence that others would like what I wanted to write and there were no local fiction magazines I could write for." That all changed when Rehman discovered a group blog deidcated to people who wanted to write fiction. "It was amazing! The first story I posted there only got three responses but they changed my life." An editor of an American literary magazine saw one of his stories on the blog and published it. "Blogging is a whole new medium of getting published and I am a success story," says a smiling Ali Rehman. "Blogging has become a huge melting pot of sorts," says Ambreen Javed who teaches a theoretical course of media communication through the internet at a local arts college. "It's changed the way new artists can interact with each other and their potential viewers. Now a musician can add podcasts of a latest song or even release a whole album or a painter or photographer can host an exhibition of their latest work right on their blogs." But the way blogging has made inroads into the internet-savvy Pakistani society is not only restricted to personal rants and the arts. It has become 'the' medium for citizen journalism. When the emergency was imposed on Nov 3 and all electronic media was taken off air, blog sites became the prime source of the latest news. "Suddenly, things exploded," says Saeed (not his real name) who runs a political blog. "There was a time when there were probably three regular visitors to the blog, after the emergency the turnout exploded, people wanted to voice their opinions, they wanted the news they weren't getting and it's a fact that the bloggers' community stood up and delivered." Asim Shah, a student of Political Science, says, "It's interesting that blogging has given life to a new kind of political awarness in people. A teenager who doesn't read the newspaper does read a blog. I think the prime reason is that at the end of it it's one normal Pakistani speaking to another. I call it a true kind of awareness because it's honest."
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blogs, discussion forums, sometimes running full-fledged activism campaigns.
opportunity to voice your opinions and feelings without being chided for your
'scandalous' thoughts," asserts 25 years old Bushra.
like sitting down to a dinner of Cheetos. Two hours later, your fingers are
yellow and you're no longer hungry, but you haven't been nourished." The
same is true for YouTube, a video sharing website where users can upload,
view and share video clips. Created in mid-Feb 2005 by former PayPal
employees, the San Bruno, California based service uses Macromedia Adobe
Flash to display a wide variety of video content, including movie clips, TV
clips and music videos, sports clips, interviews as well as amateur content
such as videoblogging and short original videos.
upload an unlimited number of videos. In fact, the registered users can also
post responses and subscribe to content feeds. "I enjoy this feature the
most because we can comment on the videos candidly," says Ahmer, a
regular visitor on the site. Interestingly, often these 'comments' lead to
big brawls between the users.
Week that Was', 'The List', 'Cricinfo XI' and 'The Lowdown'. The blogs
written by the editors of the website include World Cup Monitor, The Surfer,
Pak Spin, Beyond the Test World, Tour Diaries, What's New and Blogs Homepage.
quick to extol the virtues of having an official website: "You get to
advertise your work on a global level," he declares, talking to TNS.
"Internet comes in handy, otherwise jungle mein mor naacha, kis ney
dekha!"
years old student at a Computer Training Centre in Turbat city of Kech
district in Balochistan. Shahnaz is one of the girl students learning basic
computer skills at the Centre operated by National Commission for Human
Development (NCHD) with the help of the district government. She has been at
the Centre for the past three months and so far she has successfully learnt
how to manage files and folders, softwares such as Word, editing and
formatting worksheets, basic calculations and internet surfing. "I have
my own email account now," she says, with a bright smile that reaches
her eyes.
writes. She writes poetry, she writes about what p-----d her off on Saturday
night, how her sister-in-law makes her blood boil, she writes what she learnt
that day and how she can control her anger better. These days she writes how
saddened she feels of what things have come to.