To-morrow, and to-morrow, and to-morrow,
Creeps in this petty pace from day to day,
To the last syllable of recorded time;
And all our yesterdays have lighted fools
The way to dusty death. Out, out, brief candle!
Life's but a walking shadow; a poor player,
That struts and frets his hour upon the stage,
And then is heard no more: it is a tale
Told by an idiot, full of sound and fury,
Signifying nothing.
--From Macbeth (V, v, 19)
There is much gnashing of teeth these days over the linking 'policy' of Tomorrow.sg. The indignant bash the editors for being rude in not asking for permission to link to blogs, the inured post an image declaring themselves off-limits to Tomorrow.sg, and the defenders blast all and sundry for being clueless to the ways of the internet.
Who is right? Who's wrong?
Frankly, I think the idea of asking permission before linking to be utter rubbish. It's not about nettiquette or blogiquette or David Arquette. Public posts, public domain, freedom to share. Those claiming copyright or ownership are rather misplaced in their anger, a link and brief quote neither violates copyright nor infringes upon ownership. But I'll leave those arguments for those better qualified to quote from relevant statutes.
That said, why does Tomorrow.sg incur such negative vibes from various corners? Some I can dismiss, others not so much. A real life friend got linked once, and though he was not keen on the attention and would have preferred not to have been linked, he, like me, believed fundamentally that our blogs, once in public domain, are free to be linked. But something sits funny nonetheless.
So why the discomfort? Why should Tomorrow.sg be subject to OB markers? Bloggers put up 'Tomorrow not free lah' images, but not for other blogs or aggregators and such. What is driving this anti-Tomorrow.sg sentiment?
Some have pointed to the attitudes and behaviours of the editors, and while I think some could do with a quick course in PR, I believe there is something larger at work.
One thing that we cannot change is how small Singapore is. Someone invariably knows another, who is the cousin twice removed who frequents the same gym or shares the same piano teacher or shops at the same NTUC outlet. For many, publicity within the Singapore community is a negative, not necessarily because of the content of one's blog, but rather born of a desire not to be the fodder for talk and gossip amongst people that they may know. Coupled with the local press' recent penchance for writing about blogs, there is a risk of being found out in a big way.
Some have used the analogy that blogging is like walking around in the public naked, attention is inevitable and cries for privacy are misguided. I quite disagree. Blogs like Xiaxue's or SPG's are about walking around naked. But most bloggers are just people walking along the street or sitting at an outdoor cafe. Their presence in the public is not necessarily an invitation to be made into a focus of attention.
One of the beauties of blogging is the sheer variety of blogs out there, be they personal, political, linkdumps, tech-oriented, group blogs, fiction, etc. But increasingly the attention and pressure coming from Tomorrow.sg is squeezing out bloggers who are less inclined to sit in the spotlight, usually those who write with a more personal bent. Posts are locked, entire blogs taken down (sometimes moved and a pseudonym adopted), or self-censorship exercised. The result may be a sphere that better understands the 'dangers' of blogging in public (do not bare if you cannot stand the heat), but I don't think it's a richer one.
There'll always be an element of exhibitionism/voyeurism in blogging, but it's not all or nothing. There are degrees to this, some enjoy being in flagrante delicto, others prefer a niche audience. There is no one way to do things, and running an aggregator in a limited social environment like Singapore does impose certain strictures whether one likes it or not.
If I had to choose between the success of Tomorrow.sg and the success of a vibrant, open Singaporean 'blogosphere' - I will have to opt for the latter.
