英語暢談中國文化50主題--39:博客熱

Have you ever heard of Xu Jinglei? She is a movie star and her blogs are very popular. Yes. Her blogs received 10 million hits in less than four months. Actually, her blogs are boring. People like her because she is candid and doesn’t have the pretentiousness that is typical of many other actresses. People are tired of the entertainers who rely on seductive and absurd content to attract eyeballs. I much prefer another blogger. Her name is Hong Huang, a woman in her 40’s. She does not have the pretty looks of a movie star but she is extremely intelligent. She studied in the US when she was only 12, so there is a strong Western influence in her articles. Although she talks a lot about herself, she is able to reflect on some of the social issues, which give her blogs a broader view. She is knowledgeable, unpretentious and has a sense of humor and her articles are always short and to-the-point, which makes them very easy to read on the computer screen. But, she doesn’t receive as many hits as Xu Jinglei. Is it because she’s not as pretty? That definitely is a reason. Another reason is that she is not a movie star. People who read Hong Huang tend to be more reasonable, thoughtful and mature. Are more and more movie stars running their own blogs as a result of Xu’s success? Yes. Many of them have launched their own blogs. They are eager to tell people they can do more things than just being a movie star. In fact, many ordinary people are publishing blogs too. Maybe, this is because there aren’t many other channels for people to express themselves. Originally, blogs were just an additional source of information beside the mainstream media. Now it has become a platform for people to show their personalities. Some Shanghai people are writing blogs in English. Yes. The Shanghai Blogger is probably the most popular. It attracts over a million hits a month. It has very thorough information about the scenic spots, local custom, dining, wining, and transportation in Shanghai. According to the bloggers, writing in English has allowed them to think in different dimensions. The Shanghai Blogger sounds like an interesting place. I’ll check it out. It could be an additional source of income.