RSF’s Official: Handbook for Bloggers and Cyberdissidents

Today, Reporters Without Borders (RSF) officially released the handbook for bloggers and cyber-dissidents. Global Voices Online (GVO) was given a sneak peek at the handbook before the official release. Jeff Ooi and Mack were the first to report on this.

As what the banner tells, from creating your own blog to remain anonymous and get round censorship, its all in there, free of charge, much to the delight of newbies or bloggers like me who are always sniffing for a proper handbook on blogging. It’s simple, easy to understand and of course, the message is clear enough for one’s optimize digestion.

Admittedly, this handbook excites me as it comes out so much timely, moreover to the latest mishap over the Malaysia’s blogosphere due to a very ungrateful bugger who tried to diminish bloggers reputation, which were reported here, here and here. I would like to quote what Julien Pain, Head of the Internet Freedom desk at RSF said on the topic Bloggers, the new heralds of free expression.

Bloggers need to be anonymous when they are putting out information that risks their safety. The cyber-police are watching and have become expert at tracking down “troublemakers.”

While we Malaysians in general still enjoy the very least of freedom of expression on internet, let’s not spoilt the credibility of the growing blogosphere, much to satisfy one’s own agenda. The cyber-police are everywhere monitoring the blogosphere activities, which eventually will track down the one with malicious intention.

And not long ago, due to the very much strong urge beneath myself and some invaluable advice from Mack, I came out with an entry which talks about Ethical Consideration,

Now, I would like to call upon bloggers to spend time on going through this latest gift to bloggers, if you believe in the proper context of a knowledge-based societey. Quote Jeff Ooi:

They give a context to what blogging is all about if we meant it as a stretegic tool to institute change for the better in the way we think in the knowledge-based society. Civility and social responsibility are not a void.

I’ve decided to host the PDF file here. Online sitemap of the handbook can be viewed here.

This morning, I was asking for the consent of Rebecca MacKinnon from GVO to host the file and she was clearly delight on this. Thank you for putting me on the RSF subscribers list too.