somewhereinblog.net
{{Short description|Bengali blogging web site}}
{{Infobox website
| name = Somewhere in... blog
| logo =
Somewhere in blog logo.png
| url = {{URL|somewhereinblog.net}}
| screenshot = Screenshot of homepage of somewhereinblog.net taken in December 19, 2014.jpg
| commercial = Yes
| type = Blog
| registration = Optional
| programming_language =
| owner = somewherein.net limited
| author =
| area_served = Bengali community worldwide
}}
Somewhere in... blog (also known as Samu) is a Bengali blogging website. বাঁধ ভাঙার আওয়াজ or Voice of breaking obstacle is the slogan of the blog. It is the first{{cite web |url=http://www.dw.de/bangladesh-gags-award-winning-blogger/a-16697713 |title=Bangladesh gags award-winning blogger |last=Islam |first=Arafatul |publisher=Deutsche Welle |date=2013-03-25 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141109235511/http://www.dw.de/bangladesh-gags-award-winning-blogger/a-16697713 |archive-date=2014-11-09 |access-date=2014-12-19}} public blogging site in Bengali established in 2005{{cite news |last=Ali |first=Idrees |url=https://www.voanews.com/a/depsite-growth-of-bangladeshi-bloggers-challenges-to-press-freedom-continue/1966207.html |title=Popular Bangladeshi Bloggers Continue to Face Challenges |work=Voice of America |date=2014-11-17 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150502201446/http://www.voanews.com/content/depsite-growth-of-bangladeshi-bloggers-challenges-to-press-freedom-continue/1966207.html |archive-date=2015-05-02 |access-date=2015-05-04}} and the largest community of Bengali bloggers in the world.{{cite news |last=Nova |first=Tasnuva Amin |url=http://archive.dhakatribune.com/gadgets/2014/jan/25/blogging-bangla-style |title=Blogging, Bangla-style |work=Dhaka Tribune |location=Dhaka |date=2014-01-26 |access-date=2014-12-19}}{{cite news |last=Subramanian |first=Samanth |url=http://www.newyorker.com/magazine/2015/12/21/the-hit-list |title=The Hit List |work=The New Yorker |location=New York City |publisher=Condé Nast |date=2015-12-21 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151214133012/http://www.newyorker.com/magazine/2015/12/21/the-hit-list |archive-date=2015-12-14 |access-date=2015-12-14}} It provides free blog posting for registered users. Registration is optional to read on blogs hosted on the site. Registration is required to post in or to comment on the post. Somewhere in blog was banned for eight months.{{Cite web |date=2019-10-25 |title=Govt unblocks somewhereinblog.net after eight months |url=https://www.dhakatribune.com/bangladesh/government-affairs/2019/10/25/govt-unblocks-somewhereinblog-net-after-eight-months |access-date=2020-07-23 |website=Dhaka Tribune}}
Founders
Syeda Gulshan Ferdous Jana and her husband Arild Klokkerhaug are the founder of the blog. She is the editor of Somewhere in... blog. Site's programmer Hasin Hayder developed a Bengali phonetic keyboard which is the first tool to write in Bengali using an English keyboard. There were over 175 thousands individual registered bloggers with the site as of {{As of|2014|11|alt=November, 2014}} and 250 thousands in 2019.{{Cite web |date=2019-02-27 |title=Bangladesh shuts down popular blogging site in crackdown |url=https://www.arabnews.com/node/1458846/media |access-date=2023-11-04 |website=Arab News |language=en}} The number of active bloggers are over 10,000.{{cite news |last=Ahmed |first=Farid |date=2013-08-15 |script-title=bn:বাংলা ব্লগে রাজনৈতিক ইস্যুর প্রাধান্য |trans-title=Bengali blog dominated by political issues |url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/bengali/news/2013/08/130815_mk_bangla_blog_internet_online_politics_elections |language=bn |work=BBC Bengali |location=Dhaka |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150504172503/http://www.bbc.co.uk/bengali/news/2013/08/130815_mk_bangla_blog_internet_online_politics_elections |archive-date=2015-05-04 |access-date=2014-12-19}}
Activities
Somewherein Blog welcomes articles from a wide variety of topics. From book reviews to fitness to politics to travel to tech to patriotism to traveling. The organisation also have worked actively on the following, amongst many:
- Want trial of war criminals
- Protest for justice of Murder of Sagar Sarowar and Meherun Runi
- Celebration of Bengali Blog Day (19 December){{cite web |url=http://www.ebangladesh.com/2012/01/31/3rd-bangla-blog-day-freedom-in-clicks/ |title=3rd Bangla blog day: freedom in clicks |work=ebangladesh.com |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141219180444/http://www.ebangladesh.com/2012/01/31/3rd-bangla-blog-day-freedom-in-clicks/ |archive-date=2014-12-19 |access-date=2014-12-19}}
Temporary Ban by the Government
The blog gained controversy when Shah Ahmad Shafi, in an open letter, accused it of hosting allegedly anti-Islamic content and called on the government to take action.{{Cite book |url=https://www.amarboi.com/2023/11/blog-post_57.html |title=White Paper: 400 Days of Fundamentalist and Communal Violence of Hafazat-e Islam & Jamat-e Islami |publisher=Public Commission to Investigate Fundamentalist and Communal Terrorism |year=2013 |location=Mohakhali, Dhaka-1212 |page=57 |language=bn |access-date=18 October 2024 |archive-date=9 September 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240909035242/https://www.amarboi.com/2023/11/blog-post_57.html |url-status=live }} Between February 6th and 19th in 2019, the Bangladesh Telecommunication Regulatory Commission (BTRC) took down nearly 20,000 sites in a war against pornography, gambling and other 'obscene contents'.{{Cite web |title=Bangladesh blocks 20,000 websites in anti-porn ‘war’ |url=https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2019/2/19/bangladesh-blocks-20000-websites-in-anti-porn-war |access-date=2023-11-04 |website=Al Jazeera |language=en}} Somewherein Blog was one of the sites in this wholesale blocking.
With over 213,000 registered bloggers at that time, the blog always promoted liberal views. While the platform was listed for blocking for allegedly displaying pornographic content, the post and telecommunications minister also blamed the site for spreading atheism in Bangladesh. "Somewhereinblog was a very controversial platform. Its content was not only anti-government, but also scandalous. They were also responsible for spreading atheism in the country," The-then Minister of Post and Telecommunication, Mustafa Jabbar, told Deutsche Welle. {{Cite web |title=Bangladesh blocks sites in anti-porn crusade – DW – 02/25/2019 |url=https://www.dw.com/en/bangladesh-anti-porn-war-bans-blogs-and-google-books/a-47684058 |access-date=2023-11-04 |website=dw.com |language=en}}
Eventually, after being blocked for over 8 months, the site was 'unblocked' by the authorities in October 2019.{{Cite news |last=Hossain |first=Imran |date=25 Oct 2019 |title=Govt unblocks somewhereinblog.net after eight months |work=Dhaka Tribune |url=https://www.dhakatribune.com/bangladesh/government-affairs/191363/govt-unblocks-somewhereinblog.net-after-eight}}
Moderation
For bloggers of this site, there are four types of moderation status. They are safe, general, watch, and blocked. Moderators of this blog are also known as Modu. Post syndications are fully controlled by Moderators and Administrators.{{cn|date=September 2024}}
See also
References
{{Reflist|2}}
External links
- {{Official website|http://www.somewhereinblog.net}}