Google finally got the Blogger through and now the Chinese will have access to Google’s Blogger. Chinese Googlites will also have access to the cached web pages from Google’s search engine.
This is a major move for Google efforts in China but how far searchers and bloggers will be allowed to go remains to be seen. The Chinese government made a concerted effort block a lot of external traffic, including Blogger back in 2002. Considering the variety of content conceivable on Blogger, one can only assume they will be watching Blogger very closely in the coming months.
The reasoning behind the three-year ban on Blogger remains a little unclear as InfoWorld points out Six Apart’s Typepad service and several Chinese blog services have done well. One thing is certain, the efforts of Dr. Kai Fu Lee are being realized fairly quickly.
Google’s China initiative has been growing mainly because of Lee’s efforts, particularly in hiring for the new R&D division. While the Lee issue with Microsoft waits to be settled, Lee was allowed to work in some capacities for Google. How big a part Lee played in the Blogger case remains unclear but it’s fairly certain he played some part.
Google’s also had some other recent Chinese problems regarding Google Maps and Taiwan. The Chinese government continues Taiwan a rogue state and part of the People’s Republic of China and Google labeled them as part of the mainland Chinese political state. The Taiwanese gave Google and earful and Google changed how Taiwan was listed in their Maps tool.
Regardless, the Blogger move is good news for the blogosphere. The big question becomes how much of the content will the Chinese government require to be censored to maintain Blogger in China.
John Stith is a staff writer for Murdok covering technology and business.
