Blogging in the middle of the East

As pointed by some Omani bloggers, blogging in the Gulf places, is a sort of grey area, because there are no specific laws on the issue .
So rules and regulations on media, are generally applied to blogs, forums and social networks .
But also in this case, it is not known how laws and the way they are applied, put limits to writings .
So up to now, individuals mostly rely on common sense .

Arab people are very introspective and good in telling stories, which is why the first blogs started, were about personal life .
When people realized about the potential of the internet allowing a rapid spread, and also due to the fact that serious discussions already took place in forums, they tried to optimize the process through blogs .
I am speaking about articles mainly written in Arabic .
After bloggers understood the importance to have an interlocutor, namely the US dept. and the American people in general, they increased their English production, which was not that difficult, as most students nowadays go to private schools where they are taught in that language .
This raised also a tendency towards Saudis in particular, for the American government to be the bloggers ghost ally .
Countries like Kuwait, Saudi Arabia and Bahrain, being the most loyal friend of theirs, had most of the support from US dept .
In a way, the main reason why the spring did not take place there, is precisely this : Americans, through their backing, make activists believe that, despite being governmental boosters, are also vouching for civil liberties .
So this keeps things quiet .
Many popular bloggers who expressed apparent dissent, later migrated in North America and are working as journalists or opinion makers .
The rest of them, often are paid a trip in the region or to America to confront themselves with other bloggers and if they have some complaint, they are backed by the department .

The main topics dealt with in blogs, were social and political as writers were local .
In Oman, where certain topics are sensitive, tribal customs and abuse of Islamic laws are also a matter of great interest .
Also expats are given great space in the English blogosphere, as they introduce the Arab world in the West, with its pros and cons .
Sometimes they fall into disputes with locals, because constructive criticism of local customs, is not yet belonging to Arab mentality .
Nevertheless they give a precious insight both for educated nationals and those from abroad interested in the region .