Iranian blogs
Encyclopedia
Blog
ging in Iran
operates under special circumstances because the government restricts certain views. Blogs in general tend to be unregulated compared to other forms of expression in Iranian society. This characteristic can account for the huge popularity of blogs especially among Iranian youths. As of October 2005, there are estimated to be about 700,000 Iranian blogs (out of an estimated total of 100 million worldwide, of which about 40,000-110,000 are active, mostly written in Persian
, the Iranian language).
There are also many weblogs written by Iranians in English and other languages. Most of them, though, belong to expatriates who live in North America
, Europe
, Japan
, etc. Iran is the third-largest country of bloggers in the world after the United States and China. With more than 700,000 Persian blogs, mostly based in Iran, the Persian language
is ranked as the second-most-popular language in the entire blogosphere.
Blog
A blog is a type of website or part of a website supposed to be updated with new content from time to time. Blogs are usually maintained by an individual with regular entries of commentary, descriptions of events, or other material such as graphics or video. Entries are commonly displayed in...
ging in Iran
Iran
Iran , officially the Islamic Republic of Iran , is a country in Southern and Western Asia. The name "Iran" has been in use natively since the Sassanian era and came into use internationally in 1935, before which the country was known to the Western world as Persia...
operates under special circumstances because the government restricts certain views. Blogs in general tend to be unregulated compared to other forms of expression in Iranian society. This characteristic can account for the huge popularity of blogs especially among Iranian youths. As of October 2005, there are estimated to be about 700,000 Iranian blogs (out of an estimated total of 100 million worldwide, of which about 40,000-110,000 are active, mostly written in Persian
Persian language
Persian is an Iranian language within the Indo-Iranian branch of the Indo-European languages. It is primarily spoken in Iran, Afghanistan, Tajikistan and countries which historically came under Persian influence...
, the Iranian language).
There are also many weblogs written by Iranians in English and other languages. Most of them, though, belong to expatriates who live in North America
North America
North America is a continent wholly within the Northern Hemisphere and almost wholly within the Western Hemisphere. It is also considered a northern subcontinent of the Americas...
, Europe
Europe
Europe is, by convention, one of the world's seven continents. Comprising the westernmost peninsula of Eurasia, Europe is generally 'divided' from Asia to its east by the watershed divides of the Ural and Caucasus Mountains, the Ural River, the Caspian and Black Seas, and the waterways connecting...
, Japan
Japan
Japan is an island nation in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south...
, etc. Iran is the third-largest country of bloggers in the world after the United States and China. With more than 700,000 Persian blogs, mostly based in Iran, the Persian language
Persian language
Persian is an Iranian language within the Indo-Iranian branch of the Indo-European languages. It is primarily spoken in Iran, Afghanistan, Tajikistan and countries which historically came under Persian influence...
is ranked as the second-most-popular language in the entire blogosphere.
2001
- 7 September - The first Persian blog is published by Salman Jariri, using manual coding.
- 25 September - The blog using manual coding is published.
- 5 November - Instructions on "How to make a blog in Persian" using BloggerBlogger (service)Blogger is a blog-publishing service that allows private or multi-user blogs with time-stamped entries. It was created by Pyra Labs, which was bought by Google in 2003. Generally, the blogs are hosted by Google at a subdomain of blogspot.com. Up until May 1, 2010 Blogger allowed users to publish...
's free service is published, in response to readers' requests.
2002
- 2 June - Cappuccino magazine is launched.
- 13 June - PersianBlog.ir, the first free blog service in Persian, is launched by Ata Khalighi Sigaroudi, amongst others.
- 10 November - BlogSky.com, the second free blog service in Persian, is launched.
2003
- 20 April - Sina Motallebi, journalist and blogger is arrested.
- 26 September - Cafe Blog opens in northern TehranTehranTehran , sometimes spelled Teheran, is the capital of Iran and Tehran Province. With an estimated population of 8,429,807; it is also Iran's largest urban area and city, one of the largest cities in Western Asia, and is the world's 19th largest city.In the 20th century, Tehran was subject to...
. - 24 November - Mohammad-Ali Abtahi, then Vice President for Legal and Parliamentary Affairs, starts Webnevesht, the first blog by a member of the Iranian cabinet.
2004
- 16 January - Protesting MPs on sit-in start a weblog.
- 6 June - Persian Blogging festival starts.
- November - Iranian blogger Mojtaba SaminejadMojtaba SaminejadMojtaba Saminejad is an Iranian blogger and writer. He studied journalism at the Central Tehran Branch of Islamic Azad University.He is the president of Shahr-e Khorshid publications and editor of Ferdowsi magazine.-Activities:...
arrested for writing about the arrests of three other bloggers.
2005
- 5 January - Saeed Mortazavi, Tehran's Chief prosecutor, ordered major ISPs to filter PersianBlog and other blogging service websites.
- 27 January/12 February - Iranian blogger Mojtaba SaminejadMojtaba SaminejadMojtaba Saminejad is an Iranian blogger and writer. He studied journalism at the Central Tehran Branch of Islamic Azad University.He is the president of Shahr-e Khorshid publications and editor of Ferdowsi magazine.-Activities:...
briefly released, then rearrested - October Blog Herald estimate: 700,000 Iranian blogs, of which about 10% are active
- 11 October - Blogging courses starts in the holy city of Qom, the traditional home of Iran's religious establishment. They are run by the newly-established office of religious weblog expansion.
2006
- Persian language was listed by TechnoratiTechnoratiTechnorati is an Internet search engine for searching blogs. By June 2008, Technorati was indexing 112.8 million blogs and over 250 million pieces of tagged social media...
among 10 most common languages among bloggers. - 14 August - President Ahmadinejad starts his multilingual blog with one long entry.
- 13 September - Mojtaba SaminejadMojtaba SaminejadMojtaba Saminejad is an Iranian blogger and writer. He studied journalism at the Central Tehran Branch of Islamic Azad University.He is the president of Shahr-e Khorshid publications and editor of Ferdowsi magazine.-Activities:...
is released from prison, after serving term. - December: Mehrnoush Najafi RaghebMehrnoush Najafi RaghebMehrnoush Najafi Ragheb is an Iranian lawyer, Persian blogger, women's right activist and member of the city council of Hamedan .She was born in 1979 in Hamedan and graduated in international law...
won city council election in Hamedan. - 4 December: Masoumeh EbtekarMasoumeh EbtekarMasoumeh Ebtekar is an Iranian scientist, journalist and politician. She is currently the director of Peace and Environment Center in Tehran.Ebtekar first achieved fame as the spokeswoman of the students who had occupied the US Embassy in 1979...
, the first female vice president of Iran starts her blog in Persian.
2007
- 24 December: Almost a year after starting her blog in Persian, Massoumeh Ebtekar starts her blog in English, under the title "Persian Paradox".
2008
- 28 January - Parsweblog.com, the first free blog service based on wordpress in Persian, is launched by Mohammad hasan abbasi
- July 5: Yaghoob Mehrnehad (Mirnehad) an Iranian blogger journalist was executed.
- 1 November: Hossein DerakhshanHossein DerakhshanHossein Derakhshan , also known as Hoder, is an Iranian blogger. He is credited with starting the blogging revolution in Iran and is called the father of Persian blogging by many journalists. He also helped to promote podcasting in Iran...
, credited with starting the blogging revolution in Iran and frequently called "the father of Persian blogs" was arrested at his family home in TehranTehranTehran , sometimes spelled Teheran, is the capital of Iran and Tehran Province. With an estimated population of 8,429,807; it is also Iran's largest urban area and city, one of the largest cities in Western Asia, and is the world's 19th largest city.In the 20th century, Tehran was subject to...
, not long after arriving there. He was allowed four calls to his family, each lasting about one minute, during November. Amnesty InternationalAmnesty InternationalAmnesty International is an international non-governmental organisation whose stated mission is "to conduct research and generate action to prevent and end grave abuses of human rights, and to demand justice for those whose rights have been violated."Following a publication of Peter Benenson's...
suggested that he was likely to face charges of "insulting religion", but he had not yet been charged as of mid-December.
- November: Revolutionary Guards announced its plan to launch 10000 blogs.
- 30 December: Alireza JamshidiAlireza JamshidiDr Alireza Jamshidi is an official spokesman for Iran's judiciary, headed by Mahmoud Shahroudi. In that capacity he holds regular news conferences....
, the speaker of the Judicial system of IranJudicial system of IranA nationwide judicial system in Iran was first implemented and established by Abdolhossein Teymourtash under Reza Shah, with further changes during the second Pahlavi era....
confirmed Derakhshan's arrest, said that Derakhshan was in the custody of the Islamic Revolutionary CourtIslamic Revolutionary CourtIslamic Revolutionary Court is a special court in the Islamic Republic of Iran designed to try those suspected of smuggling, blaspheming, inticing violence or trying to overthrow the Iranian government...
, that his case was in early discoveryDiscovery (law)In U.S.law, discovery is the pre-trial phase in a lawsuit in which each party, through the law of civil procedure, can obtain evidence from the opposing party by means of discovery devices including requests for answers to interrogatories, requests for production of documents, requests for...
phase, and that among the accusations were that Derakhshan had allegedly written about the "Pure Imams".
2009
- January 1, 2009: Iranian's own video sharing site "IranianYouTube.com" was created
- 18 March 2009: Omid Reza Mir SayafiOmid Reza Mir SayafiOmid Reza Mir Sayafi , a 29-year old Iranian blogger and journalist died in Evin Prison in Tehran on March 18, 2009.Mir Sayafi was the first blogger to have died while in prison for his publication...
, Iranian blogger and journalist, died in prison in Iran
- late April 2009: Hossein DerakhshanHossein DerakhshanHossein Derakhshan , also known as Hoder, is an Iranian blogger. He is credited with starting the blogging revolution in Iran and is called the father of Persian blogging by many journalists. He also helped to promote podcasting in Iran...
remained under detention and had not been charged.
2010
- July 24: Fariborz ShamshiriFariborz ShamshiriFariborz Shamshiri also known as Rotten Gods, is an Iranian blogger. He has been referred as one of the most important voices of the Iranian blogosphere. Rotten Gods was the most visited Iranian English blog during the 2009 Iranian disputed presidential election protests that kept news...
, Iranian atheist blogger has been targeted with death threats from radical Muslims.
- September 28: Hossein DerakhshanHossein DerakhshanHossein Derakhshan , also known as Hoder, is an Iranian blogger. He is credited with starting the blogging revolution in Iran and is called the father of Persian blogging by many journalists. He also helped to promote podcasting in Iran...
received a 19½ year jail sentence.
- October 8: Hossein RonaghiHossein RonaghiHossein Ronaghi-Maleki is an Iranian blogger and political dissident who was imprisoned in 2009 for his role in the post-election riots that erupted in Iran...
-Maleki, often described as 'genius' blogger, was sentenced to 15 years in prison. According to Reporters Without BordersReporters Without BordersReporters Without Borders is a France-based international non-governmental organization that advocates freedom of the press. It was founded in 1985, by Robert Ménard, Rony Brauman and the journalist Jean-Claude Guillebaud. Jean-François Julliard has served as Secretary General since 2008...
, he was alleged to have written and used software to combat filtering and to host and support websites and blogs that defend human rights.
Directories
Related books
- We Are Iran: The Persian Blogs by Nasrin Alavi (Soft Skull Press /November 28, 2005) ISBN 1-933368-05-5
- We the Media: Grassroots Journalism by the People, for the People by Dan Gilmor (O'Reilly, 2004) ISBN 0-596-00733-7
Academic papers
- Rahimi, Babak (September 2003). Cyberdissent: The Internet in Revolutionary Iran. Middle East Review of International Affairs, Interdisciplinary Center (IDC) Herzliya , 7(3).
- Doostdar, Alireza (Dec. 2004). "The Vulgar Spirit of Blogging": On Language, Culture, and Power in Persian Weblogestan. American Anthropologist 106(4).
- Jensen, Peder Are Nøstvold (Sep. 2004). A Case Study of Iranian English Language Weblogs, inside and outside of the Islamic Republic of Iran.
- Farrell, HenryHenry Farrell (political scientist)Henry Farrell is an Irish-born political scientist at George Washington University. He previously taught at the University of Toronto and earned his PhD from Georgetown University. His research interests include, trust and co-operation; E-commerce; the European Union; and institutional...
and Drezner, Daniel W.Daniel DreznerDaniel W. Drezner is currently a professor of international politics at The Fletcher School of Law and Diplomacy at Tufts University, the author of several books, the author of many Op-Ed pieces in major publications, a blogger, and a commentator.In 2005, he was denied tenure by the University of...
(Aug. 2004). The Power and Politics of Blogs. - Simmons, Erin A. (Jun. 2005). The Impact of the Weblog: A Case Study of The United States and Iran.
- Alexanian, Janet A. (Nov. 2006). Publicly Intimate Online: Iranian Web Logs in Southern California. Comparative Studies of South Asia, Africa and the Middle East, Duke University Press 26(1)
- Halevi, Jordan. (March 2006). The Iranian Weblog Research Project: Survey Results.
- Hendelman-Baavur, Liora (June 2007). "Promises and Perils of Weblogistan: Online Personal Journals and the Islamic Republic of Iran". The Middle East Review of International Affairs, 11(2).
- PetrossianL, Celine (2006). Liberating the Silenced: Iranian Bloggers in the Diaspora, California State University, Northridge.
- Sreberny, Annabelle (2007). 'Becoming Intellectual: The Blogestan and Public Political Space in the Islamic Republic', British Journal of Middle Eastern Studies, vol.34, No. 3, pp. 267–286
- Kelly, John and Bruce Etling (April 2008). Mapping Iran's Online Public: Politics and Culture in the Persian Blogosphere.
- Nafisi, Arman (June 2008). "Blogging Outside Iran: A Tool for Internal Democratic Change?". Center for Communication and Civic Engagement, University of Washington.
- IHRDC (May 2009). Ctrl+Alt+Delete: Iran's Response to the Internet.
See also
- Internet in IranInternet in IranIn 1993 Iran became the second country in the Middle East to be connected to the Internet, and since then the government has made significant efforts to improve the nation's ICT infrastructure. Iran's national Internet connectivity infrastructure is based on two major networks: the public switched...
- Media of Iran
- Internet censorship in IranInternet censorship in IranIn the first few years of the 21st century, Iran experienced a great surge in Internet usage, and, with 20 million people on the Internet, currently has the second highest percentage of its population online in the Middle East, after Israel. When initially introduced, the Internet services...
- Communications in IranCommunications in IranIran’s telecommunications industry is almost entirely state-owned, dominated by the Telecommunication Company of Iran . Fixed-line penetration in 2004 was relatively well-developed by regional standards, standing at 22 lines per 100 people, higher than Egypt with 14 and Saudi Arabia with 15,...
- International rankings of Iran
External links
- Iranian Blogs - Iranian Blogs
- Interactive Persian blogosphere map - Harvard University
- Blogging in Iran: The Electronic Manifestation of Persian Thought