June 22, 2005
Enter the Blogarazzi Era
Mobile blogging is turning celebrity chasers into bona fide paparazzi, according to the China South Morning Post via Moco News.
"Snap happy: In Britain, mobile bloggers are swapping instant candid clips of celebrities - but Hong Kong may have to wait to give chase.
Since Hutchison launched mobile blogging services at its British operations last month, star-struck 3G users have discovered a new pastime: the candid celebrity photo.
"Yet despite the popularity of blogs with young people in Hong Kong - not to mention a strong mobile-phone culture with a penetration rate well in excess of 100 per cent - Hutchison Telecommunications and other Hong Kong carriers say they have no plans to introduce mobile blogging tools.
Operators claim they are not out of touch - they just do not see mobile blogging as viable business opportunity, though the services would give carriers another opportunity to earn revenue on data transmission.
"Right now, 3G service is still too expensive for the general public in Hong Kong.
Mr Yeung suspected closed blogging, in which users share content with a defined group of friends, would be more popular than open blogging, which is content that is shared with the world. Most Hong Kong blog authors preferred closed blogging, he said."
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