The Kazakhstan’s Internet slowly, but truly develops. The number of users in our republic steady grows. If in 2006 a share of users internet-services in cities of Kazakhstan, according to companies ” Brief ” and «Komkon-2 Eurasia », was 9,4 percents for January, 1 of 2008. Governmental agency on information and communication has defined the number of users as 11 percents from all population of the country, that is 1,6 million person. For comparison: in Russia the quantity of Internet users is 20 percents, in Estonia – 50, in South Korea – 65, 9 and in Canada – 71 percent. Growth in 100 thousand users for one year in Kazakhstan is connected, first of all, with reduction of prices on Internet-services and with opening broadband access in the Internet of service “Megaline” from “Kazakhtelekom“. More and more people have access to the world wide Web from the houses and work places. And not a rarity when, having finished the activity in the Internet on work, already an at home, the person after having the dinner, comes back to it again.

I should say that I had never registered on Kazakstan’s sites, I used to Russian forums, because they are more popular and widely spread. Frankly say, it was not easy to find worth and interesting forum, organised by someone in Kazakhstan. I looked through few weblogs, they were funny and authors try to interest the audience, but sometimes it was look like that person write the blog just himself, no comments and no participation of other users O_o Moreover, I couldn’t identify them as an example of online participatory journalism. Thank for God, finnaly, I found the interesting site http://kzmz.region.kz/forum/

As written on the site, it is the first and only musical portal of Kazakhstan; I like it very much and consider it to be noteworthy.

The amount of users is 11155 ( at the moment I have registered) after 1 day the number increased to 11190, that’s mean site is developing and becoming more and more popular.

The registration took few seconds by asking name, password, e-mail, language and gender. It was not necessary to prove the registration by checking the e-mail, this fact surprised me, because it is so boring to check the mailbox, open the link with personal registration. In opposite, the forum opened quickly, without trouble and I was able to see the themes of forum. Unregistered users also could see the forum, look through the themes and opinions of other people, but they are not allowed to leave comments. According to Jack Fuller, publisher of book News Values in 1996, ‘the new interactive medium both threatens the status quo and promises an exalting new way of learning about the world. The deftly describes both camps of opinion concerning participation by the audience in journalism’. It is one of reasons to consider this site to be an perfect example of participatory journalism.   

Each registered user can edit his(her) profile on the portal, according to own desire. Some people prefer not to share with the private information, others like an opened book – they can write the contacts: ICQ, AIM,  MSN Мessenger, Yahoo Messenger,  Jabber, site, also Motherland, hobbies, the date of Birthday. It is possible, as it is used, to write the signature – some words, quotes, which emphasize your individuality, your positions and world outlook. In order to stand out from the crowd, users try to download the avatars, user’s messages will be published images under them and shown for others. More often people try to download funny, bright images, than really photos. The size is restricted 100*100 pl, 14.88 KiB. User can edit the account, join to groups and even create the list of friends and foes.

I can agree with Clay Shirky, an adjunct professor at New York University, he told that the order of things in broadcast is filter, then publish and the order in communities is publish, then filter.

Because in this forum each user can create new post, new theme, of course it should be putted in suitable section, because moderator has the privilege to move it, or even to delete, if people write the spam, advertisement, or sometimes people lose the “string of the conversation”, by changing the theme or writing unserious, private information which is not connected with the forum. Users should be delicate with each other, because it is not desirable when people pollute the forum with the dust of obscene and uncivilized words. In critical situation, if user is very disputed and aggressive in attitude to others, it is essential that administrator of site will delete him from internet community.

Themes on the portal organized and putted in variable and specialized groups, where people emphasize their thoughts and opinions, it is necessary to take into account that “…a defining characteristic of participatory journalism in conversation…”

Ask the Star

It is possible to ask the question to famous person.

Press Room
Information for journalists – Press releases, announcements, accreditation

Night Life

The description and discussion of popular night clubs of Almaty

Rap-struggles in Kazakhstan

Demo/Music

Tracks of Kazakhstan’s rappers for evaluation

Producing the music – forum for professionals

Arrangement and Installation of music

Studios

Description, contacts and list of service of workers from sound recording studious.

Composers and poets 

Communication with working authors and professionals of market

 Musicians and musical collectives

Information about musical teams, possibility to be invited to various actions, discussion of creativity.

Vacancies of portal Crew.kz

The information on actual vacancies is published on the given section from agencies on employment  of Kazakhstan.

Announcements

Selling&buying of musical instruments, offering the services connected to music

The book of complaints and suggestions

Questions, offers, comments on work of the Portal. On the site it is possible to see the –names of online-users, newest, just registered people, the congratulatons with Happy Birthday and also unostentatious advertisement.

It is possible to make the conclusion that this portal could be considered as site of online participatory journalism. It is like an alive and growing organism, everything is connected. This portal is created for people and it is supported by them – users try to participate actively, share with their opinions, with the music. It is the forum where people can not just to criticize show-business by calling it undeveloped (especially in our country), but also to help by giving the advise, by supporting. As written in the report ‘We Media’ – “Today, we see a new phenomenon. Given technological innovations in open source software, everyone has access to robuts tools for publishing and collaborating easily on the Web. Weblogging tools are in many ways easier to use than most e-mail applications. It is this case that accounts for their increasing popularity”.  Maybe there are not so much Internet forums and communities in Kazakhstan, but they developing every day, maybe slowly, but, the main thing, in right way.

My favorite communities are “Krasivo” (“Beautiful”) http://vkontakte.ru/club5192 and “Lyubiteli koshek” (“Who loves cats”) http://vkontakte.ru/club726 . So the name of first community says for itself, there people download beautiful photos, pictures, music, video, words, aphorisms. If I look through this group in ‘vkontakte’, I can seat affront of computer the whole day! Photos and pictures are so amazing; you just get a pleasure by looking them. Of course people’s eyes get used to everything very fastly, and then you become indifferent to beauty. However this site learns to respect and value the relationships (my preferred album is about LOVE) and to see the prettiness in every things, in trifles which we used not to notice. Photos in the album are separated according to subjects – e.g. nature, love, gothic, famous people and so on. I don’t use this group to communicate and make new friends. It is just an inexhaustible base of funny photos for me, because participants share with photos every day.

I joined to the community of fans of cat after I registered in the ‘vkontakte’. I have been loving cats from my childhood! When I was a child, my parents didn’t allow me to have a pets – they are so sanitary, they hate when their lovely home in disorder and smells unpleasantly. Of course, owners must take care of their pets and never leave or expel them, because we are responsible for animals, which we tamed! Frankly, I can’t understand the people who are uninterested or hate kittens, or even kill – it is so cruelly! This community is like my home, I feel myself comfortable there and find many online friends! We share photos and advice with each other. Through this community is possible to sell and buy cats. In this way many kittens can find sweet home and loving owners. I’m never sorry for the time that I spent in this group.

Some people think that Internet became a precipice for modern users. However it is possible to discover the community, where you can find a great number of friends, who understand you and support, and feel yourself happy in the global net.

So, as I told I’m crazy about ‘vkontakte’ and I will be glad to new friends. You are welcome! http://vkontakte.ru/id3406772?55773 

My life like a crazy road and ppl, whom I fall in luv, like changing advertasing posts)))) They appear in my life so fastly as dissapear)

I’m writting the romance of ma life, with bright pages, with smile and blubber=(

I don’t know what will be in future….

I just try 2 forget ma past…