Recently the AP reported that Rupert Murdoch asked his wife to go to China to help with research regarding a potential Chinese MySpace deal.
Murdoch as been trying to go Chinese for while but has been unable to successfully integrate due to “restrictions on foreign media ownership”, another phrase for “Chinese government censorship”. Just keeping it real.
Murdoch says "We have to make MySpace a very Chinese site, which is really why I sent my wife there, because she's Chinese and understands it," he said.” That is wrong Mr. Murdoch, you have to make MySpace and very “free” site. Making it a very Chinese site by definition, because of the Chinese government would make it a censored site. If you can not keep it “free” than it shouldn’t exist there.
Hint: Chinese Censorship = Bad for Advertising.
Ordering Chinese “As-Is” Will Help Kill MySpace
Doing business in China is difficult enough; Yahoo!, Google, MSN and many others have found out the hard way even though they always claim to be passive participants. Opening up an untarnished social service such as MySpace that is founded on free-speech will not happen. China will not let it happen. China will at best allow an oppressive “as-is” version of MySpace that is highly monitored, very tightly controlled and no where near represents that of which MySpace is really all about “My Space”; I can do with it what I want and everyone else can just kiss my %$#@ if they don’t like it.
What will happen if this order ever does go through, is the Chinese people who I have always found to be kind, considerate, respectful of others, hard workers and wonderful to interact with despite being oppressed by their leaders, will be served up a government approved version of MySpace. A meal that will continue to dim the light of free speech and leave them with being unable to satisfy their sweet tooth.
Murdoch, why the heck would you risk involving MySpace and tarnishing its freedoms in China when you are already super rich? Don’t do it unless you have full control and there are no restrictions placed on it (impossible)! If you do, you have dishonored your service and have not helped the Chinese people.
Can’t an online company which gets its revenue from online advertising just once come out and say “I am not going to China. The government is not deserving of my product”?
Comments (1)
Interesting. Definitely.
-dm
Posted by Don M | September 21, 2006 3:19 PM
Posted on September 21, 2006 15:19