NATIONAL, LIFESTYLE: Finding Love On The Net
By Wang Yan
Over 50% of respondents expressed their confidence in finding life partners and friends through social networking sites, said Yeeyoo.com in its mainland net love and marriage research report on July 31th.
"77.5% of the respondents agreed that social networking sites would create more chances for them to meet the opposite sex," said the report. Involving over 100 thousand people in Beijing, Shanghai and Guangzhou, the survey was conducted in June and July by Yeeyoo.com, which called itself "the largest and fastest growing online dating platform in greater China" with over 5 million members up to June 2006.
In answering the research question "Why would you choose network as a channel to find your love?" most people chose the answers of "Communicating online is more convenient" and "It offers more chances than the traditional ways."
Twenty-eight-year-old Yeeyoo user Mr. Liu from Liaoning agreed: "I have met 5 or 6 ideal girls on line since the beginning of this year." Websites like Yeeyoo.com serve as platforms where members' profiles are collected and shared. Online chatting, group activities and other match-making services help people get acquainted with each other. Ordinary memberships at Yeeyoo.com are for free, and VIP memberships, which enable more privileges, cost around 13 yuan per month
Obviously this communication model without space limit overcomes the disadvantages of traditional friend-making procedures. Xiong Hongyue, a senior-to-be at Beijing Foreign Studies University, met her current boyfriend online in March, "I couldn't find a boyfriend in real life," she said, "there are too few boys in my university. I have no chance to meet more, let alone finding one I like."
Miss Xiong's problem was not unique. According to the report, narrow social intercourse range had become the biggest obstacle in people's way to find their love. Further explanation by Zheng Chen, director of China Marriage and Family Seminar, was offered by Yeeyoo in its "experts' comments" file: "Trust was hardly built among people in real life, and the degree of communication was relatively shallow." Director Zheng believed the net had created a fictitious space where interpersonal communications were beyond limitation and further intercourse became possible.
"Of course one might feel fictitious chatting online. But after I met him in person, everything settled down." Miss Xiong was perfectly confident in her love.
Xiong Hongyue, student, 熊红月
Zheng Chen, director, 郑晨
This article by Ms. Wang Yan appeared in a slightly different version in today's South China Morning Post -- the editors
Over 50% of respondents expressed their confidence in finding life partners and friends through social networking sites, said Yeeyoo.com in its mainland net love and marriage research report on July 31th.
"77.5% of the respondents agreed that social networking sites would create more chances for them to meet the opposite sex," said the report. Involving over 100 thousand people in Beijing, Shanghai and Guangzhou, the survey was conducted in June and July by Yeeyoo.com, which called itself "the largest and fastest growing online dating platform in greater China" with over 5 million members up to June 2006.
In answering the research question "Why would you choose network as a channel to find your love?" most people chose the answers of "Communicating online is more convenient" and "It offers more chances than the traditional ways."
Twenty-eight-year-old Yeeyoo user Mr. Liu from Liaoning agreed: "I have met 5 or 6 ideal girls on line since the beginning of this year." Websites like Yeeyoo.com serve as platforms where members' profiles are collected and shared. Online chatting, group activities and other match-making services help people get acquainted with each other. Ordinary memberships at Yeeyoo.com are for free, and VIP memberships, which enable more privileges, cost around 13 yuan per month
Obviously this communication model without space limit overcomes the disadvantages of traditional friend-making procedures. Xiong Hongyue, a senior-to-be at Beijing Foreign Studies University, met her current boyfriend online in March, "I couldn't find a boyfriend in real life," she said, "there are too few boys in my university. I have no chance to meet more, let alone finding one I like."
Miss Xiong's problem was not unique. According to the report, narrow social intercourse range had become the biggest obstacle in people's way to find their love. Further explanation by Zheng Chen, director of China Marriage and Family Seminar, was offered by Yeeyoo in its "experts' comments" file: "Trust was hardly built among people in real life, and the degree of communication was relatively shallow." Director Zheng believed the net had created a fictitious space where interpersonal communications were beyond limitation and further intercourse became possible.
"Of course one might feel fictitious chatting online. But after I met him in person, everything settled down." Miss Xiong was perfectly confident in her love.
Xiong Hongyue, student, 熊红月
Zheng Chen, director, 郑晨
This article by Ms. Wang Yan appeared in a slightly different version in today's South China Morning Post -- the editors
13 Comments:
At 8:31 PM , Anonymous said...
This is NOT journalism--the rewriting of a story featured elsewhere.
In fact, it is unethical, as well as potentially illegal.
At 11:51 PM , Anonymous said...
Interesting
http://uvgarden.blogspot.com
At 1:19 AM , Editor said...
Anonymous,
Since Ms. Wang Yan wrote both articles, the one in the South China Morning Post, and this slightly longer draft here, how is it unethical or illegal? Perhaps your reading comprehension is a bit lacking. However, even that does not account for your ethical lapse in not identifying your self.
The editors of WOW are extremely proud that some of our young journalists are already working for such a prestigious newspaper as the SCMP.
-- the editors
At 10:05 AM , Anonymous said...
Is the SCMP aware that articles written for it--if indeed this is what occurred--are reprinted elsewhere? Do they not have a policy on this?
Leaving a post without identifying one's self is an option here. So how is it an "ethical lapse"?
At 11:59 PM , freda said...
As is widely known, it is not beyond ethic to use articles from other newspapers with identifying where the ariticles come from, and that's what newspapers do. I don't know why you are so angry and unfriendly. Even if we did something wrong, can't you point it out POLITELY? Exchanging ideas and learning is our purpose, and quarrelling is not included. I don't know who you are, and I can't imagine why someone who is so eager to appear "righteous" does not even have the courage to indentify himself or herself.
Anyway, thanks for caring for our blog and articles.
-The writer
At 1:24 AM , Shi Rui said...
For your information, Wang Yan is the Chinese name of Freda Wang, who is working for SCMP now as an intern, and things are the same with Shi Rui, who is known as Michelle in SCMP. The longer versions here are the original versions written by us. The shorter ones on SCMP are the edited ones, because they need to fit the length and space of the newspaper.
We do not rewrite stories here.
That's all what I can explain. If you still fail to understand the relationship of writers or stories, I have nothing to say...
Hope you can enjoy reading, anyway.
At 2:39 PM , Anonymous said...
The relationship of writers to stories was one of the issues I was speaking to. Now, you have clarified that matter, but nowhere in these pages did I see it mentioned that the blog also included articles written by former students that were published elsewhere. It is difficult to discern the situation when there is no explanation of the relationship of writers to articles until one inquires.
Nowhere in these pages did I see it mentioned that some of the articles posted would be edited for space or other reasons. The concern continues insofar as whether SCMP and others now that work done for them is also published here, and in different form.
As for politeness, one fails to see how another can determine tone from a posting. If you do not wish people to post messages marked "anonymous", perhaps you might eliminate that as an option.
Moreover, this is not a matter of righteousness, but an issue of professionalism (i.e., whose articles are these; where do they appears; why are they in more than one place without adequate explanation). It is disturbing that when a comment is left that calls attention to these issues--one that troubles those of us engaged in the profession, one is immediately attacked as being unfriendly or lacking reading comprehension. This is also regrettable.
The points made were observations, not accusations. Your site was lacking in specificity concerning the points above. One was pointing out one's disappointment with this feature and wondering why matters were this way.
Finally and frankly, one regrets the apparent need to fluff feathers in the last posting relating to the comments left, i.e., "the only English language, totally student written, university sanctioned and absolutely uncensored online news blogzine in China". To say that you are the only blog that does this and is that assumes there are not other blogs out there who do something of the same thing. And one thinks it is not worthy of the profession of Chinese journalism as it struggles to make its way in a very new world to brag--especially when hubris can attract the sort of unwanted attention that might bring the whole enterprise here to a halt.
At 3:25 PM , Editor said...
Anonymous,
All of these issues will soon be addressed in full in a forthcoming post. However, one significant mistake you made in these pages--"nowhere ... did I see it mentioned that the blog also included articles written by former students that were published elsewhere"--must be corrected immediately. It was never "mentioned" because no "former" student has been published by WOW.
The articles that drew your ire were written by students serving their required "summer internships" and will be seniors in this impending 2006 -- 2007 academic year. All of the reporters for WOW are undergraduate Journalism majors in the first completely English Language J-School in China.
The editors of WOW, and the faculty of the Department of Journalism and International Communications within the School of English and International Studies at BFSU, are quite proud of the efforts of its pioneering students, which have received international recognition and praise from significant western media entities. No brag, just fact.
It would perhaps be appropriate for you to finally understand that WOW is an educational enterprise whose sole purpose is training and the attempt to provide experience in publishing for journalism students.
The editors
At 10:57 AM , the Admiral said...
@anony-mouse
First of all, there are three definitions for the word anonymous commonly in use today:
Having an unknown or unacknowledged name: an anonymous author.
Having an unknown or withheld authorship or agency: an anonymous letter; an anonymous phone call.
Having no distinctive character or recognition factor.
The use of "anonymous" in lieu of a nome de plume when submitting a written article or opinion generally is done when an author, for their own reasons, does not want their identity divulged to the reader. It is not used, generally, when criticizing an individual's work product.
You said in your rebuttal that, and I quote, "...As for politeness, one fails to see how another can determine tone from a posting..."
Perhaps you lack the ability to do so, you cretin, but I can clearly identify your tone, as can any native Engligh speaker with an intermediate level of education. The use of the all UPPER CASE in a word,especially in electronic form, provides emphasis, similar to raising your voice or shouting during a verbal conversation.
You said in your original post, again quoting, "In fact, it is unethical, as well as potentially illegal."
Unethical can be defined* as
1.) not conforming to a high moral standard; morally unacceptable
2.) not guided by or showing a concern for what is right
Please indicate which definition your are applying in this instance.
Were one to "guess" what you were so poorly alluding to in your statement of "potentially illegal", one could assume that you were accusing the publisher (WOW) of either plagarism or copyright infringement.
There is no evidence of either in this case. In fact, there is no evidence to support your claim whatsoever.
In the event that I was the publisher, I would sue you for defamation. Specifically, libel, the evidence of which can be found on this very page.
"Having said that, I realize I have wasted my time."
Your superior,
Frank F.
*definitions all via google.com
At 12:43 PM , Anonymous said...
"You cretin" is one of the phrases used here. Is this a way to inspire dialogue? One thinks not.
"Your superior" is how your post ends. You may continue to think so, though on the basis of what evidence one knows not.
Might one add that BFSU is not the first English-language J-school in China. At least two others preceded it, no matter what BFSU wishes to claim. And does it matter anyway, so long as good work is done. Apparently, it does--to the editors of this blog.
What a strange world this universe of blogging is, where pointing out problems produces responses such as these. When challenged, the reactions have been quite close to "how dare you".
Clearly, citizenry in this realm has a good way to go.
At 2:18 PM , Joseph said...
Anonymous,
That's it! For the first time in the two-year history of WOW, I am stepping in publicly in my role as faculty supervisor. While our reporters and editors will indeed address your "criticisms" fully and openly in a post for all to read, as of this moment, unless you identify yourself as the so-called professional journalist you claim to be, all of your future "criticisms" will be deleted. If you are indeed a journalist, and state your name, you know that I will recognize who you are and your real purpose will be exposed. It has become quite clear to me that your problem is not with WOW and its reporters but with me, the 'professor' (I believe is how you nastily put it) Joseph Bosco, American author and journalist.
You know very well that the post calling you a "cretin" was from a reader of WOW, who identified himself, and not from anyone connected with WOW. And he took you to the intellectual woodshed for the spanking you so thoroughly deserve for loosely throwing around the harshest accusations--libelous accusations--in the business: plagiary and the theft of intellectual property without so much as a smidgen of basic research. That is as unprofessional as it gets and proves that you have a hidden agenda and an axe to grind with me.
Consequently, you will no longer abuse these students until and unless you identify yourself. They have the courage to put their names not only on their articles but also on their quite reserved--in my opinion--answers to your mean-spirited, racist, anti-China comments.
If you want to take me on, journalist to journalist, then do so. But take it to The LongBow Papers, and identify yourself. I will put up a post to welcome you. There is a link to it handily available.
By the way, WOW--as I have stated emphatically--is not a "blog" in its typical definition! We used the Blogger format because it was a fast, easy and inexpensive way to get an online news magazine up and running upon which students could gain publishing experience.
Regards,
Joseph Bosco
At 8:11 PM , Paddy O'pinyin said...
Mr. anonymous, having just quickly scanned through the polluted quagmire that are all your comments, I can't help feeling that your indirect animosity is fuelled by some form of deep-rooted insecurity and jealousy which you feel the need to rationalise by attacking students of your so-declared profession. If indeed you were a serious professional journalist of any note and a member of the close fraternity, then it would be more appropriate and developmental for you to give positive critique rather than negative criticism and unwarranted abuse to students of your trade, if as you imply, you are interested in protecting the quality of it's future.
At 3:28 PM , Anonymous said...
geriatric admiral - the man who googled too much.
like you could be a publisher in the first place. that type of job requires intelligence, responsibility and maturity - none of which you possess judging by your childish responses on this forum. the thought of an intellectually challenged loser like yourself trying to give anyone advise on how to write is like being given golf lessons from a frog. go back to teaching english to poor students who don't know any better and leave the subtleties of language and communication to those that know what they are talking about, you superior cretin.
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