via: wired news
SHANGHAI, China -- Twenty-nine floors above the traffic-choked streets of China's most wired city, blogger and media entrepreneur Bingfeng sums up his opinion of Microsoft and its treatment of the Chinese bloggers with two words. "Very good."
Bingfeng knows something about the topic. In 2002, he was one of the most active users of MSN Groups and in 2004 he established his own blog - blog.bchinese.net/bingfeng, and since then his ideas on media brainwashing, balanced reporting, Friday girl blogging, and his continued contribution in Peking Duck have made him a well-known name in the English-written China blogosphere.
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Firstly, Bingfeng asked us to review the Microsoft case alone and raised a question as "What is the ultimate goal for a business entity?" and Bingfeng says, "without doubt, it's survival and profit that should guide a business entity where to go and where not to go" For Microsoft, Bingfeng says, the disappearance of Microsoft Groups over night gives Microsoft more than enough reasons to take a prudent approach to introduce its Spaces service in China market.
Being asked whether Microsoft trades something important to Americans for its own business interests, Bingfeng shruged his shoulders and asked in reply, "Are you suggesting Microsoft Spaces to give up China market for those "important things to Americans" and who do you think have the right to ask Microsoft to make such a sacrifice?" Bingfeng further explains that the bottom-line is "those "nice to haves" must not put a business into life-or-death risks"
Further more, Bingfeng dismissed the accusation that Microsoft's behavior harms Chinese bloggers as simplistic and naive. Bingfeng told us his story with the Microsoft Groups, in which he was actively involoved into a movie fan club and later the fan club evolved into a virtual self-governing organization, with club chairman, CTO, CFO (for off-line activities), etc. are all elected by club members. This story, Bingfeng says, shows how important to offer such places to young people in China instead of chanting for several nice words to appear on the web. On-line communities offer the Chinese youngsters a golden opportunity to learn the skills that are critical to building a civil society in China. Given the current circumstances and constraints, Microsoft did something good to Chinese bloggers, not the opposite.
"In China, the line between business and many other things is usually blurred," Bingfeng says, "In addition to making profits, large firms are expected to do a lot of things and in many cases they are crunched by these "nice to haves", and the net result it comes out is both a money-losing company and its inability to contribute to the society."
Bingfeng even compared the Levi case with Microsoft case and told us why he believed Microsoft was much smarter and more responsiable for its shareholders, Chinese bloggers and Chinese firms, "By taking a pragmatic strategy, Microsoft fulfills its unshirkable duty, helps Chinese bloggers to have fun and prepare the abilities for future civil society and set up a role model for many Chinese firms. What else can you expect from Microsoft's decision?"
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