Peru: Blogger Wishes for the New Year · Global Voices
Eduardo Avila

“What are your hopes for the Peruvian blogosphere in 2009?”  That question was openly posed to the community of Peruvian blogosphere on Juan Arellano's blog Globalizado [es]. As a result, 28 bloggers from Peru and the diaspora responded with a wide variety of thoughts and opinions on their personal blogs and others in the comments section. Many were optimistic, yet some were bothered by the commercialization of the medium. Still, others hoped that the more human-side of the bloggers would start to appear.  Here is a short summary of some of those answers.
Many were discontent with the state of the Peruvian blogosphere, such as Jonathan of the blog Maskus Planet [es] , who left a comment saying [es]:
Mucho ruido y poca creatividad. Mucho deseo de emular a los periódicos o querer hablar de todo un poco. El valor de los blogs es su subjetividad, conocer al autor a través de lo que escribe, de las ideas que comparte, de las ideas que tiene. Me gustaría que para el 2009 la blogósfera sea más subjetiva, más temática, con más sabor, como si estuvieras leyendo una historia contada por un amigo, y no los remedos de periódicos o de agencia de noticias que veo abundan y se pierden en una masa gris.
A lot of noise and very little creativity.  There is a lot of desire to emulate newspapers or want to talk about a little of everything.  The value of blogs is their subjectivity, to get to know the authors through the writings, the ideas that they share, the ideas that they have.  In 2009, I would like for the blogosphere to be more subjective, more theme-related, with more flavor, as if one was reading a story told by a friend, and not mimic the newspapers or news agencies that are everywhere, which gets lost in the grey matter.
However, Silvio Rendon of Gran Combo Club [es] doesn't mind the business aspect of the blogs, but hopes that there will start to be competition:
espero que surja la tendencia contraria, que se entienda que la blogósfera peruana no es sólo un grupo determinado de personas, sino algo mucho más amplio, con rotación, surgimiento de nuevos blogs y caída de otros, con pluralidad temática y de opiniones, y con orientación hacia la calidad de contenidos. Y si va a haber presencia y lógica comercial en el medio, sería deseable que exista más competencia entre más empresas, que rompa con los oligopolios que hoy acaparan la blogósfera.
I hope that a contrary tendency emerges, that understands the Peruvian blogsophere not only as a determined group of individuals, but something much deeper, with a rotation, the emergence of new blogs and the fall of others, with a variety of themes and opinions and direction towards the quality of content. And if there will be a commercial presence in this medium, it would be desirable that there would be more competition between the companies, and that the oligopoly is broken that holds the blogosphere captive.
On the other hand, Francisco of Apuntes Peruanos [es] is a little more cynical about the state of the blogosphere:
En esta “blogosfera” pasa algo curioso: poco a poco se ha creado una mitología y un credo. Hay héroes, luchas, ideales en debate. Y hay un credo basado en una extraña idea: “Los blogs son lo más importante”. Los blogs, no el individuo, ser humano detrás del artilugio, no el entorno que nutre a este individuo. Menos aún las ideas, o las dudas, Así, se ha pasado de la revolución del blog a la dictadura del blogger-tarado, todo en simples pasos.
In this “blogosphere” something interesting is taking place: little by little a mythology or creed is being created.  There are heroes, struggles and ideals up for debate. There is a creed based on a strange idea: “The blogs are the most important thing.” The blogs, not the individual, the human being  behind the device, not the setting that nourishes this individual.  Even less important are the ideas or the doubts. That is how the blog revolution has evolved from the dictatorship blog to the idiot blogger, all in those simple steps.
Guille of Pueblo Vruto [es] is also not very optimistic:
creo que el 2009 será el año del domesticamiento de los blogs. Solo sobrevivirán los blogs que de alguna forma se “institucionalicen” ya sea convirtiendo el esfuerzo o hobby personal en una ocupación “seria” (independientemente de la remuneración), asociándose en grupos o cárteles, o siendo acogidos o absorbidos (portales, periodicos on-line, organizaciones sociales y políticas, etc).
I think 2009 will be the year of the domestication of blogs.  The only blogs that will survive will be those that “institutionalize” themselves somehow by converting a personal hobby or effort into a “serious” line of work (independent of the financial compensation), by associating themselves with groups or cartels, or by being absorbed (portals, online newspapers, social and political organizations, etc.).
Carlos of Peruanista [es] thinks that the business aspect of the blogs is negatively affecting the blogosphere:
La blogósfera peruana se ha llenado de comerciantes que no escriben para comunicar, sino para atraer visitantes y ganar dinero. Bien se podría mantener un balance entre hacer blogs y hacer dinero, porque nadie debe trabajar de gratis. Pero cuando se trata de negociar los blogs, es obvio que en Lima algunos están financiados por grupos empresariales y políticos. Desgraciadamente la influencia del dinero, la corrupción, los intereses políticos y empresariales, ya están infectando el mundo de los blogs peruanos.
The complete summary posts can be found on the Globalizado [es] (1, 2, 3), as well as Arellano's personal thoughts at his post title, “yo, blogger? [es]“