Govt muscles in on the Internet

ShutterBug SG

Govt muscles in on the Internet
DPA
1 Oct 06

Singapore Press Holdings (SPH) is buying all the magazine and online titles of Hardware Zone, which operates a website featuring new electronic products and reviews, SPH said in a published statement Saturday.

The website, which started in 1999 as a hobby for the co-founders, currently has operations in Thailand, Singapore, Malaysia, the Philippines, Indonesia, China and Australia.

Co-founders Eugene Low and Jackie Lee were 22-year-old undergraduates at the National University of Singapore when they started Hardware Zone.

The purchase price is 7.1 million Singapore dollars (4.5 million US dollars).

"Hardware Zone's online magazine business strategy will complement SPH Magazines' strong print magazine business," said the statement in The Straits Times.

The acquisition is scheduled to be completed around November 1.

Lowclassman SG

If I'm the founder, I would not sell it for 7.1 million. but S$71 millions!!! Mr. Green

ditzy SG

Its founders became instant millionares overnight. Frankly, if it were me, I'll also sell it for the money. Laughing

av98m SG

x 2

Wonder if this spells the demise of HWZ as we know it?

*wonders if the govt is going to buy sammyboy and sgforums* Twisted Evil

duotiga83 SG

edmw have alt site orleadi Mr. Green

ShutterBug SG

Frankly, they can buy over local setups, but they can't buy over the world's opinions about them...

The Internet is beyond their control.

Unless they wanna ban the Internet... which will definitely make them VERY VERY VERY unpopular in future GEs...

Rolling Eyes

BillyBong SG

What possible interest would SPH have to buy-out HWZ except to turn it into another subsidiary of SPH, and an extension into the forum community.

The concept of STOMP was great when it started, but having seen the number of restrictions placed to 'control' the type of users, going as far to include a 'board of shame' for banned users, i find that SPH merely wants to have their cake and eat it too.

Fully aware that HWZ contains some of the more web-savvy and influential forumers in SG, gaining control of HWZ would only have 'political' interests, rather than being driven by market forces.

Parka SG

I hate to say this but please don't equate SPH as government or vice versus.

Anyway, they can't just go buy over every forum just because of political reasons. Online traffic will flow to the one where there's freedom of speech, naturally.

BillyBong SG

Even on the net, there are ways to control that 'freedom of speech'.

Who's the say that in the few months following their takeover, they will not revise the registration requirements to include additional data to tighten their knowledge of those who posts?

HWZ is an obvious 'competitor' to STOMP, and with STOMP still in its infancy, SPH may be more aggressive in attempting to level the playing field to give STOMP a larger opportunity to shine?

At the moment, the only reason i see people will be attracted to STOMP is the number of freebies such as digital cameras being offered if one submits photos etc. Are these sweeteners tactics familiar of any style we already know? Cool

countdracula SG

which is why you remain lowclass, $7.1 mil is probably the best value they can get at this momemt. if they want to they can generate more wealth for themselves....

equlus84 SG

Hmmm.........One must noe dat the HWZ is the largest online forum in Singapore. It forummer are numerically larger than the SG forums and there is a wide variety of forums covering from coffee shop talks all the way to political related stuffs. Thus by controlling the HWZ one can say that most forummers with different interest is controlled at on go under the SPH.

But seriously, I think for the govt to survive and be connected to the young, they must provide a safe environment for the ppls to speak out their minds. Controlling, coercing and ironfisted rule over the forums are going to increase the distance between the ppls and govt, and further increase the resentment against the govt.

On the surface, the govt seems to be on the upper hand, the traditional medias are continually singing praises of the PAP, while the net is kept under 24hrs surveillance. But look at the level of partisan activity that has occurred on the net and blogs in the recent yrs. Example the wearing of brown shirt to support Mr. Brown, home-made videos of Dr. Chee's protest at Speaker's corner, Alternative media has outreached to the ppls who are eager to see the events first hand rather than through PAP's glasses. The alternative media have help the opositions by shearing away PAP's votes by a large portion in Aljunid GRC, eventhough WP was facing a PAP barage over the Gomez's issue. Even the last minute Sabre rattling by LKY did not safe PAP from getting only 55% votes.

ShutterBug SG

...and votes shall continue to dwindle as they continue to be tyranic...

LazerLordz SG

Support independant citizen journalism and alternative media. You must have a balanced diet to be healthy.

Just because McDonalds sells salads now, does not mean anything substantial.

OO_OO_OO SG

so is that where your income tax goes?

Rock^Star SG

Ah come on guys, STOMP is already the first step towards internet invasion. Now comes HWZ, so it really shouldn't be that much of a surprise. I haven't been to the website really but there must be a lot of forumites complaining and contemplating a switch to SGForums? Rolling Eyes

It appalls me how this govt always want to micro-manage.....URGH we need some help from a higher order. Laughing

ditzy SG

No, it comes from the newspaper man who knocks on your door on thursday night every 3rd week of the month. Laughing

ndmmxiaomayi SG

I don't see any other forums I go to asking for telephone numbers. This is way too much.

ditzy SG

You are defending SPH coz you work there. Laughing

/runs away fast.

LazerLordz SG

Remember what I said about Stomp to you a while back? I'm right aren't I. Wink

This is micromanagement of the public opinion through capitalist measures designed to distract the masses from learning that whatever is going on, is a spin exercise. When you give people prizes, they'd do anything including going fully public on their profile.

There is a line to be drawn, and I personally have boycotted Stomp since day one, and have not even visited their site. It is a place that promotes sensationalism, intrusion of privacy in return for a feeling that you HAVE a "voice" and that you might win some shiny toys.

ndmmxiaomayi SG

If they do that, they will only lose the knowledgeable HWZ people. I don't like to see newbies wrecking people's PCs.