Citizen Blogging in Azerbaijan

Eleven people in Goychay learned how to set up blogs last week, during training organized by IREX and its partner Regional Cooperation and Community Development Center (RCCDC).

The new bloggers are high school teachers, engineers and high school students. They registered blog addresses, then uploaded pictures and videos. Within the hour, they were delighted to find that dozens of people online in Azerbaijan, Germany and the USA were already viewing the new websites.

Novice blogger Asly Teymurova says, “We can really make a difference, change the world, through a blog. It just takes one person.”

Ulvi Yahyayev was likewise pleased to have such an opportunity and says, “I'm sure I can develop an interesting and attractive blog."

IREX and its NGO partners offer regular new media training in 20 Community Information Centers across Azerbaijan. The centers were set up with USAID's support under the Azerbaijan New Media Project (ANMP). The training topics also include Multimedia, Social Media Strategy, Entrepreneurial Reporting and Website Design & Management.

The Azerbaijan New Media Project is a three-year (2010-2013), USAID-supported project working with professional and citizen journalists to improve multimedia reporting skills and build cooperation between media, civil society and citizens.