I have been delivering this story of my encounter with Global Voices for 10 years, but I feel excited every time I talk about it.
Back in 2005, I was a graduate student majoring in Journalism who found himself lost in the terrible performance of media industry in Taiwan. I didn't know if I should continue pursuing my goal to become a journalist in traditional media or…I don't know what is the other option.
I started to write blog(s) and learned that there was a brand new world out there. I accidentally found Global Voices, read some posts, and was surprised by its novelty and network. Without any hesitation, I just begun to translate interesting posts I read from GV. My first translation was this one [1], and I added my personal comment to share it with my blogging friends in Taiwan. I didn't know who might read them, but with each translation I did, I felt connected with someone on the globe, and I was not alone. I loved the stories that reflected the similar situation in Taiwan, because it made me reflect upon my bias and blindness. I kept on translating posts until some day I receive a message from Rebecca MacKinnon, our dearest co-founder, who read Chinese and invited me to join GV. That was how everything begun. I am now managing several new media projects in Taiwan, trying to challenge the walking dead media world in Taiwan. I am fully confident that I will change the media and therefore rebuild a democratic media sphere because of what I learned from GV.