Having a casual conversation with Jeff Ooi, the famous blogger, is very different from reading his web-blog ' Screenshots '. You would not imagine this warm and friendly individual blogging with such intense determination and purpose. Indeed, he is a seasoned cyber-activist who is greatly committed to the causes he holds dear.

His blog's maxim is 'Thinking allowed, thinking aloud' and Jeff will be the first to defend this motto to the hilt. He realises that most his readers are ordinary people and he makes the effort to connect with them on bread and butter issues.

It clearly comes across that the man is truly grassroots in character and he uses his blog to reach out to Malaysians like himself, presenting a voice that is slowly, but surely, building into a crescendo.

"Constructive bloggers should position themselves, by being a media watchdog and ensuring that the news that is disseminated is not spun to achieve a certain political agenda," he advises.

Besides being a high-profile international blogger, Jeff is also communication and IT business consultant holding a Masters in Business Administration from Royal Melbourne Institute of Technology. Okay, now let's get to 'em questions!

What are your hobbies?

I've three main hobbies. First is photography which to me it's not only an art from because every picture tells a story. If we can't tell it in words, we can tell in pictures. I've initiated LensaMalaysia a group for photography enthusiasts.

Everyone can join and upgrade themselves. We help the professional photographer to get photography assignments. We provide knowledge and we are also working closely with photography magazines.

My second hobby is playing and singing rock music. It will not go away as it's in my blood. My third hobby is studying about trains. I love trains! Trains are the best from of technology and engineering. Whenever I've some free time, I always travel by train and take photos of them in whichever country I am in.

Did you have a childhood ambition?

I wanted to be a rock singer. I still have an electric guitar with me and sing and play in my free time. I like The Scorpions and Deep Purple. I particularly like the song 'Smoke on the water' by the latter. As for Malaysian rock singers, I like Ramli Sarip whose 'Kamalia' is very famous.

Why do you blog?

I was frustrated with the Malaysian mainstream media. The ownership of media has too much political control. In terms of reporting they are not reporting in a transparent manner. As part of civil society, we need to really tell both sides of the story. I thought I should create a form of cyber-activism.

I love Malaysia, my homeland. To me, blogging can be a form of nationalism. It's not about taking the national flag and marching down the road. For me, providing constructive criticism in order for the country to move forward is the way of showing that I love Malaysia.

I've seen a lot of good things from all around the world. If there's a good story, I want to tell that good story. I'd like to share it with my fellow Malaysians. My target for blogging activity is to educated the younger generation who are Internet users. I want them to be 'change agents' who will be able to draw their own conclusions and make changes in society.

When and how did you become a blogger?

Before I initiated my own blog, I founded USJ.com.my . It's a good example of a cyber community where residents of a predominantly upper-middle class residential area banded together and stopped 'interested parties' from building a food court instead of a much-needed police station.

It runs like a community newspaper. This reflects how we can use the Internet to network a community and find a way out. To us, the Internet is a tool. We don't want to be funded by the government. We provide a forum and we share a common vision.

Running USJ.com.my has taught me how to get people to talk among themselves. In the end, I want to create a nationwide civil society through blogging activities.

JeffOoi.com, which hosts 'Screenshots' was launched on Jan 2, 2003. Actually, I wanted to launch on January 1 but the server was down on that day. In June that year, malaysiakini linked my blog to their site make it more well-known.

What makes you a leading blogger?

It is by accident! I think the reason people follow my blog is because they can trust me. I put my name, have a public face and display my mobile number. I take responsibility for what I write. Furthermore, the issues I write about affect everybody. Some may not agree with what I think but they are allowed to express what they think freely.

In addition, sometimes I break some stories which later turn out to be true. Even though I'm not a journalist by profession, I always follow journalistic ethics and rules. If it's breaking news, I've to cross-check but if it's commentary I'm just responding to the newspapers.

Breaking stories - I mostly get from people in the business community where I belong to and from my good friends who are journalists and lawyers.

What is the good thing of being a blogger?

I get internationally recognised. I was invited to attend the World Summit on the Information Society, a UN project. I got to speak on 'Internet & Society' at the Harvard Law School. I've become a reference point for freedom of expression on the Internet and also on governance policy.

At the same time, as a blogger and not a professional journalist, I keep asking the professional journalists whether they really respect their own profession or not.

What's the difference between a newspaper and a blog?

Newspapers have one big disadvantage and that is they are not real time. Newspapers or news agencies need to distribute their news physically whereby info on a blog can be forwarded.

When most of the newspapers companies are closed for the day, bloggers can still blog. Somehow, this even better than the wire services because news from bloggers is from the grassroots, people who are really witnessing an event and reporting it real time.

Blogger are more like opinion-shapers. Their perspectives are understandable and transmitted throughout the world via the Internet. Sometimes it even impacts government and in some cases, government has embraced blogging.

For the new generation, blogging fits in with the way they access information. They prefer to make their own decisions. They think 'bottom up' while the mainstream media injects 'top down' information to them. The Internet empowers people. The paradigm has changed the big push.

In your opinion, what can the Internet contribute to the society?

It changes our mindset.

Do you have any expectations of blogging?

I hope educated bloggers are taking blogging as a serious intellectual discussion platform for society. I also expect the mainstream media to respect web-blogs as part of media eco-system. As intellectual bloggers, we need to use our blogs to form part of the alternative media encompassing broadcasting, internet TV, internet radio etc.

Where do you like to hang out?

Any museum where the theme is related to the Second World War. Or out in the suburbs enjoying photography and relaxing.

What is your dream holiday and destination?

Driving in my caravan throughout New Zealand!

'Anything But Politics' is an occasional column featuring political personalities, activists, intellectuals and the interesting. KIM SUBUNRUK is a malaysiakini intern from Thailand.