Our partnership with TOL has allowed us to encourage local blogging in Central Asia and the Caucasus by hiring “bridge bloggers” to mediate between the Russian, Uzbek, and English blogospheres, hold blogging workshops in the region, and publish blogging guides online. neweurasia is not, however, trying to become an NGO.

Blogging is fundamentally about individuals voluntarily discussing, debating, and collaborating online about subjects that interest them. If you: have an opinion; have traveled in the region; are studying Central Asia and the Caucasus in school; are on a related career path; or are just interested in learning more about the region, consider writing for neweurasia. There are lots of good reasons to contribute:

• All neweurasia blogs taken together have attracted around 100,000 unique views in October 2006.
• Our internal mailing list is open for your questions, be they logistical (if you plan to travel to the region), factual or just casual conversation.
• Discussions on our blogs add value to your original ideas. If you’re involved in research on Central Asia and the Caucasus, writing for neweurasia can add depth and various viewpoints to your analysis.
• Blogging for neweurasia is a great way to make get to know people with similar interests and make contacts in the academic and professional world.
• Ultimately, blogging is its own reward.

If you’re interested, please don’t hesitate to get in touch with Ben at ben[at]neweurasia[dot].net and he’ll set you up with login information to get you posting in no time. Blogging experience is not necessary; many of us at neweurasia had no experience before we started blogging here.