Transcript for Interview with Filip Stojanovski

My name is Filip Stojanovski.

I am living in Skopje, Macedonia

I contribute to Global Voices through articles

usually about the Macedonian blogosphere

and I also translate some for the Macedonian version of Global Voices.

Blogs in Macedonia didn't really take off until

2004 - and especially 2005 -

and as far as I know the first

blog from Macedonia was

founded in 2001 by

a young woman called Ana Maria

who is living in Poland

and then the real impulse for

development of the Macedonian blogosphere

came from the development of a local Macedonian-language platform

called Blogerei - blog.com.mk

- which also used other, offline media

to promote it's functionality.

David: You told me that Global Voices is one of the key aspects in your strategy

for more e-content in Macedonia. Why is that?

Filip: Well, generally Macedonian media do not

provide much content

about the situation abroad

which is different from the few mainstream agencies

that are dominant on the world market.

Because some of the Macedonian media are connected to say Reuters or AP

through their networks of ownership.

Generally

we lack

a lot of information which is provided by Global Voices.

Information by regular people about events which are not only sensationalist

but are also often

interesting for the Macedonian public

because they refer to things happening which are similar

to situations here. And are not

covered by the media. So it is

very important for us that we

have the perspective of how various problems

are solved and various issues are raised elsewhere

which can also be replicated here.

And also to share our experiences.

David: So when you translate content into Macedonian, how do you choose which content you translate?

Filip: Well, all of our translators

have the latitude to choose what they will translate.

Because we are all volunteers

and there is no central authority

delegating which article to be translated.

So if somebody wants to translate an article about

a topic, they do it on their own.

So, for me, myself, I usually

have been translating articles

which are about topics that I find interesting.

And which I feel need further

exposure within the Macedonian public.

Especially because sometimes

there are parallels that can be drawn but are

not exploited by the traditional media.

David: What have you learned during your time as a Global Voices author and translator?

Filip: In general, I've learned more

about the diversity of various

citizen journalists around the world.

And also about the need for

the further spreading of information

because what we have now

is an experience

where there are more people out there

with whom you can do good things together

than you would suppose before.

It is probably the most important thing - that there is the possibility to do more

and better things in the future.

David: What do you hope to see as the future of Global Voices over the next five years?

Filip: Well, generally I hope

to have a bigger influence

and more influence

which would be connected to

maybe offline activities within various communities.

Generally, the content of Global Voices

I think is great and should continue in the same direction.

Maybe to attract even more authors

and even more translators.

Because it is not only beneficial at a social

level - promoting

progressive changes around the world -

but also beneficial at a personal level.

I find it very interesting that my Global Voices profile

has a higher Google ranking than most of the

things that I've done over the last 10 years online.

And I think that as more translators

get more global in a way of trying

to find customers worldwide and not just

in their own little business circle then this would provide

a good incentive to attract more volunteers

who are professional and willing to contribute their time.

But in general it would also be interesting

and very beneficial to continue with Rising Voices

-like initiatives that would

empower more users

in more diverse communities worldwide

especially those with less opportunities.

Follow Filip's coverage on Global Voices at: