A couple of days ago when using the social networking sites that I do to help promote my articles I noticed that one of them was constantly unavailable to me and thought it was just my computer having a temporary glitch and it would come back later, well it didn’t.

Linked In had been blocked, I am already unable to use the services of Facebook and Twitter as both of these services have been blocked in this country for some time. It appeared that this third site was to now be denied to me as well.

Last night I noticed a report on the BBC stating that a writer claiming to be inside China and using a name beginning with the letter ‘J’ and a gemstone not jade, also a type of tea. This particular writer had written an article and placed it on Linked In about the recent unrest in parts of the middle east and claimed through their writing that a similar thing could happen in this country.

Well the authorities in this country only react in one way over what they consider to be a threat through the internet and they pulled the plug. It can be frustrating at times being in this country over some of the issues that the rest of the world is freely allowed to say. I realized this when I applied to return here a year ago and accept that freedom of speech is not viewed here in the same way as the rest of the world, however it is galling when one person can write an opinion and everyone else is denied the chance to have their voice heard because that opinion differs from that of the authorities here.

On a plus side, Linked In was operating again this morning, it was only a temporary block, such a shame those other sites are not allowed in this country and I doubt if those sites will ever be reopened here.