Job Discussion Forums

SpedEd · Joined: 31 Jan 2006 Posts: 143 Location: Shanghai

I've noted for the past couple of days that certain popular (English) Web sites can't be accessed, among them my Yahoo.com email account and much of the Yahoo! network and all of the eBay sites. Also, other notable intl' sites.
At this point I'm baffled as to why but I have two theories: (1) The Net backbone in China is being inundated with more users than normal due to the Chinese New Year.
(2) Something was said or done on these sites that offended the commies, i.e., Wikipedia.
Any other reasons?

The Great Wall of Whiner · Joined: 29 Jan 2003 Posts: 4946 Location: Blabbing

It depends on the content.

China is using a newly tested filtering system that filters keywords and phrases.

So some pages here, for example, will not work.

I get it on FOX, CNN, and other sites at times.

Keeps us from finding the truth on some subjects, unless we dig hard.

I do not understand the logic in blocking the words at all. If I can't get something, I just get a friend back home to copy/paste and e-mail.

Trish Flurman · Joined: 28 Jan 2008 Posts: 92

tom selleck · Posted: Sun Feb 10, 2008 6:35 am Post subject:

So, what are you insinuating? The quest for information should screech to a full stop because they said we should just accept it, and we're in another country and we're really just guests an' all that? Sounds like some of the newspeak I occasionally hear in English corner. The c e n s o r s h i p is really done in our own best interests, because, after all, there are some things that are really just none of our business and we shouldn't be poking and prodding in these potential dust - up piles anyway. Evil or Very Mad

englishgibson · Joined: 09 Mar 2005 Posts: 4345

i've just tried to access the BBC thread here on daves and i am behind the fireW ..yet again our forums are in it Mad

in my opinion, our forums and what we discuss is none of the officials business and they shouldn't poke in Mad

no cheers or beers to the great local fire walls that're so much to protect peoples people as well as us

tom selleck · Posted: Sun Feb 10, 2008 8:15 am Post subject:

Yer dern tootn', EG!

1. There aren't enough English speakers in this country to make a sizeable dent.

2. If there were, the nature of the locals is apolitical. They're just not interested

3. If a gifted English speaker slipped through and read the troubling rumbles of dissension, chances are the slang, metaphors and not to mention crap grammar and spelling would render a local confused and eventually bored. That's why Westerners are employed by the MAN to keep tabs on us on any of a number of forums all over cyberspace. Back in Canada, the Globe and Mail has a few fanatics that pollute the discussion boards. A colleague was offered such a position in Beijing. He politely told them of sex and traveling.

4. A bunch of bored overseas ESL teachers venting on a forum isn't going to destabilize a government. Even Somalia.

mike w · Posted: Sun Feb 10, 2008 2:26 pm Post subject:

The Voice Of Reason · Joined: 29 Jun 2004 Posts: 492

MrMrLuckyKhan · Posted: Mon Feb 11, 2008 6:09 am Post subject:

cant you use free ''proxy servers'', or is that TOTALLY different?!?!?? I remeber my work used to block a bunch of words in the address bar like, "mail," but there where always workarounds...

Trish Flurman · Joined: 28 Jan 2008 Posts: 92

There are two very good work-around methods mentioned elsewhere.

Proxies work haphazardly and are often quickly blocked.

englishgibson · Joined: 09 Mar 2005 Posts: 4345

now, i am in nanning..could access my yahoo email from many different computers, although today from on net bar i can't...i guess different provider or location in the city might also matter Wink

no cheers or beers to chinese interenet services Mad

China.Pete · Joined: 27 Apr 2006 Posts: 547

"There are two very good work-around methods mentioned elsewhere. Proxies work haphazardly and are often quickly blocked." -- Trish Flurman

Both of the workaround methods you are referring to (Tor, etc.) utilize proxies. They are distinct from using a single proxy in that they include a piece of software to automate the process of locating and then connecting to one or more of a range of proxy servers which may be available at that moment.

Trish Flurman · Joined: 28 Jan 2008 Posts: 92

Well, they are really tunneling and not proxy'ing in the direct sense and definition.

MrMrLuckyKhan · Posted: Mon Feb 11, 2008 8:36 am Post subject:

LoL, i JUST remembered one of our other tricks at AT&T!!!

Do you have access to Google.com??? if so>>

use the "Language tools" (from google.com, to the right of the search field) to convert a website from chinese (or some other random language you are NOT using) to English. You can browse it THROUGH google, BUT it still has ''myspace'' somewhere in the address....

....also, google search for "myspace.com" (or whatever site you are looking for) and click on the part that says ''cached'' Then the orginal site name is not in the address bar, BUT you cant browse to other pages...

Just 2 more cents of mine to add, lol..

chengdude · Joined: 13 Jun 2004 Posts: 294

Will agree with the OP that at the time of posting, something was going on. I had all sorts of trouble even with normally accessible destinations. It appears to have (more or less) cleared up as of Monday.

As for the cache suggestion, not sure what the poster had in mind, but Google's cache function has, to my knowledge at least, never worked in China.