I suspected as much about blogspot a few hours ago. Ironic, too, because my original Spaces blog got blocked (intemperate references to the truth; I should've known better, of course) so I switched to my blogspot blog as my main one, and set up another Spaces blog just in case. Now this new-born child of mine has suddenly become No. 1 son.

I'm just getting used this whole China 'web-blocking' thing, and I gotta say, it perplexes me.
Apparently, my wordpress blog is blocked. I mention China quite a bit, but I don't think I've said a single controversial thing. I've really only talked about learning Chinese and my plans to go back this summer. Hardly worth blocking if you ask me.

Here's how the Great Firewall works to the best of my "I know Cisco engineers who worked on it" knowledge.

Nanny seems to block using a somewhat additive combination of IP address, namespace, and content.

So, now to put that last paragraph in plain English and give examples for the non-technical:

If you've got your own domain name that points to a blogspot (or other "blocked" namespace) site, you're NOT blocked (the namespace is different), BUT

If you have a site that's on the same IP address as a content-blocked site (most el-cheapo "web hosting service providers" don't give you your own IP address) then you ARE blocked.

Confused? Let me try again.

The best defense against being blocked seems to be to do one of two things:

Get your own domain name that points to your blogspot blog, OR get your own web site, but make absolutely sure that your ISP will give you an IP address that's yours and only yours.

Finally, try not to take blocking personally, if they were blocking you personally you would have found out by other means. Let me just go see who that is at the door...

@ Jason. Your blog is blocked because all Wordpress blogs are blocked in China---it has nothing to do with what you're writing.

Julian -- when you say "all Wordpress blogs" you presumably mean "all blogs using the wordpress.com/org/net namespace", as distinct from "blogs on other namespace websites using the Wordpress blogging software".

I can assure you the latter are NOT blocked.

I switched to blogspot when LJ was blocked, now I can log in and blog just fine, but can't open anything.blogspot.com. Just to add insult to injury, I opened a blog at canalblog two days ago to help motivate me to study Chinese (long story, don't ask) and now I find I can only get to canalblog via proxy. Most frustrating because I was using French BSPs because I thought they'd be smaller and more likely to fly under the radar than the big American ones. So now I find myself with four blog accounts, two completely blocked, one half blocked in that I can use it, but can't see it, and only one completely open. I'm hoping this is all temporary and Nanny unclenches soon.

When they block Tor the world really will come to an end.

I can access blogspot sites through Proxzee and Anonymouse OK but I can't download MP3s from those sites. Anyone know a way of getting mp3 from blocked sites?

This whole nanny thingy is RIDICULOUS.
It has gotten PRC nowhere, and only serves to annoy an in creasingly large number of people. When will they ever learn??

Hang on a minute, blogspot seems to be unblocked again. Just got to several blogspot blogs proxy free. Got the tipoff from http://underthebridge.yculblog.com/post.2698427.html

Yeah, I was just surfing to http://mynameisamychen.blogspot.com/ it happened to load fine (in Shanghai; I believe chriswaugh_bj is up North).

Thanks, chriswaugh_bj and Micah. BJNetcom's been so poor for me lately that it's nice to have something work for a change.

Is blogspot reblocked? And MSN spaces? And now Danwei? Had to use a proxy to get here, but it was fine earlier this morning.

Danwei's fine for me. Blogspot is unaccessible, though. Spaces is fine.

I'm closing comments on this post; continue the conversation here.