An experienced filmmaker who recently finished a stint as a visiting lecturer at the Beijing Film Academy, Siok Siok’s credits also include being an executive producer for Discovery Channel programming as well as directing Boomtown Beijing, a fantastic documentary that followed the lives of four common Chinese during the leadup to the 2008 Olympics (see my interview with Siok Siok from last year).

Much like Boomtown Beijing, Twittamentary wont be focusing on its subject directly, but rather intends to break the topic down to its fundamental human elements. In a recent interview with WebProNews, Siok Siok explained: “The film explores the idea that Twitter accelerates serendipity. When lives intersect at an ever-increasing speed, great stories happen at an astonishing rate. We want to tell these wonderful stories. All the rest of it, the themes and the topics are just part of the great backdrop.”

The documentary’s Web site has issued a general call for submissions (whether written, videoed, recorded or otherwise) that tell “the most fascinating thing that happened to you because of Twitter”. The gathering of submissions will culminate in a 24-hour global event this September in which all Twitter users can submit new stories, as well as vote and comment on those Twitter stories (twories?) contributed by others. The best submissions will be weaved into the fabric of the film.

Though no official release date has been set for the film, it is expected to be available, online (and with a Creative Commons license), in the first half of 2010. Be sure to check out Twittamentary.com for the latest information. You can also follow Siok Siok on Twitter @sioksiok

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However, I’d be remiss if I failed to mention what an absolute pain in the butt living in China can be when anything remotely controversial pops up. This Thursday marks the 20th anniversary of the violent suppression of the student-led demonstrations of 1989, putting everyone in the upper echelons of Chinese politics on edge.In what can only be assumed to be a preemptive silencing of any online dissension, both Twitter.com and Flickr.com were blocked today at around 5pm (GMT+8) and are inaccessible without a proxy or virtual private network (VPN) in Mainland China.

The two sites join video-sharing giant YouTube, which hasn’t seen Chinese visitors since the end of March, as well as Blogger and WordPress.com blogs–which are blocked and unblocked as if on a switch.

Fortunately, anyone in China who spends any amount of time online has weathered these blocks before, so this *should* be no different. A few tools I find handy:

• Herdict.org: Real-time reporting on Web blocks around the world. Useful for making sure you’re not just a paranoid dude with a screwed-up Net connection.
• Hotspot Shield: A free VPN that, while not superfast, will allow you to circumvent the Great Firewall of China.
• WiTopia: A paid VPN (US$40-$60/yearr) that while for-fee, is faster than Hotspot Shield by offering multiple gateways depending on your location (I use the LA gateway, and it’s virtually like non-proxied Internet for speed).
• Censortive: This is a WordPress plugin I created nearly two years ago that allows you to “tag” sensitive words in your posts, which will then be replaced by an image version of that word. This negates a censorship robot’s ability to scan the text of a blog post and block it based on keywords.

Got other techie ways to beat blocks? I’d love to hear about them in the comments.

Certainly, New York Times columnist Maureen Dowd does, as she so comprehensively illustrated in her recent twinterview with Twitter founders Biz Stone and Evan Williams. “I would rather be tied up to stakes in the Kalahari Desert, have honey poured over me and red ants eat out my eyes than open a Twitter account. Is there anything you can say to change my mind?”Whereas Isabella at least conceeds that her lack of “getting” Twitter doesn’t stop her from understanding that there may be a use for it, Dowd plays the cocky, ignorant fool throughout her column (that’s paid journalist speak for “blog post”). She at one point, ironically, uses Twitter criticism from bloggers as some sort of limp punch.

I have little doubt that Dowd was using her shiny, NYT-branded soapbox not so long ago to attest the uselessness of blogging at all. I can almost hear her voice shouting out: “What? Give everyone a voice? But what will they say? Surely it wont be near as important or significant as my opinion. Why clutter up the medium with prole-speak?”

As many once assumed with blogs, Dowd seems to believe that just because Twitter is swamped with users, it means that by joining Twitter you are forced face first into the stream to be washed away by a current of nugatory life moments from strangers.

Throughout her interview with Biz and Evan she references the torrent of useless stuff people tweet about. But she rather tellingly avoids the real question–so what? People blog about the weather and how their most recent trip to the supermarket went–it doesn’t take away from the value of all blogs, it just makes those blogs useless. And like useless blogs, and columns for that matter, you don’t need to read them.

Likewise, there are entire forests being clear-cut to allow garbage tabloid and advertorial “newspapers” to grace newsstands, and yet we’re not calling into question the entire journalistic endeavor. So why then does Twitter get held to a different standard?

Twitter is a tool. It is a way in which a large network of people from across the world can communicate and share information quickly and topically. For myself, it keeps me up to date on current events, gives me access to tools/links/sites/etc. that I would not normally have heard of, allows me to economically and effectively communicate with a wide audience and gain multifaceted insight into an endless array of topics.

Twitter is what you make it. Judging Twitter based on its use by Ashton Kutcher, Oprah or Sally Mallrat does the medium a disservice. It is just that, a medium. A method. Calling it a “toy for bored celebrities and high-school girls” is a bit like calling the invention of the telephone, radio, TV or the Internet the same.

The site is called Twitfessions, and essentially it tracks and displays any Twitter tweets that are tagged with #confession. Basically it’s a fun way to relieve yourself of that little secret or unspoken sin you committed – in a very Web 2.0 way.

Twitter, for those that don’t know, is a micro-blogging service – so, instead of bashing out a blog post of a few hundred words (or more), micro-blogging just captures your immediate thoughts, actions, etc.

I was a late adopter of Twitter, but have been addicted to it for a few months now. Incorporating Twitter with a Twitter client (a desktop program that posts your tweets) like Twhirl, and you have blogging meets instant messaging.

It’s a great way to keep up with what your friends are doing, but more so, it’s a fantastic way to keep posted on what’s happening in the world. These Olympics have been a great example of that – someone that I’m following on Twitter – many of whom are at the Games – will usually post about the latest medal standings, who won what, if there was a protest or controversy… using Twitter I’m always at the front-line of what was going on.

When the #080808 tag started on Twitter a couple weeks back it got me thinking about the different ways Twitter can be used.

I guess it was out of that thought that Twitfessions.com was born.

The project gave me an excuse to spend some more quality time with Drupal – a CMS that I’ve only recently really started playing with (having converted the Hao Hao Report to Drupal not long ago).

Anyway, if you get a chance, check it out and let me know what you think. I should mention that much of the site’s design/layout is the A3 Atlantis theme by John at Blamcast. I’ve customized a few bits to better suit my needs, but the heavy lifting was all done by him (beautiful theme John).

Oh, and if you’re a Twitter user – you can follow Twitfessions at the official Twitfessions Twitter page. And don’t forget to share your confessions by tagging your tweets with #confession.

And in good Web meme fashion, the China Twitterati have come up with the #080808 campaign.

I first read about it from David Feng over at CNReviews after having seen everyone on my Twitter list 080808′ing their avatars.

It was started by Flypig and (as all things do on Twitter) spread rapidly from there.

Never one to shy away from a chance to flex my creative muscles for fun, I’ve whipped up my own little #080808 image.

If you’re not feeling too creative, but would still like to have your own – you can grab the “official” #080808 campaign template here. You wont be alone – here are a few of the Twitterati taking part in the meme (as collected by YUKI.N)

Then, to take part, simply add #080808 to your Tweets.