Starting today in Berlin, re:publica - with about 2.500 participants one of the biggest conferences and multi-media events with a special focus on social media - offers lots of inspiring talks, presentations and roundtables. Some of the events are available as live streams. Two panels are devoted to the Russian and Belorussian Blogospheres, with bloggers Viktor Malishevsky (Minsk), Alexander Plushev and Rustem Adagamow (both Moscow) taking part in the discussions. As to the press announcements, the focus will mainly be a political one, investigating the democratic potentials of social media platforms:Especially against the background of their ailing classical media landscapes the vibrancy and growth of Russian and Belarusian blogospheres stands out. Blogs provide alternative spaces, free of the political and economic restrictions that apply to the classical media spheres of the two countries. The reactions of both countries, as much as they may differ, demonstrate the importance politicians ascribe to the blogosphere: The new Belarusian law on internet-censorship shows insecurity and fear. In Russia, in contrast, some politicians (the most prominent of them being President Medvedev) try to ride the wave by using the social web themselves.And thus matches perfectly with our small discussion here in the blog whether social media are worth attention (and praise) only if fulfilling (the correct) political aims.H.S.