Saudi Arabia - Blogger Ahmed Al-Omran is not a household name outside of Saudi Arabia. Neither is Eman Al Nafjan, a 31-year-old mother of three, whose Saudi Woman's Web Blog in English has a solid, growing base of 500 visitors a day. And few outsiders may have heard of Basma Al-Mutlaq, whose English-language blog, Saudi Amber, advocates an end to what Eman Al Nafjan calls the kingdom's "gender apartheid".

But within the kingdom, such bloggers are Internet stars. Readers and fans flood the Internet with spirited, supportive and angry commentary that is expanding the limits of what can be spoken about in this conservative, traditionally closed and painfully diplomatic society.

While the Saudi Ministry of Interior sees the Internet mostly as a threat — the nation's top venue for the recruitment of young Saudis to the ranks of Al Qaeda — thousands of open-minded young Saudis have embraced the blogosphere to shatter the silence about problems long considered taboo. [edited for space]