Bloggers are a dime a doze, and when it comes to mainstream media, most of us are not even a blip on the radar. However, the death of
Hadeel Alhodaif, a 25-year-old female Saudi blogger, is capturing international headlines.

Her Arabic-language blog, “Heaven’s Steps,” will be missed.

Alhodaif, who fell into a coma several weeks ago, is being priased for her work to fight for free media in the restrictive kingdom. She was one of the few online writers living under a restrictive governement who was unafraid to blog using her real name.

“I would like to educate Saudi women about the importance of blogging as an efficient medium that can greatly influence public opinion,” she said during a recent presentation.

Leading Middle Eastern bloggers, who write against the law, are able to achieve cult status - perhaps more easily than their democratic counterparts. Hadeel was much more than a blogger, and the blogosphere will miss her.

Read more here.