Perth: not a bad place to be a blogger
There’s something about Western Australia that seems to nurture geeks. Perhaps it’s our isolation from the rest of Australia, or our seemingly constant need to prove we’re “just as good” as the East coast. Whatever it is, one of the by-products is a thriving blogging community and some great innovations coming from the bottom left hand corner of the country. Just some of the many internet-famous Perth bloggers include:-
- Bronwen Clune, founder of PerthNorg, a citizen journalism site and second home to many Perth bloggers, as well as one of the organisers of the Perth Bloggers meetup-
- Jon Yau, founder of AustralianBlogs.com.au amongst other internet ventures - an avid collector of blogs rather than a prolific poster-
- Miles Burke, founder of the Australian Web Industry Association-
- Simone of Enjoy Perth, the most switched-on what’s on guide in the city, and one of the meetup organisers-
- Matt from Abstract Gourmet, the blog that quite often makes me physically drool-
- Gary Barber, the Man With No Blog, who actually took out the best blog category in the 2007 WA Web Awards
I asked a few of these esteemed individuals if they could guess at the source of all this creativity. Over Twitter, Miles Burke succinctly ventured that “because of our physical isolation we have a great desire for collaboration and a community of sharing”. Hmm, I knew someone would say that!
Gary Barber gave a longer version, suggesting that Perth is just the right size for a great community of bloggers. “Perth also has a very close community of bloggers that span various interests with very little clique that is experienced in smaller and larger cities. I guess the real thing is people in Perth ignore the norm, and for the most part don’t pay attention to the norm”.
Simone cheekily added “well obviously Perth is Dullsville, so there’s not much else to do but blog!”. She also pointed out that there’s a long tradition of bloggers meetups in Perth, as they were started way back in 2004 by Richard Giles - long before blogging hit the mainstream. Perhaps that kind of community encourages new bloggers to start or to keep going.
Abstract Gourmet Matt was more matter of fact - he said “I live in Perth, so I blog in Perth. Basically it’s as simple as that. I think I blog along the lines of that crappy catch phrase, ‘think global, act local’”. Like Gary, Matt thinks the size of the community and lack of high profile bloggers (in the food niche, at least) means that “if you’ve got something to say, and put it across well, you get noticed. I’ve had the chance to have an influence over some actual businesses who have benefited from things I’ve written about them… Which is a nice feeling”.
Me personally, I’m a big fan of the nice feeling. As I sit here, sipping coffee with my laptop in my favourite beach-side cafe, the sun shining and the ocean so close I can hear the waves breaking, I have to ask myself if there is any better place to live in the world. And I may be biased - in fact, I’m sure of it - but I don’t think that there is.
Although you definitely have...
Homesick.
An ex-pat sandgroper living in the “Eastern States’ (you know, no one over here actually referes to the ‘Easter States’ and looks blankly at anyone who makes the reference) this post immediatly made me think of Cottesloe and Trigg. Yet it was Scarborough Beach I spent most of my time at. Long before it was yuppified by Observation City… I remember the Scarborough pub (only the drive through, I was too young to be served inside!) the Snake Pit, the burger joints, the Scarborough Drags… even a vague memory of Luna Park. I am shoing my age, yes. Thanks for the memories
I’m biased Goatlady… I’m a West Oz fella my self - so of course I have to agree with you
Having met a few of those people you mentioned above at the Perth Bloggers meet - I have to agree with the lack of ‘cliquey-ness’ at the meet I attended. Admittedly this was something I worried about - not being a techo type fella in the world of computers and the internet, I wasn’t sure whether I’d be up to the task! I couldn’t have been more off target… I met a great bunch of people - wanted to stop longer but Dad duty called, and I had to bugger off!
I’d heard that other blogger meet-up’s have been - for some - uncomfortable affairs… a shame really - the chance to meet and greet new people in relaxed circumstances, should be taken advantage of at every opportunity! Especially if cold beverages are involved!!! So thanks to you WA bloggers - see ya’s at another meet!
Cheers
Aw shucks, Goatlady
Mmmmmm . . . sipping coffee . . . laptop . . . beachside cafe . . . . Sounds awful. Poor you. I have been to Perth once for about a week. I sipped coffee in a beachside cafe also - it was in Scarborough. And I attempted to body surf in those huge waves - scary. Seem to recall Northbridge being a fabulous nighttime hive of activity and Fremantle? Bloody byooodiful.
I must get to Perth one of these days. I met some of the Perth blogging community at Web Directions last year. I could definitely sense the web community you have over there.
I love Perth (well WA)
Best beaches (more than one meter to yourself) and not to mention the best football team.
If you have not come to Perth you must do that, as it is the best!!
As one of the ‘Perth Bloggers’ - personally, I found a niche which doesn’t really have that much to do with the city (per se) but more about critical thinking skills, education, consumer rights and skepticism. It just so happens that Perth is the home of people like comedian Tim Minchin and Dr Geoffrey Dean, who have both contributed significantly to the perception of skeptics worldwide. Most of my traffic comes from psychology and philosophy enthusiasts (such as the work of Dr Richard Wiseman, James Randi and P4C) - could it be more that the newYear 11/12 subjects on offer for students in Perth encourage more outreach and support via new media, wherever you may be?
http://www.podblack.wordpress.com.
Hi - This is great that there’s so many Perth bloggers. I’m a UK blogger and I’m just in the process of applying for my visa - hoping to emigrate to Perth this year.
I think Adelaide is better they Disney hottie Jeremy Shum or whats his name is from there =)
hi! am an ex-pat just flew into Perth 2 weeks ago… glad to see a thriving blog community here. i’m a filipina tropical girl transplanted into the winter cold of Perth in july, but am looking forward to seeing and trying all the great beaches once the weather is warmer!
hope that i can join a meet soon — that is, if i can get to it, as i am still without wheels.