Aussie Bloggers

photo credit: andyp uk

It’s almost five years ago since I started blogging. I can’t believe that I’ve kept it up for that long and that I still really love doing it.

I’ve kept a written journal of some description or another since I was 18, and I feel quite embarrassed at some of the stuff I wrote. Mind you a lot of things I wrote in a private for-my-eyes-only journal, I wouldn’t even consider writing on a public website.

I’d tampered with typing my journal back in the 1980s, printing it out and sticking it in the written journal but that was fraught with danger. What if someone from work found what I’d printed before I had a chance to collect, or what if someone found my electronic document? I think I did that once or twice before giving up.

So the written journal only tended to really happen when I was travelling or when I felt like it.

Then about six years ago Oprah.com had some sort of online journal setup, kind of like a blog I guess, and I remember thinking that it could be the way to go to get away from longhand.

Then one day I received a webreference.com newsletter which mentioned the Bloggies and I had a cruise around some of the finalists and I thought that this blogging thing could be a really good way to go. I setup a blog on Blogger or something similar and realised that this was something I wanted to do, so I ended up getting an account with Typepad. I blogged using that platform for about three years after which - wanting more control over my blogging platform - I went with self-hosted Wordpress.

When I did my first blog post, you can see (if you read it) that not much thought went into its content and when someone actually commented I nearly fell off my chair.

During the last five years my blogging has evolved enormously. Here’s how.

• I’m sure because I write a lot for my blog that my writing has improved. In fact one regular reader has commented on this. I’ve also had feedback that my blog writing style is engaging.
• I’ve met a fabulous online community of people which has enabled me to go join a blog meet in Perth, one formally and one on the side with an individual blogger. I’m sure meeting people in person strengthens online relationships.
• I also get regular comments on my blog and I wonder if I would have continued blogging without this. The validation, sympathy, good wishes - whatever - help make it worthwhile.
• It’s enabled my passion for photography to flourish. While Flickr isn’t blogging, it is social networking which blogging is a part of, and I do use my Flickr photos a lot on my blog. I’ve also met real people through a local Flickr group.
• Meeting people online has brought opportunities like this Aussie Bloggers forum and blog that I would have never otherwise heard about.
• My blog has also come to the attention of PR agencies who are looking to tap into bloggers to help market for the companies they work for. This has brought me things to try out like a mobile phone, Lego, fruit juice and DVDs. It’s therefore caused me to setup a Reviews and Giveaways section on my blog - something I’d never really thought of prior to the opportunity landing in my lap.
• I also entered my blog in the last 9rules membership round and was accepted.
• I run ads on my blog and while I don’t make much money at all it helps out with the hosting costs. It feeds my hobby and if I start earning more that wouldn’t be a problem. It also helps me give back occasionally.

The above list is probably not exhaustive and if I didn’t work nearly full-time and if I wasn’t a full-time mother and could therefore devote more time to my blog goodness knows where it could take me. A different job maybe? A girl can dream can’t she, or does it have to be a dream?

This family made a new friend when they went for a picnic at Pebbly Beach.

Pebbly Beach is located on the South Coast of NSW. The only pebbles you will find there are created by the kangaroos!

Over here in the States, we’re going through a major change in our television - turning off the old analogue stations which have been serving us for upwards of 65 years in some areas, in favour of digital signals. In fact, we’re not the only ones going through this digital transition - it’s happening all around the world.

Of course, all of y’all in Australia have been experiencing digital television for many years now, with the convenient backup of the analogue signals still available for at least another year or so, depending on what KRudd and the crew decide to do. One of the most interesting things, however, is the fact that, over here, they aren’t making the most of digital television.

The main thing that broadcasters aren’t taking advantage of is switching to Widescreen digital programming. A major misconception over here is that if it’s widescreen, it is HDTV. As you have known for at least 7 years (possibly longer - I haven’t read up on the history), you can broadcast multiple channels in widescreen and not have any issues with quality loss.

One of the places we will visit as we drive up the East Coast of Australia is the Coffs Harbour Butterfly House. We’ve been there once before and they had many gorgeous butterflies. Here is one of the pictures we took on our last visit.

Even though I am not thinking of moving right now I often browse the real estate sites looking at houses for sale, I hope to make my “sea change” in the not too distant future. If you are planning on moving house or just enjoy checking out what is available you may find these sites of use.

Suburb View

This site aggregates the properties for sale or rent which are listed on the major Australian Real Estate sites, including Real Estate Agents, domain.com.au and realestate.com.au.Suburb View allows you to perform comprehensive searches of properties for sale or rent, in the areas you are interested in. Rather than just visiting one site to look for houses, you can search all sites at once. Search results are viewable on a map and also in Google Earth. Further classification is immediately viewable on the map with different colored markers for the type of property (house, unit etc) and the number of bedrooms. Hovering over the markers show the property price, if available. Clicking on the link pops up information including links to the Real Estate site or sites that are advertising the property.

Old Listings

Old Listings is a sister site to Suburb View which gives you details of properties that have been sold.. Properties are searchable by suburb and by street name. Results show the list price, type of property and number of bedrooms and bathrooms.

StreetAdvisor

StreetAdvisor is intended to help people find the best place to live via user submitted reviews, photos and videos of streets, cities and neighbourhoods. Search features, which include Google Maps, allow readers to find reviews of streets and areas they are interested in. They can also participate in the forums and read the. guidebooks. There are incentives for posting reviews. Those who have added the most valuable contributions in a city or town can become “Local Experts”. This creates exposure for those who want to generate leads for their business or traffic to their website.. Prizes are offered from time to time.

When I actually come to making my move these sites may come in handy.

PTY Property Auctions

You do not even need to attend an auction to purchase a property these days. At PTY Property Auctions you can bid on properties and watch auctions online.

Connect Now

I have not needed to use this service but will do so when I finally make my “Sea Change”. Connect Now is a free service that organises your gas, electricity, water, telephone, internet and pay TV to be connected on your behalf. You are free to choose your providers, apart from for your water. Connect Now then liaises with your chosen service providers to organise connection.

However modern, well maintained or renovated a house is there there is always something that needs to be done to get it the way you like it. If you can’t or don’t want to do it yourself you could give the following a try.

Service Central

If you need a tradesman or professional service you can list your requirements on Service Central, which then connects you with people in your area who are qualified to do your job. Having recently needed to fixi my roof and replace fencing I have found this service very handy.

Archicentre Repair and Maintenance Service (Melbourne Only)

An Archicentre service that offers guidance in what needs to be done and which tradespeople you should speak to. If you don’t have the time to manage the work yourself they can co-ordinate and manage repairs and maintenance for you.

The step from browsing for interest and settling into a new place now seems daunting. You have to go and look at properties, make your current home and garden pristine for selling and even consider home staging. Then there is all the packing and unpacking. Perhaps I will stay where I am a little while longer.