A question:It's been an interesting week for the British blogosphere. A week that has raised the question of whether there even is such a thing.The answer is twofold. The first is that the internet, by its nature, breaks down geographical barriers, which gain less relevance in blogging communities. I consider myself part of a journalistic blogging sphere, not a UK journalistic blogosphere.
The second is that the idea of "a blogosphere" is a blind alley. Everyway you define it, by subject, by links, by geography, you find yourself with multipl, over=lapping and ever-shifting blogspheres. To even talk of the blogosphere is a lazy shorthand for a much more complex idea.
I think you're right about there not being a British blogosphere, its too big and diverse to have a sense of itself.
But I'd say that in some ways local geographical blogospheres are one of the unintended side-effects of how we've used blogs.
I now know far more about my local neighbourhood and the concerns of those that write about it than I ever could from the local mainstream media. Plus, we've managed to get out to have drinks on several occasions.
It comes down to definitions - are you a blogger, or are you a person? Are you a blogger, or are you a journalist. Do people read news and information that they find interesting and helpful, or do they read "blogs."
Geography can indeed be important for community, and the hyperlocal movement is incredibly compelling. Knowing who the bloggers are in my town can create something of incredible value, but the nature of the web has us aspiring toward worldwide conversations and notoriety, not just within niches.
Hope all is well Adam!
-Dan Blank
It may be an unintended side effect, but it's certainly been one of the happier ones.
And it's proved that there's a hunger for local discussion that local papers have totally failed to cater to, as well. And that's quite interesting on a number of levels.