melbournesnapshots

Aussie Blogs - New Australian Blog Roll

To quote Darryl Cook... (via Tony Goodson)

"I added my blog(s) to australianblogs.com.au–”a free community resource to bookmark your favourite Australian blogs” the other day, which appears to have been a good move. I’ve received quite a few referrring links already. You don’t need to register or login, so if you’re an Aussie blogger, I’d recommend you give it a go. C’mon Aussie."

Well, I have registered as well and so far, it's all been good - even had an acknowledgement from Jon, (the Aussie Blogs site convenor), thanking me for joing up!

Great work Jon!!

Hello World

Headhunter - Future blogging

I am, and have, been considering the value (to me) of my weblog. Make no mistake, I have enjoyed the writing and the avenue to publish selected photographs - like the one of my first Nikon camera. However, if I look back over the couple of years of what I have produced, it is a varied collection  consisting of...

• A GREAT DEAL of campaigning for "justice" for Schapelle Corby
• Some other minor "social justice" type commentary
• Some personal stuff - me, friends, dog, family
• Some reviews of businesses, restaurants, bands, properties and Melbourne
• Some reviews of products
• Some nostalgic memories and recollections
• Other???

So, there is really no theme to speak of, and, I guess, no reason to create a regular following of readers (except for those wanting to read about Schapelle Corby). I do have a loyal following of family members who read my blog, but I talk to them regularly anyhow... so, it's time for a major blog review... and I am going to start by asking myself a few questions...

• What exactly do I want to create by blogging?
• What do I need to do differently with my blog to create these results?

Well, that's it for now.. off to contemplate these questions.. Oh yes, if there are any regualr readers out there, this is the time to give me your feedback and input on the headhunter weblog to-date. Thank you in advance.

To Blog or NOT to BLOG - is that the question??

My blogging life has gone missing in action... In the words of that venerable scientific TV icon Julius Sumner Miller "Why is IT SO!!"  I am possibly going through a stage where writing is less important than it was to me before. It is possible that I am spending more time with people who engage, interest and even excite me!! Could that be? Is it possible to revert to a preference for real-time interactive human-to-human experience after steadily writing a blog for about 18 months??

Somewhere though, in the depths of my subconscious lurks the idea that apart from my passionate campaigning on justice for Schapelle Corby, my writing and chosen topics were of very little interest to anyone other than myself - the equivalent of "web fluff".

I like to write, I miss my writing very much but I need to find something to write about that makes a difference... that's just me..

And speaking of making a difference, a special acknowledgement to all the Schapelle supporters who have been staedily writing letters to influential people to maintain the equivalent of a "silent vigil" for Schapelle... It just sickens me to think that Schapelle Corby is still imprisoned in Bali after everything that has transpired since her initial arrest. For heaven's sake, just let her go free and allow her to return to Australia - I still maintain that her conviction and continued imprisonment is a fundmantal and flagrant breach of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. LET SCHAPELLE GO - DAMN all the sanctimonious crap about the sanctity of Indonesia's legal process and our Government's precious attitude to all that - hell - we sure as hell got into Iraq without perceiving any problems with the sanctity of that countries sovereignty let alone their legal system!! Surely our "leaders" can't help but notice the injustice, the hypocrisy and the sheer outrageousness of the entire Schapelle scenario - grow some balls - get her home NOW!! How can ypou stand there as a so called leader and watch as one of our citizens, who is clearly not guilty beyond reasonable doubt, be played with like some dog's bone through this entire farcical so called "judicial" process.

A GREAT new Blogger

A very creative , ascerbic and funny writer has commenced making his contribution to the Blogosphere - Introducing WRITING: STATIC!!  Check out this article on WHY YOUR BOSS HATES YOU - an article that my good friend Tony Goodson will enjoy I am sure.

TypeKey - Will be Turned on soon

To all my very valued commenters (including P.S. Kay, Mohammed et al)- I want to let you know that this blog will be implementing typekey shortly - to ensure that there is no "identity hi-jacking" by others, so go check it out and register for free - so I can be sure who is putting comments on this blog!

TypeKey is a free, open system providing you a central identity for posting comments on weblogs and logging into other websites. You can register for free.

TypeKey enables you to verify and protect your identity on the web. Enabling TypeKey on your own site increases accountability for the content that appears on your weblog and stops comment spam cold.

Melbourne Blog/Grog Night - Friday 17th June

From Anonymous Lefty ... an invitation to a Melbourne Blogger's social event ... I will definitely do my best to get to this function next week - btw, anonymouslefty also runs a blog called BoltWatch   which I became aware of tonight -Boltwatch is a blog that comments on the writings of a member of the Melbourne Hearald Sun editorial staff , Andrew Bolt, who I became aware of for the first time a few days ago. What is interesting is that Andrew Bolt considers himself a conservative and Anonymous Lefty considers himself to be, well... a "lefty"...so, you can imagine the sparks that fly in their debates - very interesting and challenging writing by both gentlemen.

Invitation from "anonymouslefty"...

"FRIDAY 17TH GROGBLOGGING(ISH)
Righto, as previously indicated, summat is happening on Friday the 17th (ie next week).

It's a Melbourne Grogblogging! (Grog and/or blogging not required on the actual night. Ability to converse with humans via talking a definite plus, but obviously the other people present will be bloggers, so they'll also be somewhat geeky. Don't pretend you're not, you're reading this invitation on a blog.)

DATE: Friday 17th June
VENUE: 7.30pm dinner at Zaleti in the Queen Victoria precinct in the City, between Swanston st and Lonsdale St. It's in the Melways.

"Blogging" - What is it - What's it good for?

This is an EXCERPT from a very interesting and comprehensive interview on ABC Radion NAtional yestareday.

"Blogs, which is short for web-logs, have been around about seven or eight years; they can vary a lot. Some are like a series of diary entries, some are little more than a collection of links to other sites, some are almost academic, but a lot more are rants. The best of them have a distinctive, authentic voice, a quality many people find attractive.

The growth in blogs is happening at the same time that audiences for mainstream news media are falling, especially in America. But what’s happening here?" Jason di Rosso reports.

This is an EXCERPT from a very interesting and comprehensive interview on ABC Radio NAtional yesterday.

<>

Guru Ann, a blogger who has been active in supporting Schapelle Corby was on the discussion panel and spoke about her "blogging" of the Corby trial in Bali.   

GuruAnn: My family’s regular holiday destination is Bali and when the trial and when all the happenings commenced in October and we knew we were coming, it was something I was interested in and really wanting to support Shapelle, and I thought well, at the same time, let people, friends that I communicate with, know first-hand actually what does happen in the courts. I don’t purport to be a journalist in any respect; I have no official writing training at all. So the underpinning reasoning is, I’m here, I’m wanting to support Shapelle, even though the courts have yet to decide, I don’t believe she’s guilty, so it’s more of a support mechanism for her.

Other bloggers featured included

RMIT University Journalism
http://www.rmit.edu.au/appliedcommunication/journalism

Boing Boing
Online web guide
http://www.boingboing.net/

Trevor Cook Blog
http://trevorcook.typepad.com/weblog/

Tim Blair Blog
http://timblair.net/

Margot Kingston Webdiary
Sydney Morning Herald
http://webdiary.smh.com.au/

GuruAnn Blog
http://guruann.blogspot.com/

IS this the World's First Blog???

This is a recent picture of the shop-front of the "The Dog INN" ( a pet care shop) on the Nepean Highway Elsternwick Melbourne ...and it may also be the world's first "blog" - albeit an analogue rendition. Natasha is the eighteen (or so) year old daughter of the proprietors of the "Dog Inn" and they are without doubt one of the proudest sets of parents that could be imagined. I can VIVIDLY remember driving down the Nepean Highway one day 18 years ago and seeing the most JUBILANT sign plastered all over the front of this shop - Have a guess what it said... "It's a GIRL!! - Natasha". Over the last 18 years, I have watched the signs on this shop-front change - "Natasha said her first words" ... "Natasha took her first step"... "Natasha started school today" and so on over THE LAST 18 years... and now ... Natasha is off to College.

CONGRATULATIONS Natasha on starting college and congratulations to Natasha's Mum and Dad for being such proud parents. I truly look forward to seeing more good news on Natasha's progress.

 

Weblog Roll

I have JUST NOTICED that my friend Tony does not have me listed on his weblog list of "weblogs he reads". An oversight indeed I am sure!!