Stokey in the blogosphere
By Tom Chalmers
Considering we are constantly pushing the young angle of our company (mainly due to publishing often being more blue rinse than grease lightning), I’m not as techno-savvy as you may expect.
I only really discovered the internet while at university, and even then hardly used it, and have never particularly been into computers, never mind taken to spending hours ‘surfing’. So when I first heard of the ‘blog’, I immediately thought some type of jumbo-sized Swiss roll had been launched; much to my disappointment, strangely having a bit of a soft spot for the occasional such roll, I discovered it was in fact the new online trend sweeping the World-Wide-Web.
This is not to say that I didn’t recognise the importance of the online world, which is evolving so quickly. It is one place where there is a (nearly) equal playing field, so it’s a vital avenue for anyone with something to say, an idea, or a business to launch and grow. Luckily, a friend sent me a book on blogs, and over several train and bus rides I read it cover to cover. A fair bit went over my head, or outside of my attention span, but it was great for a few pointers, some examples and to learn a bit more about the blogging world.
My company, Legend Press, now has a daily blog (I realised it had to be daily to get into its readers’ routines) with an excellent following, and were discussing only the other day how to take it to the next level and whether it’s possible to capture a truly giant audience. So, it was with great interest I started to do a little searching to find out where Stoke Newington featured in the blogosphere (definition: a collective term encompassing all blogs and their interconnections…)
Having pressed ‘search’, the responses started with a sedate, not to say uninteresting, result – a Stone Newington Birds blog. It looked like it was regularly updated, the most recent entry revealing a total of ten Mistle Thrushes at the reservoir. Nice to see London’s animal/bird population is alive and well. Next I noticed the blog’s practical and business use; firstly as part of the TFL travel warning blog – who knows, maybe buggy congestion on Church Street – and secondly an estate agent’s blog – yes, still wouldn’t be able to afford one. Then came the mention of some of the area’s finest eating establishments through the London Review of Breakfasts blog. Honourable mention for the Den Café Bar on the High Street.
But finally I came across more of what I was expecting – the personal blog. These are the blogs you hear about, and it seems nearly anyone can set one up and huge numbers have. It may only be a matter of time before ‘blogspot’ is added to the dictionary. One of the most amazing features of the internet is that it allows a forum for free and open speech on a scale never seen before. One of the worst features is that it allows a forum for free and open speech on a scale never seen before. These means there is much good stuff but some stuff of which people should, but sadly never will, be ashamed.
The first one I came across was entitled This is Stoke Newington (the nearest I found to a blog truly titled around the area) and defines itself by using Roy Keane’s famous tirade against ‘phonies and lazy bluffers’ before stating, ‘That is exactly how I feel about Hackney Labour’. A fair bit of venting to be expected then. Next was ‘an industry analyst blog’, which slightly unexpectedly though not unpleasingly, had praise for Stoke Newington police over their response to a burglary. Then came the travellers’ blogs – many no doubt set-up for the benefit of those back home or alternatively the modern-day techno version of the travel log; Daniel Defoe on the pub sign up the road will no doubt be smiling. One had some interesting night pictures of bus and road signs that made me feel wintry, while another was focused on Abney Park Cemetery. One thing I noticed was that many hadn’t heard of or even planned to be in Stoke Newington, but it had obviously struck them enough to write about it. There were also several other blogs, one whose promise of tough opinion was slightly compromised by white writing on a white page, and another with a description of Stoke Newington that amused me but there was a bit too much ‘gun pointing’ on the page – although not reading properly I may well have been missing some joke.
So, Stoke Newington certainly gets its fair mention in cyberspace, but I was kind of surprised no ‘definitive’ Stoke Newington blogs came up and few from local businesses. While the Lily Allens rise solely from MySpace, it is a bit of a myth that blogs will make you rich, popular or famous, However, I think there are opportunities there, and someone should definitely take up the definitive Stoke Newington blog task. It’s got to be better for you than a giant Swiss roll.
Tom Chalmers is Managing Director of Stoke Newington based book publisher Legend Press. The company blog can be read at: http://blog.myspace.com/legendpress
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