This is a write-up of the notes for the talk I gave at the Australian Blogging Conference on Friday - there’s a comprehensive report of the session in question over at Woolly Days by Derek Barry. I’m not trying to give a verbatim transcript of what I had to say, but to capture the key points and to elaborate on some where time didn’t allow for a more comprehensive treatment.
A lot of the context for the discussion of the impact and nature of political blogging has been driven by boosterism on one hand and a plethora of cliches on the other. The plenary session at the Australian Blogging Conference included some remarks by Duncan Riley, one of the quota of “blogging evangelists” in attendance. The thrust of Riley’s talk was that Australian bloggers had to promote themselves and the blogosphere more actively and ardently in order to reach the audience we deserve. Inevitably, this sort of agenda is highly coloured by the inevitable, but misleading, comparisons with the American blogosphere.
So, since we don’t live by politix alone (I sincerely hope), what did people get up to this weekend? Join in, share some tales, regulars and lurkers all! It’s Jacaranda time in Brisneyland, and the livin’s easy.
One thing I find rather perplexing about this is the Indian reaction, which seems to be a big fat nothing - both from the government and public if the lack of interest from the Times of India is indicative. The one op-ed I dug up suggests there’s a big element of India-China power games in the official disinterest in putting more pressure on the Burmese regime, with the implied subtext that the Burmese people’s rights don’t come very high up the priority list.
You’d expect China to prop up nasty regimes busily killing their own citizens if it’s in their geopolitical interest to do so. But you’d think India, a country proud of its role as the “world’s largest democracy”, and one of the region’s economic and military superpowers to show a teeny bit more principle than that.
If we stay on our present path, we face an unacceptable choice: Either we sacrifice global economic growth to secure the health of our planet or we sacrifice the health of our planet to continue with fossil-fueled growth. This is a choice that we must refuse to make. Instead, we must cut the Gordian Knot of fossil fuels, carbon emissions, and economic activity. This current system is no longer sustainable, and we must transcend it entirely through a revolution in energy technology. So our third task is to work with private industry to develop and bring to market new energy technologies that not only pose no risk to economic growth, but can actually accelerate it.
Refuse a choice and just transcend it? Despite all the talk of accepting climate change as a fact they still appear to be trying to wish it away with a whole bunch of assumptions and non binding weasel words.
As the election approaches, there’s bound to be another round of discussion about politics and politicians online - the role of You Tube, Facebook, newspaper blogs, online polls, political bloggers, etc.
But as I was squashing a cockroach in my kitchen this morning, I was thinking about the apparent failures of Australian small business in the online environment. Continue reading ‘Doing business online’
Yep. It is Grand Final weekend. Where all the hopes and dreams of the season are put on the line for the glory of the victory lap.
Saturday sees Port Adelaide up against Geelong in the AFL Grand Final. I admit to apathy regarding the AFL this year so have no idea regarding the footy strengths and weaknesses of either side. However, Geelong seem to be the sentimental favourites being without a flag for 44 years. And that is good enough for me.
Sunday, we have the Melbourne Storm facing off with the Manly Sea Eagles for the NRL premiership. For the NRL fan who is not a supporter of either club, it is a tough decision about who to get behind. For me, I’m going with Manly for the reasons outlined here.
Tim Blair takes a short partisan approach to suggest there is a decline in the number and influence of blogs, while Derek Barry takes a longer look at evidence which suggests that blog influence is growing.
I don’t think there is any question that traditional blogging has peaked, however I do believe that blogging is making a serious play for influence in the overall media landscape; from straight commentary, to local coverage of events like that of Burma.
However, the big mistake everyone makes is to view blogging as a single destination for influential conversation when in fact it’s just another stop along the way for more folks to participate and network on the web. Like the Usenet groups that came before it, the days of blogs holding sway over conversations are over.
More important now is assessing overall web influence through the increase in millions of micro conversations and connections via a whole range of platforms all of which combine to create a critical mass of participation, which can lead to an increase in influence over the issues of the day.
Get Up’s made an ad for broadcast during the AFL grand final. I like the way it pokes fun at the Howard government’s ludicrous fridge-magnet approach to climate change.
Along with the Climate Institute’s tv ad featuring Jack Simmons, which is very popular with my eight year old, it’s good to see some non-party organisations (and I don’t mean employers’ groups or even unions) getting smart with advertising.
Well might George W. Bush ask himself that question.
Let’s not forget that Nelson Mandela was a highly educated lawyer. Where have the Iraqi middle class gone? Those who the neo-cons banked on to form the social constituency for “instant democracy” and provide its leaders? Fled.
40% of Iraq’s middle class, it’s estimated, are refugees. Most are in Jordan or Syria. A lucky few are in countries such as Canada and Sweden. Very few have made it to America, where they’re basically not wanted:
An aggressive American intake of refugees would suggest their quick return to Iraq is improbable: that smacks too much of failure for Bush. Moreover, you have to scrutinize refugees from countries “infiltrated by large numbers of terrorists,” Homeland Security Secretary Michael Chertoff opined recently.
And the secular parties that had a commitment to modernity and national unity? Wiped out through the political system established by the Americans, who empowered the theocratic Shi’ite parties.
People who risked their lives for America are dying or being terrorized because of craven U.S. lethargy. Others are in limbo. Bush now says “Saddam Hussein killed all the Mandelas.” That’s too glib; one may be waiting to be saved.
There’s a lot of stuff going on about which I wish I knew enough to substantively blog, but in the meantime will have to wait until I can read someone with more specialist knowledge.
Addendum: since I drafted this last night, the situation in Myanmar has moved from a mooted crackdown to an actual crackdown, and the first fatality/fatalities have been reported.
This argument is so bizarre it’s not even wrong: it’s wrong’s cousin who’s never been the same since that nasty accident with the Klein bottle..
Larvatus Prodeo is an Australian group blog which discusses politics, sociology, culture, life, religion and science from a left of centre perspective. more»
This is a write-up of the notes for the talk I gave at the Australian Blogging Conference on Friday - there’s a comprehensive report of the session in question over at Woolly Days by Derek Barry. I’m not trying to give a verbatim transcript of what I had to say, but to capture the key points and to elaborate on some where time didn’t allow for a more comprehensive treatment.
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