Category: Web 2.0

A quick update on the original list which can still be downloaded by clicking here.

Meg has run an update to the list + I’ve now got a feed for MadBull’s Annoyances.

New blogs include:

http://infosthetics.com/
http://www.skeptics.com.au/
http://andrewlanderyou.blogspot.com/
http://www.business2.com.au/
http://www.thinkprospect.com.au/blog/
http://nickcowie.com
http://www.cantcoachthat.com/
http://the-riotact.com
http://altnews.com.au/drop/

I’ve updated the original list to include all these blogs, so it’s now longer than the Top 100, two reasons: I can’t be asked finding out which ones dropped off the list, secondly I don’t really want to knock anyone off it anyway, why start excluding people when this exercise is all about promoting Australian blogs.

Thanks to Meg for the update.

If you have previously run the original list in your feedreader, click here to get just the updated sites. Some feedreaders won’t install duplicates, but some do (Google Reader in particular), so best to be on the safe side.

Following on from Meg’s great Top 100 Australian Blogs list, my quest to become the Dave Winer of Australian blogging continues, I’m occasionally grumpy, I’m getting older by the day, I haven’t got the beard yet…I guess I can work on it….but on a more serious note, let me present The Top 100 Australian Blogs: feeds via OPML, set up for easy importing into the feed reader of your choice.

Click here.

The file has been tested in Google Reader + Bloglines and seems to work.

OK, there is one little catch! There’s only 98 blogs on the list, 2 blogs didn’t have feeds, and I did try looking for them at karencheng.com.au and blogcharm.com/sweets, if anyone knows where they are, let me know and I’ll update the list.

The list is in order as per the Meg’s list at the time of writing. It’s done manually so there’s no magical way to update it aside from me coding it so please don’t expect a whole pile of changes over time, but I will maintain it on occasion.

As much as I’ve crossed swords with a couple of Australian bloggers over the last week on the list, I still believe that despite all our differences that collectively we should be promoting blogs more in this country, and that’s to the benefit of all Australian bloggers. Hopefully expanding the reading list of some people (including myself) may play a small part in this jigsaw puzzle.

Enjoy.

Compliments of Search Engine Land, The Simpsons meet Google:

Full clip as follows:

The Australian licensed versions of the Gawker Media blogs, Defamer and Gizmodo have launched.

First thoughts: I’ll probably reserve judgment in full for now, to early to make a call on them properly, but naturally a couple of things:

1. They didn’t take lessons from Nick Denton when it comes to launching.

Defamer has 4 posts in total, 2 are welcome, send us tips posts, and the other two cover Big Brother and Mary. I’ve watched just about every single launch Nick Denton has done over the years, from rumour to actual launch, and he always stuffs his blogs with lots of reading goodies prior to launch, which obviously also makes sense: you want to capture first time readers when they visit by presenting them with a pile of interesting content that scopes across the broader range of interests: Defamer Australia looks and feels empty, because it is.

2. Where’s the Australian content on Gizmodo?

There’s a post on Gizmodo Australia that includes the words “we covered the xyz gadget last year”, which is interesting given the Australian version just launched. I’m not party to the syndication deal, but wouldn’t it make sense to at least try and localise some of the content, simple things like changing the words “we covered it last year” to something like “the US version of Gizmodo covered it last year here”, not only putting it in context, but also helping new readers? which of course begs the question: if most (all?) is just republished from the US site without change, why wouldn’t people just read Gizmodo.com as opposed to Gizmodo.com.au?

As I said, early days, I’ll give it a week then revist them after they’ve settled in, given it looks like they haven’t even gone close to settling in…I would have waited 2 more weeks then launched, once everyone was comfortable and the bugs in the writing styles had been sorted….but maybe that’s just me 🙂

If you’re looking for a good Web 2.0 cause to support, visit Mashable and sign the petition against Amazon’s decision to sue Statsaholic (previously Alexaholic). Lets see: Amazon opens its data saying “use it, please”. Someone does, they get popular, Amazon steals the best bits for Alexa, then sues the people who did nothing more than take Amazon up on its initial offer. Short story: Amazon, you suck.

Loren has the details on how you can submit stories to the newly launched MySpace News. Top story there currently has two votes, which begs the question: how long until someone starts gaming it? indeed, a couple of MySpace accounts would do it, and you can pick them up in bunches of 100-1000 cheaply at places like Digitalpoint 🙂

Arrington is hooked to. Good on him, because it’s a ripper of a game, if you haven’t played yet, click here.

Latest Firefox usage stats have Oceania, of which Australia would make up maybe 80%, as the leading region world wide for Firefox usage, at 24.8%. no break down of the figures however, so no idea what Australia alone is, but that’s still a very, very nice figure.

Now I’m hooked on Google reader, I’ve started subscribing to more and more Australian blogs…what I’d really like to have is a dedicated “Australian Blogs” category, but so far the pickings are pretty slim. I’ve got most of the 2web guys in my feeds, and others I’ve met along the way (in person), but if you’re an Australian blogger who I might not have included, let me know, email or comments. I’ve ignored the Australian blogosphere for far to long and I want to read more, know more, and promote more!

PS: while I’m at it, anyone interested in an Australian Blogging Conference still? We got close there for a while but it was canceled. If I can find 5-6 interested parties I’ll start organising it my self, and I’ll even try to not have it in WA. Jetstar flies Perth-Melbourne so put Melb on the shortlist 🙂

Matt Mullenweg has come out against advertiser supported themes for WordPress here.

As much as I’ll always have time for Matt, I don’t agree with him on this.

For starters, the arguments he puts forward in terms of WordPress is free therefore themes should be free of advertiser links is spurious at best. Yes, WordPress is free, but a template that runs on WordPress is a unique piece of code/ design that the author/ coder creates, that legally can be subject to copyright therefore legally can be advertiser supported. If we were to accept the opposite, that themes must be open sourced/ free because they run off WordPress, there isn’t a blog running WordPress out there that couldn’t be ripped or stolen..of course that isn’t the case.

On the logic of it all, Mullenweg argues that there was a strong users community creating themes prior to advertiser supported themes, and there will be tomorrow if its banned. True, but here’s the thing: advertiser supported themes helped take WordPress to the next level. I couldn’t even try and guess how many themes are now available for WordPress, tens of thousands, even more? Every single one of those themes made WordPress that much more appealing to everyone. Variety is the spice of life, choice is the driving force behind WordPress’ resounding success in the DIY blogging game.

And on morals: what’s wrong with someone getting paid for their work, particularly if we (as a community) all benefit from it? I hope Matt’s not going down the hippie everything should be free for the love of it route, if that’s the case perhaps Akismet should be 100% free for all users, and WordPress.com shouldn’t be charging for anything? Indeed, Automattic should be a not-for-profit company that pays no wages 🙂 Advertiser supported WP templates have helped drive choice and variety in a way that everyone wins: the advertisers win, they get their link out there, designers win, they get paid, we (the community) win because we get extra choices in terms of free templates. If Google has a problem with those links, that’s for Google to deal with, not WordPress/ Automattic.

Now having said that, there is some implication that advertiser supported templates are doing more than just a plain ol’ text link at the bottom. If this is the case then I don’t support the other types: most people will happily accept a link to an advertiser in a theme, they won’t accept cloaked links, banners, any other types of advertising that is untowards or intrusive, and indeed I’d be tempted to support a ban on themes that do this sort of thing, but one text link as a swap for a free theme is more than a fair enough trade for me…end of the day, let the market decide, if people don’t like/ want this, they won’t download and install these templates, end of story.

It will be interesting to see how the WP community reacts to this. I’d remind Mullenweg that the freedom the community has had, has all in all been good for WordPress, and that medling in things such as advertiser supported themes runs the risk of upsetting people and tipping the otherwise well working balance. Let history be the guide of what happens when well meaning people interfere in the community only to find people taking their time and effort elsewhere (hint: SA).

Note: I do not own any advertiser supported themes, not do I use any BTW, so there’s no conflict of interest. Tinkering and creating themes though can be fun 🙂