Local communities and Sensis

ByLaurel Papworth

First, the YouTube video explosion thing. Back on June 21st I wrote about Mark and Guy’s Excellent Digital Adventure, remember? I uploaded (fully attributing) Neill Blomfield’s video called Alive in Joberg by Neill Blomkamp Spyfilms, simply so I could link to it, for this blog. Since June 21st I’ve had one comment and a few…

First, the YouTube video explosion thing. Back on June 21st I wrote about Mark and Guy’s Excellent Digital Adventure, remember? I uploaded (fully attributing) Neill Blomfield’s video called Alive in Joberg by Neill Blomkamp Spyfilms, simply so I could link to it, for this blog.

Since June 21st I’ve had one comment and a few hundred hits.

After I got back from the gym this morning, I had 6 emails, telling me that there were 6 comments waiting for me on the site. How straaaange I thought to myself. and hopped in the shower. When I got out,another email and 2,ooo hits. I just checked again, and I am up to 14 comments and 7,000 hits and climbing. In one day. I think Mr. Blomkamp has just done some video for Halo game, hence the interest. Ah the vagaries of online dialogue.

Talking of dialogue, I went to have a giggle at David Havyatt’s debate team for the FITT Great Debate – Glass Ceiling on Monday night. I met Cheryl Langdon-Orr, Honorary Treasurer of Isoc-au who very nicely tried to bully me into joining her org. Should I, Gentle Reader?

Cheryl is currently on a roadshow to promote the new .au domains that have to do with geographic communities. For example paddington.nsw.au. Which actually wouldn’t have helped my pitch about a Paddo Community last year (to the Chamber of Commerce) cos these ones are not-for-profit. Cheryl had some interesting things to say about the Sensis deal. I recommend you go here to register your not-4-profit org if you want a town.state.au domain name and community software. Of course -as a few people have commentedd – a community website without sociability infrastructure sucks. But Sensis has a very compelling value proposition…. this will be wildly successful if they do what I think they are doing. Good. I need local communities to get off the ground so I can do what I do best! 🙂

Incidentally Alan Farrelly (News Interactive waay back when) and I had a bit of a wingding in the mid-’90’s about setting up this sort of endeavour. Why go to Paramatta to buy a car if you are in Newcastle? They tried local ads/community, I think. Whatever. Alan is now running NewsCorp’s most financially successful online products for Citizen Murdoch. And he can’t find the time to buy a girl a kawfee. Boo! Hiss! (Have Blog, Will Blackmail). Shame, I’d like his take on this – he’s not News Interactive anymore but Mr. Farrelly will have some ideas on this, fer shure.

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