In an article by Guy Clapperton, the Guardian has recently listed the top 5 "liveliest cities in the UK for blogging":
- Brighton
- Cardiff
- Edinburgh
- London
- Manchester
A further 9 "blogging cities on the up" are listed, including: Milton Keynes, Bristol, Leeds, Glasgow, Liverpool, Newcastle, Isle of Wight, Stratford Upon Avon and Swansea.
Kate Feld, who is probably the most influential blogger in the Manchester scene, was interviewed by the Guardian for the piece:
"Mancunians appear second only to Brightonians in setting up a network of blogs. The Manchizzle (manchizzle.blogspot.com)
is a good place to start, run by Kate Feld. "Because I’m one of the
main organisers of the city’s bloggers, my site has ended up as a kind
of hub for online Mancunian writing," she says."
I also make an appearance to talk about the BBC Manchester Blog:
"Manchester also attracted the BBC’s attention, and its blog at bbc.co.uk/blogs/manchester
is one of its livelier sites. According to one of its organisers, Robin
Hammam, blogging is a lot more than just publishing content online.
"It’s a way of seeking out and engaging with what bloggers call ‘the
conversation’," he says. "I think it’s essential for anyone working in
a creative or knowledge industry to blog, or at least participate in
discussions, otherwise they risk falling behind. The point of the BBC
Manchester Blog isn’t just about our posts – what we’re trying to do is
quote from and link to some of the best local blog content, which
deserves the attention of a wider audience."
It’s nice to see local blogging being recognised, and I think the article is right to see London as being too big to work as a single blogging community. Although, at the borough level we in Lewisham have been having fun developing our community (and we all fit in the pub without having to hire rooms!).
Thought it was a terribly superficial article. Completely ignored Birmingham, too – Pete Ashton’s efforts locally deserve better recognition.