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  July 29, 2003

PLACE-ORIENTED BLOGS
visionsYou may have noticed that I (sometimes unfairly) group blogs in my blogroll into artistic, business/scientific, environmental, news, and political categories, with Salon blogs listed separately because...well, because they're my community. Recently I've discovered another type of blog that is primarily geographical in nature. These have been self-styled as 'place-oriented blogs' or 'blogs of place'. Although most of us write from time to time about what's happening in our physical community, place-oriented bloggers write almost exclusively about the history, geography, and current events (often with photos) of their community.

They're actually very entertaining (and sometimes educational) to read. Here are some of the best of the breed I've found:

London and the North - London & Yorkshire, UK
Faultline / Creek Running North - California
Lifescapes - Texas
Bowen Island Journal - British Columbia
Laughing Knees - Japan
Life at the Edge - Tasmania (whence the photo above)
Ecotone - A wiki with more Bloggers of Place, and more about them

Some of our Salon bloggers write more about their physical location than others, especially those living outside the country as ex-pats. What do you think -- is your blog a 'blog of place' or do you just write about home when there's nothing more urgent to write about? Is this a legitimate new genre of blog? I have occasionally posted about my home on the Oak Ridges Moraine in Ontario, but not with any geographic thoroughness. Should I write more about place?

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