belle
belle

Micro.bloggers: please suggest to me other Aussies and NZ’ers around here whom I should follow. It’s so nice to have some local flavour in my timeline.

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Caspar
Caspar

@belle @herself, definitely.

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amit
amit

@belle I will follow this thread closely, just so that I find few folks in the timezones that does not sleep while am awake 😶

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jean
jean

@belle There's also @Miraz, @vishae ,and @tones.

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tones
tones

@belle also @yorrike @JeremyWxBaker @matpacker :)

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belle
belle

@amit 👍

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smokey
smokey

@belle Also @canion and @billbennettnz. (There was also an expat, I think, who was living a bit up or down the coast a bit from Jess and/or Miraz, but I forget the gent’s handle.)

So, do we pass the “Do you know your Australians🇦🇺 and New Zealanders🇳🇿?” test? 😉

And on that note: good-night, other side of the world 😀 // @amit

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belle
belle

@smokey Indeed! Thanks for all the suggestions :)

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canion
canion

@belle You can follow @martinfeld who is from Wollongong.

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martinfeld
martinfeld

@canion Thanks for the intro! @belle

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In reply to
canion
canion

@smokey I'm impressed!

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amit
amit

Sigh. I have stopped myself from enabling a directory section on Micro.threads with people grouped by their locations and interests so many times; that information can be built collaboratively. However I do not want to create a parallel directory of users, which I will have to avoid misuse. It fits best as the platform native. @belle @smokey

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bradenslen
bradenslen

@amit you could make a directory strictly opt-in. Sign in with your MB account credentials to register. You could organize it by timezones. Just a thought.

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amit
amit

@bradenslen Yes, have it running on dev. But as I said that would mean building and maintaining a parallel directory of users, just with additional metadata - I really want to want to avoid that.

This sits best in the platform, and I trust Manton would have plans for implementing it in best way possible.

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AngeloStavrow
AngeloStavrow

@amit @bradenslen With all the talk of discovery lately, I've been thinking about building something like this directory in Glitch; let people sign in with their MB credentials, and let them post as much or as little as they like about themselves, and add tags to their username for interests. But, as you said, I also see the value of building this into the platform itself.

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bradenslen
bradenslen

@AngeloStavrow @amit I do think it's prudent, as amit says, to wait for it to be built into the platform. Then see what is missing and if it is worth building a third party directory. I don't want to take anything away from the platform, but there are UI limits as to how much can be added the admin.

There isn't just one correct way to build a directory. In Web 1.0 days some people preferred Dmoz others Yahoo or Looksmart. Just like there are more than one iOS app for MB. The important thing was to get listed in all directories! AngeloStavrow your idea of letting people write as much or as little as they want, that's kind of novel and I like it.

Platform first.

So yes, platform

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bradenslen
bradenslen

@AngeloStavrow @amit I may be splitting hairs here, but these points just occured to me. 1. we have been focusing on discovery by fellow MB members, but we must not loose sight that we also have blogs (hosted and self hosted) and memebrs might want to be discovered by people outside the platform. 2. While I suspect most members want to be discovered within the platform, some may want a broader audience, 3. every MB blog that gets discovered by a visitor ouside of the platform is an advertisment for Micro.blog. Just brainstorming out loud.

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AngeloStavrow
AngeloStavrow

@bradenslen These are good thoughts, and thoughtfulness when exploring a new thing is of paramount importance. Please keep brainstorming out loud!

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dejus
dejus

@belle I think other replies have listed all the kiwis I know of on here. I am technically a NZer too, though have been living in the US for the past 17 years. I’ll always consider myself a kiwi, though.

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amit
amit

@bradenslen Ah. Great points Brad. I had been thinking for a directory system for too long. I thought it is better to just put the thoughts out there. So I just did that. cc @AngeloStavrow

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bradenslen
bradenslen

@AngeloStavrow the key on that is that a platform directory will only be used by people within the platform. It's a closed ecosystem. That may be what most people want. but we have blogs. Some MB bloggers might want to reach out away from MB. So a third party directory accessable to people outside of the MB ecosystem might have utility.

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smokey
smokey

@amit I’ve also toyed with the idea of a starting a directory, but it seems like it’d be a lot of work, and then even more work to get people to add themselves on an external service (look at how long it’s taken ADN Finder to get even 100 names or whatever), whereas using my energy to lobby for seach of profile About strings in the platform seems like a better use of time/effort to accomplish the same goal….

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belle
belle

@dejus It doesn't matter where you are right now, I guess! 17 years is a long time, though. Is that permanent now?

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dejus
dejus

@belle It’s permanent for now, if that makes sense. My wife and I have a house on acreage (@YellowCottage) etc, but I have dual citizenship, and we plan to retire back in NZ one day. And every so often talk about moving back sooner, but that isn’t feasible for now.

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yorrike
yorrike

@belle As @tones mentioned, I am a Kiwi. And as Rhombus once sang, Wellington represent.

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JacksonOfTrades
JacksonOfTrades

@yorrike @belle @tones I don't think there's anyone else in Christchurch, or my hometown of Perth ;_;

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yorrike
yorrike

@JacksonOfTrades People in Perth are no doubt too busy digging up gold. That's how it works in WA, right? (I spent a few months job hunting in Perth as a geologist. I landed the day the GFC hit.)

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belle
belle

@canion @martinfeld Already on it! :)

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bradenslen
bradenslen

@smokey @amit smokey brings up a good point about people adding themselves to a directory. Different times, different generations. I'm not sure the younger generation knows what to do when confronted with a directory. I opened a small blog directory at ramblinggit.com/directory... (shameless link drop) a month or two ago and had exactly one submission on the first day. I didn't think people had forgotten about directories that badly.

The old Web 1.0 rules were when a new directory opens for free submissions you ran over there right away and submitted your sites. 1. because borderline quality sites were more likely to get in when a directory was new, the standards become more picky when they are full. 2. You didn't know how long you could get in for free. Many started out free and went to pay once they had a good seed of sites. 3. A link is a link is a link. you never know where traffic will come from. As long as it is a clickable link, get it! Get listed everywhere. Even if people don't click on the link it's free advertising if they see it all the time. 4. It's better to have your ad on 100 billboards rather than just one, same with directories better to be in 100 directories than just one. 5. You never know: that small brand new directory may not have any traffic now, but in two years it could become popular. In three years massively popular. I know with one of my niche directories, back in the old days, I sent some sites 4000 or more visitors from a small niche directory over a couple of years. You never know. 5. You shouldn't be required to link back to a directory. But by the same token, Webmasters don't understand, the more popular the directory the more traffic you will probably get once that directory reaches a critical mass within the niche.

Heck when we used to launch a new site we had to keep track of submissions to directories and search engines on a spreadsheet. I think people have become - somehow passive.

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herself
herself

@yorrike Woop woop!

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herself
herself

@smokey you've passed with flying colours!

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canion
canion

@JacksonOfTrades @yorrike @belle @tones I’m in Perth!

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JacksonOfTrades
JacksonOfTrades

@canion eyy. Eyyyyyy! How is it? I left about five years ago and only returned once, coming back later this year. I miss it. Has much changed?

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amit
amit

@bradenslen @smokey this indeed is a fascinating discussion. I am not sure if you got a chance to look at my thoughts on directory (as Smokey said, might have been lost as it was just a link 🙂).

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canion
canion

@JacksonOfTrades probably a bit quieter than when you left now mining has slowed. Some new buildings but generally the same.

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smokey
smokey

@herself Hooray!

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bradenslen
bradenslen

@amit that is a beautiful list of features. Some of these are things I never would have thought of and my hat is off to you.

Platform: My caution in this is if the directory is part of the MB platform (which would be best) it somehow needs to reach outside of MB so people can discover blogs on MB. Otherwise we risk building MB as a walled garden.

h-card: I'm a little cautious about the information I put in my h-card. For instance email address, there seems to be no provision to keep this from being harvested by spambots. Identity theft is also a problem.

Needed: I agree. As MB grows the need increases. Your comment about finding more people to follow that are closer to your time zone really brought that home to me. One simple factor can completely change the MB experience for a member.

I hope you keep developing your ideas for a directory. You never know, even if you don't use these ideas for MB you might just apply them to some other project - to fill some other niche. cc. @smokey

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smokey
smokey

@belle I just realized we’ve forgotten @desparoz and @s2art 😬 // @amit

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belle
belle

@smokey 👍

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desparoz
desparoz

@smokey Thanks for adding me to @belle's list of Aussie and Kiwi m.b'ers

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