About bloody time

I finally got so irritated with myself that I twisted my own arm behind my back and updated the Troppo Armadillo blogroll!! I’ve tried to be as inclusive as possible, linking all Australian bloggers who can be described even vaguely as “political”. If your blog isn’t listed, it’s almost certainly an oversight rather than a deliberate snub, so feel free to email and remind me.

In fact, it started me reflecting on the development of Australian political blogging over the (almost) 12 months since I embarked on this strange form of disembodied self-abuse. Although I was anything but a pioneering blogger, there were only about 25 blogs that could reasonably be labelled political. The new list contains no less than 58 blogs. Of course, there are some that I’ve deleted because they stopped posting many months ago. Paul Wright and Bovination (who migrated to Oz Libertarians) are examples. Then there’s the wonderful Don Arthur, whom I won’t delete because I refuse to accept that his retirement from blogging is permanent.

Not only has the ozplogging community more than doubled in size. It was also apparent from compiling the updated blogroll that it’s become more “balanced”, in both a political and gender sense. The “warbloggers” no longer swamp other voices, and there are no less than 6 serious female ozploggers (which is still a pathetic proportion, but better than it was). Blogging is slowly maturing as a communications medium; a mixed blessing, I think.

I’m also remedying another bit of slackness by belatedly plugging Wayne Wood’s serial novel Southern Pearl. I haven’t started reading it yet, but I’m going to make some time this coming weekend, just as soon as I finish an article I promised Chris Sheil.

I feel much better now.