Liverpool Blogger Profile

Save the Scandinavian Church in Liverpool

Tell us about yourself.
My name is Gustav Adolf and I'm 125 years old this November. I've lived at 138 Park Lane all this time, and on the whole I've been very happy there. But you know, suddenly people start threatening to kill me, and let me tell you; I don't much care for that. Plenty of life left in me still. This Swedish witch helps me with the blog. She's quite daft, actually, but I put up with her. Some of her friends have also written here, and I think she said that even more of them are planning interesting blog posts. I was named after an old King. He was dead long before I was born. These days people from all five Nordic countries come to me. They all have some weird, but interesting, habits and traditions, which they practise inside me. Singing, eating, dancing. All sorts. It's nearly time for that girl with fire in her hair to sing on the stairs again. I like that. Especially the little ones who put battery candles in their mouths. I think all Nordic creatures must be naturally daft.

What is your blog about?
My blog is all about survival. And a little bit about entertaining people. I understand that blogging is THE thing to do these days, so my friends who all love me and need me, came up with this blogging malarkey. The 'bosses' in Uppsala (that's in Sweden, you know) want to close me down. They seem to think that a new church in Thailand would be nice. I'm sure it will, but over my dead body... (Hmm, maybe that wasn't a good thing to say.)

What's the most interesting thing which has happened as a result of the blog? Have you learnt anything?
Well, there have been radio programmes about me. Phone-ins and such like. Mind you, that was pre-blog. It's just good that my friends all get together and work so hard to help me.

What do you like most about Liverpool?
Lovely place. I've been very happy here in Park Lane. Except for when that enormous crane almost fell on top of me in the summer. Got a little scared then. I like being close to the water. Love water. Yellow submarines, and stuff.

What other Liverpool blogs do you read?
I'm a church. I don't read an awful lot, actually. Sorry. I'm sure it'd be interesting.

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Your words immortalised!

This sounds like just the thing for us local bloggers:

The final winning design in the Liverpool Echo’s Open Culture Benchmark competition is to stand outside the new Museum of Liverpool, due to open in spring 2011. Designer Ilsa Parry, who recently won the Philippe Starck-led BBC2 Design for Life competition, is now asking the people of Merseyside to help to complete her Storyteller bench.

The bench, which uses elements of the 08 logo, so people will sit in the recesses created by the two numbers to effectively immerse them in culture, will also be covered in stories and words to make a lasting impression on those who see it.

Now Ilsa’s winning design, which she also used as part of her submission to enter the Design for Life competition, is set to be turned into reality. And she’s asking Merseysiders to contribute their words, phrases, poems, song lyrics, stories, amusing anecdotes, and snippets of letters or other text. A selection will then be engraved on the finished bench.

Ilsa’s bench was one of three winners chosen by a public vote in the Open Culture backed competition during 2008. The others, Colin Parry’s All Together Now and schoolgirl Lauren Lawler’s Secrets bench, have already been created and installed across Liverpool by Burnley-based firm B.Rourke & Co Ltd.

Ilsa, who admitted the Benchmark competition, had spurred her to submit work for other initiatives including Go Superlambananas and the high-profile BBC design contest, she said: “Liverpool has a great cultural heritage of its own and a strong sense of community and identity. Scousers have a uniqueness which should be encapsulated and celebrated, so others may also share the way we see the world through the experiences we’ve had which shape our values and belief systems and made us who we are. Everyone could benefit from a bit of Scouse!”

Phil Redmond, who started Open Culture to help ordinary people get involved in Capital of Culture and is also chairman of National Museums Liverpool, said: “The whole concept of the Benchmark competition was about creating a bench which can be anything to anybody at any time. It’s somewhere to sit and reflect, fall in love, make your name on the football field from - all from this simple thing called a bench. And when Ilsa talked about putting words to it too, that really got me. One of the things we wanted from this project was for the benches to be a legacy of 2008 and be around for years and years to come.”

How to submit:
Write about what means something to you - it could be a short story, poem, experience, snippet of conversation, words to a song you have written or something you have overheard which makes you proud to be Liverpudlian. The closing date is Friday November 27. All entries will be read but only parts of submissions may be used.

Send it along with your name and contact details by either:
Post - Storyteller, Open Culture, Liverpool Innovation Park, 360 Edge Lane, Liverpool L7 9NJ
Email - storyteller@culture.org.uk

Here is my submission.

Liverpool Blogger Profile

Neil from Northern Uproar

Tell us about yourself.
I'm Neil, I've just turned 30 and I work in the games industry. I've been writing for as long as I can remember, it's only recently I've started to channel it towards my blog and various pieces of fiction (mostly short stories and a novel that is taking forever and a day to try and complete).

What is your blog about?
My blog Northern Uproar is a mish mash of social commentary whether it be on music, politics or current affairs. I'd like to say I try to keep it on the level and impartial but more often than not my own personal opinion wins through. It's my blog, so I'm entitled to my own soapbox corner of the internet I guess. Northern Uproar is just my view and hope it would prompt other people to voice theirs, as I like hearing good, bad, and downright ugly opinions as they ultimately help shape mine.

What's the most interesting thing which has happened as a result of the blog? Have you learnt anything?
The most interesting thing that happened was posting a post regarding Jon McClure (lead singer of Reverend And The Makers) and his project The Ark magazine. He is setting it up to compete with the likes of NME that he has become disillusioned with. He saw the blog and passed it around on Twitter, we had a few emails back and forth and I'm hoping to be on board with The Ark in some way shape or form in the Merseyside area.

What do you like most about Liverpool?
What's not to like? The people, the history, the culture and the social aspects are all cool and unique and it is why I spend the lions share of my time here.

What other Liverpool blogs do you read?
It was the Feeling Listless blog that first attracted my attention to the Liverpool blogging community, so that was my starting point. Following Liverpool Blogs on Twitter means I've got a whole range of them at my fingertips and I read pretty much any link that gets posted. I just like absorbing information, particularly when it is relevant to the local area, and it means you find out about alot of things going on in the City that may slip under my radar.

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Liverpool Blogger Profile

Peter Guy from GetIntoThis

Tell us about yourself.
 Hey, my name is Pete, and I'm a sports reporter and page designer for the Liverpool Daily Post and Echo. Music's my big passion and I can usually be found in Korova arguing about the merits of the 'next big thing' to anyone that'll humour me. I love roast dinners, Chris Morris, the Coen Brothers, Prince, oh and The Wire - but who doesn't!?

What is your blog about?
 My blog, Getintothis, is a review and discussion site primarily taking a fun look at the independent and leftfield music scene with an emphasis on what's bubbling in the Liverpool musical underground. I hope to provide a mini platform to the very many artists in town and beyond that deserve recognition while also taking a swipe at the ridiculous side of industry.

What's the most interesting thing which has happened as a result of the blog? Have you learnt anything?
 The funniest - and most surprising - happening was my local fruit seller on Old Hall Street saying he enjoyed reading my interview with RZA from the Wu-Tang Clan - I didn't expect that while buying a Granny Smith!
 
I've interviewed some of my heroes (Efrim from cult Canadian band Godspeed You! Black Emporer and Irmin Schmidt from legendary krautrock band Can), had feedback from respected industry writers and made many friends with people who were previously names on the back of record sleeves but the most satisfying element has been meeting so many artists and fans in and around Liverpool who just buzz off music.
 
I quickly realised that the blog doesn't have to be about just what I like and listen to, but also what others can bring to the table - this in itself has lent a kind of community feel to it, with regular contributors and the likes of Liverpool music festival Sound City using it as a host for all their reviews.

What do you like most about Liverpool?
 I recently read Paul Du Noyer's Liverpool: Wonderous Place and that perfectly encapsulated what Liverpool's about for me - it's a gateway to excitement. The arts, music and vibrance is in a permanent state of development. There's a stale stereotype of Liverpool which is wrapped up in Merseybeat and even that Northern 90s attitude - but this is an image created by tired outsiders too lazy to dig beneath.
 
Some of Liverpool's talent is so ahead of the game (check out a.P.A.T.t. and Wave Machines) others are only now catching on. Just in the last year places like Static Gallery and Kazimier have sprung up out of nowhere creating new musical cornerstones of the City. Liverpool is always on it.

What other Liverpool blogs do you read?
When not reading the hundreds of music sites out there, I'll have a gander at: http://www.audiobounty.com/
http://gobshitesmiscellany.blogspot.com/
http://markmcnulty.typepad.com/
http://gwladtidings.merseyblogs.co.uk/
http://robbohuyton.blogspot.com/

Pete is soon off to Dubai Sound City to cover the music festival with the Liverpool Sound City team. It starts next Thursday through til Sat (Nov 5-7) and he'll be doing tweet style reviews with photos by Mark McNulty.

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Liverpool Blogger Profile

Lauren from Iconic Fashion.

Tell us about yourself and what is your blog about?
My name is Lauren and I run Liverpool based fashion blog, IRONIC FASHION. I've been writing the blog since February 09 and I have loved how far I have come with it. I'm a 21 year old student from Mossley Hill, but studying International Fashion Marketing in Manchester.

What's the most interesting thing which has happened as a result of the blog? Have you learnt anything?
I love the different opportunities that come from writing the blog; I was made up the first time I got asked to write a hair care product review! By far the most exciting thing that has happened to me via the blog happened about a month ago. I was contacted by a company in Hollywood who asked me to write for their new website - theewebsite.

What do you like most about Liverpool?
The thing I love most about Liverpool is the character of the city. Everybody has such individual personalities it's brilliant. During last year's Brouhaha carnival I was asked by people from Toxteth TV, "What is culture to you?" I just replied, "This is culture. It's Toxteth, it's people and it's vibrancy of the city."

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Liverpool Blogger Profile

adebond of the world according to adebond

Tell us about yourself.
adebond is the name I use as an online persona to separate my presence on the web from family and friends in the real world who really aren't that interested. I'm a married father of one, an ex-officer in the Royal Navy and now an aspiring Project Manager. I've called Liverpool home for about 6 years but originally hail from the mean streets of Essex.

What is your blog about?
The tag line on my blog is 'Tech, Photography & Mindless Drivel' and that just about sums it up. I'm absolutely addicted to shiny new gadgets that I have absolutely no need for and comment on the latest news in consumer electronics. I've also recently developed a passion for photography and post images from different events I've attended. Occasionally I will rant about things that are on my mind and have got me particularly riled up.

What's the most interesting thing which has happened as a result of the blog? Have you learnt anything?
Personally, the most satisfying thing about writing a blog is just getting your voice and opinions out there. It's a great outlet for no other reason than knowing that you've put a post out there that can be discovered, read and appreciated by anyone with an Internet connection. When you get positive feedback it just makes it feel all the more worthwhile. The most important thing I've learnt is that there is a big online community out there and being part of it takes a lot of effort but is ultimately rewarding. If you like someones blog or images or tweets then let them know and pass it on.

What do you like most about Liverpool?
What I love about Liverpool is that there is always something going on. There is absolutely no excuse to be sat around bored with nothing to do. A quick search of the tourist websites, art blogs or local papers will produce literally hundreds of things to get out there, to see and to do. The important thing is just to get involved.

What other Liverpool blogs do you read?
I've got a long list of local Twitter users that I follow and the Liverpool group column I've created on TweetDeck is the first one I check each day. Most of the blogs I read are photography related from some great local photogs and include:

Vanilla Days
Digital Relish
Matt Thomas
Aperture Priority
Lee Carus Photography

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Liverpool Blogger Profile

Claire Pitt of A Little Piece of Me

Tell us about yourself.
Hey the name is Claire, but usually online I go by crpitt. I am currently training to be counsellor/therapist. Love fannying about on the internet, all things mental health, doodling, music and other stuff.

What is your blog about?
The blog was originally just going to be an ongoing personal journal for my counselling studies, reflecting on what we had learnt in class and so on. It rapidly evolved into more than that as I started talking about all sorts of things. I suppose if you look at the main tags used it would be: Photography, Personal,Counselling,Funny,Cartoons, Doodles, Mum,blog and Family. As I have gotten more involved with my counselling studies, I would like to think that the blog will go that way too and there will be more of a focus on Mental Health.

What's the most interesting thing which has happened as a result of the blog? Have you learnt anything?
My blog is nearly three years old now, so I have learnt some things about blogging. Weird stuff like HTML that makes it easier to click thingies and whatsits. Before blogging I only used the internet for online shopping and emails, now my eyes have been forced open and I see what a valuable tool it can be. The most interesting thing that has happened has probably been the feedback from people that have appreciated some of the things that I written in regards to mental health. Also meeting up with some fantastic people, proving that online life and real life can collide.

What do you like most about Liverpool?
The people most definitely, followed closely by the City and its history, architecture and culture.

What other Liverpool blogs do you read?
I have an awful tendency to subscribe to many an interesting read and my google reader is full of poor blogs languishing away unloved. So it is usually the ones that use twitter to promote their latest offerings, like Robin Brown and Alison Gow. I think they do a great job at highlighting the latest happenings in the world of social media. You may think social media is not your thing, but if you love twitter and blogging, you are in that world anyways. In the world of Photographic blogs I loved Peter Carr's images, I think they capture what I love about Liverpool.

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Liverpool Blogger Profile

Jimmy Rice of Plenty More Fish Out Of Water

Tell us about yourself.
I’m a 28-year-old wannabe sitcom writer. Currently a journalist on the official Liverpool FC website.

What is your blog about?
Excruciating dates with really odd women, road rage chases and challenging idiots in the cinema with my girlfriend’s umbrella.

What's the most interesting thing which has happened as a result of the blog? Have you learnt anything?
People who read it won’t go on dates with me.

What do you like most about Liverpool?
Crosby beach. They should clean it, though.

What other Liverpool blogs do you read?
http://tomkins-blogs.typepad.com/paul_tomkins_blog/

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Liverpool Blogger Profile

Jane Gallagher of The Small Fabric Of My Life

Tell us about yourself.
I am a freelance writer and divide my time between writing for the nationals and working as a writer in residence at a Lancashire prison.

What is your blog about?
The Small Fabric Of My Life is a continuation of my year-long blog workthatwardrobe and includes footnotes on fashion, family, friends and fun.

What's the most interesting thing which has happened as a result of the blog? Have you learnt anything?
I was sent a £175.00 dress to wear by the fashion house Isabella Oliver after their PR spotted my blog. I have learned that the more you give out in the blogging world the more you get back.

What do you like most about Liverpool?
The vibrancy of the people, the architecture, the waterfront and the fact that everyone in the world knows where you live.

What other Liverpool blogs do you read?
Alison Gow’s Headlines and Deadlines. When I started my journalistic career at The Ormskirk Advertiser in 1989 we used typewriters and copy paper with carbon. I moved to The Liverpool Echo in 1992 where I stayed until 2003 and witnessed many changes. Alison’s blog charts the ever-changing times.

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a twitter account for Liverpool Blogs

I've set up a twitter account for Liverpool Blogs, which will largely spend its time posting a link whenever a local blog is updated but I'll also use to post links to new additions and other Liverpool related news. It's also another way of contacting me. You can follow at http://twitter.com/liverpoolblogs.

Liverpool Blogger Profile

Paula Keaveney

Tell us about yourself.
I am a City Councillor and am involved in broader politics too. An active Lib Dem I live in Garston and represent Cressington ward. In my other life I work at Edge Hill University as a Lecturer. I would say what I do in my spare time but I am not sure I have any. Having said that I do love quizzes and was on BBC's Mastermind not too long ago.

What is the blog about?
Its really about politics and more specifically about the political and campaigning things I am involved in in Liverpool and in the ward. I do add in more general political stuff and some personal comment but the main thought in setting it up was to find another way of communicating with local people and getting some feedback.

The most interesting thing that has happened and what is learned.
I've managed to get some feedback from local people that probably wouldn't have happened otherwise and this has actually led to my taking some actions on some problems that were flagged up. I do also get the odd media enquiry as a result of something I have written.

What do you like most about Liverpool?
I think its the scale. You can pretty much walk around and across the City Centre in a way you can't manage somewhere like London. I lived in Edinburgh for a while and this had the same feeling of scale. I love the parks too, and walking by the shore - the Speke/Garston coastal reserve is a good place to go for a walk and a think.

What other Liverpool blogs do you read?
Well I read the other political ones - although there arent that many. I read some of the journalists' ones too like Dale Street Blues.

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Liverpool Blogger Profile

Graham Holland of It's A Frog's Life

What is your blog about?
My blog is the shownotes for a podcast I've been running for the last three years. The show is called the It's A Frog's Life Acoustic Podcast and goes out every two weeks or so. On the show I play some of the best podsafe, acoustic music from Liverpool and across the UK

What's the most interesting thing which has happened as a result of the blog?
I've met lots of other podcasters, all passionate about independent music. I've also discovered tons of great new music myself, which I really enjoy sharing with people around the world. I find it really interesting when I get emails from people in different countries who listen to the show!

Have you learnt anything?
I've learnt that there's more to music than what we're fed by the radio stations and record companies.

What do you like most about Liverpool?
The people and the passion - passion about music, sport, art, and life.

What other Liverpool blogs do you read?
David Coethica, Jade Wright & Art in Liverpool (Defnet Media)

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Liverpool Blogger Profile

Mark Lea of marklea.com

Tell us about yourself:
Photographer and guitarist. Taught guitar and performing arts for 20 years, needed a change... photography was it.

What is your blog about?
My Liverpool photographer blog is a vehicle for me to showcase my work outside the confines of a commercial portfolio. Instead of worrying that every image is perfect, I use it to provide an overview into what I'm working on and to air some views about things that interest me.

I also intend (when I find some time) to pen some articles about the state of photography, and probably some tutorials too.

What's the most interesting thing which has happened as a result of the blog? Have you learnt anything?
Well it's a relatively new blog, so I would have to say this interview is the most exciting thing thus far.

What do you like most about Liverpool?
Without question it's the people and their sharp wit.

What other Liverpool blogs do you read?
Overheard in Liverpool.com
The "Art in Liverpool" blog

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Liverpool Blogger Profile

Neil Macdonald of ScyFi Love

Tell us about yourself.
Husband, dad, journalist on the Post and Echo web team, sci-fi fan

What is your blog about?
Science fiction in all its forms, but sci-fi that I feel a personal connection with.

What's the most interesting thing which has happened as a result of the blog?
Loads of interesting stuff, but probably the coolest thing was interviewing Duncan Jones, director of the indie sci-fi film Moon and David Bowie's son.

Have you learnt anything?
Apart from some webby skills I'd say the biggest thing was the importance of being part of the online community, of engaging in the conversation.

What do you like most about Liverpool?
Everything - I love the whole deal. A passionate advocate for the city and its people.

What other Liverpool blogs do you read?
Alison Gow's Headlines and Deadlines, Live For Films by Phil Edwards, most stuff from Robin Brown, Feeling Listless and the Post and Echo bloggers

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Liverpool Blogger Profile

Peter Goodbody of p3do

Tell us about yourself.
My real name is Peter Goodbody. I blog at www.p3dro.co.uk - which is a photo blog. I also post photos on flickr under the user name mobilevirgin and I'm @p3dro on Twitter. I'm also a member of the Fab Collective - a group of Liverpool photographers who share a passion for Liverpool, its people, its places and its faces.

I have another job that pays the mortgage.

What is your blog about?
Its mostly about what I see and where I go. Generally that's Liverpool, but not always. Its pretty laconic. I don't say much - I post pictures. But that way people see what I see and get an insight into the way I see the world.

What's the most interesting thing which has happened as a result of the blog?
Yeah, I've met people in real life. Internet user names have become real people to me. And mostly they're cool people.

What do you like most about Liverpool?
Living here.

What other Liverpool blogs do you read?
http://mattthomas.co.uk/
http://www.vanilladays.com/
http://blog.formidablephotography.com/
http://www.aperturepriority.co.uk/
http://www.simonbarrowphotography.co.uk
http://www.artinliverpool.com/
http://blog.fact.co.uk/

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Liverpool Blogger Profile

Moira Kenny from Diary of a middle aged artist

What is your blog about?
Diary of a middle aged artist is a little bit of social history in the making. It is exceptionally boring mapping the trials of tribulations of an artist/researcher working in the City bringing up teenage sons, a Liverpool/Irish family. I don't know why anyone would read it.

What's the most interesting thing which has happened as a result of the blog? Have you learnt anything?
Since I had my phone cut off and use internet cafes' I have witnessed how many people watch porn in public places.

What do you like most about Liverpool?
I don't need to travel to work internationally.

What other Liverpool blogs do you read?
None I am embarressed to say but I have checked yours out a couple of times and recommended it to someone yesterday (and I mean that most sincerely)

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Liverpool Blogger Profile

Montague Blister from Strange Games

What is your blog about?
I write a blog all about strange, archaic, violent childrens games, adult games and odd sports...games such as Slapsies etc... It's not Liverpool focused like a many of the blogs in your list, but if anyone has any knowledge of local games that they think might interest me I would be delighted to hear from them.

What's the most interesting thing which has happened as a result of the blog?
The best thing to happen as a result of the blog is that Harper Collins are publishing my 'book of the blog' at the end of October...available in all good bookshops etc.

Have you learnt anything?
I guess I've learnt the rules of Finger Jousting and many other fine games that everyone should know about.

What do you like most about Liverpool?
The best thing about Liverpool is the people.

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Liverpool Blogger Profile

Scott from Round The Merseyrail We Go

Tell us about yourself.
I'm Scott, a 32 year old Council worker who lives on the Wirral (so technically not Liverpool at all!). I live with my partner of 12 years. I usually describe myself as a standard gay James Bond fan with a fondness for wine, train stations and telly...

What is your blog about?
Round The Merseyrail We Go started out as my attempt to visit every Merseyrail station - Northern and Wirral Lines. It's developed over the last two years, to the extent that now I'm trying to visit every station on the Merseyrail map, from Chester to Preston, and from West Kirby to Warrington. I'm also interested in art and architecture on the network, so I write about any new developments there.

What's the most interesting thing which has happened as a result of the blog?
Last Christmas the Echo had a full page feature on the blog, which was very flattering, but at the same time pretty embarrassing - I had my photo taken outside Lime Street by a photographer from the paper in the middle of the afternoon, as though I were famous!

Have you learnt anything?
The thing I've learnt most is that there are some beautiful, wonderful places around Merseyside that people don't know about, that are only a few minutes walk from a train station.

What do you like most about Liverpool?
I'm originally from down south, and I came up north to study in Ormskirk. One night, a couple of weeks after I started living here, I missed the last train home and I had to walk round the city centre all night. I came upon St George's Plateau, not knowing it was there; St George's Hall was lit up, and the Walker Gallery, and the Wellington Memorial, and my heart leapt and I knew I was in love with the city. There is nowhere else like it - it's astonishingly beautiful and vibrant, and the people are passionate, interesting and fun. I couldn't imagine living anywhere else.

What other Liverpool blogs do you read?
I don't read many other blogs, though I do read http://www.roberthampton.me.uk/ and http://lookuplookaround.blogspot.com/, both of which are written by friends. I'm also a regular reader of the Liverpool forum on http://www.skyscrapercity.com.

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Liverpool Blogger Profile

Phil from Live for Films.

Tell us about yourself.
My name is Phil and I am the bloke who does Live for Films. I've got a wife, two young kids and a job and run LFF in my spare time. People seem to like it.

What is your blog about?
It is about all things film, plus a bit of comics, TV and video games thrown into the mix. Oh and toys. Basically whatever thing I find interesting I put it on the site.

What's the most interesting thing which has happened as a result of the blog?
Well it is just over a year old now and for a site to let my friends know about film news I have had people all over the world read it. It has also given me the chance to interview great authors (Neal Asher and Michael Marshall Smith), filmmakers (Duncan Jones, Andrew Barker, Ryan Denmark and more) plus I got to attend the Public Enemies screening and press conference where I was lucky enough to get the chance to ask Johnny Depp a question. Who would have thunk it.

What do you like most about Liverpool?
Cool people, great city, amazing buildings, excellent shops and a nice feel to the place

What other Liverpool blogs do you read?
As many as I can.

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Liverpool Blogger Profile

Alison Gow from Headlines and Deadlines.

Tell us about yourself.
I'm a journalist, working in regional newspapers for 20 years. Deputy editor of the Liverpool Daily Post for 2 years before becoming executive editor, digital, for Trinity Mirror Merseyside. Welsh, married, skier, motorcyclist, Dark Tower fanatic. Oh and a blogger.

What is your blog about?
My blog, Headlines and Deadlines, is about the changing newspaper industry, newsgathering using social media tools, and my vague attempts to learn new things.

What's the most interesting thing which has happened as a result of the blog?
Blogging led to me taking part in a UCLan debate alongside Kevin Anderson (Guardian blogs editor) and Robert Peston (BBC) on the economic crisis and the media's role. I wish my bitch of a Maths teacher could have seen it...

Have you learnt anything?
I have learned so much - from fellow bloggers who challenge my ideas with their (better) theories, from seeing how others interact, and from trying out new apps and following others' blogs. It's taught me a lasting lesson about my role as a journalist, and where newspapers really sit in terms of their value. (Hint: it's nowhere near as high as meeja execs would like to think...)

What do you like most about Liverpool?
After 5 years here I still marvel at my luck moving to Liverpool. The waterfront is my favourite place but it's random things like the Superlambanana, St Lukes Church and the optimism of the Saturday queue outside Primark that gladden my heart. And the fact that so many Scousers still believe, on the whole, in the Echo.

What other Liverpool blogs do you read?
Feeling Listless and Liverpool Blogs, Pool of Life, Graham Bandage's Lovely World, Robin's Culture Blog, Vanilla Days (and several other photoblogs) Overheard In Liverpool, ScyfiLove, and the Post & Echo bloggers.

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Liverpool Blogger Profile

Dr Anthony J. Evans from The Filter

Tell us about yourself.
Economist, writer, coach. Used to live in Liverpool.

What is your blog about?
My co-bloggers have written some wonderful articles based on their own fields of expertise (music, architecture, literature), but my posts try to provide a prophylactic against popular economic fallacies.

What's the most interesting thing which has happened as a result of the blog?
Receiving eye witness accounts (and photographs) of the Belarus protests in 2005, before it really hit the mainstream media.

Have you learnt anything?
Don't patronise people.

What do you like most about Liverpool?
The Blue Angel.

What other Liverpool blogs do you read?
None. If i'm missing something drop me a line.

If you're also a Liverpool blogger and would like have your own profile, click here.

Questionnaire

I've spent some of this evening sending out the following email to as many people on the blogroll for whom I could find a contact -- there are some people I've missed so just in case I've put it up here. I've edited it a bit so that it makes sense in the context of this blog. See if you can spot where ...

Hello,

I'm Stuart and I run Liverpool Blogs, which is, as you might expect from the title, aimed at promoting the work of Liverpool bloggers. Here is a link:

http://liverpoolblogs.blogspot.com/

The focus at present is a constantly updated blogroll, but in an effort to give people whose work is linked there a voice on the main blog, I thought I would send this short questionnaire/interview which I’d love for you to fill in so that you have the opportunity to introduce yourself and your blog.

If you’re interested and have some time, please email the answers to liverpoolblogs@btinternet.com and I’ll do the rest. Feel free to write as little or as much as you want and let me know if there is a picture you would like me to illustrate it. I’ll post the results over the next few weeks and months.

Thank you.

Take care,

Stuart.

======


Tell us about yourself.

What is your blog about?

What's the most interesting thing which has happened as a result of the blog? Have you learnt anything?

What do you like most about Liverpool?

What other Liverpool blogs do you read?

I've missed a typo somewhere, I'm sure.

This in the end ...

Jane from Work That Wardrobe has completed her project of not buying any new clothes for a year. She says:

"I have finally finished.
365 days without spending any extra money on clothes.
And it feels great.
It has been an amazing journey.
There has been a lot of other stuff going on in my life this year but this focus on the discipline of posting has been therapeutic."

Congratulations to her. Jane's new blogging project is The Small Fabric Of My Life.

round the merseyrail we go

round the merseyrail we go is (to quote from his website) the "diary of a man who wants to make the Merseyrail map his own. Simple: visit every station on the map - Northern, Wirral, City and even the mysterious grey lines - and take a picture of myself in front of the station sign. Plus any Attractive Local Feature (ALF) boards. I am the MerseyTart!"

Plinthians

Sleeper City's Anna took part in Antony Gormley’s One and Other project spending an hour on the fourth plinth in Trafalgar Square in London looking down at the sleeping pigeons during the ungodly hour of 4-5am on Thursday 9th July.

She wrote postcards to twelve people because she "liked the idea of an immediate written response to it all and sending the responses out to other people, connecting like that." You can watch her hour here as she talks to us about why she's there, what's happening and who she's writing to. I hope this isn't weirdest thing you ever do either.

Next up (as far as I know), on Sunday, was Laura Davis, Liverpool blogger and arts editor for the Daily Post. She's written about the experiences for the paper:

"A period of intensive research (watching the live webstream from the comfort of my living room) revealed that some people had done just that, while others had dressed as Godzilla and played swingball, sung opera, painted their faces to look old, worn a giant pigeon costume, recited Shakespeare, thrown down fairycakes, campaigned against genital mutilation and drunk Champagne.

I went for somewhere in the middle – deciding to make origami birds (my one and only party trick) and taking up a penguin statue that will feature in the Go Penguins public art trail in Liverpool this winter.

My dad used to make the birds for me and my sister to colour in when we were little – he’d been taught how by his father."

Laura's hour is also on the One & Other website.

Do please let me know if you've already been up there or are planning to because it would be nice to document your visit here.

Google Street View

Now that Google Street View has reached Liverpool, I thought it would be fun to revisit some of the old posts on my own blog and try to find the places I was describing. In no particular order:

The tram stop and bus station at the junction of Penny Lane, Smithdown Road, Church Road and Allerton Road


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the end of Penny Lane, looking at the street sign painted on the wall which I'd passed on hundreds of occasions (which incidentally isn't painted any longer -- though you can see the area where the mural version has been removed).


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The four of them are standing in a garden on Ullet Road next to St Agnes Church


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the death of one of the new wave of bars in Liverpool City Centre (which is now this Starbucks)


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The Pilgrim


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Anglican Cathedral


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Abercromby Square


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Macdonalds, Ranleigh Street


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The Side Door, Hope Street


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Everyman Theatre


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Lime Street Station


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AFoundation


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Royal Liverpool University Hospital


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E. Chambre Hardman House


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Lark Lane


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H0liday Inn, Lime Street


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St. George's Hall Plateau


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Novas Contemporary Urban Centre


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Williamson's Tunnels


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Philharmonic Hall


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Climate for Change

Stu from the FACT blog is on the prowl for local blogs for a new exhibition:

"FACT’s next exhibition Climate for Change starts a week on Friday (13 March) and it’s all about networks, cooperation and self-organisation.

In the spirit of things I’m going to feature a local blog for each day of the exhibition and then ask each featured blogger to choose the next one.

Naturally there may be times when the chain breaks down for whatever reason, so I’m looking for recommendations of local blogs that I can restart the process with. If there are any local(ish) blogs that you like then let me know by posting a comment or by sending me an email.

Eventually, each blog will be archived in the ‘C4C Featured Blogs‘ category under Climate for Change."

The email address to contact if you'd like to help is stuart.robarts@fact.co.uk.

Liverpool Twestival

Last Thursday, I attended the first hopefully semi-regular Liverpool Twestival at the Leaf Café on Parliament Street. I had a wonderful time. We’ve talked before about my general reaction to these kinds of gatherings in which I’m faced with lots of people I don’t know. What energised me this time was that the majority of people were like me and besides, we did sort of know each other through the web application which inspired the event (or in the case of a few people we knew each other very well already).

This wasn’t an intimidating brace of strangers. I felt very welcome. On entry we were given the option of a id label which meant we could all identify one another through out Twitter usernames; that meant at the beginning of the evening there was the repeated sight of people craning their necks like meerkats trying to read the writing on the labels, but this settled down as names were put to faces and people who’d never met could at least begin a conversation with ‘Do I follow you?’ or ‘We follow each other.’

In that way it was a bit like a school reunion, as we asked one another what we were doing for a living, where we were living now and how we’d travelled there. Except this wasn’t a group of people you spent six or seven excruciating years with during your teens and you were still somehow umbilically connected to for the rest of each other's lives, but folks you genuinely wanted to spend time with and perhaps fill in the gaps between what little you'd already learnt through those updates of a hundred and forty characters.

A couple of people recognised me from my photograph and still more from my usernames. Some said they read this blog or knew of Liverpool Blogs. I met Adrian who I’ve known on and off online for years (see here and here) and who thought of @merseyshipping. I finally saw Alison and Laura and nattered with some of their colleagues from the Liverpool Daily Post, including David. There were a few people I also wanted to talk to that I recognised, but the night felt too short. Hopefully next time.

The Leaf Café is a lovely clean cosy venue with excellent food – well the sausage butties which constituted my tea were nice. There was an auction and raffle for charity (in aid of charity:water) of which two of the star attractions were a book and socks from @stephenfry. The socks went for more. I pushed the bidding up on a print from Pete Carr (whose photos of the event are here – see if you can spot me). But in the end all were too rich for me. The entertainment was supplied by a clutch of bands including the excellent 6ix Toys, though I felt slightly sorry for them because we were all fascinated by a nearby machine that blew bubbles if it detected the hash-tag.

I think you know you’re having a good night when you find yourself shouting ‘Bubbles!’ in unison with others.

Thanks Mandy and all!

Liverpool Twestival

Liverpool's Transition

I didn't manage to get to the closing ceremony for the Capital of Culture last year, the 'Transition', though I did see the rather stupendous fireworks from the flat, so loud were they that we could feel the vibrations on our window frame. I've had a glance around online to see what I missed:

Pete Carr (Vanilla Days): "They played this great video of the history of Liverpool. It featured farmers herding Superlambananas, all the various events through 2008 and a hilariously sad looking Boris Johnson cartoon figure. The 3 Graces looked amazing lit up, and they also had a lantern arrangement by the canal link which was really beautiful."

Robin Brown (Liverpool Culture Blog): "Thanks to some idiotic regulations in force at the Albert Dock we were faced with the choice of watching betweeen a gap in the Pumphouse and Dock buildings or walking around the entire Dock, by which time they would have certainly been finished. Lunacy."

Christopher Brown (Metro): "Then the location, the Pier Head is a closed off space so once it was full thousands were ineffectively siphoned off to towards the Albert Dock and Arena further along the waterfront, unsure of where to go.Many will have heard crowds and the odd flash of light but missed the bulk of the video show."

Nikita (Girl Found): "For the first time, I belonged. All around me people hugged and kissed and looked up in awe at the display of human dexterity and kindness around them, we felt proud to be living on Merseyside and we marvelled at the distance the city has come in a few short months. We all sang along to the songs, waved at the cameras and Will and I shared a beautifully tender kiss."

My impression is that it really depended on where you were standing as to the kind of night you had. Did anyone else go? What were your impressions?

Meet The Bloggers: Andy Davies

Andy writes:

OK, I started blogging in 2003, although I've recently scrapped all of the old stuff. My blog is named zedzdead, after Bruce Willis' quote in Pulp Fiction "Zed's dead baby, Zed's dead".

I have an IT background and started working as a web developer in 1999 on the very day my son was born. I developed intranet sites for Royal and Sun Alliance, and then for Unisys after being outsourced.

I've moved from developing on Domino (Lotus Notes) to Apache, PHP, MySQL on Linux. I now work for Edge Hill University in Ormskirk, and we develop using the Symfony PHP framework. I'll be attending PHPNW08, Manchester in November.

I support Liverpool, I drink beer, I have a wife, a boy and a girl, I'm handy at D.I.Y and I'd love to restore a classic car, preferably a two seater.

Work That Wardrobe

Jane Gallagher has pledged not to buy any new clothes for a year and is writing about her experiences at Work That Wardrobe as well as posting photos of she is wearing. As she says at her first post:

"I have a problem.
I have more cash going out of my house than coming in.
I spend all my spare cash on clothes and books.
I need to stop spending all my spare cash on clothes and books.
I will borrow all the books I need from the library.
I will wear only clothes I already own.
I will solve my problem.
To help motivate me I have started this blog.
I will post a picture of everything I wear for 365 days (including holidays which may be a challenge).
I will say what I am wearing, why I have worn what I have worn and where it came from. If possibe I will recall how long I have had the item and how much it cost. Although this may be a bit anal.
But I want to solve my problem.
I need to solve my problem."

If I did all that, it would simply look like the same shot of jeans and a t-shirt. I wish my fashion sense was this finely tuned!

Helga in Liverpool

Helga in Liverpool is the blog of a Norwegian studying at LIPA. It's early days yet, but she's seems to be enjoying the city so far so let's wish her well shall we?

The Pathway to Co-prosperity

The Malaysian Alumni Association of Liverpool blog "provides the platform for everybody to network, interact, communicate and discuss any issue of interest."

The latest post is a survey by an academic about the Malay experience in Liverpool, especially for seafarers, including the setting up a community association.

Yesterday's Knews

An email has reached Liverpool Blogs Towers:

"Hello,

I thought i would introduce you to our Liverpool based blog. It is called yesterday's knews - http://yesterdaysknews.blogspot.com/ it is a spoof newspaper taking a humerous view on the days news. I noticed your website and seeing as we are all living in the city thought you may be interested in adding us to your list??????

Keep up the good work

Greg Brennan

You're in there now!

Blogger Profile Search Searched

Finally had a chance to look through those blogspots. Of the now 126 listed blogs, here are the writers who are still active:

A Veggie Life with Jenny nine-toes in which Jenny Mac writes about life and shopping and vegitarianism.

Graham Holland's It's A Frog's Life is an adjunct to the podcast "featuring some of the best podsafe acoustic music from Liverpool and across the UK."

Cynthia of Waterloo Sunset describes herself as nocturnal and short.

Sefton Taxis is a pop culture blog.

Liverpool Wah Sing collects profiles of people connected with the Wah Sing Chinese Community Centre on Duke Street.

Anthony Jones offers commentary on design and pop culture.

Hello you!

Guild of Ghostwriters

Demian Stimpson "a 30-summat Englishman currently enjoying life in Wavertree, Liverpool" has been in contact asking for his blog 'Guild of Ghostwriters' to be mentioned which I'm happy to do. It's a collection of cartoons and writing about his work. The blog can be read here...

1 day, 8 photographers, 800 people

Pete Carr from Vanilla Days writes about participating in eighthundred, the photography project that took place on Liverpool's birthday last week:

"About 3 weeks ago Mark McNulty approached me with an idea for a shoot. 1 day, 8 photographers, 800 people. A crazy idea but a great one none the less. The idea wasn’t to photograph your friends or clients but Liverpool on its birthday. We got support from the Albert Dock who kindly said we could use the Grand Hall for the exhibition. The Culture Company also backed us. We got the funding for the prints and free wine for the launch. All that was left was to photograph 800 people in just one day. As you do. We all had assistants arranged who would be joining us on the day to keep us from going insane, focused and to take down details of the 100 people we all had to photographer. Unfortunately mine had to cancel so at 9am I was standing on Allerton Road looking for people to photograph."

Blogger Profile Search

Blogger have added a feature which allows you see profiles of people who share your interests, tastes and live in the same area. A quick search reveals 113 of us. When I have a moment, I'll check through and see if there is anyone still writing and not listed in the sidebar.

Our Open Space

Our Open Space is the blog of a new initiative from the Merseyside Fire & Rescue Service to (as their About page explains):

"explore the possibilities of incorporating Emerging Technologies into their work in Youth Engagement projects. The core aim is to use accessible, simple technologies to enhance the delivery of the Youth Engagement Programmes."

A range of ideas are being considered and put in to practice, such as SMS messaging, the “CameraAction” scheme in which potential fire hazards can be sent into the service using camera phones and the use of MySpace in youth projects. There is also a related flickr account with images of the fire service at work.

The blog itself is a mix of bulletins about the initiative and the fire service as well as news on the kinds of websites, such as Facebook or myspace that may be utilised in the future. With all of the negative stories that are being generated in the media lately about these sites, this is a useful reminder of their positive potential.

Mark McNulty's photography

Mark McNulty's been in touch:

"I've just started my own blog of Liverpool photography. I'm using to show some of my commercial work, personal projects and selections form my archive. Hope you will be able to list it!"

I can and here is it ...

http://markmcnulty.typepad.com

The Bold Street Project Blog

Hello faithful reader. Katie Lips, social media evangelist, has been in touch with news of an exciting project:

"The Bold Street Project an interactive piece showing in the Media Lounge at FACT, Liverpool from 30th June to 19th September 2007. We're creating an exhibition about this eclectic street, that is at least in part created by the Bold Street inhabitants, traders, shoppers and visitors. As such we're using Social Media tools and online communities to grow our audience and our contributing artists."

Sounds amazing, and here's the press release about the blog that's launched to promote the project:



Bold Street: The Street with its own Blog
We're putting Bold Street online, watch us develop this exhibition, and share your Bold Street Stories via the Bold Street Blog!

What's it about?

Bold Street Project is a collaboration between FACT, tenantspin, and artists Michelle Wren and Katie Lips. Liverpool photographer and artist, Wren has created a visual representation of Bold Street; a model using 3D photo-montage and mixed media. Community generated content developed by tenantspin and online content developed by new media artist Katie Lips will be integrated into the model, and used as a catalyst to extend the piece online. Peering into the shop fronts depicted in the model will reveal exclusive films made for the exhibition, including a new commission The Bolder They Walk by Alex Cox (repoman, FACT patron), Kim Ryan (gente hermosa) and Chris Bernard (Letter to Brezhnev).

Why Bold Street?

At a defining moment in the city s history, FACT explores Bold Street, the community on the organisation s doorstep, where heritage and community are closely intertwined and whose past is illustrative of Liverpool s fortunes. As the Grosvenor project takes hold of other parts of the city, how can Bold Street review and revitalise itself? Will its history, community and spirit keep it alive as an important cultural destination?

Getting involved

The project has a blog where we're discussing our work in progress and research, and there's also a video and audio podcast available where you can sneak a behind the scenes glimpse into the inner workings of this art exhibition. We're putting the street, its history and stories online, and we're also sharing our work in progress in the run up to the launch on 30th June. We're gathering archive footage, old photos, new photos and new art from anyone who wants to contribute. Find Bold Street online and share your stories.

Bold Street Online
Blog: http://www.boldstreet.org.uk/blog/
Photos: http://www.flickr.com/photos/theboldstreet/
Videos: http://www.youtube.com/profile?user=theboldstreetproject
Video Podcast: http://phobos.apple.com/WebObjects/MZStore.woa/wa/viewPodcast?id=256770316
Audio Podcast: http://phobos.apple.com/WebObjects/MZStore.woa/wa/viewPodcast?id=257226618

Facebook

Damn, is it nearly a month? I hadn't really meant for it to be quite so long between posts, obviously, but things happen and now I understand why some of the blogs to the left haven't been updated as often.

Anyway, with all that in mind and so that there's more of an interactive element to all of this, I've created a group at Facebook, so that Liverpool bloggers can network much more freely.

The page is here, and it'll be interesting over the coming weeks to see if anyone joins who isn't already listed on this blog.

Meanwhile, more frequent updates coming soon. I promise.

Raw Liver

Pete Carr of Vanilla Days fame has launched a new website (with a blog) "dedicated to exploring the 2008 Capital of Culture through different ways. Its about bringing people together and changing perceptions." In this post he outlines what it is or isn't:

"This site is;

* A central area to bring various groups together
* A place for people to discuss and launch crazy ideas upon the city
* Hopefully our way of contributing to the capital of culture"

Raw Liver can be seen here.

Happy Absentee

Apologies for my absense -- I hope this post at my own blog goes some way to explaining what I was up to. I was working at the Grand National selling racecards and as you can read I had a great time. I've just had a quick look to see if any fellow bloggers were also at the event and unsurprisingly I found a couple:

The Chinese Elvis: "It's amazing here, my first time. Beautiful weather, great atmosphere, I feel ok not drinking, in fact, been a bit of a revelation. Going to place three bets today on the main race today, £300's my budget, yeah right! I'll let you know what I do and if I win. We arrived in style in the Bentley, fantastic experiece strolling out of the car at the gate, I'll speak more about it at a later date as it's for a piece that I'm doing for work."

Quizerama: "Out on the track the spectacle thrills and baffles by turn. We stood down at the Chair fence watching the big screen. Naunton Brook was making the running, Simon was up there, Bewleys Berry was attacking his fences with great gusto, Liberthine was running a big one, but so too was the grey Kandjar D'Allier and he did not have a jockey on him, he and Robert Thornton had turned over at Canal Turn."

Lola's Cherry Cola Café: "Well, the big day of the Grand National arrived, and I blew the dust off my high vis jacket and went along to do some first aid. Over the course of the day I got hit on seven times, only one of these people was sober. I'm not sure whether that boosts my self esteem or not yet. The chat up lines weren't the most original this year, just the usual "oh I feel faint" or "I need some mouth to mouth". Lads, although Lola isn't really one for chat up lines, a good original one will have her chuckling for days."

Art In Liverpool on Radio Merseyside

Just quick reminder that Ian Jackson from Art In Liverpool will be interviewed on Radio Merseyside on Sunday by Claire Hamilton about, amongst other things, The Liverpool Turner 2007. As Ian says on the blog:

"It seems a lot of people are quite excited about this. I want more people to join the forum and nominate more local artists. We now have at least one prize to offer of an exhibition for the winning artist at Lark Lane Flowers Gallery. There may be more to come."

Claire Hamilton on Sunday is between 1pm and 3pm on Easter Sunday and more details on The Liverpool Turner 2007 can be found here.

GeekUp Liverpool

Saw this at Incoming and thought you might be interested:

When
Thursday, April 26, 2007
6:00 PM

Where
3345 Parr Street
33-45 Parr Street
Liverpool, Liverpool L1 4JN

Description
GeekUp is a growing community of web designers, web developers, and other web-minded folk from the North West who meetup to discuss the latest industry news, share ideas and spread a little knowledge.

Join us for the inaugural Liverpool GeekUp, this event is being organised by Graham Pengelly and Stuart Frisby.

Homepage
http://geekup.org/

These have been quite successful in other parts of the country -- wonder if it will take off in Liverpool.

Mersey Minis

Arabella McIntyre-Brown is a local book publisher who has been kind enough to get in touch to tell me about what she calls her 'small but select blog collection':

Life in Batland
Block and Tackle
New Writing Exercises
Publisher's Angst

One of her current projects is Mersey Minis:

"Mersey Minis is looking for the next generation of writing about Liverpool. And we want to hear from you. Whether you’re six or 64, whether you’ve lived here a week or a lifetime. Even if you’ve only ever visited Liverpool in your head.

Liverpool is perhaps the most written-about British city after London: four Mersey Minis will be published throughout 2007 – Liverpool’s 800th birthday year – compiling established writing about the city, old and new. They’ll be divided into four volumes, Landing, Living, Loving and Leaving, reflecting Liverpool’s story.

The fifth volume Longing, will be published on Liverpool’s 800 birthday in August. All of the writing will be new, and, because we want to make Mersey Minis relevant to readers and writers today and not just an historical Cook’s Tour, we would like you to write for us."

You can read more about Mersey Minis here.

The Off Side

This blog dedicated to Liverpool Football Club which began last October reads like an instant fanzine, constructive opinion on a near daily basis. Today they're commenting on the news that Liverpool may not be as charitable as they could be, noticing a flaw in the survey:

"I went and checked out the site that did the ’study’, www.intelligentgiving.com, and found it kind of funny that they would even bother with such a study that is so basic, it’s useless. In their own words: ‘It takes no account of community involvement schemes, gifts in kind, fundraising projects and disbursements from associated charitable trusts.’ Community involvement schemes? WTF?"

The Off Side is here.

New Additions

After a trawl through Bloglines, I've included a few more blogs to the list on the left and even added a new category for blogs about and for the city's universities. Hello there.

Something I am concerned about is the extent to which the list gives a false impression of blogging in Liverpool. Although it's fairly long, visiting the linked sites reveals that many of them aren't updated on a regular basis and in some cases haven't been touched since last year.

I know how difficult blogging can be -- you get busy, something happens, priorities change and presenting your life to the world somehow doesn't seem as important anymore. Or indeed your computer breaks down.

My original intention was to just include blogs if they've been updated in the past couple of months but I do think that what's there is interesting, especially in terms of recent social history.

What I was thinking about was perhaps finding a way of indicating which are active or not active -- with an asterisk maybe -- does that seem fair?