The Caribbean Blogosphere; Nicholas Laughlin and Caribbean Free Radio

This week's Caribbean Roundup at Global Voices is well worth a read. It's one of those things which, reading with my first cup of coffee, makes me happy to be a part of the Caribbean blogosphere.¹

Nicholas Laughlin and Georgia of Caribbean Free Radio had a good discussion going. Hey, Jacqueline and myself even got mentioned as being the only bloggers '[who] are really looking at things from a Caribbean/developmental perspective'.² But, the Caribbean blogosphere isn't just about development as a core.

Political Blogging

Of course, there aren't that many 'political bloggers' in the Caribbean - with the exception, as Nicholas notes, of CaribPundit, who I typically don't agree with. But I'm not easily agreeable when it comes to politics because... I don't like politics. Democracy, however, I like and I am waiting for the world's first democracy to be established.³

Writing versus Blogging

But every writer has a story. Something drives them to write - to share their perspectives.

In my case, it was a need to document things really for myself. My former editor at CramSession.com started me out blogging in 2000 - hosting my blog at the time (Thanks, Sean McCormick). That all eventually evolved into what you see here... and this will evolve into what you see in the future. When I started, it was mainly about Free Software and Open Source advocacy - but as I learn more, my focus shifts, and as my focus shifts, I end up writing about more. Typically, I write what I think, and try to explain it to others. Not everyone does that. But if everyone in the world was like me, the world would make sense and I would have nothing to write about. :-)

I think everyone who is writing on the web from the Caribbean needs to consider why they write what they write, and why they read what they read. In fact, I think that on a global level, people need to consider these things.

As far as myself - I'm all over the place. I don't really have a focus on issues; I just write what I know or what I don't know and want to know.

Citizen Journalism and Journalism

As far as Caribbean journalists blogging - well, that may just be some of these people 'saving it for the ring'. Honestly, I'd love to get some of the journalists in the region writing in their own weblogs. But there's another challenge, perhaps - where what they write on their weblog may be something that the media which they work for do not appreciate. These are small island-nations: You can't just go out and find another job in another state. There is safety in not rocking the boat.

This also fits in with Blogging, Press, Internet Governance and Trinidad and Tobago- and what David Sasaki pointed me at with relation to India. But it does get some responses - such as the emails I've gotten on my criticism of the Copyright Organisation of Trinidad and Tobago.⁴ I've gotten emails and phone calls from the Trinidad and Tobago Ministry of Technology over the last few years related to what I wrote - where representatives asked me questions and discussed things with me - mainly because when they do a Google search for things, they find this site.

Quantity, Quality

Nicholas and Georgia talk about how larger audiences will affect people writing with weblog technology, and it's an interesting thing to consider. I don't know that quantity is really the issue as much as quality. Weblogs are participative, and the quality of the people who participate by leaving comments really defines a weblog to me. But I'm not claiming to be a good example of what a weblogger should do - in many cases, I am not. I write long entries (though I recently did add a QuickProSE category), I don't write on one topic alone, I cross topics a lot, and I don't really write with the audience in mind. The audience typically comes back and tells me what is on their mind, and that feedback can really be worthwhile- if you have quality people participating.

¹ Even as the BBC is covering an expolosion in Delhi, Geeta Pandey reporting). Horrid.
²Georgia notes we anglophone bloggers in the Caribbean have been quiet this week. For me, I've just been really busy and also digesting a lot of information. More soon.
³ My idea of democracy is what some call participative democracy. To me, they are one and the same. Electing dictators worries me, and legislating dictators also worries me.
⁴A COTT representative has been trying to 'educate me' (the exact words) on what they do; the comments on the Global Voices pointer are really a good basis for understanding copyright - but I've claimed the high ground, and told them ethics is supposed to drive law - and that law is not supposed to drive ethics.