Usually I have to get on a plane to get to really talk to anyone else that blogs. We won’t make it out to Vancouver for Northern Voice this year, but we did go last February. Then there was BlogHer in Chicago last year and San Jose the year before. Come to think of it I’ve been doing this blogging thing for a few years now. I’ve never really considered myself a typical blogger though. I mean, sure I write about my own life sometimes and I do a bit of navel gazing, but I write more about Azeroth than I do about the city I call home.

No, here in Windsor I’ve always felt like a bit of an anomaly. Sure there are businesses here that have a “web presence” or publish a menu on the web for their restaurant but by and large you get blank stares at the word ‘blog’. I think that the sheer number of blank stares I’ve had to withstand has led to the dismissive tone that I take on when I say “well I blog sometimes…” then drift off incoherently. It was such a long time of Windsor websites looking like abandoned shacks that I think I may have stopped looking for local content. In the meantime, Candace has been working steadily on BlogWindsor and following the local blogging scene.

Apparently something’s really been happening out there. We’ve got local blogs. There’s the Windsor Municipal Shadow, International Metropolis and Out of the Driver’s Seat to name a few.

If Candace weren’t on the ball then I would have missed out on the first WE Speak Bloggers Meet tonight. A bunch of us met up the Mill for drinks and edibles. Among the crowd I got to meet Pina who writes for the most helpful Windsor Eats and on the other side of me was Mark Boscariol of …Scale Down, Windsor. We all had a great conversation ranging from the usual topics about why we blog and opinions on mainstream media but we also got in to how blogging impacts Windsor. I like to hear other people explain why it is that they blog and what they get out of it. But, more than just explanations, I really enjoy hearing the tone of voice that conveys the new and unusual passion that blogging builds. I like to see a face light up relating the deeply personal satisfaction that blogging can bring. And I love to hear that happening right here in Windsor.

I really wish we could have stayed longer - there was a lot left to hear and say - but with kids at home we couldn’t be out too late. Here’s hoping that someone has the ambition to get us all together again soon.

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