Hi folks,
We're a couple weeks into 2006 and I think it's a good time to review where we were and where we are going.
In 2005 we saw tremendous growth at Philly Future, reflecting very much the growth of our regional web at large. From the number of users registered and participating, to the number of blogs we aggregate into the conversation, to our growing monthly meetups, to the amount of traffic Philly Future receives - well it's been a huge year.
The Philly blogosphere's growth has attracted the attention of national blog networks that have decided this is the place to be. I'm sure the great efforts at Phillyist and Metroblogging will be joined by others in the coming months, but home grown efforts like Philebrity continue on and just keep getting better every day.
Speaking of that, take a look at the quote-unquote "mainstream media"! Whether it be the participatory efforts at PhillyBurbs.com, or the columnist efforts at the Inquirer and Daily News, Philadelphia Weekly's Philadelphia Will Do and The Trouble With Spikol, it goes to show old dogs can learn new tricks. Indeed, some of the most interesting blogs launched this past year can be found here.
Sports was big in 2005 - as it should be. Sports is ALWAYS big in Philly. Just take a look at our current featured blog, The700Level, or glance at the Philly Wire to check out the growing list focused on our city's passion. As our regional web expands, you can expect these early efforts to be hugely popular. Blogging and sports just go together.
Politics, always a topic for discussion, saw the launch and growth of a number of efforts in our region. The web is the perfect platform to help democratize democracy - and that's just what these efforts are all about. From Politics Philly, to Young Philly Politics, to the All Spin Zone, to MyDD, to SAC, to Three Sources, to the revolutionary PACleanSweep. But notice the few conservative efforts? Maybe that's due to the make up of the city. Maybe that's due to a rule of the web I like to quote "birds of a feather flock virtually together". We hope Philly Future can be a tool to bridge discussion - IMHO - and I know this isn't shared by many - if all we are doing is preaching to the converted - we miss a huge opportunity. But it takes a leap of faith - people need to look past the political leanings and talk - without insult - WITHOUT INSULT - about ideas. It's a difficult thing to accomplish. I'm personally not always up to the task. But our goal is to help.
Finally, and most important to me, is the reinforcement of a long held belief of mine about the web - that it's about conversation.
Whether it be Pax sharing news of his dad's condition, the sharing of real everyday Philly life by Rose, the entertainment reviews of BM Rant, the story telling of JBI, Above Average Jane's brave talk about Faith and Politics, Will Bunch's courageous request for discussion about the future of news organizations, the fight to get Latoyia Figueroa covered by the press, the Missing Monday effort, blonde sagacity's passion for her point of view (and metal!), to our community interview with Philadelphia CTO - Dianah Neff, to Duncan's succinct style that leads to intense discussion, to the Outcast Genius snooble, to Odd Man In and the music of bengarvey, to Ted's sharing of his fight with cancer. There's no way for this to be all inclusive - the list would take days to compile - bottom line is it's all about the conversation and what happens when we connect.
Take a look at our blogroll. Take a look at previous featured blogs. Take a look at photobloggers that Albert has interviewed. Just take a look around! What and how people blog is as diverse as the Perl motto (Larry Wall): "There is more than one way to do it". It's as beautifully messy as humanity is. I don't expect that to ever change, and that's a good thing.
Look soon for "Part 2 - Where We Are Now".
