Sunday, June 06, 2010

TSS: Announcing.... something for the Aussies

I've been working on a new project for the last little while, and today is the day that I can share the details. First though, I thought I would talk about the whys and then give the detail.

For quite a long time, I have been thinking about Aussie bloggers and wondering about how many there are and how to connect with more. Some times I have been reading a blog for a few weeks and then suddenly they will post something and the penny will drop and I realise that they are an Australian! I am sure that there are loads of Australian book blogs that I either don't realise or Aussies or who I haven't come across before!

Reading about all the fun that everyone had in New York connecting with each other in real life at BEA was the next prompt, as was the acceptance that there appeared to be from the big published house towards bloggers at BEA.

So, an idea was born.

Today, I am pleased to announce the creation of




The idea behind the directory is that it is a place where people can register their blogs, plus a few details like what genres you like to blog about, and a general idea of location. Then hopefully we will be able to easily find other Australian bloggers with similar reading interests that you might not already know about, or other bloggers who may live in your area.

The second aim in setting up the directory is with a view to starting to get blogger meet-ups happening, at this stage probably in the capital cities, and maybe aligned with some of the major bookish festivals. In due course, assuming enough interest, we will look towards trying to set up a national book blogger event.

The third aim in setting up the directory is to try and raise the profile of Australian book blogging with some of the major publishers here. I don't know if I am just not aware of it happening, but I can't think of many examples where Australian publishers are working with book bloggers in the same way as it happens in other countries.

So are you an Australian book blogger? If yes, and it doesn't matter if you are a kids lit book blog, or a romance blog, or YA, or any type of book blogger really, head on over and add your details. Hopefully you will be able to connect with other bloggers who share your interests.

I would really appreciate people would help spread the word, to try and make the directory as comprehensive as possible. Also, if anyone has any graphic skills and would like to make some kind of badge that we could use both on the website and maybe to display on our blogs let me know! I do not have any skills in that area at all. Finally, if anyone has any suggestions on how to make the directory better, then I will be glad to hear them.

I would like to say specific thanks to Kerrie from Mysteries in Paradise, Amanda from Desert Book Chick and Kat from Bookthingo who were all very helpful in checking out the site and giving suggestions to help make it as easy and user friendly as possible.

23 comments:

  1. Great idea - wish it was for Anzacs though. :-(

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  2. Awesome idea. Go Marg.

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  3. Sorry, that last comment was me, Malvina...

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  4. Cat, give me a little while, maybe we will make it Anzac. Will see what kind of reception we get.

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  5. Hi Marg,

    Thanks for doing this for all of us in the Australian book blogging community.

    I can't do TSS which is why I have This Week in the Spinifex so I am adding your post and the link to today's post.

    Thanks again - and let's get BBCon of our own going soon!

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  6. I only unofficially participate in TSS as I am not part of the actual group.

    Definitely looking towards moving forward with the goals soon!

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  7. Thanks for doing this Marg - the directory looks great! I will publicize on my blog later this week!

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  8. I can't believe you did this, it's amazing! I will advertise it. I just sent you an email about a very similar idea I have been thinking about that I would love your opinion on! Thanks for this wonderful resource

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  9. This is a great idea Marg!

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  10. How exciting for you, Marg. I was just over at Amanda's Desert Book Chick and read about this.

    It took me awhile, I must admit, to realize you were Australian, and I'm not sure why.

    I want to go to Australia! By visiting your blogs, I get to peek into your world.

    Here's my salon:

    http://laurel-rainsnowsaccidentallife.blogspot.com/2010/06/sunday-salon-june-6.html

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  11. Great idea Marg and I think it's long overdue :)

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  12. Congrats on bringing your idea into reality! I hope you have a wonderful time with it!

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  13. Marg,
    Fantastic idea,
    I'd love ot join but my blog is a combination romance books, romance writing etc. Not purely books.
    Can I be an associate member?
    Suzi

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  14. Suzi, join up. I don't think it has to be really all books all the time!

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  15. You might also want to check the date on the directory. It seems to think it's 1st January next year!

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  16. I post dated the form so that it stays up the top for a while just while it is being launched. Will change it in due course.

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  17. A fantastic idea Marg - I will definitely go and add my details.

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  18. Brilliant idea Marg, I've filled out the form and will let others know as best I can (I have hardly any Aussies visiting my blog looking at the stats but you never know).

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  19. I meant to say I am completely clueless when it comes to buttons and design and all that but I recently got a new header and button designed for me by Tara at http://tsgdesigns.wordpress.com/ it wasn't free (I bought Tara a $25 voucher from amazon) but she did heaps of options for me and she does know what she's doing and was really easy to work with via email so it might be an option for you.

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  20. Hi Marg and thanks for stopping by my blog to let me know about this, I am a big believer of networking and this sounds like a fantastic place to do just that.

    cheers from way up north

    Jacinta

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  21. Brilliant idea! Thanks for the link you left on my blog Marg (yes, I do eventually read my blog comments LOL). I added mine, and passed the link along to some bloging friends. If you need help organising anything in Sydney, please let me know!

    I have some skills with graphic design, and if I can find some time I could perhaps rustle something up for you. But if you have anyone with more skill offer, please go with theirs! Offer is there if no one else is able to help :) I like the simple design on the directory at the moment. I love the new templates Blogger has!

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  22. Hi Marg,

    I've just registered my details and will write a blog post for Reading Upside Down about the blogger directory very soon.

    Such a great idea. I'm always so envious of the US bloggers chatting about BEA etc. Thanks so much for putting this together.

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  23. Very cool idea, Marg! I'm pretty far removed from most of the bloggers I know, even though I'm in the U.S., but hopefully someday I'll finally get around to meeting some of them! At least a few are within a day's drive.

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