The Charlottetown weblogging interconnectedness really seems to be quite unique, outside of say New York, where most of the blog content seems to be people writing about going about their lives, only it's cool because it's New York and simply going to a bagel shop has some level of forced cachet to it.

But I certainly haven't run into any other similar webs of connected net writers as this, and frankly with the craze surrounding all things to do with social networking lately I think it really might be worth exploring.

I see, here, one of the original promises of the internet fulfilled - that this interconnectedness need not be limited by geography.

A few simple examples (trivial on their own, but perhaps part of a more significant whole):

I wrote on my weblog about the incomplete icon-set in the Windows XP operating system. Soon thereafter, one of the designers contracted by Microsoft to work on the icons weighed in with his point of view.

I included a track by a musician/songwriter on my first little home-made internet radio show. I didn't realize when I first discovered his music that he was also from Canada. A few months later, I was having diner with him in an Ottawa pub.

In October of 2003, I wrote a short article criticizing the visual identity of the Mozilla open source software projects and making a series of suggestions. Soon thereafter, I was contacted by someone at the Mozilla Foundation. Now I'm helping implement some of the suggestions and found myself at the Mozilla headquarters in California last month.

Also while in California, having never been there before, I found myself able to enjoy the company of all kinds of smart and interesting people I had "met" previously through my weblog.

All of that said, I don't intend this as a counter to the local power of the weblog. It's all pretty cool.

I think it's time to aim bigger Peter, throw something out there like, "You know, I'd sure like to chat with that Pope" or "If Elvis is really still alive, I wonder if he has e-mail?". Can't hurt to try!

I was having a coffee with Steve and dan the other day and we were talking about not only this but you Peter. We were amazed at what your influence is on PEI. Embarrassing moments follow - I check the Buzz to see what is on at City Cinema and think about changing my ISP to ISN while blogging and worrying about how Jevon and I can get York to take up blogging in a big way - all the time thanking you that you helped me drop the last vestiges of my corporate thinking.

Then I realize that you have had a hand in all the things that i value the most on PEI. Do you stand up on a soapbox? No. You just go out and lend a hand

Thanks Peter