Over the last few months you might have noticed how I'm writing fewer business posts on this blog. That's because my business has moved from being solo-preneur Aiden Choles to being a partner in The Narrative Lab. Anyway, we're a finalist in the SA Blog Awards 2008.

You can vote for us here.

The South African blogosphere has been a little quiet on the developments of one Mr Juan Uys being taken to task, in court, for the claims he published on his infamous sex blog a little while back. If this little saga has exposed one learning for me, it is how people would have otherwise forgotten your name after being accused of something not-so-kosher if you'd just let it slide.

Case in point: a certain mayoral committee member is the person behind taking Uys to courts over the allegations. Now, personally (and I'm sure more generally as well) I would have forgotten *insert mayoral committee member's name* and the fact that he'd been implicated in the prostitution stories if he'd just let the allegations slide. Now that he's pursuing the matter in court (and by virtue, in the eye of he public) I now remember his name and what he was accused of. If he'd just let the issue drop, we'd have all forgotten his name and what he was accused of.

Well done *insert mayoral committee member's name*, you've just inadvertently ensured that we all remember who you are.

PS: I've refrained from mentioning *insert mayoral committee member's name*'s name for fear of litigation - he seems to want to take anyone who mentions his name to court.

I'm proud to be a blogger. But gosh, we have taken some stick in the news and media over the last few weeks, especially around the emergence of the SA male prostitute blog (would link to it, but unlike others I'm not anonymous and may be up for prosecution one day) . Patricia de Lille and David Bullard have also thrown their hats into this ring (not the prostitution ring that is).

But man, I love what Bullard is doing. He is holding up a big, fat mirror up to the blogging community and asking us damn serious (often clad in the usual Bullard sardonic tone) questions about who we are and what we do on this public forum.

When I look at the narrative pulse of the South African blogopshere, and how it is eating away at itself from the inside, I see Bullard's role being one that uncovers the often farcical nature of what we do in this space, challenges the inward-focussed "nepotism" that occurs and leaves space for someone to step up to the plate and bring some common sense to what we do.

I've been a part of the South African blogosphere for about 2 years now. It is still a very young blogosphere by global standards and is fighting hard to establish itself. There are some insanely clever people playing in this space and I am proud to be playing amongst them. As I look back on the last two years it seems to be me that the SA blogging movement has been moving in the same direction - towards establishing a significant presence in the global blogosphere boosted by innovative thinking and relevant content.

Within the past few months, pretty much since 2007 began, I have however begun noticing a change in this story. There is now a level of dissent within the SA blogging community that I have not seen before - and it has revolved mainly around the annual SA blog awards, and to some extent around the "lets-meet" gatherings that have been organized by some prominent bloggers (to read some what this looks like click here, here, here and finally, here)

There are three observations/recommendations that I have about this situation:  read more »