Blog of the Day: RI Nexus

My piece on the RI blogosphere has generated a lot of feedback, and as mentioned in a brief sidebar with the print piece, I want to highlight some of the other noteworthy blogs in the Ocean State.

Jack Templin of the Providence Geeks launched RI Nexus last year, and it seems like a great resource for the local tech community and people looking to learn more about it.

Here are some excerpts from a recent e-mail interview betweek Jack and myself:

What has the RI Nexus blog meant for the tech-geek sector/community?

Because info-tech and digital media professionals are early adopters of the blogosphere, we are reaping its benefits both sooner and to a greater extent than other groups. Dozens and dozens of individual RI geeks, as well as the companies they're associated with, have active blogs.

 

RINexus.com is a community and content management system complete with a calendar, a news tracking tool, interactive map of Rhode Island, discussion forums, and a job & internship board. A multi-author blog figures in prominently into the mix. With the RINexus.com blog, we highlight the voices, ideas, and achievements of Rhode Island's burgeoning info-tech and digital media sector. We try to pass the baton around to as many authors as possible. Postings trigger conversations, both online and off. We know that all sorts of business activity that has been catalyzed from RI Nexus blog postings including partnerships, events, sales, hirings, and investments.

How will this influence change going forward?

Keep an eye on the micro-blogging trend that's best represented by Twitter. A lot of Rhode Island Geeks are "twittering" and in doing so creating a whole additional layer of communication that complements both blogging and in-person interactions.

 

Also, note that RI's info-tech and digital media community has a very robust "in person" dimension with all sorts of events, small to large, super casual to slightly more formal. The blogosphere, and online activity in general, has been key to the community creating these rich "real world" happenings and relationships.