fitzroyalty

I’m Gen X, an ENTJ, heterosexual, allegedly metrosexual (though in denial), childfree by choice and perhaps also a quirkyalone. I live in a small apartment building in Fitzroy, ride a Honda VTR1000 Firestorm motorcycle, don’t own a car (though I do drive) and travel a lot by bicycle and tram.

I live, work and socialise in the city and inner northern suburbs: Fitzroy, Richmond, Collingwood, Carlton, North Carlton, North Fitzroy, Clifton Hill and Brunswick. I have been to some of the outer suburbs, mainly on second hand shopping expeditions, but most are a complete unknown to me.

I have a PhD in Literature and used to work in tertiary education management and in print publishing as a writer, editor and publishing manager. I’ve completed the transition from the print to the online world, and now work in the areas of electronic publishing, online communications and marketing, and social networking.

Fitzroyalty is my personal blog and testing space for new and social media ideas. The opinions expressed here are my own. I created this blog in May 2006. I initially published once or twice a week. At the start of 2008 I began publishing daily. In October 2008 I began publishing twice daily.

In maintaining Fitzroyalty I’m motivated by the utility of social media, particularly in encouraging local residents to communicate through blogs and forums, and the hyperlocal potential of information aggregation.

In my view, the previously distinct areas of publishing, marketing and promotions, public relations and communications are converging online. New media and social media are names given to the strategies, techniques and ideas driving online communications and the changing relationships between content creators and content consumers.

I’m also interested in the changing relationship between businesses and other service providers and customers and the improvements in customer service that could (and should) result from this. I consider myself a guerrilla consumer and hate having my time and money wasted by stupid people working in lazy unresponsive organisations.

About half the focus of this blog is the Melbourne suburb of Fitzroy, which has a diverse and vibrant culture, and is a popular eating, music, shopping and entertainment area, as well as being the most densely populated area in Melbourne. If there is anywhere in Melbourne or even Australia that could produce the critical mass of culture and communication from which to generate content, Fitzroy may be it.

The other content focuses on several areas of personal interest: sexuality and gender, social issues like drug use and education, the role of men in society, developments in social media, eating out, art, cinema, music and travel.