On the impending regional niching of geospatial blogs

Do I spot a new trend? Consider this: This morning I blogged some compelling new content for Sweden in Google Earth. Just now, Belgeoblog details the bits of Belgium that were upgraded in the latest dataset update (KMZ file). Digilondon covers just London sights. As Google Earth’s global mindshare grows, it makes sense for exquisitely niched regional geospatial blogs to bloom, using their superior local knowledge to add value, all the while writing in the local language.

Just as most blogs on the web today are not “about” Internet Explorer or Firefox, I imagine that one day soon the dominant consumer GIS blogs will not be “about” Google Earth. Instead, a myriad of geospatial content blogs will cover specific regions exhaustively. There will be geospatial equivalents to Digg or Boing Boing that allow the best local 3D/GIS content to percolate to global visibility. And a final incentive: Targeted Google ads will jostle for the attention of tourists checking out the area.

Or maybe not:-)