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September 18th, 2008:

The Power of Blogs

It is truly amazing the rise in the power of blogs as a communication medium.  Blogs (or web logs) started in the pre-Web 2.0 days, sometime in the mid-1990’s, as being little more than online diary or journal, hand-coded in HTML.  Now they are beginning to be seen as a valid method of communicating on a large range of ideas and issues.

One thing has brought it home to me how influential blogs have become.  A few days ago it was announced that Private Harry Lamin [^] would be commemorated on a series of British Indian Ocean Territory Postage stamps [^].  The stamps mark 90 years of remembrance for the fallen of The Great War, the 90th anniversary of Armistice Day.

Harry’s "claim to fame" is in being the subject of a blog by his grandson, who posts the the letters that Harry sent from the Front on a blog exactly 90 years after they were written.

Lamin stamps

Is this a sign of how global our outlook has become that a group of islands half-way between Africa and Indonesia is recognising the sacrifices made by "ordinary" people and families more than 90 years ago.

This is a date that deserves remembering, regardless of what has happened since.  It is a shame that Harry is being commemorated so far from home.  But it is a revelation that he is being remembered in such a manner at all.

It will be interesting to see if there are any other people recognised in this release, there are no indications on the BIOT Post Office [^].  The Australian and British Post Offices have uncharacteristically decided to let this important date slip by unremembered.

Come 11th November, here at Brizbunny "We Will Remember Them".