It is still a thrill wondering how a newspaper story is going to turn out.

Shermaine Wong of the Sunday Times contacted us and sent us several searching questions on email, which we gamely responded. Some of us shook off our habitual reticence and revealed a little bit more of ourselves than we usually do, even though we only ever wanted to talk about the Convention. But you know how the press is and how they want to talk to and about people.

Our press blurb below is followed by our answers:

Hi Shermaine,

Tomorrow.sg is what is known as a 'meta' blog, or a blog about blogs. It serves as a pointer to blog content on the web created by other bloggers. As you would know by now, Tomorrow points to content about Singapore or loosely relevant to Singapore. Like Anita Sarawak singing in a peripheral lounge in a Vegas Resort that has a casino attached.

Having said that, this is not quite a hard and fast rule. Tomorrow sometimes points to content which are not blogs, like news articles about Singapore. You could say Tomorrow would point to any interesting and publically available online content to do with Singapore. Like Straits Times Interactive, for instance. Eh? No.

Tomorrow gets its content from any contributor who spots any article, blog post, picture, sound byte online they think is interesting. The contributor submits a link to the content together with a short introduction, and this is placed in a moderation queue at the site. The Editors-at-Large then vote to decide whether to publish the link on the front page. We think that while we have more moderators than the forum page of The Straits Times, it is still easier to get a contribution published.

With 11 editors on board who have diverse backgrounds and interests, we would like to believe that we have no common agenda other than to propagate uniquely Singapore voices, with emphasis on the plural. We also do not have anything close to a heavy handed approach in editing contributions, 'bad' English or not.

As with any publically available internet content, Tomorrow has a global reach that allows it to project Singaporean voices internationally. We believe Singaporeans have a voice. Tomorrow will show the world that this is so.

The answers:

THE CONVENTION

Have the editors fixed on a name for the convention yet? Was it picked from among the 145 comments posted on the site? What's the point of the convention?

Adrianna: What's the point of the convention? Good question. I never thought of that.

brown: We tried to come up with our own name but we realised we sucked at it, so we decided to let the readers do the work for us. We are still choosing but "B*Star"is probably not one of them. The Convention is just an excuse to get together to binge, drink lots of beer, and talk cock.

Miyagi: Dunno. Whas goin' on?

Cowboy: There were so many suggestions from readers that we're still trying to figure out which one we like best.

Idler: Convention still untitled. Purpose is because we very free and also very kaypoh.

James: return $comment[random(145)];

TinkerTailor: It was a headache trying to settle on a name, so we thought it was a good idea to share our headache with the rest of the community.

Preetam: Yes, convention is an excuse to party.



Any more details on when it's going to be / where / number of bloggers expected?

Calmone: It'll probably be some time in July. Hopefully people will actually turn up, so we won't look so bad.

brown: Going to be someplace cool (aircon) and hoping to see as many cool and funky bloggers as possible.

Miyagi: Dunno. Whas goin' on?

James: "Error 012a: Buffer overflow in Real Space"

Cowboy: The venue will definitely be chick-with-heavy makeup friendly. We expect a legion of bloggers to appear. But not all at once. They'll probably be arriving and leaving throughout the event.

Idler: July. Aircon a must. Freebies also a must. Bloggers of course a must lah or else organise this for what right?

TinkerTailor: Can I go?

Preetam: July,looking at the buzz, I think we will have a full house.



Do participants have to pay? Who is paying for the event?

Calmone: Would SPH like to sponsor? We'd like to give out freebies including iPods and PowerBooks.

brown: No need to pay. We have an organisation sponsoring the venue, and another organisation the sponsoring the other stuff (like the peanuts and the beer).

Miyagi: Dunno. Whas goin' on? Free I think.

Cowboy: No need to pay. People are lining up to sponsor us. Ahhh... it's great being a blogger in the year 2005.

Idler: FOC la. Gahmen will pay.. hahaha!

TinkerTailor: I won't go if it's not free!

James: while (1) { $money += google_ad($click) };

Preetam: Free, we have great sponsors.



Must participants have a blog?

Adri: No, but they must read Tomorrow.sg. And understand Singlish.

brown: Yes, and they must score at least B* or above in their blogging exams to qualify for entry. After that, a GPA of at least 3.8. No lah, no need to have blog. Bring IC or Passport can already.

Miyagi: No. All they need is an interest in blogs.

Cowboy: Would be nice if they didn't and then started blogging after they were inspired at the event.

Idler: Not a must, but would be nice to have so that we can tomorrow them later.

TinkerTailor: No, but they should know what a blog is. I guess this would exclude TNP.

James: if (blogger($you) && !blogger($you)) { return 1 };

Preetam: As long as they are interested in Blogging they are welcome. More and more internet services now have blog like features, so difficult to say what is a blog and what is not.



Is it a one-day event?

brown: I hope so, I don't have much leave left.

Miyagi: Yes.

Cowboy: This is not summer camp. One day not enough?

Idler: Should be. At max 2 I think.

TinkerTailor: One day stand. Hurhurhur.

James: for ($day = 1; $day++; $day < 365) { hold_bloggercon($day));

Preetam: Yes, one day event.



Any ideas on what is going to happen during the convention? (Presentations on how to write an interesting blog? How to do podcasts? How to avoid online defamation? Or is it just a fun meeting / D&D type thing?)

Adri: It will be serious and fun all at the same time!

brown: Yes, we like talking about being sued, it is something we discuss all the time. Also, please do not knock D&D. Dungeons and Dragons is a perfectly good game for all ages, not just nerds. Are you suggesting that bloggers are nerds? Oh wait, you meant Dinner and Dance. Please lah, where got money for Dinner and Dance? We just getting together to talk about blogging, maybe share some tech tips, discuss blogging issues, and make fun of Miyagi's fragile spot.

Miyagi: Yes. We've talked about it to death. And will talk some more in the afterlife.

Cowboy: There will be a lady dressed in a bikini ala country western style to talk to bloggers about the pros and cons of online anonymity... But really there will be a lot of important issues discussed in our usual infantile comedy-inspired manner. No need to be so serious. We'll all there to have a good time, responsibly.

Idler: I think a lot of interesting, mind-blowing legal issues will be discussed. Then we will do something boring like talk cock and gossip about HK bloggers. Btw, a lucky blogger may win Miyagi's butterfly shirt : )

TinkerTailor: This will be an educational event, where we all can learn something more about blogging. Don't worry, we won't be doing anything controversial, and there will not be catfights.

James: foreach ($name in list_of_attendees()) { $mica_blacklist[] = $name; }

Preetam: learning + fun both and discussions on tech and legal topics



Is this going to be an annual thing?

Calmone: Hope so, though I'll be dead by the next one.

brown: We hope so. Or else very malu one. What will I tell my parents if it does not turn out to be so?

Miyagi: You betcha.

James: "Error 13b: Unable to parse 'annual' without leap-year definitions"

Cowboy: See our mood first next year.

Idler: It's only right that we continue the tradition, like Miss Singapore Universe.

TinkerTailor: We have no plans to make it a monthly event yet.

Preetam: yes hopefully, and we also hope the event is interesting enough so that bloggers from neighbouring regions join us in the future.



TOMORROW.SG's FORMATION + FOUNDERS (I need a bit more info than what was written in the earlier ST story. Hope you can furnish, thanks)

Adri: We were planning the convention during dinner, when we got distracted by this Tomorrow idea. Evidently this distraction got a little out of hand...

James: if ($day == 1) create(tomorrow.sg()); World of Warcraft. BRB.

brown: One day, we met for dinner, then a few of us had this idea to do a blog for bloggers, then we met for dinner again, and this time with all the editors invited, and our Tech Guru built the site with a fork, some chewing gum, and a piece of sticky tape. And it was so.

Miyagi: Dunno. Whas goin' on?

Cowboy: I was asked if I would like to be part of the team and I said "Hell, yes". The rest is history.

Idler: Dunno what happened. Everyone had their powerbooks out and suddenly I'm an editor on the spot. Very power!

TinkerTailor: huh?

Preetam: y, it came up at a blogging dinner.



Who actually spawned the idea for the site? ie. you and mr brown were having coffee and one of you suddenly had a brainwave??

Miyagi: No lah. I was one of the last to know.

Calmone: The bunch of us having dinner came up with the idea - you know how food does wonders. When the name "Tomorrow" came up while we were munching on our seafood, it resonated with the idealism we harboured deep inside. The rest is history. The rest is Tomorrow.

brown: We all had this same dream, then we talked to each other and realised that it was our destiny. Then we sat on it for a few weeks, or actually James did, and when he got off his butt to build the damn thing, we all decided to claim credit for it.

Cowboy: Jesus. Praise him. You don't think we have the mental capacity to actually come up with ideas now do you? I think it was James, actually.

Idler: I was missing that the meeting when this was discussed, so no comment.

Preetam: the idea was floating around - call it synchronicity. But must credit James who actually went ahead and built the system.



What was the process of the site's formation? (ie. 2 core members who started site, then started calling for other editors??)

Miyagi: Dunno. Whas goin' on?

Calmone: After the dinner, most of us forgot about the whole thing. But our resident geek could not get over the idea, so he built the site, and it was so. And we saw that it was good.

brown: We just called whoever we thought would be interested in a dinner, then whoever showed up was in.

Cowboy: When the whole team met up for a meal to discuss Tomorrow, I was the only no-show.

Idler: Maybe they all felt bad for me that I didn't have a powerbook, so they invited me lor...

TinkerTailor: The rest of us jumped in when the site was almost ready. We could see its potential. Who doesn't want to be part of something big?

Preetam: Yes, after James had the tomorrow.sg machine running, we got email from him and we became part of the revolution.

James: if (jems==geek) {tomorrow.sg(1);} else {tomorrow.sg(0);}



The site was formed by 11 (correct? ST story said 10 but I counted 11 on the site) local bloggers. Did you all meet online first? Or were some of you already friends before setting up a blog?

Adri: 10? 11? Who cares - it's just a number. Anyway most of us have met. Some of us were friends before, some after.

Miyagi: We didn't know each other until some Asian Blog Award 2004 poll was held and decided, and the bloggers who were in the final 10 decided to meet up for beer at Brewerkz. Not all the finalists are the editors. Not all the editors were the finalists.

Idler: I think it all started with Myrick, who decided that he wanted to organise a post ABA04 do because he was leaving Singapore. Previously, Calm One was already thinking about organising a convention, so in the end everything was fused together and one thing lead to another and a child was born.

brown: Yeah, some Asian Blog Award thing led to the first meeting at Brewerkz, then to more meetings (food and beer usually involved) then we became friends. Except for TinkerTailor. I have never met him and I don't believe he is a real person. I think he is just a fictional character created to sell ads.

Cowboy: I only knew Idler, Miyagi and brown before we started Tomorrow. The rest I only knew through their blogs as a silent reader.

TinkerTailor: mr brown? Is that some coffee brand?

Preetam: I think most people here have blogrolled each other.. and some are good friends too.



Do all of you meet up regularly on a face-to-face basis? If not all 11, how many of you actually meet up? How often? What do you guys do when you meet up? Go clubbing? Talk shop? And then blog about everything later?

Adri: Some meet more, some meet less, some never meet.

brown: No lah, we do not always meet up. Some of us do, sometimes. And we don't blog everything we do. Like this one time, when Cowboy Caleb went Geylang...

Miyagi: See? I toldja we blogged too much about going out.

Cowboy: Yeah we meet everyday on Tomorrow and on instant messaging networks. But in real-life we don't meet up that often. Where got so much time to hold a full-time job, blog AND meet up?

Idler: We don't really meet up unless there is an emergency. Otherwise I think only Brown, Miyagi and Caleb are more than friends heh heh...

TinkerTailor: No one wants to meet me *sniff*

Preetam: if someone arranges a meeting with some good food, then sure can meet.



Are you close to one another ie. you consider your fellow editors as good friends you would confide in?

Calmone: Some are close, some are not.

James: World of Warcraft. BRB.

brown: I share everything with my fellow editors, even my mascara. They are my soulmates that I confide in. Sometimes, we even have pajama parties at each other's house. We are like the Borg. Resistance is fertile. Except TinkerTailor. I don't really know who he is.

Miyagi: Of course!

Cowboy: If somebody offended any one of the editors, I would kill him until he was dead. That's the extent oh my devotion. So can be considered quite close.

Idler: Everything in our blogs what, so we confide in everyone. We can almost start a village.

TinkerTailor: I think I've drunk mr brown coffee before.

Preetam: Though I have met the editors only a few times, they are kind of people I would readily confide in.



Does the content of a person's blog help you decide if he/shecan be a good friend?

Calmone: Yes. Their pictures. Pictures speak a thousand words.

James: if (chiobu($picture)) return 1;

brown: Yes. Like when I read that Caleb drinks Black Label, I knew right away, he was the best friend for me. I also made friends with Miyagi the same way. i liked the way he posted many chio bu (good looking women) on his blog, and I surmised that he was a man of integrity and honesty, and worthy of my friendship.

Miyagi: Are you mad?

Cowboy: Most bloggers are worlds apart from their online personalities. For an example, you would never have known that James, who appears to be the most stable - actually drives a R-type sports car with Initial-D skills.

Idler: In some ways yes. Normally I wouldn't go two feet near anyone who bLoGs LyK DiS.

Preetam: To a certain extent, it does help though - you learn about the person's interests.



Without the Internet and blogs, do you think you would be as close as you are now to some of the tomorrow.sg editors? For that matter, others in the local blog community? (like XX)

Calmone: Without the Internet and blogs, I would not have existed.

brown: Without the Internet and blogs, we would be dead. Life would have no meaning. We would have to do things like read books, which means we will have no friends. Because of the Internet, I have many friends on IRC. They think I am a hot chick called Samantha.

Miyagi: Of course not. Without the ingterneck, Xiaxue wouldn't poke me with a stick. Now I get invited to her chalet parties.

Cowboy: Without Tomorrow, I would probably have them as rivals. Miyagi especially irritates the hell out of me because he keeps finding all the chiobus to post on his blog and I can't. What gives?!

Idler: Err, without Ingterneck, we wouldn't know each other right? Maybe we would eventually meet each other, like when we're in our 60s.

Preetam: Without the internet we probably wouldn't have come across many people who share the same ideals as you - also I have had this experience where I did not agree with some points on a post and had this longish comment-fight and later decided to settle it over lunch and became friends.



With your blogs, what kind of a dimension does it add to the friendships you have? (ie. you know everything in the guy's head though it's never been actually said?)

Calmone: They realise that I'm abnormal.

brown: By reading my blog, my friends now know I have an unhealthy interest in condom fasteners, a low alcohol threshold and like to go cheap beer gardens for late night drinks. And they believe everything I write, because they know, I don't make anything up on my blog. So now I have no friends.

Cowboy: Nobody knows I blog. I maintain 2 seperate and distinct versions of reality. Call it the schizophrenia of the digital age.

Miyagi: Last tam, my friends think I am damn loser. Now, they think I am a famous loser.

Idler: Most of my friends don't know I blog or they don't care. Frankly, it's a misconception that bloggers blog their private lives and thoughts. I don't. Like you wouldn't know that I'm so busy, I've yet to take a shit. Oh.

Preetam: Blogs certainly it help in finding common interests. Your blog is now like an "extended resume" - even the popular site Friendster now allows users to create blogs.



THE LOCAL BLOG COMMUNITY
What is tomorrow.sg trying to achieve? In the long-run?

Calmone: We would like to increase our GDP by 3%. In the long run, World Peace.

brown: We don't know yet. When we figure it out, you will be the first to know. Personally, I think it was just an excuse for Miyagi to find more chio bu. And in the long run? We will all be dead.

Cowboy: That's the beauty of it - we have no clue. But it seems to be turning out well. All of us maintain balance by pushing and pulling at the same time. There can never be one narrow crippling goal. What we have here is the ideal state of momentum.

Miyagi: In the long run? Forcing Cowboy Caleb to use one word instead of three where possible.

Idler: Things are still unclear, we go along as it unfolds. In the long run we hope to achieve an A*

TinkerTailor: One of the things we want to do is to bring out obscure but good bloggers with great content.

Preetam: it's a fun project, lets see what happens.



What is unique about Singapore's blogging community compared to other countries?

Calmone: We're closely knit, and it'll be more so in the near future. Many bloggers are already starting to meet up on their own and forming friendships - I think this is an inevitable development given our unique situation - a high number of bloggers per capita within a small land area.

brown: We use Singlish, which other countries cannot understand. So we scold them they also don't know.

Miyagi: We end up talking about the same things.

Cowboy: We have senior bloggers who don't have an agenda, a vicious nature or infantile behavior. This has had catastrophic effects on our Singapore blogosphere. The young ones simply refuse to start blog-wars!! Disappointing.

Idler: We talk a ot of cock about our boring lives and in Singlish summore. Most of us don't use cheem words and all Sg blogs will have at least a post about food.

TinkerTailor: We are infantile.

Preetam: Singapore has one of the most active blogging communities and because of the size bloggers can meet each other more - we are probably closer as a community.



I know there were some articles written in foreign press about tomorrow.sg and the sense of community in the local blog community but I can't seem to find it on tomorrow.sg. Would you be able to help point me to them? If there are urls?

Miyagi: Nair do homework, want us to help right?

brown: Aiyah, help you lah. SFGate.com and Simonworld, French blog and Netherlands forum (translation you ownself do ah?)

http://sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?file=/g/a/2005/05/05/asianblogs.DTL http://simonworld.mu.nu/archives/073517.php http://www.loiclemeur.com/france/2005/05/tomorrow_le_jou.html http://www.prikpagina.nl/read.php?f=620&i=4031&t=4031