Reporting from the Diff: Thank you Cardiff, it’s been a blast

While on holiday in Pembrokeshire two weeks to the day I took a phone call from London, it told me I had a new job.

Now the realisation kicks in that I will tomorrow be leaving Cardiff and shortly be heading down the M4 back to London. I’ll still be working for Trinity Mirror, but not in the Media Wales newsroom, but in Canary Wharf. It’s a great opportunity and one I will relish.

However, I wouldn’t have had the opportunity without my time in Cardiff and I thought I’d take the chance to reflect on some of my favourite stories since I arrived in Cardiff back in January 2010. Read the rest of this entry »

Meet the librarian: the missing member of the online team?

We’ve recently been opening up our archives on WalesOnline, well pictures-wise anyway and our stats have revealed something – our readers really, really, really like looking at old photos. It doesn’t matter what they are of, places, people or events – the appetite for the past in the digital age is well and truly alive. Read the rest of this entry »

Does the web allow us to get to know a place faster?

In early 2010 I moved to Cardiff, Wales. A completely new city, a new country and a new language. Everything was new. My job meant I had to get up to speed on what was happening, know the back story to things and get to know the communities, locations and people that make up the capital of Wales.

This post attempts to explore how the web has changed getting to know about a place. Let’s rewind 20 years and imagine having to do the same thing, uprooting from where you are, trying to find out about somewhere new – what would you have done?

What it would have been like?

The printed word would have been god. I would have got myself a guide book, no doubt filled with useful information but potentially out of date as soon as it’s published. I would have got an A-Z, in fact I own a Cardiff A-Z at the moment and it’s invaluable when I end up getting lost in the mean streets of Ely.

Going on a guided tour of the city, or at least the historical bits of it, would have been a good idea. I might have popped along to the tourist information office, rented books on Cardiff from the library – but nearly everything would have been backwards looking rather than perhaps the here and now.

Of course there would be the local newspapers and these would be able to provide some background information and an insight into current affairs, but to access the archives would have been either a costly (ordering them) or time-intensive exercise (sitting in the local library and reading them).

Very little of this research would be done before arriving in my destination, other than perhaps getting hold of a guidebook and an A-Z. My biggest source of information would be people, through meeting them, asking questions and relying on their memories.

Using the web to get local knowledge faster

Before I even came for a job interview in Cardiff I was able to research it. I was trawling the web for articles about Cardff’s history, looking at Google maps to make sense of where my potential new home would be and looking at flats and houses on property websites. CF10, the dispute over Bute Park and the opening times of the Castle were all at my finger tips. This really is the wonder of the web, accessing all that local information before I even arrived.

However, there were a few extra tools I could use to get that local insight.

The first was Flickr. There is a strong Cardiff group on Flickr and this allowed me to put pictures to places that I was reading about. The best thing about the group is that it often captures unusual places around the city, from interesting angles and this gave me a chance to see a different side to the city. A few times when driving around, or walking along, I’ve sen something and thought “that was on the Cardiff flickr group” and the connection had fizzed in my brain.

Next up was Twitter. It’s like walking into a pub and shouting ‘What’s good to do round here?’ – I did just that via this blog – and got a great response. Now, whenever I have some spare time, or some bored time, I can go and do something. It’s a great list of things to see and do, recommended by local people or people who know their stuff about Cardiff. Not experts, but certainly people who can vouch for things they’ve done and enjoyed. It’s certainly an eclectic mix and it’s a great way of learning what the locals like to do.

Twitter also allows you to make connections with people in the city before you even arrive. These might be informal connections but this makes meeting people easier, and certainly in my case it was great to connect with a few colleagues before even arriving in the office. Opening that conversation with them allowed me to quickly feel at home and crack on with what I needed to do.

Using RSS is a good way of building up your local knowledge. If local blogs or websites offer RSS feeds, subscribe to them. I set up a folder called ‘Cardiff’ in my Google reader and in it I’ve got news feeds from news websites, blogs and loads of other Cardiff websites that keep me abreast of things that are happening in Cardiff. Often I don’t get chance to look at it for a few days, but it’s always great to have a skim through and I’ll pick out two or three good things that I did not know about. The nice thing as well is having a variety of sources, it means I get different viewpoints often on the same issues, helping me to be better informed about issues or things that are happening in the city.

Google maps. Where would we be without it? Lost I reckon. Google maps has been one of the biggest tools I’ve used since moving here. Everything has a postcode and I’ve been able to understand where I am in relation to other parts of the city. I can quickly find routes, find buildings and find things that are near me. It gives me a knowledge of road names, of road numbers and before I even got to Cardiff I had an idea of what was in the North, East, South and West of the city just from Google maps. While an A-Z is handy, Google maps is interactive and allows me to quickly plan my routes.

What else could I be doing?

Some of the offline things I’ve found really useful are:

Visit a local museum. I’m lucky that Cardiff has a rich history but there is nothing like a museum for organising and displaying historical information in an easy to understand way. It gives you a sense of the traditions and values of a place, but gives you an understanding of where the place has come from.

Visit local pubs. The conversations you hear, the notices you see and the characters you meet will soon allow you to get a feel for the city, plus you can get to know the local ales. Never a bad thing.

Join a leisure centre. Even if it’s just for a swim every now and again, or a quick dash in the gym or if you’re more adventurous a spinning class – it will give you the chance to overhear conversations, see local notices (I’ve found Maindy Swimming Pool in Cardiff has a gigantic noticeboard and a huge swathe of leaflets as you come through the front door).

Take a different route home. Instead of hot-footing it, or blasting the accelerator, try going 10 minutes out of the way and take a different route home. You’ll be amazed at what you come across.

Summing up

Above all, there is no substitute for getting off your computer and getting out there. Meeting people, speaking to them and finding out what they think and know is one of the best ways of expanding your knowledge. I’ve heard some great stories already, met more people than I could name and all of that helps you to understand the passions, concerns and interests of the people who live in different communities.

So, the web definitely allows us to accelerate our learning about a place. I have no doubt that in the short time I’ve been in Cardiff I’ve learned a lot more through using the web than I would without it – but is this accelerate knowledge a good thing? Will I just be skimming the surface and not getting enough in-depth knowledge? How long does it take to become a ‘local’?

Places to visit & things to do in Cardiff & South Wales

I’m starting a new job in Cardiff with Media Wales on January 11th. While I have been assured I will be spending many hours in the office/hunting down stories in Cardiff, I am hoping that I will be allowed a few evenings to explore Cardiff and the surrounding area. Here’s my list of places to visit so far, but please comment below or message me on twitter (@ed_walker86) with your suggestions of other places to try. My mission is to visit/do the things on the list by the end of 2010, and most likely post some evidence (photos/videos/links) on this blog.

Cardiff

Have a filthy night out at Metro’s

Dance like a muppet in the Welsh Club (Clwb Ifor Bach)

Watch some bands at the Buffalo Bar (via @evacaiden)

See some art and drink a cocktail at Milgi (via @evacaiden)

Watch a Six Nations rugby match (I managed to watch an Autumn International, does that count?)

Watch a Cardiff Blues rugby match

Watch a Glamorgan 20:20 game

Go for a coffee with Glyn Mottershead (via @egrommet and @digidickinson)

Take a photo of the Millennium Stadium from the terrace at the back of my flat at sunrise and sunset

Visit Cardiff Castle and learn about its history

Go for a curry at Mint & Mustard (via @evacaiden)

Complete the Cardiff City Centre pub crawl in one day/evening (via @uncle_wilco)

Have a coffee and cupcake at The Pot Cafe (via @fillefi) – I had a coffee but not a cupcake, had some hummus and pitta bread instead

Take in the view of Llandaff Cathedral and enjoy the prettiness (via @fillefi)

Eat a pizza at Kalla Bella in Llandaff (via @fillefi)

Go shopping in the Arcades and enjoy some cheese at Madame Fromage and sandwich at the New York Deli (via @fillefi)

Take a Sunday stroll around Roath Park (via @fillefi)

Have a picnic in Sophia Gardens (via @cardiffbites)

Get cultured at the Chapter Arts Centre (via @cardiffbites)

Attend a Cardiff Tweetup (via @cardiffbites)

Watch the Cardiff Devils Ice Hockey team (via @cardiffbites)

Go to Cardiff Museum and St Fagans (via @cardiffbites)

Find the cheese market at the Castle and much some lovely cheese (via @becky_rutt)

Have a pint of dark in either Old Arcade, Vulcan or Goat Major pubs (via @uncle_wilco)

Potter round the junk and interesting stuff at Jacob’s Antique Market and have a mug of tea (via @uncle_wilco)

Have a ham bap from Cardiff Indoor Market – and smell the fish (via @uncle_wilco)

Chicken curry (off the bone) and chips in Caroline Street after a night on the SA (via @uncle_wilco)

Feed the ducks at Roath Park lake – or risk a boat ride (via @uncle_wilco)

Have a Clarks pie (cold & warm) (via @uncle_wilco)

Have tea at Waterloo Gardens Tea Room (via @speedupdating)

Eat a cheese dosa at the Vegetarian Food Studio in Grangetown/Riverside (via @henrywiddicombe)

South Wales

Take a trip to the Gower and sit on a sandy beach and watch some birds

Visit the Big Pit and find out about mining in South Wales

Take a walk down Cosmeston Lakes (via @cardiffbites)

Visit Tenby and go to Oakwood Park (via @cardiffbites)

Visit Caephilly Castle on a wet Sunday and see Tommy Cooper Statue (via @uncle_wilco)

Have fish and chips from Boffy’s “Cod Father of Sole”‘ on Barry Island (via @uncle_wilco)

Wales in general

Buy a welsh hat and wear it on St David’s Day (via @uncle_wilco) – a welsh hat is one of these (I have been reliably informed).

Take an evening/weekend course in Welsh and learn the conversational basics. Any recommendations for where I can do this?

Let me know anything else I should be doing/exploring/seeing/experiencing in Cardiff and South Wales!

Image used in this post is of Mermaid Quay in Cardiff Bay. Image credit to John Greenaway.