Blog-o-sphere = Pub-o-sphere?In Canada, It's Tim - o - sphere

John Chilton has an interesting observation that blogs in North America help fulfil some of the function of pubs in Great Britain. In explaining why the British blogosphere lags that of the U.S., he writes:

My guess is that the British blogosphere lags because the Brits have a corner pub culture where the neighborhood gathers daily to chew the fat, argue politics, listen to the local pontificators, and read the newspapers.

There is no such counterpart in the U.S. The U.S. blogosphere is serving some of the functions of the corner pub culture.

Yes, we have pubs in Canada, but we don't have the British atmosphere of daily meetings and discussions within the neighbourhood. In my small town, the local lunch counters play that role. So do Tim Horton's doughnut shops all across the country.