When Olive Riley of New South Wales, Australia, died on July 12 of this year at the age of 108 she made the news as having been the world’s oldest blogger. Her blog, titled The Life of Riley, and In Memory of Olive, is still available here.

Olive’s first post, dated February 16, 2007, reads: “My friend, Mike, has arranged this blob for me.” (A note at the end of Olive’s blog says it is produced with “writing assistance by Mike Rubbo”.) In Mike’s absence, Eric Shackle, a retired Sydney journalist, helped Olive with her blog. Between them, there are 75 posts, the last ones describing Olive’s funeral as well as reporting the discovery of another old blogger who died at 109 in January, 2008. The latter, an American, Ruth Hamilton, was assisted in her blogging by Bill Shafer of WESH.Tv. In truth, Ruth did not have her own blog but was a user on another site — Growing Bolder – found here. You’ll see a nice big picture of Ruth as soon as you log on.

Both of these “oldest bloggers” had others who actually did the writing for them and both have now died. As far as I can determine, the mantle for the world’s oldest blogger now falls on Maria Amelia Lopez of Spain, who suddenly became a cybercelebrity when her grandson, “who is very stingy,” gave her a blog for her 95th birthday. It is, of course, in Spanish, and according to the latest entry at the age of 96 in July, 2008, “Maria Amelia dicta y su nieto escribe.” (Maria dictates and her grandson writes.) She has received the Spanish BOB (best of blogs) award and can be found here along with a picture of her 96th birthday party on 23/12/07. Read the rest of this entry »