Monday, January 15, 2007

Some very good schemes - now a new one

The divisiveness in the Blogpowersphere does not appear, to me, to be one of Left and Right or extreme and moderate. It appears to be that of mature and immature.

There's a level on which my co-administrators plus people like Tom Paine, Thunderdragon and others are operating. Look down the posts. It involves testimonials, schemes to improve ourselves and an idea Tin Drummer and I discussed which I'd like to put forward below.

Positive.

Then there is the level of the squabbling, the girls' blouses or whatever, of ultimatums like 'if he doesn't do this then I'll do that' or 'oh yeah, well you're just ...' etc. etc. Personally speaking, this latter level leaves me cold but everyone to his or her own, I suppose.

I think the criterion for posting or even commenting here, [naturally we're not trying to enforce it], should be:

'Is it positive? Does it advance our collective interests?'

If it doesn't advance our collective interests but only our own personal interest, then best not to post it. We're never going to convince anyone through negativity but we've every chance of influencing others through positiveness. I'm no saint but it just seems to me the way to go. I try to keep my negativity for my own site.

So, we have a number of schemes currently going:

a] The various blogroll options, including the new scrollable, which I really like;

b] The ongoing testimonials which I urge you to get into please, people;

c] The Technorati wheeze which is also wonderful and the Truth Laid Bear which, sadly, my site cannot enter for technical blocking reasons;

d] A new one which Tin Drummer and I were discussing. Here's how I see this working:

1] E-mail nominations are accepted by yours truly [keep it to one administrator] in the week prior to each Sunday for a site you'd like to see promoted during the following week.

2] From these, we'll choose 5 blogs to be promoted and I'll publish these on Sunday evening, at 18:00;

3] Members will, during the next week:

[i] Hit these sites 3 to 5 times a day, even if we don't stay in there. We don't even need to leave comments unless we want. You know we have little time to spare, so it can be done quickly. It's purely for hits. This, of course, does not alter in any way what we usually do.

[ii] Link at least once in the week, in one of our posts, to these 5 sites.

That's it. By my calculations, if 25 of us hit these guys 3 times in a day, there're 75 hits for the blog, each day! For the medium bloggers, that's a drop in the ocean but for the little people, it can make a huge difference and raise his or her standing.

I really believe we should be using our combined strength to assist each other. This is why I'm so dismissive of all this negative claptrap.

Will we try these schemes?

12 comments:

youdontknowme said...

sounds good to me.

Matt M said...

A blogs or posts of the week seems a nice idea. Why not just call upon all blogpower bloggers to publish the results (copied and pasted from here) on their own blogs, along with the recommendation to visit.

We could perhaps make it a blogpower version of Tim Worstall's Britblog roundup.

James Higham said...

Yes, that's a good one too. Let's see what other ideas come out in the next few days as well and then choose one.

The only thing for the idea I just posted is that it doesn't just give the selected blogger a whole lot of links but also gives him/her daily hits. But I like Matt's idea.

Whatever and whichever, it must be easy for us to do. You know how little time we have and we have our own blogrounding to do anyway, plus posting and commenting on our comments.I'm currently way behind, even on that.

CityUnslicker said...

Glad to know you are always thinking James. Saves my few brain cells.

Actually I don't really mind about how many people read my blog. Very much of the DK school.

However, would be lots of fun to have a blog of the week and post of the week to encourage us all to look at our community.

It may annoy everyone when I WIN every week in both categories; but I can live their envy.

_ said...

I'll consider my knuckles rapped for the infamous girl's blouse comment.

I certainly admire the work you and your co-administrators are putting in. And I want to support the others on the blogroll, irrespective of the fact that I disagree with some of the views expressed. Last week I posted on my own site about "Uncomfortable Affiliations" which is really an expression of how I am happy to read and disagree with others.

Sometimes we bloggers post with an 'edge'. These can be among the best posts, because they are challenging or controversial. Let's not be too careful to avoid offence - that way lies blandness.

Admittedly, I could have made my point more constructively - which is... let's fight our cause, make our argument, rather than acting victomised by the boldness of those with whom we disagree.

I think of blogpower as a robust comradery. We are self-selected as outspoken and opinionated. Surely a bit of occasional banter is not out too far misplaced.

Anonymous said...

Just a quick point on technorati, if members could get the "favourite this" buttons on their blogs it would be easier.

The buttons can be found here

Gracchi said...

I think this is a very good idea- I've always been wondering about a Britblog thing.

I was also wondering whether there wasn't some merit in having a kind of sum of our memes expressed here- kind of guide to Blogpower- so for example lets say that the City Unslicker, the Tin Drummer, James and Imagined Community were the only members of blog power and one of them reviewed a film, the other wrote about a book he'd read, the other fulminated against Brown and the last against Cameron- there'd at the end of the day on the site be an index which would say here are the posts done by the group on politics, here on books and here on films.

That might be too complicated to do and it might just be a crazy idea but it might make the site a kind of index to our blogs which might be quite a useful way of moving people- including ourselves round them.

Just a thought.

James Higham said...

We have to remember, people, we can't do a Brit anything because we are international. If we want more Americans and Aussies and Canadians and so on, we have to open up a bit and get into their issues too. I don't mean on our own sites - I mean as Blogpower. Sure mention Gordon but also mention Karl Rove and John Hewson, maybe Stephen Harper.

As for all the wonderful schemes, let's do them but one at a time. I plan to post tomorrow on this, as a poll, offering say, three schemes and then we go for one of them for now. Better to have all of us focussed one way at one time, for maximum effect.

We will try your own scheme for sure but give it a little time and its turn will come.

I'm hoping ydkm and some others will see the lie of the land here and not take the p-ss so much but jump in and help get our thing working.

As for ex-members coming in to continue a long-dead debate, this is clearly not on. Spicy Cauldron and Referendum are more than welcome to comment but in a constructive way, please. The place for interpersonal debate and invective is via your own site or via e-mail.

DTB is a members' area and we need to act with that in mind.

Anonymous said...

Hi everyone,

I know this is n't the right place but couldn't think of anywhere else to post this. And I figured at somepoint all members will read this post.(If there is a way...perhaps it can be moved somewhere more appropriate? Thanks)

Anyway, I received an email from Ian this morning that alerted me to the fact I had been most rude so I'm trying now to make ammends

...I just want to let you all know that I'm leaving the blogroll having shut The News Sucks down.

This has been for various reasons including my discomfort over the BNP affiliation, but mainly as I am about to get busy studying again and won't have time to continue to manage two blogs.

I have added almost all of you to my RSS reader and very much look forward to seeing Blogpower go from strength to strength.

I am still available over at my personal blog if anyone wants to keep in touch.

Best wishes

James Higham said...

Puddlejumper - sorry to see you go.

Norfolk Blogger - welcome.

Welshcakes Limoncello said...

A lot of good ideas here, James and everyone else who has contributed. I like the idea in your post of promoting certain blogs over a week, James. Only one plea: whatever ideas we decide to try, please remember some of us aren't technical and / or don't have five-year-olds in the house who can help us !

Thanks, too, for all the thought and work that has gone into resolving the issues following the poll.

I promise to get on to those testimonials!

Anonymous said...

Finally managed to get everyone on the As A Dodo technorati favourites list (well, I say everyone - do let me know if anyone's been missed). Given the nature of the As A Dodo site we probably won't put any testimonials up there so here are some quick quotes instead ...

(1) Westminster Wisdom
Elegantly written, well-argued and often right.

(2) The Last Ditch
The thinking person's libertarian

(3) Bel is Thinking
Will have any self-respecting lefty frothing at the mouth in seconds

(4)Chicken Yoghurt
A blogging masterclass. You never know what you'll find there but you know it'll make you think.

(5)Adelaide Green Porridge Cafe
It's a real delight to sit beside this stream-of-consciousness and occasionally dip in a toe.

Onward and upward!