Blogpower Round-up --- JMB plays the guilt card

To say I am underwhelmed by the nominations for BP round-up number 4 is putting it mildly. I am reduced to reading the over 800 spam messages in gmail in case a nominating email was hooked there by mistake. So far, a total of 3 nominating emails are in the inbox, with two of them from me.

So at this time I am begging, I'm pleading, I'm even reduced to threatening. More about that in a moment. Please, please, please, send some nominations of great BP posts to blogpowerroundupATgmailDOTcom and don't forget to include the correct URL for sure and name of the post and author would be good too. The deadline is Friday, November 30th, 5 pm London time. I know everyone likes to leave things to the last moment and I'm shivering in my boots, worrying that 60 will arrive exactly at that time and I will have a nervous breakdown. So earlier is better.

Now the threat. I think you need at least 20 to 30 posts for a good round-up so, if at the deadline the nominations are still lacking, I will randomly pick some BP blogs from the blogroll and the third post down on the index page will be included. I know you wouldn't want that so please send some nominations licketty-split. It could be an empty threat but you can't be sure now, can you?

I plan to post the round-up on Sunday December 2nd since Saturday, December 1st is Photo Hunt at my blog.

Long time since I showed this

                    Defending the blog                                     

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The Croydonian

One of the top bloggers in the UK sphere has graciously applied and he can be visited here:

The Croydonian

To our non-UK contingent and non-political UKers, he might be less well known but in UK political blogging, his name is a household word and I'd like to count him as a friend, if I might.

Tucked away in a barely accessible place is this link which gives you some idea - Higham being N37.

Higham's comment a year ago was "needs no introduction" but as that got me into trouble last time, how about ""quite simply one of the most informative, erudite and witty blogs I’ve come across. A man of, it would seem, impeccable taste, an eye for the absurd and always the first port of call if you wish to know about what’s really going on in the world." La Vie Est Belge

Go to it, members.

Bob Piper

Bob's now applied and for those who don't know him, our politics are almost diametrically opposed on most political but perhaps not on most social issues.

Bob Piper, Labour Councillor for Sandwell.

Politics means diddly to me in this instance because this is one of the most recognized blogs in the business and it's had it's Usmanov vicissitudes too recently. Blogpower doesn't judge by politics or religion - it judges by blog quality.

Judge for yourself, members.

Comments now closed off because there is one objection [see comments section for details].

Blog Roundup and Newmania

Exciting times for Blogpower. Please support JMB's BP Roundup, the first from outside the UK.

Now, one of the highest profile bloggers has yielded to the persuasion of a few of us and applied:

Newmania, who needs no introduction.

Go to it, members.

OK Calum and JMB - Newmania was voted in the Blogpower Awards as one of the most missed blogs during his hiatus. He's an uncompromising conservative and needs to be understood in the same way Mutley and Theo need understanding.

All the navigation is at the foot of the page.

Blogpower Roundup No 4 -- Call for Nominations

The deadline for the nominations for Blogpower Roundup No 4 is fast approaching. So think about the posts of BP members that you have enjoyed during the month of November and would like to see in the roundup. Send them, along with their URLs, to blogpowerroundupATgmailDOTcom before the deadline of November 30th at 5PM, London Time.

You can even send them in early, for I surely won't complain and in fact I have already sent some myself. Now all I have to do is find out how to access that email account to extract the information. So HELP, PLEASE. Someone? Matt M? Ian A? Gracchi?

Two Prospectives, Members

First up, The Cornish Democrat and Cornubian claims he's our first Cornish Nationalist. I've been over there and this is what I've found so far:

1. That annoying navigation which has no archives and only lets you go back to "older posts" one page at a time. Perhaps Cornubrian is a new blogger. Can't be sure.

2. Transparency issue - I personally know his real name but I see no "About" for readers except for a widgety thing which doesn't operate at the foot of the page.

Apart from that, fine and Cornubrian asks, "Am I welcome?"

Our second to present to you is Brummie Republic, properly called The People's Republic of Birmingham, which interestingly uses the same Template as Cornubrian. Louis himself says:

I can't put it off any longer. I would love to join the blogpower community whose member tend to share my values of libertarianism, open debate and promotion of smaller blogs.

My blog as its title suggests is based around news and views from the Birmingham area, and discusses many topics from politics to sport. I would describe my politics as left-leaning libertarian (to distinguish myself from libertarians who tend to be right-leaning/ conservative.

In practice this means I am pro free-market and pro civil rights but am passionate about raising the standard of living among poorer people in this country, and hate divisions based particularly around class and race.

Navigation is fine - it's an older blog, addresses Birmingham issues, has a typical "About Me" and seems pretty normal.

So, people, get ye over there and have a look. Usual rules apply.

Mailing list stragglers- updated

The following active blogpower Members have not yet joined the mailing list:

Havering On
Never trust a Hippy
Pub Philosopher
Tuscan Tony
Cassilis
Corporate Presenter
Critical Faculty Dojo
Russian Wolfhound
In search of high places
Kizzie
Morning Star
Norfolk Blogger
Conscious Earth
A Conservatives' Blog
Beamans' World
Bel is thinking
Tin Drummer
Ellee Seymour
Deeply Blasphemous

UPDATED:
There are 52 active members on the mailing list (out of 65), plus Pommygranate (who is resting). That is 80%.

To join, see http://tech.groups.yahoo.com/group/blogpower/. (Please make it clear which blog you are on joining, as it isn't always obvious from emails & Yahoo IDs.)

Tuscan Tony...

...has gone invited readers only,a surprising move.

Anyone know why?

Update:

TT gives us a (sort of) explanation in the comments

Miss Wagstaff Presents

We have another prospective member for your consideration: Miss Wagstaff Presents "the One Wales Government in all its glory (or simply the lack of it)", thereby keeping the members of the Welsh Assembly under scrutiny. Please take a look, and make your feelings known. As always, the first objection will close comments, and further discussion and voting will take place via the mailing list. If you are one of the backsliders identified by Shades, then this would be a good time to sign up.

Remembrance Sunday

The Royal British Legion has teamed up with 2nd Life and is running a ceremony at SL - see here for details:

http://www.britishlegion.org.uk/news/
index.cfm?fuseaction=newsdetail&asset_id=517378

H/T/ Charles Robertson at Free Jersey

http://www.freejersey.org/

Charles, you will recall, was at our BP Awards Party.

Work of the poet

Another interested prospective member:

Come visit my blog and see if you like it: Work of the Poet. I think it would be fun to have a group to share blogging and ideas with.

I'd like to invite members to cast an eye over the blog, and leave your thoughts in the comments. The first objection will, as usual, trigger a vote in the mailing list.

(I'm posting it because she applied via the mailing list rather than directly to an Admin).

On looking at our site here without the benefit of insider knowledge I have to admit that it isn't very clear from the sidebar what the joining procedure is for interested people.

***UPDATE Comments closed and discussion moved to mailing list***

***Final update- Application now withdrawn***

Mailing List

New Blogpower joiners (and a few older ones) are reminded to join the mailing list.

http://tech.groups.yahoo.com/group/blogpower/

As it is a closed list, please identify yourself when you enroll.

If "Unusuallybritish" is reading this, please check your email.

Bloggers Birthdays

It is the real birthday of JMB today. Her blog has been particularly good of late and we should all pop over to wish her Happy Birthday!! Especially as she is pondering over life expectancy...

Tomorrow it is Liz's birthday at Finding Life Hard.

Just thought I would mention it.

A new look for the Blogpower Express

I have taken advantage of improvements in the Pageflakes platform to simplify and improve the Blogpower Express. There is now a single "Big List" of Blogpower Bloggers, backed up as before by categorised pages of RSS feeds, so that members (and anyone else) can see all our blogs at a few glances.

Please be my editors by going over there and checking your own entries, both in the Big List and on the RSS feed pages. If I have made errors, you would like to be categorised differently, or you have any suggestions please email me at tom dot paine at mac dot com.

There have been a lot of changes to our membership lately, so this has taken many hours of work. I have added all the new members to my Google Reader list and - in accordance with my Blogpower Oath, will be checking them out constantly. Perhaps we should all revisit the Blogpower "credo" page and consider the scale of our commitment to each other, given how our little community has grown.

As a founder-member, however, I cannot be help but be proud of the quality of our new joiners. May I add my welcome to them? I was particularly touched by Matthew Sinclair's first post as a Blogpowerer. He has clearly "got it" and I suggest we old hands all bear in mind the expectations we have clearly raised.

I am off for a lie down now. Phew!

Two Blogpowerers in 2007 Weblog Awards

If you were to pop over here:

… you would note that sadly, BP did not make it to Best Online Community finalists.

However, the Best UK Blog category features:

* Iain Dale

* Guy Fawkes

* Neil Clark

* EUReferendum

* Pub Philosopher

* The Devil's Kitchen

* Baggage Reclaim

* Nourishing Obscurity

* Bright Meadow

• Kickette

Gobsmacked and delighted for our boys who made it to these awards, in the light of last year’s comment which actually kicked off Blogpower:

I first found out about this at the ever witty and top ranking blog of Jon Swift and I would like to add that Jon Swift is a finalist under the heading of Funniest Blog.

Blog Power Roundup

Its up- over here- I think I got everyone's submissions in and I hope you enjoy it- there are some really good articles and images in there, even if the way they are strung together isn't so professional!