Comments on: Blogging and campaigning: the more things change… http://www.libdemvoice.org/blogging-and-campaigning-2438.html Our place to talk - an independent website for supporters of the Liberal Democrat party in the UK. Sat, 11 Feb 2012 23:38:46 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.3.1 By: OneHourAhead http://www.libdemvoice.org/blogging-and-campaigning-2438.html#comment-44449 OneHourAhead Mon, 31 Mar 2008 18:22:00 +0000 http://www.libdemvoice.org/blogging-and-campaigning-2438.html#comment-44449 Have added my obligatory bit <a href="http://www.onehourahead.com/blog/2008/03/31/blogging-and-that/" rel="nofollow"><b>here</b></a> Have added my obligatory bit here

]]> By: Jennie http://www.libdemvoice.org/blogging-and-campaigning-2438.html#comment-44405 Jennie Mon, 31 Mar 2008 01:03:00 +0000 http://www.libdemvoice.org/blogging-and-campaigning-2438.html#comment-44405 "Or in other words where are the campaigning bloggers? Where are the people who create a story, link up the stories others have sparked, get the traffic moving to a petition site, and mobilise action on and off the web?" I'm here. Up until very recently I wasn't a party member. Most other campaigning blogs aren't either. This is because most of us see traditional politics, and thereby the party, as an OBSTACLE to effective protest, not a medium for it. Manly for the reasons Andy mentions - if you join up you have to toe the party line, not cause ripples, etc. This is less of a problem with the Lib Dems than other parties, but even so... @ Jo. My other half and I both have lots of readers, the majority of whom aren't party members; we also both link to political stuff and discuss political stuff all the time, and converse lots with commenters. But neither of us has a blog that is particularly popular WITH party members (at least from what I can tell). But then, I don't read lots of the blogs that ARE popular from this site. I read some, yes, but not all... And this is really what the Blogosphere is, isn't it? Lots of separate little Venn diagram audiences, with no one focal point. Yes, some people have bigger audiences than others (the reprehensible Iain Dale being a case in point) but... People will pick up and spread things if they think they are important, and they won't if they don't. The bald fact of the matter is that most people outside the Lib Dem blogosphere don't tend to think that the contents of the Lib Dem blogosphere are very important. “Or in other words where are the campaigning bloggers? Where are the people who create a story, link up the stories others have sparked, get the traffic moving to a petition site, and mobilise action on and off the web?”

I’m here. Up until very recently I wasn’t a party member. Most other campaigning blogs aren’t either. This is because most of us see traditional politics, and thereby the party, as an OBSTACLE to effective protest, not a medium for it. Manly for the reasons Andy mentions – if you join up you have to toe the party line, not cause ripples, etc. This is less of a problem with the Lib Dems than other parties, but even so…

@ Jo. My other half and I both have lots of readers, the majority of whom aren’t party members; we also both link to political stuff and discuss political stuff all the time, and converse lots with commenters. But neither of us has a blog that is particularly popular WITH party members (at least from what I can tell).

But then, I don’t read lots of the blogs that ARE popular from this site. I read some, yes, but not all… And this is really what the Blogosphere is, isn’t it? Lots of separate little Venn diagram audiences, with no one focal point. Yes, some people have bigger audiences than others (the reprehensible Iain Dale being a case in point) but… People will pick up and spread things if they think they are important, and they won’t if they don’t. The bald fact of the matter is that most people outside the Lib Dem blogosphere don’t tend to think that the contents of the Lib Dem blogosphere are very important.

]]> By: Andy Mayer http://www.libdemvoice.org/blogging-and-campaigning-2438.html#comment-44382 Andy Mayer Sun, 30 Mar 2008 20:36:57 +0000 http://www.libdemvoice.org/blogging-and-campaigning-2438.html#comment-44382 Shy retiring wallflowers all of us Shy retiring wallflowers all of us

]]> By: Linda Jack http://www.libdemvoice.org/blogging-and-campaigning-2438.html#comment-44373 Linda Jack Sun, 30 Mar 2008 19:19:25 +0000 http://www.libdemvoice.org/blogging-and-campaigning-2438.html#comment-44373 A really interesting and insightful piece Andy, which I am reading when I should be writing my bit for the Globalisation paper! I guess, like Anders, my blog is more about my own opinions and has become a bit of a safety valve. An opportunity to vent my spleen, say my piece and if people are reading it, that is a bonus :-) but I think you raise an important point about whether we need to think more intelligently and strategically about how we use our blogs. But, of course, as a candidate I am one of those who has to be sooooo careful about what I say! Haven't you noticed???? L A really interesting and insightful piece Andy, which I am reading when I should be writing my bit for the Globalisation paper! I guess, like Anders, my blog is more about my own opinions and has become a bit of a safety valve. An opportunity to vent my spleen, say my piece and if people are reading it, that is a bonus :-) but I think you raise an important point about whether we need to think more intelligently and strategically about how we use our blogs. But, of course, as a candidate I am one of those who has to be sooooo careful about what I say! Haven’t you noticed????

L

]]> By: Jo http://www.libdemvoice.org/blogging-and-campaigning-2438.html#comment-44367 Jo Sun, 30 Mar 2008 18:21:03 +0000 http://www.libdemvoice.org/blogging-and-campaigning-2438.html#comment-44367 Great points Andy, but: 1. The audience of most Lib Dem bloggers are probably 80% fellow Lib Dem bloggers and 20% Lib Dem members so why tell a reader something they already know about the party? Most bloggers have the campaign buttons like those to the right of this comment on their blog. 2. Like the point you made - journalists probably don't click onto Jo's Jottings to see if a story is breaking or if there is any hot news I can tell them about the party. Most bloggers probably have limited contacts (correct me if wrong) and therefore don't get thrown any meat to chew on... Great points Andy, but:

1. The audience of most Lib Dem bloggers are probably 80% fellow Lib Dem bloggers and 20% Lib Dem members so why tell a reader something they already know about the party? Most bloggers have the campaign buttons like those to the right of this comment on their blog.

2. Like the point you made – journalists probably don’t click onto Jo’s Jottings to see if a story is breaking or if there is any hot news I can tell them about the party. Most bloggers probably have limited contacts (correct me if wrong) and therefore don’t get thrown any meat to chew on…

]]> By: Chris Keating http://www.libdemvoice.org/blogging-and-campaigning-2438.html#comment-44360 Chris Keating Sun, 30 Mar 2008 17:37:16 +0000 http://www.libdemvoice.org/blogging-and-campaigning-2438.html#comment-44360 I think there's a big difference between us Lib Dems and our American equivalents. We're building a blog community on a party, rather than on political movement itself towards the fringe of the party. More on my blog! I think there’s a big difference between us Lib Dems and our American equivalents. We’re building a blog community on a party, rather than on political movement itself towards the fringe of the party.

More on my blog!

]]> By: Anders http://www.libdemvoice.org/blogging-and-campaigning-2438.html#comment-44350 Anders Sun, 30 Mar 2008 16:43:16 +0000 http://www.libdemvoice.org/blogging-and-campaigning-2438.html#comment-44350 A very good post and similar to how I feel. I spend a lot of time writing about politics on my blog, but the posts that I've had the most hits on are two about fires and one about an earthquake. Neither were political, but both were personal but in the news as well. The story that keeps coming up in the list of posts that people read despite being quite old is the one that came nearest to journalism. It was where I was able to give added 'exclusive' background on a story that Guido had already covered. I spend all day 'campaigning', but what I write at work and what I would put on my blog are two very different things. A blog is my outlet to give my opinion, but I daresay it could change if I was running for election. A very good post and similar to how I feel.

I spend a lot of time writing about politics on my blog, but the posts that I’ve had the most hits on are two about fires and one about an earthquake. Neither were political, but both were personal but in the news as well.

The story that keeps coming up in the list of posts that people read despite being quite old is the one that came nearest to journalism. It was where I was able to give added ‘exclusive’ background on a story that Guido had already covered.

I spend all day ‘campaigning’, but what I write at work and what I would put on my blog are two very different things. A blog is my outlet to give my opinion, but I daresay it could change if I was running for election.

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