The party is updating and expanding its set of two sides of A4 introductory guides on various aspects of e-campaigning. Many of the best ones so far have been written by volunteers (thanks Pete!) – so I’m on the hunt for volunteers again…
The new guides will include:
- Getting started with blogging (using Blogger)
- Using Flock Together to advertise meetings, events and resouces
- Using Flock Together to find out about meetings, events and resouces near you
- Using Facebook
If you fancy writing (or laying out) any of these, or have any suggestions for other guides needed, just drop me an email at [email protected].



10 Comments
Starting blogging using Blogger? For real? NO!!!
Seriously, having tried other options, even NuBlogger isn’t a patch on WordPress; I’d cover the three main options depending on what people want (ie Blogger, LJ and WordPress.com) and then recommend WP for general use and LJ for personal use.
Will consider what inclination I’ve got, I’m still catching up on a months backlog of email…
What about myspace?
See:
My URL
http://www.myspace.com/adriansandersmp
My Blog URL
http://blog.myspace.com/adriansandersmp
Adrian
WordPress is by far the best system I’ve used (used to use blogger, use lj for personal stuff).
MySpace – no. It is not open, you can’t just comment, even if you log in you can’t always comment.
It goes against the philosophy of blogging.
MySpace can be a great community tool, a great medium for advertising your band, but for blogging its vastly inferior.
Mmm… well WordPress seems to need quite a lot of server side support for it (mysql etc), whereas blogger seems easier to set up and just needs somewhere to stick the output- which they can provide via their sister company.
As to writing the guides, I’d be really bad, as I don’t like being patronised or patronising.
What about WordPress.com?
Martin
Martin? I already said it, didn’t I? WP.com is the best option by far.
Adrian, as you know, I’m reading your blog on MySpace, and it does do what you want it to do, which is engage with constituents and normal people, but…
Myspace is propriatorial, covered in adverts, owned by Rupert Murdoch and a closed system. I have a MySpace because I a) wanted to contact some friends on it and b) wanted to tie up my name just in case.
The biggest problem with MySpace is you can’t leave. With Blogger, LJ or WordPress, if you want to switch to a different platform, you can, with MySpace, there is no export, and you have no control, at all.
Also, you’re stuck with the username you created, which means as soon as Parliament dissolves for the next GE, you’ll have to shut the MySpace down, as you won’t be an MP and it’ll breach a number of guidelines.
As a network, Myspace has uses, as does Facebook et al. But for blogging? No, get started on one of the big three, then export to a WordPress install once you’re settled in and have decided you want to do it.
Better, just get started on a wordpress install hosted somewhere. Or get someone do do the install and set up for you. Lots of us would be prepared to if needed.
I started doing a politics blog using Blogger. Now I want to persuade everyone it’s a REALLY BAD IDEA. I learnt a lot, but most of what I learnt was “WordPress does it better”.
So yes, start with wordpress.com, it just works.
OK, happy to accept volunteers to write a guide to getting started at WordPress.com instead 🙂
Would also be useful to have a brief summary of why it is better than Blogger.
Mat,
I know you did! I was clarifying the point about WordPress.com for the previous poster…
Best wishes,
Martin
Yeah, I’d said that wordpress seemed to me to need too much setting up, but wordpress.com is similar to blogspot.
I will make the switch. But I’m a bit busy at the moment!
I mean I’d said that wordpress seemed to me to need too much setting up, and Martin was pointing out it didn’t!