Tell us what you think about this blog.
Posted: Monday, 07 August 2006 |
Comments
IBHQ should be there to steer us bloggers, give inside info that is not readily available. Offer feedback, show us how to move forward in blogging circles. News from the islands should really be carried by a local blogger, although there are not bloggers on every island. Currently, frequency is a bit hit-and-miss. Just some thoughts.
Arnish Lighthouse from Stornoway
The greatest problem with this site is that it is impossible to generate a post that can run for a period of time. No sooner is a post posted than it is overtaken by a couple of blogs and disappears from the main page. This blighted the Fank postings and the Island Monopoly posting that could have been a lot of fun. It is posts like this that get the islands talking to one another which presumably is the aim of the exercise. We are wanting to come up with a follow up to last year's fank blogs later in the year and would like to see a thread style presentation as was the case with Scotchat and Soapbox. I don't think you'd get the problem of the site being highjacked as was the case with those two sites. The posts are the right length and there are some posters who have writing talent that should be nurtured so that they almost get commissioned to write a blog. Grannie Ellie, Back of Beyond, Annie Beag and Madlamb immediately spring to mind. Perhaps there should be more dialogue between IBHQ and individuals. I shall be at the Film Festival in Edinburgh next Tuesday at the Ö÷²¥´óÐã writing lecture if anyone is there from IBHQ I'd be happy to stand them a coffee or something stronger.
calumannabel from Third peat from the Sun
My main comments is the slowness of response. You never know how long it will take to get a blog or comment loaded. I use a forum site which is instant, which gives it more of a community feel. The Ö÷²¥´óÐã have a chat room, can't we have a bit of that? I agree with Arnish, IBHQ, should keep us motivated and informed. We can read the news ourselves. MC wants a cat-only blog, so he feels safer conversing only with like minded felines.
Mad Lamb from Westray
Just wondering if some schools might get involved in the island blogging as they are the future in many respects and might have a different out look. But the blogs posted here are informative
George Hayes from middx
*enjoyable, exasperating, entertaining, informative, fun. *the bloggers *'exasperation' above refers to the sometimes huge hiatus' which occur, thereby losing all continuity. Drop the 'we can't ensure that all comments will be posted' bit. Apart from really offensive language. *frequency and lengh of posts should be up to individual bloggers surely? If a post looks too long-winded or boring, we don't have to read it.
Flying Cat from looking quizzical
Thanks very much for all your comments so far. Please keep them coming - it’s really useful to find out what you think. Oh, and Mad Lamb, tell MC we’ll give the idea full consideration… :)
Anne from IBHQ
the blog is 'Factual Lively and Useful Fun and Friendly.(FLUFF)' It gives useful information and fun from people and places I wid never be able to contact otherwise. I have been amazed (and horrified) at the people who have mentioned to me they have read my blog - and attributed it to someone completely different. I have equally been surprised by the people who read it to keep up with the news from a particular island. the main problem is the speed or lack of it which loses continuity.
scallowawife from shetland
A long running grumble has been the long periods, up to a week, between updating which causes topics to get buried by a load of new postings all at the same time. It has really put me off as it kills decent threads developing. If the blog were updated live it would be better although you potentially may end up with a very dull text chat blog. If the blog were updated every 10 mins bloggers might have time for a considered contribution and avoid the text chat problem. " Unacceptable" could be flagged and removed if people object rather than having to be vetted by the moderator. Another option might be to have registered bloggers participate in the odd sessions of live text chat - could be fun. You might get more feedback that way Anne.
pondhead from Mull
The slow update is the real killer, although it is less important in the summer. I was supposed to be a special blogger and my posts would go 'live', but it never happened. Lots of people tell me they just read the Coll blogs, to find out what is happening, rather than the whole island blogging site. Like many people, I don't seem to have the time in the summer, blogging is defnitely a winter activity.
Nic from Coll
Nic - a 'special' blogger? please explain! we thought we were all special...
scallowawife from shetland
I think the ‘special bloggers’ may have been a plan mooted a while back, whereby regular bloggers would be able to post live. Currently all posts and comments have to be moderated. We have to do this to check for inappropriate content, advertising, legal problems etc.
Anne from IBHQ
I think the blogs are informative, interesting and some of them are entertaining. For a nosy person like me it's a way of finding out what's happening in places I've either loved visiting, or would like to visit some time in the future, and that you don't hear a lot about otherwise. I enjoy the diversity of the blogs. It does seem to take a while at times for the site to be updated. Thanks to everyone who takes the time to blog, I really enjoy reading your posts.
Mo from Glasgow
I'm with everyone else with the frustration caused by long delays between posts going live. It speeded up this week but the links appear to be broken. I also agree with the problem of threads getting lost easily, especially with there being thre separate pages. If I want to reply to a blog on the Western or Norther Isles pages with anything more than a comment I have to post on my own page and hope the other bloggers read it. The fank bloggs being a case in point and I was away when the monopoly thread started so it had dissapeared by the time I got back. A lot of people who read my blogs only read the Argyll and Clyde pages because they don't realise there are other pages or don't realise they are relevant. It would make sense if the blogs could be crossreferenced by subject? Having said that I'm amazed by the number of people who tell me they read my blog and I do enjoy everyone elses.
Sunny from Arran
P.S. A lot of people on the mainland read the blogs but don't feel they can comment because they don't live on an island.
Sunny from Arrran
The question for me is how many comments are being dumped by the moderator without ligitimate reason.
. from .
I can assure you that no comments are dumped without legitimate reason. Comments are rejected when they contain bad language, advertising, inappropriate links etc. If you’re not sure what can or can’t be posted please read the House Rules. If you think your comment has been rejected unfairly, please get in touch with me at islandblogging@bbc.co.uk and we can discuss the matter further.
Anne from IBHQ
As a mainlander from way down south I started reading the blogs for insight into island life as we are planning to be incomers. I've carried on reading the blogs here and silversprites on wordpress for entertainment value. Delays between postings does make things bothersome however as some of the posters are a bit delayed between postings I am sure they have little cause for complaint. Hopefully one day before Christmas we could be blogging with you all from North Lochs
Mark from Where the four winds DONT blow
I.B.H.Q. is your Ö÷²¥´óÐã host, moderator and friend for Island Blogging.
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