Red meat is NOT bad for you. Now blue-green meat, THAT'S bad for you!
Tommy Smothers

When would you propose that this meeting would take place?

nice idea...

...any ideas where OlyGather would take place?

Is there some way to email the docents collectively at this point? (If so, I haven't been able to figure it out in a couple of short head-scratching efforts...) It might be nice to have a link over there in the right nav that said - "Email the docents"

And I have been thinking myself that I might like to find some occasion to talk to the docents about various alternative ways in which I might contribute a little more to the OlyBlog enterprise as a ongoing project (as opposed to just being part of various conversations). So it might be nice to know when and where one might join them all together once in a while, if there were some regular way to do it. (And I think it's possible that actually seeing the docents and everybody else face to face once a year at some meeting to which people were all invited might really be fun, and also perhaps reduce some people's sense that the docents are mysteriously controlling things somehow, if there are people who feel that. (It hadn't occurred to me that there might be.)

I'm including something about web journalism in Oly that I wrote a few years ago when Evergreen was having a big planning process about ways in which the college might grow. The college is going to hire somebody in communications next year - I have no idea if they'd be interested in web journalism or not, but I do think that Evergreen students doing internships might be a great source of energy and talent for an expanded OlyBlog/OlyMedia enterprise.

To the Evergreen faculty, from 2004 - 2005 or so...

I've also been thinking about growing by developing some sort of Journalism/mass communications curriculum based on producing a regular electronic publication about Olympia as part of a sustainable communities curriculum- I think it would be tough to produce an electronic daily with undergraduates unless they didn't do anything else for two years, but I think that maybe one could do 8-12 issues a year on set themes about sustainability in Olympia as student projects in an ongoing curriculum about urban studies, sustainability, and new media/communications. The yearly water issue Nov. 1 every year would update the previous year's Oly water issue and ongoing website, the understanding local political power issue December 1 every year would update the previous year's political power in Olympia issue and ongoing website etc... Subscribers would get a PDF publication of each issue via electronic mail, and the website would be a gradually developing study of political processes, power, economics, local history and current sustainability issues in the city. Maybe one could also do a accompanying radio show or TCTV show made out of the interviews, if one wanted to wrestle with the costs and equipment. However, words and digital photography and links to digital sound files of interview material on the web site seems a lot more manageable logistically to me.

This might be interesting for students who want to teach high school social studies, as well as people who want to do new media or policy/ politics/community development, sustainability...

I think there's been steady interest in journalism in the curriculum (as well as local history, and documentary) at the college for its whole history, and students have lined up to take it when it's been available, which has been off and on. We filled a three person program called Mass Communications and Social Reality for several years in a row at one point, Virginia Hill has done programs of various kinds about news media and advertising, etc. I think that developments in digital technology might actually transform the local news business in the next fifteen years or so, so this might in fact be an area in which there's employer interest.

Lately, I've been day-dreaming about an OlyPedia, run on a Wikipedia model - where you'd go if you wanted to look up who Joe Hyer is and who funded his campaign, or the history of how downtown got created out of fill, etc. I guess this could also be called what's of more than transitory interest in Oly Blog, but organized to serve collective memory rather than upcoming events and current affairs.

Best,
Thad

if you'd asked nice you might get more input or response...

...as it is, I'm sure you can figure it out (Google & all).

Your comment is very challenging, almost confrontational-

-couldn't you have expressed that in a nicer, more cheerful way?

Question with regards to the wording of your comment:

What is with the "us" in your comment?

...who are you speaking for (the entire blog readership or for yourself)?

chad360 in italics

Learning and Changing
Submitted by Rick on Thu, 07/03/2008 - 11:34am.

    * Docents
    * OlyBlog

As anyone who has reading the docent list is aware, there are a number of issues that continue to be a challenge for the blog. This is a not-necessarily-complete list:

    * Moderation...view it as arbitrary.

Solved mainly by design change to layout OlyNews, OlyBands, OlyMusic, OlyCoffee, OlyTreats, Oly “x”...

    * Meeting. It has been very difficult to get docents together for meetings. We all have a lot going on, and OlyBlog is not the top priority for any of us.

Middle Sunday of each month(incl, games & potluck!)

    * Content. Another question that docents have grappled with is: what is appropriate for the front page? What is news, and what is fluff? How do we support more serious local content?

front page where? OlyMedia?...are we ot talking about a bunch of "front pages"? I almost see a Venn diagram graphic as OlyMedia splash page that ranks by graphical size the different Oly "x" group, so many ideas...

   * Mission...OlyMedia. OlyBlog would be a part of that, but it could also include OlyNews (part of what OlyBlog currently does), OlyRadio, OlyBands, etc...

Mission should drive design.

It is clear to me that this is too much for the docents to handle alone. We need more energy and input. So, I'd like to suggest the following:

    OlyGather...to be the decision-making body for OlyBlog (OlyMedia).

Yeah!

I think this would...the Brotherhood on Monday nights.

Venue? (I'm all for it, but where is all this magic supposed to happen? I personally think that this kind of public architecture does not yet exist in Olympia downtown.)

Comments?

I >heart< OlyBlog.

Community R&D is so, so good.

"In principle, I am an anarchist. Kurt Vonnegut once said he was an agnostic who respects Jesus Christ. I am an anarchist who loves democracy." - Kenzaburo Oe

I like the idea of purposeful meeting, to vision the future of the blog and strategize about improvements.I think that these meetings should be as accessible as possible, despite the difficulty of scheduling.

However. One of the things that gets sorted out in "f2f" meeting is, as Merwyn pointed out, the humanizing of other bloggers. We used to have a habit of spontaneous get-togethers. Someone would post, "hey, I'm off to have coffee in a half hour--anyone wanna join me?" and some folks would show up. That's probably not a good method for some, but I think it's more important to meet as often as possible with fellow OBers than it is to spend hours trying to sort out a location and time. Perhaps a combination of these methods?

Oh, on that note, if there's anyone out there with nothing to do today, we're having some folks over to grill and hang out. Everyone is welcome! 2624 Galloway, 6ish.

Smaller is bigger! 

Well, given that the proposed changes with Olyblog never really happened due to time-constraint, which really is priority setting, I wonder if expanding the idea of Oly... is the right way to go.

One thing never really worked the way we wanted - let's try 10?!? Does that make sense.

I go back to planning and execution:

What's the mission?

Where's the "business" plan?

How can it be SUSTAINABLE?

Those are not attacks, but serious questions.

If Olyblog wants to move into the mainstream, one of the biggest challenges to overcome will be to be taken serious by buisnesses and the public at large.

The overall consensus in the "mainstream" is: I'm lurking, but would never post and certainly would not want to be associated with it.

If Olyblog wants to be an extension of the community that is something that needs to be addressed.

The search for a sponsor has shown, that businesses do not neccesarily feel comfortable associating themselves with Olyblog.

Perhaps that doesn't need to be achieved. But the question remains:

How can it be sustainable, how can it achieve a status in the community, that is respected - so it can become a true voice that can have influence in the commmunity.

Right now it's still a bar you go to, but don't want to be seen going to or from. Don't tell anyone I went out last night.... 

Now to give some constructive suggestions:

Mainstream media has three main points that make it work:

advertising revenue - content creation - circulation

Those three you need to address, create and balance to be successful! 

I'd be interested in brainstorming how Everyday Olympia could work with you.

'nuff said 

mathias

einmaleins

???

Time anyone? When did the old, regular Monday night crowd show up?  I remember those nights, but I wasn't an Olyblogger back then.  Thought you were a bunch of snooty hipster geeks. 

This is sort of my brain dump reaction to Rick's post above. This will read much like a rant, but please take it with the kindest of intentions with which I meant to say it. :D

Its not all about Olyblog. In saying that, I think S6's reaction to being booted (doing his own thing) is more appropriate than worrying that certain steps aren't being taken to make Olyblog better.

It sounds silly, but our thoughts are way too Olyblog-centric around here. Thad's question of whether the oly wiki was part of Olyblog's "colletive enterprise" illustrates this point. Its irrelevent whether the wiki has anything to do with Olyblog. What should be important is that a) its local (it is) and b) that people are using it (well, not so much anymore, but we should).

So, that certain things are getting done on this domain, like OlyMedia, doesn't bother me that much. If Olyblog never expands beyond being what it is now, a hyperlocal news source, then I'd be happy.

That doesn't mean that I don't want other things to happen, far from it. Things like OlyMedia, OlyArt, etc... should exist, but not necessarily here.

If in three years there aren't a handful of other Olyblogs running around, then I'd consider us a failure. It should be about expanding the spirit of Olyblog, not keeping it bottled up in one place.