Will Knott

I’m not going to write a lot on picturegate.

Partially because Dr Eoin O’Dell a Fellow and Senior Lecturer at the School of Law, Trinity College Dublin has a much better (but a snap shot of a moving target) list of all the Picturegate coverage from which you can find out about the reactions online as well as a legal analysis of the likely court actions.

And partially because around the time that the caricaturist, artist and t-shirt maker Allan Cavanagh was being interviewed by George Hook on Newstalk about the reaction to the Cowen/Casby scandal, I was being interviewed by Fianna Fáil (*waves at the appointment panel monitoring this blog*). I actually brought up the painting/apology and the reaction (seconds later) on Twitter and in the Irish blogging political sphere in the interview.

They were aware of it. This was 20 hours in to the anger.

Since then there has been front page coverage in the Irish newspapers, and coverage across the UK, European and American news. Anger at the apparent change in Garda resources to investigate the hanging of the paintings. Cried of state censorship and stifling of free speech. Questions attempted to in the Dáil.

It’s gone from being a (admittedly distasteful if you are in the Cowen family but) mildly amusing “And Finally…” style story to a major news story which its unlikely that RTÉ will want to touch with a bargepole.

The reaction, well I did a bit of Twitter trending and here are the results from Stream Graphs

If I could access this graph for an earlier time the graph would be scary around 21:30h on March 25th when the apology was read out. Twitter exploded for a little while then. It hasn’t stopped yet.  It looks like its easing down a bit, not going to completely die down.

The internet changes things.

Once, if this happened you would have a number of very upset people. Maybe they would ring each other. One to one. And agree in their anger. Now, they can communicate many to many. Pass the latest news to each other behind the mainstream media. React, repeat, retweet the latest information until everyone knows. Dig a story left along by the mainstream media back in to the harsh light of international news coverage.

So if you are going to react, you had better monitor and react quickly.

Things have changed. Its good to talk/type/tweet. Communication behind the scenes will ensure information gets out there, in the same way that the internet treats attempts at censorship (be it a blocked site or bad news) as damage that it routes around. This isn’t always an automatic thing. Often people keep that which they deem important alive.

And kicking.

Repeatedly.

take care,
Will Knott

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• Shouldda left well enough alone… (sluggerotoole.com)

I keep an eye on the Tuesday Push. The aim of the Tuesday Push is to get the bloggers of Ireland, usually the business bloggers or the blog of a business, to promote an other Irish company.

Those getting a push need to be offering a unique product or service, and should be taking part in the push themselves. Think of it as co-operative support. Creating a business community, one where ideas can be shared and have ideas bounce off each other freely. Or in internet terms, a meme gone sensible. Of course making the Irish technology community an actual community isn’t easy, but this helps.

That said, the key word is unique. Another template tweaked, off the shelf package generated on-line store, not for the push. I think new thinking might count, but you may have to explain what makes it innovative.

If you’re an Irish technology company that’s offering something new and have a blog (or other means to promote yourself and others), contributing to the promotional effort and putting your name forward for a Push of your own is worthwhile (just take a look at the feedback of some of those that have had a push). Or just join in, as some day you may be in the position of needing a push. By pushing now, you’re helping others, and may help yourself.

take care,
Will Knott

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• Huge Push for IGOpeople (web2ireland.org)
• Tuesday Push: Twitter Mosaic from Sxoop Technologies (ewritecork.com)
• Push – forget the movie, this is the real thing! (cjwriting.com)

Timing is interesting. Markham Nolan blogged about, well, bloggers being used and abused by marketing types and quoted the example of The Big Switch outreach done by Bord Gáis electricity. Go read it and come back. This post is my comment as he “plucked out” a comment I left and given that I’ve been named, I’m not intending to be shamed.

(I have shame, don’t use it much)

The rest of this post is the comment I left…

I think I need to defend myself after you “plucked me out”.

I’ll go with this one example of the Bord Gáis meetup. This wasn’t a scheme dreamt up by a PR firm, this was Bord Gáis doing it themselves. All the bloggers that attended did so out of curiosity. None of us knew what it was going in.

If we did, I suspect a different group of bloggers would have shown up.

If you want bloggers, ask bloggers who blog about your area. For the event the ideal group would be business bloggers, consumer affairs bloggers, green affairs bloggers. Oddly enough marketing and advertising bloggers would have been interested too.

Or to put it another way, would you invite a music journalist to the launch of a new cheese? (No jokes please)

I know that not everyone who attended blogged about it (yet at any rate). I know that it ended up being one of my longer posts.
From what I can tell, it was the first attempt at blogger outreach (not just their first attempt, but THE first attempt following the Collision Course).

Lots of information was freely given. It was interesting to see a “grown up” product that few would describe as “sexy” being used for outreach. Things are changing in the marketplace, bloggers may be invited to more, but that is no guarantee of a write up, let along a favourable one.

The early inviter will get the “well they invited us” posts, but if it becomes more commonplace, the “I was there” won’t be blogged. The “I’m interested in this topic, give me the info” will take over. After all, most (if not all) Irish bloggers are amateurs.  They have work, school or other duties in the mornings. They can’t attend a day-time press conference (or film screening). They don’t all live in Dublin (interesting to see how many of these things will take place in Cork, Galway, Kilkenny or Limerick). And bloggers are under no real obligation. A day without posting isn’t going to cause much harm. Not the same can be said about mainstream media.

Or to use your analogy, the swarm of locusts may find the field is empty when they get there.

Of course, locust only swarm then their serotonin levels increase. That’s the happy chemical of the brain.

Who says that bloggers make a happy meal?

take care,

Will Knott

And thus spake the Mulley

“The 2009 Irish Blog Awards shall take place on February 21 2009.

They shall be in Cork

And are open for nominations until January 14 2009

And they shall be good

except for the dancing”

moar funny pictures

This year there are 2219 categories

1. Best Popculture blog
2. Best Blog from a Journalist
3. Best Food/Drink Blog
4. Best Crafts Blog Best Fashion Blog
   
5. Best Arts and Culture Blog
6. Best Political Blog
7. Best Group Blog
8. Best Use of the Irish Language in a Blog
9. Best Technology Blog/Blogger
10. Best Sport & Recreation Blog
11. Best Designed Blog
12. Best News/Current Affairs Blog
13. Best Specialist Blog
14. Best Newcomer
15. Best Business Blog Best Blog of a Business
16. Best Music Blog
17. Special Recognition Award
18. Best Personal Blog
19. Best Humor Post Blog
    
20. Best Photo Blog
21. Best Blog Post
22. Best Blog (There is a best blog award, but its not a nominated one)

May the best bloggers win,
Will Knott

Update: somehow got the list very mixed up

I’m skipping the OCC BBQ Dragons’ Den posts for a quick push for this guy (on the right)

This slightly worried looking gentleman is Marcus MacInnes of pix.ie. Marcus is getting a bit of a push by the Irish tech blogger scene, and well, I’m pushing too. Why, because its a service and site I actually use.

All (well, almost all) of my photographs that I’ve posted here this year have been hosted on Pix.ie. I love the site. Yes, I’ve abandoned Flickr over Pix.ie, so I must be committing some kind of photoblogging sin. (As soon as their API links to Moo I’ll have no reason to use the other site.)

So what do you get on Pix.ie? A beautiful looking site (yes I love the album unfurls when you hover over them. Just look for yourself). They also have a custom album for the “Pink for October” which I can assure you I’ll be using for the online bits of my Pink paper push (its the skin setting in the “profile settings” section).

The servers are optimised constantly and performance is paramount (and yes Marcus can and will talk about the database tips and schemes needed to perform his miracle of bit shuffling if you ask nicely. you may want to sit down first) and I think the pictures are nicer too. The site also caters for using those embedding and resizing their images off the site (like me) and ease of uploading.

In short, pix.ie is being too nice to me.

Its also going to get me out of the house and visit places, well Guinness actually. Of course I really need to start using its social bits more. I’d better start now.

take care,
Will Knott

Oh, and for the record, I’m the large blue thing next to him. Spoiling the photo as usual.

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• Pix.ie – Not Just Another Photosharing Site

This post has changed direction several times in the last three days.

At first I was going to write about green issues. What happened was that I bumped in to a pair of representatives for Change.ie, a government run site for creating a plan of action for environmental change and reducing Ireland’s (and maybe the world’s) carbon footprint. I told the reps that I was surprised that there hadn’t been blogger outreach to other blogs concerning green issues, and pointed out a few that I knew of.

One rep asked me to e-mail in the details of the sites, the idea was to get something of an aggregator going.

The first person who came to mind was Ms. Phoebe Bright…

who seems slightly miffed in this photo about what happened next.

Phoebe presented at the recent Open Coffee BBQ about energy, energy demand and a technological solutions to change the thinking currently driving our consumption habits. Well worth a read if you weren’t at teh presentation.

Also, how can I forget Greennav. Actually I did, which is why I e-mailed in the links. Greennav is an odd mix of a group blog in that anyone can add to it. So its one better than an aggregator, is something of a community. And yes its full of green hints and tips.

Even the landscape gardener Peter Donegan has added a collection of green hints and tips to his site.

And now a change in direction.

Ladies and gentlemen. Get them together, as the response from the government sources was “that’s nice, anyone can blog, go ahead”. Or a “we’ll do nothing thank you”.

This is one of those areas where we should collaborate, and double, nay triple the voices to get the messages, and actions out there. A green meme. Not just an internet meme but a get off our backsides and do something about it meme.

I’m just not sure what.

But its this tendency for collaboration which brings me to to the next change of directions, sponsored by Twenty Major and Adrian Weckler.

They have complained about the fact that …

1. We’re not angry and fighting enough. (But Mr Weckler things me are too angry).
2. We aim for consensus
3. We don’t do enough investigative journalism
4. Bloggers seem to be people who are fake

Well lets see.

I know that I don’t intend to ever get close to Granddad without a stab-proof vest, but the Irish blog-sphere is a small place. If you don’t count Bebo blogs, you could fit most of the Irish bloggers in a medium hotel for an awards ceremony. Because we are a small group, the chances of prolonged bickering are few. Grudges can be held, but so can tongues. And the word “community” tends to hold sway. (Besides, Twitter is the place for small short-lived Irish fire fights). And besides, Barcamps, Tweet-ups, Open Coffee clubs, photo-walks and general get-togethers happen enough to prevent full blown flame wars that lead to bits going missing.

As for a consensus. Well, the early Irish bloggers were either techies, or non-technical people in the technology industry (sometimes in the one person). In this world, standards mean a lot. Consensus gets the job done. And could a barcamp exist without consensus?

As for people who aren’t and don’t aspire to be investigative journalists not doing enough investigative journalism for Mr Wreckler’s liking. Well, circular logic only gets you so far. Maybe you would be willing to teach us the way, and teach us, using your blog or course, on how to do these investigations. I think a few hundred well trained (even if we are bored, lonely or angry) bloggers might do you some justice. (Besides you forgot about Maman Poulet teaching journalists how to do their jobs when it came to Michael Lynn).

And finally, “bloggers are fake”. Now he’s not talking about fiction blogs, nor blogs maintained by a fictional (or pseudonymous) character. He’s talking about people who create great blogs, to get employment, and once employed, stop blogging. I can only assume that he means people who want to write for a living, and are using their blog as a portfolio in the same way that an artist creates work for themselves, to get their own style (or voice) and use that portfolio as a way to become a writer.

Well, if they exist, and I actually expect that they do, then more luck to them. If the only reason they wrote was to get someone to pay for the writing, then isn’t it better that they stop blogging?

Can we all agree to that?

take care,
Will Knott

It’s all my fault, and I’ve seen the carnage its created. She’s pinned them!

Grannymar has found a way to mark her toyboys. I don’t know if she’s done her own pinning ceremony or not. And I’m the cause.

I know she got Darragh, Darren, Anthony and recently Rowan has admitted his pining. She’s got a badge.

And she know how to use it to good effect.

I got them for her.

But lets step back. Back to May and the ToeJam photographs of May. I grabbed this shot…

and it got me thinking.

You can see “King” Damien’s “Fluffy” badge and Lexia’s pink “geek” badge (all that’s missing is Midge’s “Filthy” one). In Ireland at least, these badges are medals of honour. Social objects, not something to be sold, but something to be shared or given away to help make and bind social relationships. Awards for serving the social network of the Irish blog-sphere. Membership cards that the wearer has entry in to this world. That makes the blog awards the equivalent of a dame or knighthood, and the monthly awards something like an knavehood. (Oh to be a knave and a scoundrel)

So I wanted to help people in Ireland start blogging, or at least get interested in the Irish blogging world.

The other part of this was guilt. Since I started my course my blog writing has, well, collapsed. Time is more pressing (just as well I suppose) and ideas are being applied elsewhere (and not on to Twitter like everyone else). Pictures have filled up the breech, but I feel that I’m missing something.

So the badge… when the idea formed, I thought; “What should my badge be?”

Well that fizzled out.

So the question formed; “Who would get a lot of fun with a badge?” and my thoughts turned North.

A few chats and emails later, and an order to 50pbadges winged its way (after a redirect) to her awaiting floor (well, she was out at the time).

I’m interested to see how this will play out. How many (other) gentlemen of dubious qualities will try to attract the attention of the one and only Grannymar. And how much fun is she having making these ‘boys’ happy?

Oh, as for why? It seemed like a good idea at the time.

take care,
Will Knott

Haydn Shaughnessy response to Kathy Foley’s posts on the low standards of Irish blogging has me wondering. Wondering if I am indeed “inward looking, technical or incestuous”. Given that in a single sentence I’ve just linked to two Irish bloggers I have to declare guilty on the third count. But then again, surely bloggers of every country are indeed focusing on their countrymen and women.

The inward looking, well I don’t think I do much of that. Do I?

The too technical claim, well I might be able to do something about that. Fústar is looking for writers. Namely, “being the creation of a horror short story (interpreting “horror” however you wish) of no more than 500 words”. So I might call on my “evil” twin brother Ken to put in 500 words of twisting possibilities. 500 words is… not much. I’ve tried, and it’s hard to limit myself to 500. But it’s a challenge.

So, gentle reader, do you think things should get a little twisted and horror-struck around here?

take care,

Will

… because I can.

As much as I would like to blame Grandad for giving me the idea I suppose I can’t.

I entered the “Best Blogging Website” contest at The Golden Spiders, partially because I’d love to live blog the show, but mostly because I can.

I think every Irish blogger, and blogger from Ireland, and every blogger not from Ireland but living in Ireland should enter this. Why… because you can. And I’d love to see what happens next. (Besides, Mulley should win it, but since when does the “should-have” actually become the “did-it”)

So I filled out the form and off went the entry.
I seem to be asked for a cheque for €0. I wonder if I should send one in?

take care,
Will

tags : headrambles, Best Blogging Website, Golden Spiders, blogger, Irish blogs, Ireland