I conclude, after several failed attempts at boosting my blogger worthiness, I have no idea what I am doing. If anyone would like to help me out and start following me, maybe I might start to see something happen.
For now, I will have to see if one of my fellow bloggers friends can provide me with any training.
Don't worry, the blogosphere knows you're here.
ReplyDeleteWhat you do blog-wise will depend on what you want to achieve with your blog. Form follows purpose and all that.
It was suggested to me by a Labour contact that your indecision about your blog may be indicative of deeper issues, so if I may recommend you shouldn't hang about much longer as this will provide the dedicated local hacks sufficient ammunition to decide how to deal with you - you won't be given a free ride for long, and nor should you.
So, first off, you really should change your profile blurb - excuses are never acceptable under any circumstances. If you make excuses you won't be taken seriously.
Second, a blog is variously a space to express oneself and a tool to connect with others, so the place to start is generally by playing with these forms - eg express how you're connecting with others and connect with the campaigning issues you wish to express on behalf of your supporters.
There are several thousand local blogs, and several million nationwide, so use them as a resource to get ideas of good and bad practise - don't be afraid of checking them out.
Just remember nobody's perfect... and you won't be either. You've got enough of a brass neck to be a candidate and win, so now you've got to show there's more to you than just that.
As you grow you may find it useful to have an outlet to engage in, publicise and promote various aspects of debates you're involved in or care about - which may involve providing critical analysis or responding to others.
Politicians are widely derided for being less than open, and I know your party makes a play of this.
So if you're feeling confident maybe I can encourage you to respnd to your opponents description that you 'bravely sat on your hands' to hand Labour control, and that you should 'publically shoulder your responsibility' for the particular cuts now being imposed in Reading - how do you justify to the residents in your ward that the extra end-of-term waste from student houses has piled up as a result of your decision? And what have you done about it?
Like all those who luve outside Park Ward, Orangepan has no idea. Mel lead a team that knocked on thousands if doors, she knows more about her voters than any other Cllr apart from Rob. Her profile in the Reading media has not been as high, thats a lot to do with the media.
ReplyDeleteAdrian, you are not and never have been a councillor, so I don't think you should be lecturing people about what it's like.
ReplyDeleteAs the respresentative Cllr Eastwood has a responsibility to the community, and I'm sure the community would care to know how she is fulfilling it.
It's hardly a shocking statement, and as advice for a blog I thought it was actually very constructive.