Tagged: Contribute RSS

  • Levee 1:30 am on January 10, 2007 Permalink | Log in to leave a Comment
    Tags: Contribute   

    Calling Contributors For The Levee Breaks 

    The Levee Breaks is now accepting applications from contributors.

    We’re looking for contributors who can provide thought-provoking pieces on current affairs in Northern Ireland and beyond. You can be Nationalist, Unionist, Catholic, Protestant or Muslim….whatever. The wider the range of opinions the better.

    You’ll receive an account and logon details for the site and be able to post articles straight away. I’ll be on hand to help you learn how to use the blogging software and guide you through putting your posts on the site.

    If you have a blog, we can provide a link back to it from each of your posts, and a short profile to tell the readers about you.

    Contributor Policy

    There are a couple of rules for contributors:

    • If you have a website or blog, you can mention it, but don’t shove it down our throats! Excessive self-promotion will get you banned!
    • Keep it civil. Politics is a passionate arena, and people can get easily insulted. Let’s keep the debate calm and respectable, both in the posts and in the comments.
    • Your opinions are your own. You are fully responsible for any posts you write, and if we receive any complaint you may be asked to modify or remove the offending post.

    It may be necessary to change or add to the Contributor Policy as time goes on. This list reserves the right to change at any time!

    Contributor Applications

    Use the contact form to apply for a contributor account.

     

  • Levee 1:14 am on January 8, 2007 Permalink | Log in to leave a Comment
    Tags: Contribute   

    Refocusing The Levee Breaks 

    As you know, I’ll shortly be inviting people to become contributors on The Levee Breaks.

    Before I do, I want to have a discussion with you all about what The Levee Breaks is and what it should become.

    I think of this blog as a great place for political, cultural and religious debate. I’ve previously posted reviews and personal stuff here, but the most fun I’ve had here on The Levee Breaks has been with political discussions.

    This blog has been linked to from Nationalist and Unionist weblogs as well as press sources, received incisive comments from visitors and (hopefully) published some opinions that forced people to think outside the box for a change!

    I want TLB to continue in this vein. I’d like to see contributers from both sides of Northern Ireland’s political divide, and I’d like to see outsiders/neutral parties. I don’t want to be limited to just Northern Irish discussions either – there’s a big wide world out there and it’s only fair that we talk about wider issues too!

    Your Thoughts

    What would you like to see from The Levee Breaks in the coming year? What direction should the blog take?

    Over to you.

     

    • Parnell 10:16 pm on January 9, 2007 Permalink

      First of all, The Levee Breaks has added greatly to the Blogosphere with its different political perspective so well done and congratulations, Secondly from its inception two years ago TLB created its own forte with the onus on family life. To the best of my knowledge this formula has not been emulated successfully in any other Blog. Thirdly and this is the really bit and the bit fledgling Bloggers don’t get, or most of them don’t get. Blogging is hard work, its time consuming it requires time and effort expended but most of all Blogging requires enthusiasm, in particular, when life gets tough.

      In a fast paced ever changing world Blogging has become popular almost mainstream. The pioneers have more or less disappeared, but not those with the ability to recognize change and continual development they have grown large. Not only have they grown – they have thrived and prospered. As with everything else, eaten bread is soon forgotten. So change and development is the “Key” to longevity. However in recognizing that change is the “Key” that statement contains an ironic contradiction. Remaining true to our core philosophy. However TLB twists and weaves, may I respectfully request you remain unique in that you keep the family element. That’s what made TLB, that’s the attraction and that’s why your fellow Bloggers reward TLB with so much respect.

      BTW: In case your interested, I have broken through the 1000 visitors per day barrier

  • Levee 11:48 pm on January 3, 2007 Permalink | Log in to leave a Comment
    Tags: Contribute   

    The Future Of The Levee Breaks 

    When I started The Levee Breaks a few years back, I wanted to create a site where I could write personal thoughts on a variety of subjects. One of my early role-models was Mark over at Occams Razor, who struck a fantastic blend of politcal and personal posting (and still does).

    Over time, The Levee Breaks became better known for my political monologues, which I was proud of, because I don’t have a grounding in politics and because my neutral approach was quite unique in the Northern Irish part of the blogosphere.

    As you know, posting has been bloody erratic over the last wee while here, and I’ve been concerned about the future of The Levee Breaks. Should I keep it or should I pull the plug?

    Parnell reminded me about all of this in a comment the other day, and it got me thinking. Perhaps the best way to inject new life into this blog is to open it up to contributers.

    So that’s what I’m going to do. Stay tuned for more information.

    In the meantime, if you’re interested, contact me privately through the contact form or leave a comment here (I’ll respond by email).

     

    • beano 10:22 pm on January 4, 2007 Permalink

      Mr Levee I know exactly how you feel. I’ve been considering guest posters on Everything Ulster for some time now but to date have only received 2 (interesting though they were). The problem, I think, is that most folks who want to put their thoughts out in cyberspace already have their own blog – it’s just so easy to set up and I think, if most of us are honest, we all like to have something we can call our own.

      Like you, I’ve also hit a bit of a brick wall. Whether this is due to a disillusionment with blooging, the political situation or just life getting in the way (or all of the above) I don’t know yet.

      I hope you keep writing though because I admire your pragmatism. You know if you ever shut the Levee Breaks down, you’ll always have somewhere to post your thoughts, should you wish to do so, at EU.

    • Mr. Levee 10:44 pm on January 4, 2007 Permalink

      I think the brick wall is a combination of factors that you mentioned Beano.

      I’ve seen a lot of worthy blogs disappear in the last year. I think a collective of bloggers stands a better chance of longevity, because lone guns like you and I can’t keep posting like we once did.

      I also think that more activity on The Levee Breaks might coax me out of retirement a little bit, make me think about NI politics once again and start writing about it.

      It would be nice to see newer bloggers using The Levee Breaks, and I’d like to see opposing viewpoints being discussed here too.

    • Paul 9:27 am on January 5, 2007 Permalink

      I think for all the reasons you both mention ,the NI political blogosphere is suffering from a bit of a lull at the minute. There’s still the party activists posting merrily away within their strict parameters and the two biggies ATW and Slugger, but apart from your two selves and BU there are zero (afaik) “independent” people still working.

      I packed in the NI side of blogging because I felt I’d said all I wanted to say regarding my long-term views and to simply cover NI politics on a daily basis is a profoundly depressing activity and not what I came into blogging for.

      But occasionally a new thought comes into my head and Beano has kindly allowed me space on EU to post them. Maybe the “collective” idea mentioned is the way forward for those of us outside the mainstream? I’m up for it anyway!!

    • Parnell 7:41 pm on January 5, 2007 Permalink

      Mr. Levee: obviously the problem associated with the issue of blogging the political scene in Northern Ireland from whatever perspective is compounded with entrenched attitudes coupled with the inactivity which has lead to amplified apathy from the disenfranchised electorate from all political parishes.

      Northern Ireland is no longer the headline grabber it once was, the world’s media perceiving the so called peace process is fully mechanised, has moved on and moved away. The Press Pack are hunting a bigger quarry in places like Iraq, Afghanistan and so on which leaves us, the N.Ireland Bloggers, recycling the same old rhetoric, Or worse, waiting for the crumbs of the Secretary of States non-democratic table.

      Having identified the problem we must as a society of Bloggers find our own solution, either that or we will all soon vanish from Blogging altogether, clearly, that solution benefits no-one. One possible solution is diversification either with additional content or supplementary contributors. For my part both have been tried on my Blog. Adding Bloggers is the easy bit, getting regular postings from them proves to be a little more difficult.

      The time and effort expended in Blogging rarely rewarded in fiscal terms. The inducement is the pastime of running the weblog in the first instance. Having and holding an opinion is probably a good thing. But publishing the same opinion on the World Wide Web requires certain techniques, a thick skin also helps but it is visitor numbers or an appreciating audience who receives and understands the intended message that in the end of the day wil make or break us.

    • Cybez 4:32 pm on January 9, 2007 Permalink

      There are still commenters out in the blogosphere that I wish were blogging. This might be an opportunity for them. There are also poets and writers on My Space that only post poetry on their blogs there I’d love to read what else they’ve got to say.I also believe there is more to life than discussing politics and it’d be good to see the content of this blog being what it says on the tin ‘A family view of life in Northern Ireland’.Whatever you do Mr Levee, don’t give up blogging :-)

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