The next steps for Island Blogging
Posted: Tuesday, 25 November 2008 |
Hello Island Bloggers,
For those who recall the early days of Island Blogging, you’ll know that this year is its fifth anniversary. What began originally in the Argyll and Clyde islands as a project to promote digital literacy has grown to encompass communities in the Northern and Western Isles.
As that digital literacy grew, and the blogosphere in general developed, it has become very easy to set up blogs elsewhere across the web.
Your concerns about Island Blogging’s technical limitations, House Rules and Terms and Conditions have been noted. At the same time, your patience and support has been greatly appreciated as problems with the blogging engine and spam filter recurred with increasing severity.
In short, five years on, it has become apparent that the site does not best serve your needs and that the technology has reached the end of its natural life.
We are as keen as ever to help you share your personal stories about island life through the ´óÏó´«Ã½ Scotland website and want to take a new approach to share the best material with an ever widening audience online.
As many of you have already found, there are now a number of widely available blogging engines which have superior performance to Island Blogging and, although we would not recommend one above another, they’re straightforward to set up. We’d now encourage you to use one of these blogging engines and, over the next few weeks, we’ll be aiming to support you in this.
We look forward to your material continuing to feature prominently on ´óÏó´«Ã½ platforms via our revitalised ´óÏó´«Ã½ Local sites. Additionally, the wealth of images, writing and information which exists in Island Blogging will be kept as an archive, available to future users.
If you have hints and tips for other Island Bloggers on what you’ve found in the wider blogging world, we’d like to hear them. In the meantime, have a look at the FAQs which will be posted soon and which we hope will answer some of your initial questions.
If you experience any difficulties moving to a new blogging platform please get in touch and we will try to help and advise you through the process.
As this process is rolled out, it would be unfair to accept new bloggers, given that Island Blogging in its current form will not continue.
There will be updates as things develop; any comments, queries or suggestions can be left here (blogging engine allowing) or e-mail: islandblogging@bbc.co.uk
For those who recall the early days of Island Blogging, you’ll know that this year is its fifth anniversary. What began originally in the Argyll and Clyde islands as a project to promote digital literacy has grown to encompass communities in the Northern and Western Isles.
As that digital literacy grew, and the blogosphere in general developed, it has become very easy to set up blogs elsewhere across the web.
Your concerns about Island Blogging’s technical limitations, House Rules and Terms and Conditions have been noted. At the same time, your patience and support has been greatly appreciated as problems with the blogging engine and spam filter recurred with increasing severity.
In short, five years on, it has become apparent that the site does not best serve your needs and that the technology has reached the end of its natural life.
We are as keen as ever to help you share your personal stories about island life through the ´óÏó´«Ã½ Scotland website and want to take a new approach to share the best material with an ever widening audience online.
As many of you have already found, there are now a number of widely available blogging engines which have superior performance to Island Blogging and, although we would not recommend one above another, they’re straightforward to set up. We’d now encourage you to use one of these blogging engines and, over the next few weeks, we’ll be aiming to support you in this.
We look forward to your material continuing to feature prominently on ´óÏó´«Ã½ platforms via our revitalised ´óÏó´«Ã½ Local sites. Additionally, the wealth of images, writing and information which exists in Island Blogging will be kept as an archive, available to future users.
If you have hints and tips for other Island Bloggers on what you’ve found in the wider blogging world, we’d like to hear them. In the meantime, have a look at the FAQs which will be posted soon and which we hope will answer some of your initial questions.
If you experience any difficulties moving to a new blogging platform please get in touch and we will try to help and advise you through the process.
As this process is rolled out, it would be unfair to accept new bloggers, given that Island Blogging in its current form will not continue.
There will be updates as things develop; any comments, queries or suggestions can be left here (blogging engine allowing) or e-mail: islandblogging@bbc.co.uk
Posted on I.B.H.Q. at 15:07
Next steps FAQs
Posted: Tuesday, 25 November 2008 |
What does the announcement mean?
In the past five years, the blogosphere has moved on in leaps and bounds, giving writers the ability to create their own blogs quickly and easily. Many of these blogging engines perform to a far higher specification than the one currently used by Island Blogging. Regular bloggers know that the site has been plagued by problems with the spam filter in the recent past and the view of our technical staff is that the Island Blogging engine has reached the end of its natural life. However, with a number of free blogging engines readily available across the web Island Blogging is, no longer, the only option for Island Bloggers.
Where can I go to blog now?
There are superior public blogging engines, many of which are free and which some of you have found already and are already using for non-´óÏó´«Ã½ blogs. While we can’t recommend a specific engine, you’ll find more information here:
Is this the end of Island Blogging?
We very much hope the community will continue to thrive in the wider world, using the much more sophisticated blogging engines out there, which are not subject to the ´óÏó´«Ã½â€™s rules and terms and conditions, which you have often chafed against. Use of a public blogging engine should give you the freedom of expression many of you have wanted. In the future, we will continue to highlight, promote and link to content on the wider public platforms.
What will happen to my blogs? Will you help me take them to a new blogging platform?
Of course you can take them with you. IBHQ and ´óÏó´«Ã½ staff involved will be posting updates during the process and we’ll help and advise about the migration of your content.
What will happen to the old site?
We intend archiving the old site and keeping it online as a picture of island life in the 2000s. We’ll keep your blogs, images, thoughts and opinions available for the foreseeable future for other users to find and enjoy. Your final Island Blogging post can, of course, carry links to your new blog.
I enjoyed writing as part of the ´óÏó´«Ã½. Can I still do that?
Our old Where I Live sites have been rebranded ´óÏó´«Ã½ Local and, as the rollout of that new site continues and develops, we’re hoping that bloggers who form the ‘local’ audience may wish to contribute features on certain topics to the site. More details below.
I have another question that’s not listed here!
Send it in, we’ll endeavour to have it answered and added to these FAQs in order to provide as complete a guide as possible for you and other Island Bloggers.
New address for islandblogging.co.uk
The url for the new Island Blogging site has changed slightly. Please note that it is now:
The hyphen has been removed.
[Added 3 March]
I would like to contribute to ´óÏó´«Ã½ Local. How do I do that?
If you would like to know how you can get involved in the ´óÏó´«Ã½ Local sites in Scotland, e-mail highlandsandislands@bbc.co.uk or glasgowandwestscotland@bbc.co.uk for more information.
[Added 3 March]
I'd like to join the new Island Blogging site but am having problems signing up.
Go to the 'Help Me Blog!' run by Les on the new site and there you will find hints and tips to help you along.
[Added 24 January]
How do I find the Island Bloggers outside of this site?
Many bloggers are using the new site to blog. Others are using their own blogs on other platforms. Check the individual bloggers' pages for more details on how to keep up with their blogs.
[Added 12 December]
Are there issues around the use of the ´óÏó´«Ã½ Island Blogging name?
´óÏó´«Ã½ Island Blogging refers to this site at bbc.co.uk/islandblogging. If you have contributed blogs to this site, you can refer to yourself as a 'former ´óÏó´«Ã½ Island Blogger'.
When referring to the new 'Island Blogging' site, please make it clear that this is not a ´óÏó´«Ã½ site and should not to be confused with '´óÏó´«Ã½ Island Blogging'. This is a small but important legal distinction.
[Added 4 December, updated 10 December]
I want to make a complaint, how do I do this?
Complaints should go through ´óÏó´«Ã½ Information. See the website for more information on how to make a complaint.
[Added 28 November]
When will the changes be implemented?
At this stage it does not make sense to change Island Blogging before the New Year, as this allows time for new blogs to be set up on other blogging platforms. We do not envisage making changes to the site before the end of January 2009.
[Added 27 November]
The ´óÏó´«Ã½ is not responsible for the content of external websites.
In the past five years, the blogosphere has moved on in leaps and bounds, giving writers the ability to create their own blogs quickly and easily. Many of these blogging engines perform to a far higher specification than the one currently used by Island Blogging. Regular bloggers know that the site has been plagued by problems with the spam filter in the recent past and the view of our technical staff is that the Island Blogging engine has reached the end of its natural life. However, with a number of free blogging engines readily available across the web Island Blogging is, no longer, the only option for Island Bloggers.
Where can I go to blog now?
There are superior public blogging engines, many of which are free and which some of you have found already and are already using for non-´óÏó´«Ã½ blogs. While we can’t recommend a specific engine, you’ll find more information here:
Is this the end of Island Blogging?
We very much hope the community will continue to thrive in the wider world, using the much more sophisticated blogging engines out there, which are not subject to the ´óÏó´«Ã½â€™s rules and terms and conditions, which you have often chafed against. Use of a public blogging engine should give you the freedom of expression many of you have wanted. In the future, we will continue to highlight, promote and link to content on the wider public platforms.
What will happen to my blogs? Will you help me take them to a new blogging platform?
Of course you can take them with you. IBHQ and ´óÏó´«Ã½ staff involved will be posting updates during the process and we’ll help and advise about the migration of your content.
What will happen to the old site?
We intend archiving the old site and keeping it online as a picture of island life in the 2000s. We’ll keep your blogs, images, thoughts and opinions available for the foreseeable future for other users to find and enjoy. Your final Island Blogging post can, of course, carry links to your new blog.
I enjoyed writing as part of the ´óÏó´«Ã½. Can I still do that?
Our old Where I Live sites have been rebranded ´óÏó´«Ã½ Local and, as the rollout of that new site continues and develops, we’re hoping that bloggers who form the ‘local’ audience may wish to contribute features on certain topics to the site. More details below.
I have another question that’s not listed here!
Send it in, we’ll endeavour to have it answered and added to these FAQs in order to provide as complete a guide as possible for you and other Island Bloggers.
New address for islandblogging.co.uk
The url for the new Island Blogging site has changed slightly. Please note that it is now:
The hyphen has been removed.
[Added 3 March]
I would like to contribute to ´óÏó´«Ã½ Local. How do I do that?
If you would like to know how you can get involved in the ´óÏó´«Ã½ Local sites in Scotland, e-mail highlandsandislands@bbc.co.uk or glasgowandwestscotland@bbc.co.uk for more information.
[Added 3 March]
I'd like to join the new Island Blogging site but am having problems signing up.
Go to the 'Help Me Blog!' run by Les on the new site and there you will find hints and tips to help you along.
[Added 24 January]
How do I find the Island Bloggers outside of this site?
Many bloggers are using the new site to blog. Others are using their own blogs on other platforms. Check the individual bloggers' pages for more details on how to keep up with their blogs.
[Added 12 December]
Are there issues around the use of the ´óÏó´«Ã½ Island Blogging name?
´óÏó´«Ã½ Island Blogging refers to this site at bbc.co.uk/islandblogging. If you have contributed blogs to this site, you can refer to yourself as a 'former ´óÏó´«Ã½ Island Blogger'.
When referring to the new 'Island Blogging' site, please make it clear that this is not a ´óÏó´«Ã½ site and should not to be confused with '´óÏó´«Ã½ Island Blogging'. This is a small but important legal distinction.
[Added 4 December, updated 10 December]
I want to make a complaint, how do I do this?
Complaints should go through ´óÏó´«Ã½ Information. See the website for more information on how to make a complaint.
[Added 28 November]
When will the changes be implemented?
At this stage it does not make sense to change Island Blogging before the New Year, as this allows time for new blogs to be set up on other blogging platforms. We do not envisage making changes to the site before the end of January 2009.
[Added 27 November]
The ´óÏó´«Ã½ is not responsible for the content of external websites.
Posted on I.B.H.Q. at 15:11
Other blogs
Posted: Friday, 28 November 2008 |
Hello
Much discussion has already taken place on suggested blogging alternatives. There have been a few suggestions regarding the spam filter too, though these won't be repeated!
Here are snippets of a few suggestions.
Ruthodanort wrote: If we're a community then we should be moving together, does anyone agree? And if we do agree, then we need to discuss where we're going. Any ideas?
Deckhand: A friend of mine who runs a very large scuba diving forum is helping me set up a domain name where we can all run blogs in software called wordpress. We are just sorting out the name of the community - hope island-blogging . co . uk isnt taken! It might be a bit shakey to start with, but please be patiend. I am a bear of very little brain when it comes to the internet.
Barney from Swithiod:
I am working on the following model and I would appreciate any comments that you make: a. Scotland IB will follow current IB format and rules, except: b. Modern blog motor permitting videos c. Maximum archive time 3 months (to save storage space and therefore costs) d. Sponsorship permitted (because it's going to cost money whatever whichway you turn) e. One-time code control of contributions(instead of Spam Fritter) f. It can’t be done without a Moderator (if we can find one).
That's the idea behind this post. If you have any suggestions for other blogs, please add to the discussion.
Much discussion has already taken place on suggested blogging alternatives. There have been a few suggestions regarding the spam filter too, though these won't be repeated!
Here are snippets of a few suggestions.
Ruthodanort wrote: If we're a community then we should be moving together, does anyone agree? And if we do agree, then we need to discuss where we're going. Any ideas?
Deckhand: A friend of mine who runs a very large scuba diving forum is helping me set up a domain name where we can all run blogs in software called wordpress. We are just sorting out the name of the community - hope island-blogging . co . uk isnt taken! It might be a bit shakey to start with, but please be patiend. I am a bear of very little brain when it comes to the internet.
Barney from Swithiod:
I am working on the following model and I would appreciate any comments that you make: a. Scotland IB will follow current IB format and rules, except: b. Modern blog motor permitting videos c. Maximum archive time 3 months (to save storage space and therefore costs) d. Sponsorship permitted (because it's going to cost money whatever whichway you turn) e. One-time code control of contributions(instead of Spam Fritter) f. It can’t be done without a Moderator (if we can find one).
That's the idea behind this post. If you have any suggestions for other blogs, please add to the discussion.
Posted on I.B.H.Q. at 16:05
I.B.H.Q. is your ´óÏó´«Ã½ host, moderator and friend for Island Blogging.
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