Idle Dream No. 94

Electronic communities build nothing. You wind up with nothing. We are dancing animals. How beautiful it is to get up and go out and do something. We are here on Earth to fart around. Don’t let anybody tell you any different.
—Kurt Vonnegut



Not withstanding the above , have had an idea .. IT ( or Stan as he is now known in his sex god manifestation), and I were wondering about the plight of the busy Blogger whose hurried rants were un-regarded as people inevitably go to the brand leading Dales and Guidots . As you would expect, good bad or indifferent ,( and they can be all three) , pushed for time the punter is likely to patronise the reliable purveyor of consistent quality . This is self reinforcing because having become the top brand looking for “ The buzz” even their indifferent material will suck in attention.
The sad consequence is that a lot of people are doing good work which does not get the spotlight it deserves . Hatfield Girl and Raedwald spring to mind but there are many more Cassilis (superb), Ed , all people with particular perspectives and no little talent . Phillipa , CU , whose coverage is top quality and as for quirky humour and insight EK ...Hitch ? Hmmmm perhaps he might like to express his more considered views ... . There is also the problem of having to produce a daily snippet. This tends to reduce everything to blog standard homogenously informal chatter relentlessly iconoclastic along well worn grooves .

I have been looking at cooperative Blogs like the excellent Pickled Politics and Samizdata and more formal forums like Compass and from depths of my quivering grey jelly a solution has birthed itself into being .

A Magazine ...I must clarify here .I mean amagzine format web site not a blog but part of the world of blogs

What about a monthly magazine with regular contributors of more considered articles having an editorial team to ensure a good level of entertainment style and economy eschewing the wilder fringes and locating itself a tad right of centre along the lines of the magnificent Prospect . A Cover detailing the contents and a selection of original work over covering politics , arts , sport business along the lines of New Statesman and the Speccie with some attention paid to the look and layout . The is a web site called Squarespace. That could be used for this purpose at no cost with a bit of help

Advantages
1 The bloggers would be able to virally advertise and provide initial interest
2 Each would be more likely to get their best work read
3 A chance to do something with a little more space and time some research mayhap
4 A chance to provide a counterweight to the “ Name” draw of the so called top bloggers
5 A chance to polish work a little more by having some editorial tidying and looking at the whole thing as an attractive product
6 Advertising....well it might pay for upgrading as you went along
7 The possibility of getting the odd interview ? Its not hard to do if you ask
8 A chance for those who do not have the time to build up a following to show off their wares if the mag gets a decent reputation as worth bothering with
9 It would all be free
10 Each could concentrate on their strong area and the whole might be greater than the sum of the parts .
11 Non bloggers could contribute
12 Contrary views from talneted lefties would dispell that tedious fog of universal agreement


I do not see why such a beast might not provide something to augment the blogasphere and yet step into the world of features. In fact the more i think of it the more brilliant it gets. Egos would have to be left at the door. Problem 1


STEP ONE THINK OF A NAME.....