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October 17, 2004
Invitation to blog/FAQ
The Skakagrall SNP Weblogging Project
This is an invitation to join in an SNP weblogging project, aimed at making the SNP more independent in making and shaping the news, less dependent on British newspapers and broadcasting.
*What is the Skakagrall?
The Skakagrall is a weblog. Its address is: http://skakagrall.com
*What is a weblog?
A weblog (or blog) is an online journal with news, information and opinions. Readers are able to write comments next to dated entries. There are reciprocal links and feeds to other internet sites and users. It can be used with a separate programme called a news reader which receives news feeds off the internet.
*What is a news feed?
It’s a list of news stories delivered to your computer. For example, every time the Scotsman website publish a story about the SNP they send out a notification. If you are interested in a particular item, you can then access it. News feeds are available from all over the world and from specialist publications, so it’s a way of keeping in touch with particular places and issues. For example, on the Skakagrall I have international environmental news that isn’t carried by British media. News feeds come from both the news providers (such as the BBC, the Guardian or the Scotsman) and from blogs (such as the Skakagrall).
*Are you hoping that I will read the Skakagrall?
Yes, of course, I hope so. I will also be pleased if you leave comments, challenge my opinions or the accuracy of my facts, add information etc. However it will be even better if you start your own blog and link it to mine. (I’ll be happy to help you do this if you send me an email)
*What do you expect to achieve with the Skakagrall?
One single weblog will only have a minor influence, but I am hoping the Skakagrall will be the first in a series of networked blogs.
*Why is blogging important?
Blogging is active. Instead of passively receiving news from the TV and newspapers, you can actively search out information and ideas, re-shape, edit and develop them. The process can be extremely rapid, easily outpacing print media, while offering much more substance than broadcasting. Blogs can provide a critical resource, enabling the party to anticipate issues, rather than merely react to them after events.
*Is there an example of blogging influencing politics?
Yes indeed. This year the Democrat Party was energized by grassroots action organized and supported on the internet. A group of 35 bloggers were accredited to the Democratic National Convention in Boston in July. (The Democrats have also been advertizing online.)
*Could blogging help the SNP financially?
Yes blogging can be very effective in fund raising, but also ultimately by cutting the party’s huge expenditure on print.
*Are other British parties and politicians blogging?
Yes. Some blogs have been little more than online diaries (e.g. Jody Dunn’s Lib-Dem Hartlepool Diary), while others have encouraged some dialogue with the public (e.g. Boris-Johnson.com). None of the party conferences this year officially invited bloggers to attend, though there was unofficial blogging on Brighton beach (using WiFi) at the time of the Labour conference.
*Does it cost a lot to blog?
No. It can be free. In the case of the Skakagrall, it cost 7 pounds to set up and 18 pounds a year for the webserver. Movable Type, the leading software for blogging, is free for individual use. (Obviously you need a computer and an internet connection. It is possible to write a blog offline and upload via a dialup connection, but a permanent broadband connection is much more convenient.)
*Isn’t it complicated to set up and doesn’t it take up a lot of time?
Not necessarily. There are different options, some simpler, some more complicated, some with more design control, some with less. Again some are more expensive, some less. Making a short daily entry shouldn’t take much longer than writing an email.
*Who are you anyway?
I was born in London … but there’s plenty of information about me on the Skakagrall (see the the right-hand side column under Background).
Yours for Scotland,
Edinburgh, 17 October 2004
[sent by email to a list of SNP members]
Posted by Simon Holledge at October 17, 2004 09:37 PM