At the Adam Smith Institute: All about blogs…

The Adam Smith Institute held an event on blogging last night. There were about sixty of us crammed into its tiny foyer. Some wit has pinned a picture of Arnold Swartzenegger up in the ‘bathroom’, just to remind any of us wayward visitors which side of the political divide the Institute unambiguously falls on. Stephen Pollard began by saying “I couldn’t care less about blogs. I just get on and do it!” He went on to argue that UK blogs have not yet …

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The big US apology fight!!!

Or how to grow readers and raise money – it’s simple! It’s between sorryeverybody.com and werenotsorry.com. Mick FealtyMick is founding editor of Slugger. He has written papers on the impacts of the Internet on politics and the wider media and is a regular guest and speaking events across Ireland, the UK and Europe. Twitter: @MickFealty

Guardian to take over Tribune?

As the Guardian finishes its first full week as an Irish edition in the Republic, Ciaran Byrne speculates on the chances of a Guardian takeover of the Sunday Tribune. The group’s port folio of take overs has exactly been comprehensive up till now! Mick FealtyMick is founding editor of Slugger. He has written papers on the impacts of the Internet on politics and the wider media and is a regular guest and speaking events across Ireland, the UK and Europe. …

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Slugger mention in Foreign Policy

Thanks to Foreign Policy magazine for the mention of Slugger, in some fairly illusrious company. It accompanies a fairly comprehensive article on blogging by Daniel W. Drezner and Henry Farrell from Crooked Timber. Mick FealtyMick is founding editor of Slugger. He has written papers on the impacts of the Internet on politics and the wider media and is a regular guest and speaking events across Ireland, the UK and Europe. Twitter: @MickFealty

Funding Slugger…

I’ve not made an appeal for donations for a while now. A lot of our technical adjustments to Slugger, including moving our server to the US in the last six months, have helped reduce our costs considerably.The TypeKey commenting system is gradually running in, and we’re beginning to see the return to the kind of vigourous debate (over 1000 comments per week) we saw before June, when we were completely overrun by spam. We now have another upgrade to install …

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A Tangled Web’s found a new home…

Slugger’s at the top of David Vance’s online reading list! From what we hear David’s own readership is growing on a daily basis. If you haven’t visited the new, more spacious A Tangled Web do it now. But be prepared to be provoked on a range of issues both in and beyond Northern Ireland. Mick FealtyMick is founding editor of Slugger. He has written papers on the impacts of the Internet on politics and the wider media and is a …

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Photos on the net…

I think you have to register for this site, but it brings a fascinating range of photos taken by ordinary people. You can try searching for anything that takes your fancy: Belfast; Northern Ireland; even Helens Bay. I picked up this US soldier’s photos from Iraq after unsuccessfully searching for Rangers and Celtic. Mick FealtyMick is founding editor of Slugger. He has written papers on the impacts of the Internet on politics and the wider media and is a regular …

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Is blogging a serious political phenomenon

The next big blogging event will be at the Adam Smith Institute next week. Speakers include Perry de Havilland of Samizdata and Sandy Starr from Spiked Online. Family circumstances permitting, I hope to be there! Mick FealtyMick is founding editor of Slugger. He has written papers on the impacts of the Internet on politics and the wider media and is a regular guest and speaking events across Ireland, the UK and Europe. Twitter: @MickFealty

Murphy accepts Feeney challenge…

The Secretary of State takes up the challenge laid down by Brian Feeney to the ‘proconsul’ on tonight’s Hearts & Minds. Did Murphy ‘perform’ well? Was Noel too deferential? He rarely is, IMHO… Belfast Gonzosluggerotoole.com

Windbag of the Week: Empey rhetoric…

DON’T know if this is a good idea or not, but sure. ‘Windbag of the Week’ is YOUR chance to put the spotlight on someone who has been expelling hot air. Just cut and paste your favourite quote and add your (non libellous!) comments. I’ll kick things off with a fisking of Sir Reg Empey’s press release from earlier today…Sir Reg said today: “The IMC, whose creation was our idea, is proving to be the useful instrument that we predicted …

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There’s a story there… somewhere

The Sunday Business Post reports on the Sunday Business Post – not, perhaps, the most impartial of sources. A very measured news piece to begin with is accompanied by Vincent Browne wading into troubled waters.Vincent Browne’s article seems almost a response to this critical Indymedia article from last week which pointedly highlighted “mainstream media organisations pleading for greater transparency in public affairs”. There’s also an update from the writer in the comments section which mentions “speculation on the Vincent Browne …

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Losing the truth in the news…

Regardless of the degree of press freedom, Alex Kane believes the press we do have is all too often happy to propagandise rather than simply tell us the truth. The result is that people are increasingly reading what they want to hear, and journalists are beginning to be trusted less than jobbing politicians.By Alex Kane Sixty-six years ago, on October 30th, 1938, at about 8.30 in the evening, a couple of million Americans filled their cars with food and headed …

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Ireland’s top for free press…

According to a report by Reporters sans Frontier, Ireland enjoys some of the world’s freest press. Thanks Mark! Mick FealtyMick is founding editor of Slugger. He has written papers on the impacts of the Internet on politics and the wider media and is a regular guest and speaking events across Ireland, the UK and Europe. Twitter: @MickFealty

Slugger on a mobile

For those of you hooked enough to try it, Abi (our ever diligent tech guru at Slugger Central) has added a mobile format to the links on the left side of the page so that you can follow Slugger more easily on your mobile phone. Good luck! And let us know how you get on! Mick FealtyMick is founding editor of Slugger. He has written papers on the impacts of the Internet on politics and the wider media and is …

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Fight for your right.. to blog

Glenn Reynolds, of Instapundit, has posted the second of his two part series on The Future of Blogs and the Blogosphere – and sees a battle brewing.His, reasonable, prediction is that “Over the next few years, blogs will grow both more and less significant. They’ll grow more significant because more people will be reading them, and — at least as important — more people will be writing them. That will expand their impact considerably. On the other hand, they’ll grow …

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Praise for Slugger on A.T.W.

David Vance, with his customary generosity of spirit, over at A Tangled Web has blogged a compliment given to Slugger O’Toole in a lengthy article on blogging in Tuesdays’ Irish Independent.If David hadn’t pointed it out, one of his many fans would doubtless have stressed that it would have been terribly inappropriate for A.T.W. to have been singled out for the praise it deserves alongside of Slugger as David and Andrew run a very British Blog. I’m sure if A.T.W. …

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Newton Defends Himself.

Newton Emerson recently ran a caption competition, result here, that could and has been accused of bordering on poor taste. In the Belfast Telegraph he defends his freedom to express himself outwith a self-imposed quota system where every satirical piece targetting ‘Green’ is ‘balanced’ by accompaniment of an equivalent attack on ‘Orange’. Ambrose Uprichard

A “completely insane idea”

Is how its founder, Jimmy Wales, describes it “a free online encyclopedia that anyone can contribute to and anyone can edit” otherwise known as Wikipedia. The Guardian has a great article on “one of the internet’s most inspiring success stories”.Controversial, over-ambitious and to its fans “a fantastic research source – albeit one that you should use with caution”, the English language version of Wikipedia has over 360,000 entries and is growing every day, yet has cost only £300,000. Currently the …

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Arrogant and self-aggrandising

No, not our local politicians.. although.. no, that’s a different blog. It’s The Guardian’s controversial Operation Clark County in the words of the Guardian’s own staff. Ian Mayes, the Readers’ Editor on the paper, gives his somewhat confused opinion.He asked 71 staff members what they thought of the ‘operation’ and found that only 13 “thought it a legitimate and worthwhile exercise” while 44 were firmly against it. Comments given by staff included the astute observation that “intervention in the democratic …

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Less Economical, More Truth!

An Irish Examiner report carries what appear to be contradictory briefings by the Irish Government yesterday.We have Taoiseach Bertie Ahern claiming that “he had not been aware that Dermot Ahern was giving last week’s interview and stressed he would have answered the question differently” while, at the same time, the Examiner reports that “The comments last week by the Minister for Foreign Affairs were this weekend described by reliable sources [also reported in the Sunday Independent] as part of an …

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