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Nate,

Just for the record, *I* put the links in Skip's blog. Who should or shouldn't appear there wasn't even discussed between Skip and myself prior to the site going live. Now that you're making it an issue, it *may* become a topic of conversation as we seek to fine-tune the outbound links and build the blogroll.

Indeed, I find the way you chose to present the topic to your readers quite interesting. Never mind the fact that a highly controversial elected official in the community has chosen to make himself available to his constituents via a (relatively speaking) new technology. You instead chose to highlight your newspaper's strained relationship with him. What exactly does that say about you and your newspaper's priorities?

Quite frankly, given the N&R's cumulatively pathetic track record of providing outbound links, I'm surprised that you even actually linked to his blog instead of just providing the url address.

By the way, will all of the N&R blogs be adding Skip's blog to their blogrolls today? Just wondering.

One more thing: I notice that this blog is in my personal blogroll and has been for years. But yet I don't see a link to my blog (or anyone else's for that matter) on yours. All the rest of the N&R blogs are right there in the column to the right though. Hmmmmm....

Hey there Shu:

Different N+R blogs have done different things with outbound links. I like to think I have quite a few over at Capital Beat. I know JR does from his blog (don't know if he links to you or not, but he does to quite a few folks).

The N+R blogs are included as part of the template we're handed by the tech services department here.

Scoop, being a group effort, often lacks for a caretaker to look after things like blogrolls, comments getting stuck in moderation and the like.

If I had some admin time in the near future, who other than Skip would you suggest adding? You can provide more, but I'd like at least a top 10.

That goes for anyone. Who should Scoop be linking to other than the smattering we have now? My list would begin with Hoggard, Sandy Carmany, Yvonne Johnson and anyone else who is a sitting council member or county commissioner. Who else?

Nate,

I'm flattered to be at the top of your choices for a blog roll... really I am. But I regret to inform you that I am not a "sitting council member".

At least not yet.

David...but you are on the *pay*roll :)

Ross: I'll assume that makes sense to somebody or other.

David: that was actually me up there trying to be efficient rather than clear. We know you're not a sitting council member.

Sorry I didn't give snarkiness where snarkiness was due, Mark.

I know that you guys know, I just couldn't resist.

Mark,

Setting aside the fact that your reply to me attempts to totally deflect conversation away from the issue of how Skip's blog was first presented by the N&R, I couldn't even begin to give you a "Top 10".

Not because I don't think there are 10 blogs worth linking to, but because I haven't the foggiest what the criteria for that might be. Relevance to this blog? Posting frequency? Quality writing? Ability to generate comments and/or pageviews? Snarkiest? Given enough time, I could probably provide you with a top 10 for each of those questions...and each would feature a totally different set of bloggers in the area. But then, of course, that would be a totally subjective list. Ask 10 different bloggers and you'd get 10 different answers. Lay out some guidelines and I'm sure the Blogsboro community would be happy to give you a bunch of input as who might be included in a top 10 list.

Personally, I've had more fun creating blogs lately than writing in them. So I'm sure I wouldn't make anybody's top 10.

But it's at least nice to see that you're willing to give it a shot. You fellas do realize that a lot of folks in the local blogging community agree that your "town square" or "public square" or "community forum" or whatever you're calling it nowdays never got legs because your organization didn't play by the rules, don't you? Blame corporate, or the tech guys for delays or whoever else you want to, but the fact is this: You can't have a community if you don't know who your neighbors are. The N&R, for whatever reason, fails on a regular basis to provide outbound links to the rest of the community. (See JR's post about Skip's blog for an example...talks about it a whole bunch...but no link) So it should come as no surprise when folks in that community aren't in any hurry to link to you.

Shu,

Noting that the links on Skip's blog were your decision, and in light of your obvious (to me) personal disdain for online practices of the N&R, it might be a good idea to at least ask Skip whom he would like for his blog to link to.

You seem to regard outbound links as an editorial decision by a blog's owner, so it would be helpful to know if Skip shares your view.

Shu:

A large part of your original comment was aimed at the out-bound linking practices of the N+R. Frankly, that blanket condemnation across all our blogs and website is unfair and all you’d have to do is look around to see that, but let's put that aside.

Since you were addressing this blog, I was attempting to address what you saw as a deficiency. If you'd rather complain and push a point than help, so be it.

And if you really want me to address Nate’s original post, my take would be that he was trying to inject a bit of self-conscious humor into the conversation, meaning to be neither malicious nor particularly perturbed.

I think most folks got that. You apparently missed the humor (or attempt at it) and took offense. Sorry about that.

My offer is still open to you or anyone else if you have suggestions as to who we’ll link to. Yes, I have a list of sites blogs that I find interesting or informative, but who knows who is not on that list. If asking for suggestions makes us weak, then we’re weak.

Mark,

I don't think there's a problem with asking for suggestions. In fact, that's probably the proper course to take in your situation.

Sorry if my previous post sounded like a rant about taking suggestions, but like I said previously, what kinds/types of blogs are you looking for? I think that would help narrow the focus a bit.

I can probably think of 30-40 quality blogs in the Greater Greensboro area, but when I say quality, each excels for different reasons. Some are technically well written. Some are better at laying out a logical argument. Some are just fun to read. Some just like to put up pics of their cats...and I like cats...but they aren't really relevant to this blog. See what I'm saying?

Still have to disagree on the outbound linking though...and I'm not the only one who's noticed: http://sue.polinsky.com/?p=3100

Shu:

Your comment took a while to post because it got stuck in moderation during today's great spam attack.

I would say what Scoop would be looking to blogrolls are sites that focus on local politics, either in Greensboro and Guilford County or the smaller communities there abouts.

As for outbound linking, I say there are some things and people we have who do it well and some places where we'd get better.

The story that Sue pointed to in that link you reference was an online version of a newspaper story. It was basically ripped from the publishing system and put online the next day. Right now we don't have a mechanism for going in and back-filling with links once it goes online...and you know, we probably should and that's a good suggestion. (Basically, there you're seeing where we haven't quite integrated all parts of the operation yet.)

On the blogs, each of them are different (despite using the same * explitive delted * template. Each of them are run by different authors, some of who are better at linking out than others. I'd say Doug and Allen over in editorial, JR on his and Cap Beat probably do this the best.

Scoop sometimes does it well and sometimes, well, not. Although I would point out that what kicked off this whole conversation was an outbound link to Skip's site.