View From The Basement

Change

The content of this blog has changed. You may have noticed? The reasons are many but here are some; I'm having to read so much at the moment that reading or writing for blogs had lost it's joy. I still visit most of the blogs on my sidebars, as in one sense of the word or another I view these people as friends, I just don't visit as often.

I considered stopping blogging altogether, but have decided to keep the blog alive, at least for the meantime. So when I can I'll post up a pic rather than words. I'm no great photographer - hey I don't even own a camera - I borrow one from my wife who is very generous! But I hope that pics I put up will keep you all coming back.

Shalom.

Increas traffic with Blogrush

HT to Andrew for this. He's suggesting that adding the blogrush widget will increase traffic to your blog. While we all blog for more than traffic, it's good to know that someone somewhere is reading what you write.

To find out more about blogrush either click the tab at the bottom of the reader in my sidebar, or go and read Andrew's post for an explanation of the system.

PS. as Andrew says in his post "it's still a bit buggy" which in plain English means that the blogrush site may crash on you a couple of times as you try to join, but hang on in there are these will be problems they will solve.

Unreflective punditry?

"our modern organs of communication, which were intended to inform and clarify our speech, distort and corrupt it......amplifying to deafening level the dicta of an unreflective punditry". Oliver O'Donovan, The Desire of the Nations, 282.

I remember my brother telling me that I friend who was at the RSMDA was told by their music teacher not to busk as it would ruin their technique. I wonder if blogging is actually a form of busking, but instead of coins thrown in a hat, we busk for hits?

Does blogging lead to poor writing, sloppy thinking, "unreflective punditry"?

Our correspondent in India

A friend who recently moved to India has started to blog and reflect on his move. Why not go and pay him a visit HERE.

addicted

72%How Addicted to Blogging Are You?HT to Fernando

Beware the Blogosphere : Here be Dragons

Back in January Andrew (a.k.a.) Tallskinnykiwi did a post with this title (please don't sue me Andrew for copying you), warning that the age of innocence is over for the blogosphere and that 2007 would be the year in which we would see people being sued for using photo's etc., etc.

I was a bit dismissive of Andrew's dark prediction at the time but Dave's  (a.k.a. GadgetVicar) story has changed my mind.You can read the story for yourself on his blog, but the short version is he used a photo off the web, the owner tracked him down and threatened to sue if Dave did not pay for it's use. Dave ended up paying.

I'm sorry for Dave, he's a nice guy and well as a Vicar is not flush with cash. I'm also sorry for the blogoshpere - if photographers don't want me to use their photo on my blog then they should watermark it, use some form of license that is obvious or in the likes of flickr have a pro account so that if I try to save it...well I can't cause they've spaceballed it!

Dead Blogs

A few of the blogs in my sidebar(s) seem to be dead, and if not dead well they are in some form of deep sleep.

So I'm burying the following, Hippo Critic, Santa Fe Trail, Elaine , Doug Gay and Wood Street World

(ps made the head stone at Tombstone Generator).

Moderation

I've put comment moderation back on as over the past few days I've been getting a few spam comments. I will however try to get genuine comments up promptly.

The Winner is - Update

Lynn has been curious as to what the prize was for being the 1000th commentor on this blog.

Fernando, the lucky winner, was given the choice of four different prises and he picked Mosquito nets.

Both Christian Aid and Oxfam have a great range of "gifts" like this. The young people I work with recently saved up to buy a community water tap, it was great to see them motivated to help others and be challenged in how they use their money.

The Winner is......

Fernando left the thousandth comment on this blog, a feat that I think is worthy of a prize. So if Fernando emails me then I'll arrange a prize for him.

See it is worth while leaving comments!