Just Left becomes group blog

Written By: - Date published: 9:50 am, January 29th, 2009 - 11 comments
Categories: blogs - Tags:

Jordan Carter’s long-running Just Left has become a group blog with several new contributors. Jordan explains:

The logic is simple. Some of the best blogs and spots of political writing out there now (Hand Mirror, Pundit, PublicAddress, The Standard) are sites with more than one author. They usually share a point of view, but they have diversity within that. The dynamic interaction between authors improves the quality of everyone’s writing.

Perhaps more importantly, I think there’s a niche for Labour aligned activists to post in a way that is less “agent provocateur” than The Standard, but which is undoubtedly connected to the labour movement as a whole.

Sounds like a good idea. Best of luck to Jordan and the team.

11 comments on “Just Left becomes group blog ”

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  1. lprent 1
    29 January 2009 at 2:22 pm

    I suspect he will find it harder than he expects…

  2. TightyRighty 2
    29 January 2009 at 2:27 pm

    i bet your thanking whichever socialist philosopher you believe is the best non-denominational god-figure he hasn’t decided you guys need help, it’d be auckland central all over again

  3. gingercrush 3
    29 January 2009 at 8:55 pm

    A better designed blog would be a start. No offense to the owner but the blog is ugly.

  4. Julie 4
    29 January 2009 at 9:17 pm

    Sheesh, what happened to if you can’t say anything nice?

    Good luck to Jordan and the new additions. I’m looking forward to it. It’s hard to keep up a blog on your own (which is one of the reasons I have so much respect for Idiot Savant), and I’m sure the team approach will be good for Just Left.

    And thank you kindly for the linky love, we have had a lot of click-throughs, which is strangely gratifying.

  5. lprent 5
    29 January 2009 at 10:00 pm

    I ALWAYS go to read I/S. Thought provoking even when I disagree.

    But it is a lot easier with more people, but more of a gap when you get one of those strange periods when no-one wants to write

  6. Peter Burns 6
    29 January 2009 at 10:02 pm

    “strange periods ”

    Indeed they are.

  7. QoT 7
    29 January 2009 at 11:11 pm

    I’m with Julie – sometimes I don’t know how I/S does it. (I myself “do it” by … not posting for ages when real life goes nuts.)

  8. gingercrush 8
    29 January 2009 at 11:23 pm

    I realise my comment was rude. But web designs do matter. If something is presented well, one is more likely to read it. Just Left right now is badly designed. And most blogs I read tend to be leftish blogs even though I am right-wing simply because the left blogs are more interesting and better designed. Of note, kiwipolitico has thoroughly impressed me. Not only with its interesting and smart opinions but its extraordinary good web design.

    I think multi-authored blogs are a good idea. I just hope not everyone jumps on the same thing since there’s something to be said for singular-authored blogs.

  9. Felix 9
    30 January 2009 at 6:28 am

    …the left blogs are more interesting and better designed.

    That goes further than blogs, mate.

  10. Julie 10
    30 January 2009 at 8:07 am

    I hear you on the “strange periods” when no one wants to write. I’m not sure if you use a scheduling roster here at The Standard, but I know a lot of the big feminist team blogs overseas do. We don’t. It means I often look at the scheduled post list, think uh oh no one is writing anything so I better, and then by the time I’ve finished the post two others have blogged already and we have a glut. It’s great that we seem to be able to work it without a scheduling roster though, that would be a bit OTT for The Hand Mirror I think.

  11. lprent 11
    30 January 2009 at 10:52 am

    We don’t either. People write when they think that they should and about what they think that they should.

    However everyone is aware that if they don’t write then I probably will. Since I like to rave about somewhat longer-term topics that most people find rather weird, I think that is enough of an incentive for writers to forestall it from happening 😈

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