Getting Last Superpower Right
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This is what I think we should do in the next few months to make Last Superpower less like a site that is 'talking to ourselves'.
While there are technical issues with the site, especially in finding a blog product that suits our needs and works, even the correct technical set up will be useless without us actively producing interesting content and promoting it on the internet.
Some barriers to this have been recently identified:
Very few people really understand how (and, more importantly, why) they can submit news stories that will appear on the sidebar of the front page.
We need to be less 'ephemeral' than most blogs. Instead of good ideas disappearing as the conversation dwindles down, we need to collect and store good, original thought from our members on what being progressive and pro-revolutionary is all about. We also need to make it easy for first-time visitors to sort through and find those articles.
Concrete steps that should be taken now:
1) Announce on the main forum that this is our purpose. Let people know that their thoughts will be more permanent as news articles instead of throwaway forum posts, if they are good enough.
Ask people to submit anything substantial that they write for review. This includes the text of long, good comments made on other blogs. We should then approve it quickly (if it is to be approved) and put it on the front page.
The announcement needs to make it crystal clear exactly how to do this. Screenshots will probably be needed. I can write this.
2) When we go out and comment on other blogs, we should link directly to the news stories that back up our points. The tagging system needs to be checked to make sure we can easily find articles that we remember.
Some barriers to this have been recently identified:
1. News
Very few people really understand how (and, more importantly, why) they can submit news stories that will appear on the sidebar of the front page.
We need to be less 'ephemeral' than most blogs. Instead of good ideas disappearing as the conversation dwindles down, we need to collect and store good, original thought from our members on what being progressive and pro-revolutionary is all about. We also need to make it easy for first-time visitors to sort through and find those articles.
Concrete steps that should be taken now:
1) Announce on the main forum that this is our purpose. Let people know that their thoughts will be more permanent as news articles instead of throwaway forum posts, if they are good enough.
Ask people to submit anything substantial that they write for review. This includes the text of long, good comments made on other blogs. We should then approve it quickly (if it is to be approved) and put it on the front page.
The announcement needs to make it crystal clear exactly how to do this. Screenshots will probably be needed. I can write this.
2) When we go out and comment on other blogs, we should link directly to the news stories that back up our points. The tagging system needs to be checked to make sure we can easily find articles that we remember.
2. Our main topics
We discussed this in January, and we need to focus on finding regular, exciting news that will get people reading LS.
Topics that I think we either can or should cover include:
Grand Strategy
Iraq
Topics that I think we either can or should cover include:
Grand Strategy
Iraq
Israel/Palestine
Iran
Egypt
The pseudo-left
Creative Commons/Open Source etc
Bright Future
One Laptop Per Child (unless this is part of Bright Future)
Iran
Egypt
The pseudo-left
Creative Commons/Open Source etc
Bright Future
One Laptop Per Child (unless this is part of Bright Future)
Anti Green (unless this is part of Bright Future)
Atheism
Opposing the ALP from the Left/Electoral strategies
Atheism
Opposing the ALP from the Left/Electoral strategies
3. Promoting ourselves on other blogs, and into the mainstream media
The more often we argue on other blogs about politics, the more we can link back to relevant points at Last Superpower.
It's happening more now, but I think we need to keep going out and arguing at either revolutionary, social-democratic or libertarian blogs and promote our point of view.
If LS members can come up with at least one idea for a newspaper column each three months, we should get into the habit of trying to place it in the newspapers.
Clearly this article ignores the technical issues of LS, which are not minor. But these things can be done now, whereas the technical issues might need a lot more work. When we have a technical solution, content can be ported. But we can't create a sense of excitement and achievement among members and readers without getting good content written.
It's happening more now, but I think we need to keep going out and arguing at either revolutionary, social-democratic or libertarian blogs and promote our point of view.
If LS members can come up with at least one idea for a newspaper column each three months, we should get into the habit of trying to place it in the newspapers.
Clearly this article ignores the technical issues of LS, which are not minor. But these things can be done now, whereas the technical issues might need a lot more work. When we have a technical solution, content can be ported. But we can't create a sense of excitement and achievement among members and readers without getting good content written.
