What a year
This was the first photo I used in a post. We're all about the nostalgia.
As I mentioned in the Headlines today, we’re 1.
(Notable people we share birthdays with: The Unknown Studio, sort of…Edmonton reporter Simon Ostler…Queen of the Cougars, Courtney Cox…K-9 star Jim Belushi…Neil Patrick Harris, freakin’ NPH…Ice Cube…Waylon Jennings…and Helen Hunt…not bad company at all.)
We had to go back and check when we actually posted for the first time last year, since it’s been a long year. It’s been a lot of blogging, but, as with most things, life also gets in the way. So I mean it when I say the edmontonian has had a long year. Heck, I was really blown away when looking through our old stories. It was lots of “We did that? We talked about that already?”
I like hearing the guys at The Unknown Studio joke in their podcasts that Scott never thought they’d see one year, and Adam gets to gloat. (They’re also turning one!) I feel the same way, sometimes.
the edmontonian is a blog. But it’s just a website. It’s a news aggregator. But it’s also a content creator. It’s an online magazine. It’s about Edmonton. It’s a conversation. It’s just a blog. It’s a place where anyone can share their stories, whether in an actual post or photos or just in the comments.
I think I’ve seen, in the last year, how titles and jurisdictions and mediums matter less. I really don’t think it matters if you’re putting out stories of Edmonton on TV, newspapers, radio, online, in magazines, in photos or videos. People want information, they want discussion, they want to solve problems and celebrate victories. Personally, I feel the Internet can do a combination of that better than traditional mediums (if only for interaction and constant updating) but as long as newsrooms and blogs and people telling stories are after truth I think it’s all good.
Truth being stories about this place we live in, good and bad. Truth being facts not plainly stated or available, sometimes only revealed through digging of crusading reporters. Truth being that we’re all in this, so we better find some common ground and try to solve problems, be for something and not against everything.
And truth being that we’ll talk about stuff like broken doors and mall openings because it’s fun and funny, not because we think it will attract eyeballs.
And I like to think this is all part of a wider connection of blogs, podcasts and passionate Edmontontians that are changing, not just how the city approaches things, but also, the way people get their news.
There you go. Edmonton’s got a world-class online, and tech, community. That’s how you become a great place to live, you do it without trying.
Don't go shopping for glasses with Sally. She'll just take photos of you to make you look like a perv.
It’s been a wild year. I can’t believe we’re still here, and I’m glad we are. I can’t believe people readily write for us and team up with us. I’m blown away when people talk about us, or thank us for talking about their blog or their issues.
It’s humbling. And it’s not something I always got, or recognized, when working in daily news. This little blog has changed my life.
Thanks for sticking with us for one year. We hope to be thanking you again in 365 days.
A new way to follow the election
Hey, Edmontonians, I’m happy to announce that EdmontonPolitics.com is live and rocking the Internet.
I guess I should tell you what the heck EdmontonPolitics.com is so you have an idea of why I’m excited.
It’s a municipal and school board election year so I started thinking about doing something big for election night. Then I saw what a team of bloggers was up to down in Calgary with their election. I mentioned the possibilities of Edmonton’s online newsies joining forces to Dave(berta) and, next thing you know, we’ve got a website that will cover the 2010 election.
Talking with Dave Cournoyer and other bloggers, and online types, the energy around the conversation really got me excited. It felt like this was something waiting to be done. And now we’re doing it.
I also like talking about it here, because it makes me think of a new series from B.C’s The Tyee, where they’re highlighting stories from the hyper-local Vancouver Observer. It’s interesting to see how online publications feel fine mentioning others, while I think you’ll be waiting some time before the Sun tells you to check out stories in the Journal.
Anyway, I hope to see EdmontonPolitics.com (or EP.com) be an online source of information, stories, opinions, and fun related to the October elections. While they don’t know it yet, I’m also going to try and recruit a bunch of people I know to write and document the election for us, regardless of them being regular bloggers.
We’re also hoping to break down barriers to political coverage. I know I still struggle with writing information in a way that’s accessible to people not versed in the topic at hand. It’s a problem a lot of reporters have.
So, hopefully we make it easier to know what the hell people are talking about with a glossary of acronyms, buzzwords, and people that will be mentioned in the election. And we’ll always be open to questions because I bet some people don’t vote, because they haven’t studied government since school, and just don’t feel like they know anything. EdmontonPolitics.com aims to include everyone in the discussion and get them voting.
Let me know what you’d like to have explained, or covered, here in the comments or over at EP.com.
The answers are ahead of us
Since I attended MediaCamp Edmonton, helped the organizers throw it together, and generally will not turn down an opportunity to talk like I’m a smart guy, here are some of my thoughts on the event.
Jas Darrah explaining an "unconference" is about to get all up in our grills.
It all went down Saturday, May 8, in Salon 12 of Edmonton’s Shaw Conference Centre.
Those in attendance included a whole lotta Edmonton Journalers, lots of people from public and media relations and communications, a smattering of people from Edmonton’s other newsrooms, bloggers, freelancers, podcasters, and some developers. (Of the computer kind, not property.)
The day was about bringing developers and tech-savvy people together with media and those in the communications business. I wouldn’t say there was any more outcome than that planned.
People who are trying to communicate with a wider audience, whether in traditional news, online media or PR and media relations are watching their worlds change. And things are changing quickly.
So, what better way to be reassured you aren’t the only one without an answer than getting together with 200 other people without the answers?
I hope that’s one thing people took away from MediaCamp. Technology is changing so quickly, altering all the ways we communicate, that nobody quite knows how things will look in six months, let alone five years.
Saying no to an idea right now is probably the worst option. Even if the idea itself sounds terrible. We don’t know what’s going to work.
Somebody approached me with an idea, Saturday, and while my brain was telling me it would never work my mouth was telling this person it was interesting and I wanted to hear more. It was tough for me to overcome my brain’s opinion but if I want to keep writing and talking with the public I’m going to have to be open to options.
The headline of this post doesn’t just speak to everyone in the media and communications fields continuing to talk and put together plans that might just become answers. It also speaks to some of the debate that popped up at #yegmediacamp.
Of course the question “What is a journalist?” devolved into a blog vs. journalist discussion. I think this question is tired.
I joked that my pitch for the day was going to be “Blogger vs. Journalist, let’s go fight.” I knew that debate wasn’t going to solve anything, wasn’t going to come up with anything tangible. Yet, I found myself sitting in that group.
(My actual pitch was for building the relationships between bloggers and PR/media relations. Seems the two sides are interested in finding each other, we just need a way.)
Look, if someone sitting in a newsroom doesn’t want to deal with a writer who will talk about their community, talk about important issues and politics – for free and/or in their spare time – that’s their call.
And if someone writing or podcasting doesn’t want to deal with a guy who works in a newsroom because he’s “old” or working in a “dead” medium, that’s his call too.
But people are reading blogs. They are listening to podcasts. They view photos and videos from these “amateurs.” And they’re still getting news and information from traditional newsrooms, in print, radio, TV and online. (I include both mainstream and alternative/independent news in the traditional camp.)
There are relationships to be had between both of those news worlds and the PR/media relations universe too.
Don't look at me, I don't know the answer!
So, we’ll either start learning from each other and working together on content, advertising, promotion, everything. Or we’ll continue to bicker, splinter audiences and never really reach the goal.
The goal, in my opinion, being a really well-informed public that gets its information from as many sources as possible and makes great decisions that better our community. The goal isn’t the largest audience or biggest paycheque.
But, hey, the day wasn’t all fighting and looking for the quickest way to keep the money flowing in the online age.
200 people showed up. WAY more than we had planned on. That speaks to a real hunger to find out what to do, what might work.
Everyone (or almost every single person) in the room instantly shot their hand into the air when asked if they’d come back to another similar event. People walking away without definitive answers and wanting more discussion that doesn’t guarantee solutions has to be a success.
If you were there and something sparked your interest explore it. Talk to someone who was there. Talk to someone who wasn’t.
This information revolution is messy, but we can figure it out by working together.
And if you just want to sit around and whine about someone or something that’s taken your audience, job, pants, move out of the way so we can get on with the business of informing, and being informed.
More ideas: See what people were/are talking about. Talk to someone who was there, someone who might be able to work with you on a new idea.
There goes my afternoon
Oh, Edmonton, you don’t even know…
We actually have a pile of stories and photos and submissions to post this week, which means I should be working on spell-checking and image re-sizing and whatever the heck it is I pretend to do when smarter people than me submit their fine work to the edmontonian.
But then I was pitched a pyramid scheme and the day went to hell.
The best part, the absolute best part, about the whole thing comes from my Googling as soon as they were out the door:
Ky. company to pay nearly $1M settlement in Mont.
I mean, the company you just told me was so great is giving back participants* close to one-million dollars.
Ugh.
Would I really give you hundreds of dollars, without even a web search? Do people do this? If they do, and I guess we know they do, should we simply teach more people how to Google things?
Now, I’ll tell you why I let them do their whole spiel. It’s the same reason I mess with telemarketers (Although getting rid of the landline really solved that problem.), I like to mess with them, I like to keep them on MY hook for as long as possible. It’s an effort, however small it may be, to keep them from actually finding people who will pay into this kind of crap.
I'm rich, biatch!
The other somewhat interesting item from today’s 30 or so minutes of fun was how much of the pitch, aside from boring details and weak explanations of the products I’d be selling and how it all really worked, was about money.
I had to make more money. Who wanted to work anyway? (Hey, I like money, but it’s not the only goal.)
Since I previously knew one of the pitchmen they should have known, coming to my place of work, that I actually have a job I quite like. A job that actually gives a little something back to the wider community.
What they didn’t know is that I’m also quite interested in journalism, community, and communication on the Internet, which doesn’t necessarily mean I’m just trying to land myself on a sunny beach somewhere.
So, in a totally weird way, they showed me that I was doing the right stuff. I had stumbled my way into a path that truly meant something to me, that I wasn’t all about money.
Oh, and they showed me that crazy get-rich quick schemes sound as flimsy in person as they do on the TV, or in “beware of this scam” news stories.
*participants are victims (and/or suckers)
We always appreciate your help
Hey there, Edmonton.
You might have noticed some new buttons on our sidebar, over there, to the right of these very words.
One is bright yellow and has a beautiful gold running shoe in it. That funky little ad takes you on the way to our PayPal donation page. Yes, we’re now openly soliciting you for money.
But it’s not actually for gold shoes. Yet.
It’s our attempt to start growing the edmontonian bigger and better. We love when we get stories and opinions and photos and videos from you, and we’d like to keep growing that relationship. We’d also love to get to the point where we could do this more of the time, and maybe even slide YOU a few bucks for helping.
So, when you’re dumping a fistful of quarters into newspaper boxes I hope you’ll think of us, and how we’re not even putting a definitive price tag on the cost of readership. We don’t think you have to pay $1 a day, or even a week. Heck, $10 a year from you could run this whole operation at tremendous new levels.
Though, if you like this idea, we’re going to have to think up great rewards for your financial contributions…perhaps giant clocks.
The other new button over there is a revamped link to our Cafe Press store. Oh yeah, we’ve got new stuff in there! Hilarious stuff.
The other ads and links are from various friends and if you want to check them out, we say you do it.
All in all, this is just one of many “thank you” letters we’ve written, to thank you for reading, for contributing, and for being a part of the Edmonton conversation.
Why didn't anyone tell me the Dawson Bridge was out? (Photo: Brittney Le Blanc)
Poster Wars
There’s a battle out there on Edmonton’s streets. A battle that you might not know is even happening.
I was recently a soldier in this fight.
The fight for prime poster space.
This is where musicians wage war.
I’m not in a band, I don’t normally organize or host events, so I hadn’t really thought about all those poster poles on Whyte and Jasper Avenue. Oh sure, I’d stop and look at them when a poster caught my eye, or I was waiting for a light to change and had time to see who was playing next at the Starlite.
There are also a few boards and walls, some sanctioned for posters and some not, where you’ll see bands, musicians, DJs, plays and many more events being advertised in 8.5 x 11 and 11 x 14.
But I didn’t know about the silent war that was being waged.
It was a crisp Sunday afternoon when Sally and I ventured up and down Whyte Avenue to put up posters for #YegSwap. The sun was shining, our staple gun was full and we had a stack of freshly printed posters.
It was very quickly I learned we would have to poster over others. Now, sometimes this is not a problem, as the event has already occurred, or it’s from the 9-11 Truth people and deserves to be covered. But there’s only so much space for posters and there’s only a few key areas our eyes fall while walking by these poles.
The choice had to be made to poster over other people’s events.
Sally had no qualms about this, a veteran of many poster tours through her years of music, in this and other cities. I was somewhat wary.
But like a grizzled general she informed me we would have to do it. There was no other choice but to claim prime poster space as our own.
Good luck finding these under a pile of new posters.
I didn’t realize how soon I would find out this cut-throat approach was the way of the poster.
I managed to snap a photo of some of our posters, by the Varscona Theatre, the day after we traversed Old Strathcona. (Seen to the right.) Trust me, they weren’t visible for long. Most of the posters quickly disappeared into a sea of new events. People are ruthless and won’t stop to cover your next show, your next play, your charity event even.
Next time I poster, I’m going out again and again.
And don’t worry folk singers, rock stars and the DJ who doesn’t even play for a month but feels the need to poster over events happening this week, your displacement of my #YegSwap posters will not go un-avenged.
If we can’t all get along, leaving this week’s events for all to see this week, I shall join your feudal battle and take no prisoners.
My staple gun is ready.
You found us!
If you could read my mind...you'd know that I wasn't dead. Oopsie by Canwest. (Great screen grab by ChrisD.ca)
What a day on the Interweb tubes!
First, there was the big Laura Secord story this morning. It’s back in Canadian hands, but we (people on Twitter) discovered that this chocolate has left town.
Thank goodness we have the awesome chocolate of Kerstin and Sweet Lollapalooza to fill our bellies. If it gets cold again I think some drinking chocolate from Kerstin’s is in order… (We’ve also been chatting up Edmonton chocolate spots at our Facebook page.)
Then, this afternoon, Gordon Lightfoot died. For about 25 minutes. Online only.
I love how people are blaming Twitter, an inanimate social media platform, for the rumours. Unless the machines are about to take over I don’t think “Twitter” was spreading rumours. I think people were. And they were using Twitter as they would their voice, e-mail or a pen and paper. Oh, and once you mix in some major news outlets, you get why this can spread. (Check the screen capture, from Winnipeg blog Chris D.ca, above.)
Where’s TMZ when you need them? Can Shaw buy that too?
But…onto what I actually wanted to ask you: How’d you get here?
I’ve recently aquired a sweet new BlackBerry, and my venture into the realm of smartphones has been great. I just got an RSS feed reader and I’ve never been more on top of my blog reading!
I also noticed, in our own visit stats (now Edmonton’s 93rd favourite blog), that more people are coming to our website and our stories via our RSS feed rather than just plunking theedmontonian.com into a browser. That blew me away! Until I got my feed reader.
So, I’m just curious, are you coming to the website directly, following links off Twitter, catching up with us on Facebook or waiting for your RSS reader to alert you?
There are no wrong answers. Heck, you could even be doing some combination of all of that.
But I want answers, Edmonton!
My Twitter is 1
This week, I’ll have been using Twitter for one year.
It seems like only yesterday I was sending out those first tweets about getting on Twitter, and not knowing what Twitter was, and saying “Hi” to the few people I knew on Twitter.
Now I smile when I see a new account and that person has their first “Finally on this thing…” tweet.
This blog has a lot to thank Twitter for. While I was on Twitter (Man, this could be a drinking game…drink whenever I say Twitter.) as myself months before the edmontonian existed, the micro-blogging service has been the biggest source of getting our word out.
Facebook has been good too. And every once and a while we kick up our YouTube channel. Heck, we’re even on Flickr (in name only right now). But Twitter has ruled them all.
It’s been great to send out links to our stories. And there’s always interaction on Twitter about our stories, it doesn’t all have to happen back here.
It”s been even greater to chat with everyone in Edmonton. Yeah, that’s the best part.
People are always linking to the most hilarious memes.
Twitter didn’t seem to have any appeal to me, at first. Then a friend of mine jumped on, and I followed when I wanted to start blogging.
It’s been a great way to engage with all kinds of smart people I’d never have the chance of meeting in the day-to-day world. Not only did our paths cross online, I’ve since met many tweeps out in reality.
I think the conversations (yes, even in 140 character bursts) have been the best part of Twitter for me. I hope to continue the conversation with those I’ve talked with, start new talks, chat with new people, and keep pushing the great ideas that start at 140 characters into the real world.
Not on Twitter? Here’s where you go.
Make me into a classy dame, Edmonton
Look, I have something of a secret to confess. I don’t partake in the arts all that much.
Sure, I catch a band here and there, see something at the Fringe, I even talk about the new art gallery. All the time. But I don’t really head out to the theatre, opera or high-arts much. Or at all. I make up for my lack of culture with delicious sarcasm.
This is why I need your advice, Edmonton. I’m heading to the symphony this Saturday (for Broadway Rocks) and I don’t know what to wear, how I should act, or anything else that might end up being pertinent.
All advice is welcome. Make me into a beautiful swan. (Or at least a guy who won’t make an ass of himself at a classy joint.)
It’s just you and me now, Edmonton
Hey there, Edmonton.
You’re looking good. Have you lost some weight? That haircut really suits you.
Look, I know you totally love Sally and think she’s awesome for taking on big business, mind-numbing city hall meetings, and other important Edmonton stuff in her hilarious, straight-shooting style. But, if you’ve been paying close attention the last few weeks you might have noticed a lack of Sally ’round these parts.
As Sally mentioned, her life in the glamorous TV industry came to an end, due
mostly to the fact that industry is on pretty shaky ground these days. So, she’s heading back to school to re-educate and take on this wired world.
I expect she’ll have plenty of homework I’m not smart enough to help her with, so she’s going to need time to study and get her dioramas done. That means the edmontonian will be all Jeff all the time.
(Except for all the wonderfully amazing times people contribute. Those times will not be Jeff-time and shall remain the time of said contributor.)
Now, if you’ll excuse me, I’m off to Staples to stock up our little student for the school year.
(Thanks to Teresa for the Staples link.)
Time to say thanks
Since we weren’t around all of 2009 we won’t fill this blog with top 10 this and best of that.
(To clarify, we were alive the whole time, the website just wasn’t around the entire year).
I hope "Looking dumb in photos" ends up a needed job skill one day.
We might mention 2009, or review it, but we’re not going full-out. Maybe we’ll just keep doing things whenever we like and review it in June or something.
Instead, I’ll ease back from the holidays by simply saying thanks.
Thank you for reading stuff we put up on this website. It continues to blow me and Sally away that people come here. Thank you for contributing your own ideas. Thanks for letting us post your stuff and sharing it with more people. Those last two are great because we always wanted this to be a conversation between Edmontonians.
Thanks for talking Edmonton, and really trying to figure out what this city is all about and what it could be. There’s lots of talk today about complaining vs. acting and what makes a city a good place to live. I think complaining is fun, but there really is a point where you either keep doing that or suck it up and try to fix what you don’t like.
Thanks for indulging my news nerdiness and reading the boring old headlines each morning. It’s fantastic that people want to be informed, and neat that I can help point you in some of the right directions. It’s also great to know people want to be more media-savvy.
Thanks for sticking with us when we take time off.
Thanks to those who’ve dropped our name, chatted about (and with) us on radio and podcasts, scooped up our story ideas, linked to our website and become new friends. That’s all super-neat-o number 1.
As for 2010, it’s cool that people come to the website and give it a reason to keep on existing. So, we’ll keep writing, keep asking you to contribute, keep asking you for your thoughts and see where this all ends up.
Thanks again.
- Jeff
Festivus Letter from the Editor
Whatever you’ll be celebrating over the holidays, I hope it’s good and fun and warm. If there’s a giant amount of food that’s all the better.
Since I’m already noticing people zipping off to the weekend I think we’ll also scale things back for the Christmas weekend. We’ll be around the next week, though I think we’ll substitute rest and turkey for some of our blogging.
Be sure to check in on us if you’re looking for something to do while relaxing by the fireplace on your bearskin rug with your laptop. There will be an extra mug of Internet cocoa waiting here for you.
If we’re still around next year, and you find us on your holiday shopping list, we are on the hunt for a new Festivus pole for 2010.
If we get you in the Secret Santa, you can be sure you’ll be getting a clock.
Merry Happy,
Jeff
Less like a present and more like a flag than I'd hoped...
You would have loved him
Hello there, Edmonton.
Things are going to be a little slow around these parts as I’m off to a funeral this week. Thanks for your patience. One of the tough parts about it, as it relates to you, is that you won’t have a chance to get to know the guy who would’ve been your favourite correspondent.
The story behind this photo in the "more" section, or click on the photo.
Back in the summer, when Sally and I Skyped for the first time we had the idea of getting our longtime friend and former roommate, Damien Evans, to act as our Ontario Bureau Chief. We were on a “bureau chief” kick at that point. Damien and I also went to college together so I know he would have had the camera presence down, with the broadcast journalism background.
Having more to do with outright hilarity, and not award-winning journalism, we likely would have searched the term “Edmonton” at the Toronto Star’s website and chatted with Damien about whatever stories came up in the search.
It would have been great because Damien was great. His “reports” from the centre of our country would have been something you looked forward to. I just have a feeling about that.
I think you would have enjoyed it because Damien is that guy who always has a story. He’s always got something new to tell you about, he’s always found himself in new and fun kinds of trouble. Even when he didn’t seek out fun, or happen upon it, he would be the person to create the event.
Lots of people say they will live life to the fullest, or they attempt to, Damien did that. I don’t even know if he had to try very hard. It always seemed that he was in a good mood, having a good time.
Being a hockey town, we surely would have chatted sports with Damien at some point. Not only did he bring years of professional wresting (!), grappling, college intramural floor hockey and dodgeball to the table, he was once a catcher with a continuing passion for baseball. He still scored baseball games, at home, when I’m pretty sure I didn’t know that existed anymore.
A Toronto FC season ticket holder, he loved soccer (so he would have been a perfect ringer for my trivia team which stinks at soccer questions) and he could have provided us with his thoughts on some pro soccer in Edmonton.
It really wouldn’t have mattered if there was anything to talk about between Edmonton and Ontario. Damien was funny, smart, generous and had the biggest heart of anyone I’ve known. He was a good soul.
He would have charmed you as he did everyone he met. I’ve seen the guy make new friends in a matter of minutes, in the most random of places, so I can’t see why he wouldn’t have taken on all of Edmonton as a friend.
I miss him. I’m so glad I had a chance to meet him, and call him my friend. Right now, he’s the best reminder that life is unpredictable, and sometimes too short, so you need to stop messing around and enjoy it.
I really am disappointed you won’t get the chance to know Damien. You would have loved him.
We are now Unknown
Once or twice around here we’ve probably dropped the name of a locally produced podcast called “The Unknown Studio.”
Today’s note is all about Sally and I being guests on the latest episode of the show.
We had a great conversation about media, news, Edmonton, community and a bunch of other stuff I can’t remember. We also had a great time, since the hosts (Adam and Scott) have razor sharp wit and always ask good questions.
Final edit notwithstanding, we also talked about websites such as the edmontonian and podcasts like The Unknown Studio and the place they’re finding in the media realm. We discussed the fact they are welcomed as media or news ventures but the people behind the venture need to recognize the responsibility that comes with that.
Enough of me boring you, head over to The Unknown Studio website to listen to the show. While you’re there, I’d recommend listening to their earlier programs – all worth your time. You can also have The Unknown Studio update directly to your iPod since it’s on iTunes.
Unknown hosts Scott (at the computer) Adam (with the beard) and guest Sally prepare for podcast glory.
Supplying the regular media with ideas since 2009
We first called out Commerce Place, on their inability to fix one little door, in August.
Hey, traditional media, anytime you like one of our stories we can save you guys some time working on it if you just drop us a line. We’ll do it for standard freelance rates, nothing fancy.
Then, you know, you could work on investigative news that people (like us) with day jobs can’t do.
But it is super-flattering.
SEE jumped onto our bandwagon nearly 3 months later.
Letter from the Editor – Oops
Is there stuff much better than a fit, exercise, guy wearing a Fatburger shirt? Nope.
Good day, dear Edmonton.
It was hinted at by Paul, and yes, this is a slow week here at the edmontonian. I’m on vacation, ya’ll.
Not vacay. Don’t you dare call it that.
But, also as you’ve probably noticed, things are still happening here. So, come on by and see what’s up. If you’re new to the place, why not delve into our backlog and see what we’ve been up to.
And since I’m still hanging around, if you’ve got an idea or two, or an event you’ve attended, just let me know and we’ll see if you can’t be the latest contributor.
- Jeff
the edmontonian just got a lot more sally
That's right, I'm back...bringing down both the average I.Q. and average income of Edmontonians!
Hello Friendmonton. Thanks for being here. We need to have a talk about something.
Kids, I have lost my job. Now, I don’t want you kids to be scared, because I know there is a certain standard of living we’ve all grown accustomed to, and that you guys don’t want anything to change. We may have to tighten our belts a bit in the short term, but Derjis, you can still play hockey this year and Paul, we can still afford your clarinet lessons. We’re just going to have to pull together as a family and do the best we can in these tight economic times.
This is not your fault. It’s nobody’s fault. Well, I was downsized from a less than popular local TV station that wanted to centralize their commercial production in Calgary, so it’s sort of their fault. And also maybe the fault of the CRTC. And also the fault of an inherently flawed infrastructure for local TV, established in the 1960s that we, for some reason, have continued to use despite its increasing irrelevance.
BUT- it’s not you kids’ fault. Jeff and I still love you all very much. And the upside is that I’m going to be around a lot more now. I’ll be here when you guys get to work in the morning, and when you come home from school at night. I’ll be here baking cookies, and helping you with your homework and barging into your bedrooms because g.d. it, I have told you a million times DOOR STAYS OPEN when you have boys in here!
But I digress. I just wanted to say that I haven’t been a very good blogger to you kids over the last few weeks, and all that changes starting now.
Letter from the Editor – Falling over you
This is one of my first glimpses of autumn.
We don’t ask a lot of you here, at the edmontonian.
(Oh, except that you read our stuff, keep coming back to the website, contribute your own stuff, tell your friends about the website, give us money in birthday cards, tell us we’re pretty…)
But I’m feeling very fally (is that a thing?) and think we should try and put a positive spin on the changing of the seasons.
The leaves are changing colours, and dropping quite quickly, and the summer warmth is quickly fading to memory. But we don’t have to be sad (though it’s our choice to mope).
No, we can embrace the golds and yellows of fall, enjoy the crunch under our feet and witness the slow build up of clothing layers.
If you happen to catch any of that with your camera, let me know. I’d love to feature some of your visions (or video) of fall in Edmonton right here. It might just be enough to get us to the Thanksgiving long weekend with a smile.
(We already got one photo, capturing the summer fading away, here, from our friend Deja.)
Letter from the Editor – Comments
My bad for not doing these letters on a regular basis. I mean, you couldn’t publish a magazine without the letter from the editor. Maybe I need to use this as an excuse to get a better phone with more calendar options…
Anyway.
Told to call someone who cares? We care.
We are pleased to see more and more commenting going on. (Even more pleasing is when it’s not just our friends coming to the website.)
It got really busy last week when a new contributor explained why he felt the City Centre Theatre was a great secret of the city. So many people had so many things to say.
We love when you interact with all of our writers. (We’d love for you to write for us, too.) Just try and remember that tearing strips off someone for expressing their opinion isn’t cool, but hilarious and logical counter-arguments are game. If we keep on point we can really learn some good stuff about other people in Edmonton.
(Selfishly, keeping on point, and limiting pure anger and flame wars, also means less time required on comment moderation.)
We also hope people can spend as much time engaging in debate when we talk about other important things, such as why political affairs need to matter in your life. Any comments?
Letter from the Editor – Jeff – Aug 31/09
Thanks for visiting! (And, apologies to Gabe Kaplan.)
We’re back!
Thanks for letting us sneak away for the week. (Sneak away from the website, anyway, we’ve got respectable jobs too.)
One of the big changes you’re going to notice is all our new pop-up ads!
We know this is what people want in a website and we’re going to deliver.
There will be ads that pop-up in front of you, others that drop down from the top of the screen and some that will roll around to try and block you from clicking on actual content.
What?
Oh, that’s right. Pop-up ads are stupid.
Consider them banned at this website. (I don’t think we can be paid enough money to use pop-ups.) And, consider me throwing down that challenge to every other media website in Edmonton.
Mostly, last week was a pause that was to refresh us. We hope that we can keep hitting you with all kinds of Edmonton stuff – from neat people and blogs and websites, to photos of the city (and all those little things that make a city interesting and odd), news and events – to keep you coming back for more.
We’ll also have our Back to School Blowout ready for the return to school.
And don’t forget that we want you to be driving the conversation. Let us know about cool websites, events, stories (that are out there and that are yet to be covered), people and businesses. We’ll point others in those directions, and we’ll ask you to write for us.
Not in that, “We’re big media and you’re so lucky we’re offering you a venue,” kind of way, but because you know better than others what you’re seeing and hearing on the streets of Edmonton and we want to make sure those experiences are shared.
Let’s see, what else is new around here? There’s our new Facebook Page (become a fan today!), and you can check out how to contribute. We’ll be posting our advertising policy (and how YOU can advertise) and our editorial policy soon.
Thanks for choosing the edmontonian. We know you have a lot of website choices out there and we’re glad you’re with us.
- Jeff Samsonow
Why Duncan Paterson of Magic 99 is mine and Jeff’s new BFF
Duncan Paterson of Magic 99
No, it’s not just because he likes nachos, which I can’t guarantee he does because I don’t know him. I will say that this picture would certainly suggest a solid pro-nacho stance, for which one can only respect a person.
No, it’s because he’s been giving us shout-outs this week on Magic 99′s morning show! That’s pretty awesome of you to do, sir! Listen to this clip from Duncan’s show, you guys!
You can listen to Magic 99 online here, and read Duncan’s blog here. Ol’ D.P., as Jeff and I like to call Duncan during the times when we hang out and have nachos (which is never) is a pretty funny dude, and he made me LOL when he suggested that Joe Sakic and Harry Connick Jr. may be the same person.
So I guess this means we’re kind of a big deal. …I’m just sayin’.
So anyway, thanks Duncan! And if you want to have a nacho night with me & Jeff, just drop us a line. Maybe you can come over and we’ll deep-fry some stuff.
Letter from the Editor – Sally – August 18
Well, hello, Edmonton. Or, as I like to call you guys, Friendmonton. Can we have a little talk?
So we’ve been at this for two months now, and the time has come to re-evaluate. We’re going to making a few changes around here, but in order to do that, we have to dial back the blogging quota. TEMPORARILY.
You see, the edmontonian kind of grew legs A LOT faster than we anticipated. This has left us chasing it around, trying to figure out how to harness the power of the INTERNETS, which has proven extra tricky given our hectic blogging schedules. So for the rest of this week, expect fewer posts, but more love.
As always, we will still welcome, appreciate and adore your contributions, so keep ‘em coming!
The other thing we should tell you guys is that we’re going to be taking next week off, so that we can try to get our affairs in order. What this means is not entirely clear to us at this point, but if things start looking a little different around here, don’t panic. We will be back, and we will continue to be awesome.
So thank you for your patronage to this point, and we really hope you guys can hang in there with us for the next month or so as we try to figure out what lies ahead for the edmontonian. For all our smart aleck remarks, I want you guys to know that I am truly and profoundly touched that you would spend your time with us. I am honored every single day to be able to talk to you guys, hear your questions and opinions and learn about all the cool stuff you’re doing.
If we’ve learned anything to this point, it’s that the response we’ve received so far can only augur a vibrant future for community media, and the future of our city. I was born and raised here, and I don’t know that I have ever had more pride in, or hope for, Edmonton than I have developed in the last eight weeks.
[A note from Jeff: Pretty much what Sally said. (Oh, except that I didn't grow up in Edmonton.) Things took off quickly, we want to make sure things are awesome for you, so we need to get our Internet in order by slowing the posts down for a few days, cooling our jets next week, then totally kicking the Internet in the face upon our return. Peace.]
*drops microphone*
Letter from the Editor – Sally – August 12/09
I know letters from the editor are supposed to offer some kind of insight into a publication and/or its staff. But I think I’ve made it abundantly clear by this point that I don’t have a lot of insights to offer, in any capacity. Besides, I have something way more pressing that I need some help with.
What the hell is this? It was parked outside my house last night. It looks like an economy car the pope would ride around in. If he was the delivery man at a bakery. In outer space.
Seriously, WTF is this? Do people drive these?
Ask more questions
While that headline could be taken in a philosophical manner, it shouldn’t be.
Nope. We’ve just added a handy “click here for e-mails when there’s a new comment,” kind of thing to our posts. Now you can comment, click to be notified of any other comments, and really be part of a conversation.
Plus, it’s really nice to be notified by e-mail of comments on something you’ve commented on because you can be lazy and not have to check back.
But I know you check back here. Like 10 times a day. Right?
RIGHT?!
Ahem. Thanks for being part of the Edmonton conversation.
I believe this image shows what I'm talking about.
—–
Hey, while I’ve got you here, let me be the first to officially invite you to the 1st birthday of the edmontonian and The Unknown Studio. It’s going to be Monday, August 23.
So don’t go balls-out crazy the last weekend of the Fringe. You’ll nee energy to party with us. And eat cake.
Don’t forget to help us pay for the greatest birthday gift of all. And if you come to the party you’ll get to see the gift as it happens.
Jul 26, 2010 | Categories: Letter(s) from the Editor(s) | Tags: birthday, comments, conversation, unknown studio | 1 Comment »