As many of you know, I posted a quick PSA announcement on an Amber Alert issued in my local area. The kid was found, the father arrested, and all is good. I had gotten the notice on my computer from my ISP (Wide Open West) and they had it pop up over my main browser. Once i saw the pop up, i had a choice of following it for more details, ignoring it, or opting out of any further updates. This struck an idea in me, and I want to see what you all think of it.
If you like my idea, please spread the word around. Post this (or a similar take) on your blog, talk about it to your friends, or just link to this post. Helping to get more kids home safely is a very important thing.
So, when I followed the PSA that popped up on my browser to Ohio's Amber Alert system, I noticed that they had a handy dandy little javascript add on that you can add to your site. Basically, when they issue an alert, the javascript that you added flashes on your website letting your readers know that there is a missing child in the area. This is a great idea, but it is lacking in a major thing.
How is an update to the coding really going to get new people to see the issue? If I go to the website, then I might notice the javascript code, but odds are that I will not. Furthermore, I am not likely to go to the website unless there is a new post. In the world of RSS feeds, only new items will bring in new people.
So this got me thinking, why not create some script that auto posts a post on blogsites that sign up for the service. You could customize the post (title, labels, etc.) and all the state adds is the important details. This could automatically post on blogs that signed up, and then spread quickly. It would show up in all of the RSS feeds, and it would quickly spread to the readers and the like.
My post had roughly 175 unique people view it before the kid was found (three hours after the post). While this does not seem like much, think about it on bigger sites. Say it was automatically posted on Glass City Jungle, or various other huge blogs throughout Ohio. Thousands that did not get a notice from their ISP, or their news (which I never heard it on) would get it right away. Blogs can spread this news quickly, efficiently, and for free. This is the answer.
Even more, sense most people have their blog update their twitter status, the Amber Alert would quickly be retweeted around the world, getting the most readers possible. The combination of these two viral means would ensure that the most people possible can see the alert, and it will hopefully lead to a quicker discovery of the missing child.
I propose that our state adopts this sort of system. I am sure that Blogger, Wordpress, Xanga, Live Journal, and the various other blogging platforms would quickly pick up on it and implement a safe and secure way to get the blogposts up automatically. You could focus it on one area, have it fully customizable, and make sure that everybody wants it. With over half of the country reading blogs on a regular basis, this important news would quickly spread across the interwebs on its trip around. This would make sure that everything was quick, and the kid was found.
So what do you guys think about this? Is this sort of thing a good idea or a bad idea? Please let me know how I should change it, or what you think that I should do with it. If you like the idea, spread it: link to this post, post this yourself (let me know via a post here or an email so I can keep records), or make a variation of the idea for your blog (again, let me know).
Basically, I want to make the system better, and want to see if this will work
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Showing posts with label blogs. Show all posts
Showing posts with label blogs. Show all posts
Monday, March 9, 2009
Wednesday, February 18, 2009
Carnival of Ohio #155
Like always, Whalertly is in this weeks Carnival of Ohio Politics.
This weeks feature is about surviving and it features some of the best blogs in Ohio. Go check it out:
Carnival of Ohio Politics: Carnival of Ohio Politics, #155 - The Survivors Edition Read more ...
This weeks feature is about surviving and it features some of the best blogs in Ohio. Go check it out:
Carnival of Ohio Politics: Carnival of Ohio Politics, #155 - The Survivors Edition Read more ...
Wednesday, February 11, 2009
Carnival of Ohio #154
Like always, Whalertly is in this weeks Carnival of Ohio Politics. Though I am not sure that I like the style it was written in this week, it is full of good and interesting blogs. Check it out:
Carnival of Ohio Politics: Carnival of Ohio Politics dadgum number 154 Read more ...
Carnival of Ohio Politics: Carnival of Ohio Politics dadgum number 154 Read more ...
Monday, June 2, 2008
Bloggers
Post 13:
*NOTE*
A letter to the editor from myself to the Other Paper was published last Thursday, when I am able to get a copy to scan it in I will post if for you guys. It dealt with Anonymous (more specifically, their protest in Downtown Columbus the other day) and this post, that is, my post on fellow bloggers.
*END OF NOTE*
I read several blogs, from Carnival Of Ohio Politics to Glass City Jungle to CNNs blog to several non-political orriented ones like Endgadget and Crave. I read them, comment on them, and argue on them. Yeah, I am that sort of person. One thing that has always driven me crazy are how the blogs work, and how people seem to think that they are credible sources of news. NEWSFLASH, I support Clinton and McCain, I will be biased, though I will attempt to hit all sides, deal with it, and look at pro-Obama blogs to get a middle ground. Really, that is what we all need to do, watch Fox and MSNBC, read my blog and read an Obamaites blog; one should always get both sides of a story as the truth is usually dead in the middle.
Some blogs can be intertaining, some can be informative, and some can be stunning, they often exist for one basic reason. That is, most blogs exist to share one viewpoint (often biased) to the world, mainly, to those who already agree with their viewpoints. They exist for the same reason as Myspace users and Youtubers. Really, there are three main reasons that bloggers really bug me: They are narcisistic and self-important - They claim to be great sources of news - They are clearly Biased (and yes, I know that I am biased).
Bloggers: What Really Grinds My Gigantic Notched Wheels
They are narcisitic and self-important:
The world is full of people that would be willing to kiss their own image on a frozen mirror, even when they know that their tounge will freeze upon it and they will starve to death. People from Paris Hilton to Karl Rove to Parez Hilton to Michael Moore. These people love themselves, think they are all that matters, and think that the world revolves around them. Most bloggers are like that, we only care about certain things and think that that is all the world cares about. Me, I think that if you do not care about politics (I do not care which side of politics you are on) or science you are worthless. Most bloggers do the same thing. Really, it seems as though blogs exist solely to make us feel important. We make claims as to viewership, locations (hey, do you guys remember the map I posted, well, it is much fuller now), and links. It now seems as though blogs have become the definition of how popular you are, the jocks are mentioned on big sites and are viewed hundreds of times a day. The geeks (which, oddly, does fit me many different ways) are mentioned on the jock sites occasionally (usually as a pitty) and get ten hits or so a day. Holy shit, Blogs are the new high schools.
They claim to be great sources of news:
Newspapers are one of the last great sources of news that are left. Television news are held hostage to their sponsers, the internet news is often owned by the same cable news companies, radio, well, there is no radio news anymore (for the most part). Blogs have started to be argued as one of the great new sources of news. When Dan Rathers spoke about a Millitary document regarding Bush not serving the right wing bloggers attacked in mass, and showed the rreport to be false. Yes, blogs do assist in gathering news and sometimes break the news first (like those that broke the Dann story). However, Blogs should not be used as news sources. Often blogs do not have first hand sources that ARE CREDIBLE (and no, the poster is never a credible source, as they are often very very biased in their wording). Furthermore, they do not have accsess to the research tools that things like The Columbus Dispatch and the New York Times have. Lastly, blogs do not have journalistic integrity to maintain. When your news source is able to outright lie (lack the integrity) it is time to get a new source.
They are clearly Biased (and yes, I know that I am biased):
I support Clinton and then McCain. I am a moderate Democrat. I am pro-choice, pro-drug, pro-Constitution, pro-Civil-Liberties. I am (as you can see on the political compass on the side of this blog) a libertarian leaning lefist (slight). I am biased, deal with it. That said, this is also one of my biggest issues with bloggers. When I read a political blog I expect to see posts that for the most part help one side; however, I also expect to see the occasional post that helps the other side. Your pro McCain, well, I expect to see pleanty that support the Mac yet some that occasionally point out where Obama is better (like the Oil Tax issue). That said, we should expect a level of bias on any site, blog or not. However, with blogs, it is to the point of absurdidy. I do not want to read a blog that claims Obama is satan in every post, EVEN IF IT WERE PROVED TO BE TRUE. Really, I am only saying, lets keep the bias to a minimum in these things, as that lets us get more readers.
As always, please leave any comments, no matter how large or how small about the contents of this blog post. Also, please leave any comments/suggestions about this site/post as a whole.
Thanks,
Barga,
Editor of http://whalertly.blogspot.com/
barga.24@osu.edu
Read more ...
*NOTE*
A letter to the editor from myself to the Other Paper was published last Thursday, when I am able to get a copy to scan it in I will post if for you guys. It dealt with Anonymous (more specifically, their protest in Downtown Columbus the other day) and this post, that is, my post on fellow bloggers.
*END OF NOTE*
I read several blogs, from Carnival Of Ohio Politics to Glass City Jungle to CNNs blog to several non-political orriented ones like Endgadget and Crave. I read them, comment on them, and argue on them. Yeah, I am that sort of person. One thing that has always driven me crazy are how the blogs work, and how people seem to think that they are credible sources of news. NEWSFLASH, I support Clinton and McCain, I will be biased, though I will attempt to hit all sides, deal with it, and look at pro-Obama blogs to get a middle ground. Really, that is what we all need to do, watch Fox and MSNBC, read my blog and read an Obamaites blog; one should always get both sides of a story as the truth is usually dead in the middle.
Some blogs can be intertaining, some can be informative, and some can be stunning, they often exist for one basic reason. That is, most blogs exist to share one viewpoint (often biased) to the world, mainly, to those who already agree with their viewpoints. They exist for the same reason as Myspace users and Youtubers. Really, there are three main reasons that bloggers really bug me: They are narcisistic and self-important - They claim to be great sources of news - They are clearly Biased (and yes, I know that I am biased).
Bloggers: What Really Grinds My Gigantic Notched Wheels
They are narcisitic and self-important:
The world is full of people that would be willing to kiss their own image on a frozen mirror, even when they know that their tounge will freeze upon it and they will starve to death. People from Paris Hilton to Karl Rove to Parez Hilton to Michael Moore. These people love themselves, think they are all that matters, and think that the world revolves around them. Most bloggers are like that, we only care about certain things and think that that is all the world cares about. Me, I think that if you do not care about politics (I do not care which side of politics you are on) or science you are worthless. Most bloggers do the same thing. Really, it seems as though blogs exist solely to make us feel important. We make claims as to viewership, locations (hey, do you guys remember the map I posted, well, it is much fuller now), and links. It now seems as though blogs have become the definition of how popular you are, the jocks are mentioned on big sites and are viewed hundreds of times a day. The geeks (which, oddly, does fit me many different ways) are mentioned on the jock sites occasionally (usually as a pitty) and get ten hits or so a day. Holy shit, Blogs are the new high schools.
They claim to be great sources of news:
Newspapers are one of the last great sources of news that are left. Television news are held hostage to their sponsers, the internet news is often owned by the same cable news companies, radio, well, there is no radio news anymore (for the most part). Blogs have started to be argued as one of the great new sources of news. When Dan Rathers spoke about a Millitary document regarding Bush not serving the right wing bloggers attacked in mass, and showed the rreport to be false. Yes, blogs do assist in gathering news and sometimes break the news first (like those that broke the Dann story). However, Blogs should not be used as news sources. Often blogs do not have first hand sources that ARE CREDIBLE (and no, the poster is never a credible source, as they are often very very biased in their wording). Furthermore, they do not have accsess to the research tools that things like The Columbus Dispatch and the New York Times have. Lastly, blogs do not have journalistic integrity to maintain. When your news source is able to outright lie (lack the integrity) it is time to get a new source.
They are clearly Biased (and yes, I know that I am biased):
I support Clinton and then McCain. I am a moderate Democrat. I am pro-choice, pro-drug, pro-Constitution, pro-Civil-Liberties. I am (as you can see on the political compass on the side of this blog) a libertarian leaning lefist (slight). I am biased, deal with it. That said, this is also one of my biggest issues with bloggers. When I read a political blog I expect to see posts that for the most part help one side; however, I also expect to see the occasional post that helps the other side. Your pro McCain, well, I expect to see pleanty that support the Mac yet some that occasionally point out where Obama is better (like the Oil Tax issue). That said, we should expect a level of bias on any site, blog or not. However, with blogs, it is to the point of absurdidy. I do not want to read a blog that claims Obama is satan in every post, EVEN IF IT WERE PROVED TO BE TRUE. Really, I am only saying, lets keep the bias to a minimum in these things, as that lets us get more readers.
As always, please leave any comments, no matter how large or how small about the contents of this blog post. Also, please leave any comments/suggestions about this site/post as a whole.
Thanks,
Barga,
Editor of http://whalertly.blogspot.com/
barga.24@osu.edu
Read more ...
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