In March some friends and I attended the London Indie Media Fair, to promote our monthly new media meet up, and I had the chance to sit in on some workshops they were holding. The first I attended was “The Importance of Independent Media” by Anthony Verberckmoes, and while it didn’t explain how it was important, it did discuss how the “mainstream media” is sophisticated propaganda perpetuated by rich white men. It wasn’t a surprise to hear Anthony espouse these sort of views, independent media is often very critical of the way the mainstream media operates and even markets itself, despite some of the similarities between the two, but if independent media wants to gain acceptance as the news source of choice it could definitely benefit from these evil tools of the mainstream media; branding.
Branding the idea of independent and user generated media, capturing its diversity, and building a community around it is key to reach out to those who want to be able to identify sources of passionate and free voices. But better brands are needed, and they need to be better than anything mainstream has to offer before they can grow.
In this article I’m going to take a look at six of London’s most prominent alternative media sources online, and go over what they do well, where they could use some work, and where they fail.
The London Fog
Called one of the greatest South-Western Ontario blogs, “The London Fog” drew more then 200,000 view in the last 12 months; making it one of the most popular sites on this list. The sites team of seven authors “document the continuing mismanagement of London by its people and municipal government” filling the void as London’s right wing voice. It’s been so successful in this realm that more left wing sites like Alt-London and the London Commons regularly voice their hatred of “The Fog”.
The success of The Fog ends there however, the site has seen a number of visual updates since it’s launch in 2003, but it has yet to develop a solid brand stratagy, and hasn’t extended its aesthetics beyond some dull default templates offered by their host. So my first recommendation would be to move the operation to a self hosted wordpress install; developing a strong brand is a lot better when you don’t have dot blogspot attached to the end of your name. I’d also suggest capitalizing on some of the traffic they pull and monetize it.
The closest thing to a logo the site has is a picture of a flag, the city logo in gold on a field of red much like the old USSR flag. Using that as a starting point for logo development, and the suggestions previously mentioned a great brand could be formed here that could surpass anything else London has to offer currently.
The sites current design released in 2007 feels more like it was created in 1999. This is probably more due to the poor compression of the header image and the lack of sufficient breathing room on the page then anything else they’ve done. With a branding system based on the previously mentioned flag the site could easily pull off a more textured but subtle weathered look of Word War Two poster art.
At the very least I’d suggest pairing down some of the over 600 links they have to the left and right of each post to something more sensible, say 50 or less, create more visual and physical separation of the comments and time stamp links, and remove the grouping of posts by date and unnecessary hierarchical element they could easily do without.
The Fog is at a point that with a strong design and brand, could expand the sites reach and become self sufficient. Either way though, I can only see the site gaining more traction as people begin to pull away from the over-saturation of left wing campaigns.
http://thelondonfog.blogspot.com/
Est. 2003
7 Authors
Blogger
London Commons
London Commons is more of a community post it then an alternative source of media. None the less the sites most valuable contribution to the mediascape is its promotion of local events through the blog posts and the events calendar. The goal is to facilitate a more closely knit community by providing tools and resources to encourage cooperation and sharing, designed so that “any Londoner can become the media”. They also have some lofty five year goals described on their about page that include a print publication, a professional sound studio, organizing public swap meets, and becoming an Internet as well as a VoIP service provider.
The design is a big improvement over the last version, it’s much cleaner has more breathing room, and overall has a much less heavy feel. Unfortunately a few things from the old design were carried over and a few new issues arrived. The first and foremost is the organization’s logo; it’s generic, bland, boring. It clip art married with horrible typography, and doesn’t seem to represent or connect with anything else on the site or in their mission. They should seriously look at doing away with it and moving in a new direction entirely, especially if they are looking at branching out into all these different areas. Finding iconography that represents them and their future ventures may well be difficult for a group run by consensus, but a strong purely typographic logo might be easier, maybe something in Helvetica (neutral enough to get past design by committee), or something more daring like Gotham or Futura but still timeless. Either way it would be a great first step.
Another hold over from previous designs is the poor user interface, and the mystery meat navigation. Making the site difficult to navigate might be more the fault of their framework then the abilities of the staff, but the use of the pictographs for navigation in the top right is not. This sort of guess what the picture means navigation is a very poor choice, especially when only two out of the four somewhat represent their function.
The sidebar seems to be a hodgepodge of widgets trying to get your attention, lucky the most useful and important of these is at the top, and the somewhat superfluous extras below it. On some pages it almost blends with the content unfortunately, especially on the groups page where the content almost lines up perfectly with each event listing. Some better spacing between these elements might resolve that issue, but a look at what is needed in that bar, at what size, and what for, is warranted.
Another thing would be to not have the welcome message display on the homepage asking users to create an account if they are already logged in. But the overall design seems a bit haphazard, I like the colours, and think they could take the stylized urban imagery and run with it successfully, however in general its a bit underwhelming. The one page that looks really good is the Events page, the calendar is clean and isn’t obstructed by other elements looking for your attention, even though changing modes produces some undesirable results, and the name of the month could be much larger.
The word consensus is thrown around a lot describing how the operation is run, which is where I see trouble arising. Design rarely benefits from consensus, and to grow further I would advise they develop a board of directors who could be voted upon by the users (shareholders). Having one or two people in charge of a particular mission within the group and not always seeking consensus from everyone could improve the work flow and produce a stronger organization.
http://londoncommons.net/
Est. 2005
Open Author
Drupal
From My Bottom Step
From My Bottom Step has shot up out of nowhere in the last 12 months, while it was created in 2007 and contains articles from a previous site dating back to 2001, it seemed to be gaining a lot of momentum in the first quarter of 2008. Run by community activist Greg Fowler the site spear heads a number of issues in London surrounding pedestrian rights, accessibility, environmental concerns, public transit, and various issues in municipal politics. It also has a rather useful daily post highlighting some of the news in the region of interest to readers.
Recently the site has been conducting a survey of it’s users, showing signs that the site is at the very least transitioning to the next level to follow it’s growth. Greg has also opened the door for user submissions to the site and maintains a handful of regular contributors.1 However despite the addition of staff the site seems to be cooling down a little, while there are still great articles being published by contributors, Greg himself has slowed to a trickle in the last couple of weeks.
The sites design is fairly generic, making use of a default template provided by his provider. There is a significant amount of clutter in posts via share links, and the sidebar with a long blog roll. The photo for a logo at the top is something I’m used to by now, but I’ll be glad to see a change when it happens. Less focus on the more repetitive items like the comics and the daily news would be advisable as well.
Even with some change on the horizon for the site, without an increase in contributor’s or Greg picking up the pace, it might now continue to have the explosive growth it’s enjoyed without it’s creator at the helm.
http://frommybottomstep.wordpress.com/
Est. 2007
Open Author
Wordpress
AltLondon
Alt London was one of the first alternative media websites I came across after moving to London, it’s fairly well known but is the least useful. It’s not that the content, that ranges from Perez-Hilton style photoshop jabs to baseball scores, isn’t good. It’s the way it’s presented or rather the lack of presentation. It’s so poorly designed that it drives people away, and in a recent survey ranking local blogs tied for last place with the NortheastEnder. Broken RSS feed, the inability to create new accounts, and the most complimentary reaction about the site being that it wasn’t “The London Fog” are telling.
It’s by far the worst designed site on this list, there is no organization at all, everything seemingly thrown on the page without any thought. As a comparison the average page length of sites was about eight pages, where as AltLondon is a whopping twenty pages. Some design, any amount of all, would help this site get back on track and help regain some of it’s lost traction.
http://www.altlondon.org/
Est. 2005
Authors Unknown
GeekLog
Indymedia - London Chapter
Indymedia is one of the most successful global independent media network; recognisable, adaptable, and easy to franchise. That reason alone puts London Indymedia on this list. However being part of a great brand hasn’t been able to make it a powerful presence in London’s mediascape. If The London Fog is London’s right wing, Indymedia is the extreme left wing; aggressively left wing, almost to the point of being counter productive.
The site is fairly bland, even for a site run on Drupal, and fails to take advantage of the equity built up by it’s parent organization. The information is clearly laid out though, mostly due in part to the use of a free theme. That isn’t enough though, and if the content continues to be more extremist and sparse on facts then the site isn’t going to be able to bring it’s message to a wider audience.
http://londonontario.indymedia.org/
Est. 2008
Open Author
Drupal
Blog London
In a recent survey Blog London was at the top of peoples list. Inspired by sites like Freshdaily’s BlogTO, Bill Deys of Deys.ca fame started the site looking for authors to help post a couple of times a week about the happenings in London and upcoming events. It hasn’t really taken off in that regard, with about 3 authors posting semi-regularly, however it does manage to post some of the more unique stories and events going on when it does get updated. One of the best features is the feed offered, a mash up of numerous blogs in London and the surrounding area.
The overall design is what you’d expect of a very basic wordpress theme, nothing very flashy or too imaginative. The biggest issue with this design is the poor contrast, everything is a shade of the same green, even the logo gets lost in the header. There is also the issue of the numerous icons at the bottom of every post, which could be grouped into one icon. Reducing some of the clutter, fixing the contrast, and putting a bit more design muscle into the site would give it a fresh and clean look.
For the future of this site I think more focus on the mashup feed would propel it further. Possibly rather then the feed mash up, the site could import excerpts of the stories into the sites own content, linking back to the original story, and in the process produce better headline structures then the mash up feed currently offers. Making Blog London, the go to for all of London’s Blogs.
http://blogldn.com/
Est. 2007
Open Author
Wordpress
Hounerable Mentions
Two sites that didn’t make the list for one reason or another that I thought I’d mention are the London Free Press Blogs and the NortheastEnder.
Dan Brown’s blog at the London Free Press ranked very high in recent surveys, and rightfully so. The content is consistent and interesting, he is very interactive with his audience, and has generated such a loyal following that they have their own get togethers. The only negatives about this blog is the tiny page width and the various, much bemoaned, technical issues with the sites blogging platform.
The Northeastender is worthy of mention partly becuase I was instrumental in getting it funding and developing the concept with David Demitri of the Kipps Lane Community Association. I even did quite a bit of design work for the site that has been recognized by a few sites.
The city paid for the creation of the site under the Creative Cities initiative last September, hoping to create community involvement and promotion of Northeast London events and news. Unfortunately, as a result of the Northeastender, the city has decided it wont be funding any other web based projects. It’s been marred by very little original content, failed to attract contributors, and has been known to delete opposing viewpoints in comments going so far as to delete entire posts to squash any decent from people the site was supposed to be for. Pushing the community apart rather then bringing it together.
The site technically and conceptually is broken, navigation elements move around when you try to select them, the structure of the content is poorly thought out, and the organizational structure is haphazard at best. It’s a shame becuase it had great potential to become a major player in Northeast London with some guidance, but focus shift and the recent fire the site has taken for it’s censorship policies and the cities reaction have made the site a non competitor in the mediascape.
London has over 3,000 blogs, and some of those are hungry to displace the blogs in this list. Maintaining their position as the go to sources for alternative media in London might not be as easy as it has been, which is all the more reason to make some changes and propel themselves forward.
- I am currently a contributor on this site, and will be helping to make some changes in the future. [↩]
On balance, a very well-written critique. Your observation about my own slowdown is certainly accurate, the consequence of trying to burn too many candles at the same time, and is something that I plan to improve.
My commitment to keeping Londoners informed about local issues (esp. the ones you mentioned) is as strong as ever. I will continue to seek out other contributors (since a mix of opinion/perspective is healthier than tunnel vision) while trying to maintain respectful communication between them.
The only thing about your review which causes me any consternation is the reference to my logo. You don’t love my baby picture?
Regarding altlondon.org: 1. “in a recent survey ranking local blogs [altlondon.org] tied for last place with the NortheastEnder.”
What survey was that? Your survey? Where is it?
2. Alt-London was established in 2001.
3. People open new user accounts at altlondon.org on a regular basis. Had several today from Londoners I’ve heard of (namely real people, not spam bots).
4. I’ll take your other criticisms with a grain of salt, given that you weren’t able to figure out how to access the Rotary Reading Garden (from the Central Library).
5. You need to redesign your reply function as it’s nearly impossible to read what I’m typing here.
1. It was a survey I did for a client in London.
2. Alt-London only has posts dating back to July 2005.
3. That’s not been my experience.
4. I’m glad to see you are resorting to personal attacks. Very mature of you.
5. No one else has had any complaints about it, and I’ve just had a few people check it on their systems without any issue. Maybe lower your screen resolution or make an appointment with an optometrist.
Nice summary of the London blogs. I think the main problem with local content on the web is that there just aren’t enough people involved in it. Almost all of these sites are rarely updated, and offer only a handful of viewpoints. There should be enough tech-savvy people in London to create at least one site that’s top-notch in both content and design.
P.S. If anyone wants to hire / beg me for contributions to local media, check out my kickass writings about London: http://phronko.blogspot.com/search/label/london%20ontario
1. I take it that you’re not willing to share the parameters and scope of the survey? In any event, I’ll leave it at that.
2. Alt-London was started in 2001. Wayback Machine retains some early articles and comments; I’m forever deleting past articles to keep the archives at about 850 pages. Since I took over the site in early December of 2006, I’ e deleted more than 600 pages. The previous webmaster undertook similar activities.
3. Contact me if you have a problem registering or activating your account. Sometimes shit happens.
4. If you’re going to dish it out, you’d better be prepared to take it, moreso when you’re angling for web design business via your criticisms. Personal attacks? It was a simple fact that you didn’t know how to access the Rotary Reading Garden which was built by the London Public Library and is located next to the Central Library. Navigation skills are somewhat relevant here.
4. I don’t think I’ll alter anything on my computer as this site is the only place I’ve experienced this difficulty. I’ve never encountered it before on any other website.
Actually, I’ve deleted more than 600 articles, not pages. Eight-hundred deleted articles sounds about right. Maybe 850.
4. I’m not at all angling for business with this post, at least not from the sites I’ve reviewed. In fact I know the opposite will happen in all likelihood. As for the ad hominem, assuming that everyone knows the ins and outs of the Central Library is ridiculous.
Ridiculous?
If I walked by the Rotary READING Garden and wondered how to access it (the front gate is always locked as far as I know), I think that most people would put two and two together, noting that it’s located adjacent to the Central Library.
At least I’d take the time to find out.
Additionally, the entrance from the Central Library can be seen through the fence on Dundas Street.
Hilariously, Mr. Fowler deleted my post stating that the Rotary Reading Garden was accessed from the Central Library because I’m not posting using my real name.
He’s also deleted other news-related posts because he says he couldn’t (or didn’t take the time to) confirm the information. So It’s not only Mr. Dimitrie that has deleted posts.
London Fog has also deleted (innocuous) posts because they, apparently, can’t stand differing points of view. I have one post on the Fog now where I provide information about Joe O’Neil who Fog administrator MapMaster seems to think is just some meddling heritage activist when in fact he is the chairperson of the provincially mandated London Advisory Committee on Heritage (LACH) which provides recommendations to London’s Planning Committee and City Council thereafter.
I suspect my helpful post on the murky Fog will be deleted in due course. Ultimately, I don’t really care, but if you’re going to debate the merit and habits of admins on sites, accuracy and the full picture is relevant.
Yes, ridiculous and all the more telling of how you think about way finding and user design.
Again, you are assuming that I’ve even walked past the garden, and wanted/wondered how to get in.
As for other sites policies on deleting articles, doing so becuase of inaccurate information, and doing so to prevent other view points are two different things.
John Leschinski Says:
August 8, 2008 at 7:22 pm
I know where the Rotary garden is, I just have no idea on how you’d access it.
Your point is? I replied to a post about the garden, I didn’t all of a sudden walk past and have a desire to enter it. Nor have I been to the garden since that comment.
Wow Butch, rather then taking in some constructive criticism about your site, you decided you are an expert on everything and start a pissing match. No wonder your site is a mess.
I agree with John on most points, I guess I got the more favorable review (http://blogldn.com) of the bunch so maybe that’s my slant. Anyways, personally I find a lot of sites WAY to confusing (and yes ALT-London is one of the worst offenders IMO), there is stuff all over! That is my opinion and BlogLDN being my site I can make it look as “very basic” as I want.
My idea was to make the site simple to navigate and make the content the focus of the page. Other items like the share icons are my preference, I’ve though about changing to a slimmer plugin but I think that with the icons in view “n00b5” will click on them, thus promote the site, more often.
My major downfall is simple I don’t have time to get new content up. Phronk, I’d love to have you write, feel free to register anytime and I’ll set your permissions so you can!
I’ve also had a new idea to help get more content to the site, a HUGE thanks to John for the idea. Basically you’ll be seeing Daily Digest’s of blog post from London Bloggers that I think are worth checking out. Hope it works out and Thanks!
Thanks Bill, glad I could help out. I still think you should look at the contrast issue, but you are right the rest of it is personal preference.
What’s “way finding and user design”?
Now you’re assuming I posted inaccurate information on Greg’s site that he deleted. Not true and he knows it.
The information I posted was 100-per-cent accurate, was fully documented (with easily attainable public information) and was subsequently covered by the LFP, albeit in a skimpy manner because they hate getting scooped and lamely attempted to downplay the significance of the story.
The story had also been posted on altlondon.org for several weeks or months and to this day remains unchallenged by the subjects of the story who’ve read it many times, as well as its updates. Today the stories has had several thousand page views.
Members of city council, as well as city staff have also confirmed the accuracy of the fully documented story ages ago.
Bottom line: many local sites act like boneheaded censors but are often the first to criticize others, as in the pot calling the kettle black. Yet you single out Mr. Dimitrie.
I’ve seen multiple instances of people complaining about the censorship at the NortheastEnder. I have not seen any, other then the ones you’ve posted here, about the others.
John,
Thank you for this list of media sources. There are a few that I hadn’t heard of before.
I won’t sit here and claim to be an expert on usability and/or design, but the critiques made by John on the sites above are warranted and certainly don’t require the types of attacks that Butch has posted.
Butch: Shut up. Point is, your site looks horrible and is difficult to even look at. NOTHING John said about your site is either incorrect or slanderous. And if you have something serious to say, try taking it up with John directly instead of posting idiotic rants on his site.
Nice post, Derek. You must be one of London’s literary all-stars. Geez, our education has failed us big-time. We should do the comprehension thing all over again with the young ‘us.
Nice reply Butch/Barry. It seems you fail to recognize constructive criticism when you see it and acknowledged by others who have also received the same type of criticism. You are the one who chose to dismiss Mr. Leschinki’s criticisms of your site based his lack of even LOOKING for the entrance to the Rotary Reading Garden. Why is that so amusing to you? How does that make what he had to say about Alt-London any less true or useful?
No, instead you sit there and bang away at your keyboard making yourself look like an absolute imbecile. Right now I’m sitting on a monitor with a resolution of 1024x768. And you know what? Your site doesn’t fit width-wise when I view it in either Firefox or Internet Explorer.
You seem to assume that other people assume a lot of things about you when, in reality, they’re not. The comments made on John’s site make no direct allegations to anyone deleting comments or content. He relayed that sites have been “known” to delete comments and content in the past, which is likely information that’s been relayed to him. Stop with the “The world is out to get me” attitude and take constructive criticism like a man. If your site was easy to read and navigate, your readership might just skyrocket and perhaps your “plot to take over city hall” might actually come to fruition.
Wow, I’m glad to see that things have gotten way out of control here. To be honest I don’t really see why things should have gotten out of control.
People are open to their honest opinion, aren’t they? and as long as these thoughts are not direct personal shots at someone I really don’t see the issue.
My thoughts are this:
Before even reading John’s post here I held the opinion that each of the sites listed could use some work, some more than others. I am in no way a web designer or anything of the such, but I am a consumer and if something isnt pleasing to the eye then I’m not going to read it.
With that said I find The London Fog and Alt-London to be far too cluttered in designed. It is a hard time to find the information that I want and if I do manage to find it it is once again cluttered with more “garbage”. This is not a characteristic of these two blogs alone, to be honest I find this same problem at From My Bottom Step from time to time, however, at FMBS it seems to be something that is intermittent (based on Post Content) and not a continual distract from a design perspective.
As for the actual content of the sites I have listed, I cannot make a comment on that as people are free to post what they will, however, you need to be careful with what you post as that will turn me away as well.
This open dialogue took a turn for the worse at some point and I’m somewhat ashamed to be calling myself a Londoner when others share that same title and apparently aren’t aware of this simple concept called respect.
Derek, you are blathering on like an idiot, not making any sense. Stick a sock in it until you at least conduct yourself like you’ve got your primary school diploma. And stay away from altlondon.org.
I’d prefer literate people stop by. You don’t appear to qualify.
These friends of yours, John?
Barry, if you are unable to understand what Derek is saying, maybe you should look at doing an upgrade course for your reading comprehension skills. You’d have to be quite illiterate to not be able to grasp what he is saying.
Maybe you should refrain from posting and looking silly until then.
My opinion:
Butch: 0
Everyone else: 1
Seriously dude, you’re acting like a baby, over something as mundane as web design. You claim to value literacy, then call people idiots and tell them to stick a sock in it. Maybe that’s brilliant prose on the playground, but in the real world, literacy also involves having something intelligent to express.
What’s the average age of this little group of mouthpieces in here? Twenty, 21? I’ve had more meaningful conversations with wounded dogs.
Ol’ Johnny boy complains about a perceived personal attack, then he allows it to run rampant on his site. Then he censors my comments but let’s the zombies have free rein. Lots of integrity in here, eh?
Phronk gets a, as Greg would call it, “nick” then ol’ Johnny denies me that. Who cares. Go back to school, kids.
Ol’ Johnny boy can criticize but can’t take it some measured criticism on his own. Sad but true.
Butch.
Please, for your benefit, refrain from making any further comments, as you are doing nothing more than digging yourself an even larger hole.
Interesting that you’re willing to start personal attacks, but not receive them. Grow up.
Whatever you say, Ken, er a Greg. That media meetup crowd must be a real barrel of laughs.
I love that I work in London, spend a lot of evenings in London, go out to bars in London, and yet whenever I want I can go back to my sweet, sweet home in Dorchester.
And, just a bit of a note, the contrast could come up a bit in the comment section, but it’s not as much of an issue as the points that John has brought up about the blog designs.
Kudos for a good article, John.
If there was actually censorship going on, which I think is what Butch is trying to say, I’d be right there with him. However, he seems to be able to speak his mind just fine here.
I’m still baffled over what one person’s inability to find the entrance to a garden, or our perceived average age, has to do with web site design issues. Makes for a hilarious comment thread though.
I have deleted quite a few comments, his and others, after telling him to knock it off. I have also edited his user name with his real name.
Ah. Well then, maybe I have a sliver of sympathy for Butch’s position. Censoring and identity altering wouldn’t be my style, but hey, it’s your blog, so it’s your rules.
I think you’re pretty much spot on with everything. Some of the offenders wouldn’t be so bad if it wasn’t for the horrid designs.
Then again, we’re both kind of design snobs
Hey, I thought the debate-conversation in here was quite civil initially, then John took offence at my critique of a few of his comments, including coming to the defence of Dimitrie’s blog, saying that there’s censorship on numerous local blogs — including London Fog and this one.
Pot, kettle, black, right?
For example, John stated (since deleted) that if I was going to critique him sentence by sentence that I should probably move along. In any words he’s doing what he criticized Mr. Dimitrie for.
Then the still-wet-behind-the ears jackals rolled in with the outright personal attacks. Ken er a Greg really started it rolling and it went downhill from there with Derek etc. Greg can’t handle criticism either.
Whatever. Pimple on a drum significance. Screwing with people’s ID is also a bit of joke, but if that’s the best they can do, life’s a bowl of cherries. I’ve had rougher times with stuffed panda bears. At least you got some traffic on your site.
If you are unable to see the comparison of censorship on a private business’ blog, and a site funded by the city as a voice for Northeast London then I don’t think anyone can help you.
I don’t see Greg, or anyone else that I reviewed here “unable to handle criticism” other then you. And being over the hill doesn’t make you any better then anyone else commenting on this article.
If this is so insignificant to you then I don’t expect to see you continuing to comment. Good luck with your site.
Kevin:
I’d appreciate hearing anything that you have to say about clutter or anything else.
Dear “Mr. McLarty”:
Let’s get the insinuation out of the way, right up front. Prior to this comment, the only one that I’ve made was the original one. Made to John, under my own name. Nor do I understand the reason for the personal attack against me here. I’ll simply offer this one rebuttal. If it continues, then I may have to take other steps in order to protect my reputation. I will not be drawn into a pissing contest here.
I agree.
And you know that my decision not to publish it was never anything more than the fact that I didn’t have the time/energy/contacts to verify it. And the fact that you would not provide me with your contacts when I asked you to.
It’s my blog, not yours. I won’t be put into a position of legal liability just because you want me to accept carte-blanche everything that you purport to be true, especialy when you seem to expect to be given the special privilege of posting under a hider nick.
I’ve rejected other submissions from other anonymous sources as well. What I find dishonest about your rant is the way you neglected to mention the recent email exchange in which I invited you to re-submit everything under your real name, and you decided not to. Your choice, not mine.
Especially on Alt since you took it over from Sean Hurley. I finally gave up asking you to fix “the problem” so that I could log on the site, after many requests for such assistance. A quick search of my records indicates that I was last allowed to post to your site 2007/01/07 (the “Van Meerbergen” thread). No, actually you posted it for me, characterizing it again as “technical problems.” Now, here you are complaining about not being able to be heard on FMBS. You’re funny!
Yes, and many of those articles were mine! ROFL!
John, thanks for the mention. You’re right — the blog tool we use needs updating in the worst way.
I feel neglected.
If your goal is to transmit news and information, no matter how idiosyncratic the site or opinions might be, the site needs to be navigable. I agree with the design criticisms all around here. Altlondon is a mess. The Londoner site is a mess. For instance both have let other values creep up and dictate the expression of the content.
As to the access to the reading garden at the Library… it is difficult to figure out. It was intended as a private access garden for users of the library. The gate system on Dundas is a compromise to exclude, as well as an answer to the criticism that it wasn’t publicly accessible.