For over three years, a hardy corps of South Dakota bloggers have contributed commentary to the KELO website, under the current heading "Issues Blogs." I've done my part to contribute some Madville Times content, usually one a day, for no more compensation than the pleasure of some URL referrals to my home blog and folks threatening to try me for treason and run me out of the country and telling me I'm generally full of s#!%. Ah, show biz....
But the curtain falls next week Wednesday. KELO Managing Editor Jaine Andrews e-mails us volunteer KELO bloggers (and some who haven't posted for months) to inform us that KELO is removing the Issues Blogs from its website. Andrews cites "low number of regular contributions and our desire to take the site in a different direction."
Final numbers, based on records from 2009.11.09 (when KELO switched to WordPress) to 2011.01.07:
1062 posts
- Cory Allen Heidelberger (377)
- David Newquist (108)
- Doug Wiken (23)
- Joel Rosenthal (51)
- Ken Blanchard (285)
- RadioActive Chief (98)
- Tim Gebhart (43)
- Todd Epp (72)
1867 approved comments
- Dave B: 153
- Bob. B: 26
- Taxpayer: 24
- Badger: 82
- Jason: 42
- Dean/Dino: 60
- Terry: 40
- Squibby: 54
The experience has been generally enjoyable. While the capacity for anonymous and pseudonymous comments predictably led to ruder dialogue on the KELO site than on my own blog, I still enjoyed the challenge of defending my point and sometimes covering stories and viewpoints that slipped below the radar of KELO and the rest of the professional media. And to their credit, in my three-plus years of association with KELO, the professional newsroom tried to exercise editorial authority over my content just once. KELO was wrong... but one error in over three years isn't too bad, especially when I rode their backsides on TransCanada bias and other issues.
So Badger, taxpayer, Jason, Dave B, Dean, jackie, and everyone else who's come to the KELO blogs to throw kudos or kumquats at me, thank you for the conversation. I can't save your comments (well, I could, but it would take me forever!), but everything I've posted on KELO is available here on the MadvilleTimes.com and on the 2005--2010 archive site on madvilletimes.blogspot.com.
And your further spitballs, speculations, and sparkling conversation continue to be welcome here on the Madville Times.
Being a former "Issues Blogger" myself, I felt KELO never really promoted the blogs like they could have. I remember when we first started they had a quick 15 second blurb on the evening news and then a link to the blogs on rotation on the home page making it very difficult to find us if you didn't already know we were there.
Throw in a truly horrible interface for those of us trying to blog from their site I am actually surprised that their "experiment" lasted this long. More power to you Cory for making it this long.
Thanks for the alert. I have not received the e-mail notifying the bloggers of the change.
Cory: like Doug, you chose to be charitable. As you will see in my last Keloland post, I did not. Having labored without pay on behalf of "South Dakota's #1 Website, we earned a little more warning and a more honest explanation.
I will repeat here what will not be read there after Wednesday: a reader could have learned more about the recent election from your posts alone than from the professional side of the Keloland site.
Cory.
I found your site by accident when researching our 800 pound gorilla in Elk Point. I have been called out of touch for trusting blogs like yours and others instead of the Associated Press or other such "respected" outlets. I'll stick with the likes of you thank you, and consider myself well informed. Thanx for the great work.
PS. Your website loaded really slow for me this morning.
My routine used to be to go to keloland.com and skim the news links, then read the forums for a laugh and see who was arguing and then I would read the issueblogs. Now I see no reason to go there at all. So I guess I'll skip keloland and go straight to madville.
Joni, thank you for your readership! I'll keep trying to make your trip worthwhile. Keep those comments coming!
Ken: thank you.