johninnit

At a Labour New Media breakfast yesterday, which gave a really interesting insight into how Labour hope to change their campaigning to make the most of the new environment. Also the launch of LabourList, and a chance to witness a broad section of the left blogohemisphere’s ecosystem – which I think is a post in itself.

There was a big distraction (well, enough to distract me) at the event though in the shape of an article from the Guardian, alleging LabourList editor Derek Draper was fudging the origins of his psychotherapy qualifications (studying in Berkeley, but not at Berkeley. David Hencke wrote it up, on a tip off from top right-wing blogger Guido Fawkes. Toddler-induced router damage prevented me from sticking this post up last night, and Roy ‘Splitter’ Greenslade has beaten me to much of the point. (more…)

After my post last night on the enigma that is Labourist (the fan site / attack site / alternative model demo of Derek Draper’s LabourList),  I got a nice and very full comment (at least purporting to come) from the person/people behind the site, taking issue with my cynicism and offering counterpoints to a lot of what I’d said. I started writing a reply but it go so long, I thought I’d stick it here instead…

Thanks for the considered reply. You’ll forgive me for remaining sceptical of your honest intentions for a while yet though. As you won’t tell me who you are, I have to go on what I can surmise from limited evidence – which doesn’t yet give me cause to believe you. There are six main stumbling blocks for me: (more…)

Last week was a cheery one for Labour techies, with Derek Draper starting up what I think is going to be a very useful part of the jigsaw for the left blogohemisphere in the UK, LabourList.org. So enthused was the party by this project that none other than Lord (né Peter) Mandelson threw caution to the wind and set off exploring Second Life.

Well, one week on and the project’s had a bit of a double pwnage from political opponents. The Daily Mail pranked Mandelson’s virtual life by making a clone avatar and hanging about SL, behaving inappropriately. They missed the more interesting points of SL by a couple of virtual miles, but then I guess nobody ever read the Mail for sci/tech (or much beyond hell-in-a-handcart whingefests and cringeworthy reader offers).

More interesting is the treatment LabourList itself has received. A shady bunch of activists have set up a duplicate at the similarly titled Labourist.org. It’s posing as a principled objection, but I think is more likely a neat spoiler. (more…)

There’s been a lot of speculation about the form Derek Draper’s adventures in blogging would take, since he started convening the Labour-supporting blogohemisphere back in December. Now the secret’s out, and it’s a celeb group-blog called Labour List.

And pretty good it looks to be too. Draper is exactly the person to be running a Labour-focused Comment Is Free (a Propaganda Is Free maybe?), as he’s hard to match in terms of connections to people that everyone will want to read, personal energy for the thankless tasks of hunting trolls and chivying busy contributors, and self-confidence in making editorial decisions that don’t look dithery, and standing them up through the 10 minutes of outrage which will follow each one.

Hands up, I don’t have a great track record at picking winners here, but LabourList looks like A Good Thing all round. He’s managed not to infringe on some of the good activist work going on in this space, but he’s spotted a gap, and is trying to make something that should help tie it all together. (more…)