Guest Post by Sally Greene
Congratulations to Ruby! Orangepolitics.org was named by the Independent Weekly today as "Best Blog" in their "Best of the Triangle."
Our own pick for Best Blog is a site that demonstrates how effective the
medium can be as a civic forum: Orangepolitics.org, created by activist
and techie Ruby Sinreich, is a buzzing site full of news about every
conceivable issue: school merger, town'gown relations, traffic, you name
it. Local politicians, activists and commentators often contribute guest
posts, and the message boards host some very lively debate. The site is
elegantly designed and constantly updated, despite being ad-free and
non-commercial. We wish every community in the Triangle had an online
venue like this one.
Sally Greene is a member of the Chapel Hill Town Council. She can be reached at sally AT ibiblio DOT org.
Issues:
Comments
congratulations Ruby. This
congratulations Ruby. This site really is wonderful, and the discussion is thoughtful and civil. kudos.
Hi Ruby, Congrats! Here's
Hi Ruby,
Congrats! Here's the permanent link to the Best Of Media & Politics section:
http://www.indyweek.com/durham/2004-04-21/cover5.html
I also congratulate Ruby and
I also congratulate Ruby and all those who post for this site.
One of the reasons it works so well is that Ruby does an excellent job of monitoring the posts and encouraging us to attack the issues
and not the people.
Congratulations, Ruby! I
Congratulations, Ruby! I know that this site started in September 2003, if I'm not mistaken. Could you tell us why you started this great site, what prompted you to do it, what your feelings are about how it has changed over the past year and a half, what you might like to see of its future. Did you expect it to do as well as it did?
Thanks for asking, Laurin.
Thanks for asking, Laurin. I haven't been posting much this week as I'm out of town on business (my business is this: http://marchforchoice.org ). I am very very flattered and surprised by the recognition of the Independent. I really appreciate their efforts at responsible journalism, and we're lucky to have them in this community. (I should also thank WUNC for featuring us on a show about "political blogging" that helped give us an early boost. http://orangepolitics.org/archives/000108.html )
To answer your question, I am incredibly pleased with the site, and moreso every week. I'm especially happy to see multifaceted dialogue and exchange of information in a way not allowed by the one-way media. (For example: http://orangepolitics.org/archives/000236.html#003357 )
However, I'm also disappointed. My primary goal in starting OrangePolitics.org seven months ago was to get more people involved in local issues/politics. Especially people who are activists or at least progressive in other realms, but not engaged locally. I think there is a little of this hapenning, but not nearly as much as I had hoped for.
I'm also disappointed at how much *I* am posting, as opposed to the other authors. So I hope you all will take this opportunity to invite your friends, coworkers, and neighbors to visit the site. And I'm always looking for more things to post (especially this week since I'm so busy).
Thanks to all of you readers and writers for your kind words. It makes the time spent on this effort feel quite worthwhile. I really appreciate your contribitions to this "community." Let's keep it up!
A little bird told me that
A little bird told me that today is Ruby's brithday! We wooden heads salute you on your birthday Ruby! Keep up the good work; it's appreciated by all of us.
(and Fred, I now have the last post on this thread so I'm expecting to hear from you ;->).
Congratulations. I'm not
Congratulations. I'm not surprised that you got the award.
You're a multi-faceted winner. Keep it forward.
Love, Grandma Ruth
Congratulations, Ruby!
Congratulations, Ruby! You've created an amazingly active and open site that truly is something this community should be proud of.
Help lower Ruby's
Help lower Ruby's web-hosting bill.
Donate to the site! It's really easy.
http://www.dreamhost.com/donate.cgi?id=878
Most I’m sure agree
Most I’m sure agree with you Mark: this site is out of sight and it's because of Ruby's foresight and insight. (:->
Way to go, Ruby!
Ruby, I was really happy to
Ruby, I was really happy to read this today. You absolutely deserve this credit and more. Congrats, and keep up the good work!
Ah … so the Indy's
Ah … so the Indy's finally publicized what plenty of us knew all along. Congratulations Ruby, you've worked damn hard at this (and Duncan, Ricky, Dan and Gerry too — great guest posts ) and you deserve this recognition and then some.
Thanks,
Nick