Some stats on site usage / growth (update / correction)

by: elwood

Sat May 19, 2007 at 12:53:57 PM EDT

The site was launched in mid-November 2006. We're growing at a fairly steady pace. The "/U" ratios are the total or new month comments or diaries divided by the number of registered users at the start of the month.

Why Blogging Matters

by: Nicholas Gunn

Wed May 09, 2007 at 15:45:17 PM EDT

Why does this matter?

Lets say you're a voter trying to find information about how a candidate stands on the issues.  What's the first thing your going to do?  In this super-connected age, your very likely to sit at your computer, and do a search for the candidate on your favorite search engine.  This means that anyone trying to find information about Barack Obama's myspace problem could very likely stumble across my Blue Hampshire diary.

Blue Hampshire diarists have certainly made their impact on google's search results. Blue Hampshire diaries commonly turn up on the first or second pages in google searches about candidates and issues.

Here are a few examples:

If you google "john sununu iraq" two Blue Hampshire diaries show up on the second page, here and here.  If you google "john sununu environment" it takes you to Blue Hampshire's John Sununu tag and this Blue Hampshire diary.  If you google "john sununu health care" this Blue Hampshire diary shows up in the fist page of results.  If you google "john sununu healthcare" this diary shows up along with it.

If you google "steve marchand iraq" this Blue Hampshire diary, and Blue Hampshire's Steve Marchand tag are the 2nd and 3rd results.  If you google "steve marchand environment" this Blue Hampshire diary is the fourth result.  If you google "steve marchand healthcare" thisdiary is the 2nd result, and this diary is the 3rd result.

If you google the same way for Katrina Swett, you are linked to Blue Hampshire diaries in the first page of results.  If you do the same for Jay Buckey, Blue Hampshire diaries can be found on the 2nd page of results.  I could keep going, but I think you get the picture.

This blog is creating a lasting record.  Anyone who is looking for information about the candidates we are covering is very likely to make there way here easily through a google search.  In the case of John Sununu, anyone searching for him will find our highly critical posts about his out of touch positions.  In the case of his primary challengers, their positions on the issues will be clearly spelled out and it will be much easier to learn about them.

So, keep it up.  What we are doing here can really make an impact.

Blue Hampshire a Charter Member in BlogPac's 50-State Project

by: Dean Barker

Wed Jan 31, 2007 at 18:48:52 PM EST

BlogPac is working on a project to bring community blogging to every state. Community blogs (and the communities they create) will make the difference in '08. But they can also make a difference now, influencing policy on a state and local level.

Chris Bowers and Matt Stoller at MyDD along with Laura Packard have been instrumental in building and promoting this project.  I'll let Bowers do the talking from here:

Over the past three weeks, we have told you that BlogPac is working on a project to bring community blogging to every state in the country (see here, here and here). Specifically, one of the things that meant was paying for the website hosting costs of 50 local, community blogs, which would help alleviate the burden on some of most our essential, local, progressive activists. Today, I am happy to announce that you have put together the resources to make it happen, and we can announce the first group of bloggers who about to receive your support:

• California: Calitics
  
• Colorado: Square State
  
• Massachusetts: Blue Mass Group
  
• Michigan: Michigan  Liberal
  
• Minnesota: Minnesota Campaign Report
  
• Montana: Left In the West
  
• New Hampshire: Blue Hampshire
  
• New Jersey: Blue Jersey
  
• New York: The Albany Project
  
• North Carolina: Blue NC
  
• Texas: Burnt Orange Report
  
• Virginia: Raising Kaine

  That is a pretty impressive list of some of the best local blogs in the country. They all are a vital part of the emerging progressive media landscape, and help to build local activist scenes. Thanks to you, all of them will now find it a little easier to keep operating in the future. You can see the criteria for the blogs we are giving grants to at the BlogPac website, and we are going to keep going until we have funded at least one blog in every state.

This grant wouldn't have been possible without generous contributions made via ActBlue, so I thank everyone who has contributed to BlogPac through it, and urge all of you to consider giving to the worthy cause of creating a 50-state progressive community blog system.  And a huge thank you to everyone who comes here and makes this place the strong, vibrant, community it is.  We've been live for less than two and a half months, and as of typing this we've amassed 324 diaries, 3,316 comments, and over 20,000 site visits.  I'm speechless.

Blue Hampshire Prediction Market

by: Nicholas Gunn

Mon Jan 08, 2007 at 00:48:27 AM EST

I've been paying a lot of attention to the Blue Hampshire Prediction Market.  This was a really fun idea on how to have some fun as community.

I posted A Diary on the Daily Kos to promote the market, and draw in some new traders.  I think it worked, because there was alot of trading on Friday night.  Hopefully this will help stabalize the game a bit.

Anyway, I just wanted to brag a bit, because as of the time of my posting this diary, I am the #4 trader on Inkling Markets for the week.  I made $11,642.09 this week.

I jsut know that my stellar prediction skills will land me a REAL job in politics some day...

Anyway, for those of you keeping score, here's the price chart:

Hillary Clinton $18.66
Evan Bayh  $0.00
Barack Obama  $17.50
John Edwards  $19.50
Al Gore  $14.04
John Kerry  $1.64
Wesley Clark  $19.65
Joe Biden  $1.13
Bill Richardson $2.20
Tom Vilsack  $1.45
Dennis Kucinich $0.86
Mike Gravel  $1.06
Mark Warner  $0.00
Chris Dodd  $2.25

Have Fun Trading!

Christmas Came Early This Year

by: Dean Barker

Wed Dec 20, 2006 at 22:58:23 PM EST

After the election, my plan was to take a very long nap from blogging until January.  But then I read a puff-piece from the Union Leader about how Sununu and Gregg will continue to be the Almighty's gift to New Hampshire despite the election, and I immediately understood that the battle has only just begun.  Luckily my comrades-in-arms felt similarly, and instead of getting our well-deserved rest we dove head first into Blue Hampshire no less than ten days after the election.  Even more fortunately, those comrades are Mike and Laura, two of the finest writers and progressive thinkers I know.

Boy, am I glad we got an early start, because the growth and strength of this community amazes me every day.  This is truly a people-powered site.  From elwood on down, the earliest visitors to Blue Hampshire quickly set the tone with intelligent and rich comments, and have fostered a big tent environment where debate is welcome and even expected. In one short month, we've racked up 144 diaries and 1464 comments (as of typing this).  I'm as proud of that fact as I am at our site stats and registered users, especially during what is considered a genuine double-whammy down time for blogs (post-election plus the holiday season).

All I can say is thank you.  Blue Hampshire is ultimately what we all make of it.  Today is a great example: four interesting diaries to read by four people other than the editors.  Come January, this place is going to be alive with activity on several different fronts, from the Primary to Hodes and Shea-Porter in Congress, to state legislation from the new Democratic majority, to the effort to oust one of the most vulnerable senators in the nation.  Invite your friends; this place is going to get interesting. As for me, I've got a bit of holiday travel to do outside of northern New England (I never enjoy going south or west of VT/NH/ME anymore, but family is family), so I'll catch up with you all in a bit.  Merry merry, pax in terris.