Let’s have a heated debate
ONE of the things that has pleased us most on WalesHome.org in the last two months is the number of comments which our columns now seem to be generating. As an editorial team we try and commission a range of columns and often anticipate a lively response since a broader range of people are now leaving comments. We added a Most Commented feature to the site to highlight this traffic and it has certainly encouraged even more engagement. This tennis match, for example, didn’t just break the record for most comments, it nearly doubled it. But all good scraps come to an end and, as one commenter put it, Elvis has now left the building.
Sometimes you can never tell what’s going to take off and what isn’t in terms of attracting comment and debate. For example I thought this piece would really stimulate debate, and was shocked when this one generated the size of comment threads that it did. Not because it was a weak column – it’s one of the best we’ve ever run – but because it was on a theme that did not strike me as broad in its appeal
Yet the variation in content for WalesHome columns is a real strength. One thing I have noticed during the Welsh party conference season is the breadth of knowledge that there is out there on the site. Maintaining a constant output based on publishing one column per day of 1000 words is what we’re about. Sometimes our readers might attack the quality or the content, but everything we publish has been approved by the editorial team. As the General Election approaches we’re bound to be offered hard positional articles from candidates and politicians. And we’ll continue to publish the ones we think meet standards and say something.
In the meantime, all three of us are working on a blog post based on whether the Queen’s head should appear on the ballot paper for the referendum, and whether that paper should be bilingual or not, and what the question should be. That should get you going. In true Mrs Merton style, we love a heated debate.
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see that cartoon? That’s me, that is…
From what I can remember the design of 1997 referendum ballot paper was awful. (I’m assuming Daran and the ‘yes’ campaign had nothing to do with it!)
Of course the referendum paper should be bilingual. End of!
I think you should credit the rather excellent XKCD for using that cartoon.
Keep up the good work.
If the referendum ballot paper is not bilingual, how are the 80% non Welsh-speakers going to know which box to cross?
Why would the Queen’s head be on a ballot paper? I dont believe I’ve ever noticed her on any other ballot paper. Was that a serious suggestion?
“In the meantime, all three of us are working on a blog post based on whether the Queen’s head should appear on the ballot paper for the referendum, and whether that paper should be bilingual or not, and what the question should be.”
Glad you’ve not lost the ability to provoke Daran! The idea of the Queen’s head on a ballot paper struck me as absurd until I chuckled at the comments above. I presumed the paper would be billingual, but on seperate lines for clarity please – none of this keeping the English/and the Welsh on the same line – it will just confuse.
As to the question, I have strong feelings on that, but will leave those for after the GE.