Help Make A Vital Blue Jersey

by: huntsu

Tue Aug 19, 2008 at 07:46:24 AM EDT

Blue Jersey is already the prime source for progressive political news and opinion in New Jersey, but it is also a community of people who are looking to make their state and communities better. It is important that people talk to each other and share their ideas in order to change opinions and expand our options for helping New Jerseyans live better lives.

To that end, I encourage all Blue Jerseyans to take a few steps towards building this community all the more. It's a quiet time for news, so I decided to put together some examples of things to do:

Write three diaries a month. It doesn't have to be a long diary, but contribute something about your home town or your legislator or just an idea you had on politics or policies in NJ. A short diary can be a catalyst for a long discussion, like the one on Corzine's e-mail trail with Katz over the weekend.
Comment regularly. When you read a front page story or a diary that makes you think or is provoking be sure to leave a comment. The more we comment on each other's stories the more eager others will be to share their views. On the other hand, please try not to be rude or overly aggressive, as that tends to turn people off.
Rate Comments. You can rate comments with a 1-4, with four being the best. 1 ratings are for people who are personally insulting and abusive, not people you disagree with. If a comment has two votes or more and averages less than a one, it will disappear. This way our readers can self-regulate and determine what is acceptable, though misuse of this power is a big no-no. You can also rate good comments with a 3 and excellent comments with a 4, telling people how much you appreciate their contributions.
Invite your friends and colleagues. We all know people who are active in politics, or just interested in it. Get them to sign up for an account, write diaries, comment, etc. The more active users we have the better the site.
Be active on Facebook. Join the Blue Jersey Facebook goup and post stories, ideas, pictures, etc. Also, you can "share" Blue Jersey stories on Facebook so all your friends can see them. Get active on MySpace and other social networking sites, too, in order to expand our audience.

huntsu :: Help Make A Vital Blue Jersey

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Help Make A Vital Blue Jersey | 2 comments

building a progressive community (4.00 / 3)

Sometimes it seems the onus for news and commentary is on the mostly-volunteer Blue Jersey editorial staff, and that shouldn't be the case. Most of the editorial staff writes in between the responsibility of classes or their own teaching, other jobs, or taking care of their families; we the readers should pick up part of the responsibility of building this site and, generally speaking, a vital progressive movement in the state. There's too much going on, from having corruption inside our own party to having several of the top congressional races in the country to local news (Salem County, Hudson County diaries, for example), not to contribute to and build this progressive community.

Who is Blue Jersey now that Juan is gone? Besides the editorial staff, take a look in the mirror for an answer.

I also note that Blue Jersey has a myspace page, for those of us who haven't graduated to facebook.

by: Martin @ Tue Aug 19, 2008 at 10:01:17 AM CDT