Red Alert is six months old today. It began as a project of direct engagement. Politicians talking directly to, and with people about what they believe. Our first post said what we were about.
Being in opposition isn’t easy. It’s difficult for Labour to have its voice heard in the community right now. Red Alert has provided us with a voice, delivered directly, not via the prism of media. We think it’s been worth it. So far. What do you think? And what can we do to improve it?
Here are a few facts on content and traffic:
Number of posts: 879
Number of comments: 13,702
Number of Labour MPs posting on Red Alert: 32 (out of 43)
Unique visits to Red Alert: 192,962
Page views: 479,240 (as of around 10am this morning)
Average time spent on the blog: 3 minutes 54 seconds
MPs with highest number of posts:
Trevor Mallard: 292
Clare Curran: 88
Phil Twyford: 78
Grant Robertson: 74
Chris Hipkins: 61
Interestingly, open source browsers make up a significant percentage of Red Alert readership:
Internet Explorer dominates with 48%
Firefox 32% (open source)
Safari (Apple-based) 13%
Chrome (Google) 5% (open source)
Opera 1.5% (open source)
Our readers span the world. After New Zealand (highest percentage of readership) comes from:
Australia
UK
US
Japan
Canada
Within NZ, our highest regional readership is from:
Auckland
Wellington
Christchurch
Palmerston North
Dunedin
Hamilton
North Shore
Invercargill
Lower Hutt
Nelson
I have to say I was a bit miffed that Dunedin was beaten by Palmerston North! (No offence Iain).
There you have it. Our half birthday. I’m feeling proud of us. Feedback?
MPs with highest number of posts:
Trevor Mallard 292
Clare Curran 88
Feedback?
Not my idea, but call it Trev Alert.
Failing that, just keep it up.
Nice work, keep it up.
Minor correction though…
Safari (Apple based) 13% – This is in fact partially open source.
Chrome (Google) 5% (open source) – Chrome is also about as open sourced as Safari is.
Opera 1.5% (open source) – Despite being free, not open source at all.
My only recomendation would be to get more MPs positing more often.
Yay Trevor,
Though I’m a little creeped out that it’s recorded how long we spend at a time, Big Brother is invading our lives 
I think in general this is going to become a huge problem in the century ahead. 
I think this site is fun and I like the different characters here. Happy Birthday
Trev Alert LOL, he’s in his element.
Nearly half a million views, not bad, keep it up.
Opera only 1.5%? I’m miffed. And even though I’m a southerner I’m surprised Ingill is on the list.
I find the moderation a bit heavy and it does cause me to modify what I saw into a more “Trev friendly” format as I know he’ll edit what I say if it is probingly critical…
That I think is a fundamentally very bad thing and costs this blog a lot of traffic…
If it supposed to be a Labour cheerleading board well so be it but many other political blogs are very reluctant to moderate (usually limiting themselves to overtly bad language, racism, sexism, etc) not that something isn’t entirely on-topic, i.e. When I first started posting here I made a post that indirectly related to the topic and I tied it directly into the main topic at the end, it was removed for being off-topic (and I suspect because it was critical of Labour’s time in Government) that almost made me say, “stuff it”, but I decided to keep posting…
How many have had the same thing happen and just left..?
And most comments from the indefatigable Spud (someone take his emoticons away from him) and his Evil Twin, Mr Tim Ellis.
To be fair, I have done a coupla posts critical of Labour activities and personalities, past and present, and have only been slapped into moderation once.
But am still, in my off-topic way, wondering about Labour’s attitude to civil liberties…
Make that ’slapped into moderation twice”
I don’t care if anymore mps join, it’s their workload, but I wish millsy would come back.
@Spud eeek so many emoticons at once! Big brother not invading your life. It’s standard info collected.
@Stephen R Dare I say, quality not quantity, and it’s not the size it’s what you do with it…
@Clare, I just couldn’t resist, today is a celebration. I accept that it’s standard, I’m just not optimistic about the future of humanity.
And how many commenters have been banned for not following the party line?
Congrats on this, it is good to have a wide spectrum on views to access. Sometimes evan change ones viewpoint. My only concerns re this is that sometimes I get the idea that the contributors are preaching to the converted, and can sometimes get mixed up re the trees & the forest, also playing a win/loss game i.e. Rodney & Bill actions are no good yet Hones’ is ok. Keep the principles !
Congrats!! I am only a recent ‘convert’ to this blog – moderated once (blowed if I can remember what I wrote let alone why it needed moderated – I do try hard to refrain…what trev said about this blog being ok for a school child to read makes sense)
I think its impt to keep the challenge up – not all kiwis like where the govt is going, so it is good to see there are others who feel similar – and of course, its a good thing to have a nat supporter or two to give their POV – not that we will agree!
Good to see direct contact with the electorate. Congrats to all.
As an experiment in opposition political engagement its great, don’t think it would work so well when you run government. See kiwiblog as an example of a popular opposition tool losing legitimacy through defending the indefensible or crying wolf to many times.
johnbt – none. Though a small group have been for being abusive, offensive or trolling timewasters. And frankly I think the tone of the blog has improved without you.
I have to say I think the moderation level is about right. There are other blogs that let more slip, but it often gets to the point where their comments aren’t worth reading *cough* Kiwiblog *cough*.
I’ve seen a few good debates in the comments section here, and the Labour MPs (and often more than just the original author) are willing to listen and engage. I don’t know about you guys, but I think that is pretty cool and a big step forward for politics generally.
Keep up the good work!
Clare, was that really necessary – moderation 4 u
Clare if I said that you would take me to the back of the caucus room and inflict punishment.
The blog has been a good idea. I like the notion of direct access. I’m more of a free-range voter rather than a labourite. I have voted for Labour on some occasions in the past, though not in the most recent election. In fact, Labour’s increasing cuddliness with the Greens combined with my increasing irritation with the Resource Management Act and Emissions Trading caused me to vote as far right as I could get.
Suggestions:
– a preview button for commenters
– more controversial posts from MPs that say more than unemployment is bad and families are good
So far, Trevor Mallard’s are the posts I enjoy reading the most.
Carry on.
YAY! I’m proud to be Palmy, and how we’ve done against some of the bigger cities!
I often access Red Alert on my cellphone, but I don’t know what you’d call it’s operating system. It must be a somewhat out of date one though, because only the black text (not links or headings) shows up.
Perhaps we could get some of those other MPs (who haven’t already done so) to post occasionally.
Still waiting for Trevor to start using Facebook hahaha…
I worry that if posts are too controversal that it may put people off. Ooh if Trevor joins Facebook he may as well strap a laptop to his bike, he’ll be lost to cyberspace forever
I have enjoyed this blog too – a great way to directly communicate with MPs and also have interesting discussions with other commenters.
A few comments:
In terms of moderation, I think that generally it’s done OK. It would be very easy for this blog to turn into a giant mess if it wasn’t moderated at least to a reasonable extent. I remember when Red Alert first started we expected that every comment would go into moderation before popping up (like usually happens on the blogs of public figures) which would be a total borefest. Luckily that didn’t happen.
In terms of suggestions, I think it would be good to get a few other MPs posting more often. I know Darren Hughes is a busy man, but it would be great to have a few transport related posts! I also quite like the kind of posts that Phil Twyford has done on a few occasions – that really go beyond “the beltway” and look at wider issues such as inequality, housing affordability and so forth – and basically ask for suggestions. If you guys want to get across the idea that you’re listening, you actually need to ask questions of us.
Other suggestions, ban Spud. He/she’s annoying
Not that we are parochial, but I bet that Marlborough commenters are the highest percentage wise! (4 identified, 1% of the population). There are somethings or other, damned somethings or other and statistics.
On a serious note, we of the provinces appreciate daily contact with general Labour/left wing thinking. Think of us as a shrivelled botrytis-ridden grape withering on the vine- not many of us, nothing to look at, but oooh, once we are treated with care and attention!
To pick up on Herodotus, I have had and read some very good exchanges over the political divide. Some of that has been allowed by wise moderation, I feel. Red Alert is not a place of bile and venom, which is surely off-putting.
How many commenters in general and with what frequency is of interest to me. Is it possible to access old comments by commenters’ names, and posts by poster’s names?
Otherwise, a great six months and thanks.
Yes Jarbury, Phil’s posts have been good… I really enjoy discussing issues widely, i.e. questioning portfolios and what their direction should be, rather than saying National bad, Labour good…
@jarbury – I can do without that kind of negativity. Ban me for what exactly? I’m just saying what I think – everyone else does it and I don’t call them annoying. They can ban me if they want to, I gave six months of support to this site and if I’m annoying and not valued then I’ll go. That comment hurt.
This is Jarbury’s blog Spud:
http://transportblog.co.nz/
Make sure you post regularly with lots of smily faces…
I don’t want to blog anymore, I’m tired of being treated like dirt.
Shouldn’t have bothered donating money either.
@ Spud. Not dirt. Potatoes. Which grow in dirt. Want you to keep commenting. Important. Don’t be precious. I’ll even cope with the emoticons.
@all of you. Thanks and keep making suggestions and critcisms (constructive ones). Our moderating policy seems to give some of you gyp, but we take it seriously. We don’t want to stifle discussion and debate, we just don’t want crap comments intended to cause offence. So we will maintain a standard.
Don’t go Spud. I like your reliable comments and emoticons.
My question is when will we hear the considerable wisdom of Ruth D on this site?
My word Spud, can you not take a joke?
One other suggestion I have is perhaps once a week there could be a post along the lines of asking for ideas about private member’s bills, or ideas about what to bring up in a general debate, or just ideas in general that we as the coomentariat might have. I suppose the point of that would be to emphasise that this is a two way site – not just a stage on which to preach from.
I do agree with Jeremy that the best posts aren’t “Labour good, National bad” ones. Generally commenters are not people who sit on the political fence.
perhaps once a week there could be a post along the lines of asking for ideas about private member’s bills
Isn’t there an NZ ‘progressive bills’ project out there somewhere?
Leave spud alone – if we did not have spud where would the colour and smiles come from (secret here – I would if I knew how to add em!)
Ignore the bullies – otherwise they win!!
Red Alert, congrats on your 6 months.
Spud, don’t go. Like Paul said, just ignore the negative comments.
Thank-you for this site. I rate it very highly. I don’t know about the moderation of opinions but really appreciate that language is kept pretty clean and content basically G-rated.
Congrats to you all on making the effort to communicate and relate to voters.
With regards to moderation, I think some more thought needs to go into this. While I think it is perfectly acceptable to moderate comments that are trolling, thread jacking, offensive, abusive or use foul language, it shouldn’t be used to stifle robust debate.
Perhaps the test should be whether the comments are consistent with the tone of the individual blog post. If Labour MP A decides to post using excessive hyperbole then I think the poster should expect to get as good as he/she gets in return through the comments. I think the key is to see this as a forum for debate and communication, rather than a mechanism to run propaganda lines that aren’t subject to debate.
It might also be appropriate to consider whether certain people should moderate their own controversial posts or if they might be more fairly and reasonably moderated by another poster.
Ms Curran, I do enjoy the way you thoughtfully encourage debates in your posts, and the generally civil way you communicate.
It’s a pity that government MPs haven’t got into the act of forming this group blog thing yet.
I agree Tim about National getting a blog like this. I wonder what a good name for it would be…
“I agree Tim about National getting a blog like this. I wonder what a good name for it would be…”
They already have one, with all the hard actual writing done by hired hands:
Hark the Herald columnists sing
Glory to the New born King
@Paul – just for you.
Thanks Paul, I appreciate it. Go forth and emote
Oh yeah
: cry :
@Hilary, Clare, and Georgie. Thanks for asking me to stay.
@jarbury – I have a joke, potatoes left on the railway track
Phew, I was worried we were going to lose you Spud. Glad you’re staying.
“I agree Tim about National getting a blog like this. I wonder what a good name for it would be…”
They could be original and go for:
- Blue Alert
- Kiwi Oily Whales Blog
- Just Right (so don’t bother making any submissions)
- Smog Blog
- No left turn (you’re on a state highway)
Nat blog – The smiling assassin
@spud – cool – how do you place them?
Spud
You are a breathe of fresh air. Keep up those amusing little quips. They make many of us smile!
Spud
You are a breath of fresh air. Keep up those amusing little quips. They make many of us smile!
@Sean – thanks.
@Anne – I’m glad somebody likes me.
@Paul – I don’t know what you mean when you say how I do place them. Please tell me or it’ll drive me nuts not knowing.