Monday, September 20, 2010

Plenty of Platforms out there.

Like most, I regret the closing of the cafe.  The metaphor has changed there... I can look at the regular menu, but that's changed.  How many of the old pro's have gone on to bigger and better things?  We won the Consumer Advocate Contest--yea us.  But where are the up-and-comers now?

But what I miss are the rest of the crew--the amateur chefs dishing up everything from hors d'ouvres to desserts.  Granted a barf bag was useful on occasion.  So I'm glad that a number of cafeterias have sprung up to fill the void.

But there has never been a lack of platform for  ideas since the internet began (how recent that was, and how it seems like it has been around forever).  Here's one where a good friend of mine writes op-ed pieces.


 
If you're not familiar with it, I recommend you take a look at it.  From OEN your work can spread to print and digital media alike.  If you try it, and you get a piece picked up, let us all know, huh?


Here's the home page:  OEN NEWS



And here's a link to my friend Don's most recent contribution:  http://www.opednews.com/articles/A-Cup-Half-Full-You-Can-Be-by-Donald-de-Fano-100918-203.html

Have a good one.

Mike

7 comments:

Unknown said...

Very impressive site, AMike -- thanks for the link.
OEN is focused but also diversified. Professional yet user-friendly. And it is one of the first I've seen that spells out its policies about publication rights, etc.
Btw, in scanning its current offerings, I came across this:
http://www.freedomsphoenix.com/Article/Print-Page.htm?EdNo=001&Info=0114239
What do you make of it? Until now I've scoffed at inside job conspiracy theories, but the credentials of the people quoted are impressive, as is the spectrum of their professional expertise...
Your thoughts>

cmaukonen said...

I am subscribed to that site and get their alerts via email.

ARTHUR OF THE ROUNDISH TABLE said...

Thanks Mike. I trust your judgement so I will take a look for sure.

Alan said...

Since I had left the Cafe some time before it closed, I can't say I miss it all that much.

This does look intriguing, though.

trkingmomoe said...

I don't miss all the trolls and snarks. Thanks for the link. It looks like a good daily read.

Amike said...

@Wendy I took a look at the link to that article. I'm not impressed for one primary reason: every link in thatarticle links to the same source web page. That immediately raises my suspicions. One of the ways to make something look plausible is to flood the reader with references...but if all the references are in essence the same reference in my opinion that is the equivalent of just one. I've also seen where two sources by cross-reference each other, and a little digging shows that the same person authors or owns both. I'm not saying that is the case here, but if one saw the Wall Street Journal quote Fox News which in turn quoted the Daily News, which in turn quoted the London Sun, have we really gotten away from Rupert Murdoch?

What I didn't find was the reference on OEN to the Freedom's Phoenix article. I'll look a little closer.

@Arthur: Thanks for the vote of confidence. I was thinking that some of the writers here might think about cross posting there...as I said, the print media occasionally picks up articles. My friend Don de Fano has had a number of his editorials reprinted.

One thing I like is that the policy is changing to require writers (though not writers of comments) to use their own names. You may see a couple of TPM folks there--including one who writes very differently (and better, mho) under his own name.

Anonymous said...

Thanks for pointing out all the single source/mutual referencing in that piece AMike -- your more discerning eye greatly appreciated .... ABB: "learning something new about the blogosphere, every day...."