Norgdom

When I started the Norg I had some idea of the sorts of stories I’d like to see on the site, but I’ve always taken a fairly casual approach to letting them be known, or be incorporated as “rules” on the site. My thinking was that the site should evolve around the community, not me.
But overtime, some conventions have been formed that we probably need to make new users aware of, to help them find their feet and also as a mark of respect for existing users.
So prompted by this post and Tama’s suggestion, let’s flesh out what you the community see as norgworthy stories. This is in no way singling out Durk, who has jumped in feet first - awesome stuff and welcome.

For my part, I like reading about first-hand experiences, tips and reviews and the odd things we notice around the place that aren’t picked up by traditional news sites, but are funny and relevant to a local community.
I guess if a piece is a personal reflection, of which the outcomes have no impact on the wider community then it probably belongs on a blog. If it is a personal piece or op-ed for a better word that has implications for others in the community then I’d say it’s norgworthy. It’s a hard line, because it really comes down to the subject. One of the most powerful pieces I’ve read was a couple sharing the story of raising a Down Syndrome child.
Remember though, that voting down is not a personal attack, it is just someone exercising their editorial control.
And on a final note, I like questions - when you have seen something and want to find out what happened - I think Norg is a great place to ask.
But that’s only me
So add your thoughts people …

We’ll be adding a feature shortly so that you can have an RSS feed of all your own stories on the Norg. In the meantime if you use FriendFeed you can add the Norg feed to that and then ask it to import only your own stories. There’s a screenshot below of how I set it up mine.

Since the server migration we’ve noticed a voting glitch, but we’re not exactly sure of the problem. If anyone notices their ranking votes are out - that is you now only have 1 vote where you had 2, or that your votes aren’t being counted let us know so we can identify the problem exactly.
Email me at bronwen@norg.com.au - always happy to hear from you
Thanks for your help

UPDATE: Thanks for your feedback, we’ve fixed the problem related to votes. Let us know if you come across any other problems. Bron.

Just to let you know that the Norgs will be down this afternoon for a short while as we upgrade our server.
Thanks to Fasthit for their fantastic service and continuing support in finding the best solution for our growing needs.
Hopefully normal service will resume this afternoon and you’ll find a faster and more responsive Norg.
Let us know
Thanks and read you round the Norg.

Fantastic piece on the Norg on the healthcare crisis in private hospitals. It is written by someone working in the health industry who wants to expose the problems in private hospitals when it comes to emergency care.
I’ve actually heard similar comments made to me by a friend who is a nurse. You can see my full comments on the story.
Anyway, help get the story out and link to it on your blogs. This is the kind of independent first-hand reporting that can make a difference.
Make sure you send it to your local members as well and add your stories, thoughts to the comments.
Great stuff

Just thought I’d point out this great post on the Norg about link journalism. Great discussion going on

Looks like we beat the BBC to a news report about an earthquake in England. Read the details in the link above.

I was on Twitter this afternoon when I noticed people mentioning there had been an earthquake. It’s not the first time I’ve seen reports of earthquakes on Twitter appear before anywhere else, but the news seemed to spread pretty quickly and with search tools like Terraminds and Tweetscan it’s easier to pull the info together. Cit J mspecht got the ball rolling and everyone else managed to put the pieces together.
It was great to see!

Hope to read you round the norg

If you ever have a suggestion for a poll question feel free to email me at bronwen at norg dot com dot au.
As you may have noticed finding the time to write new poll questions is a struggle for me.
And this is your news site after all!
Thanks to Gary Barber for the poll question.

Read you round the norg.

As some of you have noticed already we have added a new cross-posting and cross-commenting feature. So if you come across a story that is not particularly “local” or “geographical” and interesting to the wider community then you can post it to all the norgs.

Comments made on those stories are cross posted as well.

When you File a Story now you can find the feature there:

Happy to hear your feedback.

I’m off to Sydney and Melbourne next week and would love to have a drink with local peeps to celebrate the launch of Sydney and Melbourne norgs. Spread the word - everyone is welcome. Here are the details:

Sydney Meetup
Date: Wednesday, November 28, 2007
Time: 6.00pm onwards
Location: Opera Bar
Where’s that? Lower Concourse Level of the Sydney Opera House

Melbourne Meetup
Date: Friday, November 30, 2007
Time: 6:00pm - 9:00pm
Location: Riverland Bar
Where’s that? Federation Wharf
You can RSVP on facebook or just pitch up. Everyone is invited

Thanks to Cameron Reilly, John Johnston and Ajay Ranipeta for organising the events. I owe you guys a beer

Hopefully I’ll make it to Brisbane next time.

Also keep an eye out for me at the Walkley’s which are on Wednesday night - it’s televised live and I plan on spreading the new media message. Any ideas on how I can do that which does not involved being kicked out of the event?