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KLATSCH
by Fran (fran at eurotrib dot com) on Mon Jun 2nd, 2008 at 03:44:36 PM EST
Too Early!!!!

You are Going to Confuse Everyone!!

It's not even June 3rd in Switzerland!  

Tomorrow has not happened yet!  

You can't report tomorrow's news today unless you have some special superpower!  

By the time tomorrow comes this will be yesterday's news!

Ach!

Maybe we can just put up the Salon for June 3rd, year 2360, for the benefit of people living in the future.  I don't think ET takes future people into consideration enough!  We're losing the future people audience!

Ach!

"Pretending that you already know the answer when you don't is not actually very helpful." ~Migeru.

by poemless on Mon Jun 2nd, 2008 at 03:56:24 PM EST
[ Parent ]
Don't be afraid to ditch top-earning stars, says BBC Trust chairman Sir Michael Lyons | Media | guardian.co.uk

The BBC Trust chairman, Sir Michael Lyons, has said the corporation must be prepared to walk away from deals with its top presenting stars if they become too costly and that it should better cultivate new talent to replace them.

The BBC Trust today published its report into the talent costs of British television, which it ordered a year ago in the wake of public concerns about licence fee money paid to stars such as Jonathan Ross and Graham Norton.

However, the report concluded that there was no evidence that the BBC was paying more than the market price for leading talent compared with its commercial rivals.

Also, there was no evidence that the BBC was "systematically" pushing up talent prices, according to the trust.

The report, compiled by consultants Oliver and Ohlbaum at a cost of £165,000, did not name any stars or list individual salaries - a move defended by the BBC Trust, which said the information was commercially sensitive.

by Fran (fran at eurotrib dot com) on Mon Jun 2nd, 2008 at 03:57:49 PM EST
[ Parent ]
In other news, no consultants suggested that existing non-celebrity employees with many years of experience should be kept on at a fair rate instead of being systematically freelanced, as budgets are increasingly spent on consultants, managers and celebrities and not on the less glamorous but more competent producers and technicians.
by ThatBritGuy (thatbritguy (at) googlemail.com) on Tue Jun 3rd, 2008 at 07:32:15 AM EST
[ Parent ]
Looks like the first day with the new timing went well. The Salon as well as the OT were very lively. I Hope this will continue. :-)

And I am sure that there are countries where it is already Tuesday, June 3rd. :-)

by Fran (fran at eurotrib dot com) on Mon Jun 2nd, 2008 at 04:09:36 PM EST
[ Parent ]
Not in Europe, I don't think.  

"Pretending that you already know the answer when you don't is not actually very helpful." ~Migeru.
by poemless on Mon Jun 2nd, 2008 at 04:14:51 PM EST
[ Parent ]
what about something like day-day indicating the night-over.. (salon 2nr-3rd june)

I dunno..

I like it though...

A pelasure

I therefore claim to show, not how men think in myths, but how myths operate in men's minds without their being aware of the fact. Levi-Strauss, Claude

by kcurie on Mon Jun 2nd, 2008 at 04:20:06 PM EST
[ Parent ]
As of this moment, there is not a single article or comment with a date of June 3. I don't get it, Fran--what's the point of calling it for the 3rd, if there is no content from the third??
I am an early riser, and I am often frustrated with the lack of a place to post quotes and ideas that I glean from the late-breaking news to the west, with the time difference. As well, there are lots of good bits to be shared from the EU area--most important stories hit the public venues in the afternoon. And by ten, I'm off in the world doing real stuff--no time to blogulate.

Great admiration for all your efforts over the years, Fran--but little is accomplished by just relabeling time. We need an early forum that offers a venue for today's things.

Capitalism searches out the darkest corners of human potential, and mainlines them.

by geezer in Paris (risico at wanadoo(flypoop)fr) on Tue Jun 3rd, 2008 at 04:14:18 AM EST
[ Parent ]
I don't really see what the dateline has to do with it. Fran (or autofran, or another person) put the Salon up early in the European morning, which was generally still the day before in America anyway. And a great deal of the news items and articles have always been from the day/evening/night before (news sites don't have editions like print newspapers).

Secondly, the Salon isn't only about breaking news. It's always also been about commentary and analysis, the media's and ours. Such items may be a day, two, three or more old. What matters is (one way or another) their interest.

Next, it's open to all. Post breaking news or very fresh items as you see them.

Lastly, today is exceptional as the server was down most of the European night, and contributions from other time zones (America, Asia) have not come in for that reason.

by afew (afew(a in a circle)eurotrib_dot_com) on Tue Jun 3rd, 2008 at 04:29:02 AM EST
[ Parent ]
"I don't really see what the dateline has to do with it. Fran (or autofran, or another person) put the Salon up early in the European morning, which was generally still the day before in America anyway."

Of course the actual text matters little-it's the time frame that matters.

I get up and dial up ET, with stuff to share--and I find yesterday's "European Salon de News---" with perhaps sixty of eighty comments already.

I've been known to sit on the bow and talk to myself, after a long night of some potion or other-
 but anyone who desires a richer conversation knows that to arrive very late at the party--or at the end of a long string of comments --is to often find oneself talking to the wind.

"Klatch" - an informal gathering, as for conversation.

Next, it's open to all. Post breaking news or very fresh items as you see them.

Well--thanks.

-I guess.

Capitalism searches out the darkest corners of human potential, and mainlines them.

by geezer in Paris (risico at wanadoo(flypoop)fr) on Tue Jun 3rd, 2008 at 07:01:37 AM EST
[ Parent ]
The thing is, Fran doesn't want to spend a couple of hours every morning seeding the thread with news so she thought of moving her thread (which she used to call Breakfast and then renamed to Salon) from the early morning to the late evening. We will now be having the Open Thread around noon...

Maybe it would be better to have three open threads 8 hours apart and relieve Fran from the obligation to seed any of them with news?

It's impossible to keep everyone happy, or maybe it is.

When the capital development of a country becomes a by-product of the activities of a casino, the job is likely to be ill-done. — John M. Keynes

by Migeru (migeru at eurotrib dot com) on Tue Jun 3rd, 2008 at 07:16:41 AM EST
[ Parent ]
"Coffee Klatch"--someone to talk to over coffee, in the morning. Before school, work, before real life.

"Maybe it would be better to have three open threads 8 hours apart and relieve Fran from the obligation to seed any of them with news?

It's impossible to keep everyone happy, or maybe it is."

I take this for arcane humor from the adult world of the front page.

Capitalism searches out the darkest corners of human potential, and mainlines them.

by geezer in Paris (risico at wanadoo(flypoop)fr) on Tue Jun 3rd, 2008 at 07:40:22 AM EST
[ Parent ]
You are humourless today.

If we have to have a coffee thread that is mostly empty at 8am in order to keep the European time zone users happy, we can do that. Then we can have an afternoon and an evening threads so the Americans and the Asians can come in to an empty thread, too.

I'm not trying to be sarcastic here. There seem to be lots of people who want their European coffee thread, but it won't be Fran serving it any longer - she'll be serving a late evening snack instead.

When the capital development of a country becomes a by-product of the activities of a casino, the job is likely to be ill-done. — John M. Keynes

by Migeru (migeru at eurotrib dot com) on Tue Jun 3rd, 2008 at 07:44:33 AM EST
[ Parent ]
I do seem to be getting less likely to laugh--or less able to find the joke.


Capitalism searches out the darkest corners of human potential, and mainlines them.
by geezer in Paris (risico at wanadoo(flypoop)fr) on Tue Jun 3rd, 2008 at 02:56:19 PM EST
[ Parent ]
Sure, but most of the time, it has been very lonely doing the Salon in the morning as almost no one showed up for the coffee. :-)
by Fran (fran at eurotrib dot com) on Tue Jun 3rd, 2008 at 08:02:56 AM EST
[ Parent ]
I can imagine.
Perhaps just opening up a page with a theme, and/or a couple quotes (as you sometimes do) that illustrate it, or different perspectives on an issue many of us have an interest in. Then let it run--or die.

We could solicit suggestions for a theme idea for that day, or next day, even, so you wouldn't get stuck with the brain in "theme park" every day--before coffee. Aargh!

But the "theming" would be fun, I think. Needs to be loose.
Bearing in mind that sometimes it's true that the best discussions are those threads that emerge spontaneously from something else.

My point was not to criticize how it's done, but when it's done. The time window for me tends to be early, since once the poppets get up around seven, --it's likely over. it would seem that's likely a common situation.

Capitalism searches out the darkest corners of human potential, and mainlines them.

by geezer in Paris (risico at wanadoo(flypoop)fr) on Tue Jun 3rd, 2008 at 02:53:21 PM EST
[ Parent ]
Geezer - I haven't followed the whole discussion, but you are free to put up 'Geezer's Early Morning Cafe' diary any day you wish.

"If you build it, they will come"

You can't be me, I'm taken

by Sven Triloqvist on Tue Jun 3rd, 2008 at 03:00:16 PM EST
[ Parent ]
There is that, too.

When the capital development of a country becomes a by-product of the activities of a casino, the job is likely to be ill-done. — John M. Keynes
by Migeru (migeru at eurotrib dot com) on Tue Jun 3rd, 2008 at 03:04:16 PM EST
[ Parent ]
My point was not to criticize how it's done, but when it's done. The time window for me tends to be early, since once the poppets get up around seven, --it's likely over. it would seem that's likely a common situation.

That's you in Paris. How about the Americans? And how about people who join the salon from work as opposed to from home?

Which is why I said upthread that if we need to post a new open thread every 8 hours to make sure we cater to everyone we can do so.

When the capital development of a country becomes a by-product of the activities of a casino, the job is likely to be ill-done. — John M. Keynes

by Migeru (migeru at eurotrib dot com) on Tue Jun 3rd, 2008 at 03:03:47 PM EST
[ Parent ]
Geezer, I am not sure I understand what you mean by these:
geezer in Paris:
Perhaps just opening up a page with a theme, and/or a couple quotes (as you sometimes do)

or this

geezer in Paris:

We could solicit suggestions for a theme idea for that day, or next day, even, so you wouldn't get stuck with the brain in "theme park" every day-

what do you mean by "theme park"? I just collect information available at the internet - and sometime themes just develop. However, I just don't have the time currently to do that in the morning. For me the problem is the time, especially in the morning and I just don't see my self getting up even earlier.

by Fran (fran at eurotrib dot com) on Tue Jun 3rd, 2008 at 03:42:41 PM EST
[ Parent ]
Exactly.
That was exactly my point- the work load is obviously high to produce lots of snippets to draw comments--

"Theme Park" was a humorous (or not) way to point that out- unfair for you to have to Park the brain in theme mode every day-- when others might be willing to help.

We play with words a lot in the Miller household-"Pilsnerd" was my 10-year-old daughter's idea for my imaginary bilge-brewed beer, for example. May be some insight there? Aimed at me, Helen.

Right now, the  "Klatch" part typically draws less news-oriented comments, and more personal stuff. I sort of like that.
Again(again)((again)), this was never intended to be a criticism of HOW or WHAT, but just WHEN--and with some ideas to offer.

In my original; comment, in two places, I think, I pointed out that I was not attacking, and that I was (am) well aware and appreciative of your work.

As for a daily diary,--
That's why we have a front page,(and front pagers) -is it not?
I have neither the time nor the interest (or the dedication) to do Fan's job.
Not all differing ideas need to be taken as personal criticisms. Not intended--just suggestions.


Capitalism searches out the darkest corners of human potential, and mainlines them.

by geezer in Paris (risico at wanadoo(flypoop)fr) on Wed Jun 4th, 2008 at 04:35:02 AM EST
[ Parent ]
there is not a single article or comment with a date of June 3

I had to laugh at the irony of your comment being dated june 3rd. sorry.

Actually I suspect that lack has more to do with the site having been down all night thanks to a storm at BooMan.

keep to the Fen Causeway

by Helen (lareinagal at yahoo dot co dot uk) on Tue Jun 3rd, 2008 at 06:19:58 AM EST
[ Parent ]
Yeah. I thought of that about ten seconds after I hit the "post" button--but I expected colman to be the one to --er, point this out.

Where's that design for a MicroMicro brewery?

Bilge-size?

Capitalism searches out the darkest corners of human potential, and mainlines them.

by geezer in Paris (risico at wanadoo(flypoop)fr) on Tue Jun 3rd, 2008 at 07:08:27 AM EST
[ Parent ]
Huh, I didn't realise you were still interested in a brewery.

there's no designs on the web that are useful but I can supply you with phone numbers of people.

keep to the Fen Causeway

by Helen (lareinagal at yahoo dot co dot uk) on Tue Jun 3rd, 2008 at 08:16:13 AM EST
[ Parent ]
Mmmph.
A JOKE, Helen.
Bilgewater Beer
Stale Ale
Leak Lager, from Sewer Brewers, Ltd.
We could, perhaps, call it Pilsnerd.

Capitalism searches out the darkest corners of human potential, and mainlines them.
by geezer in Paris (risico at wanadoo(flypoop)fr) on Tue Jun 3rd, 2008 at 03:12:34 PM EST
[ Parent ]
You know, often I collected most of the news the evening before anyway. As I did the Salon very early in the morning many sites didn't have yet the actual news anyway. For me doing the Salon , for almost 3 years, in the morning has become a hassle. So, for me it is more or less the question to stop doing the Salon all together or to find a different solution. This one seems to work at least for me. The first night worked fine.

The point calling it the 3rd, is that two hours after I post it, it will be the 3rd and most additional news will be dated from the 3rd.

But as afew said, the Salon isn't just about breaking news. If that is what people want, we might have to change the entire concept of the Salon.

And this morning, I could not post anyway. So we will have to see how it works out over the coming days. :-)

by Fran (fran at eurotrib dot com) on Tue Jun 3rd, 2008 at 07:18:36 AM EST
[ Parent ]
And just as an additional information, I have a full-time job, and as I am self-employed often more than that. So far I have been investing 30-45 and sometime more hours per month in ET, thats a whole workweek per month and I do not get payed for it. Thanks to someone's tribtex it has become somewhat easier.

I am more creative in the morning and just have to use that time more again to earn my living. I always considered the Salon a service to you people and enjoyed doing it most of the time. But if you think, what I can offer is not of value anymore, maybe it is time for somebody else to take over.

by Fran (fran at eurotrib dot com) on Tue Jun 3rd, 2008 at 07:49:02 AM EST
[ Parent ]
Is there a problem with switching AutoFran back on?  Give you a pause, you get your mornings to yourself, others can take on the newshound task, and you are free to enjoy ET anyway you want, no obligations.

Also, AutoFran can work in the morning, afternoons, or evenings, I think--so the timing of the Salon can be separated from your always-appreciated-by-me input, which means you can--post as you like!

Ach...maybe I no make zer sense as per normal.

Anyways,



Don't fight forces, use them R. Buckminster Fuller.

by rg (leopold dot lepster at google mail dot com) on Tue Jun 3rd, 2008 at 08:04:17 AM EST
[ Parent ]
autofran was, let's be honest, not a quarter as effective or as interesting as the stuff fran posts. I for one am very grateful for her willingness to sacrifice her time for our benefit.

keep to the Fen Causeway
by Helen (lareinagal at yahoo dot co dot uk) on Tue Jun 3rd, 2008 at 08:14:23 AM EST
[ Parent ]
As I understand it, AutoFran simply posts up the Salon template--the content is down to users.  I could have that wrong, though!

Don't fight forces, use them R. Buckminster Fuller.
by rg (leopold dot lepster at google mail dot com) on Tue Jun 3rd, 2008 at 08:25:49 AM EST
[ Parent ]
No you got that right and the problem was also that autofran wasn't always reliable.
by Fran (fran at eurotrib dot com) on Tue Jun 3rd, 2008 at 08:31:55 AM EST
[ Parent ]
In addition, Autofran still had to be fed with "on this date in history" tidbits in advance by Fran herself.

If Fran feels like the Salon has become a chore then maybe we could do with just bring-your-own-news open threads? And given that people don't like to come to an open thread where there are dozens of comments already one open thread a day or even two may not be good enough, so maybe "Morning", "Afternoon" and "Evening" open threads, or "Breakfast", "Lunch" and "Dinner", or "European", "American", and "Asia-Pacific"...

I'll just throw it out there for the time being, as we should give the current new arrangement a try for at least a couple of weeks before reconsidering. My point is that there are ways to accommodate everyone if everyone makes their needs known.

When the capital development of a country becomes a by-product of the activities of a casino, the job is likely to be ill-done. — John M. Keynes

by Migeru (migeru at eurotrib dot com) on Tue Jun 3rd, 2008 at 08:37:05 AM EST
[ Parent ]
Thsnks, Migeru! :-)

Actually I enjoyed setting up the Salon the past two evenings, I do not mind spending the time, really.

However, I must say I am a little amazed that the correct timeline seems to be more important the the contents of the Salon, which actually is not really much different, from when I postet it in the morning.

by Fran (fran at eurotrib dot com) on Tue Jun 3rd, 2008 at 08:42:39 AM EST
[ Parent ]
"I do not mind spending the time, really." - meaning in the evening. :-)

I think we need more diaries about the English language. :-D

by Fran (fran at eurotrib dot com) on Tue Jun 3rd, 2008 at 08:44:39 AM EST
[ Parent ]
I'll vote for that too. The Salon is a huge effort, and if moving it to a different time makes life easier for Fran then I'm all for that.

Based on the first day's trial, it's looking like that if it hadn't been for the Boo-crash we'd have had more traffic for both the Salon and the OT than usual, which makes it a win.

In spite of appearances the Salon isn't a newswire, so if it takes a few extra hours for news to appear there, I wouldn't see that as a bad thing.

I'm sure if something unavoidably important happens we'll hear about it anyway, one way or another.

by ThatBritGuy (thatbritguy (at) googlemail.com) on Tue Jun 3rd, 2008 at 08:48:06 AM EST
[ Parent ]
Having stood in on occasion for Fran, I can only echo your words: it's a huge effort. Especially when the accumulation, day after day, sets in.

And yes, most of the items, whether you access and post them early in the morning or the evening before, are the same.

Anyway, if there are people who want someone to shoot over this change, it's not Fran: the idea was mine.  

by afew (afew(a in a circle)eurotrib_dot_com) on Tue Jun 3rd, 2008 at 09:17:24 AM EST
[ Parent ]
Ah!!! my brave white knight in shining armour! Thank you! :-D
by Fran (fran at eurotrib dot com) on Tue Jun 3rd, 2008 at 09:20:43 AM EST
[ Parent ]
Your English is getting better, Fran.
by afew (afew(a in a circle)eurotrib_dot_com) on Tue Jun 3rd, 2008 at 09:31:32 AM EST
[ Parent ]
No please. I understand that the change has caused issues for people who've grown comfortable with the way things are.

but that's no reason not to change things, especially when it's far more suited to fitting in with your needs. We all appreciate your work on our behalf and we're all very grateful.

keep to the Fen Causeway

by Helen (lareinagal at yahoo dot co dot uk) on Tue Jun 3rd, 2008 at 08:12:18 AM EST
[ Parent ]
thank you Helen! :-)
by Fran (fran at eurotrib dot com) on Tue Jun 3rd, 2008 at 08:32:28 AM EST
[ Parent ]
Jeez.
I just reread the whole string, and it seems to be a real and growing diversion from my original intent.
I too appreciate your efforts, and I hope you will continue--however you see fit.
Crazy old lefties who live on boats and have wheels need to expect lots of odd reactions--and I do. I welcome them, when I see them as honest. So, sorry if I hurt your feelings, and I will go back to the bow with my coffee.

Capitalism searches out the darkest corners of human potential, and mainlines them.
by geezer in Paris (risico at wanadoo(flypoop)fr) on Wed Jun 4th, 2008 at 04:47:01 AM EST
[ Parent ]
Suppose Fran continues to post her Salon at 10pm and afew continues to post his thread around 2pm. It would cost very little efford to post a Coffee thread at 6am. Would that address you concern about TIMING?

When the capital development of a country becomes a by-product of the activities of a casino, the job is likely to be ill-done. — John M. Keynes
by Migeru (migeru at eurotrib dot com) on Wed Jun 4th, 2008 at 05:43:28 AM EST
[ Parent ]
For me, it would be nice to be able to post in my window of time, and still have time for biolife. But if someone must drag their butt out of bed to do it, --perhaps it doesn't matter.

Capitalism searches out the darkest corners of human potential, and mainlines them.
by geezer in Paris (risico at wanadoo(flypoop)fr) on Wed Jun 4th, 2008 at 01:41:16 PM EST
[ Parent ]
in Net magazine

How to write better web copy


You can't be me, I'm taken

by Sven Triloqvist on Mon Jun 2nd, 2008 at 04:12:04 PM EST
[ Parent ]
For subscribers only?
by afew (afew(a in a circle)eurotrib_dot_com) on Tue Jun 3rd, 2008 at 04:16:00 AM EST
[ Parent ]
Have to check - it opened for me OK

You can't be me, I'm taken
by Sven Triloqvist on Tue Jun 3rd, 2008 at 06:42:23 AM EST
[ Parent ]
Yep, sorry. A colleague sent me a scan of the back-issue article with the link. I should have checked it - apologies.

I could try to do a precis diary from it at the weekend if you areinterested

You can't be me, I'm taken

by Sven Triloqvist on Tue Jun 3rd, 2008 at 06:51:02 AM EST
[ Parent ]
Just a summary would be nice--yes.

Capitalism searches out the darkest corners of human potential, and mainlines them.
by geezer in Paris (risico at wanadoo(flypoop)fr) on Tue Jun 3rd, 2008 at 07:12:16 AM EST
[ Parent ]
Good article, good issue. Will read more.


Capitalism searches out the darkest corners of human potential, and mainlines them.
by geezer in Paris (risico at wanadoo(flypoop)fr) on Tue Jun 3rd, 2008 at 04:29:14 AM EST
[ Parent ]
Maybe not.
Rats.

Capitalism searches out the darkest corners of human potential, and mainlines them.
by geezer in Paris (risico at wanadoo(flypoop)fr) on Tue Jun 3rd, 2008 at 07:10:43 AM EST
[ Parent ]

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