The Future of Scaledown
Hello everyone. It’s been a while since I logged in (took me 8 tries to get the password right) for various reasons. I’m not going to be blaming anyone for my absense, so if that’s how you get your jollies, you’re going to be disappointed with this post.
A sabbatical is what I’m calling this summer. With the recent purchase of my new (to me) sailboat, the Great Lakes have been a playground whose call I haven’t been able to ignore. Am I shirking my civic duties? Probably, but everyone needs to step back once in a while.
You have probably noticed the lack of activity on this website as of late. I don’t know the reasons why my fellow SD contributors have “scaled back” (you have probably just read Mark Boscariol’s) on their posting, but I do know mine. Part of me has been questioning whether Scaledown is forwarding the mission/vision statement that we set out for ourselves three years go. Another part of me questioned whether we could accomplish our goals better by changing things up a bit. Are we preaching to the converted? Our hits have plateaued the past year, with our community of urbanists staying pretty consistent. We don’t seem to be broadening our reach, and I do not think that SD in its present format will do so.
So, I want to hear from the readers we still have. What do YOU think needs to be done to forward the goals of a more humane and civil Windsor? Is the dream of a walkable community that values civil discourse and a thriving arts/local business community still viable? How can we reach a broader demographic when it comes to reaching these goals? Is ScaleDown still a vehicle for implementing this change, or do we need to praise it for what it’s accomplished, close this chapter and start a new one?
P.S. This being election time, I think we all know what needs to be done in the immediate future. Get involved in someone’s election campaign and attempt to draw in a many other citizens as possible in a bid to reclaim our city. This is a pivitol election, and our future as a city depends on the visions of the decisions makers we elect.
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Sometimes a little re-invention is good for the soul. Maybe try widening the net a little for some other opinions. Some students studying planning or architecture. A point/counterpoint series on some subjects with differing opinions. Blogging/Social media is just as much about listening as it is about posting. With the recent recession, many people may not be as open to the same concepts they might have considered a year earlier when times were better. Can your vision be scaled to match the times? Just a few random thoughts.
PS. make sure you post on Facebook looking for contributors, even if they’re occasional. Some people may be willing to write something and email it to you rather than go through the whole login/post thing.
BTW, summer is ALWAYS the worst time for blogging, in any genre.
Blog popularity comes and goes, and sometimes things slow down a little, especially in the summer. But I don’t think it’s time to fold SD. Your PS is a good one: I would love to see the various candidates’ platforms analyzed as regards the regeneration of the city. Or put another way, it would also be a good forum for candidates to explain their position to the electorate and those who are social media savvy will recognize the opportunity. If this municipal election is going to be one to draw out younger voters (call me a pessimist, as I’m not convinced it will be), SD is in a perfect position to help.
And Paul’s PS is important too. Windsorite.ca does an excellent job in marketing new content via Facebook. Not everybody uses readers to keep up with new posts!
Paul is right on all accounts. Tapping into the college or university students might be a great idea (youth usually lead the charge in re-generation of any idea).
I also believe in keeping the fire to the feet of any and all local politicians on their plans for this city. Instead of platitudes and vagueness, I would like to see actual plans and ideas. I believe Scaledown and it’s contributors can keep this on the forefront instead of a fight between union and progessive idealists (which is what this election seems to be shaping up to be).
As a former (though I do have an article brewing in my brain) contributor to Scaledown I would agree that folding should not be first and foremost thought, but an option. Before I get cyber-lynched, here is my justification. It takes more than a few consistent writers to keep up with a post-a-day schedule. Anyone who has read SD for a while knows that most of the posts are well researched, thoughtful and poignant. This isn’t Lindsay Lohan watching — this is journalism.
What SD really needs is a larger stable of writers who will commit to a post everyone couple of weeks, etc. Just my two cents –
In the 1980s computer BBS’ing was all the craze. The popular boards were so busy you had to have your modem on auto-dial for hours trying to get through. Then - it happened. EVERYONE became a “sysop”. BBS’ing reaching a saturation point where there were too many BBS’s and not enough “users”/callers. Affordable residential internet access in the mid 90s was final nail in the coffin.
The same is happening to our local blogosphere now. Five-ten years ago we had a handful of really popular blogs …then slowly everyone joined the club. There came to be too many blogs in Windsor to keep the interest of a group of website visitors that simply isn’t growing as fast.
Also, in Scaledown’s case specifically, many of its visitors/commenters over the years have graduated from discussing issues on line with a cup of tea next to the keyboard to deploying themselves in the community and applying the ideas and principles of Scaledown. To that end, SD has been a great success. I would not let the fact that online activity is on the decline discourage you, Chris. With the election around the corner, we are simply heading into the next phase of bettering Windsor.
Work with other bloggers/writers. Recruit students. Assign everyone a day (i.e. Mr. ABC writes/publishes every other Monday, Ms. XYX posts every Wednesday) and allow others to post randomly. Prioritize and take on issues one by one. Create a section for a think tank for different things especially business ideas that people have but don’t have the time/funds/desire to execute and are willing to just give the idea away.
Shameless plug - lots of ideas here! http://citizfaction.ideascale.com/
Chris, I really value Scaledown, and I’d be very sad if it did not continue. As a person who cares, Scaledown has helped me refine my goals and ideas regarding urbanism, and, very importantly to me, has let me know that I’m not alone. I may not post every week, or check for updates every day (I only just figured out how to use an aggregator - in Linux of all things!), but this “stay in the car mom” has changed many of her ways largely because of the ideas I read about here. I buy my eggs, produce, and meat locally, I don’t drive incessantly hoping the baby (any of them) will fall asleep (ok - that’s because the kids are growing up - but they HATE going for ‘drives’!), Dan & I spend more and more of our time and money downtown, and we look at the really amazing things the core of our city has going for it, and we imagine. And that’s the key - the true value of scaledown isn’t the blog, the interviews, the comments. It’s the ability for anyone who wanders in to begin imagining how their neighbourhood can change.
Kind words, indeed. Thanks everyone!
I know there’s value to what the writers of SD put onto these pages, and the dialogue it generates. My question is: are we doing what we should be doing to involve new voices in the conversation? What tools can we use that accomplish that goal? I’ve received a few excellent suggestions offline, and they’re ones that I will definitely look into as well as the ones posted here.
I’m looking to models such as Project for Public Spaces and Transportation Alternatives (that use the web as a portion of their operations) for ideas as to how to broaden the reach. Stay tuned, and keep those ideas rolling in!
Your forum appears to be a place where you all like to preach from the podium and several of your contributors seem to use it to air personal vendettas - I think most people are interested in ideas and dialogue - not pretentious displays of pseudo-wisdom.
The credibility of some of your contributors is being crowded out by others - most of us don’t have time for name calling and self-promotion
And your contribution? Just a kick in the nuts. That’s all?
Set up an information booth at the Downtown Windsor Farmer’s Market about the blog and about some of the successes over the years (development charges, Ojibway push back, etc.). Get back to promoting Jane’s Walk (we could do it any time of year.) Host an on-line candidates meeting.
I agree that lots of people who started out reading here have graduated to real activism - sitting on committees, doing academic research, appearing at Council and pushing for the issues Scaledown has raised.
I confess, I stopped coming because I couldn’t be bothered with the shouting.
Hi there,
If I have an idea I want to share on this blog and get feedback/discussion going, how do i do that?
Hey there, Jonny. It’s been a long time! Email me this idea of yours. Love to hear your thoughts - chris@scaledown.ca