Webdiary - Founded and Inspired by Margo Kingston

Hi folks - some VERY cool HTML work in this post, congrats. In Perth, monitoring WD from the netcafe, just had a coffee with a Kiwi journo on holidays (Scoop.co.nz) who took the trouble for an interview while on hols. Sent her to WD to get independent views...

Are some of the existing threads also going to moved across to the new home or will it be a clean start??

I ask as I've just written a longish response to a post and it would be irritating if the other poster couldn't see/respond to it.

Hamish: all content is being transferred, including comments. Thanks to Nigel Sim for writing the software to do this.

As long as email addresses are not made public, might I then suggest that webmail addresses not be accepted for registration purposes. Most flamers and their ilk hide behind bogus Hotmail addresses.

Anybody who has an ISP will have, at least, one genuine email address.

Of course, exceptions can be made for those few who only ever access the internet through third party arrangements.

Ar, yey me hearty Richard. Blockquotes galore! It's the 'indent' icon sixth from the right, just to the left of the hyperlink icon.

With my amazingly accurate spellling I'm looking forward to this! Out of curiousty, have I missed noticing a "blockquote" button. Oi Loiks me blockquotes, I does.

Will the chapter on the launch of the new site be as bizarre as the most recent? OO kan say.

Mark Ross, I am hopeful that after reading the instructions, I too will look like am expert in editing. Is there an association for genuine luddites like myself? I have yet to master internet banking and forget about videos, I struggle with setting up radio stations on my car radio although sometimes I fluke it. I prefer slow cooking, people to talk to me at banking counters, and myriad other slower options which are quickly disappearing.

So for slow people like myself, I thank you Hamish.

Hamish: I should clarify: this 'key' was put together by Kerri.

Look Craig, you don't have to be Einstein to realise that this blog failed because it was unwilling to tackle the big issues and was so biased towards the left of all issues that it did tackle that the mainstream wouldn't touch it. You are forever avoiding examples where leftist ideologies, such as multiculturalism, have failed. Be strong, have a go. Maybe then you'll get some interesting debate that will bring in more voices and, ultimately, a revenue stream that can keep you alive. You don't want to end up like GLW, do you?

David: I'll back what Craig said: we have never turned back a coherent readable article submitted from any side of politics because of its content, and we have never turned down a coherent sensible non-abusive comment from a reader because of its politics. If you want to write a post on these subjects, have a go yourself. Our contributors write articles on what interests them, and where they have views. It isn't a news site, and if no-one submits an article on a news item, then nothing gets published - that doesn't mean we're avoiding the subject - or more accurately, I suppose, it means all Webdiarists of every political persuasion, left, right and centre, don't feel ready to write on that subject right now, since none of them have submitted anything. For that matter, it isn't a blog by any of the accepted definitions.

A Mills no one is stopping you from starting a thread. Also, TDB has a story on the Cronulla riots. A posting from you there would be more appropriate than in this thread.

Yes Craig, you don't avoid topics!

Source for allegations: bashing of life guards - take a look at the SMH articles over the last week. "52 years comment" channels 7 and 9 reports of the situation from interviews with local residents. Why? Do you not believe (a) that the bashings took place and (b) that that style of comment was made to people on the beach?

Craig R: That's correct Webdiary does not avoid topics. Why ask you to cite sources? So readers can see where your information comes from, simple as that. Not because I personally believe or disbelieve the statements.

Not sure if you're going to have a forum on the race riots in Sydney (as you usually avoid topics where the cultural underdog has started the mess) but if you are could you all please take a look at Tim Blair's blog so you can see for yourself that the majority of Australians on both sides of the spectrum deplore the activities of what I essentially see as two groups: Bogans v Lebonese Bogans.

Craig R: Andrew two points (1) we don't avoid topics (with the exception of bizarre conspiracy theories), and (2) we don't follow Tim Blair's blog as the comments on it tend to be "infantile and oafish".

If anyone, particularly anyone in the Shire area, wants to write a piece and submit it for publication we'd welcome it.

Who do I blame? Firstly, it is pretty unfriendly of our Middle Eastern origin friends to bash life guards and make statements to girls to the effect that they are not worth 52 years in gaol - a reference to the recent conviction of the Pakistani boys for the rape a numerous girls in Sydney.

Craig R: Will you please cite a source for those allegations Andrew.

But the big culprit - our police perceive themselves to be powerless in these situations because if they act against the original aggressors the left screams racism and "bring on more political correctness so these minorities feel they are able to do and say what they like". The message from the bogans of Sydney seems to be that they have had enough and rightly so. It is a pity that those with more intellect could not have forseen such an obvious outcome and reeled in these cultural groups before this happened. Or am I wrong and it's all John Howard's fault?

Matthew, I haven't checked your link right through but sometimes one or two errors on the CSS or in the page code can produce a multiplicity of compliance "errors" on a page. I am yet to see a commonly used pre-formatted template anyway which is totally W3C compatible.

Open source software endeavours as far as possible to be cross-browser compatible, but each browser you mention has its quirks with anything more complex than straight HTML.

Alex, this forum may answer your cross-device questions.

Nice work Hamish, well done ☺. I do suggest you check that all pages render properly in the more common browsers though. IE, Firefox, Mozilla, Netscape and Galeon. And don't forget the Mac users!

ed Hamish: I wish I had the technical skill of the folk who built the new site, but I can't take any credit. Thankyou anyway Matthew and we'll do our best mate.

Hamish, I'm really looking forward to this new site. Hey, maybe we'll even be able to post pictures?

But seriously, it should work very well. Looks very much like the Word documents I work with on a regular basis...

Just to get to read our posts properly before posting will be great.

BTW, a cheque coming soon. I get paid once a month.

Hamish: thankyou Daphne!

Please consider making the site have alternate layouts for those of us who read on smaller devices like mobile phones or PDAs.

Looking forward to the new site!

Further to Carlyle Moulton's comment, I think there is a "not" hidden from view in the section about enabling other people to contact you, too.

Should the sentence after "your personal contact form" read "Note your email address is made public and that privileged users such as site administrators are able to contact you even if you choose not to enable this feature"?

Hamish: nearly. It should read, "Note your email address is not made public and that privileged users such as site administrators are able to contact you even if you choose not to enable this feature." The point is your email address is never made public.

Good idea Trevor. After all, no use coming to Webdiary and being exposed to other points of view is there? What a waste of time that would be!

"Your email address will n be made public."

I think that you meant "Your email address will not be made public".

Either that or you have not proof checked using Mozilla and some charaters at the right of the column namely the "ot" have been hidden.

ed Hamish: the latter I think. Sorry.

Oh to be a moderator. The power of the last word must be such a convenient excuse for a bit of pettiness.

ed Hamish: I hope we do better than that Adam. Still curious as to what you meant by your last comment.

Webdiary goes sedition law compliant. How very sad.

ed Hamish: oh?

Make big plans, for little plans have no magic to stir men's blood and in themselves may never be realised.
-Daniel H. Burnham

WOW ... small key can open a big door - indeed!

Will there be a switch (or bullet) to exclude selected posters from my desktop?

Craig R Ed.: Don't know the answer to that one yet Trevor. Will look into it and provide an answer later.

Sounds great to me. TPO is the way I'd go, too. I prefer to read down rather than up, and if I want to run anything off it reads better, too.

I'll be logging in on the 9th for sure!

Looks good, should make it easier for non-webby folk (and editors). The proof is in the pudding, when we get to test it.

Bullets??

Ya really want A Downer and the DFAT droogs slicing this mutton? On just one piece of paper or fewer? All the ammunition in the world don't make a cabinet submission... bullet proof. Even Parer went down to bullets and shrapnel.

Take that flow into the square and shoot 'im. Use dum-dums. Shoot straight, ya bastrds.

Bon voyage, brave Margonauts, 2006+++

Jack Arseisstant Secretary Gogol Woodforde

Yay!!

This will make it much easier for the Luddites like me.