I have been very busy with my voting project but I had some minutes to spare and noticed that Jerome has posted some terrific diaries at European Tribune and I noticed only 1 or 2 comments on them.
I spoke to a very good friend of mine from Holland today and mentioned the European Tribune to her. She had never heard of it and told me she would pay a visit. If you have any European friends, please let them know about it. If you have any ideas how we can get the word out to our friends in Europe, please post your ideas here.
If you can spare 15 minutes, why don’t you visit Jerome at European Tribune and read his great diaries.
Especially this one: Countdown to 100$ oil (3) – industry is beginning to suffer. Not one comment has been posted yet.
Thanks for the reminder. I am hoping that there will be a large european community posting there. I wonder how we can promote the place to people in europe?
I was thinking about printing fliers and posting them around Munich. I live next door to the Studentenstadt and I am sure many university students may be interested. I can drop some off at the bookstores and coffeeshops as well. I need to go back to Jerome’s site because we had a diary regarding this and I think someone made up a flier. I will go check.
Actually, it would be great to have more German members – we have not had yet a diary about the German political system and it would be nice to have some news abotu what happens is Germany.
I ma sorry that my german is a bit too rusty to go read anything in the original…
All others welcome, of course!
I did post a German diary, “Is the Left dead?”
It got 3 or so comments and died a quick and silent death. Wasn’t sure after that that a discussion on the German Left & Right was interesting for readers. Perhaps mine just wasn’t provocative enough.
Yes, sorry about that! Maybe it came at a time with fewer readers, or it was unlucky to catch the early comment or recommendation that allows it to “catch fire”. These things are sometimes unpredictable!
I’d be grateful if you tried again. What do you think of Merkel? Is reunification a topic of discussion these days (and “ostalgie”?). What’s the common wisdom about France/Chirac or the UK/Blair these days?
I would love to write a diary about those questions. realize though, I am new here in Europe and I am still learning the political system, which is why I’m waiting for a native to write a diary like the others that explained the systems of different countries (I need a German/European high school civics course, which is why I read these diaries here). Nevertheless, what I can do is contribute diaries to what I speak about with the “average worker” in my local about the common ideas towards the changes, though they may not be correct…however they may reflect what the average person is thinking.
As you know from my other diaries on other sites, I have a narrow field of experience and can write a decent diary about it. When it comes to European politics or economics…well… I have as much expertise as George W. Bush (so that’s why I haven’t written a lot of diaries – scary thought, huh?). On the other hand, maybe I have a future career as president!
Like I usually say, that quality is sadly neither necessary nor sufficient to be president…
Thanks for your current diary, it brings a different perspective to the political stuff, but that’s exactly what we need!
When at first you do not succeed, try try again.
in the Ruhrgebiet. It would help though to have a logo to place on the flyers in order to advertise with.
Is there a logo yet…a catchy one. Let’s do this in Deutschland
Hausfrau, I think it will come. It might take a while and some patience, ET is still very young – remember it took Booman also a few weeks to get the Tribune going and then all of a sudden it started flowing. Another point might be that the summer vacation season just started. Very visible, with the traffic jams, here in Switzerland, with all the German, Dutch and other northern countries heading south. At least in Germany some of the Bundesländer have started the vacation season. Also I think the Universities take their summer break too. Thank God, they do not start all at the same time. 🙂
I am giving the link to many people, unfortunately not many are such geeks/freaks??? like me.
I check in there every day. Don’t always post as I don’t know enough to make informed comments on much of European problems etc. Will take awhile to become more informed but the diaries there have been great help in that respect.
Jerome has had several diaries on the whole oil price issue and I did post on one of them and have agreed with him that I think it will hit a 100 dollars a barrel.
I’m sure that the Eurotrib will find it’s niche as it is a quality entrance into the blog world.
I feel the same way and I live in Germany. I have been so immersed in US Politics that I don’t even understand what is going on in my own backyard.
I went to buy some Brez’n the other day for my kids and ran into some friends and they can’t believe how much time I have spent on US politics. I really have to get with the program and start reading my local newspapers.
I am so out of it. I didn’t know there was a place to visit Jerome until I read this! Just went and checked out the EuroTrib, and it looks fantastic! I was thrilled to see it. That’s going to be a great learning place for me, as I know NOTHING about politics in other countries. Good on ya, Jerome! (And I see Soj posts there as well! Way to go, all!)
Ahem.
😉
Sirocco, I’m so sorry – I didn’t mean to leave you out, but didn’t know you were a part of the EuroTrib until this morning! WHOO HOO! 😉
I put it on the blogroll a few days ago, and expect to periodically highlight interesting posts on my blog – much as I’ve done w/Booman, Kos, etc. There is indeed a lot of good writing going on there. Given time, I imagine traffic will pick up.
Yes, and Sirocco, Soj, Colman, et al. It’s an excellent blog already…and growing. We should probably enjoy the fact that it is small and quiet now, because it probably won’t always be. Anyway, I have sent the link to all my European and Euro.friendly friends and family, plus email specific articles (I sent the Nigerian article to my nephews, who are Nigerian…a sad/shocking article).
The only weird thing…and it might just be my computer…but I occasionally have problems at EuroTrib with my comments not being accepted (“post failed”). The weirdest thing…
I’m a Yurpeen who found EuroTrib in its first week (I think) and I think it’s really 1) a Good Idea 2) a successful application of the good idea.
Not only do Europeans lack forums in which to talk to each other, Europeans and Americans are in need of the same thing.
To help make it known, I posted a comment at The Guardian blog here
As to lower comments on EuroTrib over the last few days, I don’t know if anyone else had this problem, but I couldn’t get either European Tribune or BooMan Tribune all day Sunday 26th. (Connection timed out)
but I wrote SusanHu and she was able to get it back up Sunday afternoon (our time). She must get up at 6:00 in the morning.
The server was down for several hours Sunday (during the US night – nobody was around to correct it immediately, unfortunately). We are working on better arrangements.
Thanks for the Guardian note, I’ve seen already a few people come over from there (you can check the referrals yourself by clicking on the Site meter icon at the bottom right corner of the site and looking at the “referral” itme in their menu)
Thanks to all for your support. This is really a collective endeavor, and it will succeed because we all care about it. Please don’t see it as “Jerome’s blog”, but as your blog. I’m glad to have started this, and to keep it going, but really, all contributions are welcome, including to the front page (just e-mail me).