Just trying to get this word out, since I have discussed this issue here in the past. I’ve created a “shadow BFA blog” here:
http://shadowbfa.blogspot.com/
Feel free to check it out, especially if you used to go to Blog for America regularly but were disheartened by a lot of the negativity over time. Right now I need to (ugh) go out in the rain for some back to school shopping, so I can’t get into any discussion of the whys and wherefores of this right now, but some excerpts below will hopefully answer some of your questions.
Here is what I posted on the most recent Blog for America thread
Click for the parallel blog universe people were discussing earlier.
http://shadowbfa.blogspot.com/
It was something I felt I needed to do, but is not intended as criticism of Tara (as Rich seemed to be implying) or Democracy for America. A number of people are posting in both locations, and some people who have not felt comfortable posting at Blog for America any more are now posting over there and reuniting with members of their blog family.
My first blog entry explains, briefly, how I came to create the site, but for the most part the main entries will be links to the current BFA content and a brief excerpt. I have enlisted some helpful assistants to help me monitor the blog so that it can be a place where people can feel safe to interact without being put down.
Depending on how things are going for me, and what the atmosphere is like here at the official Blog for America, I will still post here as well. But I have made the decision that when I am here, I will not to get into discussions of whether the shadow blog is a “good” thing or not. It just is, and people here are welcome to join us there, or not, as they see fit.
Peace.
And here is my answer to a question in the comments at Shadow BFA Blog about the list of blog names on the right hand side of the page:
Regarding the list, take a look at the link “People-Powered Blogs“. It’s a page I’ve been working on for a while to help us find members of our blog family elsewhere in cyberspace. Well, I recently signed up for a “blogrolling” account for one of my other blogs, and I thought, since I was doing this new blog, the blogroll should include links to our blogs. I had to pick one for each person so that it wouldn’t be too cluttered.
I’m still collecting blogs and diaries to add to the People-Powered Blogs page, and when I add new ones, I’ll add them to the blogroll here.
Please feel free to share this with anyone you know who might be interested.
