Closure of The Dead Roo
G’day everyone.
The Dead Roo will cease operation on the 30th of November 2007. The time for renewal payment has arrived, and after evaluating whether it was worth continuing for another year, Bec and I have decided to move on to other projects.
Our goal when we started was to see where we could take The Dead Roo in one year, and try and get our opinions out into the public political debate. It was a hell of a lot of fun whilst it was going good. There were a lot of highlights, including that wonderful feeling when we started routinely breaking the one hundred thousand hits a month barrier and receiving (and then returning) dodgy donations from shady political characters.
But there were a lot of downsides. We aimed for content that added value and that was actually readable. We really wanted to resist the urge just to rant. But the work required just to keep us at the position we were in was difficult at the best of times. And none of us enjoyed having to deal with the likes of Iain Hall, trolls of any description suck the fun out of writing.
On the whole it was an enjoyable experience, and I certainly learnt a lot. But the two of us just don’t have the enthusiasm to keep it up for another year.
Where too now?
Bec and Dana are moving onto another project, www.burningwords.net, which will be online as soon as I sort out some problems with the hosting company. Burningwords will focus on feminism and queer issues.
I will be once again working on a CitJ project focusing on my home town, Wodonga. The Wodonga Online Times will be available at www.wodongaonlinetimes.com.au sometime after the conclusion of the federal election.
Dave Bath now concentrates on Balneus. John Tracey’s Paradigm Oz is still going strong, and there are plans to reinvigorate kalkadoon.org. Both are excellent publications.
Plans to launch a partisan pro-greens netroots project are still on the drawing board, eventually something of substance should appear at www.greencommons.com.au.
It was a fun ride, we learnt a lot, and we met a lot of cool people.
Thankyou everyone.
Comments
Comment from Kryptosporidian
Time: October 23, 2007, 5:52 pm
The Dead Roo is the people who have made it (as opposed to the people who detract from it) and as such has a life of it’s own. I was a little bit sad, but it’s more like moving house than burying a loved one.
Good on ya mate and I’m in for future projects.
Comment from The Happy Revolutionary
Time: October 23, 2007, 6:49 pm
Good luck to all Dead Roo-ers for the future.
Comment from Iain Hall
Time: October 24, 2007, 4:59 am
Anyone who cares to look before this page disappears will see that any post to which I contributed comments at the very least made the readers here actually have to explore the bassis for their position on any a particular issue.
It is all well and good to desire the company of the likeminded but really in the discussion of politics that is very often very unproductive. Sadly the more rabid the writers here have lacked the courage to truly engage with their political opposites which is why the discussion here has hardly got off the ground in so many posts. Those with the intestinal fortitude to defend their leftist views are always welcome at my blog ,
Cheers Comrades
Comment from Mystery man
Time: October 24, 2007, 8:47 am
Readers are also welcome at www.iainhall.com for lots of fun facts about Iain; Hall.
Comment from One of the many Kate’s
Time: October 24, 2007, 9:46 am
I’ll miss Dead Roo,
And I will make my apologies now to Kiers and Bec for not doing more than a speck of writing during the year. What can I say, shit happens and then sometimes it doesn’t.
I’ll be sure to watch for the new projects.
Peace and Love to everyone who came and left a mark at Dead Roo. (even Ian; Hall)
Ta muchly for the link Mystery man. That was definitely worth the click.
Comment from John Tracey
Time: October 24, 2007, 12:53 pm
Thanx Kieran, Bec and the other writers for the opportunity to write over the last few months.
The Roo has proven both the need and the capacity for A greenish Australian blog, and as such has been a leader in the blogosphere. There are many new Oz Greenish blogs appearing all the time now so although it is a bit sad the Roo is ending, there are many new possibilities opening up to take its place.
Greens seem to have been a bit slow in taking up the challenge of the blogosphere. To date the green masses have not managed to transcend website consciousness, the historical evolution to blogging is just beginning.
Take it easy, but take it!
JT
Comment from maja
Time: October 25, 2007, 2:39 pm
Well it was great while it lasted! Cheers!
Comment from Dave Bath
Time: October 25, 2007, 9:16 pm
Thanks very much Kieran and Bec. Have you thought about doing an XML export on an author by author basis and emailing it to them? I’m thinking of cloning a lot of my posts as well as the comments so some of the great comments don’t get lost.
Comment from Alex
Time: November 14, 2007, 1:50 pm
Thanks guys.
I enjoyed my brief association with the Roo, and look forward to reading your new projects.
Comment from Jeremy
Time: November 22, 2007, 7:43 am
Sad to see TDR closing, I’ve enjoyed your work. Good luck for the next project!
Comment from P.B. Austin
Time: March 17, 2008, 9:38 pm
Sad that it’s gone
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