Swanageview Could Be A Vital Means Of Communication In The Area
A newcomer here to bend (focus)the ears (eyes) of our correspondents again!
It occurs to me that without its own daily/weekly local rag and no radio station to call its own, the town and surroundings are out on their own when messages need to be got across at difficult times?
Messages like weather driven cancellations, closures, postponements, news of any vital description. We are on our own, not a mention in the media.
When was the last local newspaper printed in town? Now that is something i hope our more senior residents can enlighten me over.
This website could be the means of vital communication ... yes, no?
Paul.
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
Posts
19 comments:
This is why I set up Swanageview (back in 2004). Because we just don't get the news service we should locally. But more than providing news, I thought it would be a great way for people to exchange information. And that's pretty much how it's gone.I know it's a bit clunky, but then I'm not a computer whizz.Which is why I'm always grateful for any suggestions for improvement.
And I see the online Purbeck edition of The Echo has no news stories beyond the 4th January (and today's the 6th!) Did someone say the Echo is cynical and doesn't really care about news as long as it can get the ads to cover printing and distribution and turn a profit?
As one of the 4 people who regularly post on this site (one of them is temporarily absent) ............
Sorry, I'll start again, PUBLICITY, my parents have lived around here since approx 1930. They, and their friends, did not know, and now, don't care about Swanageview.
That's the problem.
I completely agree about the Echo comment, but again, people still buy it - WHY?
Actually, it's because people don't give a damn, until it's too late. Then they moan for a week or two, and go back to their lives - or lifes.
The Purbeck Gazette is trying - cheers Nico - but as a monthly it's often too late.
BUT, it's free and it's DELIVERED - to most - it doesn't take any effort.
End of.
The biggest problem with any online blog/forum/news site is getting people to submit things to go on it. You can provide everything they need and in the end you may get one or two submissions or people talking about what they had for dinner!
You can provide everything they need and in the end you may get one or two submissions or people talking about what they had for dinner!
LIke the Dorset forum?
I was thinking about the old virtual swanage forum before they closed it due to all the abusive and adult content being posted.
Good points, maybe some written publicity about the website and it's very valuable contribution to the community and future possibilities and use could be widely distributed to those who do not actually know of the existence of Swanageview? You know, by all the usual means ... hopefully, no display charges would be in place for an assett like this?
I commend the Postman for his imagination and realisation of a need back in 2004.
I do like all the 'freebies' we have delivered, but they can only go so far and this site is almost immediate.
Paul.
The Gazette is free and fair play to it as a business but as a source of news it is terrible. Hardly any facts just biased rants from Jeremy Clarkson wannabes.
A bit like the comments on here
Citizen journalism my arse
11:34 AM
If you can do better why dont you contact Nico and offer your services to write articles?
The Postman's second message is spot on. The impression I get is that The Echo is of no interest to Swanage people whatsoever, and it baffles me as to how they can expect to sell it to the local population when it is clearly not designed to cater for here one bit?
Somehow, I wonder if they do actually have a correspondent in Swanage to report goings on? The other one, Western Gazette is it, that is not even aimed at this area yet it is on sale. May as well have the London Evening Standard or The Manchester Guardian!
What about local radio ... 'local', no, not at all ... Swanage rarely gets a mention, in fact The Isle Of Purbeck hardly ever features in the papers or on radio, though I did hear an interview with the lady from Chocococococo, or whatever it's called, over Christmas.
Swanage deserves better, it is a far more interesting area with interesting people than it is given credit for.
When it comes down to communication, the hard copy means of telling the world (Swanage)about it is on shop windows, the supermarkets and the odd secluded noticeboard, and private advertisements adorn many varied locations also, as there is no proper outlet in which to place an ad for more urgent response than a month, and then the facility doesn't exist to my knowledge?
Paul.
Please attach a pen name rather than use Anon!
We did used to have a local summer only radio station, I Googled it and found nothing except this:
www.purbeck.gov.uk/docgallery/2062.pdf
that's our 'Emergency Plan'. I knew DCC would have one, but I didn't think PDC would. STC's is 'retire to pub/club and stick knives in peoples backs'.
I guess that those who do buy the Echo do so for a look at the region, or mebbie the adverts.
We used to have the Swanage Times, I'm too young to remember it in detail, but I think it was weekly and died, presumably, through a lack of advertising - or maybe a lack of news!
Quite surprising really but if I want to find out about local issues then I check, or post, here!
Yours
Herbert-John Carruthers-Strumperwell the Third.
PS
If anyone sees Herbie in the rub-a-dub, tell him that Fred is taking his name in vain again.
See yer, Georgie.
The local radio station was Purbeck Summertime Radio on 105.4 which myself and other local bloggers were involved in a the time.
It didnt continue due to the huge fees needed to cover the music licenses back in the 90s.
I walked from Langton to Swanage today, to visit my daugher who lives at Alexander Terrace. I didn't get there. The end of Manwell was impassable on foot, just a huge sheet of ice across the road, so I tried to go up through Hobourne Park, also impassable, spooky, no footprints in the snow. They have run out of grit, the people living in this part of Swanage are all elderly. I saw no one, they cannot even step out of their door. If this weather continues for much longer it will cause huge problems for these people. I phoned DCC to report the lack of grit, but also said I was very concerned for the welfare of these people, even if the bins are refilled with grit, there is probably no one that is able do anything with it. Does anyone know, if there is someone in Swanage that is able to reach these people with a 4 wheel drive to check that they are ok.
Mum who lives at the other end of Swanage is doing her best to clear her neighbours paths. She is way over 70 but is for ever young.
Collette
Citizen journalism my arse
Is that where these comments come from?
Hi Collette
sorry to hear about this. I'm not able to help myself, but - possibly clutching at straws -
St Johns 08700 10 49 50
Sally Army 424578
Police 422004
STC 423636
Health Centre 422231
NFU 553472
hopefully someone reading this!
Thanks for the reminder VS.
Collette, your concerns should be everyone's concerns. There are many hilly side roads which are clearly impassable.
Our road, in Langton, is only around 100 metres long, and typical, but it is only an easy task for 4x4s as there is an incline, it is solid ice. I went to Travis Perkins yesterday and came back with bags of sharp sand as they are still awaiting salt. It is better than nothing, but I cannot spread it over the entire road.
Once again, Council Tax and administration of such times comes into question. Should we expect better, I think so?
The elderly, trapped in their own homes, is something about which urgent thought and deed should be ther done thing. The area has been caught out. There is certainly a shortage of road salt, but priorities in particular areas should have long since been considered. If you can get to town there is no problem whatsoever with snow or ice, but higher ground needs immediate work.
Paul.
OHHH Ahhhh us locals never had these sorta problems we used to sweep shovel and clear our paths drive ways and roads chuck down salt sand ash what ever. Dont happen now does it?
many reasons, lack of money and lack of community spirit, never mond paul you can take up the cudgel!
Reacting to the current climate without considering the whole year is a bit worrying.
Maybe we should have a too cold weather plan, but that also means that we need a too wet weather, too dry weather and too hot weather plan.
The 'normal' human will respond by moaning about the 'nanny state', and then someone will point out the additional costs (one estimation reckons that full gritting will add about £60 a year to our CT bills). So more people will moan.
Nothing will be done, then we'll have a monsoon, with roads being flooded, maybe even washed away, houses and businesses flooded, and people will start to moan again that nothing has been done!
Who said that things were circular?
Post a Comment