Kiwiblog staff wanted
June 13th, 2011 at 3:00 pm by David FarrarWith work so busy for me, plus the pressure of regular columns on other sites, I’m finding it difficult to do as much as I would like to on Kiwiblog. I’m not going to, and never would, do an Iain Dale and stop blogging – I enjoy it too much for that.
But what I am going to try, is to see if there are any readers interested in helping out with Kiwiblog. These are not paid roles, but volunteer roles. A chance to contribute, and if you really want have a fancy title 
These are the roles which I have identified as most useful to me for now.
Sub-Editor
- Do regular posts of political events – who’s on Backbenches, Q+A, The Nation as we receive them, and iPredict newsletter updates.
- Set up the General Debate to appear at 8 am for each day
- Correct any obvious typos in my posts
- Approve any comments held in moderation (normally from new posters)
- Clear the spam queue
- Embed a Daily Dilbert Cartoon
- Feed quotes into the Quotes Collection
Data Monkey
After someone who is a whiz on Excel. Don’t need to know all the fancy advanced features, but is good with data. I’d like to do more data analysis on Kiwiblog, but don’t have as much time to to do it all myself.
An example of what I am after is the planned series of posts on Electoral Reform. One of the posts will be on how porportional each of the five systems are. So what I am after is someone who can use the Gallagher Index to calculate the proportionality of the result for each election from 1996 to 2008, and the average over the five elections.
Then ideally to also model what the results of each election would have been under SM 90/30 and FPP, and to also calculate the Gallagher Index for each of those scenarios. Then one can compare the average proportionality (or not) of FPP, SM and MMP.
None of this is particularly difficult – it just takes time to enter in the data for 5 elections, create alternate results for 10 further scenarios, and then calculate the index for each.
Cartoonist
Kiwblog used to have a regular cartoonist. If you want to take up the spot, send me a couple of cartoons.
Photographer
We have the wonderful nature photos by Chtonoid every Friday. But what I am after is someone in Wellington and probably someone in Auckland who can attend significant political events (marches, rallies, demos etc) and take some photos for Kiwiblog.
So if you are interested in helping, e-mail me.
Tags: Kiwiblog
June 13th, 2011 at 3:06 pm
I think Redbaiter would qualify and has previously expressed interest.
Vote:June 13th, 2011 at 3:06 pm
My my DPF. Getting organised and levaraging human capital. The MSM will be pissed. Will your worker bees join a union
Vote:June 13th, 2011 at 3:08 pm
I wonder if PhilU is still unemployed…………eh?
Vote:June 13th, 2011 at 3:11 pm
Heh, have been noticing some rather bad typos of late.
Vote:June 13th, 2011 at 3:13 pm
Or the resident South Island troglodyte – Tinted With A Vespa?
Vote:June 13th, 2011 at 3:24 pm
Talk about a minimum wage!
Vote:June 13th, 2011 at 3:30 pm
DPF’s Kiwiblog – exploiting the proletariat since 2003
Vote:June 13th, 2011 at 3:34 pm
No call for a Christchurch based photographer.
I can get some good pictures of flattened buildings if that helps? Metaphorical for the Liarbor party I ‘spose.
[DPF:Yes, please I would love some original photos from Chch.]
Vote:June 13th, 2011 at 3:51 pm
I like and enjoy Excel, and happy to contribute there. However, my work load goes up and down – so I wouldn’t be relying on me as the longterm full time type person. Maybe a process to call for volunteers on particular things – I would be very keen to see Kiwiblog move more into analysis rather than commentary on the day’s events (although that’s interesting too, it isn’t enough).
Vote:June 13th, 2011 at 3:59 pm
Redbaiter would be great
Vote:June 13th, 2011 at 4:36 pm
Trevor Mallard seems to have gotten into blogging in a big way – perhaps he could do some guest post.
Nah – that would never work – you dont censor comments.
Vote:June 13th, 2011 at 4:41 pm
I’ll help by loudly pointing out typos every time you make them. Watch this space!
Vote:June 13th, 2011 at 4:59 pm
greenfly is offering his services as Sub-Editor.
I’m posting on his behalf in the hope you might release him from his cage DPF.
Vote:June 13th, 2011 at 5:44 pm
Sounds suspiciously like you’re gearing up to run an election campaign David.
Vote:June 13th, 2011 at 6:00 pm
or a news wire service…
Vote:June 13th, 2011 at 6:20 pm
Yes exapt, DPF has accepted Hones invitation to be campaign manager for the mana party.
Vote:June 13th, 2011 at 8:26 pm
hey dpf
how dirty can the cartoons be???
I’ve got some, but cant get them to you till my exams are over.
Vote:June 13th, 2011 at 9:32 pm
With greenfly you get the obnoxious troll Robert Guyton – two for nothing and worth nothing.
Vote:June 13th, 2011 at 10:27 pm
Practically breathless with excitement at the prospect of being involved with ‘team KB’ I’ quickly looked up some definitions of ‘staff’ and it doesn’t appear to describe that you say you are seeking.
I think ‘serf’ might better describe it.
Unless, of course, ‘staff’ was a typo.
In which case no doubt they’ll be lining up to do your minion-work sans-lubricante, as this kind of mistagke should be erradicated.
Alternatively, you could just levy subscriptions and call it a union? – double the profitability. You tihgt git. (whoops, another typo!)
Vote:June 13th, 2011 at 11:01 pm
Perhaps David meant “intern”, Lee. Washington is full of them, young people who work for free but are not included in the unemployment stats.
But why stop at typos, David?
How about fact checking?
Hmmm, on second thoughts, that might be too much work for a volunteer.
Vote:June 14th, 2011 at 10:49 am
I can understand you wanting some help DPF, it must be a lot of work each day.
I’m not sure volunteers will be the way to go though. I’ve done a certain amount of volunteer work in my time and spoken with plenty of charities who use them. And the results are mixed. You often get people who are all keen at the start but then trail off…. often at key times, just when you really need some work done.
And from the volunteer side you sometimes find people using you as a slave (expecting you to do stuff RIGHT NOW, or a never ending and expanding list of duties to do – after all, you’re free, why would they get anyone else to do it…) and so you start to feel like you’re being taken advantage of .
If you really need reliability, you’ll need to pay staff.
I guess I’m cynical now because my first thoughts when I read this were: Doing a an Ariana Huffington DPF? Building up a blog (which is a business, with a certain amount of income) with volunteer labour and then flicking it on?
Vote:June 14th, 2011 at 11:11 am
Meh. DPF does this in his spare time. Why would he pay someone else to do what he does for free? I think people are inventing too many conspiracies here. DPF would like to expand content on the blog, particularly coming into election year, he’d like some other like minded people to help out on the same basis that he does. No drama there, and seems entirely reasonable.
Vote: