At the end of 2016 I said I was going to "retire" from blogging after the local elections.
I'll be kicking myself a few months down the line, but I've changed my mind.
Before you punch the screen in anger, or perhaps even welcome that change of heart, there are big changes coming which means Oggy Bloggy Ogwr as you know it will be coming to an end.
Time for an explanation....
The Need for Change
I now get more hits in two days than I did during the whole of 2011. I'd say that counts as a success, but it's still a small, niche audience; there's always more to do and every now and again things need to evolve to keep pace.
There are three main elements to my work here: a Bridgend hyperlocal; monitoring and commentary of events at the National Assembly; thought pieces on Welsh independence.
Attempted to do everything at once through the same outlet has resulted in an identity problem that I believe holds things back. I can see why it seems odd to jump from a post on FMQs one day, to a 3,000 word tome on Welsh independence the next then something on a planning dispute in Porthcawl. It also means I skip a lot to prevent posting several blogs in one day.
Some of the questions I've tried to answer include:
- How can Oggy Bloggy Ogwr be a "hyperlocal" when I spend just as much time covering national politics?
- Am I doing a job paid professional journalists should be doing? Or, in some cases, am I doing a better job? Do I need to change how I do things?
- By working to no fixed schedule without breaks am I in danger of "burning out"? How can I change things to ensure I can take fixed breaks?
- How do I balance my clear support for independence with trying to maintain impartiality on day-to-day/party political issues?
I've decided the solution is to split Oggy Bloggy Ogwr into three.
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Oggy Bloggy Ogwr will continue - in name - as a hyperlocal blog dedicated to Bridgend county. The focus will be on local and regional politics, with posts published as and when needed.
Senedd Home will be a magazine-style site – by that I mean multiple posts will be published at the same time (once a week when the Senedd is in session) - focused on party politics at an all-Wales level, Senedd debates, committee inquiries, legislation, Welsh Government etc. The focus of my Senedd coverage will change from depth to breadth; more stories, less commentary.
State of Wales will be another magazine-style site housing all posts relating to independence, nationalism, nation-building, special investigations/research etc. At the moment I intend to publish "full editions" quarterly (four times a year) and more topical posts (such as election coverage) as and when needed.
There'll be major stylistic changes. Posts on the new Oggy Bloggy Ogwr and Senedd Home will be more concise (600-800 words max, with few exceptions). So they're going to be more "journalistic", but still going into a bit more detail than you'll get elsewhere.
When/How is this going to happen?
The launch/re-launch of the three sites will be phased in. My coverage of the UK general election starts tomorrow, but after that's out of the way I'll be dipping in and out over the summer while I do the background preparatory work. If you notice old posts disappearing or gaps in coverage over the next few months you'll know why.
- State of Wales will launch at the end of July (31st pencilled in) with an eight-part examination of currency and independence.
- The new, leaner, Bridgend-focused Oggy Bloggy Ogwr will start (by default) sometime in August.
- Senedd Home will launch when AMs return from summer recess (week beginning 18th September). At the moment it'll be published on Thursday evenings, but if you have a better idea on when to post then let me know.
In exchange for doing this I'm going to expect more support.
This is one last "Hail Mary" to get this to a level where I, and I believe many of you, think it deserves to be.
I'll be adding voluntary PayPal donation buttons. I won't force anyone to donate by putting up pop ups (and the running costs are basically domain, broadband and electricity anyway – though I eventually want to self-host). I may consider running annual fundraisers and possibly allowing advertising too. I'll provide more details at a later date.
If you're following on social media, I currently intend to do everything through my existing Twitter and Facebook pages but if there are any changes I'll let you know. E-mail subscriptions etc. will be more complicated, but if you've subscribed by e-mail I'm probably going to automatically subscribe you to all three and let you opt out.
I know people will read the Bridgend posts, so I can see that continuing indefinitely. The rest I'm not so sure of, particularly when it comes to the Assembly.
You're getting a bargain here – it's not as if I've asked any of you for anything over the last six years – and, to be completely frank, I'm pissed off the work here has often gone unappreciated by the same people who moan about a lack of coverage of Welsh politics.
So here's a friendly warning. I'll be keeping the performance of all three under review and if I don't believe one particular part is meeting expectations I won't hesitate to drop it. In short, if you want me to keep doing it you're going to have to make sure people see it.
