That needs to be sorted out..

A print version obviously doesn’t replace the blogosphere, it just reaches more people, about 60k circulation I think. But have a look at the comp

I feel that to many, a blog is like their own personal newspaper. Posts should be taken in the context of that specific weblog/author. To take just one out and publish would take away the full impact, and it would anyway be taking away the social and dynamic aspects of blogging.

There still will be the problem of how to select the posts. Re: nominations Cerno’s Top 100 blog posts project should be a good place to start. Any rating system will have the same problem as the hit counter. more popular the post, the more people rating it higher, not necessarily because its better, but because its visible. Again, an editor has to be around to select from the nominations. Whacksters questions on editorial policy are a very legit issue. Even putting aside the fears of editorial bias, one will have to trim the obscenities from some of the more colourful posts at the very least.

Instead of actually publishing the posts itself, why not do an RD style “Lately in the Lankanosphere” at a regular interval?

By the way people do know your hidden agendas. Ass kissers will kiss your ass, but the common man on the street is not as foolish. I repeat, try registering Kottu and see what happens kid.

The point is to encourage new bloggers and develop the blogosphere here. I already have a column in the Leader and generally get more traffic than Kottu on my own (stats are public on both). The point is to promote blogging in general. This does benefit me indirectly by increasing opportunity for everyone.

First things first.

“Kottu” is a generic term, under the Intellectual Property Act No. 36 of 2003 which came into effect on the 12th November 2003 and regulations under section 204 of the Act published in Government Gazette no. 1445/10 of 17th May 2006 that replaced the Code of Intellectual Property Act No. 52 of 1979.

This act clearly prevents the use of the term “Kottu” for commercial purpose (or otherwise) by individuals or organizations though the term can be used in conjunction with other terms, say Kottu Blogsphere for instance.

Our learnered peace activist does use this term for his cheap self-marketing. What a loser. Yes he may have succeeded registering the domain with Godaddy that is not in SL, but in SL there does exist laws preventing this. All it takes is a complaint to the National Intellectual Property Office.

Moreover, http://www.kottu.lk can not be registered for the same reason. Generic term.

Indi trying to monopoloze the term first online and now with traditional media is a joke indeed. But not all Lankans are as ignorant dear peace activist. A complaint can result in Kottu.org been banned by the lankan authorities. Its that simple. refer http://www.nipo.lk for more info.

A piece of advice though, try registering your Kottu trademark, then you will realize your folly. Welcome to the real world His Excellency Indi Day Dreamer.

Kottu indeed.

The Leader doesn’t censor anything, they’re (obviously) quite open. I give the final copy myself. Only things that need to be edited are swears (fuck, shit). And I don’t think Gotabaya can be mentioned by name because of an ongoing court case. In my print experience distribution with a newspaper is the only thing that works, otherwise logistics is expensive and impossible.

People would have to give real names to get paid. So I guess that’s either trust or optional.

1. Any blogger who write under a pseudonym may have issues with their identity being revealed to at least some folks in Sunday leader/ Indi. (This may especially be an issue for folks who a critical about the government etc)
For people who are not interested in the money could they be donated somewhere?

2. As Dee mentioned Sunday Leader does carry a certain perception around. For folks who don’t want to identify themselves with their theme or cast in the same lot may have issues with this. Kottu on the other hand is free from such encumbrances.
(For example even though I deeply respected Lasantha for his bravery, I didn’t like the way the Sunday leader was engaging in selective journalism where there was unquestioned support for certain quarters of the UNP.

3. As several others have highlighted, monetary compensation could drive people to somehow get their post nominated.

4. As whackster and others have pointed out, does the authors have any say in the editing process? Will my post be tamed down to be more politically correct? Or will my post be edited in such a way to highlight the stand the leader takes against the current government? Words are very powerful. At the hands of a skilled editor, a few changes here and there in post could dramatically alter the shape and tone of a post. The last thing we want is the content being used for petty political purposes.

Indi, IMO this may not be a good idea after all. Even though you are doing this with a good intention, this may create a lot of unnecessary issues down the road and may end up destroying kottu.

This may have the effect of getting some posts heavily altered and some even rejected outright. The advantage of blog posts is that writers have no call to strictly conform to any norms. Therefore content is more original and fresh. Will these qualities be taken away, or will posts published be un-edited?

Sorry, Nibras, Dickmans Rd transvestites are not for me.

The “linked to” concept is a little shaky as well, since the popular blogs(the ones on everyone’s blogroll) will get on the list every time.

The TV idea we talked about, which takes it into a different dimension, might be better.

Yes, Nibras, but all five are you, no?