For a couple years I've been a guest writer/blogger on the Indy Hardball Conservative blog. Publisher Brian Jessen grew up in Northwest Indiana and we collaborated on some articles and breaking news from the region. I like Brian and we love arguing about politics.
When I logged on yesterday I noticed that I could no longer write to his site ... Uh Oh, what happened I thought? Have I been banned from the site? I haven't personally been banned from any sites, but I know bloggers that have been.
I reached out to Brian and found that he actually took the entire site down. In essence this post is the obituary for his blog. Here was his quote:
"I'm disappointed that pettiness and egos seem to be more important than coming together to bring quality leadership to the people of Indiana. Conservatism is supposed to be the base of the GOP and yet the need or importance of winning apparently trumps principle according to Party leadership.
We may have won this past November, but we still have not come together as a Party."
Wow ... that's a mouthful and I'm sure there's more behind the scenes on that story. Who was attacking Brian's site
As many of you know I was asked by some of the Indianapolis powers that be to host a soiree after the State Republican Convention to help create some peace between conservative bloggers who had gotten cross-wise over the competitive Senate primary. Senator Dan Coats won, but there was a lot of acrimony over comments made on both sides.
There are a few successful political blogs in Indiana, and frankly a whole bunch of sites that no one reads. I wonder if we'll see some merging of blog platforms in 2011? Will we see some of the solo sites disappear? Will any of the existing sites go to a pay-subscription model like Howey Politics, or on the other hand will Howey give up on that model and go free?
What political sites do you read daily or often?
Frankly, are any political blogs in Indiana making any money? What it is about bloggers in general that make long term relationships and collaboration so difficult?
