Feedback: Special Request!

Hey all!

First off, my personal apologies for not being around the last couple days.  I’m actually in the midst of starting two projects including this one.  The other could make me financially independent, and this week is proving to be a good week for advancing it.  I consider both projects to be very important, so my time is going to them rather than to reading/commenting here.  Again, my apologies.

Second, we’re almost ready to move to the next stage of the GMW project.  If this is new to you, follow that link which will start you in the right direction.  (I’m feeling too lazy to link all the essays.)  Or you can read this really, really short version (pending final approval):

(what is this?) The internet, primarily through blogs, has brought about a communications revolution. Yet the traditional media has maintained their position as information gatekeepers, and they won’t let you hear us.

We can’t bring about change when the media ignores us. We can’t rely on politicians to fix things for us. So we’re through playing nice. We’re done begging for attention. We’re bypassing the media and coming direct to you.

We can solve our problems if we work together. We can make things better when all of us try. All we’re asking for is your help. So we can generate a little Feedback.

Third, yes, we’ve finally got a name!  Feedback.  We think it fits pretty well.

Fourth…the meat.

We’re preparing a special two page pre-launch edition for the coming 5th anniversary of the war in Iraq.  This means we need submissions or recommendations for essays/diaries to use.  Because of the nature of this edition, we’re looking for articles that deal with Iraq, our military, veterans, and so on.  We don’t have our official email address set up yet, so if you want to submit something original, please send them to me at my contact address, here.  If you are recommending someone else’s work, please make sure they have listed a means of contacting them so we can get their permission and work with them on any edits which may be necessary.

We already know that buhdy and Edger have granted us blanket permission to reprint their work.  If anyone else would like to do so, please let us know.

Please also try to have all recommendations/submissions to us by Saturday evening.  We may not have time to go over anything sent to us later than that, though we’ll certainly do our best.  You are more than welcome to post them here, too.  Pony up the ones you think would be best.

I’m still in the middle of finalizing our guidelines, so if you want to submit anything, just use the tentative ones in that GMW link above.  We’re not being too sticklerish about any of it right now.  (In fact, ironically, the article length guideline, which I said was pretty much set in stone, is not in fact all that set in stone.  More on this in the next essay.)  However, we’ve already got one long article we’d like to run (just waiting for the author’s permission), so it might be best to keep it short.

I’ve also decided not to post this request at other sites since I have yet to complete (barely started) the generalized “submission request” post.  I think many of you here are already familiar with the background, so I feel confident that this request will make sense to you without taking a lot of your time.  I’m not nearly so confident that those who have not followed the project will take the time to learn right now.  However, if you think it should be posted somewhere, you have my permission to do so in whole.

After this special edition, there will be a week pause due to the fact that both VC and pfiore will be attending the DC protests (not to mention pfiore will be without internet access), so they won’t have time to help.  So our official launch won’t be for another two weeks.  We should easily have everything in place by then (barring unforeseen circumstances, of course).

Finally, I have yet another apology to make.  I really shouldn’t be here right now.  I’m supposed to be working on my other project, which will likely take up the rest of my time, today.  But I needed to get this out to you today so we could start looking at submissions.  I won’t be able to comment until late tonight.  If I’m lucky.  I’m sorry.