Wednesday, January 27, 2010
#LibDemHeart or #LibDemValues?
Simple question: what’s the best tag to identify posts about what the Lib Dems stand for, given that #WhattheLibDemsstandfor would be a bit long? Planning my series, and noticing several other people had blogged on the topic, I thought, ‘I should be all modern and use the tag’. Only there wasn’t one yet, so I’ve narrowed it down: it’s a two-horse race between #LibDemHeart and #LibDemValues (no, you’re not getting a bar chart). Ideally, I’d like some more of you to pick this up and use it so I can follow the cross-blog ideological debate – so, which should win? Anyone answering ‘Fiiiiight’ will be asked to act out John Stuart Mill and Leonard Trelawny Hobhouse mud-wrestling for YouTube. That’ll teach you.
Obviously, I’ve gone through an immensely thrilling process of brainstorming, throwing out the longer words that might have worked, throwing out the ones that sounded too airily philosophical in favour of those with some purpose, and throwing out the ones with negative connotations or that were simply too send-uppable. Then I asked a handful of people’s opinions on the remaining tags I posted to them, and the result was clear: it was between just two Twittery tags. Nearly, but not entirely, with me voting for one and everyone else for the other.
So, having offered you a scrupulously even-handed and non-judgmental summing-up of the two options, which might you see yourself / other Lib Dems using in the continuing debate over what the Liberal Democrats stand for?
Obviously, I’ve gone through an immensely thrilling process of brainstorming, throwing out the longer words that might have worked, throwing out the ones that sounded too airily philosophical in favour of those with some purpose, and throwing out the ones with negative connotations or that were simply too send-uppable. Then I asked a handful of people’s opinions on the remaining tags I posted to them, and the result was clear: it was between just two Twittery tags. Nearly, but not entirely, with me voting for one and everyone else for the other.
Why #LibDemHeart?
- It makes you think of something at the centre of our being
- It makes you think of the power that makes everything else go round
- It makes you think of passion, belief, ‘…and soul’
- It’s different enough to the usual politics-speak to be memorable
- And, of course, it cheerily implies ‘I Heart Lib Dems’.
- (Oh, and it’s one letter shorter – result!)
Why #LibDemValues?
- It’s colder, more theoretical, more prosaic, but it gets the job done and everyone knows what you mean by it. Sigh.
So, having offered you a scrupulously even-handed and non-judgmental summing-up of the two options, which might you see yourself / other Lib Dems using in the continuing debate over what the Liberal Democrats stand for?
Labels: Blogs, Twitter, What the Lib Dems Stand For
Comments:
<< Home
Newer› ‹Older
I'd go for #LibDemValues as it's short, meets your needs and is also the one easiest to imagine people starting to pick up and append to other messages too (e.g. Great to see @nick_clegg standing up for liberalism and voting against ID cards #LibDemValues)
Mmmmm. Depends what you're talking about. Heart to me implies emotional content, character, mettle. Values as you say are a little colder and more philosophical: principles, judgement, goals...
I would talk about what I stand for in terms of values, but I agree the heart stuff is vital too, not just for heartier people than I.
I would talk about what I stand for in terms of values, but I agree the heart stuff is vital too, not just for heartier people than I.
Thanks, Mark – to the point and practical.
And thanks, Joe, for putting your finger on the problem – I want to appeal to both sets of virtues, of course. “Character” and “mettle” hits the mark, but so do “principles” and “goals”…
As yet, no-one’s picked up and used either tag, but I live in hope ;-)
And thanks, Joe, for putting your finger on the problem – I want to appeal to both sets of virtues, of course. “Character” and “mettle” hits the mark, but so do “principles” and “goals”…
As yet, no-one’s picked up and used either tag, but I live in hope ;-)
Hi Alex, I hadn't seen your post when I wrote the following:
http://act.libdems.org.uk/profiles/blogs/liberal-democrat-values
My vote's for #LibDemValues
I think it's important that we keep the debate about what we believe in because there are still over three million undecided voters and it would be sad if we let the Conservative and Labour parties along with the Murdoch press bully them into voting for stasis.
Our values speak for themselves but the mainstream media will focus on trivia and contrived drama. It's up to us to get our core values out there.
I don't have the influence to get this off the ground so I'm appealing to you and your readers to take up what was your idea in the beginning and to start using it :)
http://act.libdems.org.uk/profiles/blogs/liberal-democrat-values
My vote's for #LibDemValues
I think it's important that we keep the debate about what we believe in because there are still over three million undecided voters and it would be sad if we let the Conservative and Labour parties along with the Murdoch press bully them into voting for stasis.
Our values speak for themselves but the mainstream media will focus on trivia and contrived drama. It's up to us to get our core values out there.
I don't have the influence to get this off the ground so I'm appealing to you and your readers to take up what was your idea in the beginning and to start using it :)
# posted by 
: 8:52 pm, April 26, 2010
: 8:52 pm, April 26, 2010
Having rather let this slip (ill health and lack of response), I'm delighted you came up with one of them separately, Tim - keep at it, and I'll start using it again, too!
Thanks Alex. Very sorry to read about your ill health. Hopefully the sight of the greatest surge in Liberal Democrat support that I can remember is helping your spirits at least.
I've been highlighting the essays in "Why Vote Liberal Democrat" and finding some nice twitter-sized #libdemvalues slogans to send out steadily over the next few days.
I've been highlighting the essays in "Why Vote Liberal Democrat" and finding some nice twitter-sized #libdemvalues slogans to send out steadily over the next few days.
# posted by : 11:24 pm, April 28, 2010
: 11:24 pm, April 28, 2010
Thanks, and excellent plan! I'll look out for them. Oh, and I came up with some tweet-sized Lib Dem values posts last year, so I'd better look them up and republish them...
Post a Comment
<< Home
