Sadly, this is an irony impaired world, so I find it necessary to explain what this Twitter live-blogging of council meetings is all about.
First, any direct quotes are in quotation marks: ” ”
Everything else is paraphrased, my interpretation of what’s going on. It’s generally pretty much right on the mark, although sometimes exaggerated, and sometimes I’ll just lob something in for comedic effect. Yes, there’s a filter. Maybe it’s not for everyone; that’s fine– they show the meetings on TV, too, so watch it yourself.
One fellow twitterer faulted me with the claim “That @TwitCoast is Halifax’s source for city council minutes is about as pleasing as kids that watch only ‘The Daily Show’ for their news…”
With all respect, that’s about the stupidest fucking thing ever to appear on the internet.
I mean, Daily Show watchers and twitcoast followers are MORE informed than their no-watching and non-twittering brethren, because said watchers and followers are interested in what’s going on, find many different perspectives, read all sorts of stuff, and, well, know how to think.
And you know, I do happen to write serious, in-depth stuff about council. Just a click away, right here on this web site.
Please forward any further complaints to Peter Duffy’s ghost, at duffyp@halifax.ca.
This article appears in Sep 24-30, 2009.
With all due respect to you, Tim, I have a lot difficulty getting any substance or slightest idea of what’s going on at the meetings from your live-blogging. There is good live-blogging in this world that I’ve seen and I’m afraid your’s does not meet the mark.
That being said, I usually find your other journalistic efforts related to city hall to be really well done and informative.
With all due respect to you, Jennier, there are plenty of sources for the actually dry-as-dirt happenings at council. I love getting a twitter feed from council that makes me feel as if I were there, honking with laughter at those asses myself. the paraphrases are a refreshing change from the mind-numbing politco speak in council.
Thank you Tim – you know how we love you.
Jennifer– for last council meeting I wrote these pieces:
http://www.thecoast.ca/RealityBites/archiv…
http://www.thecoast.ca/RealityBites/archiv…
In the same issue, I wrote about a council byelection in Dartmouth:
http://www.thecoast.ca/RealityBites/archiv…
Also in the issue, I wrote an editorial about council secrecy:
http://www.thecoast.ca/halifax/upfront/Con…
Which in turn discussed an investigation that took me probably 20 hours over two weeks to conduct, which is detailed here:
http://www.thecoast.ca/RealityBites/archiv…
Since Last Thursday, I’ve followed up my coverage of the council meeting with two blog posts:
http://www.thecoast.ca/RealityBites/archiv…
http://www.thecoast.ca/RealityBites/archiv…
That’s seven in-dpeth pieces about city council in five days. If anyone else is providing anywhere as near as much serious coverage of City Hall, I’m not aware of it. But I get faulted for making a couple of jokes.
LOL@Wryandginger.
Are you wrting the positive Appleby’s reviews as well?
Tim, keep on doing what you do! I would rather perform a self-vasectomy than watch the entire council proceedings on TV. Those who aren’t crazy about your live blogging have the option of not reading/following you.
Love love love Tuesday Live Blogging! Keep up the awesome work!
Tim, for a “seasoned” “journalist” you really have a thin skin, a weak temperament & confidence issues. Chill out and find you way, Halifax has lots of Buddhists to help you find your sense of well being and inner strength. Hopefully next time when you get sand kicked in your face in the sandbox you won’t go crying to Mommie. It’s only city council.
Did you read my comment? All I’m trying to say that I just don’t understand what the fuck you are trying to say when you live-blog, but I find your other coverage to be great.
Jesus christ.
I love how there are already 2 sockpuppets defending Tim.
I don’t use twitter, but I do like Tim’s other stuff.
I also thoroughly enjoy the live-tweets from council. The 140 character format is what forces him to edit down to bite-size, for those of you not entirely familiar with twitter. He’s making it entertaining for folks whether they do or don’t follow politics other than only during election. (mutter, grumble, sock puppet up someone’s ass…)
lol Line me up in the sock puppet camp. It takes an indepth knowledge of the characters involved and the issues to ironically precis the council proceedings. I don’t think tackling your critics reflects thin skin, in fact, rather the opposite. It takes a lot of courage for a journalist to defend him / herself.
Keep it up, Mr. Bousquet, City Council meetings have never gotten so much attention.
Oh Matthew.
Applebys.
that wounds.
I genuinely love the live tweets from council – they make my day and I actually can follow what he’s referring to most of the time.
PS – are you referring to me with the sock puppet comment? that’s fast and loose. Come and find me on twitter…I can’t do all the work for you.
Considering you have no history on this board and your first comment is “Thank you Tim – you know how we love you. ” you throw your own motivations into question.
As to your twitter feed, if it was worth following, I already would be.
Awww… that’s no kind of life…spending your time considering the motivation of someone who simply posted a supportive note to one of her favourite tweeters on a board.
Fretting and posting about sock puppets when there really are none around. Why a good sock puppet ought to be able to throw a board into a total lather – and there’s nothing here worth soaping up for.
I wasn’t suggesting you follow me -after all, you said you are not on twitter. I simply meant that you could come and see that the person is not a puppet.
Goodness but aren’t people on these boards a little overly invested.
All I’m saying wry, is that if you work for the Caost, you use your real name.
So far as I know, everyone who works for the Coast does use their real name in the comments, or something readily identifiable as them, anyway.
And I seriously doubt that anyone in the office would come to my support in such a manner. It assumes A) they agree with me, and B) they have an interest in defending me. Neither is in evidence.
I like my coworkers and all, but we have entirely different work, and try not to step on each other’s toes.
Tim said “It assumes A) they agree with me, and B) they have an interest in defending me. Neither is in evidence.”
Now that’s good! That’s the sort of writing I like of your’s.
Tim’s live-tweeting is the most entertaining thing to come out of HRM Council in decades, nay, millennia. But I’m pretty sure he’s doing Wry. [Name withheld out of cowardice]
PS: Tim, you owe me a beer at Bearly’s tomorrow night when Roger is playing.
PPS: Wry will be there too.
PPPS: I wont breath a word about this to Lisa.