The astute among you may have noticed that there haven’t been any new Spin posts this year.
The more astute perhaps remarked that there hasn’t been much of a Spin blogger recruitment effort.
And I imagine that the most astute among you made use of your Penn-honed skills of deduction and guessed that the era of the Spin is, at long length, done.
The last two and a half years have been a time of great change here at the DP. After over a hundred years in print, we’ve thrown a tremendous amount of effort into expanding our online offerings, from video to interactive features to, yes, everyone’s favorite DP blogs. The Spin began featuring long posts by “online columnists” in the fall of 2006; as of this fall, it was less a virtual opinion page and much more a distinctly “bloggy” endeavor.
But as they say, all good things must come to an end. And when the DP closes a door, it opens a window.
Thus, it is my sad duty to announce that no new posts will appear on The Spin from now on — and my happy duty to inform you that the DP will launch several new, themed blogs sometime this semester.
Newly-elected opinion blog editor Abby Schwartz officially takes charge later tonight, after the annual Daily Pennsylvanian banquet. I trust that she will guide the opinion section successfully through this transition and into a new, (even more) modern, bloghappy age.
The first DP opinion blog saw many talented writers, more than a handful of memorable pieces, and, of course, some truly epic editing. It shall be missed.
Tonight, we bid a fond adieu to The Spin.
Here’s to bigger and better things to come.
An RSS feed of The Spin is available
January 26th, 2009 at 1:07 am
Are you Page Stull’s daughter?
If so, your writing is cool and amusing.,
If so, he was a friend of mine at WXPN when students ran it well.
If not, your writing is cool and amusing…
Roll on…
Nick Spitzer
American Routes (WHYY etc.)
The College 1972
January 26th, 2009 at 1:09 am
“Here’s to bigger and better things to come.”
Nothing is bigger than the spin!
January 26th, 2009 at 11:46 am
Wow- that’s quite the abrupt shutdown! I have to say I loved working on The Spin, and I’m sad that I won’t be seeing it as an alum, 20 years down the line. But online isn’t really the place for keep something for the sake of tradition- it is part of a global,collective place of constant innovation.
But it was nice to help pioneer a forbear, albeit one that within a year or two will be a foggy memory for most, and forgotten by all apart from the archives, those who worked on it, and by some sort of internet presence for years to come. Perhaps you can archive all the posts on a CD or something? Please do.
All the best to everyone- a special shout out to Lyndsay!
January 27th, 2009 at 2:52 pm
Several themed blogs? I thought that’s what you already had. An opinion/news themed blog, a 34th street themed blog and a sports themed blog. Sounds like someone dropped the ball. I hope in the near future I’ll be proved wrong
January 28th, 2009 at 11:27 am
Alas: The idea is that an “opinion/news themed blog” is a bit broad. We’re thinking more narrowly. You’ll see what I mean soon
January 30th, 2009 at 12:21 am
I started The Spin with Evan Goldin in 2006, so obviously I’m sorry to see it go. But The Spin was started to try new things, and the DP is making the right move by taking things in new directions if that’s what’s needed.
I do hope that existing Spin posts are added to the annual archives of the DP, which was suggested by the commenter above me who is apparently and inexplicably trying to impersonate me (”foggy memory”? I don’t write like that. And I always capitalize Internet, harumph). I actually think the F06 posts were part of the archive CDs.
As I said when I turned over the reigns of The Spin, “our approach has been to push the boundaries of traditional…’blogs’. In particular, The Spin has featured a good deal of original reporting…we believe that print media must integrate original reporting and the internet if the industry is to continue to grow.” http://lamp.dailypennsylvanian.com/blogs/index.php?page=post§ion=2&id=638
Best of luck to what the DP tries next, and kudos to everyone who has written or edited The Spin over the past two and a half years! — Eric
January 30th, 2009 at 1:01 am
I’m shocked, shocked to learn that the Spin is shutting down! Oh wait, I knew that. But still, it’s a sad day. I remember when the Spin was just a glint in my idealistic eyes….Walnut St was uphill both directions in those days!
Anyway, I am sad to see the Spin go. Whatever direction the DP is taking its blogs, I wish it the best! I’ll be reading…and commenting, of course.
February 3rd, 2009 at 3:50 pm
Older Eric the old retired blogger,
‘Internet’ is not a proper noun- you do not capitalize it in English. German, yes- English, no. Do you capitalize ‘television’, or ‘newspaper’? Do you?
Best wishes from one person who exists in foggy memory to another,
Younger Eric the old retired blogger
February 3rd, 2009 at 3:52 pm
I beg to differ:
http://journ300.blogspot.com/2008/02/ap-style-tip-web-site-internet.html
February 12th, 2009 at 2:58 pm
Yes, I thought this would be the case- the blogspot blog (though I am happy to acknowledge some sort of university affiliation with it). I am usually not wrong, and I am happy to say, I am not here, either (sort of).
The capitalisation of ‘Internet’ has really already begun to be dropped by many mainstream media outlets and more tech savvy ones (http://www.wired.com/culture/lifestyle/news/2004/08/64596). Wikipedia, though never really reliable, suggests that most non-American media outlets are more likely not do so (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Internet_capitalization_conventions). Being an international phenonmenon, probably best to abide by new rules.
Penn’s own Prof. Thurow at Annenberg led a crusade against this (http://www.interesting-people.org/archives/interesting-people/200301/msg00014.html).
In America, at least, this has become quite the discussion. Since no hard and fast rule seems to have emerged, I remain unconvinced of a need to capitalise ‘internet’. There is no earthly reason to. I wonder how it will play out over the coming years…
Back to work……
February 12th, 2009 at 5:20 pm
Boo. Where are the new blogs?