Heather's posterous

SligoVision.com chooses to remain anonymous

I asked on the comments at SligoVision.ie, about the need for anonymity on the site. Apparently this is a rule that is not going to change at all.

I can't tell if there is one writer, multiple writers? This was the response I got:

SligoVisionNo Gravatar (author) said:

Hi Heather
Our site policy is to maintain anonymity of moderators and of contibutors (if they wish). There are merits in the debate about anonmity or otherwise that would be worthwhile and engaging but not for this forum. The decision on anonymity is not for changing. The main thing is to encourage debate irrespective of who that person is. We would value your input into the posts on the website. Good luck with the street festival!

I can't imagine he/she really would like to talk with me if he/she thinks I am involved with the O'Connell Street Festival. As far as I can see from the posts, he/she feels pretty adamant about re-opening the street. Just for the record, I am not organising the street fest, nor part of setting it up.

I went down for the fun tho (what else to do with two nephews this weekend?) I am certainly more curious now about the decision to flip flop and go back to congested town centre.

Sligo Vision sparking debate

I think it's great that there would be a site where people could debate issues and decisions being made in Sligo. But from what I can tell, it seems the SligoVision.com site is only showing one side of the debate. However, the editor(s)/writer(s) do allow un-screened comments. That alone is unusual for an Irish site. So maybe this is how the editor(s)/writer(s) can allow for two sides of the debate to be heard?

Glad someone is airing these issues, and it's not behind closed doors. It has really sparked my own interest. I'd like to know why the street was closed in the first place, what pressures it is putting on the people in the East Ward, and what the actual business owners on the street think.

And of course what the shoppers/tourists think.

But I'm not seeing that on the SligoVision.com site.... not yet anyway. Maybe when more people pipe in, it will yield some useful debate, instead of one voice, or one vision.

Poll: Do you think O'Connell Street should be re-opened?

Post your view in this poll, initiated by SligoVision.com, Currently the results are inconclusive, nearly 50/50 and not many votes yet...

Yes 47% (26 votes)
No 53% (29 votes)

That is not very many votes to represent a vision... it would be great to see more votes, so get in there and voice what you think!

sligovision, or sligo's vision?

The mystery continues... who is behind the SligoVision.com website? I was excited when someone pointed me to the site showing they had added an 'about us' page. Though I combed through it several times, my question remains unanswered.

I got confused when I first saw SligoVision.com. Seeing the same crest used by the County Council, which was removed this past week, sparked the confusion. I wasn't sure, is this image public property, or is it only property of the county council? Well, Tubbercurry.ie uses the logo without crediting the Sligo CoCo, nor linking back to them... Can anyone use it?

I even asked someone on Twitter who works for the Sligo County Enterprise Board

I asked:

. @MammaBerry who's behind http://sligovision.com ? I mean who's the writer? No 'about' page...

She replied:

@hjames i dont know who writes the Sligo Vision pages (maybe someone in the Co co??)1:27 AM Aug 10th from web in reply to hjames

Heh, even she was confused.

When I searched 'sligo vision' I ended up with a few links related to the County Council or government, like these:

  • From the Sligo Weekender: A vision of Sligo in the future  "A VISION of what it is hoped will be the future for Sligo over the next ten years, will be unveiled next Wednesday week, April 24. On that date the Model Arts and Niland Gallery will host the launch of Sligo’s Integrated Economic, Social and Cultural Strategy 2002-2012."
  • Sligo Vision on the Sligo County Council website "National Spatial Strategy the catalyst for balanced development. Sligo has been designated as a Gateway City under the National Spatial Strategy (NSS)."

So of course I assumed it was an 'official' site backed by or written by a someone on the Sligo County Council. I can only assume a politician would be/feel entitled to use a logo. I think any reader of the site would have made this assumption as well- that it was related to someone in government.

I started to feel like a detective. I sleuth-ed by doing a WhoIs on the domain, and it's a business in the BIC. But not sure if he is behind the site. I heard through word of mouth some rumours of who is behind it, but who knows? I'd like to find out for myself however.