First Week Summary

All in all, I'll take it. The local media coverage of the announcement was friendly, even to the point of getting picked up by New Glasgow radio (my press release was limited to the paper media). I am told that The Halifax Daily News will be running a piece tomorrow (Sunday the 6th). For anyone who cares to check it out, the url is: www.hfxnews.ca

On the second day into its launch, the site was doing 100+ hits. Again, I'll take it. Much of the action was coming from bloggers, some friendly, some hostile, i.e. a limp attempt by a Liberal party hack in Ottawa to draw me into a pissing contest. Many names will no doubt be hurled at me and at this independent candidacy. "Idiot" will likely not be one of them.

I can't stress enough to please read the site before deciding where and how all this sits with you, if it "sits" at all. Page loads are only running about 20-30% above hits, so that tells me that most visitors aren't going beyond the first page. Which is fine, but to get dished on the basis of not having read the entire site is a tad unfair. Everything I can safely say at this time, I have written down. Seven percent of the Central Nova Liberal constiuency! In case anyone missed it, seven percent! Seven! Where it has not been written down, the space left "between the lines" is quite wide.

The high point of the week came during a telephone conversation with a reporter for a local community paper. It was when the light came on for him as to what is being attempted here and that it is actually do-able...and do-able only by an independent. Now all that needs to be done is multiply that "aha!" by several thousand. That's my job and I have the summer to do it.

My major concern at this point is that not much online interest is coming out of Central Nova. But that comes with the turf, i.e. degree of internet hook-up, unwillingness to take initiative, etc. What I already knew is merely reinforced: that much work over the next several months will need to be done by working the streets. If it doesn't get done within the tactical scope of the trenches, wrangling around in the mud, then it doesn't get done. The lofty hilltops of strategy can be left to the more socially and politically incumbent.