Umbrella Blog is a unique concept, bringing together like-minded bloggers under one "umbrella", in a form that is both stylish and user-friendly.
The front page (Umbrella 1) acts as a combined notice board and contents page, telling visitors what has been posted, with links to the actual pieces. Through this, it provides easily accessible reference to our "family" of blogs, while the format gives the reader enough information about each post to enable them to decide whether they want to read more.
That way, Umbrella Blog is a convenient time-saver and a quick source of information, removing the need to trawl through a large number of blogs yet enabling readers to pick up information they might otherwise have missed.
Already, we have eleven blogs in the "family", including our own Umbrella 3 (Page 3) which is intended to cover a wide range of subjects in its own right. As the "family" expands, we aim to cover a full spectrum of general and specialist issues, providing a complementary overview of the issues of the day, with analysis and insights that the MSM rarely offers.
For individual bloggers, the great advantage of Umbrella Blog is that they are released from the tyranny of daily posts - the need to keep the blog "alive" in order to encourage a regular flow of readers. Shortly after they post, the details are shown on Umbrella 1, providing the "notice board" for those who might not otherwise have visited their sites.
Within the "family" we are working on developing an overall image, so that each blog has a familiar "feel" to it, without in any way stifling individuality and creativity. Each blog remains unique and is under the complete control of its author(s). There is no editorial "line" and we exercise no control over content or subjects chosen by individual bloggers.
What we are trying to do, though, is improve quality. There are many bloggers who have something genuine and original to say, but whose messages are lost because of poor presentation. Thus, we require a minimum standard of presentation and then offer technical support, mentoring and occasional harrassment, all to ensure a consistency in one thing, and one thing only, a professional approach to presenting the message.
Thus, this is also an evolving experiment. We are taking bloggers into the family, whose output is not always of the quality we would like, but work with them so that they can "up their game" and thus get their message heard.
Behind the scenes, we are working on some technical innovations, including integrating the forum into the family but, the "techie bells and whistles" are secondary. This is about bloggers, first and foremost, getting their message in front of their readers in a professional and readable form.
What do we get out of it?
Apart from the enormous satisfaction in seeing a good job well done, we anticipate that the hits generated on the front page will be enough to sustain a realistic income from advertising, which will help support the administrative effort behind running the blog. However, we also have innovative ideas about how this should be done, in a way that will complement, rather than intrude on the site.
Potential advertisers and sponsors can contact us via the "contact" button on the sidebar.
Welcome to our "family".
About us
