Zcom_simple

Hello,

Blogs are a familiar feature on the internet - where users post content in an accumulating manner, with comments, and search options, etc. They facilitate expression and exploration, and via attached comments, also debate and synthesis.


Reading and
Navigating Blogs

Our blogs are quite powerful. Each writer can post, as is typically the case. Sustainers who have the option can also post, however. All Blogs appear in the blog system, and sometimes also in content boxes the top page of ZNet - and always via the left menu of the top page - and can be found via searches, etc.

Commenting on blogs follows the blogs, attached at the bottom, and blog comments, like all others, are also visible in many places that show comments including in the forum system. In addition, the entire blog system gathers content for everyone - but one can look at the accumulating content in many ways.

  • For example one can look at one writer's efforts - so one is seeing what is effectively a blog system for that one writer, or Sustainer.
  • One can also look at the content by topic, seeing blogs that are tagged as being about a certain topic - or place, as well. Thus, when doing that, it is a blog system about a topic, or a place, with many contributors.
  • One can look at only writer blogs, or only sustainer blogs, as well.
  • One can look at blogs for particular Groups, too.

All this is easily done using the left menu. Searches allow even more variables and refinements.


Creating Blog Posts

If you are a Sustainer with permission, and are logged in, you will see a link in the left menu for you to post a blog - and you can use that to post one, and then tag it various ways (such as with a topic or place, or a group tag), and once you do, it is in the system with you as the author.

You can also use the console button to the left to post a blog - anytime and from anywhere in the site, as long as you are logged in.

Meanwhile, enjoy the blogs - and, by the way, if you are a Free Member or a Sustainer with a ZSpace page, of course you can put one or more content boxes on it, pulling blog links of any sort you may want to filter for, for example, by you or by your friends or by others - and by topic, about places, for groups, etc.

Blogs

Me_hagakure

Sean Michael Wilson's Blog

Web Address: http://www.zcommunications.org/zspace/Sean Michael
Bio: Sean Michael Wilson is a comic book writer from Scotland, who now lives and works in Japan. He has been published by a variety of US, UK and Japanese publishers. His main influences include British... (More)

All Wilson Blogs

Parecomic - graphic novel

By Sean Michael Wilson at Feb 26, 2012


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Announcing the coming of the graphic novel - 'Parecomic: Michael Albert and the Story of Participatory Economics'
by Sean Michael Wilson and Carl Thompson.

We now have a KICKSTARTER drive up and running, for our documentary style graphic novel based on Michael Albert's life and Parecon ideas - PARECOMIC. Its a wonderful 200 page graphic novel we are working on now for a NY publisher, Seven Stories and very much enjoying - but we need a bit of funding support to help along the way please. As you may know the advances for such books are very small, and we gotta eat!

"Written by Sean Michael Wilson, and drawn by Carl Thompson, PARECOMIC is about Michael Albert and his life's struggle as a US left wing activist, reaching right back to the heady days of 1960's student demos and lifestyle rebellions. From the development of the anti war movement, civil rights, the woman's movement, and the black panthers to the establishment of alternative media like South End Press and Znet. PARECOMIC shows us Michael's story, and at the same time the ideas and issues that influence both our society and the better alternative that we can build via the anarchist influenced system of participatory economics. Or PARECON for short - hence the title for our book, which rather started out as a joke - but has stuck: PARECOMIC.

Michael Albert himself has worked closely with us to check the authenticity of the scenes and info. He will be contributing a text section at the back of the book, with hopefully the introduction by his long term colleague Noam Chomsky.  The recent upsurge in popular protest in the USA and around the world shows that people are not happy with the state of capitalism. The Occupy movements indeed shows us that many people would prefer a better system, a model that will work for the 99%, not just the 1% - Parecon is one such model. "


- The way kickstarter works is that the funding level needs to reach the target amount or the creators get nothing. Its an all or nothing thing. So, please go and have a look at the info and video there, and pledge something if you like the PARECOMIC project and want to support the book :

http://www.kickstarter.com/projects/471898784/parecomic-a-documentary-graphic-novel


Here is more info about myself and my web site:

"Sean Michael Wilson is a comic book writer from Scotland, who now lives in Japan. He has had fourteen books published so far, from a variety of US, UK and Japanese publishers. Although also writing 'western' style graphic novels, such as adaptations of classical novels, he often works with Japanese and Chinese artists on manga style books. He is currently writing books for Kodansha, being the only British writer to do so. He has attempted to do comic books that are different from the normal superhero/fantasy brands, working with a variety of 'non-comic book' organisations in the process. His book with War on Want, 'Iraq:Operation Corporate Takeover' was reported on by a variety of mainstream agencies - such as Reuters, CCTV in China and several Middle Eastern magazines. His main influences remain British and American creators - such as Alan Moore, Grant Morrison, Eddie Campbell and Harvey Pekar."

http://seanmichaelwilson.weebly.com



Antti

Thank you

By Jauhiainen, Antti at Feb 26, 2012 19:36 PM

Great to see something like this done, definitely merits support. Hope you get support through kickstarter, many of the people reading Z should be interested and spreading the word through the Occupy-movement in the US should find supporters as well.

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Me_hagakure

Re: Thank you

By Wilson, Sean Michael at Feb 27, 2012 02:42 AM

Thank you Antti, 
and I noticed that you made a funding pledge on Kickstarter yourself. Great stuff.
Yes, if people on Z would kindly spread the word that would be very helpful. Although the specific aim of the kickstarter site is to get creators some funding, it also works as a way to promote the contents of the book. So, obviously our larger aim is to get the Parecon ideas out to an audience via this format, the graphic novel. 
Sean

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Me_hagakure

Re: Re: Thank you

By Wilson, Sean Michael at Feb 28, 2012 01:23 AM

The nice news is that Noam Chomsky has agreed today to write the introduction to our Parecomic book.

Great stuff.

Sean

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Me_hagakure

Re: Re: Re: Thank you

By Wilson, Sean Michael at Feb 28, 2012 01:48 AM

The Kickstarter drive has had a nice bit of support already in its 5 days so far. Both from some Z people and from the comic book community - British comic book shop, Forbidden Plant has put up a nice article on our Parecomic book:

http://forbiddenplanet.co.uk/blog/2012/parecomic-new-kickstareter-project-by-sean-michael-wilson-and-carl-thompson/

Thanks for the solidarity!
Please keep it coming...

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Me_hagakure

Re: Re: Re: Re: Thank you

By Wilson, Sean Michael at Mar 01, 2012 14:36 PM

A couple of new and good things regarding our PARECOMIC kickstarter drive: we are exactly on target funding wise, so things are going along quite well. But if we dont make the FULL target of $8000 then it's all lost (that is kickstarters rules) - so please consider supporting the book Z people.

Secodnly, Kickstarter has it as a staff pick, which is nice.
There are several pages of the Parecomic book on my web site if anyone would like to look:

http://seanmichaelwilson.weebly.com

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