LCG enlists D.C. tech blogger Geoff Daily

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written by oh jeez... , July 13, 2009 - 12:13 pm

ummm... why are we hiring a blogger again?

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written by Dane , July 13, 2009 - 05:47 pm

Not sure I agree personally with LCG and LUSFiber both paying or sharing the costs to hire a blogger.

I thought everything for LUSFiber was suppose to be self supportive / self sustaining in a way? Something about funds from one can't support the other and vice versa?

I wouldn't have a problem with LUSFiber wasting their money on a blogger and call it marketing I suppose. Lots of companies are doing that and getting into the whole social media thing. But I don't really support the local government spending tax dollars to hire a blogger to promote LUSFiber if its suppose to be its own entity.

Am I missing something about this? Not politically savvy so I wouldn't be surprised if I am and would love to be enlightened.

Not trying to stir anything up. I actually like Geoff so its nothing against him. Granted I am not the most impartial person when it comes to LUSFiber but thats not really where I am trying to go with this.

The whole budget madness of local governments and then adding the complexity of local and state laws about things like LUS and LUSFiber really complicate things. I think its this complication that officials rely on to skirt rules and regulations and bend things to make them fit until it breaks or they get caught. Keeps lazy people like me from prying too much thats for sure. My head almost popped the last time I tried reading the State of the Parish and the LCG budget. :-)

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written by kw , July 13, 2009 - 09:04 pm

Where was this job description published? It seems like local geek and social media consultant community would have made more noise falling all over each other to secure a contract like this? I like Geoff as well but I am afraid that his "street cred" will be negatively impacted much like another recent job placement if this wasn't handled correctly.

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written by Soop , July 14, 2009 - 08:39 am

Hmmm. The arts scene here in Lafayette gets cut and instead the Parish is funding bloggers to pimp Fiber.

I had to chuckle when I read of our "unique assets" of Fiber and UL. Really? Lafayette is the only city in the U.S. where a business has access to fiber and a university? That is great. That is really, really great! Now of course, by "unique" you mean "many," right?

Or maybe they meant "unique" as in we are the only city that has fiber and THE UNIVERSITY OF LOUISIANA AT LAFAYETTE. Ah yes, no one has ULL but us so I guess they are right after all.

See? Who are we to question Durval (or Hurel, if you prefer) on Fiber?

All the best,

Soop

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written by John St. Julien , July 14, 2009 - 11:52 am

Dane,

Hoping to see you again at Geoff's campfiber. I do appreciate your noting that you're not particularly nonpartisan on this topic (neither am I!) and want to say upfront that you should speak your mind. But I feel impelled to ask: Is Cox paying you separately for your participation on Cox's "InnovateLafayette" anti-LUS site—or is it a part of the job or a free piece of side work? I worry that what's being set up here is fundamentally unfair: Cox & AT&T get to do any sort of PR they want—including hiring bloggers—and people carp at LUS doing the least imaginable sort of PR.

In Geoff's defense: I do think the story is pretty clear that 1) Geoff is considerably more than a simple blogger 2) He'd be promoting _Lafayette_ and its technology from LITE to LUS; splitting the cost seems only fair. Making a combined cultural/technical argument is a worthwhile project and that is what I hope he'll undertake. Lafayette is a great place to be—and an emerging tech center.

(PS...Just for the record: I've never taken a penny from anyone for my own blogging at Lafayette Pro Fiber or any other activity I've engaged in while promoting Lafayette's network.)

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written by ipa , July 14, 2009 - 12:17 pm

Really?! Why in Kenny Bowen's name are we shelling out money for a blogger when this money can be used to fund roads, better public transit, or (gasp!) the non-profits? Are the people in the old Sears building so computer/internet illiterate that they can't go on Word Press, start their own blog, and write it themselves? Oy!

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written by Dane , July 15, 2009 - 12:09 pm

No money, not part of job (obvious I hope if you've seen how little I have participated anyway) it was just personal choice.

As I stated I personally have NO problem with LUSFiber spending their money as a business, money that is suppose to be separate from tax dollars, to hire whomever they want and do any sort of marketing they want. However, as a tax payer and resident of Lafayette (city and parish) I do have an issue with LCG putting up money for this. My issue has nothing to do with LUSFiber really, but everything to do with my local government doing what I personally believe to be wasteful spending in tough times.

No issue with Geoff either, so no defense needed. Of course it would have been nice to see someone local hired but Geoff is a great choice in every other aspect.

I am also the kind of person though that doesn't believe in advertising for a city or state. Kinda feel that money is better spent on improving things locally and if done right that is what will attract people and businesses not some fancy marketing campaign.

Too many other things going against Lafayette IMHO. Nothing to do with technology.

Problem with me is I am not a good business person, don't believe in a lot of what I think is wasteful spending. For instance a good business person will wine and dine a client or potential client, or take them golfing or this and that. They will spend money in the hopes of making money you know. I know it works, and I know its a common thing in both businesses and government. But I don't like it or believe in it. Despite how I feel about it personally I know it occurs and I know its a way of doing business and have to tell myself if thats what a business wants to do its their right I suppose. If I don't like the way a business handles themselves I can choose not to support the business and it shouldn't affect me (unless they received some government bailout, but thats a whole other can of worms).

When it comes to government I have a really hard time with this concept. I have a naive belief that government should be for the people and not for businesses and politicians. I know its naive, I admit it. I believe in fairness and that no one or business should be anymore important than anyone else.

It's also why I am a nobody. Haven't amounted to much in business world because I have too many issues with the way most businesses handle themselves. And I could never do politics because I would never have the support of businesses and other politico's who would expect something in return. Damned to a life of always being a grunt worker bee I suppose. At least I can die happy knowing I didn't sell out my personal beliefs right? :-)

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written by holeinthedonuttoo , July 15, 2009 - 12:35 pm

This guy is so much more than a blogger that to label him such is a misnomer. He's a PR/lobbyist/connectivity specialist. LUS needs this type of help as much as they need an engineer.

To think spending money for the type of support and connectivity to the industry that Geoff provides would raise the ire of some people is a little baffling. Think the big companies aren't spending a fortune on this type of thing? Look here http://www.facebook.com/ext/sh...MuT&ref=nf

This helps make LUS/Fiber profitable and believe me, you do want it to be profitable. Don't forget we all hold part of the debt if it fails. $24K won't pave your driveway so forget the idea that you could use that money for "roads". Making the LUS fiber thing work is a very very big deal. Failure would be beyond devastating to our economy.

And no, a local good ole boy appointment wouldn't work, locals lack the connectivity to the industry that Geoff has, no way around it.


If there's a problem with this its that Geoff can't do enough by himself.

Find a better thing to whine about if you have to whine. Money for golf courses maybe.

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written by Dane , July 15, 2009 - 05:30 pm

Well that is confusing, "Making the LUS fiber thing work is a very very big deal. Failure would be beyond devastating to our economy"?

I thought we got all sorts of assurances that a failure of LUSFiber would NOT come back on the citizens? Time and time again they assured people who brought this concern up that it would affect the "bond holders" and that LUS and LUSFiber and LCG were all separate right? Failure on LUSFiber part isn't suppose to impact LUS and LUS rates, nor should it impact LCG and tax payers.

Can you correct my apparent misunderstanding? Not that it matters at this point but if what you say is true WOW that would suck and I would really be upset about it all.

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written by holeinthedonuttoo , July 16, 2009 - 11:07 am

LUS fiber is funded by bonds, those bonds are backed up by LUS which the public owns. It fails the public loses, parsing the source of the money is a bookkeeping method to make you "safer". The success or failure of LUS fiber is a very public issue. Your assets, your wins and your losses. Don't vote against yourself. Duh

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written by John St. Julien , July 18, 2009 - 08:56 am

Dane,

Your thinking, as you lay it out, makes sense to me and I have a lot of the same "quibbles." Never been any good at schmoozing and all too good at speaking my mind. Ironically I think you'd find a lot of the same sort of attitude at LUS; maybe it's an engineer thing, or a utility thing. Frankly PR and promotion is LUS' main weakness—not for lack of talent but as a consequence of the organization as a whole not really believing it's a real thing and not believing they ought to have to _say_ how great their product is or _tell_ people how misleading some of the opposition's remarks are. (Pretty old-fashioned.)I suspect that where you and I differ is in our conception of the role of government in building a better community and the issues I have with letting folks uninterested in our community control a crucial part of what I think should be utility infrastructure.