Call me a geek, but I’m really very excited about this:

August 18-22, the Portland Water Bureau and the Oregon Trail Chapter of the American Red Cross are having a BLOG OFF to see which is the best!

blogoff1.jpg

See, the Water Blog gets all kinds of attention for being an innovative way to communicate with customers about something that’s usually pretty damn boring (it’s a utility, for cryin’ out loud). I mean, they post things like photos of the now-infamous Mt Tabor skinny dippers, and trivia on topics like “how often are Portland’s iconic Benson Bubblers cleaned?” (answer: every two weeks). The Oregonian has called it “the city’s most interesting blog…” and we’ve called it “pretty rad…” in the past.

All that attention, it seems, has made the folks at the Red Cross blog incredibly jealous. (See: “Oh, Water Blog. You are our biggest competition.“) They blog fun stuff too, like intra-office pranks, safety tips, and info on the Breaking Dawn book release party blood drive.

So! The Red Cross Blog challenged the Water Blog crew to a blog off. And you, my friends, get to pose some of the challenges.

From Team Water Blog, Sarah Bott writes:

We’d like to let the readers of Willamette Week and The Mercury blogs decide, and to define the judging categories. For example, on Monday, August 18 both should blog about x topic, and on the 19th both should blog about y topic, etc.

What should the criteria and the topics be? We’d like to let the people tell us in a pre-contest poll.

Not to be outdone, Lise Harwin of Team Red Cross Blog adds:

Just wanted to throw out some daily blog assignments that we thought of for inspiration:

* Create a Top 10 list
* Write a post that must contain five words of the moderators’ choice

Feel free to be creative and tough — I know that Robin and I will be up for the challenge, though I’m not so sure about the Water Blog folks…

– Lise

Oh, it is ON. (And dear lord, I’m a geek.)

So, readers, let it rip! Post your challenge suggestions in the comments (and then, apparently, Corey Pein at WW–who has already stipulated “no haikus”–and I will cooperate in an unprecedented way to come up with the week’s line-up).

AND! To crank up the competition another notch, vote for your favorite pre-challenge blog. Let’s find out who the underdog really is… (poll closes Friday afternoon at 3 pm).

Which Blog is Better?

21 replies on “Blog Off!”

  1. Oh Amy. You totally didn’t link to our best posts. How ’bout these?

    http://redcrosspdx.blogspot.com/2008/07/re-monkeys-be-prepared-for-anything.html

    http://redcrosspdx.blogspot.com/2008/07/friend-is-drowning-what-do-you-do.html

    http://redcrosspdx.blogspot.com/2008/07/cpr-romance-take-two.html

    http://redcrosspdx.blogspot.com/2008/07/gored-by-bull-red-cross-is-there.html

    http://redcrosspdx.blogspot.com/2008/07/its-mapstravaganza.html

    http://redcrosspdx.blogspot.com/2008/07/about-neutrality.html

    – Lise

  2. Ok, so no on the haikus, but what about sonnets? Really, I think I would be happy with anything that encouraged rhyming.

  3. Y’arr, t’ Red Cross and t’ water burey? What be a’happenin here, matey? Y’arr. What wi’ all t’ problems inna t’ worl! Y’arr. Like Patagonian Poopin’ Penguins a’poopin’ all o’er the poop deck, y’arr, which ain’t really fer a’poopin but are called tat acause is be at the stern, y’arr. But tell t’ demed penguin that? And do he listen? Y’arr. Least he ain’t a’poopin in the drinkin’ water pond on Mt. Tabor, y’arr, that he ain’t matey.

  6. I’d like to hear a response plan from each agency on a Nessie-esque beast in the water reservoirs. Assume it is dangerous, eating skinny dippers, dragging dogs underwater, etc.

  7. Challenge: Both blogs have to write about the following subjects in one post & it must be relevant to each blog’s organization: blood, water, dogs & swimming.

  9. Everyone has their favorites, and here are mine from the Water Bureau Blog archives:

    HOW OFTEN ARE BENSON BUBBLERS CLEANED?
    http://www.portlandonline.com/water/index.cfm?a=205885&c=39678&nocache=1

    SKINNY DIPPERS NABBED IN MT. TABOR RESERVOIR!
    http://www.portlandonline.com/water/index.cfm?c=39678&a=202453&nocache=1

    BEAR CUBS IN THE BULL RUN WATERSHED
    http://www.portlandonline.com/water/index.cfm?c=39678&a=200946&nocache=1

    WATER BUREAU PORT-O-POTTY DECORATED
    http://www.portlandonline.com/water/index.cfm?c=39678&a=205881&nocache=1

    SOME NEW ORLEANS FIRE FIGHTERS TELL US THEIR STORY
    http://www.portlandonline.com/water/index.cfm?c=47072&a=97891

    2nd ANNUAL LIMERICK CONTEST RESULTS!
    http://www.portlandonline.com/water/index.cfm?c=47091&a=190626

  11. Oh, I say. Today must be the slowest news days in modern history. Nothing of interest going on anywhere? Really?

    I believe I’ll take the rest of the day off.

    Not funny. Not interesting.

    Go enjoy the weather and stop wasting your time on this site.

  13. We have it on good authority that the Red Cross is bribing people with cookies and orange juice if you vote for their blog.

    Well, that stuff makes you fat.

    We’re offering you cold, clean beautiful tap water from the pristine Bull Run Watershed!

  14. Well, I say, Sarah. Donated blood to the Red Cross in Hong Kong, don’t you know, and they rewarded us with a nice lager with a splash of lemonade. Quite refreshing. Drinking a good, English beer while a pint down was a very nice cheap drunk, too.

  15. In my understanding, the blood folks have done “pint for a pint” with some brewpubs around the state. Also with Ben & Jerry’s.

    I guess Sarah has a point about the healthiness of Red Cross treats. Hmmmm…

  16. Ben & Jerry’s, do you say?

    H’mm. That is something to take into serious consideration, I say, what? Choice of flavors? Cherry Garcia, perhaps? Chunky Monkey? Or was that the name of my date in Singapore?

    No matter. This is promising.

  17. It’s a tough decision, the Red+’s website has, pretty, colorful pictures but the Water Bureau’s is somewhat informative. One post on the Red +’s, obviously from a WB employee called them “bloodsucker” which is pretty funny… Maybe I’ll read more before I vote.

  18. Beer Batter, I hope you will. I think we’re generally quite informative. You can go back to May and read some of our China earthquake blogging. Or any of our preparedness tips.

    I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again — reading Cross Blog could save your life. And that seems darned informative to me.

  19. Oh blah blah blah, Lise.

    You can’t LIVE more than three days without WATER, helloooooo! Now that would be a disaster.

    xo, etc.
    Sarah

  21. It can be either swimming dogs, or swimming and dogs as separate topics. I’m going to love that post… nothing cooler than dogs, swimming, blood and water.

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