Harringay online

Harringay, Haringey - So Good they Spelt it Twice!

"Please Change to Haringey Online"

We received the following message via our Facebook page today:

Hi, I am wondering why you don't switch to calling yourself haringey online, as opposed to the more limited geographically specific area of harringay. It's just I have noticed that a lot of the activities you cover happen outside of that strict geographical area you have in your title and I also think you would appeal to a wider audience. I know lots of people who don't live in harringay who feel slightly excluded by your name; I know that might sound slightly ridiculous and I feel sure I am not the first on to point this out to you, but I just think we all live in haringey and we all attend many of the same functions and events so why not embrace the wider name. Just a thought, not necessarily a criticism, more an observation. Kind regards.

Here's my reply:

Many thanks for your comment. It's certainly a thought. When the site was set up it was very specifically aimed at the neighbourhood of Harringay. We thought we were setting our sights high at 200 members. We never imagined it would grow into what it's become with 6,000 members and almost the same number again on Facebook and Twitter. 

Sites like this certainly work at the neighbourhood level once they get their head of steam and with enough gentle steering from the folks who run them. Outside London, they can also work at a city-wide level (Sheffield Forum, for example). As yet I haven't seen one work in a major subdivision of a major metropolitan city anywhere in the world. It may just be that no one's tried, but my suspicion is that there's a good reason for it. 

Nothing's fixed in stone, but for the time being we're likely to stick with focussing on Harringay. However, we will also continue to reflect how people live their local lives, so we will carry on including some stories and all events from other areas nearby. As always anyone's welcome to join in.

Thanks for the thoughts though. We always need to keep rethinking what we are and where we're going.


Any thoughts?

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Replies to This Discussion

Permalink Reply by Old-Age-Emporium(OAE) on February 4, 2013 at 16:31

Change the damn thing. Hyper-global, hyper-galactic's the only future. If I hadn't had my wits about me at the weekend, I'd have missed another exoplanet wandering off AWOL beyond Alpha Centauri. We need to be informed 24/7, pace John D. Call it Black Hol, maybe. I'm sure Billy will give it his blessing.

Permalink Reply by pamish on February 4, 2013 at 16:04

Keep it Harringay. I'm very jealous of HoL and am working up the blog for SoTo /7Sisters, just need help. We need lots of local blogs that overlap, we can subscribe to all that interest us. Our residents assn has an email list that covers seven roads, but only has about 5% of residents on. Hopefully a local blog that includes these streets and more within approx walking distance will be more useful than one which also includes Muswell Hill.  Borough-wide issues can be tagged as such.

Permalink Reply by LSquared on February 4, 2013 at 21:43
What she said :) I'm smart enough to work out which other areas might be relevant to me even though I don't live there, and I'm pretty sure most other people are too.
Permalink Reply by Bethany Burrow Atherton on February 4, 2013 at 17:12

That's told him then! 

Permalink Reply by Lesley Ramm on February 4, 2013 at 17:17
I live in Hornsey. There was no other local website when I found HoL. If I were you Hugh I wouldn't change it.
What I would like is a similar Hornsey website.
Meanwhile I am happy touse both HoL and Bowes and Bounds Connected.
A sequence of overlapping sites are ideal
Permalink Reply by John D on February 4, 2013 at 17:40

Lesley - risking Hugh's wrath there is http://opinion8.ning.com/

But don't you dare leave us

Permalink Reply by Anette on February 10, 2013 at 20:27
John D, opinion8 is pretty dead. There seems to be a handful of people on there, not much going on. I don't think I've ever had a since reply to my posts there. Dire.
Permalink Reply by Hugh on February 4, 2013 at 17:40

There was an old Hornsey forum way back when if I remember right. I'd see if I could track it down on the Wayback Machine but I don't recall the url. 

Do you think a Hornsey site would make it today? Doesn't almost everyone in Hornsey claim to live ib Crouch End these days?

Permalink Reply by Isabelle on February 4, 2013 at 20:15

Nooo! Not everyone proud of living in Hornsey wants to be a Crouchender!

Permalink Reply by Alan Stanton on February 10, 2013 at 22:20

What do you mean, "Everyone in Hornsey claims to live in Crouch End"?

We in Far East Crouch End near the Tottenham Marshes would strongly dispute such exaggerated and ridiculous claims.

Permalink Reply by Stephen Middleton on February 4, 2013 at 17:40

I gather Richard was helped out by Hugh. For Hornsey there is Opinion N8.....

Permalink Reply by Hugh on February 4, 2013 at 17:44

Yes, B&B was my fault in the beginning. It was set up as part of a wider project, but I must say that once I found Richard, he was so damn good that all credit goes to him.

Although Opinion8 was based on HoL by former HoL member Adrian Essex, I didn't have anything to do with setting that up.

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