The Currents Blog

Earlier this summer we began redesigning Currents in preparation for next year. The redesign is nearly complete and we will soon turn our attention to adding more content partners. We want to take this opportunity to share some information about the changes we have made.

First, we have updated our RSS feed. To continue getting RSS updates make sure that you update your reader to use feeds.feedburner.com/claremontcurrents.

Second, we added advertising. We made this decision because Currents loses money. We have been paying for hosting. We have been paying for our domain. We have spent hundreds of hours of our own time coding. And we were doing it all for free. As we see it, we had 3 options:

1. Follow Rupert Murdoch and make Currents subscription based.
2. Request money from student governments
3. Advertising

A subscription model isn’t viable because one of Currents’s greatest values is the way that it serves as a portal for Claremont-related news. Because all Claremont news is free, this would be a tough sell.

Student government funding is more viable than a subscription model but would hinder Currents’s ability to serve its readers. In addition to aggregation of Claremont news, Currents has a standing offer to all members of the community to host blogs without regard to content or viewpoint. Because we do not edit or screen the writings of our partners, we cannot currently comply with the regulations (with regards to covering elections, bias-related speech, etc.) that would accompany that money.

Ads can be a pain in the butt, but we believe they are the best option to help us afford to maintain Currents. We will endeavor to keep the ads we serve focused and reasonable, and welcome any comments or feedback about them. They probably won’t cover all of our costs, but it will help a lot.

Sincerely,

Jeremy and Jonathan

Well, it’s the summer. Congrats, all you graduates! Since it’s the summer, there won’t be too much content being posted by our syndicated partners or our hosted partners, and all of you readers probably will be focusing on other things.

But, be sure to start checking back regularly when the school year starts again. We’re going to use the summer to implement some exciting new changes that we have in the pipeline.

Here are some of the things to look for:

• A brand-new, redesigned front page. No more boring, ugly front page design. It’s gonna be pretty. We’ve got some new graphic branding coming too…
• Some new partner hosted blogs. We can’t tell you who, but you’ve heard of ‘em.
• Speaking of which, we’re always looking for new partners. If you have a blog or want to start one (free!), and can commit to posting on a regular basis, contact us! We can guarantee you an audience from the git-go.

As ASCMC Elections approached, we found the process to be lacking transparency. We hope to use Currents election page to encourage a more open election and to make sure that CMC students had all the information about ASCMC and the candidates before voting.

As it stands now, ASCMC’s publication, The Forum serves as the sole source of election news. Candidates were unwilling to talk to campus publications for fear of running afoul of ASCMC’s social media rules. ASCMC did not even respond to a request for a list of candidates who had qualified for the election.

Currents, by not being affiliated with ASCMC in any way, can provide CMC students with unfiltered information about the election. We have compiled a candidate list. We have contacted all candidates and asked them questions that we think voters will be considering when they vote on Wednesday. And most importantly, we are promoting the exchange of ideas.

While The Forum has turned off commenting on all elections posts, Currents will allow anybody who has something to say to speak their mind. Feel free to comment. If you have something lengthier to say, we will publish it. These are important positions and ASCMC officers impact our lives daily. CMC deserves to know what the candidates think, and what they want to do.