More than that, the constant agonising about Gen-Y as the source of all staffing and management issues for business around the country quite frankly reeks all over the SmartCompany website.

Crikey is supposed to take a broader perspective than the business “growth at all costs” perspective only and I have concerns about the editorial independence of crikey in this move.

If the content of crikey changes to include a hint of Gen-y bashing or industry lobbying, I will have to cancel my subscription.

1. Needs to be updated at regular intervals (one post every couple of days at the least)
2. Needs to provide insightful news/commentary not gained elsewhere.

By any definition, Croaky provides those needs (as does planetalking and Pollytics). Removing any of these three would be quite detremental to the whole crikey experience in my opinion.

I visit the blogs only when posts are included or referenced in the Daily email.

Please don’t break our Crikey, don’t jump the shark. Tread along lines of commercialism very carefully. After all, it is the “independent” journalism that this subscriber (and I suspect most others) appreciates.

You can see an archive of many of my stories here, and Amber’s here.

Melissa Sweet is a brilliant journalist and offers fair and credible contributions at a rate that is amazing for the small amount she has been paid.

Please keep Melissa and Croakey going.

Rosemary Stanton

If the Crikey cuts are “very small” why kill off specialist policy blogs like Croakey? What’s the crikerion here? 17,000 unique visitors not good enough? Seems damned good to me for a “specialist” topic that affects everyone. Much quality journalism is perforce similar to Croakey: in depth, inside and exposing the status quo. Where else can the public get this on health? The effect of such blogs is far greater than their traffic suggests, just as voluminous traffic may just reflect the noisy isshoo de jour and consequent punch and judy headbanging. Remember that Bolt’s “million hits” are mostly just reflex ideological ejaculations splattering the ceiling.

Many of those 17,000 Croakers no doubt read other things on Crikey, but if you remove their “core interest”, they may vanish. The same doesn’t apply to the film, lit, and “culture” blogs (the latter appears moribund-nothing for two months). You can get film and litcrit elsewhere. But you won’t find much on aviation- I hope it survives. And Bob Gosford on northern Australia is unique. A blog often with real substance. Northern Australia is unpleasant but big. We need Gosford.

And we need Margaret Simons of course. Always trenchant. At least she marches on, for the moment.

But it’s the justification for the cuts that bothers me most: so Crikey can do more “politics, media and public affairs”. Politics is important, but we’re inundated with it. Also, it’s mostly the daily froth and bubble- Capt. Rudd bribes Tamil refugees aboard the “Icelandic Banker” while Barnaby moons on the beach…. Polls are relevant, but eyeglazing for many. “Media” also tends to be the daily stoush, which again is interesting but a bit limited. “Public affairs” is vague- if it includes (as I assume it does) all the big issues popping up daily or weekly, then fine. The rest of the media do a shedload of this stuff, though Crikey’s “attitude” gives it an edge. There needs to be more depth.There’s not much on the environment for example, except for climate change (which topic monopolises the blog Rooted). Overall, I look for depth in crucial policy areas, exposing rot, deceit and failure. That takes insiders, specialists and/or investigative journos. A big ask I suppose, but I’m really not that interested in endless general commentary on current affairs, whether it’s Gonzo-lite or not.

@Glenn: I rarely look at the blogs. What’s important to me is getting news and articles that I wouldn’t expect to find in the mainstream media, plus insightful analysis from the likes of Keane, Rundle, Simons, and others; the work of regulars like Dyer, Farmer, Schwab; and the many contributors from specialised areas. Then there’s First Dog, without whom my day wouldn’t be complete.

However, if ever the content becomes anodyne, I shall cancel my subscription.

And it’s cheap.

I get more useful information from Crikey than any other source regardless of price.

Ok the web sites down, just give the job to me and I’ll do it for next to nothing just for fun.

I used to run a national portal.