Everything started in 1997 when the term weblog was introduced by John Berger. Two years later Peter Merholz divides the original term creating a new one – we blog. In Poland the first bloggers were journalists of CHIP computer magazine. But a real avalanche began in 2000 when first websites (nlog.pl and blog.pl) aimed at people willing to publish their internet diaries (journals) appeared. In 2003 and 2004 the biggest Polish portals gazeta.pl and onet.pl opened their door to bloggers. Currently Onet takes pride in hosting over 1.6 million blogs, whilst their competitors, Wirtualna Polska, has over 420 thousand, and the aforementioned Gazeta has a mere 120 thousand blogs. An overall number of blogs in Poland is estimated at 2.8 million! The numbers speak for themselves, yet it is surprising that blogs could not make their way to CM/FM community. Everything changed, however, on 20 August 2008 when the revolution broke into CM Rev and the associated revolutionists received what they asked for! Manifestos got off the ground!

An ambitious project that was started on the official Football Manager series website has an uncapped potential. This was proved in 2008 when for the first time in Poland blogs run by FM fans appeared. In January I started my with own blog created on Blogspot. Soon others followed. Brudi, Sk8ter and Gilik wrote their journals as well. Some opted for writing careers, others, like Icon, used blogs to remind us their texts written in the beginnings of their activity on the Scene. There were also plenty of interesting deliberations, which could be found on Kamtek's blog. After initial euphoria the ardour has cooled down. Blogs of Brudi, Kamtek and myself disappeared from the web. Icon, Sk8ter and Gilik have not updated theirs for quite some time. The second wave came with the appearance of Pucek's blog (on 22nd March). My colleague has lead some of younger FMmaniacs willing to try their hand at writing Internet journals. People currently dabbling in blogging include the aforementioned Pucek, Ylv, known to those who frequent Prompter, and rondel. There is no point in going into the quality of these blogs – for some they are a source of information, and a chance of having a valid discussion; for others validity disappears in a plethora of meaningless entries, poor arguments, and low standard of discussion.

By definition a blog is an Internet journal/diary. It allows one to describe the surrounding world from different perspectives. Some prefer to write about their personal affairs, for others sharing their knowledge is a priority. Blogs allow also to strengthen the written word with a sound, a picture, or a photography (some blogs are based solely on photos). An Internet journal does not impose any rigour or deadlines – one is not expected to publish at certain times. It cannot be denied that the appearance of blogs became very important to the people wanting to share their thoughts with the wider audience, yet did not posses sufficient tools. Some time ago WWW pages, known as homepages, used to be popular, now blogs took over their role. From now on CM Revolution users can try their hand at blogging as well!

We have given you a complete system of blogs with many features. From the possibility of creating your own logo or name, through a system of polls, to a professional word processing tool. Moreover, the whole community plays a vital part – when you write, you write not only for yourself but also for the others – remember about it! It is crucial that your thoughts are riveting as it will cause more comments and this, in turn, will result in popularity, thus making you recognisable among the community.

We have given you a number of categories to sort your entries. It is worth giving a thought before you post a new entry where should it go to. So, for the fans of FM careers there is a category called Manager. Should you wish to describe your career this will be the ultimate choice. You can chose relevant game version, league and club. First days showed that careers are the most popular. Another category - Scene - is dedicated to those who want to share their thoughts about the CM/FM community. It is a perfect place for any kind of rankings or summaries. Just like with dancing, you can write - Editorials is a category for those willing to try their hand at general topics connected with management games. It is also a great place to share your reflections on sport or music... (since man cannot live by FM alone). Have you got your thoughts after a football or volleyball match? Share them! Others category is an open door for those who consider their entry not suitable for the other three. Have you got an interesting FM screenshot? Or maybe you have recorded a clip with wonderful goals? These sort of curiosities belong there.

The sole idea of blogging is surely interesting, yet it is undeniable that two blogs can be worlds apart. I have asked a few renowned for their texts people who have been creating the Polish Scene for a number of years for a few words of comment. Let their voice be a warning for you, but also a kind of instruction that can help you with running your blog.

Kamtek

Debuted on LCM in March 2002, in 2004 was a deputy chief editor, later on LFM and FMOT. Ran a blog for a short time. Author of many interesting texts.

Perez: What made you start a blog?

Kamtek: The decision was so spontaneous as incidental (connected with Henkel throughout; one of the reasons behind Kamtek's decision was the appearance of Henkel's Scene Newspaper – annotation Perez). I returned to writing because of an urge to chuck a few (un)necessary sentences about the surrounding reality [i.e. the reality of a CM/FC scene] out of my old, living with memories of past glory. Something like my own little writing about non/antiwriting of others.

Perez: The majority of blogs were not very popular. Just single notes and a few odd comments. What was the feedback in your case?

Kamtek: Rather poor, yet even bigger than I anticipated. Despite only three texts there was quite a number of people who not necessarily shared my outlook but were willing to have a discussion. Big thanks to them!

Perez: In spite of, as you say, quite an interest (comparing to other blogs), you decided to remove your blog. Lack of motivation, time, will?

Kamtek: Prose of life. First, creating even the shortest entry requires some attention and time, and I'm in a constant shortage of the latter. Second, because of the area covered by the blog you quickly run out of topics. How many times can you write about something that is bad? The author gets tired, the readers get tired, the keenness disappears as quickly as optimism of Polish supporters during Olympics...

Perez: Manifestos were just started on CM Rev. Some of the users have their own blogs, e.g. on Blogspot. Do you think that the idea of blogs as a conveyor of a written word is valid?

Kamter: Hm, there is always a need for a written word. Obviously with moderation both of form and content. All you need is awareness that creating good texts is really tough and only a few are capable of doing so. And those who did learned equally from their own as well as other people's mistakes. Because drawing conclusions from what has happened is a quality of its own.

Henkel

On the CM/FM scene since November 2000. Begun on LCM, later co-worked with CM Review and CCM among others. Currently member of editorial staff at CM Rev. Author of a series of articles (“The Time Machine”) describing the history of the Scene.

Perez: You tried your hand at the Scene Newspaper, but it didn't work out. Was the challenge too big or are you just not a big fan of blogs?

Henkel: I have to say that I admire people who are able to publish interesting things on their blog and do it regularly. Am I a fan of blogs? Every day I visit a few – I read those whose authors I know personally, and those whose authors I know only thanks to their Internet journals.

Perez: What are your expectations of Manifestos on CM Rev?

Henkel: I hope to find at least a few users whose manifestos I would be reading regularly.

Perez: Only a few users out of such a big community? What about the rest?

Henkel: I have to admit that I am anxious that we will be flooded with mediocre journals that even the toughest guys will not decide to read... So the most important thing will be to promote those who can write – and we should focus our attention on them.

Dapsz

Debuted in 2004. On CCM ever since. After the name change in 2008 chief editor of CFM. Caretaker of Liga Typerow.

Perez: What do you think about Manifestos that debuted on CM Rev?

Dapsz: The idea is good as it hit the spot. Blogs are extremely popular and CM Rev made a very good decision. It will undoubtedly increase its popularity even further. Manifestos can, however, lower the website's standards. Any way you slice it, CM Rev endorses the blogs over which it has no control. Seeing some scribbles on a blog the user remembers the address www.cmrev.com what can have an adverse effect on his opinion about the site.

Perez: The whole Scene undergoes a crisis. The websites do not have much to offer to the potential viewers. Can blogs be the remedy?

Dapsz: In my opinion blogs will not have much of an impact on the CM/FM scene. Internet journals have existed before, and whether they are at blog.pl or cmrev.com does not make much difference. So far the bloggers have not convinced me they can create the Polish scene. Therefore, I reckon the possibility of creating a blog on CM Rev will not have a real influence on the further development of the Scene.

Perez: We have heard your personal point of view, but what do you make of it as a chief editor of CFM? As a competitor, are you afraid of this idea?

Dapsz: We (CFM), as a competitor, look at this “revolutionary” idea calmly and keep on doing our stuff. As I said, I do not think it will influence the development of the Scene, and CM Rev itself, to a great extent. But we all know they are currently number one, and it is good they constantly develop their website. I think, however, that creating Web 2.0 is not the best idea, because it condones a dog's breakfast.

As can be easily blogs require plenty of effort from their owners. But everything is in your hands. I can add that Manifestos will be constantly upgraded and all reported bugs will be fixed. All I can say is to wish you all good luck and, most importantly, persistence. How hard an activity writing a blog is can be seen from the above conversations with people who are no strangers to writing; yet they either have not decided to start a blog, or did not prevailed in the blogoshpere. In the name of CM Rev we wish you sharp pencils, interesting texts, and many positive comments. Remember that the editors are constantly on duty! If you want to join the editorial staff there is no better place than Manifestos. You do not know when you may be asked to write a career or an article for CM Revolution. But first, show us what you are capable of. You have been given the tools, now prove us it was worthwhile! It is time for you to voice your Manifesto!