It's time for the people to have their say ...

There is a long history of the influence and importance of opinion polls in society. From the unofficial straw polls conducted by The Harrisburg Pennsylvanian that predicted Andrew Jackson's US presidential victory in 1824 [thanks Wikipedia!] to the influence of public opinion pushing for the ousting of the Whitlam government in 1975, the ability to survey public opinion has long been a crucial element in the ongoing definition of society.

It is with this knowledge in mind, that I draw your attention to the first of (hopefully) many Farrago Online blog polls, located for your convenience in the side-bar to the right. Farrago has its own long history of tackling only the thorniest and most contentious issues, and the Farrago Online blog is no different. We are attempting to get to the bottom of a question that has weighed heavily on the minds of some of history's greatest thinkers:

Baby corn - mana from Heaven or Lucifer's lunch treat?
The poll will be open for about a month, after which we will publish the results of this pioneering audience research right here at the Farrago Online blog - the home of miniature vegetable-related disputes.

Seriously though.

Baby corn.

Welcome to the Farrago Online blog!

Hello hello,

the title says it all really - welcome to the home of the Farrago Online blog. Every month the foolhardy masochists hardworking media-junkies of Farrago commission and bring together a diverse range of writings and artistic works produced by you, the students of the University of Melbourne.

After much fretting, considerable fussing, some fighting, and no little frivolity, the latest edition of Farrago appears all over campus. The editors and contributors finally get to see their handiwork distributed around the University, but there isn't too much time for basking in the warm glow of a job well done - almost immediately work begins anew on the next edition, and so the Circle of Farrago continues.

In this monthly student media dance a diverse range of campus viewpoints find expression, lovingly coaxed along and nurtured by the Farrago editorial team. Interviews, cartoons, feature articles, photographs, illustrations and letters pack the pages of Melbourne University's 80-year-old student newspaper. So with all this going on, why has Farrago decided to set up this blog?

Well, the main reason is so that there is a space for Farrago and media-related conversations to take place outside of the monthly rhythm of the print edition of Farrago. This blog is a great place for the Farrago editorial team to meet and chat to the rest of the University on a more regular basis about the issues that we care about - everything from Hezbollah to baby corn and a great deal in between.

Many of the topics our contributors tackle are bound to get you thinking, and the Farrago Online blog gives you a chance to chat to the newspaper's editorial team and the rest of the student body about these thought-provoking issues whenever you want. You just need Internet access and a willingness to put your opinions out there.

Anyway, welcome to the Farrago Online blog. Take a look around and let us know what you think,

Cheers,

The Farrago Editorial team