First impressions, and the next step....

First of all a big thank you to all the citizens of Slow Planet, and especially to those who took the time to write comments. There's plenty more work to do, but I think we're off to a solid start. It's exciting to see emails pouring in from all over the world. We've already heard from Slow initiatives that weren't even on our radar before. For instance, I love the sound of these Slow Thinking events in New Zealand. I'm also delighted to see that a dialogue is starting in the forum. Conversations and debate will be the driving force behind Slow Planet. We even have our very first criticism: Thomas Bergbusch has told us why we should not use a photograph of golf as an image in the Slow Sports section. I can see his point, and as a Canadian I like the idea of a picture of little boys chasing a hockey puck around on a frozen pond, but I'd love to hear what the rest of you think.

There is much more to come. We are setting up forums in each of the different sections: Work, Design, Travel, Sports. We are also lining up leading Slow thinkers to blog or write regular columns throughout the site. If you want to propose someone, let us know. We will also be rearranging the site so that Links, Media Sightings, Forums and other features are easier to reach. Another idea is to have a Slow Calendar that lists Slow-inspired events around the world. We will soon launch new sections, too, such as Slow Music, Parenting, Medicine and Food. No doubt, some of you are wondering why Food was not in the first wave, given the importance of the Slow Food movement. The answer is that we are big supporters of Slow Food and want them to be a part of Slow Planet. We are waiting to hear their views on the site and how they would like to work with us. Watch this space.

Lastly, a final thought on my Fast versus Slow blogging post. I reckon I'll lean more to the Slow end of the spectrum here on Slow Planet. Instead of frantically blogging several times a day, I'll post when I have something to say - and after I've had time to think it through.