Contact the News-Hound

Credit Where it's Due

2005-09-21T00:57:00.000-07:00

The nice, clean design being used throughout Ask the News-Hound's site is not my work. This marvellous template is one of dozens of wonderful original designs on offer free at Blogger templates.

Code for this little gem is available here.

Swing on by and take a look. If you are using Blogger, then you are sure to find the original skins useful to help personalize your own weblog.

Getting Noticed

2005-09-16T06:54:00.000-07:00

Curious to compare how quickly this site has found a foothold. We have been pushing its existings in several places, trying to help boost its visibility.

> Jacob Gower offered a reply Aug 13 to confirm that the submission was approved at blogcatalog.com. Records there show it was added on August 11 7:54pm and reads:

Follow the daily blogtoon adventures of one mutt and a newsroom. It's a dog-eat-dog world in the media jungle, but the hero of this photo panel seems to chew through to the funny bone when presented with life's problems. Comical strip available for syndication.

It is listed at blogcatalog as a Journalist Blog.

> Be the first to rate or review it at Eastonweb Portal where my submittal was added August 8. It reads:

One media-keen mutt with a bone to pick. Follow the adventures of one dog scooping the rival papers, and pooping general office trends. Humor strip updated daily and available for syndication.

> Rate or review it at Bloggernity which listed it as a humor blog. The entry added August 11 reads:

A mutt with a nose for the media. Follow the adventures of one dog's daily grind in the newsroom.

Meet the Cast

2005-09-04T02:04:00.000-07:00

Top dog here - "Non Ameyet":

Star, sleuth, and spec-wearing dog: mystery surrounds the identity of this strip's lead cast member.

He does have a name, but work-mates have not yet been game enough to inspect the ID tag on his collar. Yet this is the common working dog in most newsrooms. He is the unknown hero of any newsroom. A jack(russell)-of-all-trades who can churn out any yarn, but doesn't generally get a share of the spotlight like some big name celebrities in journalism.

As our tail unfolds, we will eventually get to discover the exact identity of this chap. But for now, his simply has 'no name yet'.

Crusty old companion - Larry la'Conic:

This is a hard-boiled employee with deep issues. This salty old sea-dog has made a career of struggling to crawl up from the very bottom of the media cess-pit - only to find the rarefied air up above is not to his liking. This is a born-again cynic.

His one driving ambition is to plumbs new depths in lying stagnant for as long as possible in one spot.

(Note: periodic updates will be made to this post as details come to hand)

Worth Reading

2005-08-27T15:08:00.000-07:00

Although currently on an extended vacation, Ad Grunts is a quirky media-related toon about art director Ty and copywriter Viki. (Just how much of themselves have J.Cheng and H.B.Flyte put into these characters?)

A site well practiced in the use of blogtooning with photos is the seriously twisted Alien Loves Predator. A must for anyone those taken with the idea of having fun with a close encounter of the third kind.

A funny bunny (in an odd way) is beautifully drawn with daily updates by Lem over at Bunny - the Book of Random.

Brian Anderson must share our love for canine companions with his loving family yarn, Dog eat Doug. A daily, syndicated comic about a puppy and a baby.

Her [Girl v. Pig] is a wonderfully weird way to have some laughs. See the work of Chris Bishop. See Her here.

Classy Introduction

2005-08-25T19:11:00.000-07:00

Journalists

It is a 10 out of 10 in the service ranking for Steve Davidson, Maggie Livingston and the team at High Class Blogs.

Steve managed to discover our humble, young blog (Ask the News-Hound) in its first month - when it held as few as 23 strips. His words of encouragement mark him as the first official comment on the site.

For those of you unfamiliar with the operation over at High Class, I recommend you wander over and take a look.

So what is going on with the dog's name?

2005-08-18T18:53:00.000-07:00

In the credits, you may have seen tlewis billed as the blogtoonist and "Non Ameyet" as the newsroom's star, sleuth, and dog.

Weird name, huh? Non Ameyet. Just what language is that?

Rest assured. In real life, our star pooch has a normal name. One that does not result in him coping the scorn and riddle of peers. He can hold his head high among his canine companions - free from the risk of cruel taunting or teasing.

But for now, consider "Non Ameyet" as merely a nom de plume. (That last bit I can at least identify as being French). Think of it as a pen name for a pup, or a working title for this toon's working dog.

I have deliberately left the name vague in the initial strips. It is part of a bigger game.

There are plans afoot to eventually invite readers to help find a name for the star. But that event is way off in the distant future.

For now, simply think of our hero as having no name yet (or when said another way - Non Ameyet).

The Original Tip 1

2005-08-09T06:48:00.000-07:00

What first prompted the "ask the news-hound" blogtoon was the following gag created for tlewis over at ODP.

Because the panels didn't seem to be opening successfully across all browser platforms, so we found a new home for them here.

And yes, "tip 1" in the series originally looked like this. The gag was expanded to newspapers about a week later.

Who is tlewis

2005-08-08T06:45:00.000-07:00

The author and creator of "Ask the News-Hound" is, himself, a news-hound.

As a journalist with more than 20 years standing in the industry, it was time of this old dog to try some new tricks. (Two decades. That's such a long time. Heck, in dog years I'd be dead).

The bulk of "Ask the News-Hound" is a blogtoon. It is where most of the action can be found - with daily panels showing the pup's progress in the press.

But from time to time, tlewis will be posting here -- away from the toon -- to help explain some of the background behind the project.

It'll be a chance to help explain the making of the Mutt in the new media.

So if you have any questions, feel free to drop me a line.

tlewis