How do you decide whether a technological development is significant or not? Here's a simple rule: if the mainstream media — as represented by, say, Daily Mail columnists — are baffled by, or contemptuous of, it then it's probably worth paying attention to.
The Citizens’ Eye Community News Agency website has been established to enable community people in Leicester and Leicestershire to become "Citizen Reporters" and provide a news gathering platform for current and relevant news to the third sector. We aim to provide a professional media outlet for community groups to promote their events and share best practice amongst their peers. We aim to present the stories and photographs received in a professional and unbiased way, and to accurately represent all communities. In our portrayal of the people and locations reported, we shall strive to dispel much of the ignorance that erodes community cohesion. We welcome comments from all the Citizens of the City and County.
...that’s the difference between “paying people to write” and “paying people to get other people to write”. Somewhere down the chain, the incentives go from monetary to nonmonetary (attention, reputation, expression, etc). It works great for all involved. Is it the model for the newspaper industry? Maybe not all of it, but it is the only way I can think of to scale the economics of media down to the hyperlocal level. And I can imagine far more subjects that are better handled by well-coordinated amateurs than those that can support professional journalists. My business card says “Editor in Chief”, but if one of my children follows in my footsteps, I suspect their business card will say “Community Manager.” Both can be good careers.
You don’t need to be reminded of the crisis facing local newspapers; after a brutal year of cutbacks, many are being emasculated or dropped entirely, leaving many communities less informed. After years of hype about hyperlocal, many of us had hoped that independent, local amateurs would use free, online reporting tools to fill the gap with an eclectic mix of home-brew community reporting and commentary… But it just hasn’t happened.
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A mood of deep pessimism has spread among the international community of AIDS scientists after the failure of a trial of a promising vaccine at the end of last year.
CoveritLive's web based software publishes your commentary in real time like an instant message. One-click publishing lets you add polls, videos, pictures and audio clips instantly, and take questions.