A journalist's view: We intended the network to serve our journalism in a second way too - before the fact, as a tripwire for breaking news, attitudes and upcoming events in the community. We encouraged Post-Dispatch reporters to monitor the network regularly (special alert-by-email software made this not only possible but efficient); a few came to depend upon it for ideas. This part of our program like so many others worked only because so many Community Web Sites were so very strong – just the opposite of what you’d find in community networks elsewhere in the U.S., where the great majority of sites, created enthusiastically and then abandoned, were empty shells. How did we avoid the same dead end? Simply, we created special opportunities for “active Web sites” – those that met minimum standards of being informative, up-to-date and clear – and required all groups to meet those standards within three months or leave the program. The combination of carrots, sticks and patient training led to the creation of a few dozen wonderfully deep, informative and specialized sites, and to more than 500 others that met or surpassed our basic standards. | Next Page | Back to Resume
Which links on this page work? The four links in red below.
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