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Saturday, April 30, 2005
About 802 Online
This is from my new about page:
I'm a freelance writer, blogger and Winooski resident who has been contributing regularly to Seven Days — Burlington's alternative weekly newspaper — since September of 2001, (and blogging since the summer of 2004).
As I've been trying to explain to my wise but somewhat technophobic editors, it makes perfect sense for Seven Days to enter the blogosphere. Why? Because for nearly 10 years, the newspaper has been "the weekly read on Vermont news, views and culture." That used to mean politics, music, art, food, books, dance and theater. But it seems to me that no list of contemporary cultural pursuits can be complete without mentioning technology.
There are lots of ways we can cover technology. We can run profiles of local tech companies, examine trends in computer usage among the elderly, and explore the state of our public computing resources. We can offer suggestions on what tech toys to buy. And we can tell you where to find wireless internet access.
I've written about all of those things in the print newspaper — and I'll continue to write about them — but starting now, I'll also be covering them on them on this blog. And starting now, Seven Days will be reporting on the Vermont blogosphere — the expanding array of weblogs written and published by Vermonters — the same way we report on music, art, food, books and theater. For the most part, that content will remain exclusively online, though I'm exploring ways to integrate it into the print paper.
So, 802 Online is for Vermont bloggers and their readers, and for journalists and public officials. Basically, this site is for anyone interested in how, where and why Vermonters connect to the internet, and how this new medium is changing (or not changing) life in our rural state.
And ideally, it's not just me talking. Citizen journalism advocate (and former Vermont reporter) Dan Gillmor argues that journalists have to accept that our readers always know more than we do. I agree. That's why this site is set up to accept comments, and encourage conversations.
Feel free to let me know what you think. Only please don't use pornographic or violent language. Trolls and flame wars ruin the fun for everyone.
April 30, 2005 at 06:18 PM in House Rules | Permalink
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Comments
Hey, nice looking blog! Typepad seems to be the blog engine of choice for those in the know. NTodd seems to like it a lot too. I like the integration of the 7D design motif at the top of the page. Shall I go ahead and update my link to your page with the new url?
Posted by: Bill Simmon | Apr 30, 2005 6:32:35 PM
I like the new digs!
Posted by: NTodd | Apr 30, 2005 10:27:51 PM
Yep, go ahead and update the blogroll. I'm going to send out a reminder email sometime soon.
Posted by: cresmer | May 1, 2005 5:14:39 PM
I think it's great. I was always rather surprised Seven Days (I'm a regular reader over here in S Woodbury - even offered to become a contributor myself but no one ever got back to me, of course) wasn't equipped with a blog so I was delighted when I first noticed your 802 Online and read there about your plans to bring them into the 21st century.
Seven Days is one of Vermont's better publications - and the copies tend to go quickly over here in the far edge of Washington County. While the ads and reviews aren't always terribly useful to me over in the land that consumerism forgot (grin), the articles are thought-provoking and timely. The pieces also seem to get discussed frequently; at least, I'm always hearing, "I was reading in 'Seven Days'..."
And who knows? One of these years, I might make it over to Burlington for something other than a trip to a medical specialist so I can finally check out some of the advertisers.
Posted by: Katharine | May 1, 2005 8:38:22 PM
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