Tuesday, April 14, 2009

What is this?

The term blog is a contraction, actually more like a double contraction, of the term Web log. For many it is a personal journal; for some, a professional endeavor. Most of the big newspapers have online editions that include a collection of blogs. They look a lot like op-ed columns. For me this blog is a hobby that falls somewhere in between. It is a hobby that I hope satisfies a public need, albeit a very local public need. And because it is a hobby, by definition, I do it because I enjoy it. Like most of the hobbies from my past, if it stops being fun, I simply won't do it anymore.

I have been told that I am competing with our local newspaper. I find this hard to believe. This undertaking has no paid staff and makes zero dollars. It has never been my intent to compete with the newspaper. In fact, I have been complimentary to the paper and may even have referred some readers. My blog includes a link to their online edition and I have sometimes deferred to their in-depth coverage of an issue that I only had the time and resources to scratch the surface of. Other times, I have covered stories that, it seems, they have had no interest in covering. In a way, I am a supplement to the newspaper, a sort of front-end supplement. By that I mean, since the Internet gives me the means to provide up-to-the-minute coverage of breaking news, and the local paper is a weekly, I can break a story and tell my readers that they can expect to read more about it when the paper comes out. That's an odd way to compete.

So let me declare it right now: I am not competing with the Yellow Springs News; I intend them no harm; and I urge you to read the paper every week! If you don't have a subscription, get one right now! I believe you can even do it online. If they think I am competition, they can easily start their own blog. If I am dragging them kicking and screaming into the 21st century, perhaps I have provided an additional service to the community. Someday, we are all going to get our news this way. And on another someday, even more advanced technology will supplant this way of delivering news. That's life in the computer age.

There was an interesting article in the online edition of the New York Times, yesterday: 'Hyperlocal' Web Sites Deliver News Without Newspapers. It all boils down to how to make a buck out of reporting the news. It seems the guy who has no interest in making money off something has always been a threat.

4 comments:

Unknown said...

Virgil,
Here is the analogy I use regarding your blog: you are the kid standing on the street corner, waving papers and yelling, "Extra!? In a recent story I heard or read (I don't remember which), it was noted that small-town papers seem to be weathering the trend of subscription-loss better than large, corporate papers. Corporate papers can't do local news, and the YS News can't do everything either. I appreciate and enjoy both sources of information. Thanks for sharing your thoughts, observations and knowledge.
-Mike

jafabrit said...

You are competing? I suppose if you carried ads, editorials, letters, police blotter and several storylines in journalistic fashion there might be an argument. As it stands, what I am thinking is perhaps the person hasn't visited your blog, or doesn't understand the concept of blogging vs formal journalistic blog formats (huffington post comes to mind). Plus blog vs newspapers have different readers and reach.

Here is my question though, even if you WERE competing, why is that a problem?

jafabrit said...

ps. reading your blog has NOT stopped me from buying the local paper.

Laura Carlson said...

I really appreciate the information and commentary you provide via your blog, and I check it as I catch up with local and regional then national and international news. I don't usually watch the local TV news, but I've been glad to find about about coverage of Yellow Springs. As a community member and a parent, I want a complete picture of what is happening in town. I will buy the YS News every week AND read your blog!