The Times To Launch Local Blogging Initiative
Look out, local bloggers, the Gray Lady is moving in on your turf. Starting mid-day on Monday, The New York Times will be rolling out a neighborhood blog initiative. Our home soil of Fort Greene and Clinton Hill will be one of the two pilot sites (the other site will cover Millburn, Maplewood and South…
Look out, local bloggers, the Gray Lady is moving in on your turf. Starting mid-day on Monday, The New York Times will be rolling out a neighborhood blog initiative. Our home soil of Fort Greene and Clinton Hill will be one of the two pilot sites (the other site will cover Millburn, Maplewood and South Orange in New Jersey). According to an email that was forwarded to us, the subject matter will include “cultural events, bar and restaurant openings, real estate, arts, fashion, health, social concerns and anything else that goes on in the ‘SoHo of Brooklyn.'” Each site will be helmed by a writer/editor from the paper, a Times official told us, but will draw upon contributors from the neighborhood as well as some free labor from the CUNY journalism program. Readers will be able to post everything from short films to wedding announcements, and a map-based real estate listings section will tie back to the Times’ main real estate site. Wonder if they’ll have a House of the Day post as well? The game is on!
I welcome the Times Blog and the professionalism of Andy Newman to boot. I met with him several times in the last month or so offering any help I could. I see the relationship as synbiotic.
Andy is today’s new man. Tomorrow when the next new man arrives will be heaped with your snotty sarcasm and vile humor.
I am dismayed and embarrassed by most of the comments submitted by folks I assume are my neighbors. I expected more. Do you think you own Fort Greene Clinton Hill?
DK Holland
resident 26 years
Fort Greene/Clinton Hill
co-founder and editor of The Hill
celebrating its 25 anniversary
Hi Andy Newman and Brownstoner,
I’m a j-schooler at Columbia. I also happen to live in Clinton Hill at the edge of Fort Greene, and I think I know it pretty well. If you’re looking for any of that aforementioned “slaving” I would love to help.
To Brenda from Flatbush:
The reason is that Jeff Jarvis is a CUNY, and he’s a bit of a force consulting with papers in regard to new media restructuring in journalism, and the hyperlocal movement.
I don’t know that Columbia has a similar guru and a student program already in place.
Who knows what will happen to the Columbia J-school snob appeal, with traditional journalism basically imploding. I’m guessing it will just morph into a small shell of non-J-School Ivy League cronies like in publishing, while those with geek chops who are willing to work for free will slave online (or will rely on trust funds, but those folks don’t tend to have geek chops).
I would pay $80 a year. All my best to your wife. 🙂
Yes but we charged too much. Wasn’t it something like $14.95 a month for TimesSelect? I’m guessing it will be less this time. And maybe you won’t be able to get 75% of the content for free anymore like you could then, which took away most of the incentive to subscribe. Also, millions of people have become hopelessly addicted to the site since then. I will stop now before the suits shut me up.
> “the Times will begin either charging for online content”
Didn’t they already try that a while back?
Mopar, my wife is relieved to learn that I didn’t go on any dates in 2006/7. Thank you. Re donations: I expect that sometime in the nearish future the Times will begin either charging for online content or begging for donations a la NPR, since, what the heck, we’re practically a nonprofit at this point. (Note: this is not a scoop. It’s been out there.) Start saving up your pennies now. We’ll need them. – Andy
Andy, you are right, it was the other Mr. Newman. Funny, I am also a journalist with a doppleganger.
I love Brownstoner and the NYT. Maybe they shouldn’t compete. I would like to pay the NYT because I read it online every day. Maybe a donation, a la NPR? I don’t want a print sub because it’s out of date and piles up.
What the Times should be doing is buying great sites like yours and rolling them into their mix.