New online community launches for bay area
The Times invites residents to report and write news from their communities in an online publication called "It's Your Times."
By Times Staff Writer
Published September 12, 2005
The St. Petersburg Times is inviting residents to report and write news from their communities in an online publication called It's Your Times. This new site, www.itsyourtimes.com debuts today.
Kevin McGeever, editor of sptimes.com, and It's Your Times moderator Paul Swider have chosen six topics: Midtown, St. Pete Beach, Gay Rights, BayWalk/Ybor City, Creative Communities and East Tampa. Participants can suggest additional topics.
"We've invited people with specific expertise," McGeever said, "but we know there are many others who have personal experience, research results and inside information to share with the community. And that's the emphasis with It's Your Times: Anyone can participate."
Swider, a regular contributor to the Times' local news report, explained how It's Your Times works. "On the homepage, I've written summaries for each topic so the reader can find out quickly what's new. Readers can come, see the summary and offer their input.
"Occasionally, I'll summarize the contributions to date - almost like chapters, to make the conversation easier to follow - and possibly introduce questions to spur more conversation.
"For instance, with Creative Communities, we've invited some members of Creative Tampa Bay to contribute. Because of the economic development aspects of a creative community, elected officials or chamber of commerce members may want to offer their input. Likewise, scientists, engineers, entrepreneurs, artists and entertainers. But so can anyone who has something to offer about this region and what makes a creative community."
"In East Tampa, we've asked the city to offer its plans for the region, but we also want to hear from those who live and work there, those who have tried to improve conditions there, and those from other parts of the area who may have engaged in other development that could be useful in East Tampa."
McGeever and Swider said It's Your Times is a hybrid of Weblogs and something dubbed citizen journalism. A blog is typically a journal in which a writer shares observations and research, and then readers comment on the content. Citizen journalism is a means of letting readers contribute content to a news organization.
McGeever said, "This is part of a larger movement within journalism to use new technology to engage readers in an important dialogue about their community. One ambition for It's Your Times is to publish excerpts of these conversations in the St. Petersburg Times."
Swider said editing will be minimal, but there are guidelines that should be followed. All contributions will remain on the site in the writers' own words to form a kind of public record.
"It's Your Times is an open discussion that invites alternative views and new information from all quarters, so some of it is going to be upsetting to some people," Swider said. "We won't try to steer the conversation or curb discussion of difficult ideas, but we won't let it become chaos either."
For more information, visit www.itsyourtimes.com