NY Times Launches Maplewood - South Orange - Millburn Site archived

http://kirkpete.blogspot.com/2009/03/maplewood-nj-pop-23000-now-has-three.html

"mysterious bat deaths"?!?!

Christ... I got nervous for a second. Carry on.

Wow.

any one remember nytoday.com?

(failed effort by nytimes.com to build a local site....)

Seems like a bad business decision to me. Maybe we can get the town to limit permits, like they did for nail salons. They're clogging up the internet.

ctrzaska, sorry to give you a fright.

Jasmo, I've often worried about that. What if the Internet runs out of space?

I am intrigued by the idea of having journalists on the bulletin boards. Our local paper leaves a lot to be desired in terms of informing the public about issues that impact their pocket book, and if professional journalists work these blogs, maybe they will pick up these stories and work them the way they should be worked. This is not what MOL is about. We raise the questions.

Millburn? Why would I want to read anything about Millburn? Just ‘cause Millburn is next to Maplewood on the map doesn’t mean we’ve got much in common. It certainly doesn’t mean I give a rat’s you-know-what.

I think this shows naïve demographics research and marketing on the part of both publishers.

Hey, but The Local has PhilC and his illustrations, which is a reason to check it out!

Although, the "shared services" article, which is one of the first articles on the site, misses a critical point. The vote a couple of years ago was not simply for a "shared services" study, it was for a study on merging the towns. Lots of us who voted against the merger commission were all for studying shared services. And that wasn't a big secret, so a news organization should be able to find that out.

Bootleg, we have to keep our eye on them because they are right on our borders.

Lets just keep supporting MOL so we don't lose our town business- remember- Jamie brought this great site to us and the more people to post the better for business! Way to go Jamie!

I find that it is difficult to have a dialogue on the new NY Times site and the Maplewoodian. It's hard to find something to say about the postings; it's a lot like reading the paper instead of a bulleting board. I don't know what makes a thread on MOL have legs. If you read the CBAC recommendations thread, for example, it seems as if a small element -- the uncollected bills -- generated a lot of discussion; but some of the major elements of the recommendations did not. How many threads were there about Sarah Palin? that went of forever. In fact I am afraid of even mentioning the subject, because I am afraid that someone will hijack this thread into a Sarah Palin bashing session. I think it will be hard for those writers to generate responses. Journalists have to have a story. Threads are stories that are created by everyone who participates. The person who starts the thread simply writes the first sentence.

Posted By: JasmoBootleg, we have to keep our eye on them because they are right on our borders.

OK, so let's include Irvington and Union, too.


Not.

so kirkpete - where the hell have you been and why couldn't you have posted your own self serving advertisement to your blog on one of the other threads about this already?

Aw, come'on, they don't have money for advertising. NYT market capitalization is a measly $500 million comparied to $105 billion for Patch.

Ok I am blond I admit but for crying out loud what the heck is going on here. I mean seriously how many sites can we be swamped with?

In any case yougo do your thing. I for one will post were and when I want to but please stop shoving these other sites in our faces when we are on MOL!!! That is really bull*****. If I am in a supermarket a competitor doesn't walk in and hand me a coupon for another supermarket.

I am with a group of people who created our own site to use. It would have never occured to us to go around on MOL and blah blah about it and we weren't even a competitor.

Go and advertise for you new site somewhere else. It is really starting to piss me off. I would have acutally considered looking into patch but for the fact that I find it really *****ty that you would come on here on MOL and toot your own horn.

GET OFF OF MOL AND ADVERTISE YOUR SITE SOMEWHERE ELSE. START FROM SCRATCH LIKE MOL HAD TO DO AND I MIGHT JUST HAVE ENOUGH RESPECT FOR YOU.

Swamped? How?

Bootleg, you forgot that Maplewood also borders Newark. And South Orange borders Orange.

bajou: Just a point of clarification, but I don't think kirkpete's blog has anything to do with Patch or "The Local". Isn't that just a personal blog and he did a post on all the new sites?

I thought it was an interesting post, I don't understand all the hostility.

But, bayou, this thread wasn't started by any of the other sites. What are you raving about? Anyway, it's not as clear cut as all that. I've been reading and posting on MOL for years (my husband for even more) and now I'm getting paid to write for Patch. So in essence I've been a part of both. Hmmmm, I also subscribe to the NYTimes. It's all very incestuous. . .

I think this town is big enough for all these sites.

And if not, competition will sort them out. MOL's niche is different from the others, so it seems the least threatened.

If the other sites take off, it could prove that the rates for advertising on MOL are undervalued, and the Rosses could get away with charging more than they're already charging.

I did think kirkpete's blog was good.

galileo,
I agree. It's nice to see a thoughtful and succinct write-up on this phenomenon. kirkpete did a great job. And bajou, I'm sorry to have misspelled your username.

Tom, I think you are right. There is room for more. And MOL is unique. Also, I've always thought the rates on MOL are extraordinarily affordable.

I have to say it is an wonderful thing to be able to work in and report on your own community and get paid to do it. I hope I can continue to do this for a long time.

Sorry for blowing of steam but I have been on a several threads now were patch came on and frankly it bothers me. There was a poster who was really annoying on the thread about the SH students father who was killed on South Orange Avenue. It was a constant Patch had it first and get it from Patch but mind you he had to post on MOL cause apparently nobody was there to talk/post with. I am sorry but I find it annoying.

bajou,
You make a very good point. We are all here on MOL, talking about Patch. I hope this bodes well for the future of both!

You should be bothered.

Google/Patch does not have anyone's interests at heart. Their terms of service indicates anything a person uploads or posts immediately becomes their property to do with what they will in whatever format they like, including selling it to a third party. That's your name, your image, your posts.

As for their tasteless news editing, that's all automated. If you want to know what comes next with their business plan on destroying journalism, Kurt Vonnegut's Player Piano is a good place to start.

Just one more thing: There is another town/city that has gotten a new blog of late. So, you see, it's not all about Maplewood/Millburn/South Orange!

glocallynewark.com debuted (soft launch) on February 13th. It's a series of blogs intended to promote Newark as a fun and exciting place to live, visit, work. It's been launched by a marketing and planning firm based in Newark by the name of Newwork LLC. Yes, I am writing for them too (I work in Newark). This is the life of a freelancer.

Um, Dave, you do get to agree to the terms of service. If you don't agree, don't post. And you can be compensated for your posts and images (I certainly am).

Automated editing? I've met my editor. He seems quite animated, though not automated.

But I think I will respectfully go away from MOL for a little while. Take care!

Read that Vonnegut novel and ask What Would Google Do.

It's great that Newark is getting a site which is based in Newark - it's long overdue - they definitely lacked a web presence.

Too bad these other companies didn't go into other towns and cities with similar lack of an online community.

Best part from kirkpete's very fair blog entry:

For a website focusing on the hyperlocal market, it seems remarkably hard to connect with anyone from Patch.com. There is no phone number or email address on the website itself, and I've sent out a dozen feelers to local editors and New York staff via Twitter and LinkedIn, as well as using the site's feedback page. The only NYC phone number listed for Patch Media Corporation turns out to be a lawyer's voicemail. One of the local staffers eventually contacted me on Twitter and said she would try to find someone to talk with me, but that was the last I heard. Maybe they can weigh in in the comments.

Kirkpete, perhaps they were wondering about your press credentials ;-)