Only Connect (3#) -

Suburban Sprawl has resulted in
a couple of recent paradoxical effects . . .

One of these effects is the development of Coffeeshop Newsroom Experiments, described by Mallary Jean Tenore at Poynter, and the other is social disconnectedness felt by some youngsters.

The Miami Herald has announced it is going to start such an outreach project to involve readers. Will it work? I don't want to rain on their parade ahead of time, since I don't have a crystal ball.

Much of its potential success crucially depends on whether the local public is willing to engage and participate. If the public doesn't want to cooperate, you're out of luck, I suspect. To begin with, the local public would have to be literate - and that's no sure bet these days.

Anyhoo, this article gives you
an idea of what to expect if this kind of
experiment comes around to your neighborhood.

# Tom Meltzer, 23, writes about the experience of social networking alienation. Youngsters used to hang out at the local candy store, soda shop, or shopping mall. Trying to hang out in Cyberspace is presenting its own unique set of problems.

# Is bad behavior seen on Reality TV Shows being encouraged and rewarded? Richard Huff writes about the "celebration" of this bad TV behavior.

NB: Stormy weather
around here delayed blogging earlier.

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