Wednesday, March 02, 2005

The "Basic Blogging" class at UNCG tonight was three hours long, with a topic so broad that it could go in many directions, and no sense coming in what people expected or wanted...but I thought it went well, we covered a lot of ground, and I expect to see some interesting and useful blogs come out of it. Thanks to all for coming and participating. 10:04:14 PM    comment []

Closet Deadhead podcast: "Are you a fan of the Grateful Dead but reluctant to reveal it? Are you embarrassed when co-workers or new acquaintances learn you have thousands of hours of Grateful Dead music? If so, this podcast is for you." More Dead news here. 2:50:40 PM    comment []

"Greensboro City Manager Ed Kitchen informed City Council in a closed session after last night’s Council meeting that he will retire August 1, 2005." Bummer. Press release. 12:09:06 PM    comment []

Inside Furniture: Las Vegas media to cover High Point market. This is a damn war. Is High Point ready to fight it? Are Guilford County and North Carolina? Because it's already started. 11:07:04 AM    comment []

Everyone comes to Greensboro: Dwight Silverman, online news editor of the Houston Chronicle, is in town to learn more about the local scene as the Chron considers an ambitious move into blogging. He spent yesterday at the N&R and had breakfast this morning with a handful of local independent bloggers, including me. A blogger himself, Dwight seems to understand what's going on and where newspapers might go with it. His decision to meet with some non-N&R bloggers was a good sign. One of the things the N&R has done right is to understand itself as a player in the game, not as the game itself. Keep your eye on Houston. Big things may unfold there in the months ahead. Update: Lex reports on Dwight's visit to the N&R: "This stuff looks a lot more feasible once the truth really sinks in that business as usual will kill your business." And TheShu frets that the N&R will pull readers away from independent blogs. I don't. There's already far more to read on the web than anyone can manage, we already have to rely on filters and portals and our own personal preferences to choose where to spend our time. Local blogs and blogs everywhere have exploded with minimal help from the corporate press, that process will continue with or without their participation. I say, welcome to the party. Bloggers have successfully blurred the line between corporate and independent media, I don't think that line is going to get redrawn, and if it does, I think the corporations lose. We'll read what we like, wherever it is hosted. The reader decides on the value of the brand. 11:02:27 AM    comment []

Charlotte blog conference in the works, says Anonymoses. 8:00:37 AM    comment []

Elsewhere has a blog. 7:53:18 AM    comment []

Voters hate platform of "God hates fags" guy. And his grandaughter, too. Topeka votes down the Phelps family. 7:51:47 AM    comment []

ACC Hoops links to an article that questions whether McCants is coming back. "Oh dear" is right. 7:47:01 AM    comment []

Flynt Leverett in the NYT: Go slow in Lebanon. I'm sure he makes some sound arguments, but who's going to explain it to her? Patrick Baz, AFP / Getty Images 7:45:09 AM    comment []