Chicago Sometime?

The Past Imperfect of ChicagoNow Posted by Mike Doyle on 3/01/10.

You can’t run a 21st-century blog network at the speed of a 19th-century newspaper. I wish someone would tell the Chicago Tribune. Yesterday, when I ended my ten-month run as the scribe of the Chicagosphere online-media blog for the paper’s ChicagoNow content network, I was still waiting for the roll-out of site improvements promised on Day One. I was far from the only blogger dissatisfied with the paper’s glacial responsiveness. Eventually I realized why: ChicagoNow is a blog platform that simply wasn’t designed with bloggers in mind.

What other explanation can there be for a network of more than a hundred blogs that makes it hard for visitors to find and explore those blogs? Over the past ten months, I lost track of how many times friends and readers told me how inscrutable they found navigation on ChicagoNow.

HT to Journerdism

I wonder if they will keep up the ChicagoSphere goodbye post from him? Good luck Mike Doyle.

Milblogs Go Silent Across the Internet

CJ Grisham

CYBERSPACE – On Wednesday, December 16 2009, many military blogs (milblogs) have decided to go silent for the day, while others are choosing to go silent for a longer period of time. This is happening because milblogs are facing an increasingly hostile environment from within the military.

According to Mr. Wolf of Blackfive.net, “While senior leadership has embraced blogging and social media, many field grade officers and senior NCOs do not embrace the concept. From general apathy in not wanting to deal with the issue to outright hositility to it, many commands are not only failing to support such activities, but are aggressively acting against active duty milbloggers, milspouses, and others. The number of such incidents appears to be growing, with milbloggers receiving reprimands, verbal and written, not only for their activities but those of spouses and supporters.”

The catalyst for the day of silence across the blogosphere is the treatment of milblogger C.J. Grisham who writes A Soldier’s Perspective. Grisham has earned accolades and respect, from the White House and people across the Internet because of his honest (although sometimes blunt) discussion of military issues – particularly PTSD.

~ Muncie Free Press

Thoughts?