Where is "Religion in the City?" Don't worry, Chris Craig's popular column hasn't disappeared. It's just moving..to Sundays..in Metro i4 News. As a matter of fact, a lot of the Lakeland Local content is moving to our sister publication. In July 2008, Lakeland Local welcomed additional authors when Billy Townsend, Lorrie Delk Walker, and Darby Critendon brought their popular writing to Lakeland Local. Over the last year we've had many insightful, engaging, and informative columns about life in Lakeland. That's not going to change. We're simply expanding and refocusing our coverage. We will use our two publications to offer different styles and areas of content. Metro i4 News will feature work of interest to readers from all of Central Florida. Mi4 writers will focus less on breaking news than on how breaking news affects your life. Columnists will have the opportunity to discuss how news in Tampa and Orlando may affect Lakeland readers, or simply publicize events only a short drive away. Our photographer, Tom Hagerty, will have all of Florida as his canvas. In his column, he'll also have the opportunity to showcase his amazing work no matter where it was shot. (Hagerty's fans were especially appreciative last week of finding his black and white work from the 1970s. Make sure to stop by today to see his work from the 80s.) Lakeland Local will continue to feature news and information specific to Lakeland readers. We will focus on presenting useful information -- such as our popular maps detailing Lakeland life -- and investigative reporting such as our original work on red light cameras. Again, the focus is less on breaking news, and more on local news. To better serve all readers, we will use email, RSS feeds, and Twitter accounts to present the columns and information where and when you want them. Web readers will have the option to choose from home pages that feature traditional article synopsis, or simply headlines for those in a hurry. Twitter readers will get bonus notices of breaking news. In addition to our coverage, we'll offer links to important stories you won't want to miss. We know you have just a few minutes each day for news. We're going to make it 10 minutes you'll look forward to each day. By August 1st, our rearrangement should be complete. As we move forward we'll make adjustments where needed. Our goal is to make it easy for you to find the local news and information you can't find anywhere else. Photo CC by Chuck Welch for Lakeland Local
On May 19th, the Polk County Netizens meeting at the Lakeland Flying Tigers game was rained out. We're going to try again... The Polk County Netizens are at it again with a get together for fun, food, and conversation. Every six weeks they hold a mixer for those interested in all forms of new media. If you write a blog, publish a news site, tweet, journal, or send smoke signals you're invited to join the Netizens at Joker Marchant for a special Lakeland Flying Tigers game. Details inside...
If you read Lakeland Local by visiting the site*, you've seen the tab labeled "Lakeland Short Reports." I post those short reports using a tool called Twitter. If you've not heard of it, just imagine instant messaging that has broken free of the one-to-one restriction. It's one of the tools in a style of communication lumped together as "social media.*" The gist of social media is a style of communication that is not bound by outdated methods of publication restricted to practitioners who "buy ink by the barrel." In other words, the same communication we've had all along, but now you can reach greater numbers. Sufficiently confused? Read more inside....
Lakeland area bloggers and other social media users are all invited to the next "tweetup/meetup" on March 31st at 7pm. We're taking a more laid-back approach this time. No presentations teaching the wonders of Twitter. Just a group of social media fans with the opportunity to meet in person. It's a chance to mingle with Lakeland's social media cutting edge. We're trying a new meeting place this month. Barry Friedman, the Ledger's Managing Editor/Digital, offered the use of the Ledger's lobby. He's going to supply refreshments, and offer tours of the Polk County newspaper of record. To help me let Barry know how many to expect, please comment below if you plan to come. Or email me at tweetup [at] lakelandlocal.com, or send me a tweet at @chuckwelch. (Map & directions inside)
You've noticed that many newspapers have added video to their sites. While many decry that newspapers and TV news are simply merging, we applaud their efforts. Of course, they can afford the cameras and video editing software. On the hyperlocal, all-volunteer, community news level we have to make do with far less...
Monday, there were some small homemade bombs left downtown on the parking garage. The local paper and TV stations were on the scene. Many stuck in offices wanted to know what was going on. Who had the the quickest online coverage of the event?
For much of the day I'll report live the discussion at the City Commission retreat. Check here every so often for the casual remarks. The process of the current exercise doesn't work well with live blogging. I've stopped and will publish a summation this weekend. You can find the agenda (pdf) and come back when they discuss the area where you have the most interest.
If you blog, tweet, post on Facebook, or use the Internet to communicate -- you're invited Thursday, January 15th at 6pm for a meeting of like minds. Black and Brew Coffee House 205 E. Main St. Lakeland, FL 33801 (863) 682-1210 All ages welcome. Please pass it on.
If you wondered if the Lakeland Christmas Parade is still popular, take a look at the top 75 search terms used to find Lakeland Local this week: lakeland christmas parade lakeland christmas parade 2008 lakeland christmas parade route lakeland florida christmas parade 2008 lakeland fl christmas parade 2008 lakeland christmas parade lakeland florida christmas parade lakeland local lakeland center ice skating lakeland florida christmas parade route lakeland fl christmas parade route lakeland christmas parade map lakeland fl christmas parade 2008 Read on for the full list...
Let's make it clear that I endorse or reject none of what follows. I simply marvel at this guy's id unleashed. And no, this has nothing to do with Lakeland other than the fact that I live here, and I'm thrilled to learn there's someone out there in the country more obnoxious than I am. An excerpt: I was in this game for the money. The low hanging fruit, i.e. idiots whose parents paid for prep school, Yale, and then the Harvard MBA, was there for the taking. These people who were (often) truly not worthy of the education they received (or supposedly received) rose to the top of companies such as AIG, Bear Stearns and Lehman Brothers and all levels of our government. All of this behavior supporting the Aristocracy, only ended up making it easier for me to find people stupid enough to take the other side of my trades. God bless America. And people say journalism is the most reviled industry.
The knock against newspapers is that they publish "old news." It's a problem with their outdated delivery method. There's simply no way for them to compete in the expected instant news cycle. It would be nice to subscribe to everything a particular author writes and have it immediately delivered to your desktop. We're working to make that happen at Lakeland Local.
This is the other side of the story, from someone looking on the outside in and helping. I can feel that a close friendship is forming just from letters back and forth, maybe more?
This morning I’ll be on Dr. Marshall Goodman’s radio show The Power of Knowledge. Dr. Goodman is the USF Polytechnic CEO and VP. Each Sunday he talks with about education, knowledge, and area issues. Evidently, this week everyone else was busy and I got the call. We talked a bit about new media and touched [...]
I am NOT a blogger. When we started Y Lakeland and someone mentioned having a companion blog my first thoughts were...I am NOT a blogger. I had read some blogs but never considered creating/designing/maintaining a blog. After researching on the web, meeting with two local bloggers (Josh & Chuck) and then attending BlogOrlando I realized having a blog was essential.
If you’ve had some difficulty with broken links after our switch to Wordpress… They should all work now. I won’t bore you with details. Please let me know in comments if you find any other broken links. Thanks. Now back to posts on traffic cones, buses, breakfast, and socialists. And isn’t it time for another look at local main stream [...]
When we bandied about the future of the News Chief, I never expected that paper to outlast Empirical Polk. The Polk County hyperlocal media landscape took a heavy hit when Josh Hallett announced [...]
This is a little long, so bear with me – or don’t, depending on your taste. It’s more timely now with the news of The Ledger’s job cuts and religion editor Cary McMullen’s column last Saturday lamenting the demise of religion reporting and the specific layoff of well-known and respected Orlando Sentinel religion reporter Mark Pinsky. [...]
Bio: The short line? Father, husband, writer. My online presence is primarily through as the editor, writer, and occasional photographer for the news sites, Lakeland Local, a sampling of the news, concerns, and events for Lakeland, Florida, and Metro i4 News, which covers the Interstate 4 corridor in Central Florida. Both sites feature the work of myself and other contributors. As a hobby, I manage a forum and some web sites that feature a pulp fiction series written by Lester Dent -- Doc Savage Organized, Doc Savage Info, and Flearun.