Collaborative information models ...

"New models of journalism – those that satisfy a growing hunger for up-to-the-second news – were a popular subject.

“Since there is no guarantee that journalists will be at the right place at the right time to report important events, the new journalism must be one that is open to both amateur and professional reporters,” said Bill Kovach, founder of the Committee of Concerned Journalists.

“Somewhere each day,” he continued, “another site moves a step closer to becoming a direct competitor or a valuable new addition to the legacy press.”

Perhaps like the Long Island Independent Media Consortium? Or the Long Island Meta-News Service ?

One Long Island is full of ideas on how we the public can govern and inform ourselves both within and outside of the already established norms.

Only through this type of "mass collaboration" can common ground be established for moving Long Island forward. Otherwise we will constantly be vulnerable to the "divide and conquer" mentality that currently carries the day.

What works?

"The new feature, to be formally introduced on Tuesday, is a tool to make it easy for YouTube users to submit clips that news media companies can choose to highlight. The site plans to sign up other media partners.

“We’re trying to connect media organizations with citizen reporters on YouTube,” said Steve Grove, the Web site’s head of news and politics."

OK so if it works for news, why wouldn't work as a collaborative tool for helping citizens connect with citizens (see IdeaTV in a previous post) on Long Island and in New York generally.

What ideas will reduce property taxes and create jobs? If there is a great idea out there (and there are) but implementation is blocked by one or more special interests, how does the "general" public overcome this obstacle?

Right now there is no effective method for the general public to "bypass" the traditional forms of governance. Part of the reason, as previously stated, is because there isn't any "normalization" of meta data. Also there isn't any method for dynamic analysis (see the 300 or so previous posts for details).

So, in essence, the public is constantly attempting to analyze a "shell game" to ascertain where the "marble" is located. In short the "game" is constructed in a way to be difficult and confusing.

Part of this may have been intentional, but most of it is the result layers of information, rules, laws etc. accumulated over the decades to the point now where it's so confusing no one really has a handle on what to do or how to do it.

Everyone may have an opinion (since admitting incompetence is never a good thing to do), but the truth remains elusive.

So can we "unwind" this mess and give the public accurate information and analysis?

Of course.

This is what we've been advocating over the past 15 years or so. A method for reform without a predetermined agenda.

Give the public the truth and let them (us) decide.

Almost there ...

Yet another indication that Long Island can create its own news and information portal apart from traditional media.

"The news business “is in a difficult time period right now, between what was and what will be,” said Gary Kebbel, the journalism program director for the Knight Foundation, which has backed 35 local Web experiments. “Our democracy is based upon geography, and we believe local information is such a core need for our democracy to survive.”

So the idea, in part, is to take many of these "hyper local" sources (and traditional sources) and through collaborative technology (see many previous posts) create a verifiable and dynamic source of information and analysis for Long Islanders.

It is really closer to reality than one might think.

It is also a fundamental requirement for Long Island if we are to create an environment for comprehensive, collaborative, dynamic, sustainable, positive change.

The future of news on Long Island?

The site has recruited some current and former government officials to write columns, and it will keep some of the popular columnists and bloggers who already work there, in addition to the large number of unpaid local bloggers whose work appears on the site. Hearst also plans to repackage material from its large stable of magazines for the site.

Is this the future of news on Long Island?

It looks a lot like the Long Island Meta-News and Information service we've been promoting on this site.

We would (of course) take it further to include a rotating editorial board and more advanced Web 3.0 features among other features. All detailed in previous posts.

Citizens informing citizens with verifiable information. Interesting concept.

Modular Long Island: Part II

Last year around this time we started talking about a "modular Long Island" concept.

In point of fact, all of the One Long Island series of ideas is "modular" in that each idea can stand on its own or easily "integrate" with other elements of One Long Island (or already existing compatible ideas, organizations, systems etc.).

A large problem on Long Island as elsewhere, and one that we've talked about ad infinitum, is the seeming inability to link similar ideas, organizations and programs and further, the seeming inability to understand (or to recognize) the impact of one or multiple actions on the immediate and long term status of Long Island.

Ah ha, you might say, it is impossible to think of everything at once.

Under current conditions, difficult yes, impossible no.

The fact is, we must learn to think differently and on multiple levels simultaneously if we are to create substantive, positive and sustainable change.

Some look at the many levels of government on Long Island as the main culprit in our apparent dysfunction. Certainly this has something to do with it. But the organization of government is merely an outgrowth of how we wish to govern ourselves and more narrowly, to "control" our geographic area and immediate environment.

If we look beyond government, you pick the discipline, not for profit, information/data services, environmental, education etc, we will see the same level of "diversity."

Some see this "diversity" governmental or otherwise as a bad thing. I say it doesn't really matter if there are systems in place to foster simple and effective collaboration. People, no matter who they are or who they are affiliated with, must come to the table willingly and must trust that the process and the information they receive (and provide) is accurate, fair and reasonable for there to be long term sustainable change.

Government and other types of organizations will only achieve their optimally effective size and structure through the type of collaborative and "dynamic" interaction we've advocated over the past year (actually since 1993 with Oyster Bay 2000).

Its almost as if we must break organizations and their respective missions down to their component parts and reassemble them in new, more dynamic and flexible shapes.

This type of thinking enhances opportunity for those currently on "the outside looking in" and additionally, actually assists those who may initially lose some clout and influence they enjoyed under the old regime(s) in having more, if a different type of, influence and opportunity as Long Island creates a greater and more expansive, dynamic environment.

It won't happen overnight, but it will not happen at all unless we try a different approach. This is some of the thinking behind the Long Island Meta-Planning, Meta-Data, Meta-Think Tank etc, etc, etc concepts.

More in Part III.

If you build it ... Part One

"Kevin Kamen, president of media appraisal firm Kamen & Co. Group Services in Baldwin, said in an email Monday morning that the deal will allow Cablevision "a clear channel opportunity to expand and cross sell advertising across multiple broad channels...and will generate great financial rewards and benefits over the years."

But, he said, while the deal will "please" shareholders, "unfortunately for the consumer, both editorially and financially, it is never a good idea to let one media conglomerate control pricing and editorial content."

OK so I don't pretend to be a media expert.

But it strikes me as a lot of doom and gloom that only "one player" will control the news and editorial content for all of Long Island.

Sure Newsday and Cablevision have great brand ID and a lot of smart folks working for them.

Why don't I worry?

Because it is very easy to create a competitor network (or collaborative networks) constructed out of the many content sources we have here on Long Island.

What news do people really want? My experience is first they want the news that most effects their immediate daily life. "Hyperlocalism" is a buzz word often used to describe the web based confluence of news, information, video etc, focused on a "finite" location or area of interest. Do folks in Sayville care about what's happening in Bayville? Maybe a little, but not a lot.

Next maybe they are interested in a regional perspective and so forth almost like expanding waves of knowledge gathering.

Most national and international news, sports, entertainment news etc is provided from a wide array of organizations and sources predominately through XML (extensible markup language) or some similar protocol which updates news almost as it happens. Most of this information is free to use for non-profit enterprises and for a nominal fee for profit oriented enterprises.

Next opinion. Look everybody has an opinion. Hopefully its an informed opinion. There are tons of blogs, podcasts, video what have you out there giving opinions on almost anything you can think of. What if, for example, you set up a rotating multiple xml feed of ten food critics? Wouldn't that be better than one? Wouldn't that give the public a better view of what's out there?

In fact, why should we be limited by any one group's point of view or control over the distribution of content?

How about (as we've explored previously) a rotating editorial board made up of regular citizens and members of various organizations of let's say 20 at a time, rotating through every 60 days on staggered shifts? It can actually be a "virtual" editorial board able to meet on a moments notice. Wouldn't this ensure that all voices are heard and that there is a true diversity of opinion made available? Why should only a few folks have all the fun!

Additionally, there is the issue of trust. Does the general public (or anyone for that matter) trust that the information they are getting is accurate and presented fairly?

My belief is that the more power (information is power) in the greater number of hands the greater the likelihood is that we will have an equal playing field for the debate of ideas that will shape our future.

Toward this end we have a number of "One Long Island" projects underway and in the planning stages that would make the creation of this "Long Island independent information and news" project a reality.

Would it replace existing news institutions? No. There would be no purpose in that as the existing institutions provide an important service and one that many folks depend upon.

But there is room for improvement and real diversity of news, opinion and thought on Long Island.

It is possible to create a reliable collaborative Long Island news and information network that is, among other things, accessible, flexible and accurate.

More in Part Two.

Long Island Meta News Service: Part Two

OK so we're calling it a Long Island Meta News Service to take advantage of the current debate of the sale of Newsday, shameless self-promoters that we are.

But in fact, this "structure" may be applied to almost any form of mass (meta) communication and information distribution on Long Island or elsewhere. It is one of the central collaborative models we're promoting in our "One Long Island" series.

From a technical point of view, creating a "community based" news service really isn't all that difficult any longer. We define community as all individuals and organizations (of all types) on Long Island. Even organizing it isn't a monumental issue.

The difficult part is trust. Do we trust one another enough to engage in the type of broad based collaborative dialogue necessary to move Long Island forward? Or will we remain in our "cycle of stagnation" depending on old forms and methodologies to solve new and ever more complex problems?

Will those in power and with influence share the same stage with those who are not?

Make no mistake, we are not advocating some community based free for all. It must be professionally managed and open to all those who have productive information and ideas for Long Island.

No exclusive agendas, no partisanship. Just accurate information, ideas, opinions and analysis presented fairly.

Imagine. A news and information service with unlimited access to content about and for Long Island with the ability to do complex analysis easily and collaboratively.

I think it might be worth our time to explore the viability of this project.

More in part three.

Long Island Meta News Service: Part One

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