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On Fri, 21 Apr 1995, Scott Henry wrote:

> Seems to me that the prime advantage of online newspapers over their
> printed cousins (and tv too) is the ease of interaction with readers. I
> read an editorial and immediately register my opinion; I click on a
> reporters byline and offer my thoughts on a story, etc...

This is great!  Yes, the internet is a 2-way medium, which can spark up 
some interesting results.  In news-groups a simple press release can 
start a flame-war.  Separating facts from opinion and speculation is a 
challenge.  Sometimes you get more information (leaks, insider info...) 
buy going into the fire, or even starting one :-).

> I'm hoping to develop a interactive project that will involve both the
> online edition and the printed paper. The project will run during the
> County Fair here, where we'll have a booth with computers for those who
> want to stroll by and get involved (obviously there will be home access as
> well).


> The intent here is to demonstrate cooperation between the newsroom and the
> public as a story is developed over the duration of the fair. We've
> brainstormed a few story ideas, but I'm always looking for more...

> Can anyone offer experience with interactive projects at your publication?

Popular ones are the electronic survey, a chat group, a news-group, and 
an e-mail list.  The editor pushes the story (as flat text) through the 
interactive groups and starts editing the reactions for inclusion in the 
master web publication.


From rballard@cnj.digex.net Wed May  3 00:33:37 1995