A large Seattle newspaper is the first in the nation to do what inevitably every daily metro newspaper will do in this country and throughout the world: Provide news coverage exclusively on the Internet. That is exciting news to us at NSBNEWS.net as we approach the one-year anniversary of our April 11 launch.
The Seattle Post Intelligencer, Washington state's oldest daily metro newspaper, put out its final print edition Sunday, and on Monday, unveiled its news rebirth: SEATTLEPI.com.
oe Connelly, a columnist there asked: "Can Seattle's oldest newspaper be successfully transformed into a child of the information age?"
He went on to say: "The P-I online is off and running. It'll be an adventure in journalism, not just for P-I writers but for an audience that seeks information, has opinions and is willing to speak its mind.
"The Northwest is a land of big dreams. With the demise of the Soviet Union, one quipster noted that Puget Sound is now home to three empires still bent on global dominion: Microsoft, Amazon.com and Starbuck's.
"If the stars align properly and with a quality product, Seattle will show the way to a new model for journalism of the written word. "This vital corner of America is the right place to give it a go. We've felt layoffs, but still develop technologies that the world wants. We read more books per capita, and see more flicks, than anyplace else in the country."
Then Connelly made the point that all newspapers must face in a 21st-century digital world: "Our readers want to know what is going on, and do not want to wait."
And that word "wait" is the key.
We don't want to wait the next morning for news that can be had as soon as it is common knowledge.
With today's technology, news is virtually a click away, and not just national and world events, but local as well. Newspapers are reluctant to convert because on-line Web newspapers don't require large staffs.
NSBNEWS.net is essentially a one-person operation with several others contributing. As we approach our anniversary, we'll talk more about the advantages of NSBNEWS.net as a viable daily news and advertising source.