Out With A Bang

I’ve found ourselves a new heroine… worthy of a longer blog tonight, one feels.

For now, however, I’ll just cut and paste off this… http://www.ojr.org/ojr/people/davidwestphal/200902/1660/ and say no more.

And if I could, I’d reach for a chisel and cut her words and thoughts out onto a tablet of stone.

And you know what, I’d put said tablet on a big, f*cking plinth right outside Archant Towers. And NESTA’s. And EEDA’s. And outside Lord Carter’s office. He’s another one that seems convinced that only ‘big’ media has the answer. That, somehow, the answer will only be delivered from the ‘top down…’

So, Tracy Record of http://westseattleblog.com/blog/, sing it loud and sing it proud…

“You have to look at it like any small business. You kill yourself trying to get it off the ground. Stop whining about that.

‘We have been dismissed by people saying, ‘You’re going to burn out.’ No, we’re not.”

Now for her email responses as to how its been for the last three years. About as tough as it has been for the rest of us; but you keep going… And going… And going…

Cos you know it’s there. Don’t you, Trace? You believe in what you’re doing; and that passion drives you on. And you do whatever it takes.

“I am adamant about the ‘hyper-local’ space being a place for local independents.

“I am sick to death of these national VC-funded operations (Patch, American Towns, whoever else) trying to swoop in and say, ‘Hey! We’re your plug-and-play hyperlocal news!’

“No, you are NOT. Nor is a voiceless aggregator. Let’s not let this precious new type of coverage be poisoned the way the ‘big corporate media’ world evolved from local, independently owned tv/newspapers/whatever … It may happen eventually but don’t smother this industry from birth!

“Every community has different needs, and must be served by someone who tailors the service based on what they learn in interaction with their community.

“I WISH that the people throwing money around would share some with those of us who are bootstrapping, rather than yet ANOTHER aggregator, or sharing site, or whatever. THIS is where the action is happening and the future is being paved.

“But I can’t get a Whatever Grant to so much as give me the time of day. Just not considered sexy enough to be busting your butt uncovering and/or sharing information and news in real-time re: your community…”

What a star. What a f*cking star.