It’s here.

This is our yesterday, however it progresses.

I am a fan of the Gazette and quite a few other local papers that i read daily on line.

We need synergy to capture and keep our base of readers. Anyone with a better idea can speak up, in the meantime, the Gazette’s movement is being watched by important industry folks nationwide.

Let’s hope it bears fruit.

I am working on a new blog post to try to sort out the multiple transitions. However, in direct response to the comments/rumors that Steve Buttry has been marginalized/relegated and is running out the clock/contract, I offer the following comments:

1. The coming of the networked economy is like an advancing glacier – we are trying to stay on top of it, rather than be crushed beneath it.
2. The overwhelming magnitude of change in individual work, work flows, relationships, technical infrastructure and business models will challenge us all for as long as I can forsee.
3. In order to play in this new world, we need to survive the current economic crisis.
4. Steve Buttry is a key part of our efforts to create our participation in the networked economy. To focus his efforts on short term survival would be a waste of his talents and to our long term detriment.
5. Much of our work on the networked economy is deep foundation, “sub-basement” work. The consuming public is not going to see the results for some time.
6. The work that Steve, and others, are doing to create the networked economy should not be confused with the changes at The Gazette newspaper, which is the responsibility of Dave Storey, the Publisher. Dave and Lyle Muller, the Editor, have been very transparent in the factors driving the changes with The Gazette to date, and those to come, as they try to find the right formula for the printed newspaper.

Thanks for pointing out the confusion.

Chuck

What, exactly, have you gained in the last year? You cut a lot of quality journalists with knowledge of the area. You have cut the newspaper, the product most in the community identify with, into a shell of its former self, and people are fleeing. If anything, you have taken a step back.

Are you making money on blogs? Are you making money on Twitter? Didn’t think so.

Meanwhile, Steve Buttry, the super genius behind this, has been relegated to a lower-level room running out the clock on his contract.

I am sad at the continued demise of a quality product. Your spin doesn’t change that fact.

Keep up the good work gentlemen. You’ll have the Gazette COMPLETELY unrecognizable with a few more makeovers.

Thank you for your thoughtful comments, and for including your team in these discussions. As I mentioned in our email exchange, I have been in all day meetings this week, and have not had the time to properly frame my responses.

However, Steve Buttry was with me in those meetings, and we were with a very diverse group of newspaper and online executives who are also exploring new business models, so we had vigorous discussions about many of these issues. Steve Buttry had some more time yesterday to gather his thoughts, and I hope he responds soon.

As a quick response, I would note that all of us in this industry are struggling with revisiting the fundamental concepts on which we have based our business for more decades than any of us currently in the business have been involved. That is not an easy task.

My main purpose in starting this blog was to engage with others struggling with the same re-envisioning, and to share our learnings. I would never have imagined that it would have taken us this long to get to actual actions (but of course the worst natural disaster in Iowa’s history intervened).

As you will note from my latest post, we have just completed, and are beginning to operate in, a new organization that is different in many fundamental ways. I do believe that this new organization gives us the best chance of being able to focus our energies on creating the real world experiments in implementing new ways to connect with our community, and be paid for those connections.

As you can also tell from this blog, I am a big fan of Neil Perkin’s slide shows and blog. Neil’s latest post on the changing media landscape might be of interest to you. It can be found at http://neilperkin.typepad.com/only_dead_fish/2009/06/making-money-from-social-2.html

I look forward to sharing more specific comments with you shortly.

Thanks again for engaging in this conversation. You ask very appropriate questions.

Chuck