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By Griff Wigley, on January 26, 2008, 8:53 am
 As Chair of the Northfield Mayor’s Task Force on Blogosphere Grammar, I feel compelled to dispel a few misperceptions.
A blog is analogous to a newspaper. A blogger is like a reporter or columnist who publishes articles or opinions in the paper. Blog posts or entries are like the individual articles or columns. Readers who attach comments to a blog post are like newspaper readers who submit letters to the editor.
So here on Locally Grown, there are only three bloggers: me, Ross and Tracy. We author blog posts or blog entries, like this one. Many of you, our dear readers, attach comments to our blog posts. (Thus far in January, 125+ people have contributed comments).
There’s not really a good term to describe people who submit comments, just like there’s not a good term to describe people who submit letters to the editor in the newspaper. I sometimes use the terms ‘commenter’ or ‘participant’ or ‘contributor’ here but all are a little awkward.
A string of comments attached to a blog post is best referred to as a blog discussion or a discussion thread. Other phrases such as message thread’ or ‘discussion topic’ are acceptable but they’re more commonly used in web-based forums, AKA message boards.
So here’s what correct blog lingo might look like in conversation:
I saw that you posted a comment the other day to a discussion thread on Locally Grown’s blog. It was that post of Tracy’s in which she…
See the Wikipedia’s List of blogging terms for more.
By Tracy Davis, on January 16, 2008, 11:35 am
 Yes, it’s important, but I’m sick to death of it. Too polarized, not enough information, way too much groundless speculation. I know it’s too much to ask that we be done for awhile, so while those discussion threads continue on, I’d like to open things up and ask: Are there particular issues, topics, or news items that you’d like to see posts on, to kick off some discussion?
I don’t know about Griff and Ross, but sometimes I’m too close to things to identify things as good topics for discussion on Locally Grown when I’m already bogged down in their details, or conversely, sometimes mental health requires me to divest myself of everything Northfield just to take in a breath of fresh air.
So…. what should we talk about? (If there are existing discussion threads on a suggested topic, then the Triumvirate or LoGro oldsters can find the link and revive the conversation.)
By Tracy Davis, on January 8, 2008, 1:39 pm
 In a recent comment on the “Mayor Intends to Serve Out Term” post, Julie Bixby said, “I have spoken with several people who read locally grown and would love to comment but are afraid of the consequences. . ..” Private comments from other people (offline) have expressed similar sentiments.
We’re not alone in this dilemma. In a recent online editorial, “Civil Discourse, Meet the Internet“, the New York Times said,
How does the august Times, which has long stood for dignified authority, come to terms with the fractious, democratic culture of the Internet, where readers expect to participate but sometimes do so in coarse, bullying and misinformed ways?
I couldn’t have phrased the question better myself. This is something the triumvirate has batted around extensively, with one advocating totally free, unmoderated speech; one advocating stronger moderation for “tone”; and one advocating extensive IQ and EQ tests before approving user IDs for participation. (BONUS POINTS: Guess which opinion belongs to which member of the triumvirate.)
Well, we’re not in a position to do what the NY Times did, but they started addressing the issue by hiring four staff people to screen comments.
“I didn’t know how big it would become, and I didn’t know how tough it would be to manage,” said Jim Roberts, editor of the Web site. A particularly hot topic on a blog can generate more than 500 comments. . .
So, get this – our volume of comments on Locally Grown can easily get to 30%-50% of the volume experience by THE NEW YORK TIMES. I’m loving that. But we don’t have four staff people to deal with it, either.
This is a complex issue, with many ramifications. We’re trying to build a virtual space which allows people the freedom to express their opinions to their neighbors. . . in a thoughtful, respectful manner. In my opinion, that’s not what we’re getting (although the recent discussion on Sex With Seven Women comes close to what I personally consider to be the ideal balance: direct and honest exchange of ideas and opinions while maintaining a [mostly] civil tone). But everyone draws the line of what’s acceptable in a different place.
So, what are some potential solutions, or strategies to elevate the dialog? A plea for more self-policing of adherence to our guidelines? Siccing the greater LG community on code violaters, i.e. requesting that participants cry “foul” when they think a commenter has crossed the line? Do more heavy-handed moderating? It must be said that several members of the LG community are much more frustrated by comments they perceive as ignorant or uninformed than those they think are “mean”. But we also know that many participants (and lurkers) are unhappy with the overall level of discourse and the ad hominen remarks which occur with distressing frequency.
What to do? (I’m especially interested in hearing from the lurkers.)
By Tracy Davis, on November 14, 2007, 8:31 pm
 I’ve heard a scurrilous rumor around town, and I’m very distressed about it – if it turns out to be true.
As many of you know, my colleague here at Locally Grown, Ross Currier, is also the Executive Director of the non-profit Northfield Downtown Development Corporation. Apparently, some individuals and organizations in town are having a hard time understanding the difference between Ross speaking his opinion as a private citizen on Locally Grown, and Ross speaking as Executive Director of the NDDC on the NDDC website/blog.
“Uh, gee, well, Ross Currier said something on the internet. I didn’t like it. Maybe we shouldn’t fund the NDDC.” With all due respect (which admittedly isn’t much): HOW DUMB AND SHORTSIGHTED ARE THESE PEOPLE?!
During my six-year term on the EDA, I was always favorably impressed with the reports of what the NDDC was able to accomplish with very limited means, and I know that Ross’s commitment, connections, know-how, and shoe leather (“human capital”) had a lot to do with the NDDC’s success in meeting and exceeding their goals. If the NDDC doesn’t get at least the same funding this year as last, when their list of accomplishments keeps growing, we’ll know that the main difference is that this year, Ross voiced some opinions of his own while not wearing the NDDC hat. I’d hate to see a valuable organization like the NDDC punished because an employee of a non-profit entity had the temerity to have a life. I don’t care how small this town can be, Ross should be able to freely express his opinions without having to worry about direct fiscal or professional repercussions.
Is anyone but me incensed by this?
I’ve said it before, and I’ll say it again now: Locally Grown is just three citizens with a blog. It doesn’t have any legal status; it only exists as a domain name on the internet and the title of an audio show. We’re three individuals, with individual opinions, doing this for free in our spare time. We created this venue because we wanted to have a virtual place to discuss issues of local importance; I think we’ve accomplished that. We’d like it to be a vehicle that both informs and entertains; I think we’ve accomplished that too. We want to have fun; unfortunately we’re not doing nearly enough of that, because we’re finding that as soon as you stick your neck out, someone runs at you with a scimitar.
By Ross Currier, on November 12, 2007, 4:01 pm
 I didn’t believe it either. I mean we’re not talkin’ hockey here.
But check it out for yourself at the Globe and Mail.
Apparently with the rise of the Loonie, the typically good-natured and peace loving Canadians have had it with inflated book prices.
They’re turning books into projectiles and even drawing blood over the issue.
By Griff Wigley, on October 20, 2007, 8:04 am
In today’s Northfield News, Managing Editor Jaci Smith has an editorial titled: Call to arms: Now is the time to get involved.
We’re in the midst of a Web site redesign that was to include an opportunity for citizen blogging. Then Ron and Bettye’s letter showed up. So instead of waiting for the redesign, starting today, we’re launching a local politics blog. Ron and Bettye asked for a citizens’ forum and we want to provide it: a place to exchange ideas, questions and ultimately, find solutions. What it won’t be is a site for malcontents or a forum for wannabe politicians. It’s about positive action.
The blog evidently doesn’t have a name so I’ll just call it the Northfield News blog for now. I’m not sure why they’re using the dotmobi top-level domain for the blog, ie, blog.northfieldnews.mobi — maybe it’s just what GoDaddy provides for their Quick Blogcast service, and that the News wants the blog to be mobile-ready and that they intend to add a podcast later.
Welcome, Jaci. I look forward to the contributions that you, your staff, and your readers make to Northfield’s growing civic blogosphere. I’ve added a link to your blog on that blogosphere page, under the media listing.
By Griff Wigley, on October 15, 2007, 12:45 pm
 We’re going to experiment with aggregating some posts from some local bloggers right into our Locally Grown blog.
We’ve been aggregating (into our right sidebar) the most recent headlines from a select group of nine local bloggers for many months. This is an experiment to ratchet that up a bit by aggregating the entire post, giving it the same visibility as our posts, with their names attached.
For now, we’ll leave the comments option on these posts turned off. If you’d like to comment, follow the link to their blog. The headline/title of the post is a permalink for their post, so just click it and attach a comment there.
The dates of the posts won’t match up exactly with the originals, and there may be some glitches with images. We’ll assign the posts to a category called “aggregated posts.”
And let us know what you think of the experiment by attaching comments here.
By Griff Wigley, on October 2, 2007, 7:32 pm
I was the trainer last night for a community blogging class in New York Mills, MN, home of the New York Mills Regional Cultural Center and the Great American Think-Off. Tomorrow night I’m in Floodwood and next week, in St. James and Wabasha.
It’s part of a project with the Northwest Area Foundation to launch community blogs in 150 small towns from MN to Washington state.
Of course, I spend quite a bit of time showing people Northfield.org, Locally Grown, and our blossoming local civic blogosphere here in Northfield. They get inspired when they see what’s going on here. I get inspired by their enthusiasm.
It was the first time I’ve taught a class on community blogging, oddly enough. I did do a civic leader blogging class here in Northfield back in Feb. 2005.
   
Recognize any of these people? 50% are still blogging.
By Griff Wigley, on September 19, 2007, 7:07 am
 
Carleton’s Rob Hardy, Visiting Scholar in Classical Languages, has returned to town and is now posting to his blog, Rough Draft: A Chronicle of Everyday Life in Northfield, Minnesota. He returned on Aug. 19 with a sidewalks post, having abandoned his sabbatical blog. Welcome back, Rob… and thanks for contributing comments here on Locally Grown while you were away. I’ve added your blog to our civic blogosphere page.
By Tracy Davis, on September 15, 2007, 10:09 am
 Ross and I have to step up to the plate.
Or maybe I need to step up to the plate, since Ross’s byline has at least been seen here in the past two weeks. Apparently if we leave Griff alone too long, we get one post after another about his kid’s band, his house for sale, photos of him podcasting…. geez, you’d think this was Griff’s only blog.
By Griff Wigley, on August 26, 2007, 9:51 pm
  Linda Seebach joined the Northfield blogosphere recently with her blog titled The Eclectic Linda.
Linda just moved here from Denver where she’d been an editorial writer for the Rocky Mountain News for the past ten years. Her parting column: A decade I’ve cherished.
At the bottom of that page is a short bio:
Before starting her career in journalism, Linda Seebach was a college mathematics professor, the owner of a small printing business catering to the antique-car hobby and an English teacher at a university in Shanghai. She moved into journalism by way of the Minnesota Daily, the independent student paper at the University of Minnesota, where she did graduate work in linguistics. She later was an editorial writer and columnist for the Los Angeles Daily News and editorial page editor of the Valley Times in Pleasanton, Calif.
Linda just moved into Millstream Commons. She taught math at St. Olaf many years ago and her son, Peter Seebach, is an Ole grad, currently living in St. Paul. (Full disclosure: we’re hoping Peter and his wife Jesse buy our house. I met Linda today when they visited.)
I scanned her blog posts and noticed in one titled The New Yorker calls it reporting . . ., she took the author to task for what appeared to be plagiarism. It quickly got the attention of the New Yorker’s deputy editor and an explanation from the author in the comment thread.
In another post, she takes a critical look at a recent Pioneer Press editorial on the 35w bridge collapse.
Watch out Northfield News. Watch out local civic blogosphere. (I’ve added her blog there and Northfield.org has added it to their blogosphere aggregator.)
Welcome back to Northfield, Linda, and welcome to the local blogosphere.
By Griff Wigley, on August 16, 2007, 6:19 pm
By Griff Wigley, on August 16, 2007, 5:32 pm
 
The author(s) of this chalk narrative on the footbridge downtown seemed to have Northfield’s civic blogosphere in mind. I took the photos (click to enlarge) early this morning after this email tip from Dean Kjerland, Art on Water:
Tonight as I crossed the footbridge from The Cow to home, there was yellow tape blocking the way at center bridge – it turned out to be isolating a chalk drawing and statement. I thought if you were out at dawn and it hadn’t rained (or someone else hadn’t expressed their own freedom of speech over the top), that you might document it.
By Ross Currier, on August 5, 2007, 4:32 pm
 Griff and Tracy have been hinting that my recent postings are perhaps a bit lacking in substance. In fact, on Friday night in Bridge Square, Griff actually threatened to bring back the pictures of the ducklings if I didn’t raise the bar a bit.
Well, I will continue to insist that Jerry Garcia was a genius, although perhaps also an acquired taste. However, I can’t risk the return to the ducklings.
Tracy’s recent post, We The People: What One of Them Wants Northfield to Be, was of great interest to me. She emphasized her goal of cradle-to-grave livability and her value of the collective wisdom of the last 5,000 years, I believe in contrast to the conventional wisdom of the last 50 years.
Although Tracy and I generally disagree about art, we’re often on the same page for community planning. It was not a surprise to me that we share values and goals on this topic. However, I was genuinely surprised that we arrived at the same place coming from such different angles.
Tracy seemed to be thinking about what Northfield “should” be. Perhaps I’m more limited in my thinking; I’m only contemplating what Northfield “could” be. While Tracy envisions a full quality of life, I’m just chasing a bit of economic development. I’m going to blame it all on Michael Porter.
I read Michael Porter’s Competitive Strategy in business school. I found his ideas so interesting that I later read his Competitive Advantage for pleasure.
Porter argues that you can compete on cost or you can compete on differentiation. I would express this idea as you can either be the low cost supplier or the high quality provider. I would further extend this idea from businesses selling products to communities pursuing economic development.
In her recent posting, Tracy mentions “big boxes”. In Porter’s analysis, they would be the low cost suppliers. They are based on the cheap model: cheap gas, cheap parking, and cheap wages.
I don’t think I’m taking her argument too far if I suggest that following this low cost model might lead one to propose a concept of a business park, or a housing development, or a retail mall in the middle of a cornfield. Such an approach is firmly based on cheap gas, cheap parking, and cheap wages.
However, it’s not all cheap. There are some substantial costs. Pursuing this model requires a considerable investment in infrastructure. In fact, Tracy warns of spending millions more to extend infrastructure and services to outlying areas.
I think Tracy and I share a vision of a different model for economic growth, perhaps more in line with Porter’s high quality provider. This model would focus on maximizing leverage from your assets, not just your existing infrastructure, like water and sewer, and roads and communications, but such quality assets as an authentic downtown and a scenic river.
As our recent long waltz with ID Insight proved, those companies that Tracy desires, with 10 to 50 high-paying jobs, don’t want to locate in a cornfield in the middle of nowhere. These sought after companies seem to be attracted not by the low cost supplier but by the high quality provider.
To be perceived by these desirable companies as the high quality provider, we must maximize the leverage from our assets. Connections to our authentic downtown and scenic river that are not based on cheap gas, some of which in fact don’t require gas at all, are one way to leverage economic growth from these assets. In this context, such connections are not luxurious amenities but shrewd investments.
These concepts are not impractical dreams of sandal-wearing hippies. A recent newspaper headline read something like “Gas Prices to Remain High, at least for the Near Future”. Attention Northfield Police Department, I know who’s smoking the heroin, and it’s not the Deadheads.
Gas is like gold. There is a limited, in fact diminishing, supply. The price is, and will be, high, now, in the near future, and forever, at least until we use it all up; then it will be unattainable at any price. Therefore, non-gas-dependent transportation options are part of smart planning for future economic growth.
I do not believe that Northfield can compete as the low cost supplier. The price of land in town does not compare favorably with surrounding communities. We are not located on a freeway. We do not have, nor is it our goal to create, a low cost workforce.
There are probably dozens of communities in southeastern Minnesota with cornfields. Most, if not all, probably have cheaper land, a closer freeway, and a lower cost workforce. But how many of them have an authentic downtown, a scenic river, and a college for every 9,000 residents?
I believe that Northfield’s competitive advantage is as the high quality provider. Connecting our homes and business to the authentic downtown and scenic river strengthens our image as the high quality provider. Making room in our leadership structures for the colleges and the retailers, long experienced in competing through differentiation, supports the strategy of providing high quality. Maximizing leverage from existing infrastructure helps establish our abilities as the high quality provider.
Northfield has arrived at a critical point in decision-making about which strategy for economic development our community will pursue. It is time to tell our community’s leaders which strategy you believe will provide the desired results.
By Griff Wigley, on August 1, 2007, 1:45 pm
 Here’s my blog post of NDDC blogger Ross Currier’s photo which was posted on Josh Hinnenkamp’s Union of Youth blog, a photo of Northfield News non-blogging photographer Dan Iverson taking a photo of NDDC board members giving a check to Union of Youth youth board members Marie Fischer and Max Jennings which means that Ross will soon blog about this on his NDDC blog and then maybe Josh will blog about how the photo got blogged by Locally Grown and NDDC and then someone will start commenting on one of the blogs with links to the blog posts and then the pingbacks and trackbacks will kick in and and then the MSM will call me and wonder what this civic blogosphere stuff is all about and then I’ll have a good current example except that Josh and Ross don’t yet know shit from shinola about pingbacks and trackbacks so I’ll have to teach a class about it and then we’ll all blog about the class on blogging and then…
Oh yeah, follow the money.
By Griff Wigley, on July 25, 2007, 10:13 pm
 Dan Bergeson, NDDC board member and Director of Auxiliary Services and Special Projects at Carleton College, now has a blog called How come? If you don’t ask, you may never find out (AKA I’m Just Curious.)
(That’s Dan on the right during Taste of Northfield, making a pass at a woman who apparently was having her head examined.)
Northfield, Minnesota has no shortage of folks with opinions. I’m one of them and am pleased to share some of my ruminations with the world. Subjects will vary, but there will be a preponderence of postings on the physical nature of my community and region looking for answers to the question, “How did it come to be this way?” I invite any readers to share their thoughts and responses with me.
We’ve added Dan’s RSS feed to our right sidebar aggregator since it’s primarily a civic-issues blog.
By Griff Wigley, on July 25, 2007, 9:54 pm
  Penny Hillemann, communications counselor at Neuger Communications Group, has launched her own blog called Penelopedia: This & That in Northfield, MN.
Occasional observations on trying to live a bit greener and closer to nature, as I tend my small garden, eat more locally, cook from scratch more often, walk more, drive less, and pay attention to wildlife and the rhythms of season and climate. And stuff like that.
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