Community Journalism Site three years old

www.hartsvilletoday.com

Doug Fisher had an idea a few years ago that the concept of "citizen journalism" was going to be a more important journalistic movement than most in the news industry were ever going to guess. He is now a professor in the University of South Carolina School of Journalism, Mass Communication and Information Science, and he wanted to put his thoughts to the test. You can read more about how he did it in his papers on this subject, but he and Graham Osteen, at the time the publisher and editor of THE HARTSVILLE MESSENGER decided to put this 'laboratory' in Hartsville. This week, I think on October 30th, the hartsvilletoday citizen journalism web site celebrated its third birthday.

Once and awhile I get the opportunity to talk about some of the unique aspects of Hartsville that make this a special little city in which to be living. Very near the top of the list is this citizen journalism web site. While it may be taking a little longer to catch on as THE place to go for news about Hartsville, it is a crucial place to go for the flavor of Hartsville -- news, views, opinions, art, humor, insight and awareness. The Hartsville community has significantly benefited from the site being part of our media mix.

A couple of years ago a version of the World Cafe method of getting community input was held in Hartsville over about 13 months. The site proved a fantastic tool for providing the after-talk observations shared by those who took part in the meetings. The site allowed a transparency for a public get-together not often available. The comments section ensured that the person providing the recap could be checked by those in attendance.

The Selling Hartsville initiative moved ahead, in part, because of the ability to share information, ideas, involvement-pleas directly with the community on a very timely basis.

Those were a couple of key aspects but this site has provided so much more. We have a view of the community directly from citizen-eye view. There are people sharing photographs of life in this community that provide perspectives many have never even considered. There are people providing commentary on life in the town that demonstrates why complacency is never a good idea. The HVTD contributing community is self selected and is becoming a voice for sectors that don't always make the mainstream news.

As we move into the fourth year of this site there is a strong hope that those who still think they don't have a voice begin to see how they sound as contributors on the hvtd site. What is an example? Suppose you have a neighborhood association and you have begun an active campaign of clean up or neighborhood watch or neighbor helping neighbor. This site is a perfect place for those small-city heroic stories to be told. How do you tell them? All anyone would have to do is read over some of the posts and you will quickly see there is no need to uncover the mystery of the inverted pyramid. All you have to do is start writing your story and it won't be long before you have a sort of conversation going. There are lots more examples of stories to be told and pictures to be shown but blogs are not supposed to be too long.

The hartsvilletoday web site is a major new-media communication vehicle for the Hartsville community but its value and richness depends totally on those who are willing to be the community story tellers. Thanks Doug for making a difference in Hartsville.

Hartsville -- Saturday is Good Living Marketplace

One of the interesting things to come out of the Selling Hartsville launch of early October was the "Good Living" Marketplace that was set up the first Saturday of October in downtown Hartsville's Cargill Way. This was the first Saturday of what founders Nancy Myers and Judi Elvington (Executive Director Hartsville Downtown Development - sponsors)hope become a lasting first Saturday tradition. The participation of people is what will decide. From what I hear the event has already grown from about 32 vendors to more than 45 for the first Saturday of November. It is certainly a great addition to the community and one of the Pleasant Surprises of being in Hartsville.

Clemson Grad Students Share Visions of Butler

Got home a few minutes ago from the Butler gym where Clemson students working on the question of how to revitalize the Butler High property were showing their initial thinking on this project. This was really an energizing experience from a community development perspective. The students were in Hartsville about a month ago getting preliminary input. These students are a mix of landscape architecture Masters students and community planning masters students. It was really exciting and energizing to see and hear the fresh thinking the students are bringing to the challenge of developing this southern entrance to Hartsville.

There were just under 40 people from the community there providing the second set of input for the students to take back and refine their projects. To continue the push for selling Hartsville and improving the overall product that is our Hartsville, it is going to take many more of us to continue the building. One of the reasons I mention this here is that as I listened to these students describe their thinking i could feel their passion for the project. They had thought deeply to come up with their concepts and they were amazed at how they could transform this area into something of pride and beauty for the community. As I listened to them talk about the transformations that could take place I thought how their ideas might move others in Hartsville to see the possibilities of the connections that might be made with focus and attention. Maybe the professors will find a way to have at least the team who wins their in-class competition come to Hartsville for a public presentation that more people might hear.

Rich Harwood who was in Hartsville about a year as we were developing some ideas for enhancing our community has the theme "Imagine and Act for the Public Good" for his Harwood Institute. The imagination that was being share tonight by the Clemson students gets you really excited about how to work for the public good. I suppose it is a stretch but this second Butler planning session is another of the pleasant surprises we often have in Hartsville.

Carolina Living one of publications...

That has been used to promote "Hartsville - The Art of Good Living." This publication reaches people thinking of moving to the Carolinas and Hartsville included an advertisement and an article in a recent edition. This link to Carolina Living takes you to an earlier story that also includes testimonials, which you can also find in the Hartsville Good Living web site.

Hartsville good living...

Was exemplified again yesterday when a group of board members from the Hartsville Chamber of Commerce met for planning the new year of business. One of the major areas where the Chamber is taking on new challenges is becoming the focal group for Selling Hartsville. The Chamber received a two-year grant from The Byerly Foundation when they proposed a method of keeping the idea of Selling Hartsville on the front burner of the community. There are some who say, "why the Chamber." As one of the people involved from the beginning, my answer would be, "Who better?"

The Hartsville Chamber of Commerce has the improvement of the economic world of Hartsville as a core mission. The Chamber is representative of members from the Greater Hartsville community. The concept of Selling Hartsville is a concept that involves the "Greater" area surrounding Hartsville. That puts the Chamber in a unique position of ongoing organizations to best find continuing methods of selling this community.

On Friday the Board discussed some of the challenges, which include ensuring continual collaboration of all organizations and individuals that need to be involved. During the run up to the launch of this effort, the collaboration and cooperations of many organizations was one of the strengths and at time the lack of the same was one of the weaknesses. Chamber and Downtown Development leaders sit ex-officio on each other's board. The Downtown Development group works closely with the city and the City Manger is an ongoing ex-officio member of the Chamber Board. These are methods for trying to ensure continuing and effective communication among these three organizations. But, it is not only these organizations that need to be part of the collaboration of effectively Selling Hartsville. Those organizations within the Greater Hartsville area that have employees moving in to town are crucial. Churches are crucial because they are one of the hubs of community building. Civic groups, retail establishments, real estate businesses and the area schools are all important players. And, we should not forget that those of us who live in the Hartsville area have to keep the need to sell our community at the top of our minds so we can attract more people to live, shop and entertain in our community. Every survey of visitors to this community speaks highly of the friendly people , great looking community. Remember to suggest to all your friends that they can "Expect Pleasant Surprises" in Hartsville. And, for some of these pleasant surprises go to the civic journalism site, HVTD.com, which always has lots of examples. And the Hartsville good living web site is full of content pointing out the depth of our community.

When is the right time?

There has been some talk lately that the timing was probably wrong for the initiative to Sell Hartsville. The economy is tumbling. There are difficulties with employment. Is this really the right time to begin a push focused on the theme of Hartsville - The Art of Good Living?

This is a great time from the perspective of one of the most important goals of this ongoing initiative. Why? The goal is to have more Hartsvillians shopping Hartsville. If we can convince ourselves that what we need is probably in Hartsville and does not require our going to Florence, Columbia or the internet. We can get what is needed here and very frequently with the added benefits of friendly interaction that might even lead to meeting a new friend. There is no question our businesses need more customers in these times of reduced spending. That means the Selling Hartsville initiative might be very timely. A portion of the sales tax collected on purchases goes toward property tax relief. All the dollars spent somewhere else have that portion of sales taxes supporting someone else's tax relief. And, the more people who come to Hartsville for a unique lunch or dinner in an authentic small city atmosphere the more additions we have to the hospitality tax that continues to help us build a better community.

This is the right time. Now, today. We know there are examples aplenty of how Hartsville represents "The Art of Good Living." Our goals should be to create many more examples and share the story that shopping in our small city will allow you to "Expect pleasant surprises."

So, what might be happening in and around and from Hartsville...?
Cotton Harvest Bluegrass Festival October 24, 25, 26 (Hartsville Messenger)
HHS Red Regime Marching Band heading to the State Band Tournament
Art work on display at the Black Creek Arts Council on College Avenue
Always an interesting exhibit at the Hartsville Museum.
October is Toastmaster Month in Hartsville
Environmentalist to speak at Coker on October 29

Red Regime Going to Lower State

"Around 12:01 PM the Red Regime will travel up Gandy Drive to Carolina Ave, to Fifth Street. I would like all the area businesses and supporters to line the streets and business windows with posters encouraging the Red Regime. We need to place at within the top sixth, to go to State Competition." They are leaving Hartsville High on their way to the lower state 4A marching band championship.

The above was taken from the HartsvilleToday citizen journalism web site. The band is winning a lot of hardware this year as they go to the lower state with legitimate hopes of bringing a Lower State Championship back to Hartsville. The dedication of the teachers, the band boosters and the band members is another great example of why we are so dedicated to making Hartsville - The Art of Good Living known throughout the state of South Carolina and beyond. Go Red Regime!

Selling Hartsville is nothing new

Mac Williams, a Spanish professor at Coker, was doing some research this week using microfiche copies of old Hartsville Messengers. He copied a couple of pages for me from something he came across in his research. If this does not show that there is not much new under the sun, maybe nothing would. Thursday, November 3, 1938 was the final message of a campaign that had been running weekly in the paper since the first of September that year. One of the prominent messages: "What helps business helps you."

Another prominent message, "You can buy these in Hartsville to your advantage..." Under that heading was a long list of things that could be purchased in Hartsville from men's clothing to Refrigerators and from beauty treatments to banking services.

The major message that was carried in these three-quarter page ads were the message of shopping at home. "In each message, an effort was made to shw that by spending money at home the community would be built up to the advantage of all the people who live in it..." Another line noted, "...it is certain that the more money there is spent in Hartsvile, the better aplace it will be in which to live."

From the tone of the 'Final Message' is appears there may have been some resistance to the earlier messages in people thinking they were only to benefit the businessmen of the community. So, the people writing the ad wrote this paragraph: "You are not asked to deal in hartsville to help the business and professional men here. The appeal is made to you in order that you may help yourselves and your families. Incidentally, you will be helping others , too, but the prime thing is that you are increasing the value of YOUR property, are providing more opportunities for YOUR children and YOURSELF. It is YOU who are being benefitted as well as others."

The plea for more people to be involved and for more visibility to our community is one that appears to need constant reinforcing. We hope Hartsville - The Art of Good Living will reawaken all of us on the need to shop Hartsville first!

Burry Park Dedication Makes an Impression

Burry Park is in the middle of downtown Hartsville between Fifth Street and Fourth Street and bounded on the North by Cargill Way. Why is where it is important? Because, it was only about 15 or so years ago that same piece of property was dominated by two gigantic soybean storage tanks. In truth, those tanks were Hartsville icons. People within the community had a vision of a downtown without those icons; a downtown with new office buildings, new restaurants, a hotel or two and green public space that enhanced and showcased the downtown, which had still survived the decay of urban sprawl. As Gregg Welborn, who chaired the Cargill Committee for years, told the crowd gathered for the dedication of this important public space, the project has been 15 years in the making. Fifteen years in the making represents some amazing persistence toward a vision. That is impressive and those of us who live, work and play in Hartsville owe a debt to the selfless public service of those who labored month in and month out to redo this vital section of downtown. Again, as Gregg noted at the dedication, "Very few communities have such an opportunity to redesign and rebuild an area the size of the former Cargill property, in the middle of their downtown" Had it not been for the tenacity of citizen committees and individual citizen efforts, it is not certain the project would have been completed. The redoing of this former Cargill property could be one of the major case histories in community building. So, thank you to all who had a part in making it happen.

And, as this particular blog installment comes to a close it seems most important to also emphasize the actions of the man for whom the Burry Park is named, Charlie Burry. As his son, Hartsville High Principal Dr. Charlie Burry, Jr., was talking about his father, he concluded with what I hope is a call to arms for all citizens. Charlie told the audience that one of his father's core beliefs was that "you've got to put something back." Charlie Burry (senior and junior) have put a great deal back in our community and the impressive example of being focused on the 'public good' is something that more and more Hartsvillians need to embrace as we continue working to make our small city one of the best places in the world in which to live, work, play and pray. Charlie Burry, who opened Burry Bookstore in downtown Hartsville, would be another great example of a person who understood what Rich Harwood talks about when he discusses community building around the country. The Burry Park dedication and experience is one more crucial element in helping Hartsville stand out among small cities around the country.

Here is a direct portion of what Charlie Burry said about his father: He was quoting from a news story that hangs in his office. "The headline reads “Charlie Burry is at home in Hartsville,” and the article ends with him being quoted as saying, “You’ve got to put something back.” On the surface, the idea that “you’ve got to put something back,” might seem to be just an expression of gratitude for what Hartsville had meant to him and his family, and I’m sure that thinking was part of it. There’s much more to it than that, though. To really know Charles E. Burry is to know that he had the wisdom and the character to develop a philosophy of business and life that allowed him to combine his life’s work as a merchant with his service as a humanitarian. That was one of the keys to his success. Make no mistake about it, he was an astute businessman and knew how to turn a profit; that’s how he built two successful businesses from scratch. More importantly though, he understood that if he ran a successful business the way he thought it should be done, that it could do more than provide a good living for his family; it could make downtown a better place and serve the community, too. He also understood that his time and efforts in improving the community went hand-in-hand with creating a better business climate. He realized that his efforts in both areas served the purpose of the greater good for everyone, not just himself..."