PBS.org is looking for comments about community communication needs.This blog is what I posted with them.

If you are getting someone to work on this question Doug Fisher of the University of South Carolina would be one specialist I would recommend. He implemented a community journalism story telling site for Hartsville, SC and it is, right now, an important link to the information system in our small city. While the site might sometimes deteriorate into a chat room you will see, if you study it, that it is the place those of us in this small city go for breaking news. A community needs a place where information can be gathered and shared. Community newspapers are finding it much more difficult to fill that role when their bottom line is controlled outside the community.

A community needs a place where the tough questions can be asked of those running the community. Those in charge never enjoy answering the questions but when the questions are asked and answers required the community becomes a better place. A community needs ways to point out the good things going on and applaud those who are making things happen. This used to be the role of the community newspaper but most communities don't seem themselves as reflected in their local papers as they once did. Communities need to feel their place in the world is up to par with others and the fact of convergence and multi-platform reporting is undeniable. Heck, I can blog and include photos, videos and sound and if I can do that for my own communications a community needs a platform that will enhance the overall information and communication flow that is flexible from needs of both the news generators and the news consumers. And, communities need places where the pulse of the community on issues can be gathered quickly. Generally, there was no single place in the community where that could happen. There is now that ability with the multi-platform capabilities and response-feedback mechanisms in much of today's communication technology. Our community points to the lack of communication as a flaw and it feels to me like this is a flaw that can be fixed.

I was glad to be able to express some of the needs of communication within a community with the pbs idea lab.