posted
08/17/09 11:29 AM
|
updated
08/17/09 03:51 PM
Featured Post! |
Views:
1374
|
Comments :
14
|
Community
Corporate Media Arrives in the CD
|
EveryBlock in Central District too, now part of MSNBC
|
|
|
Comment by
jayf
August 17, 2009
|
(
0
votes
)
(
report abuse
)
(
reply
)
|
|
RE: EveryBlock in Central District too, now part of MSNBC
|
|
|
Everyblock is measured in Quantcast, so we can look at some interesting stats and see how strong the local indie news scene is:
Everyblock, which covers 11 cities, has 1.5 million page views a month If you add up the Quantcast page views for West Seattle Blog and MyBallard, and add in the Google Analytics page views for our Neighborlogs network, you also get 1.5 million page views a month. Note that this leaves out large Seattle sites such as Rainier Valley Post, and the other sites in the MyBallard network. In summary, the indie neighborhood news sites here in Seattle have more monthly traffic than a national website that was just bought for millions of dollars. |
|
|
Comment by
scott
August 17, 2009
|
(
0
votes
)
(
report abuse
)
|
|
don't worry...
|
|
|
..stickin' w/ you for now...
|
|
|
Comment by
jackson place resident
August 17, 2009
|
(
+4
votes
)
(
report abuse
)
(
reply
)
|
|
Trademark Infringement
|
|
|
Scott,
I just logged on to the Komo site and also registered a password there because I was curious. The email address from which I received my password used the name "Central District News." Also, when logging on, one is prompoted for a "Central District News" username and password. Seems to me that a cease and desist letter to Fisher Communications is appropriate. |
|
|
Comment by
Mike G
August 17, 2009
|
(
0
votes
)
(
report abuse
)
(
reply
)
|
|
Feh. I'm staying right here.
|
|
|
Man, they can't even spell Twilight Exit properly!
Booo!!! Hissssss!!! |
|
|
Comment by
Cooper
August 17, 2009
|
(
0
votes
)
(
report abuse
)
(
reply
)
|
|
You should post a fake story
|
|
|
and see if they replicate it. I bet they're looking here for content.
|
|
|
Comment by
Arch
August 17, 2009
|
(
0
votes
)
(
report abuse
)
(
reply
)
|
|
maybe we
|
|
|
could have an undercover "fake news" week to keep those herd boyz spinnin'
|
|
|
Comment by
timeforspring
August 17, 2009
|
(
0
votes
)
(
report abuse
)
(
reply
)
|
|
I'll stay here thanks!
|
|
|
I love this site and am currently building my own tiny itty bitty art business. I'll be advertising here soon, nowhere I'd rather pay to advertise than on a site monitored, run, and read by people in my neighborhood!!!
|
|
|
Comment by
Tristen
August 17, 2009
|
(
0
votes
)
(
report abuse
)
(
reply
)
|
|
Trademark Again
|
|
|
The Komo site has something called "The Legal Beagle." They supposedly take questions submitted by neighborhood residents and provide legal advice in response. The one that's currently posted is pretty irrelevant to much of the neighborhood (from a purely legal perspective), and it's also posted on the other Komo neighborhood blog sites. So much for being a relevant part of the neighborhood. Anyhow, I submitted a question to the Legal Beagle, and I encourage others to copy and submit the same question. I don't think they'll ever post it, but it's a fun way to let them know we don't think too highly of them. You can email it directly to kcotlove@komonews.com, with the subject line: {Legal Beagle question} Central District News.
A major news corporation just started operating what purports to be a community news blog covering my neighborhood. It decided to use the same name as a community news blog that had already existed in the neighborhood for nearly 2 years. Shouldn't the major news corporation trying to fit in with the neighborhood have acted neighborly by not infringing on the real community news blog's Trademark? |
|
|
Comment by
Mike G
August 18, 2009
|
(
0
votes
)
(
report abuse
)
(
reply
)
|
|
What's the fuss?
|
|
|
It looks to me like the Leagle Beagle stuff is supposed to be 'general' advice and the stuff in the center of the site is pertinent to our neighborhood. It's kind of like how a lot of sites have more general interest stuff (most e-mailed, featured videos) down the the side and the good stuff in the middle.
I'm just happy that a major news organization is taking some interest in local reporting again. I'm not going to stop reading this site because another one has popped up, but it sure will be nice to have more to read! I'm surprised you're upset that a major news organization is actually taking steps to cover stuff besides traffic and weather and putting a little attention on our neighborhood that's got more coverage than 'local man shot'. I'm just pleased that there's a Central District site at all! |
|
|
Comment by
The Dude Abides
August 18, 2009
|
(
0
votes
)
(
report abuse
)
(
reply
)
|
|
Re: What's the Fuss
|
|
|
1. Trademark infringement is inappropriate, illegal, and unnecessary. Fisher Communications, Komo's parent company, would serve an immediate C&D letter on anyone who used one of their trademarks. Quite simply, they shouldn't use the name Central District News. There are plenty of other names they can come up with on their own and use.
2. Fisher is soliciting neighborhood residents to creat its content without compensation or any revenue sharing. Fisher's terms of services specifically states that any content you post remains your intellecutal property, albeit subject to having granted Fisher a license to the content that is non-exclusive, royalty-free, sublicensable and worldwide. Yes, that means they can sell your content to anyone for any price and you will not receive a penny no matter how much it might earn. Interestingly, Fisher also includes this in its terms of use: We respect the intellectual property rights of others and require that visitors to our Site do the same. I'll believe it when they stop using the name Central District News on its site and in its emails. In the end, Fisher isn't doing much to actually cover the neighborhood. Instead, it's encouraging the neighborhood to cover the neighborhood in an effort to increase ad revenues and obtain content that it can potentially sublicense and profit from. Of course, we all provide content to this site without compensation. However, there is a significant difference in contributing to a true neighborhood site run by an individual than contribuing to a site run by an established company with a paid staff of writers.... read more |
|
|
Comment by
Mike G
August 18, 2009
|
(
0
votes
)
(
report abuse
)
(
reply
)
|
|
RE: Re: What's the Fuss
|
|
|
FYI - We sent correspondence to Fisher Interactive yesterday regarding the trademark infringement. Haven't heard back yet, but hope to before we have to get the lawyers involved in a more serious way
|
|
|
Comment by
scott
August 18, 2009
|
(
0
votes
)
(
report abuse
)
|
|
I'm torn between
|
|
|
wanting to keep an eye on the KOMO site to see if they lift any articles, and watch the Beagle discussion, and not wanting to give them the hits.
It looks like a couple of the people discussing the Beagle column are here too. |
|
|
Comment by
Arch
August 18, 2009
|
(
0
votes
)
(
report abuse
)
(
reply
)
|
|
apology
|
|
|
Either a site changed or I made a mistake.
I'm sure CDN will be able to compete, but couldn't those others simply refer to your stories the same way you sometimes refer to the PI, Seattle Times and other media. I guess they have nothing better to report city-wide, nationally or internationally. |
|
|
Comment by
joanna
August 18, 2009
|
(
0
votes
)
(
report abuse
)
(
reply
)
|
|
Corporate Blogs Never "Get It"
|
|
|
"It" being what makes blogs exciting. Relevant, timely, somewhat if not completely devoid of censorship, interactive, communal. That being said, it's a good looking package.
|
|
|
Comment by
Richard Wells
August 18, 2009
|
(
0
votes
)
(
report abuse
)
(
reply
)
|
EveryBlock's view of the Central District:
http://seattle.everyblock.com/locations/neighborhoods/centra
Their approach is totally different than CDN, but they were another neighborhood news indie, who are now owned by the biggest news website in the US.
I don't think any of the big-media news entities are going to be able to imitate what makes CDN so great. That greatness comes from people in the neighborhood reporting on what they see outside of their homes and offices, and from them following-up on issues that are maybe tiny in terms of the "big news," but totally matter to us. Perhaps even more than that, I think we are neighbors talking to each other via CDN--not "broadcasters" talking to their "audience."
I think some of the more desperate news organizations are maybe just trying to catch a train that has already left the station. But, in the worst case, they are desperately trying to direct neighborhood energies into a supporting their corporate news brand before we get too attached to our more local, grass-roots, community sites. I think, in the case of CDN (and Capitol Hill Seattle), they are certainly too late!
But, the web allows us to benefit from a bigger mix of sources and approaches than just newspapers, TV and radio broadcasting. So, I think it'll be interesting to see if the MSNBC approach, which is more like partnerships, ends up finding some useful... read more ates of symbioses with sites like CDN. We certainly would continue to benefit from the work of professional journalists intersecting with the news needs of our neighborhood.
(Coincidentally, I know some people who both work at MSNBC and who live in the CD, and they all love the CDN!)