The River Cities' Reader launched its new Web site last
week, and we hope that it's a visual improvement. But we're most interested in
it being an interactive improvement. Our goal from the outset with this
Web site has been that it will be a space for the community to gather and
discuss community and cultural issues.
In some cases, we'll be leading the discussion. In many more cases, you will. Our basic premise is that the wisdom, knowledge, and connections of the Quad Cities collectively are far better - and more comprehensive - than what we have on staff.
Some features on our Web site are accessible to everybody. Others are open only to registered users, but registration is free and easy. New features on the site and improvements include comments, real-time movie times, a faster search engine, and greater opportunities for collaboration.
Obviously, the Web site is a work in progress, and some critical elements - such as the online calendar - haven't yet been added. We appreciate your patience. Beyond the calendar, in the works are an online version of our comprehensive Dining Guide and an improved online classifieds section.
But at this point, there are four ways readers can contribute to our Web site. We'll start with the most common way.
- Comments. All users are welcome to comment on any article on the Web site. At the end of every article on the site is a form to fill out to leave your comment. We do allow anonymous comments.
- Bookmarks. The "Quad Cities Links" section of the Web site (available under the "Community" tab on any page) is just what you think it will be. The difference is that our readers will be populating this feature. Registered users can add Web links to local stores, restaurants, bands, blogs, and more. We hope this will be a clearinghouse for all things Quad Cities, a one-stop shop. To add a link, click on "Submit WebLink" under the "User Menu" on the right side of the page.
- News releases. Registered users may post their company's or organization's news releases on the Reader Web site. All news releases can be found by clicking on "News Releases" under the "Community" tab on any page. To add a news release, click on "Submit News Releases" under the "User Menu" on the right side of the page.
- Wiki. Some people are familiar with Wikipedia (http://www.wikipedia.org), but the collaborative tool that creates it will be foreign to many people. Basically, Wikipedia is an encyclopedia created by the masses. You'll find articles on thousands of topics, and anybody can contribute or edit an article. We're experimenting with the same Web tools on a local level, but with a bent on collaborative citizen journalism.
You can find the River Cities' Reader Wiki at (http://wiki.rcreader.com). Right now, it's pretty barren. We've populated it with a few starting articles - such as one on the Interstate 74 bridge over the Missisippi (http://wiki.rcreader.com/wiki/Interstate_74_Bridge) - but the community will decide what this becomes.
With any article on the Reader Wiki, users have the option to read the article, discuss the article, and edit the article. We are honestly not sure what a local Wiki will look like when it grows up - whether it will become a local encyclopedia, whether it will be the best place to learn about current local events and debates, or (ideally) whether it will become a working space to make ideas, concepts, and projects better. (For more information on the goals of our collaborative tools, see "The New Reader: Baby Steps to a New Medium," River Cities' Reader Issue 579, May 3-9, 2006.)
You, our readers, will determine what it becomes. We'll try to guide and help you, but it's up to you to decide what it is.
We're also looking for general feedback on the Web site. Are there things you'd like to see? Are there features from the old Reader site that you miss? Are you having difficulty navigating the site? What do you like? Please send your comments to (jeff@rcreader.com) with the words "Reader web site" in the subject line.
