Shortcuts: Monday 6/29
Shortcuts are hand-picked bits of news, commentary and info from around the city, the region and even from beyond the state line.
Here are today’s shortcuts. Check ‘em out.
LOCAL
Ozarks Unbound
What does a laid-off newspaper reporter do in the middle of the collapse of the print news industry? He takes his journalism skills and starts a website, that’s what. Ozarks Unbound is a new, online magazine created by former Arkansas Democrat-Gazette and Morning News reporter Christopher Spencer and partner Greg Leding. The site is still in its infancy but is already a daily stop for us. You should check it out, too.
Backyard Tire Fire webcast
Honest FM’s Dgold sat down with Backyard Tire Fire last week. Head on over and check out a couple of in-studio video performances and interviews.
NEARBY
Where’s Michael?
Little Rock’s Blake Rutherford points out the fact that Michael Jackson was on the cover of The New York Times and The Washington Post on Friday but not our state’s largest paper.
From where?
Aubrey Shepherd posted a video of a Bentonville resident who is opposed to the rezoning of the sale barn property which is located in Fayetteville.
ELSEWHERE
Stop all this damned linking!
Appeals court Judge Richard Posner believes that in order to save newspapers, the act of linking to a newspaper story should be banned. In other words, if something like that were to actually be passed, we here at the Flyer wouldn’t be able to send you over to the newspapers’ websites for more information on local stories. It’s an interesting theory considering that if linking were banned, page views on newspaper websites would no-doubt decline. And this is a suggestion on how to SAVE newspapers. Hmm. In honor of such a bright suggestion, we haven’t linked to a single newspaper story in today’s Shortcuts post. I’m sure our local newspapers will appreciate less web traffic today.
Discussion
The Fayetteville Flyer doesn't necessarily condone the comments here, nor does it review every post. Read our full policy.
By Christopher Spencer on June 29th, 2009
Thanks for the mention guys. It’s deeply appreciated. We’re still lumbering to figure out our place on the digital stage, but we’re glad to have friends like The Fayetteville Flyer to help us along. And awesome t-shirts, by the way. Got ours a few days ago, complete with a personal “Thanks” from Todd.
By ARKinOK on June 29th, 2009
Thanks Mr Shepherd from Bentonville. After years of bellowing cows and squealing pigs, who would notice an occasional party?
BTW…what’s the latest on the sale?
By Todd Gill on June 29th, 2009
Mr. Shepherd is from Fayetteville (I think). The fellow in the video is from Bentonville. The sale is contingent upon the rezoning approval. The final judgement probably won’t come for a few weeks.
By sg on June 29th, 2009
The judge wants to STOP linking to pages in order to SAVE newspapers? Wow, he definitely doesn’t understand the idea of SEO and how influential in-bound links are to a web site’s search success. I don’t think how people use the internet should be in the hands of a judge to decide. (yes, I just passed my own judgment there)
By Todd Gill on June 29th, 2009
@sg It definitely speaks to the complete lack of understanding that some people have about how the internet works. People who should certainly know better, especially judges in the year 2009. But the bigger picture is more frightening to me. Links from web pages, RTs on Twitter, Facebook highlights, etc are the online equivalent to word-of-mouth advertising. People indirectly promote products and services in person all the time. Banning them from doing so online is so unfathomable to me that I’m having a hard time even typing this sentence. You mean, you DON’T want me to send people your way? O…K…?
By David Franks on June 29th, 2009
Aubrey Shepherd lives near the Aspen Ridge/Hill Place debacle site, in the quadrant of Fayetteville containing the sale barn property.
The sale barn was a pre-existing condition when most current residents of that part of Fayetteville moved there. The sale barn generates relatively little traffic compared to housing for some 500 students; with its proximity to the MLK/School Avenue intersection, there is no way to avoid an unfortunate effect on traffic in that part of town if the sale barn site is developed as proposed. Further, the cows and pigs at the sale barn don’t throw trash and beer bottles in people’s yards, unlike those in student housing. Think of the ill effects that students have had on Evergreen Cemetery.
I admit that I’d be more in favor of developing part of the sale barn property (making part of it available for the National Cemetery) if the Sale Barn Cafe remained open there.
By sg on June 29th, 2009
Good point, Todd. I think that most newspapers probably still feel that it’s their sole right to report the news and that if, for example, the Flyer stops linking to it, then people will just find it anyway. But first (among many things), the papers would have to become MUCH more personal and customizable than they are currently.
I suppose one thing you could do, as a linker to said information, is to simply put a ref=”nofollow” in your links. That way the newspapers don’t know where the links come from, the search engines don’t care about giving the paper better google juice and the judge can say “mission accomplished.” Still not the best idea, if you ask me.
By Christopher Spencer on June 30th, 2009
Came across this counter voice to the whole link versus nonline issue this morning while digging for Clipped Fresh items.
I especially liked this quote.
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