AnnArbor.com editor on panel to discuss newspapers

This item was first published on WiredJournalists.

Tony Dearing, content guru of the evolving AnnArbor.com, and three others involved with emerging journalism trends in Michigan, will talk about newspapers Tuesday at Central Michigan University in Mt. Pleasant.

Dearing joins Lonnie Peppler-Moyer, past president of the Michigan Press Association and publisher of Monroe Evening News and Bedford Now; Laura Varon Brown, Audience editor and columnist for the Detroit Free Press and member of its digital transition team; and Mike MacLaren, executive director of the Michigan Press Association.

In a CMU Life article today, David Mrozinski quotes Dennis Jeffers , a journalism professor who will moderate the "Michigan's Newspaper Industry: Our Past, Present and Future" discussion, praising the panelists for being leaders in finding solutions to the problems of producing and publishing newspapers.

"The journalists on this panel will highlight what these solutions entail, as well as what the changes mean for Michigan citizens.

The university's journalism department and Clarke Historical Library are sponsoring the panel discussion from 3:30 to 5 p.m. Tuesday in the Baber Room (room 109) of the Charles V. Park Library. The discussion ends with a reception and tour of Clarke Historical Library's current exhibit "Celebrating Two Centuries of Michigan Newspapers." (Same building)

Interesting mix of people involved with several evolving projects in Michigan's news industry so it could provoke an interesting discussion. Let's hope the students, or someone, records it for those of us who can't make it to the actual event.

Dearing, who graduated from CMU in 1979 and was editor of the student newspaper, has been back to CMU on panel discussions on ethics and other subjects. He's heading up the content side of AnnArbor.com, which is a new media outlet with a web site and print products starting sometime in July. The long-time Advance Publications employee been the editor of The Flint Journal and Bay City Times, worked at the Ann Arbor News.

Moyer's Monroe Evening News is employee-owned. In a recent article, the incoming president of Employee Stock Ownership Plan Association, talks how that ownership model affects grassroots innovation.

Yes, there have been layoffs. But there's also been new products and innovation, put together by employee task forces. There's FindMonroe.com and MPDesign, which creates web sites, and Monroe Talks. a community conversation place that buzzes. In fact, MonroeTalks was a case study for API's NewspaperNext project. See page 49.

Monroe Evening News's site also is one of the easiest ones to read. It separates the local and wire news out and makes it easy to scan quickly.

Brown also knows about change professionally - the former feature writer and editor is now audience editor and served on the digital transition team; she was the editor of Twist, a Sunday magazine about and for women, works on MomsLikeMe - and personally - losing a husband at age 28, seeing a daughter severely injured.

"That's the thing with change. Sometimes we ask for it, and sometimes we don't. But through all of it, it's important to set your sights on something worthy. Something good. Without that, and without a little kindness along the way, change is an impossible journey. Or an accident waiting to happen."

Brown has been at the Free Press since 1990. She was hired at the Detroit News by George Rorick as one of three word people for his graphics team. She has run the satellite Oakland County newsroom, been news editor for the Free Press and has been graphics director and director of the national children's newspaper, Yak's Corner.

MacLaren has been with the state press association since 1991. In an article on the closing of the Ann Arbor News, he called the closing a "tough and disappointing" decision that had to be made in a rapidly changing newspaper industry as people are "growing more accustomed to getting it (local news) in different ways."

He predicted the transformation from newspapers to Web-based news services could mean fewer news stories. He said the revenues and profitability newspapers enjoyed in the past allowed for the creation of news-gathering operations that exposed stories that served the public, and online publishing doesn't generate the same amount of revenues.

With diminished resources, MacLaren said, "The possibility exists for less coverage of some things that people looked to a newspaper to provide and cause some real problems for our society."

Wish I could be there Tuesday for the discussion.


Possible related posts:
Exhibit celebrates centuries of Michigan newspapers
Annarbor.com evolving
What's being said about Adance, Annarbor.com
Advance execs share outlook on TV

Will Mr. Jeeves come back here too?

Oh happy day. The helpful butler may be coming back into our lives. Mr. Jeeves has been gone for three years, but is returning to his rightful place, serving up answers to those who ask in the UK. Let's hope he returns to American soil, too, as soon as he's done with his Facebook page and his Twittering for the day. Mashable didn't have the answer, but I hope Mr. Jeeves soon will.

Oh my! LaKisha Jones is pregnant

There was a time when I would've been a lot faster to publish this news: American Idol finalist LaKisha Jones is expecting her second child, her rep confirms to Usmagazine.com.

That would've been back in the day when The Flint Journal's Idol Chatter blog barely let Lakisha Jones sneeze without reporting about it online. The woman of three cities - Flint, Baltimore and Houston - garnered a lot of space online and in print during season six. I tracked down all sorts of links and "news" - from her first audition in Houston, through New York, on the show in February 2007, March,, April, May and ever after.

The Idol Chatter blog grew out of discussions in my former employer's features department, which wanted to cover the popular TV show American Idol with overnight updates for print and online before 6 am. That was before the newspaper knew Jones, who finished fourth, was on the show.

The Journal's entertainment reporter Doug Pullen headed up the print coverage, that included comments from local Idol experts. Since in those days, I was the newspaper's Internet team, I got to push what was then new blogging software - MovableType - on mlive.com site, The Flint Journal's online home.

I tried lots of things - embedding videos; adding music, photos and a variety of widgets, plus linking to other things on Mlive on Advance and other web sites.

It seems routine now, but the online effort was groundbreaking for the newspaper. We used online comments in print stories. We published first on the web, and sometimes web only. On performance nights, we had something online within 5 minutes after our Flint connection performed or was judged.

A highlight was the Wednesday we had 23,800 unique users . For four months, the blog's traffic ranked up with the highest on mlive.com, even squeezing a sports blog out from its top spots from time to time. Better yet, Google News frequently had us as the number one source for news on Idol.

It helped to read comments like this:

"I would like to let the editors and readers of the Flint Journal know that the readership of your paper has been extended to the entire nation, like myself who searches for Lakisha news from California daily. While I surely understand that the resources of this local paper could be used for other pressing issues, the reality is, if you guys don't cover her, nobody else would. For many Lakisha fans, or for me anyway, your paper has become THE place to be for getting a daily dose of Lakisha. This will continue only until she finishes in the competition, so please please keep her coverage for now."

I recently ran across a conversation I had with an Mlive.com editor who had to report on the blog at an AdvanceInternet meeting. Here's some of that:

"What did this tell you or the Flint Journal about blogging and real-time updates?

... it showed us that the right content will draw people in. Folks expected something daily during the show and we heard from them if we didn't give it to them. Then, they started expecting we'd always have copies (or links) of the performances.

Do you believe this blog opened the eyes of others on staff about the power of blogging?

Yes. (Editor) Tony Dearing (now heading up AnnArbor.com) regularly shared what was being done at his weekly staff meetings so that helped.

Do you think it may have contributed to your current online approach?

Yes. What we were able to do with Idol Chatter using MovableType as the blog software helped more people realize the power we had to shape our coverage on Mlive. We got comments, we could marry photos with stories, we could have fun and we could seriously cover important news for our area online as it happened.

It also showed many the power of RSS feeds - the only way to keep up with the hundreds of Idol blogs.

It showed the power of Google and Yahoo search feeds, which alerted us to what others were writing; and the experience showed us the flexibility of presentation.

The biggest surprise - and compliment - for me was how many other newspapers were reading it to see what we would turn up. I think when other reporters and editors heard that when they were at events or conferences that helped make online and the efforts it takes legitimate.

Personally, I learned again how much I love blogging as a way of storytelling, although I still think American Idol is a waste of time and money."

Anyways, back to Lakisha whose Let's Go Celebrate single is currently available on Amazon.com. It is from her debut album So Glad I'm Me due out in May.

It's the first baby for Jones and financial adviser Larry Davis, whom she wed in Beverly Hills last October. The infant, due in August, is the second for 29-year-old Jones, 29. People magazine reported that Lakisha was thrilled that her 6-year-old daughter Brionne started calling Davis "Dad" even before they married.

Here's a quote from LaKisha:

"I may not have won American Idol, but I have won because I'm able to provide a better life for me and my daughter and that's all I've ever wanted."

And me?

I won because I learned so much from the experience. Even better, now I don't have to watch American Idol and can blog about anything.

Class time: 55 sites in your multimedia toolkit

I love people who share. People like Erica Smith who blogs under Graphic Designr and has been sharing some resources she used in a quick course on visualizing data. She started with the basics of html, and moved on to tables. She also recently posted 55 links to multimedia resources tools. under these topics:

• Must-reads
  
• Social networking and bookmarking, including Ning (Wired Journalists, among others)
  
• RSS aggregators
• Blog platforms
• Web editors
• Video
• Photo storage/sharing
• Timelines
• Slideshow
• Graphics
• Maps
• Geocode
• Misc.

Check out her hard work for leads to online tools that will help you make what you do online more efficient, more attractive and more readable.

How would you use a box that once held newspapers?

Recycling is in so 10,000 Words pulled together six ways to use newspaper boxes. There a grill, an aquarium, a digital newsstand, book exchange, holder of a computer network and playpen. Check out the nice photos and links.

But he only got a few of the many suggestions:

A commenter over on a Boing Boing post outlined how he used one as a sideways table, and then a bookcase.

Same blog - Weaponx says try these ideas: bird house, oven, jukebox, or heavy-duty television cabinet

Another commenter says beer cooler, rabbit hutch, aquarium stand, telephone-phonebook organizer, and wet bar.

You'll find more ideas over on this blog post, including a suggestion that perhaps some content from a news web site could be selected to be printed on paper and then stuffed into the boxes. Other ideas were bike racks, toilets, storage units for the homeless and a fund-raising challenge to artists.

The box above was at a Hello Chicago, My Name Is show in 2008. The other one uses LEDs in a mash-up.

Which city will be the first to play off the idea that bought us the Cow Parade in Harrisburg PA and many other cities, the Big Pig Gig in Cincinnati. I can see many mote like the CPD monster in the Hello Chicago, My Name Is exhibit.

A fast-moving community might even consider combining the art idea with a street installation. That way a newspaper could save $$$ and let the artists paint on location.

What would you do with an empty newspaper box?

Bad first quarter for Advance Publications magazines in ad revenue, pages

It's not just newspapers that are suffering. MediaPost and other resources say the Newhouse magazine arm Conde Nast suffered a 31 % drop in advertising pages Jan-March 2009 compared to the same time period a year earlier. Gawker says the magazines lost $200 million and compares numbers for 23 of the magazines.

Only the organization's Golf World magazine improved - up 0.2%, according to the New York Times.

Not that misery improves with company, but the Talking Biz blog reported that all business magazines had an'Incredibly bad first quarter for biz magazines in ad revenue.'

The business blog reported a decrease in first-quarter advertising revenue and advertising pages after looking at data released Wednesday by the Publishers Information Bureau.

Among the largest declines was Wired magazine, which saw a 50.4 percent drop in ad revenue to $10.2 million and a 57.2 percent drop in ad pages to 113.14 during the first three months of the year.

Talking Biz says overall, the magazine industry experienced a 20.6 percent drop in ad revenue and a 26.1 percent decline in ad pages for the quarter.

Conde Nast Portfolio reported a 48.8 percent drop in ad revenue to $4.1 million for the quarter. Its ad pages fell 60 percent to 66.05. But the publication cut the number of issues it's now printing.

(While I am talking about Portfolio, look for its take on "USA Today fights for life" with a blog. It's worth the search.)


See all of the magazine data here

Talking Biz News says Advance business magazines cutting salaries

Talking Biz News reports that staff freezes and pay cuts are happening at Advance Publications' American City Business Journals. The cuts were 5%, according to the blog.

As one of the commenters says, the changes are not a surprise in a business that relies on advertising from banks and businesses. Read the post for details and reactions.

New executive editor reflects on challenges; starts revealing structure

This post originally appeared in Wired Journalists.

The top editor isn't the only position that will be overseeing three newspapers when Advance Publications begins printing its "daily" newspapers in Saginaw, Flint, and Baby City three times a week.

The new leader,John P. Hiner, reflected online about some of the changes that coming:

"We're taking all that institutional knowledge, all of the equity in these great brands, and building a three-day print product that is as good as anything that's ever rolled off our presses. And we're going to offer online products in news and advertising that, like the newspaper in its heyday, will be the best in their market. It will be a great challenge. And every bit a historic opportunity."

Read the rest online in The view from Fifth and Adams is steeped in community, brimming wit...

Some of that historic opportunity started Monday, when he announced the top editors for The Flint Journal, The Bay City Times and The Saginaw News. Women will lead the three newspapers for the first time ever in the top role now called community editor.

The other positions are:

• Jodi McFarland, 34, is the community editor in Saginaw.
• Marjory Raymer, 35, is the community editor in Flint
• Kelly Adrian Frick, 39, is the community editor in Bay City.
• Bernie Eng, 42, of Saginaw Township is content strategist, who also will do the visual piece for the newspapers and online operations.
• Paul Neumeyer, 50, becomes the sports topic editor.
• Carol Zedaker, 42, is the features topic editor for the three newspapers.
• Clark Hughes, 51, will serve as community voices topic editor for the papers.

You'll find more details on Saginaw here and on Flint here.

Flint's editor, John Foren, is leaving to pursue new adventures on June 1.

The new publisher of the three newspapers is Matt Sharp, son of Flint's retiring publisher Dave Sharp. Paul Chaffee, who had been publisher and editor in Saginaw, will become a consultant under the new plan. Retiring Bay City publisher C. Kevin Dykema will serve as a consultant with Dave Sharp.

By the way, Chaffee and Dykema talked about a lot of the changes in an interview broken into two recordings.
Listen to part one and part two.

Hotel, Gannett dropping newspapers, but Advance keeping one

Editor & Publisher shared more evidence that newspapers are on the way out. The Marriott says demand is down so it will no longer automatically deliver free newspapers to patrons.

I'm sure it was unplanned, but I liked that the same E&P page linked to a piece over about retro-language scaring away young readers. Ralph Keyes 'splains it all in Eddie Haskell and Howard Beale -- Go Home! Journos Are Alienating Readers With 'Retro' References

It's a good reminder why we need to check lists like this one that reminds us GenNexters have never lived without cellphones, wireless Internet or Starbucks.

I read this this next piece elsewhere on the web, but E&P really deserves the credit for reporting out that the Jersey Journal will remain open for now. The publisher said the Advance Publication met its financial goals and will keep publishing.

The new executive editor of FlintSagBay news organization announced three women will fill the top editor position at each of the original publications. A community editor will lead the troops at the Bay City Times, the Flint Journal and The Saginaw News.

The director of the journalism program at the University of Michigan-Flint comments on the coming changes in Flint in the Michigan Daily. Surprisingly, he doesn't mention what a lousy year the university chose to start the new program.

One last journalism note and then off to bed as I have a long day lined up Tuesday. Five more newspapers in Michigan are closing. That will lead to 44 layoffs. There are plans, however, for a new Sunday-only newspaper in southeastern Michigan.

Why eye am quiet for now

The image you see may explain why I'm quiet right now and likely to remain so for awhile. It's not my eye. It is my daughter's eye and she says it doesn't hurt.

I don't totally agree with her version of events - seems like her mom's nagging had a bit more to do with the decisions then it might sound like it here. But she did see a doctor on Friday; she did go to the emergency room on Saturday, and she bought some facemasks. So, I don't have to be right on the way things came together :)

On Friday, her dad learned why you can't just wait in the waiting room when someone with "chemo brain" sees the doctor.

On Saturday, my daughter and I stayed in touch throughout the 22 hours she and her dad spent at the University of Michigan. Service for his phone was intermittant. But my daughter and I exchanged 150 or so txt messages before her battery died Saturday night. The txting kept me informed and gave me the chance to ask questions or remind her what to tell the doctor from a nice, safe distance. (I had the fever on Saturday, not Katie.)

An observant nurse noticed her trying to avoid germs in the hall, got her a face mask and arranged a private space with a door so that helped a lot.

UM also has set up part of its emergency room as a mini hospital, where patients can stay for up to 24 hours. It's an area for folks that are not sick enough for the hospital, but need observation or some care that can't be done outside the place. In Katie's case, that was four IVs of antibiotics.

I'll return with her to the University of Michigan on Tuesday to see the oncologist, maybe chemo and another ophthalmology exam.

The good news is:

• It is merely an eye infection and not the version of cellulitis I had.
• I've got a few more quotes for my "What doctors should never say" presentation
• She's actually got facemasks in the house and vows to wear them in crowds.

There's also a chance that both my husband and her will learn to be prepared, taking chargers, granola bars and a few other items the next time they head for a "quick trip" to the ER.


Other posts about the cancer trip:

• Big blow: Daughter, 24, has cancer
• Jay Leno to the rescue
• Observations of distractions: 0
• A hairy day is a fine one for hats
• Don't send John Hopkins cancer news please
• Breast cancer search leads to YouTube
• TV saves me, slays me as cancer squeezes in
• Quick update on eyes, chemo treatments ...
• Making it: 'Maize and blue' cake, life
• A dozen eggs may make the difference
• Following follies: Real life and online

Michigan State workshop: How to find a job in tough times

Mid-Michigan Career Development Showcase
Host:	MSU College of Communication Arts & Sciences Alumni
Date:	Monday, April 20, 2009
Time:	7:00pm - 9:00pm
Location:	147 Communication Arts & Sciences Bldg
City/Town:	East Lansing, MI
RSVP Email:	hilljohn@msu.edu

I pulled this off Facebook and want to make sure the many Michigan State University grads are aware that three MSU grads are offering an opportunity to increase job-hunting skills.

The free mid-Michigan area networking reception hosted by the MSU Alumni Association on Monday, April 20 will feature Molly Fletcher -- author of the book "Your Dream Job Game Plan - 5 Tools for Becoming Your Own Career Agent", Kevin Donlin, contributing co-author of “Guerrilla Marketing for Job Hunters 2.0”, and John Hill, Director of Alumni Career Services with the MSUAA.

The three will discuss proven job-search tactics, including

• how to get hired using LinkedIn.com,
  
• why your resume is not working (and how to fix it),
  
• how to network without being a pest, and more.

This free event will be held at the College of Communication Arts and Sciences at MSU in Room 147. RSVP to John Hill at the MSUAA at hilljohn@msu.edu (please put date of the event in subject line) today.

Speaker bios from the MSU seat:

Molly Fletcher is the President of Client Representation for Career Sports and Entertainment where she represents hundreds of the brightest MLB stars, NBA coaches, PGA and LPGA golfers, NCAA basketball and football coaches, and media personalities! She is the world’s leading female sports agent. She works with high profile clients such as John Smoltz, Jeff Francoeur, Ernie Johnson, Jr., and Tom Izzo on a daily basis.

Having spent most of her youth playing tennis competitively and competing at Michigan State University (1989-1993), Fletcher is able to connect with her clients on a personal and professional level and always act in their best interests.

Fletcher’s personal passion for teaching relationship-building techniques and following her "Five Tools" approach for pursuing any career has enabled many young professionals – from both inside and outside the sports industry - to fulfill their employment dreams. In 2008, she authored the book "Your Dream Job Game Plan Five Tools for Becoming Your Own Career Agent" published by JIST.

Kevin Donlin is the creator of The Simple Job Search Institute, a division of Guaranteed Resumes, LLC located in Edina, Minnesota. Since 1996, he has written and edited more than 10,000 resumes and cover letters, and assisted nearly 3,000 clients.

A contributing co-author of “Guerrilla Marketing for Job Hunters 2.0” and author of two job-search books, Kevin writes a job search column for the Minneapolis Star Tribune and has been interviewed by The New York Times, Fortune magazine, The Wall Street Journal, CBS Radio and Fox TV, among others. Kevin is a frequent speaker on job search topics across America. Kevin is a graduate of Michigan State University.

John Hill, Director of Alumni Career Services, is charged with providing career services to all MSU alumni. He also conducts career/professional/corporate development events on various topics including: “Taking Your Online Connections Offline For Career Success”, “How Gen Y Fits In With Gen X and Boomers in the Workforce” and “Developing Your Career Search Strategy”. John is a graduate of Michigan State University.

Speaking of jobs:

Just a quick reminder that two places to find full-time, short-time and free-lancing jobs are:

• Michigan Press Association's Free Member Exchange, http://www.michiganpress.org/index/28
• Poynter Online's Career board, http://careers.poynter.org/search/results/

1 meeting, 3 takes on AnnArbor.com

The AnnArbor.com execs spent about 25 minutes talking about the Advance Publications - Advance Internet project that will replace the company's Ann Arbor News in July before spending the next hour or so answering questions from folks there and at least one via Twitter.

The hearing resulted in three reports:

On Mlive.com, a free-lancer for the Ann Arbor News submitted:

AnnArbor.com officials try to allay fears that local reporting will be lost once newspaper closes

News that a Brooklyn web firm - Huge - is working on the design drew some criticism in comments for not hiring local talent. Huge just finshed the American.edu site. Other clients include about.com; ikea.com, jetblue.com and girlscouts.org Media sites include AOL, Scientific American and Scholastic

A similar, non-bylined piece, was posted under the headline A step beyond journalism.

Jim Carty's Paper Tiger No More blog had an update on the meeting thanks to Sports Illustrated's Richard Deitsch who was at the meeting. Deitsch is in this year's class of Knight-Wallace fellows at the University of Michigan.

Deitsch's advice: "I would advise the public to hold him to these words."

The advice was given about promises that site content would be journalism, on the type of content, and on staffing. Deitsch, who says he remains skeptical, also discusses salaries, the plans for three major site updates - July, October and January - and sports.

The next community forum will be held at 7 p.m., Thursday, April 16, in the Pendleton Room at the Michigan Union. 530 S. State St.

Jay Leno to the rescue

The household had a night out at the second night of Jay Leno's Comedy Stimulus Concert thanks to the help of many.

Katie's boyfriend waited in line for at least four hours to get the free tickets to the Leno show in Detroit, or, as Jay acknowledged Wednesday, in Auburn Hills.

An ex-coworker had the right words to lead us to the Palace of Auburn Hills staff who found us a suite far from the crowd. Palace staff went the extra mile, making sure that we didn't have to stand outside in any lines. That made it safe to go despite low blood counts.

A splurge on popcorn and cotton candy complimented the free pop and chips on a non-organic night. Free parking too!

I was watching Leno on March 9, waiting for my favorite Headlines segment, when he announced the show:

"I'm watching our president and he's saying what we should do to help. We got this bad economy thing and well, I tell jokes...so how can I help out? So I was thinking, an awful lot of people unemployed, out of work, don't have any entertainment dollars...Well, one of my favorite places is Detroit, and there are so many out-of-work autoworkers. People work hard their whole lives, they're saving their money and so I thought, why don't I go to Detroit and do (my comedy) show?"

"I want to do a show for the, not just the auto workers, but anyone out of work in Detroit. But it'll be free. It won't cost you a dime.

"Not that I'm the greatest comic in the world, but it's free. If you don't like it, you get your money back!"

On March 16, Katie's boyfriend took some time out from job hunting to stand in a long line with another unemployed friend to get the maximum four tickets. If we couldn't use them, we know plenty of unemployed relatives and friends. He was almost to the front of the line when they announced the show was sold but a second was being added.

That was our first break as the first show was on the same day as Katie's chemo, not a good day for outside events.

Our daughter's immune system is breaking down slowly from chemo- 12 treatments done, four to go - so the idea of being with lots of people was frightening. Worse though was the idea of standing in line outside - you know how quickly the weather in Michigan can change - to get general admission seating.

That's why the actions of the Palace to get us a suite was so helpful.

An estimated 15,000 people were expected - and you know that we'd be sitting next to the sickest. Instead, there were eight of us in one suite.

There was even a private bathroom and a couch so we could rest, listening to the opening band The Sun Messengers. We moved to seats right outside the suite for Leno, who kept us laughing for nearly 90 minutes.

Not bad for a 58-year-old who shared stories about his parents, growing old, and played off several stories in the news.

Laughter, tweaked by kindness, was just the medicine we needed.

TV saves me, slays me as cancer squeezes in

Cancer broke into the girls' TV night, the one night my daughter and I agree easily on the same TV shows. Cancer breaks into a lot of things these days. Cancer breaks a lot of things in my life lately.

On Grey's Anatomy, Katherine Heigl's character, Dr. Izzie Stevens, has metastatic melanoma with a 5 percent chance of survival. The skin cancer has spread to her brain and liver.

Perhaps this storyline was inspired by Eric Dane, who plays Dr. Mark "McSteamy" Sloan on "Grey's Anatomy," had skin cancer in 2008. But I don't need Grey's as reality TV.

Even as I dread watching, I find myself drawn in, fascinated how it mimics life. Izzy's boyfriend, a doctor, mourns missing symptoms and wants to know if acting sooner would have made a difference. I wonder why I did not push harder when my daughter complained of fatigue this fall.

I watch Izzy's friends not knowing what to do and doing nothing. I want to shout out that cancer is not contagious or pass out the 20 things cancer patients want you to know or Krasney's five things from Everything Changes so the friends will do something, do anything.

Sometimes cancer on TV works - it did on Sex and the City.

Cancer had slipped into our marathon Sex and the City day - my daughter wanted me to know more before watching the movie. I usually caught the same episode on TV so I didn't know that Samantha had been diagnosed with breast cancer or that one episode would have a support scene that would help prepare me for my daughter's baldness.

The scene is where Samantha spoke at a benefit for breast cancer research, a speech that starts out stiffly. She loosens up, and even receives a standing ovation for removing her wig onstage in response to hot flashes. Many of the women in the audience stood up and removed their own wigs.

Later, I learn on HBO that real-life cancer survivors are in Samantha's audience. They were brought together through Gilda's Club, a national wellness and support organization/community for men, women, and children with all forms of cancer. That led me to bald is beautiful., created by an ovarian cancer survivor.

"In retrospect, when I considered various aspects of the cancer journey, specifically the initial hair loss, I felt that there was a drastic imbalance of energy in how people, myself included, process the idea of being diagnosed and consequently experience cancer. I met so very many women along my path that were overwhelmed and beaten down by hair loss and/or other external, aesthetic issues that this health challenge raises, and we simply cannot afford any negative energy in the form of self-doubt, low self-esteem, and insecurity when we are fighting for our lives!"

Some young cancer survivors are happy that YA cancer hit's Grey's believing it's a chance to show that cancer does hit young adults and that skin cancer is serious.

Me? I can deal with baldness. I just wish cancer could have chosen a different show on a different night.

Exhibit celebrates centuries of Michigan newspapers as industry swept up in change

This is just a piece of the cartoon done by David Horsey of the Seattle Post-Intelligencer. Please visit the original.

The failure of newspapers comes up in the most unlikely places - a breast cancer support group, a celebration of a 93rd birthday, the doctor's exam room. Yet, the possibility of hope also creeps into unexpected moments.

A non-journalism project has involved a fair amount of historical research. Still, I didn't expect to find a Michigan library celebrating two centuries of newspapers.

Week of change in Michigan
In Michigan, we've just finished the first week of Michigan's leading newspapers delivering only three print copies a week. It's the same week that the Ann Arbor community had public meetings to help shape the hybrid news organization that is coming there. And it's a week, where announcements on management changes for the Flint Journal, Bay City Times and Saginaw News coupled with daily print promotions on planned print products unveil just a hint of the new media for Michigan.

It's also the week that several granting organizations had deadlines for those seeking funding for new journalism products and a pair of bloggers release their predictions of how paying for online news might be a profitable venture.

So much to think about as the search for income in Michigan seems hopeless.

Press always in trouble
Perhaps the Clarke Historical Library was optimistic in sharing this quote in its celebration two centuries of newspapers in Michigan.

"I have never known the press to be out of trouble. The newspapers once were going to hell because of billboards, once because of magazines, once because of the automobile, once because of radio, once because of NRA, once because of social security . . . always going to pot because of something or other. . . . but once again the newspapers are developing a fighting mood. We are going to see changes; in management methods, in advertising approach and appeal, in circulation work, and [in] many other ways.- Anonymous newspaper publisher, 1942

But that quote, and the rest of a look at Michigan newspapers, reminds me that newspapers as we know them today haven't always been that way.

Indeed, a quick trip through the collection brought together for Celebrating 200 Years of Newspapers in Michigan uncovers enough to encourage the most depressed journalist to keep looking for solutions.

Only in America; only in Ann Arbor
When the exhibit was put together, the curator and writer had no idea that Ann Arbor would lose one newspaper and birth another news organization in 2009. That makes this piece in the chapter on early newspaper priceless:

"In 1836 Harriett Martineau, A British traveler who visited the United States and whose published account of her journey was generally critical of America, wrote specifically of Michigan newspapers:

At Ypsilanti, I picked up an Ann Arbor newspaper. It was badly printed; but its content were pretty good; and it could happen nowhere out of America, that so raw a settlement as Ann Arbor, where there is difficulty in procuring decent accommodations, should have a newspaper.^[3]"

Editors once were businessmen, seeking extra income
Then, there's the role of editors, with Clarke Historical Library reminding us that prior to the Civil War most newspaper editors were trained as printers. A newspaper was, for them, often simply a way to keep the press busy between printing jobs. With no journalistic training, the editors published whatever was at hand, including items taken from other newspapers and partisan political material.

The editor was therefore, the embodiment of every requirement from the editor down and the devil up. He was type setter, job printer, foreman, business manager and pressman, as well as editor, and did not shrink for the duties of roller boy upon occasion.

- S. B. McCracken, writing in 1891,

Advertising changes content
A chapter on "the people's paper made profitable by advertisers dollar" reminds us that newspapers have changed before in response to the market as did the role of journalists. Adding ads meant a newspaper no longer needed to be so opinionated on every page; new journalists were trained to be "objective."

"These new reporters also brought a new sensibility to their job. They were generally schooled in the belief that reporters should approach their work, particularly anything involving politics, with neutrality. They should report the facts and let the public, or at least the editorial page writers, draw the conclusions. As one pioneering journalism textbook had it, the reporter’s job was to gather, “facts, facts, and more facts.”^[86]"

There's much more in the online exhibit, including a look at why Booth Newspapers succeeded and the growth of the suburban newspapers.

It's the timing of the piece - the exhibit opened in February and remains through August - that encourages me to believe that the right product will be developed at the right time by the right people. Whether it is David McCoy meeting a brave man starting a newspaper or proving Howard Owens wrong about journalists and business plans, I'm optimistic tonight.

Spanning the ages: Retiree, student express hope for news

A difference in age does not change the hopes for news, or at least that's what I pull from two columns I recently found.

The success of the print edition is what retiring Huntsville Times columnist David Person hoped for in "America Still Needs the News."

"It's easy to forget that in this age of illuminated, multicolored, video- and audio-enriched news Web sites. It's also easy to forget that once you've had your fill of the speculation about why Jen and John - that's Anniston and Mayer for the pop culture-challenged - broke up this time, the real news isn't about who's seeing whom but who's running your city, county, state and nation."

Sharing his hope is a student editor at the Oakland University newspaper in a post on demise of print newspapers in the blog We're not putting out only on Wednesdays now.

The copy editor at the Oakland Post used the changes of newspapers in Michigan - Detroit newspapers dropping daily home delivery, the Ann Arbor News closing and daily newspapers in Bay City, Flint and Saginaw dropping to three days a week, to drop in what many would be a surprise because of her age:

Online news is replacing print news faster than ever. Thanks but no thanks–I’d rather read the paper.

She's smart enough to recognize, though, that changes like those happening in Michigan is how she may keep print news around.

Advance execs share outlook on TV

The AnnArbor.com team isn't the only Advance Publications group reaching out to the public as the company's 26 newspapers under go changes.

Bob DeMay, who talks about newspaper economics over on the Ohio News Photographers Association's blog, led me to the first video - Cleveland Plain Dealer editor Susan Golberg talking about the newspaper's future in an interview with WKYC-TV anchors Carole Sullivan and Eric Mansfield.

Some optimism in Ohio must come from the northeast Ohio region ranking number 2 for newspaper readership.

Talking in Alabama

Mobile, Ala., Press-Register Publisher Howard Bronson also talked with a local TV station about the future of newspapers.

Although the newspaper, like the Advance-owned Birmingham News and Huntsville Times recently announced 10-day furloughs and pension changes, I suspect the interview was spurred by this:

Press-Register signs deal to print Pensacola newspaper

The Pensacola News Journal announced April 3 that it would end 84 jobs in its printing operation and outsource the print production of the newspaper to the Mobile, Ala. Press Register. That job starts in about 60 days.

Fox10 reported that Bronson said his newspaper had a "monopoly on local news", and expressed the belief that young people, who increasingly get their news from the Internet, would eventually become newspaper subscribers despite predictions to the contrary.

Bronson also discussed what he believed would be the business model that would allow newspapers to survive in the twenty-first century.

Huntsville changing

Things are in the works for the nearby Huntsville Times, one of 10 newspapers in the United States that reported a circulation increase in September's Audit Bureau of Circulations report.
The newspaper also had more then 60 employees accept a voluntary buyout in February, according to published reports.

Publisher Bob Ludwig said that the newspaper was "working toward an evolution of The Times that will make it better in the Internet era. We're developing a more Web-savvy newsroom, we're selling advertising across multiple platforms, and we're going to focus the print edition even more toward local news."

Syracuse Post-Standard fighting with change, change, change

The Post-Standard in Syracuse, N.Y.,another newspaper in the Newhouse's Aadvance Publications group, is looking a number of newspaper changes as a way to battle the effects of the economy. Some of those changes were first announced on Cnylink, which covered a speech by a senior writer at the newspaper.

Changes include combining A and B sections in mid-to-late-April, blending national and local news in a single section.

Three days later, Editor and Publisher Stephen A. Rogers shared A letter to The Post-Standard's readers about difficult times. He included details about revisions to page two and other efforts as well as the staff furloughs and pensions.

New Advance Internet site focus on narrow job market

Even Advance Internet recognizes the opportunity, recently launching HireBioMedical.com The site will help employers in the pharmaceutical, biotechnology and biomedical industries find employees.

"While economic and industry specific factors have softened hiring activities, work in fields like Pharmaceutical, R&D and BioTechnology continues to be a societal imperative and therefore remains mission critical. Successful companies, regardless of their size, need a continual pipeline to a talented candidate pool," says Gigi Glassman-Cohen, Vice President of Classifieds for Advance Internet, in the company press release.

HireBioMedical.com's tagline? "Talent That Makes a Difference."

What they're saying in Ann Arbor, elsewhere about AnnArbor.com

There's talking going on in Ann Arbor, Michigan, where the Ann Arbor News and the Ann Arbor Chronicle covered the first community meetings being held to seek feedback on the new products under the AnnArbor.com umbrella:

• Content director Tony Dearing: AnnArbor.com focus will be "local"
• AnnArbor.com leaders address comunity concerns about local coverage
  
• Social networking to be implemented
• AnnArbor.com Execs Answer Questions
• Local flavor to new site

Some Michigan journalists may remember David Sullivan, who worked for The Flint Journal and in the Ann Arbor market before moving east. He was on vacation when the news about the Michigan newspapers broke. He comes back with his take on it in The Mysterious Ann Arbor.

Follow some of the AnnArbor.com conversation here:

• The Twitter Buzz on AnnArbor.com
• The FriendFeed AnnArbor.com feed

That's how I found a blog post with a suggestion for Michigan reporters losing their jobs in the Ann Arbor region. LivingBlue asks Is Web an Opportunity for Laid-Off Newspaper Reporters?

Or those reporters could go into the medical field - those jobs are hard to ship overseas.

Blogger: Print's death to dam river of news

Peel away the specifics of sports in this writing to discover a fear articulated for many as formal media organizations give way to blogging.

There's also a challenge here for sports teams, governments, organizations, businesses - what mechanism will each set up to determine how information will be available.

Do all audience members now get a copy of the meeting packets distributed to reporters and board members? Should an organization's president talk to me because I share news and opinions via a blog or distribute a newsletter? Does the lack of a printed newspaper obligate governement bodies to publish their minutes faster?


The process of news

Maize n Brew Dave writes on college football, specifically University of Michigan football. But today, he focuses on the process of news.

"As much as we loathe the columnists that have colored our opinion of their employers, newspapers served a critical purpose. They facilitated the flow of information from people who had it to people who didn't."

Yes, it is possible for a sports blogger to get access to information because universities are increasing what they put online and through the blossoming of sports sites where coaches, players and fans input detailed statistics.


Three tiers of news

Maize n Brew Dave suggests that the current system is set up for three tiers (at least for college fooball):

1) The University (school, coaches and players) possess the information;

2) the credentialed press gets the first crack at it;

3) and the rest of us are left to sort through what reaches us.

The differences

The differences boil down to credentialed press not using cleaned up, message-on-target quotes from the official sources. Instead, tha press can give, as Maize n Brew Dave says:

"Perspective on what was said and how questions were answered. They asked tough questions on decisions and results. They could observe the reactions from coaches, gage responses first hand, and had the ability to ask the questions where we do not."

Some of the perspective that comes from access to the paper and electronic versions of stories published before. Some of the perspective that comes from ongoing observations of coaches and players, perspective grown from the luxury of paid-for time spent on the specific subject.

A blogger's role

Maize n Brew Dave reminds us to remember the source of content and the intent of the message. But much of his writing explores the notion of once counterculture bloggers now becoming the main source of news in many communities. He looks at the obligation and responsibility of bloggers to provide insights based on raw reporting rather then reactions to what others have gathered.

And then there's this:

"When people begin turning to your blog for new information, you can't let them down. If you do, you lose their trust and their readership. "

A blogger's burden

Wow. That alone is a huge burden as I learned when people began turning here for information about Advance Publications, or my take on AnnArbor.com and Advance Internet because of my interest in the corporation that is funding my pension (we hope).

It was almost too easy to slip back into workaholic hours, seeking pieces of information scattered in announcements and blogs, while knowing family beating cancer is my first priority. It is tempting to want to email or call people I've known to get the "real story" or at least more details to help my friends in the industry, while knowing how uncomfortable it can be learning that you confided in a media person, not a friend.

Just a kick

Jim Carty of Paper Tiger No More said in State of the Blog, after his coverage of the Ann Arbor Press shutting down and AnnArbor.com helped draw 12,000 unique visitors to his site over four days:

"But that's just sort of a kick. There's no point to it, no goal. Paper Tiger isn't ever going to be a commercial venture, it's not supposed to be, it's just me being me, for better or for worse."

Jim, who left sports reporting at the Ann Arbor News to go to law school, wrote:

"The constant updates were the product of an extraordinary situation that affected me, and many of my friends, very personally. It will be viewed as an aberration in the long run. For the most part, the day-to-day shtick around here much more resembles random snark on newspapers, politics and sports, some law school musings, and me promoting stuff written by my journalism cronies."

My fingers unveil thinking

Inside Out is a way for me continue thinking by writing, looking at change and changes and figuring out what I'm going to do today and tomorrow. How can journalism and community not be a part of it when I've been immersed in some form of it since at least 1966.

Inside Out is the place where I can write about posts like The Death of the Print Newspaper and the Birth of the New Blogsphere. as I decide which project gets my eyes next.

Thanks for visiting.

Can pay model work for 50k newspaper? Cable TV model?

The idea of paying for content online gets tossed around frequently online and at gatherings of newspaper people. But not many people take the time to put numbers in a spreadsheet. Media Cafe, with help from NAA (Newspaper Association of America), Borrell Associates, AdPerfect and Centro, does.

In this second go-around, Jeff Mignon and Nancy Wang run numbers for a newspaper with 50,000 print subscribers paying $17 a month and a web site getting 250,000 unique visitors eying 2.5 million pages. The nine scenarios include a mix of subscription prices, conversion rates of print subscribers to online and content options. There's an online spreadsheet or a downloadable one but these numbers show only three of the nine options making more revenue, one option that's close and five below current revenue.

The spreadsheet includes the cost of acquiring subscribers, but @jeffjarvis suggested on Twitter the need to calculate impact of lost Googlejuice and brand value in market.

Meanwhile, Martin Langeveld over on Nieman Journalism Lab also puts out some numbers and concludes the math doesn't add up. He suggests that forward-thinking newspapers explore weekly or twice weekly print products, an idea floated in November 2008.

I'm still leaning toward the impossibility of getting people to pay for online news even as I consider how the cable TV model might work:

"Online news services will look something like cable TV. A tiered offering...For $100 bucks a year you get access to 10 national news sites, 10 state, 10 local...for $50 you get ....5 of each...or something along that scale...."

Nothing is impossible if we all keep sharing these ideas.

Multimedia musings: A video on saving newspapers, a Copy Editor's Lament, and some weary journalists to entertain

Life is far too mysterious to be serious all the time, so thanks to Flint Expatriates and the Gannett Blog we can enjoy some outside-the-box revenue generating ideas in the Saving the Newspaper video.

That reminded me I never shared the Copy Editor's Lament (The Layoff Song).

The video is an adaption of song #79 from Jonathan Mann, who set up a goal of a song a day.

"The music is the same, but I enlisted the lip-dub and acting chops of my friends down at the East Bay Express, the local alt-weekly here in the East Bay. Yay!"

Express editor Stephen Buell, who has collected and framed final editions of newspapers since 1982, shares more revenue ideas in New Practices and Revenues for a New Era in Journalism.

"We're not just whining about our finances like the Chronicle. We're doing something about them" says Buell.

The Copy Editor's Lament (The Layoff Song) is from Christopher Ave, political editor at the St. Louis Post-Dispatch. He explained on his blog that copy editors struck him as having the most under-appreciated job in the newsroom.

Here are a few of the words:

'm a human safety net
I double-check the facts and vet
assertions before they are set in type.

I can provide punctuation
appropriate for publication
make the capitalization right.

I was there to fix your grammar
when you thought it wouldn't matter
cut all your extraneous blather down.

Listen to the MP3 for the rest. We'll wait.

Kurt Greenbaum shared a video from some colleagues tagged "Got rest ye weary journalists" back in December. It's seasonal, but I think as long as we're singing I'll share it.

May your day be merry and bright.

The Dearly Departed Daily: Detroit group to hold ‘wake’ for print journalism

Items like this keep my family from getting a meal on time some days.

A search for an update on citizens journalism at the Oakland Press uncovered the wake for "The Dearly Departed Daily" planned by a Detroit group. (The search was related to this post: Michigan media making news again)

Thanks to Elizabeth Voss, who wrote about the event on the Crain-powered Detroit Make It Here site, here's what I know now:

On April 23, one month after the announcement that Michigan would soon lose a major daily newspaper and three Booth Newspapers would trim the printing schedule to three days a week (and combine sections), the Women In Communications of Detroit group will host a wake.

Farewell Newsprint: Hello Digital Media
Women in Communications of Detroit will host Farewell Newsprint: Hello Digital Media at 6 p.m., April 23 at the Doubletree Guest Suites Fort Shelby, 525 W. Lafayette Blvd., Detroit. The cost is $30 for Women in Communications and Society of Professional Journalists members and $35 for nonmembers. Movie fare appetizers are included. A cash bar and specialty coffees are available. Valet parking is $8 or next door surface lot parking is $6. Register by April 20 by online or e-mail at info@womcomdetroit.org or by phone at (248) 652-1460.

Jack Lessenberry, Metro Times columnist, a senior news analyst for Michigan Radio and journalism lecturer at Wayne State University. will lead the wake. He is quoted in the online article, saying he is worried that "people accustomed to getting a print newspaper won’t adjust well to the shift to three-day a week home delivery."

“The real issue is not whether print will survive as a news medium. The real issue is whether journalism keeps going. Thomas Jefferson said how can you possibly have a healthy democracy without journalism?”

After the wake, the event moves into a more positive direction, with Debora Scola, community affairs director for the Detroit Media Partnership, talking to the women’s professional group about changes the Detroit newspapers are making to compete in a digital era. The Detroit Free Press and The News reduced home delivery to three days a week and increased its focusing resources on digital media on Monday.


This first appeared on my Wired Journalists blog.

Michigan media making news again

Just a quick roundup of things I've posted here, there and everywhere or read about Michigan media today.

Livingston County Press cuts staff
My stepmother may have to change her media plans. She was counting on the Livingston County Daily Press and Argus to become her main source for news instead of reading the Detroit newspapers online. The long-time subscriber to the Detroit newspapers had praised the hometown newspaper for its coverage and said it was "good enough" and better than going online to read the news.

But today, an article by Mike Malott probably means the amount and type of news in the Livingston County newspaper will change. At least 10 percent of the staff is being laid off, according to the article. Executive Editor Rich Perlberg declined to specify the total number of layoffs, but said the number was "more than 10" from a total work force of 95.The layoffs included Managing Editor Maria Stuart and Metro Editor-Features Henry "Buddy" Moorehouse.

Perlberg blamed declining advertising.

I found it ironic that Stuart's March 29th column was "What would you do to save a co-worker's job?" She wrote about the efforts of the Howell Education Association. She's followed that up with "The Search for Silver Linings," calling it my chance to say goodbye.

"Lesson learned: In this fast-changing day and age, we should treat every conversation we have as if it is our last. We should leave nothing unspoken."

Moorehouse, who worked for the newspaper for 26 years, also penned a piece: Thank you and goodbye.

Job in Detroit
It's good news that journalism jobs in Michigan are opening. A reTweet of @NancyAndrews: We are posting our job opening for digital host/tv web anchor today. @elishaanderson is in charge of hiring. #dfpchanges

Update: Here's the job posting.

(Did you see that hash tag? #dfpchanges - go to search.twitter.com, type that in, and you can see all the tweets that will tell you about the Detroit Free Press changes; you can even get an #dfpchanges rss feed)

That reminds me that @BillSeitzler said Scripps & Fox create local news sharing deal in Phoenix, Detroit and Tampa; complete story on Broadcasting and Cable.

"Starting this month, the service "will pool content-gathering resources at general market news events, allowing the stations to save on duplicate efforts," the groups said in a statement. "By reducing costs, the stations will be able to increase their focus and resources on specialized franchise reporting." "

In Detroit, the stations are WJBK (Fox) and WXYZ (ABC).

TVNewsDay also reported:

"Content produced by the local news service can be used across multiple platforms, including over-the-air broadcasts, and online and mobile reporting. All employees involved in the shared operation will remain employees of their respective news organizations."

Oakland Press stopping paycheck
The Oakland Press is making news again. Hat tip to Paper Tiger No More, which led me to T.C. Cameron's blog The Write Referee and the post "Sacked by Citizen Journalism." Cameron says that an email informed him the newspaper would no longer pay for the syndicated version of The Write. A followup email invited him to post for free as a citizen journalist - an offer refused.

Cameron is no fan of citizen journalism, a big component of The Oakland Press' strategy.

Cameron says in his blog:

"Citizen journalism is the ingenious creation of editors lacking for legitimate journalistic resources and the financial inducements to compensate said legitimate journalists. As advertising revenue plummets, so does pay for real writers. What newspapers and an endless list of Internet blog sites offer is byline stardom in return for copy. The byline is the payment for the copy. All the newspapers pay for is the editor responsible for making sure it's true -- that's code for a once-over to make sure all the key facts of the story seem to be in place -- and the online platform they publish within."

However, you'll remember that The Oakland Press's executive editor Gil Gilbert said in December 2008 that Citizen Journalism will shape the new face of the Oakland Press.

The paper offered an academy to train citizens interested in contributing to the news organization in mid-Michigan. The first classes had 53 people participating.

Another Gilbert article in January said Citizen Journalism off to a good start, second class scheduled.

Gilbert acknowledged in that article that the idea of citizen journalism attracted some negative attention.

"Where it will lead is anyone’s guess, but it could be interesting. Our goal is to be more of a true voice of the people."

For now, it looks like it will be one less blog on the Oakland Press' web site.

Still waiting to see if other bloggers, like Tim Skubick, will follow. Of course, since Skubick also is now blogging for The Dome, perhaps not him.

Don't send John Hopkins cancer news please 'cause even Johns Hopkins denies it

I understand folks just want to help. That's good because the trend for twentysomethings with cancer is to assume no help is needed. But midway into the fifth month of my daughter's battle I assure you that's not true.

But, before you send me or my daughter the list of things you got via email on the real cancer story look to see what medical center is mentioned. There is no John Hopkins. It is Johns Hopkins. And Johns Hopkins has been saying over and over that the list is not theirs. Here's the December 2008 Johns Hopkins press release.

So if you get a note that starts out something like this:

"AFTER YEARS OF TELLING PEOPLE CHEMOTHERAPY IS THE ONLY WAY TO TRY (TRY BEING THE KEY WORD) AND ELIMINATE CANCER, JOHN HOPKINS IS FINALLY STARTING TO TELL YOU THERE IS AN ALTERNATIVE WAY

Cancer Update from John Hopkins:

1. Every person has cancer cells in the body. These cancer cells do not show up in the standard tests until they have multiplied to a few billion. When doctors tell cancer patients that there are no more cancer cells in their bodies after treatment, it just means the tests are unable to detect the cancer cells because they have not reached the detectable size."

Please know if you get an email that seems unbelievable or you want to check before you send it on, please check it out at Hoax Slayers or Snopes.

As my daughter says over on her Myspace.com page:

"Just wanted to let you know about this email. I have received it several times now and I looked it up on the internet. John Hopkins didn't produce it and doesn't endorse the letter. However they say that some of the life style items could help towards cancer prevention but that the best sites to go for the information regarding food is the www.cancer.gov.

"I found this site that has statements from John Hopkins and information on the plastic container, the freezing and heating them.

She also shares some information about her diet because the "Hopkins" email does have some good diet tips.

"But one has to look them up on the website because some of the items prevent cancer can also cause it. Many vegetarians still get cancer even though they don't consume meat. It's really dependent on if the cancer type was hormone receptive and other genetic types to the cancer cells.

"I thought I would let you know since you stated you weren't sure. The diet I'm doing is mainly organic and hormone growth free meats, eggs, and milk. My reasons for this is my cancer type was homorne receptive to estrogen and proestrogen, and therefore I have to take a med that reduces my hormones in my system, i figure if I cut back the foods that contain hormones then that helps in the long run... I still go out to eat and eat sweets its just more in moderation then before."

So let's end with advice from my daughter:

"I don't want people to get scared passing this email around. Just don't believe everything that's got some name attached it. I've found this to be very true in all cancer research."

Computer-literate with kin in Detroit stand ready

If you know your way around a computer and if you have family or friends in the Detroit area, be ready for the calls for help.

Today's the day the Detroit newspapers stop coming into homes via paper most days of the week or as the Free Press says, starts a digital era.

So get online, read these new versions (Detroit News or Detroit Free Press) and wait for those calls to come in from your less techie friends and family members struggling to get what they need to know.

I say that even though the Detroit media have done some outreach, knowing that "Eye on Detroit as News changes." I say that knowing that none of the 29 people at my house yesterday knew the changes started today. I say that knowing how often I meet people new to email or Internet browsing.

Certainly, promoting the changes took some thought. I like that the plan is to give away thousands of the newsstand editions today. (I clipped part of a photo offered in a Detroit News gallery, showing how some of the hawkers hit the street today.)

Can you pull the plug for love?

How much of being on is too much? Should you send out Twitters to those who didn't pay to get to or into a conference? If you are there on a press pass? There because you paid to get in? Or there courtesy of someone who wanted you in the seats?

Or let's get personal as Susan Mernit recently did,

Is it polite to keep the laptop on top of your lap when your chatting with friends or family? Is it right to send out Twitters when your suggled up next to your sweetie? When you are the car's nagavator, charged with getting the driver from here to there?

My family and non-journalism friends do not understand why the closing of the Ann Arbor News or changes at the other Advance Newspapers sent me to the web searching for details. My daughter is amazed that I constantly use my iPhone or pull out the laptop, not to play a game but to know what's up, to read what others say and share my own thoughts.

Still, I am able to set aside all devices when family calls - did I mention 29 folks expected today at my house? - as no obligation to an employer reinforces the ingrained need to know.

Read Susan's post on Devices and love while I'm tending to love. I'll return to the devices tomorrow.

Oh no! Brenda fired!

On Saturday, the publisher threatened Brenda Starr with a furlough. On Sunday, Brenda says no and is fired. Yes, the comics are the real world once more.... Right down to a person saying "let's help a reporter and buy a newspaper" only to be told not to bother as the news is free online. See the Starr reporter online.