But the Inside LOCAL pages are also different from the subject pages in their intent.
The local pages project's vision is to empower progressives all over the US and the world by enabling them to tap the content management power and reader reach of OpEdNews.
Our content management system makes it easy for people to submit articles and add links. I find, in my community, we have wonderful writers and not many have websites or blogs, and they don't want to, but they do write articles, op-eds, letters to the editor that rarely get published. OpEdNews' inside local pages offer a medium for progressive voices that are usually ignored.
The goal is to build a community that shares resources, building locally, which will build strength for the whole. The local pages will also have the news syndication box you see to the left of every article (java script for the box has also been downloaded by over 500 other websites, though I don't think they are all active.)
The list of locations is small now, and incomplete. I expect to add a lot in the coming weeks. We can add counties, cities, more countries...
I'd love to see people come forward as editors for specific locales, developing content, writers, bringing in new readers. You may know someone to recommend or want to take on an area yourself. Of course I am also looking for editors for subject areas or groups.
Where we are heading with this. Eventually, readers will be able to customize their newsletters and front page to include the local content and subjects that they chose. Advertisers will be able to select specific pages based on local or subject categorization.
We'll be able to sort for articles on evoting or women's issues, corruption or fundamentalism by location.
Some of these features will take some time to flesh out, but they are on our list of goals for the site.
The goal is to make OpEdNews the most advanced media site on the planet and already, we have some unique features which, at the least, put us on par with sites like the NY Times, and in some ways, already surpassing them. We have a long way to go, with a list of goals including massively enhancing and replacing the blogging and comment system we have, adding real-time chat boards, and even enabling readers to pay writers.
I'm also scanning other news sites and blogs looking for new ideas. If there's something you'd like the site to do, please let me know. If it's something another site does, send me a link to the site. If it's an off-the-top-of-your-head idea, just send it to me and we'll take a look at it and add it to our lonnnngggg priority list.
The offer above is no-fee. We want to enable activists.
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