A loaded name to live up to

It took quite a bit of brainstorming before News-Register Features Editor Racheal Winter suggested Open Source as a name for this blog. It was actually less of a suggestion and more of a, “I figured out what to call the blog.” We all agreed.

The term is a loaded one in this digital age, referenced foremost in programming language to mean the open sharing and advancement of source code. The connotation may be a bit confusing - this is definitely not a blog about programming. In the spirit of the phrase, however, I hope to allow the content define what this blog will become.

To the brains of the N-R newsroom (i.e. not computer programmers), the term source has a longstanding connection to how we gather news and  report it to the public. Reporters work with sources on a daily basis, whether they be government officials, school administration, field experts or businessmen and women.

The rise of social media has opened the door for newsrooms to interact with its readers like never before. It’s a completely new method to gather and share information. And there has been a learning curve for newspapers, for sure, along with businesses across the board, to develop good ways to use it. In the news business, a major question is how can we best generate and organize user-generated content through new, digital, interactive avenues?

This blog will allow everyone to be a source and contribute to community news gathering. The N-R staff will generate content here and there, but the goal is for user-generated content to drive the blog - along with our various social media profiles. It is to become an open source for community news, entertainment and perhaps down the road opinion.

- Ossie Bladine
news editor