Fun with documents

Note: Edited 2-28 at 12:25 p.m.

I mentioned last post that Stan Hudy had been trying out Scribd, which promises to do with stat sheets, accounting logs, business presentations and all your other documents what YouTube did with all your best home movies (an oldie but a goody). One can only imagine how it will devolve.

In the meantime, though, I was playing around with it for our own applications here at The Saratogian. Frustratingly, we can't host pdf's on the site. And the front-end application I use to put stories and pictures up doesn't translate Excel cells. (It's a simple cut-and-past procedure, and NO formatting translates. Italics, bold, bullets, etc. must be inserted with html into stories.)

So rather than build an HTML table every time we want to run a list like our recent rundown of Saratoga Springs city employees' salaries, Scribd offers a far simpler (if not necessarily corporate OK'd. Oh well) solution.
Speaking off, that list of salaries can be viewed right here.

A few notes:
1) That link isn't posted on The Saratogian website because the Scribd account is under my personal work e-mail. I'm waiting on our IT guru to create a web[at]saratogian.com address for the simple fact that I don't want the account to be inaccessible by my predecessor should I ever leave this job (or get chased out by a pitchfork-and-torch wielding mob). When that address is created, I'll create a Scribd profile with it, and start linking to documents in related stories, etc.

2) I was playing around with having the document embedded in a story directly on our site, but to have them set to a useful, readable dimension blows the whole page out of whack.

3) Let me know if there's issues viewing the document. Unfortunately it doesn't display on my work computer at all (which is running Windows NT still). I had to head over to our photographers' Macs in our Composing Department to check it out. I'll check it out from home tonight.

Some documents I'd like to get up, especially if there's interest, are the ones included in the AMD press kit from Monday's meeting with the Town of Malta. These include images, an FAQ, and a draft of the environmental impact study.

Incidentally, the press kit our reporter came back with was arguably the coolest press kit I've ever seen:



Creative. I suppose it's a cheaper alternative, even for a multi-national corporation.

I have a meeting shortly about The Pink Sheets. I haven't gotten much feedback on the subject, but I'm still open to it.

A taste of things to come?

A few days ago I was chatting with Journal Register Company's newly appointed, um, multi-media coordinator. Or something like that. I'm really not sure of his specific title as I type this.

Now, say what you will about JRC (I know how the community here and elsewhere feels about the corporation. This isn't the space for me to weigh in on that), but when it comes to online, my sense so far has been that the people that are in the trenches are working hard to work with the decisions that were made by those not in the trenches.

Clearly we're a long way from where I, we, and most importantly you want us to be. I was encouraged by my conversation, though, because I'm told that some good stuff is right around the corner. For example:

- Photo galleries, both staff-created and user submitted. The service we're looking at will also allow for reprints. I know the latter two features are ones that readers have inquired about since the redesign. I don't know if the paper used to do staff photo galleries, but I've been eager to for months now. Sometimes our crack team of photographers come back with a handful of great images, and only some of them can make it into the paper. I try to mix up photos that run in print versus online when I can, but even then some still don't get to grace your eyeballs. The most I've been able to do so far has been to post photos individually as "stories," the longest running series of which is here: Grand Ave. fire photo series. Plus, the photos are small; the site binds them to a maximum height and width of 396 x 300 pixels.

- Polling. What could be more fun than clicking on a bunch of questions and having your answers tabulated with the results of all others that have taken the time to fill out a poll/survey? Site readers may recall the week of Super Tuesday, when a gigantic poll about the Presidential race appeared on the front page of our Web site. That, I found out, wasn't JRC's doing. It was, as our multi-media coordinator explained to me, a "giant cluster you-know-what" on the part of our web vendor. The poll/survey engine we implement should be less intrusive.

- Brackets. Maybe this should be lumped in with polling. At any rate, the applications of brackets should be obvious. Sportswriter Stan Hudy has fiddled around with them in on his blog, using online service Scrib'd, but the option in the works should keep automatic tab of results. Other uses could include "elimination contests" such as best high school athlete or favorite Saratoga-centric blog.

- Archives. This, clearly, was a glaring omission when the site switch happened. Unfortunately, I still don't know when a fix is going to be put in place. It's something we want and need, and if you feel compelled, send me e-mails about it so I can compile and pass them along.

So we'll see what happens in the coming weeks.

Juicy Campus

One of my favorite things to think about is the way modern communications technology simultaneously augments and dissolves the cultural and social adhesive that bonds us in our modern civilization. As evidence of the latter action, I direct you to this story about JuicyCampus.com

"In campus debates over Internet freedom, students normally take the side of openness and access. This time, however, student leaders, newspaper editorials and posters on the site are fighting back — with some even asking administrators to ban JuicyCampus. It’s a kind of plea to save the students, or at least their reputations, from themselves."

"Students" is a transient demographic, and the people that comprise it these days probably don't remember a time in which the Internet wasn't there. I think because of that, most don't look seriously at some of the major issues that the medium has brought to the fore, such as copyright (the whole Napster thing played itself out during my undergrad days at UAlbany, but people still kept downloading tunes illegally). That is, until it affects them. See, for example, the uproar that was heard when social-networking site Facebook implemented their Daily Feed feature about a year and a half ago. Or the student reaction to JuicyCampus.

I haven't checked the site out (not sure if it's "work appropriate"). As described though, it sounds pretty despicable. Site founder Matt Ivester's comment that "...We believe that JuicyCampus can have a really positive impact on college campuses, as a place for both entertainment and free expression" has a such a disingenuous reek to it that I'm willing to bet he's descended from a long line of used car salesmen.

I don't offend very easily, and I make my share of lewd comments, but only in very familiar company. Maybe I'm just past the part of life where I'd find things like "Top ten freshman sluts" and "The Jews ruin this school" amusing.

What's most disturbing, I think, is the site's commitment to preserving the anonymity of its posters by not maintaining logs of IP addresses associated with specific posts, and directing users to services that mask IPs.

Not that I like being tracked anymore than the next guy, but a site like this seems designed for the specific intent of inviting libelous posting. That's pure shady, regardless of any lip service to the contrary in the terms and conditions, or notifications that public safety queries will be honored.

Frankly, I agree with Daniel Solove, the law professor at George Washington University quoted in the story: Sites like this need to be held to different standards. The First Amendment shouldn't be used to defend this stuff.

Pink Sheets

Now that we know I'll be able to lose money this summer with the continuation of racing, staff here at the paper are working on ways to use the website to augment The Pink Sheet.

We've got some ideas, but I really want to hear what you, our readers, would like to see in terms of online (written or video) content during the weeks of thundering hooves off Union Avenue. So break your silence on this blog and leave a comment. Or just e-mail me directly.

Bruno: Just like I figured he'd be

Well, I've been atrocious at staying on this blog bandwagon. Contrast that with the colleague who usually has his back toward me. I need to take a page from his book.

By now I suspect you've all seen this week's videos: devastation from the Corinth fire; NYRA workers boarding the bus to protest the possible layoffs as a result of the looming-at-that-time track shutdown, and Sen. Joe Bruno's press conference at the Racing Museum to hail the new NYRA arrangement (you should know where to find them if you haven't).

That was my first brush with Sen. Bruno. Prior to that, my biggest political run-in was with Sen. Hugh T. Farley, when he visited the offices at The Recorder in Amsterdam to deliver a xeroxed copy of a certain NYS DMV regulation after he decided, during the course of a phone interview, that I was in support of Gov. Spitzer's plan to grant licenses to illegals.

Unless you want to count the time I saw former-Gov. George Pataki when I was walking into work at the NYS Museum one morning as a bigger run-in. He was going in with an entourage of folks in dark suits. He was quite tall, as I recall.

It was also the biggest media frenzy I've been to, or at least the biggest when I've had a video camera in tow. Next to the TV equipment, our SONY HDV model felt a little emasculated. Or maybe that's how I felt next to the heavy duty broadcast equipment with my slick little camera and gimpy tri-pod that needs a repair.

Anyhow, the video on our site from that event is straightforward. I figured slapping it up on the site in its (mostly) raw/unedited state was suitable for our purposes: Since you can read or watch about the NYRA deal, the press conference, etc. all over local and state-wide media, I just wanted to put up Bruno's full remarks and answers for those interested in hearing it all.

I was a bit surprised more of the public wasn't on hand to ask questions of Bruno (no one did. As is probably evident, it's all press questions in the "Bruno fields questions" video), since that's what the event was billed as. Despite the dire implications, perhaps most people knew that there would be an 11th-hour solution reached.

I also have remarks from Assemblyman James Tedisco and Mayor Johnson, and can put them up if there's any interest.

Good letter

Amid today's letters to the editor - most the usual batch in which the writers throw their support to either Dorsey or Doern for city court judge - was this gem of a tale.

What a selfish idiot this guy was. People exhibiting zero disregard for others on the road is an every-minute occurrence on the Northway, of course, but the behavior of this guy, as described by author Kathleen Boyle, made me shake my head in disbelief, chuckle at the stupidity, and got my blood boiling at the same time. I agree with her (and am glad she and everyone else this moron whizzed by that night aren't hurt): "I hope you see this and realize what a fool you were and how lucky you were."

Here's hoping. Thanks for sharing your story, Kathleen.

Political conversations

Fresh video posted yesterday afternoon and this morning from Super Tuesday:

-Saratoga Springs residents talk about their choices in the presidential primary.
-More residents talk about their presidential primary choices.

There are some well-articulated responses to be found in those videos. It was fun and informative to talk to folks about their views on the matter (and for the most part, people seemed more than happy to share them - thanks, folks!). No real surprises in terms of the issues near-and-dear to their hearts this election cycle. They're the same ones the national media has been reporting: security/the Iraq war, health care, and the economy. I was surprised that most of the people we spoke with cast their vote Obama's way.

Well, not surprised, so much as I found it interesting. Clearly he's riding on a wave of support based on his message of change and hope. Time has a pretty good cover story about the mobilization of youth voters to Obama's campaign efforts. Although I fall under that category (or do I?. Not sure if late-20's counts anymore, but I suppose it depends on whom you ask), I'm not as easily captivated by what he's pitching, because my concern is that it sounds good but contains little substance. Fortunately, as I'm not registered with a specific party, I have the luxury of only having to weigh the platforms of those who get the actual nominations of their party (which also reads "I haven't been paying the closest attention to the candidates")

This race has been shaping up to be an interesting one for the past month or more, and today was no different with Romney's announcement that he was suspending his campaign.
- - -
I've had a few topics I've meant to post on, but on Thursday night of last week started coming down with a cold, which I've spent the time between now and then fending off. Friday was painful and forced me out of work early, and the first half of this week was not as pleasant as it could have been. Then again, this is the news biz: "pleasant" isn't necessarily the correct adjective.

Oh, and if you haven't seen it already, relive some scenes from last weekend's Chowderfest. It's not award-winning, hard-hitting stuff, I know, but our reporter shot some good footage and it would have been a waste not to use some of it.