Ouch. Copy editor alum nails us.

Fred nails us about the stars and bars.
But I like his headline.
The telling detail: The story to which he refers likely did not go through our copy desk, even though it appeared on our website.
Update: Not true, says the copy editor who edited the story originally. It did go through our desk, and the copy editor stumbled across the "stars and bars" phrase but didn't check it with other sources, he wrote with chagrin in a note.

And now, a word from our sister paper

Similar to (but not as cool as) the Salt Lake preps site that Rich pointed out is the Kansas City Star's Varsity Zone.

Just wanted to show that this type of thing is feasible on the McClatchy platform, autonomous as we may be. And perhaps most importantly, it calls for reader submissions right at the top, which is crucial for rounding out coverage of prep sports.

A contrarian

Consultants telling newspapers what to do are a dime a dozen, particularly because blogs are cheap and free.
Still, reading contrary views can make one think, whether it's about how to do online stuff better or how to reorganize a newsroom.
John Duncan writes long as The Inksniffer, but he quotes Lenny Kravitz at times. He's now added to the journalism links.
An older post on McClatchy, called "Dear Gary Pruitt: aka Calling All Angels," gives provocative suggestions on what we should stop doing, always the hard question.
Scary provocative quote:
---Stop rearranging deck chairs. ....redesigns alone rarely move readership permanently on its own. You have to rethink what a newspaper can be before that will happen. And you have to believe energetically in the product that drives most of your revenue instead of hoping that its decline will be slow and its death painless.
---Stop reducing staff by attrition. I know this is part of the McClatchy way and it feels warm and nice. But this is the cheapest and worst way to cut staff costs because it involves abdicating control of your staff to coincidence. I've done this. The people who leave are generally experienced (retirement) or talented (recruited elsewhere) and often both. It causes huge problems for management in getting the right people in the right chairs. The shuffles and compromises involved usually have little to do with the needs of readers and you can get saddled with them for years. Make a decision about where the resources need to go to match your vision.

Facebook and identity

Howard Weaver has started a Facebook group for McClatchy. (Registration required, you can use your work email address if you're not already on Facebook).
He's my first friend. Trisha O'Connor from Myrtle Beach is on there too. She was in Charlotte long ago.
Try it out if you're brave, though the time involved with creating and choosing an identity there, along with maintaining a profile at LinkedIn, seems unwieldy and overwhelming.
LinkedIn is a business-oriented grownup kind of Facebook. Many people whose work depends on networks use it heavily. Like: real estate people, IT people, investment advisers, consultants.
The addition of Facebook to the mix raises all kinds of questions about self-awareness, defining your community, and even spying on your kids. Unlike LinkedIn, Facebook users generally show pictures of themselves. Rather daunting when one is gray-haired.
Bonus: If you have a UNC email address and join the UNC network on Facebook, you can see the wall postings of your kids' friends who are going to that fine institution. Gads, say the kids. But they need to be aware....
I'm unsure whether UNC alums with alumni email become part of the same network as current UNC students.

Facebook appears to have been a place for folks of a certain age previously. It'll be interesting to see whether more experienced folks go there, and how they interact with the younger ones.