A Not-So-Wicked Web We Weave

By Veronica Burns

Many articles have been written about the demise of the printed word. Is there irony in this? Here you are reading the printed word. At Norfolk Now the editors believe the printed word is alive and well, as this little paper moves into its seventh year of publication. So a great big thank you goes to all our readers, those who subscribe and those who read the freebie. We are looking forward to another fulfilling seven years, with your support. We publish the old-fashioned way, via the printing press (have you heard? It’s digital now) and for the time being, we plan to continue doing that. There may come a time however, when Norfolk Now decides to go boldly where many others have already gone. Yes, we may consider a Web site. Is there, perhaps, a trace of irony there too? While some lament the disappearance of some newspapers and magazines, the world of publishing remains strong, especially the world of electronic publishing. The dissemination of information comes in all formats and our town is already onto that. Along with their morning coffee, many people get their daily dose of news on the Web sites of their favorite newspapers. This turns out to be a sizeable library. Access is available to a large number of national and international papers as well as local ones. True, in some instances you have to be a paid subscriber, but much of it is free. And just think, no newsprint on your hands. No paper to have to recycle. No sleepy-eyed walk down the driveway to retrieve the paper wrapped in, of all horrors, plastic. Web sites just seem to have become the norm. Norfolk has a site that has thrived while other towns have ditched theirs. The site, accessible at www.norfolkct.org provides information on our town government, meetings, minutes, organizations, community notices and local businesses. For example, if you are attending the public hearing on September 8 to adopt the 2009 Plan of Conservation and Development, but have not yet read the document, you can do so at this site. The new Natural Resources Inventory (see page TK) can also be found on the town Web site. And Norfolk’s new parking map (see page TK) can be viewed there too. A recent newcomer to the information flow in town is an electronic newsletter produced by the Economic Development Commission. This is a bi-weekly endeavor, titled ‘What’s Happening?’ The goal of the newsletter is to list the numerous public activities going on throughout Norfolk. You can subscribe to the newsletter by e-mailing newsletter@norfolkct.org. But it is also viewable on the town Web site. Many organizations and businesses in town also have active internet sites. You don’t have to trek to the box office at Infinity Hall to get tickets or call for dinner reservations, just check out www.infinityhall.com. Great Mountain Forest, celebrating 100 years this month (see page TK), has lots of facts on its Web site at www.greatmountainforest.org. Norfolk Now always tries to include a Web address at the end of articles, for those readers who might seek more information. That’s a great deal of communication on the local level. How about a Web site that has over 250 million users worldwide? That would be Facebook. It’s a social networking site – you can post your profile and keep it updated, add friends, find friends, and join all kinds of networks. It is also quite a hit in our town. Seek and you will find Norfolkians on Facebook, including Josh DeCerbo (see article on this page). Add to this, YouTube, MySpace and Twitter, and it seems clear that everyone wants to share and communicate. Maybe this electronic publishing is not such a bad idea after all. Regardless of how words are being produced, people are still reading. And for us, that’s good news.