NewsOverCoffee & the Nazareth Lions

On Tuesday, June 20 I had the opportunity to speak at the Nazareth Lions Meeting at Mivajo's about NewsOverCoffee and how it is a Community Project for Community Benefit.

It was a great night as they welcomed their new officers for the upcoming year, thanked those who served, and I had an opportunity to talk about this site and how it can help groups like their own to encourage membership and participation.

I spoke about what I saw as an ironic problem: "As less people are engaged in groups and organizations like this one, they are less connected to the very community in which they live. Amazingly, these people are less informed despite living in the 'information' age."

I also talked about how my choice to put content on the site myself by covering the Council meetings was helped by the new Government Center Proposal which created a strong response by residents and by extension drove people to NewsOverCoffee to find out what happened at the meeting.

These circumstances boosted Council meeting attendance and bumped by site hits, the hope for me is that people will return to see what is new even after this particular issue is resolved so they do remain informed and are not caught off guard or unaware of what is happening in their own backyard.

With the glut of information available, I spoke of the need to have a single source of information to help people find what they need - quickly and efficiently. For a community, like Nazareth, that does not have the population to support its own newspaper a citizen supported effort is critical. By having all the groups and organizations utilize the free services that exist today online and keeping them together in one place as I do with NewsOverCoffee, residents, visitors, or potential tourists from anywhere can get the information they need to plan trips, attend events, and participate.

In closing I noted that I would love to have 100 contributors to the site covering every aspect of community life. It would be a unique effort, unlike any other out there right now. And it would be a wonderful bond between Colonial Hospitality and Modern Technology.

If you or your group would be interested in posting information about your events, meetings, fundraisers, membership, or any other aspect of your organization, send an email to editor@newsovercoffee.com.