Mark Schulte journalist, teacher, IT enthusiast

Paved Paradise: eco-schisms in central Florida

The theme parks and resorts in the southwest suburbs of Orlando, Florida burst with a lush, aggressively-gardened greenery that suppresses the wetlands that once defined the area. The warm, rainy climate suits the putting greens in the golf courses and the topiary gardens in Disney World as well as it did the marshes, swamps, and forests that came before them, but much has been lost. In the transition to a version of nature that is defined by clean, trim parks and walkways created to give the families who visit the area a convenient, consumer-friendly experience, a unique and startling ecosystem has been virtually wiped out.

Moreover, the children visiting the parks experience nature as a kind of experiential garnish -- just so many ornamental trees and flowers to pass during the walk from a sprawling parking lot to the roller coaster rides roaring and whipping their way through the parks. Nowhere is there a reminder that the region represents the northern border of the Everglades, a huge semi-tropical wilderness that has been paved and developed in the state's seemingly endless pursuit of vacationers and retirees.

Even the natural sounds that might infiltrate the parks are negated by a ubiquitous, invisible network of piped-in background music. Though generally up-tempo rock and roll or merry fantasy music, the kind one might hear in a Disney movie score, the parks also go so far as to play recorded nature sounds in corners and nooks not specifically themed for another purpose.

Families, look around you. Green is not green in Orlando.

Orange Lake resort and Islands of Adventure theme park

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Two years in the Glove

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Artist Patricia Perry at work in her studio

Digital Storytelling - photo story

Examiner.com and the hyper-local long tail

Brady Holt was bored in history class last week. But instead of doodling in a notebook or tapping away at Brick Breaker on his phone, the 20-year-old University of Maryland junior used the period to knock out a review of the new Hyundai Sienna minivan. He posted it to his "DC Car Examiner" section of Examiner.com, and waited. That afternoon, some 7,000 people read Holt's piece. At a penny per view, the journalism major - and somewhat indifferent history student - netted $70.

Holt is one of thousands of writers for Examiner.com, a network of news websites a little over a year and a half old with headquarters in Denver and contributors worldwide. He has been writing (the company would say "examining") for just over a year, which makes him part of the old guard. Most writers, like hunting and fishing enthusiast C. Boyd Pfeiffer, are much newer to the site.

Pfeiffer, who lives in Phoenix, Md., north of Baltimore, has been writing for more than 35 years, including some 26 books. He has been contributing his "Outdoorsman" column for about two months.

The 72-year-old author of "The Compleat Surfcaster" might seem an odd fit for an experimental news service. But Pfeiffer, who turned out a column for the Baltimore Examiner, a print newspaper with the same owner that folded last Februrary, said he liked the idea of trying something new. "This seemed like an opportunity," he said.

Pfeiffer's deep knowledge of the Maryland and Pennsylvania streams, rivers, and forests presents an opportunity to the managers of Examiner.com, as well. By embracing everyone from quilting buffs to "sports babes" fans, Clarity Media Group, which owns the network, has sought to create a clearinghouse for stories that fit seemingly every conceivable reader.

Dave Flomberg, senior manager of editorial operations and support for Examiner.com, called the site "hyper-local." He compared it to a mashup of local information sites Yelp and About.com, and said much of its appeal is in the feeling of community the site can provide.

"In many cases, it's local people discussing their passions with each other," Flomberg said. A nightlife columnist for the defunct Rocky Mountain News, Flomberg was one of the first editorial staffers hired at Examiner.com when he took the job last fall. At present, he estimates some 70 full-time staffers are now employed, half of whom are in editorial.

'Hyper-local' or national content?

The Examiner.com site for Washington, DC features a mix of reporting about local and national subjects. Rhea Yablon Kennedy, 29, writes about farmers' markets in the area, including Dupont Circle, Alexandria, and the recently opened market near the White House, which went a little crazy after a visit from the First Lady in September.

Kennedy, a confirmed foodie who also blogs about healthy eats like tofu turkey and kale on her own site, started her "DC Farmers Market" section last May to gain exposure as a food writer.

A friend who contributes to the community blog DCist.com showed Kennedy that "online writing - paid or not - can really get your name out there," she said in an e-mail interview. A graduate writing student at Johns Hopkins University, Kennedy said she finds the affiliation with a recognized national publication helpful.

"'Can I interview you for my food blog?'" or "'I'm a creative writing student'" only goes so far," she said. "'I'm a reporter for Examiner.com' sounds much better."

Many of the contributors to the Washington, DC Examiner.com, though residents of the area, write about nationally relevant topics like Brady Holt's car reviews, or the White House party crashers.

At a penny per page view, writers who are eyeing the site as a serious source of income have a strong incentive to cover subjects with broad appeal. The "Alexandria Parenting Multiples" column is probably a bit too hyper-local to get much traction outside of its twins-in-Alexandria niche.

Most contributors are hobbyists

The most widely read writer on the site at the moment is Amanda Bell, the "Twlight Examiner." Flomberg said Bell has done two things very well: she has capitalized on a popular topic, the Twilight book and movie series, and is providing a hefty amount of rich content.

How much? Last Wednesday she published eight posts in one day.

"When we first started this, nobody knew what the hell Twilight was," Flomberg said. But Bell's savvy pursuit of the topic has positioned her as a leading commentator on the series. "She's commanding respect from the people involved in Twilight," he said. So much so that she is now being fed insider information in the same way a writer for traditional trade magazines like Variety might be.

Not every writer can be an Amanda Bell. Indeed, most are nowhere close. Holt, one of the more popular contributors in the Washington, DC region, estimates he will make about $5,000 this year from his Examiner.com column. That's a nice supplement to a full-time job, but Holt said he does not expect ever to be able to make a living from his Examiner.com work.

None of writers interviewed said they were writing for the money. Most are young, either students or full-time workers who are building portfolios in their spare time.

Carly Beetsch, 25, works in the marketing department for Guthrie Theater in Minneapolis. She doesn't write about theater or marketing on Examiner.com, though: this is her fourth week moonlighting as the "Graffiti Examiner."

Beetsch learned about the site from reading Examiner.com reviews of the theater company where she works. In an e-mail interview, she said she has always liked to write, and took up her column as a way to explore her interest in graffiti art.

Search Engine Optimization and the local advertising market

Examiner.com has demonstrated an uncanny knack for getting its writers to the top of Google searches. Since most users enter a site through a search, rather than browsing down from the home page, this may be as valuable a service as any Examiner.com provides its bloggers.

That's true for Amanda Bell's Twilight vigil, but it might also hold some hope for niche writers like Beetsch, Kennedy, and Pfeiffer. The local advertising market is estimated at nearly $140 billion, only 10% of which is currently flowing to digital content. If hyper-local content providers can build up a solid portfolio of articles about graffiti innovator Banksy, Takoma Park's farmer's market, and Chesapeake striped bass fishing, the long tail might eventually bring in the advertising revenues that are absent today.

Even if that day comes, it is not at all clear whether Clarity Media Group will re-examine its pay scale. Its writers have so far shown they are willing to work hard for, in most cases, very little.