Brave (and Scary) New World

Hello, hello…Is this thing on???

Indeed it is.

That’s the problem – and the exciting part – of the brave new world of journalism. It’s always on.

There is no such thing as the AM/PM newspaper cycle of old. Now it’s information all the time, 24/7, coming at you every way imaginable. Cable. Radio. Internet.

Which is why I’m here.

Online. Maybe not all the time, but at least every day. And at a moment’s notice when events warrant.

There’s still a place for the formal, painstakingly reported and lovingly crafted columns that will show up on your doorstep three times a week, delivered by horse-and-buggy after being cranked off a Guttenberg printing press. I don’t think newspapers are ready to go the way of milkmen and 8-track tapes yet. Thankfully, neither does Sam Zell, my new favorite person in the world (Love ya, boss!).

But it’s time for all us ink-stained wretches…excuse me, information content providers, to realize that the world is changing, never to go back.

No sense fighting it.

Just do it.

Blog baby blog.

So here I am.

In this space I’ll hit the news of the day, the offbeat items that fall through the cracks, and ongoing topics such as property tax reform, the property insurance mess and South Florida’s transformation into one giant mega-casino.

Sometimes it’ll be funny, sometimes it’ll be dead serious, but hopefully it won’t be dull.

And that’s where you come in. I want this to be a give-and-take between readers and me. So I’ll be responding to your responses below, and I’ll also post some reader e-mails that I get in response to my print column. I’ll answer questions and engage in high-minded debate. I’ll do what you want me to do, go where the news and the mood takes me.

Oh, and I’ll still be writing three columns a week for the print edition.

Let the posting begin.