Porter blasts 'cookie-cutter thinking,' shovelware

Tim Porter takes a look at the remains of Knight-Ridder Digital and fires an early torpedo toward a rumored Bay Area megasite:

"Whatever happens eventually, the first inklings of what's to come from the MediaNews-Hearst partnership look disastrous: An idea to create a website built on the combined products of the Chronicle, the Mercury News and Singleton's other local papers like the Oakland Tribune. ...

"What a waste of good pixels that would be. At a time when unique brand, editorial personality and formation of communities are the most important ingredients for successful online operations - editorial and financial - these two companies are considering doing just the opposite, building some sprawling, generic, blended website no doubt intended in part to counter the success of San Francisco-based Craigslist, which is sucking classified money from Bay Area newspapers."

I don't know what they're building, but I have to agree: Bigger is not necessarily better. If there is a salvation of the newspaper industry to be found, we will find it in the neighborhoods and in the process of convening community.