Paper's future is online; is that good?

'The newspaper is morphing into something entirely different." Yes. Hillsborough reader Gwen Harvey got it at the monthly meeting of The N&O's Community Panel last week, after hearing a presentation by editors about The N&O's growing presence on the Web.

The News & Observer is gravitating from the traditional paper-and-ink package that (most of) you are holding to a multi-media information provider whose future increasingly is online. That's bringing significant change both within the newspaper and in the online products that The N&O publishes. Here are some of the changes outlined at the Community Panel last week:

* Creation of a new "continuous news team" of reporters and an editor who monitor and update news throughout the day and post developments on The N&O's news site, www.newsobserver.com.

* Launch of a new community information-sharing site, www.share.triangle.com.

* Redesign of The N&O's news site, www.newsobserver.com.

* Creation of an online "Fact Finder" center that gives readers access to some of the information resources used by N&O reporters. Stored there now are databases on the 2007 local elections, global warming, the drought and Wake schools.

* And most noticeable, an acceleration of breaking news online.

Eric Frederick, managing editor for online, says the paper in the past withheld breaking news from its Web site, to keep competitors from seeing stories before they reached your driveway. No longer. "If it's something people need to know about now, or would want to know about now, we put it online," he said.

During the day, the paper is constantly updating the news stories on newsobserver.com. Last Thursday was a good example. The lead story changed three times in the course of four hours in the afternoon -- from Gov. Mike Easley calling for water conservation to the indictment of a Chapel Hill lawyer on charges of embezzlement to a protest rally in Raleigh for the Jena 6.

THE CHANGES HAVE MEANT A REDEFINITION OF THE ROLE OF THE NEWSPAPER JOURNALIST. Reporters now file stories throughout the day, rather than write at the end of a day of reporting. They are being trained not just in reporting and writing but also in using audio, still camera and video equipment and in posting stories and art online. "We cannot hire people in the future who do just one thing," said Dan Barkin, deputy managing editor for community participation. "We need people who come into the business with a certain level of geekiness and are as comfortable with technology as they are with words and journalism."

Last week, the staff here heard the gospel of multimedia communication from Al Tompkins, broadcast and online consultant for the Poynter Institute, a Florida-based training center for journalists. His message was that interactivity between newspaper and readers is the key to the future. That means giving readers more control over the information they receive, along with the opportunity to contribute content themselves.

An example: The Atlanta Journal-Constitution lets readers set up their own home pages based on which Atlanta suburb they live in. In effect, that's customizing the front page of your newspaper to fit your interests. Share.triangle.com lets readers post photos, community news and contribute to forums, such as whether Durham should pay $30 million to the Duke lacrosse players.

IS ALL THIS PAYING OFF? Is it good for readers?

Yes to the first question. Online readership is boosting newspapers' overall audience, at a time when their print circulation is shrinking. (The N&O is an exception to the national trend; its print circulation has increased every year for the last 11.) Nearly 1.5 million users visited The N&O's online sites last month. Online advertising revenue is growing at double-digit rates annually.