Pondering the cybersphere

It’s a new world for journalists — as if that is unusual. We are the profession of newness. Or at least news.

But these are strange times for those of us who have quickly watched journalism move from a paper-based bully pulpit to an interactive public conversation that moves through the ether.

Cyberbrains is the nickname of a loosely affiliated group of thinkers who came together at the Missouri School of Journalism. We first came together to launch a citizen journalism project — MyMissourian.com. That effort is now almost three years along and has produced much more than a nationally recognized Web site combined with a print publication. It also spawn an respectable portfolio of research (see CitizenJournalism.missouri.edu ) and fueled countless discussions as the Cyberbrains gathered around the big table at the Cherry Street Artisan coffee house in Columbia, MO.

Life ends not with one project for journalists nor academic. We countinue to ponder the future of our profession through both research and application. This blog continues the team effort and should provide both an outlet for our ideas and a forum for discussions.