iBrattleboro.com - iBrattleboro Assignment Desk

In response to queries from people who would like to participate in citizen journalism on iBrattleboro.com in a more substantial way, we've put together this page to help folks get started.

Here you'll find a list of organizations and topics that we'd love for you to cover. If there are topics of your own that you'd like to work on, that's fine too. Browse the list, think about your own interests, and then sign up using the form below.

We're interested in all forms of citizen media -- written stories, photo essays, as well as video and audio reports. Whatever you do best.

First, we are wide open to other topics. These are just some areas where we think we could use help in coverage. If you want to write a story on a topic not covered in this list, let us know (or just go ahead and write it). The iBrattleboro community thrives on the creativity and invention of its members.

Second, you will not be held to a deadline. It's up to you what you submit and when, but suffice to say that readers enjoy timely stories and in some cases (Selectboard coverage, for instance), they demand them. It's unlikely that there will be any meetings involved, although there may be informal gatherings from time to time at which attendance will always be optional.

Third, experience is not necessary. If you have a story to tell, you can use whatever medium suits you to get it across. You will not be required to write in standard news format. We do ask that you strive for coherence and understandability in anything you submit, so you don't leave your readers wandering in the dark.

Fourth...there is no fourth! Just kidding. There is a fourth step. Please use the form below to signal your desire and intention to take on an assignment from the iBrattleboro Assignment Desk. If forms scare you, you can email us at info@ibrattleboro.com.

Ready to sign up?

Ok, just fill in the short form below and we'll be in touch soon to help you get started.

Required fields are Real Name, Email Address, and What Do You Want To Cover.

Thanks for taking the plunge — we think you'll find citizen journalism fun and rewarding.

Brattleboro Town School Board
Governs Oak Grove, Academy and Green Street Schools.
Meets 1st and 3rd Wednesdays at 4:30pm at Oak Grove School

BUHS School Board
Governs Brattleboro Area Middle School and Brattleboro Union High School
Meets 1st and 3rd Mondays at 7pm at BUHS Multi-Purpose Room

Brattleboro Selectboard
Meets 1st and 3rd Tuesdays at 6:15pm in the Selectboard Meeting Room
and various other times and dates, as determined by the Selectboard

Notes: Lise LePage, Steven K-Brooks, and Christopher Grotke currently cover the regular Tuesday evening meetings. Help is needed covering the various regular and occasional morning meetings.

Development Review Board
Meets 1st and 3rd Mondays at 7:00 pm in the Selectboard Meeting Room

BABB, Downtown & The River Garden
Stories related to BABB, including board and management, new projects, and ongoing initiatives. Stories relevant to downtown, including new businesses and public spaces, road work, disasters of any kind, and town policy decisions affecting the area. Updates on the River Garden, especially any changes in use or status, and including upbeat events-related stories.

The Local Arts Scene
The local arts scene is heating up and starting to get organized. We're looking for help covering the Alliance For The Arts' "Cultural" Planning effort and related matters. iBrattleboro readers would also enjoy coverage of arts events and happenings of all kinds, from formal gallery showings to impromptu street events.

Riverfront Planning / Union Station
There are two things going on at the Riverfront area -- first, sooner or later, the town is going to be allowed by the Department of Transportation to finish off the Union Station project. We should be keeping our eyes out for any movement on this front. In addition, local citizens, with the help of consultant Michael Singer, are participating in a planning process for the Riverfront, with a report from Singer due in August. It would be nice to be have someone following this story.

Local Growth and Development Issues
There is always something going on with regard to local growth and development. There's the Winstanley project, a possible truck stop at exit 3, and all the planning for West Brattleboro, each with its own development issues. With regard to growth county-wide, iBrattleboro user Spoon Agave has raised the issue of the (possibly) unintended consequences of the power line upgrade in Southern Vermont and whether or not that will lead to rapid growth. These are just some of many possible stories in a constantly evolving matrix of change -- dive in anywhere.

Energy Issues / Vermont Yankee
From protests to unscheduled shutdowns to state legislative initiatives, we're interested in knowing what goes on regarding the Vermont Yankee Nuclear Station in Vernon, VT.

Energy Issues / Sustainabiity
Brattleboro is a hotbead of sustainability projects, including sustainable housing (Habitat for Humanity), food production (the Localvore project), energy conservation (Cities for Climate Protection), and more. If you're interested in promoting sustainability and would like others to know more about the issues involved, this is a great 'positive' area to cover.

Local Agriculture/The Grafton Cheese Factory / Retreat Farm
The spotlight was briefly on agriculture this year when local farmers fought the Grafton Cheese Factory at the Retreat Farm. It would be nice to keep at least a beam of that light shining in their direction. We are looking for stories about local farmers and the obstacles they face at the present time. Upbeat, folksy stories (perhaps seasonally) giving readers a sense of how our farmers are doing would also be welcome (how did this year's sugaring go, what are milk prices doing this year, was the garlic crop worth it? and the like). And of course, any updates regarding the Retreat Farm.

Local Sports / Recreational Space Issues
We're always looking for someone to write about local sports, any sports, at any level. The ongoing recreational space issue also interests readers, and a Town committee exists to study the problem.

State Legislature As It Affects Brattleboro
Sometimes it's easy to forget that Montpelier exists. Not lately, though. iBrattleboro could use a regular State correspondent, to report back the issues that relate to our area (or are of special interest to our citizens). If you're a political junkie and find Brattleboro's political scene too puny, this may be the perfect slot for you.

Local History
There is always room for thoughtful, well-researched and sourced history articles at the Brattleboro Brain Trust. If this is something you enjoy, we encourage you to get in touch so we can help you get started posting history stories on iBrattleboro. Lise LePage is working on the 18th century (and would be happy for help) but the 19th century is an open field. And of course, if you'd like to do a larger piece for publication on iBrattleboro itself, that's fine too.

Bring a notebook or your laptop. If you use a computer, make sure you are set up and ready to go before the meeting starts if possible. Keep disruptions to a minimum.

Pace yourself. You don't need to get every word. The goal is to provide a summary of what happened for historical purposes and for the benefit of those who could not be there in person.

You can ask questions. If uncomfortable during the meeting, stay around after and ask. People usually like to get accurate information out to the public and you are helping them.

Do your best to get it right. If you aren't sure of something, don't invent facts. It's better to leave something out and fix it later in comments than to get it wrong.

It takes a few meetings to get into the groove, and it takes a few reports to find a style that works for you.

Use the dictionary, spell checking, search engines, the phone book, and other resources you may have for reference.

It's the web. If someone mentions something that is available online, you can link to it..

You can add to your coverage by adding digital images (through flickr) or videos (through YouTube).

The best way to do this is to get a Flickr account for photo sharing. You can post 100mb of photos there for free each month.

When you have photos on Flickr, you can embed them into a story submission or comment on iBrattleboro.

One of the best things is that viewers can then click to see larger versions of your photos at Flickr. There is also no limit to the number of photos you can include in a story this way.

If you send photos directly to iBrattleboro, we are looking for 72 dpi, jpegs no more than 500 pixels wide or tall. You are limited to 10 images per story, ad we ask that you submit a story with information about the photos so that we have something to "attach" the images to on the site. This is a much slower method.

As with photos, use of a file sharing service is recommended. A site like YouTube or Google video allows you to upload short videos for free, and embed them in web pages by using code they provide on their site.

We let them worry about bandwidth and upgrades to their system so we can all focus on the substance of our video, right?

Copy and paste the embed code into your submission, select "HTML" as your method to post the story, then preview your video. If it works in the preview, it should work in your story. If you are having trouble, let us know and we'll see if we can help you out.