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OurBlook.com Hits Two Benchmarks in Early Growth:
Increasing Site Visitors and Collaborative ‘Blook’: Publishes First Online “Blook” on Future of Journalism

Hybrid Book/Blog Forum Reaches 7,000 Visitors;
Publishes First Online “Blook” on Future of Journalism

June 23, 2009, Naples, FL – OurBlook.com, an online public affairs forum for professionals, today announced it hit two benchmarks in its early efforts to attract visitors to participate in its new ‘blooking’ community, including more than 7,000 visitors in one month and the publication of its first ‘blook’ on the future of journalism.

“OurBlook is a website that offers professionals a unique experience on the web today: the ability to learn, to engage and to be part of a something lasting,” said Paul Mongerson, creator and founder of OurBlook and a retired Fortune 500 CEO. “While web 2.0 has provided communities with new ways to connect, traditional blogs fail to incorporate the rigor or structure necessary when analyzing complex public issues. OurBlook.com has seen increasing success among professionals because it brings the strengths of publishing to new media, allowing for the discussion of new ideas and innovations without relying on fading, anonymous content.”

OurBlook, a young site at only a year old, now receives 7,000 visitors a month from around the world, which represents a readership increase of more than triple during the latest three-month period. OurBlook offers information and interviews from experts and opinion makers around the world – academics, editors and reporters, industry executives and public affairs officials – on the three issues defining the current and future public affairs environment: the future of journalism, the economy and sustainability. It then uses social media tools such as blogs, Facebook and Twitter, to create a globalized community center to discuss and analyze ideas presented.

One mark of increased traffic on the site is the publication of the site’s first ‘blook.’  The namesake for the site, a blook is an online book culled from the comments and contributions of both readers and experts. “The Future of Journalism” blook represents the synthesized viewpoints of some 25 experts who shared their prognoses on the industry in response to interview questions from the site’s editor. This original content was then combined with ‘blooker’ comments, or responses from participants on the site’s extensive online community forum. The resulting synthesized article combines the major points and recommendations into one article addressing the breadth of the issue. The article is posted on the site in official blook format, which includes a page flipping mechanism that allows visitors to literally read online.

The site’s first three chapters – how can newspapers survive, possibilities for a government bailout for newspapers, and the rise of citizen journalists – are live online, where they will be periodically updated as the issue and site commentary develops. This allows the blook to be both accessible and growing. Chapter Four is in development as the site hosts more discussion about the onset of social media and its relationship to traditional media.

“The blook concept is a new type of web 2.0 tool that cultivates the strengths of websites like Wikipedia, but at the same time provides gentle guidance. The idea is to use the power of collaborative communities to explore complex issues our nation faces, and hopefully come up with solutions that incorporate input from a diverse group of people,” states Gerry Storch, OurBlook editor.

OurBlook’s early success comes from its efforts to build a reference library of cutting-edge professional opinions on the site’s three topics. These content providers have the deeper understanding necessary to explain current situations, identify and explain anticipated consequences and put forward aggressive proposals that address big-ticket issues from a vantage point of responsibility.

Well known contributors have included John Yemma, editor of the Christian Science Monitor; Richard Benedetto, retired USA Today White House correspondent; Charlotte Grimes, journalist and Knight Chair professor at Syracuse University; Gordon Crovitz, former Wall Street Journal publisher; University of Michigan economics professor Marina v.N. Whitman, former member of the Council of Economic advisors; Randy DeCleene, former deputy press secretary to Vice-President Cheney; Alison Fraser, director of the Roe Institute for Economic Policy Studies at the Heritage Foundation; Terry Neese, former director of the U.S. Mint; and Chris O'Brien, director of the Next Newsroom Project.

The “blook” format is the brainchild of Paul Mongerson, an engineer, businessman and author who has had a lifetime interest in the media. Mongerson founded the Paul Mongerson Prize at the Medill School of Journalism and is author of the popular journalism textbook "The Power Press: Its Impact on America and What You Can Do About It" from Fulcrum Publishing. The site is edited by Gerry Storch, a former writer and editor at the Detroit News, Miami Herald and Gannett News Service, with online and social media expertise provided by Sandra Ordonez, former Communications Manager for Wikipedia.

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