CNI launches two new NOW Web sites

Fox Point and Brown Deer residents now have new local Web sites where they share news, opinions and photos with their neighbors, and get the latest local news and information about their communities.

Community Newspapers Inc. and the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel have launched FoxPointNOW and BrownDeerNOW, two of a group of unique local MyCommunityNOW sites in the Milwaukee area. The new sites can be found at www.MyCommunityNOW.com/FoxPoint and www.MyCommunityNOW.com/BrownDeer.

Local MyCommunityNOW sites are already up and running throughout the area, including Mequon and Shorewood. Sites will be launched in Glendale, Bayside, Whitefish Bay and River Hills by the end of the month.

A key feature of each site is a YourSpace section, where area residents can submit photos and stories or start a blog. If a local school or organization has an upcoming event, it can be posted in YourSpace. News about academic achievements or business announcements also can be easily posted on the site. And readers who photos they would like to share with the rest of the community can do that in the YourSpace section as well.

Those wanting to do more than just submit an occasional news item are invited to start a "Community Voices" blog. This provides an opportunity to weigh in regularly on any topic imaginable.

While stories and photos submitted by readers are integral parts of the sites, they're not the only things available.

The latest news about Brown Deer and Fox Point will be posted from the newsrooms of Community Newspapers and the Journal Sentinel, as well as the weekly police blotter, recent home sale prices and upcoming events on Community Calendar.

The site also features CommunityWatch, patterned after the popular NewsWatch on the Journal Sentinel's Web site. CommunityWatch provides breaking news of interest to local residents by reporters at both Community Newspapers and the Journal Sentinel.

The new sites also have a Community Guide that answers questions like: "Who are my elected officials and how can I contact them?," "When does the trash get picked up?," "What's the median income in my community?," "What's the average home value?" and "What's the local crime rate?"

The sites are still in beta mode, which means technicians are making changes to it just about every day.

Visitors are asked to contact NOW Online Editor Mark Maley if they see something that doesn't look quite right. All feedback is appreciated.

Members of an organization who would like a representative to come to a meeting and demonstrate how it all works, or those interested in starting a blog, should also contact Maley.

Direct comments or questions to Maley at (262) 317-8757 or mmaley@cninewsonline.com.