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Will Bloggers Save Journalism: The ChicagoNow Experiment

1. Why did the Chicago Tribune launch ChicagoNow? Couldn't it have just made its staff reporters become bloggers?
2. So let me get this straight. Not only are you paying bloggers, you're not editing their work, you're letting them have full ownership of their content and you consider their posts for reverse-publication in the Tribune? Why?
3. How does the newsroom feel about ChicagoNow? Surely this site raises ethical questions about the Chicago Tribune and where it draws the line on journalists vs bloggers.
4. So anyone--not just the paid bloggers--can post content on ChicagoNow?
5. And users can have their own profiles on the site? And the profile integrates all of the user's social media feeds in one place? How?
6. Talk to me about hyperlocal. How does this site engage Chicagoans neighborhood by neighborhood, block by block?
7. What about managing the site? How can you control an online community with thousands of users and bloggers who are allowed to say whatever they want? Or is it impossible to control ChicagoNow?
8. All of this is lovely in theory. Let's talk about reality. Specifically money. You say ChicagoNow has six different revenue streams? What are they and is the site actually turning a profit?
9. Let's get to the main point then. Why do you believe ChicagoNow could be the answer media companies have been looking for?
10. Okay. You've sold me on the idea. I want to start my own local blog network. Where do I begin?