Though software and approaches vary, the basic community-publishing model remains the same. The newspaper generally offers free sites to nonprofits from churches to Little League teams, as well as select local-government organizations. But a community-publishing site isn't a typical Internet site. You just can't get the interactivity. Community sites generally require no knowledge of HTML to create or maintain, yet they allow members of community groups to update calendars easily and use online forums to communicate.
Passwords ensure that only members can contribute.
The Maine town of Skowhegan offers just one example of how such systems enhance the online experience. This 8,700-population municipality had its own Web site but opted to supplement it with Blethen's Maine Communities Online service because information typically sat unchanged for long stretches of time. The simple calendar updates proved a boon, and members of dozens of agencies and community groups quickly set up sites. This brings them back. Cleveland Live launched Community Connection last December, and it is now cyberhome to 1,100 local groups.