After a rash of complaints about the noise and dust caused by all-terrain vehicles, Bethlehem Township Commissioners are on the brink of strictly regulating their use. A proposed ordinance, debated at Monday night’s meeting, would ban their use between dusk and dawn. They would also be required to stay at least 100 feet away from the property line of any adjacent owner.
Commissioner Tom Nolan said that the ordinance under consideration is similar to one already in place in Lower Saucon Township. He said “it’s time to place some regulations. The township is filling out. We don’t have much land.” President Mike Hudak agreed but made clear that “we’re not outlawing anything.”
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The Bethlehem Press. This was an "overnighter" of Monday night's meetingof Bethlehem Tp Board of Commissioners. I am disappointed. Although it was apparently published in the morning, I missed it until last night, and it was buried. If I was unable to find it, I doubt Bethlehem Tp readers did.
This is poor presentation. There is no point to presenting readers with fresh meat daily if it is buried. Whatever daily story is being featured should be presented separately. Also, it is impossible to comment there. That destroys the interactivity on which I depend to make my stories better. If the Press papers want an online presence, they are going to have to do a lot more than I have seen.
As someone who has blogged 11 years, and who has made every mistake in the book, I can tell you there are four keys to having an effective online blog or news presence. First, be consistent. Try to present your readers with information at regular intervals. Second, if you are presenting something new to the readers, it should either be at the top or presented as a featured story. It should never be buried. Third, be interactive. I could understand requiring people to sign in or even moderating, but to be effective, this should be a two-way street. I learn as much from my readers as they learn from me, especially in this kind of story. Finally, use the opportunities the Internet provides. Post videos. Use scribd or other third party services to present documents.
