A mobile community

The Daily Globe is a paper going through an identity crisis.

As a growing community of 30,000, the median age of Dodge City continues to get younger. The number of readers on our Web site is going up and more and more people are reading the Globe.

But, not all of our readers are online. While we continue to appeal to the younger generation — area high school and college students — we also owe it to our readers who love their deadwood edition. And it's a love I share.

Nothing beats being able to hold an actual PAPER paper in my hands, to pass it around, to cut out a clip and stick that sucker up on the fridge with a magnet. To paste it into a scrap book, proudly boasting that you or someone you love may have made it into the newspaper.

For many of our readers, that newspaper on their porch is as much a part of their morning ritual as that first cup of coffee, watching the sun rise. If you read us online only, I encourage you to try it sometime.

Even now, as editor of the newspaper with prior knowledge of what's going into the next day's Globe, I can't start my Saturday without sitting on the steps of my front porch, divvying up the two sections with my wife and discussing that day's headlines.

This comes as a surprise to some.

Since I was hired as managing editor last September, one of my main goals has been improving our online product. Live updates from fires, crimes and meetings. Reader-submitted photo galleries. A facebook fan page: http://www.facebook.com/pages/Dodge-City-KS/Dodge-City-Daily-Globe/12948....

We give updates throughout the day at twitter: http://www.twitter.com/dcglobe.

We have these blogs, which I would encourage you to spend some time reading.

In fact recently, our Web site www.dodgecity.com was awarded by the Kansas Press Association with first place in Best Newspaper Web site for our circulation size.

But, for those stubborn dinosaurs out there who love their print paper — of whom I count myself a proud member — we haven't been ignoring your needs. Every Friday, if you haven't noticed, we have our local Culture page. It's a look at the arts and entertainment scene out in our kneck of the woods.

As we've started staying in the newsroom: "Who ever said there's nothing to do in Dodge?"

That has allowed us to blow out our featury designs and take a step out of our comfort zones.

So, for those of you who feel neglected in your love for print. Don't worry, there are still a couple of dinosaurs at the helm. I just happen to be a dinosaur with a blackerry and Wi-Fi capability.