If you haven’t seen Northfield.org and are an online-most-of-the-time type, you really should visit.

It is local community online. At this site, you can do it all, except smell the coffee at Goodbye Blue Monday (Griff, can you work on that?). Check the local news, engage in discussion of issues, read blogs (local businesses – including VIVUS-, school board, councilpeople, senators, non-profits and others), pick up podcasts, find out what’s going on in town, and touch base with both colleges.

From the site:

Our mission is to create an electronic commons that strengthens the fabric of community in the greater Northfield area. We facilitate online access to existing community resources, provide services for citizens and non-profit organizations to electronically publish and communicate with one another, and host online discussions, including timely conversations on civic issues with the community’s leaders.

We think it’s good for democracy for citizens to be more than passive consumers of media. We see weblogs as a tool that can be used for “conversational journalism” or “citizen-driven journalism,” a unique way to have a dialogue among separate sources of information that’s not otherwise easily done.

We think it’s possible that the collective wisdom of Northfield’s Civic Blogosphere (citizens, community leaders, public officials, government staff) can help improve the effectiveness of local government.

Check now, then check back in about a month because they’ll be launching a new platform that promises to be even better!

Well done, Northfield Citizens Online! You’ve set the bar high!