BuzzMachine

Where some see quagmire, others see opportunity
: One of the Iraqi weblogs on Blogspot brought a targeted ad to this company, offering its services to help join in the reconstruction of Iraq.

Bad times
: A local synagogue, in the placid suburb Westfield in New Jersey, had to shut down because of threats.

Peace, supersized
: Scene of globalized peace: Arabs, Jews under the Arches.

Blogs of the year
: Fimoculous lists the blogs of the year (I’m flattered to be there). It’s missing just one important blog: Fimoculous itself.

: At the same time, nominations for the Bloggies are open. They were worse than worthless last year — only leading to cheating and sniping.

News from home
: Todd Sweet, a reader, sends email telling the story of a weblog created for the Stryker Brigade in the Sunni Triangle in Iraq. Before they were deployed in the fall, Sweet posted stories on his personal blog. It grew so much, he started a blog just for the brigade. Says Sweet:

To me, this is what blogging is all about – providing useful, user-driven content and making connections. Those that visit are starved for news about, and pictures of, loved ones. The feedback in the comments has been incredible.

Yes, this is hyperlocal news. And this medium and network make it possible.