Times comes to town, sweating in its gown

In a few weeks The New York Times will launch its long-awaited latest experiment in collaborative online journalism, The Local: East Village. The L:EV, as it is referred to by its editors (they pronounce it "Lev"), announced itself back in February, detailing a plan to develop a new site incorporating local bloggers, neighborhood residents and student journalists to focus on the neighborhood. The journalism comes from a collaboration with New York University's Arthur L. Carter Journalism Institute. The local bloggers and neighborhood residents are, basically, supposed to volunteer, though a recruitment drive has been a big part of the ramp-up to launch.