It didn't take long for Local Knowledge to spread.
In less than six months, the blog by Rutgers-Camden assistant professor Stephen Danley has become the talk of Camden.
"You don't come into a community and be 'the voice,'" says Danley, an Oxford-educated former UPenn basketball player who was 28 when he joined Rutgers-Camden last July. He wants the blog to be "a space for Camden voices, a community space to vet ideas." And it certainly is that.
His Local Knowledge Blog hosts an informal forum about public education, redevelopment, public safety, and other city issues. It's an energetic conversation in which one can hear the sound of civic capital being shared, nurtured, and expanded.
Guest bloggers like Camden High teacher Keith Benson; local entities such as Camconnect.org; and popular Facebook pages such as "I am Camden" are disseminating on and networking through the blog. And Danley's sharply observed essays are in the mix as well.
"Part of the hope is to bridge the divide between communities," Danley says. "Local voices have been easily discredited."
--KEVIN RIORDAN