NowPublic is one of the fastest growing participatory news networks in the world. Time Magazine voted it last year one of the top 50 websites and The Guardian UK declared it's one of the top 5 most resourceful news sites in the world.

They have come up with a way to measure "news influence" on the web. They insinuated that traffic to one's site and/or blog is not one of the lead indicators, but how the people listed are connected to others (especially other influencers) through social media like YouTube, Flickr, Twitter, Facebook and others.

I honestly don't know what to makeof this list. I am at the same time amused and disturbed.

For one, Arianna Huffington comes in at #2 but I thought she lived in California, not New York City. Then there's the grand daddy of the New York blogeratti, Nick Denton, coming in at #34. Yet the most disturbing data point of this list is that I come in at #9.

Yup.

I am, as per NowPublic, one of the "top ten" news influencers in the New York new media market.

Here are more of Elizabeth Upton's student submissions to 10Questions.com. They are in the CUNY Language Immersion Program at LaGuardia Community College.

The previous videos are here.

Maria has a simple question about Iraq:

Magdalena is worried about the internet :

Elizabeth wants to know about how they will handle violence in schools:

Mayor Michael Bloomberg used his first public appearance since announcing switching from the Republican Party to being an independent, a press conference celebrating the alleged success of his 311 program, to showcase his policy creativity to the media.

Bloomberg’s aware that his leaving the Republican Party would confirm to the media, his current constituents and potential presidential voters, that he’s pursuing an independent Presidential candidacy, despite saying wink, wink, I’m not running, and knew the world be watching his first appearance after making public his official political independence. This is why Bloomberg is using a press conference honoring 311, a program that he is particularly but unjustifiably proud of, as the location of his personal Presidential Debutante Ball.

Bloomberg hoped touting 311 success would perpetuate the myth that he’s a non-partisan problem solver. But the emperor has no clothes. 311 is useless.

Mayor Bloomberg won’t allow 311 operators internet access because he’s afraid they’d shop at work.

The 311 non-emergency government information system is a program Mayor Bloomberg loves to brag about, touting it as among his greatest accomplishments during the 05 campaign.

311 operators’ mission is to help citizens navigate the often confusing government agency maze. Theoretically, 311 could duplicate much of what the Public Advocate’s office is charged with doing as the people’s ombudsman. But that’s theory. In reality, 311 is not much more useful than 411 directory assistance operators, with 311 often referring callers back to the agency whose non-responsiveness or unavailability, if the problem arises after the agency is closed, prompted the 311 call to begin with. One reason for the department’s relative uselessness, is their lack of internet access.

It blows my mid, that in 2007, 14 years after the web became a mainstream information resource, that New York City won’t allow people whose primary responsibility is to provide information, internet access.

more like a shot of chocolate Ex-Lax.

Oh grock ...  how I hate that site!

There is nothing appealing about it.

• It has a harsh monochromatic palette.
• It's too much a link and B2B directory
• It really doesn't tell me anything about New York state on that front page.

I have been thinking long and hard about Eliot Spitzer's battle cries of reform for Albany. I take it to heart that he means serious business. The problem is, there is no visible measure of how this change is happening.

Spitzer and Bloomberg are kind of cut from the same political rug when it comes to how they are not implementing technology as an agent of practical government change. Because, honestly, we should not ask what is government. and why it is not working. We need to ask who is government and why aren't they effective.

I received a request from Internet radio provider Pandora to contact my Congressman before tomorrow's Congressional hearing concerning royalty payment schedules for web based stations. I didn't recall ever giving them my street address, but they somehow knew that unfortunately Vito Fossella is my Congressperson.

I wrote back that any requests to Vito from me would go deaf ears considering I spent most of my 2006 waking hours trying to cause him to be unemployed.

Unlike terrestrial radio, which pays fairly small fees to music copyright licensing companies such as ASCAP and BMI, Internet stations are charged ridiculously high per song rates by Sound Exchange which receives royalty payments for artists and the major record labels.

The new fee schedule will essentially kill web based music radio by making the cost of playing music prohibitive.

I rarely listen to terrestrial commercial music radio anymore because the playlists are repetitive or just outright suck.

Pandora is an interesting service. You can give them an artist or a song and they will put together a compatible playlist.

I put together a station based on the 70s Genesis song, "Supper's Ready". Tonight's Supper's Ready radio station music selections included Genesis, YES, Phish, Procol Harum and Jethro Tull.

We've written about this before, on January 10th, but seemingly without prodding anyone into action; so here goes, again: the web sites of New York's freshly elected Members of Congress are, with exceptions, in need of improvement.

Yvette Clarke still doesn't have much content beyond a greeting statement and a single press release, dated February 7th. There's no bio – yes, we're all waiting for that – and no official photograph. It's hard to see what constituents can effectively do with this bare-bones web presence.

Kristen Gillibrand does far better, with a whole flurry of press releases and an actual bio. Notably, she's one of two Members of Congress – the other is Jon Tester, Montana's junior Democratic Senator – to publish her schedule on the web. That alone is worth a lot.

John Hall: a bio, one press release, with a generic remainder. Not very helpful. Sorry.

Leading the pack is Michael Arcuri, who already was up and ready when we first wrote about this six weeks ago. As to the rest, perhaps they should be reminded that having a fully articulated and meaningful web presence isn't optional in this day and age.

The New York Times, on Bush's speech.

The New York Times, on tax cuts and inequality.

The Washington Post: Chris Dodd announces for 2008; expect tittering about what this means for Hillary.

The Washington Post: in case you missed it, Democrats just raised the minimum wage.

"Bush rhetoric hard to square with facts". No shit.

The Albany Times-Union: Joe Bruno ruminates on 'a difficult election' in the seventh district, and warns Eliot to stay out. Or else what, Joe?

The Albany Project notes that the Democratic candidate in that race, Craig Johnson, will also have the WFP line.

Lastly, Liza has some questions for you, here. Go help her out.

I have been invited by the Sunlight Foundation to go to Harvard Law School to talk about our daily battles in blogging and citizen journalism at The Daily Gotham and culturekitchen. These are the questions they are seeking answers to:

If we believe in an informed and engaged citizenry, what does that require? What skills and information do citizens need? What is important political information that bloggers and other new media types can provide that isn’t currently being available or accessible? What is essential political information for a citizen in the new era? Is there such a thing?

Ok people. Make yourselves heard and let it rip. I will be reading these to the audience and giving you attribution.

The Politicker's Azi riffs on Apple's new must-have, the iPhone, noting that it reserves its most appealing and fun features for when the beautiful thing is in a WiFi network.

Thing is, WiFi is still not anywhere near the coverage of cell phone networks. So yes, there are political ramifications from this product launch. If this new gadget is anywhere near as successful as the iPod, it will have the unintended side effect of showcasing that broadband access is of right a public utility, a necessity akin to roads and running water.