Athenians had the agora, the Parisians have cafes, and Salem has its local blogosphere.

Should the City of Salem one day transform its downtown core into a place where community members are encouraged to congregate and discuss issues in the open, the tangential role of local bloggers may also transform. Until that day, Internet forums maintained by local writers will continue to function as an electronic town square where ideas and opinions can evolve online.

Diligence is crucial for those who set foot in the blogosphere. One of Salem's busiest bloggers is Melina Tomson, a local real estate broker. She operates SalemOregonRealEstateHomes.com and adds new content to her website multiple times each week.

"Blogging is not as easy as you would think it would be," Tomson said. "It requires a lot of dedication to try and have relevant content on a regular basis."

Tomson's primary focus is to maintain a business blog that appeals to those who may be interested in relocating to Salem. In looking at Salem through the eyes of a potential resident, she not only provides her readers with a unique perspective, she also plays the role of both journalist and travel writer in the way print mediums once monopolized.

"A consequence was that I started to really follow local news and events more. Since I am always looking for blog ideas," Tomson said. "I find that I am a little bit more in tune with local happenings than I was before."

In a similar style of siphoning relevant information for sake of the reader, a man who goes by the handle 'Salem Man' uses his blog EatSalem.com in a way that benefits both tourists and locals alike.

"I wanted to open up a conversation about the restaurants in Salem." Salem Man said. "I saw how other blogs were able to provide a voice for regular people and thought that EatSalem.com could speak honestly to restaurants."

By providing an anonymous avenue for commentary on local eateries, Salem Man has developed a way for restaurant owners to use his blog as "a focus group" to learn more about how best to serve Salem patrons. In the process of opening dialogue within the community, Salem Man is hoping to help improve the restaurant scene as a whole.

"(EatSalem.com) is a helpful resource for tourists, but the information is intended to be read by people here in town. The online community is growing quickly in Salem with blogs popping up everyday. I like to read about what's happening around town and see how people are using this medium to communicate interesting ideas," he said.

In the same way traditional print and television news have become ubiquitous as competition increases, local bloggers feel the need to set themselves apart from the rest.

"(Blogging) has forced me to be more competitive in my research," said Bob Rossi, founder of WillametteReds.blogspot.com. "I am earnestly trying to improve writing in the blogosphere, and particularly left wing writing."

For Rossi, the goal is to continue to build a Socialist presence in Salem. His approach is one that encourages community dialogue in the form of online contributions as well as networking with other writers. The essential ingredient for a successful political blogger like Rossi is to achieve legitimacy. Traditional journalists do so with a set of principles from which they write and Rossi is a good example of a local blogger who articulates his message with a distinct scope in mind.

"I have tried to focus on 'big picture' events in Salem that derive from the larger economic and political crises inherent in Capitalism." Rossi said. "Right now, I would greatly appreciate more comments on our articles and more debate. Our blog needs more non-commercial publicity. It needs to be more relevant to people in Salem."

For local writers, the blogosphere has few limitations. No one better represents the universal appeal of being an online writer than the 74 year-old founder of 1534dover.blogspot.com who goes by the handle "Time On My Hands." Although he was unable to be reached for comment, a few of his recent posts offer insight into the role of his voice in our community.

According to a Jan. 29 entry by Time On My Hands, a homeless father of two visited the author's church as part of a Christmas outreach program. This homeless man had been living out of his van and was the victim of "predatory towing" by a local towing company. In his the first entry, Time On My Hands explained the situation and was a bit hopeless in his expectations. However, according to his next post; "a furious, yet generous reader stepped forward to negotiate with (the towing company)and the homeless victim was able to reclaim several items including his children's coats, his driver's license and his wife's wedding ring."

Time On My Hands ends his entry with a call for action: "The Legislature is in session. This would be a good time to end this type of (predatory) towing."

These online writers serve the community in a way once reserved for tourism bureaus, print journalists, politicians, and in the 'predatory towing' example, angry mobs.