The Future of Community Conversations

Vol. III, No. 199 - Finding Our Place in a Changing Communications Landscape

This past weekend, two local events struck me in a way I can’t quite shake. The first was the closure of The Bellefontaine Examiner, a paper that had served Logan County for more than 135 years. The second was the quiet shutdown of a popular Facebook group here in Troy, after its administrators decided they could no longer manage the unruly behavior of participants.

On the surface, these moments seem unrelated — one the end of a proud institution, the other the collapse of a digital gathering place. But I can’t help seeing them as very much connected. Both represent a breakdown in how small-town residents have tried to share information, understand their community, and connect with one another. They’re both symptoms of the same struggle: how do we keep civic conversation healthy when our traditional systems — the local press, the town meeting, even the online forum — seem to be fraying all at once?

I think about this a lot and have for a while, in many ways Civic Capacity was born from that question. When I launched it, I didn’t set out to build just another publication or replace what newspapers used to be. I wanted to create a space where residents could learn about what’s happening around them — and more importantly, why those things matter. From the beginning, this has never been a place to insult others or score cheap points. Nor has it been a platform for blind civic pride. There are plenty of other corners of the internet for that. Civic Capacity has always tried to stand apart — to inform, to inspire, and to involve.

So when I read the news about The Examiner’s closing, I didn’t just see the end of a paper; I saw another gap opening in our civic life in another community and it makes me wonder about the health of our own local newspaper. Small-town newspapers were never perfect, but they grounded the places they called home. They forced residents to pay attention to what was happening down the street, not just in Washington or online. When those institutions vanish, something essential disappears with them — a local heartbeat, a shared sense of “this is who we are.”

At the same time, social media platforms like Facebook promised to fill that gap, but they’ve often become something else entirely. What began as a chance for neighbors to connect can quickly devolve into noise — a swirl of anger, misinformation, and performance. Too many people use social media not to educate and inform, but to simply get a cheap emotional reaction. It’s really unbelivable. The administrators of that Troy group weren’t wrong to shut it down. They simply grew tired of policing a space that no longer resembled true dialogue.

That’s why I believe places like Civic Capacity matter more than ever. We’re trying to find the middle ground between the chaos of social media and the reliability — and responsibility — of old-fashioned journalism. We don’t try to cover everything. We don’t chase every headline. Instead, we slow down, we dive deep, and we try to explain why things happen. In fact, I think Civic Capacity is best enjoyed amongst friends over coffee or at the Sunday dinner table. It’s a conversation starter that helps provide focus on those events that impact the places we call home. That focus on depth over breadth has attracted more than 2,500 readers to our daily publication, and being named a “Bestseller” on Substack tells me that people are hungry for context, not just content.

What I see happening now feels like a crossroads. As newspapers fold and digital forums flame out, new kinds of civic spaces will need to take root — spaces that blend the thoughtfulness of some type of whatever this journalism is with the participation of community conversation — either online or in real life at tables sharing a meal or running into a friend walking down the street. If that’s what Civic Capacity is becoming, then I’m proud of it.

Because this work has never been about unwarranted nostalgia or the newest technology. It’s about trust. It’s about believing that neighbors still want to understand one another, even when the systems, and sometimes the people, around us make that harder to do. Maybe the future of community journalism won’t look like the old front page or the noisy comment thread. Maybe it will look like this — a thoughtful space where we can still learn together, think together, and, when it comes to our hometowns, choose together.

A New Handbook to grow Civic Capacity!

Recently, we created a new digital handbook, “The Citizen’s Guide to Public Records”. This handbook is designed to help residents have a better understanding of public meetings and meeting records. It’s filled with templates, ideas and other information that will open a new world of public affairs.

Also, if you have ideas for future handbooks, please let us know at pinnaclestrategiesltd@gmail.com.

Want to Learn More About Troy’s Businesses?

Our publication has recently released our September 2025 Economic Abstract, the most comprehensive and up-to-date report on the businesses and industries in the City of Troy. For those that want to understand our community’s business and industries, this is a must-have report.

Thank you to our New Media Partners!

Recently, many of our stories has been showing up on the local news website, www.mymiamicounty.com. We are grateful for the good folks for sharing our work with their audience and we would encourage our readers to check them out at their website!

Our publication would also like to recognize the good work being done at www.piquanewsnow.com. Piqua News Now is a new web-based news and information site for the Miami County area, with a specific focus on Piqua!

In addition, the good folks at Piqua News Now have started a new, 24-hour streaming YouTube channel. This channel is awesome with continuous weather updates and more importanly, it provides a 24-hour audio feed from county wide dispatch. Check it out here!

You Can Help Support This Work!

Our readers and subscribers have been asking for a new way to support the work being done here at Civic Capacity! Some of our readers do not like the idea of having to sign up for another subscription service. Some of our subscribers occasionally want to give more support through a one-time transaction.

Civic Capacity is partnering with “Buy Me A Coffee” to give our readers, subscribers and friends an opportunity to give one-time support to Civic Capacity. Personally, I don’t like coffee, but I will never turn down a nice iced tea. If you feel compelled to support this effort, just click the button below. In other words, this is an online tip jar.

Also, thanks for reading today’s Civic Capacity Newsletter! Please feel free to share this information with your friends and neighbors.

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