Going there, doing that: NCEW Opinion Pool blazes new trails.

Eleven years ago, I took my first job on an editorial board as the page editor, in a part of the country I knew nothing about.

That wasn't a learning curve; it was more like a learning maze.

My lifeline was the support from longtime NCEW members who had weathered the many internal and "been there, done that" stories served as anchors.

In today's fast-changing media landscape, however, the challenges are unprecedented. Nearly every media outlet is struggling to attract Internet users in ways that don't discard the journalistic values that distinguish our work.

That's why The Opinion Pool, an NCEW online project, is so crucial.

This effort--which joins hands-on experimentation and much-needed research on readers and non-readers of opinion--is fully described in this issue by our consultant John Oppedahl. (See page 4.)

But no plans or research will succeed without real buy-in from the membership. That requires accepting that the changes in the industry also mean changes in NCEW.

We must strengthen this organization by arming members with the skills and the arguments to survive in their workplaces. To do so, new priorities will be set; long-held assumptions challenged.

It's a bit scary.

But NCEW will get through it, because few journalism organizations are as focused on helping members or committed to serving the public.

"Reader interactivity," the current industry buzzword, is familiar territory for the editorialist. No part of the media operation does it better. We just need to learn the tools to make the best use of the Internet, and then add the spirit of adventure.

The good news is that the Internet is full of opinionated, passionate people craving feedback. Many do not read our print pages.

That presents exciting possibilities for those in the business of educating, motivating, advocating, building communities, and protecting democracy.

With the work of The Opinion Pool and members' passion for our craft, it won't be long before the task of online opinion becomes just another "been there, done that."

NCEW president Vanessa Gallman is editorial page editor of the Lexington HeraldLeader in Kentucky Email: vgallman@ herald-leader.com