Lindsay Toler

Before I left for Moldova, I called the staffers at Intersect.com and asked them to let me in on their Beta version. I love the concept - giving stories an assigned place in time and place - and since joining, I've had five stories named "Intersect picks" one named "top story." I also wrote the first political report, although Peace Corps had me take it down for diplomatic reasons...

Since there aren't any Intersect users in Moldova, I've missed out on the coolest part of the site: when someone posts at the same time and place as me, supplementing my story with their own point of view. But I'm attracted to Intersect for the community of storytellers it attracts. 

When I had an issue with violence at the high school where I teach, I went straight to Intersect, where writers take each others' work seriously, supporting each other and responding honestly to calls for criticisms. By building a site for storytellers, Intersect has attracted a dynamic, thriving on-line community I haven't found anywhere else on the blogosphere.

When I think about the future of journalism, I pray for the kind of dialogue Intersect fosters on a daily basis. We don't finish a story by hitting the "Publish" button; we start a conversation.