What I’ve seen while helping to launch our first user-submitted Web site, PortCharlotteVoice.com, is piqued excitement and involvement from the Advertising and Marketing sides of the business. Their level of participation is enough that it begs the question about whether the newsroom is needed to succeed.

After all, they’re not nearly as ubiquitously excited.

Just the opposite. I’ve heard some staffers call user-submitted sites a fad. Many are biding their time, waiting for a failure so they can move onto more serious journalism. What might be veiled as healthy skepticism is actually utter pessimism.

For example, we’ve asked everyone in the newsroom to let their sources know about this alternate way to get published. But one newsroom staffer balked, saying that support of this site could lead to an erosion of newsroom credibility.

Herein lies the reason newsrooms might need to be left out of the creation of what is essentially a disruptive business model: Newsrooms could sabotage these sites.

So don’t bother. You don’t need a newsroom to start a user-submitted Web site. You need people who live in the community being targeted. And there are lots of those people working in the other newspaper departments who can spread the word.

When other industries create disruptive business models, it often requires setting up a separate division or company within themselves to safeguard the ideas from withering criticism and traditional thought-processes.

Notice the headline doesn’t say, “Newsroom not wanted.” Ideally, the newspaper realizes that what it deems “community coverage” of clubs and events is actually better reported by the people within the community. Ideally, reporters and editors accept that they don’t answer all of their sources’ needs. In many cases, providing sources a direct communication line with readers better serves everyone.