What online maxims are guiding the management of the New York Times as it continues its mission to enhance society through news and information? At his WebbyConnect conference keynote, Times Co. Chairman and Publisher Arthur Sulzberger, Jr., listed seven "observations" that are steering his team into the digital future. They are borne from his many years of experience watching the nytimes.com and other Times Co. properties expand their reach online. Here are the short summaries:

1) News organizations -- and their readers -- should be skeptical about predictions that the industry is doomed

Sulzberger noted that the credit crisis has hastened misplaced "Apocalypse Now" discussions about the news biz. After all, such predictions were common in the 1990s when the Internet first appeared, yet mainstream publishers are not only still around, they are also growing their audiences. The New York Times co. had 50 million unique visitors in September, he said.

2) "Quality content matters"

"Trustworthy voices are more important than they have ever been," Sulzberger declared. He said the amount of inaccurate information on the Web is astounding, but in times of crisis people need a voice of authority. "There is an inevitable flight to quality journalism" when major economic and social institutions go off the rails, he said. Sulzberger said the Times had experienced this many times throughout its long history and events including the U.S. Civil War, both world wars, and Sept. 11.

3) "The need to maintain perspective"

Readers are overwhelmed by the sheer number of sources working on a 24-hour news cycle, and the inability to read it all. Sulzberger said there was a great deal of hyperbole, and a temptation to buy into it as developments unfold in near real time. "Try to avoid sensationalizing or trivializing news," he advised.

4) "The Internet is democratizing the narrative by fundamentally altering how information is disseminated."

The New York Times publisher noted that Google has become "a vast content distribution system," bypassing the front pages of media websites. Sulzberger also described the popularity of the "most emailed" block that appears throughout the site, and its power to elevate stories that otherwise would be buried on the site. "What Shamu Taught Me About a Happy Marriage" was never featured prominently on the homepage, yet it proved to be incredibly viral. On the first day it was published it received 511 page views, but then people started emailing around, and it appeared in the "most emailed" box. By day two the traffic was up to 95,000 page views, and the article ended the week with 600,000 page views, Sulzberger said. He added that the Times is now working on an API which would let external sites publish the list and drive additional traffic to Times articles.

5) The Web is harnessing the collective intelligence of the smartest people on our planet

Sulzberger stated the obvious: The global, decentralized information and communications platform that is the Internet is bringing together people in transformative ways, much as the development of writing transformed Sumerian society. Scientific breakthroughs, economic growth, and a general rise in the standard of living will be the result.

6) There is a need for a more "organic relationship" with readers

Sulzberger's definition of "organic" apparently refers to growth and evolution of the types of interactions news organizations have with readers and viewers. He noted that audiences are being presented with multiple ways of reading and consuming news, and newsrooms have to adapt. Not only does this involve making content optimized for certain formats (e.g., mobile) but also integrating the views of readers and finding a sustainable business model.

7) "Constant self-evaluation and adaptation are an absolute given in the next decade"

This statement is self-explanatory, but Sulzberger illustrated it with many examples of projects and other initiatives at the New York Times Company. In the