Three days later, Seattle is still trying to wrap its head around the news that the Hearst Corp. is offering the Seattle Post-Intelligencer for sale as a possible prelude to its closure. But the clock is ticking. It's time to rally around a solution for preserving -- and building upon -- the elements of the newspaper that are most valuable to the P-I's readers and the broader community.

The silver lining: Seattle now has an opportunity to serve as a model for an industry struggling to find its place in the online world.

We don't have all the answers, but we do have a unique vantage point, as former P-I reporters who cover technology and spend many hours thinking about the future of media and journalism. We're offering this plan as a starting point for the discussion, and as a possible blueprint for saving the city's longest-running media outlet.

1) Show Hearst the door: Any plan for preserving the P-I will require the community's wholesale support. Hearst doesn't have it. Announcing its intention to sell the paper, then refusing to answer questions from the staff, puts the company right up there with Clay Bennett in the ranks of out-of-town owners. Hearst doesn't want to be here. Let's grant that wish.

2) Assemble a local ownership group: This could take many forms -- ranging from a single wealthy owner to a small group backed by venture capital. Whatever form the new ownership takes, it will require deep pockets, a love of journalism, a willingness to take strategic risks and an understanding that it will have no say in the day-to-day editorial decisions of the newspaper.

3) Kill the print edition: This will hurt, particularly because of the loss of jobs, but it's necessary for the short-term survival of the brand. Dropping the printed newspaper will reduce expenses and let the remaining staff focus completely on the online operations. This will also end the P-I's dependence on the struggling Seattle Times Co., which prints the newspaper and handles related business functions under their joint operating agreement.

4) Bring in a top technologist: Perhaps the biggest mistake newspapers have made is entrusting their online operations to people who grew up in the traditional newspaper business. Old-school reporters should continue to play a role in the business, but the new editorial operations should be run by someone from the outside with a deep understanding of online journalism, technology and social media. (See our earlier list for potential candidates.) Partnering with local tech companies would also be key.

5) Bring in a top Internet executive: In much the same way, newspapers have made the mistake of relying on publishers whose expertise relates primarily to print publications. The reborn P-I will require a business leader with the knowledge and experience to apply emerging Internet business models to the new operation, particularly in the area of advertising. Seems like an ideal role for Brian McAndrews, the former aQuantive CEO who recently left his executive position at Microsoft.

6) Supplement salaried reporters with paid community bloggers: SeattlePI.com already has the infrastructure in place, through its legions of reader bloggers and its Webtowns pages. The new P-I should be run by a streamlined staff of online producers and salaried reporters on centralized beats such as courts, transportation and city hall. To make the business work, they should be supplemented by journalists and vetted bloggers, reporting from the city's neighborhoods and paid based on the traffic they generate. See ZDNet.com and other technology news sites for examples of this model.

7) Automate the advertising process: Follow the lead of Google and others by giving advertisers a comprehensive online tool for buying advertising inventory and automatically placing ads next to any content they wish. If a restaurant owner in Ballard wants to buy the space next to the big story about the neighborhood, he'll have it there in seconds -- if he can outbid the rival eatery across the street. Sales reps will still have a role, working with bigger brand advertisers on strategic campaigns. But a self-service advertising tool, like one developed by Seattle-based AdReady, could go a long way towards streamlining operations.

8) Keep the globe: The 18.5-ton neon globe is the icon of the paper, and one of the strongest brands in the city.  We used to joke in the newsroom that it might just be the paper's most valuable asset. Sentiment aside, it should be preserved by the new ownership group purely for the brand value and advertising. Heck, the new owners could even move the globe, and the remaining staff, back to their rightful place at Sixth and Wall Streets. (The old P-I building just happens to be available again.) Or put a webcam on top of the globe that captures the rotating view of the city and Elliott Bay in real time.

9) Resurrect the print edition: Once SeattlePI.com becomes financially viable, the new owners should bring back the print edition as an extension of the Internet property. The first step would be a weekly print product, collecting the week's online coverage and offering additional analysis and enterprise reporting. Make it available for free, but make it thick with relevant local advertising by offering the new legions of online advertisers space in the print publication as part of an overall package.

10) Act quickly: Even in this depressed job market, other news outlets here and elsewhere are already eying the P-I's staff in an attempt to skim talent from the top. The P-I's real assets are the reporters, columnists, photographers and artists who give life to newspaper each day. Even if the actual newspaper isn't around anymore, the best of those journalists should be.