Hyperlocal
Local People really is down to local people now then
It seems Local People was a pretty apt name for the series of websites currently run by Local World – because they will be responsible for ensuring its success now.
The company has confirmed that 25 freelance community publishers have departed because they now have “sufficient” users to allow the sites to sustain themselves.
Are labels preventing awards from showcasing diversity of Midlands media?
The nominations are out for the Midlands Media Awards and it’s great to see so many former students and colleagues up for the prizes.
But it was disappointing to see the ‘Blogger of the Year’ category looking strangely empty.
You’re not fooling anyone with your cut, paste, smoke and mirrors
Excuse the language, but as the quote says ‘never bullshit a bullshitter’.
As reporters we’re pretty good at spotting people who have ‘borrowed’ bits of our work. You know the sort, where the story has perhaps been given a bit of a makeover but turns of phrase stick out like footprints in the snow.
Being aggressive about aggregation simply won’t work
Rupert Murdoch has long deemed news aggregators to be the enemy of profit. Much of his battle has been at the higher end of the spectrum, with Google in particular the target of his salvos.
At a regional level there are plenty of examples of aggregators springing up and few have thrived quite as well as TheYamYam and its younger brother TheStaffie.
Everyblock’s demise highlights the various strands of hyperlocal and not the failure of all
Some really interesting comments are coming out of the demise of Everyblock and the news that Patch isn’t rolling in the bucks quite as planned.
So it is the demise of hyperlocal as we know it?
Calling all hyperlocal journalism junkies: StaffsLive is recruiting
You don’t often get many chances to have a real crack at a hyperlocal venture with the sort of muscle you need to test whether it really has a future.
That’s why it is really exciting to see StaffsLive taking on a new (paid!) Community Managing Editor.
Is money still the only metric of success when it comes to journalism?
You can’t help but love a journalistic cliche. Revellers being up in arms is among my favourites, but there’s a new contender on the block – ‘yeah, but where’s the money coming from?’.
As people might know, I’m a great believer that a return to grass roots, local reporting (or hyperlocal news as it’s often referred to) has the potential to reinvigorate the journalism industry. The audiences for even the smallest operation show that there is still a desire for local news, be it in print or online.
Hyperlocal book chapter finds a new audience thanks to Roy Greenslade
After wittering on for some time about my book chapter on the role of hyperlocal, I was pleased to see Roy Greenslade had picked up on it on the Guardian’s website.
The response so far has been encouraging – and there have even been a few requests to expand on some of the points raised.
Hyperlocal success is always good news – but let’s make sure we’re not overthinking it
It’s always good to hear of success in the hyperlocal landscape so it was pleasing to read about MyWelshpool.co.uk clocking up two years of success. But it’s interesting to think about what the term success in hyperlocal means – and what it’s actually down to. In an interview with HoldTheFrontPage, site founder David Williams put [...]
Past, present and future of local media debated at launch of new book
Although I probably added far less to the discussion than some of my more illustrious colleagues, there was plenty for me to take away from the launch of the What Do We Mean By Local? book in London. Flanked by media big-hitters such as Professor Roy Greenslade, Neil Fowler, Chris Oakley CBE and Tom O’Brien [...]