gothamistllc.com
Notable communities: Boston, New York, Philadelphia, Seattle
Local angle: New York culture blog has expanded into other global creative hubs. Targets 25- to 34-year-olds; garners almost 14 million page views monthly.
nbclocalmedia.com
Notable communities: Chicago, Los Angeles, New York, San Diego
Local angle: GE is using its owned and operated local TV stations to produce "Locals Only" content along with area sites and magazines.
outside.in
Notable communities: Preston Hollow in Dallas, Park Slope in Brooklyn
Local angle: Uses automated algorithms and blogger submissions to tag stories by location, letting users create their own "paper."
americantowns.com
Notable communities: Lansing, Michigan; Pleasantville, New York; Wakefield, Massachusetts
Local angle: A pioneer that survived the first dotcom boom, now focused on its most vibrant towns.
everyblock.com
Notable communities: Atlanta, Boston, Chicago, Detroit, Houston, Miami
Local angle: The recipient of a Knight News Challenge grant collects local data, from crime stats to restaurant reviews.
topix.com
Notable communities: London, Kentucky; Dyersburg, Tennessee; Paris, Texas
Local angle: Backed by Gannett, McClatchy, and the Tribune Co., it uses search-engine optimization to rank and sort stories.
loudounextra.washingtonpost.com
Notable community: Loudoun County, Virginia
Local angle: In 2007, The Washington Post Co. tried to create an active hub for an affluent D.C. suburb. The venture, though still breathing, has been a flop both financially and editorially.
villagesoup.com
Notable communities: Bar Harbor, Maine; Hamptons, New York; Gulf Shores, Alabama
Local angle: Network of community sites whose material is periodically printed as newspapers.
Related Stories: | Topics:Innovation, Technology, Work/Life, Magazine, Gothamist, AmericanTowns, NBC Local Media, outside.in, Topix, Everyblock, Loudoun Extra, VillageSoup, Boston, Chicago, Philadelphia, Seattle, Bar Harbor |
Email
Digg
StumbleUpon
Facebook
Buzz Up!
LinkedIn
Recent Comments | 1 Total
August 19, 2009 at 3:23pm by Paul Baron
We at Hometowntimes.com already have a successful business model/platform that is currently operating in 524 cities across the US - most at the hyper local level <100K, finding its audience, readership, and delivering real local content of value from local editors/publishers and original content sources. Hometowntimes.com's differentiator is the local stakeholder and their commitment is important to the success of the site - we have also solved that concern or 'issue' with our 'franchise' business model. Having just begun, the jury is out whether the owner will be the journalist/reporter or a business manager or another local business operator. In any case, we're pleased with the early results, as are our franchisees and advertising partners. And we are capable of ramping up our services to far more local communities in virtually no time at all with a proven, replicable model.