Today’s blog post was supposed to get into advertising as a revenue stream. But in mapping out my thoughts, the one post became three, each with their own potential for musical references and cool art. It happens.

Instead, I think a good prelude to the advertising conversation is to define (if only loosely) what it means to be a hyperlocal news outlet. Steve Safran, contributor to Lost Remote, cracked that nut Wednesday with these succinct definitions: “‘Hyperlocal’ covers neighborhoods, while ‘local’ covers towns and cities. … A mom blog is a niche site.”

(As an aside, I maintained an überlocal Twitter feed on the comings and goings of my living room. It was a fun way to promote my publication.)

Safran’s definitions are pretty damn good — flexible enough to fit the varied sizes of individual municipalities, yet simple enough for readers and potential sponsors to digest. A follow-up post considered other criteria, but I think Safran’s initial post was on the money.

What I’d like to add to Safran’s definitions is the potential overlap in categories. For example, a food blog focused on a specific neighborhood can be considered a hyperlocal niche blog. A website covering urban planning in a metropolitan area may be called a local or regional niche site.

Am I splitting hairs? Probably. Specific subcategories don’t mean a whole lot outside the newsroom. But I think it’s important for entrepreneurial journalists to have a good handle on the size and scope of their media outlets. It makes it easier to explain business operations to potential sponsors and hopefully removes some doubt over the return on their advertising investment.

With this preface out of the way, I unleash my three-part epic on advertising starting Monday. Queue the “Lord of the Rings” theme song.

Image of Vancouver, BC’s neighborhoods courtesy of Flickr user svacher.

• • Comments [1]
  • Tags [definitions]