Comments for The Hyperlocalist

Comment on So Arianna Huffington is taking over the internet. Now what? by paul_silver_spring

paul_silver_spring — Tue, 15 Feb 2011 18:54:03 +0000

Outstanding article Jennifer! Sorry.. couldn’t help myself.

Comment on So your hyperlocal news website put you in the poorhouse. Now what? by MeetPress.ca

MeetPress.ca — Wed, 02 Feb 2011 20:41:23 +0000

[...] are picked up by more commercial news outlets who gave financial stability to the organization. But that doesn’t assure you a sustainable news source and people continue to debate what may be the best business model for hyperlocal news [...]

Comment on Gone birthin’ by Ned Berke | Sheepshead Bites

Ned Berke | Sheepshead Bites — Wed, 17 Nov 2010 00:40:34 +0000

I may be late on this, but better late than never.

Congratulations!

I look forward to hearing from you when things calm down.

Comment on Cooking with oil by paul_silver_spring

paul_silver_spring — Thu, 16 Sep 2010 12:27:26 +0000

Congratulations on the new site!

Comment on Getting a hyperlocal grip on international news by Jennifer Deseo

Jennifer Deseo — Wed, 08 Sep 2010 16:24:43 +0000

Here’s a terrific article on neighborhood diversity that doesn’t focus on one particular ethnic group:

At Hospitals, New Methods With a Focus on Diversity
(New York Times, Sep 6, 2010)

Disclosure: One of the hospitals mentioned in this article is in my hyperlocal beat.

Comment on Getting a hyperlocal grip on international news by NABJdigital Blog

NABJdigital Blog — Fri, 03 Sep 2010 17:54:24 +0000

[...] the Hyperlocal List: Getting a hyperlocal grip on international news. This post talks about how the writer turned to the Poynter Institute’s News University to [...]

Comment on Even the unemployed need a vacation. by Tracy @ WSB

Tracy @ WSB — Sun, 22 Aug 2010 22:58:38 +0000

Well, if you’re really going to get back on the horse, hooray. From the other side of it, having been at this now for three years as a business, almost five total for the site, I do indeed weary of the theorists and observers and talk-it-to-deathers. We wound up doing this accidentally and frankly I think it worked out far better (although of course not by any means perfect, lots of room to improve) than if we HAD sat around saying “We’re GOING TO do something … but first we need a business plan … uh … erm … and …” Nike had the world’s best slogan. Just do it. Oh, and my only other durable advice. Don’t underprice yourself. We’ve had the same ad rates for three years and we’re not raising them till the economy gets better, even if that’s three more years. But we made the crazy decision to NOT say “Oh golly gosh just pay us $25 or something and you can have an ad oh thank you thank you thank you thank you.” Our ads are STUPID affordable given our traffic, but our rates enable us to make a living without having to sell oh say 200 (if you sell an ad for $25/month, and you have TWO HUNDRED, that’ll get you to a grand total of $60K a year! BEFORE taxes, expenses, etc.)…

Anyway, break a leg.

Comment on Even the unemployed need a vacation. by Cindy Cotte Griffiths

Cindy Cotte Griffiths — Wed, 18 Aug 2010 16:46:21 +0000

You go Jennifer!! We decided to stick out our necks with Rockville Central this week too and officially start the advertising.

I was discussing hyperlocal sites with a journalist on Sunday and, of course, I had to tell her about you and this blog. You are my source for everything that’s important about the hyperlocal world. I can’t wait for your next endeavor!

Comment on Still life with money by Jennifer Deseo

Jennifer Deseo — Wed, 18 Aug 2010 16:42:48 +0000

Received payment for the photo above. Booyah!

Comment on Why did The New York Times fail in New Jersey? by Jennifer Deseo

Jennifer Deseo — Thu, 01 Jul 2010 15:07:16 +0000

Thanks for your comment, Mark.

I’ll give The Times credit for giving this model a try. Certainly, it had big obstacles to tackle — the departure of Jersey Local’s managing editor, and the publication’s inability to make “the right partnership,” as one of its editors told Business Insider.

I should say that this model’s failure may just be a matter of the area’s microeconomic environment. The New York Locals benefit from a massive pool of university students. (The CUNY system alone has 200,000 students, including those attending its J-school and writing programs at Baruch and Brooklyn colleges.) On the flip side, the Jersey Local’s beat had only Seton Hall University. Montclair State and Rutgers-Newark universities aren’t too far away, but it may not have been a practical commute for unpaid student interns.

Back to the drawing board.