To increase the reach and popularity of multimedia content, local news provides should not be afraid of hosting content on external sites, but should "see them as way to drive traffic to their own websites and to reach new viewers," said The Evening Leader's Christian Dunn.

The Evening Leader has been using photo-sharing site Flickr to host their images and has seen a steady flow of traffic to the paper's website from Flickr. Dunn said that the slide shows created from the pictures had attracted thousands of viewed after being on the site for only a few weeks.

This week the paper has created three public Flickr groups for people to submit images, in hopes that Flickr users readers will join. Submitted pictures may appear in the print edition, and the Leader's Picture Editor Rick Matthews will manage one group for aspiring photographers.

Dunn hopes "these features will encourage readers to participate and provide another source of content and means of distribution for the paper."

"I think it's really important for regional newspapers to take full advantage of sites such as Flickr. Not only do they offer fantastic services, which we can harness, but they also allow our brand to reach a far wider readership than ever before," said Dunn. He adds that Flickr Groups further breaks down "the traditional barriers between newspapers and members of the public."

Source: Journalism.co.uk