• Jeff Jarvis at Buzzmachine believes that hyperlocal news sites must help people produce news, which news organizations will then gather together.  In order for hyperlocal news to work, however, he believes that sites must combine to form networks; gathering news is more important at this stage in the game.
• Mike Orren of Pegasus News counsels hyperlocal news sites to supply users with “breadcrumbs” of information, which can then be turned into “real narrative reporting.”  He reminds readers that starting a local news database and appropriate user loyalty is a slow process, but that this flow of content is crucial for success.
• Comments at TechCrunch point hyperlocal news in the direction of “hypertargeted.”  Because people have less free time, news should cater to their specific interests, rather than their specific area.

In the end, Heaton and Dan Gillmore at The Center for Citizen Media remind us that the majority of start-up sites fail and that Backfence was no exception. As mainstream news media organizations turn to hyperlocal ventures, Heaton suggests that they focus on building local information databases before setting their sights on lucrative goals and revenue assumptions.  A successful, stable model for a hyperlocal news site has yet to be developed, and until then, the focus cannot be on revenue alone. 

According to Heaton and Gillmore, Backfence’s closing does not spell the end for hyperlocal news media.  Rather, it should encourage others to learn from the mistakes and tailor their own experiments accordingly because hyperlocal news sites, if done correctly, could become the model for tomorrow’s media.


Source: Audience Research & Development and The Center for Citizen Media