I swear I’m not being a homer on this one. I came across a
good article from True/Slant about hyperlocal sites in Massachusetts, and the writer has nothing but praise for the efforts. Writer Bart Brouwers is the Managing editor of Hyperlocal Online Media for Telegraaf Media Netherlands. Bowers points to three Massachusetts hyperlocal efforts in particular: “
Wake Up Worcester,” an all-video affair;
Wormtown Taxi (ya gotta love that name); and
Central Mass News, which has hyperlocal sites for nine communities, along with a sports blog. Writes Brouwers:
“…authenticity is probably one of the unique selling points. Living in the community you are writing about, gives you a headstart if you want to go hyperlocal.”
The name of the article is “Hyperlocal, A Brilliant Business Plan.” As business plans are still very much evolving, I would have liked to have seen some examples of where these sites find their money. Hyperlocals are exploding, and we like to see that. At the same time, we need to find a sustainable model.
