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The Hedon Blog and HEY! Community Voices!
Internet and web-based services have transformed theway that people communicate and interact with theworld. Millions of people are now using the internet toseek out news, information and advice and to carry outshopping and trading. However, people are not justpassive viewers and purchasers of online services, onthe contrary they are reviewing products, passingcomment, posting photographs and video and joiningonline communities.As people have migrated to the internet then advertisers have followed. This substantialswitch to internet advertising has had a profound affect on traditional print media andcommercial TV who have seen such revenues slump. They have had to adapt to thesechanged circumstances by turning to the internet themselves, but income generated frominternet-based news remain low. Advertising on the internet is relatively much cheaper.And ‘news’ is now universal and free on the internet. People are unwilling to pay for services and content that is freely available elsewhere.Media companies have been forced to retrench and restructure in order to survive.Journalists have found themselves out of work or losing permanent positions and having togo freelance.In the past, news organisations would employ teams of journalists to write the news.Today it is the readers themselves who are quite often making the news and writing aboutit and posting videos and photographs to back up those reports. Earthquakes in the pacificcan be reported in minutes via Twitter, and eyewitness reports submitted on YouTube andFlickr soon after – and all this can take place before the traditional journalist has even setoff to reach the news location.Whilst traditional media is likely to remain a key source for syndicated major internationaland national news, sport and entertainment for some time yet, there is a significant gapemerging in the market. Large media organisations no longer have the resources availableto cover really local – or hyperlocal – news.
Hyperlocal news
is the material that is of specific interest to (and from) identifiedgeographical communities, neighbourhoods, towns and villages. This might be the ‘big’local issues that are considered newsworthy by larger media organisations. But more likelyhyperlocal news will consist of:
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Information about local services, particularly the disruption of these throughweather, accidents, etc
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Opening hours, time-tables, public services, roadworks
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Schools, GP surgeries, libraries, shops, pubs
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Planning applications that might impact on the local area
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Analysis of how decisions made elsewhere will impact locally
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What’s On guides
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Local business ‘White Pages’
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Community and Voluntary activity
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Local campaigns
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…
.things that matter to local people!This gap in the market is being filled by a wide variety of organisations and individuals thathave established community websites, blogs and even local press associations toaggregate local news.The Hedon Blog is an example of an emerging hyperlocal community website.
Development of “The Hedon Blog”
The Hedon Blog was established on the 24
th
January 2009 as a hobby for the author. Itincludes coverage of local events, attractions, community activity and public information.The site attracted over 200 unique page views in February 2009 which has risen to over 2,400 in September 2009.The site has grown through its own internet presence and local word of mouth.
To do:
Build local profile and local readership and commentators.
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Local business card and introductions
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Flyer distributionAssemble group of community bloggers
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Train, coach and support via social media surgeriesGroup constituted/incorporation – able to apply for funding
“
Talk About Hedon” Promotion – broaden coverage, appeal and support. Seekinvolvement as commentators, authors and editors.Achieve ‘critical mass’ of readers and commentators – the blog becomes a talking-pointand known as a reference point for local news and opinions.
HEY! Community Voices!
This is a proposed service to help communities establish their own online communityvoices.It will involve working with individuals and groups to build their own community websitesand blogs.Through coaching and training participants will learn about:
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Social media and how to use the tools to create and maintain their own onlinecommunities.
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Wordpress, Blogging, Twitter, Wikis, YouTube, Flickr
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Video and audio production
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Writing and reporting skills in a hyperlocal context; understanding of representation,accountability, neutrality and balance.
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Growing real communities to support the online ones
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Community development and action
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Building local support
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SustainabilityThe project will offer ongoing support for a specified period of time to ensure eachcommunity project is sustainable.Achieving the sustainability of each supported project is a key part of this proposal. Eachcommunity blog/website created becomes a sustainable project i.e. no ongoing or very lowcosts, depends on free and/or open source software and the passion and commitment of volunteers.This is dependent on obtaining the following outputs:
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Sufficient number and commitment of volunteers involved
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Volunteers are confident in using the tools. NB: The tools are free and/or opensource which means that ongoing software costs will be nil.
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Volunteers are confident participants, authors and editors.
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Volunteers are connected to wider communities and support networks.Ongoing support costs for individual projects are extremely low or non-existent.
Income GenerationLow:
White pages; classifieds; advertising
Low (potentially High):
Syndication to larger organisations.
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