Gree$ngs  from  the  future  of  news  Susan  Mernit  Oakland  Local  August  5,  2010  

Presented  at  The  Associa=on  for  Educa=on  in  Journalism  and  Mass  Communica=on  Conference    

Oakland  Local:  Launched  in  October  2010  with  $8,000  from  J-­‐Lab’s  New  Voices  Program  

Mission:  Provide  a  plaIorm  for  diverse  voices  to  take  ac$on  on  issues  cri$cal  to  Oakland  &  bridge  the  digital  divide  through  news  literacy  &  capacity  building  

Today:  185,000  page  views  in  July  2010  80,000  unique  visitors  38  local  partners,  non-­‐profits  &  community  group  

Recognized  as  new  &  valuable  news  source  for  Oakland  

2010-­‐2011  Goals:  

Mobil  First:  Understand  effec$ve  info  delivery  on  both  skinny  and  smart  phones  

Training:  Expand  news  &  social  media  training  programs  in  Oakland    &  Bay  area  

Revenue:  Start  BAPP  ad  network,  ramp  up  ad  sales  &  promo$ons,  small-­‐business  training,  membership  campaign,  newsle[ers  

Infrastructure:  Need  more  opera$ng  capital  as  well  as  program  dollars  

Some  of  the  lessons  we  have  learned  

“What  is  the  next  conference  you  will  be  at,  you  li[le  troll  with  army  pants?  Cause  I  will  be  there,  too.  I  have  ways  of  finding  out.”  

We  have  faced  some  challenging  issues  

We  used  data,  logic  and  transparency  frame  a  response.  

So,  what  are  Susan’s  $ps  for  being  an  entrepreneur  in  2010-­‐11    ?  

1.   Build  a  great  team,  pay  them  on  $me,    empower  them.  

2.   Life  is  short:  work  with  people  you  like.  3.   Failure  means  do-­‐over,  not  you  should  

quit.  4.   Don’t  bet  the  farm  (see  3.)  5.   Collabora$on  &  distribu$on  are  essen$al  

keys  to  success.  6.   Quality  &  perfec$onism  are  NOT  the  

same.  

Susan’s  $ps  for  being  an  entrepreneur  in  2010-­‐11  

7.  Authen$city  ma[ers  8.  So  does  passion.  If  you  wouldn’t  do  this  for  

free,  maybe  you  shouldn’t  do  it.  9.  Be  generous  in  spirit.  10.  Sustainability  means  making  $me  for  

yourself.  Really.  

Women  entrepreneurs  that  inspire  me  

1.  Lisa  Williams,  CEO,  Placeblogger.com,  my  former  business  partner  &  dear  friend    

2.  Rashmi  Sinha,  Founder,    Slideshare.net  3.  Tracy  Record,  Editor  &  Founder,  West  SeaLle  Blog,  westseaLleblog.com  4.  Debbie  Galant,  Founder/CEO,  Baristanet.com  5.  Chris=ne  Herron,  Principal,  First  Round  Capital,  chris=ne.net  6.  Aimee  Allison,  Oaklandseen.com,  Oakland  powerhouse  personality  7.  Amy  Gahran,  conten=ous.com,  “Crappy  Cell  Phone”  Queen  

And  some  guys:  8.  David  Cohn,  Spot.us,  crowd-­‐funding  entrepreneur  9.  Craig  Newmark,  local/global  philanthropist  11.  Davey  D,  blogger/radio  personality,  Davey  D’s  Hip  Hop  Corner,    

www.daveyd.com  12.  Kwan  Booth,  OL  co-­‐founder,  poet,  organizer,  media  expert  

It’s  about  what  you  do,  not  what  you  say.  So  get  busy.  And  forget  about  asking  for  permission.  You  won’t  get  it.  

Tell  me  what  YOU  think