passionately local
DESCRIPTION
Blogging is an opportunity to reach a worldwide audience, but with Tenth To the Fraser, Briana Tomkinson and her colleagues have narrowed their focus considerably, targeting specifically the city of New Westminster. Being so narrow in focus has opened up a lot of opportunity for them, from being the best source for civic election coverage (visitors skyrocketed that weekend) to connecting with elected officials and other local luminaries, to simply feeling more connected and informed about the community. In highlighting local news on their blog and on Twitter, they are not only raising their profile but also that of the city as a whole. As proud New West boosters, they couldn't ask for more.Presented at the 2009 Northern Voice blogging conference on Feb. 21 in Vancouver, B.C.TRANSCRIPT
Passionately local
Briana Tomkinson
tenthtothefraser.ca
Focus
Why ‘hyper’ local? Hyperlocal made interesting Finding your niche in the media
ecosystem Using Twitter and Facebook to grow
your local audience
About me
About my place
What we do
The Greek Chorus of New WestHelp the ‘audience’ follow the
performanceComment on themesReact to the dramaProvide insight
Why ‘hyperlocal’
Passion for communityA desire to dig in to a placeAn itch to uncover moreA calling to share the results
Everyone blogs from a place. The placeblogger blogs about a place.
Hyperlocal made interesting
Reveal the character of a place Represent diverse perspectives Keep focus narrow Balanced mix of:
Aggregating local informationPublishing original contentRelationship-building
Finding your niche within the media ecosystem
Befriend the local media Extend traditional news coverage
Example: Civic election results Reveal opinions and perspectives that
are missed in mainstream coverage Geek out
Food, schools, politics, shopping
Growing your local audience
The Rewards
Pride of place Local fame Community Knowledge Giving back
That’s it!
Thanks for listening You can find me:
@10thtothefraser or @breeboptenthtothefraser.cafriendfeed.com/breebop