BuzzMachine
What's happening Around the Web
One of our functions here at the Center is to be "surrogate readers" for Texas community journalists. Keeping up with the fast-changing world of community journalism has never been harder, and community journalism is now the "hot" area in mass communications.
But you have a paper to put out, and a Website to maintain. A few of you may even have a life.
So we'll help you keep up with what folk around the nation are saying about our field — about community journalism specifically and the wider world of newspapers and news Websites in general.
July 30, 2009
-
Check out this new model for community journalism
Shortly after the Ann Arbor News closed, AnnArbor.com went live. The site has an interesting format -- it's rather blog-like -- and it screams hyperlocal. It's definitely worth looking at if you're a community journalist. And on top of the interesting format for news, they've also rethought advertising in a unique way. Check out the articles for more information. The first link, from the Nieman Journalism Lab at Harvard, covers the reasoning behind the sites layout and delves into the ad issue as well. See the other two links for some commentary on the site from Steve Buttry and Jeff Jarvis.
June 24, 2009
-
The Economist proves quality still sells
Jeff Jarvis has an interesting take on new numbers released by The Economist. He says their latest circulation and online audience figures -- which look quite good -- are evidence that people are still willing to pay for a solid product. This may be the niche that community newspapers fall into.
