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Brockley Central: A hyperlocal media case study
Brockley Central is a hyperlocal blog and online community covering Brockley, London that was founded in 2007, currently receives around 2,500 daily visits and has over 4,600 Facebook followers. The blog provides local news, information and discussion on topics relevant to the Brockley area and surrounding neighborhoods, and has had real-world impact by helping local businesses, influencing council policy, and building community.
Brockley Central: A hyperlocal media case study
- 1. Welcome to Brockley Central South East London’s biggest and most active hyperlocal community February 7th, 2013 Brockleycentral.blogspot.com
- 2. A social mediaecosystem of scale 4,000 articles 2,500+ visits a 4600+ followers 1600+ 120+ day likes followers Founded SE4 Pop. 2007 65 25,000 Covering Brockley (SE4) and surrounding areas
- 3. BC’s vital statistics 600,000 3min, 33 secs 2,114,000 Unique visitors Av. visit time Total visits 24,206 104,000 4,540,000 Most daily visits Comments Total page views 09.08.11 1 editor Ldn riots 4 authors Traffic numbers via Google Analytics Jun 10, 2007 – Feb 6, 2013
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- 5. Top tens in2012 Traffic sources Most read 1. Google 1. Tradespeople 2. Facebook 2. Brockley on the Map 3. Twitter 3. Classifieds 4. Bing 4. Reviews 5. Deptford Dame 5. Lewisham 6. Crossfields 6. Flatshare 7. Southeastcentral 7. Photos 8. Se23 8. Aladdin's Cave 9. The Guardian 9. Recommended Places 10. 853blog 10. Childcare
- 6. A sister forumto broaden debate 2991 discussions 13,286 messages 2180 members 600+ visits a day 1700+ followers Founded Local pop. 2011 700,000+ Covering Southwark, Lewisham and Greenwich
- 7. A combined dailyreach of 11,000+ With admittedly plenty of overlap between populations
- 8. Brockley Central demographics Skews Young adult female bias A snapshot of 1600 Facebook followers in February 2013
- 9. Wider influence Content aggregatedon… Regular name-checks on… Deptford Part of a local blog network New Cross Charlton Forest Hill
- 10. Real-world impact Local recruitment El’s Kitchen gets its staff from BC New customers Chinwag café within hours of first article Council policy change High street improvements implemented Improved public discourse Council debate about recycling services Replenished volunteer groups50+ local groups helped Campaign mobilisation The Rivoli Ballroom saved New ideas Brockley Market tested with BCers Friendships 100+ at regular BC drinks Fundraising Brockley MAX arts festival New residents Main research tool for newcomers “Thank you for highlighting the beginners Nordic Walking sessions on Brockley Central in early January! There has been a huge amount of interest since, so much so that both Jan and Mar courses are fully booked and with waiting lists.” - Laura, Brockley Nordic Walking, February 5th, 2013
- 11. Advice Post regularly and often Have a liberal comment policy, but kill spam Be generous with links and attributions Embrace social media – Twitter especially Be fair to your subjects and your community Develop a sense of humour Write about small stuff as well as big Break stories
- 12. Further reading Brockleycentral.blogspot.com Southeastcentral.co.uk @brockleycentral About.me/Nick.Barron