How can community foundations and other local organizations think about creating hyperlocal sites that truly engage the community, both as participants and as creators and partners? This preso offers some ideas for discussion.

1. New Models for community media
Susan Mernit
Founder, Oaklandlocal.com, Web Strategist, Center for Investigative Reporting, Circuit Rider,
Knight Community Information Challenge

2. New Models for community media
This session is about
 How non-traditional & grassroots organizations & individuals
 Are filling the information gap for local news & discussion
 How these sites are different that what came before
 Things to think about as you work to support and create community
 Information sites that support informed, engaged communities.

3. Twitter: World’s breaking news source
Twitter is our back fence & our tribal drumbeat

4. Local video reaches across the world
We don’t need foreign correspondents anymore

5. News happens—and is shared– in REAL time
Flickr: February 27, Saturday am: Chilean earthquake 8.8, 4:34 am

6. Via search & reputation, news is both grass-
roots & filtered—almost instantaneously

7. Implications to think about for community
media, grassroots
Old media is DYING
Local is now global
Eyewitnesses tell their stories
The foreign correspondent is obsolete
Mobile phones =Information workhorses
But how about the truly local level?

8. There are some problems:
 Local news as we know it is NOT being delivered by
most newspapers
 Citizens often do NOT get the information they need
to make informed decisions on issues and decide if they
want to take action
 Many of the issues that local people care about are
not being adequately discussed—online—and off

9. And some solutions—
New hybrids are emerging that offer
models for community engagement,
storytelling, social change

10. These new sites are often
 Very grassroots
 Blend volunteers & professionals
 Are web and mobile-based
 Non-profit or mission-driven
 Born & bred in their communities
 Potentially transformative
Do you think media is a social change/capacity-building tool
in an informed democracy? I do.

11. Examples
 Oakland Local: New news non-profit with 35 non-profit
community partners
 West Seattle Blog: Definitive local media for West Seattle, WA
 Baristanet: Montclair, NJ community news & advertising
 CityLimits.org “progressive civic lifestyle in New York City”
 The loop: Westchester’s town square
 Chicago Current: Local politics and news
 Deerfield Forum: volunteer news

12. Oakland Local: Case study in community
engagement, partners, volunteering

13. Oaklandlocal.com: Collaborate & Translate

14. Oakland Local Today
 5 months old
 25,000 unique visitors month
 35+ non-profit partners
 Staffed by editor/publisher,
senior producer, senior editor
 15 freelancers
 25 volunteers
 Funded by J-Lab New Voices
Grant, $17,000
 Project of 501c3, Center for
Media Change
 Supported by Harnisch
Foundation, GW Williams
Institute
Mission: Build capacity so diverse
voices will be heard

15. A core staff works with volunteer
writers, editors & partners
Revenue & Entrepreneurship Partners include
 Paid staff works part/time  Ella Baker Center, Bay Localize,
 Volunteers are trained & supported Urban Habitat, EBASE
 Partnerships with local non-profits  New America Media, Center for
 produce blogs, articles, videos, photos  Investigative Reporting, KALW,
  Spot.usraffic, uniques
Emphasis on user guidelines, quality,
 diversity
Cost to date: under $20,000

16. How it is working?
Metrics: Past 30 days
Unique visitors: 26,000
Page views: 77,000
Time on site: 1.47 min average
Bounce: 48%
Geographic locations: Oakland, San Francisco
Social media data:
Twitter: 1,000 + followers
Facebook: 2,350 fans
Use flickr, vimeo, Youtube, etc.
Funders:
J-Lab, Harnisch Foundation, Renaissance Institute, G.W. Williams
Institute
 Most trafficked independent news destination in East
Bay
 Live meet-ups average 25-40 attendees
 Will sell sponsorships & advertising in Q 2

17. Oakland Local Approach
 Focus on community
relationships & partners
 Blend of grassroots &
quality reporting
 Collaboration-focused
 Teach skills to partners
 Allow wide range of views
 Issue, not place-driven
 Integral roles for local orgs
& volunteers
 Updates daily, translates

18. What have we learned about
community & volunteers?
 Doing with, not for
 Everyone is a partner
 We aim to serve
 Face to face
relationships
 Wide range of views
 Volunteers have
different motives
 Maintain being
inclusive
 Respectful

19. A trend toward community media
 As news sites falter, a new model emerges
 Community foundations are NATURAL partners
 Advocacy groups can use your platform, but you
are NOT an advocacy group
 Focus on issues not neighborhoods
 Be lean
 Be wary of third party vendors—and consultants
 Engage and empower community
 Plan, plan, plan—but execute as well
Build a platform for independent voices
to be heard, issues examined

20. Issues & Challenges
 Do you need a separate organization?
 How do you staff this?
 Who enforces standards?
 What is a community manager and where do I
get one?
 What is open source & why do I have to care?
 How do I measure impact?
 How do I set goals?
 How do I focus the effort?
 What does starting small look like?
 How do we get training & support?
 What does being a translator & connector
mean?
You CAN do this—and it will make a big difference
when you do

21. Putting new models to work
Work with Knight Circuit Riders: Resources dedicated to your projects
Attend Knight Boot Camp. USC, March 2010: Working sessions to build skills,
planning
Create cohort groups & working teams across grantee pool to address
problems, questions via private groups, monthly or quarterly calls and
webinars
Connect with local hyperlocal information community: Build a “media map” or
audit of news & information players in your area—where can your project
facilitate discussion, taking action?
Build something for everyone: Engage people of color and low-income
communities in the conversation at the start
Set goals and measure—but plan for success—small, incremental steps are
better than one big bang

22. Oakland Local loves to share community
strategies
Keep in touch
Twitter:
Susanmernit
Email: susan@oaklandlocal.com
Site: oaklandlocal.com