Thinking small internet's next big thing

Hyper-local, or community-based, online publishing has been tipped as one of the next big internet trends. Photo / Supplied

The founders of a new website that dishes up city-specific New Zealand news and information say they are tapping into a growing international demand for "hyper-local" web content.

Shane Redlick and Andrew Ross launched their Locally Informed portal this week with the aim of serving up local content from 11 cities and regions based on where site visitors live.

Hyper-local, or community-based, online publishing has been tipped as one of the next big internet trends, as web users look to become more connected with their community.

The model is also seen as a way for businesses to advertise to their local customer base more effectively.

Despite the expected growth in hyper-local publishing, the Hawkes Bay pair admit that some of the concepts behind Locally Informed are new and they are uncertain how successful it will be as a business venture.

The site uses technology developed by Redlick which searches the web for news, blogs and information posted on other sites that are specific to a city or region.

Data being automatically fed into Locally Informed includes Twitter messages from local users and Air New Zealand Grab-a-Seat deals to and from local airports.

The site also encourages and relies on "citizen journalism" by allowing visitors to post their own articles and photographs, and comment on other entries.

Content is moderated by 12 "community editors" appointed by Redlick and Ross.

Registered users can customise the way local information is presented when they log in.

Rather than chasing display advertising revenue, they plan to generate income through a "marketplace" on the site where users pay to list classified ads relevant to their location.

Editors and users who post well-read items receive tradable site credits that can be used in the marketplace and the founders also plan to develop a revenue-share scheme to reward those making popular contributions.

Locally Informed is initially targeting Northland, Auckland, Manukau, Hamilton, Taupo, Napier, Hastings, Lower Hutt, Wellington, Christchurch and Dunedin. Redlick says the intention is to produce more suburb-focused, rather than whole-of-city focused content as interest grows.

In 2005 Redlick, a Canadian, established a hyper-local online news portal in northern British Columbia before moving to New Zealand. The Canadian site, Opinion 250 News, now receives up to six million page views a month.

"The experience of Opinion 250 formed the starting point for Locally Informed. There's a lot of news out there and our focus is on location [with the aim being] that if it's happening around you, you can find out about it," Redlick says.

The marketplace aspect of Locally Informed, meanwhile, used another increasingly popular web model, "crowdsourcing", to match demand for products and services with those who could provide them locally.

Ross, who invested in Locally Informed after selling his Napier-based software firm to New York Stock Exchange-listed network management software company SolarWinds, says the aim is to build a sense of community through the site.

WEB TRENDS

Hyper-local news and content: While the worldwide web has brought almost unlimited information to anyone with internet access, hyper-local publishing seeks to cash in on a growing demand from web users for information specifically about and relevant to their local neighbourhood or community. This typically includes a strong element of user-generated content, including "citizen journalism" and interaction between members of the community. Hyper-local publishing can provide an effective, targeted advertising opportunity for small, neighbourhood businesses.

Crowdsourcing: The internet has enabled mass collaboration, and crowdsourcing is the notion of asking an online community to carry out a task, or parts of tasks. Examples range from websites which post requests for the delivery of complex scientific research, through to stock photography websites which pay contributors a percentage of the sale price whenever one of their images is sold.

* Simon Hendery is a Locally Informed community editor.

ON THE WEB
www.LocallyInformed.co.nz