Question: What local actions can online newspapers help facilitate?
Backfence, the hyperlocal startup that couldn’t, is closing its doors. Some newspapers continue testing the interactive online-community waters. What’s the big picture here? “Action.” The action-oriented internet. One thing the internet does well is make previously difficult actions much easier. Newspaper-dot-coms haven’t quite clued into this, which is why articles are still the primary way that newspapers publish content online.
There’s a world of local actions that newspapers, with their breadth and depth of information, can facilitate. Right now most newspaper-dot-coms allow you to view articles, photos, video, calendar events and classifieds. You can vote in online polls. You can (probably) comment on articles.
What other actions (probably “local” actions) would suit a newspaper-dot-com?
July 11th, 2007 at 8:48 am
Find a parking spot, find a public transit route, rate and review local businesses…
July 11th, 2007 at 3:34 pm
review products & services (particularly those with advertising accounts). integrate with the BBB and possibly consumer digest and other publications (periodicals).