Comments on: Community surgery: how to tackle the problems that could kill your blog

By: Aardvark

Aardvark — Fri, 30 Jul 2010 21:38:13 +0000

One thing that can ruin a blog or forum in my view is people typing puerile nonsense, claptrap or baloney. One of the best antidotes are plenty of active members who can crowd out any infantile, racist or vandal elements. My own local community website is the eastdulwichforum which has been running for years and now has some 50000 regular participants. I use it mostly for buying and selling furniture and gettig recommendation for tradesmen but there are a vast
number of ways it is used. Check it out for inspiration.

By: How City Gov’ts Can Improve Online Participation

How City Gov’ts Can Improve Online Participation — Mon, 26 Jul 2010 22:37:54 +0000

[...] piece on the UK blog “Talk About Local” entitled “Community surgery: how to tackle the problems that could kill your [...]

By: It’s not just a web site, it’s a community â€” Journal Local

It’s not just a web site, it’s a community â€” Journal Local — Mon, 26 Jul 2010 11:57:17 +0000

[...] at Talk About Local, Clare White has written some great tips on managing the online community that inevitably rises up around a hyperlocal web site. Highlights including dealing with ‘idiots’, dealing with being ‘too small’ [...]

By: Hyperlokale Blogs – Probleme und LÃ¶sungen beim Aufbau einer Community « Hyperlokaler Journalismus

Thu, 01 Apr 2010 09:14:43 +0000

[...] was ein Blog ist und mÃ¶glicherweise seine eigene kleine Community aufziehen will, sollte sich mit diesem Beitrag vertraut machen. Manche der folgend genannten Probleme greife ich auch in meiner Bachelorarbeit zum [...]

By: Clare

Clare — Wed, 31 Mar 2010 07:46:26 +0000

Martin and Jon – both good points, thank you! I will add them in if anyone else has any thoughts.
In response to the first one – when I was setting up an alternative news source I had lots of people telling me it would be great, was just what was needed; also a lot of dire threats that the competition would try to crush me. I think when you’re working hyperlocally you can slip in under the radar; in the end I knew the big paper was finding mine useful because they could pick up stories they wouldn’t otherwise have known about. This is easier to be relaxed about if you’re not trying to sell advertising space, of course.
The USP is normally whether you are really working in an underserved market. In my area, although we have bigger media outlets, they don’t have the capacity to cover the high street or give a voice to small community groups and traders. You typed places into Google and got nothing but historical references and court reports. In other small towns, I know there are several publications and now websites. If there was a publication already serving that patch, but perhaps it had a gap (like it addressed only people over 60, say), then I might seriously think about approaching them about a collaboration before going it alone.
On Jon’s point, I know exactly what you mean. The enthusiastic blogger or ex journalist goes at a group with a carefully thought-out vision and demands to know what they can contribute, what they think, *what the truth is*… and then gets blank looks. Perhaps try and put your blog to one side (the unfamiliar terminology often puts people off, but they won’t admit it). I once tried asking a group of shy young people to say one by one what makes them angry. Then, when everyone’s worked themselves up ask them what they love about the local area. I think it’s a good conversation starter with any group. You can just listen and take notes (if you’re like me and probably a lot of other bloggers, the temptation is to jump in and say your view and this can also inhibit people, as a lot of people don’t like to feel they’re in a debate).
I think you’re on the right track with the video you’ve made (http://thoroughlygood.wordpress.com/2010/03/28/hither-green-hall/) and blog post about community. You kick off asking lots of questions and you’re probing for something ‘big’ and coherent, but actually it’s clear from the answers and the interview that people are happy to talk about what they’re doing, why they enjoy it and what they like about their community. There’s no big story there, it’s just people making pizza. This is the stuff that most people really enjoy and care about and seeing it on your blog might entice someone who feels scared to go outside into the community centre and become a volunteer themselves. So you’re making connections and bringing something previously hidden, because the mainstream media can’t turn it into a pithy two minute news package, into the open. I think that’s exactly what hyperlocal blogging’s value is.

By: Jon

Jon — Thu, 25 Mar 2010 21:46:21 +0000

I’m just not entirely sure how to get conversation started .. I’m wondering whether I’m a bit too heavy handed. Got any tips about that?

By: Martin

Martin — Thu, 25 Mar 2010 13:07:59 +0000

Another thing that can kill your blog might be vested interests who, for example, run local magazines that they deem successful (every household gets a copy and advertising revenue covers costs or more [tho delivery is usually via volunteers]) and feel threatened by a real time news source when they have a stable market offering a monthly/quarterly service. They will have captured content over a period of time from trusting correspondents, and will regard this as exclusive. Recipients of the magazines will either read them or not, but the universal service argument will ring true.

So what is the USP to sell a local website/blog into this market?

By: The Problems of a Growing Community (Blog) : HyperlocalBlogger

The Problems of a Growing Community (Blog) : HyperlocalBlogger — Thu, 25 Mar 2010 05:15:27 +0000

[...] of problems; Clare also covers some possible solutions for each. Here’s the full article: Community surgery: how to tackle the problems that could kill your blog. Please share [...]

By: Tweets that mention Community surgery: how to tackle the problems that could kill your blog | Talk About Local -- Topsy.com

Wed, 24 Mar 2010 09:17:16 +0000

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By: uberVU - social comments

uberVU - social comments — Wed, 24 Mar 2010 08:24:46 +0000

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