These hyperlocal sites usually have an extremely small staff which makes it difficult to cover anything more than localized news, or to have a real jazzed up site, but there are some easy ways to make the site more interactive and informative.
To brainstorm ideas for site content I went to different sites and thought “what would make me want to keep coming back to this site?” I got a couple ideas here and there from different sites, and I’ve compiled a list of ways in which a localized news site can improve the quality of their site.
One idea is to have a face to the page. If we’re working with a site that’s dedicated to Connecticut politics, you want to have a person that people will look to to know everything that’s going on in the capital. Videos of this person talking about the issues will really help the site. If let’s say this person does a weekly or so video then people who go to the site will be accustomed to hearing them, and but trust in them. This person is going to have to be knowledgeable, helpful, informed, and take a neutral stance. When someone wants to know about an issue and have it described to them in simple terms they should look to the face of the site for that.
Another idea would be to have small sections of the site that are engaging and fun. Some of these ideas include daily polls and political cartoons.
Making the site more interactive would help to attract the reader’s attention. One way we could do that would be to have weekly polls asking questions. Another way could be having a segment where readers can ask questions they might have on the issues. Some of these questions could then be answered on the site.
Having a small staff means that the site is going to have to be very resourceful and going to have to maximize the possibilities for their content. Citizen journalism would be a great way to do this. To encourage good citizen journalism they could have a contest with prizes for the best articles.
Tina's Thoughts 