Related Observation: Growing a Niche Audience

[Justin Kownacki]

Great observations in this story about a niche-based blog that does micro-reporting on a specific geopolitical issue -- in this case, a school district in Dallas. Can the rust belt region benefit -- and even profit -- from this approach?

http://www.beatblogging.org/blog/2008/07/audio-intervi-2.html

[Jim Russell]

A most provocative interview ...

RBB had a brief exchange with Richard Longworth about a launching a publication covering Rust Belt globalization. Dick is skeptical that bloggers can pull this off and to some extent, I agree. Kent Fischer, the reporter who wants to become a full time blogger, does a good job of demonstrating the value of a background in journalism. But Mr. Fischer also indicates that the venture needs a journalist who "gets" blogging and other forms of social media.

I believe RBB has just such an asset in its membership, GlobalErie's Peter Panepento. If there is interest in applying Mr. Fischer's vision to the Rust Belt, then I recommend approaching Peter with the idea. I'll add that I think I have the solution to the business model problem vexing Mr. Fischer.

[Justin Kownacki]

Good points. What's the reason bloggers may not be able to cover Rust Belt globalization? (I would imagine it's a mix of: narrow view + unfamiliarity with standard journalism practices + lack of contacts + lack of a business plan.)

Speaking of -- what's the presumed business plan for Mr. Fischer? Or is that a consulting-only answer? ;)

And: what lessons can each of us apply from Mr. Fischer's successful hyperlocal focus?

[Jim Russell]

I think you have the gist of the problem. Of course, Longworth thinks that most Rust Belt journalists do a lousy job of covering globalization because they don't know enough about it. Bloggers would do a superior job of getting up to speed on the issue (imo, that's what bloggers do best), but most don't know the first thing about proper journalism and I doubt many see that as a barrier (which is an issue in and of itself).

If bloggers want to cover a beat like Fischer does, then they will need to learn the principles of journalism.

Contacts can be cultivated by bloggers. Do most bloggers feel they lack contacts? I got the impression from our Summit in Erie that bloggers desire better access to decision making and/or power brokers. I'm of the opinion that the main problem is knowing which contacts to make in order to write a good story about globalization. Regardless, even journalists struggle to get the necessary quotes from the right sources, which is one reason why Fischer wants to become a full time blogger.

Developing a working business model for any online journalism is the $64,000 question. I've been involved in an online media venture and the margin was nothing to get excited about. Fischer mulls over the advertising angle, but I think the economies of scale needed makes that a bad road to travel.

I'm considering a kind of citizen journalism that produces concrete results in various distressed communities that could generate enough donations to run the show with no or minimal grants. We would need seed funding of some kind, but I imagine sustaining the venture through the kind of online giving described here and here. Advertising revenue might augment the cash flow to keep the project afloat.

Concerning Mr. Fischer's hyperlocal focus ... I didn't pick that up from the interview. The Long Tail story I heard was one of issue, or "beat" to use Fischer's terminology. Your idea is the radical geography, not Fischer's.

[Dan Knauss]

To reply to the initial query: Yes! We are already benefitting from the microbloggers/ serious hyperlocal or regional citizen journalists, often with a pro journalist background. Unfortunately there are too few, and they do not act in as organized and cooperative a manner as they might.

@Jim--your donation/minimal grant solution is not a business model exactly. It is a non-business model and a solution to the problem of organizing only to become yet another for-profit or non-profit...a job for people who have a subtle but fundamental interest in not solving the problems their job supposedly exists to solve, since success would mean failure--the loss of their job. Hence the foot-dragging and insufficiently urgent action, the endless "talking about the issues."

The differently financial motivation in your model would be hoping to avoid having your neighborhood emptied out and bulldozed or reforested as in Youngstown or Buffalo.

In other words, your model is a reinvigorated citizenry and civic participation. People ceasing to assume they cannot "act" beyond voting, yelling, moaning, opining, and generally tugging at "experts'" and "officials'" sleeves to "do something," and doing nothing more themselves that venting though the limited tactics of plebiscitary politics--recalls, referendums, etc. What you have in mind is hard work done for "for free" as a matter of duty and necessity for a politically enfranchised adult living within a putatively free republic.

We have 5 people standing ready to do this in Milwaukee as an emerging "open source think tank." We will see how it goes.

[Jim Russell]

I'm interested in this idea of running an open source think tank. Your approach reminds me of an article about the organization TakingITGlobal. Possible model?

[Dan Knauss]

Open Source Think Tank now soft-launched:

http://www.creamcitizen.org

Non MKE/SEWI people who would like to join and contribute can do so, but please contact me in the directly process so I know. You'll need to work on keeping the topic relevance either general (non-city specific) or relate it to MKE/SEWI in some way. Inter-urban dialogue is good, but CC is aimed at being pretty MKE-specific.

[Peter Panepento]

There are a lot of good models to discuss here. The key is finding enough smart people with the time and follow-through to sustain it -- and then find someone who knows enough about online business to make it economically viable.

I'd actually love to build out GlobalErie more and cover some of these key issues in more depth. My biggest challenge is time. I have a demanding full-time job that pays my bills and children, so when push comes to shove, those things come first. I'm sure a lot of others who are writing in their own cities face the same challenges. That said, I do think there is a great opportunity to create a regional site that looks at globalization and Rust Belt economic issues, but it needs to be smartly planned, executed, and cultivated.

And I'd love to have a deeper discussion about it if others feel that it is worthwhile.

[Jim Russell]

We could have a deeper discussion in October if you could make it to Pittsburgh for PodCamp:

http://podcamppittsburgh.com/

PodCamp will serve as a second meeting of Rust Belt Bloggers.

[Jim Russell]

Knight News Challenge 2008 is now open. We might explore this opportunity further at PodCamp Pittsburgh. Here is the text of the e-mail message:

Hello!

Things have really been chugging along here at the Knight News Challenge 2008, with lots of innovative new outreach coinciding with the contest’s official start. The worldwide contest reopened on September 2nd with another $5 million in funding available for digital media experiments to innovate news and communication before applications close on November 1st.

You Invent It. We Fund It!

The contest is open to community-minded innovators worldwide, from software designers to journalists to citizens and students of any age. Do you have a big idea for informing and inspiring a geographic community using social media, Web 2.0 tools or OpenID? How about exchanging information via video, photos or text messaging? A way to integrate game theory with web browsing to support local community engagement? Come on, push the edge – we’re seeking true innovation!

Winning entries must have three elements:

1) use of a digital media
2) delivery of news or information on a shared basis to
3) a geographically defined community

Entries must be open-source and share the software and knowledge created.

New in 2008: The News Challenge Garage

To support applications this year, Knight has created a new incubator — the News Challenge Garage — where prospective applicants can receive peer reviews and mentoring from screeners and awardees from previous years. To date, over 40 applications are already incubating in the Drupal-based Garage site. A diverse group of developers, online journalists, nonprofit evangelists, video bloggers and social media experts are on hand to coach at garage.newschallenge.org. The 50 mentors are available to coach and guide everyone who enters a project in the Garage. They include Vidoop’s Chris Messina, Spot.us’ David Cohn, Contentious editor Amy Gahran, Placeblogger’s Lisa Williams, Beth Kanter, J.D. Lasica and many other digital media specialists. For a postable video introducing the Garage in a variety of languages, visit DotSub to find out more.

Want to get more involved?

Apply!

Want more info?

The Knight News Challenge is incorporating new media tools to reach out to more diverse communities to spread the word about this year’s Challenge. You can follow us on Twitter, converse on video via Seesmic or chat about application ideas in our FriendFeed room.

Upcoming events: September 9th Webcast

If you’d like to ask questions and learn how to create an application in a more interactive space, Knight will host an online webcast hosted by Gary Kebbel, Journalism Program director for the Knight Foundation with Amy Gahran and Nora Paul, past Knight News Challenge winners, on September 9th, 11:00 a.m. Eastern.

September 9th will also feature a Knight News Challenge meet up in New York City at CUNY School of Journalism from 7-9 pm. For more info see this link: http://www.facebook.com/home.php?#/event.php?eid=41757320632

Background

The John S. and James L. Knight Foundation invests in journalism excellence worldwide and in the vitality of 26 U.S. communities where the Knight brothers owned newspapers. Since 1950, the foundation has granted more than $400 million to advance quality journalism and freedom of expression. The foundation focuses on projects with the potential to create transformational change. For more, visit www.knightfoundation.org.