Three items from across the pond this week…

 

Bloggers, writers, and Canadians talk about the changing faces of their neighbourhoods

CBC Books, part of the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation, is asking Canadians “to share their true personal stories about changes in their neighbourhoods and how those changes are affecting them”.  Content is then place on an interactive story map, called “Hyperlocal”.

The site features interviews with a number of hyperlocal bloggers, including who write for  and a number of previous contributors - like  and  - who wrote for the () OpenFile city sites which flourished for a year in Toronto, Vancouver, Calgary, Montreal, Ottawa and Halifax. []

 

Solving the Hyperlocal Puzzle

This is the title of a long, but interesting, in the which tells the story of DNAinfo.com, “two hyperlocal sites staffed with dozens of reporters who cover every nook and many of the crannies in the neighborhoods of and .”

Writer Cary Spivak notes that both sites are growing, the New York site launched in Manhattan in November 2009 and now covers all five New York boroughs. It had 1.44 million unique visitors in November 2012. The most recent Chicago site was reported to have 613,171 in the 30 days prior to March 1, more than double the figure from it’s December launch.

However, it notes: “Though the startup has yet to make a nickel in profit, de Kretser [Leela de Kretser, publisher and editorial director of the sites] boldly predicts it’s only a matter of time until cash begins falling to the bottom line.” []

 

radiuus: Simple Hyperlocal Multi-Location Social Networking

Meanwhile Forbes a new service; . Writer  observes that: “Once you’ve registered you can pick locations and see all of the comments for up to 10 miles around that location (you set the distance using a slider).”

The site promises to allow you to “Follow the locations you care about” as well as the usual hyperbole that you can: “Report what’s happening when you’re out and about, share insider knowledge about places, and post links to the best local content you find on the web - all with the people who want to know.”  

IMHO, it’s the personalisation which is probably most of interest and worth having a look at. []