One Month Of Doing Hyperlocal At SR2 Blog
by Josh
SR2 Blog will be three-months-old on January 23. What follows is the analytics breakdown for the last 30 days, from 11 December 2009.
Clearly, inclement weather conditions are a boon for local news publishers (as Louise Bolotin’s week is also testament to). Four out of the five most-visited posts are snow-related, three are genuinely resourceful (something sadly lacking in wider media coverage) and one is un-self-consciously excited.
The post ‘Is your street a gritting priority this winter?‘ was far and away the most-visited of the last month.
The map, detailing 62 pinpoints and attracting 1,334 views on Google Maps, took over two hours to put together, lifting and researching a list of roads published on the council website. This is a process Philip John, with an altruistic eye on hyperlocal, wants to streamline – along with the whole hyperlocal setup.
It’s also worth noting that this post came just days after Roger Green, MD of Newsquest’s digital division no less, said:
“Google Maps or Microsoft Bing Maps are a fantastic idea if six bridges are down in the area or if the plague has hit town, but really [otherwise] what is the point?”
Well, Roger, I’m no information architect, but tell me what’s the more useful and usable: this from the council, or this from SR2 Blog.
Taking the talk to the tags
After three months, the tag cloud paints quite a picture of Sunderland SR2:
The area, particularly Hendon and St. Michael’s ward, has problems with anti-social behaviour. The council know this and the police know this.
I can tell you the SR2 spotlight will be on anti-social behaviour and crime in 2010. As ever, Rick Waghorn joins the dots:
The City Council has a strong policy on anti-social behaviour; it has a ‘Vision for 2025′ to make Sunderland the most ‘liveable city in the UK’.
Therefore, the ‘messages’ contained within this page…
http://www.sunderland.gov.uk/Public/Editable/Themes/Housing/Housing-in-Sunderland/asb-councilrole-homepage.asp
… ought to have a banner ad in it. Here’s the hot-line number to help us crackdown on anti-social behavior, etc…
… and it also ought to be worth £10 a month of any council’s money to deliver that ‘message’ into the precise communities that need it most, in this case the good people on the banks of the Wear that are starting to warm to Josh’s SR2blog.com.
Government attention may be slightly distracted by the small matter of a General Election this new year, but incumbent councils, health departments, police forces etc. would do well to focus – Focus on small; focus on hyperlocal tags; act on the feedback of Resident’s Associations. Take the talk to the tags, as it were.
This year will also see big Government start thinking about the 2011 UK census, where statistics like 36% of 16-74 year olds in a ward having no qualifications [Appendix 1, Concept Document] might look a touch disreputable on a Government that promised focus on ‘education, education, education.‘
So hopefully they’ll cut to the quick and join the dots.
The foothills are in sight
With a second contributor already filing copy, my hope is that I can begin to turn my attention to revenue generating and, in three months time, boast a couple more advertisers pumping their goods and services directly into SR2.
In that time we’ll continue on the right track and keep on learning.
