Small Web publishers are still struggling to make a profit off "hyperlocal" content.
Consider the trials and tribulations of Backfence, a Web site that relies on its local users to post news about their communities in cities like San Francisco, Chicago and Washington D.C. Backfence, hoping to tap into the new trend of citizen journalism, has found the hyperlocal strategy to be tough going.
What's the problem? Is the content no good? No, analysts say it's a difficult model to begin with, as the potential user base of a small community site is already limited by geographic location.
Given this, hyperlocal sites have a hard time amassing traffic, the currency by which marketers buy advertising.
Advertisers, they say, aren't ready to spend their ad dollars to reach hyper-targeted limited audiences.
"Realistically, it's going to take close to 10 years for the business models to be there, and for there to be enough advertisers willing to give money to hyperlocal startups," said Vin Crosbie, managing partner of Digital Deliverance, a Connecticut media consulting firm. "Backfence's problem is that it was too early.
Source : Washingtonpost.com : la suite de l'article ICI
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