The term hyperlocal can be used as a noun in isolation or as a modifier of some other term (e.g. news). It connotes having the character of being oriented around a well defined, community scale area with primary focus being directed towards the concerns of its residents. When used in isolation it refers to the emergent ecology of data (including textual content), aggregators, publication mechanism and user interactions and behaviours which centre on a resident of a location and the business of being a resident. Use of the term originated in 1991, in reference to local television news content.[1]
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Hyperlocal content, often referred to as hyperlocal news, is characterized by three major elements. First, it refers to entities and events that are located within a well defined, community scale area. Secondly, it is intended primarily for consumption by residents of that area. Thirdly, it is created by a resident of the location (but this last point is discussed because for example a photo can be hyperlocal but not locally produced).
This type of content should be contrasted with local news which tends to be less geographically constrained.
There are other types of data which have local or hyperlocal relevance, or be of interest to residents - e.g. a government statistic on crime rates in one's neighborhood. Such data, while relevant to residents are of a qualitatively different type.
Hyperlocal sites can focus on very specialized topics—stories and issues of interest only to people in a very limited area. So, for example, school board meetings, restaurant, community group meeting and garage sales can receive prominent coverage. Forumhome.org, for example, focus on issues likely of interest only to the few thousand residents of the small New Hampshire towns it serves. Hyperlocal sites may also focus on particular issues. For example, NewWest.net focus on issues relating to balancing economic development and environmental concerns in quickly growing towns in the Rocky Mountain West such as Boulder, Colo., and Bozeman, Mont (see Exhibit 4.3). “Our core mission is to serve the Rockies with innovative, particularly journalism and to promote conversation that help us understand and make the most of the dramatic changes sweeping our region,” the site notes. Much of the content on NewWest.net comes from freelancers and citizen contributors.
Many of the best known hyperlocal sites have sprung up independently, but larger media companies are increasingly interested in the concept as well. The largest hyperlocal network of sites is run by Patch Media, a subsidiary of AOL. Another model for a national company running hyperlocal sites is franchising, such as is being done by 2010 startup Main Street Connect.[2][3]
The Gannett newspaper chain is also making a commitment to developing hyperlocal sites. Rob Curley, who has been called the “hyperlocal guru” for his previous work in Lawrence, Kan., and Naples, Fla., joined washingtonpost.com in part to develop hyperlocal sites for that paper. The first Curley-led washingtonpost.com effort focuses on Loudoun County, a fast-growing suburb in Northern Virginia.
These hyperlocal sites will include detailed searchable community events calendars and restaurant information, a complete listing of churches (including 360-degree inside views and recordings of sermons) and police blotter information updated every day. “Knocked down mailboxes will be newsworthy,” Curley promises. “What we’re doing is taking the local and treating it like it’s the superstar.” Others at washingtonpost.com have high hopes for the hyperlocal sites. “It's a big effort,” says managing editor Jim BRADY. “When you take our daily traffic and combine it with Rob Curley’s expertise—if it can’t work here, it can’t work anywhere.”
Some journalists, not surprisingly, are skeptical of the hyperlocal movement’s focus on the often mundane information of daily life. Hyperlocal “has the potential to trivialize a media organization’s brand and further saturate news sites with myopic local (and frequently unedited) content, perhaps at the expense of foreign and national reporting,” said article in American Journalism Review. Still, media companies are searching for new ways to reach audiences with content that interest them, and hyperlocal definitely holds that potential. The BBC’s Van Klaveren says journalistic organizations need to embrace both the so-called “big-J Journalism” and the hyperlocal: “We need to move beyond news to information.” [4]
For large corporate enterprises, niche audiences are often the domain of small businesses. As corporate structures optimize their efforts through standardization, tapping into hyperlocal markets is often challenging and not cost effective. However, with the growth of niche communities, corporations are accelerating their efforts to penetrate local markets.[5]
Targeting local markets involves either shedding or leveraging corporate identity:
While there are various ways in which hyperlocal content is being created and published, blogs have become a key part of the hyperlocal ecology. Their basic roles evident in the space include individual blogs, blog networks, and aggregators.
Wikis have also played a role. In April 2010, the Wahoo Newspaper partnered with WikiCity Guides to extend its audience and local reach. “With this partnership, the Wahoo Newspaper provides a useful tool to connect with our readers, and for our readers to connect with one another to promote and spotlight everything Wahoo has to offer,” said Wahoo Newspaper Publisher Shon Barenklau.[7]
Some others initiatives are made for this purpose in the USA by the company Marchex, and in FRANCE by the network ProXiti. They are developing networks of thousands hyperlocal news sites like www.10282.net (Manhattan 212) or www.75016.info (paris 16eme arrondissement).
In response to the burgeoning number of hyperlocal news sites in New Jersey, The Citizens Campaign founded the Hyperlocal News Association (HNA). The HNA works to foster and encourage growth of new hyperlocal sites across the state.