20 Comments Add your own

• 1. Joe  |  April 19th, 2007 at 10:59 am

  Unfortunately, they may experience some URL confusion with the website for Tri-Blo-Cal, a common dieting supplement.

• 2. A newspaper guy  |  April 19th, 2007 at 11:10 am

  As a newspaper guy, I realize we must embrace the Web and all of its trends (e.g. Web 2.0) or else we’ll end up irrelevant. But I’ve got a real problem with the rise of this “hyperlocal” approach. First of all, anything with the word “hyper” in it can’t be good. In all seriousness, though, am I the only one who doens’t care for the idea of these things being unedited? I just glanced at another newspaper site that’s doing the same thing as the Trib, and they’ve got a disclaimer that states the paper has not verified the information being presented. I think there’s a real danger in presenting these sites as news or as having some connection to a paper’s newsgathering efforts.

  The print editions of my paper have sections where we use reader-submitted items, but they are edited to read like newspaper copy, although I admit we don’t fact check everything. I admit, these Web tools will probably prove useful in helping papers connect with communities. But I’d hate to think that management will have reporters reacting to things being anonymously posted on these hyperlocal sites. A lot of reporters could end up spending a lot of time chasing after a whole lot of nothing.

• 3. The Tony  |  April 19th, 2007 at 11:10 am

  I think “Web 2.0″ is in danger of jumping the shark…

  …too many outlets/desperate stabs dedicated to Giving People a Voice (TM), and the “next big thing” only lasts a few moments before being replaced by something else.

  The fickle and transient nature of this current generation of Viewsers (ha) isn’t going to make it easy for any local station or newspaper or website or whatever to hold interest very long.

  Now that everyone’s running to grab a slice of that sweet web pie…the next big grumble-fest on the horizon, after we get past the whole “Ugh, we have to change the way we do things and care about the INTERNET?!” thing, is that these aren’t nearly as “permanent” feeling as Old Media.

  As with networks wondering why ratings are lower in the face of great competition from cable and the Internets, all of these jerks jumping on the Web 2.0 Gold Rush are going to be pretty salty about having to fight hard for a tiny, hopefully-loyal niche audience before it disappears for no apparent reason and they have to reinvent themselves yet again.

• 4. David Johnson  |  April 19th, 2007 at 2:00 pm

  the real key to web 2.0 is not so much about giving people a voice, but taking a service oriented approach to the web. in journalism, web 2.0 type services tend to focus on user contributed content applications and social platforms. the idea is boiled down basically like web 1.0 is a home page i built in front page and updated, in web 2.0 i used blog sofware as a content service to make my site more engaging. mapquest vs. google earth, ecommerce music stores vs itunes or rhapsody, shovelware vs. conversationalware. it isn’t jumping any sharks, but a philosophy that is here to stay and will be built upon as we get more engaging and have more tools to offer.

• 5. The Tony  |  April 20th, 2007 at 10:47 am

  I’ve had a blog for years, and I’ve been using the same Web.

  The point is, I think web users might check something like this out and maybe some will enjoy using it for a while…

  …but sooner than later, they’ll move on.

  Aren’t we tech-savvy, progress-minded people supposed to be looking ahead and moving onto the next big thing?

  Isn’t moving on what Lost Remote is about?

  Giving people a voice is great, but when every site is doing it or something like it…won’t people eventually get tired of it, just like they did with the “information-based” Web or the “crappy Flash-based game” Web or the “stealing music for free” Web?

  And another thing’s for sure…if something DOES become popular, it isn’t going to be some big, corporate initiative.

  It’ll be made popular by people out of nowhere, and someone bigger and richer will come along, suck the soul out of it and ruin it.

  With Tri Blo Cal, Tribune’s just skipping the middle man and offering something sterile and soulless.

• 6. Kyle  |  April 20th, 2007 at 1:46 pm

  Please don’t dismiss this comment because I am the Managing editor of Triblocal.com. You all may be overthinking this. As somone who has been trying to bring news to smaller communities for two decades this is exciting because it enables us to both deliver professional journalism and publish items our consumers want to read and talk about. It is a town square. New technology-old idea.
  Souless? Only if we and our community are souless. Sterile, I don’t think so. we want to be alive. The leadership we provide on the site will be the key to highlighting or NOT highlighting certain items but we won’t say “you are not good enough to even post.”

• 7. joe  |  April 23rd, 2007 at 5:59 pm

  citizen journalism is a fascinating concept. It’s surely going to do heavy damage to all established journalism entities currently. But, should we be afraid? UK came out with a bleak report on the future of the world… one of the comments being “declining quality of journalism throughout the world”. Are sites like this going to only speed up that process? Or is cheaper, more abundant news without boundaries a better solution?

• 8. Kyle  |  April 24th, 2007 at 12:28 pm

  Great question Joe. My answer is: I don’t know. We will see. As long as Journalists provide leadership these site can flourish. We do not call our contributors “citizen Journalists because what they are doing is not journalism. They are telling stories and posting photos…in other words contributing to a site that also has serious journalism.

• 9. Dave  |  April 25th, 2007 at 1:28 pm

  Couple of comments on all this. First about the word ‘hyperlocal’. Call these products what you want, thats not the point. The point is that people with similar interests, small towns, school districts, ethnic groups, you name it, are now able to connect with each other and share their thoughts in words and pictures. Second, it is the top media companies like the tribune that will provide the journalism and editorial ‘wrapper’ that will ensure high quality content. Every little town in the country should have their own web and print products that contain less about wars and such, and more about every day happenings of special interst to them. What the Tribune is doing with Triblocal will be a model.

• 10. P  |  May 18th, 2007 at 11:02 am

  Too bad they are a month behind the Sun-Times Neighborhoodcircle.com

• 11. P  |  May 18th, 2007 at 11:02 am

  Too bad they are a month behind the Sun-Times Neighborhoodcircle

• 12. Kyle  |  May 22nd, 2007 at 12:18 pm

  P–compare the two. What do you like about each, what do you dislike? I am with triblocal are you a part of STNG?

• 13. Kyle  |  August 16th, 2007 at 11:08 am

  Triblocal launched the print version of the web site today!

• 14. R.A. Bartlett  |  August 21st, 2007 at 4:09 pm

  How many professional journalists work behind the scenes at these sites/publications? I’ve read four reporters help cover the news, shooting their own photos, etc. How many editors serve as watchdogs? How many copy editors, designers, Web producers are behind it as well? What about quality standards - lower than the Trib’s suburban zones? I guess I would be concerned about the professionalism and integrity of the publications. I also wonder whether it will serve as a financial model if the costs of all contributing to its production are not included in a P&L statement.

• 15. Kyle  |  August 24th, 2007 at 7:53 am

  There are four reporter/editors and one managing editor. technology is eliminating designers and the publication as highly templated. reporters will do less reporting as contributions from citizens increase. They are in charge of editing and fact checking contributor content before ity is published. Technology has made it so fewer behind the scenes people are needed.
  Quality standards are the same BUT story selection is vastly different. This is hyperlocal content that people determine THEY want to read not “Bleeds it leads” journalism or meeting coverage.
  Cost control is the key to making this work.

• 16. R.A. Bartlett  |  August 27th, 2007 at 3:06 pm

  Kyle: You say the publications focus on content that readers - THEY - want to read. How do you know that? Do readers truly want to read whatever someone bothers to post online? And, frankly, I see primarily staff-written stories. Much of what I see posted are press releases. You seem to criticize police reporting and meeting coverage as not being hyperlocal. Editors of small dailies and weeklies would argue that point, I believe. So, where do these suburban residents who care about what’s happening in your neighborhoods or zoning/tax issues in their community go for that information? I understand doing this project as cheaply as possible is good for Trib business, but is it truly good for the communities’ residents? Or are these new publications simply glorified shoppers, designed primarily as advertising products and reliant on free copy rather than professional community journalism? If they are just gussied-up shoppers, which for decades have relied on reader submissions and press releases, let’s say that. Finally, if we’re relying on residents to write stories and take photos, the quality standards simply cannot be the same as the Trib’s suburban zones that relied on professional reporters and photojournalists.

• 17. Kyle  |  August 30th, 2007 at 7:34 am

  Stories that are posted on the site and read extensively can be viewed as stories people want to read and stories people take the time to post even thought they are not getting paid to do so should be highlighted. You make a good point about zoning and tax issues if they want to write that story they would go the same place a reporter would go BUT those are the stories that populate community newspaper sand circulation is declining…think about it. Are journalists really giving readers what the readers want? These publications are not supposed to be the tribune’s suburban zones…they don’t need to be. Why duplicate that? We are MUCH more local. As far as the question is this god for the community we will see. If the community sees value and contributes it will become valuable.

• 18. R.A. Bartlett  |  September 4th, 2007 at 6:32 am

  How do you define “read extensively”? And, be honest, how many reader stories - not press releases - are you publishing each week? How many hits qualifies as “read extensively?” Would you publish a story about taxes that a reader provides in story form, rather than letter to the editor, even if it represents only one side of the debate?

  Frankly, I have no problem with the concept of Web-to-print or even Triblocal. I think it’s a disservice to journalists, however, to call it a community newspaper. It’s a shopper, designed to provide advertisers with a new option and based on minimal editorial costs. If the content were truly what people wanted to read, you could charge a subscription fee - but we all know that’s not the model of a shopper. Shoppers have long called themselves newspapers; now metros are repackaging them with similar (lack of) quality standards and doing the same thing.

• 19. Kyle  |  September 5th, 2007 at 2:35 pm

  All newspapers are designed to provide advertisers options. If you don’t believe and understand that you are naive. Newspapers were NOT created with great ideals in mind. The great newspapermen and woman had ideals and ethics but they were out to make money and gain power. The Tribune’s own history includes getting the Republican party into power. Then of, course there is the Hearst empire.

  The history of newspapers is actually more sordid than spectacular. Anyway, Triblocal will evolve into what the people who use it want it to be.

  Right now (4th issue out This week) we are publishing one to four “stories” from citizens. These are mostly human interest. The rest are press releases, events from organizations and then stories written by our staff. We are seeing more and more people posting a variety of content.

  Who is to say press releases and events are less news than a school board meeting no one attends anyway. Perhaps the idea of what news is needs to change.

  We certainly should not be “nattering nabobs of negativity”

• 20. Kyle  |  March 20th, 2008 at 9:06 am

  Two more reverse published newspapers launched today! More web sites in April! Don’t change that dial….stay tuned

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