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City daily sets up new hyperlocal partnership

The Birmingham Mail has launched a new partnership with hyperlocal websites across the area in what is claimed to be a first for the regional press.

It has launched the project to link up the newspaper with the growing community of bloggers and websites which focus on specific areas of its patch.

The paper has set up the Birmingham Mail Communities with 34 hyperlocal sections on its website, providing readers with multimedia news and information from their local area.

In addition, the website will feature links to 25 existing hyperlocal websites which have agreed to a partnership with the Mail, including Digbeth is Good, The Lichfield Blog and Bournville Village.

The move means those running the sites around the city agree for their content to be used by the Trinity Mirror title, in print and online, correctly credited and with links back to their site.

In return, RSS fees from the hyperlocal sites will appear prominently within the Mail’s communities section and the paper will make relevant photos available to the sites taking part.

Birmingham Mail editor David Brookes said: “This is a truly innovative hyperlocal partnership and the response we have had so far has been fantastic.

“Many hyperlocal sites want to promote their area of Birmingham and we’re confident we can help them with that, and at the same time develop a relationship which is beneficial to both sides, and ultimately, and most importantly the residents of Birmingham.”

Participating sites will also have a say in how a proportion of the Birmingham Mail Charitable Trust’s donations are spent and be involved in communities workshops held four times a year.

The project was set up after consulting a number of respected authorities on hyperlocal sites in the city, including Talk About Local founder William Perrin and journalism lecturer Paul Bradshaw.

Comments

All Subbed Out (13/08/2010 12:54:46)
What a perfect partnership. Multimedia groups which haven’t a clue about local newspapers (slashing staff, closing offices, axing editions etc) teaming up with untrained amateurs looking for new platforms for their uncorrected, unchallenged, partisan ramblings.

All subbed out (13/08/2010 13:55:03)
All Subbed Out. Take a breath, relax, this is actually very innovative and the way forward for newspapers to connect with hyperlocals. It’s a changing industry. Maybe you should keep up!!

Nicky Getgood (13/08/2010 14:18:22)
Hi All Subbed Out
I fully admit to being an untrained amateur and I see this as no bad thing – I devote my time to http://digbeth.org because I’m passionate about the area.
I’m not mad and I’d like to think none of the authors on the website are prone to ‘partisan ramblings’ – if we were then I doubt people would bother reading or responding to our words!
The posts on Digbeth is Good do not go uncorrected or unchallenged. If there’s a mistake on the site I soon know about it because I make sure I’m very easy to reach and I listen, respond and adjust accordingly.
Do get in touch if you’d like to chat about this further:
http://talkaboutlocal.org.uk/contact/

Stuart Harrison (13/08/2010 15:36:29)
“Uncorrected, unchallenged, partisan ramblings”? You could be talking about most of the mainstream national dailies there!

Nigel Barlow (13/08/2010 15:57:07)
So the innovation of journalism is the local media getting content for free replacingand the bloggers getting a say in how Trinity Mirror distributes its profits to charity in return for a bigger platform?
Nicky-I worry about the Talk about Local platform if its objective is to integrate with established media and would be happy to discuss my fears about this strategic step

The Lichfield Blog (16/08/2010 09:15:21)
@ All Subbed Out – surely a good sub should get the facts right? The Lichfield Blog isn’t run by an ‘untrained amateur’. Perhaps that’s why you’re all subbed out?!
I can’t speak for Talk About Local’s involvement in this, but from a personal point of view this is a link-up we were happy to take part in. We don’t lose anything from it and it makes no difference to the role we want to play in our community. In terms of a “strategic step”, Talk About Local was consulted on the deal but hyperlocals don’t operate as some sort of union where we all do as we’re told. Sites have the opportunity to join in or not (some haven’t and that’s their choice).
And speaking as a journalist who has hopped over the hyperlocal fence, I think part of the problem is the general snobbery that exists (see All Subbed Out’s ill-informed comments). I’ve subbed worse copy from fully-trained amateurs at times than some of our contributors.
Obviously there’s an industry and jobs to protect – and I understand that better than most – but many hyperlocals only spring up because their areas aren’t getting the coverage they deserve as publishers cut back. A number of us aren’t in it for money – after all, who gets into journalism for money?! And if newspaper publishers are unable to afford to staff outposts where a hyperlocal site exists, surely giving their readers access to a new market only adds to their product and does something to protect what jobs are left?
Yes, ideally it’d be lovely to see a team of reporters in every town and village, but this isn’t an ideal world and the industry has to work with what it has.

Paul Lewin (16/08/2010 12:07:03)
Think some of the comments about the local sites are unfair. They are well put together and have a level of contact with local communities that the paper lacks. However, can’t really see what they get out of this deal. Their positioning on a relatively obscure part of the TM web site isn’t going to generage much click through but might generate some mileage in SEO terms. Any boost to traffic from this will probably be undermined by their content being published in the paper and therefore not being news to many readers. The occasional mention of the URL at the end of an articule won’t boost traffic much. Also many pictures are probably going to be from agencies who won’t allow reuse. Trinity seem to be getting much the best end of this deal. Their paper’s feel for local matters will get better and they have effectively made potential online competition a subsidiary.

The Lichfield Blog (16/08/2010 17:21:48)
The other point which seems to have been missed is that Trinity Mirror could have taken an RSS feed without anything whatsoever in return.