I’m completely intrigued by the concept of citizen journalism.
Newspapers are dying fast and I think there is a glaring need for hyper-local user-generated news. I have been kicking around the idea with some friends about starting a citizen journalism application for my local community. The problem with any news site is that there has to be a revenue model, and online ad spending isn’t typically enough.
I believe that by providing an unprecedented level of free value for local businesses one could attract enough ad revenue locally to make it work. Yellow Pages don’t work any more…and most mom and pop shops don’t understand Adwords or SEO.
Keep costs low. Don’t print/distribute anything. Build the site with word-of-mouth. Encourage locals to provide good content and convince local businesses to invest in the idea.
Doesn’t sound impossible.