HYPERLOCAL JOURNALISM, MEET BUDDYPRESS
InJersey.com and a new model for citizen journalist engagement
WHO AM I?
• Ted Mann — [email protected] / @turkeymonkey
• Digital Development Director for Gannett NJ
• Administer 164 WordPress MU staff blogs across five Gannett NJ websites: app.com, courierpostonline.com, dailyrecord.com, mycentraljersey.com, and thedailyjournal.com
WHAT IS HYPERLOCAL?
• News or content pertaining to a town or small community.
• Often involves collaboration between veteran journalists and community members or citizen journalists.
Hyperlocal Not Hyperlocal
LOTS OF DIFFERENT MODELS
• Citizen-run
• Professional Journalism
• Pro-Am (hybrid)
• Aggregator
THE BIGGEST CHALLENGE
User-Generated Content
Some of the solutions ....
INJERSEY.COM
• Our simple solution: BuddyPress and Open Registration
OPEN REGISTRATION =OPEN ACCESS
• User profiles, ability to author posts, access to all sites
COACHING CITIZEN JOURNOS WITH BP
• Using PM’s to issue assignment requests and ideas
• Messaging to send feedback and revision requests
• Member profiles to ensure some degree of accountability
10 PLUGINS THAT MAKE BUDDYPRESS BETTER FOR HYPERLOCAL
1. Post Google Map
2. Adminimize
3. FeedWordPress
4. BP Blog Author Profile Link
5. Welcome Pack
6. WP Wall
10 PLUGINS THAT MAKE BUDDYPRESS BETTER FOR HYPERLOCAL
7. Event Calendar
8. TweetMeme
9. Cosmic BP User Signup Password
10. BP-Registration-Options
OTHER COOL HYPERLOCAL TOOLS
• SeeClickFix
• Outside.In
• FlyerBoard
CONTACT INFO
InJersey.com
Ted Mann: [email protected] / @turkeymonkey
Personal Blog: turkeymonkey.com