Web magazines add a local perspective

Local papers have arguably never recovered from the influx of freesheets over the past few years. Sales of paid-for papers dropped, advertising revenue was reduced and the standard of journalism fell, with a few exceptions.

Yet community magazines have become something of a cottage industry. A company called Mymag claims to be responsible for the launch of 700, bundling news with a local business directory.

Many are run from home, and with an average circulation of 2,500 they have a combined circulation of nearly two million.

Mymag was founded by Nigel Botterill after he realised that a viable business model could be built around a community magazine run by his wife Sue. Now they have moved the idea to the web, with a company called Thebestof.

The idea is that the company franchises out areas to local people who provide content and sell advertising space to local businesses. Posting ads and other content is done via a blog-type web interface.

Botterill says his company will buy paid-for Google slots to ensure anyone searching for any business listed in a franchise area will get a front-page listing. It will also buy in optimisation expertise. ‘Many small businesses think that it is enough to stick up a website. Then they wonder why they don’t get a hit.’

Thebestof is only one of many attempts to localise the web, but it does represent more competition for local papers. Whether it improves local journalism remains to be seen.

1 http://thebestof.co.uk

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