A new venture?

You have any idea how hard it is to hit the target WITHOUT pulling the trigger?

IMPOSSIBLE!

Pull the trigger.

And then let me know how to get a subscription.

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› See More: A new venture?

Well it's good that you've been thinking about it for a while and have a groundwork. I wouldn't put too much faith in the if you build it they will come theory though. It's a little better outlook for a blog vs a forum though. Content is the hardest part for any site.

Yeah, especially the nature of this content. If it were just a blog or tip site, it would be easier. But this is local...and we have to get out there and actually find the content, not just make it up LOL.

I wish you the best Anthony - if your heart's in it chances are you will succeed

I pay $150 a month for a small ad in my local small town newspaper...in the last two months that $300 has generated about $2500 for my small business...

Despite the fact that newsprint appears to be dying a slow death I think it will be around for a long time to come...

I am real skeptical about the profit margins with a web based community "news" site. I wish you luck and maybe it will work but I think it will be a long time yet before a person can make a living off (or a reasonable return for the effort) of such an endeavor...

Finally my biggest concern...I don't know how it is in Sydney Ohio but I will tell you this for true about Sapulpa Oklahoma...there are very few folks around here who look at the net for local news...I know that because I can see the traffic count on my local newspaper's website...the people around here at least aren't going to look at some local yokel website for ANY kind of news....they are to stupid for that...hahaha

There are some fundamental differences that must be taken into consideration:

1. I visited the Sapulpa Herald website. It features a much better layout than most local online news sites I've seen. There is a serious design gap between the large, national online news sites and the local ones. A typical smaller news sites looks like it was designed by a 10-year old...my current local newspaper site is no exception to this rule.

2. Hyperlocal and community-sourced news sites are on the rise. There are many success stories out there.

3. Print news may not be dead (yet) but it has been obsolete for years. With Kindergarteners having access to iPads, the wave of the future is not in print news. I agree that "seasoned citizens", who are the bread and butter of the newspaper industry, do not read online news. Current and up-and-coming generations do.

4. And this is the big one: People in my community are fed up with the local rag. It's biased and half of the content is from the Associated Press, not local news. The articles they do manage to cover on their own are downright ridiculous. The publishing company is in receivership, aka bankruptcy. Service is horrible, and there's an ongoing scandal 3 years running where they have inflated circulation numbers in order to keep advertising prices up, and they refuse an audit.

Will I be able to monetize this effort? I honestly don't know. This is a small community, and even though faith in the local paper is shaky at best, it's hard to break through the technology barrier. This isn't Silicone Valley. I have begun to send out some feelers into the community, and thus far the response has been positive. At this point I wish I was independently wealthy so that I could dedicate more time to it.

This is going to blow my SEO efforts out of the water, but nonetheless...here it is:

Shelby County Tribune

I am very interested in your feedback, whether positive or negative.

I had a quick view and found your site very well done. It is nice and not too cluttered. The links I tried were fast to download and the articles nicely written.
I hope you make it and the advertisers spend with you.

Just keep focused.

Originally Posted by Anthony Hereld

This is going to blow my SEO efforts out of the water, but nonetheless...here it is:

Shelby County Tribune

I am very interested in your feedback, whether positive or negative.

Looks and reads pretty damn good to me. I'd say you're on the right track, Anthony. Great job!

That's actually a pretty impressive website Anthony. Congrats. I think you're on your way to a winner here.