Jtm-pnw-session-local-blog
Below are links to my scribbles, along with full audio of the break-out session. Due to heavy background noise, the latter part of the audio is probably easiest to hear, but this is the first time using my LiveScribe pen in a venue like this...
Additionally, my 'scribbles' are transcribed below ;-) - Kris Bates
Blog Sustainability Led by Scott Schaefer, B-TownBlog.Com
- B-town Blog is Ad Based 4 "in the Black" (Word Press) - KOMO is trying to be "hyper-local" from their main office... - Scott tells about "finding news" on his drive home... (local murder), demoing his site - Susan Adler asks about comments on B-Town Blog; yes they're there... - Jim Bellinger asks about strike-through content. Scott uses it for 'transparent revisioning'. - Scott believes in transparency of stats (rarity)
- Site Meter
- Quant cast} stats Tools
- Compete
- Andrew Humphrey asks about making his first dollar
- Casey Haakenson asks about CPMS (cost per 1000)
- Many questions about Ad Revenue
- Get an office! (Scott)
- Competition: High line Times-Community Paper - Share Suzuki asks about most popular topics - SEO WP Plogiins - Nicole asks about size of staff-10 or so paid & volunteer - Dennis Newman asks about other sources of revenue - Premium content?
- Andrew pays for Premium content
- Kathleen pays for Kindle content
- Doug asks about donations-not much - Dennis mentions citizen journalism supported (by donation) - TheUptake.Org- also has half-hr radio show - Andrew relates story of Jay Leno, which he first saw on a Premium Content site - Question about limits of bias due to advertisers-Scott stays neutral - Andrew asks about "partially premium" content - Kris Bates mentions Macsurfer.Com (same format since 1998 - Dennis asks about Google Ads - Kathleen asks about costs/overhead for Ad Sales
- Scott started with high sales commission
- He's reducing that 'in his favor' this year
- $50 per story is what he pays
- Kathleen suggests NPO model
- Grant support (Knight, etc.)
- Andrew asks about common themes in content
- Scandals, Crime, Politics
- Andrew usggests "Crime stats' - Kathleen suggests Data Inquiries"
- A-La TSSN.ORG
- Dennis mentions CrimeReports.Com
Rich Riski mentions Chicago Crime Map
-Bought by MSNBC
-Data Mining
- Jim Bellinger suggests google crime map - Casey Haakenson asks about Merchandising
- slow margins or high overhead
- Casey (long-time Web guy) is not convinced
- Amazon can "Kindle-ize" blogs
- iphone App suggested
- scott has Amazon kindle blog... made no revenue on it so far, but admits he doesn't promote it much...
- Casey relates experience with paid/unpaid content via iPhone/Droid Platform
- Casey's company's Apps focus on RSS-based Aggregation of localized blogs
- Kris asks about cost/labor for app dev.
- 6-8 months development, 1 or so hour of templatized implementation
- Free apps make more than paid for Casey
- 'iSlate' could be a game changer
- iTunes might have to change its name...
- Kathleen talks about the new "Location" - Scott talks about Social Networking - Andrew suggests cross-pollination of advertising
- Hyper-local small communities
- Kathleen: "'low hanging fruit"
- Scott: need a business person to help organize writers bloggers, etc.
- Casey: Hyper-Local Blog Aggregators/Networks?
-Cites Instivate (Capital Hill...) as example
- Smaller Conversations Ensue... (break-outs from the break-out...) See Livescribe/Audio for details...
Misc Notes From Conversations (See Livescribe/Audio -Links @ the top - for details...)
- Holovaty - Data Mining - MSNBC
- Gabriel Dance-Deep Web
- Nate Silver-FiveThirtyEight.Com-Political Data-mining
- IRE.org (B-2-B)
- Freakonomios
- politifact
- Computer assisted reporting (Minn. or WI)
- CAR.Org
