By Eugenia Chien on Poynter, Oct. 3 , 2011 – For the last three years, I’ve been running the website Muni Diaries, where public transit riders in San Francisco submit stories that happened on the bus. Along the way, we have been approached by several large news organizations for content partnerships. This has become more and more common, as many news organizations don’t have the staff or resources to cover hyperlocal news quickly and adequately anymore.
We’re grateful that our successes have led to partnerships, but I also recall many meetings where both bloggers and media organizations have left frustrated because of misunderstandings and mismatched expectations. Based on my experiences, I’ve come up with some tips on how news organizations can create meaningful collaborations with local blogs.
1. Ask your local blogs what they need.
2. Be prepared to show specific mockups and plans.
3. Understand the business of the Web.
4. Get support from your advertising and marketing departments.