Posted by jessdrkn on October 11, 2009
Location: Seattle 
Focus: municipal, neighbhorhood news in West Seattle neighborhoods, including accidents, crime, local information; links to West Seattle bloggers; calendar listings; traffic cams; public forums; collaborates with Seattle Times on community coverage
Started: 2005 as casual community observation blog; 2007, news concentration, began accepting advertising
Staff: 2-person startup - co-publishers Tracy Record, editor, and Patrick Sand, business development director (“the sales guy”); 6 contributing reporters
Funding: advertising
Site: westseattleblog.com
From About
We started this in late 2005 with the intention of it just being a little place where we could spout our observations about what’s happening in our rapidly changing community. In the early months, it was a lot more personal, written first person, with a lot more opinion. Then something unexpected started to happen — we began to hear from West Seattle residents looking for information they couldn’t find anywhere else, particularly during the December 2006 windstorm and ensuing days of powerlessness, when thousands of us were sitting in cold dark homes without any official information on when our electricity would be restored. That was a turning point for us, toward a focus more on community news and information, updated frequently, and throughout 2007, and now on into 2008, that focus intensifies day by day.
Sample stories: “Update: Car hits pole, SW Barton closed west of Westwood Village”; ”Video: Human, canine volunteers finish up new Westcrest feature”; “Next chance to help library supporters fight more budget cuts”
Posted in Washington state | Tagged: advertising, blog, hyperlocal, neighborhood, newspaper collaborations, seattle, washington | Leave a Comment »
Posted by jessdrkn on June 5, 2009
Location: Woodstock, Conn. 
Focus: Local news and issues blog covering 8 towns in Northeastern Connecticut — “We’re as close as your mouse”; popular topics include school boards and local elections; heavy comment traffic on floating topics
Launched: October 2005
Employees/Writers: Reader comment driven – many regular, anonymous posters, some bylined submissions; anonymous/unnamed administrators post submissions; site includes a philosophy statement and posting guidelines
Funding: limited advertising
Site: woodstockctcafe.com
From WoodstockCT Cafe Philosophy 101 page:
[Commenter] John said at the Cafe in January 2007 ‘There are many who have contributed to the Cafe to share information with the rest of us, and to enlighten us. The collective intelligence of all of us is well documented in the archives, warts and all. I can say for myself that, as a contributor of some of the articles at the Cafe, I have learned a lot about the Town and how it operates. The ability to speak freely in this forum has liberated us from the political darkness of Woodstock. Our learning about the goings on in Woodstock has come from writing the articles, reading the articles of others, and reading the commentary of other contributors. Many times I have been dutifully corrected and I have always appreciated knowing when I have misstated the facts. This awakening would not have been possible without anonymity. This is because it is the argument stated explicitly in words, not the credibility of the author, that is being debated.’
Sample posts: “Vote ‘No’ at the June 9 referendum”; “We know where the DTC stands, does the RTC have the political courage to weigh in?”; “From the outside looking in on the ninth grade proposal”; “On the Woodstock Academy contract”
Posted in Connecticut | Tagged: 2005, anonymous, blog, Connecticut, contributors, discussion, local politics, Northeastern Connecticut | Leave a Comment »
Posted by jessdrkn on June 2, 2009
Location: Santa Cruz & Santa Barbara, Calif. 
Focus: blog covering “political news, analysis, commentary, cheap shots, gossip and more about California and beyond”
Launched: January 2009
Employees/Writers: founded by Bay Area newspaper veterans Jerry Roberts (in Santa Barbara) and Phil Trounstine (in Santa Cruz). Mr. Roberts is a former political editor, editorial page editor and managing editor of the San Francisco Chronicle. Mr. Trounstine the former political editor of the San Jose Mercury News. Bios are on blog home page. Active contributor content.
Funding: Limited advertising
Site: calbuzz.com
Got buzz? Become a Calbuzzer: send us your photos and videos of statewide California candidates and pols when they campaign in your community; full credit guaranteed.
We also want your dish, scoops, tips and other inside and behind-the-scenes poop about California campaigns and candidates; full discretion guaranteed.
Sample blog posts, from Top Calbuzz stories: “Why Diane Feinstein won’t run for governor”; “Republicans urged bankruptcy for California”; “Why state budget cuts always screw poor people”
Thank you to Ghost Word’s March 2009 blog post , “Former reporters now give away their expertise for free,” for the roundup of new efforts by former San Francisco newspaper reporters.
Posted in California | Tagged: blog, California, politics | Leave a Comment »
(section of Northern New Jersey composed of Montclair, Glen Ridge, Bloomfield)