Focus: “News Politics Crime Events” in Garden District and Carolltown areas of New Orleans, but follows news citywide; Special feature: NolaWiki, “the contextual arm of NoLaMessenger.com”; The Wiki was formed to archive stories and information from the primary news site

Started: September 2010

Staff: publishers Robert Morris and Sabree Hill, former traditional media journalists; they use Society of Professional Journalists ethical reporting standards for their site

Funding: advertising, donations, will begin membership program; site is part of parent company Nola Messenger

Site: uptownmessenger.com

From About:

UptownMessenger.com is a local, independent online source of news, commerce and knowledge for Uptown New Orleans that had its formal launch in September 2010.

Every day at UptownMessenger.com, you’ll find neighborhood-level coverage of government and politics, crime, business and community events. We will tell the stories of Uptown New Orleans and its people through traditional articles and photos, as well as extensive use of the video and live-blogging made possible by the Internet.

…

The primary coverage area of UptownMessenger.com runs roughly from the Garden District and Carrollton, but we’ll cover news of interest to our readers wherever it takes place.

Sample stories: “36 hours Uptown: Government meetings and cultural events”; “6th District’s anti-crime march: ‘I felt very safe with all the officers around me’”; “Former NOCCA school sold for $2.5 million to developers who ‘just wanted to save the building’”; “Proposed Lower Garden District film studio ekes out planning commission approval”

Media mentions: Gambit: Best of New Orleans article, “Reporting from your block… Kevin Allman on Uptown Messenger, a hyperlocal news site that is at the forefront of a big trend in journalism”

Focus: Covering news, lifestyle and events in south Dallas, an area with a 500,000 population; information categories include politics (local, state and national), education, environment, sports, media, religion, the arts, and Jr. reporters; links to some neighborhood or other local blogs. Opinion pieces and news about nonprofit organizations in the area are also featured.

Started: 2009

Staff: Editor is Shawn P. Williams, who ran the Dallas South blog for three years, according to a press release about the site’s launch, which also said the Dallas South News “will utilize professional journalists, citizen journalists, bloggers, and volunteers to cover issues that are relevant to residents of Southern Dallas. Board of Directors include media staff from traditional print and television outlets, community organizers, civic groups

Business: nonprofit supported by donations, contributions, advertising

Site: dallassouthnews.org

From About:

Dallas South News is a nonprofit news organization utilizing technology, social media, and journalistic principles to empower and inform underserved communities.

Dallas South News uses a combination of traditional journalists, citizen journalists, and bloggers to provide a fresh perspective to news stories important to Southern Dallas communities. We cover local news as well as provide state and local commentary on a variety of topics.

…

Dallas South News holds workshops and seminars designed to empower residents to produce news stories using mobile phones, digital cameras, and mini video devices, as well as to utilize social media tools like Twitter, YouTube, and Facebook.

Southern Dallas is home to over 500,000 people, which is more than the city of Atlanta. Dallas South News covers stories and events that are important to the residents of this area. Local media outlets have targeted other areas of North Texas as their core readers, putting this area on the backburner. DSN sees Southern Dallas as its core and will provide citizens there a much needed voice.

Sample stories: “Bill White on Texas race with Dallas South News Part 1 (audio)”; “Bill White Part 2: Candidate answers question of whether he’s avoiding President Obama (audio)”; “UNCF Rallies North Texas to Help Students Graduate”; “Dallas County District Attorney’s Statement Regarding Proposed Cuts to Public Safety”; “Lone Star Ride Fighting AIDS Celebrates 10 Years of Cycling to Support Local HIV/AIDS Service Organizations”

Focus: “Your Definitive Neighborhood Guide to North Center, Lincoln Square and Ravenswood Manor”; information categories include News, Restaurants, Neighborhoods, 1,000 Words, Events, Submissions

Started: Jan. 20, 2010

Staff: writers/editors/founders Patrick Boylan and Mike Fourcher; solicitations for contributed content

Funding: advertising

Site: centersquareledger.com

From About:

The Center Square Ledger is a news publication focusing exclusively on Chicago’s Lincoln Square, North Center and Ravenswood Manor neighborhoods. It’s published by two guys, Mike and Patrick, from the neighborhood with deep Chicago roots. We launched this publication because we believed that our communities have a great deal going on – we want to tell those stories.

We also believe that many of the stories going on in our communities need to be told by you. Perhaps there’s something going on in your neighborhood you’d like to tell. Maybe you want to write the story yourself in the Ledger.

Sample stories: “Lincoln Square Chamber membership elects 3 members to board; Membership tiers now based on benefit use, not employee size”; “Early voting in Lincoln Square and Northcenter short of 2008 pace”; “Our Lady of Lourdes undertakes cause of immigration reform”; “Local carpenter invents water barrel platform; get pressure and use out of your barrel”

Media mentions: Chicagotalks write-up: “Center Square Ledger offers news from Francisco to Addison”

Focus: “Daily news for Seattle’s Ballard neighborhood”; information categories include Events, Restaurants, Forum, Classified, Coupons, Video, Wire

Started: May 2007

Staff: Kate and Corey Bergman, founders of comunity news network Next Door Media

Funding: advertising; part of Next Door Media community news and advertising network. Next Door Media network of neighborhood sites include MyBallard.com, Phinneywood.com, QueenAnneView.com, MagnoliaVoice.com, and FremontUniverse.com.  The group partners with the Seattle Times in a content-sharing deal

Site: myballard.com

From About:

We’re Kate and Cory Bergman… a Scandinavian couple who started MyBallard.com in December of 2007. We both have long resumes in journalism — Kate works at KING 5 News and Cory at msnbc.com — and we noticed Ballard lacked a daily news source and community forum. My Ballard soon became the neighborhood’s most popular news site, even winning a community service award from the Ballard District Council.As My Ballard grew, we started a company called Next Door Media and expanded to nearby neighborhoods: PhinneyWood.com for Phinney Ridge and Greenwood, MagnoliaVoice.com in Magnolia, FremontUniverse.com in Fremont and QueenAnneView.com in Queen Anne. All of our blogs are written by folks who live in the neighborhood.

The biggest surprise has been the enormous role that all of our readers play in helping us cover the neighborhood. Unlike traditional news sites, My Ballard is powered by the community, not us. So if you see something interesting in the neighborhood, please let us know. New store? Road construction? Land use issue? Accident? Lost pet? Drop us a tip at tips@myballard.com.

Sample posts: “Lane closures on Ballard and Fremont bridges”; “Demolition crews to level Sunset Bowl tomorrow”; “Kids bounce to exhaustion at Loyal Heights CC”; “Radio Shack robbed at gunpoint”; “Borrowing changes ahead at library

Focus: “Daily news for Seattle’s Magnolia neighborhood”; information categories include Events, Restaurant, Forums, Coupons

Started: July 2008

Staff: run by journalists Kate and Cory Bergman, who started MyBallard.com and founded Next Door Media

Funding: advertising; part of Next Door Media community news and advertising network. Next Door Media network of neighborhood sites include MyBallard.com, Phinneywood.com, QueenAnneView.com, MagnoliaVoice.com, and FremontUniverse.com. The group partners with the Seattle Times in a content-sharing deal

Site: magnoliavoice.com

From About:

Magnolia is still small enough that it is likely you will know the name of your Bartell’s checker, the guy at the post office and the kid who just started working at Thriftway.  Magnolia is family focused but there are also many apartments and a growing number of condos and townhomes attracting a younger crowd.

MagnoliaVoice.com is brought to you by the folks behind MyBallard.com and PhinneyWood.com, two next door neighborhoods. Magnolia Voice is dedicated to becoming the neighborhood’s community news source. We look to our readers to help us cover the news from the neighborhood with tips and comments. We want to be a spot where you can share your thoughts and ideas as we debate the issues that are important to all of us.

We’ve lived in Magnolia for over 20 years and we feel pretty connected to our little burg.  We both work in the communications world, and to be honest, we are pretty naturally nosy.   Hence the names Gladys and Abner for the famous nosy neighbors on the TV series Bewitched.

Sample stories: “Lane closures on area bridges”; “Home burglary update from SPD (Seattle Police Department)”; “Tina the dog recovering: Coyote sightings continue”; “Reps. Dickerson and Carlyle to host telephone-town hall”

Focus: “A news blog for Seattle’s Queen Anne neighborhood”; information categories include Events, Restaurants, Forum, Coupons

Started: September 2008

Staff: 1 editor, Thea Chard, a former journalist

Funding: advertising; part of Next Door Media community news and advertising network. Next Door Media network of neighborhood sites include MyBallard.com, Phinneywood.com, QueenAnneView.com, MagnoliaVoice.com, and FremontUniverse.com. Also see MyGreenLake.com independent news site covering a Seattle neighborhood, but no affiliated with Next Door Media. The group partners in a content-sharing deal with the Seattle Times

From About:

Queen Anne View is a community site dedicated to news and events in the neighborhood. Edited by Thea Chard, a journalist who lives right here in the neighborhood, Queen Anne View is dedicated to covering community stories and promoting neighborhood events often ignored by the struggling mainstream press.

…QueenAnneView.com is part of Next Door Media, an innovative publishing company in North Seattle dedicated to finding a new sustainable, community-powered model of local journalism in the neighborhoods where we live.

Sample stories: “Cat adopt-a-thon at All Best Pet Care today”; “20+ McClure students suspended for cyberbullying” story from KING 5 television station; “Community police academy looking for applicants”; “Queen Anne family in Tanzania share stories of multi-culturalism, holidays in the sun & life abroad”; “Kinnear Park project planning meeting tonight”

Focus: “A news blog for Phinney Ridge and Greenwood neighbhorhoods”; “Whatever you call it, we cover it”; news categories include Events, Food & Drink, Forum

Started: July 2008

Staff: 2 — husband and wife team Dale Steinke, who also works at Seattle’s KING 5 TV station as a web producer, and Doree Armstrong, a freelance writer.

Funding: advertising; part of Next Door Media community news and advertising network. Next Door Media network of neighborhood sites include MyBallard.com, Phinneywood.com, QueenAnneView.com, MagnoliaVoice.com, and FremontUniverse.com. Also see MyGreenLake.com independent news site covering a Seattle neighborhood, but no affiliated with Next Door Media

Site: phinneywood.com

From About:

While most Seattle neighborhoods cling tightly to their own identities, North Seattle’s Greenwood and Phinney Ridge neighborhoods also celebrate what brings them together.

…Both neighborhoods are experiencing growing pains, from new condominium complexes to long-time stores moving or going out of business due to rising rents. And that means residents are becoming more involved in their communities, wanting to have a say in what this new urban village will look like.

That’s the idea behind PhinneyWood.com. It’s a daily news blog that’s designed to be a community resource — a place where you can learn about the changes in your neighborhood and discuss the issues that are important in Phinney and Greenwood.

Sample stories: “Reduced bus service on MLK day”; “Couth Buzzard Espresso Buono welcomes crowds at grand opening”; “Police searching for armed robbery suspect at 85th Street”; “Is this your bike?” a call for claiming an abandoned bicycle in the neighborhood; “Phinney, Greenwood businesses win Home Street Banker ‘Good Neighbor’ awards

Focus: community news, hyperlocal info around Southern Brooklyn; original reporting, links to nearby placeblogs, traditional media outlets, ex: NYT; information categories include Arts & Culture, Business, Food, Education, Events, News & Features, Opinion, Police & Fire

Started: May 2008

Staff: founded by Ned Berke, who is editor and publisher; associate editor is Ray Johnson

Funding: advertising

Site: sheepsheadbites.com

From About:

…Many of Brooklyn’s neighborhoods still filled with genuine Brooklynites feature local characters and compelling, complex issues, but are going under-reported in both the established media and the nebulous Brooklyn blogroll. And while most of our neighbors sink further into either apathy or Monday morning quarterback-style governance, our communities are going on without us. They’re leaving their flair and character behind and moving forward in erratic, worrisome ways.Now it’s time we steal from the digital toolbox, and present our neighbors with useful, well-explained information and foster debate on the issues of our day.

Our Beat

Community meetings, development issues, local politics, interesting people, happenings and cool new places — these are just some of the topics the Bite will sink its teeth into. And what will set us apart from any other great blogs in the area is our humor and irreverence, blended in with the same passion and concern that comes from our colleagues.

Sample posts: “Sheepshead Bay Station’s mural artist passes away”; “Halikarnas restaurant closed by DOH”; “Luxury Dental office coming to Ave Z”; “Taking ‘South Brooklyn’ back for the good guys” re-published (from BK Southie), contributed opinion piece on place identity; “City embarks on salty slaughter” article about sodium in foods regulation; “Two killed, Gravesend man arrested in Belt Pkwy crash” with excerpt from NYT story

Platform: WordPress

Focus: “A blog for Seattle’s Green Lake neighborhood”; original content posted by site founders; links to other sources

Started: May 2009

Staff: Founded by co-editors and Green Lake residents Amy Duncan and Madeleine Carlson. Ms. Duncan, who also is the advertising director, is a former Seattle Public Library librarian, Ms. Carlson used to work for CNET — she’s the site architect.

Funding: advertising supported

Site: mygreenlake.com

From About:

We are two Green Lake residents who felt the need for a neighborhood blog. All the other cool neighborhoods have ‘em so why shouldn’t we? Come here to read about and comment on anything and everything having to do with the Green Lake neighborhood (and sometimes adjacent areas) in Seattle, Washington.

From Ms. Duncan:

My Green Lake is a source of news, observation, community building, and event information for residents, business owners, and all others with an interest in the Seattle neighborhood of Green Lake and its much-loved park.  Original content posted by site founders; additional neighborhood information quoted from other neighborhood blogs, SeattlePI.com, SeattleTimes.com, and other local sources.

Sample posts: “A look back at 2009 in Green Lake”; “Organizer of Green Lake Pumpkin Run charged with indecent exposure in relation to West Seattle event”; “Green Lake Community Center to close ten Fridays for Parks and Recreation furlough days”

Started: April 2009

Focus: News and information for the Galion area: “connecting Galion and Galionites with their world.” Integration with social media and networking; launching citizen media component in January 2010; user-generated content; information categories include “News & Views”, “Life in Galion”, “Education & Health”, and “Sports”; some links to content by area media

Staff: Founder/editor Thomas Palmer; 2 regular contributors

Funding: Advertising model launching 2010

Site: galionlive.com

From About:

The goal of GalionLive! is to bring the community together by facilitating the open exchange of news, information and ideas. It is based squarely on the idea of interactivity, in that the entire community, as well as friends of Galion from around the country and the world, are invited to become a part by posting news items, opinions or events — and by sharing photos, videos or audio.

As this site launches, it does so with an iron-clad promise, and that is a commitment to promote communication and conversation that is not dependent on commercial support. This site will feature its own stories and views, each aimed at revealing some aspect of community life. GalionLive! also embraces the concept of “citizen journalism,” in that it also allows registered users to publish any material that meets the following criteria:

Mr. Palmer: GalionLive includes a social networking site at: community.galionlive.com with some 364 registered users; a WordPress site at: www.galionlive.com with regular commentary from readers; a Facebook site at: www.facebook.com/galionlive w ith 599 “fans”; and a Twitter site at: www.twitter.com/galionlive. These sites are integrated to the greatest extent possible to create a single product

Sample stories: “Galion Christmas Eve services” a roundup of church service times; “The Old World comes to Galion”; “Utility rate increases enacted by council”; “It happened in Galion…” a decade retrospective of local events from 2000-2009