LSJ bloggers

Rethinking LSJ bloggers: Can we overhaul it for semester B?

It’s been over a month since I put LSJ bloggers into hiberation, and as the new year approaches I’m considering what to do next with it. The initial response was incredibly poor, with very few people contributing — only about a third of the people who submitted links to their blogs got involved in some way. It seems appropriate to take another look at LSJ bloggers, and look at what can be done to improve things — even if it means a total overhaul of the concept.

—Rob J Wells

Rob J Wells: Be focused, be small, be (hyper)local

I’m perhaps the most optimistic about the possibilities for hyperlocal sites in Lincoln, and I think they could work across the city (and not just in the West End).

Hyperlocal definitely has a place, and I think the journalism produced would be far, far better than that coming from the established media in the area.

But I am also the most pessimistic when it comes to the reporters getting paid for it. The problem with thinking about the financial side of hyperlocal is that there’s no evidence to look at, since it’s a new model that hasn’t been implemented in a comparable situation.

Andy Hickley: Hyper-local journalism in Lincoln - why it won't work!

After reading both Daniel and Shane’s views on hyperlocal journalism, which means I now not only actually fully understand the meaning of the word hyperlocal, but also have a few important facts and figures, I thought it’d be time for me to chip in with a few words.

Basically, I can’t quite see the need or the want for the most local of local journalism in the Lincoln area. Whilst there’s arguments that obviously areas of the West End could provide 15-20,000 hits on a blogging site, it seems to me more of an idea for a “citizen journalist” than a professional - blogs from residents meetings would obviously provide local interest and many hits, but it would be more for reasons of information than actual news.

Daniel Ionescu: Hyper-local journalism in Lincoln

My vision of hyper-local journalism in Lincoln is not particularly focused on a certain area of the city (though this is the whole idea of the con­cept) but on the whole city itself.

Shane Croucher: Could Hyperlocal Journalism work in Lincoln?

Currently, I’m not aware of any hyperlocal bloggers in any areas of Lincoln. So, the only media really serving the area is the Lincolnshire Echo, Lincs FM, BBC Lincolnshire, Siren FM and The Linc. Three of those serve the whole of Lincolnshire, and the other two are University of Lincoln outlets, which will occasionally, but by no means always, focus on local issues.

Given that the Lincolnshire Echo, BBC and Lincs FM will not have the manpower to cover every Lincoln City Council meeting, or every residents association meeting – that leaves a lot of material uncovered.