You are, no doubt, aware of the impressive number of WickedLocal websites in eastern Massachusetts. In virtually every neighborhood east of Worcester (see the map at right), WickedLocal has a site (including many dead-tree operations like the Cambridge Chronicle and the Arlington Advocate) to report the local goings-on.
There’s also a new, quite interesting phenomenon called Patch.com. AOL has invested millions of dollars in Patch to create a nationwide network of hyperlocal sites, including dozens in Massachusetts, each staffed with a paid editor and freelance reporters. It’s an interesting experiment.
I though it would be useful to keep track of what’s happening on these sites – many of the stories fly below radar, even though some are of interest beyond the respective city or town lines. So I set up a new Google Reader, called “Mass Hyperlocal,” to track them. You can see it in the sidebar underneath our other two readers (“Mass o’ Politics,” which tracks MA political news and commentary, and “ProgBlogs around the US,” which tracks lefty blogs in other states).
Please let me know if you know of other hyperlocal sites that I should include – particularly in central and western MA, which are poorly (if at all) represented on WickedLocal and Patch. Meanwhile, here’s a quick look at what’s happening on the hyperlocal sites right now:
argyle says
While Patch and WIcked Local are just swell, assuming you like empty features published by companies on the brink of bankruptcy, I’m sure with a little poking around you can find plenty of independent bloggers reporting on their communities.
David says
I put in quite a bit of time entering the Patch and WickedLocal feeds, figuring that it was a good start. I’ve added masslive.com for some western MA coverage. I don’t have time to research additional sites, but would be happy to enter feeds if others suggest them.
argyle says
eduxbury.com
Wareham Week
manometcurrent.com
David says
I added Manomet and Wareham. Couldn’t open the Duxbury site.
greg-reibman says
Thanks for the shout out David and for building this. Just a reminder that we also aggregate the latest political stories from all 150-plus Wicked Local sites as well as the Patriot Ledger, The Enterprise, MetroWest Daily News and our other dailies on one site: WickedLocalPolitics.com
@argyle Not to take anything away from the great work local political bloggers do, I think you are selling a lot of WickedLocal (and no doubt Patch) journalists short.
Yes some sites — and some reporters — are better than others. But there’s quite a bit of serious and significant coverage happening on both the municipal and regional level with a focus more on issues than horse races.
Greg Reibman
VP Content Parnerships
WickedLocal.com